Legalize / United Kingdom / Wales / Measure of the Welsh Assembly

Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011

Type Measure of the Welsh Assembly

Publication 2026-01-01

State In force

Jurisdiction Wales

Department Statute Law Database

Source legislation.gov.uk

Reform history JSON API

PART 1 — OFFICIAL STATUS OF THE WELSH LANGUAGE

Official status of the Welsh language

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(1) The Welsh language has official status in Wales.

(2) Without prejudice to the general principle of subsection (1), the official status of the Welsh language is given legal effect by the enactments about—

(a) duties on bodies to use the Welsh language, and the rights which arise from the enforceability of those duties, which enable Welsh speakers to use the language in dealings with those bodies (such as the provision of services by those bodies);

(b) the treatment of the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language;

(d) the promotion and facilitation of the use of the Welsh language;

(e) the freedom of persons wishing to use the Welsh language to do so with one another;

(f) the creation of the Welsh Language Commissioner; and

(g) other matters relating to the Welsh language.

(3) Those enactments include (but are not limited to) the enactments which—

(a) require the Welsh and English languages to be treated on the basis of equality in the conduct of the proceedings of the National Assembly for Wales;

(b) confer a right to speak the Welsh language in legal proceedings in Wales;

(i) Measures and Acts of the National Assembly for Wales, and

(ii) subordinate legislation;

(d) impose a duty on the Welsh Ministers to adopt a strategy setting out how they propose to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language;

(e) create standards of conduct that relate to the use of the Welsh language, or the treatment of the Welsh language no less favourably than the English language, in connection with—

(i) delivering services,

(ii) making policy, and

(iii) exercising functions or conducting businesses and other undertakings;

(f) create standards of conduct in promoting and facilitating the use of the Welsh language;

(g) create standards of conduct for keeping records in connection with the Welsh language;

(h) impose a duty to comply with those standards of conduct that are created, and create remedies for failures to comply with them; and

(i) create the Welsh Language Commissioner with functions that include—

(i) promoting the use of the Welsh language,

(ii) facilitating the use of the Welsh language,

(iii) working towards ensuring that the Welsh language is treated no less favourably than the English language,

(iv) conducting inquiries into matters relating to the Commissioner's functions, and

(v) investigating interference with the freedom to use the Welsh language.

(4) This Measure does not affect the status of the English language in Wales.

PART 2 — THE WELSH LANGUAGE COMMISSIONER

The Commissioner

The Welsh Language Commissioner

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(1) There is to be a Welsh Language Commissioner (referred to in this Measure as “the Commissioner”).

(2) The First Minister must appoint the Commissioner.

(3) Schedule 1 makes further provision about the Commissioner.

(4) For provision about the integrity of the Commissioner, see Chapter 1 of Part 8.

General duty

The Commissioner's principal aim

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(1) The principal aim of the Commissioner in exercising his or her functions is to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language.

(2) The actions which the Commissioner must undertake in exercising functions in accordance with subsection (1) include (but are not limited to) working towards increasing—

(a) the use of the Welsh language in the provision of services, and

(b) other opportunities for persons to use the Welsh language.

(3) In exercising functions in accordance with subsection (1), the Commissioner must have regard to—

(a) the official status which the Welsh language has in Wales,

(b) the duties to use Welsh which are (or may be) imposed by law, and the rights which arise from the enforceability of those duties,

(d) the principle that persons in Wales should be able to live their lives through the medium of the Welsh language if they choose to do so.

Functions

Promoting and facilitating use of Welsh and treating Welsh no less favourably than English

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(1) The Commissioner may do anything that he or she thinks appropriate—

(a) to promote the use of the Welsh language,

(b) to facilitate the use of the Welsh language, or

(2) That includes, but is not limited to, doing any of the following things—

(a) promoting the provision of opportunities to use the Welsh language;

(b) encouraging best practice in relation to the use of Welsh by persons who deal with, or provide services to, other persons;

(d) producing and publishing reports;

(e) carrying out, or commissioning others to carry out, research;

(f) carrying out, or commissioning others to carry out, educational activities;

(g) giving assistance (including financial assistance) to any person;

(h) making recommendations in writing to the Welsh Ministers;

(i) making representations to any person;

(j) giving advice to any person.

(3) If the Commissioner makes a recommendation or representation, or gives advice, to the Welsh Ministers in writing, they must have due regard to the recommendation, representation or advice in exercising any function to which it relates.

