Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

493. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the arrangements put in place by his Department to ensure compliance with the Official Languages Act, specifically requirements for signage in departmental offices, schools, third level institutions; details of any assessments undertaken by Departmental staff to assess requirements; the number of signs assessed; when any corrective actions were put in place; if any or all of the actions taken by his Department were within the designated timeframes set out in legislation, and if not the reasoning for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40550/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

At the request of the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in June 2005 a draft Irish language scheme under Section 11 of the Official Languages Act 2003 was prepared by this Department. That draft Scheme was prepared following consideration of submissions received from interested parties outside of this Department and an internal consultation process. It was submitted to the then Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in December 2005 and following discussions with that Department the draft Scheme was confirmed by their Minister in May 2006.

In addition to internal monitoring of that Scheme, the Office of the Language Commissioner has also formally monitored the Department's implementation of the Scheme. A second draft Scheme has similarly been prepared by my Department and submitted to the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Consultations have taken place on that draft Scheme with a view to its confirmation.

Specifically in relation to signage, since the enactment of the Official Languages Act 2003, and subsequently on the publication of Regulations on bilingual signage, my Department has monitored its signage on an ongoing basis, bearing in mind the timeframes set out in legislation. Emphasis was placed on signage in areas where the general public had access, in order that signage in such areas would be bilingual. In April 2013 the Office of the Language Commissioner gave notice to my Department of its intention to carry out, later in the year, an audit of the signage in use by my Department in its buildings, specifically signage coming under the purview of the Regulations (S.I. No. 391 of 2008) made under Section 9(1) of the Official Languages Act 2003. Formal inspections were carried out by officials within my Department in preparation for that audit and some signage was replaced and additional signage erected. On 20 September 2013 a formal inspection of the signage in certain offices of my Department in Dublin was carried out by an official from the Office of the Language Commissioner and we are awaiting their written report on that inspection.