Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 21 Jun 1967

Vol. 229 No. 7

Housing (Gaeltacht) (Amendment) Bill, 1967: Second Stage.

Tairgim go léifear an Bille den Dara hUair anois.

Is í príomhaidhm an Bhille seo ná gríosadh agus tuilleadh cúnaimh a thabhairt do Ghaeilgeoirí sna limistéir Ghaeltachta chun cóiríocht bhreise a chur ar fáil do chuairteoirí. Is amhlaidh a thabharfaidh an Bille tuilleadh tithe cónaithe agus seallaí saoire faoi réim na ndeontas tithíochta atá ar fáil cheana. Na deontais a bhaineann le tógáil, feabhsú, sláintíocht agus méadú speisialta agus atá ar fáil do dhuine oiriúnach le haghaidh aon teach amháin, beidh siad ar fáil dó feasta le haghaidh tí eile. An deontas tógála a thugtar le haghaidh aon sealla saoire amháin tabharfar feasta é le haghaidh an dara agus an tríú sealla.

Níl i gceist aon athrú a dhéanamh ar mhéid na ndeontas éagsúil sin—níl ach cúpla bliain ó méadaíodh iad; tá cur síos achomair orthu ar leathanaigh 11 go 14 de Leabhrán Eolais na Roinne.

Na deontais a bhaineann le tógáil agus le feabhsú tithe cónaithe sa Ghaeltacht is i leith tithe a mbíonn cónaí ar na hiarratasóirí féin iontu a thugtar iad faoi láthair. Tá an ceangal céanna ag dul leis na deontais a ceapadh sa bhliain 1953 chun saordáidí sláintíochta agus méaduithe speisialta a chur ar fáil do thithe cónaithe. Tugadh céim ar aghaidh sa bhliain 1959, áfach, nuair a cuireadh deontais tógála ar fáil le haghaidh seallaí saoire, ach ní féidir níos mó ná deontas amháin den saghas sin a thabhairt d'iarratasóir cáilithe, cé gur féidir iasacht a cheadú dó i leith an dara agus an tríú sealla chomh maith leis an gcéad cheann.

Le fada anuas tá tábhacht eacnamaíochta don Ghaeltacht ag baint le hiostas a thabhairt do chuairteoirí i dteaghlaigh arb í an Ghaeilge an ghnáth-theanga iontu agus is féidir a rá gur mór a chuidigh na gnáthdheontais tithíochta—idir thógáil, feabhsú agus sláintíocht—leis an gcóiríocht a fhairsingiú agus a fheabhsú. Is fearr fós a chuidigh na deontais ar leith a ceapadh chun méaduithe speisialta a chur le tithe cónaithe agus chun seallaí saoire a thógáil. Ón mbliain 1953 i leith tá méaduithe speisialta curtha le 314 de thithe cónaithe agus tá 115 chás eile ar siúl faoi láthair; ón mbliain 1959 anuas tá 42 de sheallaí saoire críochnaithe ag iarratasóirí aonaracha agus tá 30 sealla eile ceadaithe. Mar sin féin, tá tuilleadh cóiríochta fós ag teastáil sula mbeidh muintir na Gaeltachta in ann barr sochair a bhaint as tionscal na cuartaíochta. Tá méadú mór tagtha le cúig nó sé de bhlianta anuas ar líon na ndaoine a thugann cuairt ar an nGaeltacht—go háirithe daoine ar mian leo feabhas a chur ar a gcuid Gaeilge—agus ní leor dóibh a bhfuil ar fáil de chóiríocht oiriúnach.

B'fhéidir go bhfeilfeadh sé do na Teachtaí dá ndéanfainn tagairt do na hailt ar leith sa Bhille. Baineann ailt 1 agus 5 le léiriú, le gearrtheideal agus le comhlua sa ghnáth-bhealach agus ní gá aon mhíniú a thabhairt orthu. Faoi alt 2 áireofar i measc na gceantar lena mbaineann Achtanna na dTithe (Gaeltacht) gach limistéar nach luaitear sna ceantair a sonraíodh sa bhliain 1929 ach a bheidh sonraithe mar limistéar Gaeltachta le hordú de chuid an Rialtais faoi Acht a ritheadh sa bhliain 1956. Le fírinne, is leis na limistéir Ghaeltachta a shonraítear faoi Acht na bliana 1956 a bhaineann forálacha uile an Bhille seo, cé gur fairsinge na ceantair a sonraíodh sa bhliain 1929 chun crícheanna tithíochta i gcoitinne.

