Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 100: To ask the Taoiseach the percentage of the staff of his Department who are able to provide services through Irish; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14236/06]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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At present, some 5% of my Department's staff are available to provide services in Irish. The greatest demand for service in Irish comes in the form of written correspondence or telephone queries from the public. These queries are dealt with by referring them to staff who have an appropriate level of proficiency in Irish.

To support such staff members, and to encourage others to develop their Irish language skills, my Department has provided a range of resources, including in-house Irish language classes. I am satisfied that this system is appropriate to the demand my Department currently experiences and it will be monitored in the light of evolving demand.