Welsh Government annual report on compliance with Welsh Language Standards 2022 to 2023

This is the 7th annual report published by the Welsh Government on its implementation and compliance with the Welsh Language Standards, in accordance with the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. The standards set out how we must consider the Welsh language and provide information and services in Welsh to the people of Wales in different situations.

The measure’s underlying principles are that the Welsh language should not be treated less favourably than English in the conduct of public business, and that we must ensure opportunities for people to use the Welsh language when engaging with us. In applying these principles, we also need to be conscious of the importance of actively offering a language choice to citizens.

The Welsh Ministers were issued with a compliance notice by the Welsh Language Commissioner that lists the standards relevant to their activities. This can be seen here: Welsh Language Commissioner's compliance notice.

Overall, we believe the standards have become embedded in our working practices across the Welsh Government, as we strive to ensure that the citizens of Wales can always engage with their government confidently in either Welsh or English. The standards are an important part of the foundation for achieving the government’s vision of one million speakers of Welsh by 2050, and a significant increase in its day-to-day use. The requirements have led to an improvement in services available in Welsh and more consideration of the Welsh language as we develop policies and legislation. The standards have also led to more emphasis being put on developing the linguistic skills of our workforce to enable us to better deliver services to the public. This, in turn, has led to improved workforce planning, and enhanced opportunities for our workforce to acknowledge, acquire and develop their Welsh language skills.

Our focus this year has been on continuing to implement the objectives of the ‘Cymraeg. It belongs to us all’ internal use of Welsh strategy, launched in April 2020. We have particularly focussed on the four themes underpinning the strategy: leadership, training, recruitment and technology. One of the greatest achievements during this period has been improvement in the organisation’s Welsh language learning programme. The programme has been reorganised and expanded resulting in a more varied and accessible offer that has attracted more learners to the programme. Since the strategy’s launch in 2020 we have significantly increased our focus on developing the Welsh language capabilities of our staff, seeing positive results across a range of indicators. More information on implementing the strategy is provided in the report.

1.1 General

The service delivery standards set out how we provide services and information to the people of Wales in Welsh. Our aim at all times is to ensure that the people of Wales can engage with their government in their language of choice. We want to provide high-quality, timely, bilingual services on every occasion.

To do this we continue to operate through a network of bilingual service co-ordinators, made up of representatives from across all parts of the organisation.

The co-ordinators ensure that their colleagues are aware of issues that arise in 2 main areas:

• Welsh Language Standards compliance issues, led by the Welsh Language Standards Team, and
• Cymraeg 2050 policy and mainstreaming language issues, led by the Welsh Language Division.

The co-ordinators support Welsh Government Groups by providing advice and guidance to colleagues, which, in turn, facilitates our compliance with the standards. This also ensures that the Cymraeg 2050 policy is reflected in the Welsh Government's work.

The network also provides a forum for discussion on good practice and enables us to become aware of, and tackle, obstacles that arise. This helps provide assurance that the standards are being considered and complied with across the organisation.

1.2 Complaints

During the 7th year of implementing the standards we received the same number of complaints from the Welsh Language Commissioner’s office about the Welsh Government’s Welsh language services as in 2021 to 2022 - 30. However, 13 of these complaints are directly related to Welsh Ministers taking control of the day to day running of the Transport for Wales’ Rail Network in February 2021.

Transport for Wales (TfW) came under the auspices of the Welsh Government’s Welsh Language Standards’ duties in February 2021 when the Welsh Ministers became ‘operators of last resort’ of the rail franchise. Transport for Wales has worked to vastly improve the bilingual services provided to customers using rail passenger services in Wales since becoming responsible for the services. Recent activities include:

• Creating a Welsh Language Strategy Lead role within the Communications and Engagement Directorate, directly answerable to the Director. The Lead is responsible for overseeing TfW Group, TfW Rail and its subsidiaries’ compliance with the Welsh Language Standards, and its engagement policies to ensure that TfW is an environment that promotes the Welsh language.
• Ensuring that all new fleets have systems that display and provide information (both announcements and electronic signage) bilingually and remotely. The first new Stadler Flirt Fleet trains were introduced on 18 January 2023 on the Rhymney Valley line.
• A large change programme to ensure that passenger information systems on older fleets which operate the TrainFX system are updated in order to provide bilingual information. This programme is ongoing but expected to be completed by the May 2024 timetable change.
• An audit of stations on the Cambrian line to ensure that all signage (even those in place since before the Welsh Language Standards were introduced in 2016) are compliant with TfW’s Stations’ Toolkit which specifies the exact requirements of the Welsh Language Standards in relation to signage.
• An innovative digital programme to introduce a translation function for live feed information displayed on the TfW website but provided in English only by National Rail Enquiries. This work will be completed by the end of June 2023.
• Recruiting 6 members of staff with bilingual skills to play a pivotal role in the integrated control room.
• A new splash banner on the main TfW website directing Welsh speakers to its Welsh pages. The banner reads, ‘Shw’mae. Siarad Cymraeg? Visit the Welsh site’.
• A significant upgrade to Cardiff Central and Wrexham General’s customer information screens, displaying fully bilingual content.

