The Welsh Assembly has voted to back plans to introduce a dedicated British Sign Language (BSL) Bill for Wales, following a debate in the Senedd on Wednesday afternoon.
The motion to introduce the bill was introduced by Mark Isherwood, Member of the Senedd for the North Wales Region, on Wednesday, following two successful motions from the Conservative politician to note a proposal for a BSL Bill in February 2021 and December 2022.
The Senedd agreed to the introduction of the bill with 24 votes for, three abstentions and 16 votes against the motion.
Opening the debate, Isherwood said: “With members of all parties voting in favour of the motion each time, demonstrating a clear appetite for such BSL legislation across the Senedd chamber, and with BSL signers, D/deaf people and communities across Wales continuing to ask me to bring forward a BSL Bill in Wales, I am grateful for this opportunity to now seek the Senedd’s agreement to introduce this Bill.
“If my Bill does not proceed, Wales will be the only part of the UK that is not covered by specific BSL legislation.”
Scotland passed its version of a BSL Act in 2015, the UK Parliament passed its BSL Act in 2022, and in February this year Northern Ireland’s Communities Minister Gordon Lyons said he intends to “seek executive approval to introduce a sign language bill” for the country once he has considered “cross-cutting policy proposals in detail”.
Isherwood continued: “The purpose of this Bill is to make provision to promote and facilitate the use of BSL and its tactile forms in Wales, improve access to education, health and public services in BSL, and support the removal of barriers that exist for deaf people and their families in education, health, public services, support services and in the workplace. This is a language Bill that supports Welsh deaf leadership on all BSL matters in Wales.”
While the BSL Act 2022 recognised BSL as a language in England, Wales and Scotland in April 2022, sections two and three of the legislation relating to regular government reports on its work to ‘promote and facilitate’ BSL and the issuing of guidance on BSL do not extend to matters concerning Wales and which are devolved to the nation’s Senedd.
Isherwood explained his proposed bill would “extend” these two sections to cover the Welsh Government, as well as introduce a “BSL commissioner”.
“The BSL commissioner would formulate BSL standards; establish a BSL advisory panel; produce reports every five years in BSL, Welsh and English on the position of BSL in that period; provide guidance and a process for public bodies to promote and facilitate BSL in their respective domains; and establish a procedure for the investigation of complaints.
“The exact nature, status and responsibilities of the commissioner would be further developed in collaboration with stakeholders, including the Welsh Government, to ensure that both costs and benefits are addressed as the Bill progresses,” he said.
However, despite the BSL Act 2022 being first introduced to the UK Parliament as a Private Members Bill by former Labour MP Rosie Cooper, the Labour government in Wales voiced its opposition to Isherwood’s motion.
Lesley Griffiths, the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and Social Justice, said: “Whilst I fully appreciate the intention behind this proposed Bill, I do not think it is needed.
“We can, and have, made significant progress without a Bill. The Welsh Government did not need a BSL Bill to include BSL in the curriculum, or to ensure we have BSL/English interpreters at Welsh Government press conferences. We can, and we will, use policy levers to create effective change and equality.
“I want to use our resources to make more direct and immediate positive changes for BSL users. We can, and we will, continue to work in partnership with deaf BSL signers, and also, key partner organisations from Wales, to break down barriers and work in collaboration towards an equal Wales.”
The stance was criticised by Isherwood in closing, who claimed it was a “contradiction” for the cabinet secretary to say “Wales is a country of social justice” but that “the bill is not needed”.
“The people in the gallery, the people across Wales have been telling us year after year […] that we’ve got to have this; that we cannot be the only country in the United Kingdom that hasn’t got a statutory provision in this respect; that we have to impose and require duties on Ministers that apply in other parts of the United Kingdom.
“To do otherwise would be a gross betrayal and a failure of social justice delivery.”
The motion was filed under Standing Order 26.91 of the Welsh Parliament, which states members who have had the introduction of a proposed bill agreed to by the Senedd can bring forward the draft legislation “within 13 months”.
Images: Ismail Mia/Flickr.
Liam O'Dell 