Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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10. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will consider increasing the funding for the scéim forbartha líonraí Gaeilge scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6971/24]

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister consider increasing the funding for the scéim forbartha lionraí Gaeilge now that the Northern Assembly is back up and running and, by extension, Foras na Gaeilge and other cross-Border bodies.

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Foras na Gaeilge, an agency of the North-South language body, is charged with the promotion of the Irish language on an all-island basis. In carrying out its legislative mandate, Foras na Gaeilge provides support, advice and financial assistance to many groups who promote the language.

An scéim forbartha lionraí Gaeilge is Foras na Gaeilge's multi-annual scheme to promote, protect and ingrain the Irish language among communities, with an emphasis on the development and implementation of comprehensive language plans for those communities taking part in the scheme. There are currently 36 Irish language groups, North and South, funded by Foras na Gaeilge through the scheme, including nine grantees within a number of the areas which have already been designated as Irish language networks or Gaeltacht service towns. The remaining 27 grantees under the scheme are at various levels depending on their current stage of development. It is important to note that the scheme is operated by Foras na Gaeilge and I, as Minister, have no role in its administration.

The scheme began in January 2022 and has funding committed up to December 2024. More than €2.8 million has been provided to groups, both north and south of the Border, under the scheme for 2022 and 2023 and it is expected that a further iteration of the scheme will be advertised later this year.

Foras na Gaeilge is a constituent part of An Foras Teanga, the North-South language body, co-sponsored by my Department and the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. On this basis, all matters relating to the North-South language body budget must be approved by the North South Ministerial Council. My Department has an additional allocation of €700,000 for North-South co-operation available in its budget for 2024. This allocation is available for use by the constituent organisations of the languages body, Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency, provided matching funding at agreed ratios is provided by the Northern Ireland Executive. Officials in my Department will continue to work with officials in the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, the North-South language body's co-sponsor Department. Now that the institutions in Northern Ireland have been re-established, I hope progress can be made with regard to 2024 budgets, including in respect of the scéim forbartha lionraí Gaeilge.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Irish language community organisations around the country are promoting the language on the ground on a daily basis. They organise classes, provide speaking opportunities for all levels and work with schools, etc. In short, they have stood up to do a job the State has never been seriously interested in doing and has long forgone, that is, to reinstate Gaeilge as a spoken language of Ireland. Many people want more opportunities to speak the language and those who have Irish want opportunities and supports to bring up their children as Gaeilge.

Funding for this work, as the Minister said, is provided through Foras na Gaeilge's scéim forbartha líonraí Gaeilge and among the community groups on the ground there is an evident need to reopen the scheme, to increase the funding for Foras na Gaeilge and to channel it into the community groups. On a previous occasion when I raised the issue, the Minister of State, Deputy Patrick O'Donovan took the question and correctly pointed to the absence of the assembly in locking funds for these groups through Foras na Teanga on a North-South basis and through Foras na Gaeilge, which administers the funds for the community groups. Will the Minister assure us that her Department is now undertaking efforts to ensure additional funding for the Foras na Gaeilge scheme?

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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As I said, more than €2.8 million has been provided to groups, North and South, under the scheme for 2022 and 2023. Now that the Northern Ireland Executive is up and running, officials in my Department will continue to work with the officials in the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland and the North-South language body, co-sponsored by my Department. I hope progress can be made with regard to the 2024 budgets, including in respect of scéim forbartha líonraí Gaeilge.

As I said earlier, my Department has an additional allocation of €700,000 for the North-South co-operation available in its budget for 2024. This allocation is available for use by the constituent organisations of the languages body, Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency, provided matching funding at agreed ratios is provided by the Northern Ireland Executive. My officials are communicating with their counterparts in the Department for Communities.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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The scheme is useful and is probably the best we have right now. However, it is not adequate as it stands. Community groups in my constituency are telling me there are serious problems. There is not enough funding for an adequate number of staff. The work and pay conditions for existing staff are not competitive enough so there is a problem in retaining staff. Many of the groups are hoping to employ additional staff in specialised roles to deal with youths or as business development officers. In that vein, the scheme is there. The Minister said it is not her responsibility but funding from her Department is used. The Department and Government missed an open goal with the previous budget by not taking seriously Conradh na Gaeilge's reasonable and detailed plan, An Plean Fáis 2024-2029, which would have cost very little extra and would have begun to right the wrongs of decades of underfunding of the Irish language sector. It would have begun to finally bridge the gap between it and the arts and heritage sectors, for example, which enjoy many multiples of funding compared to the support given to the Irish language. Will the Minister pledge support to Irish-language community groups through the scheme we are talking about or through other means?

Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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Monaghan, in particular, is one of the strong contenders for Irish language network status. Upon achievement of that status, groups are provided with an additional financial allocation of €96,000 annually from my Department's Vote in the South and that of Foras na Gaeilge in the North. We are consulting Foras na Gaeilge and I understand Monaghan is one of the strong contenders.

Structured progression has been built into the scheme, with the focus on the current stage of development of the applicant. There are three stages of development as part of the scheme: higher, intermediate and basic. I can forward more details on this to the Deputy. Over €2.8 million was provided to groups in the North and South under the scheme in 2022 and 2023.