"Our hearts are broken!"

Gaeilge

A report regarding the low number of Irish-speaking Gardaí in the Gaeltacht has been submitted to the Houses of the Oireachtas by An Coimisinéir Teanga.

It was decided to lay a Report before both Houses of the Oireachtas as the recommendations of an investigation carried out in 2011 had not been implemented by An Garda Síochána and An Coimisinéir Teanga was unable to undertake any additional measures to impress upon An Garda Síochána to do so.

‘It is now very clear that the investigation’s recommendations have not been implemented by An Garda Síochána. The number of Irish-speaking Gardaí who are on duty in the Gaeltacht is inadequate and as a result the Garda Síochána Act is being breached. It would be difficult to argue that a reasonable period of time has not elapsed since recommendations were made in a 2011 investigation. It now falls to the Houses of the Oireachtas to take whatever additional measures they deem appropriate.’ said Rónán Ó Domhnaill, Coimisinéir Teanga. In an interview this morning he stated that "their hearts were broken" trying to get the Garda Síochána to fulfill their legal obligation. 

The Commissioner of An Garda Síochána is under a statutory obligation to ensure that members of the force who are fluent in Irish are stationed in a district that includes a Gaeltacht area, as far as practicable. The law clearly states:  ‘The Garda Commissioner shall, to the extent practicable, ensure that members of the Garda Síochána stationed in a district that includes a Gaeltacht area are sufficiently competent in the Irish language to enable them to use it with facility in carrying out their duties.’  (Subsection 33(2) of the Garda Síochána Act 2005).

The investigation, which was completed in December 2011, found that An Garda Síochána did not comply with its statutory language obligations to station members of the force who are sufficiently proficient in Irish in the Donegal Gaeltacht.

A specific recommendation was made in the 2011 investigation that An Garda Síochána should examine staffing throughout the Gaeltacht to ensure compliance with the statutory language obligations pertaining to An Garda Síochána in the Garda Síochána Act 2005 and An Garda Síochána’s Language Scheme 2009-2012.

As a result of a monitoring process, it was ascertained that only 35 Irish-speaking Gardaí, out of a total of 95, are assigned to Gaeltacht stations. This is according to An Garda Síochána’s own self-assessment system.

@gardainfo @ceartateanga @OireachtasNews @DeptJusticeIRL

A first in fifty years...

"...until we have it again on our tongues and in our minds we are not free.." (Michael Collins).

Something happened to me last week that has never happened before. A representative of the State initiated a conversation with me in Irish.

I was travelling to our local chemist in Ceathrú Rua and there was a Garda Checkpoint on the road. We were stopped and before we could say anything the cheerful Garda greeted us "Agus cé chaoi bhfuil sibh ar maidin?" I explained my errand and we went on our way. As I drove I felt strangely uplifted, even joyful.

Why?

Well I have been dealing with the state for over fifty years and always the first approach is a sort of confrontation. If I start in Irish there are various blank stares if it is in person and they go looking for "the person with Irish." Or on the phone "The person with Irish is not here..." or "...on her tea break!" In fact up to now if I have been stopped by a Garda on the road in the course of their duty they have always initiated the proceedings in English even in the Gaeltacht. Sometimes refusal to respond in English has resulted in frogmarching to the station. This attitude has lead unsurprisingly to the interaction between the state and those whose daily language is Irish, such as those who live in Gaeltacht Areas, to be in English with the inevitable and frequent claim by the civil service "There is no demand for it!"

I have even been told on more than one occasion by an employee of the State, the constitution of which states that Irish is the first official language, that I would get a better and more efficient service if I dealt with them in English. 

There have been some conversations recently discussing this on twitter and the on-line publication NÓS (Irish).  Indeed when somebody is served in Irish it is the occasion for some happy sharings on social media. This tells its own story. I have yet to see somebody rejoicing in the ability of any state service to provide a service through English.  

Hopefull the wrangling currently in progress in Leinster House as the new ten year delayed Language Bill will manage to sort out this particular problem. However looking at the Government's rejection of almost all of the recommendations of both the Coimisinéir Teanga and the Oireachtas Committee on the Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Irish-speaking Community (Irish) not to mention those of Linguistic experts, language bodies and the ordinary Seán and Siobhán Citizen.

