Brian O'Shea
Ceist:101 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the proposals he has to form a task force for the Irish language; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7739/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 9 March 2004
Ceisteanna (12)
Freagraí ó Béal (11 píosaí cainte)
As I announced recently, I intend to establish an Irish language advisory committee, coiste comhairleach na Gaeilge, and to appoint the members of the committee before Easter. The State and those organisations working with it to promote the Irish language should have a clear vision of their role and a practical plan which sets out their role in promoting the language.
The role of the advisory committee will be to advise me on the advisability of preparing a 20 year strategic plan with realistic goals for the Irish language in the State, the short-term strategic priorities for the preservation and promotion of the Irish language within the State, the priorities regarding the implementation of the Official Languages Act, and the best and most practical ways to achieve progress in the implementation of that work. Arising from that, it is hoped that there will be an integrated approach among the main community and State organisations that promote the Irish language.
The advisory committee will not prepare a report but will advise me on Irish language policy. I anticipate that the committee will also assist in bringing a greater degree of co-ordination to the work of the various parties engaged in supporting and promoting the Irish language.
I understand the Minister was present at Tóstal na Gaeilge in Galway recently where Dr. Peadar Ó Flatharta was quoted to the effect that the lack of a national policy meant the work of language maintenance had lost focus and energy. He said Government had to draft a national policy for the language and referred to the urgent need to rethink entirely the State's Irish language infrastructure. While I would normally welcome the establishment of an advisory committee or board, Dr. Ó Flatharta was looking for something more. He sought the establishment of a task force. A task force is given a task, which in this case should be to draft a new policy for the language.
With coiste comhairleach na Gaeltachta we found we were able to get the various players around a table. Not only did those who promoted ideas participate in putting them forward, they were also the players who would have to implement them. The danger with grandiose plans — and we have seen some of those in this House — is that while they may include everything, they may have been made without the engagement of the bodies who will have to deliver on them. I have been able to move forward so fast with the Coimisiúin na Gaeltachta report because I brought the players around the table when its implementation was being discussed.
My intention in this case is to establish the coiste comhairleach. Its members will be there to represent organisations rather than as individuals. I will try to get the key players around a table to provide a concerted view as to how we shall proceed. The national policy of successive Governments has been to extend the daily use of Irish. As we all know where we would like to be, the question is how to get there. While the coiste might not solve all our problems, it might give us some idea of the proper steps to be taken to achieve our goal.
While I acknowledge everything the Minister has said, there is an urgency about coming up with a national policy. The point Dr. Ó Flatharta made was that we should rethink the entire State infrastructure. It does not necessarily follow that those who are part of the current infrastructure should be the ones to draft a new policy. There is a great deal to be said for putting together a group which has a commitment to the language but whose members do not belong to the existing infrastructure. Clearly, the current structures have failed to deliver anything like what we would all like to see.
The committee will simply advise on policy. My Department will draft it as it is responsible for policy making. It is a good idea to obtain the advice and criticism of the various players to whom one will turn to implement a policy. While a policy drawn up on the basis of an academic exercise might be fantastic in theory, it may fail to recognise the limited nature of resources, focus and power. It is vital when drafting policy to take on board the views of the various players involved. The committee will be made up of representatives of the statutory agencies, including Foras na Gaeilge. We will also look to Irish language organisations for their input through Comhdháil Naisiunta na Gaeilge.
We will bring statutory and non-statutory bodies together and they will give their advice. The policy, however, must be drawn up by the Government, which has that responsibility.
While I acknowledge what the Minister is saying, I strongly put to him the view that the task force should draft a policy. The Government may then endorse, reject or amend it. A task force which introduces fresh thinking will yield the best result in terms of a draft policy. The task force should be set the objective of coming up with a draft policy within a certain time frame. The process the Minister has outlined this evening is one which will continue indefinitely while producing nothing original or worthwhile.
I find it strange that the Deputy should say that. I heard the same criticism when I established the coiste comhairleach na Gaeltachta to implement the recommendations of the report of Coimisiúin na Gaeltachta. I was checking yesterday and discovered that significant progress has been made on a great number of those recommendations.
All of us stand for election and some of us might remember when we did so for the first time. We all had policies and we were entering politics to implement new ideas.
That was 20 years ago.
It was not for me, thanks be to God.
Then the Minister's policies are old-fashioned.
We come to this House and then say we should switch off those ideas and ask someone who was not elected to think some up. While I am always open to new ideas, I entered this House because I already had ideas I wanted to act on. I can point to many ideas I had about the islands, Gaeltachtaí and Gaeilge which I have put into force since becoming Minister. My answer to Deputy O'Shea is that I entered politics to implement the ideas I picked up and which I put before the electorate. While I am open to a good idea from any source, be it a person on the street or a group, I became a politician to implement the vision my colleagues and I had for the country.