Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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960.To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the cost of funding TEG examinations for all third level courses where it is required, and subsidising the examination for other third level students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33140/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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My Department has approved funding of €1,604,881 to Lárionad na Gaeilge, Maynooth University for the administration and development of the TEG programme for the period 2022-2025. However, as no specific scheme exists for TEG exams for third level courses/students as a standalone cohort, the Department is not in a position to provide the precise cost breakdown requested by the Deputy.

Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge (TEG) provides standard examinations and certification for Irish language learners and users, who wish to receive a valid, independent assessment of their language ability in Irish and to achieve a nationally and internationally recognised qualification. Candidates can take a full examination (writing, speaking, reading and listening comprehension) or achieving a partial certificate in speech only.

TEG has been in existence for almost 20 years and has over provided over 17,000 examinations during that time. TEG is the only independent certification system available for Irish, and the only system that is formally aligned with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, the most internationally recognised tool as a measure for language ability. TEG qualifications are, therefore, of particular advantage to learners and employers alike, as individuals with specific language skills will be sought for a wide range of roles across the public sector in the context of the recruitment objective provided for in the Official Languages Act 2021 – that at least 20% of recruits to public bodies are competent in the Irish language by 31 December 2030.

A significant body of work will be required in the period ahead to ensure that a sufficient supply of suitably qualified personnel are available to meet this objective. It is recognised that successful implementation of the National Plan for Irish Language Public Services will be pivotal to this work. That Plan was submitted to the Minister on 19 June 2024, with the intention of submitting it to Government for approval and publication in the autumn.

In the interim, and as part of efforts to embed the TEG system across the public sector, it is worth mentioning that, since autumn 2022, TEG is certifying courses offered to civil servants on behalf of OneLearning - the civil service learning and development unit. OneLearning has seen a 93% increase in the number of civil servants taking Irish language courses between spring 2022 and spring 2024. It is anticipated that the provision of these courses will be broadened to include the wider public sector in the coming years.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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961.To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the cost of Government supports for colleges that are weaker in terms of the Irish language, so they can fulfil their language obligations under Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú 2021), such as employing people (Oifigigh Ghaeilge, administration, marketing, bilingual signage, etc.); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33141/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I should point out to the Deputy at the outset that the provision of financial supports for colleges is a matter for the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and that my Department has no role in this regard. Furthermore, funding the language obligations of public bodies prescribed under the Official Languages Act 2003-2021 are, and will continue to be, met from the financial allocations of the relevant Government Departments, agencies and other bodies agreed as part of the annual Estimates process.

I should mention in this context, however, that the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 was signed into law by the President of Ireland on 22 December 2021. This new legislation is a strengthening of the Official Languages Act 2003, and it is widely recognised that it will make a significant contribution to the quality of services in Irish provided to the public by State bodies.

The key objectives of the Act are:

• at least 20% of recruits to the public sector being competent in the Irish language by the end of 2030;
• all public services in and for Gaeltacht areas being provided through the medium of Irish;
• all public offices in the Gaeltacht operating through the medium of Irish;
• a statutory Advisory Committee being established to prepare a National Plan for Irish Language Public Services; and
• a system of language standards replacing the current system of language schemes.

It is worth noting in this context that a significant element of the strengthened Act is the replacement of the current language schemes system with the introduction of language standards for all Government sectors. In this respect, it is intended for higher standards to be set for sectors with greater interaction with the public.

Specific consultation processes are set out in the Act in relation to the prescription of language standards, including seeking advice from the Irish Language Services Advisory Committee. It is my intention that the public consultation process for the first class of public bodies will be held in the coming months - in parallel to the submission of the first ever National Plan for Irish Language Public Services to Government.

This National Plan will act as a roadmap for public bodies in terms of systematically increasing and improving the level and quality of public services provided through the medium of Irish, together with increasing the number of staff with Irish language competency in the public sector, as we work towards achieving the ambitious recruitment target of the Act - that at least 20% of recruits to the public sector are competent in Irish by the end of 2030.

Within 3 months of the National Plan being submitted to Government, I shall set dates by which public services in and for the Gaeltacht will be made available through the medium of Irish, and by which public offices located in the Gaeltacht will operate through Irish.

I should also point out that a specific commitment is contained in the Civil Service Renewal 2030 Strategy to implement this National Plan.

Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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962.To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the cost to allow higher education institutions to receive funding specifically to be used to develop and enhance support services for students coming from the Gaeltacht, or Irish medium education to third level (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33142/24]

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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My Department does not have any specific scheme in place such as that mentioned by the Deputy and, accordingly, no costing of the proposal is available.

The primary area of contact of the Gaeltacht and Irish Language Division of the Department with the higher education sector is An Tionscnamh Ardscileanna Gaeilge (the Advanced Irish Language Skills Initiative), which forms a central part of the efforts being made to ensure a sufficient stream of qualified graduates having the specialised linguistic skills required to work in the Irish language units of the European institutions in the context of the status of Irish as an official EU language. In 2024, funding continues through An Tionscnamh Ardscileanna Gaeilge for third level institutions providing specialised training courses that help achieve this goal. A total of €2,552,000 has been approved for An Tionscnamh Ardscileanna Gaeilge for the period 2023-2028.

As well as the direct employment opportunities with the EU institutions, the status of Irish as an official EU language has the benefit of providing indirect employment to qualified Irish speakers, both in the Gaeltacht and in the rest of the country, by way of translation and other linguistic services for which work is outsourced to translation/linguistic services companies and to freelance translators. The Deputy may also be aware of the European Commission's centre in Grange, Co. Meath (quite close to the Meath Gaeltacht area), where a number of the Irish language translation team of the Commission's Directorate General for Translation carry out their work.

An external review of An Tionscnamh Ardscileanna Gaeilge is to be completed by the end of this year; this will take into account the continuing requirements of the EU institutions in the years ahead as well as the requirements of the public service in Ireland resulting from the implementation of the provisions of the Official Languages Act (2021), specifically the targets around Irish-speaking staff working in the public service by the end of this decade.