Draft Equality Impact Assessment Irish Language Policy - Analysis of available data and research

Analysis of available data and research

4.1 Legal position

International and domestic legal obligations, charters and standards

European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages

Under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML), the UK has an obligation not to create barriers regarding the use of a minority language.

The fifth ECRML UK Framework Report³ (December 2020) sets out a number of recommendations for immediate action including:

Provide the basic and further training of a sufficient number of teachers teaching in Irish;
Adopt a comprehensive law and strategy on the promotion of Irish in Northern Ireland.

In Northern Ireland, Part II of the European Charter applies to Irish and Ulster-Scots and Part III to Irish only.

Part II places a general duty on the state to facilitate and/or encourage the use of regional or minority languages in speech and writing, in public and private life but does not place any obligations directly on district councils.

Part III of the Charter extends to public services under public control. In Article 10, it states that services need to be able to be provided in the specified language and users of the language need to be able to submit requests for services in this language. Article 10 makes it clear that public authorities should have a capacity for translation and interpretation, allow or encourage the use of traditional forms of placenames and family names, draft documents in the specified language, facilitate oral and written applications in this language, facilitate the use of the language in debates and allow people to submit requests in the language.

The UK ratified the European Charter in March 2001 but it has not been incorporated into domestic law. At present there is no Language Act in place in Northern Ireland (unlike the position in Scotland and Wales) although policies have been formulated by central government

UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues

Guidance from the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues issued in 2017⁴ was also taken into consideration by the Council when adopting this policy. For example, the guidance notes that, ‘Bilingual or multilingual signs used by public authorities demonstrate inclusiveness, and that various population groups share a locality in harmony and mutual respect’.

Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities

The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities is a multilateral treaty of the Council of Europe aimed at protecting the rights of minorities within Europe. The United Kingdom is a signatory nation to the Framework.

It does not place any directly enforceable obligation on local councils but includes a number of provisions in relation to minority languages. Article 11 requires the state to facilitate the display of traditional local names, street names and other topographical indications in the minority language where there is a sufficient demand and in areas traditionally inhabited by substantial numbers of persons belonging to a national minority.

The Fifth Report on the UK by the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (May 2023) addressed the issue of bilingual signage in Northern Ireland. This report placed an emphasis on the need for bilingual signage as a marker of shared territory.

Northern Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006

This Act places a duty on the NI Executive to adopt a strategy for the enhancement and protection of the Irish language.

Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement 1998

Strand Three of the Belfast Agreement contains a series of commitments in respect of economic, cultural and social issues, including a general provision relating to minority languages:

‘All participants recognise the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, including in Northern Ireland, the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic communities, all of which are part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland.’

Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998

The Equality Commission’s remit in this area stems from their duties under the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998 (‘FETO’) ‘to promote equality of opportunity, affirmative action and to work for the elimination of religious/political discrimination’. The Commission’s advice includes the following:

‘[FETO] makes discrimination on the grounds of religious belief and political opinion unlawful, both in the workplace and in the provision of goods, facilities and services. Also, in the workplace, it bans ‘harassment’ on these grounds. In addition to the issue of discrimination and harassment, employers also have legal obligations which require them to promote fair participation in employment and associated responsibilities to promote a good and harmonious workplace.’

‘In the field of employment, the Fair Employment Code of Practice provides general guidance for employers on these matters. The Code has been cited with approval by the Fair Employment Tribunal when upholding complaints against employers in numerous discrimination cases. A small number of these concerned the display of flags and emblems.’

‘The relatively new statutory definition of harassment under FETO (first enacted in 2003), has not yet been explicitly considered by the Tribunal in any case dealing specifically with ‘flags and emblems’ issues, and including signage. However, the case law that preceded 2003 can, with a reasonable degree of confidence, be used to predict how the Tribunal would approach these questions if raised today.’

‘In relation to fair employment obligations on the provision of goods, facilities and services, it is also not clear to what extent FETO impinges on the issue, as there has not been any case law to date in respect of these provisions in relation to the display of flags and emblems, including signage. Furthermore the coverage of the statutory provisions differs from those which apply to employment-related matters.’

