Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Sign Language Interpreting Service, SLIS, is the national service for the development, promotion and delivery of sign language interpreting services to the deaf community in Ireland. As the Deputy is aware, it is funded by the Citizens Information Board, which comes under my remit. The Government and my Department in particular is committed to supporting the service which, it is recognised, is an invaluable support to people with hearing difficulties.

The 2018 budget for the Sign Language Interpreting Service is €676,000. This includes more than €300,000 to expand its activities in order to deliver on the commitments set out in the National Disability Inclusion Strategy 2017–2021, which include the extension of the operating hours and the availability of the remote interpretation service to evenings and weekends; the resourcing of the Sign Language Interpreting Service to increase the number of trained sign language and deaf interpreters; putting a quality assurance and registration scheme for interpreters in place; and the provision of ongoing professional training and development. Additional staff resources have been given to SLIS, which has facilitated the extension of the Irish remote interpreting service appointments to 6.30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The Sign Language Interpreting Service is currently recruiting a quality information and development officer to develop a quality assurance and registration scheme for interpreters and to develop and deliver ongoing professional training and development.

In preparation for the commencement by the Minister for Justice and Equality of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017, the sign language interpreting service has drafted guidelines for the administration of a scheme to facilitate access to social, educational and cultural events and services by ISL users. There is no doubt that it is important for anybody who is deaf to live a full and supported life and this goes a long way to recognising the deficits that existed in the past and reinstating the services that should be available.

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