3 Noll 2013, 11:37
An Coimisinéir Teanga Seán Ó Cuirreáin will address the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions tomorrow afternoon to highlight his work in upholding the rights of Irish language speakers in accessing public services.
3 December 2013
He will brief the Committee on his Office’s 2012 Annual Report, which is accessible via www.coimisineir.ie.
The Office performs its main statutory functions by operating as an independent ombudsman’s office, as a compliance agency and as advisory body with regard to statutory language rights and duties. It serves as an official channel to deal with complaints from those who have experienced difficulties in accessing public services through the medium of Irish.
Chairman of the Committee Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD says: “This is a timely opportunity for our Committee to explore the work of Mr Ó Cuirreáin’s office. This annual report noted that ‘2012 was not a vintage year for the promotion of the Irish language in the public sector and for every one step forward there appeared to have been two steps backwards’. During the year, An Coimisinéir Teanga dealt with 756 cases of difficulties or problems accessing state services through Irish – the largest number of complaints from the public to the Office since its establishment.
“Mr Ó Cuirreáin notes in the report that the vast majority of these complaints are resolved informally. The Office initiated 13 investigations in 2012, including complaints into interaction with the Garda Síochána through Irish, road signs in the Ennis Town Council area not complying with statutory language obligations and the use of the Irish language on Ordnance Survey of Ireland maps.
“Another investigation concluded in 2012 related to the awarding of bonus marks for proficiency in Irish in internal competitions in the Department of Social Protection The Committee followed up on this investigation, meeting with representatives from the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, the Commission for Public Service Appointments and the Public Appointments Service last November. The meeting will afford the Committee an opportunity to assess how it can further support the work of the Office.”
This meeting will take place on Wednesday 4 December, in Committee Room 4 Leinster House 2000 at 4 p.m. It is expected that a large part of the meeting will be conducted through Irish.
Committee proceedings can be followed live here.
Media enquiries to:
Paul Hand,
Communications Unit,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4484
M: +353 87 694 9926
Committee Membership
Deputies: Richard Boyd Barrett, Michael Conaghan, Alan Farrell, Charles Flanagan, Noel Harrington, Michael Healy-Rae, Seamus Kirk, Michael Kitt, Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Chair), Michael McCarthy, Helen McEntee, Michelle Mulherin, Derek Nolan (Vice-Chair), Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Mick Wallace
Senators: Jimmy Harte, Tony Mulcahy, Trevor Ó Clochartaigh and Susan O’Keeffe