Graeme yesterday asked the Social Security Minister what action the Scottish Government is taking to support disabled people, in light of the paper published by the United Nations in October 2017 that set out its concluding observations on its initial report about United Kingdom reforms.
Support for Disabled People
- 5. Graeme Dey (Angus South) (SNP):
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support disabled people, in light of the paper published by the United Nations in October 2017 that set out its concluding observations on its initial report about United Kingdom reforms. (S5O-01349)
- The Minister for Social Security (Jeane Freeman):
The UN’s concluding observations recognise the positive steps that the Scottish Government is taking, including publication of our disability action plan and involving disabled people in building a new social security system. Those observations are, of course, welcome.
The Scottish Government has begun to review our disability action plan against those concluding observations, and we will move on to discuss with disabled people and organisations that represent them what we need to do to align our work to areas that have been highlighted by the UN. In fact, I began that discussion this morning.
In addition, I have written to the UK Government to ask what it will do to address the concerns that have been highlighted by the UN—in particular, those about personal independence payment regulations and employment and support allowance sanctions—and to ask what the UK Government will do to involve disabled people in assessing its policies that will impact on their lives.
- Graeme Dey:
The minister will be aware that there is a recommendation to
“Ensure that legislation provides for the right to educated high-quality sign language interpretation and other forms of alternative communication in all spheres of life for deaf persons and hard of hearing persons in line with the Convention”.
How will the Scottish Government seek to ensure that it complies with that recommendation?
- Jeane Freeman:
As Graeme Dey will know, the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act was passed and received royal assent in 2015. I am sure that members know that, in following that up, we published yesterday our first BSL national plan—the first such plan in the United Kingdom.
We also recognise that delivery of many of the improvements that we want depends on the availability of qualified BSL/English interpreters who have the right skills and experience. The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council is, therefore, already supporting an MA in BSL/English interpreting. Over the next two years, we will sponsor two new training programmes—one at Heriot-Watt University and one at Queen Margaret University—that are designed to support interpreters to work in the specialist fields of health, mental health and justice.
We have also introduced and funded the first nationally funded BSL online interpreting video-relay service. Finally, I say that we fund an inclusive communication website that provides tools and guidance on how to make information accessible.
