Waterford TD Conor McGuinness criticises government for use of outdated data
Deputy Conor McGuinness
Sinn Féin spokesperson on rural affairs, community development and the Gaeltacht Conor McGuinness has spoken out against the government's latest draft of the sustainable rural and Gaeltacht housing policy after it emerged that the ministers used the wrong set of data when proposing a new system for Irish speakers housing in multi-unit developments in Gaeltacht areas.
"If the government's objective is to protect and strengthen the use of the Irish language, it must start with the correct facts," Deputy McGuinness said.
Under the latest draft policy, the percentage of units reserved for Irish speakers is based on the proportion of daily-Irish speakers over three years of age and outside of the education system, according to the most recent Census.
Ministers drafting this policy reportedly used figures from the 2016 Census, instead of the more recent statistics from the 2022 Census. Deputy McGuiness took issue with this, saying: "You cannot build a policy for the future on statistics that are almost a decade out of date."
Deputy McGuinness said this error has serious implications for Gaeltacht communities, pointing out that the draft policy itself acknowledges that an additional 10% should be added to these percentages in order to strengthen the daily use of Irish.
However, he said that made little sense in any event, as it would reduce the proportion of homes reserved for Irish speakers in areas like the Waterford Gaeltacht from the current 80% to just 37%, a massive drop.
"If the government is serious about the future of the Gaeltacht, it must amend this draft immediately. The views of Gaeltacht communities must be reflected in this draft policy," he said. "Sinn Féin has been engaging directly with Gaeltacht residents and representative organisations over recent weeks through a series of public and private meetings, and those views must now be listened to."
He added: "The future of the Gaeltacht is far too important to be based on such a fundamental mistake. The Government has a responsibility to correct this draft policy before any final version is presented to the public."
