Guidance

Welsh Language Scheme: revised 2020 in English

Published 6 October 2020

Foreword

This scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Board on 7 January 2005 and a revised edition approved by the Welsh Language Commissioner on 16 September 2020.

It has been agreed by, and has the full support of, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the RPA Agency Management Board, and the Welsh Government Agricultural Department.

It has been publicised to both RPA staff and the public.

It has been designed to deliver RPA services in a positive and effective way to customers in Wales. RPA may, from time to time, submit revisions to the scheme to the Welsh Language Commissioner. The Scheme will not be altered without the Commissioner’s approval.

The Welsh language commitments in this scheme do not apply to any services provided by RPA either directly or indirectly on behalf of the Welsh Government. The services provided by RPA on the Welsh Ministers’ behalf are subject to the Welsh language standards imposed on the Welsh Ministers within their compliance notice from the Welsh Language Commissioner, and may be found on the Welsh Government’s website.

Introduction

1. 1. RPA was established in 2001 as an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It is the paying agency responsible for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) schemes in England, successor schemes when the UK has left the EU and for certain schemes throughout UK.

2. 2. RPA has responsibility for the CAP measures financed from the guarantee section of the European Agriculture Guarantee Fund (EAGF) that are delegated to it within England and, as appropriate, UK. It also provides high quality and accessible data on animal traceability within Great Britain. RPA delivers over £2 billion of payments to farmers and traders under a range of different schemes.

3. 3. The overall policy and financial framework within which RPA operates is determined by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, RPA operates on behalf of the Devolved Administrations through the appropriate Agency Agreements.

4. 4. The Chief Executive is responsible for the day to day management of RPA supported by a senior management team. An Agency Management Board (AMB), of which he is a member, provides strategic direction and oversight to RPA.

5. 5. RPA currently employs approximately 2,800 staff, in offices around England and has a very small office in Caernarfon.

6. 6. RPA merged with the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) in April 2003. BCMS was established in 1998 to manage the Cattle Tracing System (CTS), which had approximately 12,000 customers in Wales in 2019. The main function of BCMS is to create and maintain an accurate database of cattle, their location and their movement history in Great Britain. Their primary customers are cattle keepers and their agents, livestock auctioneers, cattle breed societies and others in the livestock production industry. Responsibility for BCMS operations in Wales rests with the Welsh Government.

Service planning and delivery

New policies and initiatives

1. 7. New policies and initiatives normally arise from decisions by UK Agriculture Departments, and are introduced by RPA as required. RPA will assess the implications of any new policies/initiatives to ensure that any which apply in Wales are consistent with the commitments in this Scheme. Staff will be instructed to consider the effects on the Welsh language before any new policy or initiative is introduced.

2. 8. We will, when new policies and initiatives are being planned and implemented:

   1. i) ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Act and Measure, so that they ensure that new policies, procedures and publications are compatible with the commitments in our Welsh Language Scheme; and

   2. ii) ensure that new policies and initiatives are consistent with our Welsh Language Scheme and do not undermine it.

We will ensure that all staff involved in new policies are made aware of their responsibilities under the Welsh Language Act. This will be done by an RPA wide notice and further communication between our Welsh Language Unit and those in RPA who deal directly with the public in Wales.

Delivery of service

1. 9. RPA provides most services bilingually where Welsh speakers are involved. This includes a bilingual service for the Cattle Tracing System (CTS) and for RPA’s Customer Registration system and Customer Service Centre. This Scheme sets out how we are taking measures to comply with the principles of the Welsh Language Act and the Welsh Language Commissioner’s guidelines and advice. It outlines how we propose to provide and organise different services in Welsh and a timetable for implementation of the Scheme.

2. 10. We will encourage all other organisations which we deal with to take the Welsh language into account. We will do this by building a requirement into operating agreements and contracts and/or by giving written notice of our wishes. For example, those acting as our agents in Wales for cattle identification inspections on farms will be encouraged to offer Welsh language when dealing with cattle keepers, and those preparing material for CTS use in Wales in a charging situation, e.g. invoices for cattle keepers, will be contracted to produce bilingual documentation.

3. 11. Where services are delivered to the public in Wales by other organisations on our behalf, we will introduce a clause into the Service Level Agreement setting out the need for them to support the use of Welsh in delivering those services.

