Legislation aimed at making more public services available in the Irish language has been approved by the Oireachtas, and will now be signed into law.

By 2030, one-fifth of new recruits to the public service must be Irish speakers, under the Official Languages (Amendment) Bill 2019. All public office and State services will be provided through the Irish language in Gaeltacht areas.

The legislation addresses developments since the Official Languages Act was enacted in 2003.

Advisory

The bill also provides for the establishment of an Irish Language Services Advisory Committee, which will plan for the provision of public services through Irish.

Chief whip Jack Chambers said: “With this new bill, we, as a State, have laid a solid foundation to demonstrate real leadership in preserving the language for future generations.

“The use of Irish at an official level is an integral part of the ongoing efforts to ensure that the language is used among future generations.”