Agenda, decisions and minutes

To receive apologies for absence

Apologies were received from Councillors Beca Brown, Eric M. Jones, Eirwyn Williams and Elwyn Jones (Vice-chair of the Council)

To receive any declaration of personal interest

No declarations of personal interest were received.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration

No urgent items were received.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 25 January 2022 be signed as a true record

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 25 January 2022 as a true record.

An update was sought on how many houses had now been purchased off the open market by the Housing Department. It was noted that the records referred to one house being purchased up to January 2022; enquiries were made about the latest situation. The Language Advisor would verify the number.

To receive an update on how the Leadership Team and Legal Services are implementing the Language Policy and their plan for promoting the Welsh Language in Gwynedd

·         To accept the report and note the observations received.

·         It was agreed for the Chief Executive to write a letter to the Government on behalf of the Language Committee expressing disappointment that it was not always possible for Gwynedd Council officers and others to contribute in Welsh in virtual meetings arranged by the Welsh Government and to encourage them to ensure that simultaneous translation service provision is available without asking in virtual meetings.

The report was submitted by the Chief Executive, the Corporate Director and the Head of Legal Service, and attention was drawn to the following main points, in brief:

-          The Chief Executive reported upon the recent development as a result of changing the Council's use of Microsoft software so that it would be available completely through the medium of Welsh. It was noted that 60% of staff used it voluntarily; this would be changed to be mandatory from the commencement date of the new Council.

-          It was noted that the Council led on a number of regional partnerships such as GwE, the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, North Wales Trunk Road Agency and the North Wales Corporate Joint Committee, with the responsibility for establishing, organising and planning the meetings. It was added that the Council was volunteering to lead on the above as it was an opportunity to influence the language use of the bodies by ensuring that it was established through the medium of Welsh from the outset and implemented the Council's language policy.

-          Reference was made to the Gwynedd and Anglesey Public Services Board, which was attended by the Chief Executive, and that it was an opportunity to influence the use made of the Welsh language by other public organisations.

-          Disappointment was expressed at some organisations where it was a battle to be able to contribute in Welsh in some meetings.  It was noted that Welsh Government was one organisation where very little effort was made to provide an interpreter. It was suggested that the Council should correspond publicly with the Government to express its disappointment.

-          The Corporate Director reported on the main fields under her leadership and she noted examples of trying to influence language use in those fields. Examples of this was always enquiring for Welsh copies of reports at every meeting and ensuring that the interpretation provision was available, particularly in on-line meetings.

-          It was believed that the above examples encouraged others to ask the same questions and that an improvement could be seen compared with the situation ten years ago.

-          Reference was made to the More than Just Words agenda, partnership work and collaboration within the care and community safety fields and the role of Director within Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board as an official contact. Details were given on the More than Just Words Forum, noting that national approval had been received for the forum's work in the North, which shared good practice and collaboration.

-          The Corporate Director reported that she contributed in Welsh at every Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board meeting, as did a number of other members, and that this was encouraged and appreciated by the Chair and Chief Executive of the Health Board.

-          Reference was made to the launch of Foster Wales, and the joint work done to influence and manage to obtain the logo in Welsh first and in English second.

-          The Head of Legal Service reported on the Legal Service, noting  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

To receive an update on how the YGC Department is implementing the Language Policy and their plan for promoting the Welsh Language in Gwynedd

To accept the report and note the observations received.

The report was submitted by the Head of Gwynedd Consultancy, noting that the Department was dealing with the engineering world, which was considered to be quite an English industry. This led to problems with recruiting staff with high standard language skills. It was noted that the Department was working on a number of projects and plans to help staff meet the language designations of their posts and to improve the linguistic skills of the workforce; details of these projects were available in the report. Reference was made to the following points in the report:

-          The Welsh Language Learning and Development Officers were thanked for their work supporting the Department's staff to assess their own linguistic ability and to provide further training where needed. 

-          Reference was made to individuals within the Department who had made progress and were encouraged to speak Welsh as a result of schemes such as the Cynllun Cyfeillion or Cynllun Arfer via the University.

-          It was noted that the Department encouraged teams to hold their conversations through the medium of Welsh. It was acknowledged that the lockdown period had disrupted this progress somewhat and it was intended to recommence the support for teams to use the Welsh language as the workforce's day-to-day language.

-          It was emphasised that the Department would seek to extend their use of the Welsh language internally and with other bodies such as contractors and advisers further by corresponding in Welsh; it was believed that this showed an impact and had an influence.

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations.  During the discussion, the following matters were raised:

-          Thanks was expressed for the presentation and for all of the Department's work. It was noted that the success of the Cynllun Adfer via the University was very interesting and it was asked whether other Councils and Organisations were aware of this and whether it could be marketed.

-          It was asked whether the courses for staff to receive professional engineering qualifications being offered in Welsh, and if not, was there room to ask Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol for support to ensure that the courses were being offered bilingually. It was questioned what Education establishments were doing to assist the Department which sought to provide a Welsh workforce with relevant qualifications.

-          A comment was made about the technical terminology associated with the field and it was suggested that it was possible to continue to have conversations about the work in Welsh, despite the fact that terminology used was in English. It was believed that it was important to discuss work in Welsh, whilst continuing to use the English technical terminology, in order to raise the confidence of staff.

