Jen Craft

Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content on public services is a legislative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (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.

Through the Service Standard and Service Assessments, the Government Digital Service encourages departments to incorporate BSL into service design. In May this year DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) launched the UK Government’s first British Sign Language (BSL) online translation service for candidates booking their theory test online. DVSA held a series of user research session with BSL users, with one participant calling the service ‘life-changing’.

There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both WCAG and the Service Standard, and 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.

Regardless of if AI generated, services must also make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.

Ministers and officials have discussions with Royal Mail on a regular basis in its capacity as the universal service provider.

Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, has a duty to secure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service that meets the reasonable needs of users and it is permitted to make limited changes to its regulation accordingly.

Royal Mail and the Communication Workers’ Union agreed to run pilots in selected offices to design, test and review the operation of the proposed delivery model in response to the changes made by Ofcom, the independent regulator for postal services, to Royal Mail’s universal service obligation.

The government does not have a role in the operational decisions of the business.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), including Innovate UK, has a portfolio of over £1 billion in AI research and innovation, with a further £1.6 billion allocated across 2026/27 to 2029/30. UKRI’s AI investments build broad, foundational technologies that could extend to BSL applications even when not explicitly stated.

Details of UKRI investments in AI technologies that could be used to create accessible content with regards to British Sign Language (BSL) can be found on GTR, which provides information on all UKRI-funded research and innovation projects. These include an £8.45m investment in SignGPT, which aims to build the first generative predictive transformer for sign language and has direct involvement from Deaf organisations and community partners.

There are currently no projects approved by British Technology Investments and the Government Office for Science.

Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content on public services is a legislative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (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.

Through the Service Standard and Service Assessments, the Government Digital Service encourages departments to incorporate BSL into service design. In May this year DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) launched the UK Government’s first British Sign Language (BSL) online translation service for candidates booking their theory test online. DVSA held a series of user research session with BSL users, with one participant calling the service ‘life-changing’.

There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both WCAG and the Service Standard, and 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.

Regardless of if AI generated, services must also make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.

We know that digital exclusion is a complex issue, and that a reported 6% of residents in the Essex region do not use the internet. That is why we launched the Digital Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion in every corner of the UK, including in Thurrock.

One of those first five actions was launching the £9.5m Digital Inclusion Innovation Fund in August. It’s designed to support and expand local community initiatives to help get people online.

Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content on public services is a legislative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (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.

Through the Service Standard and Service Assessments, the Government Digital Service encourages departments to incorporate BSL into service design. In May this year DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) launched the UK Government’s first British Sign Language (BSL) online translation service for candidates booking their theory test online. DVSA held a series of user research session with BSL users, with one participant calling the service ‘life-changing’.

There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both WCAG and the Service Standard, and 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.

Regardless of if AI generated, services must also make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.

We are currently researching the artificial intelligence tools that are available on the market and what they can provide for users. Once this research has concluded, we will engage with British Sign Language signers which will help inform next steps.

The department is currently assessing what artificial intelligence tools have been developed in this space. Once we have assessed the landscape, we will reach out to relevant stakeholders to discuss whether the tools we have identified can solve those problems.

The department's internal AI team have recently begun the process of looking at the development of AI solutions that can enhance accessibility for British Sign Language (BSL).

We are assessing available tools and looking to adapt them to fit the identified needs. Our aim is to ensure equitable access and compliance with the BSL Act 2022. We will be taking a phased approach to demonstrate value, and aim to position the department as a leader in inclusive, AI-driven education.

There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the Service Standard, and 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.

I refer my hon. Friend for Thurrock to the answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 4162.

I refer my hon. Friend for Thurrock to the answer of 11 September 2024 to Question 4162.

Providing BSL translations of pre-recorded audio and video content on public services is a legislative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (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.

Through the Service Standard and Service Assessments, the Government Digital Service encourages departments to incorporate BSL into service design. In May this year DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) launched the UK Government’s first British Sign Language (BSL) online translation service for candidates booking their theory test online. DVSA held a series of user research session with BSL users, with one participant calling the service ‘life-changing’.

There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both WCAG and the Service Standard, and 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.

Regardless of if AI generated, services must also make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.

The Department for Transport is committed to creating accessible communications for British Sign Language (BSL) users, as set out in our British Sign Language 5-year plan.

The Department and its public bodies have not yet directly taken steps to develop or use artificial intelligence (AI) approaches to British Sign Language. However, as described in both our Transport AI Action Plan and our Science Innovation and Technology Plan, the Department has used its First of a Kind funding programme to supported innovative AI projects like Signapse Ltd’s mobile app that uses AI to turn timetable and station information into British Sign Language for deaf customers. There are now several examples in the public domain of this kind of application of AI for providing passenger information in BSL being used by train operators and other transport providers.

