Language Act enacted....FINALLY

Gael

From gaelport.com:

THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES BILL IS ENACTED
Dáil Éireann and Seanad Éireann have accepted the Official Languages Bill 2002. Once it is signed this coming week by the President of Ireland Mary McAleese it will be known as the Official Languages Act 2003.

It has been a long road since the idea of a Language Bill was first raised in the sixties or indeed since Conradh na Gaeilge published a draft Bill in the seventies. Much hard work has been put in by civil servants and the Irish Language Community since Minister Ó Cuív first announced that he was going to bring a Language Bill before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge would like to thank the Minister himself for ensuring that there would be an Act, the civil servants who spent time working on the Bill especially Seosamh Ó hAghmaill, Déaglán Ó Briain and Seán Ó Leidhinn who undertook most of this work.

We are grateful to all the politicians who helped us. Special thanks go to Fergus O'Dowd T.D. and the Senator Joe McHugh from Fine Gael; Aonghus Ó Snodaigh T.D., Sinn Féin; Brian Ó Sé, T.D. and Senator Brendan Ryan, Labour and Senator Joe O'Toole who ensured our amendments were debated. Without their help, the Act would not be half as effective.

We would also like to thank the other Irish Language Organisations, Conradh na Gaeilge in particular and people all over the country who organised and attended meetings and who kept their local politicians under pressure.

We are also grateful to the media who ensured that the story remained in the public eye. Special thanks to Foinse, especially Sorcha Ní Mhonacháin; to Lá, especially Michelle Nic Pháidín, to Raidío na Gaeltachta, especially Neasa Ní Chualáin and Pól Mac Donncha and to the staff of Nuacht TG4.

A great challenge awaits us now on two levels

To ensure the Act is brought into operation
To ensure that we make good use of the services promised in the Act

The following are the main points of the Act;

It is an Act to promote the use of the Irish Language for official purposes in the State and each year the Minister shall make a report to each house of the Oireachtas on the operation of the Act in the preceding year.
New duties pertaining to the use of the Irish Language in the courts have been placed on public bodies.
Where a person communicates in writing in Irish with a public body the public body is obliged to respond in Irish.
Where a public body communicates in writing with the general public for the purposes of furnishing information the body shall ensure that the communication is in Irish or in English and Irish.
Public bodies shall prepare draft schemes for the purpose of promoting Irish for the official purposes of the State. a. The general public has a role in preparing the draft schemes. b. Public bodies shall ensure the particular Irish Language requirements associated with the provision of services in Gaeltacht areas are met. c. Public Bodies shall ensure that the Irish language become the working language in their offices in the Gaeltacht by an agreed date.
A language Commissioner known as 'An Coimisinéir Teanga' shall be appointed to monitor compliance by public bodies with the provisions of the Act. a. An Coimisinéir Teanga shall publish an Annual Report and (s)he may prepare and publish commentaries on the practical application and operation of the provisions of the Act.
The Irish Language version of placenames is made legal by the Act.

Dun

Now I just need an excuse to write to a government body as Gaeilge

Imposter

Why isn't this written in Irish?

Bard

Originally posted by Imposter
Why isn't this written in Irish?

Cén fáth? Dá mhéadh sí scríbhte i nGaeilge, an gceapann tú go mbéadh tú ábalta í a tuigint?

Dun

Lean ort, a Imposter

Seo an píosa céanna, as Gaeilge. Ceapaim gur chuir Gael an leagán bearla anseo, mar tá morán daoine (mise eadarthu fósta) ró-leisciúil chun an píosa a léamh as Gaeilge. Rúd nádúrtha cinnte, tá sé níos éasca don cuid is mó duinn an leagán bearlá a leamh. Ach tá mo chuid Gaeilge ag éirí níos measa dá bharr.

As gaelport.com fosta[
BILLE NA DTEANGACHA OIFIGIÚLA ACHTAITHE
Tá glactha ag Dáil Éireann agus ag Seanad Éireann le Bille na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2002. Tabharfar Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 air ach é a bheith sínithe taobh istigh de sheachtain ag Uachtarán na hÉireann, Máire Mhic Ghiolla Íosa.

