Carál Ní Chuilín
North Belfast · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“To continue the theme of undermining public confidence and public effectiveness, I ask you this, Minister: why do you and your DUP colleagues continue to block the 'good jobs' Bill, particularly the measures for parents whose babies require neonatal care and, indeed, other measures that will support workers who are struggling with the cos…”
“At the end of the day, guns were used to kill Catholics — Davy Payne; surface-to-air missiles in South Africa and Paris and then some. I will give the deputy First Minister another opportunity not to deflect but to condemn her party's involvement in Ulster Resistance and with the red berets that they wore.”
“I thank the Minister for that response. I have a close family relative who is in need of a SPiMS unit in an Irish-medium school but cannot access one in North Belfast at all. Apart from access in P4 and P5, they will have to go to an English-speaking school, even though Irish is their first language.”
“You mentioned some of the issues that are important: trade union representation, the banning of zero-hours contracts and employees being able to have their tips and service charges. Anyone who cannot get behind these proposals needs to be clear — concerns for some, and hiding behind the industry for others.”
“First Minister, I know that, recently, you were in Ardoyne for the sod cutting of the new £3·4 million purpose-built youth facility for Ardoyne Youth Enterprise. Further to your response to Brian Kingston, can you give us an update on that project and, indeed, any others?”
“I agree 100%, Linda. That is something that we all agree on. We met many people. The Bill was published and was based on the report of the truth recovery process.”
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“In my opinion, for tours that are organised across all the Departments, including my ALBs, it should be built in rather than having to be asked for. I would like to see that being corrected as part of the consultation process.”
“I thank the Member for her comments and, indeed, her support as a member of the CAL Committee. It is not just the museums; I suspect that every ALB right across each of the Departments will provide sign language support on request. The deaf community say that that prohibits them from accessing culture, arts and leisure and all Executive services across the board on an equal relationship with others. That needs to be corrected. I would be absolutely shocked if that did not come out as part of the consultation. <BR /> <BR />The Assembly, through the Speaker's office and events, has led by example, but, again, it is on request. When we are looking at and organising events and people are asked about the requirements that they have, once those requirements are made known, provision happens.”
“I believe that all Members, going back to December of last year right through to today, will give good regard and respect to the consultation and will encourage full involvement and participation in it to ensure that support for the deaf community is not left with the Department. We all need to come in behind a group who have faced decades of discrimination through a lack of investment and inclusion.”
“I thank the Member for his question. As I outlined in the statement, the support that we have given in DCAL has ensured that sign language classes for parents and family members take place. There was a gap there, and we met it. We have also provided good leadership. With my officials, I have invested a lot of time in ensuring that, once the road map was brought forward and the gaps were identified, we very quickly tried to meet those gaps. That is why we did the pre-consultation and why we are putting it out for consultation today. I have no doubt that that will be continued by the people who brought the process to us thus far and my officials.”
“Without making any assumptions and albeit that the costs will certainly be higher in the first instance, I believe that it will be money well worth spending, particularly given the legacy of inequality that this community has faced. I believe that all Members want to put right that wrong.”
“First, I thank the Chair of the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee for his continued support. He is right to say — I mentioned this in my statement — that there are some difficulties in getting absolute costings at this stage. However, there will be emerging themes as the consultation process develops. Indeed, there were emerging themes in the preconsultation process around tuition, sign language classes for British and Irish sign language tuition and support for families. We already know what those costs are, but they are likely to increase. We will also have to try to predict what additional services will be needed. <BR /> <BR />The final cost will be published when the Bill is brought to the future Executive for support.”
“Patrick deserves the same rights, accessibility and inclusion throughout our society as his hearing peers will enjoy. I encourage you and your constituents to respond to the consultation and ensure that Patrick and deaf adults and children across the North receive those rights.”
