Minister Calleary welcomes the 2024 Annual Report of An Coimisinéir Teanga
-
From: Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht
- Published on: 27 June 2025
- Last updated on: 27 June 2025
Over €14m spent on Irish language advertising and significant growth in the amount of advice given to public bodies.
The Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Dara Calleary T.D., has welcomed the Annual Report of An Coimisinéir Teanga, Séamas Ó Coincheanainn, for 2024.
Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga was established as a central part of the Official Languages Act 2003 and, for over twenty years, that office has served to protect the language rights of the public in accordance with the objectives of the Act.
Each year, these reports provide a valuable insight into the progress of public bodies under the Act as well as the matters of concern to the public in terms of their language rights. Highlights of the 2024 Report include:
- Increased demand for advice on language obligations There has been a significant increase in the number of public bodies seeking advice from Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga regarding language obligations in 2024, with advice given on 593 different occasions during the year - a 55% increase from 2023.
- Significant investement in Irish language advertising as a result of Section 10A: €14.2m spent on Irish language advertising in 2024, with €3.8m of that spent on Irish language media.
- Monitoring of Section 4B: High compliance among Government Departments and a sample of local authorities and public bodies with Section 4B(a) - appoint a senior member of staff to oversee performance and reporting obligations - with lower compliance with Section 4B(b) - report in their Annual Report under the Act (22% non-compliant).
- Insight into the current gaps in the provision of public services through Irish through the complaints received, namely:
- a shortage of staff with Irish language proficiency to provide telephone information, helpdesk and web chat services in Irish;
- lack of interactive services online;
- lack of public service infrastructure in the Gaeltacht to facilitate public services through Irish;
- official forms; and
- accurate use of name, surname, address, and title in Irish including the síneadh fada.
An Coimisinéir Teanga notes the importance of implementing the language standards system and other provisions of the Act in this regard, as well as boosting recruitment to ensure that the target of 20% of public sector recruits being competent in Irish by 2030 is met.
Speaking today, Minister Calleary said:
“For over twenty years, the monitoring, advice and perspective of Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga has been a central part of the development and strengthening of the Irish language in public life. I welcome An Coimisinéir’s Annual Report and the excellent work that Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga continues to do. The report demonstrates the significant progress that has been made to date, particularly in terms of advertising and the visibility of the Irish language in the media, and the number of public bodies that seek advice from the Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga.
While Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga has identified some gaps in the provision of Irish language public services in the report, I am encouraged that much of the work currently being undertaken by my Department under the Act will look to directly address most of these. For example, some of the potential initiatives set out in the National Plan for Irish Languages Services, such as the establishment of service hubs to provide core public services through Irish – particularly in the Gaeltacht - as well as the establishment of a shared translation service, would be revolutionary in removing barriers to the provision of bilingual public services.
To this end, we have a busy period ahead of us between the publication of the first Action Plan under the National Plan and the launch of various consultations on the draft language standards and the provisions relating to names, addresses and titles in Irish and official forms. All public bodies will be kept up to date, as we undertake this important work.
I thank An Coimisinéir Teanga and the dedicated members of his team for all their work and their ongoing commitment to the language rights of the people of Ireland.”