The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív, has rejected a call to redraft the Official Languages Bill, 2002, which will give the Irish language equal status.
A Gaeltacht language rights organisation, Cearta Teanga na Gaeltachta, yesterday demanded the Bill be withdrawn and redrafted because it is "seriously flawed in its present form". The organisation, headed by an Údarás na Gaeltachta member, Mr Seosamh Ó Cuaig, said it believed the Bill to be unconstitutional in that it sought to deny citizens access to the courts if public bodies failed to meet their obligations under the new legislation.
The Bill passed its second stage in the Dáil last week.The legislation will give citizens the right to do business with any State agency or Government Department in Irish.
It also establishes an Irish language commissioner with the status of ombudsman. This commissioner will monitor efforts by Departments and State agencies to ensure that official signs, public notices and advertisements are worded in Irish as well as English.
Cearta Teanga said the legislation was flawed because it carried no statement of fundamental rights, to which Irish speakers should be entitled.
Mr Ó Cuív said there was no question of the Bill being withdrawn and all parties had supported it. The legislation had also been vetted by the Attorney General.