“I also referred to Emma, the hearing mother of a young deaf son, Patrick, who highlighted the difficulties that families such as hers face when they are informed that their child is deaf. I have met Emma several times, and I know the choices that she is making for Patrick. She is leading a growing number of parents of deaf children who are speaking up for children and demanding better interventions for their child and their family. <BR /> <BR />As I have stated previously, I believe that one word sums up why we must deliver Executive recognition of and protection for sign language: "inclusion". Current and future generations of sign language users and their families must have access to the services that our Departments provide in their own language.”
“<BR /> <BR />The care and protection aim of the framework is self-explanatory. In my December statement, I informed the House that I had listened carefully to what the deaf community was saying. They want legislation to safeguard their right as a cultural and linguistic community and want to access services in their own language. In short, they want the care and protection that sign language legislation will bring. This has been a challenging programme of work, and I thank the deaf community and other stakeholders for their engagement and their contributions to the framework. <BR /> <BR />In December, I asked this question of each and every Member of the House: what choices would you make if your child or grandchild was born unable to hear?”
“<BR /> <BR />DCAL has committed funding to the translation of material for the driving theory test into British Sign Language. That will help deaf people learn to drive and potentially increase their employment options. My Department is also funding the Foyle Sign Language Centre in Derry to deliver Irish and British sign language courses to the families of older generation sign language users to allow them to communicate more effectively with their parents and grandparents. That funding also delivers deaf awareness and sign language classes to local businesses and the voluntary community to encourage greater social integration between older sign language users and the local community, as well as providing for social activities The projects contribute to the correction aim of the framework.”
“That project also delivers such classes to all four university campuses to make them deaf-friendly and to inspire the future professionals who will deliver services to deaf children to learn sign language. <BR /> <BR />DCAL has also funded Action Deaf Youth to deliver a British Sign Language level 1 course for deaf children and young people and for children of deaf adults to promote social inclusion and to provide the qualifications necessary for future careers as interpreters and sign language tutors. Those DCAL-funded projects directly contribute to the prevention aim of the framework. We have previously funded such courses up to level 6, which has enabled young deaf people to access those careers. This year's funding represents the start of a new cycle that will hopefully build up to level 6 courses over the next few years.”
“In addition, selected secondary schools are receiving deaf awareness and Irish or British sign language classes through our funding of Ulster University’s signing for improved deaf awareness project.”
“<BR /> <BR />DCAL is also funding Jordanstown School to deliver British Sign Language levels 1 and 2 courses for parents of deaf children who wish to develop their signing skills with their children. I was delighted to visit those classes in January of this year and meet the parents and their children. I have the utmost admiration for their drive and determination to give their children the best possible start in life, and I am determined to help them through this framework. My Department is also funding St Joseph’s Centre for Deaf People to deliver deaf awareness and age-specific British Sign Language classes across 40 primary schools in counties Antrim and Down.”
“<BR /> <BR />Some may wonder how a framework can be translated from a document to society to make a meaningful difference to people’s lives. My view is that implementing the framework has already begun. In 2015-16, my Department has targeted increased funding at projects that outline a template of support for deaf people from birth to old age. I have committed funding to the National Deaf Children’s Society for increased numbers of family sign language courses, including courses delivered in the home by the British Deaf Association, to equip parents and families with the signing skills to communicate with their deaf children. Research highlights that such early intervention communication can improve educational outcomes for deaf children.”
“<BR /> <BR />In short, the aims of the framework are described under three themes: prevention, to ensure that future generations of deaf children and young people reach adulthood with the best chance of securing full social inclusion and better life outcomes; correction, to increase social inclusion for the current generation of deaf people, many of whom have left education with few academic qualifications, by providing access to ongoing personal and social development to enable them to participate fully in their society; and care and protection, to recognise and protect the cultural and linguistic rights of Irish and British sign language users and to build the sustainable infrastructure necessary to promote and support them and their families.”
