Marie Sherlock (Dublin Central, Labour)
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298. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development to provide an update on the implementation of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017 (ISL) within his Department and its associated public bodies, including details of any ISL strategies that have been developed; and if no ISL strategy has been developed to date, the details of plans his Department has to address this gap in the near future. [17979/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The schemes and programmes operated by my Department do not involve the direct provision of services to the public. As such, the Department does not have extensive engagement with the public in terms of service delivery and, in that context, does not have a specific Irish Sign Language (ISL) strategy. My Department is committed to providing an appropriate service to everybody, including those who use ISL. There is an access officer in place who arranges assistance and guidance for persons with disabilities who wish to interact with the Department, this includes supports for those who may need ISL assistance. The access officer can be contacted at accessofficer@drcd.gov.ie.

There are four agencies under the aegis of my Department - Pobal, the Western Development Commission, the Charities Regulatory Authority and Water Safety Ireland. Similarly, while all of these agencies are not involved in the direct provision of public services, they are committed to providing an appropriate service to everybody. Each agency has a member of staff assigned to provide assistance to persons with disabilities, including those who may need ISL assistance, accessing their services.