Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 4 December 2013
85. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding the Irish language; if he will pursue the ending of the Irish language derogation which reduces the status of Irish at European level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52149/13]
View answerI refer the Deputy to previous replies that I have given in this House to Questions on this matter, most recently my reply to Questions 426 and 430 on 26 November 2013. The terms of the derogation specify that a decision on whether or not to extend the derogation for a further period of time is required by December 2015 at the latest. My Department is engaged in discussions with various stakeholders, including the EU institutions, in order to formulate specific proposals on the optimal approach to the ending of the derogation. It is hoped to bring the matter forward for consideration by Government in early 2014.
It should also be noted that, as part of the Government's strategy to ensure that a sufficient number of qualified personnel are available to meet the needs arising from the recognition of Irish as an official and working language of the EU, my Department continues to provide substantial funding for a range of specialised third-level courses and for the development of Irish language terminology for the EU terminology database, InterActive Terminology for Europe (IATE).
