Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 459: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the formal proposal tabled by Ireland by way of a draft amendment to EEC Regulation No. 1/1958 in the matter of official working status for the Irish language. [10827/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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On 13 December last, I outlined to my counterparts at the General Affairs and External Relations Council the reasons for Ireland's proposal that official and working status in the EU be accorded to the Irish language.

Regulation No. 1 of 1958 governs the Union's language regime. The unanimous approval of member states is required to amend this regulation.

Contacts have been ongoing with partners in Brussels and in capitals to bring about progress. Most recently, we requested that our proposal be discussed at the meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives on 10 March. This meeting allowed for a very useful exchange of views between member states and provided an opportunity for further clarification of some of the issues involved.

The Government remains of the view that there is a strong general understanding of our proposal. The Government will continue to press its case through the appropriate channels with the aim of reaching a successful and early conclusion to the discussions.