Bradley welcomes abandonment of Irish language funding proposals | Latest Newry News, Newry Sport and Newry Business for Newry City

Bradley welcomes abandonment of Irish language funding proposals

SDLP Irish Language spokesperson Dominic Bradley has welcomed news from informed sources that Foras na Gaeilge is to abandon its controversial proposals to cut core funding from voluntary Irish Language organisations in favour of competitive tendering.

Speaking to Newry Times, the Newry and Armagh MLA said: “I welcome this move by Foras to abandon the new funding arrangements. The proposed model would have signalled the demise of a considerable portion of the Irish language voluntary sector and would have hit Irish language organisations in the north particularly hard. The change in Foras’s position vindicates the very vigorous campaign against the proposed model which the language organisations spearheaded and to which the SDLP gave its wholehearted support.”

“Indeed, we introduced a motion to the Assembly opposing the proposals – a motion which attracted support from all sides of the house. We are not saying that there is no need for reform of the funding arrangements – there clearly is – but reform must be progressed on a truly consultative basis which reaches a solution which can be bought into by all stakeholders.”

Bradley added, “It is my understanding from sources within the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure that an announcement on the funding model will be made by Foras in the immediate future and that that announcement will be that they are starting afresh in terms of thinking about funding reforms – this is very much to be welcomed.”

Short URL: https://newrytimes.com/?p=18452

Posted by on Jul 2 2012. Filed under Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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