WRITTEN QUESTION P-0860/99

by Marie-Paule Kestelijn-Sierens (ELDR) to the Commission

(26 March 1999)

Subject: Policy for the deaf

Further to Resolution B4-0985/98 of 18 November 1998 on sign languages, can the Commission indicate its response to the following matters of concern to the European Parliament:

1. Does the Commission intend to submit a proposal on harmonising standards for the various teletext and videophone systems in the EU?

2. What initiatives does it intend to take to ensure that a minimum percentage of news programmes and programmes of political importance broadcast by public television companies are provided with subtitles or interpreted into sign language?

3. Does the Commission ensure that public meetings organised by the EU institutions are accessible to the deaf?

4. What measures could the Commission or the Member States take to support the training of tutors and interpreters in sign language?

Answer given by Mr Flynn on behalf of the Commission

(4 May 1999)

The Commission is aware of the importance of sign language for hearing-impaired people and supported the research project on sign language carried out by Bristol University in the wake of Parliament's resolution. That study showed that official recognition of sign languages varies between Member States.

1. There are indeed problems of incompatibility between the various text telephone systems in use in the Community. These can best be rectified through the implementation of agreed standards and the Commission is supporting work on this.

2. Primary responsibility for action in this area rests with the Member States. The Commission has no plans at this stage to present specific proposals on the matter.

3. There are many sign languages in the Community and deaf people are educated in only one of them, so the presence of one sign language interpreter at public meetings of the Community would not necessarily guarantee accessibility to a meeting for a deaf person.

However, in order to allow the widest participation possible in the work of the Community, deaf people can bring their own sign language interpreters. The Joint Interpreting and Conference Service (JICS/SCIC) treats sign language interpreters on the same basis as other interpreters, charging their remuneration against the budget lines managed by the JICS/SCIC for freelance interpreters.

4. The Commission has supported projects on the use of sign languages, such as the Lingua Surda project under the Lingua part of Socrates, the Community action programme in the field of education. It has also supported exchange and information activities concerning education for a specific group of deaf and hearing-impaired people during the three years of existence of the Helios II programme (1993-1996). A synopsis of this work, which also covers the subject of sign languages, will be contained in a special publication which will become available for consultation on the Commission's Europa/DG XXII server during the first half of this year.

Other projects concerning training of people with special needs, such as deaf people, may be supported within the many programmes financed through the European Social Fund (ESF). The Commission has proposed that one of the five policy fields for the ESF in the next programming round should be "equal opportunities for all in accessing the labour market". In this context, not only can special provision be made for deaf people, but training could also be provided for sign language tutors or interpreters.