Vol. 512 No. 6
1 D'fhiafraigh Mr. Sargent den Taoiseach cén plean atá ag an strategic management initiative seirbhís a chur ar fáil do Theachtaí Dála, do státseirbhísigh agus don phobal i gcoitinne as Gaeilge nuair nach bhfuil tagairt ar bith do ghné seo an SMI sa nuachtlitir Link is déanaí, Samhain 1999. [26028/99]
The aim of the strategic management initiative is the delivery of an excellent service to all citizens. The provision of a bilingual service to members of the public has been identified as an important aspect of the SMI's quality customer service initiative, which was launched in 1997. The principles of quality customer service state that services should be made available for those who wish to do business in Irish. In addition, the SMI division issued guidelines to Departments and offices in July 1998 concerning the use of Irish in publications for the public. These guidelines were based on Bord na Gaeilge's "Expanding Bilingualism – Guidelines for Action Programmes in the State Sector". One of these guidelines is that at least a reasonable amount of Irish should be used in material for the public. The SMI produced four reports in 1999, three of which contained an introduction or executive summary in Irish.
Quality customer service was also a key aspect of the next phase of the SMI, which was launched in Dublin Castle in July this year. Speaking at that launch, I stated that the new working group, which has been established to chart a course for the next stage of QCS, should pay particular attention to the needs of specific groups of customers, including users of Irish.
Link, the newsletter of the SMI, is issued free of charge to all civil servants, Deputies, Senators and public service bodies. Although the July 1999 edition of Link invited contributions in Irish, none was received. However, in line with the guidelines referred to above, every effort will be made to ensure that Irish is used in future editions.
Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Taoiseach as an bhfreagra. An leor prionsobail agus treoirlínte chun seirbhís Ghaeilge agus Béarla a chur ar fáil, mar ní hionann dátheangachas agus píosa réasúnta, mar a dúirt sé sa bhfreagra – a reasonable piece, nó réamhrá a bheith as Gaeilge? Would it be satisfactory to have píosa reasúnta and a réamhrá in English with the rest in Irish for English speakers? Is it satisfactory to have a reasonable piece and an introduction in Irish to satisfy the needs of bilingualism?
The editors of Link magazine wish to make sure that they cover the provisions for bilingual services and they believe that this is part of the quality service initiative, in which they are involved. I have received copies of three of their four publications to date and there has been an amount of Irish in them. They would like to have a substantial amount of Irish in each publication but what happened with the last edition, which prompted the Deputy's question, is that they asked for contributions and did not receive any. They would like to achieve a bilingual service, which would provide articles in both Irish and English in every edition.
Tá fhios agam nach bhfuil aon Gaeilge san eagrán Link a fuair mé ach tá go leor daoine ag éirí as an Státseirbhís a bhfuil Gaeilge acu..Many Irish speakers are retiring. An bhfuil nó an mbeidh plean ag an Rialtas daoine le Gaeilge a cheapadh nó an tré thimpist a thagann daoine le Gaeilge isteach sa Státseirbhís? Níor chuir mé ceist ar cad a cheapann an SMI; chuir me ceist ar cad a cheapann an Taoiseach faoin dátheangachas. Is ceannaire é an Taoiseach.
The principle is that a sufficient amount of Irish is given to them to publish. I would like to see the magazine publish sufficient Irish articles or inputs from whatever source along with the English articles. Many fluent Irish speakers and people with a good knowledge of Irish are leaving the Civil Service. The Link magazine should reflect both languages. It is not policy to ignore or curtail the amount of Irish in the magazines. That was evident in three of the quarterly editions which were published this year. There was a substantive amount of Irish articles in them.
Ní bhfuair mé freagra ar an gceist a chuir mé. I do not know whether the Taoiseach's headphones are working. Is there a plan to recruit people who have Irish into the Civil Service? Is it an accident that people come into the Civil Service with a knowledge of Irish? This is an important point for the future. Is there any plan to replace individuals with fluent Irish who are retiring with people who also have fluent Irish?
There is such a plan. While there has been some discussion about the system which gives an advantage to Irish speakers, it has served the Civil Service well.
The Government is doing away with that system.
That is the case, but I would not agree with its achievements being done away with. It successfully brought in Irish speakers from Gaeltacht areas and Irish schools in non-Gaeltacht areas. I hope this ethos will not be lost. All Departments are anxious that the Civil Service Commission continues to recruit as many people as possible who can competently deal with individuals who wish to do their business through Irish. This is the policy of Departments.
One of the North-South bodies is concerned with Ulster Scots. Is there any plan to disseminate knowledge of that language on this side of the Border?
I was not aware until recently that there is a group in this city which continues the tradition of Ulster Scots. I have asked for some details about the group. The language committee is divided into two sections, one which will deal with the Irish language and the other with Ulster Scots. It will have to ensure that it can handle those issues and we are committed to ensuring that matter will be on the agenda. I do not know much about the group which has followed the language for generations in this city but I intend to follow up the matter.
