Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 May 2004
93 Mr. O’Shea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if her Department has prepared an estimate of the cost to her Department of implementing the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13561/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe implementation of the Official Languages Act, 2003 will have an impact on expenditure under a number of subheads of my Department's Vote. My Department has not prepared an estimate of the total cost of the implementation of the Act. However, the full implementation of the Act has the potential to double the 2004 provisions of expenditure for the advertising budget of €390k and the publishing budget of €580k. These figures do not include expenditure under translation costs, interpretation costs and Irish language training where estimates of expenditure have yet to be made.
94 Mr. O’Shea asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if estimates have been prepared by the public bodies funded by her Department in regard to the cost of implementing the provisions of the Official Languages Act 2003; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13576/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraSection 11 of the Official Languages Act 2003 provides that public bodies have a duty to prepare a statutory scheme detailing the services they will provide through the medium of Irish, English and bilingually, and the measures to be adopted to ensure that any service not currently provided by the body through the medium of the Irish language will be so provided.
Section 12 provides that guidelines will be prepared to assist public bodies in the preparation of those schemes.
Guidelines are currently being drafted by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, and have not yet been finalised. Statutory schemes will be prepared by each public body funded by my Department only after the guidelines have been published, and the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs has been in direct communication with the heads of those public bodies in the matter.
Once the guidelines have been published and statutory schemes have been prepared, it will be possible to more accurately estimate the impact and cost implications of the Official Languages Act 2003 on the public bodies funded by my Department.
