Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am also named on amendment No. 8 so I might as well speak to it. The first thing I would note is something Deputy Ó Broin touched on. I have a level of disappointment that these are all grouped. It was a decision made somewhere along the line. It was decided that these are all the Gaeilge amendments so we will deal with them all in one go. As Deputy Ó Broin has said, what the amendments seek to do is quite multifaceted. They have quite a range of aims.

I will speak to amendment No. 8, which Deputy O'Callaghan and I put down. This is something which was discussed in depth during the discussions on Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla that Deputy Ó Snodaigh chaired at the coiste Gaeilge. It is about defining language competency. We say we should have language competency. If I applied for a job within the European Parliament, I would not be asked whether I consider myself competent or fluent, up, down or whatever. Instead, I would be asked to sit a test and to come back with a level within the common European framework. It is proposed here that we would adopt that common European framework through Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge. There is great work under way in Maynooth University to set out the conditions of this TEG. As I have said, it falls under the common European framework. It should be set at the B2 level. There has been discussion at the coiste Gaeilge as to what jobs would require that B2 level, the jobs in which a B1 would be fine and the jobs for which a person might need to progress to C1 level. There is a need not only in this legislation but across all legislation in the Houses that deal with issues of language competency to say more clearly what we mean and to make an objective measure available.

I do not know if the Chair intends to go through these amendments chronologically. In amendment No. 603, we talk about language impact statements and assessments. As has been mentioned before, some councils that have Gaeltachtaí within their areas do perform these language impact statements while others do not. It is very important to have a level of uniformity in that regard. Amendment No. 1036 has to do with planning and, more specifically, oral hearings. It affords native Irish speakers the right to have their oral hearing presided over by a chairperson who is competent in the Irish language and for it to be heard through Irish if the development is within the Gaeltacht. If the development is partly within the Gaeltacht, it provides for the hearing to be through either English or Irish. That is quite different from what the other amendments look at.

I am jumping around quite a bit now but, in amendment No. 1127, we are talking about the need for consistency in respect of limistéir phleanála teanga Ghaeilge and bailte seirbhíse Gaeltachta. It is about making sure this planning Bill, which is once-in-a-generation legislation, actually pays attention to other legislation that sets out what it is we are trying to preserve within our Gaeltacht areas. It makes reference to the need to protect the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Irish language. The Department is still sitting on work around coinníollacha teanga as they relate to planning conditions and language conditions within the Gaeltacht. That is very important work because many of the pressures being put on our Gaeltacht areas come from people from outside the Gaeltacht coming in, buying houses and not speaking Irish within the area. When that comes in, it is the death of a Gaeltacht.

Amendment No. 1129, which is the last of many pieces of paper I could come across, relates to consistency of the plan or a draft variation thereof with any language plan relating to the place agreed, pursuant to Acht na Gaeltachta, 2012.

Quite a number of these amendments are repetitious but I will repeat my initial disappointment. I fully expected those amendments that are repetitious to be grouped but to simply group all of the Gaeilge amendments together and say this is the Gaeilge bit is a disappointing approach from the Department.