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Irish Language

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 February 2019

Wednesday, 20 February 2019

Questions (102)

Catherine Murphy

Question:

102. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the progress made on implementing all aspects of the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 that are relevant to his Department and bodies under his remit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8625/19]

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Written answers

My Department, along with other relevant Departments, is represented on the Oversight Group for the 5 Year Action Plan for the Irish Language, which is chaired by officials from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht.

In terms of the 20 Year Strategy, the Deputy may wish to note that the Public Appointments Service has held specific competitions for Clerical Officer and Executive Officer with fluency in Irish to assist Departments in meeting their requirements in providing a service through Irish. There is currently a panel in place for Clerical Officer Irish. A new competition for Executive Officer Irish will be held in the first half of 2019 in order to establish a new panel.

The Deputy may also wish to be aware that OneLearning, the Civil Service Learning and Development Centre based in my Department, are responsible for all training that is common across the Civil Service. OneLearning offerings that have been developed in the Irish Language area include two levels of the Certificate in Professional Irish that enable participants to confidently converse and reply to written and spoken enquiries up to Level 5/6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) awarded by Gaelchultúr.

More generally, my Department has recently completed a public consultation requesting submissions from interested parties for the purpose of compiling its revised Irish Language Scheme in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003.

In relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department, I have been advised of the following.

The National Shared Services Office (NSSO) is fully committed to providing a bilingual service. The NSSO is dedicated to ensuring that customer service is available in both languages and have agents available in all Shared Services Centres to take calls and respond to emails and letters in Irish. The NSSO customer service phone lines and customer alerts are also bilingual. Both Payroll and HR portals (for customers and internal use) are fully bilingual, with all information and forms available in both languages.

The Office of Public Works is currently drafting its third Irish Language Scheme in accordance with the Official Languages Act 2003. Under the scheme, the OPW will undertake new commitments in relation to enhancing the use of the Irish language in the organisation. In addition, the OPW will continue to deliver on commitments made in previous schemes.

The Public Appointments Service (PAS) has an Irish Language Scheme in place which sets out its commitments in this regard. As noted already, PAS has held specific competitions for certain grades with fluency in Irish to assist Departments in meeting their requirements in providing a service through Irish.

The Office of the Ombudsman is an independent statutory Office with responsibility for the examination of complaints about the administrative actions of certain service providers. The Office has no explicit role in the implementation of the various aims and objectives set out in the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 to 2030. However, the Office of the Ombudsman has an Irish Language Scheme under the terms of the Official Languages Act 2003 and meets its various obligations under its Scheme.

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