One-fifth of places on public service application panels will be filled by people able to speak Irish fluently, the Taoiseach has pledged.
In an interview with Irish-Language broadcaster TG4 for Election 2016, Mr Kenny said he favoured a higher level of recruitment of Irish speakers to ensure that people could conduct business in Irish.
At the moment, State bodies, including government departments, are obliged to include no less than 6 per cent Irish speakers on panels.
This has drawn criticism from Irish-language groups, which have claimed that many Irish speakers have difficulties when trying to engage as Gaeilge with the State.
The usual employment caveat applies in this instance: not all those selected on panels will be successful.
Mr Kenny also claimed Údarás na Gaeltachta had achieved the highest increase in job creation since 2005 and that 600 jobs would be created in Gaeltacht areas next year.
When it was put to him by presenter Eimear Ní Chonaola that unemployment rates were still at 20 per cent in Gaeltacht areas and that Údarás na Gaeltachta insufficiently funded, he said he did not accept that it lacked funding.
Asked about the 20-year strategy for the language, Mr Kenny denied that nothing substantial had been implemented almost six years after it came into operation.
Job creation
The Government has been criticised for its record on the strategy. Mr Kenny argued that an additional €1 million had been allotted and pointed to the digital strategy and language planning.
He contended the best way of ensuring the future of Gaeltacht regions, where Irish was spoken as a native language, was job creation.
“The biggest thing for the Gaeltacht is to put jobs there. That will help people from the Gaeltachts who are in the US to come home.”
He said his intention on the strategy was to review what has been done over the past five years and see what is best to do for the next five years.
Meanwhile in his TG4 interview Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said his party supported the Conradh a Gaeilge proposal to invest €18 million in the language in the future.
Responding to Minister for Health Leo Varadkar's attack on his record as minister for health, Mr Martin said accused Mr Varadkar of making a mess of the service as James Reilly had before him.
“They had no plan. They had no idea what was involved with universal health insurance. Mr Varadkar eventually said ‘we can’t put that in place’,” said the Fianna Fáil leader.
In his interview substituting for Labour Party leader Joan Burton, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin defended the Government's health policies, especially primary care. He also said it was Labour that was responsible for getting Fine Gael to reverse its policy to abolish compulsory Irish for the leaving certificate.
Sinn Féin substitute Pearse Doherty asserted the argument made by the three other major parties to abolish USC was not sustainable economically.
