Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 25 Jun 2003

Vol. 569 No. 4

Written Answers. - Irish Language.

Jack Wall

Question:

178 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Finance the funding provided to organisations in regard to the development of the Irish language by same either directly or indirectly by his Department; the policy, in bilingual format, of the organisations for which the funding was provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17999/03]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

The funding provided from my Department's Vote in regard to the development of the Irish Language is used principally to fund Gaeleagras na Seirbhíse Poiblí. The provision for this purpose in 2003 is €245,000. Gaeleagras na Seirbhíse Poiblí was established in 1971 with the general aim of promoting the Irish language throughout the public service. It provides Irish language training for civil servants to enable them to deal with the public through Irish. Gaeleagras pursues this aim through a range of activities such as day and evening courses, proficiency testing of Irish among civil servants for promotion purposes, special courses for targeted groups and residential courses in the Gaeltacht.

My Department, as stated in its Quality Customer Service Action Plan 2001 to 2004, is committed to providing a high quality service to customers who wish to conduct their business in Irish. In addition to the funding for Gaeleagras, further expenditure from my Department's administrative budget also arises in regard to administrative support for Gaeleagras and trans lation, printing and advertising in Irish across the Department. However, precise information on the amount of such expenditure is not readily available. Customer comment cards in Irish are also available in the reception areas of the Department's offices which are monitored by the quality customer services officer.