C9

Prospective affecting provisions: subs. (1) amended, subss. (2), (3) substituted and subs. (4) inserted by Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 (49/2021), s. 4(a)-(c), not commenced as of date of revision.

9. —(1) The Minister may by regulations provide that oral announcements (whether live or recorded) made by a public body, the headings of stationery used by a public body and the contents and the lay-out of any signage F10[…] placed by it shall, to such extent as may be specified, be in the Irish language or in the English and Irish languages and different provisions may be made in relation to different classes of body, oral announcements, F11[stationery or signage] F10[…].

F11[(2) Where a person communicates in writing, by electronic mail or through social media in an official language with a public body, the public body shall reply in the same language.]

F11[(3) Where a public body communicates in writing or by electronic mail with the general public or a class of the general public for the purpose of furnishing information to the public or the class or for the purpose of the marketing of the public body or its services to the public or the class, the body shall ensure that the communication is in the Irish language or in the Irish and English languages.]

F12[(4) Where the communication referred to in subsection (3) is in both the Irish and English languages—

(a) the part of the text that is in the Irish language shall not be in a smaller font, or less prominent, visible or legible than the part of the text that is in the English language, and

(b) where part of the text that is in the Irish language is abbreviated, the part of the text that is in the English language which is the translation of that abbreviated text shall also be abbreviated.]