Declaration recognising British Sign Language

1 Recognition of British Sign Language

(1)British Sign Language is recognised as a language of England, Wales and
Scotland.

(2)5Subsection (1) does not affect the operation of any enactment or rule of law.

(3)But see sections 2 and 3 (which, in connection with the recognition of British
Sign Language by subsection (1), impose duties on the Secretary of State
relating to the promotion and facilitation of the use of British Sign Language).

(4)In this section, “enactment” includes an enactment comprised in, or in an
10instrument made under, an Act of the Scottish Parliament.

Duties relating to the promotion and facilitation of British Sign Language

2 Duty of Secretary of State to report on British Sign Language

(1)The Secretary of State must prepare and publish a British Sign Language report
for each reporting period.

(2)15A British Sign Language report is a report describing what each relevant
government department has done to promote or facilitate the use of British
Sign Language in its communications with the public.

(3)For this purpose a relevant government department’s communications with
the public include in particular—

(a)any public announcement which it makes about policy or about
changes to the law,

(b)5the publication by it of any plan, strategy, consultation document or
consultation response, or any explanatory or supporting materials, and

(c)its use of press conferences, social media or a government website to
publicise any of its activities or policies,

but do not include communications with individual members of the public, or
10any other communications which the relevant government department does
not intend to be shared with the public at large.

(4)In preparing a British Sign Language report, the Secretary of State must—

(a)collect information from each relevant government department about
the matters to be covered by the report, and

(b)15set out in full or summarise that information in the report.

(5)The Secretary of State must not collect, or include in a British Sign Language
report, information about any communication made by a relevant government
department so far as that communication—

(a)relates only to Scotland and does not relate to reserved matters (within
20the meaning of the Scotland Act 1998);

(b)relates only to Wales and does not relate to reserved matters (within the
meaning of the Government of Wales Act 2006).

(6)The Secretary of State must publish each British Sign Language report no more
than three months after the end of the reporting period to which it relates.

(7)25In this section “reporting period” means—

(a)in respect of the first British Sign Language report, the period
beginning with the day on which this section comes into force and
ending with 30 April 2023;

(b)in respect of each subsequent British Sign Language report, the period
30(being not longer than three years) beginning on the day after the
previous reporting period ended and ending on such date as the
Secretary of State decides.

(8)In this section and section 3, “relevant government department” means a
United Kingdom ministerial government department listed in the Schedule.

(9)35The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument
amend the list in the Schedule so as to add, remove or vary an entry in
consequence of—

(a)a change to the name of a United Kingdom ministerial government
department, or

(b)40any change to the way in which the United Kingdom ministerial
government departments are organised.

(10)A statutory instrument containing regulations under subsection (9) is subject
to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

3 Guidance on use of British Sign Language

(1)The Secretary of State must issue guidance, or arrange for guidance to be
issued, about the promotion and facilitation of the use of British Sign
Language.

(2)5Guidance under this section may for example include—

(a)advice for relevant government departments on providing information
to the Secretary of State in accordance with section 2(4),

(b)advice on best practice for communicating with British Sign Language
users (both when interacting with individuals and when
10communicating with the public at large), and

(c)case studies to illustrate the value of providing British Sign Language
interpretation in communications with the public.

(3)Guidance under this section must not include advice or other material which—

(a)relates only to Scotland and does not relate to reserved matters (within
15the meaning of the Scotland Act 1998);

(b)relates only to Wales and does not relate to reserved matters (within the
meaning of the Government of Wales Act 2006).

(4)The Secretary of State must arrange for any guidance issued under this section
to be published.

20General

4 Extent, commencement and short title

(1)This Act extends to England and Wales and Scotland.

(2)This section comes into force on the day on which this Act is passed.

(3)Sections 1 and 2 and the Schedule come into force at the end of the period of
25two months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed.

(4)Section 3 comes into force on such day as the Secretary of State appoints by
regulations made by statutory instrument.

(5)This Act may be cited as the British Sign Language Act 2022.

Section 2

Schedule Relevant government departments

1Attorney General’s Office.

2Cabinet Office.

35Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

4Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

5Department for Education.

6Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

7Department for International Trade.

810Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

9Department for Transport.

10Department for Work and Pensions.

11Department of Health and Social Care.

12Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

1315Her Majesty’s Treasury.

14Home Office.

15Ministry of Defence.

16Ministry of Justice.

17Office of the Leader of the House of Commons.

1820Office of the Leader of the House of Lords.

19Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland.

20Office of the Secretary of State for Wales.