Advisory Division of the Council of State said that the text of the bill was still too vague and did not clarify which problems it intended to address and how it would do so; it asked if "the Deaf culture" mentioned in the bill also needed to be legally recognised and, if so, what that term entailed. New Zealand New Zealand Sign Language became the country's third official language, joining English and Māori, when a bill was passed in the New Zealand Parliament on 6 April 2006. North Macedonia Macedonian Sign Language () is officially recognized as a "natural way of communication between people", and is regulated by a law which allows anyone in North Macedonia to study it. The law also ensures the right to an interpreter upon request. Northern Ireland British and Irish Sign Language were recognised as official languages by the Northern Ireland Office in 2004. Norway Norwegian Sign Language is recognised by law for education. Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinean Sign Language became the country's fourth official language in May 2015. Philippines Article 3 of Republic Act No. 11106 declared Filipino Sign Language the country's national sign language, specifying that it be recognized, supported and promoted as the medium of official communication in all transactions involving the deaf and the language of instruction in deaf education. Peru Peru officially recognized Peruvian Sign Language as the country's national sign language by law published in the official Gazette on 21 May. (Diario Oficial El Peruano Portugal Russia Russian Sign Language () has limited legal recognition. Under the federal Law on Protection of People with Disabilities, it is considered a language used for inter-personal communication only; no state support is provided. Slovakia Slovak Sign Language was recognised in 1995 by law. South Africa South African Sign Language (SASL) is not specifically recognised as an official language by the country's constitution, and the phrase "sign language" is used generically. On 13 November 2009, the Constitutional Review Committee met to explore the possibility of upgrading SASL to South Africa's 12th official language. In May 2022 the 18th Constitutional Amendment Bill to make SASL an official language, was published for public comment. South Korea The "South Korean National Assembly passed legislation to recognize Korean Sign Language as one of Korea's official languages" on 31 December 2015. Spain Valencia Sri Lanka According to a 23 September 2010 report, Sri Lankan Sign Language