Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I warmly welcome the report on the recognition of Irish Sign Language and commend the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Justice and Equality, in particular my colleague, Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin. I extend a warm welcome to the signers in the Visitors Gallery. As I have a penchant for signing, I am enjoying their language as the debate unfolds.

The report is straightforward and its conclusions and recommendations are beyond question. It reflects not just the level of marginalisation but also the difficulty, hardship, isolation and distress members of the deaf community experience daily, in some cases when they are denied appropriate access to basic public services up to and including their interaction with the courts, as my colleague, Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, mentioned.

The report's conclusions must be taken on board and implemented. To this end, it is welcome that the Minister of State speaks so passionately and sincerely on this issue. I welcome his recognition of the need to develop the capacity to make real any right a person has to access interpretation and other services he or she requires. However, I am concerned that he has not made a straight, simple and clear commitment to legislate for the recognition of Irish Sign Language. He critiqued Senator Mark Daly's legislation, for which the Senator is to be commended, in the Seanad. Many of the Minister of State's concerns are reasonable and need to be teased out on Committee Stage, but there was nothing in his remarks that would be insurmountable or merit the Government not supporting legislation to recognise Irish Sign Language. I had hoped he would say that, notwithstanding the issues that needed to be resolved, the Government was committed to implementing the legislation.

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