British Sign Language Act 2022

(asked on 10th March 2023) - View Source

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps he has taken to implement the British Sign Language Act 2022.


Answered by
Tom Pursglove Portrait
Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
This question was answered on 17th March 2023

The British Sign Language Act 2022 gained Royal Assent in April 2022 and does three things:

  • It recognises British Sign Language as a language of Great Britain in its own right;
  • It places a duty on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to report on the promotion and facilitation of British Sign Language by ministerial departments; and
  • It places a duty on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to issue guidance to ministerial departments on the general promotion and facilitation of British Sign Language across their public communications - such as public announcements, consultations, plans, strategy, social media and press conferences.

On Friday 17 March, 17 successful candidates (in 16 posts, one is held by a tactile signer as a job share) were appointed to the new British Sign Language (BSL) Advisory Board, which will advise the Government on key issues impacting the Deaf community.

The Board’s remit will be:

  • Advising on the use of BSL in public communications and policy delivery; and
  • Advising on how to tackle key issues facing Deaf people, such as how to increase the numbers of BSL interpreters.

Establishing the Board is a key step in implementation of the Act. Work continues across Government to ensure that the departments named in the schedule to the Act are aware of their reporting duty. They will report on their use of BSL in public communications at the end of the first reporting period on 28 June. The first meeting of the departments driving the Act took place in February.

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