Matters relating to planning and housing in the Gaeltacht fall under the Planning and Development Act, 2024. As such, the primary responsibility for this Act lies with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
It is, however, my considered view that the draft National Planning Statement will have a number of positive impacts in Gaeltacht areas.
For the first time ever, the importance of proper planning as a means of protecting the Irish language has been mainstreamed in national planning guidelines. This is a clear to be seen by the use of terminology from the Gaeltacht Act throughout the National Planning Statement and by the inclusion of a specific chapter relating to the Gaeltacht;
For the first time ever, we will now have a standardised language test to be used by local authorities when assessing planning applications in the Gaeltacht. This will take the form of B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or the Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge in the context of the Irish language;
For the first time ever, national guidance will be provided to local authorities as regards the retention of units for Irish speakers in multi -unit housing developments. This will be set at the percentage of daily Irish speakers in a Gaeltacht Language Planning Area in the most recent Census of Population plus 10% in order to encourage Irish speakers to either remain in or return to Gaeltacht areas;
Under these guidelines, the new concept of inter-Gaeltacht mobility will be introduced whereby Irish speakers residing in one Gaeltacht region will be treated more favourably if they are moving to work and reside in another Gaeltacht region;
For the first time, Irish speakers will be treated more favourably if they have resided in a Gaeltacht area for a period of five years or more. This will be a cumulative five-year period which ensures that those returning home after living abroad will see the benefits of this initiative;
It is expected that these measures will have the long-term effect of encouraging parents of young children who may be wavering in their choice of language in the home to move towards the Irish language due to the tangible benefits available to Irish speakers in the planning system;
Finally, it is expected that these measures will reduce the inflationary impact of widespread construction of a holiday homes in Gaeltacht areas which are also areas of high scenic amenity and that this will, over the longer term, ensure that Irish speakers are not priced out of the housing market in Gaeltacht areas.
So overall, while there may be some issues that need to be teased out, I think the document is a very positive development which can be improved upon in its final iteration, thus enabling the inclusion of increased protections for the Irish language among Gaeltacht communities in county development plans.
