Martin Mansergh (Tipperary South, Fianna Fail)

The Bill was subject to a minor technical amendment in the course of its passage through the Dáil. The amendment was necessary to take account of the fact the Official Languages Act 2003 was passed in both Irish and English. The Act was mentioned in the Schedule as it contains a reference to the Houses of the Oireachtas which must now be changed to the Houses of the Oireachtas Service. Under the Bill as presented, however, only the English text of the Official Languages Act would have been altered. This would have brought about an unintended difference between the English and Irish texts of the Act and the amendment rectified this by amending both the English and Irish texts. The amendment raises no substantive issues in relation to the Bill as previously passed by this House and I commend the Bill, as amended, to the House.