The Government - all Governments of whatever hue say they favour the advancement of the National Language. Ring up any Government and discover just how they have done in the 99 odd years of the State. The great Michael Collins said shortly before he died, "...the biggest task will be the restoration of the language. How can we express our most subtle thoughts and finest feelings in a foreign tongue? Irish will scarcely be our language in this generation, not even perhaps in the next. But until we have it again on our tongues and in our minds we are not free, and we will produce no immortal literature...."

The milk-watery efforts or indeed subtle hostility of some of his successors have in no small way contributed to the current situation.

I have quoted a Nigerian poet, John Ekwere, in this regard before and his words mutas mutandis perhaps reflect the situation.

"Now no more the palefaced strangers
With unhallowed feet
The heritage of our fathers profane;

Now no missioned benevolent despots
Bull-doze an unwilling race;


Now no more the foreign hawks
On alien chickens prey -
but we on us."

See also: National archive reveals shocking state cynicism! (4/9/2013)

and: Please Sir may I renew my driving licence! (29/10/2015)

Monitoring report highlights Garda failure!

Prior to 2018 the majority of the Coimisinéir Teanga's monitoring was focused on language schemes. This was a sensible approach because these language schemes were the main mechanism used by the legislation to impose a legal obligation on public bodies to provide varied services in Irish. However by 2017 it became evident that it was a flawed system. No systematic or comprehensive development of services provided in Irish occurred as a result of this system.

Leagan Gaeilge

---

A litany of failures (Irish Times Editorial 13/8/2020)

For this reason the Coimisinéir used another of his powers given him by the Oireachtas. This allowed him to monitor, of his own accord, the range of duties placed upon public bodies under the Official Languages Act. His first report using this monitoring power led to the first Monitoring Report covering 2018. Now the report for 2019 is available and shows how state and public bodies are fulfilling their obligations under the law and constitution.

Garda Síochána

Only 35 Gardaí with Irish are stationed in Gaeltacht stations according to the organisation’s self-assessment system. That is out of a total of 99 Gardaí stationed in the Gaeltacht. An Coimisinéir Teanga, Rónán Ó Domhnaill, says that it is now clear that recommendations from an investigation concluded in 2011 on this issue have not been implemented as they should.

Overview of 2nd Monitoring Report

As he launched  the  2019 Monitoring Report today, An Coimisinéir Teanga said … "the likely outcome of this lack of progress will be the laying of a report on the issue before the Houses of the Oireachtas. This in accordance with the obligation placed upon me when recommendations of an investigation have not been implemented after a reasonable period of time. It would be difficult to argue that a reasonable period of time has not elapsed since an investigation in 2011 as regards An Garda Síochána complying with its obligations under the Garda Síochána Act in ensuring Gardaí with Irish are stationed in Gaeltacht areas, to the extent possible."

Signage 

The Monitoring Report for 2019 also shows that 75% of signs at 10 heritage sites examined were compliant with the legislative requirements, but that over 40% of signs at the four universities under the auspices of the National University of Ireland were in English only.

Local authority websites, language schemes of Education & Training Boards and the interactive services of the Revenue Commissioners were also examined as part of the audit.

Official Languages Bill

An Coimisinéir Teanga said he hoped that the strengthening of the Official Languages Bill, as committed to in the Programme for Government, would rectify the situation where he is unable to proactively monitor any provision to do with the status or use of an official language in other Acts of the Oireachtas such as the Education Act, the Planning and Development Act and the Broadcasting Act. At present the Commissioner may only deal with allegations of non-compliance in these areas through an investigation.

• See also his Monitoring Report 2018

What connects a pony and cart in 1905 & drink driving in 2015! #CeartaTeanga

Language Rights: What a distance between the attitude today and the mind of Pearse!

Last Tuesday was the anniversary of a remarkable event in Irish, and possibly European history. An Ombdsman resigned. That may not be remarkable in itself but he fact that this ombudsman resigned on principle is. He resigned rather that be judged as "complicit in deceit."

