Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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Question 387: To ask the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the cost of translating all State documents into Irish; the cost of printing same; if a proposal for storing these electronically and printing as required have been investigated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43409/09]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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For the purposes of the Deputy's Question, I have taken State documents to mean documents such as reports, leaflets, pamphlets or brochures that contain the name and logo of my Department. In 2009 to date, my Department expended €15,092 on the translation of such documents, as well as a total of €26,069 on the associated printing costs.

With regard to the wider context, my Department has worked, and will continue to work, with Departments and other public bodies to assist them in meeting their translation obligations under the Official Languages Act in the most efficient and cost effective manner possible. In addition, I wish to again reiterate that the obligation under section 10 of the Act to publish documents simultaneously in Irish and English applies only to a limited number of key documents published by public bodies, including annual reports and accounts and documents setting out public policy proposals.

I have long advocated that documents such as these should be published by way of CDs or the internet, rather than hard copy. This is the general rule that my own Department now follows and I am aware that a number of other public bodies also adhere to it. Indeed, the Coimisinéir Teanga specifically advocates this approach to public bodies in the guidebook on the Act that his Office published and circulated in 2008 and the Government adopted a similar policy last year as one of a number of measures designed to reduce costs across public bodies.

2009 TO DATE

* the cost of translation was not incurred in 2009