Vol. 959 No. 4
34. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Cultúir, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta céard iad na tosaíochtaí atá aici don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht do 2018; an mbeidh breis airgid ar fáil don réimse seo oibre i gcomhréir leis na gealltanais atá tugtha ag an Rialtas seo; agus an ndéanfaidh sí ráiteas ina thaobh. [40464/17]
Ar an gcéad dul síos, ba mhaith liom fáilte go dtí an Teach a chur roimh an Aire Stáit. Ar ndóigh, tá ceisteanna móra tromchúiseacha le réiteach anois againn agus muid ag teannadh ar an gcáinaisnéis. Tháinig laghdú beagnach €4 milliún ar an mhéid airgid a bhí ar fáil don Ghaeilge, don Ghaeltacht agus do na hoileáin idir 2016 agus 2017 in ainneoin geallúintí a tugadh d'Fhianna Fáil agus geallúintí a tugadh i gclár an Rialtais go mbeadh meadú ar an infheistíocht. Tá iarratas déanta ar €5 mhilliún breise don earnáil sin don bhliain seo chugainn. An mbeidh an tAire Stáit in ann é sin a chur ar fáil?
I gcomhréir leis na spriocanna sonracha atá leagtha síos i gClár an Rialtais Comhpháirtíochta agus i ráiteas straitéise na Roinne, is iad na príomhthosaíochtaí atá agam dom Ghaeilge agus an Ghaeltacht do 2018 ná forfheidhmhiú na Straitéise 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn; an próiseas pleanála teanga a bhrú ar aghaidh; tacú le fostaíocht a chruthú agus a chur chun cinn sa Ghaeltacht trí Údarás na Gaeltachta; tacú leis an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn ar fud oileán na hÉireann trí Fhoras na Gaeilge, tacú leis an bpróiseas chun deireadh a chuir leis an maolú ar úsáid na Gaeilge san Aontas Eorpach; agus Bille na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú) 2017 a achtú.
Ar ndóigh, tá an Straitéis 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge fite fuaite le gníomhaíochtaí mo Roinne thar na réimsí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta go léir agus beidh sé mar chéad thosaíocht agamsa an straitéis sin a chur i bhfeidhm i gcomhar leis na páirtithe leasmhara. Ní gá a rá go bhfuil an próiseas pleanála teanga agus feidhmiú pleananna teanga sa Ghaeltacht mar chuid lárnach d’fheidhmiú na straitéise.
Maidir le feidhmiú na straitéise, ní miste dom a mheabhrú don Teachta go bhfuil i gceist ag mo Roinn plean gníomhaíochta don tréimhse 2017-2022 a fhoilsiú faoi dheireadh an fhómhair. Le foilsiú an phlean seo, beifear ag súil go dtabharfaí aghaidh ar na rudaí is tábhachtaí mar a aithneofar iad sa phlean cúig bliana agus go nglacfaidh gach páirtí go fonnmhar leis an deis a gcionn a dhéanamh ar son na straitéise.
Maidir le cúrsaí buiséid, ní miste dom a mheabhrú don Teachta gur tríd an phróiseas Meastacháin agus cáinaisnéise a dhéantar leithdháileadh ar an soláthar airgid a chuirtear ar fáil ar bhonn bliantúil do mo Roinn agus, go deimhin, do na Ranna Rialtais go léir. Sa chomhthéacs sin, tuigfidh an Teachta go ndéanfar an soláthar airgid don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht ón Státchiste don bhliain 2018 a mheas i gcomhthéacs an phróisis sin níos déanaí i mbliana.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit. Anois tiocfaimid ag an mbuncheist arís. Tá pleananna ag an Aire Stáit. Tá geallúint tugtha - ní cheist cháinaisnéise í seo - ag an Rialtas d'Fhianna Fáil agus chomh maith leis sin tá geallúint i gclár an Rialtais. Is é an rud atá ráite ná méadú a dhéanamh ar an infheistíocht sa teanga Ghaeilge. Tá sé dubh agus bán. Cuireadh laghdú beagnach €4 mhilliún ar sin anuraidh. Nílim ag iarraidh an tsuim airgid, tar éis €5 mhilliún a bheith iarrtha ag pobal na Gaeilge don bhliain seo chugainn agus €18 milliún ar fad. Is í an cheist atá orm ná an gcloífear leis an ngeallúint a thug an Rialtas go mbeadh breis infheistíochta á déanamh sa Ghaeilge nó nach gcloífear? Ní cheist cáinaisnéise í sin, is ceist geallúint Rialtais í.
