Welsh courts to become bilingual
Courts across Wales will have to publish all information in both Welsh and English, following new guidelines.
The New Welsh Language Scheme was launched today at the National Eisteddfod in Felinheli, near Bangor.
Her Majesty’s Courts Service Welsh director Nick Chibnall hailed the move as an “important step” designed to “bring justice closer to the people”.
“The new scheme builds on the policies already in place and explains how in the future services in Welsh will be delivered to the public in Wales,” he said.
About 20 per cent of the population in Wales speaks Welsh, according to figures based on the 2001 national census. This was a rise of about two per cent from the 1991 census.
The public sector in Wales has had to provide a bilingual service since the Welsh Language Act in 1993.
