Legal background
- The following notes give a brief overview of any significant existing legislation that is relevant to this Act.
- There is no ‘official’ legal language of the United Kingdom. However, the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 gives the Welsh language official status in Wales. The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 establishes a body for promoting the use of the Gaelic language in Scotland. The British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 requires Scottish Ministers to promote and facilitate the promotion of BSL.
- British Sign Language was recognised as a language in its own right by a written ministerial statement to the House of Commons on 18 March 2003 by the then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mr Andrew Smith MP.
- The Equality Act 2010 puts persons under a duty to make reasonable adjustments across a wide range of sectors in England, Scotland and Wales. Service providers, those exercising public functions, employers and businesses may, therefore, be required to make use of British Sign Language in certain circumstances.
