A core task of the Department is to promote the social, physical and economic development of Gaeltacht areas and to strengthen Irish as the principal community language in the Gaeltacht, particularly in terms of passing the language from one generation to the next. The Department seeks to achieve these objectives both through its own programmes and schemes and those of the bodies under its aegis. The key underlying objective of Government policy in this regard is to maintain the primacy of the Irish language and its related culture in the Gaeltacht.
The Department also seeks to maintain an effective working relationship with other organisations, particularly Údarás na Gaeltachta in order to ensure the implementation of Government policy in respect of the Gaeltacht.
Coimisiún na Gaeltachta was established by the Government on April 4 2000, to make recommendations in regard to strengthening the position of Irish as the vernacular of the Gaeltacht community.
Following the publication in May 2002 of Coimisiún na Gaeltachta's Report on the Irish language in the Gaeltacht, and in view of the commitment made in the Agreed Programme for Government to use the report as the basis for future policy, an Advisory Committee was established by the Minister in October 2002.