Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent)
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348. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the steps being taken to promote the use of Irish in her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14176/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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Since 2006, with the commencement of its inaugural Irish Language Scheme, the Department of Justice and Equality has run 23 in-house Irish courses, both written and oral, tailored for members of staff. These courses were run, concurrently in some cases, by Gaeleagras, Gaelchultúrand the Institute of Public Administration, in the Department's offices in both Dublin and Killarney. In addition, the Department has supported members of staff who wished to do Irish courses outside of the Department, and officials who participated in an on-line written Irish course, and continues to support staff who wish to do Irish courses. One official of the Department has gone on to do a Master's Degree in Irish while another, who had attended a number of the in-house courses, has gone on to do a B.A. Degree in Irish.

The Department of Justice and Equality has 50 members of staff on a panel of officials of the Department who are available to deal with queries in Irish from members of the public, arising principally from the courses mentioned above.

During Irish Language Week each year, for the past number of years, the Department has held an event to foster the use of the language within the Department, all of which events have been very well attended. Finally I wish to further inform the Deputy that the Department has twice published an internal Irish magazine and each issue of the Department's quarterly newsletter has contained an article in Irish.