Almost €900,000 or 20% increase approved for language plan budgets by Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Patrick O’Donovan

• increase of 20% announced for the implementation of language plans in the Gaeltacht Language Planning Areas, Gaeltacht Service Towns and Irish Language Networks
• 26 Language Planning Areas (LPAs), 8 Gaeltacht Service Towns (GSTs) and 3 Irish Language Networks (ILNs) will benefit from the increase
• permission granted to create the post of Language Planning Officer (LPO) in Areas where there are currently Assistant Language Planning Officers (ALPO)
• additional LPO approved for Maigh Eo Thuaidh to support the language planning process in the area

Today, the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, Patrick O'Donovan, announced additional supports for the language planning process, which will enhance the ability of each language planning committee to implement its plan more effectively.

This represents an additional investment worth almost €900,000 in the planning system in 2024.

An increase of 20% has been approved on the annual budget provided for each language plan. That equates to €20,000 or more for each LPA and €16,000 or more for each approved Irish Language Network and Gaeltacht Service Town.

Additional support has also been approved for the 4 LPAs for whom an Assistant Language Planning Officer had been approved. It has now been agreed that those areas will be allowed to employ a Language Planning Officer rather than an Assistant Language Planning Officer, as appropriate. There are 4 LPAs that met certain criteria laid down in 2017 - Gaoth Dobhair, Rann na Feirste, Anagaire & Loch an Iúir; Cois Fharraige; Conamara Láir & Ciarraí Thiar. As a result of this decision, they will be able to employ two Language Planning Officers in their language planning areas instead of one Language Planning Officer and one Assistant Language Planning Officer.

Specific additional support has been approved for Maigh Eo Thuaidh after the LPA's case was brought before the department in March 2023. That LPA has now been given permission to hire a second LPO in the area. To facilitate this, an increased budget will be made available for Maigh Eo Thuaidh which will be on a par with Gaoth Dobhair, Rann na Feirste, Anagaire & Loch an Iúir; Cois Fharraige; Conamara Láir & Ciarraí Thiar.

Announcing the decision today, Minister of State O'Donovan said:

So far 26 Language Planning Areas, 8 Gaeltacht Service Towns and 3 Irish Language Networks have been approved under the language planning process. Since the first language plan was approved in 2017, the budget for the implementation of plans has not changed significantly despite rises in the cost of living since then.

The 20% increase will also apply to any other language plan approved under the language planning process in the future.

The Gaeltacht Act, 2012 gives a statutory function to the language planning process. Under the process, the Gaeltacht communities in the Language Planning Areas recognised under the Act are being given the opportunity to prepare and implement language plans on a local basis with the ongoing support of the State.

In this collective approach, the aforementioned communities are given the opportunity to be at the heart of a process to address the challenges facing the Irish Language locally.

Under the process, the community is given a period of time to prepare and implement language plans.

In order to support Údarás na Gaeltachta and Foras na Gaeilge which have specific duties assigned to them under the Act as it relates to local and ongoing support for language plans, the department provides specific funding to both organisations on an annual basis. From there, ÚnaG and FnaG provide a separate annual budget for each approved language plan after agreeing on a work programme for the year ahead.