ROYAL MAIL LANGUAGE SCHEME...Language Scheme since 1997 and remains committed to the Welsh society,...

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Welsh Language Scheme Royal Mail Group Ltd

Transcript of ROYAL MAIL LANGUAGE SCHEME...Language Scheme since 1997 and remains committed to the Welsh society,...

Page 1: ROYAL MAIL LANGUAGE SCHEME...Language Scheme since 1997 and remains committed to the Welsh society, language and culture. Royal Mail Group Ltd This scheme was approved by the Welsh

WelshLanguage Scheme

Royal Mail Group Ltd

Page 2: ROYAL MAIL LANGUAGE SCHEME...Language Scheme since 1997 and remains committed to the Welsh society, language and culture. Royal Mail Group Ltd This scheme was approved by the Welsh

Contents

Introduction p3.

About this scheme p4.

Addresses and postmarks in Wales p5.

Correspondence p7.

Telephone calls p8.

Face to face meetings p9.

Public meetings p10.

Forms and leaflets p11.

Signs, identity and notices p12.

The Internet p14.

Press notices, publications and exhibitions p15.

Product advertising p16.

Recruitment and training p17.

Arrangements with Third Parties p18.

Implementing and monitoring this Scheme p19.

Contact points p21.

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Introduction

1.The Royal Mail Group Ltd (formerlyThe Post Office) was made a public

corporation by an Act of Parliament in1969. For the purposes of this schemeRoyal Mail Group Ltd means Royal MailLetters, Post Office Ltd and ParcelforceWorldwide. It has a duty, under a Licenceissued to it by Postcomm under thePostal Services Act 2000 to provide auniversal postal service to serve thesocial, industrial and commercial needsof the United Kingdom. Royal MailGroup Ltd comprises of three distinctbusinesses within the UK and employs168,000 staff.

Royal Mail, as defined, provides a letterand postal packet collection and deliveryservice for the United Kingdom,combining advanced technology withits transportation network to deliverc.59 million items daily to 28 millionaddresses. These figures include maildelivered daily to over 1.5 millionaddresses in Wales. Royal Mail offers awide range of special services designed tocater for business and private mail users.

Parcelforce Worldwide operates in anextremely competitive Express parcelsmarket and offers a parcel deliveryservice to every address in the UnitedKingdom directly or by agent.

Post Office Limited has a network ofover 11,500 branches, which are visitedby around 20 million customers eachweek. These figures include nearly1,000 branches in Wales. Post OfficeLimited provides a range of productsincluding, Financial, Insurance,Broadband and Phone, Letters andParcels, Travel and Counter Services aswell as providing an outlet forgovernment departments, public bodies,utilities and commercial organisations.

Royal Mail Group Ltd operates currentlywithin a fully liberalised mail market; itcombines a long history of dedicatedpublic service with a commitment toproviding its customers with modernservices geared to their needs. RoyalMail Group Ltd has operated a WelshLanguage Scheme since 1997 andremains committed to the Welshsociety, language and culture.

Royal Mail Group Ltd

This scheme was approved by the Welsh LanguageBoard under section 14(1) of the Welsh LanguageAct. It was approved on 16/12/2011.

p3.

Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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2.1Royal Mail Group Ltd hasadopted the principle that in

the conduct of public business inWales, it will treat the English andWelsh languages on a basis of equality.This scheme sets out how Royal MailGroup Ltd will give effect to thatprinciple when providing services tothe public in Wales.

2.2We will adhere to the policiesand uphold the standards set

out in this scheme, and plan all newservices with reference to thecommitments given in it.Implementing and monitoring thisScheme sets out our framework formanaging and monitoring ourprogress in fulfilling our commitments.

2.3Our starting point inrecognising the equality of the

Welsh and English languages is thatcustomers in Wales, who prefer totransact their business with us inWelsh, whether in correspondence, bytelephone or in person, are welcometo do so. We operate a large WelshLanguage Call Centre in Bangordedicated to providing services forcustomers wishing to transact theirbusiness in Welsh. We are committed

to provide an equally high standard ofservice in Welsh and English. The RoyalMail codes of practice and ParcelforceWorldwide service guide are availablein Welsh from all Crown Post Offices inWales and from our customer servicecentres.

