Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 1 June 2023
385. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he will outline his plans in relation to expanding the teaching of university courses through the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25329/23]
View answerThe Government is committed to the promotion of the Irish language, and I recognise the vital role which the further and higher education system plays in promoting our language, and in ensuring that there are sufficient graduates with competence in Irish to meet skills needs in this area.
Reflecting the importance of the language in the higher education system, the Higher Education Authority Act 2022 includes in the objects of the HEA the responsibility of ensuring that higher education institutions support the promotion and use of the Irish language.
As with all academic disciplines, each higher education institution is responsible for its own Irish language strategy, and has control over the provision and expansion and teaching of university courses through the Irish language, as well as any research in the Irish language. The statistics that are available are not comprehensive, but there over 100 courses available in Irish in at least 11 different higher education institutions with at least 2,500 enrolments.
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media also works directly with the higher education system through the Advanced Irish Language Skills Initiative, which aims to ensure the availability of qualified persons with Irish language skills to meet recruitment needs in Ireland and the EU. Under this scheme institutions provide a range of specialised third level Irish language courses in areas such as translation, interpretation and law.
The skills dimension will be increasingly important with implementation of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, given the commitment to ensure that 20% of new recruits to the public service will be competent in Irish by the 2030. I hope that this will stimulate demand and interest among people interested in working in the public service in the coming years, and thinking about the skills they need to develop.
More generally, my Department sponsors the Conradh na Gaeilge initiative, ‘Gníomhaí Gaeilge’ which is run in conjunction with the Union of Students of Ireland. It offers Irish language clubs and societies with skills and mentorship in developing the use of the language within Higher Education.
