Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann shall consider the Report of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality entitled, Report on the Formal Recognition of Irish Sign Language, copies of which were laid before Dáil Éireann on 13th October, 2016.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, for his attendance to debate the committee's report on the formal recognition of Irish Sign Language. I also thank the members of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality who contributed to the production of the report. The report was unanimously agreed by the committee at its meeting of 5 October. I am delighted that it is now the subject of a debate in the House.

I welcome the members of the Irish Deaf Society who are in attendance in the Visitors Gallery to observe this important debate. I also extend a warm welcome to our two interpreters whose presence is perhaps a first for this Chamber.

The joint committee identified Irish Sign Language as one of its priority issues in its work programme agreed in September 2016. Following this, the committee invited representatives from the Irish Deaf Society to a meeting which was held on 28 September 2016 to discuss the issue of official recognition of Irish Sign Language. In the course of the evidence presented, the committee heard of the extent to which the deaf community experiences exclusion and isolation through the lack of sign language provision. One witness described this experience as one of "extreme marginalisation" and this extends from the personal level through to interactions with key organs of the State such as the education system, Courts Service, health service and Parliament, Dáil and Seanad Éireann.

I thank the representatives of the Irish Deaf Society for the evidence they presented to the joint committee. Members were very appreciative of the effort made by the delegation and on behalf of the committee, I express to Dr. John Bosco Conama, Wendy Murray and Brian Crean our sincere gratitude. The committee is of the view that legislation will be required to achieve formal recognition of Irish Sign Language and that this should be progressed with the urgency that is required.

Three years ago, Senator Mark Daly and the then Senators Thomas Byrne and Labhrás O Murchú introduced the Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2013. The Government did not accept the Bill, which proposed the recognition of Irish Sign Language. In July 2016, Senator Mark Daly initiated the Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016, an updated version of the 2013 legislation. The report presented by the joint committee recommends that the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality and Government lend their full support to the Bill initiated by Senator Daly. The Bill completed Second Stage in the Seanad last month and is awaiting Committee Stage. The joint committee believes the proposed legislation should be prioritised and enacted as soon as possible and urges the Minister to ensure this happens without delay.

As confirmed by the Irish Deaf Society in its revised working paper on formal recognition of Irish Sign Language, ISL is a language of the face, hands and body that has been in existence for hundreds of years and developed from within the deaf community in Ireland. It is one of our two indigenous languages, the other, Gaeilge, being our first official language. Irish Sign Language differs from sign languages in other countries and is unique to Ireland. All informed opinion urges earliest exposure to and development of proficiency in ISL. Just as with other language acquisition, the early development of a competency in Irish Sign Language does not affect a young person’s capacity to later acquire other communication skills, including spoken language skills, if within their later competency. ISL is, as the authors state, a naturally occurring form of communication among deaf people, developed over centuries and, as with all living languages, it is developing to meet the times and needs of those who are its primary users.

The right to use one’s own language is an important human right. The right to communicate and impart one’s thoughts, ambitions, fears, hopes and ideas is a universal right. The failure to date of independent Ireland to accord official recognition to Irish Sign Language has echoes in history for many of us who lament the enforced decline in the use of our first language.

There is an almost infinite number of barriers faced and experienced by members of the deaf community. Could we, who are fortunate to have sufficiently clear hearing, imagine the difficulties of daily life if we were born without the gift of hearing, for example, hearing the telephone ring, answering it and having a conversation; not being able to summon help; never listening to the radio or music players or whatever; being dependent on subtitles to follow films and the daily news on television; not being able to communicate with our doctor, dentist, nurse, solicitor, priest or minister; encountering difficulties while shopping, attending public events, the hairdresser, bank, post office or credit union; accessing State services; and presenting in labour or having a child? The list goes on and these are only a few examples that I can cite in the short time available to me. I can well believe that our deaf fellow citizens in the Visitors Gallery would alarm us with the many examples they could advise in an equally short period.

Mentioning not being able to summon help and the earlier reference to "extreme marginalisation" brings me again to a sad and tragic chapter in the recent story of the deaf community in Ireland and those most seriously impacted among its number. In launching the report on 13 October in the Leinster House audiovisual room, I dedicated the event to the memory of brothers Daniel and William McCarthy whose remains were discovered at their Millrose Estate home in Bluebell, west Dublin, just over a month ago. Their story is a sad and tragic one, their lonely deaths among the saddest and most tragic imaginable. Their story and passing will always be recalled when we address this most important, long overdue and now, as always, essential need to accord formal recognition to Irish Sign Language. Go ndéana Dia Trócaire ar a n-anamacha dílis.

There are 5,000 people and an additional 35,000 hearing people using Irish Sign Language on a daily basis. The World Federation of the Deaf advises that many countries worldwide recognise their indigenous sign languages. Why is Ireland not one of them?

Why do we delay and delay? Irish Sign Language was formally recognised in the North of Ireland in 2004. The Good Friday Agreement requires equal respect of all rights bestowed in either jurisdiction in both jurisdictions. That equality is not in place for the Irish deaf community. I appeal to the Minister of State, and to this Government, to accept the unanimous recommendation of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality. I appeal to them to continue support for the Recognition of Irish Sign Language for the Deaf Community Bill 2016 through all remaining Seanad Stages and Dáil Stages and to facilitate its signing into law by our President at the earliest date possible.

Anois, inár dteanga dúchais eile, molaim go mór don Teach glacadh leis an tuairisc seo agus tacaíocht a thabhairt don sprioc soiléir atá ann. Gabhaim mo bhuíochas le gach Teachta Dála atá anseo as a bheith i Iáthair don díospóireacht tábhachtach seo.

See this speech in context