Irish language organisation Conradh na Gaeilge said they walked out of a meeting with a British government minister on Tuesday after he refused to give them a specific date for the introduction of promised legislation guaranteeing the linguistic rights of Irish speakers.
Conradh na Gaeilge, which has been campaigning for the introduction of an Irish language act as promised under the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) agreement, met with Northern Ireland Office (NIO) Minister of State Conor Burns MP in Belfast.
Speaking after the meeting, Michaeline Donnelly, Tanáiste of Conradh na Gaeilge, said the organisation had "no choice" but to bring the meeting "to a close".
“We came to today’s long overdue meeting expecting some formal update on the introduction of Irish language legislation,” she said.
“We specifically requested a date in the parliamentary timetable at Westminster and unfortunately the Minister refused to provide that,” she added.
She said the British government has had from June 2021 to prepare legislation that was published and pre-agreed in January 2020.
“The only delay is a political delay,” she said.
“We made it very clear to Minister Burns that the next time we meet it must be on the basis of the full implementation of language rights, not the denial of rights,” she added.
Language legislation was originally due to be introduced within 100 days of the NDNA agreement but has been subject to repeat delays amid unionist opposition.
Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis was expected to introduce it by the end of the assembly mandate, but it emerged last month that the British government would not do so until after the Stormont elections in May and had cited "pressures on the parliamentary timetable".
Conradh na Gaeilge’s Conchúr Ó Muadaigh said there was “zero confidence” in the British government when it comes to language rights.
“This is a government that has circumvented outstanding legislation and public commitments for almost a year. We believe they have been deceitful in their attempts to delay this legislation,” he said.
“Following Conor Burns’ refusal to announce a parliamentary date for the introduction of language rights at today’s meeting we told the minister that there was no point in going any further until we have an official date for the Irish Language Act,” he added.
