Closure of commissioner's office condemned

The decision to close the office of the Irish Language Commissioner has led leading Irish language groups to question the Government's commitment to the protection and long-term development of the language.

The Government revealed its plan to merge the commissioner's office with the office of the Ombudsman as part of the public sector reform programme announced this afternoon.

The language commissioner’s role is to monitor compliance by public bodies with the provisions of the Official Languages Act and to take measures to ensure the right of citizens to use their language in official business with State agencies.

Julian de Spáinn, general secretary of Conradh na Gaeilge, said the language commissioner's office had made "huge strides" in recent years. "The Irish language community believes and trusts in the independence of the Office, and this is now to be put in jeopardy by the Government.”

Éamonn Mac Niallais, spokesperson for Guth na Gaeltachta, said it was "amazing" that the decision has been taken "at the very beginning of the implementation of the Government’s 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language."

Saying the decision made "absolutely no sense at all", Mr Mac Niallais said the Irish language community will now be "very sceptical" that the Government is "in any way serious" about strategic planning for the Irish language community.

"What message does this give the Civil Service, a service Irish speakers have been trying to access their rights from for years now? What this is saying to them is that this independent office is not important and as such, that it is not important to implement the Languages Act", he said.

Seán Ó Cuirreáin, formerly deputy head of Radio na Gaeltachta, was formally appointed as the first Coimisinéir Teanga in February 2004 under the Official Languages Act and was reappointed for a second term in 2010.

In his latest report - dated 2010 - Mr Ó Cuirreáin said his office received 700 complaints about difficulties or problems experienced by citizens about difficulties accessing State services through Irish. This was more than in any previous year.

He warned of "an alarming picture" painted by statistics which showed that as little as 1.5 per cent of administrative staff in the Department of Education had the ability to provide a service through Irish of an equivalent standard as could be provided in English.

He also highlighted the "unacceptable" practice by the Revenue Commissioners of issuing the Irish version of press releases on its websites after a delay of between four and nine months after their initial publications in English.

Mr Mac Niallais called on the Government to justify its decision to close the office.

“There are no savings to be made. No-one will lose their jobs. If anything, there will be greater expense to the exchequer if they attempt to move the current staff to the Ombudsman’s Office in Dublin. When An Bord Snip looked at this issue, even they recommended to leave the Office as it is."

"Therefore there are some questions to be asked. Who made this recommendation? What defence was made of the Language Commissioner’s Office within the Department itself, considering there is no logic to the decision on the grounds of financial savings? How does the Government and the Civil Service view the rights of Irish speakers in Ireland?”

Conradh na Gaeilge and Guth na Gaeltachta have called on the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste to reverse the decision.

Irish language groups held a demonstration at the Dáil earlier today in protest at the move.