Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 December 2025
694. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to introduce a compulsory English language course concluding with an oral and written examination for non-European Union adults as a provision for achieving right to remain status in Ireland, excluding those who can demonstrate an oral and written competency in the language. [71525/25]
View answer695. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to introduce a compulsory English language course for all European Union adult citizens wishing to achieve Irish citizenship (details supplied). [71526/25]
View answer696. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if she plans to introduce a compulsory course of English, to exclude a demand for fluency in English applicants for right to remain or citizenship people who are of retirement age or who have special learning difficulties. [71527/25]
View answer697. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of adults in 2021 to 2025 which have received right to remain in Ireland without a competence in English. [71529/25]
View answer698. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of adults in 2021 to 2025 which have received Irish citizenship without a competence in English. [71530/25]
View answer699. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to introduce a compulsory examination course on Irish culture and institutions for all immigrants seeking right to remain or citizenship; and to ensure a cohort of permanent teachers be established to deliver such a course either online or in person (details supplied). [71535/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 694, 695, 696, 697, 698 and 699 together.
I can advise the Deputy that my Department has not developed any plans or proposals to introduce civic and language courses or tests for applicants seeking an immigration permission to remain in the State or as part of the naturalisation process.
Last month Minister O'Callaghan and I secured Government approval to introduce new policies and legislative changes to strengthen Ireland’s migration and asylum system to ensure it is rules-based, efficient and more aligned with EU Member States.
In this context, my Department is reviewing many aspects of our current immigration regime, including the requirements for naturalisation.
As my Department does not record details of the English-language competence of individuals who receive an immigration permission or a certificate of naturalisation, the statistics the Deputy has requested are not available. However, the Central Statistics Office, through Census 2022, has gathered data on the English-language ability of people living in Ireland whose speak a language other than English or Irish at home, which is set out at data.cso.ie/table/F5015.
As the Deputy may be aware, the Programme for Government 2025 contains a commitment to publish a National Migration and Integration Strategy detailing how we intend to meet the demands and the opportunities facing Ireland’s society and economy over the next decade. My Department is working with other Government departments to develop this, with the aim of publishing Ireland’s first overarching whole-of-government National Migration and Integration Strategy in 2026.
The provision of accessible language supports remains an important element of our broader approach to integration. Education and Training Boards across the country offer free ‘English for Speakers of Other Languages’ (ESOL) classes for migrants.
