Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made for the potential implications for his policies of the BSL Advisory Board report on Health and Social Care, published on 27 November 2025.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure greater deaf awareness among frontline NHS staff.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to prevent financial abuse through the misuse of lasting power of attorney.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
When the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) registers a lasting power of attorney (LPA), it provides attorneys with access to the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice and supporting guidance which includes information on their legal duties and responsibilities. If someone believes an attorney has breached these duties, they can report it to OPG. Under Section 58 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, OPG has the power to deal with complaints or representations about the way in which an attorney is exercising their powers. Where necessary, OPG refers cases to the Court of Protection and other agencies such as local authorities or the police.
The Government’s modernising lasting power of attorney project will further increase safeguards. It will strengthen the process for witnessing the donor signing the LPA, introduce identity verification and create a clearer process for objecting to the registration of an LPA, so it can be used by a wider group of people and organisations. Where cases of abuse or misuse still arise, OPG’s existing powers to consider concerns about attorneys’ actions will remain.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the powers of the Office of the Public Guardian to investigate abuse of lasting power of attorney.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
When the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) registers a lasting power of attorney (LPA), it provides attorneys with access to the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice and supporting guidance which includes information on their legal duties and responsibilities. If someone believes an attorney has breached these duties, they can report it to OPG. Under Section 58 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, OPG has the power to deal with complaints or representations about the way in which an attorney is exercising their powers. Where necessary, OPG refers cases to the Court of Protection and other agencies such as local authorities or the police.
The Government’s modernising lasting power of attorney project will further increase safeguards. It will strengthen the process for witnessing the donor signing the LPA, introduce identity verification and create a clearer process for objecting to the registration of an LPA, so it can be used by a wider group of people and organisations. Where cases of abuse or misuse still arise, OPG’s existing powers to consider concerns about attorneys’ actions will remain.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of safeguards in the lasting power of attorney process.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
When the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) registers a lasting power of attorney (LPA), it provides attorneys with access to the Mental Capacity Act Code of Practice and supporting guidance which includes information on their legal duties and responsibilities. If someone believes an attorney has breached these duties, they can report it to OPG. Under Section 58 of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, OPG has the power to deal with complaints or representations about the way in which an attorney is exercising their powers. Where necessary, OPG refers cases to the Court of Protection and other agencies such as local authorities or the police.
The Government’s modernising lasting power of attorney project will further increase safeguards. It will strengthen the process for witnessing the donor signing the LPA, introduce identity verification and create a clearer process for objecting to the registration of an LPA, so it can be used by a wider group of people and organisations. Where cases of abuse or misuse still arise, OPG’s existing powers to consider concerns about attorneys’ actions will remain.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he has had with Royal Mail on reforming the Universal Service Obligation.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of Royal Mail's proposed Optimised Delivery Model.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
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.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies are taking to (i) develop and (ii) use artificial intelligence approaches to British Sign Language.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
Across government, 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 (British Sign Language), they would be required to conform with both WCAG (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.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps (a) her Department and (b) its public bodies are taking to (i) develop and (ii) use artificial intelligence approaches to British Sign Language.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
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.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps (a) his department and (b) its sponsored bodies are taking to (i) develop and (ii) utilise Artificial Intelligence approaches to British Sign Language.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
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.