Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Tá a fhios agam go maith céard a dúirt mo chara, an iar Aire Gaeltachta, Michael D. Higgins, anois Uachtarán na HÉireann. Tá a fhios agam go maith freisin céard atá ar intinn ag an Seanadóir ó thaobh na Gaeilge agus muintir na Gaeltachta de. Tá stádas ag an teanga agus an Ghaeilge agus tá meas mór ag an Rialtas ar an Ghaeilge. Tá sin soiléir ón méid adúirt an Aire Stáit, an Teachta McGinley, sa Teach seo an tseachtain seo caite.

In respect of the amendment proposed by the Senator, the Office of the Ombudsman is subject to the Official Languages Act 2003 which imposes a binding duty on all public bodies to enable people to communicate with agents of the State in either Gaeilge nó Bearla. It also requires public bodies to publish certain core documents simultaneously in Irish and English, including annual reports, financial statements and statements of strategy. The Office of the Ombudsman and the Office of the Information Commissioner have jointly prepared a scheme under section 11 of the Act relating to their commitments to provide additional Irish language services. I do not know whether the Senator has had an opportunity to peruse the scheme. In these circumstances, the imposition of a specific statutory requirement under this Bill in respect of competency in the Irish language could have the unintended consequence of restricting the ability of the Office of the Ombudsman to ensure it is resourced sufficiently to effectively discharge its important functions. We must disaggregate the two issues, sé sin staid agus meas ar mhuintir na Gaeltachta agus muintir na hÉireann i gcoitinne atá in ann an teanga Gaeilge a úsáid and at the same time ensure we do not place impositions on the Ombudsman that would restrict her in carrying out her duties effectively. We have discussed this issue and believe the strategy devised under section 11 of the 2003 Act meets the requirements set out in the amendment without impeding the proper functioning of the office.