Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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Question 205: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a timeframe for the passage of the environment Bill through the Oireachtas; the implications of the environment Bill for the restoration of the bilingual name of Dingle-Daingean Uí Chuis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20564/11]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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It is my intention that the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill will proceed through all stages in both the Dáil and Seanad before the end of July. I intend introducing an amendment to the Bill at Dáil/Report stage to substitute a revised and updated Part 18 of the Local Government Act 2001 which sets out the procedures for changing the names of towns, townlands, non-municipal towns, streets and localities.

The new Part 18 will restate large elements of the existing Part 18 but with significant changes and some new provisions. It will provide that any proposal adopted by a local authority to change a placename must specify the proposed name in Irish only or in English and in Irish; there will be an explicit requirement that any plebiscite held must be by way of secret ballot; and it will provide that any change of placename made under local government law will supersede any order made by the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht under section 32 of the Official Languages Act 2003.

In relation to Dingle/An Daingean, the amendment will undo the impact of the Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004 made under the 2003 Act, as it applies to An Daingean, and will provide that the official name of the town in the Irish language will be Daingean Uí Chúis and in the English language will be Dingle.