264. Deputy Derek Nolan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will ask the European Council to end the derogation on the status of the Irish language; his position on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28439/14]

As I indicated in my replies to a number of recent Parliamentary Questions on this matter (Question Nos. 316 and 319 on 24 June 2014 and Question No. 114 on 26 June 2014), a decision on whether or not to extend the derogation for the use of Irish in EU institutions for a further period of time is required by December 2015 at the latest. In this context, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of the Taoiseach, is engaged in discussions with various stakeholders, including the EU institutions, in order to formulate specific proposals on the optimal approach to the derogation. This matter will be brought forward for consideration by Government in due course.

Furthermore, as part of the Government's strategy to ensure that a sufficient number of qualified personnel are available to meet the needs arising from the recognition of Irish as an official and working language of the EU, my Department continues to provide substantial funding for a range of specialised third-level courses and for the development of Irish language terminology for the EU terminology database, InterActive Terminology for Europe (IATE).