Tá os cionn 200 leasuithe leasuithe curtha inniu ag urlabhraí Gaeilge, Gaeltachta, Ealaíon agus Cultúir Shinn Féin, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, chun cosaint a thabhairt do phobail Gaeltachta, don teanga, agus do spásanna cultúir sa reachtaíocht pleanála, mar chuid de scata níos mó leasuithe chun feabhas suntasach a dhéanamh ar an mBille um Pleanáil agus Forbairt 2023.
Tiocfaidh an Bille os comhair an Roghchoiste Dála Tithíochta, Rialtais Áitiúil agus Oidhreachta i gcóir imscrúdú sna seachtaina amach romhainn.
Dúirt an Teachta Ó Snodaigh:
“Leag Sinn Féin amach fís maidir le conas an dlí pleanála agus soláthar tithíochta a úsáid chun tacú le hinmharthanacht ár bpobal Gaeltachta i Meitheamh 2022 nuair ar sheol muid ár bpolasaí 10-bpointe “Ag Pleanáil don Athchóiriú”, a mhol measúnuithe tionchar teanga, aitheantas do phatrúin lonnaíochta Gaeltachta, pleanáil daonra teangabhunaithe agus meas don phleanáil teanga, i measc rudaí eile.
“D’fhoilsigh muid an cáipéis sin tar éis gur gheall an tAire Tithíochta Darragh O’Brien go mbeadh treoirlínte ríthábhachtacha ar phleanáil Gaeltachta, a bhí á lorg ag údaráis pleanála chomh maith le pobail, i bhfeidhm faoin am sin. Bliain go leith níos déanaí, níl tásc ná tuairisc orthu go fóill, agus é féin agus Aire Stáit na Gaeltachta Patrick O’Donovan ag imirt cluiche an mhilleáin fad is atá teaghlaigh Gaeltachta á mbrú amach toisc nach bhfuil áit acu le cónaí ann.
“Tá géarchéim sa Ghaeltacht. Tá líon na gcainteoir laethúil Gaeilge tar éis titim in dá daonáirimh i ndiaidh a chéile. Déanann na leasuithe molta againn iarracht dul i ngleic leis an ngéarchéim sin, agus san áireamh tá moltaí uainn ó 2022, aighneachtaí le déanaí ó Chonradh na Gaeilge, agus athruithe eile a threiseodh ról na Gaeilge sa Bhille agus a ligfeadh do cur chun cinn agus áiseanna don Ghaeilge lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht.
“San áireamh freisin i measc na leasuithe againn ná moltaí chun cosaint dlí a thabhairt do ‘ionaid oíche’, de réir geallúint inár gclár toghcháin i 2020, chun stop a chur leis an meath atá feicithe i gcás clubanna oíche, agus 85% acu dúnta ó thús na mílsaoise seo.
“I gcomhthéacs an bagairt leanúnach atá á dhéanamh ar inmharthanacht lárionaid cultúir eile, mar a bhí le feiceáil i gcás an Cobblestone i mBaile Átha Cliath, agus na constaicí atá roimh ealaíontóirí ag triáil stiúidéo nó spás cleachtadh a aimsiú le linn géarchéim costais maireachtála agus tithíochta atá ag cur brú ar chíos, thabharfadh leasuithe Shinn Féin cosaint freisin do ‘spásanna cultúir’, díreach mar a bhí an Buiséad Malartach againn do 2024 ag moladh Clár Caipitil do Spásanna Ealaíon chun spásanna nua a chruthú dár bpobail.
“Tá neamhaird déanta ag rialtais faoi cheannas Fhianna Fáil agus Fhine Gael thar na blianta ar shaol cultúrtha na hÉireann, ó chás na Gaeltachta go dtí ár nEalaíona. Tá sé in am é sin a athrú, agus bheadh tús sna leasuithe molta anseo.”
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Over 200 amendments to protect Gaeltacht and Culture in Planning Bill – Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD
Sinn Féin spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD has today submitted over 200 amendments specifically to protect Gaeltacht communities, the Irish language and cultural spaces in planning legislation, as part of a wider package of amendments to radically improve the Government’s Planning and Development Bill 2023.
The Bill is due to come before the Dáil Select Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage for scrutiny in the coming weeks.
Teachta Ó Snodaigh said:
“Sinn Féin set out a vision for how planning law and housing delivery could be used to support the survival of Gaeltacht communities back in June 2022 when we launched our 10-point policy “Ag Pleanáil don Athchóiriú”, which called for language impact assessments, recognition of Gaeltacht settlement patterns, evidence-based population planning and respect for language plans, to name but a few.
“We published that document after being promised by Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien that much-needed guidelines on Gaeltacht planning, demanded by planning authorities as well as communities, would already be in place by then. A year and a half on, and there is still no sign of the guidelines, with himself and the Minister of State for the Gaeltacht Patrick O’Donovan playing a blame game all while Gaeltacht families are being pushed out because they have nowhere to live.
“The Gaeltacht is in crisis. The number of daily Irish speakers has declined for two censuses in a row. The amendments we are putting forward attempt to address that crisis, and include many of the proposals we set out in 2022, more recent submissions from Conradh na Gaeilge, and other changes that would strengthen the role of the Irish language in the Bill and provide for Irish language promotion efforts and facilities outside the Gaeltacht.
“Also included among our amendments are proposals to legally protect ‘night venues’, in line with our 2020 manifesto commitment, to help stem the decline that has seen 85% of nightclubs close since the turn of the millennium.
“Given the ongoing threats to the survival of other cultural hubs, like we saw with The Cobblestone in Dublin, and the difficulties facing artists in securing studios and rehearsal space in the midst of a cost of living and housing crisis that has driven up rents, Sinn Féin’s amendments would also give legal protection to ‘cultural spaces’, just as our Alternative Budget for 2024 would have established an Arts Spaces Capital Programme to create new spaces for use in communities.
“Under successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael-led Governments, Irish cultural life has been neglected from the Gaeltacht to the Arts. It is time for that to change, and the amendments proposed here are a start.”
CRÍOCH/ENDS
