Debate contribution: Sign Language Bill: Final Stage

Debate contribution by Mr Gordon Lyons on 28 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Gordon Lyons

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

28 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Sign Language Bill: Final Stage

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5510068

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I know that because, after he spoke, my colleague Mr Brett leaned over and said, "He's far better than you".

As we all know, Mr Brett is always worth listening to, and he always tells the truth, so I have to accept that. That is what this is about: showing that, as legislators, we understand and want to be part of it. I hope that you will forgive us if our sign language has not been up to scratch. It is our way of demonstrating our commitment to you. I thank the other Members who spoke. I note Mr Durkan's comment in particular. He said that I do not normally compromise. I am more than happy to compromise when someone else has a good idea; it just so happens that, Mr Durkan, most of the time, my ideas are a little better. I say that in good humour. I welcomed the opportunity to work with him and other members of the Committee to get the legislation to this stage today. That is positive. I know that many people in the Public Gallery are here for the first time. It has been a very positive day. We have all been in agreement with one another; we have all got on with one another; and the mood here has been very good. That does not always happen, by the way. Maybe it is your presence that has changed that; maybe you should come along more often. We have all got on, and we agree today, because we have the same ambition and goal: to make sure that your languages are recognised and that you have equal access to services. I am absolutely delighted to have brought the legislation forward and make a winding-up speech in the debate today. The Bill has benefited greatly from the scrutiny that it has received, not just in the Chamber but at Committee Stage and in engagement with the deaf community and other key stakeholders. That engagement has strengthened the Bill and, I believe, ensured that it more clearly reflects, in both its spirit and its practical requirements, recognition of and support for deaf sign language users in Northern Ireland. I welcome the Committee's positive scrutiny and its approach to meeting the needs of the deaf community throughout its evidence sessions online and in person. I am pleased that my Department, through its support for the local deaf organisation Hands That Talk, played a part in the preparation for that process.

That approach should be held up as an example of how legislation should be developed. I thank the Committee and, of course, the Committee Clerk and her team. The Bill has been refined as it has progressed through the House, and that has involved considerable effort. I therefore thank, again, the Bill Clerk and her staff and the Office of the Legislative Counsel, particularly the First Legislative Counsel, who worked closely with my officials. It would be entirely remiss of me not to fulsomely acknowledge the part that my officials have played — some of them for well over a decade — through their work to support the deaf community, listening to them to understand their needs and shaping the legislation and supporting its passage in order to meet those needs. Their work will continue in the form of regulations, guidance and implementation. Quite simply, the Bill would not have been possible without their perseverance and hard work. Mr Deputy Speaker, I know that it is not in order for me to single out anybody in the Public Gallery or the Officials' Box, but I hope that you will allow me to break the rule on this occasion, because I want to single out Tommy McAuley, who is in the Box, as he has been at every stage of the legislation.

He has been in front of the Committee many times, and he has also been the face of Department for the deaf community for many years. He has been awarded an MBE for his work. Thank you, Tommy, on behalf of everyone in the Chamber and the Public Gallery. What we have today would not have been possible without your many years of work. The purpose of the Bill is clear. It is to provide formal recognition of British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language and to place duties on public bodies that will lead to improved access, fairness and inclusion for deaf people across our society. The Bill has dignity, equality and participation at its heart. Members have rightly emphasised the importance of having clarity around public bodies' responsibilities, and I can reassure the House that my Department is committed to providing leadership on that. The statutory guidance that will follow the legislation is being developed in close consultation with the deaf community and other Departments to ensure that it is practical, proportionate and focused on improving real-world outcomes. That guidance will also be consulted on. By improving access to public information and services, we are not creating special treatment but are removing obstacles that should never have existed in the first place. I am particularly encouraged by the emphasis that there has been, throughout the process, on partnership. The success of the Bill will not rest with one Department; it will require cooperation across the Executive, engagement with public bodies and, most importantly, ongoing dialogue with those who use sign language in their daily lives. The Bill is grounded in the lived experience, leadership and advocacy of the deaf community in Northern Ireland. It reflects not a single moment but a long continuum of effort. We are joined, in the Public Gallery, by members of the deaf community, and many of them have campaigned for this moment through the years. They have lobbied, petitioned for and requested the rights that the Bill will bring. As I mentioned in the Chamber last week, they have shown remarkable patience, and I know that, at times, they have despaired. They have, however, shown leadership in their community and continued their campaign for recognition. I sense that they are standing on the shoulders of giants, past and present. The individuals who are here today represent many deaf people from throughout the years whose contributions were never recorded. Their leadership, formal and informal, kept sign language alive through decades of exclusion, which has been leading up to this moment: the realisation of the Northern Ireland Sign Language Bill.

I am sure that I speak for the House when I say to the deaf and deafblind community that we acknowledge, respect and have learnt from your deaf history. We have responded to your day-to-day experience in order to inform the legislation and its goal that future generations do not inherit past barriers.

As we look ahead to implementation, I want to be clear that the Bill is not the end of the journey. It is a significant step forward, but it is also a foundation. My Department will continue to work with colleagues across government and with stakeholders to ensure that recognition of sign language translates into lasting, positive change. I trust that it goes without saying that my officials will continue to work with the deaf and deafblind community to ensure that the legislation works for them. I would not have it any other way. The Bill has enjoyed strong cross-party support at every stage, and the Assembly can be proud of that. I again recognise and acknowledge the speeches that were delivered today. I take the opportunity to congratulate Julie Middleton on her fantastic maiden speech. Julie had an extraordinary privilege today, in that she got to speak without being interrupted.

I assure her that that is the only time that it will be allowed to happen. I hope that she enjoyed the experience, because it is now over and gone. I appreciate her comments about the legislation that we are passing today, which reflects a shared commitment to inclusion and equality and recognises that a modern, respectful society must value and support the deaf community. When I introduced the Bill, I was presented with a copy of a booklet called 'The Long Road to Recognition' by its authors John Carberry and Brian Symington. The booklet takes us on a journey through time, signposting key events in deaf history along the way but not all the way to the legal recognition of BSL and ISL. The authors have been driven by their desire to complete the booklet. The final chapter of 'The Long Road to Recognition' has remained unwritten: until today. To all Members, I say this: we are very fortunate, because we are the legislators who have the "power in our hands", if I may borrow the title of the BDA documentary, to change deaf history. We have a duty to be part of the final journey for deaf history in Northern Ireland and help write that final chapter in the story of recognition. We have a duty to the current generation of deaf and deafblind people and a duty to future generations of the deaf and deafblind community, and that duty is to vote proudly for the long-awaited statutory recognition of British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language: the end of the long road to recognition. Finally, to the deaf community, I say this: today is your day. Let's go. I commend the Bill to the House.

1,562 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:28 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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