Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, who I know has a personal commitment to equality and to this issue, for coming to the House. I acknowledge all those who have campaigned over the past weeks, months and years for this legislation on the recognition of Irish Sign Language for the deaf community. I also acknowledge the presence of pupils from Bishopstown community school here today. Councillor Mary Shields has brought me to many of the schools in Bishopstown over the past while. We also have students from Our Lady of Lourdes secondary school, New Ross, who have been supporting this legislation and lobbying, as all active citizens should, their public representatives on this important issue. In particular, I welcome the members of the Irish Deaf Society and the members of the deaf community to their Parliament.

This Bill, which has been spoken about on a number of occasions, will be dedicated to the memory of the McCarthy brothers. These Kerrymen, who lived in Dublin, died in tragic circumstances and isolated in their own community. I think we would all agree with the words of the Joint Committee on Justice and Equality which stated that they suffered extreme marginalisation, as do many members of the deaf community.

The best example of extreme marginalisation of those in the deaf community is to be found in an anecdote. When their advocacy funding was cut, they received a letter which informed them that they could call the Department to discuss the issue. I had to call the Department and inform it that the members of the deaf community could not call it. With much embarrassment, the Department said they could write.

The fact that they could not access their own Parliament, as any other citizen accesses it, due to the lack of legislation giving them equal rights, is a more stark example of why this Bill is necessary. When the advocacy funding was cut, we decided to organise a protest. It was, however, not to be a protest outside the Parliament, but one inside it. Needless to say, it was to be a silent protest. We asked that the members of the deaf community be allowed into the Visitors Gallery of Dáil Éireann, their Parliament, and that sign language interpreters would be allowed into the Dáil Chamber to let them understand what was going on. We were told it was not possible.