Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 621: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the amount her Department has spent to date in 2005 on the implementation of the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003; her estimate of the amount which her Department will spend on the implementation of the Official Languages Act 2003 for the full year in 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24018/05]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

To date, my Department has spent €44,310.68 on English-Irish translation services. Not all of this is attributable to the Official Languages Act as under section 10, the type of documents which must be published in the Irish and English language simultaneously include the following: any document setting out public policy proposals; annual reports; audited account or financial statements; and strategy statements.

Aside from its statutory obligations under the 1998 Education Act, my Department is conscious of its Irish-speaking customer base. Traditionally, documents such as circulars, application forms and reports have always been available in both languages. For this reason, it is not possible to separate out from the €44,310.68, the exact amount that is attributable to the Official Languages Act alone.

For the remaining six months of the year, the estimate of costs includes both translation services and a language skills training programme for administrative staff and will be in the region of €55,000.