BSL Act Now: What does the British Sign Language Bill actually say?

Parliamentary Bills aren’t the easiest thing to read as documents filled with complicated legal jargon.

So, ahead of the British Sign Language (BSL) Bill appearing in the Commons tomorrow, here’s a simple breakdown of what it would do if it becomes law.

Section 1: Recognition of BSL

It begins by stating that BSL “is recognised as a language of England, Wales and Scotland”. This is the part of the Bill which gives ‘legal status’.

Background notes about the Bill from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) say that Northern Ireland isn’t included because it has both BSL and Irish Sign Language (ISL).

Section 2: BSL Reports

 The Work and Pensions Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, would have to publish regular reports on what government departments are doing to promote BSL when communicating with the public.

The Bill as a whole only focusses on government departments – such as the Cabinet Office, Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care.

It does not, right now, place any requirements on other public bodies such as the NHS, or educational settings.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Liam O'Dell | Deaf Journalist and Campaigner (@liamodelluk)

 

The first reporting period will cover the two months after the Bill is passed, up until 30 April 2023. The next one after that would go from 1 May onwards, up to a date which Ms Coffey chooses – though the period can’t be one longer than three years.

Examples of communications given by the Bill include: social media, policy announcements, press conferences, consultations and government websites. It won’t look at communications with Deaf individuals, but rather the wider public.

Section 3: BSL Guidance

Under this section, Ms Coffey would have to publish guidance on promoting and supporting the use of BSL. This could include advice on “best practice” when communicating with BSL signers, or case studies about why BSL interpretation is so valuable.

Section 4: Key dates

BSL would receive legal status two months after the Bill becomes law.

It’s currently on its second reading at the Commons at the moment. It’ll have to go through a committee stage after that, then a report stage, then a third and final ‘reading’ or debate.

After that, the same process happens in the Lords, before final checks are carried out and it’s sent to the Queen to become an Act.

As mentioned above, reporting for the first BSL report would also start two months after the Bill is passed.

It’s up to Ms Coffey to decide when rules around BSL guidance come into effect.

The BSL Bill is due to be debated in Parliament tomorrow. For live updates from the Commons proceedings, follow our reporter Liam O’Dell on Twitter, who will be tweeting using the hashtag, #BSLActNow.

Photo: UK Parliament.

By Liam O’Dell. Liam is an award-winning Deaf freelance journalist and campaigner from Bedfordshire. He can be found talking about disability, theatre, politics and more on Twitter and on his website.