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Government of Wales Bill

The amendments and new clause were discussed in Committee, but we believe that further points need to be made. Amendment No. 17 deals with Assembly proceedings under clause 35, which concerns equality of treatment. The amendment aims to make it clear that treating the Welsh and English languages on the basis of equality is the norm and that any deviation from that practice is exceptional. The Welsh Language Act 1993 states that the Welsh and English languages should be treated on the basis of equality, where it is"““reasonably practicable and appropriate in the circumstances””," but it is arguable that that puts the onus on people who want to see material in both Welsh and English to make the case that that is reasonably practicable and appropriate. Amendment No. 17 turns the tables on that argument. It establishes that bilingualism is the norm in the proceedings of the Assembly, in which case the argument would have to be made why it is exceptional that bilingualism should not apply.