Rónán Mullen (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Táim ag súil leis. Tá Ard-Rúnaí nua ceaptha ag Roinn na Gaeltachta. There is a new Secretary General in the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. We wish Ms Katherine Licken the very best.Ní Gaeilgeoir í. Níl Gaeilge aici, bíodh go bhfuil an Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht mar chuid dá freagrachtaí. In fairness, it has been said that she will work on her Irish within a reasonable timeframe. However, the fact that is was not a requirement, as Mr. Julian de Spáinn of Conradh na Gaeilge said, gur "údar díomá" dó é nach bhfuil an Ghaeilge ann mar riachtanas do phost mar sin. Sufficient proficiency in the Irish language should be a requirement for senior jobs in the Civil Service, particularly where the responsibility for the Irish language is involved. I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Joe McHugh, as during his time as Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, he went to the trouble of acquiring sufficient proficiency in Irish to do his job. The Minister, Deputy Humphreys, promised to do the same thing when she was appointed. I would like to hear from her, not as a matter of point scoring but as a matter of responsible feedback to us, on whether she took steps with regard to that.