Maidir leis an ngeallúint ar dtús, rinneadh comhoibriú ar an bplean idir Fhianna Fáil agus Fhine Gael. Ag an am sin, nuair a bhí an cómhrá ag dul ar aghaidh, rinneadh gealltanais maidir le méadú a dhéanamh ar an infheistíocht ag dul isteach in Údarás na Gaeltachta, mar shampla. Mar atá a fhios ag an Teachta, thar na blianta bhí go leor airgid ar fáil faoi choinne Údaras na Gaeltachta ó thaobh caipitil, suas le €26 milliún ag an am nuair a bhí an Teachta Ó Cuív freagrach as an Roinn. Ach tá an saol difriúil anois. Níl an t-airgead sin ar fáil. Nuair atáim ag caint le mo chomhghleacaithe ar an dá taobh den Teach tá siad i gcónaí ag rá go bhfuil infheistíocht de dhíth faoi choinne na coláistí samhraidh nó caipiteal d'Údarás na Gaeltachta agus go bhfuil airgead breise faoi choinne pleanála teanga, cúntóirí teanga agus araile de dhíth freisin. Tá sé mar a chéile in achan Roinn, ach níl an buiséad déanta faoi láthair. Bhí comhrá agam leis an Aire, an Teachta Donohoe, agus beidh comhrá agam leis roimh an bhuiséad. Ní bheidh aon rud déanta maidir leis sin.
Feicim na féidearthachtaí, áfach, maidir leis an airgead breise fá choinne fostaíocht a chruthú agus an teanga a chur chun cinn.
Tiocfaimid ar ais ar an ngeallúint. Geallúint go mbeidh breis infheistíochta déanta sa Ghaeilge a bhí ann ach laghdú a bhí ann anuraidh. An bhfuil i gceist ag an Rialtas seasamh lena gheallúint? Nílim ag iarraidh an figiúir inniu. Tá muid chun é a fháil ag am na cáinaisnéise. Tá geallúint tugtha, áfach. An bhfuil an tAire Stáit ag rá go bhfuil contúirt nó seans maith ann go loicfear ar an ngeallúint, go dtarraingeofar siar air agus nach gcomhlíonfar an geallúint sin? An bhfuil sé sin curtha in iúl d'Fhianna Fáil?
Aontaím nach mbeidh an Teachta ag fáil an figiúir inniu. Cuirim fáilte roimh an chóras sin. Ceapadh mise i mo Aire Stáit in 2014 agus sin an chéad am a bhí airgead breise ar fáil fá choinne an bhuiséad caipitil d'Údarás na Gaeltachta. Tá mé ag súil leis an lá a bheidh airgead breise ann achan bhliain. Níl mise chun figiúir a rá inniu ach tá mé ag bogadh ar aghaidh le hacmhainní breise a fháil fá choinne poist a chruthú sna ceantair iargúlta Gaeltachta i gContae Chiarraí, Contae Chorcaí, Contae na Gaillimhe - ceantar an Teachta féin - Contae Dhún na nGall agus ceantair éagsúla eile Gaeltachta. Ar leibhéal amháin, feicim na deacrachtaí ach feicim na deiseanna agus na féidearthachtaí fosta. Gabhaim mo bhuíochas agus m'aitheantas leis na daoine a bhíonn ag obair ar son na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta. Rud dearfach é sin, ach, cinnte, tá acmhainní de dhíth amach anseo.
35. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Peadar Tóibín den Aire Cultúir, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta an ndéanfaidh sí an maoiniú atá á lorg ag na ceanneagraíochtaí i gcúram pleanála teanga a thabhairt dóibh ina iomláine ionas go mbeidh siad in ann na pleananna teanga a chur i bhfeidhm. [40762/17]
Cúpla bliain ó shin bhí Dinny McGinley anseo. Dar le daoine go mbeadh na pleananna teanga ina slánaitheoir don Ghaeltacht. Bhí a fhios aige go raibh an Ghaeltacht faoi bhrú uafásach agus sheol sé an plean i mBille na Gaeltachta go mbeadh na pleananna seo ag dul ar aghaidh. Tá mise tar éis dul thart timpeall na tíre agus cuairt a thabhairt ar na Gaeltachtaí. Tá siad in ísealbhrí mar gheall ar an ngiota beag airgid atá an Rialtas ag tabhairt don jab seo. Guím gach rath ar an Aire Stáit sa phost nua atá aige. Seo an chéad dúshlán atá aige. Má tá an Rialtas chun €100,000 a thabhairt dóibh, beidh teip air maidir leis an dúshlán sin.
