Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta McHugh. Gabhaim comhghairdeas leis as ucht an dul chun cinn atá déanta aige lena chuid Gaeilge. Tá an beirt againn ag foghlaim. Tá sé deacair dúinne nár tógadh le Gaeilge sa bhaile an teanga a labhairt chuile lá. Tá a lán daoine cosúil linn sa tír.

Tá áthas orm cúpla focal a rá maidir leis an dul chun cinn ata á dhéanamh leis an Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge. Tá muid i mbliain a cúig den straitéis. Mar a deirtear, tá a lán déanta agus níos mó le déanamh. Nuair a d'fhoilsigh an t-iar-Rialtas an straitéis, bhí an tír briste agus bhí an Ciste Airgeadaíochta Idirnáisiúnta inár measc. Anois, tá an tír ar an mbealach ar ais, a bhuíochas den Rialtas agus go mórmhór de mhuintir na hÉireann. Tá feabhas ag teacht ar eacnamaíocht na tíre. Tá níos mó airgid ag an Rialtas chun an straitéis a chur i bhfeidhm. Caithfimid é sin a dhéanamh.

Tá dul chun cinn á dhéanamh ó thaobh na pleananna teanga faoin Acht teangan. Tá na ceantair ag ullmhú na pleananna áitiúla, ag leagan amach an chaoi ina bhfuil an teanga á cur chun tosaigh acu agus ag míniú na pleananna atá acu chun a gceantair a láidriú. Tá sé de dhualgas ar gach ceantar fanacht laistigh don Ghaeltacht. Ní ar an Rialtas atá an dualgas, ach ar an bpobal. Is é sin an fáth go bhfuil na ceantair ag ullmhú na pleananna de réir an Achta. Mar a dúirt mé ag an comhdháil cearta a d'eagraigh Conradh na Gaeilge i lár mí Feabhra, agus mar atá ráite agam leis an Aire Stáit, tá an cuóta de 6% atá leagtha síos d'earcaíocht sa tseirbhís phoiblí i bplean an Rialtais ró-íseal. Tá an moratóir i bhfeidhm ar feadh tamaill anois. Seachas earcaíocht san earnáil phoiblí, mar shampla, múinteoirí, gardaí agus réimsí spriocdhírithe eile, níl aon ardú suntasach déanta sa tseirbhís phoiblí. Beidh sé sin ag athrú sna blianta amach romhainn. B'fhearr liom cuóta níos airde, mar go dteastaíonn sé chun an difríocht atá á teastáil a dhéanamh.

In aon fheachtas earcaíochta, mar shampla in áiteanna Gaeltachta ar nós Gaillimh, ba chóir go mbeadh sé riachtanach go mbeadh cuóta earcaíochta níos airde i dtaobh Gaeilgeoirí laistigh de na húdaráis áitiúla, an tseirbhís sláinte, srl. Níl aon spriocanna ar leith i nGaillimh i dtéarmaí líon an phearsanra i seachadadh seirbhísí. Bíonn rudaí níos deacra nuair a chailltear daoine a bhfuil Gaeilge acu, de réir príomhfheidhmeannach Chomhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe. Dúirt sé go mbeadh fáilte aige roimh feachtas earcaíochta poiblí. Mar is eol do dhaoine, tá an moratóir ann le tamall fada. Tá níos mó daoine le Gaeilge agus gan Gaeilge ag teastáil sa tseirbhís poiblí. Tá sé ráite ag an Aire Dlí agus Cirt agus Comhionannais, bunaithe ar eolas ón Garda Síochána, go bhfuil 10% do na hearcaigh nua sa Gharda Síochána líofa sa Ghaeilge. Tá sé i gceist go mbeidh na gardaí sin ag obair sa Ghaeltacht ar feadh tréimhse, mar atá leagtha síos ag Coimisinéir na nGardaí.

Is oth liom a rá go bhfuil daoine sa tír seo atá in aghaidh na teanga náisiúnta. Tá daoine sa Státseirbhís agus b'fhéidir sa pholaitíocht a bheadh níos sásta gan an Ghaeilge a bheith againn sa tír seo. B'fhéidir go gceapann said go mbeadh saol níos éasca acu gan an teanga. Is é sin an fáth a theastaíonn an straitéis uainn. Tá sé tábhachtach go bhfuil aidhmeanna leagtha síos agus go bhfuil ar an Rialtas glacadh leo. Tá breis airgid ag teastáil chun cuid de na spriocanna atá leagtha síos sna pleananna a bhaint amach. I gcásanna eile, tá athrú ar pholasaí an Rialtais nó polasaí na Státseirbhíse de dhíth.

