Donal Carey
Question:5 Mr. D. Carey asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the plans, if any, she has to restructure Údarás na Gaeltachta; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [11070/99]
Other Questions. - Údarás na Gaeltachta.
As I have explained in replies to previous parliamentary questions, the Government has approved a proposal submitted to it by the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands in relation to the restructuring of the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta. The Bill which will be published soon will provide for the giving of legislative effect to this restructuring and to other proposals in relation to Údarás na Gaeltachta. The Bill will specifically provide for an increase in the number of constituencies for the purposes of elections to Údarás na Gaeltachta and for an increase in the number of elected members to an tÚdarás. I am satisfied the proposals in this regard will meet the demands of Gaeltacht communities for increased representation on the board of an tÚdarás and that this increased elected representation will contribute to addressing the needs of Gaeltacht communities in general and as a result to maintaining and promoting the Irish language in the Gaeltacht. These proposals will involve the most significant legislative changes in relation to an tÚdarás since it was established nearly 20 years ago and I look forward to a fruitful debate on the proposals when they come before the House.
While it had been hoped that this Bill would have been available sooner, the drafting process has not yet been finally completed. In the light of this the Government has agreed that a short Bill extending the maximum interval between the elections to Údarás na Gaeltachta from five years to five years and six months will be published. This proposal was to have been included at any rate in the comprehensive Bill being drafted. The short Bill will be introduced in Dáil Éireann in the very near future. The purpose of this short Bill is to enable the next election to an t-Údarás, which has been due to take place in early June, to be held later this year in accordance with the revised structures which I have already outlined.
Will the Minister indicate when the comprehensive Bill will be published? Will he give details of the numbers to be elected to Údarás na Gaeltachta and of the new constituencies? In view of the fact that the board of an tÚdarás is a semi-industrial board concerned with the provision of postanna sna Gaeltachtaí, would it not be more feasible to hold elections every four and a half years? If Údarás elections continue to be held after local and European Parliament elections, they will be treated as a joke.
The short Bill will provide for the holding of elections at any time between four years and five and a half years after the previous election, as opposed to four years and five years. If we had intended holding this year's elections on 11 June, as I think the Deputy proposes, a Bill such as this would have been required because that will be five years and two days from the date of the last Údarás elections. This minor amendment will allow a Minister, in the future, to realign the Údarás elections with the European and local elections without encountering the problem which would have arisen this year. If we had retained the old formula for Údarás elections we would have faced problems if European elections were held even a few days more than five years apart. This amendment is therefore desirable for that reason as well as in its own right.
The short Bill must be before the Oireachtas in the next few weeks because the date for setting the election, under the regulation, is mid-May. I can also assure the Deputy that the larger, more comprehensive change to the Údarás will take place in this Dáil session. Because we are extending the life of the board by only six months, the elections must be held in the autumn and we must introduce the amending legislation before the summer recess.
While many people in the Gaeltacht feel that Údarás elections should be held on the same day as European and local elections, a large body of opinion takes the contrary view that the Údarás elections should be held on a separate day. It is felt that if they were held on the same day as local and European elections and a referendum, the Gaeltacht debate would be swamped by other issues. Much more Irish language and general media attention will be directed to the Gaeltacht issue if the Údarás elections are held on a separate day. This may not be a bad thing.
The Minister of State is aware that the MSF trade union is seeking representation on the board of Údarás na Gaeltachta. Does he intend to grant that request? Will the Minister of State confirm that Ring Gaeltacht will have a place on the reconstituted Údarás? Before the elections take place, does the Minister of State intend to alter the boundaries of Gaeltacht areas?
Like every Deputy who represents a Gaeltacht community, I have a received a letter from MSF which represents workers in Údarás na Gaeltachta. I was a little surprised that it was in English. This was disconcerting. I am certain, however, that this was an oversight. There is no proposal to provide statutory representation for MSF on the board of Údarás. On one occasion a trade unionist was selected as a ministerial nominee while a member of staff was selected on two occasions. This was at the discretion of the Minister concerned; it did not occur under the Worker Participation Act.
