Suzy Davies AM/AC – Shadow Minister for the Welsh Language – has reacted with astonishment at a leaked report that shows Transport for Wales (TfW) broke the law nine times over its failure to provide services in Welsh on trains.
Mrs Davies said:
“What a shocking example this Welsh Labour Government is setting, and what a shocking message it sends to our Welsh speakers and learners. You’d think a company set up by Welsh Government could follow Welsh Government’s own rules”
According to a story published today (January 6) on news website nation.cymru, Welsh-language breaches by TfW – which is owned by the Welsh Government – included:
Train and platform announcements made in English only
Correspondence only in English
No option to buy tickets from the TfW website in Welsh
An English-only app.
Nation.cymru stated that the report by the Welsh Language Commissioner followed complaints and by the Welsh language society, Cymdeithas yr Iaith.
Mrs Davies said:
“These are breaches of the law by the Welsh Government. It seems that not only is this Labour administration incapable of running a rail service in Wales, but it is also incapable of providing services in both official languages of this nation.
“It is an embarrassment that a state-owned business in Wales failed the follow the spirit and the letter of Welsh Language Standards. They are there for a reason. The Welsh Labour Government has set a dreadful example to all businesses in Wales and lets down Welsh speakers and learners. They’ll have to do better than that to reach the goal of one million speakers by 2050.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The source document can be found here.