4. 12. RPA will:

   1. i) provide Welsh language material as appropriate (Annex B provides a guide to staff on assessing this);

   2. ii) ensure that RPA maintains a register of those customers who have expressed a language preference for CTS;

   3. ii) ensure that staff are aware of their responsibilities under the Welsh Language Act;

   4. iv) encourage third parties (e.g. farmers’ organisations, livestock markets, abattoirs and enforcement officers) which issue guidance on procedures to the Welsh public to do so in Welsh and English; and

   5. v) employ professional external translators.

5. 13. In cases where information might be passed to other organisations, such as the police or HM Revenue and Customs, details of language choice (where a preference is known) will be drawn to the recipient organisation’s attention by covering letter.

Standard of service and targets

1. 14. RPA undertakes to deliver an equally high quality of service in Welsh and English. This commitment will be made clear in all published material about the activities of RPA in Wales. To this end we will employ professional external translators.

2. 15. The targets for dealing with correspondence and telephone enquiries will be the same for Welsh and English. These targets will be monitored by RPA to ensure consistency in the standard of service in Welsh.

Dealing with the Welsh speaking public

Telephone communication

1. 16. BCMS operates a bilingual livestock helpline for the use of all cattle keepers in Wales. This is open during the same hours as the BCMS helpline for England and Scotland and held to the same performance indicators.

2. 17. When a call is made to the bilingual helpline, the caller is first asked to choose whether to speak in English or Welsh;

   1. i) if the caller chooses English, they are redirected to the English-language livestock helpline; If the caller chooses Welsh, the call is directed to a Welsh speaker on the livestock helpline, who may be located in the BCMS office at Workington or in the APHA office at Caernarfon;

   2. ii) If no Welsh speaker is available, after 2 minutes they have the option to request a call back from a Welsh speaker or continue the call in English.

   3. iii) if a query is complex or specialised, the caller may be invited to write in and a written reply will then be sent in Welsh. This is the procedure that is normally followed for complex queries in English.

3. 18. If a Welsh speaker contacts BCMS on any other telephone lines, non-Welsh speaking staff will explain to Welsh speaking callers that they do not speak Welsh. If the caller wishes to speak in Welsh, staff will try to connect the call to a Welsh speaker. If no Welsh speaker is available at that time the caller will be given the option of a Welsh speaker calling back or continuing the call in English.

4. 19. Specialist switchboard and other staff will be provided with guidance of the procedure to follow when telephone calls are received in Welsh. An up to date list of Welsh speaking staff will be maintained so that staff know who calls can be transferred to.

5. 20. Staff receiving direct dialled calls in Welsh will also follow the above procedures.

Written communication (e-mail and mail)

1. 21. RPA welcomes correspondence in Welsh as well as English. We will ensure that:

   1. i) letters written in Welsh will receive a signed reply in Welsh.

   2. ii) our target time for replies in English and Welsh will be the same and we will monitor how well we do. When it is not possible to reply within a deadline the correspondent will receive a written acknowledgement of receipt in Welsh.

   3. iii) when we correspond with a group or individual whose preferred language is Welsh, we will write in that language. This will include circulars and standard letters.

   4. iv) correspondence arising out of face-to-face meetings or telephone conversations in Welsh will also be in Welsh, unless the recipient has requested otherwise.

2. 22. We will issue guidelines to all staff describing the procedures to follow for correspondence. Arrangements will be made for an effective translation service so that correspondence is dealt with promptly.

Directorates will maintain up to date records of those organisations and individuals they are in frequent correspondence with who prefer to correspond in Welsh.

Website

1. 23. RPA will use its website (www.rpa.gov.uk) to ensure that Welsh language material is easily accessible. RPA will ensure that at least the following will appear on the RPA site in Welsh:

   1. i) an introduction to RPA;

   2. ii) RPA’s Welsh Language Scheme in English and in Welsh;

   3. iii) a list of publications, forms and guidance notes available in Welsh;

   4. iv) a glossary of terms in Welsh;

   5. v) press releases relating to activity in Wales; and

   6. vi) any documents which are published in hard copy in Welsh.

2. 24. The Cattle Tracing System e-business channel, CTS Online (www.bcms.gov.uk), is fully bilingual.

Court proceedings

1. 25. When we issue court proceedings against a person in Wales, those proceedings will be issued from a court in Wales so that the party can exercise their rights under the 1993 Welsh Language Act. The proceedings will be issued in Welsh where the other party requests this or where previous correspondence indicates it is required.

2. 26. RPA will do all it can to facilitate the conduct of proceedings in Welsh where that is the wish of the other party.

