Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I move amendment No. a83a:

In page 75, subsection (2)(e), line 15, after "programmes" to insert the following:

"including programmes in the Irish language and programmes pertaining to Irish Culture".

An rud atá i gceist agam anseo ná go mbeadh fáil ar chláracha, fógraí agus a leithéid as Gaeilge. Labhair mé níos luaithe ar seo agus chuir mé na hargóintí céanna. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go dtuigeann an tAire Stáit cé chomh tábhachtach agus atá rudaí mar seo do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí agus do Ghaeilgeoirí.

As I said previously I do not table these amendments to give fodder or support to zealots or fascists who often shove Irish down people's throats. That is not what I am about. These are reasonable proposals. Ba mhaith liom go dtuigfeadh an tAire Stáit na moltaí seo mar sin. Táim ag smaoineamh ar ghnáth dhaoine atá ag maireachtaint sna Gaeltachtaí, daoine a bhfuil satellite television agus rudaí mar sin acu ina dtithe. Is maith an rud é go bhfuil sin acu, cé gur chuir a lán daoine i gcoinne sin. Táim go mór i bhfábhar satellite television a bheith ar fáil do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí. An rud is tábhachtaí sa mholadh seo ná go mbeadh an seans acu féachaint ar chláracha trí Ghaeilge.

I am speaking generally in regard to the first amendment and to all the amendments because they cover a wide range of issues from bilingual websites to facilitating advertising in the Irish language and programmes in Irish and in English. I ndáiríre, is í an argóint chéanna atá á dhéanamh faoi ghach moladh. B'fhéidir nach dtuigeann daoine i gcónaí an dearcadh agus meon a bhíonn ag muintir na nGaeltachtaí nuair a bhraitheann siad nach bhfuil aon duine ann chun guth a thabhairt dóibh sa Dáil, sa tSeanad and in producing legislation. People feel they are without a voice. I cannot stress this strongly enough. I know I am making no impact whatever on this.

I am not a member of the committee on the Irish language because I got too frustrated sitting on it. That committee will take decisions next week about the implementation of the Language Act. These are simple things. The Minister will note that there is very little quantification involved in what I have proposed already this morning and what I propose now. A quantity or percentage may be mentioned in respect of two issues. That is not what I am about. I am talking about recognising that Gaeltacht people, Irish language speakers and lovers of the Irish language also have an entitlement. It must mean something when we talk about the first official language and that we will put in certain boundaries, controls and conditions chun a bheith cinnte go mbeidh seans ann do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí. Is maith an rud é go mbeadh coinníollacha ann dóibh, go mbeadh seans ann dóibh agus go mbeadh fostaíocht ann dóibh. Mar shampla, féach ar an gcoinníol a dhéileáileann le fograíocht, advertising. As a sort of a diversion, seo ceann de na rudaí is tábhachtaí atá ag tarlú i dtaobh na hEorpa. When we were talking about the Lisbon treaty last week we mentioned the fact that Irish is now a recognised language in Europe and that therefore there are jobs for translators and for people working in the Irish language.

It is important for the Minister of State to recognise one thing, even if he has to lock the door on his officials and keep them inside until they understand it. People who live their lives through the Irish language are entitled to be creative and developmental in Irish and to work through Irish as well as to be educated through Irish. For teachers and other people who are ag obair nó ag múineadh sna Gaeltachtaí, is maith an rud é go mbeadh seans acu siúd féachaint nó éisteacht le clár teilfíse nó raidió a bhfuil Gaeilge ann agus go mbeadh siad in ann sin a fháil ar an web agus websites as Gaeilge a fháil chomh maith. This is not difficult stuff.

When I commented on the subtitles this morning the Minister of State, Deputy Seán Power, said that TG4 does not do subtitles in Irish. He is right and I apologise to the House for misleading it. I did not do it deliberately. The point I was making is that the same technology is available to put subtitles in Irish as it is English even if it were to cost a bit more. I will tell the Minister of State about one of my disappointments in this House. I am going to the opening of a school in the Gaeltacht next Monday to show support for it and to help it. We passed legislation five or six years ago about involuntarily committing people to mental hospitals. Around that time we were debating several items of legislation to ensure that immigrants and asylum seekers would get their rights in Irish. Given that I was born in a Gaeltacht town, went to school there and lived with Gaeltacht people I was able to ask that when people from the Gaeltacht were being committed to a mental hospital their rights would be explained to them and read to them in Irish. It was not a huge amount to ask. The Government of the day — the party of the Minister of State — would not accept the amendment. It is difficult to explain that to a Gaeltacht person. No costs — or only minor costs — would have been involved as somebody would have had to write out the rights in Irish only once so that they could be read out.

The Minister of State has no idea how bad is the situation and the sort of cynicism and hypocrisy that is spread by the policies on the Irish language. I am proposing a series of simple changes. I can understand that aspects of them might cause a difficulty for the Minister of State. I am prepared to listen to his reasons but I would like to hear how far he will go with the changes and that he and the Minister at least want to do this. Caithfidh sé a thuiscint cé chomh tábhachtach is a tá sé seo do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí, go bhfeicfidís go bhfuil daoine anseo atá ag faire ar a gceartanna agus ar an méid atá ar fáil dóibh. Tá sé tábhachtach go bhfeicfidh siad go bhfuil daoine anseo atá freagrach agus a nglacfaidh an cúram cinntiú go gcuirfear cláracha ar fáil dóibh i nGaeilge chomh maith le i mBéarla, go ndéanfar fógraíocht trí Ghaeilge agus go mbeidh jabanna agus fostaíocht ann dóibh siúd atá ag obair sna réimsí sin, dóibh siúd atá ag déanamh fógraíochta, producers, directors, etc., agus go mbeidh obair ar fáil dóibh trí Ghaelainn. Cén fáth nach mbeadh? I want to hear a positive response. I also want to know why we cannot do it.

I invited the Coimisinéir Teanga to a meeting here recently. I am considered to be an opponent of the Irish language. The Minister of State might find that hard to believe. I am considered the enemy by many of the Irish language movements because I do not go along with a lot of the nonsense some of them come out with, but there are also very decent people with decent proposals. I discussed the amendments with Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge and I found it to be very reasonable and practical. I do not easily put forward demands on the Irish language. I only put forward proposals that I believe are practical, reasonable, implementable and useful. Braithim go bhféadfainn an sórt rialach sin a chur ar ghach aon cheann de na moltaí atá déanta agam. Tá siad praiticiúil, réasúnta, indéanta agus úsáideach do ghnáth mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí agus Gaeilgeoirí. I appeal to the Minister of State because I really feel passionate about this. I know that very often I am a lone voice on the Irish language because I oppose issues. I am the only person that I know who tries to put forward an all-island policy on the Irish language. I cannot find one person or political party to support me on that.