The £1 million programme of initiatives announced on march 18th 2003 will include projects to raise awareness of BSL particularly among employers and service providers, to increase opportunities to study BSL to a professional level, and to research Deaf people's take-up and experiences of accessing services.

Maria Eagle, Minister for Disabled People, explained how the funding will be spent:

"Among our priorities are raising awareness of the communication needs of Deaf people who use BSL and increasing opportunities for people to study BSL at a professional level."

The Government recognises that British Sign Language (BSL) is a language in its own right regularly used by a significant number of people. For an estimated 70,000 Deaf people it is their preferred language for participation in everyday life. BSL is a visual-gestural language with its own vocabulary, grammar and syntax.

The Government understands that people who use BSL want their language to be protected and promoted in the same way some minority languages are by the Council of Europe's Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The Council is considering how that might be achieved for indigenous sign languages. The Government will give careful consideration to any proposals which the Council might make.

The Government has already taken action to improve access to BSL, for example, by identifying situations where it might be reasonable for employers and service providers to engage the services of a BSL/English interpreter.

The Government will be funding a discrete programme of initiatives to
support this statement.