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First british passeport in welsh

From the end of next year onwards the Welsh language will be included on every new British passport. The language will be seen side by side with English and French but up to now it has not been announced what information will be included

Philippe Argouarch pour Eurolang le 28/09/04 8:30

Abergele 9/27/2004 , by Huw Morgan

From the end of next year onwards the Welsh language will be included on every new British passport. The language will be seen side by side with English and French but up to now it has not been announced what information will be included in Welsh.

This is the first time that Welsh has been included on an official international document. After failing to persuade the British government in the 1980s and 1990s, some language movements attempted to redress the situation. In the 1980s, Y Cyfamodwyr (The Covenantors) produced their own Welsh passport and some of its members successfully used them to travel to the Continent. Later, Cefn (Support) produced a Welsh stamp that could be included in the English passports.

The agreement to include Welsh on the British passports follows extensive discussions between the Welsh Assembly Government and the UK Home Office. Alun Pugh, the Welsh Language Minister, described the move as "an important step and further confirmation that the Assembly Government was delivering for the Welsh language. We will continue to work with our colleagues in the Home Office to extend the use of Welsh as far as possible".

"This will be the first time that some standard information on passports will be included in Welsh and is a clear recognition of Wales as a nation with a distinct culture. We wish for the documents that individuals have in their possession to be bilingual documents. A passport is one of the most important documents, such as the driving licence, that we have and it is important for us to use both languages equally in Wales. It is a small step, but an important step. We will have to continue with our discussions on where Welsh will be included and what will be translated." These trilingual passports will not cost any more, added Mr Pugh.

"I am pleased that following discussions with the European Union, it has now been agreed that Welsh can be included on the first page of the new UK passport," said Des Browne, Home Office Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Nationality. "These changes come as part of the new, more secure, biometric passport, which will be introduced in late 2005, early 2006." This is when Welsh will be included on the passports.

Passports are the latest official documents to include the Welsh language. Bilingual driving licences have been available for some time - but only after protests by language activists who refused to carry the English only documents. But recently, especially after the establishing of the National Assembly and the Welsh Language Board, there have been many more discussions with the various departments within the British Government and by now many forms and booklets are available bilingually. One recent example is the booklet that was published by the Home Office telling people what to do in an emergency, such as a terrorist attack. Every booklet that was distributed to homes in Wales was bilingual. But language activists say that there is much again to be done. Even so, the situation has improved significantly during the last ten years. (Eurolang)

Cynnwys Cymraeg ar basports Prydeinig

O ddiwedd y flwyddyn nesaf ymlaen mi fydd y Gymraeg yn cael ei chynnwys ar bob pasport Prydeinig newydd. Mi fydd yr iaith i’w gweld ochr yn ochr â’r Saesneg a’r Ffrangeg ond hyd yma ni chyhoeddwyd pa wybodaeth fydd yn cael ei roi yn Gymraeg.

Dyma’r tro cyntaf i Gymraeg gael ei rhoi ar ddogfen swyddogol ryngwladol. Wedi methiannau yn yr 1980au a’r 1990au i berswadio’r awdurdodau i gynnwys y Gymraeg ar basports, aeth rhai mudiadau iaith ati i geisio unioni’r cam. Yn yr 1980au bu i’r Cyfamodwyr gyhoeddi pasport Cymraeg a bu i rai o’i aelodau ei ddefnyddio’n ddidrafferth i fynd i’r Cyfandir. Yn hwyrach, mi wnaeth Cefn lunio stamp Cymraeg y gellid ei roi yn y pasport Saesneg.

Daeth y cytundeb i gynnwys y Gymraeg ar y pasports Prydeinig wedi trafodaethau rhwng Llywodraeth y Cynulliad Cymreig a’r Swyddfa Gartref Brydeinig. Dywedodd Alun Pugh, y Gweinidog yn y Cynulliad a chyfrifoldeb dros y Gymraeg, fod hwn yn gam pwysig ac "yn cadarnhau fod Llywodraeth y Cynulliad yn gweithredu ar ran y Gymraeg. Byddwn yn dal i gydweithio â’r Swyddfa Gartref i ymestyn y defnydd o’r Gymraeg gyn belled â phosib".

"Dyma’r tro cyntaf y bydd peth gwybodaeth safonol yn cael ei roi ar y pasport yn Gymraeg," meddai Mr Pugh, "ac mae’n arwydd clir fod Cymru’n genedl â diwylliant unigryw ei hun. Mae gan y Cynulliad bolisi clir i symud tuag at Gymru ddwyieithog. Rydym yn dymuno bod y dogfennau sydd gan unigolion yn eu meddiant yn ddogfennau dwyieithog. Y pasport ydy un o’r dogfennau pwysicaf, fel trwydded yrru, sydd ganddon ni ac mae’n bwysig ein bod yn trin y ddwy iaith yn gyfartal yng Nghymru. Cam bach, ond cam pwysig yw hwn. Fe fydd rhaid trafod eto lle fydd y Gymraeg yn cael ei rhoi a beth fydd yn cael ei gyfieithu." Ni fydd cost y pasport tairieithog yn cynyddu, ychwanegodd Mr Pugh.

"Rydw i’n falch i ddweud ar ôl trafodaethau gyda’r Undeb Ewropeaidd ein bod wedi cytuno y gall y Gymraeg gael ei chynnwys ar dudalen flaen pob pasport newydd yn y Deyrnas Unedig," meddai Des Browne, Gweinidog Dinasyddiaeth, Mewnfudo a Chenedligrwydd yn y Swyddfa Gartref. "Bydd pasports newydd, biometrig, mwy diogel yn cael eu cyflwyno yn ystod diwedd 2005 a dechrau 2006." Dyma pryd y bydd y Gymraeg yn cael ei chynnwys ar y pasports.

Y pasports gyda’r Gymraeg arni yw’r diweddaraf o ddogfennau swyddogol i gynnwys yr iaith. Ceir trwyddedau gyrru dwyieithog ers peth amser - a hynny ond wedi protestiadau pan roedd nifer o ymgyrchwyr iaith yn gwrthod defnyddio rhai uniaith Saesneg. Ond yn ddiweddar, yn arbennig ers sefydlu’r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol a Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg, mae llawer mwy o drafod wedi bod gydag adrannau y Llywodraeth Brydeinig a cheir llawer o ffurflenni a llyfrynnau yn ddwyieithog erbyn hyn. Un enghraifft diweddar yw llyfryn a gyhoeddwyd gan y Swyddfa Gartref rai misoedd yn ôl yn dweud wrth y bobl beth i’w wneud mewn argyfwng fel ymosodiad terfysgol. Roedd pob llyfryn a ddosbarthwyd i gartrefi yng Nghymru yn ddwyieithog. Ond dywed ymgyrchwyr iaith, bod yna waith i’w wneud eto. Er hynny, mae’r sefyllfa wedi gwella’n sylweddol yn ystod y ddeng mlynedd ddiwethaf. (Eurolang)

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Eurolang? is a specialist niche news agency covering topics related to lesser-used languages, linguistic diversity, stateless nations and national minorities within the European Union. It provides an expanding on-line daily service across Europe, to NGOs, the media, European, State and local government, academia, researchers and the general public. The purpose of Eurolang is to provide, on a daily basis, relevant and current news about Europe's regional, stateless and minority language communities, numbering some 46 million speakers, to the general public and to national and regional media (newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, internet media) in Europe and worldwide.
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