Vol. 505 No. 2
147 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands the areas covered under Gaeltacht legislation which bestow certain privileges on Irish speaking areas; if this map includes areas in north Galway; the reason people in those areas have not been made aware of their entitlements; if theses areas are still covered by legislation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13388/99]
The district electoral divisions determined to be Gaeltacht areas for the purposes of the Housing (Gaeltacht) Act, 1929, (Number 41 of 1929) are specified in a schedule attached to that Act (subsequently amended by section 7 of the Housing (Gaeltacht) (Amendment) Act, 1959, (Number 16 of 1959). I have arranged to forward a copy to the Deputy as soon as possible.
Areas in north County Galway are included in this schedule and the extent of these areas has not been changed since the passing of the Act.
Under the Act, and subsequent amendments, assistance is available to qualified applicants for building new houses and improving existing houses. Among the conditions of eligibility are that the Irish language must be the habitual language of the household. Census data would indicate that the number of people in the area claiming to speak Irish daily is very small. Detailed and comprehensive information regarding the assistance available under the Housing (Gaeltacht) Acts, 1929-79, and the conditions for eligibility have been published in my Departments reference book under section 16 of the Freedom of Information Act, 1997, a copy of which will also be forwarded to the Deputy.
