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Government of Wales Bill

I begin with amendment No. 13, which would delete the words"““so far as is both appropriate in the circumstances and reasonably practicable””" in clause 35 and replace them with,"““save in exceptional cases where it is not reasonably possible to do so””." The wording in clause 35 comes from the Welsh Language Act 1993. I hope that hon. Members of all parties recognise that there is a great deal of dissatisfaction with its operation. One reason for that is the wording that the amendment would delete. We argue that it places Welsh speakers at a disadvantage. Because of the clause, Welsh is not equal with English but is to"““be treated on a basis of equality””," which is entirely different and has led to the Welsh language being treated less equally. The provision has been characterised as meaning that all languages are equal but some are more equal than others. I should like to make a few brief points about the long and gradual journey of the status of the Welsh language to its current position. Welsh was used in government as an official language until the Act of Union 1532. Three measures in the past century—the Welsh Courts Act 1942, the Welsh Language Act 1967 and the Welsh Language Act 1993—have covered the subject.