British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 - recommendations: SG response
Sets out a range of government actions in response to recommendations made by the Equalities, Human Rights, and Civil Justice report into the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015, the BSL National Plan 2023-2029, and BSL Local Plans by listed authorities.
16. Transport and rural access
16.1 Recommendation 35 &36/paragraph 142 & 143
Paragraph 142: The Committee strongly agrees on the importance of enabling Deaf people in rural communities to access the services they need. However, we are mindful of the lack of adequately trained interpreters and BSL using professionals in such areas and the challenges this brings. The Committee also invites the Scottish Government to consider what actions could be taken to improve Deaf awareness and understanding of communication requirements in the care home workforce.
Paragraph 143: The Committee also recognises the challenges that listed authorities in rural areas can face in engaging with BSL users where they are fewer in number and may have more limited opportunity to engage with other BSL users.
16.1.1 Decision
Partially accept
16.1.2 Scottish Government Response
The BSL National Plan 2023-2029 is designed to tackle systemic barriers faced by BSL users across Scotland in ten priority areas including children, young people and their families; health and wellbeing; culture; transport, democratic participation, and access to justice. As we progress with delivery of the plan, we will work closely with the Implementation Advisory Group to ensure the lived experience and needs of BSL users in rural and island communities is a part of this delivery. Listed authorities play a vital role in ensuring the lived experience of the BSL community is fed into the development and delivery of actions for BSL users in rural areas.
As noted in the response to recommendations 37, 47, 48, 56, and 57 the newly established BSL network for listed authorities will cover the whole of Scotland, including listed authorities in rural and island areas, and will provide the opportunity for listed authorities in those areas to discuss challenges further with others to help identify solutions to the issues they are facing. The Scottish Government also funds BDA Scotland to provide support to listed authorities, offering advice to assist with challenges they face in communicating with BSL users within their communities.
With regards to the point around improving Deaf awareness and understanding of communication requirements in the care home workforce, as part of their ongoing registration with Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), the social care workforce need to undertake annual Career Long Professional Learning (CLPL). One of the 7 core learning elements is 'Communication and Relationships', and workers will select learning opportunities within this theme which reflect their roles and development needs. Communication is also a key theme in professional qualifications needed for registration, with learners being asked to consider language needs and preferences, and any extra support which may be required
16.2 Recommendation 37/paragraph 144
The Committee agrees with Deaf Links that technology could form part of the solution but considers that investment in digital literacy through suitable training, infrastructure and equipment is vital for this to work effectively.
16.2.1 Decision
Accept
16.2.2 Scottish Government Response
The Scottish Government recognises the Committee’s observations on the challenges faced by Deaf people in rural communities, including access to interpreting services, education, and employment opportunities. We agree that access to technology, combined with digital skills and confidence, can help address some of these barriers.
Digital inclusion is a priority for the Scottish Government, and programmes such as Connecting Scotland have provided devices, connectivity, and digital skills support to those facing digital exclusion.
We continue to embed accessibility and inclusion across digital policy and service design, ensuring that all communities, including Deaf users, can participate fully in Scotland’s digital world.
The new Contact Scotland BSL service started on 1 December 2025. VRS can be particularly helpful in rural areas where access to interpreters is challenging. We are working closely with the new supplier Sign Solutions, who have provided appropriate support and guidance materials in BSL to help users access the service, and who will engage with BSL users across Scotland to gather continuous feedback on the service. As part of this new service, we will pilot Video Remote Interpreting (VRI). We are working with Sign Solutions to consider the best approach to VRI in Scotland and will engage directly with the community to make sure this is targeted and proportionate to ensure the most impact.
We support the roll out of Signport, an interpreter booking app, website, and social enterprise that launched at the end of October 2025. This app was designed by Deaf BSL users and interpreters and is designed to streamline the interpreter booking process for both BSL users, interpreters, and public bodies. We encourage its use across Scotland.
16.3 Recommendation 38/paragraph 145
The Committee shares the concerns of stakeholders about the closure of Deaf clubs and other facilities for Deaf people, which can add to feelings of isolation, particularly in remote areas and invites the Scottish Government to respond to these concerns.
16.3.1 Decision
Partially accept
16.3.2 Scottish Government Response
We recognise the key role Deaf clubs in giving Deaf BSL users access to their language, culture, and community, and combating social isolation. We support their use but recognise that funding is mainly delivered at a local authority level and it is them to consider longer term sustainability for Deaf Clubs throughout Scotland.
