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National Assembly for Wales (Legislative Competence) (Welsh Language)

No, it will not, provided that we are able to get the LCO through the House, as I am confident that we will, particularly given the excellent work that has been done over the past few weeks. The LCO can comfortably meet the timetable that both the First Minister and the Minister for Heritage have expressed an ambition to meet. All interests will therefore be satisfied. The Government’s approach to the LCO is informed by four key principles. The first is that it is logical and appropriate for the National Assembly for Wales, in principle, to be able to legislate on the Welsh language. The nation’s legislature is surely the natural home for making laws in relation to the language, providing the most suitable economic, social and political context in which to legislate. The order provides the opportunity to make the future development of the language more democratic by making Wales’s legislature responsible for legislating on the Welsh language, and the Welsh Affairs Committee noted the broad support for that principle in its inquiry. Secondly, the order builds on the firm foundations of the Welsh Language Act 1993 for which Lord Roberts of Conwy deserves so much praise. That landmark legislation ensured that organisations providing services of a public nature implement schemes for carrying out some or all of their business in Welsh. Those requirements now need updating to better fit the times, but the 1993 Act provides a sound basis for the LCO’s focus on the key public services provided by public authorities and private companies.