Fine Gael has called for extra staff and resources for the translation unit of the House of Oireachtas after yesterday's Supreme Court ruling in favour of a citizen who could not gain access to the Irish version of modern statutes.
The party's gaeltacht spokesman, Mr Dinny McGinley, said the Government must respond urgently to guarantee Irish speakers' rights before the law.
The Supreme Court judgment upheld an appeal by Mr Séamus Ó Beolain, of Springfield, Tallaght, Dublin, against the High Court's refusal to grant him two declarations.
By a two-to-one majority, the Supreme Court granted declarations that the State has a constitutional obligation to supply the official translations of the Acts of the Oireachtas in Irish when the President signed a Bill in English and to supply the official translation of the rules of the District Court in Irish.
Mr Ó Beolain had sought the rules and the official Irish translations of the Road Traffic Acts 1994 and 1995 to answer a charge of drink driving under the Road Traffic Acts.
He was summonsed to appear before the District Court in September 1997 and said he wished to conduct the case in Irish and to have Irish translations of relevant documents. When he had not received the official translations by March 1998, he took judicial review proceedings.
The High Court refused to grant the declarations sought and also refused an order prohibiting his trial until the relevant translated materials were provided.
Yesterday, two of three Supreme Court judges upheld the appeal against the refusal to make the two declarations sought but they refused to prohibit the trial.