Leathnaíonn alt 3 raon na ndeontas le haghaidh tithe cónaithe agus tá dhá chuid ann. Mar áis dhréachtaithe déanann an chéad chuid athachtú ar fhoráil atá ann cheana agus ina dhiaidh sin cuireann sí ar chumas iarratasóra deontas tógála a fháil nuair nach teach in ionad a thí chónaithe féin an ceann nua. Sa tslí sin is féidir leis an iarratasóir teach nua a thógáil chun cóiríocht a chur ar fáil do chuairteoirí nó, más fearr leis é, is feidir leis féin dul isteach sa teach nua agus an teach a bhí aige cheana a fhágáil le haghaidh na gcuairteoirí. Déanann an dara cuid d'alt 3 raon na ndeontas a bhaineann le feabhsú, le sláintíocht agus le méadú speisialta a leathnú go teach eile ar leis an iarratasóir é ach nach ann a chónaíonn sé; faoin bhforáil seo beifear in ann tithe a chur in oiriúint do chuairteoirí in ionad iad a fhágáil folamh nó a ligean i léig.

Tá alt 4 ina dhá chuid fosta agus socraíonn an chéad chuid gur féidir trí cinn le dheontais tógála sealla saoire a thabhairt d'iarratasóir cáilithe feasta in áit aon cheann amháin mar a bhí go dtí seo. Déanann an dara cuid aisghairm ar fhorálacha, nach mbeidh ag teastáil a thuilleadh, i dtaobh iasachtaí i leith an dara agus an triú sealla—na seallaí sin nach raibh deontas ar fáil dóibh roimhe seo: tá foráil ann cheana chun iasacht a cheadú cibé uair a thugtar deontas agus bainfidh sí feasta le gach sealla de na trí cinn.

Is ar mhaithe le Gaeilgeoirí na Gaeltachta a ceapadh forálacha an Bhille seo agus tá súil agam go dtaitneoidh siad leis an Teach.

Tá mé buartha faoin Bhille a bheith i mBéarla ach is i mBéarla a ritheadh an príomh-Acht sa bhliain 1929 agus dá bhrí sin ní raibh aon dul as agam ach an tAcht sin a leasú i mBéarla.

Cuirim fáilte roimh an mBille seo. Fé mar a dúirt an Rúnaí Parlaiminte, tá an Bille féin i mBéarla agus bhí a ráiteas i nGaeilge. Sin é an cur-i-gcéill atá ag déanamh an docair agus dá bhrí sin caithfidh mé an Bille a phlé i mBéarla.

As I have said, I welcome the Bill in so far as it represents an effort to improve matters in the Gaeltacht or is a certain amount of show purporting to improve matters in the Gaeltacht. We are told in the speech of the Parliamentary Secretary that since 1959, 42 holiday chalets have been erected by individual applicants and a further 30 have been sanctioned. That is eight years ago and it means an average of a little over five per annum have been built. Obviously, the people in the Gaeltacht have not been satisfied with the arrangements made for them or the financial assistance available to them to build these chalets. It began with £200, I think, and was then raised to £300 and yet, only an average of five per annum have been built from Cork to Donegal. I do not think any have been built in the Gaeltacht of Mayo. Some have been built in County Donegal. The Parliamentary Secretary has not told us where they are and I do not know whether there are any in Galway or in the south. That is clearly evidence that the people were either uninterested or unable to build chalets of the type, the design and construction required for a mere £300. If that be so, how can the further provision in this Bill to allow them to build three chalets be taken advantage of by the same kind of people?

