Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 December 2009
244 Deputy Brian Hayes asked the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs the number of reports, documents and memos in his Department that have been translated into Irish since the commencement of the 30th Dáil; if he will give a breakdown of the reports and the cost per document of the translation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47551/09]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince my Department was established in June 2002, its policy has been to ensure that customers, both external and internal, who wish to conduct their business through a choice of Irish or English are facilitated. Accordingly, expenditure on translation, as required, to facilitate the delivery of this commitment to the principles of Quality Customer Service, is met, and will continue to be met, from our normal administrative budget.
The Deputy will be aware that Irish is the normal business language in a number of my Department's Divisions. Given the large number of reports, documents and internal memos that would have been produced in Irish, or translated into Irish, during the period in question, it is not possible to readily identify and separate out all documents referred to by the Deputy. Furthermore, it is not feasible to separately identify those documents which incurred a translation cost as many staff in my Department are in a position to provide Irish and English translation services, as required, at no extra cost.
The compilation and collation of the detailed information sought in the Question would require a considerable amount of research, which I do not consider feasible or justified in the circumstances. If, however, the Deputy has any specific query relating to a particular document or documents, I would be glad to seek to provide him with relevant information if he wishes to provide the necessary details. In the meantime, I can confirm that the total amount spent on translation (including translations to and from Irish and English) since 14 June 2007, when the 30th Dáil commenced, was approximately €123,000.