Of the 30 complaints received from the Welsh Language Commissioner’s office, 17 investigations have been terminated, with 13 ongoing.

4 complaints were received directly from members of the public and were immediately resolved under Step 1 of the Welsh Government’s complaints policy.

2.1 General

‘Cymraeg 2050: A million speakers’ is the Welsh Government's strategy for promoting and facilitating the use of the Welsh language. In accordance with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, the commitment in the Cymraeg 2050 strategy demonstrate that the Welsh language is a strategic priority for the Welsh Government. The Welsh Government's vision is to see the Welsh language thrive, with a substantial increase in the number of people who speak and use the language in their everyday lives.

The policy making standards require the Welsh Government to:

• consider the effects or impacts of our policy decisions on the Welsh language (both positive and negative)
• consider how to increase positive effects, mitigate, or reduce adverse effects and take all opportunities to promote the use of Welsh
• seek views on the effects on the Welsh language when engaging or consulting and to seek the view of Welsh speakers and users of the language.

The Welsh Government has an integrated impact assessment framework in place. The purpose of the framework is to provide advice to staff on considering a range of subjects, including the Welsh language, when making policy decisions. The framework guides staff through the process of considering the effects of policy decisions on opportunities to use the Welsh language and the principle that the Welsh language should not be treated less favourably than English. The Welsh language impact assessment is one of the statutory, mandatory assessments that officials must complete when developing, reviewing, or revising policies and legislation.

The aim is to develop policies of the highest possible quality which in turn make a difference to the citizens of Wales. The framework fits closely with the Cymraeg 2050 objectives and seeks to ensure that its objectives are mainstreamed within Ministerial policy decisions. In order to help staff use the new framework, a comprehensive guide is also provided for staff along with a data handbook on the Welsh language in Wales.

The Welsh Government’s standard consultation templates ensure that we receive respondents' comments on the effects of our policy decisions on the Welsh language. Similarly, standard procurement templates ensure that the standards are an important consideration when contracting third party services. Guidance has been developed for staff on compliance with requirements during consultation exercises, contracting services, grant funding and commissioning research.

2.2 Complaints

Welsh Ministers received 2 complaints from the commissioner’s office relating to the policy making standards during the reporting period. One complaint did not proceed to investigation, and one investigation is ongoing.

3.1 Developing a policy on the internal use of Welsh – Standard 98

In April 2020, ‘Cymraeg. It belongs to us all’, the Welsh Government’s internal strategy for the use of Welsh within the organisation was published. The Welsh Government's vision in the strategy is to become a truly bilingual organisation by 2050, meaning that Welsh and English will be used naturally and interchangeably as the Government’s working languages. To achieve this, our intention is that all Welsh Government staff will be able to understand the Welsh language, at least, by 2050.

The strategy was determined by considering the political direction and legal framework already in place. We are aware that the use of Welsh in the workplace gives more purpose and relevance to the language, and this is particularly true for those learning Welsh or who are considering whether to send their children to Welsh medium education. By adopting a policy that highlights the value of the Welsh language in the workplace, it is intended that more children and young people (in particular) will appreciate that the ability to speak Welsh is a useful skill, now and in the future.

A copy of the strategy can be found here: Cymraeg. It belongs to us all.

Implementation of the strategy and initial objective 2020 to 2025

We are aware that the steps taken to increase the use of Welsh must be reasonable and proportionate. Therefore, becoming a bilingual organisation will mean a gradual change. With this in mind, the strategy is based on the following principles:

Making a long-term commitment and leading the way

Change will be incremental and will happen over time, but we intend to lead by example in the way we promote use of the language in the workplace.

Investing in staff and providing opportunities to learn Welsh and develop language skills

It is crucial that effective and convenient training is provided, with people given both time and motivation to continuously improve their Welsh language skills.

