Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Mar is eol don Aire, tá cinneadh déanta ag údarás Ollscoil na hÉireann, GaiIIimh, deireadh a chur leis an riachtanas Gaeilge a bheith ag an gcéad uachtarán eile den ollscoil. Mar is eol don Aire freisin, tá an cinneadh seo cáinte ag beagnach chuile dhream agus eagraíocht a fheidhmíonn ar son na cúise - an comhchoiste Gaeilge, Gaeltachta agus na nOileán, iar-uachtarán na hollscoile, Misneach na Gaillimhe agus Comhaltas na Mac Léinn san áireamh.

Ar ndóigh, tá sé dochreidte go ndearna an t-údarás an cinneadh seo, cinneadh comhthola - pointe a thiocfaidh mé ar ais chuige - beag beann ar na dualgais atá ag an ollscoil ó thaobh na Gaeilge de, go háirithe ollscoil a mhaíonn gur champas dátheangach atá ann.

Sa bhreis ar na dualgais agus an stádas faoi leith atá aici, is ollscoil í atá lonnaithe i gcathair a bhfuil aitheantas dátheangach bainte amach aici, aitheantas mar bhaile seirbhíse Gaeilge agus cathair atá suite ar thairseach na Gaeltachta is mó sa tír. Ina theannta sin, is fiú os cionn €136 milliún in aghaidh na bliana an Ghaeilge do chathair agus Contae na Gaillimhe agus cuireann sí go mór leis an eispéireas cultúrtha a fhaigheann cuairteoirí i nGaillimh agus ar Shlí an Atlantaigh Fhiáin mar go gcloiseann siad an teanga agus go bhfeiceann siad muintir na Gaillimhe á húsáid mar chuid dá saol laethúil mar theanga bheo bhríomhar. I bhfianaise na ndualgais sin uilig, tuilleadh dualgais eile agus an stádas faoi leith atá ag an gcathair, tá sé fíor-dheacair a thuiscint cén chaoi ar éirigh leis an údarás an cinneadh seo a dhéanamh agus níos suntasaí fós gur cinneadh chomhthola a bhí ann. Ach is scéal é sin do lá eile.

Ardaíonn sé seo an cheist an bhfuil an Rialtas chun cead a chinn a thabhairt do údarás na hollscoile beag beann ar na dualgais atá uirthi faoi reachtaíocht éagsúla, an t-uafás airgid poiblí a fhaigheann an ollscoil agus, níos tábhachtaí fós, ar na dualgais atá ar an Rialtas seo an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn. Sa chomhthéacs seo, mar is eol don Aire, tá structúir ar leith bunaithe ón mbliain 2011 ar aghaidh chun an Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge a chur i bhfeidhm agus chun monatóireacht a dhéanamh ar an gcur i bhfeidhm sin. Tá ról thar a bheith tábhachtach agus lárnach ag an Taoiseach é féin mar chathaoirleach ar an gcoiste Rialtais ar an nGaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht. Tá ról faoi leith ag an gcoiste sin i monatóireacht a dhéanamh ar an dul chun cinn faoin Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge.

I mo thuairim, ní féidir glacadh leis an gcinneadh seo atá déanta ag údarás na hollscoile. Tá sé thar a bheith práinneach go dtaispeánfadh an tAire agus an Rialtas ceannaireacht ar an ábhar seo agus go gcuirfeadh siad brú ar an ollscoil agus ar an údarás athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an gcinneadh sin.

Fuair mé freagra ón Aire i mí na Nollag. Tá mé ag súil nach léifidh sé an freagra sin amach dom mar fhreagra ar an méid atá ardaithe inniu. An bhfuil an tAire sásta athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar a chinneadh féin a rinne sé roimh an Nollaig agus brú a chur ar an ollscoil athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an gcinneadh uafásach seo?

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Connolly for raising this issue. I do not know whether she will be happy with the answer. I will set out the position as I understand it and I believe it to be correct. Third-level institutions are autonomous bodies and they have the responsibility for making decisions of this nature on their own authority, including in particular matters relating to recruitment and selection procedures. That rests with the governing body of the institution involved. NUIG, in this instance, is exercising the authority that it has, as it is entitled to do.

I know that the vacancy is arising and that they have put in place a procedure for the appointment to the position. I understand that they had a meeting of údarás na hollscoile and decided on a consensus basis not to continue with the requirement for the post-holder to have a proficiency in the Irish language. I can appreciate that Deputy Connolly feels strongly about this but the legislative authority is very clear. Neither the Universities Act nor the University College Galway (Amendment) Act require the proficiency in the Irish language. It is a matter for the governing authority itself to make that decision.

The rationale appears to be that NUIG wants a full national and international opportunity for candidates to come forward to lead the university. That is its entitlement. It is also fair to say that the university has not in any way flinched from its commitment to the Irish language.

