Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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278. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Question No. 566 of 4 November 2025, the numbers appointed on the panel to date; if the panel has been further extended; whether the Government will achieve its goal of appointing 20% of new recruits in the civil and public service with competency in the Irish language by 2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50425/26]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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The Higher Executive Officer (HEO) competition requiring fluency in Irish was launched on 3 November 2023 and the competition was initially due to close on 30 November 2025. It was subsequently extended to March 2026 and has now concluded. A total of six appointments were made as a result of this competition. Preparatory work is currently underway in relation to a new HEO competition requiring fluency in Irish, which is expected to be advertised before the end of 2026.

My Department is actively supporting the implementation of the Official Languages Acts 2003 and 2021. This includes the statutory target that 20% of recruits to public bodies to be competent in the Irish language by 2030 in the context of my responsibilities as Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation in relation to the civil service as set out in Section 58 of the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004.

This work is being progressed in a coordinated manner, in close collaboration with the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht (DRCDG), which has overall responsibility for the policy area, and the Public Appointments Service (publicjobs), the centralised recruiter for the Civil and Public Service under the aegis of my Department.

The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht is leading the implementation of the relevant national plan, with officials from my Department contributing through senior-level participation on the Irish Language Services Advisory Committee, established in 2022. The Committee recently published the first Action Plan for Irish Language Public Services 2026–2028, which sets out a clear and measurable, system-wide approach to achieving the 2030 target. This includes a strong focus on targeted recruitment, development of alternative entry pathways such as apprenticeships and internships, and supports for those wishing to improve their Irish language proficiency.

My Department, working with publicjobs, is supporting the targeted recruitment and assignment of Irish-speaking candidates across the civil service. Since 2022, over 160 fluent Irish speakers have been assigned across a range of civil service grades, with further candidates currently in the recruitment pipeline. My Department is supporting a range of awareness initiatives and developing alternative entry pathways, including apprenticeship and internship programmes, to broaden access routes into the public service for Irish speakers.

In addition, Irish language capability is being strengthened within the existing workforce. Through OneLearning, a suite of Irish language training programmes has been introduced, aligned in part with recognised proficiency standards, and these have attracted over 2,000 enrolments to date, with further uptake anticipated.

Furthermore, officials are actively engaged in a number of technical working groups addressing key implementation areas, including digitalisation, the development of alternative recruitment approaches, and the enhancement of training and learning supports.

Taken together, these actions demonstrate Government's commitment to achieving the 20% target by 2030.