 Welcome to the Scottish Parliament. For the last five months, the Education and Culture Committee have been examining the British Sign Language Scotland Bill. Today we're publishing our reports into the general principles of the bill and I'm very pleased to say that the committee unanimously supports the principles of the BSL Scotland Bill. We now hope to get the parliament to agree and vote and support those bill proposals quite soon. Obviously we're also going to then go on and examine the bill at stage two and stage three so there's still a lot of work to do with the bill. One of the things that I think is most important parts of the process that we undertook was to explain that while the bill has the intention of prioritising and promoting BSL, it doesn't actually place any obligations on service users and local authorities and other public bodies. The intention is of course to ensure that they publish plans and that they make proper proposals for how they support BSL users across the country. But today we publish a report and I'm delighted that you've come along to the parliament to hear about the bill and also to hopefully ask me some questions about what the committee thought about the bill and its processes. Okay so the BSL bill how is that going to improve services for deaf and deaf blind people who use BSL? I think that's a very good question because this is one of the things that the committee struggled with to try and understand what the impact if the bill was passed would be because the bill doesn't actually lay any obligations on public services but what it does do is it will do a number of things. It will establish a planning framework to ensure that not only is there a national plan provided by the Scottish Government but also public authorities, national health service, local authorities for example will publish local plans about what they will do to ensure that services meet the needs of deaf and deaf blind members of the community. As we say in our report what's important here is that the plans that are published actually deliver improvements for deaf and deaf blind members of the community. Although the main thrust of the bill is to increase the profile of BSL users a bit like the Gallic Language Bill did it's important that that has an actual practical impact on services across the country. We have to see progress and of course again one of the most important things is that there is a review element within the bill to ensure that once those plans are published we see if they're having an impact and they are properly reviewed to ensure that actual progress is being made in delivering important and the needed services across the public sector. So a lot of work should come out from a successful implementation of the bill but obviously we have to make sure that the plans are published are not just a box ticking exercise but actually make a practical difference to the deaf and deaf blind community of Scotland. Okay so the local service providers when they have to provide services to deaf and deaf blind people what if there the quality isn't as it should be how can deaf people get involved to to make that highlighted. I think this is one of the most important things one of the recommendations that we've made to try and improve the bill because the bill is only stage one at the moment there are several amending stages to go and we want to change the bill to ensure that for example the BSL plans that will be published by public bodies must be published in BSL. At the moment the bill doesn't say that I think it's critical that all the plans are published in BSL. I think it's also absolutely critical that local BSL users deaf and deaf blind users across the country are able to contribute to the consultation process in delivering the plans and so we want to make sure that given the fact that it's critical that users get to get involved in the consultation process and get involved in giving their opinions to local authorities and national health service boards then the BSL plans must be published in BSL that's I think one of the most critical points. I think secondly we certainly support very strongly the Scottish Government's proposal to establish an advisory board. The advisory board is very important I think in making sure the government is on the right track in terms of the national plan and the work below that of the local plans and I think what's most important about that advisory board is that it's made up of many contributors from the deaf and the deaf blind community themselves. It can't be an advisory board made up of officials and civil servants and representatives it must have actual members of the deaf and deaf blind community on that advisory group. If that's the case then I think we'll get right to the heart of the problem and those individuals will be able to give real life experience to that advisory group that will influence the plan and because of that I think that's how we'll get the real opinions of deaf and deaf blind people across Scotland right to the heart of the service provision which at the moment isn't really providing the kind of services that deaf and deaf blind people need. Yeah this thing is very positive and very encouraging and hopefully the BSL bill will go through the various stages and be successful in being passed. Well we hope so we've spent as I said the last five months examining the bill we understand that it's about prioritising services and it's also about profile but we hope that the fact that this is done will have a positive and practical impact on the actual service delivery across the country. I think I'd like to say just in conclusion if you don't mind can I thank you first of all for coming along to the parliament today I think it's very important that the community is involved not only at the start of the process but right through the process and also once the bill hopefully is passed right involved as I said a moment ago in making sure the plans are actually practical and deliverable for the community. Our report can be read on the Scottish Parliament's website and as I said earlier as well we will of course continue to publish our documents in BSL to do with the BSL bill so that the deaf and deaf blind community have immediate access to the work that's going on here by the Education and Culture Committee on the British Sign Language Bill. That's great thank you very much. Thank you.