ALLIANCE briefing for Scottish Parliament debate on impact of BSL (Scotland) Act
- Area of Work: Policy and Research, Scottish Sensory Hub
- Type: News Item
- Published: 9th December 2025
The ALLIANCE has produced a briefing for the Scottish Parliament debate on BSL, taking place on 11 December 2025.
The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) has drafted a briefing for the Scottish Parliament Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee Debate on the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015 Inquiry, on 11 December 2025.
The British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 was flagship legislation. It – and associated national and local plans – have been key to promoting and facilitating the use and understanding of BSL. However, there remain significant implementation gaps. While the ALLIANCE welcomes the Scottish Government’s response to the Committee, we were disappointed by the limited detail on commitments that were accepted fully or partially. We call for further action and particularly for clear and regular reporting on progress on each item, with bi-lingual reports in BSL and English.
The ALLIANCE are pleased by the Scottish Government commitment to a BSL network for listed authorities. Local delivery and support planning is key, and public bodies are vital in ensuring equality for BSL users. However, this network is neither a larger National Advisory Group nor an oversight body, both of which are needed.
We raise concerns about the following key areas:
- Improvements to BSL data
- Inclusion of Deafblind people
- Education and access to BSL
Our full briefing is available below.
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