Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is a very proud day for the deaf community and particularly for Senator Daly. He has stuck with it since 2013 and it is now 2017. That is a remarkable achievement. It does not surprise me. It is his style. He is known for his focus on specific topics. He is persistent. He referred to Grace Coyle. I think I met her more often than I met Senator Daly to work on this issue. She co-ordinated it and always stood with it and believed that she, Senator Daly and their team would get it over the line. They are a formidable and successful team, as today demonstrates. It is really important that the deaf community has a champion in Senator Daly. They were right to believe he could see it through to the end. He used every mechanism and tool in the book to put the pressure on. He was right to do so. That is the art and skill of politics. Ultimately, there needs to be compromise.

I want to acknowledge the Minister of State. I remember the first day I came across all of this and the tensions that were there. We have moved on and I thank the Minister of State and his team. There is no question about their commitment. He is right to point out the issues of funding and resources. That aspect will become an issue. All we can hope for is that the Bill will go through the Houses as quickly as possible and will be proactively pushed at every level so that there is no delay. It is critically important. It is about equality and access to so many aspects of personal and professional life and everything that goes with communication. I acknowledge the enormous work and goodwill of the Minister of State and of everyone on all sides who took part in this debate. It is a really positive step in respect of new politics. I salute Senators Clifford-Lee and Mark Daly for the level of input they had into the amendments. That made for the smooth transition of today's work. I thank them and I thank the deaf community.