Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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16. To ask the Taoiseach the number of officials in his Department who speak Irish. [48374/18]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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In keeping with the spirit of the Official Languages Act, my Department is committed to developing and maintaining a culture that encourages the use of Irish both within the Department and with our customers. To that end, my Department's Irish Language Scheme 2016 - 2019 contains a number of commitments designed to ensure that any customers of the Department of the Taoiseach who wish to conduct their business through Irish can do so.

The primary focus of my Department's work involves interaction with other Government Departments and Agencies. As a result, it does not experience a significant level of demand from the public for services in Irish.

That said, my Department recognises the importance of having staff fluent in and capable of providing services through Irish. Some staff working in my Department have indicated that they have proficiency in Irish and are competent to provide service to customers in Irish to varying degrees. Of these, two employees with a high level of proficiency in Irish have been designated to provide services to the public in Irish in accordance with my Department's Official Languages Scheme 2016 - 2019, and this number is sufficient to meet the existing demand.

Irish language courses are also readily available to all employees of the Department through the Department's Human Resources Unit.