Ní hé sin mo chúram. Baineann sé leis an Aire oideachais agus an Roinn oideachais.

Fad is atáimid ag caint faoi, tá sé tábhachtach a rá go bhfuil Gaeilge ag gach duine sa tír seo. Ba cheart go mbeimid in ann í a úsáid gan ghearán. Tá sé tábhachtach go mbeadh muinín ag daoine a gcuid Gaeilge a úsáid gan daoine a bheith ag magadh fúthu. Tá sí againn. Ba cheart go dtabharfadh daoine a bhfuil Gaeilge líofa acu seans do dhaoine nach bhfuil chomh líofa céanna a gcuid Gaeilge a úsáid agus a labhairt. Tá sé tábhachtach go gcuirfimid béim ar an nGaeilge ó bhéal. Is é sin ceann de na cúiseanna go bhfuil cú…

For over 30 years, LEADER has delivered tangible benefits to rural communities in areas such as economic development and job creation, rural infrastructure, social inclusion, environmental sustainability and, as we discussed, rural activities. Therefore, the development of the EU regulations relating to the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and the new national and regional partnership plans is a matter of significant importance to me and to my Department. Ireland will continue to advocate for a well-funde…

One cannot talk about LEADER cuts without also talking about the fact that a whole range of new programmes have been invested in, including RRDF, TVRS, RSS and CCIF. They are now in place but were not in place over many years of the LEADER programme. They fulfil many of the duties LEADER did. LEADER funding is not cut for next year. We will spend the full allocation during the programme. The remaining €180 million has been allocated for 2023 to 2027. That maintains the funding with the previous programme. I am conf…

I do not have the Waterford figures but the Cavan LEADER programme for 2023 to 2027 has an allocation of €6.37 million. There is €5.985 million for Monaghan. To date, under the 2023 to 2027 programme, 45 projects have been approved, 25 in Cavan and 20 in Monaghan to the value of €1.62 million in Cavan and €1.29 million in Monaghan. That funding continues but it is also in partnership with the other projects I mentioned. We have seen some of those projects in RSS, CCIF and RRDF. I will continue to work the Deputy an…

As the Deputy will be aware, Muintir Chrónáin is the lead organisation, which prepared the Clondalkin language plan approved in 2020. Annual funding of €96,000 is provided to the Irish Language Network to implement its language plan and to employ a full time Irish-language officer. Foras na Gaeilge continually monitors the implementation of specified actions in the Clondalkin language plan in its role as the organisation tasked with supporting and funding Muintir Chrónáin. Separately, it is intended that a review o…

Maidir le cúrsaí oideachais, ba chóir don Teachta ceisteanna a chur ar an Aire oideachais. Tá tuairimí suimiúla ag an Teachta ach ba cheart dó na tuairimí sin a phlé leis an Aire oideachais, an Teachta Hildegarde Naughton. Thug mé freagra maidir leis an méid atá ag tarlú le Gaeilge 365. Léiríonn sé sin an fuinneamh agus na cúrsaí nua atá ar bun chun an Ghaeilge a spreagadh. Táthar ag baint úsáid as na meáin shóisialta, as seirbhísí na gcomhairlí áitiúil i mBaile Átha Cliath, as seirbhísí daoine agus as leabhair. Ma…

Níl mórán disagreement eadrainn. Tá mé ag súil go mbeidh deis agam staidéar a dhéanamh ar cad atá ag tarlú sa Bhreatain Bheag go háirithe maidir le cúrsaí teanga agus fuinnimh. Caithfidh an Teachta a admháil go bhfuil fuinneamh ann i gcúrsaí Gaeilge ag an bpointe.

Mar a dúirt mé leis an Teachta McGuinness níos luaithe, tá sé ann de bharr obair na OPTs atá ar siúl agus an obair a bhí á plé againn atá ar siúl ag na daoine in Áras Chrónáin agus i ngach chuid den tír. Tá na daoine áitiúla atá ag plé le cúrsaí áitiúla ag cur rudaí ar siúl agus ag cur clár na Gaeilge ar siúl. Tá an fuinneamh sin ann mar gheall ar obair TG4, Raidió Rí-Rá, Conradh na Gaeilge, agus na heagraíochtaí Gaeilge a bhíomar ag plé níos luaithe faoi chúrsaí Fhoras na Gaeilge agus an t-airgead sin. Beidh an €2…

As the Deputy knows, the local improvement scheme, LIS, supports the improvement of rural roads and laneways that are not usually maintained by local authorities. Since its re-establishment in 2017, the Government has provided almost €184 million to local authorities under it. This funding has resulted in improvement work on nearly 5,000 roads, benefiting over 23,000 landowners and residents in rural areas. Once LIS allocations are made each year on a county basis, it is at the discretion of each the local authorit…

