Meeting of the Parliament 11 December 2025
It is important to have this debate to reflect on the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee’s report, and to mark the 10-year anniversary of the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015, which we have been doing over the past few weeks. I welcome our guests in the gallery—it is wonderful to have you here.
BSL is one of Scotland’s languages and is used by many people every day. I am proud that Scotland has been a leader in BSL not just in recent years but over the past few centuries. I thank the many MSPs who have contributed to that progress, particularly Mark Griffin for his tireless work in lodging the bill that became the 2015 act; Karen Adam, the convener of the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee; and the rest of the committee’s members. The cross-party group on deafness also does critically important work in advocating for BSL users and the deaf and deafblind communities in Scotland. More importantly, I thank the BSL community for the role that it has played in educating people about BSL and wider aspects of deaf culture. As a community, it has continued to campaign for the full realisation and delivery of the act and for greater understanding and recognition of BSL as a language.
When engaging with the community, I have seen at first hand the difference that the act has made and what more can be done to tackle the remaining barriers. If the act raises expectations about what equity should look like, it also reveals the gaps in current provision. Although it is good to have support from committee members, MSPs and the wider BSL community, constructive challenge as we look ahead is even more important as we work to deliver the actions that are outlined in the current BSL national plan.