Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 28: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his Department has produced an estimate for the cost of the full implementation of the Official Languages Act 2003; if not, the reason no estimate has been forthcoming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22580/05]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 29: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the reason he has not undertaken a costing of the full implementation of the Official Languages Act 2003; if he intends to do so in advance of introducing further aspects of the legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22747/05]

Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if he intends to expand the remit of the Official Languages Act 2003 beyond the existing prescribed public and State bodies; if so, when this expansion will come into effect; the estimated cost of such an expansion on the part of the bodies concerned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22748/05]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 25, 28, 29 and 46 together.

As I have indicated in response to previous similar questions in this House, no formal costings have been done in regard to the full implementation of the Official Languages Act 2003 on the basis that such an exercise would not be practicable in advance of consideration on a case by case basis by each public body of what, if any, specific additional costs might arise for it. It is clear that there will be some cost issues involved, particularly at start-up, but in the normal course these should in the main be met from within existing administrative allocations.

The Act is being implemented on a planned and pragmatic basis. Clearly, some costs will arise in connection with such matters as training and translation services. However, the position for individual public bodies, or indeed on an overall basis, cannot be established until individual schemes have been agreed in accordance with the legislation.

Circumstances will vary greatly from public body to public body in regard to demand for delivery of services through Irish. Indeed, some public bodies will be better placed than others in regard to having the resources to meet this demand, given that they already operate, to varying degrees, a policy of bilingualism. It is, however, a matter for each public body in the first instance to ensure that resources are assigned to comply with the provisions of this legislation in the same way as resources are assigned to ensure compliance with obligations imposed by other legislation and by the requirements to provide quality customer service.

The question of providing funding for specific administrative costs for individual public bodies — regardless of whether these relate to the Official Languages Act or any other service delivery or policy obligation arising — falls to be assessed against formal business cases or proposals submitted as part of the normal annual estimate and budget cycle. Given the position of Irish as the first constitutional language, the objective is to ensure that delivery of public services by public bodies — including provision of information about services and activities through the Irish language — is seen as a normal requirement to meet minimum standards of customer service and corporate governance, rather than an optional extra or add-on.

It is my intention to keep the First Schedule to the Official Languages Act 2003 up to date by making regulations from time to time to delete references to public bodies that have ceased to exist and to include new public bodies, as appropriate. While my Department is currently working on a draft of such regulations, I am not in a position to say when they might be ready to be presented to the Houses of the Oireachtas for approval in accordance with section 4(3) of the Act. No other expansion of the remit of the Act is under consideration at this time.