PLANS to examine the effectiveness of voluntary Irish language organisations should be expanded to include a comprehensive "language audit" of all Government Departments, according to Comhdhail Naisuinta na Gaeilge.
The organisation's director, Mr Peadar O Flatharta, said he welcomed yesterday's announcement by the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Mr Higgins, of a commission to examine the role, structure and effectiveness of State funding for the voluntary sector.
But he said there was a much greater need to examine how effectively different institutions in different Departments coordinated their efforts on behalf of the language.
An Gum and Instituid Teangeolaiochta Eireann came under the Department of Education; Bord na Gaeilge and Udaras na Gaeltachta came under the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht; An Coimisiun Logainmneacha came under the Department of Finance, and the Dail's translation service was the responsibility of the Houses of the Oireachtas.
"Every Department has some responsibility in relation to the language and an examination of how their policies are implemented is long overdue," Mr O Flatharta said.
The commission will be chaired by Dr Muireann Ni Bhrolchlin, a lecturer in Old Irish at St Patrick's College, Maynooth. The other members are the historian, Dr Margaret MacCurtain; a former assistant secretary of the Department of the Gaeltacht, Mr Eoghan O Cadhain; a research editor at the Royal Irish Academy, Dr Caoillhionn Nic Phaidin; and Prof Fionnbarra O Brolchain, Dublin City University.
Its brief is to examine how the work of organisations such as Conradh na Gaeilge, Gael Linn and Comhdhail Naisuinta na Gaeilge contributes to the achievement of the State's aims in relation to the language and the development of a bilingual society.