§ Mr. Marlowasked the Secretary of State for Wales what is the additional cost to the United Kingdom taxpayer, including the Welsh—to date, and in a full year, for the provision of (a) official forms in two languages in Wales and (b) bilingual road signs in Wales; and by how much (a) the above costs would be reduced if forms in the Welsh language were sent only to those who specifically requested them.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsIt is not possible to identify the additional cost of the bilingual, or Welsh-only, element in the 480 Government forms available, or to state by how much, if at all, printing and distribution costs would be reduced if all were in Welsh only and were made available only on request.
I estimate the additional cost since 1974 incurred on bilingual signs on trunk roads to be about £600,000, and in the current year to be £160,000. Costs on other roads are a matter for the highway authorities concerned.