RPA’s public face

Corporate identity

1. 27. Letter headings, compliment slips, and business cards issued by RPA to the public in Wales will display the name, address and other standard information bilingually. These will include a bilingual logo.

Publications and printed material

1. 28. Where appropriate, according to the matrix in Annex B, RPA will make available separate English and Welsh versions of related scheme material. Both versions will be prepared simultaneously and will be equally available.

2. 29. For CTS, all material intended for our customers in Wales is available in Welsh as well as in English. Whenever possible, a single bilingual document is produced.

3. 30. In some cases, producing a bilingual document may not be possible for technical or other reasons (e.g. the length of the print run, cost, timing, likely demand, value for money or because of the distribution network envisaged). In these cases, English and Welsh versions will be published separately. Through forward planning we will aim to ensure that both versions are made available simultaneously, and each will carry a clear message that the other language version is available. If they are displayed, both versions will be displayed together. Both versions will be made equally available whether over the counter or by post. If a document is charged for, the price of the Welsh version will be the same as the English version. Where only a small number of Welsh versions is required, these will be produced electronically at the same time and in the same format as the English version but will be printed on demand.

4. 31. Our staff will be advised on the procedure to follow when producing material for use in Wales. Preference will be given to bilingual versions, and staff will be given clear guidance on when single language versions would be acceptable. Annex B gives guidance on gauging whether a document needs to be translated.

Forms and associated materials

1. 32. Forms and associated material will be made available in Welsh and English following the guidelines at Annex B or on request.

2. 33. Where production of a single bilingual document may not be practicable, separate English and Welsh versions will be produced. Other than exceptional cases, they will be issued simultaneously.

3. 34. Materials produced in separate English and Welsh versions will be displayed together with equal prominence. On new forms or reprints a bilingual statement will be added that there is a version available in the other language. Where a customer in Wales has not expressed a preference, they will be offered a choice or both versions will be sent to them.

4. 35. Forms relating to CTS which are sent to the public in Wales will be bilingual. Normally a single bilingual document is produced, but where a single document would be too lengthy, complex or difficult to process, separate English and Welsh versions of the same form will be available simultaneously and issued together. Each will carry a clear message that the other language version is available.

News releases

1. 36. Advance planning will aim to ensure that news releases relating to RPA’s activities in Wales will be produced bilingually. However, sometimes news releases must be issued at short notice and this may not allow time for notices for release to the Welsh media to be translated before the English version is issued.

Advertising and publicity

1. 37. We will treat the English and Welsh languages on a basis of equality when planning advertising and publicity campaigns in Wales. Material will be produced bilingually or in separate English or Welsh versions. Where official notices and advertisements are placed in newspapers and magazines principally circulating in Wales, these will appear with Welsh and English versions shown together. The two languages will be treated on an equal basis in terms of format, size, quality, legibility and prominence.

2. 38. Promotional materials for use in Wales such as videos, audio tapes and information campaigns on radio and television will also be produced bilingually.

3. 39. We will conduct public surveys in Wales in both Welsh and English whether by face to face/telephone interview or written questionnaire. Our annual customer survey is conducted in both Welsh and English.

4. 40. At exhibitions, conferences and seminars in Wales, our stands have bilingual displays and material, and are staffed by people who can deal with enquiries in either language.

5. 41. When our staff plan publicity campaigns in Wales, they will be provided with detailed guidance to ensure that Welsh and English are treated on an equal basis.

Official notices

1. 42. All official notices placed in the press or other media in Wales will be produced in Welsh for the Welsh language press and bilingually in other publications which circulate principally in Wales. English will be used for the general UK and specialist press.

Implementing and monitoring the scheme

Welsh-speaking staff

1. 43. Our ability to offer services in Welsh will depend upon having sufficient access to appropriately skilled Welsh speakers. It has proved difficult to recruit and retain Welsh speakers to work in Workington and consequently we have opened a small sub office in Caernarfon. We will continue to exercise the general principle of recruiting Welsh speakers for jobs where fluency in the language forms a key element of the work, and locating them appropriately.

2. 44. RPA’s Customer Service Centre is equipped to provide a service to Welsh speaking customers. Therefore Welsh speakers are not required among other office-based staff. The Customer Service Centre will actively recruit Welsh speakers for the Welsh language line, but these will not necessarily be based in Workington. We have a number of Welsh-speaking staff working from an APHA office at Caernarfon.