Shortly before his resignation took place Seán Ó Cuirreáin said,  "The choice I had was to stand aside from my appointment as Coimisinéir Teanga on principle to draw attention to these matters or to continue in my role and, consequently, to participate in a pretence.  I am absolutely certain that I made the correct decision." (Oireachtas Sub Committee 23 Jan 2014)

Seán Ó Cuirreáin agus Uachtarán na hÉireann

It created a great sadness, not to say anger in the people who had felt more and more oppressed for many years now - the Irish speaking community in the Gaeltacht and throughout the rest of the country. They voiced their anger in large demonstrations in Dublin and Belfast attended by thousands of people. It also marked an extraordinary demonstration in South Conamara, Slán le Seán,  to mark this event and a very real affection for this man whom the President of Ireland called "one of the most courteous people I have ever met," and paid tribute to his " integrity and intellectual honesty." 

He has correctly maintained a strict silence since his resignation for a reasonable time. This has allowed his successor in office time to settle in and familiarise himself with the office.

Two court cases!
The journal Tuairisc.ie has invited a number of people to write articles on various aspects of life as part of the commemorations of the centenary of the 1916 Rising. One of these was Seáon Ó Cuirreáin and his piece was published on Thursday morning. It is entitled "100 years since the rising and compulsory English is all but inevitable!" (Gaeilge). In this article he compares two courtcases just over a century apart to illustrate the attitude of the State systems, albeit two different states, to the language, that language which is the oldest living written language in Europe.

P.H. Pearse - Counsel before Kings Bench

In this article he compares two legal cases. The first was a famous case in 1905, taken by the then British state against Niall Mac Giolla Bhríde of Craoslach in Co Donegal. He had been arrested by the local constabulary because the name he was obliged to have on the side of his cart was "illegible." It had been written in the old Gaelic Script. He was found guilty and fined two shillings. The case was appealed to the Court of the Kings Bench. P.H. Pearse was the defending counsel but the court judged that it was illegal for a person to use his name in Irish or in the Irish script.

One hundred and ten years later Mihai Avadenei, a Romanian, was arrested and found guilty of driving under the influence of alcohol. On appeal he pointed out that the law had transgressed his language rights as the document, issued in Store Street Garda Station, in which the details of the levels on alcohol in his blood was in English alone whereas the law, enacted four years previously, clearly stated that it ought to be in both Irish and English. He had not claimed that he was an Irish speaker but relied solely on the wording of the law.

The Government regarded this not as a failure of the Garda authorities to act on the law but rather as a weakness in the law itself. An emergency ruling was issued to change this law stating that this form should be in English or in Irish rather than bilingual.

An Trucailín Donn Lá aonaigh san earrach 's mé 'taisteal go triopallach, Trasna an droichid i Muileann na hAbhann, Sea chonaic mé Bobby gurbh ainm dó Thuigyme, 'S é ag druidim 'mo choinne go teann. Agus óro bog liom í, bog liom í bog liom í, Óro bog liom í an trucailín donn. Óro bog liom í, druid liom í, corraigh í, Óro bog liom í an trucailín donn. Ba ghairid go bhfaca mé asal is trucail bheag, Chugainn ar sodar faoi Mhícheál an Gabha, Siúd leis an Bobby: "This cart has no signature, Only a lingo I cannot make out!" Agus óro bog liom í... "Your name my good man, and answer right quickly now." "Amharc ar an trucail, nó an bhfuileann tú dall? Tá m'ainmse breacaithe i dteanga a thuigimse Is fógraím tusa go hIfreann lom!" Agus óro bog liom í... "Ten shillings with costs or a fortnight's imprisonment, Next on the list. Take this reprobate down!" "Cuirtear faoi ghlasa mé feasta, a ghlagaire, Pingin de m'sheilbh ní fheicfidh sibh ann." Agus óro bog liom í... Níl trucail gan ainm bhreá lacanta legible, Gaeilge le feiceáil i Muileann na hAbhann Agus ceardaithe an bhaile sea tugaid ar Thuigyme, Fós ná "Trucailín Mhicín an Gabha". This is a popular little song written commemorating the story of Niall Mac Giolla Bhríde's little brown cart.

Ó Cuirreáin states that it is difficult to believe that there was a deficiency in a law that was amended urgently in 2015. There was however a significant failing in the following of this law by the Garda Authorities. The simple cure for this problem was an direction to the Garda to amend their system fully to comply with the law as originally formatted in 2011. However for some reason it appears it was easier to change the law than to fulfill it.

These two court cases - 110 years apart - show how difficult it appears to be to create or to allow a space in the the administration of the law and the courts for "the language of the Gael!"

