Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has his Department made of the adequacy of changes in the level of communication (a) for deaf children in early years settings and (b) between family members who use British Sign Language as their primary language since the entry into force of the British Sign Language Act 2022.

The British Sign Language (BSL) Act (2022) recognises BSL as a language of Great Britain, and places duties on the DWP Secretary of State:

1. to produce a report detailing the use of BSL in the central communications of Ministerial Departments listed in the schedule to the Act; and
2. to produce guidance on the use of BSL in the public sector.

To sit alongside the BSL Act, the Government has established a non-statutory board of BSL users to advise it on matters arising from the Act and of importance to Deaf people.

The BSL Advisory Board will advise the Government on the guidance detailed in the BSL Act and its implementation to best represent the Deaf community.