If you wish to communicate in Welsh with another person (e.g. by speaking or writing), you should be able to do so without interference.
Someone is interfering with your freedom if they:
- Tell you that you should not use the Welsh language
- Tell you that you will suffer in some way because you used the Welsh language.
You can ask the Commissioner to investigate whether a person or organisation has interfered with your freedom to communicate with another individual in Welsh. You must do this in writing, but if you are not in a position to do so, you can contact us by phone to discuss.
We can consider investigating any individual or organisation. This includes businesses and charities as well as public organisastions.
What information should you provide?
- Describe the incident
- Tell us was responsible for interfering with your freedom to use Welsh
- Provide any evidence or other relevant information
What will happen next?
We will acknowledge receipt of your request within 5 working days and let you know whether your request is valid (i.e. a matter that we have the power to investigate). We will then contact the person/organisation concerned to give them the opportunity to respond.
After receiving a response, we will decide whether or not to investigate the matter. If we decide not to investigate, we will explain our reasons.
If we decide to investigate, we will gather information and evidence from you and the person/organisation concerned before preparing an investigation report. The report will include:
- A decision on whether or not there was an interference
- The Commissioner’s opinion on what happened
- Advice, where relevant, to the person/organisation concerned or to you regarding the interference or issues related to the case
A draft report will be shared with you and the person/organisation concerned, and you will have the opportunity to comment on the report and the Commissioner’s decision. After considering any comments, we will issue the final report to you and the person/organisation concerned.
We may provide a copy of the report to Welsh Ministers and may publish the report (or a summary of it) on our website.
You are welcome to contact us if you believe someone has interfered with your freedom to use Welsh.