2.4The commitments in thisscheme require us to maintain

our capacity for routinely handlingbusiness in Welsh to the requiredstandards, and this scheme includesthe steps we will take to achieve this.

2.5This scheme has the fullsupport of the Royal Mail

Group Ltd Board and covers PostOffice Limited, Royal Mail Letters andParcelforce Worldwide. In this scheme,“we” and “our” refer to Royal MailGroup Ltd, formerly The Post Office ofthe United Kingdom, as established bythe relevant Acts of Parliament.

AboutthisScheme

p4.

Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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3.1Provided that the correctaddress and postcode are

used, we will deliver to our normalservice standards letters and parcelswhich bear either the Welsh or Englishname for a locality or thoroughfare inWales officially adopted and displayedby the local authority. However, wediscourage the use of bilingualaddressing as this can impact on thequality of service provided. Whetherthe Welsh or English address is used,we would respectfully remindcustomers that the full postal addressincluding the postcode should bealways provided by the sender.Omission of the correct postcode oruse of a form of address not adoptedand displayed by the local authority,will impact on the quality of servicereceived. Official addresses forthoroughfares are decided by localauthorities, rather than by Royal Mailand it is the responsibility of localauthorities to notify us of any changesto official forms of address asstipulated in our Code of Practice. Wewill liaise with local authorities in Walesto verify the names of thoroughfareswhich are displayed bilingually.

3.2To make it easy for customersto find and use the correct

Welsh form of addresses in Wales ourPostal Address File (PAF) allowsconvenient identification of officialWelsh addresses via the Toolbar-options, language choice facility.

3.3Official postmarks applied toRoyal Mail posted items either

by mechanised or manual processes atour Mail Centres in Wales indicates thename of that office. They will normallyshow the office name bilingually,except in cases where the length ofthe name makes this technicallyimpracticable because of constraintsof space. The date of posting willnormally be shown in numerical form.

3.4Handstamps used to applyofficial postmarks at Post

Office Limited branches will show onlythe registered listed name of thebranch due to space restrictions.

Addresses and postmarksinWales

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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3.5Postmark slogans or messagesapplied as part of the

cancellation mark will have bilingualwording where that wording issupplied by Royal Mail Group Ltdrather than a third party. However,because of technical constraints ofspace, bilingual slogans in Wales maybe abbreviated versions of thoseapplied throughout the rest of theUnited Kingdom in English only. Thesize, quality, legibility and prominenceof the wording of postmarks in Waleswill respect the principle of equalitybetween Welsh and English. If acustomer pays for an advertisingslogan or message, we will offer themthe option of using bilingual or solelyWelsh wording in Wales. Similarly,holders of response service licences inWales are welcome, within the clearzone spaces provided, to showinformation bilingually or solely inWelsh or English on Business Reply orFreepost envelopes. This excludesaddressee details and is subject tocompliance with our regulations fordesign.

3.6Where meter dies in postalfranking machines show the

name of a town (“town dies”), we willapprove Welsh versions for use inWales wherever it is practicable to doso. Constraints of space make itimpracticable to show both Welsh andEnglish versions of town namestogether. We welcome suppliers offranking machines who wish to offerthe Welsh version to customers inWales. Suppliers of franking machines inWales are welcome to invite customersto use bilingual meter slogans.

3.7“First Day of Issue” postmarksgenerated by Royal Mail that

are used to cancel first day covers andphilatelic mail in Wales will be bilingual,subject to size and technical constraints.We will offer customers in Wales whopay for their own design of specialphilatelic handstamp, the option ofbilingual wording.

3.8Business customers in Walesavailing themselves of the

Royal Mail Business redirection serviceswill be allowed to use both theirEnglish and Welsh equivalent companyidentity without additional charge.However, we stipulate that the Englishand Welsh business names must be adirect translation as any variations willbe charged as normal terms andconditions dictate. Social customerswith different surnames will be chargedfor each variation of a surname.

3.9Individual or sheets of WelshDefinitive stamps will be

available at all Post Office branches inWales along with the current “SpecialStamp” issues available at the time.

p6.

Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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4.1Our offices in Wales will usebilingual headed official

stationery for all correspondence withour customers in Wales. We will alsouse bilingual headed official stationeryfor services regularly provided to ourcustomers in Wales from offices outsidethe Principality. Official stationeryincludes letterheads, compliment slips,fax headers and business cards. Allprinted headings showing information,titles or that conveys any message willappear in bilingual form on these items.

4.2We will reply in Welsh to allcorrespondence received in

Welsh.

4.3We will use Welsh in anycorrespondence which arises

from a meeting or telephoneconversation with a customer usingWelsh.

4.4We will use Welsh in personalcorrespondence we initiate

with any customer in Wales who weare aware has previously indicated apreference for corresponding in Welsh.We will initiate correspondencebilingually if we have no indication ofthe customer’s preferred language, butany further correspondence will beeither in Welsh, in English, or bilingual,according to the choice expressed bythe customer.

4.5Any circulars or standardletters we address to all

properties or business customers inWales about public postal services willbe bilingual, regardless of the place of

posting. The same principle applies toany receipts supplied at Post Officebranches to customers in Wales.

4.6Royal Mail has publishedstandards for acknowledging

and replying to all correspondencewithin a stated time. These are set outin the code of practice published byRoyal Mail available at all main PostOffice branches and from ourCustomer Services team. The samestandards that our businesses set forresponding to letters in English willapply to letters in Welsh.

4.7We will issue guidelines fortranslators and use competent

translators to prepare letters in Welshvia our Welsh Language Centre. Weshall maintain internal monitoring toensure that the speed and quality ofour correspondence in Welsh meetshigh standards. We will ensure that weonly use qualified translators orinterpreters for the translation ofelectronic and printed material – andfor simultaneous translation. Thetranslators will be members of theAssociation of Welsh Translators or asimilar organisation.

4.8We will provide appropriateWelsh language awareness

training and stipulate guidelines foremployees in correct procedures,setting out the standards that arerequired when dealing withcorrespondence in Welsh.

Correspondence

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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5.1Our core businesses will provideeither bilingual or dedicated

Welsh language telephone helplineservices via our Welsh Language ContactCentre. To make Welsh-speakingcustomers aware that the facility isavailable, we will publicise bilinguallythe numbers of the helplines providedby or on behalf of our businesses.Advertisements in telephone directoriesshowing these contact numbers willbe fully bilingual in Wales.

5.2Calls to the Welsh languagetelephone helplines will be

charged at the same rates as theequivalent English language helplinesfor the Royal Mail Group Ltd service inquestion. Hours of availability oftelephone helplines may vary betweenthe Royal Mail Group businesses andmay be changed from time to time.Bilingual language helplines willoperate during the core hours of thebusinesses. We will publicise any futurevariation of these hours.

5.3Customers ringing our otherhelpline numbers who indicate

that they wish to speak in Welsh will betransferred to a Welsh-speakinghelpline at no additional charge wherethe transfer facility is available.Alternatively we will provide thenumber of the Welsh languagehelpline for the customer to call attheir convenience. If appropriate, wewill invite the customer to write to usin Welsh or arrange for a Welshspeaker to ring the customer back.

5.4Staff who are unable to speakWelsh will be given instruction

and training in the procedures forreferring callers who wish to use Welshto a Welsh language helpline.

Telephonecalls

p8.

Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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6.1We will aim to increasewherever possible the number

of people at our offices competent totransact business in Welsh, giving priorityto those areas where there is greatestdemand from the local Welsh-speakingcommunity. We will monitor our annualprogress in this area.

6.2We aim to use name badgesto identify Post Office counter

positions where service is available inWelsh. Where no Welsh speaker isavailable at one of our offices or enquiryoffices in Wales we shall, as a minimum,offer to provide any customer whoprefers to transact business in Welshwith details of the Welsh languagetelephone helpline service. The helplinewill offer to provide the address of thenearest office where Welsh is spoken.If appropriate, we will arrange for aWelsh-speaking member of staff tocontact the customer as soon aspracticable.

