Deaf News: Prime Minister issues written response to #WhereIsTheInterpreter

The Women and Equalities Select Committee has published a written response from the Prime Minister in relation to the provision of British Sign Language for its press briefings on the coronavirus.

The letter to the Commons’ Liaison Committee comes after Boris Johnson was quizzed by the group of MPs on 13 January.

Responding to a question from the Women and Equalities Committee’s chair, Caroline Nokes MP, the Prime Minister promised to write to the committee on the provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation for the Government’s coronavirus briefings.

In the response, shared online on Wednesday, the Prime Minister said he “knows how challenging the pandemic has been” for disabled people, adding that the Government has taken “a variety of steps” to make sure that communications around COVID-19 are “accessible to all”.

Our Chair @carolinenokes asked @BorisJohnson in the Liaison Committee session 'Why are the Government still not doing a better job of explaining to vulnerable people in British Sign Language what the COVID-19 rules are?'
He has responded in writing: https://t.co/DzwBi2vEMH pic.twitter.com/f6N2oQk77b

— Women & Equalities Committee (@Commonswomequ) February 10, 2021

“We have provided COVID-19 guidance in alternative formats including Easy Read, British Sign Language (BSL) and Audio.

“For those reliant on BSL many of our most crucial content assets can be accessed in a range of formats, including easy read, large text formats and videos with BSL interpretation, such as Stay Alert and NHS Test and Trace COVID-19 content.

“These can be found on Public Health England’s campaign resource centre for health bodies, local authorities and voluntary sector organisations to share and use,” the letter reads.

It also goes on to add that the Government has worked with the BBC to provide BSL interpretation for free for “all No10 press conferences” via the BBC News Channel and iPlayer, alongside its social media channels.

However, The Limping Chicken previously revealed that the BBC will not offer sign language interpretation for its data briefings, led by scientists and medical advisors.

Concluding his point on the provision of British Sign Language, Mr Johnson said the Government will “continually review and seek to improve” the accessibility of communications on the coronavirus.

“The Government Digital Service has published detailed accessibility standards and guidelines to help departmental channel owners improve content, and bespoke teams regularly check GOV.UK accessibility practices.

“The Cabinet Office COVID-19 Communication Hub has worked closely with the Government Equalities Office and held regular feedback sessions with disability charities to ensure all COVID-19 communications are accessible to hard-to-reach populations,” it says.

Responding to the Prime Minister’s letter, lawyer Chris Fry, who has been leading the legal case against the Government on behalf of deaf campaigners, told The Limping Chicken that the Prime Minister’s statement is “factually incorrect”.

“[It] assumes that BSL interpreting is provided, when it is not.

“I imagine that the Women and Equalities Select Committee will reserve its position until the Government’s response to their report on 21 February.”

Meanwhile, Caroline Nokes MP, chair of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, said in a statement that she is “saddened” he “does not seem to have understood the importance” of having an interpreter present in the room.

“Surely there has been enough time over the last year to deal with the logistics,” she said.

The Prime Minister’s letter is available to read in full on the UK Parliament website.

Photo: ParliamentLive.TV.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.