Not only the courts
But, maintains the former Coimisnéir, this problem does not apply to the courts alone.

In 1928, his research has shown, the Government of the day decided to allow a period of three years for all state services to be available in the language of the people to Gaeltacht areas. His research further discovered that between 1928 and 1966 this direction was postponed 54 times for a further six to twelve months. (see report on the opening of Coláiste na hÉireann - 4 Sept 2013). In fact this regulation was never implemented.

In 1974 Richie Ryan, then Minister for Finance, announced as a further strengthening rather than a weakening of the position of Irish the abolition of a requirement of knowledge of Irish in the civil service. Indeed after his appointment as Comisinéir, Seán Ó Cuirreáin discovered that the points system that was instituted to protect the use of Irish in state services was never correctly operated. When this was pointed the Government instituted an even worse system despite the fact that the Coimisinéir wrote to both the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste of the day that the State employees would provide a service in Irish on a "voluntary" system. It is obvious he maintains, that this is a further marginalisation of services from the state in the National Language.

Quite frankly he says, "it appears to me that it is a cynical exercise, without any advantage to language rights, to promise the community language rights in law without ensuring an effective system to ensure the availability of those rights; that is not the case at present." (our translation)

He maintains that there are indeed some advances for Irish, for instance in communications media and the education system. But it is cast to one side more than ever in the public administration system and there is no sign to be seen at present that this will change!

There are of course some state employees who support and understand the position of the language but they are a minority and sidelined. Over all are those for whom, in the words of An tUachtarán, Micheál D Ó hUiginn some years ago, "..the Irish language isn’t half dead enough.” There are those too who believe there is a simple answer to those who select, or who have been born speaking Irish - "Speak Irish with each other but speak English to us!"

What a distance there is between that attitude and that which he imagines was strongly in the heart of Pearse of an Ireland "Free and Gaelic" and he defending the position of Niall Mac Giolla Bhríde before the Kings Bench in 2005.

British monarchy & EU more relevant to Irish speakers than State?

I find it interesting, and perhaps alarming, that in the last two days there have been two tweets in the National Language from the "Irish Foreign Ministry". Both are retweets one from the British Monarchy and the other from the European Parliament! All other, presumable generated from the Department itself are in English.

Only tweets in Irish by Irish Foreign  Ministry were retweets from  "out of town!"

Could this be further evidence of the “growing evidence that there is a strategy afoot to do away with what’s left of Irish in the public life of the county,” to quote the words of an Irish Civil Servant.

The newspapers are full of the resignation of the Garda Commissioner Callinan! Last February another Commissioner resigned because he believed "that the language is continuously being edged aside, pushed towards the margins of society and that includes much of the public sector." This received little publicity in the English language media. The French have a saying, "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!"

Seán Ó Cuirreáin, who has been praised by the President of Ireland for his "integrity and intellectual honesty" and as "one of the most courteous people I have ever met!" found himself confronted with two possibilities.

"The choice I had was to stand aside from my appointment as Coimisinéir Teanga on principle to draw attention to these matters or to continue in my role and, consequently, to participate in a pretence."

As a man of integrity he took the honourable path as I think did the Garda Commissioner.

As a postscript to this posting it should be noted that a Department and Officer which was praised by the resigning Language Commissioner was that of the retired Garda Commissioner and the Garda Síochána. In a submission to the Oireachtas in December 2013, Commssioner Ó Cuirreáin said, "..I welcome the positive attitude of the Garda Commissioner and senior management to the implementation of the recommendations I made on foot of this case and hope that the systematic change being introduced will prevent the occurrence of similar incidents."

Handcuffed for speaking Irish!

“2012 was not a vintage year for the promotion of the Irish language in the public sector, and for every one step forward there appeared to have been two steps backwards,” 

In the annual report for 2012 of Seán Ó Cuirreáin, An Coimisinéir Teanga, published this morning (and available here on the wbsite),  we learn of an incredible event in Dublin city where a citizen in his own country was detained by force, handcuffed and escorted to a station for nothing less than exercising his constitutional right to be dealt with in his own language.  The Coimisinéir states, "The person detained in the case was not involved in an accident nor were there any allegations made concerning speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol." Apparently the driver, who was stopped by the Guards in relation to a road traffic matter, found him/herself arrested and escorted in handcuffs to a Garda station and was detained until a Garda was found who could deal with him through Irish. 