6.3We will maintain databases ofWelsh-speaking employees

and agents who are competent andwilling to transact business withcustomers in Welsh, and make bestuse of our resources in this respect forthe benefit of our Welsh-speakingcustomers. Bilingual badges will beworn by employees and agents in PostOffice branches in Wales identifyingagents able to conduct businessthrough the medium of Welsh.

6.4We will ensure awareness isprovided for staff in Wales who

have contact with the public inprocedures for dealing correctly withenquiries from customers who preferto transact their business in Welsh. Wewill set standards for this trainingprogramme and monitor progressagainst them.

6.5Information about our schemeand our commitment will be

provided to all staff employed withinWales.

Face to facemeetings

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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7.1We shall offer to have acompetent Welsh speaker

present at any meeting we arrange inWales which is open to members ofthe public. If someone attending themeeting notifies us in advance thatthey wish to speak Welsh we will alsoconsider the provision of fulltranslation facilities, having regard tothe level of demand, location andsubject of the meeting. Our advancepublicity for such meetings will invitemembers of the public to contact us ifthey wish to request these facilities.

7.2We will offer to include a Welshspeaker amongst our

representatives when we attend apublic meeting in Wales arranged byothers.

7.3Where possible we will offer toarrange for a Welsh speaker to

be present for guided visits to ourpremises in Wales by members of thepublic, or for meetings arranged onour premises in Wales.

Publicmeetings

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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8.1In Wales we will producebilingual or Welsh versions of

Royal Mail Group Ltd leaflets and allforms which we produce for membersof the public to complete. Some international documents dealing withCustoms have to be completed inEnglish only, to comply with regulationsmade by the Universal Postal Union.

8.2Post Office Limited, at PostOffice branches supply forms

and leaflets on behalf of several clientorganisations that may not yetproduce their literature in Welsh. Wewill, however, use our influence as anagent to encourage the introductionof bilingual forms and leafletswherever possible.

8.3To ensure that our customersin Wales have no difficulty in

obtaining bilingual forms and leaflets,we shall maintain procedures whichseek to ensure that our offices thereare adequately stocked and that theitems are adequately displayed subjectto space constraints. Where separateWelsh versions are available, we willensure that they are made equallyavailable with the English version. Wewill arrange for any leaflet which is inprint but temporarily unavailable at aPost Office branch (or at a Royal Mailcaller’s office or Parcelforce Worldwidedepot) to be posted free of charge tothe customer within one working dayof receiving the request.

Formsandleaflets

p11.

Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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9.1All posting boxes used by thepublic in Wales will display

bilingual information, as will all stampvending machines and ATMs we ownand operate.

9.2Our delivery and Mobile PostOffices vehicles permanently

based in or mainly used in Wales willdisplay the bilingual signs of identityadopted by the Royal Mail Group Ltdbusiness in question.

9.3We will display bilingual publicinformation signs and the

bilingual signs of identity adopted bythe Royal Mail Group Ltd business inquestion on the exterior of ourbuildings in Wales. Where Post Officebranches in Wales which we own andoperate still display external signs inEnglish only, we shall phase in bilingualsigns. Where Post Office branches inWales are operated by agents on ourbehalf, we will ensure the adoption ofbilingual fascia in the course of thenormal replacement or re-painting cycle.

9.4We will display bilingualinternal signs where they are

intended for the information ofcustomers in those areas of ourpremises in Wales where the public arenormally admitted. All Post Officebranches in Wales will display bilingualsigns, unless constraints of spacemake this genuinely impracticable. Theprinciple of equality between Welshand English will also apply to any newor replacement electronic signsincluding customer screen interfaceequipment and digital voiceannouncements which we install inPost Office branches in Wales.

9.5The English and Welshlettering on all our bilingual

signs will be equal in terms of format,size, quality, legibility and prominence.Where we provide separate Welsh andEnglish signs, they will be equal interms of format, size, quality, legibilityand prominence.

Signs,identity andnotices

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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9.6The same principle of equalityin design in respect of size,

quality, legibility and prominence willapply to all our publications, materialsor notices produced in Welsh. Where aplace-name occurs within Welsh text,the official Welsh form will be used.These bilingual requirements for Waleswill be incorporated in our designguidelines.

