Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I, too, heartily welcome members of the deaf community back to the House. It is commendable that this is the second time in three months that the Seanad has debated Irish Sign Language. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has been widely praised, as always occurs in this House, for her work in this area. I, too, compliment her on her work. Senator Conway was responsible for a worthwhile and excellent debate in the House in October on which Senators reached unanimous agreement. One of the first conversations I had with Senator Cáit Keane was on the issue of Irish Sign Language. Considerable work has been done in the House on this issue.

I commend Senators Mark Daly and Labhrás Ó Murchú on the spirit behind this legislation, although as Senator Conway noted, some aspects of it are confusing. Senator Daly acknowledged that this discussion took place also when Fianna Fáil was in power. Some aspects of the Bill need to be corrected to enable it to progress.

The text states that the State has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This may result in confusion because, unfortunately, Ireland has not ratified the convention. We have signed it but cannot ratify it until the mental capacity Bill has been enacted. The Government has taken a major step forward in bringing the Bill to Committee Stage and its enactment will make a significant difference.

As my party's spokesperson on education and disability in the House, I believe we, as legislators, have much work to do in addressing literacy issues for deaf or hard of hearing adults and children. I was surprised to learn from the website, IrishDeafKids.ie, that many deaf adults using Irish Sign Language have a reading age of between 8.5 and 9 years. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn, has consistently placed a strong emphasis on improving literacy and numeracy among the population. We must prioritise this area to improve the literacy skills of future generations of people with hearing difficulties and impairments.

From my meetings with members of the Irish deaf community, specifically those involved in the Happy New Ear campaign, I understand English is a second language and that Irish Sign Language is much different from English in respect of grammar, structure, etc. We must bear this in mind when considering the literacy issue. I support providing further reading tuition for Irish Sign Language users to improve the literacy skills for the next generation of people with hearing impairments.

The State formally recognises Irish Sign Language in the Education Act 1998 and the Department of Education and Skills offers supports and schemes to help in the training of Irish Sign Language for children and their families. Senators will agree, however, that more could be done to address the literacy and promotion of Irish Sign Language in education.

In terms of access to interpretation in dealing with public services, the Department of Justice and Equality co-ordinates an Irish remote sign language interpreting service across the relevant Departments. The Department of Social Protection commenced a pilot of the service on 25 July 2013 at its Navan Road office and it is also being trialled at the Dundalk Citizens Information office in my locality. I have spoken to staff at the Dundalk office who are very pleased with the results to date. The service is available from Tuesday until Thursday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and was developed in collaboration with the Sign Language Interpreting Service, DeafHear and the Irish Deaf Society. I was pleased such collaboration took place because key workers on the front line have the knowledge required to make progress on this issue. While I am aware the service is not suitable for every occasion, it is a significant improvement on the current format for Irish Sign Language users. I look forward to it being rolled out to other public offices.

On the basis of consultations I have had with members of the legal profession in recent days, I believe Irish Sign Language users do have free access to an interpreter in the courts, whether they are a victim or witness, have been accused of a crime or are involved in proceedings.

That is another aspect of the matter on which I am not too clear. I understand from my dealings and my research in this area that anybody who would be before the courts in any role would be provided with an interpreter.

As I have continually reiterated during debates on issues like education and disability, service users need to be meaningfully included in consultations on services and policies. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, has taken an inclusive approach to her meetings with the national disability strategy implementation group. She has done excellent work in this regard. As Senator Conway has said, she has met representatives of the deaf community and other relevant stakeholders. While I understand that recognition would be a key milestone for the deaf community, I remind the House that the Department of Justice and Equality has repeatedly said - this was reiterated recently - that recognition as a third language will not be forthcoming, unfortunately.

I am delighted that €10 million has been allocated for bilateral cochlear implants. This will be of considerable assistance in improving the lives of members of the deaf community. I have met many of those involved with the "happy new ear" campaign in my own area of Dundalk. I commend them for their ongoing dedication and work to ensure this will be rolled out. I have never met a group of parents and supporters who are more dedicated to pursuing their goal. The video campaign they ran before the budget, which showed children in need of second cochlear implants, was heart-wrenching. Having met mothers, fathers and family members of the "happy new ear" campaign, I know how important this is. Many children are reaching the deadline for a second implant. This allocation of money is one of the best decisions taken by the Government since coming into office. The day it was announced was a proud one. I look forward to the positive effects it will have on the children and families concerned.