FAQs

In 2006, our council published its first Language Policy. It outlined our commitment to using Irish and Ulster Scots when communicating with our residents, if they chose to do so, in order to support the heritage and traditions of various language communities living in our city.  

In 2018, all political parties on our council agreed to adopt a Language Strategy. It aims to create a place where linguistic diversity is celebrated and respected and where all those who live, work and visit Belfast can access what our city has to offer, using forms of language with which they are familiar and comfortable.

 This strategy has five strands: 

• Irish, 
• Ulster Scots,
• new communities, 
• sign languages (British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language) and
• disability communications. 

It is further supported by a Language Strategy Action Plan, which sets how we will deliver the goals of the Language Strategy across all five strands. It was agreed by elected members, or councillors, in May 2024.

This draft Irish language policy is the first policy to be brought forward as part of our Language Strategy. Other policies – relating to the other strands – will also be developed in the future.

 The aim of this draft policy is to set out how our council will promote Irish and use Irish across our services. This includes: 

• interpreting and translation,
• key documents and publications
• our council website
• signage at our facilities and more. 

The proposals within this draft policy were agreed by elected members in April 2024 and now we would like to hear your views.

 Your feedback will then be brought back to elected members to help them agree the next steps towards finalising an Irish language policy.

The main proposals in the draft policy set out how our council will promote Irish and use Irish across our services. They include:

Communications 

We are proposing a range of measures in relation to communications, including: 

• making key strategic documents and publications available in Irish,
• adopting a new bilingual (in both Irish and English) corporate identity, including a corporate logo, which will become the council’s standard logo across all corporate branding, 
• developing a bilingual (in both Irish and English) council website,
• formal arrangements for the use of spoken Irish in council meetings, and
• providing interpretation and translation services across the council.

Paragraphs 14-21 of the draft Irish language policy contain the full details of proposals on communications.
 

Signage

We are proposing to adopt a bilingual (in both Irish and English) approach to signage in all our facilities. This will be carried out through a categorisation approach, set out in Appendix 2 of the draft Irish language policy. 

Paragraphs 22-26 of the draft policy, along with Appendix 2, contain more detailed proposals on signage.

The categorisation approach is based on levels of priority, starting with council facilities in areas where Irish is most used. This is based on Census data and proximity to a Gaelscoil (Irish-medium school).

The categorisation process will also cover our buildings, including City Hall.

We will then progress throughout the council area to long-term priorities, like car parks and public toilets. Following this, we will then look at non-priority facilities in areas where Irish is not so widely used. We will consider these facilities in time, when they need to be refurbished.

We recognise that this is an ambitious plan and it would take several years for updated signage to be rolled out at facilities across the city. 

‘Active offer’ means that anyone contacting the council will be made aware, at their earliest interaction with us, of the services that are guaranteed by the policy (once finalised), of their ability to correspond with us in Irish and of the availability of forms and documents in Irish.

‘Code of courtesy’ refers to training which would be provided to all council staff to follow when contacted by a customer using Irish.

 It would enable all staff to be able to response promptly and courteously to customers and ensure they are referred to someone who can support them in Irish without experiencing a time delay as a result of their wish to communicate in Irish. 

This is a draft policy at present, so we do not have figures on how much it will cost to implement.

The cost will be determined by how elected members decide to take the policy forward.

Once the consultation closes, all feedback will be brought before elected members for further consideration. 

It will be for elected members to agree the final Irish language policy. 

We have a Language Strategy with five strands:

• Irish,
• Ulster Scots,
• new communities,
• sign languages (British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language), and 
• disability communications.
  
   

It is further supported by a Language Strategy Action Plan, which sets how we will implement actions across all five strands. It was agreed by elected members in May 2024.

The draft Irish language policy is the first policy to be brought forward as part of our Language Strategy. Other policies – relating to the other strands – will also be developed in the future.
 

The council has decided to carry out a draft Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) to assess the potential impacts of the draft policy and ensure a thorough, systematic and robust evidence-gathering process.

This reflects the council’s own Equality Scheme, as well as Equality Commission for Northern Ireland guidance on these issues.  

We anticipate there will be a large amount of evidence which will need to be analysed to inform the policy-making process and to help us fully understand the potential impact on each of the Section 75 groups.

Council staff have been invited to take part in the consultation and trade unions are being consulted through the council’s industrial relations framework.

Following the end of the consultation, feedback on both the draft policy and the draft EQIA – via a final decision report - will be brought before elected members for further consideration.
 

Paragraph 15 of the draft Irish language policy explains that the council would adopt a bilingual (in both Irish and English) corporate identity and that this would become the council’s standard corporate logo across all corporate branding. Corporate branding includes items such as headed paper, banners, street bins, uniforms, bin lorries and other council vehicles. This consultation will inform the development of a bilingual corporate identity and logo for elected members to consider at a later date.

No final decisions have yet been made on any of the proposals within the draft policy.

Specific details of what is proposed – including how a new bilingual council logo may look and how it might be used in specific areas of branding - will be for elected members to decide.

The aim of this consultation is to seek views on the proposals within the draft policy and bring all feedback back to elected members, so they can consider it further before finalising the policy.
 

We welcome all your feedback to this consultation – this is your chance to have your say. 

The survey is open from Thursday 22 August until midnight on Thursday 28 November.

The draft Irish language policy, the draft EQIA and the survey questions are available online at yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk

You can also email consult@belfastcity.gov.uk or write to us at Draft Irish language policy consultation, Legal and Civic Services Department, Equality and Diversity Unit, City Hall, BT1 5GS to request a copy of, and respond to, the consultation.

All documents are available in both English and Irish, and responses can be made in either language.

We will be holding public information events in September and October (see below). We will also publish these dates on yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk and on our social media channels, where you will be able to register for the online events at yoursay.belfastcity.gov.uk.

Everyone is welcome and we will provide interpretation services, so that contributions can be made in both English and Irish.

 If you would like the consultation documents in another language, or request other translation services, at our public events, please email consult@belfastcity.gov.uk

Consultation events