The Welsh Language Board (in Welsh, Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg) is a statutory body set up by the British Government as part of the 1992 Welsh Language Act. It receives an annual government grant of £12m which is to be used to "promote and facilitate" the use of the Welsh language.
The Board is responsible for administering the Welsh Language Act and for seeing that public bodies in Wales keep to its terms. In reality it has no power to demand any action by these bodies and the board has come under attack in recent years for its inability to promote the use of the Welsh language in the private sector.
Many Welsh speakers see the Board as an ineffective and bureaucratic tool in the fight to save the Welsh language. Language pressure group Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg claim that a new Welsh Language Act is needed to secure the rights of Welsh speakers and to increase its usage among the younger generation.
External link
- Welsh Language Board website