Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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276. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which Irish Sign Language tutors and teachers are currently accredited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27077/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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Irish Sign Language has formal recognition in the Education Act, 1998. Under the Act, it is a function of the Minister for Education and Skills to ensure, subject to the provisions of the Act, that there is made available to each person resident in the State, including a person with a disability or who has other special educational needs, support services and a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities of that person. This includes provision for students learning through Irish Sign Language.

A number of initiatives which seek to promote, develop and implement Irish Sign Language in order that it will achieve greater recognition and use in the education system are currently in place. These include:

- the special schools for the deaf in Cabra, Dublin have been encouraged in relation to the use of sign language in class.

- funding is available for training of teachers in Irish Sign Language.

- Irish Sign Language weekly home tuition service whereby deaf tutors visit the homes of deaf pre-school children and deaf school-going pupils to provide training in Irish Sign Language for the deaf children and pupils, their siblings and parents.

My Department, through the Higher Education Authority, has established and fully funds a Centre for Deaf Studies in Trinity College, Dublin which provides diploma courses for Irish Sign Language English interpreters, deaf tutors and in deaf studies. The course modules include issues such as sign linguistics, bi-lingualism and socio-linguistics of sign language. The course is delivered in seminar sessions, group work and the award of the diploma is based on continued assessment, a project and course design.

My Department is aware that a number of children are currently receiving ISL tuition from tutors who are highly proficient in ISL by virtue of the fact that they have come from ISL families or communities and have used this language all of their lives, but who do not hold formal qualifications in ISL.

While Irish Sign Language Tutors are not currently accredited, since the commencement of Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act, they are included as a specialised post in the Education Sector, as set out in Section 2 of Circular 0052/2013 – Procedures on Commencement of Section 30 in Recognised Schools, which recognises that a primary degree or equivalent qualification recognised by the Teaching Council in the subject area in question may not be available, giving rise to concerns about the ongoing supply of qualified staff. There are, therefore, posts, including ISL Tutor posts that can be filled by people with appropriate qualifications or experience without an approved teaching qualification. These posts have been reclassified as tutor posts and the holders of these posts are not subject to the requirements of Section 30.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published its Policy Advice on the Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Ireland, which makes a number of recommendations for the improvement of educational provision for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children, including recommendations relating to ISL provision and setting a minimum level of qualification for ISL tutors should be set by my Department. Signature, the awarding body for ISL qualifications recommend that an ISL tutor should have, at minimum, a level of ISL that is one grade higher than that of their student. This policy advice is available on the NCSE's website www.ncse.ie. My Department will continue to implement the recommendations in conjunction with other Departments and agencies where necessary, subject to the availability of resources.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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277. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the new course in Irish Sign Language prepared by the post-primary languages initiative; the number of schools that have placed this course on their curriculum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27078/16]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The new short course in Irish Sign Language (ISL) was developed by the Post-Primary Languages Initiative in the context of the new Framework for Junior Cycle. The course is currently being piloted in the Mid-West School for the Hearing Impaired in Limerick. Following this, the course will be ready to be implemented by schools opting to introduce ISL.

Short courses were introduced into the Junior Cycle curriculum as options for schools to develop and implement, according to the context of the individual school and the needs and interests of their students. The courses provide schools with greater flexibility in the delivery of their junior cycle programmes.