Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the allocations made by his Department under all headings to Irish language groups for each of the past five years for promotion and preservation of the Irish language; if he has assessed the programmes and plans of the organisations concerned; and if he has satisfied himself as to their validity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36956/05]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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Funding is provided by my Department annually, both directly and through other bodies, under a range of headings for the promotion and preservation of the Irish language. In so far as the Gaeltacht is concerned, it is intended to continue with the programme of capital grants that are available under the Gaeltacht improvement schemes, which are administered by my Department to improve Gaeltacht marine works, improve Gaeltacht roads and provide or improve community and leisure facilities such as community halls, playing fields and other such facilities. Grants are also paid under the Housing (Gaeltacht) Acts to qualifying applicants in the Gaeltacht to build new houses and for improvements to existing houses. The aim of all of these grants, through developing infrastructure, is to improve the economic, social and cultural life of Gaeltacht areas, as well as strengthening the Irish language as a community language in these areas. The Gaeltacht also benefits from a range of social and cultural schemes, designed to assist in the preservation and promotion of Irish as a community language. These schemes include well established ones, such as scéim na bhfoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge and the Irish summer colleges scheme, as well as new initiatives such as the language planning initiative, scéim na gcúntóirí teanga and scéim na gcampaí Samhraidh. Reviews of a number of these schemes and of associated expenditure programmes have been carried out in recent years.

My Department also provides substantial funding to Údarás na Gaeltachta, whose primary responsibility is to develop the economy of the Gaeltacht in order to strengthen the preservation and enrichment of the Irish language as the main language there. Údarás also works, in co-operation with my Department, to promote community, cultural and language development activities in the Gaeltacht. The provision of assistance to Údarás is contingent on its meeting certain requirements relating to employment creation and expenditure targets annually. It is also required to operate within a strategic framework approved by my Department, in consultation with other relevant Departments.

Outside the Gaeltacht, funding is provided by my Department under Ciste na Gaeilge for the promotion of the Irish language through various organisations and projects. The programmes and business plans of funded organisations are negotiated and assessed as part of the funding process. As already announced, I am establishing three subsidiary funds within Ciste na Gaeilge, with effect from 2006, to promote the teaching of the Irish language in third level institutions overseas, to support partnership initiatives involving local authorities and the business community in the promotion of the Irish language in their local area; and to promote research on the placenames of Ireland.

My Department has also provided significant funding over the period in question, in conjunction with the co-sponsoring Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, to the North-South Body, An Foras Teanga, which comprises Foras na Gaeilge and the Ulster-Scots Agency. The primary purpose of Foras na Gaeilge, which receives three quarters of its funding from my Department, is to promote the Irish language throughout the island of Ireland, including support for Irish language voluntary organisations. The annual business plans for Foras na Gaeilge are jointly assessed and approved by both sponsor Departments and both Finance Departments and the business plans of funded organisations in turn are assessed and evaluated by the Foras. The allocations and expenditures under all the above headings are set out in the Estimates volumes and appropriation accounts, as published, for the relevant years.