Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 January 2019
93. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the interactions his officials have had with representatives in Stormont regarding the Irish language Bill; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1580/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraRespect for linguistic diversity and the Irish language are important elements of the Good Friday Agreement. A number of elements of the Good Friday and St. Andrews Agreements have not yet been fully implemented, including an Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland. The Government’s firm position is that the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent Agreements must be implemented in full.
An Irish Language Act in Northern Ireland to be enacted by the British Government was provided for in the St. Andrews Agreement in 2006. Regrettably to date, there has been no agreement within the Executive to take forward what is now a devolved matter.
Successive Irish Governments have advocated in favour of an Irish Language Act and continue to do so.
In the Stormont House negotiations in late 2014, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and other Irish Government representatives sought that the commitment to an Irish Language Act would be honoured and implemented. Regrettably, it was not possible at the time to reach agreement for such an explicit undertaking.
Nevertheless, in the final text of the 2014 Stormont House Agreement, the two Governments, recalling commitments from previous Agreements, endorsed the need for respect for and recognition of the Irish language in Northern Ireland.
More recently, in the successive discussions at Stormont that took place between March 2017 and February 2018 to support the formation of a new Executive and the implementation of outstanding commitments from previous Agreements, the Government made consistently clear to the British Government and to all of the political parties our strong support for an Irish Language Act for Northern Ireland, as envisaged under the St. Andrews Agreement.
The Tánaiste continues to engage with the British Government and the leaders of the political parties in Northern Ireland to seek a way forward from the current impasse with a new political process that can secure the effective operation of the devolved institutions and the implementation of outstanding commitments from the Good Friday Agreement and subsequent Agreements.
The Government will also continue to support the Irish language on an all-island basis, including through financial support for the work of Foras na Gaeilge.
