The Post Office Welsh Language Scheme 1997
(prepared under the Welsh Language Act 1993)

About this scheme 
This scheme sets out the measures we take to give equal status to the Welsh and English languages in the provision of services to our customers in Wales. The Scheme has the full support of the Board and is mandatory within all parts of The Group.

Customers in Wales who prefer to transact their business with us in Welsh, whether in correspondence, by telephone or in person, are welcome to do so and we are committed to providing an equally high standard of service in Welsh and English.

Addresses and postmarks in Wales 
Provided that the correct address and postcode are used, we will deliver to our normal service standards letters and parcels which bear either the Welsh or English name for a locality or thoroughfare in Wales officially adopted and displayed by the local authority.

To make it easy for customers to find and use the correct Welsh form of addresses in Wales, we ensure that the products we provide to assist addressing allow convenient identification of Welsh official addresses.

Official postmarks in Wales normally show the office name bilingually, except in cases where this is technically impracticable because of constraints of space.

Postmark slogans or messages have bilingual wording in Wales, although because of technical constraints of space, these may be abbreviated versions of those used in the rest of the UK in English only.

Holders of response service licences in Wales are welcome to show information bilingually or solely in Welsh on Business Reply or Freepost envelopes.

Postal franking machines used in Wales may show the name of a town in Welsh or bilingually wherever it is practicable to do so.

"First Day of Issue" postmarks that are used to cancel first day covers and philatelic mail in Wales are bilingual.

Correspondence 
Our offices in Wales use bilingually headed official stationery

We use Welsh in any correspondence which arises from a letter, meeting or telephone conversation from or with a customer using Welsh or where the customer has previously indicated a preference for corresponding in Welsh. We initiate correspondence bilingually if we have no indication of the customer's preferred language.

Any circulars or standard letters we address to households or business customers in Wales about public postal services are bilingual, regardless of the place of posting.

The same standards that we set for responding to letters in English apply to letters in Welsh.

We provide appropriate guidelines and training for our staff, when dealing with correspondence in Welsh.

Telephone calls  
We provide telephone helpline services in Welsh.

Our display advertisements in telephone directories are fully bilingual in Wales.

Meetings 
We aim to increase wherever possible the number of people at our offices competent to transact business in Welsh and we monitor our annual progress in this respect.

We use signs to identify post office counter positions where service is available in Welsh.

We offer to have a competent Welsh speaker present at any meeting arranged in Wales which is open to members of the public.

A Welsh speaker can also be made available for guided visits to our premises in Wales.

Forms and leaflets 
We produce for use in Wales bilingual versions of leaflets and forms which we produce for the public to complete or where this is impracticable, separate Welsh and English versions. Procedures are in place to ensure that our offices in Wales are adequately stocked and that the items are adequately displayed.

Signs, identity and notices 
All public posting boxes in Wales display bilingual information, as do all stamp vending machines we own and operate.

Our delivery vehicles and postbuses permanently based at Welsh offices or mainly used in Wales display the bilingual signs of identity.

We display bilingually public information and identity signs on the exterior of our premises in Wales and in those internal areas where the public are normally admitted.

Philatelic items with a specifically Welsh theme are produced bilingually.

News releases, publications and exhibitions 
News releases about changes to our services in Wales, or which have special relevance to Wales or the Welsh language are produced bilingually.

We normally produce bilingually, public information publications distributed to customers in Wales.

Where we produce separate Welsh and English versions of a publication we aim to publish both versions simultaneously and they are available in Wales on terms of equal accessibility and price.

Any exhibition which we mount in Wales has bilingual displays.

Product advertising and surveys 
Any advertising promotions we produce aimed solely at Welsh customers are bilingual, or have Welsh language versions.

Any customer survey questionnaires relating to our services in Wales are produced bilingually, and provide for responses in Welsh.

Recruitment and training 
In Wales, we advertise job vacancies, including those for agents, in both Welsh and English. However, where we consider that the ability to speak or write Welsh is an essential requirement of the job, we may advertise in Welsh only.

For jobs in which we consider that it is essential or desirable to use Welsh we encourage and support appropriate language training to ensure that the holder can reach and maintain the standard we require.

Arrangements with third parties 
We require suppliers or contractors and their employees who provide services to the public in Wales on our behalf to abide by our standards for the use of Welsh as set out in this scheme. Similarly, where we are acting as an agent for another organisation which has its own Welsh language scheme and we provide services to the public on its behalf, we honour our contractual obligations with respect to implementing that scheme.

Implementing and monitoring 
We conduct periodic opinion surveys to test the views of Welsh-speaking service users about our range and quality of services in Welsh.

We shall keep the effectiveness of the scheme under review and consider any necessary amendments for further promoting equality between the Welsh and English languages in consultation with the Welsh Language Board.

A summary of our performance against this scheme is submitted annually to the Welsh Language Board.

Making contact 
Free copies of the full scheme may be obtained from mike.norman@royalmail.com.

If you have a query or complaint concerning our Welsh language policy and the contents of our scheme, please contact mike.norman@royalmail.com.