DUP to veto Irish language act in the North

The DUP will veto an Irish Language Act for the North, one of its senior members said today.

Gregory Campbell, MLA for East Derry and one of the Ian Paisley's closest associates, said there needed to be more money for the development of Ulster-Scots.

An act is a key demand from Irish language advocates who feel it deserves the protection granted to other minority languages across Europe.

Edwin Poots (DUP, Lagan Valley) has to decide on any future legislation as culture minister once a consultation exercise is complete this summer, but Mr Campbell said his position was unequivocal.

"It is a no-brainer. It is my view that the party will not introduce or allow this," he said.

"It is more about cultural equality rather than the introduction of an Irish Language Act. As things stand at the minute, Ulster-Scots is under-funded in comparison to the Irish language. It is about making up (the funding gap) for Ulster-Scots rather than extending the Irish language."

Draft plans issued by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in March envisage the appointment of an Irish language commissioner and the establishment of Irish language schemes for public bodies.

Irish lobby groups like Pobal have been calling for the changes to correct the North's position as the only region of the British Isles without legal protection for the language.

Mr Poots has said he will not make any decision until the second consultation period closes.

However, Mr Campbell said the matter would require cross-community consent to be passed by the Assembly and unionists would clearly oppose it.

"If there's a lobby for Ulster-Scots, which I know there is, it is difficult to argue against that if the Irish language is getting so much more money," he added.

Other changes in consultation include the use of Irish in court proceedings and having official documents printed in Irish.

A total of four options are being considered for the protection and promotion of the language in the North.

Provision for Irish was made in last autumn's St Andrew's Agreement which paved the way for the return of power sharing.

Belfast City Council has already unveiled plans for a Gaeltacht Quarter in the west of the city capitalising on extensive use of Irish in the area.