Senedd should be subject to Welsh Language Standards

Following the publication of the Senedd's annual report on the implementation of its Official Languages Scheme for 2025-26, which shows that the Senedd "made a decision" not to comply with elements of the plan, we repeat our call for the Senedd to come under Welsh Language Standards.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith's language rights spokesperson, Aled Thomas, said:
“This confirmation that the body that provides services to the Senedd made a deliberate decision not to comply with its statutory Official Languages Scheme during the last Senedd is the latest evidence that the unique arrangements of the Official Languages Act are not fit for purpose. No other body subject to the Welsh language standards – as the rest of our public sector is – would have been able to behave in this way without being held to account.
“We will be seeking an urgent meeting with the Llywydd to get confirmation of the timetable and the next steps of their review of the legal framework – a review which must lead to making the Senedd subject to the Welsh Language Standards and the 2011 Measure, establishing enforceable language rights.
"We will also be writing to the Committee with responsibility for Welsh asking them to establish which politician or politicians took the decision to stop complying with the law, and to conduct a review into all aspects of the Welsh language within our national legislature, along similar lines to the work done on creating a family-friendly Senedd before the election."

The Annual Report of the Senedd’s Official Language Scheme for 2025-2026 can be seen here: https://laiddocuments.senedd.wales/gen-ld18121-en.pdf