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32 2003

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT 2003

PART 5

Placenames

Definitions.

31. —In this Part, save where the context otherwise requires—

“the Commission” means the body known as An Coimisiún Logainmneacha and established by warrant of the Minister for Finance dated the 24th day of October 1946;

“placename” includes the name of any province, county, city, town, village, barony, parish or townland, or of any territorial feature (whether natural or artificial), district, region or place, as shown in the maps of Ordnance Survey Ireland;

“placenames order” has the meaning assigned to it by section 32 .

Placenames orders.

32. —(1) Subject to subsection (2), the Minister, having received and considered advice from the Commission, may by order (in this Part referred to as a “placenames order”)—

(a) declare the Irish language version of a placename specified in the order to be such word or words as he or she specifies in the order,

(b) amend or revoke a placenames order.

(2) The Minister shall not make a declaration under subsection (1) in relation to a place in a Gaeltacht area in respect of which a declaration under Part 18 of the Local Government Act 2001 is in force.

(3) Every placenames order shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and, if a resolution annulling the order is passed by either such House within the next subsequent 21 days on which that House has sat after the order is laid before it, the order shall be annulled accordingly but without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done thereunder.

Construction of words in legal documents.

33. —(1) A word or words, declared by the Minister in a placenames order to be the Irish language version of a placename specified in the order, shall be construed in a legal document as referring to the same place and as having the same force and effect as the English language version of the placename so specified unless the contrary intention appears.

(2) Where the Minister makes a declaration under section 32 in respect of a placename in a Gaeltacht area, the English language version of the placename shall no longer have any force and effect as on and from the operative date but without prejudice to anything done before or after that date including the use of that version other than its use—

(a) in any Act of the Oireachtas passed after the operative date or any statutory instrument made after that date under any Act,

(b) in such maps prepared and published by or with the permission of Ordnance Survey Ireland as may be prescribed, or

(c) on a road or street sign erected by or on behalf of a local authority.

(3) In this section—

“legal document” means—

(a) any Act of the Oireachtas passed after the operative date, any statutory instrument made after that date under any Act or the official translation of any Act or instrument;

(b) any instrument having or intended to have legal effect or consequences and executed on or after the operative date;

(c) any document used in or for the purposes of legal proceedings, and made, issued or served on or after the operative date,

“the operative date” means the date on which the relevant place-names order comes into operation.

Amendment of Ordnance Survey Ireland Act 2001.

34. The Ordnance Survey Ireland Act 2001 is amended by the substitution of the following for paragraph (h) of section 4(2):

“(h) to depict placenames and ancient features in the national mapping and related records and databases in the Irish language or in the English and Irish languages.”.

Repeal.

35. The Place-Names (Irish Forms) Act 1973 is repealed.