Niall Ó Donnghaile (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In bringing Mr. Byrne with them, the witnesses have chosen well. I was trying to expand on Senator Daly's point that lessons do not appear to have been learned from previous experiences of visiting the Oireachtas. Members do not need legislation to take action on this issue, notwithstanding the importance of the Bill, which certainly has my support.

I have a technical question on the proposed legislation. Do its proposals extend beyond the issues of accessibility and recognition for Irish Sign Language? Does it, for example, propose mechanisms for sharing the language within the hearing community? As important as it is to take a step forward by giving recognition to Irish Sign Language, society must also engage more with the language, whether through people working as interpreters or through children who are in school with other children who are deaf. If Irish Sign Language were shared beyond the deaf community and across society, it would have a key role to play in breaking down the extreme marginalisation that exists.

I wonder if there is provision for that. If there is no such provision, how might we go about seeking to push the matter into both the Irish consciousness and the mainstream?