Yesterday, 4 October 2012, the Welsh Assembly passed a bill making English and Welsh the official languages of the Assembly. The Assembly is not answerable to the Welsh language measure of 2010 which made Welsh an official language in Wales and obliges public bodies and large private companies to provide services in it. The Welsh Assembly’s own Bill passed yesterday ensures that the proceedings of the plenaries will be produced in both languages and enshrines the right of anyone who takes part in Assembly proceedings to do so in either language. The BBC reports Presiding officer Rosemary Butler stating that the Assembly’s “commitment to the Welsh language can no longer be questioned”. However, proposed amendments to produce bilingual reports of committees and other meetings were defeated, leaving language campaigners with doubts regarding the legislature’s real commitment to bilingualism.
