| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to recognise British Sign Language as a language of England, Wales and Scotland; to require the Secretary of State to report on the promotion and facilitation of the use of British Sign Language by ministerial government departments; and to require guidance to be issued in relation to British Sign Language. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2022 c. 34 |
| Introduced by | Rosie Cooper (Commons) Lord Holmes of Richmond (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | Great Britain |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 28 April 2022 |
Status: Current legislation | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
The British Sign Language Act 2022 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which legally recognises British Sign Language (BSL) as a language of England, Scotland and Wales. It also requires the Secretary of State to publish reports each reporting period on how BSL is promoted or facilitated by certain government department. The first of these reports was published on 31 July 2023.[1]
Passage[edit]
The British Sign Language Bill was introduced to the House of Commons as a private members' bill on 16 June 2021 by Rosie Cooper.[2] The Bill gained cross-party and Government support before passing its second and third reading in the House of Commons and Lords without any difficulties.[3][4][5] It received royal assent on 28 April 2022.[6]
Legal effect[edit]
The Act legally recognises British Sign Language as a language of England, Scotland and Wales, a similar status to Welsh and Scottish Gaelic.[7] It requires the government to publish reports on how the language is used in its public communications and issue guidance on promoting its usage. It is somewhat modelled in motives on the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 which places similar requirements on ministers in the Scottish Government.[3]
In order to ensure its obligations under this law, the Government continues to work with other organizations that participate in the campaign. An unidentified advisory council has been established here, in which representatives of the deaf community advise public services. Thanks to this law, the number of registered interpreters has increased. At the same time, access to job provision for applicants and employers has improved.[8]
References[edit]
Citations[edit]
- ^ "The British Sign Language (BSL) report 2022". gov.uk. 31 July 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2023.
- ^ Pyper & Loft 2022, p. 4.
- ^ a b Pyper & Loft 2022.
- ^ "British Sign Language Bill set to clear final stage before becoming law". GOV.UK. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "British Sign Language Bill passed by parliament on 'historic day' for Deaf community". Solicitors Journal. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ James, Henry (April 2022). "British Sign Language legally recognised after MP's campaign success". www.champnews.com. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "'We're finally recognised' - British Sign Language gets official status". ITV News. 6 May 2022. Retrieved 14 May 2022.
- ^ "BSL Act 2022 update". bda.org.uk. British Deaf Association. 28 June 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
Bibliography[edit]
- This article incorporates text published under the United Kingdom Open Parliament Licence: Pyper, Douglas; Loft, Philip (1 April 2022). "British Sign Language Bill". House of Commons Library.