I can envisage a situation where certain speculators may, in the name of people from the Gaeltacht, engage in building not three chalets for one person but probably 30 chalets in a certain kind of area where they would find ten people suitable in every respect to qualify for them. I do not quite understand this offer of three chalets side by side with the offer to assist a person to build a completely new house as near as he likes to the old one built with Gaeltacht grant help. I do not know how he can avail of that and the chalets at the same time. It is a well-known fact in regard to the grants available for building houses as such and the loans available, that both grant and loan combined go a long way towards the building of a house, while the £300 does not go next or near the building or completion of a chalet. I would anticipate, therefore, that the people, if they are to take advantage of the provisions of this Bill, will build houses. But I doubt very much that they will go to the expense of all this sort of thing without a reasonable anticipation that tourists will be available. What I should prefer to see would be provision for guesthouses so that we could make a good start on the western seaboard with reasonably-sized guesthouses instead of the one chalet, three chalets, or the thirty chalets when the speculators get busy. It will not surprise me if they do.

One part of the Bill surprised me somewhat. In section 2 it says:

For the purposes of the Housing (Gaeltacht) Acts, 1929 to 1967, the Gaeltacht shall, in addition to comprising the district electoral divisions mentioned in the Schedule to the Act of 1929, comprise such other areas which for the time being are determined to be Gaeltacht areas by order under section 2 of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1956.

Unless the Parliamentary Secretary is able to enlighten me to the contrary, I think that is in conflict with section 7 of the Housing (Gaeltacht) (Amendment) Act, 1959. That section reads:

Notwithstanding subsection (1) of section 2 of the Act of 1929 for the purposes of the Housing (Gaeltacht) Acts, 1929 to 1959, the district electoral divisions comprised in the Gaeltacht shall be such only of the district electoral divisions mentioned in the Schedule to the Act of 1929 as are situate in the Counties of Clare, Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Mayo and Waterford.

I was in the Seanad when that Act was going through and I objected at that time to that provision. The Minister for the Gaeltacht was himself in charge of the Bill. I objected to certain areas in the Schedule to the 1929 Act being dropped. These were areas in the Counties Cavan, Leitrim, Limerick, Louth, Roscommon, Sligo and Tipperary, South Riding. If my memory serves me aright—I have not looked it up—the Minister said at that time that it was felt these areas could be dropped because they had ceased to be Gaeltacht areas. Now section 7 of the Housing (Gaeltacht) (Amendment) Act, 1959, is not being repealed in this Bill and it cannot, therefore, be corrected when it says in section 2 that, in addition to those areas outlined in section 2 of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act, 1956, it will also include those areas mentioned in the Schedule to the Act of 1929. Perhaps I am mistaken, but I feel there is a gap somewhere. I should like the Minister to deal with the matter when he comes to reply.

There is another aspect of Gaeltacht housing which causes difficulty for those living in the Gaeltacht. Basically what we should aim at in the Gaeltacht is the preservation of the population and, if possible, its increase. In order to effect that there must be good housing, proper sanitation and all the amenities available to the rest of the country. To give an example: a man from the Gaeltacht goes over the hill into an area which is not a Gaeltacht area under the provisions to which I have referred and he finds himself a wife, probably an English-speaking wife, certainly a wife with very little knowledge of Irish. The children learn Irish. The wife does her best. They attend a Gaeltacht school. They talk Irish. The inspector comes along and he decides that, because the wife's Irish is weak, it is not the language of the household. There must be an end to that sort of thing. An examination by an inspector must not be made an excuse for saving money for the Department of Finance or for the Department of the Gaeltacht, as the case may be.

Recently I had a case in Achill about which I have written to the Department. It shows how ridiculous the situation can become. Some 12 or 14 years ago an Irish-speaking family were forced to emigrate. Before they left all their school-going children were in receipt of the deontas. They were in England 11 or 12 years. Their youngest child was born there and started school in England. Now they are back in Achill, having saved some money. They want to build a house on the old holding. The youngest child has learned Irish but he is not as good as he would be had he been born in Achill and started school there. Because he is not as good he is not in receipt of the deontas and, because he is not in receipt of the deontas, the parents are deprived of a grant to build a house. I do not want to call that kind of thing red tape, but it is certainly a too rigid application of a rule.

