§ Rev. Ian PaisleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on the promotion and teaching of(a) the Irish language and (b) the Ulster-Scots language in 1996 in each of the last five years. [10645]
§ Mr. AncramThe table shows the identifiable expenditure on projects with an Irish language or Ulster-Scots dimension for the financial years 1991–92 to 1995–96. It includes expenditure on education through the medium of the Irish language, but does not include expenditure on the teaching of the Irish language in English medium schools because this information is not collected separately. Applications for grant assistance are assessed on their merits and the disparity between the levels of funding reflects the number of Irish language and Ulster-Scots cultural groups in Northern Ireland, and the relative stage of development of the Irish language and Ulster-Scots cultural movements.
£ million Year Irish Ulster-Scots 1991–92 1.222 Nil 1992–93 1.347 0.004 1993–94 1.554 Nil 1994–95 1.942 0.003 1995–96 2.521 0.021