Welsh Language LCO - Widest ever consultation by a National Assembly Legislation Committee
The National Assembly for Wales has received more than 300 responses to its public consultation over the proposed Welsh Language LCO(Legislative Competence Order)
It has been the widest ever consultation exercise undertaken by one of the National Assembly’s legislation committees and resulted in the highest ever number of responses.
Under the proposed LCO the Welsh Assembly government would get the power to make new laws on the Welsh Language.
“Our aim was to canvass the views of as many individuals and organisations as possible,’’ said Mark Isherwood AM, chair of Legislation Committee 5.
“Afterall, the Welsh Language is a big issue that we all have a stake in, whether we speak it or not.
“One of the National Assembly’s key themes in this 10th anniversary year is widening participation in the political process.
“And getting people involved in the work of the legislations committees is a key element of that.”
The consultation was launched on the steps of the Senedd building last month.
A total of 136 responses have been received from organisations, including 67 individual branches of Merched y Wawr.
There have also been 279 individual responses – 210 of these have come from an on-line response form organised by the Welsh Language Society.
The Minister for Heritage, Alun Ffred Jones AM will return to the Committee to give evidence on 28 April. The Committee will then be considering all the written evidence it has received and the evidence given by witnesses to the Committee over the coming weeks.
The Committee has to produce its report on the proposed LCO by 5 June 2009.
You can access these responses by visiting the Committee’s website: http://www.assemblywales.org/bus-home/bus-legislation/bus-leg-legislative-competence-orders/bus-legislation-lco-2009-no10.htm