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Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 16 Dec 1931

Vol. 15 No. 4

Housing (Gaeltacht) (Amendment) Bill, 1931 (Certified Money Bill)—Committee Stage.

There is one question that I wanted to ask the Minister. It has been represented to me that Section 11 of the Principal Act, in sub-section (3), bears rather hardly on some people. Very often there are houses which have been divided and there are two families living in the one house. One may have a knowledge of Irish while next door the people, through no fault of their own, may have been partly anglicised. They say that considerable differentiation is being made between these two cases, some of them in the Minister's own district. I know that the Minister's main object in administering this Bill is to see that the very poor, quite regardless of anything else, get equal treatment in the matter. I do not want him or the House to think that this is in any way an attack on the teaching of the Irish language. The section states:

"In the making of building grants and improving grants the Minister shall give a preference to the occupiers of dwelling-houses in which the Irish language is habitually used as the home language of the house hold."

Of course, that is really quite all right, but I think the greatest leniency should be exercised and that the actual physical condition of the people should be considered. I hope the Minister will be able to tell us that in the allocation of this new £100,000 he will bear that in mind.

He cannot unless he amends the original Act.

First of all, the Act is the Gaeltacht Act, and the present £100,000 will be administered in the same way as the original £250,000, but, in fact, I would be very much surprised to hear that in the case of two adjoining houses in the Gaeltacht area such differentiation would be made without, at least, some opportunity being given to those who did not receive the grant to give a guarantee that Irish would be, as far as possible, the spoken language in the house for the future. That is a question that usually arises. It is not a question that they do not know Irish. You have two houses side by side in the Gaeltacht area. In one house Irish is the spoken language; in the other house Irish may be spoken. We have made a provision in dealing with cases of that kind. In various parts of the country cases of the kind have been brought before me.

The attitude I have always taken is this: that in such areas a simple form is submitted. If the tenants sign it what it amounts to is that they will try, as far as possible, to speak Irish in the household in future. In that case I would ordinarily give sanction. The Senator is not quite right in saying that my attitude is that I must always think of the poor. I am governed by the Act and the Act specifies certain electoral areas.

Within these areas, and especially within the areas of the Fior-Ghaeltacht, where you have the greatest poverty, I agree that my attitude is largely governed by the poverty rather than by the amount of Irish spoken in the house. It is for that reason I have myself ordained that such a form should be introduced to give these people an opportunity of coming within it. Usually it is not a question of their not being able to speak Irish. It is a question that they do not. This provision that I have made has a very good effect on the speaking of the Irish language in houses where they had ceased to use it.

Would the Minister tell us whether he is satisfied that the original Act has been a success?

Yes, entirely.

Sections 1 and 2 agreed to.
Title agreed to.
Bill ordered to be reported.
The Seanad went out of Committee.
Bill reported without amendment.
Ordered: That the Report Stage be taken on Thursday, 17th December, 1931.
The Seanad adjourned at 7.5 p.m. until Thursday, 17th December, at 3 p.m.
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