I will be supporting this legislative proposal today, and I urge all other Members to also support it. BSL is the first language of people in the deaf community. BSL is more like Chinese than English, where there is the use of hands as descriptors, rather than spelling words. Sign language interpreters are meant to be available in both health and other Government settings, but I have heard of and seen many instances where that has not been the case. My sister is profoundly deaf, and she and others in the deaf community use BSL as their main means of communication. I am president of the hard of hearing group in Swansea, and as people's hearing deteriorates, BSL becomes the means of communication.

The Petitions Committee, a few years ago, received a petition to improve access to education and services in British Sign Language, to improve the quality of life for deaf people of all ages:

'Improve Access for families to learn BSL: When a child is diagnosed as being Deaf/hard of hearing parents should be offered free/subsidised BSL lessons....By using speech alone, Deaf children struggle/fail to develop communication skills missing important milestones. Learning other languages through BSL (English/Welsh) will improve the child's understanding and comprehension.'

For the deaf community, this is an important piece of legislation, and I urge all Members to support it.