Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Every one of us in this House appreciates the Irish language being promoted, appreciates the Gaeltachts and appreciates that resources continued to be invested in this regard. When it comes to planning, however, it is definitely an issue that causes consternation for planners when paperwork is demanded to be completed in both English and Irish. That is something in other fields that we appreciate and want. When it comes to planning, however, what people want is the granting of planning permission in order that they can develop whatever they want to develop, whether in a Gaeltacht area or not.

This definitely is an issue. It is something that, as I say, causes difficulties for the people who are trying to help planning applicants. When they have to do conditions in Irish, they have to be written up in Irish. There are many excellent agents, as I call them. Everybody has different names for them. They are the people who put in the planning applications. When, for example, a decision goes out all in Irish and they are trying to decode the conditions - I know the Leas-Cheann Comhairle would hold the Irish language very dear, and we all do too - I hope the Minister appreciates the point I am trying to make that it imposes a layer of bureaucracy upon everyone involved that is not helpful at that time. What I am saying is not in any way to dilute the importance of the Irish language, but when one has agents who do not have Irish and when the paperwork is coming back to them all in Irish, it causes a problem. I just wanted to put that on record.

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