Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details of all the Gaeltacht allowance payable to civil and public servants; the level of each allowance payable to each category and the monetary level of each allowance together with the total amount payable in 2009, 2010 and 2011. [47474/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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The Gaeltacht allowance is not payable to staff in my Department or to personnel in agencies under the aegis of my D epartment.

Under article 5 of the Local Offices (Irish Language) Regulations 1966:

"A local authority may pay to the holder of any office the duties of which are performed mainly or entirely in any part of the Gaeltacht who satisfies the local authority that

(a) he possesses a knowledge of the Irish language sufficient to enable him to perform competently the duties of the said office through the medium of the said language, and

(b) he uses the said language, as far as circumstances permit, in the performance of the duties of the said office

additional remuneration of such amount as may from time to time be assigned to him by the local authority, not exceeding seven and one half per cent of the rate per annum of the annual basic salary of the said holder."

Information in respect of Gaeltacht allowance costs is not routinely collected by my Department but is currently being collated in respect of 2011 as part of the Review of Allowances. The information will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.