The government has rolled out a nation-wide strategy aimed at improving the use of the Irish language in state services. The groundbreaking National Plan for Irish Language Public Services, formed to honour the objectives of the Official Languages (Amendment) Act, 2021, ensures that a minimum of 20% of public sector hires will be fluent in Irish by 2030. Moreover, all public services within the Gaeltacht region will transpire in Irish. Also, novel standards of language proficiency will be enacted across the public service sector.
A procurement process poised to initiate, underpins a significant initiative taken by Údarás na Gaeltachta and the Department of Public Expenditure, aimed at the creation of an Irish language artificial intelligence tool by 2026.
Thomas Byrne, Minister for State for the Gaeltacht, during his address at the Government Buildings on Wednesday, stated that the ethnolinguistic rights of Irish speakers and services in Irish will see significant enhancement thanks to the newly-announced plan. The plan, he elaborated, ensures that citizens in the Gaeltacht can avail all public services in Irish. Moreover, all Irish speakers, including ones outside the Gaeltacht like himself, can interact with the State in Irish.
The plan is poised to recognise and guide public bodies on delivering services not currently offered in Irish. Information about the necessary language proficiency level for service delivery will be shared using a system known as the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
Mr Byrne highlighted the current limitation of not being able to converse in Irish at a Government office and explained that this strategy will ensure fluent communication in Irish when interacting with state services such as health service, social protection, and the tax service.
“We must commit ourselves to our primary official language, which has been emphasized over the years by the actions carried out under the Official Languages Act. This clearly reflects our government’s commitment.
Undoubtedly, this is of fundamental significance, not as a forceful imposition of a language, but as a means to provide the right for individuals to adopt and utilise Irish in their day-to-day communication with the State,” he expressed.
Byrne highlighted that the blueprint would open the door to job prospects for individuals proficient in Irish.
“It’s not just about employing the Irish language, but also recognising it as a concrete asset when job hunting. I have total confidence that the private sector will rally behind this initiative led by the State,” he added.