3. 45. We will make it a priority to publicise the fact that we welcome Welsh speakers into the workforce. When we advertise posts we have identified as needing Welsh speakers, we will stipulate that applicants will need to attain a satisfactory level of fluency within an agreed period. Where linguistic ability is considered to be essential or desirable for the post, this will be specified in the job description.

Administrative arrangements

1. 46. To ensure that all staff know what is expected of them regarding our Welsh Language Scheme, we will issue written guidance notes on the circumstances in which we will use the Welsh Language and what staff need to do to meet our commitments.

2. 47. RPA’s Chief Executive and Directors are responsible for ensuring that their departments implement the aspects of the Scheme which they are responsible for.

3. 48. The Scheme has been approved by RPA’s Executive Team and carries its full authority. RPA will ensure that:

4. i) a named senior officer, reporting to the Chief Executive, is responsible for the successful implementation of the scheme;

5. ii) all staff are familiar with the Scheme, know how it should be implemented, and what is expected of them;

6. iii) instructions and written guidance based on the Scheme are made available to those responsible for implementing it;

7. iv) the Welsh language aspects of RPA’s services are integrated within its normal administrative processes;

8. v) the translators used are suitably qualified and able to provide a high quality service; and

9. vi) the Scheme will be implemented in a comprehensive and consistent manner across RPA.

Services delivered on behalf of RPA

1. 49. Where services are carried out in Wales on behalf of RPA by third parties, we will ensure that:

2. i) if a third party has a Welsh Language Scheme approved by the Welsh Language Commissioner, their services to us fall within its remit;

3. ii) if the third party does not have a Welsh Language Scheme, then when we specify the service to be provided it will include the requirements of RPA’s Welsh Language Scheme; and

4. iii) written guidance is provided to staff dealing with agents and contractors in Wales.

This also applies to organisations carrying out statutory functions on behalf of RPA.

1. 50. RPA will monitor how well the service provider meets these requirements, and obtain regular performance reports from them.

2. 51. We will ensure that the translators we use are able to offer a high standard of translation and are familiar with the appropriate technical terms. We will monitor standards on an ongoing basis.

Monitoring

1. 52. The named senior officer will be responsible for monitoring and reviewing the Scheme.

The Executive Team will receive an annual compliance report that will achieve the following aims:

1. i) Measure whether RPA is complying with the Scheme;

2. ii) Measure if the Scheme is being appropriately managed;

3. iii) Analyse its performance on a departmental and corporate basis, in order to ensure consistency;

4. iv) Assess and consider key themes in scheme implementation;

5. v) Recognise any fundamental weaknesses, and set up an action plan which will include a timetable to deal with them.

A copy of this report will be sent to the Welsh Language Commissioner.

1. 53. At a time agreed with the Welsh Language Commissioner, RPA will prepare a comprehensive evaluation report that will assess and evaluate performance in implementing the Scheme since its inception. This report will:

2. i) provide an overview and thematic analysis of compliance and performance since the scheme’s approval, from two perspectives –service delivery and scheme management;

3. ii) outline priorities for the future, together with a revised timetable for implementing the measures in the Scheme.

At this time, RPA will revise and update the Welsh Language Scheme.

Targets

1. 54. The targets for dealing with correspondence, telephone enquiries, etc, in Welsh will be the same as those in English.

2. 55. We will also:

   1. i) allocate one specific officer to monitor and review the RPA Welsh Language Scheme; and;

   2. ii) ensure that the monitoring of the scheme is a structured and continuing process which is also applicable to contractors working for RPA in Wales.

Publishing information

1. 56. We will publish information on our website comparing our performance with the standards and targets set out in this Scheme. This will include such information as:

   1. i) the percentage of responses to Welsh correspondence achieved within stated deadlines;

   2. ii) the number of publications issued bilingually;

   3. iii) performance in meeting deadlines for processing claims and applications made in Welsh; and

   4. iv) the percentage of Welsh speakers in posts where the ability to speak Welsh is specified as desirable.

If we have not met our targets, we will explain the reasons and the steps planned to put matters right.

1. 57. A summary of this information will be included in an annual report.

Scheme publicity

1. 58. RPA will advertise the existence of the Welsh Language Scheme in all literature relating to Wales and in personal contact with the Welsh-speaking public. It will be made available on request to all members of the public in Wales, as well as to all members of staff and external consultants and advisors employed by RPA. Personal copies of the Scheme will be given to those staff whose work has a direct effect on the Welsh public.

