asked the Minister for Finance the number of interviews conducted by examiners on behalf of the Civil Service Commissioners last year to test the knowledge of Irish of applicants for posts and the cost thereof; the number of applicants examined and the number thereof who were deemed to have an adequate knowledge of Irish; and why it is still considered necessary to have separate interviews to test oral knowledge of Irish having regard to the fact that existing civil servants who sit on the principle interview boards are deemed to be competent to converse and work in Irish.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Civil Service Irish Tests.
27.
The number of candidates tested in Irish in the year ended 31st March, 1972, was 5,538. Fees and other expenses paid for carrying out these tests amounted to approximately £2,500. The test was an obligatory one for 4,791 of these candidates and, of this number, 4,256 reached the qualifying standard. The test was optional for the remaining 747 candidates and, of these, 568 were found to have either a good or a competent knowledge of Irish.
If the tests in Irish were to take place during the main interview this would delay the work and would add to the difficulties of constituting interview boards.
Would the Minister say whether in the principal interview cognisance was taken of the capacity of candidates to articulate in Irish? I assume the answer to that is yes?
I would assume so.
Why in the course of the same examination could not examiners who are presumed to be capable of articulating in Irish have conducted part of the principal interview in Irish to assess the capacity of the candidates to articulate in Irish?
I have already told the Deputy that this would delay the work of the main board and would add to the difficulties of constituting these boards. I would remind the Deputy that in the main these interview boards are serviced by people who are giving their services free, and frequently interview boards have to meet for periods of several days, sometimes weeks. In these circumstances, to get people to give their time free for these days is of course difficult but to add to the problem by doing what Deputy Ryan has suggested would simply make it more difficult and perhaps impossible to get suitable people to act on these boards.
Are we to understand from the Minister's reply that this is an official acknowledgment of the total failure of official policy in regard to Irish to achieve its ends, to wit, the capacity of the public servants, existing all the time, to articulate in Irish? It takes no longer to express a question as Gaeilge than it does as Béarla and there should be no need to expend extra time or extra public finance to examine examinees in Irish.
I assume the Deputy had that supplementary prepared and was not prepared to let it go even though he heard what I had to say. However, there is no relevance between what he said and the explanation I have given.
Would it not be possible to have at least one person with a competent knowledge of Irish on the board?
There is always one person with a competent knowledge of Irish. All of them may have such a knowledge.
Is that not the least that could be expected after 50 years?
The Deputy might think about my reply.