Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Health 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. [47475/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Gaeltacht Allowance is paid to various grades of staff whose duties are performed mainly or entirely in the Gaeltacht and the Health Service Executive is satisfied he or she possess a sufficient knowledge of the Irish language to enable him or her to perform the duties of the office competently through Irish - 1966 Local Offices Irish Language Statutory Instrument 221 refers. The allowance may not exceed 7.5% of basic salary.

With regard to staff in my Department, none of them are in receipt of this allowance. In 2011 the total number of Health Service Executive staff in receipt of the allowance was estimated at 103, with an overall cost of €296,439. Data in relation to 2010 and 2009 is being collated by the HSE and will be forwarded to the Deputy upon receipt. Of the remaining agencies under my Department's aegis, none of them pay their staff such an allowance.