§ Mr. Mallonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he intends allocating extra finance towards the development of Irish language schools.
§ Dr. MawhinneyThe procedure for the recognition of any school as a grant-aided school is laid down in the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986. Any new expenditure would have to be met from within the resources allocated to the Department of Education (Northern Ireland).
§ Mr. Mallonasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if the use of the Irish language for street and place names is to be afforded a similar status to the bilingual policy operating in Wales;
(2) when he expects to announce the official recognition of street names in the Irish language.
§ Mr. ScottMinisters are still considering possible ways in which the demand for dual language street names might be met. Any change in existing arrangements will require legislation, which will be subject to normal consultation before final decisions are taken.
Ministers are also considering what measures might be taken to make Irish language versions of place names in Northern Ireland more widely available.