The
Welsh Language Board is a statutory body set up by the UK Government as part of the
Welsh Language Act 1993The Welsh Language Act 1993 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which put the Welsh language on an equal footing with the English language in Wales with regard to the public sector....
. It is now an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It began its life under
John Walter JonesJohn Walter Jones was the first Chief Executive of the Welsh Language Board, a post which he held between 1993 and 2004.John Walter Jones was born in Moelfre, Anglesey and educated in Bangor and the University of Wales Institute Cardiff...
OBE and its current Chief Executive is Meirion P. Jones.
It receives an annual government grant of £12m which is to be used to "promote and facilitate" the use of the
Welsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
.
The Board is responsible for administering the Welsh Language Act and for seeing that public bodies in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
keep to its terms. Over 350 Language plans have now been agreed with a range of bodies named under the provisions of the Welsh Language Act.
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The
Welsh Language Board is a statutory body set up by the UK Government as part of the
Welsh Language Act 1993The Welsh Language Act 1993 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which put the Welsh language on an equal footing with the English language in Wales with regard to the public sector....
. It is now an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It began its life under
John Walter JonesJohn Walter Jones was the first Chief Executive of the Welsh Language Board, a post which he held between 1993 and 2004.John Walter Jones was born in Moelfre, Anglesey and educated in Bangor and the University of Wales Institute Cardiff...
OBE and its current Chief Executive is Meirion P. Jones.
It receives an annual government grant of £12m which is to be used to "promote and facilitate" the use of the
Welsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
.
The Board is responsible for administering the Welsh Language Act and for seeing that public bodies in
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
keep to its terms. Over 350 Language plans have now been agreed with a range of bodies named under the provisions of the Welsh Language Act. At times it has been criticised for failing to demand any action by these bodies and the board has come under attack in past years for its reluctance to promote the use of the Welsh language in the private sector. Since 2000 this stance has changed and the WLB now has a unit devoted to the interests of the language in terms of its increased use within the economy.
In the past many Welsh speakers perceived the Board as an ineffective and bureaucratic tool in the fight to save the Welsh language. However, since the establishment of a National Assembly it has manifestly adopted a more robust attitude to the promotion of Welsh and its earlier strategies and innovative projects are now bearing fruit. Language pressure group
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg claim that a new Welsh Language Act is needed to secure the rights of Welsh speakers and to increase its usage among the younger generation. The Welsh Language Board is currently engaged with others in securing such legislation together with the office of a Language Commissioner.
The Welsh Language Board has been at the forefront of promoting bilingual design. They have supported this goal by holding the annual Welsh Language Board bilingual awards. In 2006 winners included, FBA, Glass Hammer, Synergy Creative Design & Marketing, Hoffi, 6721, Elfen, Zodshop and Departures.
In the winter of 2004
Rhodri MorganHywel Rhodri Morgan is a Welsh Labour politician, who has been the Assembly Member for Cardiff West since 1999 and is the current First Minister for Wales.-Private life:Born in Cardiff, Rhodri Morgan is the son of Professor T. J...
the First Minister of Wales announced his decision to abolish the Welsh Language Board. This decision evoked a mixed reaction throughout Wales; welcomed by
Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg but met with scepticism by others. Its future is still unknown.
See also
- List of language regulators
- Languages in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom does not have a constitutionally defined official language. English is the main language and is thus the de facto official language.-Statistics:...
- Language policy
Many countries have a language policy designed to favour or discourage the use of a particular language or set of languages. Although nations historically have used language policies most often to promote one official language at the expense of others, many countries now have policies designed to...
- Regional language
A regional language is a language spoken in an area of a nation state, whether it be a small area, a federal state or province, or some wider area.-Definition in international law:For the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages:...
- Language revitalization