COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF ARTS, CULTURE, GAEILGE, HERITAGE AND LIBRARIES SPC

Wednesday, February 06, 2019

HEADED ITEM NO.

HEADED ITEM: L. Maxwell

H-I (2) 2. SDCC Irish Language Strategy

REPLY:

In accordance with section 14(3) of the Act, language schemes remain in force for a period of 3 years or until such time as a new scheme is confirmed by the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, whichever is the later.

Since the introduction of the first scheme in 2009, the council has made significant progress in the provision of services in Irish. The current scheme (2016- 2019) expires on October 18th 2019.

South Dublin County Council is guided by the principles that the provision of Irish language services should be based on:

• the underlying level of demand for specific services in the Irish language,
• the importance of a proactive approach to the provision of such services, and
• the resources, including human and financial resources, and the capacity of South Dublin County Council to develop or access the necessary language capability.

In preparation for the creation of a new Irish Language Scheme, the Council will carry out the following steps.

South Dublin County Council will publish a notice of intention to prepare a draft scheme in local newspapers, on www.sdcc.ie and on social media in June 2019. This notice will also be circulated to all elected members of the council. The consultation will be posted on the Council's Consultation Portal with submissions allowed online through the portal or in writing to the Communications Unit and will be open for a period of four weeks.

Following this consultation period, a draft Irish Language Scheme shall be prepared and presented to elected members at the September Council meeting. Once agreed upon by elected members, the scheme shall be submitted to the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht for approval.