James Bannon (Fine Gael)

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. The motion can be summed up in one concept, that of identity. On one hand we have our national identity, an innate sense of being Irish, and on the other there is our collective identity as part of the European Union. While the emblem of any nation's identity is its flag, its distinct and separate identity is its language.

For many centuries the Irish language was part of the cultural fabric of continental Europe. It was the language of scholars, soldiers and politicians. It was also the language of ordinary individuals. In County Longford, between 200 and 300 years ago, people were evicted by their landlords because they did not understand English. Irish was the natural language of rural Ireland in addition to the Gaeltacht areas of that era. Sadly, after next May, Irish will be the only one of 21 European languages without official status in Europe. This must be rectified and I hope the Minister will take on board the contributions by Members tonight and ensure that happens.

In May, nine new languages, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Slovene and Maltese, will become official languages of the EU alongside English, Danish, Swedish, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Finnish, Greek and German. In 1972, the Irish Government said it did not want Irish to become an official and working language of the European Community, giving the reason that the translation work would present serious practical difficulties. Every country which signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957 and every country that signed a treaty of accession since then, with the exception of Ireland, has had its official language recognised.

Over 30 years after Ireland's accession, this Government is still ignoring the views of the fluent Irish speakers of this country despite the gathering momentum of gaelscoileanna. I compliment the great job the gaelscoileanna movement is doing in County Longford. The movement is laying the foundation for a new generation of Irish speakers. The Government is failing to act at this opportune time to give the Irish language the prominence and status it deserves. What is the point of teaching Irish to our children and encouraging its propagation when the Government will not support its promotion to official European status?

Ireland's Presidency of the EU, allied with the accession of nine new states and the recognition of nine new languages, is an ideal chance for the Government to rectify the omission of Irish from the official functions of the Union. Ireland did not object to the recognition of official language status being granted to languages with fewer speakers than Irish. There is also no evidence that this country complained that it would cost too much to increase the number of official languages next May. The new countries are delighted with this decision and they will gain advantages which the Government is denying our citizens.

The other member states do not object and are not putting obstacles in Ireland's way with regard to the recognition of Irish. The problem seems to be one of inaction on the part of the Government. The non-official status of Irish within the EU and its institutions relegates Ireland to the position of being the only member state not to have its first official language recognised. Our MEPs cannot address at will the European Parliament in Irish. The knock-on effects of this non-recognition mean that Irish speakers applying for a job in Brussels cannot claim Irish as their required second European language. So much for the chances of Irish speaking graduates. For each new official language the EU will engage 110 new translators and 40 new interpreters. If Irish was included, new employment opportunities would be available for Irish speakers. Perhaps the Minister could explain what is stopping him from acting on the Gaeltacht commission's finding that Irish should be an official EU language. Promotion of the Irish language and the refusal to promote its recognition in Europe is symptomatic of the Government's record of giving with the one hand and taking away with the other.

Ireland's Presidency of the EU should be a time of advancement both for ourselves and the Union. I spoke earlier about the flag being the emblem of a country and its language representing its unique and separate identity. Over the next six months I would like Ireland to promote its first language and for Irish to take its place among the languages of Europe. As regards the Union, I would like our children to gain a greater sense of their European identity through its promotion in our schools. Every school should fly the European flag not only during the months of our Presidency, but as a permanent reminder of our European status. Europe is our future and we must do everything we can to foster a sense of pride in our membership of the Union among our young people. Pride in our Irish heritage and in membership of the EU should be the message for the next six months.

At the last executive meeting of the Local Authority Members' Association, which represents every local authority in the country, a resolution was passed encouraging the Government to ensure Irish is adopted as a European language. Senator Jim Walsh, as chairman of the Confederation of European Councillors, promoted and encouraged the use of the Irish language at every opportunity given to him, whether he was speaking to Democratic Unionist councillors in Northern Ireland or to political alliances in Slovenia or Slovakia. I compliment him on that and I hope it continues.

I hope the Minister will take the views of the Members here this evening on board over the next couple of months. I await his response.