Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1023. To ask the Minister for Health the way in which his Department and agencies under his remit facilitate persons wishing to engage with their services through the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21905/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003, the current Language Scheme of my Department sets out the extent to which the Department’s services are currently available through Irish, and identifies areas for future enhancement. Examples of services delivered through Irish are : All written correspondence addressed to the Department in Irish is replied to in Irish and any telephone queries are referred to one of the members of staff competent in Irish; all press releases issued by the Department are made available in Irish as soon as possible after issue; web content is published and updated as required in both languages simultaneously and the Department regularly issues social media posts in Irish as well as publishing all guidance material in both languages simultaneously.  A revised Language Scheme to cover the period 2021-2023 is currently being drafted and it is expected that the scheme will be finalised for approval by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media by the end of June 2021.

My Department has asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy in relation to the services it provides through Irish. Information in relation to services provided through Irish by the Non-Commercial State Bodies under the aegis of my Department is being collated and will be provided to the Deputy under separate cover.

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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1024. To ask the Minister for Health if all forms issued by his Department and agencies under his remit are available in both the Irish and English languages; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21923/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Applications for health services from the public are dealt with by the HSE or other health agencies under the remit of my Department rather than the Department itself and therefore, forms are generally not a feature of the Department’s work.  However, the Department is committed to providing public health advice and guidance in both Irish and English in accordance with its obligations under the Official Languages Act 2003.

This commitment is evidenced during the Covid-19 pandemic, where due to the extreme urgency brought about by the unforeseen circumstances, it was necessary to communicate public health advice to every household in Ireland. Four million copies of the Covid-19 public information booklet were distributed via mail drops and/or newspaper inserts, two million of which were issued in Irish and two million in English. Public health information in relation to Covid-19 and other health matters continues to be issued by means of daily press releases, which are published in both the Irish and English languages.  

My Department has asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy in relation to the forms that it issues in Irish. The information relating to the Non-Commercial State Agencies under the remit of my Department is being collated and will be forwarded to the Deputy by separate cover.