9.7Public information noticesproduced by the Post Office

Limited and displayed in public areas inPost Office branches in Wales will bebilingual. Our Post Office branches alsodisplay notices and advertisements onbehalf of several client organisationsthat may not yet produce such itemsin Welsh. We will, however, use ourinfluence as agent to those organisationsto encourage the introduction ofbilingual notices and advertisementswherever possible. If separate Welshnotices are produced, we will givethem equal prominence with theEnglish version.

9.8Philatelic items with aspecifically Welsh theme will

be produced bilingually. The use ofWelsh will be considered in the designof other philatelic items on sale inWales whenever it is reasonablypracticable to do so. The design of theset of Welsh definitive postage stampsproduced for sale in Wales will respectthe principle of equality betweenWelsh and English.

p13.

Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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10.1In offering services to thepublic on the Internet, we

will have regard to the Welsh language.We provide a Welsh version of ourRoyal Mail Group website. Our RoyalMail website provides Welsh contentwhich includes the Postal addresslook-up and Track and Trace facilities.Post Office Limited aim to develop thecontent of it’s website with theprovision of a Welsh language pagewithin 12 months. Further content willbe considered for our websites wheredemand necessitates it in consultationwith the Welsh Language Board. Newsreleases will be displayed in Welsh andEnglish on our Group website.

10.2When designing newwebsites, or redeveloping

our existing websites, we will take intoaccount the Welsh Language Board’sBilingual Software Guidelines andStandards and any other guidanceissued by the Board with regard todeveloping websites.

TheInternet

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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11.1Press notices and releasesabout changes to our

services in Wales, or which havespecial relevance to Wales or theWelsh language will be producedbilingually. We will issue Welsh andEnglish versions simultaneously unlessparticular urgency requires issuebefore translation is complete. In suchcases, a Welsh version will be issued assoon as possible after the Englishversion. When we address such pressnotices and releases to media in Wales,this may include newspapers publishedelsewhere but with the majority oftheir circulation in Wales.

11.2We will normally producebilingually public

information publications distributed tocustomers in Wales. However, we maycontinue to produce in English onlysome items which have a lowcirculation in Wales, such as technicalor specialised manuals, guides,operating instructions or similar itemsnot intended for the general public.

11.3Where we produce separateWelsh and English versions

of a publication we will aim to publishboth versions simultaneously and theywill be available in Wales on terms ofequal accessibility. If we make acharge for any publication which isissued in a bilingual format, the pricewill not be greater than that of a singlelanguage version of that document.Nor will the price of a separate Welshversion of any document be greaterthan the price of the English version.

11.4Any exhibition which wemount in Wales will have

bilingual displays. We will also mountbilingual displays for any contributionwe make to any other exhibitionorganised in Wales.

Press notices,publicationsand exhibitions

p15.

Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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12.1Any advertising promotionswe produce aimed solely at

Welsh customers will be bilingual, orhave a Welsh language version.

12.2Any postal customer surveyquestionnaires relating to

our services in Wales will be producedbilingually, and will provide for responsesin Welsh.

12.3Where we produceadvertising material aimed

at promoting sales rather than providingpublic information, we shall considerin each case the need for productionof a bilingual or Welsh languageversion for Wales, having regard to thesize and nature of the target audience,and commercial considerations.

12.4Where we sell or distributepromotional or other

products, either separately or inconnection with another of ourservices, we shall consider in eachcase the need for production of abilingual or Welsh language version forWales, having regard to the size andnature of the target audience, but witha presumption in favour of the principleof equality between Welsh and English.Where others contract with us for thedistribution or sale of items they producein joint promotions with one of ourservices, we shall similarly ask them totake these considerations into account.

Productadvertising

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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13.1In Wales, we will advertisejob vacancies in both Welsh

and English. However, where we considerthat the ability to speak or write Welshis an essential requirement of the job,we may advertise in Welsh only, with afootnote in English explaining thepurpose of the advertisement.

13.2We will identify those jobsfor which we consider that

the ability to speak Welsh is essential ordesirable. Where such a requirementapplies it will be stated in our jobadvertisement and incorporated in thejob description.

