Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, my Department implements a range of schemes aimed at supporting the maintenance and strengthening of the Irish language as the principal language of both household and community in the Gaeltacht. These include Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge, Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge (Gaeltacht Summer Colleges), Infrastructural Improvement Schemes, Gaeltacht Housing Grants, Gaeltacht Summer Camps, Language Assistants, Youth Sports Training, etc.

In addition, a number of new initiatives have also been undertaken, including:

community-based language planning;

the further development of third-level education provision through the medium of Irish in the Gaeltacht;

the commissioning of a comprehensive linguistic study of Irish language usage in the Gaeltacht; and

the implementation of a targeted language awareness campaign focused on intergenerational transmission of the Irish language.

A significant increase has been seen for a number of years now in my Department's Gaeltacht expenditure, in particular on infrastructure such as roads, piers, village renewal and community facilities, including community halls, summer colleges, sports and recreational facilities. By improving the infrastructure, these grants are aimed at improving the social, cultural and economic life of the Gaeltacht areas, as well as strengthening the Irish language as the community language within such areas.

In addition, Údarás na Gaeltachta, which is charged with developing the economy of the Gaeltacht and encouraging the preservation and extension of the Irish language as the principal means of communication in the Gaeltacht, promotes productive schemes of employment and supports community development initiatives throughout the Gaeltacht. Since the establishment of my Department in 2002, I have approved €227m in total in Exchequer funding to enable Údarás to achieve its objectives, and the benefits of this investment have been evident in the areas of job creation, community development and enterprise, and in the successes achieved across a range of projects based on the use of the resources in the Gaeltacht, including the Irish language.