Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The issues have moved beyond the RHI scandal. Worryingly, the DUP MLA, Edwin Poots, recently stated that his party never committed to the Governments’ bringing forward an Irish language Act, despite such commitments being explicitly stated and agreed to in the internationally-binding St. Andrews Agreement of 2006. We have parties trying to unwind previous agreements. Will the Minister accept this is a completely false interpretation and crude attempt to undermine such agreements? Just yesterday on "Morning Ireland", the British Secretary of State, James Brokenshire, said the introduction of Acht na Gaeilge has to command cross-community respect. This is foolhardy and a dangerous intervention which runs contrary to the core principles of the agreements. If we accept it has been agreed by all-party negotiations, then his comments provide political cover not only for the DUP's prevarication on this issue but also its fundamentalist opposition to the Irish language and all expressions of Irishness.

Will the Minister urgently contact the British Secretary of State to inform him that the commitment to the Irish language Act is a core component of the St. Andrews Agreement and is in no way conditional?

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