Results 11,181-11,200 of 17,543 for speaker:Helen McEntee

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: Where there is not a separate process and we are not treating different languages differently, it is very hard to tell what the number will be. The 20% target is for 2030. We hope to have another round as soon as possible after this round and we will open up the application process again in the coming years. If we spread that figure of 466 - and I hope we will have a similar number if not...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: My understanding is that 5,000 people applied in 2019.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: My understanding is that the figure is of those who are proficient in Irish. It is part of the application process that one has to say which language-----

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: My apologies.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: Our significant focus this time was on telling people about the recruitment process. There was a particular focus on diversity and we very much tried to ensure this time that different communities and groups were aware of the fact that this competition was open and that more women were going to apply. That in itself applied also to our Irish community and Irish speakers. This was due to...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I thank the Deputy. I will come back to the Deputy’s original question. We do not know exactly and we do not have clarity from the people who applied as to why they did so, but perhaps the new strategy itself is a signal to members who are applying that there is a Gaeltacht strategy or an Irish-language strategy within An Garda Síochána with a real focus now, and that there...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: That is out of 1,500. I was not sure of the overall figure for the Department.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: The figures I mentioned are people who have sought out lessons to improve and become proficient but, as Mr. Ó Cearúil has said, there are quite a number of people who are proficient when they come to the Department. I do not know if there is a way of identifying how many in the Department have Irish, but if there is, it might be helpful to give that to the committee.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I am sorry to say I do not have those figures but I can get them for the Deputy.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: There is an interview process. I would not call it a test but there is an interview process whereby, if somebody is selected who has Irish as a language, he or she will have to show he or she is proficient. I am sure there are people who put down that they are proficient in Irish when they may not be, but it is important that if someone says they are proficient in a language, particularly...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I fully support the Deputy in that. It is very important, not just for the gardaí but for the Prison Service, the Court Service and all agencies that fall under the remit of the Department of Justice, that they clearly set out their Irish-language strategies and plans. Earlier, I mentioned the 2030 target for the 20% of recruits. In order to reach that, all our agencies need to make...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: It is very difficult to tell how many Irish speakers will come through the process, but our focus and priority was to make sure that people applied in the first instance. The more people apply, the more people will go through the process and be successful at interview stage as well as subsequent stages, which will hopefully increase our overall numbers. It is regrettable that there is a...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I refer to removing the barrier. As the Deputy has said, I and others believe the increase in numbers has happened for a number of different reasons, including communications and outreach. What was happening before clearly was not working, we were not seeing those numbers increase in the way we wanted and this requirement was preventing others from applying. The Commission on the Future of...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I am not sure what the accent is; maybe Roscommon. The Deputy made a point about Letterkenny and this is a Garda station that will be a service station and a training station. Those who are going to Letterkenny will have an opportunity to learn their essential policing skills and to make use of their Irish-language skills, which is welcome and the Deputy has been passionate about making...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: My understanding is that it is the same level. It has not changed and there has not been a reduction - I will not say "downgrading" - with regard to the level of proficiency required. There has not been any change with regard to what is required.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: People are required to be able to speak Irish and to be fluent enough to engage with people, not just in general conversation, but when attending court or engaging with various different agencies. Obviously, more than a basic level of understanding is needed to converse with people in those circumstances. The standard has always been that high. That has not changed.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: I might ask one of my officials to respond on that. I am not clear on the answer.

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: You have to demonstrate that you have competency and proficiency in the language. It is not a test but you have to demonstrate that you have proficiency. With regard to the changes on the promotion side of things, the new regulations were informed by the Garda Inspectorate report from 2015 which recommended that a new process be put in place. I appreciate the regulations represent a...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: The Garda Commissioner needs to be mindful of striking a balance and make sure that people going for promotion have the relevant skills needed for that promotion while also ensuring we have enough people with proficiency in Irish. This goes back to the original point that the more people we have in An Garda Síochána who can speak Irish fluently or who are proficient in the...

Joint Committee on the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Irish Speaking Community: An tAire Dlí agus Cirt: Plé. (30 Mar 2022)

Helen McEntee: The answer is that the Department took the decision. It did so based on the information that it was available to it at the time. The Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland highlighted a lack of diversity and a need to increase diversity within An Garda Síochána. The Garda itself, in reaching out to other communities, identified that one of the reasons people were not...