Commissioner for Older People (Wales) Bill [HL]

I thank the noble Lords, Lord Livsey and Lord Roberts of Llandudno, for tabling the amendment. It is important that the staff of the providers should act in a full understanding of the importance of the Welsh language, which as the noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Llandudno, said, will be the language of choice of many of the people that the body will serve. To my mind the question is whether we want an additional provision in this Bill to achieve that desired end and, if that is necessary, what form it should take. Reference has been made by both noble Lords, Lord Roberts of Conwy and Lord Roberts of Llandudno, to the Welsh Language Act 1993. If I may say so kindly, both overlooked the fact that the Bill provides in paragraph 18 Schedule 1 for the commissioner to be a public body for the purposes of the Welsh Language Act 1993. That means that he will be called upon to draw up a Welsh language scheme. The noble Lord, Lord Roberts of Llandudno, will almost certainly recall that the scheme will have to comply with statutory guidelines. That will still be binding post devolution. Paragraph 18 of the statutory guidelines requires the language scheme to identify those posts where the ability to speak Welsh is considered essential and those where it is considered desirable to deliver a full service through the medium of Welsh. I believe that paragraph 18 of Schedule 1 goes a long way to achieve the desired end.