Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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The development of the gaelscoileanna sector has been one of the few positives in terms of the Irish language, even though we usually hear negative stories about the Irish language. Some 30,000 children attend gaelscoileanna, representing approximately 5% of the child population. According to a Foras na Gaeilge study, approximately 25% of parents would send their children to gaelscoileanna were any available to them. This is a significant issue. According to the English language media in particular, Irish is being forced on kids and parents. In reality, parents and children want more Irish language education. The Government is failing them and has previously stopped them receiving that education.

Many in the Irish language sector are struggling on a daily basis. They believe that, at best, the Government is oblivious to the Irish language as an issue or, at worst, is against the language and is rolling it back. Prior to the election, Fine Gael wanted to get rid of the Irish language as a core leaving certificate subject. Recently, Young Fine Gael repeated that call.

The Government does not seem to understand that this is an important issue. Given the research on the subject in recent years, there is a strong understanding that Irish as a spoken language has 15 or 16 years left. A couple of years ago there was an advertising campaign that read: "Ná lig dúinn a bheith inár nglúin dheireanach." Do not let this be the last generation of spoken Irish. The link could be broken.

The Government has a raft of opportunities. For example, there are a number of voluntary Irish language radio stations, but they have limited licences that prevent them from being professional and limit their geographical output. This situation could be changed. A number of mobile telephone licences are coming up for renewal. That the companies should provide customer service, Internet and billing services in the Irish language could be built into their new licences to provide for the 100,000 Irish speakers in line with their language rights. That would not cost the State anything.

The Government has a critical opportunity to allow 25% of schools to become gaelscoileanna in the context of the ongoing review of school patronage. This would allow approximately 150,000 children to voluntarily attend 700 gaelscoileanna, with a further 40,000 willing students pursuing secondary education lán-Gaelach. Such a reform would have a radical impact on the development and viability of the Irish language. I would like to hear the Government's plans for allowing this to happen.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this topical issue debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills. Primary education plays a pivotal role in the preservation and expansion of the first official language. The promotion of the Irish language has been an important aim of successive Irish Governments and its place in our education system has been consistently protected. This is reflected in the fact that in recent years a significant number of new gaelscoileanna have been recognised by the Department of Education and Skills. A total of 18 new gaelscoileanna have been established since 2005 and another gaelscoil is scheduled to open this September in Mulhuddart, County Dublin. These openings bring the total number of Gaelscoileanna to 141, with a combined enrolment of 29,675 pupils in the 2010-11 school year. In addition, there are 106 Gaeltacht all-Irish primary schools with a total enrolment of 7,302 pupils in the 2010-11 school year.

As the Deputy will be aware, the Minister announced in June 2011 that 20 new primary and 20 new post-primary schools are to be established in the next six years across a number of locations. The Minister also announced new arrangements for the recognition and determination of patronage of these new primary and secondary schools. The new arrangements published by the Department provide a balanced approach to allow applications to be made by prospective patrons for the establishment of schools. The criteria to be used in deciding patronage of the new schools place a particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage, which also includes preference for all-Irish school provision.

The Deputy will also be aware that the forum on patronage and pluralism in the primary sector, which is a key objective of the programme for Government, was officially launched by the Minister in April 2011. The outcome of the forum will inform him on the practicality of how transfer and divesting of patronage would operate for individual primary schools in communities where it is appropriate and necessary to take such an initiative. It will also inform him on how such transfer and divesting can be advanced to ensure that demands for diversity of patronage, including from an Irish language perspective, can be identified and delivered in areas where parental and community demand is greatest. It will be interesting to see how the actual identification of demand for all-Irish provision, both nationally and within particular areas, compares with the survey results to which the Deputy referred. The Minister expects that the report of the forum will also include recommendations on how demand for all-Irish primary education can be met in areas where demographic factors would not justify the establishment of new primary schools.

The advisory group appointed to convene the forum held a number of public meetings during June and November 2011. The group sought and received submissions from the education stakeholder groups and the public as part of its work. It is now finalising its report and the Minister expects to receive it shortly.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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The Government has to start recognising rights in regard to the Irish language. The fact that two new Irish schools will open in September reveals the contrast between the Government's actions and the level of demand that exists. Other European countries have managed to meet this target. In Wales, 23% of children attend all-Welsh schools, up from 18% ten years ago. In the 1980s only 5% of children in the Basque country attended all-Basque schools but the figure has since increased to 65%.

A considerable amount of debate takes place in the Irish language media on the development of the Gaeltacht and Irish in the Gaeltacht but as many of those in the commentariat or the Government do not have Irish, that debate remains invisible to them. In my local gaelscoil in Navan children are not guaranteed a place even if they are enrolled at birth because it has a waiting list of approximately 70 children. When I asked the Department to provide a second class, it issued a firm refusal.

Unless the Government changes direction and gives priority to the Irish language, it will become an impediment to its development. It is not the case that the Government is forcing Irish education on parents and kids. According to this research, it is suppressing demand for the Irish language. That is a sad indictment of a Government that could be creating significant opportunities for growth and development of the sector.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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This Government has every intention of respecting people's rights, including the right to their language of choice. A considerable number of new all-Irish schools have been established in recent years on foot of parental demand. Ultimately, the expansion of Irish language education will only be driven by parental demand.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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There are not enough places to meet demand.

Ciarán Cannon (Galway East, Fine Gael)
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Some of these schools are expanding and perhaps there are opportunities for other all-Irish schools to expand in future. When the report of the forum on patronage and pluralism is completed, there will be an opportunity to establish the patronage models for our schools. This will be driven solely by parental choice and if demand exists, whether in the heart of Connemara or in Athlone, I am confident that we will respond to it. It is open to the patrons and boards of management of existing English medium schools to consider providing some or all of their tuition through the medium of Irish, depending on the level of parental demand. There will be ample opportunities for parents and communities to make that decision and I am confident that many will do so.