Minister for Social Security and Disability (Sir ): This Government recognises
the need for continuous improvement in the accessibility of
Government communications for everyone, including the Deaf
community and BSL users. The British Sign Language (BSL) 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 first report(opens in a new
tab) was published on 31 July 2023, the second report(opens in a new
tab) on 17 December 2024 (delayed due to the UK General
Election) and the third report(opens in a new
tab) on 21 July 2025.
The fourth BSL report, covering the period from 1 May 2025 to 30
April 2026, has now been published. A copy of this fourth report(opens in a new
tab) will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses and
published on GOV.UK, including in BSL.
The Government is committed to making sure that government
communications are as inclusive and accessible as possible. For
this reason, although the BSL Act requires only that a report
will be published every three years, the Government committed to
increase the frequency of reporting to an annual basis for the
five years up to 2027.
This is also why, last year, to accompany the publication of the
third BSL report(opens in a new
tab), each ministerial department was asked to produce a
5 year BSL Plan(opens in a new
tab), setting out how they plan to improve the use of BSL
within their departments. An update on those plans is published
alongside this report.
This fourth report demonstrates an increase in the usage of BSL
by Government departments in public-facing communications since
last year, reaching the highest number recorded since reporting
started in 2023. The overall number of new BSL communications
produced by Government departments has increased by 41% (from 140
to 198) since the last reporting period and by 161% since the
first reporting period (when overall numbers were 76).
This government wants to ensure disabled people's views and
voices are at the heart of all we do. Government communications
being accessible to Deaf and disabled people is essential in
supporting us to achieve this goal. This is why it is
particularly encouraging to see that there has been an uplift in
the amount of Government publications that have been translated
into BSL. This includes plans, strategies, consultation documents
or consultation responses. There has been an increase in the
total number of these types of communications produced since the
last reporting period (from 26 in 2025 to 87 in 2026).
By providing Deaf BSL users with direct access to government's
plans and consultations, this increase in accessible
communication supports the Governments' commitment to ensure that
everyone has the opportunity to engage with the Government on
issues that will affect them.
However, we know there is still more to do and this government is
committed to going further. We will continue to work alongside
the BSL Advisory Board(opens in a
new tab), Deaf people and their representative organisations,
and with Ministers across government, including our Lead Ministers for
Disability(opens in a new tab), to continue to make tangible
improvements for the Deaf community.
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 2027.
