Members of the public in the North have been urged to give their views on whether the Irish language should be recognised as an official language.
Northern Ireland Office Culture Minister Maria Eagle
At the launch of a consultation document on new Irish language legislation, it emerged four options are being considered for the protection and promotion of the language.
Under the first option, Irish could become an official language in Northern Ireland like Welsh is in Wales, giving it an equal footing with English. That would mean it would be used to a significant extent by state agencies, government and the justice system.
However, the British government would also have to make English an official language because it is not declared in law in the United Kingdom.
Another alternative would be to recognise Irish as having equal validity as English but this would fall short of the status afforded to Welsh.
A third option would be to recognise Irish as a traditional, historic, indigenous or minority language, according it public recognition but again falling short of official and equal status.
The final alternative would be to aspire that Irish would become an official language or have equal status in future.
Northern Ireland Office Culture Minister Maria Eagle said the document was a response to the long-standing call from the Irish speaking community for legislation recognising their rights.
But she was at pains to stress that the Government was not intending to impose the speaking of Irish on anyone in Northern Ireland.
"Legislation to protect a minority indigenous language is not a novel idea," she said. "It is well established in other parts of the UK and the Republic of Ireland.
"This paper sets out a number of approaches on which views are welcome.
"There will be different views on the various approaches. But I would like to stress that there is nothing in this paper that suggests that the use of the Irish language will be imposed on any individual or any sector of society in Northern Ireland."
It is estimated there are approximately 168,000 people in Northern Ireland who could speak Irish to varying degrees of ability.
A total of 4,000 children are currently being educated in the language.
The document holds out the possibility that the legislation could affirm the right to use Irish in courtrooms, in schools, in the Stormont Assembly and local government, to communicate with public bodies and receive responses from them in the language, the right to access documents and official forms in Irish and the right to use an address in Irish in correspondence.
Other options would include having legislation which instead creates duties on public bodies to facilitate the use of Irish.
There could alternatively be an Irish Language Act which places duties on state bodies to operate a language scheme.
The document also holds out the possibility that there could be an Irish Language Commissioner to ensure rights are being upheld or an Irish Language Board.
During Prime Minister's Questions today, Democratic Unionist MP Iris Robinson claimed the Irish Language Act plans would outrage the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland.
The Strangford MP asked Tony Blair: "Would you confirm that in the event of devolution it would be entirely for the Assembly to determine whether such a Bill would proceed and in what terms?"
The Prime Minister responded: "I can assure that nobody is going to be forced under the provisions of any such Bill to speak the Irish language.
Of course not. "In relation to the consultation document that has been put out, we will obviously wait for responses.
"But the sooner it is possible, of course, to get devolution up and running again the easier it will be for these decisions to be taken where, I am sure, the people of Northern Ireland would wish them to be taken."
Sinn Féin human rights and equality spokeswoman Caitriona Ruane, whose party is campaigning for a rights-based approach to the legislation, said it was essential that the consultation delivered maximum protections for Irish and ensured there were sufficient resources for its promotion.
The South Down Assembly member also called for a specific commitment to an Irish Language Commissioner similar to the same post in the south.
"This would ensure that there was an end to the piecemeal approach and foot-dragging that has characterised the implementation of previous commitments to the Irish language," she said.
PA