Léirigh urlabhraí Gaeilge, Gaeltachta, Ealaíon, Cultúir, Turasóireachta agus Meán Shinn Féin, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, díomá le freagra a thug an tAire Stáit Gaeltachta Thomas Byrne TD sa Dáil inniu ag tabhairt le fios nach bhfuil spriocdháta ag an rialtas a thuilleadh maidir le foilsiú na treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta a bhí geallta sa bhliain 2021.

Dúirt an Teachta Ó Snodaigh:

“Gheall an tAire Tithíochta Darragh O’Brien go bhfoilseodh sé treoirlínte don phleanáil Gaeltachta – a bhí á lorg ag pobail, teaghlaigh agus údaráis áitiúil sa Ghaeltacht – roimh dheireadh na bliana 2021.

“Inniu, tar éis trí bhliain ag éisteacht le spriocdhátaí nua agus geallúintí briste, d’admhaigh an tAire Gaeltachta Thomas Byrne nach féidir leis fiú dáta a thabhairt faoina mbeidh siad réidh. Tá an cás ‘casta’ a deir sé.

“Ar a laghad d’fhreagar seisean mo cheist, dhiúltaigh an tAire O’Brien ceist a fhreagairt maidir le treoirlínte Gaeltachta a thagann faoina chúram agus an géarchéim nochtaithe ag Iniúchadh TG4 le déanaí.

“Sa pholasaí uailmhianach tithíochta foilsithe ag Sinn Féin le déanaí, “Teach de Do Chuid Féin”, leagamar amach plean chun treoirlínte pleanála don Ghaeltacht a fhoilsiú agus a chur i bhfeidhm bunaithe ar chomhairliúcháin leis an phobal Gaeltachta laistigh de bhliain ó theacht i rialtas.

“Tagann sé seo sna sála ar ár bpolasaí ar leith dírithe ar Thithíocht agus Pleanáil sa Ghaeltacht foilsithe sa bhliain 2022, “Ag Pleanáil don Athchóiriú”, a leag amach 10 príomh-mholtaí chun dul i ngleic leis an ngéarchéim. Bhí sé seo i measc na céad cáipéis polasaí ar leith curtha le chéile againn sa téarma Dála seo ar chúrsaí tithíochta agus pleanála, díreach toisc gur thuig muid an práinn a bhaineann leis an nGaeltacht a chosaint ón meath leanúnach.

“Sheol muid an Pholasaí Tithíochta agus Pleanála Gaeltachta i 2022 mar fhreagra ar gheallúint an Aire O’Brien treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta ar leith a fhoilsiú sa bhliain 2021. Seans maith go mbeidh toghcháin agus deireadh leis an téarma Dála seo agus gan treoirlínte ar bith feicithe againn, fad is atá an géarchéim imithe in olcas go mór agus Airbnb ag fás as cuimse in áit tithíocht do mhuintir na Gaeltachta féin.

“Cur amú a bhí sna blianta caillte agus muid ag fanacht ar Airí Fhianna Fáil gníomhú de réir a mbriathra. Teastaíonn rialtas úr a thuigeann práinn an ghéarchéim agus plean uailmhianach cuimsitheach chun tabhairt faoina réiteach.”

No sign of the Gaeltacht planning guidelines three years after being promised – Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD

Sinn Féin spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts, Culture, Tourism and Media, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, has expressed disappointment at Gaeltacht Minister of State Thomas Byrne TD’s response in the Dáil today which made clear the government has no projected date by which the Gaeltacht planning guidelines promised in 2021 will be published.

Teachta Ó Snodaigh said:

“Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien promised he would publish guidelines for planning in the Gaeltacht – something demanded by communities, families and local authorities in the Gaeltacht – by the end of 2021.

“Today, after three years listening to new deadlines and broken promises, Gaeltacht Minister Thomas Byrne admitted he can’t even give a date by which they will be ready. It’s too ‘complicated’, he says.

“At least he responded to my question, Minister O’Brien refused to answer a question about the Gaeltacht guidelines for which he is responsible and the crisis exposed by Iniúchadh TG4 recently.

“The ambitious housing policy Sinn Féin published recently, “A Home of Your Own”, set out a plan to publish and implement planning guidelines for the Gaeltacht based on consultation with Gaeltacht communities within one year of taking office.

“This follows on from the dedicated policy on Gaeltacht Housing and Planning published in 2022, “Planning for Rebuilding”, which set out 10 key recommendations for addressing the crisis. This was one of the first dedicated policy papers we produced this Dáil term on housing and planning, precisely because we understand the urgency of protecting the Gaeltacht from further decline.

“We launched our Gaeltacht Housing and Planning Policy in 2022 in response to Minister O’Brien’s promise to publish specific Gaeltacht planning guidelines in 2021. There is now a good chance an election will happen and the Dáil term will end with no sign of the guidelines, just as the crisis has worsened significantly with the unprecedented growth of Airbnb in place of housing for Gaeltacht people.

“The years spent waiting for Fianna Fáil Ministers to do what they said they’d do have been a waste of time. We need a new government which understands the crisis and has a comprehensive plan to address it.”