Government research on the mainland is indicating that providing public services in foreign languages for non-English speakers is not only costing upwards of £100m a year (including £55m in the NHS), but isolating communities from each other. Meanwhile, Sinn Fein and their new MOPE poster-girl "Maire Nic An Bhaird" are continuing their efforts to create language barriers where none presently exist.

Remember, these millions are being spent on translating for people who can't speak English; by pushing for the new Irish Language Act to be rights-based one, republicans are demanding that the government spend proportionally similar sums on translations for people who can!

Follow up:

Anecdotal evidence suggests that provision of interpretors and translations, despite a lack of legal obligation for these to be provided, discourages immigrants from learning English and thus keeps them isolated from the mainstream of society. The suggestion here is that integration is served better through a common means of communication, and I believe this is exactly what republicans want to prevent - integration.

Why else would they be pushing for a rights-based language act (see DCAL consultation document), putting legal obligations on public bodies with regard to the use of Irish. This approach was rejected in Wales and Scotland and even the Republic of Ireland's Official Languages Act 2003 in favour of "language schemes", so why force it on government bodies here, where it is most unnecessary, if not to make some political point?

I'll repeat what I've said elsewhere. The Irish Language is a hobby; a worthy one and a part of the heritage of Northern Ireland, but a hobby nonetheless. As such, government shouldn't be spending money on it except from the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure budget.