Welsh Language

Mr. Crabb
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the level of demand for the services provided by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental bodies to be provided in the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle
HM Treasury and its agencies provide Welsh language versions of its publications on request as part of their own Welsh Language Scheme. Welsh language versions of literature are provided under the Welsh Language Act 1993.

Detailed records on the level of demand for publications issued by HM Treasury, NS&I, OGC Buying Solutions, VOA and the Royal Mint do not exist, but key reports are translated and printed in Welsh including:

HM Treasury pre-Budget and Budget main and Welsh regional leaflets, Euro preparations leaflet;

OGC resourcing publication; and

NS&I product brochures for the 1,041 Welsh post offices—10 different versions, 9,000 copies each.

HM Revenue and Customs monitors the level of demand for Welsh Language Services through statistical information collected by its Welsh contact and service centre. In the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, the Department received approximately:

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|                       |Number|
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|Telephone Calls        |20,026|
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|Inquiry Centre Visits  |1,111 |
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|Self Assessment returns|2,462 |
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|Letters and forms      |24,367|
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In March 2008, HMRC renewed its commitment to provide a Welsh Language Service when it agreed a four-year Welsh Language Scheme with the Welsh Language Board. This undertaking outlines the Department’s commitment to approximately 10,000 Welsh language customers who have contacted it asking for a Welsh Language Service.