Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85288 on Public Sector: Sign Language, what deaf-led British Sign Language (BSL) suppliers are recognised to assure BSL videos, including AI BSL videos.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government Digital Service does not recommend specific suppliers of BSL assurance, accessibility audits or suppliers of technology development generally.
Service Owners will follow their department's own supplier and commercial strategies. A number of Deaf-led agencies and language service providers are available to engage through Crown Commercial Service's digital purchasing frameworks.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 85294 on Public Sector: Sign Language, which public services have approached the Government Digital Service to seek advice on the (a) development and (b) application of AI British Sign Language content.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government Digital Service does not record enquiries at this level of granularity.
Depending on the service type, it is likely the service team will both consult with the Service Manual and the Technology Code of Practice - covering the standards services need to meet - and go through a service assessment in order to receive a GOV.UK web address.
The assessment will check compliance with the Service Standard, including assessing evidence it complies with accessibility regulation and avoid excluding any groups within the audience they’re intended to serve.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 85294 on Public Sector: Sign Language, what expertise does the Government Digital Service have in British Sign Language to provide support to public services on the (a) development and (b) application of AI British Sign Language content.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government Digital Service (GDS) provides service teams across the public sector with guidance on accessible design, use of AI and requirements under the WCAG regulations.
GDS does not provide BSL expertise. Service Owners must conduct research with disabled people, including Deaf users and where appropriate to the service provision, those who use sign language or a sign language interpreter to interact with the service. Services must seek expertise where appropriate from the BSL community and specialist Deaf-led agencies to test their products.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85288 on Public Sector: Sign Language, how she would define a supplier of assurance services in respect of BSL videos as deaf-led.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Deaf-led BSL suppliers play a crucial role in ensuring that BSL is used correctly and effectively in various settings.
Multiple suppliers exist in the market providing services to the Deaf community, ensuring that BSL is used effectively in all aspects of communication. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology does not prescribe a particular supplier, it is for service owners to select one based on their service users' needs.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what reporting public bodies are undertaking on the (a) system performance, (b) community impact and (c) compliance with inclusion obligations of the deployment of British Sign Language AI.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
85294: We are not aware of any digital public services currently using AI generated BSL content. The Service Manual and Service Standard guide service teams across the public sector on the design and development of digital services, including those enabled by AI.
A service must be accessible to everyone who needs it, including services only used by public servants. Digital services must meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) as a minimum and service teams must include disabled people and people who use assistive technologies in the design of those services.
The compliance of central government digital services with the WCAG regulations is monitored by the Government Digital Service.
85295: In addition to above (85294) c) services must make sure the non-digital parts of a service are accessible. For example, government departments must make sure that users who are deaf or have a speech impairment are offered a way to contacting the service (by text, email or in person with a British Sign Language translator or lip reader).
This standard would still apply if the service used BSL content that was AI generated.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether British Sign Language AI procurement is subject to algorithmic impact assessments.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We are not aware of any cross-Government British Sign Language AI procurement.
The government has committed to ensure that algorithmic tools used in the public sector are used safely and transparently and is taking active steps to ensure this. The Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard is mandatory for all government departments. It communicates information about how and why algorithmic tools are used, who is responsible for them, how they are embedded in broader decision-making processes, their technical specifications, and relevant risk mitigations and impact assessments.
The Data Ethics Framework guides appropriate and responsible data use in government and the wider public sector. It helps public servants understand ethical considerations, address these within their projects, and encourages responsible innovation.
Additionally, the Service Manual and Service Standard guide service teams across the public sector on the design and development of digital services, including those enabled by AI.
A service must be accessible to everyone who needs it, including services only used by public servants. Digital services must meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) as a minimum and service teams must include disabled people and people who use assistive technologies in the design of those services. WCAG 2.2 addresses the needs of people who are deaf or hard of hearing primarily through guidelines for multimedia, such as providing captions, transcripts, and sign language interpretations.
The compliance of central government digital services with the WCAG regulations is monitored by the Government Digital Service.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what British Sign Language (BSL) standards are being used in (a) government and (b) public services in the commissioning of BSL AI.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content is a WCAG 2.2 AAA criterion. As outlined in the Government Service Standard, all digital government services must as a minimum meet Level AA. AAA is best practice.
Current best practice guidance for use of BSL in digital public services advises that BSL videos are independently assured by a Deaf-led BSL supplier.
We are not aware of any digital public services currently using AI generated BSL content. No specific accessibility standards for this use case of AI are currently applied and would be guided by both the government’s Data Ethics Framework and Service Standard.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide oversight of the monitoring of the (a) quality of, (b) adequacy of engagement with deaf people and (b) other aspects of the deployment of British Sign Language AI systems in public services.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government Digital Service set and assess the cross government digital service standard. Before going live, services are assessed against this 14-point standard which includes the service team providing evidence for how the service is accessible to everyone who needs it.
To meet the standard and assessment, digital services must conduct research with disabled people, including Deaf users and where appropriate to the service provision, those who use sign language or a sign language interpreter to interact with the service.
Services must make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to monitor the quality of the deployment of British Sign Language AI across public services; and whether Deaf people have been consulted on that deployment.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
85294: We are not aware of any digital public services currently using AI generated BSL content. The Service Manual and Service Standard guide service teams across the public sector on the design and development of digital services, including those enabled by AI.
A service must be accessible to everyone who needs it, including services only used by public servants. Digital services must meet level AA of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2) as a minimum and service teams must include disabled people and people who use assistive technologies in the design of those services.
The compliance of central government digital services with the WCAG regulations is monitored by the Government Digital Service.
85295: In addition to above (85294) c) services must make sure the non-digital parts of a service are accessible. For example, government departments must make sure that users who are deaf or have a speech impairment are offered a way to contacting the service (by text, email or in person with a British Sign Language translator or lip reader).
This standard would still apply if the service used BSL content that was AI generated.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what responsibility her Department has for ensuring media literacy.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT is committed to making the internet safer by ensuring platforms limit harmful content under the Online Safety Act and equipping people with the skills to navigate the online world.
As the lead department for media literacy, DSIT is committed to improving media literacy through coordinated cross-government work, funding innovative community-based interventions, launching an awareness campaign to build digital resilience and integrating media literacy with digital skills to meet evolving online challenges.
DSIT supports Ofcom’s updated media literacy duties and leads the relationship with Ofcom, ensuring strategic alignment and promoting best practice across sectors.