People Before Profit TD Gino Kenny has called on the government and in particular Minister Simon Harris, Paschal Donohoe and Charlie Flanagan to provide support and the necessary funding to the Irish Deaf Society which is facing closure in March.
The Irish Deaf Society has said that they will have no choice but to issue all staff with protective notice and close their doors in March. This would be a massive blow to the Irish Deaf community.
It is one year since the Oireachtas passed the Irish Sign Language Act.
Deputy Kenny has tabled parliamentary questions on this matter which are listed below.
Gino Kenny said: “I am calling on the government to provide the necessary funding for the Irish Deaf Society so that they are able to remain open. This is a very basic demand. It is disgraceful that one year on from Irish Sign Language being recognised as Ireland’s third language that the government would allow the Irish Deaf Society to face closure.
“I have heard many testimonials from service users who have said how important the service is to them and their participation in society. Some have said that they would be lost without the services of the IDS. Others have said without the service they would be ‘isolated and vulnerable’.
“For the government to allow this vital service to close would be a scandal and would expose the real nature of their policies.
“In this the centenary of the first Dáil, if the government do not allocate the necessary funding to keep this service open then they will be undermining the ideals contained in the Democratic Programme and they will be denying the human rights of the deaf community in this country.”
