The State’s handling of the distribution of Covid-19 information has made a “joke” of the Irish language, an Oireachtas committee has heard.
Fianna Fáil's Éamon Ó Cuív said how the language has been treated during the pandemic has been an “utter disgrace”.
The Government’s official information booklet on coronavirus was not printed in English and Irish as standard.
Two separate leaflets, one in English and one in Irish, were instead sent to every household. Official Government information leaflets are typically printed bilingually.
Mr Ó Cuív told the Social Protection Committee on Wednesday that sending two booklets had been at a huge cost to the Exchequer.
“It was an utter disgrace, nothing more, nothing less the way the language was treated,” he said.
How can you tell a kid that it’s a real language when all they do is see it at school
“It cost a huge amount of money to send a second leaflet around when the law says quite clearly that all that should be done bilingually.”
Mr Ó Cuív also said bilingual signage should be put up across the country.
“We’ve kids going to gaelscoileanna all around the country. We’re spending a lot of money on the Irish language on the one hand and we’re making a joke of it on the other,” he said.
“How can you tell a kid that it’s a real language when all they do is see it at school.”
Green Party TD Marc Ó Cathasaigh said the State needs “to get better at” providing information in Irish and English at the same time.
“It should be done as a matter of course that any state material that’s published in English should also be simultaneously published in Irish,” he said.
Pandemic unemployment payment
The Social Protection Committee was meeting to consider the findings of the Special Committee on Covid-19 response, which published its final report last month calling for new measures to protect older people, people in nursing homes, people in direct provision and low-paid workers.
TDs and senators at the Social Protection Committee also discussed changes to the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.
The changes mean self-employed people including those who work in the arts and entertainment industry, taxi drivers and others can earn up to €480 per month while retaining their full PUP entitlement.
Sinn Féin’s spokeswoman for social protection Claire Kerrane said there have been major difficulties for the self-employed with the PUP.
The Roscommon-Galway TD told the committee that last week alone, 4,000 applications of PUP had been refused because the Department of Social Protection did not have the PRSI record for the applicant.