I took the trouble to get a briefing on NUIG's strategic plan. At the heart of that plan is a huge commitment to the Irish language and an ambition to become even more effective in using the university's infrastructure to support the growth and spread of the language, particularly in the context of introducing integrated language. This is where language is integrated into the teaching of other subjects, which I find highly attractive as a means of kindling a wider interest in the Irish language by using it in a more practical way. NUIG also has the activities of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta, which plays a leading role nationally and in the university. It has a coherent leadership in the Irish-speaking community and is responsible for the delivery of programmes, research and other services through the medium of Irish that have been extremely effective and upon which we depend. There are Gaeltacht centres in An Cheathrú Rua, Carna and Gaoth Dobhair and NUIG has its own school, Scoil na dTeangacha, by means of which it is seeking to develop an exemplary bilingual campus. To be fair, NUIG is truly committed to its role as the fountainhead of knowledge research capability in the Irish language. It is fully committed to that but it has taken a decision - as is its entitlement - on the recruitment process relating to its president and I am not going to interfere with that decision.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Cuireann sé fíordhíomá orm é sin a chloisteáil. D'iarr mé ar an Aire gan an freagra céanna a thabhairt dom a thug sé sa litir a scríobh sé chugam roimh an Nollaig. Leag mé amach cúlra na ceiste seo don Aire agus mhínigh mé cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an Ghaeilge don tír agus, sa chomhthéacs seo, do chathair na Gaillimhe agus don Ghaeltacht. D'iarr mé air, i bhfianaise an méid sin, an raibh sé sásta "athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar a chinneadh" agus "brú a chur ar an ollscoil athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar an gcinneadh" a rinne siad. Is teachtaireacht dhiúltach amach is amach í an cinneadh atá déanta ag an ollscoil, a maíonn gur ollscoil dhátheangach í. Má táthar ag caint faoi straitéis nó faoi phlean straitéise, agus ag an am céanna ag cur in iúl don domhain mór nach féidir uachtarán le Gaeilge a fháil, níl i gceist ach Tadhg an dá thaobhachas. Ar a laghad, ba cheart uachtarán a fháil a bheidh sásta an Ghaeilge a fhoglaim, cosúil liom féin agus le daoine eile sa Dáil seo. Is eiseamlár iad na daoine sa Dáil atá ag streachailt leis an nGaeilge agus í a chur chun cinn.

Ní mór dom a rá arís gur chuir an freagra a thug an tAire dom fíordhíomá orm. D'éist sé liom, ach níor thuig sé an méid a bhí le rá agam. Tá an chosúlacht ar an scéal nár thuig sé focal ó mo bhéal maidir leis an tábhacht a bhaineann leis an nGaeilge agus leis an eiseamlár atá in Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh mar ollscoil dhátheangach. Go háirithe, ní thuigeann sé an ról atá ag an Rialtas, agus ag an Taoiseach mar chathaoirleach ar choiste Gaeilge an Rialtais, monatóireacht a dhéanamh maidir leis an straitéis 20 bliain. Ní féidir a rá go bhfuil lucht na hollscoile i nGaillimh dáiríre faoin nGaeilge nuair atá teachtaireacht mar seo - nach bhfuil siad sásta an riachtanas Gaeilge a bheith ag an gcéad uachtarán eile den ollscoil a choinneáil, nó nach bhfuil siad in ann uachtarán le Gaeilge a fháil - á sheoladh amach acu. Ar a laghad, ba cheart go mbeadh an ollscoil toilteanach geallúint a fháil ón uachtarán nua go mbeidh sé nó sí sásta an Ghaeilge a fhoglaim.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy complains that I have not heard her when I say I do not agree with her. It is not that I have not heard the Deputy or have not understood her. However, there is room for legitimate difference in this area. NUIG has huge commitment to the Irish language but it has made its decision. I have not repeated what I said before. I went through many of the commitments the university has made, what is at the heart of its strategic plan and the fact that it has a very detailed execution strategy to make that plan happen, which is really ambitious and something to be welcomed.

This, however, is not to say that a university should confine its selection of its president to solely those who speak Irish. The university is one of the top 250 in the world and it wants to recruit from a much wider potential pool of talent. Who knows who will be selected? The person may well have competence in Irish but the university wants to select from a broader pool. The selected person may learn Irish, as Deputy Connolly advocates, and that would be a great thing. The Deputy is looking for me, as Minister, to issue a direction to an independent authority to reverse a decision it has made on a unanimous basis. That authority, as the governing body of the university, is best placed to decide what is in the best interests of NUIG.

The Deputy is not hearing what I am saying if she feels that I am not hearing what she is saying. I understand what Deputy Connolly is saying but the governing body has taken a different view. Its view is consistent with delivering the support structures to the Irish language that we need. Clearly, the governing body has an obligation and we will be making sure that whoever is selected as president continues to deliver on the university's obligation to the Irish language. That will be a duty of my Department and the Taoiseach will have a role to play in that. The authority has made a decision that, in selecting the president, it wants to have the widest pool of potential candidates available to it. I have no objection to its decision in this regard.