ECNI Guidance on Promoting a Good and Harmonious Working Environment

In October 2009, the Equality Commission issued guidance on promoting a good and harmonious working environment. This guidance states that:

‘A good and harmonious working environment is one where all workers are treated with dignity and respect and where no worker is subjected to harassment by conduct that is related to religious belief or political opinion….This of course does not mean that working environments must always be devoid of anything that happens to be more closely associated with one or other of the two main communities in Northern Ireland….In other words an ‘harmonious’ working environment does not necessarily mean a ‘neutral’ one.’

The guidance includes the following advice on the issue of workplace displays or emblems:

‘The Commission recommends that where an employer is seeking to provide or maintain fair participation, or to ensure that all services and facilities are widely utilised by all sections of the community, there is sensitivity concerning displays wholly or mainly associated with one section of the community.’

However, the guidance goes on to state that:

‘The use of languages other than English, for example in corporate logos and communications, will not, in general, constitute an infringement of a good and harmonious working environment.’

4.2 Central government strategies

A) New Decade, New Approach 2020

The NI Executive’s New Decade, New Approach strategy sets out a number of proposals in relation to rights, language and identity. These include:

establishing an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression ‘to celebrate and support all aspects of Northern Ireland's rich cultural and linguistic heritage’;
appointing a Commissioner ‘to recognise, support, protect and enhance the development of the Irish language in Northern Ireland’;
appointing a Commissioner ‘to enhance and develop the language, arts and literature associated with the Ulster Scots/Ulster British tradition’;
officially recognising both Irish and Ulster-Scots languages in Northern Ireland;
allowing any person to conduct their business in Irish or Ulster-Scots before the Assembly or any of its committees.

While the document sets out proposals that are broadly in line with previous advice and guidance, at this time it does not provide specific guidance for local government other than:

‘The guidance will ask the Commissioner, as a first priority, to focus on developing best practice standards that facilitate interaction between Irish language users and public bodies, including but not limited to making information or forms available in Irish where required, enabling widely used public websites to have an Irish Language translation available, and ensuring that public bodies reply in Irish where practical to correspondence in Irish. Public bodies will each continue to make their own decisions on other matters to do with the Irish language.’

B) Irish Language Strategy

In January 2015, the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) published a Strategy to Enhance and Protect the Development of the Irish Language over the period 2015-2035 (Straitéis le Forbairt na Gaeilge a Fheabhsú agus a Chosaint).

The key aims of the Strategy are to:

support quality and sustainable acquisition and learning of the Irish language;
enhance and protect the status and visibility of the Irish language;
deliver quality and sustainable Irish language networks and communities; and
promote the Irish language in a way that will contribute towards building a strong and shared community.

In relation to the delivery of public services, the Strategy envisages that public authorities will facilitate the use of Irish both orally and in writing and will produce and adhere to a Code of Courtesy that meets the needs of those who wish to conduct their business through Irish. The Strategy notes that language awareness and language training programmes need to be provided so that a higher proportion of public service staff can effectively deliver services in Irish to customers who seek them.

Local councils are expected to:

adopt Irish language policies and plans and appoint Irish language officers;
initiate or expand facilities for the use of Irish in their council and committee meetings;
increase the visibility of the Irish language by publicising the availability of their Irish language services;
provide an Irish or bilingual version of publications, official documents and forms in line with the approach of the Strategy and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages;
facilitate the proper preservation and signposting of Irish place-names and the naming of new housing developments; and
encourage tourism and cultural initiatives through Irish.

C) Consultation on proposed Irish Language legislation

In accordance with the Strategy, the Department for Communities (‘DfC’) has continued to work towards introducing legislation to secure legislative protection of the Irish language. In February 2015 DfC first issued a consultation document setting out the provisions that may appear in an Irish Language Act. The consultation period closed in May 2015 with some of the key proposals summarised below:

Irish will be defined as an official language in Northern Ireland in such a way as to guarantee services through Irish on a par with those available through English;
There will be provision to create the position of an Irish Language Commissioner whose functions would include approving language schemes and providing advice to the public and public bodies;
The Irish Language Commissioner would have the power to instruct public bodies to draft language schemes;
Public bodies, including district councils, will have a statutory duty:
- to ensure that correspondence sent to them in Irish is replied to in Irish without undue delay;
- to ensure that when information is provided to the public, the communication is in Irish and English;
- to publish simultaneously in Irish and English documents setting out public policy proposals, annual reports, audited accounts or financial statements etc.;
- to agree language schemes with the Irish Language Commissioner and to implement the commitments of such statutory schemes; and
- to undertake public consultation exercises to assist in the preparation of language schemes.

