§ Mr. TynanTo ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his statement of 18 March 2003,Official Report, column 41WS, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Executive regarding support for British Sign Language; and what proportion of the funding announced will be used to support the use of British Sign Language in Scotland. [122174]
§ Maria EagleThe Department is in regular contact with the Scottish Executive over a range of issues.
We have said that all parts of Great Britain will benefit from the initiatives to be funded from the additional £1 million we have made available to support the statement on British Sign Language. We have established a BSL working group with representatives from key organisations of and for Deaf people with 519W remits across Great Britain. They are charged with ensuring that initiatives reflect needs across GB including Scottish interests.