Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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332. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his response to the resignation of An Coimisinéir Teanga; if he will clarify if three quarters of statutory language schemes have expired without renewal by the end of 2012 with a quarter of them out of date for three years or more; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53675/13]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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333. To ask the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his plans for the future of the Official Languages Act; his views on whether citizens should have the right to interact with State bodies using either of the official languages of the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53676/13]

Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North-West Limerick, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 332 and 333 together.

As I indicated in my reply to Question No. 124 on 12 December, I was informed by An Coimisinéir Teanga, Mr. Seán Ó Cuirreáin, on 4 December that he had written to the President informing him of his intention to resign with effect from 23 February 2014, after ten years in the post and two years before his term of office expires in February 2016. I have expressed my appreciation to An Coimisinéir Teanga, both personally and publicly, for his achievements during his time in office and while I regret that he has decided not to complete his term of office, I respect his decision in the matter.

The process of selecting a new Coimisinéir Teanga is currently underway and the matter will be brought to Government in due course. Under section 20(3) of the Official Languages Act, the appointment of An Coimisinéir Teanga is made by the President on the advice of the Government, following a resolution passed by Dáil Éireann and by Seanad Éireann recommending the appointment of the person.

With regard to language schemes confirmed under the Official Languages Act, I would like to clarify that, in accordance with section 14(3) of the Act, a language scheme remains in force for a period of three years from the date on which it is confirmed or until a new scheme has been confirmed, whichever is the later. Currently, almost 200 public bodies are covered by 112 language schemes and my Department is actively engaged in the process of agreeing inaugural and subsequent schemes with a large number of public bodies.

It is important to recognise that this is an ongoing process designed to improve the provision of State services in Irish over a period of time. It must be noted also that the process can be challenging for public bodies, particularly having regard to current resource pressures. A number of measures to improve the effectiveness of the language scheme process are being considered in the context of the proposed Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2014.

The primary objective of the Official Languages Act is to ensure better availability and a higher standard of public services through Irish. The Act has been framed in the light of the constitutional position afforded to the Irish language by virtue of Article 8 of the Constitution of Ireland and how that article has been interpreted by the Supreme Court.

It is intended to submit a memorandum to Government shortly on the Heads of the proposed Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2014. Subject to approval by Government, it is intended to subsequently publish the Heads together with the results of the consultation process on the review of the Official Languages Act. The Heads will also be brought to the Joint Committee on the Environment, Culture and the Gaeltacht for consideration.