The Parliamentary Secretary cannot have it both ways. He cannot have a purified, rarefied Gaeltacht atmosphere, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, invite in English, French, German and other tourists for the whole of the summer and hope there will be no repercussions. Corruption, if that is the right word to use, is bound to take place. We should concentrate, first of all, on giving the people who are native to these areas for so long all the grants we can and lead them into the speaking of Irish. They will do it. But do not make them completely Irish-speaking. The most successful English speakers are the Irish speakers who become bilingual. That is my experience in Mayo and I have heard people from Donegal say that the native Irish speakers there speak English with greater clarity than the people in other parts of the county. That is certainly true of my county. It probably is true of County Galway as well and of other parts.

I want to make this appeal at this stage to the Department of the Gaeltacht to give up the idea once and for all of trying to muzzle people about the language, thereby leaving a bad taste in their mouths, because ultimately it is the language that will suffer if we are too tough. You will find people who will turn away from it if they have a grievance at all and abandon it entirely.

I do not know that this Bill will improve matters very much. Certainly, if only five chalets a year were erected in the whole country over the past six years, I do not see that we shall get the three chalets up unless there is speculative building in the areas and that is something which must be watched. In view of the amount of money which is available, I think the Department of the Gaeltacht should concentrate more on the guesthouse.

I have no quarrel with the Bill, as such. I welcome it as an improvement and hope it will turn out to be what I think it is intended to be, namely, an improvement for the people in the Gaeltacht areas.

Ar nós an Teachta Lindsay, ba mhaith liomsa fáilte a chur roimh an mBille seo. Tabharfaidh sé seans do na daoine, go h-áirithe iad siúd a bhfuil sean-tithe acu, tí nua a thógáil agus é a ligean do chuairteoirí i rith an tsamhraidh. Dá bhrí sin, cuirim fáilte speisialta roimh an mBille. Go dtí seo tá faitíos orm go raibh cuid de na cigirí, go h-áirithe sa Ghaeltacht, pas beag dian ar na daoine a bhí ag tógáil tithe nua. Ar feadh bliana go leith b'fhéidir, bhíodar ag iarraidh orthu an sean-tí a fhágáil. Tá a fhios agam go raibh cuid de na sean-tithe an-dona agus go mba cheart iad a leagadh ach bhí cuid eile acu réasúnta go maith. I gcásanna áirithe do theastaigh ó na daoine a bhí ag tógáil tí nua úsáid a bhaint as an seantí mar bhóitheach, mhuclach nó chun fearas feirme a choimeád ann agus mar sin de.

Maidir leis na seallaí, tá faitíos orm nár théamh na daoine leo. Níl a fhios agam cén fá. Tá cúpla seallaí in mo cheantar féin agus tógadh go maith iad. Is é an rud is measa faoi na seallaí ná seo. Nuair a thóg fear sealla chun é a ligean i rith an tsamhraidh is amhlaidh a thóg sé é chomh cóngarach d'uisce agus dob fhéidir. Ansin nuair a bheadh gach áis is nua ná a chéile curtha isteach aige bheadh an-deacracht ann maidir le leictreachas a chur isteach. Tar éis dó iarratas a chur go dtí an BSL chuirfí in iúl dó go dtógfadh sé blian go leith nó dhá bhliain sar a bhféadfaí é chur isteach.

Ar an dtaobh eile, tá rud níos measa fós ann. Tá cás amháin im aigne i láthair na h-uaire, cás duine a thóg a theach féin agus go bhfuil solas ann ó tháinig an BSL go dtí an iarthar. Do thóg an duine seo sealla agus dúradh leis go mbeadh air £42 a íoc. Má theastaíonn ón Rúnaí Parlaiminte go dtógfaidh daoine seallaí, caithfidh sé an cheist sin a iniúchadh. Tig liom ainm agus seoladh an fhir seo a thúirt don Rúnaí Parlaiminte i dtreo is go mbeidh ar a chumas dul isteach sa scéal.

Caithfidh an Rúnaí Parlaiminte rud eile a dhéanamh—ceist a chur ar gach rinnealtóir chontae a bhfuil baint aige leis an Ghaeltacht i dtaobh na seallaí. Tá sé an-deacair cead d'fháil chun iad a thógaint cois farraige.

