“Lexicon: Assurance – confidence; asking – demand; reenvisioning – reimagining; deficiencies – gaps; dispensation – delivery; significant – important; driver document – driving licence; grievance – complaint.
It’s deeply necessary for civil service personnel to have sufficient skills in the language for the Irish linguistic society to entrust their faith to the services offered in the primary official language. That was the statement made by Language Commissioner Séamas Ó Concheanainn while discussing a report on his Office’s annual report, freshly released.
Ó Concheanainn, who commenced his duty last year, expressed that the induction of the novel Language Standards system should happen ‘immediately,’ to tackle the major deficiencies in the public services via Irish. The Commissioner suggested that the approach of dispensing public services via Irish needs a fresh perspective and ‘hub campuses’ play a crucial role in enhancing the quantity as well as the quality of services across the country.
He pointed out the necessity to resolve the “enormous deficiencies” in the digital domain and interactive services via Irish online. This has now become exigent since the authorities’ digital strategy (Government Integration 2030) plans to dispense 90 percent of pertinent public services online by 2030.
“Where does providing services through Irish online stand,” questioned Mr. Ó Concheanainn. “Numerous services have currently gone digital – your driver document, your international travel permit your welfare services card, they have all shifted online. Digital services are becoming increasingly noticeable and they often serve as the citizen’s initial touchpoint with a public body,” he added. He urged that the provision of interactive services in Irish language should be addressed without delay.
“In case the experience is delightful and the service in Irish matches the standard and pleasantly appeals like the English one, I am certain that it will increase the demand for public services via Irish considerably,” he mentioned.
Regrettably, Irish’s online provision is not keeping pace “in any form” with the provision in English.
“The reinforcement of the language rights of the society deeply depends on Irish being at the core of the designing of these new services,” he further added.
Suggestions”/
There are still a number of “notable” provisions and promises under the Official Languages Act (2021) that the Gaeltacht Minister needs to put into effect, according to Mr. Ó Concheanainn. This includes the activation of the novel Language Standards System as well as giving full efficacy to the Official Languages Act itself and creating a National Plan for Irish language public services.
A lack of personnel skilled in Irish is still a major flaw within the public sector due to failings in the language scheme system. The language scheme was declared as predominantly unsuccessful by former Language Commissioner Seán Ó Cuirreáin in 2012, and his successor, Rónán Ó Domhnaill, wrote in 2017 that the improvement and expansion of state services via Irish could not be achieved without devising a fresh system.
Consequently, a new Language Standards System was devised under the Official Languages Act, updated in 2021. The high number of complaints received by the Office of An Coimisinéir Teanga last year demonstrated the importance of the problem, with 39 percent relating to promises made by state organisations regarding their language scheme. This large number of complaints underscores the immediate requirement for the new system to be activated, urged the Commissioner.
The primary flaws of the previous language schemes were the lack of consistency and clearness within the services that public bodies were compelled to offer. Instead of reinforcing these commitments, public services were often diminishing which led to a substantial weakness.
According to the new Language Standards System, all public sectors are expected to outline the services they will offer as well as the level of proficiency in Irish language necessary to do so. Areas with a heightened level of public interaction will be required to uphold higher standards, a detail that Ó Concheanainn highlighted as “indispensable”.
“Confidence stimulates demand. Should there be a lack of faith in public services, demand will decrease,” he stated.
A National Plan for the provision of public services via Irish is currently being developed by The Irish Language Services Advisory Committee. Completion of the Plan is set to be achieved by the end of the upcoming month.
The Commissioner has identified an urgent need for an inclusive plan integrating various elements towards enhancing the quality of public services through Irish. The plan will map out strategies for recruitment through Irish.
The Commissioner highlighted a substantial concern regarding the capacity of public bodies to muster enough manpower to deliver a full range of public services. Nonetheless, the Advisory Committee holds the remit of recommending staff numbers and job grades necessary for public bodies to offer apt services to the Minister.
The Commissioner stated that the proposed language standards system coupled with a comprehensive staff plan can provide an opportunity to establish a solid foundation for public services in Irish across public bodies. He stressed this approach as the core of these efforts.
Issues concerning the current state of Irish-medium education are presently being debated nationally. The Commissioner pointed out that post-primary education through Irish does not seem to meet demand fairly, as per a recent report by the Office of An Coimisinéir Teanga. He expressed the need to reassess this situation, as proportion of attendance at Gaelcholáistí in post-primary schooling is significantly lesser than in primary school.
The Commissioner further expressed his views stating the absence of provision makes it challenging to achieve the objective of 20 per cent fluency in Irish among civil service recruits by 2030. He believes that to increase supply, a coordinated approach across all levels and a long-term plan are needed.
The Commissioner added that the topic of exemptions is currently under review. The Commissioner asserted the dire need for decisive leadership and strategy to achieve the 2030 goals. Finally, he mentioned the importance of embedding legislations within the government’s current strategies across all subject matters.