Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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42. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if she will provide an update on the Irish language planning process including outstanding commitments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22102/22]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Under the language planning process as set out under the Gaeltacht Act, 2012, Údarás na Gaeltachta is charged with facilitating the implementation of the process in Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas and Gaeltacht Service Towns located within the Gaeltacht, while Foras na Gaeilge has similar responsibility for the implementation of the process outside the Gaeltacht insofar as it relates to Gaeltacht Service Towns and Irish Language Networks.

Language plans in respect of all of the 26 Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas have now been approved under the language planning process, as of April 2022.

To date, language plans for five Gaeltacht Service Towns have been approved, namely, Leitir Ceanainn, Daingean Uí Chúis, Cathair na Gaillimhe, An Clochán Liath and Trá Lí. Plans for Castlebar and Dungarvan are currently being examined by my Department while the preparation of plans is being advanced in the case of Cahersiveen and Cork City. Preparatory work is also in hand in the case of Clifden, Co Galway.

To date, 3 Irish Language Networks have been approved under the process - Ennis, Loughrea and Clondalkin - as well as two others in the north - Carn Tóchar and Iarthar Bhéal Feirste - which have been approved by Foras na Gaeilge under a non-statutory process being overseen by the organisation.

21 Language Planning Officers (19 in Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas and two in Gaeltacht Service Towns) and four Assistant Language Planning Officers are currently engaged in implementing approved plans.

My Department has, through successive budgets, increased the allocation available for implementation of the language planning process. The total allocation from budget 2022 for the process amounts to €5.8m - an increase of €800,000 on the 2021 allocation.

Approved language plans are provided with annual funding over a seven-year period of between €80,000 and €150,000, with one plan receiving €300,000 on an exceptional basis primarily due to geographical challenges, namely: Oileáin Árann.

In further support of the process, my Department also provides current funding to support language-centred programmes in the domains of early years; family and the traditional arts by way of funding agreed work programmes with Comhar Naoínraí na Gaeltachta; Tuismitheoirí na Gaeltachta and Ealaín na Gaeltachta respectively.

It should also be noted that the Department's Community and Language Supports Programme is also being deployed on an ongoing basis in overall support of the process.

My Department will shortly commence a periodic implementation review of approved plans. Under this arrangement, all plans approved under the process will be reviewed in year four of their implementation respectively.

A broader overview of the advances being made in support of the language and Gaeltacht regions, including the language planning process, is set out in the second progress report on the ongoing implementation of the Government's 5-year Action Plan for the Irish Language which my Department published on behalf of Government in October 2021.