Colm Gildernew
Fermanagh and South Tyrone · Sinn Féin · Northern Ireland
“I thank the Minister for his statement. I have been working with Dungannon Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It will welcome this work, particularly in light of its concerns about vacancy and protecting the retail heart of towns such as Dungannon.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Minister, you said that there has been an improvement. However, recently, there were reports of over 1,400 patients waiting more than 28 days. How will you ensure that trusts consistently meet the targets for suspected cancer appointments in particular?”
“However, the Committee will want to examine carefully how any new or amended powers would operate in practice. Powers relating to information sharing, official warnings, directions, removal from office and disqualification can have significant, long-standing consequences for charities, trustees, staff, volunteers and, indeed, public confi…”
“<BR /> <BR />The regulations are consequential to the uprating order and provide the supporting technical changes needed to ensure that the revised benefit rates operate correctly. The regulations increase the earning limit for carer's allowance from £196 a week to £204 a week.”
“In response to those findings, Minister Hargey introduced the Charities Bill, which was enacted in 2022. The legislation put in place many of the review's priority recommendations in the limited time remaining in that mandate. The Charities (Amendment) Bill represents the next stage of that reform programme.”
“The Committee will wish to explore the implications of those changes, including for organisations operating across jurisdictions or delivering charitable activity in or from the North. Our charity sector includes a diverse range of bodies.”
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“I thank the Minister for that positive and practical announcement. Minister, can you commit to working with your Executive colleagues to push the British Government to provide more support to hard-pressed workers and families?”
“Minister, people are struggling with an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, and they now face rising fuel and food prices. Will you once again confirm that you will not introduce water charges for hard-pressed families?”
“<BR /> <BR />Having said that, I welcome the Minister for Communities' writing to me recently to acknowledge that he is responsible for and is working on a scheme to get that £17 million into people's pockets. I welcome that fact. As Chair of the Communities Committee, I will certainly work with him. We are almost a month on now since that £17 million was announced and allocated. We now need to see a scheme brought forward by the Minister for Communities with urgency to get that money into people's pockets.”
“It is quite bizarre to ignore the reality that the war that we are seeing has forced thousands of households and businesses to experience huge spikes in their bills. We know that the North relies heavily on home heating oil — to a much greater degree than other areas. The latest statistics show that the prices have more than doubled since the start of the illegal war. That is having a devastating impact on families and right across our society. It is having a huge effect on small businesses, working families and healthcare workers and carers who are out there using their vehicles. The British Government must revisit their decision to allocate only a shamefully inadequate £17 million to the North. They must also consider a range of other measures. The British Government need to step up to the plate and provide substantially more funding.”
“I am coming to the end of my remarks. <BR /> <BR />Any further delays will be catastrophic. The Minister for Communities must make it an urgent priority without any further delay.”
“The Minister needs to urgently come forward with a plan to get that funding out to the families who are most in need of it. Those families do not have the luxury of waiting any longer for support.”
“They need to step up to the plate and provide substantially more funding that is meaningful. <BR /> <BR />That said, we need to ensure that the £17 million that is currently at the Executive's disposal gets out the door and into the pockets of those who need it most as quickly as possible. Despite the attempts of the Minister for Communities to dodge his responsibilities in that matter, the job of getting that funding out the door clearly lies with him. At the time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, former Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey came forward with an energy payment support scheme that delivered a one-off payment of £200 to those most in need. The Department for Communities recently published the warm healthy homes strategy, which has an entire section dedicated to protecting consumers from high energy costs.”
“As a result of those attacks, millions of families and businesses around the world face huge spikes in their household bills, including many households in the North. As we know, the North relies heavily on home heating oil. The latest statistics show that prices have more than doubled since the start of that illegal war. That is having a devastating impact on families, many of whom are struggling to pay their bills. Those families need support, and they need it now. <BR /> <BR />During the cost-of-living crisis, when we last saw price hikes of such magnitude, the British Government stepped in with a significant amount of funding, which the Executive used to support the least well-off. The British Government's decision to allocate only £17 million to the North this time is shamefully inadequate.”