Standards

1. 59. Standards for implementation of the scheme over next 12 months are attached at Annex A. This timetable will formally take effect in RPA following its approval by both RPA and the Welsh Language Commissioner.

Annex A

Implementing the Welsh Language Scheme

Service planning and delivery

Measures	Target date
All new policies and initiatives to have full regard to the measures in the Scheme Paragraph 8	Ongoing. eg Welsh language provision has been built into arrangements for new Customer Service Centre and Customer Registration system
Work instructions and guidance to staff Paragraph 46	Completed for BCMS.
Employ professional external translators Paragraphs 47, 51	Contract in place for BCMS. This will be extended RPA wide.
Services provided by third parties Paragraphs 10, 49 to 50	Welsh language provision included in contracts, service level agreements etc. Ongoing.
Maintain register of customers wishing to correspond in Welsh. Paragraph 12	Completed for BCMS.

Dealing with the Welsh speaking public

Measures	Target date
Welsh telephone service Paragraphs 16 to 20	BCMS Welsh helpline – ongoing.
Correspondence in Welsh replied to in same language Paragraphs 21 & 22	Ongoing.
Welsh language material on website. Paragraph 23	Material specified in Scheme to be added to RPA website within 12 months.
Bilingual e-business channel Paragraph 24	CTS Online – ongoing.

RPA’s public face

Measures	Target date
Corporate identity to be bilingual for correspondence with the public in Wales. Paragraphs 27	Completed for BCMS stationery.
Published information including leaflets, forms, and notices to be produced as Welsh language or bilingual documents as required Paragraphs 28 to 35	Ongoing. Currently, cattle passports and cattle passport application form are fully bilingual. Customer registration forms are available in Welsh. New CTS forms are produced bilingually from the outset.
Welsh language news releases Paragraph 36	Ongoing as required.
Welsh language advertising and publicity Paragraph 37 to 41	Ongoing as required.

Implementing and monitoring the scheme

Measures	Target date
Welsh speaking staff Paragraph 43 to 45	Welsh speaking staff in post in call centre.
Set up monitoring system Paragraphs 52 to 53	Completed for BCMS.
Allocate specific officer to monitor Welsh Language Scheme. Paragraph 55	Completed for BCMS (Welsh Language Unit in place). The role will now cover RPA-wide activity.
Reporting to Welsh Language Commissioner Paragraph 53	Completed for BCMS.
Establish complaints procedure for Welsh Language Scheme.	Ongoing
Scheme publicity Paragraph 58	Use RPA website to publicise scheme: ongoing. Advertise Scheme in relevant literature: ongoing as new publications are produced. Advertise Scheme in Annual Report: annually.
Publicise and distribute the Scheme to interested parties Paragraph 58	Ongoing.
Review and revise Scheme.	In consultation with Welsh Language Commissioner.

Annex B

Chart for use in gauging whether a document needs to be translated.

Considerations	2 points	1 point	0 points
1. If a Scheme document, how many customers does the Scheme have in Wales?	50 or more	1 to 49 (if this figure includes known Welsh speakers)	0
2. Number of printed copies for Welsh customers.	750+	150 to 750	-150
3.Length (number of new words)	-5,000	5,000 to 20,000	20,000+
4.Technical (i.e. would be incomprehensible to a lay reader)	No	To some extent	Yes
5.Target audience	Members of public or sectors with well known demand for Welsh Language	Specific sectors with indirect interest for the public	Specialists in sectors where demand for Welsh language is minimal
6. Effect on user (would groups or individuals be disadvantaged by non-translation?)	Yes	To some extent	No
7. Will document affect subsequent material e.g. will it be widely quoted in future material?	Yes	To some extent	No
8. Demand/likely interest – based on objective assessment or past experience	High	Medium	Low
9. Longevity (how long will the doc be operational?)	Over 2 years	6 months to 2 years	Temporary (less than 6 months)
10. Status	High	Medium	Low
11. Nature of document – is there an obvious WL angle	Yes	To some extent	No
12. Does the document refer to a scheme which has 50 or more customers in Wales?	Yes		No

The points should be added together to obtain the document’s priority rating.

20 to 13 = These documents will be bilingual.

12 to 7 = These documents should be bilingual but this will depend on translation resources at the time.

6 to 0 = English only but open to re-designation.

Colleagues who are unsure about the designation of documents should speak to the Welsh Language Unit for advice.