In response, the Head of Gwynedd Consultancy noted:

-          It was expressed that work was not being done by the Department to promote the Cynllun Adfer, but rather there was reporting back between the Council and the University. The Language Adviser added that the Language service was a part  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To receive an update on how the Economy and Community Department is implementing the Language Policy and their plan for promoting the Welsh Language in Gwynedd

To accept the report and note the observations received.

The report was presented by the Head of Economy and Community Department, and she referred briefly to the following main points:

-          It was noted that a small reduction had been seen in the number of staff who had met the language designation of their posts, compared with the previous year. It was believed that this was a reflection of the increase in the number of temporary staff appointed over the past year, e.g. additional wardens in order to respond to the Covid situation.

-          It was reported that opportunities had arisen to develop the language of those who did not meet the requirements. It was noted that individuals had taken advantage of the opportunities and had appreciated the support and encouragement given to develop their language skills. It was added that challenges existed when completing a language self-assessment as so many temporary seasonal staff were in the Department and some had now left.

-          Some new service fields introduced during the Covid period were highlighted. Then, the opportunity was taken to place emphasis on providing the information in Welsh and promoting the services available in Welsh.

-          It was reported that the Libraries and Archives Service were valuable resources for families which enabled children to hear the Welsh language and participate in activities. The importance of the Archives service which provided information packs and Welsh materials to Gwynedd Schools was emphasised; now there was an increased emphasis on this resource.  

-          Reference was made to the work of promoting Welsh culture that was being done by the Tourism, Marketing and Events Service. Reference was made to the work currently underway on the linguistic impact of the increasing number of tourists in the County. It was noted that measures were now in place to measure the impact on the language of the County.

-          The Department's expectation on partners who collaborated with them to provide materials bilingually was expressed. It was added that the Department ensured that websites and apps were available bilingually, and they ensured that they were available in Welsh to other Counties and partnerships. It was reported that the Department had strengthened the language requirements as a condition in tenders when awarding contracts.

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations.  During the discussion, the following matters were raised:

-          Gratitude was expressed for the full report and it was expressed, whilst acknowledging the magnitude of the task, that it would be interesting to see the outcome of the work on the impact of tourists on the language.

-          Enquiries were made as to when this work would be published.

-          It was noted that location played a part in how harmful tourism could be to the language in a specific area. This work was welcomed and it was believed that the results would be interesting.

-          It was asked whether it was possible to measure how much tourism that the history, language and culture of Wales attract to Gwynedd and to Wales, i.e.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

To consider the report

To accept the report and note the observations received.

The Senior Language and Scrutiny Advisor submitted the report. An overview was provided of the work and priorities of Hunaniaith, Gwynedd's Language Initiative. Reference was made to the report which detailed the initiative's various projects that were undertaken during the past year. Members were encouraged to watch the videos, with reference being made to the language awareness video; the links to the videos could be seen in the report.  

Members were given the opportunity to ask further questions:

-          Enquiries were made about the mindset of moving Hunaniaith away from the Council.

-          Reference was made to the language awareness video created by the Hunaniaith team which referred to the seven important things about the History of Wales; the video was deemed to be excellent and a powerful resource. It was confirmed that a version of the video was also available with English subtitles.

It was explained that the strategic group was eager for Hunaniaith to be a more independent entity from the Council and that this would have its advantages; it was noted that many other language initiatives were community initiatives. It was added that the future sustainability of the initiative would need to be ensured. An update would be provided to the Committee in the new term.

DECISION

To accept the report and note the observations received.

To present the latest information to the Committee on complaints and examples of success when promoting the use of Welsh in the Council's services

To accept the report and note the observations received.

The Language Advisor submitted the report, which noted the complaints and examples of successes experienced when promoting the use of the Welsh language in the Council.

Reference was made to the recent developments, including the language awareness sessions for Council staff that had recommenced virtually recently. These sessions would be run by the Language Advisor and Welsh Language Learning and Development Officer and had received very positive feedback; the sessions would continue and would be offered to more Departments across the Council.

Reference was made to the complaints, along with the recent adjudication following an investigation by the Welsh Language Commissioner with regards to the language requirements of the post of Chief Executive. It was reported that further actions had been taken, emphasising that this case or adjudication was not a reflection on the Council's usual arrangements. Details were given of the new conditions that were now in place as a part of the recruitment policy; those conditions would be added to the language policy. This meant that the language requirements would be noted clearly on every occasion.

A report was given on some recent enquiries; some of which were a part of broader national enquiries; further details could be seen in the report. Reference was also made to the three complaints received relating to the Council's language policy; one as a result of IT matters that were in the process of attempting to be resolved and further work that was in progress to address the matter. No complaint was relevant to the Council as the Council had no powers to enforce in respect of the language matters of private sector businesses. The final complaint regarding an English-only pamphlet received by the public had been resolved; arrangements were made to translate the pamphlet urgently as well as check and update further materials within the Department in question.

Members were given the opportunity to ask further questions:

-          Attention was drawn to the fact that the same type of complaints and issues arose compared with other years.

-          The members expressed their thanks for the report.

DECISION

To accept the report and note the observations received.

At the end of the meeting, members took the opportunity to extend the Committee's condolences to the family of Aled Roberts, Welsh Language Commissioner, as he had passed away recently.