§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps she has taken to ensure that the rights of Irish language speakers in Northern Ireland under the law are protected with particular reference to the use of their given name. [7368]
§ Mr. Worthington[holding answer 14 July 1997]: Current administrative guidelines on the use of Irish in official business in Northern Ireland recommend that officials should respect the wishes of any individual who has indicated a desire to be known by a personal name in the Irish language. Unless it appears that he or she is not generally known by that name, a personal name in Irish should be accepted for all official purposes, including correspondence and official documents.