Our assessment is that average daily car journeys at the Dartford Crossing during the chargeable hours (0600-2200) for the first twelve months after the increase in charges will be between 4500-6000 fewer than would otherwise have been the case. We consider those figures should be treated with caution given the limitations of the assessment however, and consequently that it is the expected trends for changed traffic demand given in the answer of 11 July that are the more pertinent consideration. No estimates have been made for the other years or other factors.

Our assessment of the impact on demand at the Dartford Crossing from changing the charges applied there drew on existing modelling work, including the Lower Thames Area Model, the National Trip End Model and National Road Traffic Projections.

Our assessment is that the change in charges will mean there are fewer car journeys at the Crossing than would have been the case otherwise, and that this will enable more goods vehicle journeys to be made.

Providing British Sign Language (BSL) translations of pre-recorded audio and video content on public services is a legislative Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (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.

Through the Service Standard and Service Assessments, the Government Digital Service encourages departments to incorporate BSL into service design. In May this year DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) launched the UK Government’s first British Sign Language (BSL) online translation service for candidates booking their theory test online. DVSA held a series of user research session with BSL users, with one participant calling the service ‘life-changing’.

There are opportunities to use AI to accelerate the creation of accessible content across public services. If public bodies trial the use of AI in approaches to BSL, they would be required to conform with both WCAG and the Service Standard, and 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.

Regardless of if AI generated, services must also make sure any BSL video is culturally appropriate by working with the BSL community, testing it, or getting feedback.

The Department is aware of a number of emerging products that use artificial intelligence (AI) to support translation into British Sign Language (BSL). While the Department and its arm’s‑length bodies are not currently developing or deploying such tools, any AI‑enabled BSL product proposed for use in the National Health Service would be subject to the medical device regulatory framework and will be assessed to determine whether it falls with the scope of regulations. These regulations are underpinned by rigorous standards established by bodies including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulation Agency, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the Health Research Authority, and the Care Quality Commission. These agencies ensure that AI technologies are safe, effective, and cost-effective within healthcare settings.

For any BSL products that use AI, meaningful engagement with BSL signers and Deaf communities is critical. This includes ensuring that proposed products provide a high quality service, meet communication needs identified through the Accessible Information Standard, and reflect the lived experience of BSL users. NHS England continues to work with stakeholders, including BSL users, providers, and representative groups, to improve accessibility and to understand where emerging technologies may safely and effectively support communication.

Integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning services to meet the health needs of their local population, which includes responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters to support deaf patients in the community.

We welcome the British Sign Language Advisory Board’s report titled Locked out: Exclusion of deaf and deafblind BSL users from health and social care in the UK. We will carefully consider its recommendations, including how, in the context of our work on the 10-Year Health Plan and reform of adult social care, we can improve the experiences of Deaf people when accessing health and care services and experience of Deaf people.

Since 2016, all National Health Service organisations and publicly funded social care providers have been expected to meet the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), which details the approach to supporting the information and communication support needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss. This includes support for deaf people and ensuring that British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters are provided when needed.

On 30 June 2025, NHS England published a revised AIS to help ensure that the communication needs of people with a disability, impairment, or sensory loss are met in health and care provision.

NHS England revised the AIS e-learning for health module to match the latest version of the standard to support effective implementation. This training module includes specific reference to the needs of deaf people and BSL interpreting.

NHS England is working to support implementation of the AIS with awareness raising, communication and engagement. The intention is to ensure that staff and organisations in the NHS are aware of the AIS and the importance of meeting the information and communication needs of disabled people using services.

The Department and its sponsored bodies are not currently taking steps to develop or use artificial intelligence approaches to British Sign Language. However, the Department is aware of products that are being developed in this space and at pace. As and when developed and approved for use, the Department would welcome proposals for their assessment for use in the National Health Service based on the cost effectiveness and service and quality improvement.

Under the Equality Act 2010, health and social care organisations must make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled people are not disadvantaged.

To make it easier for disabled people to use health services, there is work underway in NHS England to make sure that staff in health settings know if they need to make reasonable adjustments for people. This includes the development of a Reasonable Adjustment Digital Flag, which enables the recording of key information about a patient, and their reasonable adjustment needs, in health records to ensure support can be tailored appropriately.

Under the Health and Care Act 2022, Care Quality Commission registered health and adult social care providers are required to ensure their staff receive specific training on learning disability and autism appropriate to their role. This will help to ensure that staff have the right knowledge and skills to provide safe and informed care and help to reduce health inequalities for autistic people and people with a learning disability. The Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism is being rolled out to support this. Over two million people have completed the first part of this training.

Being on the learning disability register is crucial to ensuring that people receive the right support at the right time, including access to annual health checks. Annual health checks can help to identify undetected health conditions early and ensure the appropriateness of ongoing treatments. People over 14 years old with a learning disability can receive an annual health check.