Official Languages Act (original) (raw)

Official Languages Act 2003

The primary objective of the Act is to ensure the improved provision of public services through the Irish language. This is done through the provisions of the Act along with regulations made by the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media which apply to all public bodies under the Act. (A copy of the direct obligations placed on public bodies under the Act can be found below under Resources for Public Bodies)

Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021

The Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 was signed into law by the President of Ireland on 22 December 2021. This new legislation is a strengthening of the Official Languages Act 2003 and it is widely recognised that it will make a significant contribution to the quality of services in Irish provided to the public by State bodies.

The key objectives of the Act are that:

Under the Act, it is intended to improve and increase the provision of public services through the medium of Irish, as well as create significant employment opportunities for those with a competency in the language. Through this work, it is hoped to greatly increase the Irish language customer experience, empowering Irish speakers to use the language in all aspects of their daily life - particularly in their dealings with the State.

The Department is working to commence all sections and provisions of the Act on an incremental basis.

Legislative process involved in enacting the (Amendment) Act 2021

The enactment of this legislation is the result of a comprehensive public consultation process (on which historical information can be found here), a pre-legislative examination by the relevant Oireachtas Committee, over 25 hours of debate at Committee stage in Dáil Éireann and over 300 proposed amendments discussed during that time - many of which were accepted. Written records of the debates that took place around the legislation as it progressed through the various statutory stages can be found at oireachtas.ie.

Irish Language Services Advisory Committee

Under the relevant provisions of the new Act, the Irish Language Services Advisory Committee was established on 20 June 2022. The work of the Committee will be primarily focused on the preparation of the first National Plan for the provision of public services through the medium of Irish for the first two years to ensure that it is completed before the deadline of 19 June 2024.

A significant element of the 2021 Act is the replacement of the existing language scheme regime by the introduction of language standards for each government sector, with higher standards to be achieved by sectors with greater interaction with the public.

There will be consultation with the relevant bodies before standards are introduced. The obligations placed on public bodies will be graduated to reflect that some public bodies have greater resources available to them, have greater interaction with Irish speakers, and/or are located within or adjacent to a Gaeltacht area. There will be a lead-in time for each public body prior to the introduction of standards.

Copy of Legislation

Copies of the Acts themselves along with other related legislation are available here.

Resources for Public Bodies

As the sections and provisions of the 2021 Act are commenced, this website will be updated regularly. The Section is also always available at ATO@tcagsm.gov.ie.

A full list of the direct duties of public bodies under the Act in relation to the provision of services through Irish, as they currently stand, can be found below.

Of course, as mentioned above, this will be regularly updated as the provisions of the 2021 Act come into force.

30 October 2024 - Information Seminars for Public Bodies

The Department held information seminars for public bodies on 30 October 2024 regarding Dates for Gaeltacht Services/Offices. A recording of the seminar can be viewed here.

Presentation available here.

October 2024 - Towards a Bilingual Public Service

As part of Public Service Transformation Week 2024, the Department, in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, held an information seminar on the theme of "Towards a Bilingual Public Service". Representatives from the Department, Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga, Údarás na Gaeltachta and Cyngor Caerdydd (Cardiff Council) spoke at the seminar. A recording of that seminar can be viewed here.

Guest Speakers’ Presentations:

June 2023 – Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 - Provisions Commenced and to be Commenced

The Department, in conjunction with Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga, held information seminars for public bodies on 28 June 2023, regarding provisions of the Act already commenced and those due to be commenced before year-end (2024). The following were specifically discussed at these seminars:

• Section 4B (appointment of senior official for the purposes of the Act)

o Use and recording of Names, Addresses and Titles in the Irish language;

o Name and logos of newly established statutory bodies; and

o Public facing services;

o The 20% recruitment target;

o The Irish Language Services Advisory Committee; and

o The National Plan for Irish Language Public Services.

The following are available below:

January 2023 – (Irish Language) Translation

The Department held information seminars for public bodies on 25 January 2023 regarding Irish language translation. The following are available below:

• Guest Speakers’ Presentations:

• Recordings of the Presentations:

September 2022 - Section 10A: Advertising by Public Bodies

The Department took part in other information seminars organised by the Office of An Coimisinéir Teanga focused on matters specifically related to Section 10A, the advertising provision, in mid-September. A recording of those seminars together with other relevant resources as it relates to that provision is available on the OCT website here.

July 2022 - New Provisions of the Act as Amended

This Department, in conjunction with Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga (OCT), organised a series of online information seminars at the end of July 2022 in order to advise public bodies prescribed under the legislation on their new obligations under the Act. The following are available below:

Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga

For information, the difference between the role of the Department and the role of the Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga can be seen here.

Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga was established under the auspices of the Official Languages Act 2003 to monitor the compliance of public bodies with their duties under the Act. The Office investigates complaints in cases where it is believed that public bodies have failed to comply with the Act and/or any other enactment relating to the status or use of the Irish language.

Further information on the Official Languages Act 2003 is available in the guidebook of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga Further information on the Official Languages Act 2003 is available in the guidebook of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga here. This guidebook will also be updated in due course in relation to the Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, but in the meantime, the Office's presentation here provides a wealth of useful information on both Acts. Further information regarding Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga is available at www.coimisineir.ie and the Office can be contacted at eolas@coimisineir.ie / (091) 504 006/ 0818 504006.

Progress under the Act

Subject to Section 5 of the 2003 Act, the Minister submits an annual report on the implementation of the Act in the preceding year to the Houses of the Oireachtas each year. These reports are available online at Opac.Oireachtas.ie.

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