13.3We are an equalopportunities employer and

will select the person most competentto fill a vacancy, taking all factors intoconsideration. Where we have statedthat the ability to speak Welshcompetently is desirable for aparticular job, and where in our viewcandidates are otherwise equallyqualified, we will give preference to aWelsh speaker.

13.4We will monitor therecruitment, placing and

level of proficiency of Welsh speakingstaff, with a view to increasingwherever possible the number ofWelsh speakers serving the public inWales. However, no employee will beassigned or transferred to a duty forreasons of linguistic competencewithout their agreement.

13.5For jobs where we considerthat it is essential or

desirable to use Welsh, we willencourage and support appropriatelanguage training to ensure that theholder can reach and maintain thestandard we require within a statedperiod. The support we provide foremployees, e.g. day release, periods ofstudy leave for examinations and costsof tuition and study aids, will be on theterms that normally apply within theRoyal Mail Group businesses for studyof approved subjects.

13.6Each business aims toproduce and circulate a

Welsh language awareness brief forthe information of its employees.

Recruitmentandtraining

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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14.1We will encourage suppliersor contractors and their

employees who provide services to thepublic in Wales on our behalf to abideby our standards for the use of Welshas set out in this scheme. We willensure that all invites for tenders forprovision of such services in Wales aremade aware of our Welsh languagecommitments.

14.2Where we are acting as anagent for another

organisation which has its own Welshlanguage scheme and we provideservices to the public on its behalf, wewill honour our contractual obligations.

14.3In Wales, vacancies foragents operating post

offices on our behalf will be advertisedbilingually. Our overriding commitmentis to the maintenance of a nation-widenetwork of Post Office branches, andappointments will be made againstthat background. We will encourageagents operating Post Office brancheson our behalf to employ Welshspeaking staff at their branches to theextent which they are able to do so.

14.4Where appropriate we willpermit customers who

purchase services supplied by thirdparties from Post Office branches whodo not have a Welsh language helplineof their own to use our facility.

ArrangementswithThird Parties

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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15.1Observance of this schemeis mandatory within all parts

of Royal Mail Group Ltd, and managershave a responsibility to see that it iscommunicated and implemented. Thescheme will be publicised internally tomaintain awareness. All appropriatenew staff and agents will be madeaware of the scheme as part of theirinduction training.

15.2The planning of all RoyalMail Group Ltd products

and services for the public will takeaccount of the need in Wales for equalitybetween the Welsh and Englishlanguages and the commitments givenin this scheme. New policies andinitiatives must be consistent with thescheme, and must not undermine it.

15.3Each Royal Mail Group Ltdbusiness shall have processes

to ensure that the measures andstandards set out in this scheme areimplemented, maintained andadequately and consistently monitored,and that Welsh language requirementsare given proper consideration. Thecommitments given in this schememust be incorporated in appropriatebusiness guidelines and instructions

and communicated to all relevant staff,and to contractors providing servicesto the public on behalf of Royall MailGroup Ltd. Agents should also be askedto communicate them to their staff.

15.4Each business shall name asenior person with overall

responsibility for Welsh languagepolicy. The name of the person will bemade known, as appropriate, to otherstaff and to any agent or contractorsemployed by the business, as well asto the public. For Royal Mail Group Ltdas a whole, compliance with thisscheme shall be the responsibility ofthe Secretary to Royal Mail Group Ltd.

15.5We shall keep theeffectiveness of this

scheme under review, and we shallconsider any necessary amendmentsto this scheme for further promotingequality between the Welsh andEnglish languages in consultation withthe Welsh Language Board. Should wefail to meet our published standardsand targets, we shall give anexplanation to the Board and describethe measures being taken to putmatters right.

Implementingand monitoringthis Scheme

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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15.6We shall consult the WelshLanguage Board in advance

regarding proposals which will affectthe scheme, or will affect the schemesof other organisations.

15.7We shall not make anyalteration to this scheme

without the agreement of the WelshLanguage Board.

15.8Each business will monitorthe number and nature of

enquiries, suggestions and complaintsit receives about the Welsh languageservice and policy. The results will beincluded in the published annualreport on performance againstscheme commitments.

