Feargal Quinn (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome, as is this Bill. It is an admirable step in the right direction. It was interesting that Senator O'Sullivan spoke about his business experience. I had business experience as well. For about 50 years, I ran supermarkets and, in trying to look for extra customers, we taught as many people as we could basic French so they could put "Je parle français" on their check-out or customer service desk. We did the same with Irish. Somebody then asked about sign language, so we also did that. The benefit it gave us was that customers came to us in preference to other supermarkets because we were able to solve a particular problem for them. We never got around to doing Irish Sign Language but we certainly got benefits and a lot of praise for what we did so there are all sorts of benefits.

I welcome the work of Senators Daly and Ó Murchú on this Bill. It is only right that those who communicate in Irish Sign Language should be able to communicate with public officials. That has been part of the problem in the past. We do not need every official publication to be converted into Irish Sign Language but it is about giving recognition to something that should largely have been recognised many years ago. It would mean the State would have to pay for interpreters where needed if someone was using a State service. It is also about recognising the basic human rights of a group of people who are marginalised as their language is not recognised.

Would this Bill mean that a deaf couple would be entitled to interpretation at the birth of their child? I presume all State services including hospitals, would be covered. Would an interpreter be obliged to appear at very short notice? Does something need to be included in the Bill to ensure an interpreter would have to be made available at short notice, for example, in an emergency, or would we simply have to trust the State to provide that somebody would come? I am thinking about an accident or childbirth.

It is interesting to note that deaf people often have difficulty with literacy skills in English as it is their second language. It has been noted that Irish Sign Language has been recognised in Northern Ireland and was one of the obligations of the Good Friday Agreement. Why did this never happen in the Republic of Ireland before now? Surely it would have been the obligation of a Department or it should at least have put forward the issue and published legislation on this issue. I support the Bill wholeheartedly and congratulate Senators Daly, Ó Murchú, Byrne and others for their work on this Bill. I hope it gets the support from the Government that it deserves. I think it will not only attract the support but the enthusiasm of many people who realise there is a benefit in this and that it is needed. I congratulate everybody involved and look forward to the acceptance of this Bill.