Further to this work, in February 2022 DfC produced an Expert Advisory Panel Recommendation Report that set out in some detail the goals, aims, objectives, action areas and recommendations attaching to the Irish Language Strategy⁵. This includes recommendations specifically in relation to the provision of public services, both centrally and through local government, for example emphasising the need for Irish and English bilingual signage to be available throughout public buildings in Northern Ireland.

Recommendations 2.21 (b) and (c) in the Report⁶ state:

‘that the name of the body and any information provided on any signage used on the exterior of buildings used by the public body is in Irish and English, with letters of equal size used except in the case of those public bodies whose services are primarily focused on the needs of Irish speakers and that decide to use external signage which gives priority or exclusivity to the Irish language; to the maximum extent possible, that any sign used by the public body inside the building is in both Irish and English, with letters of equal size in both languages used’;

While Recommendation 2.29 (i) states that:

‘clear bilingual branding facilitating greater visibility for the Irish language appears on their corporate identity, as well as on internal and external signage and at Council venues and facilities. It is recommended that this be undertaken in accordance with international best practice’.

The statutory foundation for this work, the Identity and Language (NI) Act 2022, has now been drafted but is not yet in force; its start date currently rests with the Secretary of State.

4.3 Advice from language agencies

A) Guidance from Foras na Gaeilge

In March 2015 Foras na Gaeilge (the statutory body charged with the promotion of the Irish language) published a Guidance Document: Irish Language Services in the New Councils. Foras na Gaeilge has been assisting councils to develop their service provision in Irish since 2006, principally through the Irish Language Officers’ Scheme. Foras na Gaeilge recommends that each council should include the Irish language in their Community Plans, adopt a strong Irish Language Policy and adopt a strategy for the development of Irish both within the council and in the community. They suggest that development of a strategic approach should be based on:

consultation with local Irish speaking communities to gather information on which Irish language services would be beneficial to them and which they would be most likely to use; and
an audit of the Irish language skills of existing staff.

4.4 Policies of other councils in Northern Ireland

Before local government reform, the majority of the 26 legacy councils in NI had policies relating to either the Irish language or linguistic diversity generally. However, at this time only four of the ten NI councils (excluding Belfast) have formally adopted policies addressing these issues.

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has adopted an overarching Linguistic Diversity Policy which embraces all language forms but affords particular status to Irish in accord with Part III of the European Charter. To date, the Linguistic Diversity Policy is reflected in its branding strategy: English and Irish are included on council stationery, vehicles and external signage with the exception of Strule Arts Centre and Enniskillen’s Ardhowen Theatre, where Ulster Scots is also included.

Derry City and Strabane District Council

Derry City and Strabane Council adopted a policy for the Irish language and a separate policy for Ulster-Scots in September 2014. It should be noted that Derry and Strabane District Council has trilingual English, Irish and Ulster Scots signage throughout their buildings.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council agreed its Bilingual Language Policy in 2015, establishing the Council's commitment to facilitate and encourage the promotion and use of both the Irish language and English language in the Council area. While procedures have been agreed, the Council has not as yet finalised an action plan to implement the commitments. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council have bilingual Irish/English signage throughout their buildings.

Mid Ulster District Council

Mid Ulster District Council’s Irish Language Policy is based on the requirements of Parts II and III of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, thereby implementing a range of positive actions to promote, enhance and protect the Irish language while encouraging its use in speech and writing in private and public life. Mid Ulster District Council buildings have bilingual Irish and English signage.

4.5 Language Legislation in the UK and Republic of Ireland

A) Wales

The Welsh Language Act 1993 established the principle that, in the conduct of public business and the administration of justice in Wales, the Welsh and English Languages should be treated on the basis of equality. Public bodies, including local councils, are required to prepare a Welsh Language Scheme to outline the Welsh language services they will provide and state how and when those Welsh services will be available.

The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 replaced many of the provisions of the Act and established official status for the Welsh language in Wales. The Measure created a new legislative framework to impose a duty on public authorities to comply with standards relating to the Welsh language, with these standards replacing existing Welsh Language Schemes over time. Local councils in Wales have had Welsh Language Schemes in place for a number of years. Typically, these cover three specific areas:

dealing with the Welsh speaking public (including correspondence, meetings and by telephone);
the local council's public image (including corporate identity, signs, publications, forms, advertising, news releases, exhibitions, surveys, public notices and recruitment advertisements);
staffing issues (including recruitment, language training and vocational training).

