Welsh language scheme
We treat the English and Welsh languages equally when conducting public business in Wales.
When conducting public business in Wales, the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will treat the Welsh and English languages equally.
Statement of principle
This scheme sets out how DVSA will uphold this principle when providing services to the public in Wales. In this scheme, the term public means individuals, legal persons and corporate bodies. It includes the public as a whole, or a section of the public, as well as individual members of the public. The term includes voluntary organisations and charities. Directors and others representing limited companies are also within the meaning of the term ‘public’. It does not, however, include persons who are acting in a capacity which is representative of the Crown, Government or the State. Consequently, persons who fulfil official functions of a public nature, even though they are legal persons, do not come within the meaning of the word public when they are fulfilling those official functions.
The scheme:
- uses the guidelines issued by the Welsh Language Commissioner
- will be published and available to all DVSA staff and the public
DVSA responsibilities
DVSA is an executive agency of the Department for Transport (DfT). We improve road safety in Great Britain by setting standards for driving and motorcycling, and making sure drivers, riders, vehicle operators and MOT garages understand and follow roadworthiness standards. We also provide a range of licensing, testing, education and enforcement services.
We provide modern and efficient services which:
- meet the changing needs of business and the public
- help keep people safe
- protect the environment
We do this by setting clear standards for safe driving and vehicle safety and putting the customers at the heart of everything we do.
The services we provide include:
- improving driving competency through:
- developing, publishing and reviewing evidence-based standards for driving, riding, training and remedial programmes, like drink-drive rehabilitation
- developing and carrying out driving and riding tests and assessments fairly, consistently and efficiently
- regulating standards and maintaining the integrity of the statutory registers of approved driving and riding instructors and the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC)
- making sure commercial vehicle operators, drivers and vehicles meet roadworthiness standards and road safety regulations
- taking enforcement action against theory and driving test candidates, instructors trainers, operators, garages or commercial drivers who do not comply with rules and regulations or fail to meet standards
New policies and initiatives
The Vehicle Operator Licensing (VOL) service has been built with Welsh translations incorporated. This provides services to customers intending to apply for a goods or passenger vehicle operator licence and for existing customers who want to manage and update their existing licence on-line.
We continue to monitor changes on VOL and translate these into Welsh. The system gives the customer the option to receive correspondence in Welsh. If a customer selects this, then all corresponding documents are translated into Welsh before being sent to the customer.
Early on in any project, we will look at the impact it may have on the Welsh language. We will make sure that new legislation and administrative procedures that we are responsible for do not prevent or hinder use of the Welsh language.
Our policies will always be consistent with the scheme and will not undermine it. Our commitment refers to current, new and revised policies.
We will publish the scheme on our intranet (DVSAnet) together with general advice on the action staff should take to implement the strategy, and information on translation and interpretation facilities.
Delivery of services
We will support and provide services in Welsh whenever possible.
Where we deliver services to the public in Wales, we will use professional translators.
Customers who choose to correspond in Welsh will receive a reply in Welsh.
DVSA has developed a service allowing customers who telephone our contact centres to conduct their business in Welsh. A new contract with the translation service is currently in procurement.
Where possible, Welsh speakers are deployed to work in authorised testing facilities in Wales for the testing of heavy vehicles.
Driving tests in Welsh are available at every theory and practical test centre in Wales, as well as those outside Wales whose catchment area includes part of Wales. The standard and quality of our services are consistent throughout Wales.
Candidates can choose to take a theory test in Welsh at the time of booking and Welsh delivery is automatic at the test centre.
Candidates can choose to take a practical test in Welsh at the time of booking and we will provide a Welsh-speaking examiner.
Standard of service in Welsh
Throughout Wales, services in Welsh will be of an equally high quality as those in English. We will ensure that:
- candidates can choose to take a practical test in Welsh at the time of booking and a Welsh speaking Examiner will be provided.
- emails and letters in Welsh and English are answered in the same target times
- we refer to this scheme, and the commitments it contains, in important documents such as the annual report, and on the GOV.UK website
- the standards we have established in this scheme will apply to all other organisations that perform statutory duties on our behalf
- our existing IT facilities meet the requirements to implement the measures in this scheme. We will ensure that specifications for new or replacement systems take account of the provisions of this scheme to provide information and services in Welsh.
Communicating with the Welsh speaking public
Written communication
We have a commitment to begin correspondence in a recipient’s language choice, if known. Members of the public living in Wales are welcome to write to us in Welsh or English. When someone writes to us in Welsh, we will reply with a signed letter in Welsh, wherever a reply is required. Any further correspondence will be in Welsh unless otherwise requested.
Our target times for replying to letters in Welsh are the same as for those in English.
We will / have met these targets by:
- issuing guidance to staff on how to use translation services, and associated budget arrangements on DVSAnet
- arranging a contract with translators
- monitoring response times to correspondence written in Welsh
- making sure staff maintain a record of those people who have written to them in Welsh
Where required, we issue bilingual circulars or standard letters to the public in line with our published scheme.
Telephone communication
We welcome telephone enquiries to both our contact centres in Welsh or English for vehicle and driving test enquiries. Customers from any part of Wales who phone the national number can ask to conduct their enquiry in Welsh.
