Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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730. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade bunaithe ar an treoir a thug an Roinn Caiteachas Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe do gach Roinn, cad é líon agus cad iad gráid na bpost dá mbeidh státseirbhísigh atá inniúil sa Ghaeilge agus sa Bhéarla ag teastáil; cad é líon na bpost sin a bhfuil duine leis an gcumas cuí Gaeilge agus Béarla iontu cheana féin, arna bhriseadh síos de réir gráid; cén cháilíocht Ghaeilge atá riachtanach do na poist sin; i gcás nach bhfuil an treoir ón Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe comhlíonta, cad é údar na moille agus cén uair a dhéanfar an scrúdú; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [1432/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Tá mo Roinn go h-iomlán tiomanta do sheirbhísí trí Ghaeilge a sholáthar agus freagraí a thabhairt ar comhfhreagras trí Ghaeilge nuair atá siad de dhíth. Is iad Oifig na bPasanna agus an Rannán Consalachta na príomh rannóga ina mbíonn idirgabháil idir an Roinn agus an pobal agus tá riachtanais acu i dtaca le h-oifigigh le scileanna Gaeilge. Freisin, tá riachtanais ginearálta tríd an Roinn i dtaca le h-oifigigh atá ábalta deileáil le comhfhreagras agus fiosrúcháin trí Ghaeilge. Cuireadh iniúchadh scileanna i gcrích i 2012 a thaispeáin go bhfuil scileanna Gaeilge ar chaighdeán líofa nó ardleibhéal ag 55 oifigeach i mo Roinn, agus dhearbhaigh 160 oifigeach eile go bhfuil scileanna Gaeilge acu ar chaighdeán idirmheánach; is é seo timpeall ar 20% den fhoireann bhuan ag ceanncheathrú na Roinne.

Cuirtear ranganna Gaeilge ar fáil go rialta go h-inmheánach i mo Roinn agus, ó 2010 go 2014, chláraigh 200 oifigeach chun freastal ar na ranganna seo. Tá rangannga Gaeilge seancheaptha, inmheánach ar fáil in Oifig na bPasanna i gCorcaigh agus beidh siad ar fáil go luath in Oifig na bPasanna ar Shráid Theach Laighean. Spreagtar oifigigh na Roinne chun a scileanna Gaeilge a fhorbairt ina n-am féin agus tá mo Roinn sásta chun tacú le agus maoiniú a thabhairt do na h-iarrachtaí seo.

Faoi láthair, tá an tSeirbhís um Cheapacháin Phoiblí ag reachtáil comórtas earcaíochta d’oifigigh feidhmiúcháin le sruth speisialta sa Ghaeilge le haghaidh iarratasóra atá líofa sa Ghaeilge. Beadh sé ar intinn ag an Roinn eacrú ón bpaineál sin nua.

My Department is fully committed to providing services and answering correspondence through Irish whenever required. The Passport Office and Consular Section are the Department’s main interface with the public and have requirements for officers with Irish language skills. There are also general requirements throughout the Department for officers who can deal with correspondence and queries in Irish.

A skills audit of all staff carried out in 2012 revealed that 55 staff members in my Department had advanced or fluent Irish language skills while a further 160 officers declared that their Irish language skills were at an intermediate level. In total, this is approximately 20% of permanent HQ-based staff.

Irish Language classes are regularly provided in-house in my Department and from 2010 to 2013 over 200 officers registered to attend these classes. Tailored, in-house Irish language classes are currently available in our Passport Office in Cork and will shortly be available in the Passport Office in Molesworth Street. Officers are also encouraged to develop their Irish language skills in their own time and my Department is happy to support and fund this.

The Public Appointments Service is currently running an Executive Officer recruitment competition which includes a specialist Irish language stream for candidates who are fluent in the Irish language. It would be the intention of my Department to recruit from this new panel.