(4) The power of the Commissioner under subsection (2)(g) to give financial assistance is subject to section 11(4).

(5) The powers of the Commissioner under subsection (2)(h) to (j) to make recommendations or representations, or to give advice, to a person (including the Welsh Ministers) may be exercised whether or not the person has requested the Commissioner to exercise the powers.

(6) The Commissioner may consult the Advisory Panel in connection with the exercise of a function conferred by this section.

Production of 5-year reports

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(1) The Commissioner must produce, in relation to each reporting period, a report on the position of the Welsh language in that period.

(2) In this Measure, such a report is referred to as “a 5-year report”.

(3) If a 5-year report is the first such report to be produced after a census, the report must include the following matters—

(a) a report of the results of the census so far as they relate to the Welsh language;

(b) an assessment of the implications of those results for the position of the Welsh language.

(4) Subsection (3) does not limit the matters which the Commissioner may include in any 5-year report.

(5) In this section—

“census” (“cyfrifiad”) means a census taken under the Census Act 1920 in Wales (whether or not the census is also taken elsewhere than in Wales);

“reporting period” (“cyfnod adrodd”) means—the period that begins with the day on which section 2 comes into force and ends with 31 December 2015; andeach successive period of 5 years.

5-year reports: supplementary

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(1) In preparing each 5-year report, the Commissioner—

(a) must consult the Advisory Panel, and

(b) may consult any other persons that the Commissioner thinks it appropriate to consult.

(2) The Commissioner must publish each 5-year report in Welsh and in English.

(3) The Commissioner must publish each 5-year report as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of the period to which it relates.

(4) As soon as reasonably practicable after each 5-year report is published, the Commissioner must send a copy of the report to the Welsh Ministers.

(5) The Welsh Ministers must—

(a) examine each 5-year report submitted to them, and

(b) lay a copy of the report before the National Assembly for Wales.

Inquiries

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(1) The Commissioner may conduct an inquiry into any matter relating to any of the Commissioner's functions.

(2) But that is subject to subsections (3) to (5).

(3) Subsection (1) does not authorise the Commissioner to conduct an inquiry in a case where he or she—

(a) may or must carry out a standards investigation under Chapter 8 of Part 4, or

(b) undertakes (and does not discontinue) an investigation under Part 5.

(4) Subsection (1) does not authorise the Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the failure, by one or more particular persons, to comply with one or more relevant requirements.

(5) Subsection (1) does not authorise the Commissioner to conduct an inquiry into the interference, by one or more particular persons, with the freedom to communicate in Welsh (but see Part 6 for power to investigate certain interference with that freedom).

(6) Subsection (4) or (5) does not prevent the Commissioner from taking the conduct of one or more particular persons into account when conducting an inquiry into—

(a) failure to comply with relevant requirements, or

(b) interference with the freedom to communicate in Welsh.

(7) The Commissioner may—

(a) discontinue, or

(b) suspend,

the conduct of an inquiry or any aspect of an inquiry.

(8) If, in the course of an inquiry, the Commissioner begins to suspect that a person may have failed to comply with one or more relevant requirements—

(a) in continuing the inquiry the Commissioner must, so far as possible, avoid further consideration of whether or not the person has failed to comply with the requirements,

(b) the Commissioner may commence an investigation into that question under Part 5, and

(c) the Commissioner may use information or evidence acquired in the course of the inquiry for the purpose of the investigation.

(9) Schedule 2 makes supplemental provision about inquiries.

(10) In this section, a reference to failure to comply with one or more relevant requirements has the same meaning as in Part 5.

Judicial review and other legal proceedings

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(1) The Commissioner may institute or intervene in legal proceedings in England and Wales if it appears to the Commissioner that the proceedings are relevant to a matter in respect of which the Commissioner has a function.

(2) Subsection (1)—

(a) does not create a cause of action, and

(b) is subject to any limitation or restriction imposed by virtue of an enactment or in accordance with the practice of a court.

(3) In this section “legal proceedings” includes, but is not limited to, proceedings before any court or tribunal.

Legal assistance

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(1) The Commissioner may provide an individual with assistance if the person is, or may become, a party to actual or possible legal proceedings in England and Wales that are relevant to a matter in respect of which the Commissioner has a function.

(2) This section does not affect any restriction imposed in respect of representation—

(a) by virtue of an enactment, or

(b) in accordance with the practice of a court or tribunal.

(3) It is for the Commissioner to determine, for the purposes of this section, whether there are possible legal proceedings that are relevant to a matter in respect of which the Commissioner has a function.