Remaining an open, inclusive and diverse organisation

Everyone has the potential to be a Welsh speaker and this strategy does not conflict with our commitment to being open, inclusive and diverse – although Welsh language skills will progressively be needed for more posts, developing a bilingual workforce does not mean (or imply) those skills being a universal pre-requisite for joining the Welsh Government.

Continuously reviewing our ways of working to facilitate the increased use of Welsh

When we introduce new internal policies and initiatives, we will review the extent to which they provide further opportunities for staff to use Welsh in their day-to-day work.

As well as setting a long-term goal for 2050, we are also setting a shorter-term objective for the period up to 2025: during the first 5 years, our objective is to see the Welsh Government become an exemplar organisation in its internal use of the language when assessed against comparable organisations in the Welsh public sector. The shorter-term objective will be reviewed in 2025, and a new objective and associated actions will be set for the 5-year follow-up period – a process that will continue until the 2050 goal is reached.

10 actions have been set out in the strategy, which will help us meet the objective of becoming an exemplar organisation over the next 5 years. These actions are based on the following themes: leadership, learning, recruitment, and technology.

Progress on the implementation of the strategy during the 2nd year

Leadership

• Messages and guidance to Senior Civil Servants to encourage them to consider their own leadership from a Welsh language perspective, along with a leadership seminar with Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan of South Wales Police in June 2022.
• Two guidance documents have been produced and shared with the Senior Civil Servants of the Welsh Government – on using Welsh when chairing meetings, and on the general incidental use of Welsh in day-to-day work.
• Our ‘Leading in a Bilingual Country’ initiative brings together senior leaders from all over the Welsh public service and third sectors, to discuss how their leadership can embed the word and spirit of Cymraeg 2050, our long-term Welsh language strategy. Individual Cabinet ministers also completed a bespoke session on leading in a bilingual country, leading up to regular all-Cabinet discussions on Cymraeg as a policy matter owned by all ministers. Following completion of the course by the first two cohorts, the third cohort begins in June 2023. This also forms a central part of organisational development in the NHS as part of the new ‘More than Just Words’ strategy.

Learning

• Since the strategy’s launch in 2020 there has been an increased focus on developing the Welsh language capabilities of staff, with positive results at the end of the last reporting period (March 2022) which saw a 688% increase in learner numbers since May 2020. By May 2023 this percentage has increased further to 740%.
• In the Senior Civil Service 22% of staff are following a formal training option for learning Welsh, an indication that our work to ensure the leadership of the organisation understands its role in modelling exemplar behaviour in relation to Welsh is bearing fruit.
• Although there is a still a long way to go, we consider these results to be encouraging and demonstrate that Welsh Government staff understand the new emphasis being placed on the language and the importance of learning. It also appears to go against a negative trend seen in some other public sector organisations who have reported a fall in learner numbers since the pandemic started.

Recruitment

• New wording has been included in our recruitment literature emphasising that the Welsh language is seen as an asset within the organisation no matter what the role, and the support available to all to develop their skills in the workplace. For example, in the recent 3-year Leadership Development Programme recruitment campaign for aspiring leaders, emphasis was placed on the support and commitment to help successful candidates to develop Welsh language skills through several days of bespoke training that would be provided at induction.
• Pilot programmes to introduce the language to new cohorts of apprentices joining our apprenticeship scheme have also been launched this year.

Technology

• Microsoft Teams is a vital tool for Welsh Government, and following significant work undertaken by the Welsh Government with Microsoft, it offers the opportunity to hold bilingual meetings, with an integrated simultaneous interpretation function within the app, free of charge to everyone with a Teams licence within a few clicks. We have worked with internal stakeholders to test the system for virtual and hybrid meetings in order to adopt it across the government. This is a significant development for our workplace and other workplaces across Wales, as it should lead to an increase in the use of Welsh in meetings.
• Microsoft Translator has been embedded in the organisation over several years as a secure way that staff can translate official-sensitive documents. There has been an increase in our use of Microsoft Translator in the Welsh Government to help us both understand and produce bilingual text. This year the guidance to staff on its use was revised, giving practical scenarios of how Welsh speakers and non-Welsh speakers alike can use the tool safely and with confidence. A new guide for Welsh speakers who have good Welsh writing skills was launched to provide advice on editing Welsh Language text produced by the system, again to encourage and expand its use by staff.

3.2 Complaints

Welsh Ministers did not receive any complaints relating to the operational standards during the reporting period.