We are currently in the procurement process of confirming a contract with a new Welsh translation service. There will be a separate number to access a Welsh speaking operator or a translation-based service. An Interactive Voice Response system will respond in Welsh. The system will deliver to a customer service representative who will begin a three-way call conference with the translation service.
Our contact centre in Newcastle handles national enquiries relating to driver services. There is a separate national number to access a Welsh speaking operator or a translation based service. An interactive voice response system will respond in Welsh. The caller can choose access to the theory test line or the practical test line. The system will then deliver the call to the Welsh speaking customer service representative. If they are not available, the call will flow to an English speaker and they will action a live translation through a Welsh speaker at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
For calls to other DVSA departments where a Welsh speaker is not immediately available to take the call, we will offer a call back service in the Welsh language within one working day, or the opportunity to continue the call in English. In situations where a query is of a particularly complex or specialised nature and no Welsh speaker is available to deal adequately with it, the caller will be free to continue the conversation in English or outline the query in full in writing in Welsh. A written reply in Welsh will then be provided.
Where possible, we will encourage our staff in Wales to answer the telephone with a bilingual greeting and use bilingual messages on their personal answer – phones (if appropriate).
Public, group, educational institution and one to one meetings
Invitations and advertisements for meetings in Wales will be circulated in Welsh and English.
We will:
- commit to make translation facilities available at public meetings and encourage contributions in Welsh
- ensure that at group meetings, one to one meetings and visits to educational institutions in Wales, there will be members of staff available who can speak in Welsh and English to deal with enquiries
- on request, any information, publicity and reports relating to public meetings will be bilingual. The ADI qualification tests and standards checks are conducted in English or Welsh as required.
Court cases, hearings and public inquiries
We will inform the public, by means of a message on the original documentation, that a court case located in Wales may be held in Welsh or English. On request, we will arrange for an interpreter and provide all the necessary documentation in Welsh.
At meetings, hearings or public inquiries, operators are welcome to speak Welsh or English. When ‘call up’ letters are issued by the DVSA ‘Office of the Traffic Commissioner’, the right of those attending to use Welsh or English is clearly stated. The letter requests that they indicate their preferred choice by ticking the appropriate choice.
Internet
Anyone who emails DVSA in Welsh will get a reply in Welsh.
We will make sure that the following appear on GOV.UK and our intranet:
- clear navigation to an equivalent Welsh language page (if one exists)
- Welsh language versions of services and guidance, based on the strength of Welsh-language users’ needs as set out in the policy on GOV.UK
- the DVSA Welsh language scheme report (in Welsh and English)
Publicity and printed material
Corporate identity
The DVSA corporate logo, including the words Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, is an essential part of our identity. We provide a Welsh translation of Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency for use on letters we send out in Welsh, and on Welsh or bilingual publications.
Signs in Wales
The Agency’s information boards and signs on buildings/testing centres will all be bilingual throughout Wales. New items will be produced bilingually but existing items will be replaced with bilingual ones as they need replacing.
Within and outside buildings in Wales, all official new and replacement signs and notices which give warning, prohibit, instruct, request a code of behaviour or otherwise inform or promote the safety of staff, visitors and candidates will be bilingual.
Where separate Welsh and English signs are provided, they will be equal in terms of size, quality and prominence. Where Welsh and English are on the same sign they will be equal in size, font prominence etc.
Publications
Materials issued by DVSA that is essential for the general public in Wales, such as The Official Highway Code, leaflets, posters and public notices, will be translated in full. Other publications may be translated in part or in summary form.
Publications and resources produced by third parties and funded by their commercial value will be translated into Welsh if a sufficient market for Welsh versions exists to support them. The charge for a bilingual or Welsh version will not be greater than the price of an English version.
When we provide a Welsh translation of a document, we will do so bilingually unless separate English and Welsh versions are more practical. In these cases, the English version will state that a Welsh translation or summary is also available. Both documents will be of the same quality, and will be equally accessible.
We will try to make it clear to the reader when a publication applies to England only, to prevent any misunderstandings about possible Welsh translations if the document reaches people in Wales.
Materials issued by other organisations, even if they are endorsed by DVSA or the organisation is a partner of ours, are not covered by this scheme. We produce a wide range of published material including legislation, consultation documents, corporate publications, news releases, pamphlets and leaflets, forms and related explanatory material, stickers and other material designed for public display.
Associated explanatory material
When we provide a Welsh translation of associated explanatory material for use by the public in Wales, we will issue it bilingually if practical.
If the Welsh and English versions must be published separately (for instance, where a single document would be too lengthy or bulky), both versions will be of the same quality, equally accessible and available at the same time. Each version will note clearly that the material is available in the other language.
Forms
We will make sure that all our printed forms for the public in Wales include the Welsh and English versions together in one document where practical.
When we enter information on Welsh versions of forms that are sent to the public, we will do so in Welsh. This includes interactive forms published on our websites.
When we enter information on bilingual forms that are sent to the public, we will do so bilingually unless we know that the recipients would prefer to receive the information in Welsh or English only.