In moving towards a mainly elected board, it is not intended to have a member of staff on the board. The staff of Údarás are mainly administrative and managerial. They are represented mainly by MSF whose members, some at senior level, are central to all the major management decisions. I will forward a copy of the press release outlining the Government's decision to the Deputies.
There is a need to improve dramatically the representation of the smaller Gaeltachts. Deputy Kenny will be delighted to learn that the number elected in County Mayo is to be doubled to two. Small Gaeltachts, such as Ring, Ráth Cairn and Baile Ghiobain, will be guaranteed representation on the board for the first time. This is an important step in the right direction. These Gaeltachts, though small, are vibrant.
The Údarás Act has always defined its area of operation as the Gaeltachts as defined in the 1956 Act under which an order would have to be made to change the boundaries. I do not see this happening before the next Údarás election. I have asked the CSO to conduct detailed analyses of linguistic patterns throughout the country to allow work on the broader issue of Gaeltacht boundaries to proceed. I hope the legislation to be introduced shortly will have as long a shelf life as the Act which has lasted 20 years.
May I take it that the minor amending legislation will be introduced before the summer recess and that the major legislation will be dealt with in the autumn session? Competition in any area of life produces more tangible results. Those in the Gaeltacht who believe Gaeltacht elections should be held on a separate day do their cause an injustice. The Irish language media should be able to highlight the relevance of Údarás elections in Gaeltacht areas. We could save ourselves a great deal of trouble by stipulating that local, Údarás and European Parliament elections should take place on the same day. With the devolution of power to the regions, the electorate will have an opportunity to vote on an increasing range of appointees.
Will the Minister of State look again at the question of statutory representation for MSF? He said that the staff of Údarás are primarily administrative. They should not be debarred because of this. The principle of worker participation is important and will contribute to a more effective and committed approach on the part of all involved. Does the Minister of State have any mechanism in mind whereby it will be possible to deal in a more systematic and effective manner with Gaeltacht boundaries? There are problems which have not been addressed.
The minor legislation has to be passed by mid-May; otherwise, legal difficulties will be encountered in making the regulations for the election which, under the Act, has to be held before 9 June. Deputies will have an opportunity to debate these issues again at that stage. The major legislation will also be passed before the summer recess.
On the question of having the election on a separate day – because there are hot issues in west Mayo and west Galway – media time in the run-up to the local elections in June will be at a premium. For that reason on this occasion I would welcome a heightened national debate. Some people cavil about the cost but it will be small. This is a sorry state of affairs because we could afford democracy when the country was much poorer. It would not be a waste of money to have the election on a separate day. We should have a major debate about the future of the Gaeltachts and the Irish language. If the wider media can be brought into the debate, all the better. That would be a healthy development. I will reflect on what Deputy O'Shea had to say about representation on the board of Údarás in respect of which the Government has made a decision.
On Gaeltacht boundaries, a considerable amount of work has been done. I am awaiting information from the CSO which has been most helpful in making available its data which, compared to our scéimeanna na Gaeilge, is proving intriguingly accurate in relation to daily speakers of Irish, etc. It is giving us very accurate pictures which match up to people's experience and that of our field officers.
I am actively involved in trying to develop programmes to deal with the pressures on the Irish language in the Gaeltacht. I am also looking at setting objective linguistic criteria by which we could measure whether areas should be in the Gaeltacht. That was not something which was considered when they were originally drawn. We had a different approach to matters in those days.
These issues are ongoing in the Department and much work is being done. I will announce a number of schemes, which are part of a large canvas on which we are working. We are putting it together piece by piece. I do not want to hold back things which can be done immediately because I cannot put the whole picture in place. Deputies will see a comprehensive picture evolve in the coming months. This issue has to be tackled and there are issues as regards Gaeltacht boundaries on which we will have to bite the bullet. We must be fair and equitable and give the various communities a chance to see on what criteria we are making these decisions. We could not do that within a timescale of two or three months nor would it be right to put back the Údarás na Gaeltachta election for two or three years.