UK Parliament unveils broadcast accessibility improvements - including live subtitling and expansion of BSL provision

This is part of a range of improvements by UK Parliament to increase the accessibility of broadcasting.

This will include British Sign Language interpretation for all departmental questions, Ministerial Statements and Urgent Questions in the Main Chambers, after summer 2023.

Those who watch proceedings on Parliamentlive.TV will be able to toggle these features found in the settings menu.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the House of Commons, said: “If we want to engage people in our proceedings, we need to make them as accessible as possible, so the introduction of sub-titles is another step forward in doing that.

“Not only does it make it easier for those who are hard of hearing to follow our debates, but also newcomers to politics - who find our terminology challenging - may find it easier to comprehend them in written form.

“We already have British Sign Language interpretation for Prime Minister’s Questions, so I am looking forward to the introduction of this for all our proceedings later in the year.”

Lord McFall of Alcluith, the Lord Speaker, said: “The Lords have always strived to give the public greater insight into their work.

“The House of Lords led the way on broadcasting in Parliament, with TV coverage of the chamber beginning in 1985. Today, our proceedings are watched live by viewers engaging with UK Parliament in every corner of the country.

“The latest upgrade towards greater accessibility is welcome progress, and I’m sure every peer will be happy to see this step forward. Strengthening the links between Parliament and UK society is something they regard as crucial.”

These improvements follow the five-year Audio-Visual Programme which suggested improvements to Parliamentary broadcasting.

Previously enacted recommendations included replacing and upgrading sound and camera systems and the digitization of 86,000 video tapes of all proceedings since recordings began in 1989.

John Angeli, Director, Parliamentary Broadcasting Unit, said: “The changes we are making today will greatly increase the accessibility of Parliamentary broadcasting.

“With live subtitling more households than ever will be able to follow the proceedings in both the House of Commons and the Lords. And further changes will bring the work of Parliamentarians to even more.

“The work of UK Parliament is important to everyone, and everyone deserves access to the work of MPs and peers. I’m glad these steps made today will assist with that.”