Gabhaim mo bhuíochas leis an Teachta as an cheist. Chun cabhrú le feidhmiú an phróisis pleanála teanga sa bhliain reatha, d'fhógair mo Roinn i mí Aibreáin na bliana seo go bhfuil allúntas ar fiú €850,000 in iomlán á chur ar fáil ag an Roinn chun cabhrú le feidhmiú an phróisis pleanála teanga i mbliana. Den allúntas seo, tá €735,000 curtha ar fáil d'Údarás na Gaeltachta agus €115,000 curtha ar fáil d'Fhoras na Gaeilge le gur féidir leo cuidiú leis na heagraíochtaí pleanála teanga atá faoina gcúram lena gcuid pleananna a ullmhú agus a fheidhmiú. Mar chuid den allúntas sin, tá ciste ar fiú suas le €100,000 thar tréimhse 12 mhí iomlán le bheith ar fáil i leith gach limistéir ina cheadaítear plean teanga chun tús a chur le feidhmiú na bpleananna sin.
Ag brath ar mhianta agus riachtanais an limistéir i gceist, beidh sé curtha ar chumas na gceanneagraíochtaí oifigeach pleanála teanga a fhostú ón gciste seo chun cabhrú le feidhmiú a bpleananna. Ina theannta sin, beifear in ann leas a bhaint as an gciste chun cúram a dhéanamh de bhearta na bpleananna féin, i gcomthéacs na dtosaíochtaí mar a aithnítear iad go háitiúil. Beidh Údarás na Gaeltachta ag déanamh teagmhála leis na ceanneagraíochtaí i gceist go luath chun na socruithe cuí a dhéanamh agus tús a chur dá réir le feidhmiú pleananna sa Ghaeltacht.
Ós rud é go mbeidh gá cúram a dhéanamh de 26 limistéar pleanála teanga, suas le 16 de bhailte seirbhíse Gaeltachta agus trí líonra Gaeilge mar a sheasann rudaí faoi láthair, tuigfidh an Teachta go mbeidh gá an soláthair airgid a bheidh curtha ar fail ón Státchiste a bhainistiú mar is cuí le go mbeifear ag obair i dtreo an toradh is fearr is féidir a bhaint amach don Ghaeilge. Comhthreomhar leis an infheistíocht phleanála teanga, cuimhnímis chomh maith go bhfuil infheistíocht shuntasach á déanamh i gcaitheamh an ama ag an Roinn, ag an údarás agus ag an bhforas araon i réimse leathan clár, scéimeanna, tionscnaimh agus bearta atá agus a bheidh ag tacú leis an nGaeilge agus go rachaidh sé seo chun sochair an phróisis sna ceantair i gceist.
Is féidir leis an Teachta a bheith cinnte de go leanfaidh mé orm mar Aire Stáit ag déanamh mo sheacht ndícheall chun an cion is fearr is féidir a fháil ón Státchiste chun tacú le chur chun cinn na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta a bhfuil an próiseas pleanála mar chuid lárnach de.
Níl ach cúpla bliain fágtha ag an nGaeilge mar theanga pobail sa Ghaeltacht ag an bomaite. Faoi chúram Fhine Gael le seacht mbliana anuas, tá titim uafásach tar éis teacht agus é sin le feiceáil sa daonáireamh. Thart timpeall na tíre, bhí daoine ag obair go dian sna Gaeltachtaí. I nGaoth Dobhair, Dáilcheantar an Aire Stáit, bhí an pobal ag obair le chéile go dian ar seo. I gCorca Dhuibhne, bhí an rud céanna ann. Bhí siad chun rudaí iontacha a dhéanamh agus naisc nua a chruthú idir na heagraíochtaí spóirt agus pobail go léir ina gceantair. An fhadhb atá ann anois ná, sular léadh na pleananna, rinneadh cinneadh €100,000 a chur ar fáil. Bhí na heagraíochtaí ag iarraidh ceathrar nó seisear, b'fhéidir, a earcú chun an rud seo a chur i bhfeidhm ach tá an Roinn ag rá nach bhfuil cead ach duine amháin a earcú chun an rud seo a dhéanamh. An rud atá an Roinn ag rá do na comharchumainn anois ná gur orthu atá an obair as seo amach agus, fiú go bhfuil siad uafásach gnóthach ag an bomaite, go gcaithfidh siad i bhfad níos mó oibre a dhéanamh mar ní fheiceann an Roinn an luach atá sna pleananna nó luach a gcuid oibre go dtí seo. Tá sé sin maslach. Impím ar an Aire Stáit níos mó airgid - an t-airgead cuí - a thabhairt dóibh.