B) Scotland

The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 established the status of the Gaelic language as an official language of Scotland, commanding equal respect with the English language. It also established Bòrd na Gàidhlig as a public body with responsibility for preparing a National Plan for Gaelic every five years. The Bòrd has powers to require public authorities, including local councils, to draft and implement a Gaelic Language Plan. The Bòrd has identified four core areas of service delivery that it wishes public authorities to address when preparing Gaelic Language Plans. These are:

identity (including corporate identity and signage);
communication (including reception, telephone, mail and e mail, forms, public meetings and complaints procedures);
publications (including public relations and media, printed material, websites and exhibitions);
staffing (including training, language learning, recruitment and advertising).

C) Republic of Ireland

The Irish Constitution establishes that the Irish language is to be regarded as the first official language, while the Official Languages Act 2003 provided the public with the right to conduct business with the state solely through Irish. The Act requires the preparation by public authorities of Irish Language Schemes, specifying which services will be provided exclusively in Irish, exclusively in English and through the medium of both languages. Each scheme must set out the measures that the public authority will adopt to ensure that any services that are not currently provided in Irish will be so provided over a period of time. In developing its scheme, the public authority may take into account the underlying level of demand for specific services in the Irish language and the resources and capacity to develop or access the necessary language capability.

4.6 Demand for Irish

A) Census

The 2021 Census included information on the main languages spoken by residents of Belfast and knowledge of Irish and Ulster-Scots, while the School Census 2022/23 provides information on the number of schools regionally and in the Belfast City Council area providing teaching through the medium of Irish. The figures (which relate to the Council’s extended boundary) show that:

15.5 per cent of the Belfast population (aged 3+) have some ability in Irish, compared with 12.5 per cent of the population of Northern Ireland as a whole;
over 18,000 people in Belfast speak, read, write and understand Irish;
just over 7,300 pupils receive education through the medium of Irish in Northern Ireland;
7.3 per cent of the Belfast population (aged 3+) have some ability in Ulster-Scots, compared with 10.4 per cent of the population of Northern Ireland as a whole;
2,753 people in Belfast speak Ulster-Scots on a daily basis;
5. 7 per cent of people in Belfast are deaf or have partial hearing loss;
2.6 per cent of Belfast households contain at least one person who does not have English as a main language and in 3.9 per cent of Belfast households, no-one has English as a main language;
the most commonly spoken languages in Belfast (excluding English and Irish) are Polish, Arabic and Chinese (NISRA have indicated that all Chinese languages are grouped together for the purposes of the 2021 Census).

Table 1 provides information on the number of pupils receiving education through the medium of Irish. The data are drawn from the Department of Education School Census (2022-23). There are currently 30 Irish-medium schools across Northern Ireland and a further 10 Irish-medium units attached to English-medium host schools. Of the 30 Irish-medium schools, 28 are primary and two are post-primary. Of the 10 Irish-medium units attached to English-medium host schools, seven are primary and three are post-primary⁷.

In terms of Irish-medium education, the following table shows an enrolment of 7,310 pupils across 83 settings in 2022/23, showing a significant increase in enrolments (n = 5094) since 2014-15. Of the 7,310 enrolments, 5,718 (78 per cent) were in Irish-medium schools and 1,592 (22 per cent) in Irish-medium units within English-medium schools.

Table 1: Schools and pupils taught in the medium of the Irish language 2022-23 (2014-15 figures in brackets)
School Census 2022-23 (2014-15)	Number of settings	Number of pupils
Naíscoileanna (Nursery/Pre-School Units)	43 (13)	892 (442)
Gaelscoileanna (Primary Schools/Units)	35 (9)	4672 (1194)
Gaeloideachas Dara Leibhéil (Secondary Stream)	5 (1)	1746 (580)
Total	83 (23)	7310 (2216)

According to Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta (the representative body for Irish-medium Education), within Belfast there are currently 12 Irish-medium nursery schools, nine primary schools and one post-primary school.⁸

In addition, it is estimated that there are currently 16 secondary schools teaching Irish within the Council area.