Is fada an bóthar atá curtha dínn ón gcéad uair a hardaíodh ceist Bille Cearta Teanga ag deireadh na seascaidí nó fiú ó d'fhoilsigh Conradh na Gaeilge dréachtbhille sna seachtóidí. Go deimhin tá obair mhór curtha isteach ag Státseirbhísigh agus ag pobal na Gaeilge ó chéadfhógair an tAire Ó Cuív T.D. go raibh sé chun Bille Teanga a chur faoi bhráid Thithe an Oireachtais.

Ba mhaith le Comhdháil Náisiúnta na Gaeilge buíochas a ghabháil leis an Aire féin as féachaint chuige go mbeidh Acht ann, leis na státseirbhísigh ar fad a chaith am ag obair ar an mBille, go háirithe le Seosamh Ó hAghmaill, Déaglán Ó Briain agus Seán Ó Leidhinn ar thit ualach na hoibre orthu.

Táimid buíoch de na polaiteoirí ar fad a chabhraigh linn agus go háirithe Fergus O’Dowd T.D agus an Seanadóir Joe Mc Hugh ó Fhine Gael; Aonghus Ó Snodaigh T.D. ó Shinn Féin; Brian Ó Sé T.D. agus an Seanadóir Brendan Ryan ó Pháirtí an Lucht Oibre agus an Seanadóir Joe O’Toole a chinntigh gur pléadh ár gcuid leasuithe. Murach iad ní bheadh an tAcht leath chomh maith is atá.

Ba mhaith linn leis buíochas a ghabháil leis na heagrais Ghaeilge eile, go háirithe Conradh na Gaeilge agus leis na pobail ar fud na tíre a d'eagraigh agus a d'fhreastail ar chruinnithe agus a choinnigh brú ar pholaiteoirí go háitiúil.

Táimid go mór faoi chomaoin na meán a chinntigh go raibh an scéal os comhair an phobail. Táimid fíorbhuíoch d'fhoireann Foinse, go háirithe do Shorcha Ní Mhonacháin; d'fhoireann Lá, go háirithe Michelle Nic Pháidín; d'fhoireann Raidió na Gaeltachta, go háirithe Neasa Ní Chualáin agus Pól Mac Donncha agus d'fhoireann Nuachta TG4.

Tá dúshlán ollmhór romhainn anois ar dhá leibhéal

féachaint chuige go ndéanfar an tAcht a fheidhmiú agus
féachaint chuige go mbainfear leas as an Acht.

Seo a leanas príomhphointí an Achta;

Is Acht chun úsáid na Gaeilge a chur chun cinn atá ann agus caithfidh an tAire tuairisc a thabhairt don Dáil gach bliain maidir leis an Acht.
Tá dualgais nua leagtha ar chomhlachtaí poiblí maidir le húsáid na Gaeilge sna cúirteanna.
Sa chás go ndéanann duine cumarsáid le comhlacht poiblí i nGaeilge beidh ar an gcomhlacht poiblí freagairt i nGaeilge.
Sa chás go ndéanfaidh comhlacht poiblí cumarsáid leis an bpobal chun faisnéis a thabhairt cinnteoidh an comhlacht poiblí gur i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla agus i nGaeilge a bheidh an chumarsáid.
Ullmhóidh comhlachtaí poiblí dréachtscéimeanna chun úsáid na Gaeilge a chur chun cinn trí sheirbhísí a chur ar fáil don phobal trí Ghaeilge. a. Beidh ról ag an bpobal in ullmhú na ndréachtscéimeanna. b. Beidh ar na Comhlachtaí poiblí a chinntiú go bhfreastalófar ar riachtanais áirithe Gaeilge i limistéir Ghaeltachta. c. Beidh ar na Comhlachtaí poiblí a chinntiú go mbeidh an Ghaeilge ina teanga oibre ina gcuid oifigí sa Ghaeltacht.
Beidh Coimisinéir Teanga neamhspleách ann chun faireachán a dhéanamh ar chomhlíonadh fhorálacha an Achta seo. a. Cuirfidh an Coimisinéir tuarascáil bhliantúil ar fáil maidir lena c(h)uid oibre agus féadfaidh sé/sí tráchtaireacht ar fheidhm phraiticiúil agus ar oibriú fhorálacha an Achta a ullmhú agus a fhoilsiú.
Leagtar bonn reachtúil faoin leagan Gaeilge de logainmneacha na tíre.