Catalogue description Welsh Government: Welsh Language Board: Records created by the Welsh Language Board relating to Welsh language policy

The digital records of the Welsh Language Board are arranged according to their original file plan in their shared drive.

Born digital records are generally arranged and stored differently to paper records. References for born digital records are automatically generated and display a 'Z' after a forward slash, which distinguish them from traditional references allocated to paper and digitised records.

Born digital records are arranged within deep and complex folder structures. The folder names for each record appear under the arrangement information, providing context and a provenance trail.

Descriptions for born digital are generally file names saved as they were in the original metadata. Therefore they may not be in a natural narrative form. Many records in this series display the original identifying reference from the Electronic Document and Records Management system in brackets, as part of their file name.

The Welsh Language Board (Welsh: Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg) was established as a statutory body through the Welsh Language Act 1993 (The Act) to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language. The Act establishes the principle that in the conduct of public business in Wales the English and Welsh languages should be treated on a basis of equality. It received an annual government grant of £13m which was used to 'promote and facilitate' the use of the Welsh language.

It was an Assembly Sponsored Public Body. It began its life under John Walter Jones OBE and its last Chief Executive was Meirion Prys Jones, with Meri Huws acting as Chair.

As part of its work the WLB maintained a strategic overview of the education system in Wales, from early years up to further and higher education. The work of the WLB in the field of education included: agreeing Welsh Language Schemes with Local Authorities, agreeing Language Schemes with Institutes of Further and Higher Education, allocating grants under the Grant Schemes for Local Authorities to Promote Welsh Education, running various projects, and promoting Welsh education.

Functions of the WLB in promoting and facilitating the use of the Welsh Language under section 3 of the Welsh Language Act 1993 were split between the Welsh Government and the Welsh Language Commissioner.

The Welsh Language Board was abolished on 1 April 2012 as a result of the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011. The Measure also provided for the transfer of its functions to the Welsh Language Commissioner (Welsh: Comisiynydd y Gymraeg) or, in terms of functions to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh, to the Welsh Language Commissioner and / or the Welsh Ministers.

The Welsh language is one of Europe's most robust minority languages. Its cultural influences and traditions remain relevant today and are embraced by new generations learning and using the language. The language has been on a significant journey over the centuries. The 6th Century saw it being used in the majority of Britain. However it declined over the centuries to become a minority language by 1911. The Act of Union of 1536 had a disastrous impact as it prohibited the use of welsh in public administration and the legal system. A further blow came from the Royal Commission of 1847 into the state of education in Wales which effectively prevented the speaking of Welsh.

However the 20th Century saw a major resurgence in the fight to save the Welsh language, which is still ongoing to this day. Major milestones include:

• the creation of Urdd Gobaith Cymru which is still one of Europe's largest youth movements.
• the provision and major expansion of education through the medium of Welsh at both primary and secondary level.
• the enactment of the Welsh Language Act 1967 which granted the right to testify in Court through the medium of Welsh and the right to have official forms in Welsh.
• the introduction of the Welsh Language Act 1993 which created the Welsh Language Board and gave Welsh equal status to English resulting in a major expansion in the provision of services in both the Public and Private sector.
• major developments in the media with the birth of Radio Cymru and the Welsh language television channel S4C.
• political pressure and campaign groups such as Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) also came into being during this period.

In recent years, a strong political consensus has developed in relation to the need to safeguard and promote the Welsh language for the future. This has intensified since the creation of the National Assembly for Wales, and cross-party support was given to the Welsh Assembly Government's first strategic framework for the promotion of the Welsh language, Iaith Pawb: A National Action Plan for a Bilingual Wales, which was published in 2003. Coming up to date The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 confirmed the official status of the Welsh language in Wales and created a new legislative framework for the Welsh language. A Living Language: a Language for Living 2012-2017 is the latest Welsh Government Policy document. The results of the 2001 Census showed that 20.8 per cent of the population of Wales was able to speak Welsh (582,400 people). This was the first percentage increase in the numbers of Welsh speakers ever recorded by a Census, with the greatest increase seen among young people aged 5-16.