Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to indicate our support for Senator Warfield's amendment. I apologise as I had mentioned 5,000 nightclubs being reduced to 85. This was an obvious exaggeration as the decrease was 500 to 85, which is still extraordinarily alarming.

We will support the amendment put by the Labour Party Senators regarding the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Irish language in Gaeltacht communities, which are crucial, not least at regional level, given that in many cases a Gaeltacht area will cross county boundaries, for example, as is the promotion of Irish as a community language where there is a community of speakers, specifically in the context of supporting the implementation of language plans, as set out in the Gaeltacht Act 2012. As I said, if we do not plan for it, it will not happen, which is why it needs to be reflected at regional level as well.