Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Tairgim: "Go léifear an Bille an Dara hUair anois."

Cuireann sé áthas orm deis a bheith agam an Bille seo a chur faoi bhráid Thithe an Oireachtais. Tá an phráinn agus an ghéarchéim a bhaineann leis an gceist seo sáraithe de bharr go bhfuil fear den scoth a bhfuil dea-cháilíochtaí aige, an tOllamh Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, tofa le bheith ina chomharba ar uachtarán reatha an choláiste. Tá mé thar a bheith cinnte go ndéanfaidh an tOllamh Ó hÓgartaigh obair iontach ar fad mar cheann ar an gcoláiste. Cé go bhfuil an fhadhb phráinneach réitithe, níl an fhadhb fhadtéarmach réitithe. Tugadh stádas speisialta do Choláiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh sa bhliain 1929. Bhí amhras ann faoi thodhchaí an choláiste ag an am, ach socraíodh go gcoinneofar ann é ar an mbunús go mbeadh freagracht faoi leith náisiúnta ar an gcoláiste ó thaobh oiliúint trí mheán na Gaeilge de, ní hamháin an Ghaeilge í féin, ach ábhair eile nach í freisin.

Cé go ndearnadh leasú ar Acht Choláiste Phríomh-Scoile na Gaillimhe, 1929 sa bhliain 2006, tá sé fós mar aidhm ag an ollscoil ceannródaíocht a thabhairt ina bplean forbartha maidir le hoiliúint trí mheán na Gaeilge a chur ar fáil. Mar a deir Acht an Choláiste Ollscoile, Gaillimh (Leasú), 2006, "the governing authority of the College shall ensure that one of the principal aims for the operation and development of the College set out in each strategic development plan prepared after the commencement of this section is the provision of education at the College through the medium of the Irish language". Ar ndóigh, tá sé sin á dhéanamh ar bhealaí éagsúla ag an ollscoil. B'fhéidir go bhfuil sé imithe i léig beagáinín le sé bliana anuas, ach tá sé á dhéanamh. Tá trí ionad Gaeltachta ag an ollscoil ar an gCeathrú Rua, i gCarna agus i nGaoth Dobhair thuas i dTír Chonaill.

Go dtí an bhliain seo, bhí sé leagtha síos ag an ollscoil ina gcuid rialacha féin go gcaitheadh Gaeilge a bheith ag an uachtarán. Mar sin, níor tháinig an cheist seo aníos riamh. Nuair a tháinig athrú ar an riail sin i mbliana, dúradh nach raibh aon ghá Gaeilge a bheith ag uachtarán an choláiste agus go bhféadfadh sí nó sé feidhmiú go praiticiúil ó lá go lá go sásúil gan aon Ghaeilge a bheith aici nó aige. Is ionann é sin agus a rá nach bhfuil duine amháin, in aon áit ar domhain, le sár-Ghaeilge a bheadh ard-oilte leis an jab seo a dhéanamh. Is léir go bhfuil a leithéid de dhaoine ann mar go bhfuil duine le sár-Ghaeilge faighte. Nach gcuireann sé iontas ar an Aire - caithfidh gur cheistigh sé é seo - go bhfuil rud éigin teipthe sa chóras oideachais, agus muid ag múineadh na Gaeilge sna scoileanna ar fad ó luath sna 1920í, mura bhfuiltear in ann teacht ar dhuine amháin ard-oilte leis an jab seo a dhéanamh?

Tá seacht ollscoil sa tír. Go deimhin féin, tá an tAire i mbun tuilleadh ollscoileanna a n-ainmniú faoi láthair. Tá suas agus anuas le 20 forais oideachais tríú leibhéal eile sa tír. Ní raibh sé mar dhualgas ach ar cheann amháin de na hinstitiúidí sin go mbeadh an Ghaeilge ag an uachtarán. Táimid ag iarraidh go leanfaidh muid an dualgas sin. Ní dóigh liom gur éileamh iomarcach é. An bhfuil Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh tite siar mar thoradh ar an nGaeilge a bheith ag a cuid uachtaráin? An bhfuil míbhuntáiste éigin ag an gcoláiste de bharr an riachtanais sin? An bhfuil teipthe ar an ollscoil? Tá sé follasach, tar éis go raibh Gaeilge ag chuile uachtarán ó 1929 i leith, agus daoine ardcháilithe a bhí iontu, go bhfuil éirithe thar cionn ag an ollscoil. Tá sé sa chéad 250 ollscoil ar fud na cruinne, rud atá dochreidte i gcathair chomh beag le Gaillimh. Tá fás agus forás ar an ollscoil. Mar sin, ní léir cén bunús a bhí leis an bpolasaí seo a athrú.

Iarraim ar an Aire an Bille seo a scaoileadh ar aghaidh go dtí Céim an Choiste ionas gur féidir linn an cheist seo a chíoradh tuilleadh. Nuair a bhí ionadaithe ó Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh istigh ag an coiste Gaeilge, níorbh léir domsa ag an am go raibh aon argóintí fónta curtha ar aghaidh acu ar son an beartais a bhí tógtha acu. Tá mé oscailte le héisteacht leo arís. Creidim go bhfuil sé áiféiseach bheith ag caint ar aidhmeanna na straitéise 20 bliana don Ghaeilge - ina measc go mbeidh 250,000 cainteoir laethúil Gaeilge sa tír seo agus go mbeidh méadú mór ar líon na ndaoine a deireann go bhfuil an Ghaeilge acu - agus ag an am céanna bheith ag baint an bun ón nGaeilge seachtain i ndiaidh seachtaine.

