Vol. 540 No. 3
27 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands the criteria which determine an area is a Gaeltacht area; if an area may make an application for Gaeltacht recognition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20229/01]
Section 2(2) of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1956, empowers the Government to determine by order that specified areas, which are substantially Irish speaking areas and areas contiguous thereto, ought to be included in the Gaeltacht with a view to preserving and extending the use of Irish as a vernacular language. The Government established An Coimisiún faoin nGaeilge sa Ghaeltacht last year to make recommendations with regard to the strengthening of the Irish language as the everyday language of the people of the Gaeltacht. The commission was charged with, among other issues, the preparation of recommendations regarding the linguistic criteria to be used in the determination of Gaeltacht areas including the devising of a system whereby those areas might be added to or subtracted from.
Accordingly, while it is open to the people of an area, if they so wish, to apply at any time for the area in question to be determined a Gaeltacht area, decisions are not being made on applications for inclusion of areas in the Gaeltacht pending receipt of the commission's recommendations and consideration thereof. I expect the commission's report to be available before the end of the year.
