Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

Tá áthas orm seans a bheith agam bheith páirteach sa díospóireacht seo. Tá sé an-tábhachtach an cheist seo a phlé. Molaim an coiste a bhí i gceannas ar an straitéis 20 bliain don Ghaeilge. An rud is tábhachtaí dom ná go bhfuil sé scríofa in Airteagal 8 den Bhunreacht "Ós í an Ghaeilge an teanga náisiúnta is í an phríomhtheanga oifigiúil í." Tá sin sa Bhunreacht agus in Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003.

Aontaím leis an Teachta Kennedy agus glaoím ar an Aire tús a chur athuair leis na ranganna a bhí ar siúl do Bhaill agus d'fhoireann na dTithe anseo chun feabhas a chur ar a gcuid Gaeilge, agus úsáid na Gaeilge a chothú sa Pharlaimint. Níl cúis ar bith nach mbeidís ar fáil, tá ranganna Fraincíse ar fáil ach níl ranganna Gaeilge. Impím ar an Aire iad a chur ar fáil arís.

Tá sárobair á deanamh ag Raidió na Gaeltachta, TG4, na Gaelscoileanna, Conradh na Gaeilge, Gaeleagras agus na grúpaí go léir atá ag cur na Gaeilge chun cinn ar fud na tíre.

Since the foundation of the State, Irish has been its official language. It is unbelievable that many of us, myself included, are still unable to use it go flúirseach. It is unacceptable that lip-service has been paid to the language by successive governments and by the Department of Education and Skills. We must and can improve in making Irish a more widely used language.

A fortnight ago in Brussels, I was informed by an official there that there is a danger that, despite having fought hard over the years to make the Irish language a working EU language, its official status may be withdrawn soon. Will the Minister ensure this does not happen? It was gratifying to hear Irish MEPs using the language in the European Parliament.

The gaelscoileanna outside of the Fíor-Ghaeltacht and Breac-Ghaeltacht have done tremendous work in promoting the use of Irish not only in schools. One notices more that many towns have fograí as Gaeilge. While it may not be seen as significant use, it is still important to make the effort to use it. Organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge and Gaeleagras have made great efforts over the years to have Irish more widely spoken.

The Department of Education and Skills, however, is not fully behind the establishment of gaelscoileanna even when there are obvious demands for them. The Department claims it is not feasible to have a gaelscoil in some areas. Today, the Joint Committee on Education and Skills heard from delegations such as An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta and Conradh na Gaeilge, on Irish language education. They pointed out that in many of the schools they have established, the annual intake of students is between 35 and 40 pupils. Still, the Department will not provide sanction for these schools. The commitment of the Department of Education and Skills to the Irish language comes into question when it stifles the efforts of parents and their children to use it. It is unacceptable and the Minister must make this known to the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills.

The marks available for the leaving certificate's an scrúdú cainte have been increased to encourage caint tríd Gaeilge which is to be welcomed. However, other changes to the examination mean top-class students from Gaeltacht areas are being brought down a level because of the test's shortcomings. That is elementary stuff. Likewise, they were given pictures months beforehand and then had to come in a talk about them. The quality and demands involved in that kind of support for the Irish language needs a lot of improvement, particularly for those in the Gaeltacht areas who have to examine, analyse and present a case trí Ghaeilge at higher level for the leaving certificate.

While we have things like that we are neither advancing nor clearly supporting the language. In actual fact, we are going backwards. That is the terrible thing about it. We may talk about the big controversy in Kerry concerning total immersion in Irish and all these irrelevancies that happen; we concentrate and focus on those, but to a degree they are not important. It is important to deliver an educational system where those who have the ability to flourish trí Ghaeilge should be supported to the highest possible extent. As long as we have any obstacle to that, and the Department of Education and Skills is reluctant or hesitant to embrace and encourage it, we will have problems. The problems we have had in the past may not be the same now, but we are certainly not encouraging fully and wholeheartedly the concept of making Gaeilge an teanga náisiúnta.

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