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Baile - Cé Muid Féin - Achainí Sínithe - Achoimriú - Summary- Nuacht- Achainí - Naisc

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24 August 2010.

Open letter to An Taoiseach and An Tánaiste about the future of the Gaeltacht.

An Taoiseach Brian Cowen & An Tánaiste Mary Coughlan,
Teach Laighean,
Baile Átha Cliath.

A Thaoisigh agus a Thánaiste, a chairde,

We are writing to you as a united Gaeltacht community because we are concerned about the recent Report from the Department of Finance, ‘Infrastructure Investment Priorities2010-2016’. If these proposals are implemented, the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs and Údarás na Gaeltachta will effectively cease to exist by 2016 when we will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.

Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs
Capital Expenditure 2008-2016 (€ Millions)
2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
149	133	105	86	86	86	40	30	30

The greatest cuts in State capital expenditure are proposed for the Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs as illustrated below:

	Proposed reduction in department’s capital budget
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation	9.6%
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources	8.1%
Department of Defence	-12.5%
Department of Education and Skills	-12.9%
Department of Tourism, Culture and Sport	-16.7%
Department of Health and Children	-18.5%
Department of Finance	-20.0%
Department of Transport	-21.0%
Average Reduction	-26.4%
Department of Justice and Law Reform	-26.8%
Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government	-27.1%
Department of Social Protection	-40.0%
Department of Foreign Affairs	-60.0%
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food	-60.5%
Department of Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs	-71.4%

As you know from the Comprehensive Linguistic Study of the Use of Irish in the Gaeltacht, there is a linguistic crisis in the Gaeltacht at present, even in the strongest Gaeltacht areas:
"The unambiguous conclusion of the survey on young people is that, without a major change to language-use patterns, Irish is unlikely to remain the predominant community and family language in those areas with the most widespread and inclusive Irish-speaking networks (i.e. Category A Gaeltacht districts) for more than another fifteen to twenty years.” (CLS, 2007:27)
This problem must be addressed immediately before it is too late and, consequently, we are asking you to accept and implement all of the proposals made by the Houses of the Oireachtas Joint Committee Report recently regarding the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language.  

We accept that we are currently in a very poor economic climate and that cuts are needed in State expenditure but the preservation of Irish as a living community language in the Gaeltacht cannot be made conditional upon global economic conditions.

Is muidinne, le meas,

 

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GUTH NA GAELTACHTA'S SUBMISSION

in relation to the

 

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Guth na Gaeltachta is a community based non-political cross party campaign which aims to unite all Gaeltacht communities, Irish language organisations and others in a common stand against the severity of the cuts recommended by An Bord Snip Nua for the Gaeltacht and the Irish language.  You will find on our website a list of all the community groups, organisations which are supporting us http://www.guthnag.com/Sinithe.html.

 

Summary of ‘An Bord Snip Nua’ recommendations
Regarding the  Gaeltacht and the Irish Language

Current expenditure on the Gaeltacht and Islands is €85.9 million and €8.4 million on Ciste na Gaeilge.

An Bord Snip Nua recommends:

• The abolition of most Gaeltacht programmes and any remaining Gaeltacht responsibilities to be subsumed within the Department of Education & Science.
• Responsibility for the Islands to be subsumed within the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government
• A reduction of €49.6 million overall in expenditure on the Gaeltacht and Islands(58%)
• A reduction in the staff from 160 to 84, this equals 76 posts(48%)
• Údarás na Gaeltachta enterprise development functions to be transferred to Enterprise Ireland( -€6.9Million and 40 posts)
• The end of Gaeltacht Housing Grants(-€2.9Million)
• The abolition of both Scéim Labhairt na Gaeilge(income support to Irish-speaking families) and Scéim na bhFoghlaimeoirí Gaeilge, this is the income support to the ‘Bean a Tí’(-€5.5M)
• Discontinuation of funding to Gaeltacht Community and recreational schemes such as community centres and sports facilities.
• Discontinuation of funding to Gaeltacht capital improvement schemes such as marine works, road improvement and group water schemes.
• No new capital investments in Islands infrastructure.
• A reduction of €1Million in Ciste na Gaeilge(12%).

• The abolition of An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaeilge(COGG) and the transfer of its responsibilities to the Department of Education.
• The closure/amalgamation of any primary school with less than 100 pupils(this will affect 100 primary schools in Gaeltacht regions).