“While the DUP was in Washington, cosying up to Donald Trump and his cronies, the US military, along with Israel, continued its relentless bombing campaign in Iran. That war, which has killed thousands of innocent civilians, including girls who were going to school, is a clear violation of international law and has been widely condemned by the United Nations and the international community, yet, once again, the DUP finds itself on the wrong side of history, acting as a cheerleader for imperialist wars. <BR /> <BR />Not only have the illegal and unwarranted US and Israeli attacks on Iran caused untold devastation and destruction to innocent civilians, they have disrupted the global supply of energy.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Phríomh-Leas-Cheann Comhairle.”
“I was very eager to ensure that the co-design process did not end with the introduction of the Bill and that it continued right through the legislative process. I firmly believe that we have done that effectively. Our example of best practice can and should be replicated by other scrutiny Committees going forward. <BR /> <BR />Co-design works. The Bill is an example of what can be achieved when co-design is done correctly. Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.”
“I do, however, reiterate my thanks to the community for their input to the Committee Stage. This is their Bill, so it was entirely appropriate that we took the time at Committee Stage to hear as many views as possible and to shape the draft legislation according to their needs. It has been an honour to meet so many people from the deaf and deafblind community over the past year and to learn just how important their language is to them as both a tool of communication and — this is crucial — an intrinsic part of their identity and culture. Indeed, it is a vibrant, beautiful and dynamic part of that culture. I have enjoyed very much the time that I have spent learning sign language. It is something that I intend to continue long into the future.”
“Your advocacy, resilience and vision have made this possible. <BR /> <BR />I will now make a few brief remarks as Sinn Féin spokesperson for communities. On behalf of Sinn Féin, I want to state how proud my party colleagues and I are to stand here and support the Sign Language Bill at Consideration Stage. The Bill will go a long way towards ensuring that the deaf and deafblind community can play a full and equal role in our society. For too long, their right to access public services in their own language has been denied. Whilst I accept that many challenges remain in delivering full equality for that community, the Sign Language Bill is an important step in the right direction. <BR /> <BR />I addressed much of the detail in my remarks as Chair, so I will not repeat it.”
“<BR /> <BR />This is an historic and long-overdue moment for the deaf community in the North. It is about fairness, inclusion and recognition. The Committee for Communities stands fully behind the Bill and supports its progression through its Further Consideration and Final Stages in this place. It is worth noting the remarkable consultation and Committee process that was facilitated by the Committee Clerk and her team, which allowed proper and genuine co-production. That has shown itself in what is a well co-designed and co-produced Bill. Finally as Chair, I say this to all of you who have fought tirelessly for this day to come: thank you.”
“There was broad agreement that teachers and interpreters require distinct accreditation schemes with clear accessible pathways, recognition of existing qualifications across the North, Britain and Ireland, and supportive transition arrangements for experienced tutors without formal accreditation. Respondents highlighted acute workforce shortages, particularly of ISL deaf and deafblind interpreters, which call for long-term investment in education, early years provision, training routes, bursaries and career pipelines while maintaining quality over volume. Concerns were raised about the absence of timescales and clarity on deafblind interpreting. There was clear consensus that accreditation must be developed with, by and for the deaf community to raise standards while building sustainable capacity.”
“The Committee requested that that be changed from negative to affirmative procedure based on the evidence that we received during Committee Stage and the level of concerns that were raised regarding that issue. The Committee recognised that there is ongoing work between the Department and the National Registers of Communication Professionals who work with deaf and deafblind people and the Register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters, but we also recognised that there is currently no equivalent body for BSL/ISL teachers or tutors. Accreditation is essential for quality, consistency and public confidence and must be reflective of the North's use of both BSL and ISL, with equal recognition for each. We also heard that hearing-led models risk excluding experienced deaf tutors and undermining linguistic and cultural norms.”
