Draft Irish Language Legislation ‘Excessive’ and ‘Unacceptable’ - McGimpsey
Ulster Unionist South Belfast assembly member, and former DCAL Minister, Michael McGimpsey, has voiced his concerns over the far-reaching nature of the draft Irish Language legislation published today.
The UUP MLA said that the legislation could have huge implications not only for public services, but also for Northern Ireland’s courts system and tribunals.
In a statement, Mr McGimpsey said: “What the Minister is saying today is that if there is no executive up and running by March 26, then we’ll see:
- the use Irish in legal proceedings in Northern Ireland’s courts
the use of Irish in tribunals, such an industrial tribunals, the Fair Employment Tribunal, and social security tribunals
- a duty on public authorities on the use of the Irish language in the provision of their services
- and the creation of a new oversight body, an Irish Language Commissioner.
“Maria Eagle can’t really believe that these clauses could ‘build consensus’ or reflect a ‘middle ground approach’. She voices her hopes that such proposals will gain acceptance across both main sections of the community. This underlines how detached from reality government here has become.”
He added: “The high stakes nature of DUP negotiations means that excessive and unnecessary measures contained in the legislation could become reality for Northern Ireland.
“Everyone in Northern Ireland who speaks Irish can speak English. And yet DUP negotiators will ensure that Irish is given equal weight in courtrooms and tribunals.
“This has been one of the worst aspects of the St Andrews Agreement. Language issues were settled nearly 10 years ago under the Belfast Agreement.
“But the DUP did not seem overly concerned when this first emerged. And indeed they seem to have accepted the Act as part of the choreography.”
Concluding he said: “Today’s publication is DUP failure writ large. And without devolution on March 26 – a proposition which Gregory Campbell stated would be an insult everyone’s intelligence – we will see public services and legal procedures in Northern Ireland operating in Irish.
“This must represent all that a large section of society in Northern Ireland feared the most. The financial implications of this legislation, and consequent impact on community relations, are potentially enormous.”