Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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502. To ask the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will report on the implementation of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 by his Department and by agencies which operate under the remit of his Department. [8234/23]

Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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The Irish Sign Language Act 2017 (ISL Act 2017) recognises the right of ISL users to use ISL as their native language, and to develop and preserve it. In addition to specific obligations on named Ministers, the Act places a statutory duty on all public bodies to provide ISL users with free ISL interpretation when availing of or seeking to access statutory entitlements and services provided by or under statute. Implementing the Act requires a whole of government approach and as such all public bodies have obligations to fulfil.

Section 10 of the Act requires that a report on the operation of the Act be prepared three years after enactment and every five years thereafter. These reports must be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

In line with these requirements, the National Disability Authority (NDA) was commissioned to produce the first report on the operation of the Act. A draft Report was submitted to me in mid-2021, and subsequently circulated to departments and agencies for observations and to ensure accuracy in the preparation of a final version. The Report was finalised in late 2021.

There was a delay in publishing the first report on the operation of the ISL Act to avoid prejudicing an ongoing legal matter. However, publication of the report was kept under review throughout 2022 and following engagement between my Department and other relevant departments, the report was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas and published on the website of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth in January 2023.

The first report on the operation of the ISL Act contains recommendations to strengthen the implementation of the ISL Act, and it will be incumbent on all Government departments and agencies, as well as named Ministries, to consider the recommendations and formulate appropriate next steps in this regard.

My Department will continue to address its own obligations under the Act, and those of its agencies, as part of robust oversight and governance processes.