Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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1243. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when legislation will be in place to enable local communities such as Enniscrone, County Sligo to hold local plebiscites to change the spelling of its place name; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4415/20]

John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Following the enactment of the Local Government Act 2019, provisions under Part 18 of the amended Local Government Act 2001, relating to the changing of names of areas, have been commenced and previous provisions, relating to place-name changes, under the Local Government Acts 1946 and 1953, have been repealed.

The commencement of the provisions in the Local Government Act 2001, as amended, now allows for new regulations to be made to provide for the holding of local plebiscites for the purpose of changing place-names. However, it is important to ensure that the provisions of the 2001 Act and provisions relating to place-names under Part 5 of the Official Languages Act 2003, which is under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, operate effectively together. Accordingly, my Department is engaging with the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht on this matter and seeking legal advice, on foot of which the matter will be considered further.