Luaigh an Teachta Lindsay cás eile freisin aontaím leis an méid adúirt sé mar gheall air: is minic a thagair mé féin do na cásanna céanna ar na Meastacháin agus mar sin de—cás an duine óig a raghadh go Sasana, a chaithfeadh cúpla bliain ansin agus ansan a d'fhillfeadh, tar éis dó roint airgid a thuilleamh, agus a cheannódh teach in aice leis an mbaile inar rugadh é. Fé mar adúirt an Teachta Lindsay, b'fhéidir go bpósfadh sé bean ó cheantar nach raibh aon Ghaeilge á labhairt ann. Níos déanaí raghadh an clann ar scoil. Chomh cinnte agus a rithfear an Bille seo beidh neart eolais ag an gclann sin ar an dteanga agus bainfidh siad úsáid as. B'fhéidir go mbeidh deacracht ag bean an tí an teanga a labhairt ach ar chaoi ar bith ní ceart deontas le h-aghaidh tógáil tí nua a choimeád ón gclann sin. Is é atá i gceist agam cás an duine ón dtaobh amuigh a phósann duine sa Ghaeltacht. Faid atá Gaeilge ag an athair nó ag an máthair ba chóir an deontas a íoc.

Fé mar adúirt an Teachta Lindsay, ba chóir don Rúnaí Parlaiminte cás na ndaoine úd gur mian leo breis seomraí a thógáil in ionad seallaí a iniúchadh. B'fhéidir go bhfuil uisce reatha idir uisce te agus fuar sa tí agus go mb'fhearr le duine go dtógfaí breis seomraí in ionad dó nó trí seallaí. Do bheadh sé níos saoire agus níos éasca ó thaobh na h-oibre a bheadh le déanamh ag bean an tí. B'fhéidir nach féidir leis an Rúnaí Parlaiminte móran a dhéanamh faoi sin i mbliana ach an bhliain seo chugainn, le cúnamh Dé, beidh ar a chumas rud éigin a dhéanamh mar gheall air. Ar aon nós, is é an deacracht is mó a bhaineann leis na seallaí cúrsaí leictreachais.

Molaim an obair atá á dhéanamh ag an Runaí Parlaiminte ar son na Gaeltachta agus tá súil agam go rachaidh sé chun tairbhe mhuintir na Gaeltachta agus gur cuirfidh sé cúis na Gaeilge chun cinn.

Níl ach cupla focal le rá agam ar an mBille seo. Reading between the lines of the Bill, I feel it is for the purpose of encouraging people to speak the Irish language and to extend the use of the language. Am I to understand that the rents of these chalets are to be controlled for the purpose of providing accommodation for those coming to the Gaeltacht to learn Irish? Is it proposed to control——

I thought it was mentioned at one stage that chalets would be available to those who come to the Gaeltacht to learn the language and that a type of control would be exercised.

That does not apply to the private chalets, just to groups of chalets.

This Bill will control the private chalets completely?

No, the groups.

That is what I wanted to be clear on. I know a lot about the people in the Gaeltacht. If you want to have people learn the language in the Gaeltacht then at least you should help the economy of the Gaeltacht. It is a very laudable thing that people are prepared to come to learn Irish there if they are prepared to pay the same price as visitors who come for a holiday. You will get people from across the Channel who would be prepared to pay twice the rent, and where do we go from there? Are the people of the Gaeltacht to be prevented from taking this type of visitor and have themselves confined to the Irish speaker?

In regard to this promise of three chalets to every home, I should like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary if he is aware that our county medical officer of health along the coast frowns on a preponderance of septic tanks? Obviously if you had an outbreak of typhoid in that area, it could be caused by improper sanitation and the whole economy in that area would collapse overnight. I know the mind of the county medical officer of health on this and there is no point in the Parliamentary Secretary saying: "You may all build three chalets as money is no object." When these people put in their applications, they find that the blue pencil has been stroked across them. These are the sort of things people will be asking because they are aware of the many objections raised to the building of ordinary-type houses and they will not be able to visualise three chalets being built in their own back gardens without proper sanitation. Where people have not got piped water supplies, will they be prevented from applying for these grants, even though there may be piped water in a village nearby?

