Vol. 608 No. 4
90 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if civil servants in his Department who have agreed to decentralise to Knock will be awarded a bonus for doing so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30710/05]
96 Mr. Costello asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the position regarding the decentralisation of his Department to Knock; if his Department will meet the deadline originally outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30682/05]
Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 90 agus 96 le chéile.
My Department is scheduled to complete its move to Knock Airport by the end of 2007. As part of the decentralisation process, my Department is planning to relocate up to 40 staff in advance of the main move subject, inter alia, to the availability of suitable temporary accommodation in the general area. The Office of Public Works is currently seeking to source suitable accommodation and I hope that this advance move can take place by mid 2006.
The Office of Public Works is also in the process of finalising the purchase of a site for a permanent headquarters building for my Department. It is expected that a competition will be advertised shortly for the design and building of the headquarters and that work on site should begin in the second quarter of next year. All necessary work on the building is scheduled to be completed in time for staff to move to Knock Airport by the original deadline.
To support the decentralisation process, my Department has prepared a comprehensive decentralisation implementation plan, which sets out steps to be taken to ensure a successful relocation. The plan follows the guidelines set down by the Government's decentralisation implementation group. The plan is being implemented in full consultation with managers and staff and is in line with industrial relations agreements and good practice.
There are no plans to award a bonus to civil servants in my Department for agreeing to decentralise to Knock Airport.
Last June, the Minister told us that he expected construction to start in the final quarter of 2005, but that has now gone back to the second quarter of 2006. He also indicated that there were 160 posts and 157 applicants. Are those applicants all from the Minister's Department or are they from a group of Departments?
I asked the question about the bonus because gardaí, teachers and nurses working in Gaeltacht areas are paid a bonus. Will the Minister inform us whether civil servants in his Department working in Furbo, County Galway, are paid a similar bonus? Are the people working in local offices in Derrybeg, Tralee and Achill paid a bonus also? Has the prospect of paying a bonus to Foras na Gaeilge staff, who are to be decentralised to Gweedore, been examined on the same basis as groups that are already in receipt of such a bonus in Gaeltacht areas?
First of all, Knock is not in the Gaeltacht.
I accept that.
It is close.
Obviously, therefore, whatever entitlements one might have in the Gaeltacht certainly would not apply to Knock. Second, to my knowledge there is no bonus or extra payment for any civil servants operating in the Gaeltacht. The Deputy raised issues concerning gardaí and others, but they relate to regulations that are made under various Acts. To the best of my knowledge, there is no difference in the wages of civil servants in my Department, irrespective of where they are based. I will confirm that for the Deputy if he wishes me to do so.
We have had 187 applicants for 164 places in Knock. They do not all match off according to grades. However, I am confident that we will be able to staff Knock fully. We are working on the basis of transferring people into the Department who want to go to Knock. One of the interesting developments, which I had predicted in the beginning, is that people who are already in rural locations want to transfer. For example, people in places such as Galway and Castlebar wish to transfer to the Department in Knock. It is giving a regional choice, which is what we had hoped for, without having to come to Dublin. If someone is already in a western location and wants to work in the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in Knock, that person will not want to come to Dublin for a year or two to transfer back to the west. Those are the issues but the programme is going well.
The Deputy is correct in respect of the delays involved. The Minister of State, Deputy Noel Ahern, put it well when he told Deputy Boyle that if one tries to give a deadline in an honest answer, making the best call, one is in danger of not always achieving the target. Delays can occur in purchasing properties, for example, but the decentralisation programme is proceeding well. The issues concerning decentralisation are proceeding apace and while the programme may not be going as fast as we had hoped, it is still going very well.
The Minister of State and myself have asked the chief executive officer of Foras na Gaeilge to furnish us with an implementation plan by the end of 2005.
An bhféadfadh an tAire a rá an bhfuil difear stádais idir na státseirbhísigh atá ag dul go Cnoc Mhuire agus baill d'fhoireann Fhoras na Gaeilge atá le dhul go Gaoth Dobhair? An státseirbhísigh iad ar aon agus an bhfuil an stádas céanna ag an dá dhream? An bhfuil an t-amchlár céanna fíor maidir le Gaoth Dobhair is atá fíor maidir le Cnoc Mhuire?
