Government departments are struggling to meet the bilingual demands of the Official Languages Act, according to the Institute of Public Administration (IPA).
The Government Information Service (GIS) does not have anyone to deal with queries through Irish, and a survey of three of four Government departments that have already agreed a language scheme under the legislation has revealed a perceived lack of proficiency among staff dealing with issues and queries, the institute says.
The institute estimates that 10 per cent of the 300,000 people employed in the public sector may require specialist training to ensure the legislation is complied with.
Documents released through the Freedom of Information Act show relatively small numbers of officials were deemed capable or felt willing to transact business through Irish.
The IPA says three departments - the Taoiseach's department, the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, and the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism - have signalled an urgent need for more training if they are to have sufficient people skilled in this area to meet the legislation's demands.
The departments are among over 640 public bodies that will be obliged under the Act to provide a minimum level of Irish services to the general public, including the publication of major reports in Irish. Each public body is being asked to come up with a plan outlining other services that it will provide in Irish over the next few years.
The IPA has developed two training courses to help organisations to provide a bilingual service, details of which were announced yesterday by Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs Eamon Ó Cuív.
The courses represented "a significant first step in the response of third-level educational institutions to the provision of specialised Irish language training", Mr Ó Cuív said.
IPA training specialist Kieran Lenihan said appropriately focused training was vital if public-sector organisations were to meet the obligations and challenges posed by the Act. "Unless a bilingual culture is embedded within organisations, some organisations will struggle to meet the legislated imperatives in the short and medium term."