(4) In this section—

“assistance” (“cymorth”) includes, but is not limited to, the following things—legal advice;legal representation;facilities for the settlement of a dispute;

“legal proceedings” (“achos cyfreithiol”) includes, but is not limited to, proceedings before any court or tribunal.

Legal assistance: costs

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(1) This section applies where—

(a) the Commissioner has assisted an individual under section 9 in relation to proceedings, and

(b) the individual becomes entitled to some or all of his or her costs in the proceedings (whether by virtue of an award or by virtue of an agreement).

(2) The Commissioner's expenses in providing the assistance—

(a) are charged on sums paid to the individual by way of costs, and

(b) may be enforced as a debt due to the Commissioner.

(3) A requirement to pay money to the Commissioner under subsection (2) ranks after a requirement imposed by virtue of section 11(4)(f) of the Access to Justice Act 1999 (recovery of costs in funded cases).

(4) For the purposes of subsection (2), the Commissioner's expenses are to be calculated in accordance with such provision (if any) as the Welsh Ministers make for the purpose by regulations.

(5) Regulations under subsection (4) may, amongst other things, provide for the apportionment of expenditure incurred by the Commissioner—

(a) partly for one purpose and partly for another, or

(b) for general purposes.

Powers

11

(1) The Commissioner may do anything that he or she thinks to be appropriate in connection with any of his or her functions.

(2) That includes, but is not limited to, any of the following things—

(a) making grants and loans and giving guarantees;

(b) charging for the provision of advice or other services;

(d) accepting gifts of money or other property;

(e) acquiring or disposing of any property or right.

(3) Subsection (2) is subject to subsections (4) to (6).

(4) The Commissioner must not—

(a) make a grant or loan,

(b) give a guarantee, or

except with the approval of the Welsh Ministers.

(5) Subsection (4) does not apply to anything done under section 9.

(6) The Commissioner's power to charge for the provision of advice or services is limited to charging such amounts as the Commissioner thinks appropriate to recover the actual or estimated costs to the Commissioner of providing that advice or those services.

Staff

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(1) The Commissioner—

(a) must appoint a person to be the Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner (referred to in this Measure as “the Deputy Commissioner”), and

(b) may appoint such other staff as the Commissioner thinks appropriate in connection with the exercise of his or her functions.

(2) References in this Measure to the Commissioner's staff are to the Deputy Commissioner and other staff.

(3) The Commissioner may pay remuneration to the members of the Commissioner's staff.

(4) The Commissioner may pay allowances (including, but not limited to, travelling and subsistence allowances) and gratuities to the members of the Commissioner's staff.

(5) The Commissioner may pay—

(a) pensions to, or in respect of, persons who have been members of the Commissioner's staff, and

(b) amounts for or towards provision of pensions to, or in respect of, persons who have been members of the Commissioner's staff.

(6) The Commissioner must obtain the approval of the Welsh Ministers for—

(a) the number of staff that may be appointed,

(b) the terms and conditions of service of the staff, and

(7) The First Minister must appoint the Deputy Commissioner if—

(a) the office of Commissioner is vacant, or

(b) it appears to the First Minister that the Commissioner will fail to appoint the Deputy Commissioner in accordance with this section.

(8) For provision about the integrity of the Deputy Commissioner, see Chapter 1 of Part 8.

Exercise of Commissioner's functions by staff

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(1) The Commissioner may delegate any or all of the Commissioner's functions to a member of the Commissioner's staff.

(2) The functions of the Commissioner are exercisable by the Deputy Commissioner if—

(a) the office of Commissioner is vacant, or

(b) it appears to the First Minister that the Commissioner is for any reason unable to exercise the functions of Commissioner.

(3) If a function of the Commissioner is exercisable by a member of the Commissioner's staff in accordance with subsection (1) or (2), any property or rights vested in the Commissioner may be dealt with by the member of staff in exercising the function as if vested in the member of staff.

Complaints procedure

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(1) The Commissioner must establish a procedure for the investigation of complaints about acts or omissions relating to the exercise of the Commissioner's functions (“the complaints procedure”).

(2) The complaints procedure must include provision about—

(a) how a complaint may be made;

(b) the person to whom a complaint may be made;

(d) action that the Commissioner must consider taking in response to a complaint.

(3) The Commissioner may amend the complaints procedure.

(4) The Commissioner must—

(a) ensure that a copy of the complaints procedure is available for inspection at the Commissioner's office, and

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