Legislation Committee No. 5

The Proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Welsh Language) Order 2009

Consultation Response

IG29(o) Presbyterian Church of Wales

The Presbyterian Church of Wales fully supports the proposed request, by means of a Legislative Competence Order, to transfer the right to legislate on matters relating to the Welsh language from Westminster to the Welsh Assembly Government, in line with the One Wales programme. We firmly believe that the National Assembly is the appropriate place to discuss matters relating to the Welsh language.

We feel that the priority now is to secure the Order, and that the use made of it to enhance the use of Welsh in specific areas is a matter for discussion at a later date. Our concern is that all the detail included in the consultation will complicate the process of securing the Order in the first place, and could cloud the fundamental principle, which is that the Welsh Assembly Government, rather than Westminster, is the place to discuss any proposed measures concerning the language.

Nevertheless, we support the intention of making new legislation that would require organisations providing public services in Wales, along with other organisations that receive funding from the Welsh Assembly Government, to provide equivalent services in Welsh and English.

Furthermore, we support the intention to establish the post of a Language Commissioner to safeguard the interests of the Welsh language, thereby confirming the official status of the Welsh language, alongside English.

We believe that there is scope to legislate further in relation to which services the public should be able to access bilingually, as well as ensuring people’s freedom to use Welsh with each other in the workplace.

Having said this, we acknowledge that legislation alone cannot save the language or increase the use that is made of it; we therefore call on the people of Wales to exercise their existing rights to use Welsh in the public domain, and to use the services that are already available to them.

Glyn Tudwal Jones
Secretary of the Church and Society Department
Presbyterian Church of Wales