9B. —(1) For the purpose of prescribing the content and layout of official forms of a public body the Minister may, after consultation with such (if any) Minister of the Government as the Minister considers appropriate having regard to the functions of the public body, prescribe the body for the purposes of this section.

(2) The Minister may, in prescribing a public body under subsection (1), prescribe the contents and layout of official forms of the public body to be in the Irish language or in both the Irish and English languages and different provisions may be made in relation to different public bodies or official forms.

(3) In prescribing the content and layout of forms under subsection (2) the Minister shall have regard to the following matters where text, in the official form concerned, is in both the Irish and English languages:

(a) the order in which the text in each language shall appear in the official form;

(b) the prominence, visibility, legibility, size, font, overall appearance and style of the text, in the official form, of one language with respect to the text of the other language;

(c) the need for each official language to communicate the same message;

(d) the manner in which a title is to be used prior to or after a person’s name in the official form, particularly with reference to acknowledging the different forms of such titles in each language;

(e) the manner in which abbreviated words may be used in each language.

(4) In prescribing the content and layout of forms under subsection (2) the Minister shall have regard to the following matters where text, in the official form concerned, is in the Irish language only:

(a) the manner in which a title is to be used prior to or after a person’s name in the official form, particularly with reference to acknowledging the different forms of such titles in each language;

(b) the manner in which abbreviated words may be used in each language.]