“Facebook played a prominent role in sign language users responding to the consultation document in their native British Sign Language. It is my intention that this consultation will be sign language-friendly; after all, that is the point of the framework. Access to sign language should be viewed as a right and not an inconvenience. It is planned, therefore, to maximise social media opportunities. That will include setting up a Facebook page dedicated to the consultation that will allow people to submit responses in text or by video, enabling them to use sign language if they wish. The page will be promoted across the other official Executive social media and online platforms.”
“The framework consultation documents will be translated into Irish and British sign languages, and, likewise, responses will be translated from those languages. The availability of language interpreters throughout the consultation may also impact on the ability of the deaf community to get its views across. The extended consultation period will allow for that. It is entirely appropriate and right that a framework co-designed with the deaf community for the deaf community should be delivered in their language of need. <BR /> <BR />My officials’ preconsultation meetings with the deaf organisations highlighted the use of social media by the Scottish deaf community during the consultation process that led to the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015.”
“<BR /> <BR />This will be the first time that the deaf community will have had the opportunity to engage in public consultation solely on their issues. The feedback that my officials have received from deaf organisations suggests that there will be a big demand from deaf persons to have their say, and rightly so. They have waited a long time for the opportunity. <BR /> <BR />Secondly, this will be a consultation on policy proposals for sign languages. Sign languages use hand shapes, movement of the hands, body language, facial expressions and lip patterns to convey meaning. They are visual languages, and this will be the first time in the North that a public consultation will be carried out with sign language as a primary method of communication. Therefore, the usual written medium for consultations will not suffice.”
“My previous statement outlined that the consultation document would be made available in the form of an online survey, with additional formats on request, including Irish Sign Language and British Sign Language translations, and I went on to say that the 12-week consultation would be widely publicised and open to everyone who wished to respond. The consultation will now run for an extended period of 16 weeks. There are two reasons for that: first, in the run-up to the Assembly election, departmental representatives will not be able to attend public consultations; and, secondly, the extended time frame will ensure that key stakeholders and the community will have the opportunity to engage with departmental representatives after the election.”
“As I have outlined, I have ensured that the co-designed framework reflects the views and needs of the deaf community after an extensive period of pre-consultation. I have engaged with my Executive colleagues to seek their support for the policy proposals in the framework. Further Executive agreement will be sought in due course on the final policy proposals for legislation, following the consultation process and before agreement to draft the Bill is sought. <BR /> <BR />I want to outline the upcoming consultation process because it will be unique in the North of Ireland.”
“Sign language is about including some of the most marginalised people in our society, and it must be a priority for all of us. The framework and its accompanying proposals for legislation are predicated on the need to improve access to public services for a marginalised community that has experienced generations of inequality and social exclusion resulting from historical underinvestment in access to services through their language of need. When we are acutely aware of the poor life outcomes experienced by this community, the financial costs argument is less compelling. <BR /> <BR />My December statement acknowledged that this would be a challenging programme of work, but I have since taken the necessary steps to bring us to the point where we can publish and consult on the sign language framework with proposals for legislation.”
“<BR /> <BR />I acknowledge that the building of the sustainable infrastructure necessary to support Irish Sign Language and British Sign Language users and their families will involve financial investment, particularly in its early stages. There may be concerns in some quarters about such an investment in times of austerity. However, the Programme for Government 2011-15, priority 5, titled "Delivering High Quality and Efficient Public Services", states:”
“<BR /> <BR />Following the period of pre-consultation, I produced an Executive paper to accompany the sign language framework with proposals for legislation. The paper made the case for the need for such a framework with proposals for legislation and informed colleagues of my intention to publish and consult on the framework before the end of this month. <BR /> <BR />I have been encouraged by the support of ministerial colleagues to date, and I acknowledge their feedback and their suggestions in taking this process forward; indeed, I have been very encouraged by the support from Members of the House as a whole, including members of the Culture, Arts and Leisure Committee, whom my officials have briefed.”