The Comisinéir's report says:

The complainant said that the experience left him “shamed and insulted and I was told several times that I did not have a right to conduct business through Irish, that I should desist and that I would not have been arrested if I hadn’t spoken in Irish. It was approximately one hour from the time of my arrest to my release but I felt under threat and nervous all the time. I am convinced that I was arrested for speaking Irish and for that reason alone. Their excuse was that I was refusing to give them my licence but that was not true at all. I am very disappointed, angry and upset about what happened and about the lack of respect and the infringement of my rights…” (trans.)

Irish is a foreign language!
As a result of the intervention by the Coimsinéir Teanga  Senior management at An Garda Síochána are organising an overhaul of procedures for dealing with the public through Irish. He noted that notwithstanding the constitutional status of Irish, it was clear that Irish speakers were dealt with as if they were speakers of a foreign language. The discourse during the investigation placed “using Irish” and “dealing with foreign nationals” in the same space, he said.

He was struck during the investigation by the fact that Gardaí who had received their education within this country’s schools system and had finished their training in Templemore some short years previously had insufficient command of Irish to ask a driver when stopped at the roadside “Cad is ainm duit?” or seek his address through Irish.  Additionally, there was no adequate support system in place to facilitate their interaction with a member of the public who sought in this situation to conduct his business through Irish. (See also paragraph "Competance in Irish" below!)

The Findings:

The investigation made a finding of fact that the driver would not have been arrested under section 107 of the Road Traffic Acts 1961-2011:
• if he had spoken English;
• if either of the two Gardaí had sufficient Irish to establish the driver’s identity at the roadside; and
• that the Garda Síochána authorities had provided insufficient information to make members of the force aware of the language duties in their language scheme so as to ensure that members who stopped a driver in these circumstances would know how to manage the situation;
• that, notwithstanding the language duty that was contained in their language scheme, the Garda Síochána authorities had not put in place any clear protocol to cater for a situation where a member of the public, who was stopped on the roadside but had not been arrested, sought to make the legitimate choice of conducting his business with An Garda Síochána in Irish.

Positive management

“The positive attitude of the Garda Commissioner and senior management to the implementation of the recommendations I made on foot of this investigation is a matter of some satisfaction to me and it appears that they sought to introduce systematic change in order to avoid a repetition of similar incidents. This involves promoting language awareness and training as well as the development of new practices and a protocol in this area,” he said. 

It is interesting to note that the Garda Síochána also featured in the 2011 report of the Coimisinéir Teanga published last year. 

• Arrested For Speaking Irish – Welcome To Anglo-Ireland! (An Sionnach Fionn)
• "Not a Vintage Year" - annual report of An Coimisinéir Teanga (Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge)
• Garda send for help to learn Irish (Irish Examiner)
• Increase in Irish language complaints (Galway Independent)

One step forward two steps back!

The report from the Comisinéir, who runs a very impressive and efficient office, is for the year 2012. Interestingly enough the efficiency in this office in presenting timely annual reports contrasts markedly with that of Foras na Gaeilge, whose last annual report is for 2009. 

Complaints to the office in An Spidéal were up by some 3% and the Coimisinéir instigated some 13 formal investigations during the year. Breaches in the law were found not only on the Garda Síochána but also the Departments of Justice, Public Expendature & Reform, Environment & Local Government, OSI, HSE, Central Bank, NRA, University of Limerick and local authorities in Ennis, Kildare and Donegal.

“2012 was not a vintage year for the promotion of the Irish language in the public sector, and for every one step forward there appeared to have been two steps backwards,” according to An Coimisinéir Teanga.

While statistics from the most recent Census showed a positive trend from the previous one, with a 7% increase in the number of people who have Irish and those who use it daily, there was considerable concern among Irish speakers about the future of the Irish language and serious apprehension about the State’s efforts in its protection and promotion.

Language schemes

Three quarters of language schemes (statutory language plans) agreed for state bodies under the Official Languages Act had expired without renewal by the end of  2012 with a quarter of them out of date for three years or more.

“Only 9 language schemes were agreed or renewed during 2012, and at that annual rate of renewal the current schemes might not be fully replaced for twelve years,” said An Coimisinéir Teanga.

