Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 40: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the professional development service for teachers support service provides all documentation, handouts, booklets, leaflets and resources in both Irish and English; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14446/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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My Department and its support services are fully supportive of the national language and are committed to the implementation of the recently published Government strategy on the Irish language. The Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) is a team of seconded teachers, which offers professional development support to primary and post-primary teachers and schools on a wide range of topics. The service was established in September 2010, following a reconfiguration of the support services in existence prior to that date, and 2011 is their first full year of operation.

It is the policy of the PDST to provide bilingual versions of its documentation, materials and resources in accordance with statutory requirements and the needs of teachers and schools. Where the PDST engages in face to face support with teachers and schools, documentation including presentations and handouts are provided through the language medium of the school. Generally, direct communications from the PDST to all schools are provided in both Irish and English.