Several State agencies are concerned at the implications of new legislation which means they have to increase the services they provide through Irish.
In the coming months all public bodies, such as health boards, local authorities, the courts and smaller State agencies, will be required to provide bilingual versions of documents of public interest, such as annual reports and strategic plans.
However, at a meeting of the Association of Chief Executives of Public Bodies last week, some heads of State agencies voiced their concern at the cost and time burden of the Official Language Act, passed into law last year.
"We don't know how to cope with this," said one State agency chief executive, who refused to be named. "We are afraid to say anything publicly because of a combination of criticising this sacred cow and a feeling that Éamon Ó Cuív [the Minister for Rural, Community and Gaeltacht Affairs] is not to be reasoned with."
Another chief executive at the meeting, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the main concern of smaller agencies centred on the time constraints that the translation processes would entail. Others expressed concern that the burden of having information translated in the face of time and resource constraints would lead to less information being made publicly available.
Yesterday, however, a spokeswoman for Mr Ó Cuív said there was no question of a major burden being placed on State agencies.
"Each individual agency and department will have to work out a scheme in consultation with our Department," she said.
"Our Department is in the final stage of finalising our own needs, and that scheme will be used as a template for others. We are still finalising that, so it's a little early to be criticising it."
Agencies who already provide a substantial level of service in Irish, such as the Courts Service and some local authorities in Gaeltacht areas, are likely to have little if any work to do to comply with the Official Languages Act.
The main aim of the Official Languages Act was to ensure better availability and a higher standard of public services through Irish. The Act places a statutory obligation on Departments of State and public bodies to make specific provision for delivery of such services.