15.9We will conduct periodicopinion surveys to test the

views of Welsh-speaking service usersabout the range and quality of servicesin Welsh which we provide. Oralsurveys will be carried out in thepreferred language of the respondent,and questionnaires will be producedbilingually.

15.10We will promotecontinuing awareness

of our Welsh Language Scheme bysustaining a programme of ongoingpublicity about it.

15.11We will ensure that weonly use qualified

translators or interpreters for translationof electronic and printed material –and for simultaneous translation. Thosetranslators will be members of theAssociation of Welsh Translators or asimilar organisation.

15.12We will send monitoringreports to the Welsh

Language Board, annually in June,outlining progress in delivering thisscheme, based on our records.

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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16.1If you have an enquiry orcomplaint about a particular

Royal Mail Group service, you shouldfirst take it up with the customerservice centre for your area. You willfind the address and telephonenumber in your local telephone book.You will also find details of how tocomplain, and our standards fordealing with complaints, in our codesof practice which are available free atmain post offices. We welcomesuggestions for improvement.

16.2If you have a query orcomplaint concerning our

Welsh language policy and thecontents of this scheme, pleasecontact:

Mike Norman External Relations 3rd Floor Royal Mail Cardiff 220 Penarth Road CARDIFF CF11 8TA

E-mail: [email protected]

Contactpoints

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

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p22.

Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

Section Action Responsibility Target

3.0 Addresses and Postmarks: Promote theWelsh language function on PAF productsvia customer Newsletters.

Mike Norman Ongoing

4.8 Provide guidelines for employees withinCustomer Services setting out the requiredstandards for correspondence in Welsh

Group Ongoing

5.1 Parcelworldwide to produce bilingualadvert to advertise Helplines in publications

PWW Ongoing

6.3 Maintain a database of Welsh speakingemployees and agents who can transactbusiness through the medium of Welsh

Group Ongoing

6.4 Provide language awareness for staff inWales who have contact with the public fordealing correctly with enquiries in Welsh

Group Ongoing

6.5 Provide information about the scheme toall staff in Wales

Group 2012

8.3 Ensure that offices in Wales are adequatelystocked with bilingual forms and leaflets

POL Ongoing

9.3 ParcelWorldwide to update signage atdepots under normal replacement cycle inline with commitment.

PWW Ongoing

9.3 Ensure that all Royal Mail Group Ltdinternal and external signs that areintended for the information of customersin Wales are bilingual in the course ofnormal replacement cycles

Group Ongoing

10.0 Internet: Provide Welsh language page forthe Post Office Limited website.

POL 2012

12.3 Consider the need for production of abilingual or Welsh language version foradvertising material on a case by case basis

Group Ongoing

13.2 Identify jobs where the ability to speakWelsh is essential or desirable

Group Ongoing

13.6 Each business to produce and circulate aWelsh language awareness brief

Group Ongoing

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Royal Mail Welsh Language Scheme

Section Action Responsibility Target

15.0 Scheme Awareness: Promote schemeinternally to raise awareness of our Welshlanguage commitments via publications/intranet to all staff.

Mike Norman Ongoing

15.0 Promotion of Welsh Language Services:Actively promote current services availableto customers via marketing and publicitycampaigns.

Mike Norman Ongoing

15.0 Monitoring the service: Measure usageand demand of services offered viareporting schedule in the following areas: • Telephone calls • Web activity • Service application requests

Mike Norman Ongoing

15.0 Monitoring: Provide the WLB with anannual monitoring report as prescribed bythe Board.

Mike Norman June 2012

15.1 Include Welsh language awareness trainingfor appropriate new staff as part ofinduction training

Group Ongoing

15.10 Conduct opinion survey to test the views ofWelsh-speaking users about the range andquality of services provided in Welsh

Group Ongoing

15.11 Place Welsh Language Scheme in aprominent place on the Royal Mail website

Group 2012

15.4 Each business to name a senior personwith overall responsibility for Welshlanguage policy.

Group 2012

Page 24: ROYAL MAIL LANGUAGE SCHEME...Language Scheme since 1997 and remains committed to the Welsh society, language and culture. Royal Mail Group Ltd This scheme was approved by the Welsh

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