IRISH LANGUAGE PROMOTION groups have backed opposition parties after they staged a walk-out from the Dáil chamber yesterday in protest at the government’s management of the new Gaeltacht Bill.

The walkout by Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, ULA and independent TDs meant that each of the hundreds of various opposition amendments were defeated – and led to an adjournment of the Dáil as business finished ahead of schedule.

Here, in short, is our bullet-point guide to the Bill and the complaints about it:

• The Gaeltacht Bill is the first major piece of legislation dealing specifically with Gaeltacht areas for around 60 years. The only pieces in between then have been technical pieces relating to housing grants.
• The legislation would have ended direct elections to Údarás na Gaeltachta, the regional authority responsible for the economic and social development of designated Gaeltacht areas. The Údarás is currently comprised of 20 members, 17 of whom are directly elected by people living in Gaeltachtaí. The Bill would see the Údarás instead filled of county councillors delegated from each Gaeltacht county.
• The changes would see the Meath Gaeltachtaí, Rathcairn and Baile Gibb, lose their full-time Údarás representative.
• The legislation also amended the definition of what could be considered a Gaeltacht area – paving the way for the likes of Clondalkin to be designated an official Gaeltacht area.
• The government had sought to push the legislation through before September, as the mandate for the current members of the Údarás expires by September 2012.
• The opposition had tried to delay this – instead encouraging the government to use previous legislation to extend the lifetime of the current Údarás for another two years – and had also tabled over 130 amendments to the legislation.
• In order for these to be discussed, the opposition had asked the government to hold off on forcing the legislation through, so that each of those amendments could be given sufficient time to be debated and taken on board.
• The government insisted that it wanted the legislation totally completed in time for the summer recess, so that it could be signed into law by the President next week (i.e. before the Údarás elections).
• A vote was ultimately called and the government ensured that insufficient time would be allowed to debate the amendments.
• The opposition parties, in protest at this, walked out.

VIDEO: Opposition parties walkout of Dáil over Gaeltacht Bill