Vol. 558 No. 4
87 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 257 of 26 June 2002, the additional costs which have arisen from the obligations on his Department in relation to the adoption by the Government in July 2000 of official languages equality as one of three new principles of quality customer services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24443/02]
As the Deputy is aware, in July 2000 the Government approved the adoption of official languages equality as one of three new principles for the delivery by public bodies of quality customer services. The principle states that quality services should be provided through Irish and/or bilingually and that customers should be informed of their right to choose to be dealt with through one or other of the official languages. The Deputy will appreciate that my Department, as the Department assigned responsibility by Government for the promotion of the Irish language, was already fully committed to that principle. In such circumstances, no specific additional costs arose of the nature referred to by the Deputy.
