From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin T.D and Government Chief Whip and Minister of State for the Gaeltacht and Sport Jack Chambers T.D. announced (Wednesday 7th of July) that they have established a fund worth €2.2m to support eligible Gaeltacht families who normally provide accommodation for summer college students. The funding is being made available on foot of the cancellation of Irish language courses in the Gaeltacht for the second summer in succession due to COVID-19. The decision was reached by consensus at the beginning of May to cancel Irish language courses in the Gaeltacht for this summer after the Minister of State initiated a public consultation process involving discussions (hosted online) with key stakeholders within the sector - including the residential accommodation providers, to hear their opinions and recommendations on the matter.
As this is the second successive year that COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of the Irish language colleges, an increase of 25% over the amount paid in 2020 under a similar measure is being provided under this measure to qualifying householders.
This ultimately means that a payment of €5 per student will be provided instead of €4 - as provided under last year’s measure.
The Department is continuing to engage with stakeholders with a view to providing appropriate assistance to summer colleges as well as Gaeltacht community halls affected by the cancellation of summer Irish language courses this summer.
Minister Martin said: “It is a major step forward that this funding is being made available to the approximately 700 families in the Gaeltacht who provide accommodation to students attending Irish language colleges each summer. These householders are enduring significant loss in income again this year as a result of summer courses being cancelled. Gaeltacht households play a key role in the college sector - which is of particular importance to the Irish language and the Gaeltacht economy. This measure being announced today will help ensure that the sector is stabilised for 2022 insofar as possible. With the significant progress being made with vaccine distribution we are all very optimistic that Irish language colleges will be back in full swing next summer.”
Minister of State Chambers said: “No more than Minister Martin, I am delighted to be able to establish this fund. Having had the opportunity to listen carefully to the representative group of Gaeltacht households who provide accommodation for the sector, as well as other stakeholders, of course, I am well aware of the particular challenges facing Gaeltacht communities due to the inability of the Irish language colleges to operate for the second year in succession. Under this specific funding, we will ensure that the system is put on a sound footing, enabling a full return next year”.
This initiative is being taken in view of the particular importance of the Irish language college sector which provides opportunities for language acquisition and enrichment opportunities outside the school curriculum for c. 26,000 students in the natural domain of the language - An Ghaeltacht. The specific funding will ensure that these households are not left in the lurch as a result of not having summer college income for the second year in a row”.
INFORMATION NOTE TO EDITORS - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What exactly is intended to be done for the benefit of accommodation providers?
The following amount is payable under the proposed fund:
o The standard rate payable is up to 50% of the €10 daily payment normally paid by the Department under the scheme, i.e. €5 per student per night.
o The total payment for each eligible family will be based on the total number of students who stayed with the family in 2019 and for whom a grant was paid under the Irish Language Learners Scheme.
For example; a family of 12 students for 8 weeks in 2019
If a Gaeltacht family kept 12 students per course over a total of eight weeks in the normal way in 2019 and received €6,720 accordingly under the ILLS in 2019, they would be entitled to 50% or €3,360 under this measure, on the condition that the different conditions relating to this measure are complied with.
2019 12 students x 7 nights x 8 weeks x €10 = €6,720
2020 12 students x 7 nights x 8 weeks x €10 @ 40% = €2,688
2021 12 students x 7 nights x 8 weeks x €10 @ 50% = €3,360
2. What is the purpose of this measure?
Its general objective is to ensure the continued viability of the sector and, as such, to allow the sector to continue to contribute to the systematic effort being made to support the Irish language and the Gaeltacht regions in line with overarching objectives as set out in the 2018-2022 Action Plan for the Irish Language and the 20-Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010–2030, which represent Government policy in relation to the Irish language and the Gaeltacht.
3. What is the background and what about the college directors and community halls?
The Chief Whip of the Government and Minister of State Chambers announced at the beginning of May 2021 the outcome of a comprehensive consultation process undertaken with the Irish Language Summer College sector.
During the consultation process, a representative group of households who provide accommodation, as well as college authorities outlined their significant concerns around public health and safety, were courses to proceed.
There was also extensive engagement with other relevant stakeholder groups – namely, the umbrella group of Irish language colleges, CONCOS and a representative group of those involved in the administration of Gaeltacht community halls.
On foot of this, it was decided by consensus not to proceed with the Irish language courses in summer 2021.
Discussions and engagement is ongoing with CONCOS and community hall representatives who provide classroom and social/sport-activities accommodation to the sector in order to find a suitable support/stabilisation mechanism.
4. What is the value of the investment made in the normal way under the Irish Language Learners' Scheme on an annual basis?
Expenditure on the scheme was €4.47 million in 2019, which is demand-led. The number of people attending colleges has increased by 21.7% in the 5 year period from 2014 to 2019. Further growth was expected in 2020 and indeed in the current year.
5. What is the overall context of this policy?
In line with the Government's general objectives in relation to the Irish language and the Gaeltacht regions as set out in the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010–2030 (the Strategy), the Department's Goal is to support the use of the Irish language throughout Ireland and to strengthen its use as the main language of the community in the Gaeltacht.
The Government's 5 year Action Plan for the Irish Language (Action Plan 2018–2022) - published following Government approval at that time in June 2018 to take forward the implementation of the overarching strategy - contains specific actions (Actions 2.13 and 2.15) which aim to support the Irish language summer college sector as a key driver in continuing to provide language acquisition and enrichment opportunities in Gaeltacht regions for post-primary and third level students from all over Ireland.
In the context of the current arrangements in place in relation to the award of marks for spoken Irish as part of the Leaving Certificate Examinations (in which 40% of the marks are awarded for spoken Irish) and the ever-increasing opportunities at European and public service level for graduates with Irish language qualifications, the important contribution of the Irish language summer college sector to the provision of learning opportunities outside the traditional classroom setting cannot be overemphasised, particularly in relation to spoken Irish.
In this context, the Department recognises the strategic importance of intervening now to stabilise the sector in a way that takes into account the interdependence of the families, colleges and relevant Gaeltacht community halls for their viability.
6. How will the cost be met?
This emergency measure will be funded from the current funding allocation for the Irish Language Learners Scheme (ILLS) funded under the Department's Community and Language Supports Program (subhead C3).
9. What happens now?
The Department will be in contact immediately with the households and set in train the process for receiving and processing applications under the fund.
Irish Language Learners Scheme
This subsidy is worth €10 per day (equivalent to €220 per student for a three week course), benefiting over 26,000 students per annum whilst staying with any of the c.700 families throughout the Gaeltacht that are identified under the scheme. This represents a state investment in the sector of over €4m annually.
In addition to this practical assistance provided and administered by the Department, the Department administers three other separate measures under the umbrella of the scheme, for the benefit of the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, namely:
• DEIS Gaeltachta - Under this initiative which started in 2019, 50 scholarships are awarded annually worth c. €850 each for the provision of opportunities for attendees of DEIS post-primary schools throughout the country to attend a summer college in the Gaeltacht.
• ERASMUS Gaeltachta - Under this initiative, which began in 2019, an annual fund of €250,000 has been created to provide the opportunity for up to 175 third -level students to stay for a university semester with Gaeltacht families whilst studying an eligible third-level course.
• ÁRAINN Gaeltachta - This initiative provides funding of up to €150,000 over a 3-year period to enable up to 30 post-primary students per annum to spend a full school-year attending any of the three post-primary schools on the Aran Islands.
In addition, current funding is provided to the umbrella organisation CONCOS to further assist the summer college sector. Further information is available on the Department's website.