Welsh Language Scheme - Annual Report 2018 (English)
Published 23 June 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welsh-language-scheme-annual-report-2018/welsh-language-scheme-annual-report-2018-english
Introduction
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA or ‘the agency’) is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). We are the accredited paying agency for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) schemes in England.
RPA manages over 40 schemes, paying farmers and traders more than £2 billion each year. We primarily deal with Basic Payment Scheme customers in England, as this is the largest of our schemes. We operate and engage with our customers mainly in the English language.
We run the following schemes on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government:
- Cattle Tracing System
- Beef Carcass Classification Scheme
- Pig Carcass Grading Scheme
- Deadweight Price Reporting
- Beef Labelling Scheme
- Olive Oil inspections
The British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) is part of the agency and manages the Cattle Tracing System (CTS). RPA delivers BCMS operations in Wales on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government.
Our customer base in Wales has declined in the past few years, however, we remain dedicated to meeting the commitments of our Welsh Language Scheme by making provision for Welsh speaking beneficiaries of our schemes and services.
Implementing the Welsh Language Scheme
Over the past year the RPA’s change projects have continued to ensure that the needs of Welsh speaking customers are addressed. When we consider changes to existing business processes or introduce new processes, project managers have to specifically demonstrate how they have considered the needs of our customers, including those whose preference is to deal with the agency in Welsh before the project can be implemented.
As we update our information and guidance materials in the light of legislative changes we ensure that, where appropriate, there are Welsh language versions available.
We have contracts in place to deliver Welsh translation of customer products (such as letters and guidance).
Our English and Welsh speaking customers continue to have the same electronic methods available to them for reporting their cattle information. Options include using CTS Online, the BCMS interactive website (offered in Welsh language) and for those customers who don’t have access to a computer, we offer the CTS Self Service Line, an automated telephone service, with a dedicated Welsh language option.
Our Welsh language helpline
RPA changed the way that it provided services to Cattle Keepers in Wales in 2017. We now offer a bi-lingual helpline service for BCMS to all cattle keepers in Wales.
We wrote to all cattle keepers in Wales during 2017 to inform them of the changes to our services.
Call volumes to the BCMS helpline service are set out in the tables below.
Since the introduction of a single BCMS helpline with a dedicated Welsh language option, RPA has undertaken a significant recruitment campaign to increase the number of Welsh language speakers available to improve the experience of customers who prefer to deal with the agency in Welsh Language. The helpline is closely monitored to ensure there is sufficient resource to provide a high level of service to Welsh speaking customers.
Bi-lingual service for 2018
| Month | Calls to bi-lingual line | Callers selecting Welsh language option | Calls answered in Welsh language | Callers selecting English language option ( after 2 minutes queue time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 699 | 508 | 420 | 63 |
| February | 603 | 409 | 340 | 51 |
| March | 629 | 407 | 324 | 58 |
| April | 983 | 673 | 455 | 158 |
| May | 1,379 | 914 | 590 | 222 |
| June | 981 | 654 | 500 | 141 |
| July | 793 | 505 | 412 | 73 |
| August | 752 | 498 | 362 | 92 |
| September | 806 | 552 | 408 | 98 |
| October | 926 | 674 | 446 | 158 |
| November | 796 | 557 | 421 | 96 |
| December | 459 | 323 | 244 | 65 |
Note: the difference between the total numbers of callers selecting the Welsh language option and the calls answered (Welsh/English language) is due to customers not completing the call after initially selecting the Welsh language option.
Website
The government’s website, GOV.UK, contains information for all government services. A Welsh language version of GOV.UK is available and RPA information is available in English or Welsh where appropriate. The content held on the previous site (www.rpa. gov.uk) is still available through the National Archives.
Complaints and Appeals
The agency’s Complaints and Appeals procedure is available to customers in Welsh through GOV.UK. Procedures are in place to handle and respond to complaints and appeals received in Welsh using the Defra Welsh translation service.
Monitoring the Welsh Language Scheme
Responsibility for ensuring that Welsh language provision is appropriate is embedded within the agency. As described on the previous page, the agency’s governance processes mean that these issues are considered for each new project or change to processes by representatives from each area of the business to ensure consistent application of the scheme.
More Information
If customers have any comments or questions about our Welsh Language Scheme, or how we implement it, they can contact us using the details below:
Rural Payments,
PO Box 352,
Worksop,
S80 9FG
Email: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk
Telephone: 03000 200 301