Hansard

I thank the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee for its work on the inquiry and the report. Some valuable points have been raised, and I look forward to seeing what impact the report has. Miles Briggs was right to say that we need to do more post-legislative scrutiny, because that can have a strong impact by enabling us to make better law in the future.

The Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee has a great deal of responsibility, and its work programme has been very reactive to what is going on and to areas where work is needed. The time that has been given to the inquiry—in taking evidence, working on the report and securing parliamentary time for the debate—demonstrates how seriously the issues that were raised are being taken.

Karen Adam, as convener of the committee and in general, is a very strong advocate for BSL and deaf rights. She always speaks up for them, while ensuring that lived experience is central in the conversation. I have often gone to her to ask questions, including when I had responsibility for equalities as a Government minister. I have learned a lot from her in the past four years, and I am sure that many other members are in the same position. I know that the inquiry meant a lot to her, and I think that that passion and care have come through in the detail that the committee has presented to Parliament.

I was struck by one issue in particular. Last week, Karen Adam welcomed to Parliament deaf mothers who are survivors of domestic abuse; the Deputy First Minister also attended that event. Deaf women’s experiences of domestic abuse are highlighted in the committee’s report, and it is notable that the issue has been mentioned in the debate by two other members of the committee. That is not an area of concern that I have heard discussed elsewhere, so it is particularly important that it was given space in the committee’s report.

As well as ensuring that domestic abuse survivors are able to engage with the justice system in the first place, the report addresses the concerns that were raised about deaf survivors being lumped in with disabled survivors in statistics, rather than their distinct situation being recognised. That issue deserves the attention that it has been given in the report.

Some of my longest-running and most difficult casework has involved BSL users. That has been the case not because of those constituents or their situation, but because of the scale of the challenges that they face, which is so great that I know that I am limited in trying to get them the change that they need within a parliamentary session. However, they are not usually asking for slight policy changes that might improve things for some people at some point. They are often asking for help or access that would allow them to live their lives on the most basic level—to attend a hospital appointment, arrange social care packages or go to school. In its “Healthcare” section, the committee’s report outlines how serious their need can be in a healthcare context. It recommends that work needs to be done on escalation when a caller to emergency services is deaf or when a deaf person needs to access mental health appointments.

The report also highlights the lack of BSL users in services such as audiology. That is a concern across the board. I have heard from people whose education, employment and social lives are on complete hold because they are waiting for care or interpretation services. There are teenagers who are stuck in limbo during their formative years—years that they will never get back. The committee’s report goes into great detail on early years intervention and points out that deaf children may not be able to access childcare with BSL provision, which means that they arrive at nursery and primary school without any language.

BSL users with mobility issues, neurodivergence or learning disabilities often find it even harder to make things work for them. The fact that deafblindness is becoming more common, which was outlined in the ALLIANCE’s evidence to the committee, is a particular concern. Older deaf people are experiencing dual sensory loss, which leads to them feeling isolated, especially when they live in rural areas.

As a Highlands and Islands MSP, I am concerned by that pattern and I recognise that any service improvement for deaf people and BSL users must mean improvement for those living anywhere in Scotland, including in rural and island areas, not just towns and cities.

BSL users have explained to me and my office that they have even struggled to take part in consultation exercises that were set up to get the evidence that only they can provide because no deafblind support or tactile BSL was available, because people were expected to be able to read English, which is different from BSL English, or because consultation forms were not made available in accessible formats from the beginning.

Most of those issues come back to the point that we need more interpreters and more people working in public services who have BSL, including deaf BSL users. Acceleration of BSL education will also be needed to meet the demand for interpreters.

Ultimately, the report is a reflection of the need to embed a human rights approach to Scotland’s public services. The ability of deaf people to participate fully and to access public services in their first language is a non-negotiable part of a rights-based society.

I want to be very clear to BSL users in the Highlands and Islands that I am here to help, as I have just signed. I am happy to arrange interpreter services for surgeries, to work around the availability of those interpreters and to ensure that my office is as accessible as possible for anyone. Even if it takes a long time, I am here to support BSL users and to make the case for better support and access. I will continue to work with them, with Karen Adam and with others to highlight the areas of greatest concern for BSL users and argue for positive change.