Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Renua Ireland) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response and acknowledge his commitment in this area. He made dealing with this issue a priority, but it is very disappointing to hear that the derogation is being extended and we do not have the requisite number of translators in place in order to ensure that Irish becomes more than an official language in name only and operates as an official language.

As the Minister of State knows, jobs and job creation have been central tenets of the Government's record. It is, therefore, disappointing that when it knew this was coming down the track more emphasis was not placed on the issue. The Minister of State is not long in the Department, but previous Ministers did not see ensuring that we had the requisite people with specialist knowledge to take up these jobs as a priority. It is important for the future of the language that we all use it on a more regular basis.

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