Equal Opportunities Committee, 25 Apr 2000

Meeting date: Tuesday, April 25, 2000

Official Report 160KB pdf

---

Petition

The next item is petition PE139 from the Platform Adult Learning Centre, calling for the Scottish Parliament to provide translation services in the Parliament for deaf people, deaf-blind people and for people with hearing difficulties.

I think that the Parliament has provided such a service only twice: once in the chamber and once in this committee. I believe that the request is valid. All we can do is write to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and ask it to consider the matter and respond to the committee.

It might be worth trying to find out other practice, perhaps in European Parliaments. I think that we should be providing such a service and that information would back up the case.

I can get the Scottish Parliament information centre to find out what happens in other Parliaments. We would have to contact the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body in the end, though.

I think that it is simply tokenistic to have translation available only at certain meetings when certain matters are being discussed. It means that someone who is hard of hearing cannot drop in on a meeting in the way that others can. We should be able to find out the information that Shona Robison mentioned and get a letter off to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body fairly soon. I will report back to the committee at a future meeting.

I am concerned about the availability of skilled interpreters to do the work. It might be unfair of the Parliament to draw on a limited pool of available people. We should perhaps train our own interpreters. Could we pass that suggestion on?

I believe that that was discussed when Parliament debated Winnie Ewing's members' business motion. It was pointed out that there is a lack of trained signers, courses and funding for those courses. I will find out what was agreed and what the minister's response was.

One of the fundamental difficulties in this area is the smallness of the pool that can be drawn on.

It is sufficient for this committee to say that the service should be provided. It is up to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body to decide how to do that. This committee should send a clear message that the service is desirable.

It is also worth considering and consulting about the types of service that would be required. For deaf-blind people, for example, signing is no use. I will get moving on that and report to the committee when I get a response. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.