Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

British Sign Language

Monday 28 June 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • British Sign Language was formally recognised as a language by the UK Government on 18 March 2003.
  • Provisions for accessing services by users of British Sign Language are covered by the Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty.
  • The Minister thanked Sarah Olney for raising her constituent's dispute with a high street bank and encouraged her to also raise it with Treasury colleagues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Women & Equalities
Context

The UK Government formally recognised BSL as a language in its own right on 18 March 2003. The Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty cover provision for accessing services by users of BSL.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to provide British Sign Language with full legal status?

Answer from Justin Tomlinson

On 18 March 2003, the UK Government formally recognised that British Sign Language is a language in its own right. Provision for accessing services by users of BSL are already covered by the Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The assessment of merits for legislative proposals was not addressed, instead focusing on existing recognitions and provisions.

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Q2 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Women & Equalities Standards & Ethics
Context

A constituent, Feras Al-Moubayed, is struggling with a bank dispute due to lack of BSL support, leading to missed Financial Ombudsman Service deadlines and significant stress.

Question

My constituent Feras Al-Moubayed is engaged in a dispute with a high street bank but has been unsuccessful in his attempts to secure time with a BSL interpreter. He has missed several Financial Ombudsman Service deadlines due to this lack of support, causing considerable stress and anxiety. If the Minister will not commit to bringing forward legislative proposals for full legal status of British Sign Language, will he commit to providing more interim provisions to assist people like Mr Al-Moubayed?

Answer from Justin Tomlinson

I thank the hon. Member for raising that matter; I encourage her also to raise it with our Treasury colleagues, because it sounds like additional support is needed. On the broad principle, I welcome the fact that the hon. Member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper), who has a great deal of personal experience in this area, is looking at a potential private Member's Bill, for which I have offered my full support by hosting a roundtable with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, stakeholders and cross-Government officials to look at how the public sector equality duty and the Equality Act 2010 are or are not providing sufficient support for those who rely on BSL. I welcome all support in that area.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific commitment to provide additional interim measures was not directly addressed, instead offering general support and inviting discussions with Treasury colleagues.

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