Irish language and Ulster-Scots strategies 'complex and sensitive'

Draft provisions for new language laws were included in New Decade, New Approach

Work on a new Irish language strategy and an Ulster-Scots language, heritage and culture strategy is "complex" and "sensitive".

That is according to officials from the Department for Communities (DfC) who briefed assembly members on the plans.

The strategies were promised in the New Decade New Approach (NDNA) deal.

But some Irish language groups have been critical of the Northern Ireland Executive's failure to implement a strategy for Irish before now.

Separate draft provisions for new Irish language laws were also included in the NDNA agreement in January 2020.

But neither the new language legislation nor the strategies have yet been implemented.

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However, Minister for Communities Deirdre Hargey appointed two separate expert advisory panels in August to provide recommendations about what should go into each strategy.

Those panels are to make recommendations to the minister on the key actions that should be included in the new strategies.

Assembly members (MLAs) on Stormont's Committee for Communities were told by Maeve Walls from DfC that those would be provided by the expert panels in December.

"The panels have been set a tight timescale for work," Ms Walls said.

"We hope to be in receipt of the panels' recommendations reports in December of this year."

However, the expert panel reports may not be published until early 2022 as they have to be shared with the minister and communities committee first.

The experts' recommendations will then inform further working groups who will draw up the Irish and Ulster-Scots strategies.

The Northern Ireland Executive will also eventually have to agree the draft strategies.

Ms Walls said it was not yet possible to say when the strategies would be complete.

"There can be no doubt this is a complex piece of work, it's a sensitive piece of work, let's acknowledge that," she said.

"We can't yet be specific about the timescale."

Stormont introduced an Ulster-Scots and Irish language translation service earlier this year

Committee chair Paula Bradley, from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), said she knew there were lots of sensitivities around the issue.

The Irish language expert panel's five members are Julian de Spáinn, Jake Mac Siacais, Dr Janet Muller, Dr Gabrielle Nig Uidhir and Prof Malachy Ó Néill.

The Ulster-Scots panel is Lee Reynolds, Dr David Hume, Ian Crozier, Helen Mark and Dr Frank Ferguson.