The Welsh Language Commissioner urges the Secretary of State to ensure bilingual forms in Police and Crime Commissioner election
12/09/2012
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Following the publication of the Electoral Commission’s briefing note on 11 September 2012, stating that the Welsh Forms Order has not yet been ratified, the Welsh Language Commissioner, Meri Huws, contacted the Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones MP.
A spokesperson for the Commissioner said:
"The Welsh Language Commissioner spoke to the Secretary of State for Wales yesterday afternoon [Tuesday] and urged him to take all possible steps to ensure that the Welsh Forms Order will be ratified.
"In light of the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, legislation which gives the Welsh language official status in Wales, the Welsh Language Commissioner does not consider it appropriate to proceed with the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in Wales with monolingual voting forms."
In May this year, the Welsh Language Commissioner wrote to the Home Office to ask what steps had been taken to ensure that the Welsh language had been properly taken into account in the forthcoming election arrangements. The Commissioner was assured in writing by Dame Helen Ghosh, the Permanent Secretary in the Home Office that this had been done.
In August the Commissioner saw a bilingual draft of the election forms.
The Commissioner has also asked the Home Office to take the necessary steps to ensure that Police and Crime Commissioners have Welsh and English names in Wales.