“As I informed the House in December, I had already written to ministerial colleagues to seek their support for and commitments to the framework. In November 2015, I wrote informing them of my intention to put forward an Executive paper outlining my Department’s policy proposals to support improvements to access to services for deaf sign language users and their families. At the same time, I forwarded a copy of the sign language road map review final report, which was the result of a deaf-led process of consultations between Damian Barry, who is the deaf author of the road map report, and Departments, amongst other stakeholders, to examine the provision of services to sign language users, with a series of recommendations on how to improve service provision.”
“The framework, therefore, is the product of meaningful and continuous dialogue with the key stakeholders. It was vital that every opportunity was given to the representatives of this marginalised community to contribute to the framework, which has the potential to change their lives by tackling social exclusion. The feedback from the pre-consultation is reflected in the co-designed nature of the framework document, of which the deaf community and its representatives can justifiably claim a sense of shared ownership.”
“Queen’s University, which has held a master's course for Irish and British sign language interpreters, and Ulster University, which is in the second year of a postgraduate certificate in education course for deaf Irish and British sign language teachers, also contributed to the process. <BR /> <BR />The concepts, views and ideas discussed during the preconsultation process have been incorporated into the draft framework.”
“I informed the House that I intended, with Members’ help, to change that position, and that remains the case. <BR /> <BR />I will outline the work that my Department has carried out to date on the three key actions that I announced on 1 December 2015: the pre-consultation, Executive engagement and public consultation. I announced my intention to engage in a period of pre-consultation. My officials held a series of preconsultation meetings in December 2015 and January 2016. Those meetings were held with a variety of key stakeholders, including representatives of the key deaf organisations on the sign language partnership group, members of the deaf community and parents of deaf children.”
“With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I want to update the House on my intention to publish and consult on a framework for promoting sign language, including proposals for legislation. <BR /> <BR />On 1 December 2015, I announced my intention to publish and consult on a framework for promoting sign language that would include proposals for legislation to be taken forward in the new Assembly mandate. I outlined to the House that, although Irish and British sign languages were recognised as languages in their own right in 2004 by the then Secretary of State, Mr Paul Murphy, there was no statutory protection for either language, they were not covered by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and there was no formal Executive-agreed policy or strategy document for Irish and British sign languages.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Before I begin my statement, I will refer to today's first item of business, which will, hopefully, allow time for the signer to come in. I wish everybody who is retiring from the House well. It has been a pleasure to work with everyone across all parties. There were cross exchanges at times, but I believe that most Members, if not all, have done their business with integrity. It was a privilege to work with them. I wish you, a Cheann Comhairle, all the best in your retirement. In particular, I mention my party colleague who is not standing again, Bronwyn McGahan. It has been an absolute privilege to work with her and everybody else. <BR /> <BR />I will now move on to the statement.”
“I am just going to say, getting to my feet very quickly, that I think that we need to do more. I certainly met Danny Corr, and I follow the work that he and others do in mixed martial arts right across the community but particularly in the Member's constituency. I believe that the work that he, his team and others do is absolutely brilliant, particularly in working with children and young people who are a bit hard to reach. Now that they have shown that they can compete on a world stage and get that reputation, I think that we need to try to get more investment.”
“Applications from bands and the funding stopped because the money was not there. I am working with colleagues in the Executive to bring forward a new scheme. I hope that the new scheme and the funding for it will be announced in a matter of weeks. Marching bands, by and large, play a very good role, particularly in small communities, where they pass on traditions, musical tuition and all that knowledge from one generation to another, and I would like to see more of that, rather than the ugly scenes that we see from time to time. I am happy to persist in securing a new fund for all bands, not just marching bands.”
“I am happy to give the Member that information in writing, but there has been a lot of investment not only from my Department through the Arts Council but from the Ulster Scots Agency, which has invested in musical tuition. I will happily get the Member that in writing. I believe that many Members will be surprised when they see the investment that has gone into marching bands in particular.”
