Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 18 April 2024
207. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the extent to which she and her Department continue to promote and develop the use of the Irish language in all Gaeltacht areas throughout the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17281/24]
View answerIn the context of my Department’s role in coordinating the implementation of the Government’s Action Plan for the Irish Language (Plean Gníomhaíochta 2018-2022), the fourth annual progress report on its ongoing implementation on behalf of Government was published in December 2023.
The plan itself was first published in 2018 in order to accelerate and better co-ordinate implementation of the Government’s overarching 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010-2030 which represents Government policy in relation the Irish Language and Gaeltacht regions.
Key achievements in 2022, as reported in the fourth annual report included the following:
• A number of significant provisions of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 were brought into force in 2022, namely the establishment of the Irish Language Services Advisory Committee and the important work it will undertake regarding the preparation of the first National Plan for Irish Language Public Services. Also commenced in 2022 was the provision (Section 10A) which places additional responsibilities on public bodies regarding advertising in the Irish language and on Irish language media and which has contributed greatly to the visibility of the language across every media platform used by state organisations.
• A fund of more than €4.3 million over three years was approved for the Irish Language Network Development Scheme, which commenced in January 2022. This is a major Foras na Gaeilge support scheme aimed at 36 Irish language community and voluntary committees through which a network of 28 Irish language development officers are employed in local areas.
• The Digital Plan for the Irish Language, 2023-2027, was published in December 2022. The publication of the Digital Plan is the result of years of academic research and development, and can be considered a roadmap which sets out the way in which Irish will be kept relevant into the future in the context of the role of technology in our day-to-day lives
• Foras na Gaeilge began two new dictionary projects, an Irish-Irish dictionary and an Irish-English dictionary
• It was announced in September 2022 that dedicated funding was being provided to establish a television station specifically for children - Cúla4.
• 945 new jobs were created in Údarás na Gaeltachta client companies in 2022
• 6 new language plans were approved in 2022 and by the end of 2022 a total of 36 language plans had been approved and 34 Language Planning Officers and Assistant Language Planning Officers had been employed.
This fourth report provided an overview of the progress made in 2022 on the implementation of the 180 or so actions contained in the plan itself and its publication is in line with the commitment made to publish such reports on an annual basis in the interests of accountability and transparency.
I am confident that the additional financial allocation for the Irish language announced in Budget 2024 will enable my Department and relevant stakeholders to take further significant strides in advancing implementation of the plan and continue to support and develop greater use of the Irish language both within Gaeltacht regions and nationally.
