Official Languages Act 2003 Compliance

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 October 2013

Tuesday, 1 October 2013

Questions (153)

Gerry Adams

Question:

153. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Taoiseach the arrangements put in place by his Department to ensure compliance with the Official Languages Act, specifically requirements for signage in departmental offices, schools, third level institutions; details of any assessments undertaken by departmental staff to assess requirements; the number of signs assessed; when any corrective actions were put in place; if any or all of the actions taken by his Department were within the designated timeframes set out in legislation, if not, the reasoning for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40553/13]

Written answers

The Taoiseach

The Official Languages Act 2003 provides that all designated public bodies (including my Department) should prepare a statutory scheme detailing the services they will provide in both official languages. This Department’s first such scheme was agreed with the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and came into force in 2005. This Scheme, and its successor, set out the extent to which services are currently available through Irish, and identify areas for future enhancement.

Regulations under Section 9(1) of the Act, dealing with oral announcements (recorded); stationery headings; and signage, came into effect on 1 March 2009. These regulations were to take effect over a period of time up to 1 March 2013. The majority of my Department’s signs were already in both languages at the time the Regulations came into force, and staff have worked to ensure, on an ongoing basis, that they continue to comply with the Regulations.

A routine assessment of our compliance with the Regulations on signage was carried out by the Office of the Coimisinéir Teanga on 26 September 2013. We have not yet received their report on this assessment, but we will ensure that any recommendations they make are put into effect as soon as possible