“I certainly would agree, and I believe that the few instances of some bands marching and conducting themselves in a very poor way in my constituency is not reflective of where many of them are. The bands forum and others need to step up and ensure that there is a code of conduct. They also need to ensure that, when there are breaches of that code of conduct or of public order, they are responsible for ensuring that such breaches and incidents such as that outside St Patrick's Church in my constituency are never repeated.”
“The Member will be aware that we are looking at options on instruments for all bands, not just marching bands. The Arts Council has never funded grants for uniforms, and I do not believe that it will do so in the future, because there has been a strong public interest test. There is certainly an interest in the acquisition and teaching of music, and a lot of bands have done that very well. I do not anticipate the Arts Council taking forward funding for uniforms.”
“One thing is for sure: regardless of who the next Minister is — I wish them well — the growth of the Irish language and the interest in it and the commitment of those involved will prevail.”
“I thank the Member for his question and some of his sentiments. Even though I took only a very small part in the last Rith, I was happy to do so. I took the baton from Conradh na Gaeilge and passed it on to, I think, Cumann Mhic Reachtain and others. I am easily impressed when it comes to running short distances — I am a short-distance rather than a long-distance runner — and I was impressed with the number of people from all backgrounds and none who were involved in it. That will be the case this time. <BR /> <BR />I am very proud of my Department's work on Líofa and of the 17,000 people — that number is still growing — who have registered with Líofa and are, like me, learning the Irish language. I hope that that will endure into the next mandate.”
“It is my last Question Time, and I want to use the opportunity to thank the Speaker, the Principal Deputy Speaker, the Deputy Speakers, the Speaker's Office and the Business Office and everybody else who is involved, including the Whips. <BR /> <BR />The work that has been done to raise awareness of Seachtain na Gaeilge, which is now Mí na Gaeilge, not just on this island but right across the world, has been massive. Already, we are preparing, as part of Seachtain na Gaeilge, a tráth na gceist, which is a quiz that will happen in Cultúrlann McAdam Ó Fiaich in Belfast and will take in participants and competitors from New York and elsewhere via Skype. The awareness of this, from the very young to the very old, has been huge and continues to grow, and that is absolutely great. What will we do from tomorrow onwards?”
“I am sure that the Member was listening intently to some of the responses that I gave earlier in relation to the consultation process. There were over 1,100 responses, and we will bring a lot of them together and do a quick but thorough analysis of them. Given the fact that some people may have wished their submission to remain confidential, I will have those removed, and I will publish that analysis. The purpose of that is to inform the application process, and I hope that that process will be open some time in April or, if not, the end of April/beginning of May. It is really important that the momentum that has been built up thus far on this means not only that it happens but that people see an outcome from something that was announced in 2011 but will not realise its potential until 2016 and after.”
“The Member is aware of the work that Glentoran and many other clubs in his constituency have done primarily for the health and well-being of young men, but I would like to see more young women coming forward. That needs to be shown in any bid that will be made as part of any future application. Glentoran has done a great job in that regard, and I believe that that will stand the club in good stead for any future support. <BR /> <BR />I join the Member in congratulating not just Carl Frampton but his entire family, who also make sacrifices. He has been over there for almost four months, sacrificing his family life in order to compete at the level at which he did on Saturday. That is something that every Member in the House can support.”
“There absolutely was. In fact, we have a DCAL office in the city and we worked with those projects through 2013, and we are still there and working with them. Indeed, I have visited many of the programmes, and they all came together in clusters, particularly around neighbourhood renewal areas and through those partnerships and fora and presented the best case. It was really good example to other areas. When you want to look at how an area puts its best foot forward, that is it. All of those groups and individuals will not only have been aware of but have been a part of and have supported the bids for legacy programmes.”
“I made bids to ensure that there was a legacy for the City of Culture, and, thankfully, that was approved. I have made subsequent bids for Coleraine, which received £1·6 million, and for Dungiven, which received £2·2 million. I believe that there will be further funding applications for support for Ballymoney through the legacy programme, working in conjunction with Derry City and Strabane District Council and, indeed, others. <BR />The Museum of Free Derry received money, as did many others. I am happy to write to the Member with those details. I believe, particularly given the legacy of underinvestment in the city, it is completely appropriate that each of the Departments bid to try to redress the balance somewhat.”
