Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 January 2014
107. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated number and percentage of civil servants who are competent to carry out their duties through the medium of Irish and English in his Department; his views on whether this number is adequate; his plans to increase this number and percentage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2627/14]
View answerMy Department's Irish Language Scheme 2013-2016 contains a range of commitments with regard to the provision of an acceptable level of service through Irish.A survey of my Department's administrative staff conducted in 2013 indicated that approximately 10% of staff have proficiency in Irish. 1.5% of administrative staff indicated a high level of proficiency in Irish while 8.7% of staff indicated a medium level of proficiency. In addition to the administrative staff, many field staff such as inspectors and educational psychologists have a high level of proficiency in Irish. At primary level, the Inspectorate provides a bilingual inspection service to all recognised schools including schools in the Gaeltacht and all-Irish schools. At post-primary level, the Inspectorate provides a service in the inspection of the Irish language and provides a service through Irish in all schools in the Gaeltacht or all-Irish schools.The Department's Staff Training and Development Unit (STDU) is committed to providing appropriate training and development opportunities, including Irish Language training, for all staff to meet priority business needs.
