Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which online services provided by his Department are available in the Welsh language only on request.

Following the creation of the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy last year, it has been agreed with the Welsh Language Commissioner (WLC), that we will work to develop a BEIS Welsh Language Scheme, which will cover our approach to online services.

The Welsh Language Schemes of both BEIS’ main predecessor Departments (BIS and DECC) commit us ‘so far as is both appropriate in the circumstances and reasonably practicable, to the principle established by the Welsh Language Act that, in the conduct of public business and the administration of justice in Wales, the Welsh and English languages should be treated on a basis of equality.’ This means where, for example, correspondence is received online by BEIS in Welsh, it will be answered in Welsh. A number of our partner organisations also provide online services in Welsh.