John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 356: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the amount spent by his Department in bringing into effect the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003. [30527/05]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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It was already my Department's policy, prior to the coming into effect of the Official Languages Act 2003, to publish most classes of documentation intended for public dissemination in both Irish and English. A training programme was also in place to assist staff in developing their Irish language skills. This was and is part of a wider policy aimed at developing the Department's capability to accommodate those customers who prefer to conduct their business with the Department through Irish. As a consequence, there has been no expenditure to date that can be attributed solely to implementing the provisions of the Act.

Expenditure will arise in due course in regard to the publication by the Department of a notice under section 13 of the Act. This requirement will arise when the Department is formally requested by the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs to prepare a draft scheme specifying the services the Department will provide through Irish or English only, and those which will be provided through both languages. The notice will invite submissions from the public and a draft scheme will then be prepared and submitted for approval to the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The cost of publishing the notice is estimated at €12,000 to €15,000.