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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 26 Jan 2017

Vol. 936 No. 2

University College Galway (Amendment) Bill 2017: First Stage

Tairgim:

Go gceadófar go dtabharfar isteach Bille dá ngairtear Acht do chealú Acht an Choláiste Ollscoile, Gaillimh (Leasú), 2006 agus do leasú Acht Choláiste Phríomh-Scoile na Gaillimhe, 1929.

Tá mé ag iarraidh cead Bille an Choláiste Ollscoile, Gaillimh (Leasú) 2017 a chur faoi bhráid an Tí. Is í aidhm an Bhille seo ná a chinntiú go mbeidh Gaeilge agus Béarla ag uachtarán Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh ionas go mbeidh sé nó sí in ann a chuid nó a cuid gnóthaí a dhéanamh sa dá theanga oifigiúil. Ó bhí 1929 ann, bhí stádas speisialta reachtúil ag Coláiste na hOllscoile, Gaillimh, mar a bhí sé ag an am, nó Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh, mar atá sé anois, i leith na Gaeilge agus múineadh ábhair trí Ghaeilge. Rinneadh athnuachan agus uasdátú ar an dlí sin sa bhliain 2006. Anois tá sé mar dhualgas reachtúil ar an ollscoil go mbeidh múineadh trí mheán na Gaeilge lárnach i bhfeidhmiú agus i bhforbairt na hollscoile. Chuige sin, tugtar cúnamh ar leith don ollscoil trí airgead ón Roinn Ealaíon, Oidhreachta, Gnóthaí Réigiúnacha, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta. Caithfidh mé a meabhrú don Aire go bhfuil ceithre ionad san ollscoil ag feidhmiú go hiomlán trí mheán na Gaeilge, trí cinn acu seo sa Ghaeltacht. Chomh maith leis sin, le gairid bhronn an tAire Ealaíon, Oidhreachta, Gnóthaí Réigiúnacha, Tuaithe agus Gaeltachta stádas dátheangach ar chathair na Gaillimhe. Ó thaobh na heacnamaíochta áitiúil, is fiú na céadta milliúin an Ghaeilge don réigiún gach bliain.

Mar sin, tá sé réasúnach mar a bhí riamh ó 1929 go mbeadh Gaeilge agus Béarla ag uachtarán an choláiste. Is mar sin a bhí sé ón bhliain 1929 agus bhí rath ar an gcoláiste ó shin i leith. Ba cheart dúinn cuimhneamh go bhfuil an coláiste seo istigh sa 250 ollscoil is fearr ar fud na cruinne. Is toradh iontach é sin nuair a smaoiníonn muid gur chathair an-bheag í Gaillimh le hais cathracha an domhain. Mar sin, iarraim cead an Bille seo a chur roimh Thithe an Oireachtais. Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil le mo chomhghleacaithe i bhFianna Fáil don tacaíocht atá tugtha acu dom leis an mBille seo. Tá súil agam go n-achtófar ina dlí é sula ndéanfar dochair do sheasamh na Gaillimhe mar chathair dhátheangach agus do sheasamh Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh mar ollscoil dhátheangach.

The aim of this Bill is to ensure that the president of the National University of Ireland, Galway, NUIG, - the college formerly known as University College Galway, UCG - will be capable of doing his or her business in the Irish and English language as has been the situation since 1929. We must remember that in 1929, under Cumann na nGaedhael, the college was given a special statutory responsibility in regard to the Irish language. This was updated in 2006 and it is a statutory obligation on the university to promote and to have as a core objective the teaching through Irish of a range of subjects. This was laid down in a special amendment to the Act passed by the Oireachtas in 2006. The Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs provides extra funding to the university to help it achieve this aim. The college has four centres that operate solely through Irish, three of which are in the Gaeltacht. The city of Galway was recently granted the status of a bilingual city. The Irish language is worth hundreds of millions of euro to the region.

I believe that in those circumstances it is reasonable that the president of the college would be capable of doing his or her business in both of the official languages. It has been that way since 1929 and it is fair to say that the college has progressed excellently well under this policy. It is now in the top 250 universities in the world and when one considers the size of Galway, which in world terms is a micro city, this is an amazing achievement. I ask the Members' permission to introduce the Bill. I thank my colleagues in Fianna Fáil for their support. I hope the Bill will be enacted into legislation before damage is done to the reputation of Galway as a bilingual city and to the university.

An bhfuil éinne i gcoinne an Bhille seo?

Question put and agreed to.

Beidh an Bille ag dul ar aghaidh go dtí an Dara Céim. Caithfear é a thógáil in am Comhaltaí Príobháideacha. An bhfuil an Teachta Ó Cuív sásta é sin a mholadh?

Tairgim: "Go dtógfar an Bille in am Comhaltaí Príobháideacha."

Question put and agreed to.
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