The first major Government policy statement on the Irish language in more than 40 years, with special emphasis on building a "bilingual society", will be launched by the Cabinet today.
The policy promises a 20-year strategy for the development of Irish based on 13 objectives, with a focus on the practical development of the language.
The initiative's aim is to give people who want to use Irish "the choice to be able to do so", a Government source said last night.
"It is intended to help those who are interested to use Irish at all levels, and to support people who want to speak and use their native language in all walks of life."
The Irish Timeshas learned that the 13 objectives to be set out today include commitments to:
- Focus on the "practical development of a bilingual society";
- Provide support for families who want to pass on Irish to their children;
- Focus on education and the teaching of Irish in schools;
- Facilitate the public who want to use Irish when dealing with the State.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív and other Ministers will outline the policy at Farmleigh this morning before the last Cabinet meeting of 2006. They will also announce that €300,000 has been set aside to cover the costs of preparing the strategy on Irish.
At the launch details will be published of a Mori Ireland survey on the Irish language, carried out at the end of 2004, showing that 92 per cent of Irish people say promoting the Irish language is important to the country, themselves, or both.
The last major government policy on the Irish language was a White Paper on the restoration of the Irish language published in 1965. The most recent significant legislation on Irish was the Official Languages Act 2003, which sets out the use of Irish by public bodies and revokes the official status of English place names in Gaeltacht areas.
Irish is constitutionally recognised as the first official language of the State. In June 2005, EU foreign ministers unanimously decided to make Irish an official EU language, and the new arrangements will come into effect on January 1st.
According to census figures released in 2004, out of the State's 4.3 million citizens, there are 1.6 million people claiming a self-reported competence in Irish. Of these 350,000 reported using Irish every day, 155,000 weekly, 585,000 less often, 460,000 never, and 30,000 did not say how often.
Of the 350,000 who were reported to use Irish every day, the majority were schoolchildren who use it during their classes in Irish. The number of people in the Gaeltachts who use the language as their daily mother tongue is estimated at between 70,000 and 80,000.