The taxpayer pays for a special rapporteur on racial equality and racism. The job is to bring communities together. Instead, the person holding that office has told the Irish people that her group has "inherited this island" and will define its future. Let me be blunt: that office is funded by the public to reduce division instead of inflaming it. If another State appointee had made those comments, this House would be in uproar and answers would be demanded straight away. Does the Government still have confidence in Dr. Ebun Joseph as a special rapporteur, and does he agree with her comments regarding the Irish language? She said:

Please, please, please, let it go. We need teachers who do not have to speak Irish. Please, please, you know, like stop it.

Does the Taoiseach believe that those remarks are compatible with the office that Dr. Joseph holds at this particular time? Irish people are entitled to equality and they are entitled to respect, in particular where there is funding.

The Irish Government could not accept any diminution of the status of the Irish language. In fact, we are doing the opposite. We are supporting the Irish language in all aspects of policy, through the language Act and the fact that the language is constitutionally the official language of the State and is a core part of the school curriculum, both primary and post primary.

I will have to look at those remarks in the context in which they were said, and I will discuss the issue then with the relevant Minister because the post is an important one in terms of dealing with racism, which is pernicious and too prevalent in our society. We have to deal with racism, but it has no connection to the Irish language or anything like that. We need an inclusive, harmonious society.