Airgead breise i gcónaí. Sin an scéal agus sin an díospóireacht i gcónaí maidir leis an teanga. In 2012, bhí an gealltanas ann maidir leis an reachtaíocht agus na pleananna teanga. Rinne Dinny McGinley fíor-iarracht fá dtaobh den reachtaíocht ansin. Sin an fhís. Rinne an Teachta tagairt do na ceantair: Ghaoth Dobhair, Anagaire, Loch an Iúir, Rann na Feirste, Cloich Chionnaola, An Fál Carrach, Machaire Rabhartaigh agus Gort an Choirce agus, i gContae na Gaillimhe, Cois Fharraige. Seo tús an phróisis. Tá €300,000 ar fail fá choinne an tús sin a chur i gcrích. Tá na daoine uilig ag fáil suimeanna difriúla. I nGaoth Dobhair, tá siad ag fáil €436,000. I nGaillimh, tá cúpla grúpa ag fáil €200,000 agus €50,000. Tá mise ag amharc ar an bhealach is féaráilte dó seo lastigh den tréimhse 12 mhí. Sin an cloch is mó ar mo phaidrín. Amach anseo beidh bealaí difriúla agus buiséid difriúla ann agus beidh airgead breise ann ó na Ranna difriúla fosta. Níl Roinn na Gaeltachta an t-aon Roinn atá freagrach as an teanga. Tá a fhios ag an Teachta é sin.
Tá pleananna difriúla ann. Má tá pleananna difriúla ann, an loighic atá ann ná go gcaithfidh suimeanna airgid difriúla a bheith ann. Má tá plean ann le níos mó béime ar dhaoine a bheith ag obair, caithfear níos mó airgid a thabhairt dó. Níor tharla an laghdú a bhí ann san airgead don Ghaeilge agus don Ghaeltacht faoi Rialtas an Aire le seacht mbliana anuas in aon Roinn eile. Bhí titim de 80% sa bhuiséad. Faigheann rannán na Gaeltachta i Roinn an Aire Stáit - tá sé tábhachtach go gcloisfeadh an tAire sinsearach é seo freisin - níos lú ná aon trian den airgead a fhaigheann an Roinn ina iomláine. Faigheann rannán na n-ealaíon 50% den airgead sa Roinn agus faigheann rannán na hoidhreachta agus na rudaí eile, b'fhéidir, aon cheathrú den airgead. Ní fhaigheann rannán na Gaeltachta ach aon trian den airgead. Is suim íseal airgid atá i gceist. Caitheann an Taoiseach níos mó airgid ar a phoiblíocht agus a bholscaireacht. Nílimid ag caint ach ar b'fhéidir €200,000 sa bhliain a thabhairt do na Gaeltachtaí chun go mbeadh siad in ann an oidhreacht saibhir seo a choiméad beo.
The next question is-----
There is an answer to come.
An bealach is féaráilte ná bealach ina bheidh achan dream clúdaithe. Tá ceart ag an Teachta maidir leis na pleananna difriúla. Oibríonn na pleananna ón mbun aníos agus tá na daoine agus na dreamanna uilig sna ceantair freagrach as na pleananna. Tá sé sin tábhachtach. Níl a fhios agam cad a tharlóidh amach anseo maidir leis an tacaíocht nó an cuidiú a bheidh ar fáil. É sin ráite, in 2014 nuair a tháinig an tAire sinsearach, an Teachta Humphreys, agus mé féin isteach sa Roinn, ní raibh aon laghdú ann. Táimid ag dul ar aghaidh agus ó neart go neart leis an airgead breise atá ar fáil. Ní haontaím go bhfuil an tír ina ceart anois. Ní bheidh breis airgead ar fáil sa bhuiséad seo. Achan cheist a fuair mise nuair a tháinig mé ar ais i mí Mheán Fómhair, bhí na daoine uilig ag iarraidh airgid agus acmhainní breise. Tá sé sin tábhachtach agus is é sin mo jab, agus tá dualgas mór orm maidir le hairgead a fháil. Déanfaidh mé mo sheacht ndícheall fá dtaobh de sin. Leis na pleananna teanga, áfach, is é an príomhrud ná an tús atá leo. Tá siad tosaithe anois agus is iad na dreamanna áitiúla atá freagrach as na pleananna sin.
Tá an Rialtas ag smaoineamh íoc as as an mbosca bruscair airgeadais.
36. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of each of her actions for the first year of the implementation programme of Creative Ireland. [40938/17]
I welcome the Minister and the Minister of State back to the new term. I ask the Minister to outline to the House the status and the implementation of each pillar in the first year of Creative Ireland.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. I know she has a keen interest in this programme.
On 8 December 2016 the Creative Ireland programme was launched as the Government's legacy programme arising out of the Ireland 2016 centenary programme as the main implementation vehicle for the priorities identified in Culture 2025 - Éire Ildánach. The Creative Ireland programme is a high-level, high-ambition five-year initiative from 2017 to 2022 building up to the centenary of the foundation of the State, which aims to place creativity at the centre of public policy. The programme is being led by my Department in partnership with other Departments and agencies, local authorities, the third level sector, arts and culture organisations, including the national cultural institutions, media organisations and relevant non-governmental organisations. The launch document for the programme identified ten actions for 2017 under the five specific pillars, namely, enabling the creative potential of every child, enabling creativity in every community, investing in our creative and cultural infrastructure, Ireland as a centre of excellence in media production and unifying our global reputation. I am glad to report that there has been significant progress regarding the delivery of the ten actions identified for 2017. Briefly, the position is as follows.
