Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No .1:

In page 17, lines 8 and 9, to delete “or, in the English language, the Board of An Garda Síochána”.

I will speak on amendment No. 1 and all other ministerial amendments in this grouping. I also note amendment No. 11 from Deputies Daly and Ó Snodaigh is included in this grouping.

These amendments provide for the naming of bodies established by the Bill in the Irish language only and any other necessary consequential amendments. As Deputies will be aware, on Committee Stage, the then Minister, Deputy Harris, indicated he would consider the naming of the bodies to be established by the Bill in light of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act of 2021. While not yet commenced, section 5 of the Act provides that bodies established on and after commencement will be named in the Irish language only. Notwithstanding that the section has not been commenced, I propose to provide for the naming of the bodies in the Irish language only.

This is in line with the 2021 Act and will help increase the role and visibility of the Irish language in public life. Deputies will note that the Office of the Police Ombudsman in Irish is not included in these amendments. That is because I am considering the name of this body more generally. It is something I will return to in the Seanad.

The effect of amendment No. 11 will be twofold. First, the titles of all bodies established under the Act will be in the Irish language only. As outlined before, I support that. Second, the titles of all officers established by this Act along with the ranks of members of An Garda Síochána would also be in Irish. That is not something I am supporting. It goes beyond the obligations contained in the Official Languages (Amendment) Act that all logos are in Irish or Irish and English. The Act is the correct authority to follow here and I do not propose to go beyond that. Such titles for Garda ranks exist in the Irish language, are used by members at their own discretion and I do not think it is necessary to set this on a statutory footing. Therefore, I will not support the amendment. I will, however, support the naming of all the different independent bodies.

See this speech in context