Éamon Ó Cuív on Gaeltacht crisis as Irish colleges cancelled

Minister, one of your primary responsibilities is to that great part of our heritage, the Irish language. I'm surprised that you didn't address issues in relation to the language here today. Thank you. Minister Cáine is actually in discussions with the Business Committee with a view to an appearance next week before the COVID-19 Committee to discuss the responses in respect of the Geoltaith. I'm here today to discuss heritage matters. I was here last week to discuss culture matters. Maybe given the limited time we can confine it to that. Thank you. Minister, I'm not on the COVID Committee and I want an answer on the plain recession of the day. And it's clear to me that if I'm a member of the government, I'm not going to say anything about the government. And therefore I will address myself, because you are the Minister of the Gaealtocht. As you know, Minister Cain has statutory responsibility for the Gaealtocht, with respect. You are the Minister of the Gaealtocht, but there are 15 government ministers in the constitution. You have the ministerial responsibility for the Gaealtocht. As I said, the Irish language is a particularly important part of our heritage. It's one of the oldest written languages in Europe, and it's still a vernacular language. And of course the Gaealtocht is the place where, you could say, it's the living well from which the language keeps springing anew. Since 1904, Gaealtocht courses have been held in the Gaealtocht every year, which have created a huge connection between people from literally all over this island, north and south, and the Gaealto communities. That's nearly unique, and I don't think it's replicated anywhere else in the world. For the first time in 116 years, there will be no Irish colleges this year. And this is a massive economic blow to the Gaealtocht. Now the reality is, there is money in the Gaealtocht vote that was set aside to pay the grants to the MRAAT this year for keeping the students. Now remember the MRAAT, because they weren't working in March because people don't go to the Gaealtocht to learn Irish in the middle of March, are not entitled to the COVID payment. So my question to you, Minister, is, what are you going to do, like you did for Gaealtocht to support the colleges themselves, the MRAATI, and also the halls and the facilities that were funded by the department and that rely on the income from the Irish colleges to pay for things like insurance? And I'd also like to ask you, would you consider creating a new grant this year, because I understand that tourism will be open in August. But it wouldn't be suitable to put four, five, four children in a room together from different backgrounds. But what would be possible is to encourage families to come and stay in the Gaealtocht during that period in a house for maybe five days. And some of the money that's already in your vote could be used constructively, particularly parents who have children in the Gaealtocht, to come to the Gaealtocht for five days and do that for three or four weeks in August on a rolling basis. Would you consider introducing a scheme such as that to retrieve some of the season, Gaealtocht, but also to give a unique opportunity to families to learn the Irish language together with a full programme, Gaealtocht? Yes. To be absolutely fair to the Minister, not for a positive perspective, the preparations for today were preparations around a debate on the physical heritage of our country. No, the points you raised, Deputy O'Cleave, are of fundamental importance to the Gaealtocht and to people with a concern therein. My understanding is that those matters are to be addressed at the COVID-19 Committee. I have no difficulty answering it, if it's of assistance. But I do think it's better serving the other deputies as it wasn't, as the Cairn Corlea said on the record. But I am going to answer your question. I'm thorough about my work. I'm thorough about my work. I made an inquiry with my own whip as to was there an elimination or a definition of heritage, and I was told no, it was all heritage. I'm going to answer your question. So, you know, first of all, we recognise that the college is a vital part of the social and economic infrastructure of the Gaealtocht, and they have up to 27,000 students, as we know, going every summer. My own son was it was due to go this year, and it's extremely disappointed not to be going. And I know it's of huge economic value. I think it brings in about 50 million in terms of economic activity to the region. And it's very regrettable because of COVID-19 that we're not in a position, you know, to do much about that. But under the scheme Na Fáigle Móirí Gaelge, my department provides a subsidy to Gaealtocht households, who provide accommodation for students attending Irish language summer colleges in the Gaealtocht, and the households also received payment from these colleges. And I know that Minister Cain and the officials in my department on a number of occasions have met with the college's representative organisations, CUNCAS, with a view to identifying the financial pressures and the points where they need to be examined. And, you know, they're looking at support packages around that sector deputy. So we're very aware of the fact that it's extremely important, and it's intrinsic to the entire of the Gaealtocht region, those, you know, for the Monona tea as well as for the surrounding area. And so you can rest assured it's very much under our radar and something that we're working very intensely on. Thank you. Thank you, Minister próximo Poets. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you. Thank you. We have time for the panels, Mr. President Bateman showroom bisnambulva. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.