I dtaobh na Gaeilge de, ní mholfainn an dá Rialtas a bhí againn le sé bliana anuas. Ba mhaith liom moladh a thabhairt do rud amháin fónta agus tairbheach atá déanta acu, áfach. Tá mé sásta a rá go gcreidim go bhfuil an polasaí oideachais Ghaeltachta atá curtha i bhfeidhm le gairid tairbheach. Tá an coincheap an-mhaith, ach an t-aon locht a bheadh agam air ná go bhfuil sé á cur i bhfeidhm sách sciobtha. Guím chuile rath ar an Aire agus an straitéis seo á cur i bhfeidhm aige. Agus an infheistíocht sin ar fad á dhéanamh, tá sé beagáinín contráilte go bhfuil lucht an Rialtais ag rá go bhfuil siad ar son na straitéise, ach ag an am céanna ag rá nár cheart dúinn bheith ag súil go mbeidh duine amháin mar cheann ar ollscoil amháin as na hollscoileanna ar fad sa tír a chaitheadh Gaeilge a bheith aige nó aici.

As I have said in Irish, this is a simple Bill. There are two sections to it. The change is absolutely minor. The effect of the Bill is to replace a section that was in the statutes of the college that has required the president of the college since 1929 to be competent in the Irish language.

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The problem is that the college has done away with that requirement. The Oireachtas should show its disapproval of the short sightedness of that decision by amending the existing legislation as I have proposed, to make it a condition that the president of the National University of Ireland Galway must be proficient in the Irish language. As I pointed out, there are 20 third level colleges in the State, including seven universities. As such, NUI Galway represents 5% of the total number of institutions, which is not out of line with the percentage of regular speakers of the Irish language.

It is fitting that one president, out of all 20 institutions, should be required to have fluency in Irish and it is especially fitting that it should be the head of NUI Galway. The college has three Gaeltacht centres which do their daily business in Irish and whose internal memoranda are always in Irish. Fortunately, the current president is a fluent Irish speaker and was brought up in an Irish-speaking household. However, under existing provisions, a situation might arise in the future where a person is appointed to the university who could not go to any of those centres and speak the first official language. Proficiency in the language is also important for the president's dealings with the public. In fact, Galway city council sought and was granted bilingual status for the city. The tradition has always been that the president of NUI Galway spoke Irish on public occasions, as well as English when needed. As it stands, however, a future president might be appointed who would not be required to be able to do so. It is surely an indictment of the education system if we cannot find one person capable of both running the college and speaking the two official languages. In fact, what happened, as we predicted, is that there was no difficulty in recruiting a president who is a fluent Irish speaker. The problem I am seeking to address by way of these provisions is that if the law is not changed, we do not know whether the same effort will be made on the next occasion to ensure the incoming president is an Irish speaker.

The 20 year strategy for the Irish language is a strategy for growth. For too long we have been talking and hearing about the death of the language. What is actually happening is that we are seeing growth in usage of the language in urban areas. People in middle class areas of Dublin, surveys show, have the most positive attitudes to the language and make up its fastest growing support base. It is a similar story in Galway city. Indeed, one of the most extraordinary developments in the past 20 to 30 years is the growth of interest in and usage of the language in urban Ireland. There are highly qualified people in every discipline who are fluent Irish speakers, capable of carrying on their everyday business through the language.

I urge the Minister to accept these proposals. I am always worried when preparing a Bill, given that I do not have huge resources at my disposal, that I will make some drafting mistake, typographical or otherwise. However, any such errors can be amended, as happened with the Electoral (Amendment) Bill I brought forward on a previous occasion in this House. That legislation did require some debate and amendment in committee, which is something to which I am always open. It would send a strong signal of our serious intent in regard to the Irish language if the Bill I am introducing were to go forward to Committee Stage.

Molaim an Bille. Tá súil agam go mbeidh tacaíocht leathan le fáil aige ar fud an tí. Níl ach dhá alt sa Bhille - is Bille gearr atá ann. Ba mhaith liom a rá, mar fhocal scor, go bhfuil a fhios agam go bhfuil an spéis ag mo chomhlachtaí, an Teachta Catherine Connolly, labhairt ar an mBille seo. Mar a tharla, bhí cruinniú poiblí eagraithe aici don oíche anocht i nGaillimh agus bhí uirthi dul chuig an gcruinniú sin. Bhí an díospóireacht seo le bheith ann an tseachtain seo chaite ach tharla rudaí i rith na seachtaine sin, agus cuireadh rudaí bun os cionn. Mar sin, ní raibh sí in ann a bheith i láthair anocht. Creidim go bhfuil tacaíocht fhorleathan don chur chuige atá agam agus bheadh súil agam, fiú gan an Rialtas, go nglacfar leis an mBille seo ar an Dara Chéim agus go mbeidh deis againn é a phlé ag an gcoiste maidir le leasaithe is gá a dhéanamh agus an Bille seo a achtú.

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