“Most respondents felt that a five-year interval was too long, and, based on the evidence that the Committee heard, it requested that, after the first five-year report — in order to allow the time for the legislation to embed, as we heard about from officials — every subsequent report should be at three-year intervals. Therefore, we welcome the Minister tabling amendment No 20. It was noted that, if the clause is not commenced at Royal Assent or shortly thereafter, the first report would take longer than five years to publish. For that reason, we eagerly await the commencement of the clause very close to Royal Assent. <BR /> <BR />Finally, amendment No 21 relates to the Assembly procedure for the accreditation scheme for teachers and interpreters.”
“On that basis, the Committee requested that, as stated in amendment No 19, the reports are laid before the Assembly. Respondents highlighted the fact that reports lack mandated consultation with the deaf community and risk becoming tokenistic unless they are accessible in BSL, ISL and English and underpinned by clear, outcome-focused metrics. There was consensus that the clause should specify reporting content, performance indicators and monitoring arrangements, including measures on interpreter availability; service accessibility; and deafblind experiences, education, employment and quality of life.”
“That is an issue that was raised with the Committee during the scrutiny of the Bill, and, indeed, we recommended that it be clarified in the EFM. The Department believes that the additional text delivers on that but with explicit statutory weight. <BR /> <BR />The Committee requested amendment Nos 19 and 20, which relate to how and when the Department reports on the impact of the legislation. Respondents broadly supported the statutory requirement for the Department for Communities to publish a report evaluating the Bill's impact, viewing that as a key mechanism for accountability, reflection and identification of ongoing barriers, but they raised concerns about the lack of scrutiny, detail and engagement in clause 9 as drafted.”
“Amendment No 18 creates a new clause, and the Department advises us that it is technical in nature and intended to bring further clarity on how the Department must consult the deaf community, including through the reference to "part of the deaf community". The officials gave the example that, if the Department needs to consult on deafblind issues, it would not necessarily need to consult the whole deaf community, as those issues may not be relevant to everyone. The amendment also clarifies:”
“The Committee noted, in relation to concerns regarding lack of Assembly scrutiny in clause 7's regulation-making powers, that clause 8 provides that any regulations in clause 7 are subject to the draft affirmative Assembly procedure, which affords the Assembly a higher level of scrutiny of the regulations. Again, like with amendment No 7, the Committee advised the Department to make what is meant by the "deaf community" more explicit to ensure that the, at least, two persons or groups are not from the same part of the community. It is my understanding that the Minister has moved on that with amendment No 18, which, again, is welcome. <BR /> <BR />As was mentioned, amendment No 18, like amendment Nos 7 and 16, came after Committee Stage, so the Committee did not consider it.”
“The Committee viewed that as potentially tokenistic, unrepresentative and lacking transparency. Many people whom we heard from warned that consulting a single individual or group cannot reflect the full cultural, linguistic and experiential diversity of the deaf community, including BSL and ISL users, deafblind people, young people, families and regional communities, and risks undermining the Bill's purpose. Respondents therefore called for clause 8 to be strengthened to require consultation with a broad and representative range of deaf-led organisations.”
“Like with amendment No 7, the Committee requested amendment No 16 on the basis that respondents broadly welcomed the inclusion of a statutory consultation requirement before regulations are made, recognising the role of the sign language partnership group in previous engagement. However, the Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the wording:”
“The Committee did, however, consider his amendment Nos 11, 12, 13 and 15 and considered them to be technical in nature. Again, they strengthen the consultation element of the regulation-making powers where guidance does not suffice, and the Committee welcomes that.”
“That will ensure that deaf and deafblind people do not need to identify as disabled to access linguistic and cultural rights. Where clause 7 exempts any public bodies from the duties under the Bill, that should be communicated clearly and in a timely manner to the Committee. The Committee was content with amendment No 9, which will make sure that, where the Department needs to make regulations in relation to, for example, education, it is appropriate that the same regulations will not apply to the Department of Health. The amendment provides for functions that can be conferred on all Departments or on specific Departments, subject to the matter in hand. <BR /> <BR />The Minister's amendment Nos 10 and 14 were tabled after Committee Stage, so the Committee has not taken a view on them.”
