§ Rev. Ian PaisleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much Government expenditure has been directed at the promotion of the Irish language in Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. Hanley[holding answer 9 November 1992]: Government funding for projects which involve the promotion of Irish is provided from a variety of sources. The last complete financial year for which information on expenditure is available is 1991–92. In that year, Government expenditure totalled some £1,216,000. This figure does not include funding for the teaching of Irish in mainstream English-medium education or for an Irish-medium unit in an English-medium primary school.
The central community relations unit (CCRU) within the Department of Finance and Personnel provided funding of £523,000, including support for the Ultach Trust and for research into the origins of Irish placenames. This included a once only payment of £250,000 to the endowment fund maintained by the trust.
The Department of the Environment, through the Belfast action teams, expended some £46,410 on a wide variety of activities and schemes designed to promote the Irish language in the Greater Belfast area.
The sum of £146,535 was paid under the Training and Employment Agency's action for community employment scheme to assist employment within six organisations promoting the Irish language.
The Department of Education for Northern Ireland contributed £405,000 to the costs of an Irish-medium primary school.
The Northern Ireland Office incurred staffing and ancillary costs of £61,500 in providing educational and translation facilities for prisoners using the Irish language.
The Arts Council of Northern Ireland awarded a total grant of £33,600 for Irish language arts.