Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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128. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills following the recent statement by the Minister of State at the Department of An Taoiseach and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with Special Responsibility for European Affairs and Data Protection, regarding the importance of foreign languages being included in the primary school curriculum, his views on the re-introduction of modern languages in the Primary Schools Initiative, which was abolished in 2012; in view of the current statistic, of just one in 25 primary school pupils learning a foreign language, if she will endeavour to include this subject in the primary school curriculum; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10681/15]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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A new integrated primary languages curriculum is currently being developed for Junior Infants to 2nd classes by the NCCA. The integrated curriculum includes both English and Gaeilge. The idea of the new curriculum is to ensure that language skills are transferred effectively from one language to the other, whether that is through English or Irish. Such transferable skills will assist students in learning a third language in their second level education.

The new language curriculum aims to encourage children of different languages and cultures to be proud of and to share their heritage. These children will be given opportunities to explore and inform their class on the culture and customs of the country or heritage from which their language comes. It also aims to promote a positive disposition towards communication and language and to foster within children a lifelong interest in and a love of languages learning.

The Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative (MLPSI) provided foreign languages to a relatively small number of schools (545 out of a total 3284).

I believe that the language skills achieved through their primary education will enable our young learners to more easily take on additional languages when they enter second level education. There are many language options available for them both at junior cycle and even more at senior cycle.

A new languages policy for education is currently being developed and I look forward to receiving the strategy later in the year. Almost 80 submissions have been received and a number of the submissions relate to languages in the primary sector.