Do I gather that there is to be a grant of £300 per chalet? How far will that go towards the building of a chalet? A good chalet, in fact not even a good chalet, would require an expenditure of at least £900. Then there is the question of furnishing it. Where does the Minister think these people can get that kind of money? It is all right to say that these structures can be put up but in the past there have been other structures put up. For instance, your glasshouses were blown away in the past and so too will these chalets be blown away unless they are solidly built and can stand up to the Atlantic gales. It is grand down there in the summer but in the wintertime it is quite a different proposition. This is a matter into which the Parliamentary Secretary should look.

As I said, the purpose of this Bill is to extend the use of the language and encourage visitors who wish to learn the language. Is the Parliamentary Secretary aware that the young people in the Gaeltacht are taking the opportunity to learn English from schoolchildren who go down there from Dublin and elsewhere? The children I am talking about have not got a word of English; they have nothing but Irish which they got in their milk, as we say down there, and they are taking this opportunity to learn English. They realise that they too will have to take the mailboat when the time comes. It is a sad reflection on the position but that is the fact. I have that information from people who know. If this is going to defeat the purpose of the Bill, the Parliamentary Secretary should have the position fully examined. Perhaps the Parliamentary Secretary will let us know if there will be a bar or a differentiation in regard to providing accommodation in these chalets to cross-Channel visitors who would be prepared to pay twice the amount of money, which means a lot to those in the Gaeltacht. I congratulate the Parliamentary Secretary on bringing in this Bill but I think he will have to go a bit further than providing one-third of the cost. Am I correct that it is one-third of the cost, or will there be one-third for water as well and one-third for sanitation, or is the limit £300 in all?

Of course it is.

These are the questions we will be asked and we would like to know the answers.

One of the things our leader did was to spend a holiday in the Gaeltacht. When he came back he promised he would do his utmost to have something done for the benefit of the people there. Hand in hand with Bord Fáilte something should be done to encourage more visitors in the off season to avail of these chalets. I suggest that the Parliamentary Secretary should get in touch with Bord Fáilte to see what can be done.

Tugaim tacaíocht don Bhille seo mar gheall ar an spreagadh atá ann maidir le deontais a chur ar fáil do mhuintir na Gaeltachta. Tá súil agam go mbainfear lán-úsáid as na deontais seo chun breis tithe a chur ar fáil so Ghaeltacht agus chun a thuilleadh de na seallai a thógáil chun freastal ar na cuairteoirí a thagann go dtí an Ghaeltacht gach samhradh ar a laethe saoire nó am ar bith eile. Chuir muintir na Gaeltachta fáilte i gcónaí roimh na daoine a tháinig go dtí an Ghaeltacht ar a laethe saoire fiú amháin mura raibh mórán eolais acu ar an dteanga. Tá súil againn go léir go mairfidh an scéal mar sin i gcónaí.

Do chuir Teachta ó Ghaillimh cúpla ceist ar an Rúnaí Parlaiminte. Cheap mé ga raibh sé seafóideach ceisteanna den tsaghas sin a chur air. Do chuir an Rúnaí Parlaiminte an-dua air féin cúpla mí ó shoin nuair do chuir sé leabhrán ar fáil ina raibh gach eolas mar gheall ar na deontais a bhí le fáil ag muintir na Gaeltachta. Tá míniú sa leabhrán sin i dtaobh na seallaí agus i dtaobh na ndeontas atá le fáil chun seallaí a thógáil. Is aisteach an rud é go gcuirfeadh Teachta ón Ghaeltacht ceisteanna den tsaghas sin ar an Rúnaí Parlaiminte nuair a bhí an t-eolas le fáil aige cúpla mí ó shoin ach fághaidh mé siúd mar atá sé.

