I propose to take Questions Nos. 161, 162 and 163 together.
I propose to answer the following three Parliamentary Questions together: PQ23082, PQ23064 and PQ23046.
PQ23082:
Between 1 May 2021 to 30 April 2022:
- 5.44% of my Department’s social media posts on Twitter were videos, and all had closed captioning and or subtitling
- 7.9% of my Department’s social media posts on LinkedIn were videos, and all had closed captioning and or subtitling
- 0.53% of my Department’s social media on Facebook were videos, and all had closed captioning and or subtitling
PQ23064:
Between 1 May 2021 to 30 April 2022:
- 0.25% of my Department’s social media posts on Twitter were in languages other than Irish or English.
PQ23046:
Between 1 May 2021 to 30 April 2022:
- 4.04%% of my Department’s Twitter social media posts were exclusively in Irish or were featured as part of bilingual translations.
- 7.1% of my Department’s LinkedIn social media posts were exclusively in Irish or were featured as part of bilingual translations.
Separately, I have requested that the state agencies under the aegis of my Department provide the information requested and I will forward this to the Deputy once received.
My Department is fully committed to its 2019-2022 Irish Language Scheme, which was prepared in accordance with Section 15 of the Official Language Act 2003. The Scheme sets out in detail the extent to which services are currently available through Irish in my Department and identifies areas for future enhancement. The Scheme builds on the principles of Quality Customer Service and on the commitments in the Department’s Customer Charter and Customer Action Plan to ensure that customers who wish to conduct their business through Irish can do so either in writing, by telephone or in person.
In order to ensure that my Department is accessible and capable of engaging with all customers proficiently, Irish Language Training is provided by the Learning and Development Unit of the Department through OneLearning, the Civil Service Learning and Development Centre. This training is being delivered to ensure that the Department has a cohort of staff who can assist business units to respond to clients who may wish to communicate through the medium of Irish.
With regard to availability of forms in Irish, the existing commitments in the Department's Scheme include the publication simultaneously in Irish and English of documents setting out public policy proposals, audited accounts or financial statements, annual reports and strategy statements. In accordance with our Scheme, we take every opportunity in our day-to-day interactions with customers to promote the services we provide in Irish including making forms available bilingually and, where not available, engaging proactively with the customer to provide the services in Irish.
Many of the Agencies and Offices have developed their own Customer Charters, Customer Action Plans and Language Schemes, where appropriate.
