An Ghaeltacht

Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Questions (3487)

Conor D McGuinness

Question:

3487. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he has engaged with the Minister for Transport, with regard to the Official Languages Acts, to discuss bilingual signage on speed signage in Gaeltacht areas that continue to display speed limits in English only; and if he will make an effort to overturn the rules laid out by the Department of Transport on the matter; ; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43706/25]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht

The Official Languages Act 2003 (Section 9) Regulations 2008 (SI 391/2008) place obligations on relevant public bodies around:

• recorded oral announcements;

• stationary;

• signage; and

• placenames orders.

Application of those regulations note that:

3.(3) These Regulations do not apply to

(b) traffic signs—

(i) to which Regulations under section 95(2) of the Act of 1961 apply, or

(ii) to which a direction under section 95(16) of that Act applies,

- with “Act of 1961” meaning the Road Traffic Act 1961 (No. 24 of 1961) in this incidence and “traffic sign” having the same meaning as it has in section 95 (amended by section 37(a)(ii) of the Road Traffic Act 1994 (No. 7 of 1994)) of the Act of 1961.

Accordingly, I have no statutory powers as regards the speed signs referred to by the Deputy.

Notwithstanding this, I intend to write to the Minister for Transport in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy.