Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 June 2014
101. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the educational provisions that are in place for civil servants wishing to maintain or develop a proficiency in the Irish language; the financial support that is provided for civil servants wishing to pursue such an education during the working day or evening; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26248/14]
View answerA Service Level Agreement is currently in place between my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform under which my Department is responsible for the provision of Irish language training and proficiency assessments for the civil service. The purpose of this agreement is to support civil servants in developing their proficiency in the Irish language and to enhance the capacity of the civil service to provide services to the public through Irish. This agreement is particularly important in the context of the Official Languages Act 2003 and the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030. Under the agreement, my Department is responsible for ensuring inter alia that the provision of Irish language training programmes is sufficient to meet organisational requirements. I should point out that Foras na Gaeilge currently has a contract in place with Gaelchultúr Teo. for the provision of Irish language training to the public service. From 2011 to date, I understand that over 800 public servants have attended courses run by Gaelchultúr Teo.
As regards the financial supports available to civil servants attending courses, it is my understanding that such arrangements are governed by training policies developed by each individual Government Department to suit their own circumstances.
