Fáiltíonn Conradh na Gaeilge agus Guth na Gaeltacht roimh a bhí le rá ag an Aire Stáit Gaeltachta, Dinny McGinley TD, i dtaca le dul chun cinn na Straitéise 20 Bliain don Ghaeilge; leis an lántacaíocht a léirigh an tAire do COGG; agus le deimhniú an Aire go mbeidh a Roinn ag dul i gcomhairle le saineolaithe aitheanta pleanála teanga cosúil leis an Ollamh Colin Williams mar chuid den phróiseas comhairliúcháin ar athbhreithniú ar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla, ag an díospóireacht Seanaid Dé Céadaoin seo caite.
Arsa Éamonn Mac Niallais, urlabhraí Ghuth na Gaeltachta: “Thug an tAire McGinley le fios go mbeidh feidhmeanna fiontraíochta ag Údarás na Gaeltachta agus go bhfuil súil aige go mbeidh cinneadh á dhéanamh ag an Rialtas maidir le príomhfheidhmeannach lánaimseartha buan nua á cheapadh ar Údarás na Gaeltachta roimh dheireadh na míosa seo nó go luath ina dhiaidh.
“Is mór an faoiseamh é sin do mhuintir na nGaeltachtaí fud fad na tíre atá ag brath ar cheannasaíocht ón Údarás le fiontraíocht agus fostaíocht a chothú i gceantair atá ar uairibh imeallaithe agus scoite amach ó thionsclaíocht agus ó bhonneagar na gcathracha.”
Ní raibh an chinnteacht chéanna ag baint le ceist Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga áfach; ní raibh an tAire Gaeltachta soiléir an mbeadh an Rialtas sásta an cinneadh a rinne siad chun Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga a dhúnadh mar oifig reachtúil neamhspleách, agus a chuid feidhmeanna ar fad a chur isteach faoi Oifig an Ombudsman mar chuid dá phlean athchóirithe don earnáil poiblí, a tharraingt siar sna sála ar an athbhreithniú Achta.
Dúirt Julian de Spáinn, Ard-Rúnaí Chonradh na Gaeilge: “Is ábhar dóchais é do phobal na Gaeilge go mbeidh moltaí an Ollaimh Colin H Williams á dtógáil san áireamh san athbhreithniú ar an Acht Teanga, óir is saineolaí mionteangacha mórmheasúil é Williams atá tar éis Seán Ó Cuirreáin agus obair Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga a aithint agus a mholadh go hard.”
“Thug an tAire McGinley le fios go raibh an cinneadh Rialtais maidir leis an gCoimisinéir Teanga “le cur i gcrích i gcomhthéacs an athbhreithnithe ar an Acht” ach an gciallaíonn sé sin go nglacfaidh an Rialtas treoir ón bpobal leis an gcinneadh sin a fhreaschur, má mholann an pobal go gcoimeádfaí Oifig an Choimisinéara neamhspleách ina gcuid aighneachtaí agus suirbhéanna atá á bhfreagairt acu mar chuid den athbhreithniú Achta?”
Aontaíonn Mac Niallais: “Ba mhaith le pobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta a bheith lánchinnte de go n-éistear lena nguth sa phróiseas comhairliúcháin seo, agus má léiríonn siad a muinín in oifig neamhspleách an Choimisinéara Teanga, tá siad ag súil go ndéanfaidh an Rialtas freaschur ar an gcinneadh gan chiall a rinne siad chun Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga a dhúnadh mar oifig reachtúil neamhspleách ar an gcéad dhul síos.”
Creideann Conradh na Gaeilge agus Guth na Gaeltachta nach bhfeidhmeodh Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 mar ba chóir gan Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga reachtúil neamhspleách, agus tá siad ag éileamh ar an Rialtas a gcinneadh chun an oifig a chónascadh le hOifig an Ombudsman a tharraingt siar láithreach. Tá siad ag iarraidh ar phobal na Gaeilge a dtacaíocht a léiriú don Choimisinéir trí pháirt iomlán a ghlacadh san athbhreithniú Achta trí shuirbhéanna agus aighneachtaí a líonadh isteach roimh 31 Eanáir 2012 freisin.
MINISTER’S SEANAD SPEECH ATTRACTS PRAISE & CALLS FOR MORE CLARITY FROM IRISH ORGANISATIONS
Conradh na Gaeilge and Guth na Gaeltacht have welcomed the speech made by the Gaeltacht Minister of State, Dinny McGinley TD, at the Seanad debate last Wednesday (18 January 2012) where the Minister referred to the progress being made on The 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language; showed strong support for COGG; and stated that his Department will be consulting with recognised language-planning experts such as Professor Colin Williams as part of the consultation process for the review of the Official Languages Act 2003.
Éamonn Mac Niallais, spokesperson for Guth na Gaeltachta said: “Minister McGinley confirmed that Údarás na Gaeltachta will retain its enterprise functions and expressed his hope that the Government will make a decision on the appointment of a permanent, fulltime chief executive of Údarás na Gaeltachta by the end of this month or soon after. This is a massive relief to the Gaeltacht communities the length and breadth of the country that look to the Údarás for leadership in enterprise and job creation in districts that are sometimes marginalised and isolated from the industry and infrastructure of the cities.”
Such certainty was not forthcoming on the question of the Irish-Language Commissioner’s Office however; the Gaeltacht Minister could not clarify whether or not the Government would, on foot of the review of the Languages Act, reconsider and revoke the decision they made to close the Office of An Coimisinéir Teanga as an independent statutory office, and to transfer its functions to the Office of the Ombudsman as part of its public sector reform plan.
Julian de Spáinn, General Secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge noted: “It gives the Irish-language community confidence to hear that the recommendations of Professor Colin H Williams will be taken into consideration as part of the review of the Official Languages Act, as Williams is a highly esteemed expert on minority languages and he has both recognised and highly praised Seán Ó Cuirreáin and the work Office of the Language Commissioner.”
“Minister McGinley indicated that the Government’s decision regarding An Coimisinéir Teanga would be realised in the context of the review of the Act, but does this mean that the Government will be guided by the public to reverse this decision, if people advocate that the Language Commissioner’s Office should be kept independent in their submissions and in the surveys they are answering as part of the review of the Languages Act?”
Mac Niallais agrees: “The Irish-language and Gaeltacht communities need to know for certain that their views will be listened to as part of this consultation process, and that if they express their trust in the independent office of An Coimisinéir Teanga, they anticipate that the Government will reverse the senseless decision they made to close the Language Commissioner’s Office as an independent statutory office in the first place.”
Conradh na Gaeilge and Guth na Gaeltachta believe the Official Languages Act 2003 cannot function as it should without an independent statutory Irish-Language Commissioner’s Office, and they are calling on the Government to immediately revoke their decision to merge the office with the Office of the Ombudsman. They are also urging the Irish-language community to show their support for An Coimisinéir Teanga by fully participating in the review of the Act and by submitting surveys and submissions before 31 January 2012.