“does not mean two from the same part of the community. It is my understanding that the Minister has done that through amendment No 18, which is welcome. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 8 was tabled by the Minister. Again, the Committee takes the view that it strengthens the consultation element and therefore supports clause 5, as amended by the Minister, in that regard. <BR /> <BR />Clause 7 relates to the Department's regulation-making powers, which, we were advised, it does not intend to use at this time. Instead, guidance for prescribed bodies will be used to ensure that they carry out their duties. The Committee was clear in its report that the Department should make full and appropriate use of its regulation-making powers under clause 7 as soon as it becomes apparent that guidance alone is not enough.”
“acting on behalf of the deaf community is too narrow and risks excluding the diversity of the deaf community, which includes BSL and ISL users, deafblind people, children, young people and families. Many called for broader, structured consultation involving multiple deaf-led organisations and sectors and the establishment of a national advisory group or the formalisation of the sign language partnership group. The Committee also advised the Department to make what is meant by the "deaf community" in clause 5 more explicit to ensure that the reference to:”
“means in practical terms in order to mitigate any misunderstanding that it might mean services outside the public sector. <BR /> <BR />The Committee requested amendment No 7 on the basis that there was consensus that consultation on the guidance must be meaningful, inclusive and ongoing, with concern expressed that the requirement to consult:”
“Respondents therefore called for clear inclusion criteria; regular reviews; accessible publication of the list; an extension over time to non-statutory bodies providing essential public services; and consideration of centralised interpreting or of VRS or video remote interpreting (VRI) models to support consistent BSL and ISL access, particularly for vulnerable groups such as deaf children, older deaf people and survivors of abuse. <BR /> <BR />Questions were also asked about what was meant by the term "public character". The Committee advised the Department to make clear what:”
“<BR /> <BR />The evidence that we received stressed that the list's impact depends on having a broad, inclusive and clearly defined list of prescribed organisations that is developed and reviewed regularly with mandatory deaf community consultation rather than done solely by the Department for Communities. Many warned that a narrow or discretionary approach, vague definitions of "public bodies" and limited Assembly scrutiny could allow key organisations delivering public functions across health, education, justice, social care, housing and community services to be excluded, thus undermining equality of access.”
“I will speak to the amendments in group 2, which deal with consultation, conferral of functions, reporting and Assembly control. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 6 reflects the Committee request to ensure that, when the Department removes organisations from the prescribed list — the organisations that must take reasonable steps to provide information and services and to offer or facilitate the use of ISL and BSL — that is done through the affirmative resolution procedure to ensure maximum transparency. The Committee was content that adding organisations and editing organisations as a result of their changing names, for example, could be done by negative resolution, but the Minister changed both to affirmative resolution. The Committee welcomes that.”
“<BR /> <BR />That concludes my remarks on the amendments in group 1.”
“At Committee, the Member recorded her dissent on agreement to clause 2, to which amendment No 4 relates. She indicated that, while the targeting of young people is welcome, concerns remained that people over the age of 25 who become deaf through illness or injury are not included when it comes to getting help to learn or improve their proficiency in the language. <BR /> <BR />In the Committee's report, we stated that we also remained concerned about the exclusion of people over the age of 25 who lose their hearing through illness or injury and asked for assurances that other policy areas will support such people to communicate in BSL and/or ISL. That also relates to amendment No 22, which seeks to replace the words "who normally use" with the words "who will benefit from using".”
“Amendment Nos 4, 5 and 22 were tabled by Kellie Armstrong after Committee Stage, so the Committee did not take a view on them. Kellie had, however, stated her intention to table amendments, and Members can take a party view on them today. <BR /> <BR />The Member will speak to her amendments soon, but I will say that Kellie is a strong advocate for the deaf community. Her amendment No 4 relates to the availability of classes for people over the age of 25 who become deaf, their close family members and carers to learn the language or to improve their proficiency in it. Additionally, bearing in mind the cost to the Department and presumably to make sure that it does not halt the availability of classes for young people and their families, she has included provision for classes for over-25s to be paid for.”
