Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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43. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the policy of his Department in relation to the provision of third-level education through the medium of Irish; the location in which details of this policy are published; the steps taken to implement the policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49840/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to the implementation of the Official Languages Act and provision of Irish-language services, and the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2019 is of high importance to Ireland and the life of the language in this country. It will ensure that Irish speakers can interact with the Government and access public services through a high standard of Irish. Further information on this bill can be found in the following link www.gov.ie/en/press-release/a8eef-official-languages-bill-amendment-2019-before-the-dail/.

There is already a broad range of courses available in Irish in higher education institutions.

The objective of the Advanced Irish Language Skills Initiative, funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, is to ensure the availability of qualified persons with Irish language skills to meet recruitment needs in Ireland and the EU. Under this scheme the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht provides funding for a range of specialised third level Irish language courses in areas such as translation, interpretation and law. Further information on this Initiative can be found in the following link www.gov.ie/en/publication/7c05c-third-level-education/.

Under the Advanced Irish Language Strategic there are 8 courses available in 5 different institutions. There were 73 students enrolled in these courses in 2019/2020.

Since 2015, around 7,800 students have been enrolled in courses with Irish-language. The number of students enrolled has increased by over 25% since 2015, in 2019/2020 84 courses were available with 1,631 students enrolled in courses with Irish-language

Ultimately, however, Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are autonomous, and determine themselves which Irish-language courses will be offered. While my Department will continue to be committed to the implementation of the Official Languages Act, it is not within my remit to direct a HEI as to the courses they offer.