The Scottish Government allocates £8.543 million in funding to Third Sector Interfaces (TSIs), which operate across all local authority areas in Scotland. TSIs provide a broad range of support to third sector organisations, including assistance with organisational development, governance, and volunteering. This support extends to a variety of community groups, including Deaf clubs.
The Scottish Government will engage further with key partners to better understand the issues impacting on the sustainability of Deaf Clubs in Scotland.
16.4 Recommendation 39/paragraph 146
As noted above, the Committee invites the Scottish Government to respond to comments about the need for a robust approach to ensuring that older Deaf BSL users have access to appropriate services and care packages where appropriate, something that presents an even greater challenge in smaller and rural communities.
16.4.1 Decision
Partially accept
16.4.2 Scottish Government Response
Please refer to answer for recommendation 33, paragraph 130.
16.5 Recommendation 40/paragraph 147
In respect of public transport, the Committee invites the Scottish Government to consider what action it can take to encourage transport providers to provide accessible information for BSL users and to implement simple solutions suggested by the community such as having a laminated route map on buses.
16.5.1 Decision
Accept
16.5.2 Scottish Government Response
Transport Scotland’s Digital Travel Data Services project delivered the first iteration of the new Traveline Scotland website and app in September last year, with further enhancements to the journey planning service expected in late 2025 and over the coming years.
In line with the project’s commitment to continuous improvement, the team is engaging with users through various channels, such as customer satisfaction surveys and via the Traveline Scotland telephone helpline. The team is incorporating feedback which is already driving improvements to the overall design, usability, and accessibility of the Traveline Scotland website & app. We welcome all input to these channels and would like to learn more from BSL users on their direct experience. This will be done as part of our commitments within the BSL National Plan 2023-29 to ensure BSL users have safe, fair and inclusive access to public transport.
Network Rail has installed BSL customer information screens at several stations in Scotland, including Edinburgh Waverley and Glasgow Central. These were the first in the UK to have BSL on the main boards and sub boards as part of an ongoing investment to make Scotland's Railway more accessible.
Our vision is that everyone can travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity. Launched in 2016, Scotland’s Accessible Travel Framework was co-produced with D/deaf and disabled people and sets out a ten-year plan for making travel in Scotland more accessible. Transport providers have legal duties to deliver equality of access to their services.
The current Accessible Travel Framework comes to an end in 2026, and work is underway to understand the priorities of Deaf and disabled people as we co-produce the next Framework. This will also include seeking to engage with D/deaf-led organisations to understand the lived experiences, challenges and opportunities for D/deaf people. The National Transport Accessibility Steering Group membership includes a broad range of stakeholders, including D/deaf-led organisations having membership.
16.6 Recommendation 41/paragraph 148
The Committee also invites the Scottish Government to respond to suggestions that an Australian-style approach to incentivising newly qualified professionals to live and work in rural areas for an initial period after qualification might work in Scotland.
16.6.1 Decision
Consider further
16.6.2 Scottish Government Response
There is no quick fix for the challenges leading to depopulation, however our Addressing Depopulation Action Plan, published in February 2024, sets out the Scottish Government’s strategic approach aimed at supporting local communities facing population decline. The Plan seeks to maximise the range of levers at the Scottish Government’s disposal, while also channelling the power of local leadership, acknowledging that local communities are best placed to respond to their distinct challenges.
As part of this Action Plan, we have established a range of new and targeted place-based commitments, aligned to local ambitions to support population attraction and retention to these areas. These interventions are enabling communities to develop and deliver bespoke responses, while also generating learning for communities across Scotland more broadly.
Scotland’s first ever National Islands Plan was published in 2019. A statutory document under the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, it sets out the investments and policies that the Scottish Government intends to take forward to improve outcomes for island communities.
As required by the Islands (Scotland) Act 2018, the first National Islands Plan underwent a review in 2023-2024. The review was informed by a public consultation and direct engagement with island communities.
Responding to the review, a new National Islands Plan is being developed for publication later this year.
The new Plan will have population retention and attraction as its central overarching objective and restates the Scottish Government’s commitment to working with and for islanders to build sustainable and prosperous communities. To this end, it sets out clear, tangible, and measurable commitments designed for local implementation.
The new Plan will also have a renewed focus on the role of languages across our island communities, recognising its important role in culture, heritage and economic development. This includes British Sign Language as according to Census 2022 data around 2,700 islanders use BSL.
The Plan recognises difficulties in accessing classes and training for BSL for individuals on islands and will seek to build on the BSL National Plan in providing targeted action to reduce barriers and improve inclusion for BSL users in island communities.