Under pillar 1, my Department is drawing up a five-year creative children plan for the period 2018-22 in conjunction with the Departments of Education and Skills and Children and Youth Affairs and the Arts Council, and this will be launched later this year.
Regarding pillar 2, a culture team has been established in each of the 31 local authorities, and each local authority has produced a 2017 Creative Ireland plan and is in the process of drawing up a more detailed 2018 creative plan setting out a five-year plan for local creativity. The first Cruinniú na Cásca, Ireland's new national culture day, was launched on Easter Monday with the theme "Inclusion and Diversity", and consideration is now being given to the approach to the cruinniú in 2018. Following consultation with my Department, a pilot scheme to assist self-employed artists who have applied for jobseeker's allowance has been put in place by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
Regarding pillar 3, work is progressing on the preparation of plans for the development of each national cultural institution to 2022, as well as a five-year capital investment programme for the culture and heritage sector.
I thank the Minister. We will come back to her.
I am sure the Minister will appreciate it is my job on the Opposition benches to interrogate and investigate how progress is being made. My biggest concern, as it would be for anyone in the artistic community, is implementation. It would be fair to say the Creative Ireland programme was launched in the glitziest way possible. The Department held a roadshow that possibly hit every county in the country, and I had the pleasure of attending it in Cavan and Monaghan. To me, it was very much a marketing and public relations exercise and many of the related statements were quite vague. I want to see the exact actions we are talking about. I know the Minister has touched on some of them. Perhaps we could talk a little about the arts in education pillar. One of the Minister's commitments is that every child in Ireland will be able to access music, drama and the visual arts. Most of our local authorities in this day and age are already doing that. Our ETBs are already doing so. It is nice to see that being brought together in a coherent way but much of that work was already being done. We have the arts in education charter, which was launched in 2013. There was a commitment in it to the local arts in education partnerships. Perhaps the Minister could talk to us a little about the actual implementation of that charter.
I am glad to say a lot of progress has been made, especially on pillar 1, which concerns enabling the creative potential of every child. We have had the teacher-artist training programme, which has been rolled out and extended to provide training for the largest number of teachers this year. Six centres in 2013 rolled out that arts in education training. It has now gone right across to all 21 education training centres. I was in Scoil Éanna in Ballybay only a couple of weeks ago and two teachers there had availed of the training and they are very much looking forward now to the next stage of it, which is the implementation of the creative children plan. That will be launched very shortly. We are working with the Departments of Education and Skills and Children and Youth Affairs in developing this further. This is the first time three Departments, the Arts Council and the national cultural institutions have all come together to develop and implement the plan. It is very important. Many things happened as part of Culture Night, which is getting very popular right across the country. There were loads of events in every single county this year. We are continuing to expand what we have but it is also very important that we all work together. It is a matter of engaging more children and more communities in the arts, and that is what this plan, Creative Ireland, is about. It is about working on a collaborative basis.
One thing I feel very strongly about, and which I have seen in the arts, is duplication. I would not want to see any duplication through what the Minister proposes to do in Creative Ireland of anything already in existence. For example, there are cultural teams and a cultural director of each local authority. I question whether there is a difference between them and what the arts officer already in place is doing. It is important to have a coherent approach to library services, museums and visual arts officers. However, is there a duplication between cultural teams and cultural officers of what arts officers were already doing in their county development plans and in their own jobs? I would have assumed it would have been part of their remit to feed in with the heritage officer, the librarians and so on as well.
The Minister mentioned her proposal and plan for the development of each national cultural institution and its plan for 2022. Again, I would be very surprised if all the national cultural institutions were not already doing that and I would be surprised to think that was something new that they had to think about, not something that was already part of their role and remit and already implemented.
Finally, I ask the Minister in all her endeavours to ensure that arts education is made a priority.
Is any progress being made on the local arts and education partnerships, particularly as they are hugely important? We must not have duplication of schemes that already exist and are up and running.
The Deputy is absolutely right that we do not want to see duplication. That is why, in 2016, many of the different arms of local authorities came together for the first time. We had the 2016 commemorative co-ordinators, an initiative that worked extremely well. I went back out to meet the different stakeholders in the local authorities and what they said to me was that they - the arts officers, the museum curators, the heritage officers and the different sections within the authorities - had worked together for the first time. This is a legacy programme from 2016. We have the creative co-ordinators working within the local authorities, working with communities and working with all of the different officers. They are all working together and the creative co-ordinator may at times be the arts officer, the museum curator or the heritage officer.
