€700,000 paid every year to families with cupla focal

Brian McDonald

November 20 2007 04:48 AM

Almost €700,000 is being paid to families around the country ... for speaking Irish.

The families, living in Gaeltacht areas, simply have to prove that they speak Irish as their everyday language and they are handed a cheque for €260 every year.

Even families who are not quite up to the mark, but who have the potential to use Irish every day are being given a cheque for €130.

Sceim Labhairt na Gaeilge (the Irish Speaking Scheme) was introduced by the Government to encourage the use of Irish. But for decades it has been paid out to families with schoolgoing children in the Gaeltacht, who spoke Irish anyway.

Households within the Gaeltacht and with children in either primary and/or second-level schools are entitled to apply for the grant.

If they can satisfy the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs that Irish is the normal spoken language, they qualify for the funding every school year.

Less fluent Gaeltacht families with schoolgoing children who fall short of the required standard but with potential to reach the desired fluency within three years receive a cheque for half of the full grant.

A department inspector assesses the level of fluency within a family, usually by interviewing the youngest schoolgoing children. If necessary, the inspector can go on to carry out a further interview with other family members.

Latest figures issued by the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs show that, while 3,470 families applied for the funding in the current school year, 2,216 have been approved for the full grant of €260.

A total of 937 families qualified for the reduced grant; 225 families were refused funding.