Number 32 of 2003

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT 2003

REVISED

Updated to 10 October 2022

Introduction

This Revised Act presents the text of the Act as it has been amended since enactment, and preserves the format in which it was passed.

Related legislation

Official Languages Acts 2003 and 2021: this Act is one of a group of Acts included in this collective citation (Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021, s. 20(2)). The Acts in this group are:

• Official Languages Act 2003 (32/2003)

• Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 (49/2021)

Annotations

This Revised Act is annotated and includes textual and non-textual amendments, statutory instruments made pursuant to the Act and previous affecting provisions.

An explanation of how to read annotations is available at

www.lawreform.ie/annotations.

Material not updated in this revision

Where other legislation is amended by this Act, those amendments may have been superseded by other amendments in other legislation, or the amended legislation may have been repealed or revoked. This information is not represented in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the amended legislation if one is available.

Where legislation or a fragment of legislation is referred to in annotations, changes to this legislation or fragment may not be reflected in this revision but will be reflected in a revision of the legislation referred to if one is available.

A list of legislative changes to any Act, and to statutory instruments from 1972, may be found linked from the page of the Act or statutory instrument at

www.irishstatutebook.ie.

Acts which affect or previously affected this revision

• Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 (49/2021)

• Local Government Act 2019 (1/2019)

• Public Service Superannuation (Age of Retirement) Act 2018 (39/2018)

• Data Protection Act 2018 (7/2018)

• Companies Act 2014 (38/2014)

• Houses of the Oireachtas (Inquiries, Privileges and Procedures) Act 2013 (33/2013)

• Education and Training Boards Act 2013 (11/2013)

• Ombudsman (Amendment) Act 2012 (38/2012)

• Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 (23/2011)

• Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 (20/2011)

• Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 2011 (10/2011)

• Social Welfare and Pensions Act 2011 (9/2011)

• Credit Institutions (Stabilisation) Act 2010 (36/2010)

• Central Bank Reform Act 2010 (23/2010)

• Adoption Act 2010 (21/2010)

• Inland Fisheries Act 2010 (10/2010)

• Houses of the Oireachtas Commission (Amendment) Act 2009 (44/2009)

• National Asset Management Agency Act 2009 (34/2009)

• Consumer Protection Act 2007 (19/2007)

• Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) Act 2004 (33/2004)

• Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 (7/2004)

All Acts up to and including Higher Education Authority Act 2022 (31/2022), enacted 12 October 2022, were considered in the preparation of this revision.

Statutory instruments which affect or previously affected this revision

• Official Languages Act 2003 (Establishment Day) Order 2022  (S.I. No. 312 of 2022)

• Official Languages Act 2003 (Public Bodies) Regulations 2019 (S.I. No. 230 of 2020)

• Placenames (County Cork) Order 2012 (S.I. No. 395 of 2012)

• Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 599 of 2011)

• Placenames (Co. Dublin) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 598 of 2011)

• Finance (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 418 of 2011)

• Irish Language, Gaeltacht and the Islands (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2011 (S.I. No. 164 of 2011)

• An Choimisinéara Teanga Superannuation Scheme 2009 (S.I. No. 580 of 2009)

• An Choimisinéara Teanga Contributory Pension Scheme for Spouses and Children 2009 (S.I. No. 579 of 2009)

• Official Languages Act 2003 (Section 9) Regulations 2008 (S.I. No. 391 of 2008)

• Placenames (Co. Limerick) (Amendment) Order 2008 (S.I. No. 115 of 2008)

• Official Languages Act 2003 (Public Bodies) Regulations 2006 (S.I. No. 150 of 2006)

• Placenames (Co. Tipperary) Order 2005 (S.I. No. 847 of 2005)

• Placenames (Centres of Population and Districts) Order 2005 (S.I. No. 59 of 2005)

• Placenames (Ceantair Ghaeltachta) Order 2004 (S.I. No. 872 of 2004)

• Official Languages Act 2003 (Prescribed Maps) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 212 of 2004)

• An tOrdú Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 (Tosach Feidhme) 2004 (S.I. No. 32 of 2004)

• Placenames (Co. Offaly) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 525 of 2003)

• Placenames (Co. Waterford) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 524 of 2003)

• Placenames (Co. Monaghan) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 523 of 2003)

• Placenames (Co. Limerick) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 522 of 2003)

• Placenames (Co. Louth) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 521 of 2003)

• Placenames (Co. Kilkenny) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 520 of 2003)

• Placenames (Provinces and Counties) Order 2003 (S.I. No. 519 of 2003)

• An tOrdú Acht na dTeangacha Oifigiúla 2003 (Tosach Feidhme) 2003 (S.I. No. 518 of 2003)

• Occupational Pension Schemes (Preservation of Benefits) Regulations 2002 (S.I. No. 279 of 2002)

• Occupational Pension Schemes (Funding Standard) Regulations 1993 (S.I. No. 419 of 1993)

All statutory instruments up to and including Official Languages (Amendment) Act 2021 (Commencement) (No. 2) Order 2022 (S.I. No. 511 of 2022), made 3 October 2022, were considered in the preparation of this revision.