31 March 2023

31 March 2022

While the number of staff recording Welsh speaking skills (Level 3-5) has fallen slightly during the year (from 23% to 22.2%), the number of staff recording no or limited speaking skills (level 0 and 1) has also fallen from 70% to 67.5%.

People survey

The People Survey is a Civil Service-wide survey that staff are asked to complete annually by means of an anonymous electronic survey but adapted by the Welsh Government with questions specifically related to working for the organisation.

Our Knowledge and Analytical Service has compiled results for Welsh language skills from recent People Surveys. This showed an increase in staff with basic Welsh language skills and a decrease in the number of staff who identified themselves as having no Welsh language speaking skills at all. This is in contrast to the very static picture provided by our HR data.

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Skills data within the HR system are based on the following self-rating scale:

0 = No skills
1 = Can hold a basic conversation in Welsh
2 = Can converse in simple work-related conversations
3 = Can converse in some work-related conversations
4 = Can converse in most work-related conversations
5 = Fluent

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​​​* Those reporting they were fluent or could speak a fair amount of Welsh were categorised as having advanced skills, while those reporting they could speak a little Welsh or a few words were categorised as having basic skills.

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Skills data within the People Survey is based on the following question:

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Which of the following best describes your ability in spoken Welsh?

• I’m fluent in Welsh
• I can speak a fair amount of Welsh
• I can only speak a little Welsh
• I can say just a few words in Welsh
• I cannot speak Welsh

Completion rates of the People Survey are high with 69% of staff completing the survey in October 2022. The results for Welsh language skills in 2022 showed an increase in staff with basic Welsh language skills since 2018 (from 47% to 55%), and a decrease in the number of staff who identified themselves as having no Welsh language speaking skills at all, from 30% in 2016 to 19% in 2022. This year, we are reporting results from the People Survey alongside the HR data in this the annual report on the standards for the first time.

Welsh language training data May 2022 to April 2023

Courses/Number of learners:

• Weekly class (Sept start) - 214
• 1:1 - 24
• Online self-study - 126
• Gloywi - 57
• Intensive block course (pilot) - 13
• Courtesy level Welsh (pilot) - 170
• Language Skills certificate - 9
• Total = 613

This is an increase of 247 from last year.

A breakdown of the above table can be found below.

Weekly lessons data

Our weekly classes are based on the Learn Welsh curriculum with courses available throughout Wales. Applications open in April with courses starting in September and run through to the following May, this accounts for around 4 hours per week of learning over 30 weeks. Classes are available from beginner through to proficient.

1:1 Tutoring

We have 1:1 tutoring available for those who require additional support to learn Welsh and these sessions provide tailored learning based on learning needs and requirements. 1:1 tuition is also available to all Senior Civil Servants who cannot attend classes due to time requirements.

Senior Civil Servants: 18
All staff: 6

Online self study

Data last updated March 2023.

This course follows the same curriculum as the weekly classes but allows learners to complete the learning in their own time at their own pace. The course is available to all staff within the organisation and applications open every other month. This online self-study course is suitable for those at entry and/or foundation level.

Number of learners:

• Cohort 4 (Jul 22) - 41
• Cohort 5 (Sept 22) - 20
• Cohort 6 (Nov 22) - 14
• Cohort 7 (Feb 23) - 39
• Cohort 8 (Apr 23) - 12
• Total - 126

Block course

We are putting together a brand-new intensive Welsh language course. As this course is new it will be a piloted first before being added as part of our permanent training offer. Classes are run based on 4 levels available from beginner to higher.

The course will follow the same curriculum as our weekly class offer above but will be condensed to 10 full days of training over 2 weeks. The course will be structured from 9:00am to 3:00pm, Monday to Friday over 2 consecutive weeks and will be equivalent to completing half a level.

Last October we had a cohort of 40 apprentices and most of those apprentices at entry level were sent on our first pilot for this block course.

Apprentice block course pilot

• Entry Group 1 - 9
• Entry Group 2 - 4
• Total - 13

Expressed interest in taking part in the pilot

Level/Number interested:

• Entry - 19
• Foundation - 17
• Intermediate - 19
• Higher - 11
• Total - 66

(includes figures for all staff)

Gloywi

As part of our developing corporate Welsh language training offer, we have a programme of refresher training sessions aimed at skilled Welsh speaking colleagues who are keen to improve their language skills. This course is delivered by an expert tutor who develops the programme based on the topics chosen by participants.

