Dail Éireann · 2022-06-16
Part of Other Questions
4 contributions · 2 speakers · 700 words
103. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh den Aire Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe cén céimeanna atá glactha aige agus cén achmhainn bhreise atá curtha i leathaobh aige ó achtaíodh Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla chun na forálacha maidir le Gaeilgeoirí a earcú do 20% ar a laghad de na folúntais a chomhlíonadh roimh 2030; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [31336/22]
123. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the details of his Department’s work to date on the implementation of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021; if a representative of his Department has been appointed to the Irish languages services advisory committee to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30771/22]
Ba mhaith liom fiafraí den Aire Stáit cad atá déanta aige ó a ritheadh Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021 i mí na Nollag seo caite? Some of the actions that my Department and PAS are already taking to increase the number of fluent Irish speakers in the Civil Service include dedicated recruitment and promotion competitions targeted at Irish language speakers.
Since last summer, PAS has held general Civil Service competitions for individuals with fluency in Irish at clerical officer, executive officer, higher executive officer and principal officer levels. The outturn of these competitions reflects that the number of fluent Irish speakers applying to join the Civil Service, or otherwise declaring a fluency in Irish, remains low.
Built by scoring every sentence in the debate on how distinctive its language is, then quoting the highest-scoring ones back word for word and in the order spoken. Nothing is paraphrased or invented — if a sentence appears here, it was said in the chamber. Drawn from 700 words across 4 contributions by 2 speakers.
How often each word appears across the whole debate, ranked by how distinctive it is to it rather than common to all parliamentary language.
All 4 contributions, start to finish, in the order they were made.
Ba mhaith liom fiafraí den Aire Stáit cad atá déanta aige ó a ritheadh Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021 i mí na Nollag seo caite? Cén obair atá le déanamh laistigh dá Roinn chun déanamh cinnte de go mbeidh Gaeilgeoirí á earcú ag an leibhéal 20%?
Ba mhaith liom Ceisteanna Uimh. 103 and 123 a fhreagairt le chéile. Mar is eol don Teachta, tá spriocanna nua earcaíochta in Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla (Leasú), 2021. Chun na spriocanna seo a bhaint amach, tá ar gach Roinn sa Rialtas comhoibriú le chéile. This is against a backdrop, in line with the July 2019 audit findings of an Coimisinéir Teanga, whereby only 0.4% of posts are designated currently by Civil Service employers as being Irish-speaking posts.
The Act provides that within six months of the date of enactment, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media shall establish an Irish language services advisory committee. I understand that the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, is finalising the establishment of this committee. My Department shall be represented on this committee at principal officer level and I understand that the Public Appointments Service, PAS, has similarly nominated a principal officer to the committee. The functions of this committee are set out in the Act and include the preparation of a national plan, within two years of its establishment, to increase the provision of services through the medium of Irish as well periodic surveying of the number of Irish speakers employed by the public service. The work of this committee may include consideration of approaches to the future recruitment of Irish speakers.
Some of the actions that my Department and PAS are already taking to increase the number of fluent Irish speakers in the Civil Service include dedicated recruitment and promotion competitions targeted at Irish language speakers. Since last summer, PAS has held general Civil Service competitions for individuals with fluency in Irish at clerical officer, executive officer, higher executive officer and principal officer levels. The outturn of these competitions reflects that the number of fluent Irish speakers applying to join the Civil Service, or otherwise declaring a fluency in Irish, remains low. Another action being taken is to have Irish language training for existing civil servants. In addition to new hires, Irish language training courses continue to be made available to all existing civil servants via OneLearning, the learning and development centre for the Civil Service based in my Department. Close to 500 such enrolments for such courses took place in 2021, with a further 200 enrolments to date in 2022.
Rinneadh achtú ar an Acht seo i mí na Nollag. Ní bhaineann sé leis an Aire Stáit ach bhí an coiste comhairleach le bheith i bhfeidhm roimh na seachtaine seo chugainn. Tá seachtain ag an Aire, mar sin, an coiste comhairleach sin a bhunú agus tá gach rud bunaithe timpeall air sin. An príomhrud anseo ná gur spriocanna uaillmhianacha iad. Glacaimid leis sin ach is poist le Gaeilge iad gach uile post sa státseirbhís. Sin an t-athrú bunúsach a chaithfidh teacht agus ní fheicim ón mhéid atá ráite ag an Aire Stáit go bhfuil an t-athrú meoin sin tagtha sa Roinn seo nó in aon Roinn eile sa tír. The key issue is that there has been no change of mindset, which is required from the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, whereby every job in the Civil Service needs to be regarded as a job with Irish because 20% of all recruitments in the future to the Civil Service have to have a competency in Irish. That change has not happened and a lot more work needs to be done, not only in the Department but outside it as well.
Mar is eol don Teachta, tá deacrachtaí againn daoine a aimsiú a bhfuil Gaeilge líofa acu.
I accept we are not at 20% yet. We are still at the initial stages. The Minister, Deputy Martin, is setting up that committee. My Department will collaborate with her and we will do everything we can to meet what has recently been agreed in the Official Languages (Amendment) Act. If the Deputy has suggestions on how we could do it better, I am open to them.