Arís, beidh orm na mionsonraí a fheiceáil, mar, de réir mar a thuigim, ní státseirbhísigh iad an chuid is mó d'fhoireann Fhoras na Gaeilge. Níl mé cinnte an ndearnadh an t-athrú ariamh maidir leis na poist a tháinig ón nGúm go Foras na Gaeilge, agus cuirfidh mé deimhniú chuig an Teachta maidir le seasamh fostaíochta na ndaoine eile. Tá an chuid eile den fhoireann, de réir mar a thuigim, fostaithe ag an bhforas, agus mar sin, tá sé cosúil le foras Stáit ar bith. Tá sé sin le rá go bhfuil siad fostaithe ag an bhforas, agus níl siad inaistrithe ar an gcaoi chéanna a mbeadh státseirbhísigh. Is daoine speisialta atá ag obair sa nGúm, agus níl siad inaistrithe i gcónaí, fiú más státseirbhísigh iad go teicniúil.
Maidir leis an gcuid eile, ar ndóigh, na státseirbhísigh sna Ranna, tá riail ar bun go mbíonn daoine ag dul ó Roinn go Roinn an t-am ar fad. Déanann sé sin an jab níos éasca ó thaobh dílárnú rannóga Rialtais de ná mar atá sé le forais Stáit. Maidir le dílárnú Fhoras na Gaeilge agus an t-amscála, glacaim leis go mbeidh sé sin leagtha amach go soiléir ag príomhfheidhmeannach an fhorais sa bplean feidhmiúcháin atá le cur chugainn roimh dheireadh na bliana. Níor mhaith liom ní ba mhó a rá faoi sin go bhfeicfidh mé an plean a chuirfidh sé chugainn.
91 Ms O’Sullivan asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his attention has been drawn to recent developments at the Christina Noble Children’s Foundation which has been the target of a €60,000 fraud at its Dublin office; if this event demonstrates the essential need for the regulation of charities; his plans in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30706/05]
95 Mr. Penrose asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs if his attention has been drawn to recent comments from a corporate governance expert (details supplied) that the current regime for charities and the not-for-profit sector is unsatisfactory; his views on whether only a minimal system is in place and that real regulation is required; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30708/05]
104 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the position on the drafting of legislation in regard to the need to regulate charities; the date when this draft legislation will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30684/05]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 91, 95 and 104 together.
Evidence suggests that the majority of charities in Ireland operate for the public good. However, it is vital for public trust and confidence in the sector to be safeguarded and maintained. Clearly, the lack of a regulatory regime leaves the sector vulnerable to abuses.
In An Agreed Programme for Government, there is a clear commitment to regulation of the charities sector through the enactment of a comprehensive reform of charity law to ensure accountability and to protect against abuse of charitable status and fraud. The new legislation will introduce an integrated system of mandatory registration, proportionate regulation and supervision. The independent regulatory body, to be positioned as the centrepiece of the regulatory regime, will be charged with setting up and maintaining a register of charities.
The proposed content of the new legislation has been the subject of an inclusive, public consultation process, first, in 2004, on the core legislative proposals and then, in 2005, on the specialist aspect of charitable trust law reform. I have already publicly signalled spring-early summer 2006 as our target for publication of the Bill and my Department continues to give priority to the work of advancing this important legislation. I take this opportunity to emphasise that, in addition to statutory regulation, informed and vigilant charity trustees have a crucially important role to play in the general control and management of the administration of their charities.
As the Minister of State is aware, in the published list of Government legislation, it states in regard to charity legislation that it is not possible to indicate a date for publication. I recently asked the Tánaiste if this meant the legislation had been abandoned. While the Minister of State has indicated that it will be produced, my major concern is that the Government will go out of office and we will not even see the legislation.
Fifty leaders of community and voluntary organisations were advised at a recent seminar they attended that because of the slowness of the Government in coming up with the legislation, they would have to look to their own governance. One issue that arose is that there is no proper definition of "charity", "charitable organisation", "not-for-profit organisation", or "non-governmental organisation". Speculation again appeared in the media during the period of the recent bombings in London indicating that charities can be used for terrorist purposes. It was stated that the method of fundraising could be as simple as welfare fraud. Is the Minister of State satisfied that this is definitely not happening in the sector in Ireland?
