Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We can talk about motions and guidelines but one cannot go to a judge and say one’s rights are being infringed on the basis of a guideline. One has to go with legislation. I thank Senator Moloney for her support for sign language recognition. She would like to vote for this Bill and put it on a legislative footing and then force services to be put in place. I know others too would like to do that. I thank my colleagues in Sinn Féin, Senators Cullinane and Ó Clochartaigh, for their fight in respect of Irish Sign Language and their support, with Senator Bradford, for allowing this go to Committee Stage. We would be delighted if it went to Committee Stage but we understand that the comments that the Department of Justice, Equality and Defence will not allow this to happen are, unfortunately, the status quo.

We are fighting to ensure that members of the deaf community would have rights enshrined in law for which they can seek remedy when their access to Government services is infringed. Guidelines are not good enough. While Government initiatives are welcome, it is possible to row back on them and to cut funding when there is no legislative footing. I thank Senators Quinn and Barrett for their support. We will put this to a vote because we have seen what Senator Mooney outlined as the decade long fight for recognition, the appalling treatment of the deaf community by religious institutions and the State and the lack of recognition, all because the community had no legal right to seek remedy in court. I thank the Minister of State for her work on this proposal. She is doing a great job. The problem is that there is no timeline for her work within which we can achieve all that we want to achieve. Legislation will allow members of the deaf community get the rights they should have as citizens.