Delay in abolishing Welsh language board

[Harold F. Schiffman]

>>From BBC.com

Delay to abolish language board

The planned merger of the Welsh Language Board with the Welsh Assembly
Government has been postponed until at least after the 2007 assembly
election.  The publicly-funded WLB, which promotes the use of the Welsh
language, was due to be absorbed by the assembly government before next
May's elections. Welsh Culture Minister Alun Pugh said the merger delay
"isn't a change in policy" and that it would go ahead. Opposition parties
welcomed the delay in the merger.

The functions of the WLB are due to be absorbed into the assembly
government as part of a shake-up of publicly-funded bodies - or quangos -
announced by First Minister Rhodri Morgan in 2004. Quangos including the
Welsh Development Agency, Wales Tourist Board and education body Elwa have
been abolished and brought under direct ministerial control, with the WLB
due to follow early in 2007.

'Build consensus'

But Culture Minister Alun Pugh announced on Tuesday that the merger would
not take place until after the May 2007 election. Mr Pugh said: "We have
decided to merge the board with the Welsh Assembly Government...through a
single set of legislative changes rather than two." In an interview with
BBC Wales, Mr Pugh said the assembly government wanted "to build a
consensus on the Welsh language...which is why we've decided to do this in
a one-stage process rather than two". Mike German, the leader of the
Liberal Democrats in the assembly, said:  "The [assembly] government could
see the writing was on the wall, and have finally given up on rushing
through this half-baked proposal."

Plaid Cymru leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said: "We have always made it clear
that the decision to merge the board without taking other measures to
safeguard the language was deeply damaging. "The Labour assembly
government has finally seen sense." Lisa Francis, of the Welsh
Conservatives, added: "We remain fundamentally opposed to plans to abolish
the language board and fear Labour's plans will create further uncertainty
and confusion."


Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/wales/5148550.stm