Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 December 2022
128. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if it is his intention to seek a specific budget line in next year's estimates process for third level and further education through the medium of Irish in view of the legal obligations on the State arising from the enactment of the Official Languages (Amendment Act) 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59618/22]
View answerThe Department for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to the implementation of the Official Languages Act 2003 to ensure the improved provision of public services through the Irish language. The Act was strengthened in 2021 in order to significantly increase the quality of those services provided in Irish to the public by State bodies.
It is important that projected workforce requirements are informed by the expertise of the relevant sectoral and Departmental experts, with my Department contributing based upon its responsibility to align the future output at third level education with such current and emerging workforce plans.
My Department is represented on a new Steering Committee established by the Department of Education to support the development of a Policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht. This group will provide oversight, guidance and direction on the development of the Policy. The Policy will contribute towards achieving the aims of the government's 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language.
Specific support is provided for the development of Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in NUIG. The Acadamh is a research and educational institution which is intended to promote and develop Irish-medium education. It is headquartered in NUIG’s main Galway City campus, but also has campuses in the Ceathrú Rua and Carna in Connemara, and in the Doirí Beaga in Gaoth Dobhair, Donegal.
The Higher Education Authority (HEA) allocated and paid €1,766,000 to Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge in the calendar year 2021 and 2022. This is co-funded by the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media (DTAGSM). That Department provided €900,000 for the 2020/21 academic year and has agreed to provide an allocation of €1,000,000 for each academic year for 2021/22 – 2023/24.
The Deputy may wish to know we have developed a new scheme called Gníomhaí Gaeilge in collaboration with the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA). The scheme is supported by the HEA with €150,000 in funding over a period of 3 years. Each student will be assigned a mentor and support will be provided by the Irish Association and Students Union with their work plan agreed on, at the start of the year. As well as this there will be Gníomhaí Gaeilge awards based on the progress of their work plan, at the end of the year. There will be Gníomhaí Gaeilge Certificates for each student active in the scheme.
The newly enacted Higher Education Authority Act 2022 includes a number of provisions in relation to the promotion of the Irish language.
The Objects of the Act require the HEA to have regard in performing its functions to supporting designated institutions of higher education in the promotion and use by those institutions of the Irish language.
Furthermore, in the region of €1m per annum is provided for the Advanced Irish Language Skills Initiative, which is aimed at training Irish speakers for employment in EU institutions and at developing the freelance Irish language translation sector at home.
