Cross Party Group Details

Cross Party Group Title:

Cross Party Group on Deaf Issues

Group membership and office holders

Name of Group Chair:

Mark Isherwood MS

Names of other Members of the Senedd:

Rhun Ap Iowerth MS, Mike Hedges MS, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS

Name of Secretary and Organisation:

Tom Lichy/ Martin Griffiths, British Deaf Association

Names of other external members and organisations represented:

Wales Council for Deaf People; British Deaf Association; Alison Bryan; Anthony Evans; Swansea Deaf Centre; Centre for Sign, Sight and Sound; Gareth Foulkes; Cardiff Deaf Centre; Hannah Winters – xxx; Helen Foulkes; Jacqui Bond; BCUHB Audiology; CTM UHB Audiology; Swansea University; Lyndsey Stringer; Deafblind UK; Hearing Link; Velindre UHB; Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists; South Wales Cochlear Implant Support Group; Paul Redfern; Royal National Institute for Deaf People; British Association of Teachers of Deaf Children and Young People; Torfaen County Borough Council; Association of Sign Language Interpreters; National Deaf Children’s Society; AVUK; Lorraine Lewis - Cardiff and Vale UHB Audiology; Thinkedi; Catherine Davies; Cardiff Deaf Centre; Public Health Wales; Health Education & Improvement Wales; All Wales Deaf Mental Health and Wellbeing Group; British Association of Social Workers; Powys Teaching Health Board; Learned Society of Wales; Rhyl City Strategy; Family Fund

Other meetings of the Group since the last AGM

Date of Meeting:

July 19, 2024

Attendees:

Mark Isherwood MS, Tom Lichy (Co-Secretary, BDA), Martin Griffiths (Co-Secretary, BDA), Stuart Parkinson (ABSLTA), Rob Wilks, Polly Winn (RNID), Margaret Buchanon Geddes, Rebecca Mansell (BDA), Alison Bryan, Sarah Thomas (COS), Cath Booth (WCDP), Ioan Bellin, Ryland Doyle, Jane Wild, Sioned Williams, Victoria Bishop-Rowe, Julia Terry, Nigel Williams, Kieran Sawdon (NDCS), Sarah Angove, Catherine Davies,

Summary of the issues discussed:

Main items discussed: Concerns Regarding the Welsh Interpretation and Translation Service (WITS), British Sign Language (BSL) Wales Bill Update; Campaign Planning for BSL Wales Bill, Deafblind Representation in the BSL Bill, Wales Disability Rights Taskforce Discussion 

Date of Meeting:

September 13, 2024

Attendees:

Mark Isherwood MS (Chair), Mike Hedges MS, Sioned Williams MS, Tom Lichy (BDA – Secretary), Noel Kenely (AVUK - presentation), Victoria Bishop Rowe (AVUK – presentation), Stephen McAndrew (Specsavers - presentation), Stuart Parkinson, Ben Culleton, Gareth Foulkes, Lucy Vasiliou, Cath Booth, Rob Wilks, Michelle Fowler, Kieran Sawdon, Ioan Bellin, Sarah Angove, Polly Winn, Margaret Buchanon Geddes,

Summary of the issues discussed:

Presentation: Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK), Specsavers Presentation on NHS Adult-Onset Hearing Loss Services, British Sign Language (BSL) Wales Bill Update, Deaf Representation on Advisory Boards and Disability Equality Strategies

Date of Meeting:

December 12, 2024

Attendees:

Mark Isherwood MS (Chair), Martin Griffths (BDA Cymru – Secretary), Tom Lichy (BDA – Secretary), Polly Winn, Sarah Angove, Hazel Badjie (NDCS), Alison Bryan, Rob Wilks, Ant Evans, Mike Hobday (BDA), Lucy Vasiliou, Paula Williams,

Summary of the issues discussed:

British Sign Language (BSL) Wales Bill Update, GCSE BSL Decision, Welsh BSL Consortium 

Date of Meeting:

March 13, 2025

Attendees:

Mark Isherwood MS (Chair), Mike Hedges MS, Martin Griffiths (BDA Cymru – Secretary), Tom Lichy (BDA – Secretary), Ben Culleton (BDA Cymru), Mike Hobday (BDA), Alison Bryan, Polly Winn (RNID), Kieran Sawdon (NDCS), Susannah Googins (BCUHB Audiology), Biao Zeng (South Wales Uni), Lucy Vasiliou (AVUK),

Summary of the issues discussed:

BSL (Wales) Bill and Campaign Update, RNID Audiology and Earwax Management Update

Date of Meeting:

July 3, 2025

Attendees:

Mark Isherwood MS (Chair), Mike Hedges MS, Jane Hutt MS, Julie Morgan MS, Attaf Hussein MS, Sioned Williams MS, Tom Lichy (BDA, Secretariat), Martin Griffiths (BDA), Ben Culleton (BDA), Mike Hobday (BDA), Colette Forrest (BDA), Stuart Parkinson (ABSLTA), Tori Bishop-Rowe (AVUK), Alison Bryan, Rob Wilks, Lori Lewis, Kieran Sawdon (NDCS), Rob Geaney (RNID), Sarah Capstick, Christopher Shank, Samantha Green, Helen West, WDC, Sarah Thomas (COS), Melanie Toveey (observer), Zeng Biao, Nia Davies (EHRC) (observer), Jamie Williams, Also in attendance:, Lorna Hall, Deputy Director of Equality and Human Rights, Welsh Government, Bethany Thomas, BSL policy manager, Welsh Government,

Summary of the issues discussed:

Presentation on the draft BSL (Wales) Bill, Discussion on the draft BSL (Wales) Bill, Annual General Meeting, Update on Welsh Government BSL Stakeholder Group 

 

Professional lobbyists, voluntary organisations and charities the Group have met during the previous year

Including in attendance at Cross Party Group meetings, the Group met with: Centre for Sign-Sight-Sound; National Deaf Children’s Society; Royal National Institute for Deaf People; British Deaf Association; Specsavers; Auditory Verbal UK; Signature; Association of British Sign Language Teachers and Assessors; Wales Council for Deaf People

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Annual Financial Statement

Cross Party Group Title:

Cross Party Group on Deaf Issues

Date:

03/07/25

Name of Chair:

Mark Isherwood MS

Name of Secretary and Organisation:

Tom Lichy/ Martin Griffiths, British Deaf Association

Title	Description	Amount
Group’s Expenses	None	£0.00
Costs of all goods	No goods bought	£0.00
Benefits received by the group or individuals members from external bodies	No benefits received.	£0.00
Any financial support or other support.	Human labour only	£3,000.00
Total		£3,000.00

Services provided to the Group, such as hospitality.

All hospitality paid for [include the name of the group/organisation].

Date	Name and description of provider	Costs
		£0.00
Total		£0.00