Proposed National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Welsh Language) Order 2009 : ninth report of session 2008-09, report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence

This report ("HCP 348, Session 2008-09", ISBN 9780215539762) examines the issue of Legislative Competence Orders which are a procedure which extends the Welsh Assembly's lawmaking powers, and lay the groundwork for subsequent 'Measures' which will change the law applying to Wales within the devolved areas of legislative competence.

This proposed Order would enable the National Assembly to make new legislative provision for promoting and facilitating the use of Welsh language and the freedom of persons to use Welsh in their dealings with others if they so wish.

It also lists the categories of bodies that the Assembly would be able to make subject to future duties to provide Welsh language services.

The Committee believes that a good case has been made for the Assembly to modernise and bring consistency to legislation relating to the use of the Welsh language, but legislative precision is important, and that the proposed Order should contain clear principles against which the Assembly Measures can be tested, such as reasonableness, proportionality and the cost-effective benefit to the public in terms of the use of the Welsh language.