In 10 other cases, more than 6 years have elapsed since the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht requested state bodies to prepare draft language schemes but they remain to be agreed.

Dangerous precedent

A further significant step was taken during 2012 that could prove a dangerous precedent with regard to the language scheme system: for the first time ever, a scheme was amended to cancel an obligation that had previously been confirmed when a member of the public complained that the state body in question was not in compliance with this obligation.

The language scheme was that of the Department of Justice and Equality, and the obligation involved was a fairly innocuous one that cost little and was relatively simple to implement: a requirement that the “Fit for viewing” section of video/ DVD labels supplied by the Irish Film Classification Office be produced in bilingual format.

The Department itself had identified this commitment as a priority in its language scheme, and rather than ensuring its implementation, a complaint from a member of the public resulted eventually in the removal of the commitment.

“I informed the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht that it was unacceptable if a state body which was unhappy with a complaint or which had a finding made against it could successfully appeal to the Department to be granted the annulment of such an obligation that was previously confirmed in a language scheme. This would be a significant regression and a restriction of the principles concerning the public’s language rights as confirmed in language schemes and would be an additional blow to the credibility of the language scheme system as operated by the Department,” according to An Coimisinéir Teanga. 

Traffic signs

On foot of a series of complaints from an individual about traffic signs in English only in Ennis, Co. Clare, the Office of An Coimisinéir Teanga conducted a formal investigation during 2012. Ennis Town Council had indicated that it had intended dealing with a historic problem of traffic signs which were not in compliance with statutory language requirements in a planned programme on a gradual basis over a period of time, but a reduction in both financial and personnel resources as a result of the economic crisis left much of the issue unresolved. 

It was significant that the Council had initiated its own audit of the number of traffic signs not in compliance with the statutory language regulations, and in one half of the town alone 332 signs were identified whose validity was in doubt; on that basis, there may be up to 650 invalid public signs in Ennis town.  A significant expenditure of state resources allocated for bilingual signage was used for signage in English only in these cases, notwithstanding the statutory obligations that were being breached. 

“It is probable that Ennis is in no way unique in this regard and that other areas may also not always have complied with the legislation concerning bilingual signage, but Ennis Town Council’s own audit gives an overview of the scale of the problem. A person could be forgiven for suspecting in certain cases that it may have happened that a policy of ‘personal convenience’ might have been in conflict with the requirement to comply with long established obligations confirmed in statutory regulations. Local authorities require the public to comply with the law in regard to the payment of rent and rates, refuse and household charges, and other fees. Equally, local authorities themselves are also obliged to ensure their own compliance with the law, including regulations concerning bilingual traffic signage,” said An Coimisinéir Teanga.

Competence in Irish

An absence of staff with competence in both official languages of the State is one of the main factors restricting state bodies in their delivery of services to the public in Irish as well as in English. During 2012, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform informed An Coimisinéir Teanga that the responsibility for the training and evaluation of competence in Irish in the Civil Service, previously vested in Gaeleagras, would be transferred to the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht from the beginning of 2013. An Coimisinéir Teanga suggested in a report on an investigation that such a move would be merely a pretence and a waste of time if it simply reinforced again the same defective arrangements which have patently failed in over 40 years to ensure that there is an adequate number of staff with competence in Irish at various levels throughout the Civil Service.  The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has agreed that the transfer of services to the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht would provide an opportunity to reform the current practices and that his own department was committed to finding the mechanisms which would ensure that departments could access or develop the skills to provide their services in a bilingual manner. 

Merger

A Government decision was announced in November 2011 to merge the functions of the Office of An Coimisinéir Teanga with the Office of the Ombudsman as part of the Public Service Reform Plan. It was re-announced in November 2012 that the merger would go ahead and that the statutory powers and functions of An Coimisinéir Teanga under the Official Languages Act 2003 would be transferred to the Ombudsman but would be delegated back to An Coimisinéir Teanga by amending legislation which was not yet published by the end of 2012. An Coimisinéir Teanga would continue to be appointed statutorily, be based in the Gaeltacht and would continue to perform the current functions of An Coimisinéir Teanga in an independent manner under the Official Languages Act. “I have formally asked the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht to allow my Office to have sight of the draft statutory amendments and to publish the results of the public consultation process on the review of the Official Languages Act as a prelude to any discussion on the matter,” said Seán Ó Cuirreáin.