Vol. 515 No. 5
20 Mr. Spring asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage Gaeltacht and the Islands when the heads of the promised Bille na Gaeilge will go to Government; when the Bill will be published and enacted; the consultations or discussions, if any, she has had with other Departments regarding the provisions of the Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [6297/00]
A draft memorandum for Government on the official languages equality Bill will shortly be circulated for observations to all Departments. The purpose of this memorandum will be to seek the approval of the Government to prepare a general scheme of the Bill. In the meantime work on the preparation of the general scheme, the heads of the Bill, has commenced. I anticipate that those heads will have been prepared by early summer for submission to Government and that the Bill itself will be published by the end of the present year. This matter was also previously discussed in a general way at a specially convened meeting of the interdepartmental committee on the Gaeltacht, Irish language and islands.
