§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will assist the Welsh counties and the Wales Council for the Deaf to set up sign language interpreting services in Wales at least equal to those applying in England.
§ Mr. Gwilym JonesThe promotion of training and the conduct of examinations in communication skills for deaf people, including sign language interpreting, are carried out by the Council for the Advance of Communication with Deaf People, a voluntary organisation set up for that purpose. The number of trained interpreters has increased rapidly over the past 10 years, and although available services tend to be centred on the main centres of population such as London and Manchester, they are gradually spreading to other parts, including Wales. The examinations conducted by CACDP, based at the university of Durham, are open to people from Wales. CACDP has worked in conjunction with Wales Council for the Deaf, and there should therefore be no need to set up a separate organisation in Wales.
In recognition of the importance of developing sign language interpreting services in Wales, and to aid that process, Wales Council for the Deaf has also been awarded £141,264 in grant aid for the 1992–93 financial year, part of which is to fund a sign language communications project.