Questions

11. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if his Department has engaged, or plans to engage, with a company (details supplied) regarding the availability of the Irish language on the company's operating system as part of efforts to promote the use of Irish in digital services and technologies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53283/26]

523. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht whether central guidance exists across public bodies regarding the use of Irish place names, including in cases where the Irish and English versions are similar in spelling; whether his Department is considering the development of a consistent national approach to the use of Irish only place names in such cases; and if…

526. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the current policy position of her Department regarding the establishment of new Irish medium primary and post-primary schools in Dublin city; whether her Department has assessed projected demand for more Gaelcholáistí in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17173/26]

527. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has conducted or commissioned any recent analysis of parental demand for Irish medium education in Dublin city and nationally; if so, if she will provide details of the methodology and findings of such analysis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17174/26]

528. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether consideration is being given to legislative measures to support a systematic and long-term expansion of Irish medium education, including the establishment of new schools rather than reliance solely on the expansion of existing provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17175/26]

529. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the way in which the forward planning section of her Department incorporates Irish medium provision into its school place planning for Dublin city and other urban areas; whether specific targets exist for the growth of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí under the National Development Plan; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17176/26]

530. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has examined proposals to provide a statutory right to education through the medium of Irish where sufficient parental demand exists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17177/26]

531. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department intends to publish a multi annual strategy setting out clear timelines, targets and capital allocations for the expansion of Irish medium education in north Dublin and nationally; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17178/26]

532. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of Gaelcholáistí, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17179/26]

387. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the measures her Department is taking to address the increase in Irish language exemptions and to ensure that the operation of the exemption system remains consistent with national policy objectives for Irish language learning, in view of the ongoing implementation of the Action Plan for the Irish Language; and if she will make a statement on the m…

12. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht the indicators his Department will use to measure progress on the Clondalkin Irish Language Network and the Gaeilge 365 initiative from 2025 to 2028; the specific annual targets for the number of innovative projects to be developed each year; the number to be mainstreamed; the number to be scaled within the four Dublin …

792. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the criteria currently used to approve exemptions from studying Irish (primary and secondary); the timeframes these criteria are audited or reviewed by her Department, the steps being taken to ensure consistency and fairness across schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58938/25]

793. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she has evaluated the impact of the rising number of Irish exemptions on bilingual policy goals, Irish language proficiency targets; and if her Department plans to propose reforms (e.g. differentiated instruction, optional exam modes, or phased reduction) to reverse exemption growth; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58939/25]

794. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth the supports (special education resources, differentiated curricula, teaching methods) which are provided to students with learning difficulties or literacy challenges to enable them to continue Irish rather than be exempted; the number of such supports which have been funded in the past three years; the plans which exist to expand them; and if she…

795. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Education and Youth her plans to commission an independent review of the exemption system for Irish in schools (primary and secondary), including its impacts on language retention and equity; the terms of reference that review will have; and the timeframe for when it will begin; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [58941/25]

1304. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she has engaged with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media to discuss the promotion of bilingual food labelling in Ireland; if so, the outcomes of that engagement; and if not, whether she will commit to such coordination to ensure that future discussions on EU food labelling policy reflect the State’s obligations in respect of…

1305. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will reconsider the remit of the inter-departmental group on the Food Information to Consumers Regulation to include the issue of bilingual labelling, in light of the State’s legal obligations to promote the Irish language under the Constitution and the Official Languages Acts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29129/25]

1306. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health if she will support the inclusion of bilingual labelling as part of Ireland’s national position on future revisions to the EU Food Information to Consumers Regulation, even if such provisions are not currently included in the draft EU proposal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29130/25]

375. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Health the reason the use of the Irish language was not included in the remit of the cross-departmental working group established to consider new EU food labelling regulations; if she will now consider policy options, including potential legislative changes, to encourage greater use of bilingual packaging by businesses in Ireland as a way to promote and increase the v…

332. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science in light of the 20% recruitment target in the Official Languages Acts for the State system, if his Department has spoken to any university regarding third-level courses through the medium of Irish, and training in the language available to students across the country; and if so, when we can expect that at …

552. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if additional supports will be provided to promote the Irish language in schools and public life; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3606/25]