Irish language advocacy group cuts short meeting with NIO minister Conor Burns

IRISH language campaigners yesterday cut short a meeting with Northern Ireland Office minister Conor Burns after he refused to say when Westminster would pass the long-awaited cultural package.

Despite numerous commitments to legislate for the Irish language and Ulster Scots, the British government has failed to deliver the measures agreed in 2020’s New Decade New Approach agreement

Last month, the Secretary of State Brandon Lewis confirmed that there were no plans to introduce the the Identity and Language (Northern Ireland) Bill before the May 5 assembly election.

In February, Mr Burns told the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee that the bill, which includes measures for the creation both Irish language and Ulster Scots commissioners and the establishment of an Office of Identity and Cultural Expression, was “pretty much ready”.

Yesterday’s meeting with Irish language advocacy group Conradh na Gaeilge had originally been scheduled for September last year, the group said, with a second meeting arranged for January also cancelled.

Speaking after yesterday’s meeting, Conradh na Gaeilge tanáiste Michaeline Donnelly said the group had “specifically requested a date in the parliamentary timetable at Westminster” for the legislation to be moved but the minister declined to provide one.

“We had no choice at that stage but to bring the meeting to a close,” she said.

“This British government has had from June 2021 to prepare legislation that was published and pre-agreed in January 2020 – the only delay is a political delay.”

The Northern Ireland Office was contacted for a response.