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Unionists reject Euro report on Irish language

January 17, 2014

Unionists have defended the Northern Ireland Executive’s policy on the Irish language following criticism from a major EU body.

In a new report, the Council of Europe said that a “persisting hostile climate” exists in the Stormont Assembly and that more should be done to promote the language.

Using information provided by various governments, every three years the council compiles a report on the state of minority languages, including Welsh and Scottish Gaelic.

DUP MEP Diane Dodds has dismissed the report, saying the Irish language is “funded and supported by the Executive in line with its commitments”.

Mrs Dodds said the focus for public expenditure in difficult economic time must be on vital public services.

“The report from the Council of Europe in relation to the Irish language takes a long list of aims, objectives and grievances from Irish language activist groups and places them in list form within the report.

“It is of course unsurprising that such groups will always want to see greater and greater use of Irish. It is worth noting that the Executive does meet its commitments in law, including the St Andrews Agreement.”

Ulster Unionist culture spokesman Michael McGimpsey said: “The Council of Europe cannot make binding laws and seems oblivious to the fact that the 1998 Belfast Agreement was the settlement regarding minority languages in Northern Ireland and we have fulfilled our obligations under it.

“There are a number of human rights issues within European borders which the Council of Europe should be busying itself with. The position of the Irish language in Northern Ireland is not one of them.”

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams welcomed the report.

He said the Irish language “threatens no one” and added: “There is an onus on the British and Irish governments to support the Irish language and to ensure the introduction of an Irish Language Act.”

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Ruane under fire over funding for Irish schools

July 28, 2010

Caitriona Ruane has been challenged over her spending on Irish language schools when many have a significant number of empty seats.

Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott questioned the education minister over her capital investment in Northern Ireland’s 22 Irish language primary schools in an Assembly written question.
A total of 830 spaces were unfilled across the sector, according to the schools’ census of October last year.
The Fermanagh and South Tyrone representative has concerns over spending on Irish language schools which he says has risen “five-fold in the last three years”.

He said: “Given that 830 places remain empty within the Irish medium sector, I would question why the minister of education Caitriona Ruane is continuing to invest in the sector given the current fiscal constraints faced by the Northern Ireland Executive and her department.

“The minister is constantly crying poverty within her budget – yet she has increased her capital budget for Irish medium schools five-fold in the last three years when schools are not even reaching capacity and seats are remaining empty. Why?”
Earlier this year, the minister was embroiled in a row over her proposals to cut the £800 per pupil funding allocated to prep schools – while defending the £3,371 allocated to those in the Irish language sector.
The average primary school pupil in the Province attracts £2,911 in government funding while integrated schools receive £3,024 per pupil.

At the time, the education department said Irish medium schools were entitled to additional support.
A department spokesman said: “Higher average funding levels per pupil in Irish medium and integrated schools will, in part, reflect the greater proportion of smaller schools in these growing sectors.”
Mr Elliott said he respected the right of parents to educate their children in Irish but highlighted the “inevitable rationalisation” in the education sector and added: “We are going to have to find innovative ways to condense the school estate.”

The education minister responded to the latest criticism saying: “The overall number of children educated through the medium of Irish continues to grow across the north, although there is unequal provision in some areas.”
Ms Ruane said the department had “statutory responsibilities regarding how that demand is met” and added: “There are empty desks in every sector and in all cases a strategic approach is taken regarding funding decisions.”

Belfast Newsletter
28 Iúil 2010

War of words over plan for Irish school

February 18, 2010

A war of words has broken out over a Sinn Fein proposal to site an Irish language school in a predominantly unionist village outside Londonderry.

DUP MLA Gregory Campbell has lashed out at Sinn Féin’s Raymond McCartney after he tabled a question to Education Minister Caitriona Ruane about the former Faughan Valley High School site in Drumahoe. The question asked if she would consider the site – vacated when two Controlled schools merged – “as a location for a Meanscoil (Irish language secondary school)”. Mr Campbell said: “There are two issues arising from this question. The first is that it appears in some instances there is threat of closure to Irish language schools because of the lack of those interested in such a school, yet he seems to want another one opened.

“The second matter is that Mr McCartney also doesn’t understand what the local response would be, if there were an approach to the Orange Order to see if a suitable site becoming available in Londonderry’s Creggan estate, would they be interested in providing a boost to cultural education in that area? “It seems that, in the words of an alcoholic beverage company’s advert, Sinn Féin don’t do irony….but if they did?” However, Sinn Féin’s Raymond McCartney hit back and said he could explain his rationale for posing the Assembly question to Minister Ruane. Mr McCartney said: “It is the Sinn Féin belief that to maximise the numbers of pupils for a new Meanscoil in Derry, it would require children from Bunscoileanna in Dungiven and Strabane.

“We have come to this view after consultation with parents and educationalists in both areas. In the opinion of the parents, access to the school would be one of the key issues which will determine if their children would travel to Derry for education provision. “They point out that travelling across to the West Bank would add significantly to travel time from both towns.

Therefore the best place for all concerned would be a location in the Waterside. Rather than seek a new build, an existing school estate would make sound economic sense.” Mr McCartney continued by saying that in all the possibilities in the case, the Drumahoe site was just one consideration. However, the Sinn Féin representative also hit back at Mr Campbell and said: “As for Gregory Campbell’s assertion about the Orange Order, if you’ll excuse the pun, he’s comparing apples with oranges. Perhaps a better comparison would be if someone wished to site an Ulster-Scots school in any area of the city, I certainly would be supportive, be that Creggan, Gobnascale or anywhere else for that matter.” The former Faughan Valley High School site has long proved a point of contention.

The local community association as well as other community leaders across the Waterside have lobbied for years in an attempt to get land released to them for badly needed community and sporting facilities, as has the council.

Belfast Newsletter
18 Feabhra 2010