Course/No. of staff completed 2022 to 2023:

• Gloywi 1 - 15
• Glowyi 2 - 17
• Gloywi 3 - 11
• Gloywi 4 - 14
• Total - 57

Courtesy level Welsh course

We are currently undertaking a pilot to introduce a new feature to our Welsh language training offer – Courtesy Level Welsh.

The course is delivered as an online module, which will take 10 hours to complete at each learner’s own pace.

At the end of the course, those taking part will be able to:

• say hello and introduce yourself at different times of the day
• make initial greetings such as “John ydw i, dw i'n dysgu Cymraeg”, etc.
• answering the phone with a bilingual greeting and taking a message
• arranging and facilitating a meeting

We currently have 170 individuals with level 0 Welsh language speaking skills taking part in this pilot.

St David’s day events

This year we organised events to celebrate the week and provide opportunities for colleagues to interact in Welsh, to learn from others’ experiences and to hear interesting discussions relating to the language.

Event/Number of attendees:

• Welsh Mindfulness session - 21
• Discussion Session with Des Clifford and Tim Moss (2 Directors in the Senior Civil Service) – our journey to learn Welsh - 68
• Lunch & Learn Session – Cymru: A community of communities - 181
• The Welsh Language Network of the Civil Service Languages Network – the Welsh language and its Celtic connections - 110
• Your experience: Learners discussing their journey to learn Welsh - 17
• Welsh language taster session with a tutor from the National Centre for Learning Welsh - 27
• Drop-in Session – information on the Welsh language learning offer to staff in the Welsh Government - 42

Language Skills Certificate

This year we piloted the Language Skills Certificate accreditation for proficient speakers. The certificate was developed for students in further and higher education in Wales by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol but has been identified as a useful tool to recognize Welsh language skills in the workplace.

The course consisted of a week’s tutoring and revision in Nant Gwrtheyrn followed by an oral exam at the beginning of March 2023, and a written exam at the beginning of May. The certificate demonstrates an ability to communicate accurately, confidently, and professionally through the medium of Welsh, both orally and in writing. The assessments are specially designed to test the language skills that will be required when using Welsh at work.

9 individuals took part in this programme with all of them successfully gaining the certificate. 5 of the applicants passed with distinction. The pilot will now be thoroughly evaluated before we consider its inclusion in our permanent language offer to staff.

Learning and development

(Reporting period May 2022 to April 2023)

Induction sessions

Induction training must be undertaken by all new members of staff of the Welsh Government. The trainer of the corporate induction course uses incidental Welsh throughout this 4-part course, and the Welsh language is a key theme throughout.

As part of the induction process, the Standards Team, Translation Service and Welsh Language training team provide a language awareness session during the course. This is an hour-long session explaining more about the Welsh Government’s vision for the language, internally as a bilingual working organisation and externally to see the language thrive in our communities. Training opportunities available to staff are also highlighted during this session.

Date of event/Attended:

• 11 May 2022 - 13
• 26 May 2022 - 13
• 16 June 2022 - 9
• 12 July 2022 - 19
• 02 August 2022 - 15
• 21 September 2022 - 32 (booked)
• 13 October 2022 - 29
• 09 November 2022 - 43 (booked)
• 13 December 2022 - 23
• 16 January 2023 - 7
• 10 February 2023 - 17
• Total (12) - 220

A separate hour-long induction course has been developed for new members of the Senior Civil Service and non-executive directors of the Welsh Government Board, with the focus on exemplar leadership and the Welsh language.

Y Rhwydwaith Cymraeg

A total of 464 Welsh Government employees are members of our internal Welsh language network on our Learning Lab. This is an increase of 81 members since last year.

The aim of this network is to provide space on our Learning Lab (the staff Learning and Development platform) for staff learning/speaking Welsh to practice and improve their confidence by having conversations and sharing the latest news and information regarding training, opportunities, media, etc. with others.

All new learners and employees are encouraged to join the network.

We are in the process of setting up a new Network on Microsoft Teams which should be more accessible to staff.

The number of new and vacant advertised posts categorised as posts requiring:

1. Essential Welsh language skills
2. Welsh language skills to be learnt when appointed
3. Welsh language skills desirable
4. Welsh language skills not necessary

during 2022-2023 are as follows:

Public appointments – Welsh Language Skills assessments

Additionally, all Welsh Government public appointments are subject to a Welsh skills assessments. Of those 47 assessments, 15 were categorised as Essential and 32 as Desirable.

Tables

Welsh Language speaking skills of WG staff (HR data)

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Welsh Language speaking skills of WG staff (People Survey data)

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Welsh Language skills of WG staff (People Survey data - full breakdown)

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