When other organisations distribute forms on our behalf, we will make sure that they do so too.
News releases
News releases of a particular interest to the public in Wales will be made available in Welsh and English. News releases issued specifically to the Welsh-speaking or bilingual media in Wales will be produced bilingually. Where possible, we commit to making Welsh speaking staff available to conduct press and broadcast interviews. We commit to issuing releases simultaneously in both languages.
Advertising and publicity activities
All publicity and advertising in newspapers with a principal circulation in Wales will be bilingual with Welsh and English versions shown together.
In Wales, we will publish official posters and other DVSA promotional materials bilingually where practical. If this is not practical, the Welsh and English versions will be equal in size and quality and will be distributed and displayed with equal prominence.
Display materials at any conference, seminar, presentation or exhibition for the public held in Wales will be bilingual or in separate Welsh and English versions in accordance with our Welsh Language Scheme. Any public survey or market research directed at the general public will be bilingual in Wales. Any public survey or market research conducted in Wales will be bilingual.
Staff and recruitment
We will ensure that staff who work in Wales can seek access to sufficient and appropriately skilled Welsh speakers to enable those staff to deliver a service through the medium of Welsh.
We will identify those workplaces and posts where the ability to speak Welsh is desirable or essential and the level of proficiency required in each case. This requirement may be defined as a component of a workplace or team, or attached to a particular job.
Where possible, we will undertake audits to establish the number, ability level and location of staff that can speak, read and write Welsh (including staff that are learning Welsh). We will also identify staff who wish to learn Welsh.
The results of these two exercises will be compared to identify workplaces where there is a shortage of Welsh speaking staff.
We will respond to any shortages through our recruitment and training activities.
We will also consider the possibility of transferring staff able to speak Welsh to fill those posts where the ability to speak Welsh is desirable or essential.
The DVSA has enough Welsh speaking examiners at its practical test centres to ensure that the demand for tests in Welsh is met and that the waiting times for tests are not affected by language preference. Sometimes this may entail borrowing staff from other areas.
When recruiting staff we will be guided by the information gathered by following the procedures described under Staffing above.
When fluency in Welsh is considered to be desirable or essential this will be stated in job competencies and advertisements.
Where no suitable Welsh speaking candidates can be found for a post where Welsh is desirable, the person appointed will be encouraged to learn Welsh.
When no suitable Welsh speaking candidates can be found for a post where Welsh is essential; we will make temporary arrangements under the Welsh language service (by providing, for example, Welsh speaking staff from elsewhere in our organisation to deliver parts of the service).
Information packs and application forms will be provided in Welsh and English for all of our jobs where fluency in Welsh is considered to be desirable or essential. For all other jobs, information packs and application forms will be provided in Welsh when requested by a job applicant.
Implementing the scheme
Responsibilities within DVSA
We are committed to operating within the terms of the scheme, and to make sure that everyone in DVSA knows how it should be implemented and what is expected of them. Managers are responsible for implementing the scheme as it pertains to their work.
We provide help and support to any member of our staff who wants to learn to speak Welsh. With our partners, Bangor University, we continually develop our Welsh speaking examiners. We commit to actively encouraging members of staff to undertake training in the Welsh language and regularly conduct interviews with them to make sure their standard of spoken Welsh is at the required level.
We will make the public aware that they may use Welsh or English when communicating with any of our offices by correspondence, telephone or face-to-face.
We will publish the scheme to our staff, to the public in Wales and on GOV.UK.
Translation services
We will ensure that any translation organisations we use provide a fast, high quality service. We will check that they have their own internal quality monitoring systems and that these operate satisfactorily.
Services delivered on behalf of the organisation by other parties
Where services we provide to the public in Wales are carried out for us by other organisations such as agents, consultants, contractors and voluntary bodies, we will ensure that agreements are consistent with the terms of this scheme and specify requirements on the use of Welsh language in relevant documentation.
Where relevant, the procurement process will take account of the Welsh Language Act requirements.
Monitoring the scheme
Monitoring will be coordinated by the Corporate Reputation team. Each year we will submit a report on progress to the Welsh Language Commissioner as requested. Where necessary, this will include reasons for not meeting any of the commitments set out in this scheme and an explanation of steps we will take to put things right.
Publishing the scheme
The Scheme will be publicised through the Intranet together with general advice on the action and process staff should take to get information translated. The scheme will also be published on GOV.UK.
Changes to the scheme
We will consult with the Welsh Language Commissioner in advance about any proposals that will affect the scheme and will seek the Commissioner’s approval before altering the scheme.
Improvements to the scheme/complaints
Suggestions for improvement
We welcome suggestions from the public and staff for improvements to our Welsh language service. All suggestions should be addressed to Public Liaison at:
DVSA Public Liaison team
[email protected]
Public Liaison Team
DVSA
1 Unity Square
Nottingham
NG2 1AY
Complaints
Any complaints about the way in which we have implemented the scheme or about our Welsh language service should also be sent to Public Liaison the above address. Complainants will receive a written reply in the language of their complaint.
Approved by the Welsh Language Commissioner. Date of approval: 8 September 2020.