“The Department received further clarification of the rationale for the change from the National Deaf Children's Society (NDCS) and indicated that it was content to proceed with it. The Committee welcomed that hugely, as it is in keeping with how we approach other sectors in relation to transferring and transition.”
“That clarifies that the burden of the cost for classes will not be on the family of the deaf child to meet. It is right that children, close family, guardians and carers can learn to improve proficiency in sign language at no cost to themselves. <BR /> <BR />Amendment No 2 is a consequential amendment to amendment No 3, requested by the Committee, which is that the age of a child or young person who can gain access to free sign language classes be increased from 19 to 25. The Committee heard from stakeholders that aligning the Bill with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and, indeed, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) standards would ensure continuity of access during transition years.”
“There was a shared recognition of the importance of getting the legislation right and ensuring that it delivers tangible benefits for deaf people and sign-language users across the North and makes a real difference to that community. <BR /> <BR />I move now to the amendments in group 1, which deal with sign language classes and the definition of "deaf community". Before commenting on the specifics of amendment No 1, it is worth noting that, in its report, the Committee advises the Department to make what is meant by "promote" in clause 2 explicitly clear in the EFM. It recommends that the definition include an obligation to, but not limited to, the provision of the availability of classes. The Committee welcomes the inclusion of "free of charge" from the Minister.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Committee sincerely thanks colleagues in broadcasting, the Bill Office, the Research and Information Service (RaISe), Legal Services, Events, Education and Engagement and the interpreters for their support during the call for evidence and scrutiny of the Bill. We also thank the departmental officials for their support and patience with the Committee's queries. Particular thanks must go to members of the deaf community who took the time to provide evidence in their first language — British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language. Their contributions were invaluable to shaping the Committee's deliberations. I also thank the members of the Committee for their contributions to the careful scrutiny of the Bill and the issues that were raised in evidence during the Committee Stage.”
“The Committee held a bespoke engagement directly with people here who are deafblind, and the organisations that work to support them, to consider the specific needs of the deafblind community. They were clear that there are services for blind people and services for deaf people, but that those may not be suitable for deafblind people. Therefore the Department must ensure that the specific needs and experiences of deafblind people are explicitly reflected across all aspects of implementation, including interpreting provision, social work services and access to healthcare, transport and reporting mechanisms.”
“<BR /> <BR />The implementation of the Bill will, undoubtedly, require more interpreters to be available to the deaf community — indeed, the success of the Bill will depend on that being the case. The Committee understands the extent of the work that is already under way to address that in advance of the Bill receiving Royal Assent. However, concerns remain that available interpreters here in the North are few. The Committee has recommended in its report that the Department produces:”
“<BR /> <BR />The way in which the Department will consult with the deaf community on various aspects of the Bill was also consistently raised. Officials made it clear that, for the most part, consultation will happen through the sign language partnership group, which the Department expects other Departments to use. The Committee recognises the importance of meaningful consultation with the deaf community and strengthened that duty through its request to change clause 5 and clause 8 from requiring consultation with "one person or group" to at least "two persons or groups", whilst ensuring that that included BSL and ISL representation. It was also clear during the Committee Stage that the Department had consulted widely with the community. That is to be welcomed.”
“While the Bill provides for that for deaf children and their parents, it was not clear how it would be included in the education system. The Department indicated to us that it could not confer functions on other Departments, so it is over to each Department to develop its own sign language action plans and tell the public how it will promote the use and understanding of sign languages. Guidance on that, and on many other issues that were raised with the Committee, will be central to the effective implementation of the legislation. It is important to note that, despite requests for a draft of the guidance and being told that the Department was working with the BDA on it, it came in the last month of the Committee Stage and appeared to be an early, short draft of the guidance that is to come.”
