Peadar Tóibín
Question:409 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the potential savings that can be made through the implementation of an all-island Irish language strategy. [36818/12]
View answerThursday, 19 July 2012
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The Irish language has been promoted on an all-island basis by Foras na Gaeilge, which is an agency of An Foras Teanga, since the establishment of the North-South Implementation Bodies under the British-Irish Agreement Act 1999. For example, Foras na Gaeilge advertises its schemes, provides educational and recreational resources and engages in corpus planning on an all-island basis. In regard to Irish language policy and promotion generally, we have excellent ongoing communication and co-operation at ministerial and official levels with our colleagues in Northern Ireland. An Foras Teanga is accountable to the North-South Ministerial Council and to the Ministers in the sponsor Departments — my Department and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland. In that context, the North-South Ministerial Council intends to hold a third language sectoral meeting before the end of the year. Under the Programme for Government 2011-16, the Government has committed to supporting the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-30 and to delivering the achievable goals proposed therein in this jurisdiction. The Deputy will be aware that the Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure in Northern Ireland launched a public consultation process last week on Irish language and Ulster-Scots strategies in that jurisdiction.