BREAKING: British Sign Language Bill to become law after passing final Parliamentary stage

British Sign Language (BSL) is set to be legally recognised in England, Scotland and Wales, after a Bill cleared the Parliamentary process on Wednesday.

Members of the House of Lords unanimously backed the British Sign Language Bill at third reading with no final amendments tabled, meaning the draft legislation will now receive Royal Assent from the Queen and become law.

Opening the discussion in the chamber, Lord Holmes of Richmond – the Lords sponsor of the Bill – said: “As a result of this Bill, BSL signers will be able to have such [hospital] appointments and all communications with the state in an inclusive manner.”

Lord Bruce of Bennachie urged Deaf people to take advantage of the new law once created, and added: “This Bill is not the end, it is the beginning of the Deaf community’s ability to take their rights forward, to use their language and to develop it as a means of advancing their whole life quality.”

Responding on behalf of the UK Government, Baroness Scott of Bybrook described it as a “historic day” for the Deaf community.

She said: “By passing this bill, we will start to reduce some of the barriers to Deaf BSL signers, [increasing] participation in work, education, culture and wider society.

“By increasing their participation, my Lords, the richer and more inclusive all our lives will be.”

The Bill was then passed by peers, with cheers heard in the public gallery not long after the news was announced by the Lords Speaker.

“I will tolerate that disturbance,” he joked.

BREAKING: The British Sign Language (BSL) Bill has passed with unanimous content! It will now receive Royal Assent and become an Act.

Cheers were heard from the gallery, with the Lord Speaker joking: "I will tolerate that disturbance."

— Liam O'Dell (@LiamODellUK) April 27, 2022

In a message to members of the British Deaf Association (BDA), chair and BSL Act Now founder David Buxton described the Bill’s passage as a “truly historic day” and an “inspiration for other countries around the world” where national sign languages aren’t legally recognised.

She said: “While today is a day to celebrate, we are aware that this marks the first step on a long path towards providing truly equal access to public services, information and opportunities for Deaf BSL users in Great Britain.

“The British Deaf Association looks forward to working hand in hand with the Government and civil servants to implement and monitor the progress of the BSL Act 2022 to meet the unique needs of the 151,000 people who have British Sign Language as their first or preferred language.

“Key to the success of the Act will be the full involvement and inclusion of the input of Deaf BSL signers in important decisions, including policy development, funding and support mechanisms, from the beginning of the process.

“We also hope that the legal recognition of BSL will encourage many more people across the UK to learn British Sign Language and go on to become interpreters, bilingual professionals and allies of the Deaf community. BSL can bring us all together as a society.”

Other charities have also celebrated the news, with the National Deaf Children’s Society describing it as “a day of celebration” for thousands of deaf children.

 

CEO Susan Daniels said: “What’s important now is that we maintain the momentum and keep shining a light on the issues deaf children face, because their fight doesn’t end here.

“With the Government’s review of SEND education underway and a GCSE in British Sign Language in development, it’s a critical time for deaf education.”

The Lords’ third reading for the Bill – which covers England, Scotland and Wales – came a day after Holyrood and the Senedd backed legislative consent motions to have the draft legislation apply to their countries if it clears the Lords.

As well as recognising BSL in law, the BSL Act will require the Work and Pensions Secretary to provide regular reports on the UK Government’s work to ‘promote and facilitate’ the use of the language.

Guidance on BSL will also be published by a non-statutory board of Deaf BSL signers, the membership of which is now set to be confirmed “by the summer”.

News of the Bill’s passing in the Lords comes after it cleared the House of Commons last month, on the same day Deaf campaigners descended on Trafalgar Square to mark BSL’s official recognition in 2003.

Labour MP Rosie Cooper introduced the draft legislation to Parliament in June last year, after she was successful in the Private Member’s Bill ballot.

Speaking to the British Deaf Association as part of their BSL Act Now livestream on Wednesday, Ms Cooper – who herself is a daughter of profoundly Deaf parents – said the Bill will “reduce” the responsibility on Deaf children.

“Deaf children should be children. They shouldn’t have to do some of the things that I had to do [such as] go with my parents to hospital appointments.

“You grow up too fast, and that’s not right,” she said.

Addressing the Deaf community, Ms Cooper added: “Make your voice heard, that’s the gift that is being given to the Deaf community today.”

The Bill was also backed by the UK Government, with the Minister for Disabled People Chloe Smith MP working with Ms Cooper on the draft legislation.

In the same interview alongside the Labour backbencher, she added she was “really taken” by the argument from Deaf campaigners that “exclusion operates across a range of areas”, and described the Bill as “a beginning of a process”.

However, concerns were raised over the possibility of the Bill failing due to tight timeframe in which the draft legislation could be debated, with campaigners urging peers to drop amendments which sought to add Sign Supported English and lipspeaking to the Bill.

With Private Member’s Bills being banned from increasing Government spending, the contents of the BSL Bill has previously faced criticism by a former CEO of the British Deaf Association.

Jeff McWhinney had described the Bill as “tokenistic”, and said during a live discussion in February that the proposals should be “more robust” and “go further”.

Addressing the crowd at the Trafalgar Square rally, BSL Act Now founder and British Deaf Association (BDA) chair David Buxton said the Bill’s passing is “not the end of the road”.

“It’s the start of the road,” he continued, adding the next campaign is to get “BSL in the home and BSL in the schools”.

It is understood Royal Assent for the British Sign Language Bill will be granted on Thursday.

Photo: Jessica Taylor/House of Lords/Flickr.

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.