I met them all yesterday. They were meeting over two days at the National Concert Hall to consider their plans going forward. They are all very excited about this and they think it is the right way in terms of getting more engagement with the arts, first, through enabling the creative potential of children and, second, through community. They are all working collaboratively. The Deputy is exactly right when she says she does not want to see duplication, and that is why they are doing this together. We are, of course, working very closely with the Arts Council as well.
37. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Peadar Tóibín den Aire Cultúir, Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta an bhfuil sé ar intinn aici bualadh le haon eagraíocht Ghaeltachta sa todhchaí agus cathain go díreach a dhéanfaidh sí é seo. [40763/17]
I will take this question in English because I want the senior Minister to answer, if possible. Irish is a massive part of our heritage. It is rich in vibrant history, literature and thought, and it is as rich as the language of any country in Europe. It is a key part of the diversity of this planet. Language is a structure of thought and if we lose those structures of thought, the world is a poorer place as a result. Irish can be part of our future. Thousands of families are struggling to raise their families through Irish but they are meeting a State that enforces compulsory English on them. In other words, it does not allow them to fulfil their everyday lives in their chosen language. That language, Irish, and the Gaeltacht are key elements of the Minister's political responsibility in her Department. To date, as I understand it from a reply to a parliamentary question to the Department, the Minister has met just two Gaeltacht organisations, one of them at a drop-in event in Buswells Hotel, which was a half-hour meeting. Unless the senior Minister responsible for an issue is fully enveloped in all of the complexities of the issue, it is impossible for that senior Minister to make those arguments at the Cabinet table and to fight for the funding that is necessary - the funding that the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, and I have discussed. What steps will the Minister take to envelop herself in the work of those community organisations, which are just waiting to engage with her?
I wish to assure the Deputy that, during my years as Minister with responsibility for the Gaeltacht, I have met various Gaeltacht organisations on numerous occasions. I work very closely with the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, and he meets them on a regular basis, which is part of his delegated responsibility.
In terms of the budget, of course we will be making the case for funding. The Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, and I work as a team on that and we will both go together to make the case for increased funding for the entire Department.
Conradh na Gaeilge, which will be celebrating its heritage in the coming years, has stated that it has asked for a meeting with the Minister and, so far, it has been refused a meeting. I received a reply to a parliamentary question which states that the Minister has only met two Gaeltacht organisations since coming to office. One of those was a meeting with Údarás na Gaeltachta and the other was a drop-in event with Conradh na Gaeilge in Buswells Hotel.
I was in Gaoth Dobhair a couple of weeks ago and met with a comharchumann there and I also met with a comhar cumann in Corca Dhuibhne in the west Kerry Gaeltacht. They could outline to the Minister in 15 minutes the infrastructure of the language networks that exist in the Gaeltacht. They could very quickly tell her where policy could be changed and where the funding that would make all the difference could be focused.
We mentioned, in the previous debate, the issues relating to the Irish language plans for the Gaeltacht. The former Minister of State, Dinny McGinley, told us this was going to be the saviour of the language in the Gaeltacht. Yet, after the massive amount of work they have done on the matter, the relevant people in the Gaeltacht are telling me that they are so depressed by the Government's devaluing of their work, they are willing to throw the plans in question into the bin. I am not exaggerating. They are so disappointed by the effort on the part of, and level of funding provided by, the Government in respect of these language plans that they are demotivated from taking the plans any further.
Chuir an Teachta an cheist trí Ghaeilge. Bhí a fhios aige go mbeadh an freagra trí-----
Chuir mé an cheist ar an Aire sinsearach.
Táimse freagrach as an teanga, as an Ghaeltacht agus as na hoileáin.
Is í sin an fhadhb.
Bhí an ceist agam, agus tá sí agamsa.
Is í sin an fhadhb.
Ní fadhb í.
Is fadhb í mar chuir mé ar an Aire í.
