British Sign Language Act 2022

The British Sign Language Act 2022 (c. 34) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which legally recognises British Sign Language (BSL) as a language of England, Scotland and Wales. It also requires the Secretary of State to publish reports each reporting period on how BSL is promoted or facilitated by certain government department. The first of these reports was published on 31 July 2023.

Passage
The British Sign Language Bill was introduced to the House of Commons as a private members' bill on 16 June 2021 by Rosie Cooper. The Bill gained cross-party and Government support before passing its second and third reading in the House of Commons and Lords without any difficulties. It received royal assent on 28 April 2022.

Legal effect
The Act legally recognises British Sign Language as a language of England, Scotland and Wales, a similar status to Welsh and Scottish Gaelic. It requires the government to publish reports on how the language is used in its public communications and issue guidance on promoting its usage. It is somewhat modelled in motives on the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 which places similar requirements on ministers in the Scottish Government.

In order to ensure its obligations under this law, the Government continues to work with other organizations that participate in the campaign. A BSL Advisory Board has been established here, in which representatives of the deaf community advise public services. Thanks to this law, the number of registered interpreters has increased. At the same time, access to job provision for applicants and employers has improved.