As many here will know, the subject of deafness and the issues facing the deaf community are very close to my heart. I wanted to take the opportunity of my first short debate to highlight some of these issues. I will cover three main points, namely the effect that hearing loss has within employment, the British Sign Language Act 2022, and the inability of private audiology practitioners to carry out NHS work and the implication this has for waiting lists and the subsequent impact on people's health and well-being. I want to focus on these points because I believe there needs to be a better, more intuitive understanding by the Government of the wider deaf community, particularly of the hidden aspects of hearing loss and how this has a profound effect on people's lives.

In terms of employment, we know that at least 4.4 million working-age people in the UK have hearing loss. We also know that the employment rate for those with hearing loss is much lower compared to people with no long-term health issues or disability, typically 65 per cent and 79 per cent respectively. On average, people with hearing loss are paid at least £2,000 less per year than the general population, meaning that those with hearing loss can expect to earn considerably less over their lifetime, which has a knock-on effect in terms of providing for their families and enjoying the same lifestyle as people with no long-term health issues. A recent survey of those suffering hearing loss by the Royal Association for Deaf People found that those with hearing loss face a tougher working environment, and the majority felt that they had not been given equal opportunities, that they did not feel supported, that they felt excluded from conversations with colleagues, that they were lonely at work, that they had been left out of social events, and that they had experienced bullying or acts of unkindness at work because of their condition. These issues of exclusion and a lack of support play out detrimentally in the long term.

When it came to career progression, the majority—60 per cent—of respondents said they had not been given progression opportunities during their career, with several people citing a lack of deaf role models within work as a key barrier. Unfortunately, there is a sense in the deaf community that despite numerous Government programmes created to remove the effect of disability from the job market, there were still many examples of difficulty accessing the correct type of support, and sometimes accessing any support at all. The most glaring evidence that Government programmes were ineffective was that those who are deaf or have severe hearing loss are still regarded as expensive employees because of the limitation to the roles they can carry out and the additional support that they require.

All of this tells a sad story for people within work who suffer hearing loss, more so because a lot of this is hidden. There are clearly many people who do not feel able to integrate into working life fully, which as we know can be a major factor in people's identity and life fulfilment. The lack of support, provision of reasonable adjustments and, at times, almost total absence of flexibility was a problem for all participants, particularly in manual or skilled jobs, which leaves many feeling that, despite their best efforts, they could not do their job to the best of their ability.

We also have to be aware of another hidden aspect, in that, for those with hearing loss in work, there's a feeling as though the ability for them to stay in work and keep their job is beyond their control, regardless of work performance, and it's ultimately up to those who supervise them in their role. Moreover, there is a feeling that employers regard people who are deaf or have hearing loss as a health and safety burden. For those who had worked for over 10 to 15 years, current health and safety regulations were limiting their work, which is in stark contrast to past working conditions. Quite worryingly, there was a feeling that because of their hearing loss it would be extremely difficult to find employment elsewhere, and they had to accept their current working conditions or face unemployment. Sadly, the plight of unemployed deaf people is even worse. Being unable to use the phone, almost all contact with prospective employers is via written correspondence. Very often, finding a British Sign Language interpreter for interviews can prove challenging.