Ní fadhb í. D'éist mé leis an Teachta agus tá mise ag caint anois. Tá rudaí dearfacha i gceantair na Gaeltachta agus tá rudaí dearfacha taobh amuigh den Ghaeltacht agus sa Tuaisceart fosta. Tháinig suas le 100 duine go dtí mo pharóiste féin i rith an tsamhraidh chun ranganna Gaeilge a dhéanamh. Tá rudaí thar a bheith dearfach ann. Bhí mise i Sord ar maidin agus chas mé leis na daoine óga agus na leanaí istigh i mbunscoil i Sord. Tá suas le 600 leanaí sa scoil ag labhairt Gaeilge. Chomh maith leis sin, tá dualgais ollmhóra orm maidir leis an Ghaeilge agus an teanga. Chas mise le Conradh na Gaeilge nuair a tháinig mé isteach sa phost úr i mbliana. Beidh mé ag casadh leis na daoine uilig. Bhí cúpla cruinnithe agam an tseachtain atá thart i nGaillimh. Tá mé i gcónaí ag casadh le daoine timpeall na tíre agus istigh sa Ghaeltacht. Níl sé ceart bheith ag caint fadúda na gnéithe diúltacha faoin teanga i gcónaí. Ní fheicim na rudaí diúltacha. Feicim na rudaí dearfacha. Feicim na deiseanna. Feicim na féidearachtaí sa Ghaeltacht. Tá muidne sa tír in áit difriúil faoin teanga. Tá na rudaí dearfacha ann. Tá an spreagadh ag dul ar aghaidh fosta. Níl an tiomantas i gceist fosta maidir leis na tuismitheoirí. Cinnte, tá acmhainní i gceist i gcónaí agus feicim an díospóireacht sin, ach tá an Roinn Oideachas agus Scileanna agus mo Roinn féin freagrach as an teanga, Tá mé ag obair go cóngarach le mo chomhghleacaí, an tAire, an Teachta Heather Humphreys. Bhí cruinniú againn i gContae Mhuineacháin cúpla seachtain ó shin agus bhíomar ag caint faoin teanga agus faoi Éire Ildánach. Beidh an teanga fite fuaite sa chúig pháirt den togra sin an bhliain seo chugainn. Tá mise ag leanúint ar aghaidh le bliain na Gaeilge 2018. Bhí comhrá dearfach agam leis na heagraíochtaí maidir leis sin cúpla seachtain ó shin agus b'fhéidir go mbeidh comhpháirtíocht agus comhráite dearfacha de dhíth maidir leis sin. I gconaí, tá rudaí dearfacha ann agus tá an teanga ag dul ó neart go neart.
I am going to continue in English in view of the fact that I addressed this question to the senior Minister. The answer is in the words "senior" and "junior". Irish is not a junior issue; it is a senior issue. The Minister of State mentioned there are many wonderful things happening in respect of the Irish language throughout the country and I agree with him. However, the critical indicator of success is the number of people who stated on their census forms that they speak the language in the Gaeltacht and outside of the Gaeltacht. According to the figures, that number is crumbling.
I spoke to an Irish language education expert. She told me that there are 800 children in the primary education sector who come from Irish-speaking families in the whole of the Gaeltacht. That shows the thread on which language as a community language exists. Unless we have the Irish language spoken as a community language, it loses all its richness and it is not a daily experience.
The Minister of State mentioned Gaelscoileanna. Some 25% of the parents of this country want Gaelscoil education for their children yet just 5% currently receive it. Within the Department of Education and Skills there is no mechanism for an English language school to flip to become an Irish language school. If it is a Catholic school, the Department would help it become a secular school, which is fine, but there is no mechanism within the Department to allow an English language school to become a Gaelscoil, despite the fact 20% of parents are being refused the type of education they would select for their children.
There is a number of schemes, as the Minister of State has outlined, for promoting the Irish language. I am particularly interested in promoting the Irish language in areas that are not Gaeltacht areas, which the Deputy will appreciate, as well as giving supports to the Gaeltacht areas. For example, we were able to support an Irish scheme which was a two week summer school for young people and it was all done as Gaeilge. I visited them in my county. It is a great initiative. The children were engaging in culture, games and all through Irish. It was wonderful. I believe that we need to have more of those types of initiatives, especially the Gaelbhratach programme in schools. This is where people use Irish every day in normal school life. This is important.
How many schools are involved in that?
I do not have the figures to hand but I know that it is very much promoted and that Members have all attended events in our local schools where the schools have achieved that standard. This is important. I feel strongly that it is about integrating Irish language throughout our everyday lives. That is what we want to do and we want to see more of that. Through the Creative Ireland programme we will have Irish right across it because it is so much part of our culture and our heritage. Deputy Tóibín can rest assured that the Irish language is very much considered such an important part of my Department's work. We will continue to work to promote the language, to encourage more people to use it and to engage in it.
38. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the action she has taken to secure a collection (details supplied) and prevent some or all of it going abroad; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40764/17]
What has the Minister done to preserve this important collection for the Irish people?
I thank Deputy Burton for raising this. I know the Deputy has the written reply to her question. I understand that the auction in London is about to conclude, or has just concluded, in respect of the W.B. Yeats collection. The Deputy will appreciate that I have been constrained in what I could say up until now as it is the long-standing policy of the State not to comment one way or another on items that may be coming up for auction.
