13 Jan 2015, 12:23
An Coimisinéir Teanga Rónán Ó Domhnaill will address the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions tomorrow afternoon on his work in upholding the rights of Irish language speakers in accessing public services.
13 January 2015
The meeting forms part of a series that the Committee is having with the various Ombudsman Offices responsible for different aspects of public oversight
An Coimisinéir Teanga performs its main statutory functions by operating as an independent ombudsman’s office, as a compliance agency and as advisory body with regard to statutory language rights and duties. It serves as an official channel to deal with complaints from those who have experienced difficulties in accessing public services through the medium of Irish.
Chairman of the Committee Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD says: “This is a timely opportunity for our Committee to explore the work of Mr Ó Domhnaill’s office. The Committee has taken a longstanding interest in the work of An Coimisinéir Teanga in upholding Irish speakers’ rights. The Committee are aware of An Coimisinéir’s investigations into the non-compliance with Statutory Instrument 394 of 2008 of State agencies such as the National Museum, the HSE and Irish Rail . The Committee will wish to explore the extent to which State bodies are using constraints in funding to excuse their non-compliance with their statutory obligations.
“At tomorrow’s meeting, we will have an opportunity to consider the role and remit of his Office, as well as particular trends in the caseload. When presenting his Annual Report to the Committee in December 2013, Mr Ó Domhnaill’s predecessor announced that he was tendering his resignation. The Committee intend to engage with Mr Ó Domhnaill on whether the circumstances that prompted Seán Ó Cuirreáin’s resignation have improved in 2014.”
The meeting takes place tomorrow Wednesday 14 January in Committee Room 4, LH 2000 at 4 pm. Public proceedings can be viewed online here.
Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the move, through the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.
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