“I visited Windsor Park last week, and I have to say that its redevelopment is very impressive. I think that it would be a great backdrop for any boxing bill. I am not a boxing promoter. It is up to the boxing promoters to bring forward opportunities, not just for Carl but for other boxers. In the past, we have met Barry McGuigan, Carl Frampton and many other professional boxers. Where there are opportunities, as there was in Titanic, to provide such a spectacle for us to enjoy, we will certainly do all that we can to help. In the first instance, it is really a matter for the boxing promoters.”
“As the Member will be aware, we have had receptions for athletes who have achieved a lot in the past. We plan to do that on 9 March in the Lakeland Forum in Enniskillen, where we will look at all of the successes and achievements of all athletes who have competed at different levels. I anticipate and hope that not just Carl but all of the other athletes who performed on Saturday evening will be more than welcome to that.”
“No. Mr Walsh never raised any concerns with me at any time about safety. In the early stages of the programme, Mr Walsh was a member of the sponsor board programme until March 2012. The regional stadia sponsor board is chaired by me, and its membership includes representatives from not only the governing bodies but Sport NI. Mr Walsh did not raise it there. The sponsor board and programme board meetings would have provided Sport NI and, indeed, Mr Walsh with an appropriate forum and opportunity to raise any concerns. He did not do it then, and he has never done it since.”
“I certainly cannot confirm that it was erected without planning permission, and I will not be calling on the GAA to remove it. If the GAA erected a hoarding that did require planning permission, it is up to it, in the first instance, to seek that, albeit retrospectively.”
“In every application that anyone makes around sports grounds, but particularly Casement Park, safety and emergency evacuation procedures will be front, right, left and centre. They will be an integral part of the application. Even though emergency evacuation was not part of the refusal it certainly has been raised since, so I give the Member — indeed all Members — the assurance that that will certainly be done before any new planning application is submitted.”
“<BR /> <BR />The GAA has already engaged its project team to work on a new planning submission for Casement Park. Since the judicial review decision, the GAA and its team have carefully considered the judgement to ensure that any new planning application fully addresses the points raised in that judgement. Initial meetings have been held with key stakeholders, including the safety technical group, to provide the necessary assurances required to support a robust new planning application. The GAA is preparing a detailed programme that will fully address the tasks associated with successful delivery of the Casement Park stadium.”
“With your indulgence, Mr Speaker, I will take questions 8, 11 and 12 together. <BR /> <BR />The redevelopment of Casement Park remains an Executive Programme for Government commitment as an integral part of delivering the regional stadia programme. It is a project that I am fully committed to delivering. Following the concerns raised in April 2015, a project assessment review (PAR) was carried out in June 2015 by the British Cabinet Office. A panel of independent experts was selected by the Central Procurement Directorate (CPD). The PAR report was published on 7 August 2015 and confirmed that the Casement Park project not only was achievable but could be delivered. On that basis, the Department is not planning for failure and is working with the GAA to ensure the successful delivery of this Programme for Government commitment.”
“It is up to us to make sure that we have their back and their corner. I am prepared to do that. I know that my officials will continue that, as will Sport NI.”
“Certainly, it is easy for the Member to talk about complacency. I would like to think that if she has any concerns, she should bring them forward to not just my Department but other Departments. I know that Sport NI, and indeed all the athletes from the Member's constituency, are very happy with the level of support that they have received thus far. They certainly could do with more money, but the thresholds that they have, particularly going into the Olympic and Paralympic Games, are set at the same rate right across. If they need other support, and perhaps even some sponsorship, I will be happy to talk to sponsors, as I have in the past. There are many parents in this Chamber. One thing is common when it comes to success at games: when those athletes are training, they are giving up their family life and making many sacrifices.”