I am now happy to confirm that I was able to support the National Library of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland in acquiring a number of items in advance of the auction in London today. In July this year I agreed to provide funding of up to €500,000 to the National Library of Ireland to assist in the acquisition of more than 500 letters between W.B. Yeats and his wife, George Yeats. These letters were withdrawn from auction as a result.
I also provided €150,000 to the National Museum of Ireland to assist in the acquisition of such items as the National Museum of Ireland deemed appropriate, including furniture and other artifacts. This support is in addition to the €518,000 I provided in December 2016 to the National Library of Ireland to assist in the purchase of ten signed letters from James Joyce to W.B. Yeats, the Dream Diary of W.B. Yeats's wife George and the Yeats family library.
Alongside these purchases the National Library of Ireland will also announce the forthcoming donation by the Yeats family of the remaining Yeats family archive and items that are currently on loan to the National Library of Ireland for its W.B. Yeats exhibition. These donations will be made under section 1003 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997. This refers to the tax relief available for donors of important national heritage items to the Irish national collections. The donation by the family in 2016 of W.B. Yeats's Nobel prize medal and certificate, along with a further donation of material that is currently being finalised, will have a total value of almost €2.5 million. It will mean that over the last few years the State has acquired material from the Yeats family collection amounting to a total of more than €4 million.
Does the Minister not feel regret and embarrassment at the fact that a key part of Ireland's literary, artistic and cultural history has been sold off to the highest bidder through a London auction room? I recognise the enormous generosity of the Yeats family to Ireland and especially to the National Library of Ireland next door, where Yeats spent a lot of his time.
Yeats spoke of the "fumble in a greasy till". The Minister has thrown out €500,000 here and so on, and there is the value of donations given to the State by the Yeats family. From listening to the Minister's earlier replies she has said she is interested in promoting creativity in the arts. There is no one in the pantheon of Irish writers who speaks more to the whole world than W.B. Yeats. Yet the Minister has presided over a situation where the shameful auction in London is just about to conclude, and for lack of €2 million, which was the reserve price put on the auction contents, the Minister did little or nothing. We can thank her for the bits and pieces she has managed to save but could she not be moved by people such as Michael Longley, Marie Heaney and others who asked the Minister to think again and do this? As Minister she is responsible.
Thanks to the €4 million investment by the State, all of which is taxpayers' money be it in tax concessions or direct purchase, Ireland has the single biggest Yeats collection in the world, and rightly so. By any standards €4 million is a very significant investment. The National Library of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland have the expertise to ensure that the most significant items were purchased. These items will now form part of the national collection of our cultural institutions so that future generations will be able to enjoy them. It is important to remember that this is taxpayers' money we are talking about. As much as I would like it I do not have an endless pot of gold in my Department. The Deputy is aware that there are competing pressures and there are a lot of very worthy cases for funding. We must prioritise them to ensure we can support as many of them as possible. This is very good news today because Ireland has acquired some very important items to add to our existing W.B. Yeats collection.
Did the Minister discuss this or raise it with the Taoiseach or her colleagues around the Cabinet table? The Minister speaks of not having a pot of gold, but I am sure she is very well versed in W.B. Yeats's contribution to Ireland. The Minister wants to be so crude as to measure in money the value of W.B. Yeats to practically every man, woman and child in Ireland, along with other distinguished writers, but it is part of what we are as Irish people. The Minister has presided over the collection being scattered to the four winds with respect to our national patrimony and our legacy from W.B. Yeats, who was a Member of the Oireachtas as was his son who was a distinguished Member on behalf of the Fianna Fáil for a long period of time. Did the Minister discuss this with her Cabinet colleagues? Did the Minister have a face to face discussion with the Taoiseach? The Minister spoke earlier, and she will again, of promoting Ireland's creativity. What country would have allowed this? In 100 years' time people around the world will still know the name and the work of W.B. Yeats. A very distinguished list of people who have given a vast amount to the arts in Ireland wrote an open letter to the Minister. Was she not moved by any of that or does it all just come down, as Yeats himself said, to the "fumble in a greasy till"?
The Deputy is well aware that I have responsibility in this Department and it is my job to make these decisions. Over the past nine months I have been working with the National Library of Ireland and the National Museum of Ireland to ensure the purchase of significant items from the Yeats family collection. Those items are of research and exhibition value.
The items acquired were identified by both institutions, which are expert in this field. I worked with them. They identified the items they wanted to purchase and we were able to provide funding directly and via the tax incentive. This is a wonderful day given that we were able to acquire this.
The Minister should be ashamed, actually.
We have the largest Yeats collection in the world. As I know the Deputy is well aware, there is a wonderful exhibition on Yeats in the National Library to which it will be possible to add from today. The National Museum has also acquired pieces and the OPW was looking at others. We have all been working together. An investment of €4 million over the past two years is not insignificant by any measure.