How convinced is the Minister of State that we will see this legislation, bearing in mind that the heads of the Bill have not yet been produced. This will be major legislation. Is the Government just putting a brave face on it while knowing in its heart of hearts that we will not see this legislation, badly needed as it is to regulate a sector that has been crying out for regulation for quite some time? This is not to minimise or underestimate in any way the difficulties involved. My concern is that the matter has dragged on, yet the legislation has failed to come forward with only vague assurances that it will be produced.
I am not responsible, nor are the officials in the charity unit in the Department, for anything that should have happened over the past 40 years. The legislation has not been abandoned. The charity unit was only set up in 2003 and the officials based there are working to the best of their ability on this matter. They are doing great work. It is a small unit that is most effective. I want to get the Bill published well before the summer recess. We may not get it into the Dáil before then but I hope we can bring it forward very quickly after that. I might have a vested interest in getting it passed quickly. When it comes to May or June of the following year, I do not know if I want to be spending endless days on Committee Stage.
The Minister of State will be on sabbatical.
Once it is published I hope we can make a great deal of progress on it. I and everybody in the unit are committed to getting this done as quickly as possible. I hope the estimate I gave is accurate but delays are possible. We are following the programme for Government. At various times the charities issue came under the remit of the Department of Social and Family Affairs and subsequently the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform. Since 2002 it has come under the jurisdiction of the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.
The UN or international aspect of the legislation is new. Terrorist links in recent years have given rise to a greater need for legislation and the creation of a proper regulatory regime, but it was already a commitment in the programme for Government. I do not know what is going on at present. I believe most charities operate for the public good but anything could be going wrong and until we have proper registration and regulation, we will not know the situation. That is the purpose of enacting the legislation. What has happened in recent years at United Nations level and with the European Union also getting involved gives added weight to the need for us to have updated legislation.
Does the Minister of State accept that the issue of charities regulation is a major public concern and that people demand accountability, openness and transparency? Many charities appear to be project-driven. Does he also accept that the issues of trust and how charities spend their income from the public is a priority?
Does the Minister of State agree that members of the public demand that the money they give to Third World charities is spent on the most needy? Does he accept there is a role for him in rooting out fraud in charities and ensuring that money is spent on those most in need? The Minister of State replied that he did not know what exactly is going on in charities. Is it not part of his responsibility to know that, especially when taxpayers donate significant sums of money to charities every year?
I wish the Deputy would listen to me. I said that what we are doing in the Department is bringing in new legislation to update the law on charities and introduce a proper regulatory regime. The sector is unregulated, there is no body with the specific aim of supervision and there is no registration. While the Revenue Commissioners issue tax exemption certificates, this is not registration, although it is sometimes confused with it. In the absence of registration and pending the passage of the legislation and the introduction of the new regulatory regime, anything could be going on. I agree that most charities are very good and are doing good work. The good ones support the introduction of a proper regulatory regime because it is necessary to ensure public confidence and trust. That is why we are taking the steps I have outlined.
I am not responsible for policing charities at present — the issue is that nobody is. We are relying on the goodwill of the charities. When the legislation is enacted and the regulatory regime is in place, there will be compulsory registration and supervision, and thus charities will be called to account. This will enhance the trust and confidence of the public, which will be to the benefit of everybody in the sector. The good players in the sector realise this.
I take the point the Bill will be large and complex. Does the Minister of State see the merit in consulting the spokespersons from the Opposition parties with a view to progressing the agenda, either by making himself or his civil servants available? Thus, when the debate is held in the Dáil — I take the point on long Committee Stages — some measure of agreement will have been reached on some areas in advance. Obviously, there will be some areas regarding which agreement will not be reached. This side of the House would be co-operative in dealing with this vital legislation. If there are ways of shortening its passage through the Dáil and Seanad, we should avail of them. In spite of what I heard from the Minister of State, I am concerned the Government will have left office before the legislation can be passed in the Oireachtas.
