TEO to take forward appointment process for new Irish Language Commissioner in coming weeks
Regulations have been laid to commence several of the core components of the Language and Identity NI Act (2022). Those commencement regulations include the appointment of an Irish Language Commissioner and the establishment of an Office for the Irish Language Commissioner, as well as concurrent powers and powers of direction for the Secretary of State. The Executive Office is now expected to announce the public appointment process for the Irish Language Commissioner in the coming weeks.
Conchúr Ó Muadaigh, Advocacy Manager with Conradh na Gaeilge, said:
"Whilst the new Irish Language legislation has been on the statute books for over 6 months, many within our community have been waiting and advocating for language rights here for decades. Now we enter into the first phase of implementation and urge The Executive Office, and the NIO, to move with haste to announce the appointment process for an Irish language Commissioner. Without local political approval, and given the commencement of new powers, we expect the Secretary of State to immediately ratify the successful applicant emerging from the process. Taking all of that into account, we should have our very first Irish language Commissioner in post within a few months, which will be another historic staging post for our community on this long running journey towards language rights. With the new Commissioner in post, the work to designate language standards to all of our public authorities will begin."
"We also eagerly await the commencement of other more standalone elements of the new Act, namely the repeal of the 1737 Justice Ireland Act which continues to ban Irish from our courts."
See Lord Caine statement in Lords today: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-06-06/hlws810
See new commencement regulations laid: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/566/regulation/2/made