B) 2019-20 NI Continuous Household Survey (CHS) and 2021 NI Census data

Data relevant to the Irish Language

Knowledge of Irish

According to the 2019/20 Continuous Household Survey (CHS), 17 per cent of the adult population had some knowledge of Irish (i.e. can understand, speak, read or write Irish), as compared with 14.9 per cent in 2013-14 and 13.1 per cent in 2011-12.

Understand Irish

More than one in seven (14 per cent) of the population could understand Irish. One out of every hundred (1 per cent) could understand complicated spoken sentences, so could understand programmes in Irish on the radio or television. A further 3 per cent could undertake a conversation in Irish conducted at a simple level so, for example, could understand directions given in the street. An additional 4 per cent could understand simple spoken sentences or passages, e.g. ‘It’s half past three’, while a further 6.0 per cent could understand single spoken words or simple phrases, e.g. ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you?’.

Speak Irish

11 per cent of the population could speak Irish while a further 1 per cent could carry on a complicated conversation in Irish, e.g. talking about any subject, or carry on an everyday conversation, e.g. could describe their day. 4 per cent could use simple sentences in Irish, e.g. ‘Can I have a cup of tea?’, while a further 4 per cent could use single words or simple phrases, e.g. ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you?’.

Read Irish

More than one out of twenty adults (8 per cent) could read Irish while 1 per cent could read and understand complicated passages, 2 per cent could read and understand difficult sentences and less complicated passages, and a further 3 per cent could read and understand simple sentences or passages. A further 2 per cent could read and understand single words or simple phrases.

Write Irish

5 per cent could write Irish, with 1 per cent able to write complicated passages, e.g. could translate part of a book or report into Irish, or write difficult sentences and moderately difficult passages, e.g. could write a letter or email in Irish. An additional 2 per cent could write simple sentences or passages, while a further 1 per cent could write single words or phrases, e.g. ‘Hello’ or ‘How are you?’.

Use of Irish

Five out of a hundred people (5 per cent) use Irish at home, conversing with family or housemates, either on a daily basis or occasionally. A similar proportion (5 per cent) use Irish socially, either on a daily basis or occasionally, conversing with friends or acquaintances.

According to the 2021 Census, 12.4 per cent of those aged over three years (n = 228,600) had some ability in the Irish language, an increase from 10.7 per cent in 2011 (n = 184,900). Of those with some ability, around 40 per cent had the ability to understand only while 31.4 per cent had the ability to understand, speak, read and write.

Across Northern Ireland the Census revealed considerable variation in Irish language ability, with the highest proportion having some ability in Irish being found in Mid Ulster DC (20.4 per cent) and the lowest in Ards and North Down BC (3.2 per cent), with Belfast recording 15.5 per cent, thereby sitting mid-table in comparison with the other 10 council areas.

4.7 Other Council policies and decisions

The Council’s Language Strategy was formally adopted in April 2018. However, the Council also has in place other policies and has made a number of ad hoc decisions which have a bearing on the proposal in relation to signage. The following paragraphs summarise the decisions made.

Street naming power

The Council has a statutory discretionary power under Article 11 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) (NI) Order 1995 to erect nameplates expressing street names in English and any other language. The Council adopted a revised Dual Language Street Signs Policy in October 2022. This provides that an application for a dual language sign may be made by an occupier(s) of the street, an elected Member for the District Electoral Area or a developer. The Council will carry out a survey of the street and if 15 per cent of the occupiers of the street are in favour of the sign, a report will be brought to the relevant committee to consider the application.

Signage

On 7 December 1999 the Parks & Amenities Sub-Committee agreed that a welcome sign in English and Irish should be installed at the entrance of Falls Park.
On 18 May 2012 the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee agreed that hoardings and signs relating to the delivery of the Investment Programme projects in the Gaeltacht Quarter should be bi-lingual (English and Irish)⁹
On 7 September 2012 the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee agreed that the Nollaig Shona sign (donated by An Cultúrlann) be erected again at the East entrance to the City Hall.
On 18 August 2017, the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee agreed that in addition to the Nollaig Shona sign on one end column of City Hall, a ‘Blythe Yuletide’ sign would be erected at the other end column City Hall for the Christmas period.
It should be noted that the Council agreed a draft policy on dual language (English and Irish) signage in 2006 but decided that signage should be in English only, with the exception of multi-lingual welcome signs where there is appropriate demand.
On 17 June 2022, the Strategic Policy & Resources Committee agreed that English and Irish bilingual signage should be installed at Belfast City Cemetery.
On 23 September 2022, at a meeting of the Council’s Strategic Policy and Resources Committee it was agreed to erect bilingual English and Irish signage at Páirc Nua Chollann, a new Council facility on the Stewartstown Road.

