Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2004
408 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his Department has prepared an estimate of the cost to his Department of implementing the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13573/04]
View answer409 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if estimates have been prepared by the public bodies funded by his Department in regard to the cost of implementing the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13588/04]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 408 and 409 together.
Given that my Department provides a fully bilingual service across a wide range of the services its provides to the general public, it is not expected that significant additional costs will arise in the implementation of the Act within the Department. A number of the public bodies for which the Department has responsibility, such as Údarás na Gaeltachta and Bord na Leabhar Gaeilge, for example, already provide all services through the Irish language and the Act should have no cost implications for them.
As the Deputy is aware, the Act provides for the preparation by my Department, and individually by each of the bodies under its aegis, of a scheme on the delivery of services to the general public in the Irish language. My Department is finalising the drafting of its scheme under the Act and is preparing guidelines to assist other public bodies in preparing their schemes. It is anticipated that the scheme and the guidelines will finalised in the near future. The first tranche of other public bodies will be asked to prepare schemes for approval once the draft guidelines have gone through the necessary statutory consultation procedure. The Department's draft scheme has yet to be finalised and those other public bodies under the Department's aegis for which the Act has service delivery implications, such as ADM and the Commissioners of Charitable Donations and Bequests, have to prepare schemes. Estimates of the costs involved are not available but it is envisaged that they will not be substantial. The costs that arise will be met from within the framework of existing administrative budgets.
