Shortly
after the Agreement was signed, the British government announced its intention
to sign the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. On 2 March 2000
the UK government signed the Charter recognising Irish, Scottish, Gaelic,
Welsh, Scots and Ulster Scots for Part II. In a letter issued by both British
and Irish governments on 5 May 2000, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach
Bertie Ahern pledged that the Council of Europe Charter would be ratified
by September. The Charter was ratified on 27 March 2001, specifying Irish,
Welsh and Scottish Gaelic for Part III. The Charter will come into force
on Monday 2 July 2001. The Government has agreed to conform with the specified
requirement of Part III, Article 10-Administrative Authorities and Public
Services.
The
body that will co-ordinate the government's policy for implementing the
Charter in Northern Ireland is the Linguistic Diversity Branch. This was
set up within the Central Community Relations Unit in February 1999 to devise
a language policy for Irish, Ulster Scots and the languages of the ethnic
minority communities. The Branch was later transferred to the newly established
Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL).
Steps
have been taken to implement the Agreement's commitment to linguistic
diversity. The North/South Language Implementation Body came into effect
on 2 December 1999, when powers were devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
The implementation body has responsibility for the following functions in
relation to the Irish language:
-
Promoting
the Irish language
-
Facilitating
and encouraging its use in speech and writing in public and private
in the South and, in the context of Part III of the European Charter
for Regional or Minority Languages, in Northern Ireland where there
is appropriate demand
-
Advising
both administrations, public bodies and other groups in the private
and voluntary sectors
-
Undertaking
supportive projects, and grant-aiding bodies and groups as considered
necessary
-
Undertaking
research, promotional campaigns, and public and media relations
-
Developing
terminology and dictionaries
-
Supporting
Irish-medium education and the teaching of Irish.
