§ Mr. Peter RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes have been made to the policy on the use of the Irish language in(a) the Department of Health and (b) the Department of Education in Northern Ireland since suspension of the devolved Assembly. [121088]
§ Jane KennedyThere has been no change in either Department's policy on the use of Irish since the suspension of the Assembly. This is in line with the Secretary of State's decision on 9 December 2002 that Departments should maintain their existing practices with regard to the use of Irish and Ulster Scots. The position was reviewed subsequently and the Secretary of State agreed on 19 March that existing practices should continue for a further period subject to another review in September 2003.
§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what costs have been incurred by the Department of(a) Health, Social Services and Public Safety and (b) Education as a result of their Irish language policy in each of the last five years. [120977]
§ Jane KennedyThe costs incurred by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in the last five years are as follows.
721W
£ 1998–99 nil 1999–2000 17,604 2000–01 61,261 2001–02 119,823 2002–03 107,500 The costs incurred by the Department of Education in the last five years are as follows:
£ 1998–99 Nill 1999–2000 2,928 2000–01 10,461 2001–02 18,074 2002–3 16,339