Written question asked by Angus Brendan MacNeil (Scottish National Party) on Tuesday, 19 July 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 21 July 2005. It was answered by Bridget Prentice (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 October 2005 on behalf of the Department for Constitutional Affairs.

Telephone Inquiries

Question: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what facilities her Department has to deal with telephone inquiries in (a) Welsh, (b) Scots Gaelic and (c) Irish Gaelic.

Answer: It is not practicable to offer a Welsh language telephone service. Under the Department's draft Welsh Language Scheme those who call and wish to speak in Welsh will be given the option of writing in Welsh and receiving an answer in the same language or continuing the conversation in English.In recognition of its operational role and its delivery of services direct to the public in Wales, Her Majesty's Court Service, an executive agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs, also has a Welsh Language Scheme. A public consultation on the Scheme finished at the end of June and it has now been approved by the Welsh Language Board and came into effect on 19 July 2005. The Scheme can be found at: http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/3437.htm Under the terms of the Scheme, Her Majesty's Court Service will provide a Welsh telephone service to its users. This can be accessed direct by phoning any of the Service's offices in Wales or if phoning one of its offices in England the call may be transferred to the Service's Welsh Language Unit.Neither the Department nor Her Majesty's Court Service has any facilities for dealing with telephone inquiries in Scots Gaelic or Irish Gaelic.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 14704; 436 c2790-1W;436 c2816-7W
Session: 2005-06
Subjects: Languages Telephone services Department for Constitutional Affairs