Equality Scheme

The Council’s Equality Scheme (approved in 2021), which sets out the Council’s arrangements for complying with the equality duties under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, includes a commitment to providing information in alternative formats on request, where reasonably practicable. The Scheme states that alternative formats may include Easy Read, Braille, audio formats (CD, mp3 or DAISY), large print or in minority languages to meet the needs of those for whom English is not their first language.

4.8 Advice from the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

Response by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to the Consultation by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on a Strategy for protecting and enhancing the development of the Irish Language, November 2012

‘Para. 12: The Commission considers that the use of any language should be a neutral act and that the speaking of Irish or its more general use in the community should not diminish the entitlements of those whose right to their British identity is guaranteed in the Good Friday Agreement. Similarly, the Commission considers that the wider use of Ulster Scots should not in any way diminish the entitlements of those whose right to their Irish identity is similarly guaranteed. The speaking of any language in Northern Ireland should not be perceived as a threat to any individual or group, nor should it be intended in such a manner.’

Following discussion at the Joint Diversity Group, 18 October 2013, an enquiry was made to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) regarding Newry & Mourne Council’s Language Policy.

ECNI responded:

‘We have commented that Newry & Mourne has a clear policy in place to promote the Irish Language and the Commission has provided advice, when requested, in relation to the implementation of the policy. In general we consider the language rights issue to be more a human rights issue than an equality issue although there is an intersection with employment and good relations aspects’.

ECNI also summarised their response to Committee of Experts on the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages:

‘Our response had made the point that the notion that providing equality or protection for one group limits their availability for another is both unfounded in itself and acts to the detriment of all who seek to live in a society that is fair and equitable and should be avoided in the drafting of public policy.’

Response by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to the Consultation by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure on Proposals for an Irish Language Bill, May 2015

‘Para. 3: On the relatively few occasions that language issues have been brought to our attention, it has come about because they were raised in the context of Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and or the provisions of the anti-discrimination legislation, specifically the Race Relations (NI) Order 1997 and the Fair Employment and Treatment (NI) Order 1998. The Commission’s advice to public authorities has been specific to the context presented by the public authority. It has referenced our position on minority languages (as set out below), the public authority’s compliance with its Equality Scheme commitments and the Commission’s guidance, as well as the provisions of the relevant anti-discrimination legislation, if appropriate.’

‘Para. 11: An important aspect of language policy is the interrelationship between individuals or groups that speak different languages. Any duty placed on public authorities should ensure that the development of provisions to protect and promote the language is viewed within the context of the duty to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and to have regard to the desirability of promoting good relations within the provision of public services. Public authorities should consider aspects of mutual understanding, co-operation, communication and partnership between different ‘language communities’, including engagement with relevant communities to seek to explore and take reasonable account of concerns or perceptions about the promotion of minority languages.’

4.9 Academic research

Language, Politics and Identity in Ireland: an Historical Overview – Tony Crowley

Crowley provides insight into the significance of linguistic diversity, placed at the heart of the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement (1998). The text of the concord included the following general declaration:

‘All participants recognise the importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, including in Northern Ireland, the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic minorities, all of which are part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland.’ (Belfast Agreement 1998: 19)

Crowley observes, ‘

In the context of a document that outlined the contours of a major historical settlement, this is a striking statement about the significance of language(s) in Ireland which indicates the continuing social and political status of ‘the language question(s)’ in Irish history’.

4.10 Feedback from pre-consultation on Language Strategy

Various meetings were held with representative groups in drawing up the Language Strategy 2018 - 23. The list below is a combination of key factors identified at such meetings.

Irish language sector

Various practical suggestions to build on currently available services were made, including:

Information on services currently available for Irish speakers could be provided on the council’s website together with a link from the homepage to Irish language and culture sector websites; key council documents could also be provided in Irish on the website;
There could be better promotion of the availability of tours of the city hall in Irish and an increase in the number of such tours available; consideration could also be given to making tours of other venues available in Irish;
Greater access to council venues and facilities for Irish language and culture events could be facilitated and opportunities to present joint heritage exhibitions could be pursued;
Initiatives should be implemented to raise awareness among council staff of the current language policy and the practical issues around translation; staff could also be made more aware of the work of the Irish language sector in Belfast;
The possibility of appointing an Irish language officer could be considered.

