Kerry County Council has said that the Government's policy on the protection of the Gaeltacht and the Irish language is unworkable, unreasonable and unenforceable.
The council has granted planning permission for the development of 20 houses near the village of Ballyferriter in the heart of the Corca Dhuibhne Gaeltacht.
The permission was granted without any restrictions pertaining to the command of the Irish language by potential residents.
Such restrictions have been placed on the building of new developments in the Connemara Gaeltacht in recent months.
A language impact statement prepared on behalf of the builder of the Ballyferriter development, and which was submitted to Kerry County Council, states that 'if the proposed development were to proceed without any restrictions then there is a potential for a negative impact on the linguistic heritage of the area'.
The builder had also indicated to the council that he was in favour of having restrictions placed on the houses to support the primacy of the Irish language in Ballyferriter.
Today a senior planner said Kerry County Council had no legal standing to implement Government policy on the issue until clear guidelines were laid down.
The Minister for the Gaeltacht, Éamon Ó Cuív, said that he was surprised and dismayed by Kerry Co Council's decision to grant the planning permission.
He said that it was imperative for the council to implement Government policy to protect the Irish language and the Gaeltacht, and he added that there could be repercussions for the council.
