SEANAD ÉIREANN

Fógra Tairisceana: Notice of Motion:

1. “Go n-aithníonn Seanad Éireann: That Seanad Éireann recognises that:

Seirbhísí Poiblí Public Services Seirbhísí Stáit sa Ghaeltacht State Services in the Gaeltacht

- gur chóir don Stát cur chuige - the State should adopt an exemplary eiseamláireach teanga a ghlacadh i leith approach to language in terms of the soláthar seirbhísí sa Ghaeltacht, rud a provision of its services in the Gaeltacht léireodh go soiléir a thiomantas d’úsáid that would clearly demonstrate its agus do stádas na Gaeilge sna ceantair commitment to the use and the status of sin; the Irish language in those areas;

- chun an méid sin a bhaint amach gur - in order to achieve this, effect should be chóir éifeacht a thabhairt d’fhoráil given to a statutory provision that would reachtúil a cheanglódh Gaeilge ar a dtoil require officials who are based in the a bheith ag oifigigh Stáit a bhíonn Gaeltacht or engaged in the provision of lonnaithe, nó i mbun soláthar seirbhísí community-focused services in the pobal-dírithe, sna ceantair Ghaeltachta; Gaeltacht to be fluent in Irish;

- gur chóir freisin go gcuirfí na tacaíochtaí - the appropriate language supports teanga cuí ar fáil sna réimsí oibre nó should also be provided in those areas of gairme sin lena mbaineann sainscileanna work or occupations which involve faoi leith agus a bhféadfadh dúshlán a particular specialist skills and could bheith ann daoine a mbeadh an inniúlacht pose a challenge to recruiting people chuí sa Ghaeilge acu a earcú ina leith; with the appropriate competence in Irish;

- go n-aithníonn an Rialtas an ghéarchéim - the Government recognises the crisis in atá sa Ghaeltacht, ó thaobh mheath na the Gaeltacht, as regards the decline of Gaeilge agus bánú pobail de. Tá sé the Irish language and depopulation. riachtanach go dtabharfar faoi fheachtas There is a need for an intervention tarrthála bunaithe ar an obair atá ar siúl campaign based on the work being done ag na pobail Ghaeltachta agus go by the Gaeltacht communities and that dtabharfaidh gach roinn stáit tacaíocht every State department gives full iomlán don obair seo; support to this work;

Seirbhísí Stáit i gCoitinne State Services Generally - gur cheart soláthar na seirbhísí stáit inár - the provision of State services in our dteanga dúchais a éascú de réir an stádais native language should be facilitated in a bhronntar ar an nGaeilge i mBunreacht line with its status in the Irish na hÉireann, mar an teanga náisiúnta Constitution as the national language agus príomhtheanga oifigiúil na tíre; and the first official language of the country;

- thar aon ní eile, go mbraitheann soláthar - more than any other measure, the seirbhísí atá ar chomhchaighdeán trí provision of services through Irish at an Ghaeilge ar líon leordhóthanach daoine le Gaeilge a bheith fostaithe sa tseirbhís equivalent standard depends on the phoiblí. Dá réir sin, is cóir go socrófaí availability of adequate numbers of caighdeáin seirbhíse trí Ghaeilge, i ngach employees with Irish in the public cuid den earnáil phoiblí, bunaithe ar service. Accordingly, standards of mhúnla na tairisceana gníomhaí agus go service through Irish should be dtabharfaí feidhm reachtúil don mhéid established, for all sections of the public sin. Tá sé riachtanach leis go mbunófaí sector, based on the active offer model córas earcaíochta chun a chinntiú go and this should be given statutory force. mbeidh líon cuí fostaithe le hinniúlacht It is also essential that a recruitment sa Ghaeilge ag obair sa tseirbhís phoiblí system be established which ensures ionas gur féidir na caighdeáin sin a that an appropriate cohort of employees bhaint amach; with competence in Irish are employed in the public service so that these standards can be achieved;

Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Oideachas Gaeltacht Education and Irish-medium Lán-Ghaeilge Education - ó bunaíodh an Stáit, go bhfuil an córas - since the establishment of the State, the oideachais i gcroílár na n-iarrachtaí chun education system has been at the heart ár dteanga dúchais a tharchur ó ghlúin go of efforts to transmit our native glúin. Ba cheart go dtacófaí leis na language from generation to generation. hiarrachtaí chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun The efforts to promote the Irish cinn sa chóras oideachais– language in the education system should be supported by–

- trí bheartas Stáit a fhorbairt i leith - the development of a State policy for oideachas lán-Ghaeilge chun Irish-medium education that aitheantas a thabhairt do chearta recognises the rights of parents to tuismitheoirí go bhfaigheadh a leanaí have their children receive education oideachas trí Ghaeilge más mian leo through Irish where they so wish; sin;

- trí sholáthar comhionann agus ar - providing equally for Gaeltacht chomhchaighdeán a chur ar fáil do schools and Irish-medium schools in scoileanna Gaeltachta agus scoileanna terms of facilities, learning supports, lán-Ghaeilge ó thaobh áiseanna, training supports and administrative tacaíochtaí foghlama, tacaíochtaí supports of an equivalent standard; oiliúna agus tacaíochtaí riaracháin de;

- trína chinntiú gurb ann do líon - ensuring that there is a sufficient leordhóthanach múinteoirí le Gaeilge, supply of teachers with Irish and to agus go mbunófaí cúrsa oiliúna establish a full-time training course lánaimseartha dírithe ar oiliúint a chur aimed at training teachers to teach ar mhúinteoirí maidir le teagasc a through Irish; thabhairt trí Ghaeilge;

Maoiniú Údarás na Gaeltachta agus Funding of Údarás na Gaeltachta and Fhoras na Gaeilge Foras na Gaeilge - gur chóir go mbeadh maoiniú Údarás na - that funding of Údarás na Gaeltachta Gaeltachta agus Fhoras na Gaeilge ar and Foras na Gaeilge would be chomhchéim (i gcomhthéacs an réimse equivalent (in the context of the range dualgas) le maoiniú na bhforas stáit eile a of duties) to the funding of other State bhíonn ag plé leis na réimsí céanna institutions which deal with the same forbartha - mar shampla, leis an areas of development. For example, the nGníomhaireacht Forbartha Tionscail i IDA in the case of Údarás na gcás an Údaráis, agus leis an gComhairle Gaeltachta and the Arts Council in the Ealaíon i gcás Fhoras na Gaeilge. I case of Foras na Gaeilge. In the context gcomhthéacs na ndeacrachtaí atá ag an of the difficulties with the Executive in bhFeidhmeannas i dTuaisceart Éireann the North and how this is hindering the agus an bac atá á chur acu sin ar fhorbairt development of Foras na Gaeilge and an Fhorais agus ar fhorbairt na Gaeilge the Irish language, that Foras na ba chóir struchtúr nua a chruthú don Gaeilge would be given a new structure Fhoras chun nach ndéanfar dochar don so that the Irish language would not Ghaeilge de dheasca na srianta atá ar suffer as a result of the current Fhoras na Gaeilge faoi láthair. restrictions on Foras na Gaeilge.

Go dtugann Seanad Éireann dá aire: That Seanad Éireann notes:

- tacaíocht an Taoisigh agus an Rialtais do - the Taoiseach’s and the Government’s Bhliain na Gaeilge, 2018; support for Bliain na Gaeilge 2018;

- go bhfuil go leor oibre fós le déanamh - that there is still a lot of work to do in chun ár dteanga dúchais a chur chun order to progress our native language.” cinn.

– Na Seanadóirí Pádraig Ó Céidigh, , Gerard P. Craughwell, Joan Freeman, , Michael McDowell, Brian Ó Domhnaill, , , Kevin Humphreys, Gerald Nash, David Norris, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, , , , , , Alice-Mary Higgins, Colette Kelleher, Grace O’Sullivan. [23 Márta, 2018]