I note the Deputy's concerns and his offer. I will take up the offer at the appropriate time and consult him when we are discussing the specifics. Thus far, people outside the House have been happy with and supportive of the proposed Bill, although I am sure that when it is published and we are dealing with the specifics, some groups will not be happy with every provision therein. I thank the Deputy for his offer and I will certainly take it up and consult him, perhaps nearer the publication date.
I thank the Minister of State.
92 Ms B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the details of the recently established Government-sponsored fund to cement and promote ties between Ireland and universities where the Irish language is taught around the world; the specific purposes for which this money will be used; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30704/05]
As the Deputy is aware, I recently announced the launch of a special fund of €300,000 that will support the development of Irish language programmes in third level institutions overseas. This will be provided through my Department's ciste na Gaeilge fund, which supports various projects and organisations involved in promoting the Irish language.
Applications will be assessed relative to a number of criteria. These are the track record of the applicant in terms of the provision of Irish language courses and the promotion of Irish generally; the business plan of the organisation; the availability of co-funding from other sources; and the existence of courses that concentrate on teaching the language as distinct from courses that provide information on the language.
Priority will be given to applications which have arrangements in place for co-funding and which provide an accredited qualification as part of the programme. A substantial number of third level institutions overseas already provide courses in Irish language and culture. I anticipate that this new fund will lead to the consolidation and further development of such courses worldwide.
I thank the Minister for his answer. When I read the press report, my concern was that the €300,000 is probably some kind of token. On checking, I discovered there are between 50 and 60 third level institutions overseas that teach the Irish language, be they in the United States, Canada, Australia or Europe. This is obviously a reflection on the degree to which Irish culture is esteemed and valued. However, if one divided the €300,000 between the 50 or 60 institutions that exist worldwide, each would receive a sum of between €5,000 and €6,000, which is not very much.
I am aware that, of 139 primary schools in Gaeltacht areas, only 106 teach all subjects through Irish. Of 30 post-primary schools in the Gaeltachtaí, only 20 are classified as teaching all subjects through Irish. If money is to come from the Minister's Department for the study of the Irish language, is it not much more important that it be spent in this particular area? It is a matter of grave concern that so many Gaeltacht schools are no longer teaching all subjects through Irish. Figures I have seen suggest there were 250,000 native Irish speakers when the State was founded and that only around 20,000 people now use the Irish language as a vernacular.
I worry about tokenism. The funding being made available highlights that Irish is taught in the colleges in question, which is to be welcomed, but, in order to consolidate, promote and develop the Irish language, surely to goodness the real emphasis should be placed on the shortfall in education in the Gaeltachtaí.
We are aware that we are starting the Irish language promotion scheme with a very modest sum of money. However, my experience shows that the small number of third level institutions to which we have been giving funding are very appreciative of what we regard as modest funding. We expect that the funding will act as leverage funding. In other words, for every euro we invest, another euro will become available from another source. This happened in the case of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, which was able to obtain funds because we gave funds. This practice is common among universities. Therefore, if our funds are matched, there is a potential fund of €600,000 for the teaching of Irish.
The maximum amount any university will be able to get is €30,000 while the minimum will be €10,000. Allowing for matching funds, this should allow for the employment of a person to teach Irish. When I visited the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, I met representatives from that institution and representatives from other universities in the United States who indicated they regard the funding as a valuable asset.
It is a well-known fact that if we want people to speak Irish at home, the standing of the language nationally and internationally will be of major importance. It will come as an eye-opener to many to find out there are universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Holland, Russia, Germany, Austria, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, Poland and Japan teaching modern Irish. That will give people a sense that many in other parts of the world value the Irish language and assist our effort to put the Irish language in its proper international context. A side effect of this scheme is that many of the students who study Irish in these universities visit Ireland and the Gaeltacht where they provide an economic boost and encourage people at home to learn the language.
The budget for the Department of Education and Science runs to billions of euro and adding €300,000 to that budget would make little change in the number of schools teaching through English in the Gaeltacht. That is not fundamentally an issue of money but of policy, with which we are dealing in a different context. The Deputy might clarify whether his party if it were in Government would scrap this scheme and put the money into something else.
