Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

As the Taoiseach set out, the recent meeting of the British-Irish Council provided the opportunity for attendees to use indigenous, minority and lesser used languages. As the Taoiseach is aware, the Westminster Government has agreed to legislate for the Irish language, making Gaeilge an official language in the North. Has the Taoiseach used the British-Irish Council or any other opportunity to raise this commitment with the British Government? If so, can he provide details of these engagements?

As we have previously discussed, the Irish language will have full working rights in the EU from 1 January 2022. As a result, all new statutes will be made available in Irish, including regulations, directives and decisions. Is it not a cause of concern for the Taoiseach that while Irish language rights are advancing elsewhere, his Government is appealing a High Court judgment that simply reaffirms the constitutional duty of the State to provide Irish language versions of Acts of the Oireachtas?

The British-Irish and North-South strands of the Good Friday Agreement are critical democratic structures. At the July meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council, it was agreed that the next plenary would be held in December this year. Will the Taoiseach tell us when this meeting will occur and what action he has taken to ensure it takes place?

See this speech in context