British Sign Language Week

Perran Moon Excerpts

Thursday 20th March 2025 Westminster Hall

[Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Lab)]

[In British Sign Language: Thank you.] That is about as far as my signing goes, Sir Desmond, apart from one or two rude words that are not appropriate for the Chamber—it is an honour to serve under your chairship once again. I also thank my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) for securing this debate and for her continued advocacy as part of the APPG on British Sign Language. I declare an interest as an officer of that APPG.

As a hearing person, I cannot claim to have direct experience, but I will describe the experience of Katie and her son Alvie from Illogan in my constituency of Camborne, Redruth and Hayle. Katie first learnt that Alvie had been born with hearing loss when he was just seven weeks old. By the time he was 10 weeks old, he had been fitted with hearing aids. The diagnosis came with a flood of appointments, hospital visits and advice from professionals, all of whom were hearing and, through no fault of their own, were perhaps not best placed to understand the needs of a deaf child.

Katie’s initial question was whether she and her family would need to learn BSL to communicate with Alvie. She was reassured that they would not need to, and she accepted that advice with relief. Looking back, however, it seems bizarre that Katie was not provided with the opportunity to learn BSL as soon as possible to begin to communicate with her son.

Alvie struggled to keep his hearing aids on. He was always having fun; at the beach, he would roll them in the sand and throw them into the sea. Alvie’s parents were told to persevere, but they could not help but feel the weight of their son’s isolation during those early years—unable to hear the world around, to engage in conversation or to be part of the joyful moments that many of us take for granted.

Katie’s story is one of frustration and determination. She began to campaign for better access to BSL training for parents of deaf children, and soon discovered that the current support system was failing families. Free or affordable BSL courses were not readily available, and many parents were unable to find the resources they needed to learn how to communicate with their own deaf children.

As Katie worked with the British Deaf Association and the National Deaf Children’s Society, she uncovered the immense barriers that exist, such as the cost of courses, the lack of funding, and the exclusion of parents from programmes designed to help them. Her goal is simple: she wants all parents of deaf children to have access to BSL. She believes that no parent should have to fight for the right to communicate with their child, especially when a solution already exists.

Through her campaign, Katie has gathered tens of thousands of signatures in support of free BSL courses for parents and guardians. She is determined to ensure that future generations of deaf children will not experience the isolation and frustration that so many adults in the deaf community have faced. Alvie’s journey has been life changing for his family, and while they are making progress in learning BSL, Katie knows that it should not have been that difficult. Deaf children have the right to full communication, and families should not have to battle the system to ensure that their children are included and supported.

Katie’s story is the story of countless families across the UK. I pay tribute to her as a campaigner and a brilliant mum. We must ensure that people can choose to learn BSL freely and access training. I have been so impressed with her work as a campaigner that I was delighted to have the opportunity to employ her as a caseworker in my constituency office. Katie joins us here in the Public Gallery today.

That brings me to two key points: first, it is a tragedy that parents of deaf children in the UK are often advised to choose between BSL and spoken language. I am pleased that the Government are committed to offering a BSL GCSE with the capacity to teach not only signing itself, but the history of the language. This is a fascinating opportunity to make teaching and learning BSL more mainstream. However, I worry that early access to sign language is still not readily available, which means that the richness of the language itself is lost to many people who do not have the chance to access BSL early on.

My second concern is over funding. The Government have inherited a situation where funding for BSL courses is taken from the adult education budget, now the adult skills fund. The fund is aimed at people who want to learn vocational courses who are usually unemployed. This makes it inherently difficult for parents of deaf children who want to learn but who are working. What is more, a postcode lottery exists where many parents, including Katie, simply do not live near an institution with the provision for BSL courses. It is also very difficult for working parents to qualify for funding for BSL courses as a means of communicating with their child.

In conclusion, it is essential that we recognise BSL not just as a language, but as a fundamental tool for communication, inclusion and connectivity for the deaf community. We must ensure that all families, particularly those with deaf children, have equal access to BSL courses, regardless of their location or financial situation. The Government must act swiftly to eliminate the barriers that prevent parents from learning BSL and communicating fully with their children. Let us ensure that future generations of deaf children are supported in their journey towards full inclusion and engagement, and that no family is left to fight a system that should be supporting them.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Desmond. I commend the hon. Member for Thurrock (Jen Craft) on setting the scene so well. She spoke excellently yesterday in the Down’s syndrome debate and her speech today was a tour de force.

[Perran Moon]

I wonder if the hon. Gentleman could try to talk a little slower, because the interpreters might be struggling a little bit.

[Jim Shannon]

Kate Hoey, formerly the hon. Member for Vauxhall, said, “Whenever Jim Shannon speaks, he gets more words to the minute that any other MP”, so the hon. Member is absolutely right to tell me to slow it down. I will do my best to slow down a wee bit, if that is possible.

The speech made by the hon. Member for Thurrock was a tour de force. It is clear to all of us here that her heart shines brightly, and we thank her for telling her story. I congratulate all the other hon. Members who have had the ability to learn sign language.

The hon. Member for Camborne and Redruth (Perran Moon) referred to one of his staff members; I say to her, keep a tight rein on him! I say that in jest, of course, because we all recognise how hard the hon. Member works.

In Northern Ireland, we have two sign languages. It is part of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement. We have British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language, because we have two different traditions, and the people of those traditions have the same difficulties when it comes to sign language. Those who want to have British Sign Language can have that and those who want Irish Sign Language can have that as well. In March 2004, the Secretary of State announced the formal recognition of British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language as languages in their own right, following similar recognition of BSL in Great Britain.

Some of my staff are very assiduous. I am only as good as my staff—I say that honestly because it is true. When some constituents came into the office who were challenged and had deaf issues, my staff decided that—even though those constituents came into the office with their parents—they would learn some sign language in order to communicate with them. My staff wanted not only to understand what my constituents wanted but to engage socially with them. I think it was the hon. Member for Camborne and Redruth who said that when people cannot hear anything, they do not know what is happening around them. My staff felt that it was important to do that small thing. It shows that sometimes we have to do things outside of our own systems.

British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language in Northern Ireland have their own grammar and syntax systems, rather than being visual reflections of other languages. I believe we have a good system in Northern Ireland.

I should have said that I am pleased to see the Minister for Social Security and Disability, the right hon. Member for East Ham (Sir Stephen Timms), in his place. I do not think I have yet been in a debate where he has been responding. I look forward to hearing what he has to say, and to the speeches of the Opposition spokespeople, the hon. Member for East Grinstead and Uckfield (Mims Davies) and the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones).

British Sign Language is the first, or preferred, language of communication for approximately 3,500 members of the deaf population of Northern Ireland, and approximately 1,500 use Irish Sign Language. Schools have incorporated some basic sign language, and I am glad they have—it is another way of doing it.

We have many churches who engage in this. It is no secret that I am a Christian, and I like to understand that we are moving with society. There can be language issues for children at church whenever we are preaching the gospel, preaching the word of God, reading the Bible or praying, so we should have sign language in the church.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has launched a brilliant new sign language video relay service for deaf people. There is access to the facility—24 hours a day, seven days a week—on the SignVideo app or via a call button on the PSNI website. I say to the Minister: if the PSNI has done that in Northern Ireland, perhaps we need to do that here.

I have one last point. Fury from “Gladiators” is deaf, but look at what that lady has done. There is not one man in this Chamber who would take her on, never mind any other lady—I know I wouldn’t, anyway. I will finish by saying this: if Fury can do it, you can do it as well.