Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I have not even addressed the issue of boundary changes yet. The Deputy knows what the strategy states and reports have been written in that regard. There are two groups. We need to support and conserve Irish in the Gaeltacht areas. However, there is an emerging group, maybe around the scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge, who are increasingly using Irish as their first language, but very often they need support. I would envisage that in the context of implementing the 20-year strategy, measures would be made available to those new groups as well as groups within the Gaeltacht through a form of the scéim labhartha. I believe it will take different forms. When the pleananna Ghaeilge are formalised - there are a number of interesting ones in different parts of the country emerging already and are almost ready to roll and it is a pity we have not been able to get discussion on this under way more quickly, but we are where we are - and put into effect, different interventions will emerge. Organisations like Foras na Gaeilge and others will form part of support services that will be - and should be - available to families. Some of us present are teachers or former teachers. By starting early we are likely to have a greater impact in whatever language it is.

In the school I mentioned, there was a ten year old girl of Swiss origin. She had been in the school for only a short time and because of the approach taken to the teaching of Irish in that school, she certainly had better Irish than I have.

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