The observations of nearly all the Deputies have been directed to a criticism of the Schedule of the Bill defining the area of the Gaeltacht, within which the Bill will be operative. I have been pressed, on one hand, to extend the area and, on the other hand, to restrict it. The principle adopted is that recommended by the Gaeltacht Commission for the general delimitation of the Gaeltacht after very careful examination of all the implications involved. That was what was adopted by the Government in the White Paper. I am quite conscious that there is much to be said for both points of view, but I think that the Schedule is probably the best compromise that one could arrive at as between the conflicting points of view. If those who wish to see the area restricted would read the Bill carefully they would find in sub-sections (3) and (4) of Section 11 that assistance is in the first place confined to Irish-speaking homes. The other governing clause in connection with valuation will confine the matter, I think, nearly as much as they could possibly desire. In framing the Schedule I did not think it right that any area that would ordinarily be entitled to inclusion in the Gaeltacht should be excluded, but again in reference to sub-sections (3) and (4) of Section 11 the effect will be that the practical operations of the Bill will be confined to a much smaller and much more limited number of district electoral divisions than might be imagined from the Schedule itself. Deputy Séan O'Kelly counted the number of electoral divisions and divided the sum of £250,000 by what he found, namely, 600. He then went on to make the case that the amount available for each electoral area would be negligible.
The overriding clauses, especially Section 11, will operate towards confining very considerable areas in which the Housing Bill will be effective, and instead of the six hundred in the Schedule I should say that probably not more than 100 of the areas mentioned will be affected. It is likely, for instance, that the three-fifths clause will affect only about fifty electoral areas. I think it was Deputy Tierney suggested that the parish area would be preferable to the electoral area. We were in the position that we wanted to find some basis for which there were figures available. There are no figures available as far as the Irish-speaking population in parishes is concerned, but there is as far as the population in electoral areas is concerned—the census of 1926. We based it on the electoral area only because of that reason. It was also said by some Deputies that very many districts which are Irish-speaking do not appear in the Schedule. I think it was Deputy Jasper Wolfe mentioned the case of Schull. I went to the trouble of looking up the census in the case of Schull, and I found that the proportion of Irish speakers is returned as 13.1 per cent., which is considerably below the 25 per cent. required. The Deputy said, perhaps jocosely, that this might lead to a spurt in the use of the Irish language in districts of that kind. We would welcome that.
Section 2 of the Bill, I think, gives me power to add further district electoral divisions to the Schedule under the regulations: "The Minister may by order, whenever he considers it expedient so to do, on account of local variations in the numbers or distribution of Irish-speaking persons, amend the Schedule to this Act by adding thereto any district electoral division," etc. If what Deputy Wolfe fears or hopes may happen, I will have the power to add that district to the Schedule.