There are many other recommendations which would affect Gaeltacht areas in particular:

• The reduction of grants to community groups/schemes e.g. LDSIP & CDP
• Abolition of CLÁR scheme and the Dormant Accounts Fund.
• Abolition of grant funding to regional airports and to regional air routes.
• Discontinuation of REPS schemes and other supports to disadvantaged regions.
• Discontinuation of the Rural Transport Scheme.

Guth na Gaeltachta response to the Bord Snip Nua recommendations

An Bord Snip Nua is recommending cuts of 9.4% in total in State expenditure.  The worst affected Department is the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs with cuts totalling 32% (the next highest is Arts, Sport & Tourism at 19% ).  However, within the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, the cuts recommended for Gaeltacht and Islands expenditure amounts to 58%. 

Guth na Gaeltachta acknowledges:

1. the need for measured cuts in these times of dire economic straits and
2. the need to reevaluate and restructure certain Gaeltacht expenditure programmes,

but we consider these cuts excessive and an attack on the very existence of the Gaeltacht.  We are asking people to sign a petition which asks the Government to preserve the following five principles:

1. The retention of a Department of the Gaeltacht under the direction of a Minister:

At present Gaeltacht and Islands represents approx 20% of expenditure within the current Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht affairs.  If the Bord Snip Nua recommendations were implemented, expenditure on the Gaeltacht would amount to less than 0.5% of expediture in the Department of Education.

2. The retention of the enterprise functions of Údarás na Gaeltachta

Údarás na Gaeltachta grant aided 432 projects in 2007 which resulted in the creation of an estimated 928 jobs.  We consider that Enterprise Ireland would be unsuited to give this kind of targeted support to Gaeltacht regions.

3. The preservation of Gaeltacht and Irish language medium education.

We are opposed to the abolition of COGG, an organisation which gives invaluable support to the Irish medium education sector in terms of providing classroom/teaching materials, conducting research etc
We are also opposed to the closure/amalgamation of primary schools with less than 100 pupils.  This would affect nearly every school in the Gaeltacht and would have a very detrimental effect on the communities and the language.

4. The retention of schemes aimed at the preservation and development of the language, art and culture.

Some Gaeltacht schemes need to be reviewed and restructured but other schemes such an Scéim na bhFoghlaimeorí Gaeilge(income support for households hosting Gaeltacht students) are of inestimable value to the Gaeltacht and to the language.  It is estimated that the State expenditure of €5M on this scheme generates up to €50M for the Gaeltacht economy.

5. The retention of  expenditure funds for capital, infrastructural and community based projects in disadvantaged areas such as the Gaeltacht.

The Bord Snip Nua recommends:

• Discontinuation of funding to Gaeltacht Community and recreational schemes such as community centres and sports facilities.
• Discontinuation of funding to Gaeltacht capital improvement schemes such as marine works, road improvement and group water schemes.
• No new capital investments in Islands infrastructure.

• The reduction of grants to community groups/schemes e.g. LDSIP & CDP
• Abolition of CLÁR scheme and the Dormant Accounts Fund.
• Abolition of grant funding to regional airports and to regional air routes.
• Discontinuation of REPS schemes and other supports to disadvantaged regions.
• Discontinuation of the Rural Transport Scheme.

We do not agree with the reasoning behind the above recommendations as outlined below by An Bord Snip Nua. 

‘The Group is of the view that resources should be targeted at those most in need and that differential schemes aimed at Gaeltacht areas are not justifiable.’  (Volume 2, Page 41) 

Why is expenditure on Gaeltacht programmes solely judged under the criteria of ‘targeted at those most in need’? If we were to follow the logic of this criteria, then how can the State justify expenditure on tourism, art, roads, heritage, defence, education, enterprise, communications, foreign affairs, agriculture, fisheries etc?

Spending on Gaeltacht areas is justifiable under at least two criteria:

• The Irish language is the first official language of the State and it’s preservation and development is the responsibility of the State and the will of the Irish people.
• Gaeltacht regions are among the most disadvantaged areas in the State under any socioeconomic criteria, whether infrastructural deficits, unemployment, peripheralisation etc.  Under any kind of worthwhile State policy of social cohesion, regional or rural development, targeted investments have to be made in these disadvantaged areas. Many of the schemes being abolished by An Bord Snip Nua are merely establishing a level of subsistence support for people in these disadvantaged regions.