§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals in Northern Ireland are trained in sign language. [151220]
§ Angela SmithThere are 17,000 people in Northern Ireland who have severe or profound deafness. Approximately 4,500 of these people use sign language. Hearing people who associate with signers in business or personal life also use sign language. Statistics are not available on how many individuals are trained in sign language, however, there are currently only five fully qualified registered BSL interpreters in Northern Ireland and one ISL interpreter.
The Council for the Advancement of Communication with Deaf People (CACDP) in Northern Ireland have provided details of the BSL and ISL training given at each level from 2000 to 2003.
Sign Language 2000 2001 2002 2003 Level 11 456 592 522 386 Level 12 63 60 32 27 Level 21 72 60 81 84 Level 22 12 16 20 13 Total 603 728 655 510 1 British 2 Irish