Vol. 255 No. 15
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to a report (details supplied) that Irish will not be recognised as an official language by the member countries of the EEC; and if he will make a statement on the matter with particular reference to the constitutional position of the Irish language.
8.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the matter of Irish as an official EEC language has been raised in application talks; and, if so, with what result.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 and 8 together.
We have proposed that Irish should be designated as an official language of the enlarged Communities with provision being made in relation to the extent to which Community texts would be translated into Irish. Contrary to Press reports, the Community has not adopted a position in the matter and the whole question of the languages of the enlarged Communities will have to be settled in the negotiations.
The Minister will agree that quite a number of Press reports have been very accurate? Even in advance of official declarations the Press reports on matters affecting the EEC have been very accurate? The Minister will agree?
Yes.
Would he not, in the light of that, think that this might be the way they are approaching the problem, that they may be disregarding the Irish language?
No. I think it is right that the Deputy should point out that possibility because it is a real one but after this particular report the Commission issued a statement on 23rd July. I quote from it:
The general rule of the Community is that all official languages of the Member States are Community languages. There may, however, be problems of authentication of Irish texts by the end of this year. No one has said "no" to Irish as a Community language.
It would exclude the Tánaiste from being Mr. Europe, of course.
Has the Minister —it is probably irrelevant what happens to the language in the EEC while his colleague is strangling the language in Dun Chaoin when he refuses to open up that school, but that is by the way—or have his officials any view on the language being retained as a language in the EEC? Has he expressed any view on it?
Was the Deputy not here when I answered the question?
The Minister's reply was so subtle that I did not quite understand what he was up to.
I will do an encore. We have proposed that Irish should be designated as an official language of the enlarged Communities with provision being made in relation to the extent to which Community texts would be translated into Irish.
Who did you express that view to?
To the Community.
