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Have your say on a new language strategy for Wales

21 Oct 2009 11:07 AM

 

The Heritage Minister, Alun Ffred Jones has visited the Chapter Arts Centre in Canton. He discussed the Welsh Assembly Government’s plans for a new Welsh language strategy with a class of adult Welsh learners and encouraged people to have their say.

The strategy will guide the action that will be taken by the Welsh Assembly Government in order to promote and protect the Welsh language.  It will incorporate the new opportunities that arise from the Welsh Language LCO which will allow the National Assembly to legislate on the language for the first time. 

The Welsh Language LCO is now progressing to its final stages having been laid in the Assembly on 20th October ahead of the debate on the 3rd of November.

The Heritage Minister said:

“The Welsh Assembly Government is seeking the power to enable the National Assembly for Wales to legislate to confirm official status for both English and Welsh, linguistic rights in the provision of services and establish the post of Language Commissioner.

“However, seeking legislative competence for the National Assembly with regard to the language is only one part of the jigsaw.  Last week we formally opened the consultation process for a new language strategy which will follow Iaith Pawb.

“Iaith Pawb was an important step in the history of the Welsh language – the first national strategy for Welsh by any government.  But more than six years have passed since it was launched and the Welsh language landscape has changed significantly in that time.

“It is therefore timely to look at what needs to be done to promote and facilitate the use of the language.  I would like to invite everybody to have a say about the other elements that are important in a language policy in order to feed into the process of developing a new strategy.”

The consultation will cover a wide range of areas including;

  • The use of Welsh in families
  • Encouraging children and young people to use Welsh
  • The use of Welsh as a community language
  • Mainstreaming Welsh in the work of public sector organisations
  • Promoting Welsh within the private and the third sector
  • Reading, watching and listening in Welsh
  • Having the tools in place to support the use of Welsh (including terminology, translation, technology and research)
  • The marketing of the language

People will be able to have their say until the end of January 2010.

Related Links

We would like to hear your views on what should go into our new Welsh Language strategy.