Tá deacracht amháin ann nach foláir do Theachta ar bith a bhfuil baint aige le muintir na Gaeltachta aghaidh a thúirt uirthi—do luadhadh an rud seo cheana—ceist an duine nach bhfuil mórán Gaeilge aige. B'fhéidir gur beirt atá ann a pósadh in áit eile nó a tháinig ó chontae eile nó a tháinig ó Shasana chun cur futhu sa Ghaeltacht agus a gclann a thógaint le Gaeilge. Is ait an rud é nach dtugann an Roinn níos mó cabhrach don bhean nó don fhear a thagann go dtí an Ghaeltacht nach bhfuil mórán Gaeilge acu ach atá i bhfábhar na Gaeilge agus i bhfábhar a gclann a thógaint le Gaeilge. Do mholfainn don Rúnaí Parlaiminte féachaint isteach sa cheist sin.

Tá cuid de na cigirí an-chruaidh maidir leis an scéal seo agus níl na deontais le fáil ag cuid mhaith daoine dá dheascaibh. Cloisimíd gearáin ó dhaoine ag lorg deontais mar gheall ar na cigirí. Tagann siad go dtí an doras gan a chur in iúl cé h-iad féin. Labhrann siad le bean an tí agus b'fhéidir go mbeadh páiste taobh thiar di ag labhairt Béarla. Imíonn an cigire. Cuirtear litir chuig an tí sin á rá nach bhfuiltear chun an deontas a thúirt do mhuintir an tí mar nach labhartar Gaeilge sa tí. Níl a fhois ag an gcigire sin cé acu labhartar Gaeilge sa tí sin nó nach labhartar mar nár chaith sé ach trí nóiméid ag an doras agus chuala sé páiste ag labhairt i mBéarla taobh thiar dá mháthair. Ní ceart é sin. Ní mholfainn é. Ní mholfainn d'éinne dul i mbun oibre ar an mbealach sin. Ní dheineann sé aon mhaith don Ghaeilge, do na daoine, do mhuintir na Roinne nó don Rialtas.

Sé mo thuairim go bhfuil dualgas orainn seallaí a chur ar fáil do mhuintir na Gaeltachta chun a chur ar a gcumas an dá theanga a labhairt go maith agus go rímhaith. Mar an gcéanna, tá dualgas orainn deis a thúirt do dhaoine nach gcónaíonn sa Ghaeltacht an Ghaeilge a fhoghlaim go maith agus go rímhaith. Is mar sin a fhéachaimse ar an gceist. Tá muintir na Gaeltachta caillte muna mbíonn an dá theanga acu. Is fánach bheith ag súil go ndéanfaidh muintir na Gaeltachta dul ar aghaidh sa saoil i dtaobh leis an aon teanga amháin. Iarraim ar an Rúnaí Parlaiminte rud éigin a rá mar gheall air sin nuair a bheidh sé ag túirt freagra don Tí.

Maidir leis an gcigire úd ó cianaibh, do mholfainn don Rúnaí Parlaiminte agus don Aire breathnú ar an scéal agus riail chinnte a dhéanamh i dtreo is go mbeidh a fhios ag gach duine conas mar atá na cúrsaí seo. An bhfuilimíd ag iarraidh ar mhuintir na Gaeltachta eolas a bheith acu ar an dá theanga nó an bhfuilimíd ag iarraidh orthu Gaeilge a bheith acu nó gan a bheith?

Dob ait liom an Teachta Lindsay bheith ag caint faoi chur-i-gcéill ar siúl i dtaobh na Gaeilge ach tá cur-i-gcéill ar siúl ag Fine Gael. Trua nach gcuireann siad cúram na Gaeilge ar na daoine ina measc atá ábalta a gcuid oibre a dhéanamh i nGaeilge. Ní abróidh mé a thuilleadh faoi sin.

Ba mhaith liom dá gcuirfí níos mó leictreachais ar fáil sa Ghaeltacht. Nuair a thógann na daoine tithe agus nuair nach mbíonn leictreachas iontu, ní féidir leo uisce a chur isteach. Le cúnamh éigin ón Roinn d'fhéadfaí feabhas a chur ar an scéal san.

Deinim cógháirdeas leis an Rúnaí Parlaiminte. Tá obair iontach a déanamh aige ar son na teanga agus ar son mhuintir na Gaeltachta. Deinim cógháirdeas freisin le h-oifigigh na Roinne.

Debate adjourned.
Barr
Roinn