Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 February 2022
244. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the requisites for an Irish speaker within the public service; if an honours leaving certificate in Irish constitutes the same given the announcement recently with regard to a proportion of jobs being allocated to Irish speakers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10609/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 was signed into law by the President of Ireland on 22 December 2021. This legislation provides for a radical overhaul of the way we plan for the provision of high quality Irish language public services for the Irish speaking community. This is a long-term project involving comprehensive research and the development of a National Plan for the Provision of Irish-Medium Public Services. A statutory Advisory Committee will be established for this purpose and progress will be reported to Government on an annual basis. The Act sets targets that will challenge us all in Government, in particular the target of 20 per cent of new recruits to the state system being competent in Irish by the end of 2030.
In this regard, Section Alt 18C. (1)(b)(iii) of the amended Act sets out that the Advisory Committee shall provide advice to public bodies as to the level of competence required for Irish-speaking positions in the public service, having regard to the system of standards known as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
This new regime provides that the Minister will publish, following consultation with Government Departments and agencies, a list of standards to be adhered to by those Departments and agencies when delivering services through the medium of Irish, including the level of competence in the Irish language required by relevant staff of the public body.
This Act provides a clear and significant message to the Irish speaking community that the language is not only valued by the State as a living modern European language and as an intrinsic element of our cultural heritage, but that it also has a significant economic benefit for its speakers.
