Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 115 together.

The 20-year strategy for the Irish language lays out a comprehensive strategy for preservation and promotion of the Irish language. It encompasses a total of nine priority areas for action – education, the Gaeltacht, family transmission of the language and early intervention, administration, services and community, media and technology, dictionaries, legislation and status, economic life and cross-cutting initiatives. I have already referred to the most immediate priority for my Department and its agencies, which is the linguistic crisis in the Gaeltacht. The comprehensive linguistic study of the use of Irish in the Gaeltacht, which was carried out for my Department in 2007, indicated that if urgent remedial action is not taken, Irish may have a lifespan of just 15 or 20 years as a community and household language in the Gaeltacht. The House discussed the position in this regard in the context of an earlier question.

The Government has approved the following approaches with regard to implementation of the 20-year strategy. The Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht will retain the central overarching responsibility for Irish language affairs. Foras na Gaeilge will continue to deliver on its all-island remit as an agency of the North-South language implementation body. The implementation of the strategy outside the Gaeltacht will be the responsibility of the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, in co-operation with the relevant State partners. The possibility of the delivery of some elements of the strategy being assigned to Foras na Gaeilge on an agreed basis will be pursued. The implementation of the strategy within the Gaeltacht will be the responsibility of Údarás na Gaeltachta.

A strategy unit has been established in my Department. Officials are currently completing the drafting of one-year and three-year operational plans for implementation of the strategy. I anticipate that these plans will be published in due course. Deputies will be aware that a range of ideas in regard to the promotion of Irish were proposed on the floor of the House during a recent debate in Irish. I anticipate that further discussions will take place in this regard, including in the context of future proceedings of the newly established Joint Committee on the Environment, Transport, Culture and the Gaeltacht. Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

I assure the House that I will seek to engage constructively on these matters in the context of promoting the implementation of the 20-year strategy.

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