§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new plans he has to increase the numbers of parents who can choose Irish language tuition as a second language at all Irish schools. [16634]
§ Mr. AncramNone. At present, any school may offer a course in the language, and pupils may choose Irish to fulfil their modern language requirements as part of the compulsory curriculum at post-primary level.
Most of the schools which currently offer Irish as part of their language studies provision have a tradition of doing so. However, as with any other course, schools planning to provide Irish will take into account factors such as demand for it from parents and pupils, the availability of qualified teachers and space for it within the timetable.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if all inspectors responsible for reporting in all Irish schools are fluent Irish speakers; and if he will make a statement. [16633]
§ Mr. AncramGenerally, members of inspection teams who report on Irish medium schools are fluent in, or have a good working knowledge of, Irish.
§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made recently of the adequacy of the resources available for second language 487W teaching of Irish in all schools and for teaching Irish in all Irish schools. [16636]
§ Mr. AncramIt is a matter for individual schools within their delegated budgets to decide what resources they should devote to any aspect of the curriculum—including Irish. In addition to mainstream budgets, the Department of Education also makes available a grant of some £40,000 per annum to assist the Irish medium schools with production of curricular materials. The teaching of Irish in schools is assessed by the inspectorate on the same basis as any other subject.