4.11 Feedback from Language Strategy Review March – May 2023

As part of the review cycle attached to the Language Strategy, during 2023 a Draft Action Plan was developed in consultation with key stakeholders between March and May 2023, namely Ulster Scots (28 March 2023); New Communities (27 April 2023); Irish Language (27 April 2023); Sign Languages (10 May 2023).

The sessions served to reinforce the view that the needs, experiences and priorities of each language community were quite different. While there was due recognition that the Strategy may have helped provide a useful focus for language matters within the Council, it was also acknowledged that this remained ‘work in progress’, and that the need for separate policies to deal with each of the language strands within the overarching Strategy should be a priority, thus allaying concerns that some languages may have been afforded greater prominence than others in the past, and that progress across all strands had been somewhat uneven.

4.12 Feedback from consultation on City-wide leisure centre naming and signage

Following a Special Council meeting on Friday 11 October 2019, the Council agreed to commission a public consultation regarding the installation of bilingual or multilingual signage in its four new or recently refurbished City-wide leisure centres (Andersonstown, Lisnasharragh, Olympia and Templemore). The consultation opened on 5 November 2019 and closed on 10 January 2020.

There was a substantial response to the consultation process from across all communities. Responses included 3,393 completed response forms, submitted by members of the public by post or email; eight completed staff questionnaires, submitted anonymously by post or email; two written; one photocopied summary response sheet with name and addresses included (n = 262).

In addition, a total of 127 members of the public attended one of the 12 scheduled public meetings, while 30 sector representatives attended at least one of the five scheduled meetings.

In general terms, the significant level of emotion revealed by many consultees was noteworthy. On the one hand there were those who celebrated linguistic diversity, the promotion of minority languages including Irish and the benefits of bilingualism, arguing

that naming and signage in languages along with English would enhance the cultural vitality of the city. In particular, the promotion of Irish was highlighted as positive and progressive. While many did not couch comments in terms of rights, others saw the promotion of minority languages as a fundamental right that was being ignored. Others argued that greater use of Irish would be an indication of a welcoming and inclusive environment for all, including those who chose to communicate and educate primarily in Irish.

On the other hand there were those who may not have objected to the Irish language per se but who felt that the use of the language had been politicised and in their view now posed a threat to their culture and heritage.

In terms of written responses, the majority of those who expressed an opinion stated a preference for English and Irish external naming signage at each of the four centres (overall, 61.4 per cent), with this preference being most pronounced at Andersonstown Leisure Centre (66.9 per cent).

However, this headline figure does not take into account the deep divisions of opinion across the sample and in particular in terms of preferences by national identity and community background.

Of those who self-identified as Catholic, four out of five respondents (80.1 per cent) advocated external naming signage in English and Irish across all four centres, and this figure rose to 88.7 per cent in the case of Andersonstown. In stark contrast, 85.4 per cent of those who described themselves as Protestant indicated a preference for English only naming and signage for Lisnasharragh, Olympia and Templemore Leisure Centres, although this figure fell somewhat to 73.7 per cent for Andersonstown.

These statistics were confirmed by views expressed in public meetings and by sector representatives, where events were generally characterised not by debate or difference in opinion but by consistent and unswerving unanimity of view. To summarise briefly, on the one hand there were those who celebrated linguistic diversity, the promotion of minority languages and the benefits of bilingualism, arguing that naming and signage in languages along with English would enhance the cultural vitality of the city. On the other hand there were those who may not have objected to the Irish language per se but who felt that, at the present time, the use of the language had been politicised and now posed a threat to their culture and heritage.

EQIA: Proposal to Erect Bilingual External Naming and Internal Directional Signage at Olympia Leisure Centre

Between 12 June and 17 September 2023 the Council carried out a 14-week consultation on a draft EQIA in relation to the erection of bilingual signage at Olympia Leisure Centre.

The public consultation was broadly in keeping with the earlier rounds of public consultation on signage and the outcome of this consultation process is due to be considered by Council in the coming months.

Definition of the aims of the policy

Assessment of impacts

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