Commons Sense

House of Commons · Written Ministerial Statement

Publication of the Third British Sign Language (BSL) Report 2024 - 2025

21 July 2025 · Department for Work and Pensions

Proposed by Stephen Timms Lab East Ham

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

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At a glance

Key points

  • The government has published the third British Sign Language (BSL) Report covering the period from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025.
  • Each department is required to produce a five-year BSL Plan.
  • Annual reports on BSL usage will continue to be published by departments until at least July 2026.

Issue summary

The statement addresses the publication of the third British Sign Language (BSL) Report for the period from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025.

Action requested

The government has published a report demonstrating an increase in BSL usage by departments since the first reporting period. Additionally, each department is required to produce a five-year BSL Plan and will continue publishing annual reports until at least July 2026.

Key facts

  • The British Sign Language (BSL) Act 2022 mandates triennial reports on promoting or facilitating BSL usage.
  • The third report was published in December 2024, covering the period from May 1, 2024 to April 30, 2025.
  • There are 176 new BSL communications produced by government departments for the second reporting period and 140 for this period due to a pre-election pause in activity.
  • The first reporting period saw 76 overall numbers of new BSL communications.
  • Government departments will publish five-year BSL Plans setting out how they plan to improve BSL use within their departments.
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