Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)

I tabled a number of amendments which were ruled out for various reasons earlier and they capture my view of this section of the Bill. It is a dilution of the standing of the Irish language, which in many ways has only been achieved in recent years, especially since the passage of the Official Languages Act 2003. Prior to that, it had a standing in theory but it was not as well implemented as it should have been.

This is not necessarily the proper place for it in this legislation, but I have argued that all Bills should be contemporaneously published in the Irish language and the English language to allow us who wish to partake in a debate fully in the Irish language to do so, as, supposedly, is our right under the Constitution. We have not been able to enjoy that in this Dáil, nor in previous Dála. The only sop to the Irish language is that I can partake in the debate. I can contribute to this debate in the Irish language but I cannot contribute in writing to it. If I proposed amendments in Irish to legislation which is published in English, they would be ruled out, as amendments have been in the past.

This is part of a trend since this Government has come into being. It began with the passage of the Social Welfare and Pensions Bill 2011, where the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003 were set aside on that occasion as well. Here, again, the Official Languages Act 2003 is being set aside to facilitate more dilution of it.

This is at a time when we are told there is a review of the Official Languages Act 2003. After the review, there might be some logic in the Minister stating that this provision would be required. However, prior to a review, there is none to start undermining an Act which is only in being eight years.

Subsequently, the Irish language had an increased status given to it by recognition in the European Union and here the Government is undermining at home that recognition and what was gained after a long campaign for many years. It is a retrograde step.

I will not unduly delay this because I argued most of the points on Committee Stage. In fact, all Committee Stage did was ensure that I would continue to fight this, which was the reason I tabled a number of amendments which stated there would be a sunset clause to this provision or that there would be other provisions which would prevent it occurring immediately or forever more.

My preference is to delete this section. The other amendment I suggested is that, if anything, the only provision should be that it could be published in the official State language if the Government would only publish it in one, namely the Irish language. I guarantee that would never happen and it would be published in both languages. There are few, if any, Bills or Acts which have been published in the Irish language only. It is easy to translate from the Irish language to the English language but there seems to be some type of a hiccup when it is the other way round. It would be much easier if, from the start, the Bills were published in both languages and then the amendments could be tracked and there would be virtually contemporaneous publication of the Acts in both languages shortly after their passage in the Houses of Oireachtas, as is done in many other Parliaments which are dealing with bilingual or trilingual societies.

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