Tá seans againn postanna nua a chruthú ó thaobh seirbhísí aistriúcháin san Eoraip. Tá maolú ann ón am a rinneadh an cinneadh chun aitheantas a thabhairt don Ghaeilge mar theanga oifigiúil san Eoraip. Caithfimid deireadh a cuir leis an maolú sin. Tá sé leagtha síos i gcuspóir 10 sa straitéis go dtabharfar "gach cúnamh agus tacaíocht don Aontas Eorpach i bhfeidhmiú an chinnidh an Ghaeilge a bheith ina teanga oibre agus ina teanga oifigiúil san AE". Tá a fhios agam go raibh díospóireacht ag Conradh na Gaeilge ar an ábhar seo le gairid, le linn an chomhdháil teangan. Is léir ón eolas atá agam go bhfuil sé ráite ag feidhmeannaigh ón Roinn nach bhfuil an oiread sin daoine ar fáil chun na postanna sin a líonadh. B'fhéidir go bhfuil sé seo fíor, ach caithfimid tuilleadh a dhéanamh chun postanna a chruthú do dhaoine le Gaeilge agus gan Gaeilge. Caithfimid an seans atá againn poist ghairmiúla a chruthú a thógáil. I mo thuairim, caithfear deireadh a chur leis an maolú sin.

Tá sprioc leagtha amach ag deireadh na straitéise ó thaobh saol eacnamaíochta na tíre. Chuir mé síos ceist Dála maidir le pacáistíocht dhátheangach le déanaí. Dúradh liom go bhfuil an Roinn ag obair le Foras Na Gaeilge agus le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta chun an sprioc seo a chur i bhfeidhm. The reply stated:

An Foras Teanga, has a key statutory role in the provision of resources and support for the Irish language on an all-island basis...Foras na Gaeilge is currently compiling an e-book on best practice in bilingual packaging. The recommendations in the e-book entitled "Pacáistíocht Dhátheangach – Treoir ar an gCleachtas is Fearr" are based on research commissioned by Foras na Gaeilge and carried out by the Dublin Institute of Technology. The e-book is aimed primarily at private sector companies and will demonstrate how bilingual packaging can be used to competitive advantage...Foras na Gaeilge has already produced an e-book on best practice in bilingual signage... a voluntary code of best practice for businesses that wish to use the Irish language, Q-Mharc Gnó le Gaeilge, is being developed by Foras na Gaeilge.

Údarás na Gaeltachta is also giving grant assistance to client companies in the Gaeltacht. There are specific conditions in the grant agreement that relate to the use of the Irish language. A comprehensive language plan, incorporating bilingual labelling and packaging, has been agreed by Údarás na Gaeltachta with all its client companies. It has also compiled a business guide, Gnó le Gaeilge, to encourage and assist companies to increase and consolidate the use of Irish in the workplace and to implement language plans in the workplace. It is worth noting that bilingual labelling and packaging is a central part of the marketing strategy of many of Údarás na Gaeltachta's client companies, including household names like Bácús Uí Bhaoill, Rí na Mara and Iasc de Brún. This issue is part of the strategy. If one sees bilingual packaging at the breakfast table everyday, one is learning everyday. It is part of the strategy in so far as it relates to the economic life of the country.

As I said earlier, it is very positive that 10% of those recruited to the Garda Síochána will be fluent Irish speakers and will be stationed in Gaeltacht areas for a period of time as determined by the Garda Commissioner. It is to be hoped that they will continue to be based in such areas. Obviously, it is important for Gaeltacht people to be able to speak to the local garda as Gaeilge, in line with their general desire to be able to avail of Irish language services in their own communities.

The progress report produced by an Roinn Comhshaoil, Pobail agus Rialtais Áitiúil, which relates to the period up to the end of September 2014, states that the Department has been in discussions with the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Údarás na Gaeltachta since late 2013 regarding "Local Community Development Committees (LCDCs) that have Gaeltacht areas in their respective local authority area and regarding a possible implementation role in LEADER, SICAP and other local development programmes in the Gaeltacht". That certainly did not happen in Galway, unfortunately. It is regrettable that no representative from Údarás na Gaeltachta was put on the Galway local community development committee. That should have happened but it did not, unfortunately.

I would like to mention a few other things before I conclude. The Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has reported that it "is in the process of drafting a protocol with Údarás na Gaeltachta regarding the Local Enterprise Offices". This is a welcome development. According to the Department, the "protocol will underpin the Government decision that Údarás na Gaeltachta will maintain responsibility for micro-enterprise and small business supports in the Gaeltacht as well as having appropriate access to supports from the new Local Enterprise Offices". That is welcome. The Department has said that while it has "a number of staff who are fluent in the Irish language, it has not to date identified any specific posts within its business services which currently require fluency in Irish". I think that response is typical of the responses we received when we tabled parliamentary questions to a number of Departments. It is regrettable because there is a role for people with fluency in Irish in every Department.

I wonder if there is scope to extend the co-operation between the Department and Údarás na Gaeltachta to ensure that services can be provided through Irish, because both obviously have a job creation remit. It is a 20-year strategy, not a three-year, four-year or five-year strategy, and while we want to see progress in every area, not everything can be achieved immediately. Some things can be achieved because the economy is improving and money will become more available, but others require changes in policy. I highlighted the issue of the derogation on the translation of documents in Europe. There is great potential for job creation in that area and the derogation should be removed as soon as possible. The fact that these jobs are there means that, even if people are not ready at the moment to take them up, the potential is there and, over time, people with the necessary competence and ability will become available.

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