Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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552. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality 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. [8244/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department and the agencies and bodies under its aegis are committed to full implementation of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017. We are also keen to continue the fruitful collaboration with the National Disability Authority (NDA) in this regard which has come as a result of the recent Operation of the ISL Act Survey and report.

My Department hosted a webinar on ISL and Deaf Awareness in September 2022 and further in-depth deaf awareness training was provided to a cohort of staff working in front-line services, event planning and disability access. This training was also available to Access Officers in agencies under the Department’s remit.

The option of ISL interpretation is offered at all major events organised by my Department. Closed captioning is provided on all webinars delivered by our Learning and Development unit, and ISL interpreting is made available as requested.

The Corporate Learning Team is aiming to develop a Deaf Awareness and ISL Training Plan for the Department, to be rolled out in 2023 as part of a broader Disability Awareness Training Programme.

Within the wider Justice sector, the importance of full participation for victims in the criminal justice system is recognised in the Third National Strategy on domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV). As part of the development of the Strategy, specialist consultation took place with people with disabilities to ensure their views were considered. Clear protocols are to be established to ensure high quality interpreters, including ISL, for victims and survivors of DSGBV.

There is also an action on building the capacity and resources of support organisations to address and support inclusivity, including by working to ensure the availability of ISL interpreters.

The Criminal Justice Sectoral Strategy 2022-2024 launched in October 2021 commits to reporting annually on how Criminal Justice Sector bodies have given effect to their duty under the ISL Act. The Strategy and its accompanying Implementation Plan also commit to reviewing supports provided to victims, witnesses, and accused persons in relation to accessibility, including the provision of translators and interpreters. A customer service survey, distributed to member bodies in October 2022, included a question on provision of Irish Sign Language (ISL) and the results are due to be considered by the group at a future meeting.

Recognising the role that language plays in the empowerment of minority groups, especially those marginalised through physical or mental disabilities, my Department continues to engage with Justice Sector agencies regarding the ISL Act and their responsibilities under this legislation.

Since the initial survey on the operation of the Act, which took place in March 2021, there have been many positive developments across Justice Sector agencies and we are committed to continuing to drive this progress through our Governance teams and Access Officer network.