To consider the
report of the Language Consultant
Minutes:
A
report was presented by the Language Advisor, briefly reporting on the findings of
the Welsh Language Commissioner's Assurance Report. It was
noted that the report was the result of work to monitor complaints,
research, observing and questioning focus groups, which demonstrated findings
about the success of organisations to implement and comply with the Standards.
The
Commissioner's latest assurance report was published under the title Rights in
Use in summer 2019. The report focused on the ability of organisations to
guarantee that an individual's right to Welsh language services was satisfied
and the public's use of these services.
Attention was
drawn to the relevant matters in the report;
-
That
awareness needed to be raised of the requirements of the Standards
-
There
was a need to ensure that everyone across the Council was aware of their responsibilities
and duties in terms of the Standards
-
More
activities needed to be considered to check services at random
-
That
the self-monitoring form needed to be used as a means of gathering information
regularly by departments for compliance
-
That
sufficient time and staff resources be allocated to fulfil the role of monitoring the
implementation of the Standards.
-
That
executive and specialist officers be included early enough in the planning and
implementation of projects in order to make the best of every opportunity to
promote the Welsh language.
-
There
was a need to motivate people to use Welsh and gather meaningful information
with regard to an individual's language use.
The members
expressed their thanks for the report, and the actions were
welcomed.
During the ensuing
discussion, the following main observations were noted by
members:
-
That
the Council needed to communicate its expectation for people to contact the
Council through the medium of Welsh
-
Needed
to emphasise that the Council's administrative language was Welsh
-
Needed
to promote the fact that a very high percentage of staff spoke Welsh
-
There
was a need to maximise the use of the Welsh language in information technology
-
Heads
of Departments should be invited in turn to share
experiences / good practices on how they responded to the requirements of the
Standards. There was a suggestion to report on the situation of the Welsh
language in their departments, offering examples of successes and challenges so
that the Committee was aware of the situation.
-
A
request for the Cabinet Member to present a brief report to meetings of the
Committee, which would provide a strategic overview on the work of the Council
-
A
request to include reports on complaints / commendations as a fixed item on the
agenda
Resolved:
·
To invite Heads of Departments to the
Committee in turn to provide an update on the situation within their
departments.
·
Restore the practice of including
complaint reports as a short, standing item on the agenda
which would also include commendations.
·
That the Cabinet Member presents a short
report that would provide a strategic overview on developments in the field of
the Welsh language within the Council.
Supporting documents: