Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 91062, what projects involving the use of AI to create accessible content with regards to British Sign Language have been approved at what level of funding by (a) UK Research & Innovation, (b) Innovate UK, (c) British Technology Investments and (d) the Government Office for Science.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), including Innovate UK, has a portfolio of over £1 billion in AI research and innovation, with a further £1.6 billion allocated across 2026/27 to 2029/30. UKRI’s AI investments build broad, foundational technologies that could extend to BSL applications even when not explicitly stated.
Details of UKRI investments in AI technologies that could be used to create accessible content with regards to British Sign Language (BSL) can be found on GTR, which provides information on all UKRI-funded research and innovation projects. These include an £8.45m investment in SignGPT, which aims to build the first generative predictive transformer for sign language and has direct involvement from Deaf organisations and community partners.
There are currently no projects approved by British Technology Investments and the Government Office for Science.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies are taking to (i) develop and (ii) utilise artificial intelligence approaches to British Sign Language.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content on public services is a legislative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AAA criterion. As outlined in the Government Service Standard, all digital government services must as a minimum meet Level AA. AAA is best practice.
Through the Service Standard and Service Assessments, the Government Digital Service encourages departments to incorporate BSL into service design. In May this year DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) launched the UK Government’s first British Sign Language (BSL) online translation service for candidates booking their theory test online. DVSA held a series of user research session with BSL users, with one participant calling the service ‘life-changing’.
There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both WCAG and the Service Standard, and must conduct research with disabled people, including Deaf users and where appropriate to the service provision, those who use sign language or a sign language interpreter to interact with the service.
Regardless of if AI generated, services must also make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce digital exclusion in Thurrock constituency.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We know that digital exclusion is a complex issue, and that a reported 6% of residents in the Essex region do not use the internet. That is why we launched the Digital Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion in every corner of the UK, including in Thurrock.
One of those first five actions was launching the £9.5m Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund in August. It’s designed to support and expand local community initiatives to help get people online.