Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)

At the risk of repeating myself, Foras na Gaeilge has an all-Ireland constitution but it involves two Ministers. The responsibility of Foras na Gaeilge is to promote Irish and Ulster Scots on the island of Ireland. The Minister in Northern Ireland has the responsibility of promoting the Irish language in any way she likes in Northern Ireland. She does not have to listen to me or to anyone else, although we hold regular meetings to discuss these matters and keep each other informed. As I noted earlier, a copy of the Bill has been sent as a courtesy to the Minister in Northern Ireland, Carál Ní Chuilín, MLA. Foras na Gaeilge also has a responsibility for promoting Irish in this State. This Bill deals with this State and has nothing to do with Northern Ireland.

Foras na Gaeilge is a dual purpose organisation. The Minister there looks after the affairs of the Irish language in Northern Ireland and we do our thing down here. It is Gaeilge is financed by North and South. We contribute 75% of its resources and Northern Ireland contributes 25%. We hold regular meetings and I applaud what is happening in Northern Ireland. I congratulated the Minister on the success of Líofa 2015, a new scheme which aimed at signing 1,000 people up to the Irish language but has already exceeded 2,000 people. I have visited a number of places in Northern Ireland where Irish is spoken and which offer a great example to us down here, such as Carntogher and Strabane. They are doing great work and we are trying to do our thing down here. There are two separate states and this Bill applies to this State. We are not going to interfere up there and they will not interfere down here. We have the same aim but we recognise the political reality on this island.

As regards the constitutionality of the Bill, which we discussed before Senator Mooney entered the Chamber, it did the rounds of all the Departments, including the Department of Justice and Equality.