Is scéim úr é seo, agus is é an rud is tábhachtaí ná gur comhartha aitheantais é do na hinstitiúidí sna tíortha a luaigh an tAire a bhfuil Gaeilge á teagasc agus á labhairt acu. Is cuimhin liom nuair a bhí mé in Harvard. Bhí ranganna Gaeilge ar siúl ansin agus bhí cailín amháin ansin as Honolulu nach raibh in Éirinn ariamh agus bhí Gaeilge le blás chúige Mumhan aici.
Ní easaontaím leis an mhéid a bhí le rá ag an Teachta O'Shea maidir le teagasc na Gaeilge sna scoileannna Gaeltachta. An bhfuil mórán iarratas istigh ar an scéim seo go dtí seo agus an mbeidh an tAire ábalta freastal ar na hiarratais go léir atá istigh?
Bunaithe ar líon nan-institiúidí tríú leibhéil atá ag múineadh na Gaeilge, tá chuile sheans go mbeidh an t-éileamh níos mó ná an ciste agus sin an fáth go gcaithfidh critéir a bheith ann faoi cad iad na tionscnaimh a roghnóimid. Ar ndóigh, tá buntáiste ag baint leis sin, mar tuigfidh na hinstitiúidí seo go mbeidh iomaíocht ann agus cuirfidh sé sin feabhas mór ar na hiarratais a thiocfas, mar beidh an-dúil ag daoine teacht ar an airgead seo ach beidh orthu iarratas thar a bheith foirfe a chur ar fáil leis an gciste a fháil. Tá spriocdháta den 8 Nollaig le hiarratais a chur isteach agus ansin déanfaimid cinneadh go luath sa mbliain 2006.
Níl a fhios agam an bhfuil aon iarratas faighte fós, ach táimid tar éis é seo a phoibliú go forleathan, go mór-mhór ag úsáid nan-ambasáidí éagsúla. Chomh maith leis sin, rinne muid féin taighde ar na hollscoileanna atá ag múineadh na Gaeilge ar fud an domhain. Tá a fhios againn fúthu. Tá cinn nua ag teacht chun tosaigh an t-am ar fad, agus is rud maith é sin. D'fhéadfadh sé tarlú go mbeadh institiúidí nua ag teacht chun tosaigh — agus ba bhreá linn é sin — mar gheall ar an tionscnamh seo.
I ngach uile thír eile ar domhan, caithfear airgead ag cur cultúr na tíre sin chun cinn — smaoiním go mór-mhór ar an airgead a chaitheann muintir na Fraince ag cur na Fraincise chun cinn mar theanga. Is rud an-mhaith é go gcaithfidh muidne cúpla pingin ag cur oidhreachta agus teanga na hÉireann chun cinn ar fud an domhain agus tá tábhacht aige.
Is ceist eile ar fad í, nach bhfuil baint mhaith, olc nó dhona leis seo, an fhadhb i mbunscoileanna agus meánscoileanna na Gaeltachta. Mar a dúirt mé, is ceist polasaí níos mó ná airgid í sin. Is ceist do thuismitheoirí í, cosúil le go leor ceisteanna eile. Beidh mé féin agus an tAire Oideachais agus Eolaíochta, an Teachta Hanafin, ag déileáil léi agus beidh an ciste atá bunaithe le haghaidh na Gaelscolaíochta agus an oideachais trí Ghaeilge á dhéanamh sin freisin. Ní fheicim baint dá laghad aige, áfach, le hábhar na ceiste seo, ach mar a dúirt mé, b'fhéidir gurb é polasaí Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre go gcuirfeadh sé é seo ar ceal dá mbeadh sé i gcumhacht.
Maidir leis an scéim sin a chuir an tAire ar bun, Ár dTeanga Nádúrtha Féin, an bhfuil aon tuarascáil ar fáil ar conas atá ag éirí leis agus cé mhéad airgid atá caite uirthi ag an am seo?
Ní thuigim cén bhaint atá aige sin le hollscolaíocht trí Ghaeilge ar fud an domhain. Mar a tharlaíonn sé, tá ceist Dála eile thíos ar an gceist sin inniu, agus má bhreathnaíonn an Teachta ar fhreagra na ceiste sin, gheobhaidh sé an t-eolas.
Written answers follow Adjournment Debate.
