Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)

I move amendment No. 34:

In page 56, after line 41, to insert the following:

"(6) In operating a system of postcodes the Minister shall have regard to the position of the Irish language as the national language.".

Go bunúsach, an t-údar atá leis an leasú seo ná go gcaithfear staideas na Gaeilge mar chéad teanga agus mar phríomh teanga oifigiúil na tíre seo a thógaint san áireamh nuair a bheidh na cóid poist dhá réiteach. Tá súil agam go nglacfaidh an tAire leis an leasú seo. The purpose of this amendment is to ensure that the position of the Irish language as the first official language of the State will be taken into account in deciding the postcodes.

We saw the difficulty that arose many years ago with the registration of cars. We should lay down a clear direction from the Oireachtas to those who are developing this that the constitutional position of the language cannot be ignored in devising a postcode system. It is a simple, basic and fundamental concept.

There are those who argue that this poses great difficulties but in society nobody has a problem with Bord na Móna, CIE, FÁS and many other terms such as Oireachtas, Cathaoirleach, Ceann Comhairle. There was a good positive tradition in the State, which, unfortunately, in more recent years has waned, to ensure that in public nomenclature the Irish language was given its proper place.

It is important in this legislation that we ensure the position of the Irish language is protected. If the Minister checks the record of the observations made on this Bill, no doubt he will find observations made by the Department which I headed up when I was in Government on this issue seeking that this matter would be addressed. It was agreed by the previous Government that no decision was to be taken on this issue without the explicit permission of Government and the previous Government was quite clear that the Irish language had to be taken into account in any postcode system that would have been brought forward by the previous Minister. I hope, therefore, that the Minister will accept this amendment in the spirit in which it is put down and that we come up with a system that is uniformly acceptable to people across the State.

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