I thank the Deputy. We had a super day in Rylane and Kishkeam. I thank everybody for their welcome, including Deputy John Paul O’Shea, Deputy Aindrias Moynihan and the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan. There was a lot of really good progress in respect of the subject matter of the discussions we had here earlier. Cork County Council reported 175 LIS roads awaiting repair at the end of 2024. Fifty-one roads, including four island roads, have been repaired to date in 2025. Cork County Council is one of our …

I absolutely agree. We will try to get the allocations out early. Under the former Minister, Heather Humphreys, and under me and the current Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, where there were underspends in our capital area half way through the year, we put them in. That is why I was able to get the additional allocation. The initial allocation for 2026, which will be announced, is €17 million. I am confident we will be able to increase that. We will get it out early. I am confident, from engaging with my officia…

Go raibh maith ag an Teachta. Mar is eol dó, is grúpa eolais é Gaois i bhFiontar agus Scoil na Gaeilge in Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath. It comprises lecturers, researchers and postgraduate students. Gaois has received funding from my Department since 2027. I visited DCU just last month to see the great work it is doing. I was delighted to announce just over €4 million for Gaois for the next four years to help to significantly develop its major projects. The projects developed by Gaois are research and refer…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Muirí agus an Teachta Heneghan as an deis a thabhairt dom caint faoi Gaois. Bhí an mhaidin sin coicís ó shin in Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath iontach. Bhí fuinneamh agus suim sa seomra sin agus súil ar an ábhar freisin. Bhí siad ag úsáid na websites sin, dúchas.ie , logainm.ie , corpas.ie , canúint.ie agus ainm.ie . Tá siad ag cur súil ar an todhchaí agus tá tuiscint acu faoi chúrsaí intleacht shaorga, go háirithe na deiseanna atá ann le AI agus an teanga, agus na dúshláin …

Cuirfidh mé nóta go dtí an Teachta McGuinness. Tá sé láidir sa troid sin. Bhí an ócáid sin iontach. Mar a dúirt an Teachta, tá an togra seo tábhachtach ní hamháin do na mic léinn ollscoile ach freisin do mhuintir na teanga anseo agus go hidirnáisiúnta. Tá siad in ann staidéar a dhéanamh ar dúchas.ie , logainm.ie , corpas.ie , canúint.ie agus ainm.ie cibé cén áit ina bhfuil siad. Tá an LEX Project an-tábhachtach le haghaidh chúrsaí an EU ionas go mbeimid in ann na seirbhísí a chur ar fáil san EU, including translati…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Cahill as an gceist agus as an deis caint faoi CLÁR. The CLÁR programme provides funding under a number of different measures for small-scale infrastructural projects in designated rural areas. Measure 1 provides funding for community facilities and amenities and accounts for the vast majority of funding. Measure 2 provides funding for vehicles to support the transport of people with reduced mobility, community first responders and Meals on Wheels. Measure 3 is targeted at our islan…

I agree with the Deputy. We are concerned about rural depopulation and the inconsistency in population growth around the country. That will be a focus of the new version of Our Rural Future, which, as I said, is our scaffolding document for rural policies and programmes in Ireland. We have a draft document that is available for consultation at the moment. The deadline for consultation is 12 December and I encourage each Deputy to give a formal submission ahead of 12 December, which is tomorrow week. We want to addr…

I accept there is a challenge and I want to deal with. We will deal with it through Our Rural Future. I will certainly consider the Deputy's proposal in the context of the scaffolding that Our Rural Future will provide. I encourage him to engage with Kerry County Council in relation to a specific focused task force. I would be happy to engage with its proposals. I ask all local authorities in rural areas to engage with the Our Rural Future process by providing detailed submissions. The Minister of State, Deputy But…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht an cheist seo a ardú inniu. As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government commits to ensuring that Our Living Islands, which the national islands policy, is fully implemented to support sustainable development for island residents. Our Living Islands is a ten-year policy for the whole of Government backed up by rolling three-year action plans so the Departments and agencies across Government will be held accountable. This is a policy supporting communities in all of our …

I am absolutely focused on Roonagh at the moment and at how we can invest in it to make it more reliable and to make it climate proof in the context of the very changing weather. We have been working very closely with Mayo County Council to progress this. At the end of September I announced funding of over €157,000 for Mayo County Council to commence the development process and I want to acknowledge the Deputy's work in that space too. This funding has enabled Mayo County Council to appoint consultant engineers to …