Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 June 2026
1044. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the first and full-year cost of hiring a full-time teacher in every local authority area, to provide Irish classes free of charge to members of the public, based on the academic year starting in September 2026. [45301/26]
View answerIrish language provision is already widely available across the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, with Education and Training Boards (ETBs) delivering a substantial number of free or heavily subsidised Irish language courses nationwide. These courses range from beginner and conversational classes through to more advanced and, in some cases, accredited provision, and are delivered in a variety of accessible community and education settings. A list of Irish language courses offered in 2025 is available in the attached table.
Funding for these programmes is not allocated on a local authority basis. The Department provides funding to SOLAS, which in turn allocates resources to ETBs to deliver FET provision, including Irish language learning, based on identified regional and learner needs.
Irish language classes within this system are generally delivered by adult education tutors. Details of the relevant salary scales are available at: www.assets.gov.ie/static/documents/7d3cd7f8/Circular_0007-2026.pdf
