Welsh Language Act 1967
Welsh Language Act 1967
1967 CHAPTER 66
An Act to make further provision with respect to the Welsh language and references in Acts of Parliament to Wales.
[27th July 1967]
Whereas it is proper that the Welsh language should be freely used by those who so desire in the hearing of legal proceedings in Wales and Monmouthshire; that further provision should be made for the use of that language, with the like effect as English, in the conduct of other official or public business there; and that Wales should be distinguished from England in the interpretation of future Acts of Parliament:
Be it therefore enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 Use of Welsh in legal proceedings.
(1) In any legal proceeding in Wales or Monmouthshire the Welsh language may be spoken by any party, witness or other person who desires to use it, subject in the case of proceedings in a court other than a magistrates' court to such prior notice as may be required by rules of court; and any necessary provision for interpretation shall be made accordingly.
(2) Section 1 of the Welsh Courts Act 1942 , and in paragraph 7 of the Schedule to the Pensions Appeal Tribunals Act 1943 the words from the beginning to ‘language and’, are hereby repealed.
2 Welsh versions of statutory forms etc.
(1) Where any enactment passed either before or after this Act specifies the form of any document or any form of words which is to be or may be used for an official or public purpose, the appropriate Minister may by order prescribe a version of the document or words in Welsh, or partly in Welsh and partly in English, for use for that purpose in such circumstances and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by the order.
(2) Any power to specify such a form of document or words as is mentioned in subsection (1) of this section which is conferred, whether in express terms or otherwise, by any enactment passed either before or after this Act shall include power to prescribe such a version of the document or words as is there mentioned for use for the purpose in question in such circumstances and subject to such conditions as may be prescribed by the instrument by which the power is exercised.
(3) In this section ‘the appropriate Minister’ means, in relation to any enactment—
(a ) in the case of an enactment for the execution of which in Wales a Minister other than the Secretary of State is responsible, that Minister; and
(b ) in any other case, the Secretary of State,
and any question arising under this subsection shall be determined by the Treasury.
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