“The Committee was clear that the Department should provide greater clarity in its guidance on the application of "reasonable steps", ensuring that considerations of affordability and practicability do not result in reduced standards of access for the deaf community, and that services are as accessible to them as they are to hearing people. <BR /> <BR />On sign language action plans, as has been mentioned, members considered the broader ambition of the Bill in promoting the use and understanding of sign languages. Evidence highlighted the importance of sign language education.”
“That is clearly not ideal for a piece of legislation that acknowledges the deaf community not through a disability lens but as a linguistic and cultural minority. In its report, the Committee has recommended that the Department make full and appropriate use of its regulation-making powers, which are set out in clause 7, as soon as it becomes apparent that guidance alone is not enough. It is important that, after the Bill is passed, deaf and deafblind people do not need to identify as disabled in order to be able to access a linguistic and cultural right. <BR /> <BR />There was significant discussion about the duty placed on prescribed organisations to take "reasonable steps" to ensure that services and information are accessible to sign language users.”
“We, as a Committee, feel strongly that it is important that the Department continue to expand access and interpretation on its agenda through sign language provision to promote consistency of access across society and for essential aspects of everyday life. That has been done successfully in other regions through the use of enhanced voucher schemes and providing access to a central video relay service (VRS). <BR /> <BR />The issue of enforcement was consistently raised during the Committee Stage of the Bill. As things stand, if public authorities do not provide interpretation, for example, deaf people have to navigate each organisation's respective complaints procedure — the Department must ensure that it delivers clear guidance on that — or use the Disability Discrimination Act to take a judicial review.”
“<BR /> <BR />Whilst outside the scope of the Bill, accessing services that are available in the wider public sphere but which are routinely provided by private-sector companies and organisations was an issue that was raised with the Committee consistently. Respondents told us that everyday activities cause challenges, be that going to a hairdresser; knowing how or when to pay utility bills; grocery shopping; communicating with a solicitor; socialising; and being out and about on public transport. Those all provide unique challenges. The Committee has outlined that issue in the recommendations section of its report.”
“The Committee's call for evidence received responses from 42 organisations or individuals via Citizen Space and 44 signed responses via WhatsApp. We requested evidence from relevant organisations and briefings from the Department for Communities throughout our deliberations on the Bill. The Committee considered the provisions of the Bill over the course of 13 meetings and heard from 18 stakeholder groups. A wide range of issues relating to sign language and interpreting provision was brought to the Committee's attention. I intend to go through each of those in turn before I focus on the amendments listed today.”
“The Committee Stage included working with the community and the Department to facilitate capacity-building events prior to the Bill's introduction; enabling evidence to be signed and sent via WhatsApp; providing two-way live interpreting at Committee meetings; and, when the Committee considered the Bill more generally, making sure that the consideration of the Bill was clipped and interpreted in both languages post meeting and then made available on the Assembly website; as well as facilitating specific events with children and the deafblind community. <BR /> <BR />Based on the unique approach proposed by the Committee, the House agreed to a Committee Stage of almost 11 months, which enabled us to hear directly from the deaf community here. They have reflected to us how involved they felt in that process.”
“The Committee engaged constructively with the Department and proposed a number of specific changes where we considered that improvements could be made to the Bill. Those discussions have informed a range of amendments before the House today. <BR /> <BR />Many of you will know how unique the Committee Stage of the Sign Language Bill was and needed to be in order to enable and encourage members of the deaf community to engage fully with it and allow the Committee to receive what turned out to be invaluable evidence.”
“While it is outside of the scope of the Bill, I will soon return to services provided to the public but not by public authorities. The fact that the requirements of the Bill will apply across the Executive and will be for each Department to deliver, not just the Department for Communities, is crucial. The Committee looks forward to seeing how each Department develops and implements its sign language action plan in due course, not least that of the Department of Education, where stakeholders were clear that early education on and exposure to sign language will be essential in meeting the aims of the legislation. <BR /> <BR />The Committee is also supportive of a number of amendments that have been brought forward by the Minister.”