Written answers

Wednesday, 20 February 2019

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Irish Language

Photo of Catherine MurphyCatherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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221. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the progress made on implementing all aspects of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 to 2030 that are relevant to her Department and bodies under her remit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8614/19]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Under the Education theme of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 to 2030, my Department is committed to supporting the provision of services in the Irish language to children at an early age; and supporting the role pre-schools and crèches can play in promoting Irish as a living language. There are no specific commitments in the strategy relating to bodies under the remit of my Department.

My Department has worked with closely with colleagues in the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Education and Skills in agreeing a comprehensive set of actions to be implemented under the Action Plan for the Irish Language 2018 to 2022; launched by the Minister of State for the Irish Language, the Gaeltacht and the Islands, in June 2018. This five year action plan sets out a range of agreed actions, with associated timeframes, to be implemented in support of the overarching 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language for the period 2010 to 2030.

My Department has committed to a range of actions designed to affirm the importance of the role that early years settings can play in fostering Irish language proficiency. The aim of these actions is to build on existing measures, supports and partnerships in the area of Irish-medium early years education. The agreed actions include the creation of two Irish language early years posts to co-ordinate the development of Irish language provision in the early years sector in non-Gaeltacht areas, and the establishment of baseline supports for naíonraí that will inform future policy plans.

A further action relates to the establishment of an oversight group by the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, comprised of representatives from the relevant departments, agencies and stakeholders, to oversee the implementation of the actions relating to the early years sector. The inaugural meeting of this group has taken place. My Department is also represented on the oversight group .

My Department is working to ensure improved communication with Irish speaking childcare services, in particular in the context of the major national childcare schemes that my Department funds. For example, in relation to the forthcoming Affordable Childcare Scheme, the website currently in development will be available in Irish, as will the parent application portal. Communications in relation to the launch of the new Scheme will also be available in Irish. The contact support centre will have Irish speakers on its staff. Training for the Access and Inclusion Model (AIM) that helps children with a disability to participate in the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme (ECCE) is available through Irish for Gaeltacht pre-school settings and the AIM website and materials are available in the Irish language.

The City/County Childcare Committees (CCCs) are funded by the Department to act as a local agent in the delivery of the national early learning and care and school age childcare programmes and the implementation of Government policy at childcare committee level. They work with the Comhar Naíonraí na Gaeltachta development workers, who provide direct supports to the stiurthoirí in the Irish language childcare services.

The Early Years Forum which I chair has two members representing Irish language needs in the sector.

A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families was launched on 19th November. This ambitious ten year plan contains two actions specifically aimed at supporting the development of the Irish language within the early learning and care sector (ELC). These actions are as follows:

- Introduce measures to ensure that children in Gaeltacht areas have access to Irish-medium ELC provision;

- Develop mechanisms to provide Irish-language supports to ELC provision where there are high proportions of children who are learning through the medium of Irish.

An implementation plan for the actions contained within that Strategy will be published within six months.

These are just some examples of the ways in which my Department is engaging with and ensuring that childcare services are facilitated to provide their services through the Irish language.

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