Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Clifford-Lee who is knowledgeable about this. It is very important to make an amendment relating to legal proceedings. It arises out of real world consequences for members of the deaf community. In a particular case, a deaf person's co-accused was instructed by the court to interpret for, and therefore give evidence on behalf of, that deaf co-accused person. It would not happen in any other legal circumstances and it was bizarre. It goes back to the lack of understanding of what it is like to live in the deaf community and the consequences of that. It is therefore important to enshrine in legislation a duty on the courts, on top of the other duties the legislation places on public bodies and the Department of Education and Skills, so that a member of the deaf community will have the right in legal proceedings to an accredited interpreter to represent what he or she is saying. It should not be left up to people who just happen to have some basic knowledge of sign language in circumstances where someone's fundamental rights and liberty are in issue.