The Sign Language Act received Royal Assent on 11 August, according to the Department for Communities, providing a new milestone for legislation concerning sign-language users in Northern Ireland. The Act had previously been expected to commence in September.
The department’s record of Royal Assent updates the position since earlier reporting on the proposed September commencement. Royal Assent and commencement are separate stages in the progress of the legislation, with September remaining the planned point for the Act to begin.
The legislation concerns the recognition of sign language and support for people who use sign language in Northern Ireland. Its progress has been recorded by the Department for Communities, which is responsible for the update issued this week.
Royal Assent was granted on Tuesday, 11 August. The Department for Communities has listed that date as the formal legislative-status development for the Act, ahead of the anticipated September start date previously identified.
The planned commencement has not been displaced by the Royal Assent announcement. Instead, the new development confirms that the Act has passed a further stage on its route towards the planned implementation timetable next month.
The Department for Communities has not altered the central focus of the legislation in its update: recognition and support for sign-language users in Northern Ireland. The latest announcement concerns the Act’s status, while the planned September commencement remains the next expected point in its implementation.