Plans by the Welsh Assembly to bring in new laws to put English and Welsh on an equal footing will not be challenged by MPs in Westminster, after the Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, announced that he will not challenge the Official Languages Act.
The new law was passed by Assembly Members last month, and is designed to give the Welsh and English language equal footing in the eyes of Welsh law. The law will ensure that laws must be written in Welsh, and that the Assembly must use Welsh as well as English when dealing with the public.
There was some doubt as to whether the assembly could legislate in this area, requiring the Attorney General to consider the matter.
A spokesman for the Assembly Commission said:
"Rosemary Butler, the presiding officer, has received confirmation from the attorney general to indicate that following a discussion with the counsel general the question of competence regarding the Official Languages Bill will not be referred to the Supreme Court" a statement read.
The Labour party have criticised Welsh Secretary David Jones for referring the matter to the Attorney General, claiming that doing so was a waste of time and money.
Owen Smith, shadow Welsh Secretary, said: "David Jones now has questions to answer as to why he persisted in seeking this wasteful review of the assembly's legislative competence."
He has asked the government to provide a figure on the cost of the review into the law.
The Wales Office and the Attorney General however claim that the review of the law was necessary, and that no more was done than ordinarily would have been to review any other law passed by the devolved governments in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
Source
Welsh language: No equality bill Supreme Court challenge (BBC News)
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