Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she expects teaching of the British Sign Language GCSE to commence in schools.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The development of a British Sign Language (BSL) GCSE is an important step toward fostering greater recognition of BSL as a language, and we are committed to developing a qualification that benefits both students and the wider deaf community.
The final subject content was published on GOV.UK in December 2023 and Ofqual’s final qualification rules were published on 13 November this year. Exam boards are now able to develop detailed specifications which will form the basis of course content to be taught in schools and colleges.
Decisions on whether to develop qualification specifications are for exam boards, and any specifications developed by exam boards will need to be accredited by Ofqual before they are available to schools.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department plans to introduce examinations in British Sign Language for deaf children as part of the implementation of the curriculum review.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Under Ofqual’s regulatory conditions, all students taking GCSE, AS and A level qualifications must be assessed in English, except where another language is permitted, such as in modern foreign language qualifications. Students may be assessed in British Sign Language (BSL) where an awarding organisation offers this as a reasonable adjustment. Guidance is provided by the Joint Council for Qualifications, and adjustments can include the use of BSL interpreters for spoken instructions, readers, scribes and assistive technology.
Access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency. This allows for adjustments such as sign language interpreters for instructions and compensatory marks for pupils with profound hearing impairments.
The government is also developing a landmark GCSE in BSL, which will be accessible for both first-time learners and existing BSL users.
I would welcome the opportunity to meet the hon. Member and her constituents to discuss this issue.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet with me and my constituents to discuss the introduction of examinations in British Sign Language for deaf children.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Under Ofqual’s regulatory conditions, all students taking GCSE, AS and A level qualifications must be assessed in English, except where another language is permitted, such as in modern foreign language qualifications. Students may be assessed in British Sign Language (BSL) where an awarding organisation offers this as a reasonable adjustment. Guidance is provided by the Joint Council for Qualifications, and adjustments can include the use of BSL interpreters for spoken instructions, readers, scribes and assistive technology.
Access arrangements are also available for all national curriculum tests, and guidance is provided by the Standards and Testing Agency. This allows for adjustments such as sign language interpreters for instructions and compensatory marks for pupils with profound hearing impairments.
The government is also developing a landmark GCSE in BSL, which will be accessible for both first-time learners and existing BSL users.
I would welcome the opportunity to meet the hon. Member and her constituents to discuss this issue.
Asked by: Jen Craft (Labour - Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps (a) his Department and (b) its public bodies are taking to (i) develop and (ii) use artificial intelligence approaches to British Sign Language.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with deaf people on their experience of (a) the healthcare system and (b) social care.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Both my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and I meet regularly with external sector partners on a variety of issues, including those who represent the deaf community.
In May 2025, my Rt Hon. Friend attended a constituency event marking Deaf Awareness Week, which was held by the Empowering Deaf Society. At the event, my Rt Hon. Friend heard from deaf people about the challenges faced by their community. Further information on the event is available at the following link:
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how she plans to support disabled students following the implementation of changes to Disabled Students' Allowance funding.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) continues to be available to help disabled students with the additional costs that they may face in higher education as a result of their disability. DSA can fund a range of support, including specialist equipment, non-medical help (human support such as specialist one-to-one study skills support or British Sign Language interpreters), and additional disability-related travel and accommodation costs.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress the Government has made in implementing the British Sign Language Act 2022.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Everyone in our country should have access to important information from the government and should be able to engage with the government on issues that will affect them. That is why it is crucial to make sure that government communications are as inclusive and accessible as possible, including for the Deaf community and British Sign Language (BSL) users.
The British Sign Language Act 2022 supports this by creating a greater recognition and understanding of BSL, and requires the government to report on what departments listed in the Act have done to promote or facilitate the use of British Sign Language in their communications with the public.
The third BSL report was published on Monday 21 July 2025 and demonstrates an increase in the usage of BSL by government departments in public-facing communications since reporting started in 2023. We will continue to publish a report every year on an annual basis up to 2027, going further than the frequency required by the Act. The next report will be published in July 2026.
In addition to overall reporting, each ministerial department has produced a 5 year BSL Plan, setting out how they plan to improve the use of BSL within their departments. These were published alongside the third BSL report in July 2025.
Following the passage of the BSL Act, the BSL Advisory board was created to advise the Government on key issues impacting the Deaf community in their everyday life. It is the first dual language board advising the UK Government, and it meets regularly. We will continue to work with the BSL Advisory Board, Deaf people and their representative organisations, and with Ministers across government, including our Lead Ministers for Disability, to continue to make tangible improvements for the Deaf community
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the Access to Work cap for people who require BSL interpreters to remain in full time work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The cap was introduced in 2015 to enable Access to Work to continue to provide tailored support for those with the most significant needs and at the same time grow the overall number of customers receiving support from the scheme. The cap was introduced that year, set at 1.5 times the national average salary. This was revised upwards to twice the national average salary in 2018, based in part on the recognition of needs of deaf customers, particularly British Sign Language users.
Since its introduction in 2015 the cap has been increased annually in line with average earnings. The cap was originally introduced at £40,800 in 2015/16, and it now stands at £69,620.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure equal access to higher education for deaf students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Support for people with hearing impairments in higher education (HE) is guided by legal duties under the Equality Act 2010, with tailored provisions depending on the setting and the needs of the individual.
All education and training providers, including HE, and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, including those with hearing impairments, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students.
Reasonable adjustments can include adapting teaching methods (providing materials in accessible formats or using assistive technology), modifying assessments (offering extra time or alternative formats), ensuring physical accessibility (ramps or accessible accommodation), and offering personalised support services (including note takers, interpreters, or mental health support).
In addition, Disabled Students’ Allowance is available for eligible HE students for the provision of more specialist support. This might include specialist equipment, travel costs and non-medical helpers such as British Sign Language interpreters or specialist notetakers for students who are deaf or have hearing loss.
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.