Mr. Andrew Geary:

That was probably down to a number of famous figures, such as Berthier, who brought that deaf education system back to Ireland. It was nuns who brought that to Cork and Dublin, and that is why Irish Sign Language, ISL, is first cousin to French sign language and American sign language on the sign language tree. Again, I ask the committee to look to what we are. The republican idea began in France and the highest level of sign language education in the history of mankind also occurred in Enlightenment France.

I ask members why my son and my family were forced to go through an absolutely draining, depressing and emotionally and financially stressful two years in the High Court after eight years of campaigning.