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Government of Wales Act 2006
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Changes over time for: Section 78
Changes to legislation:
Government of Wales Act 2006, Section 78 is up to date with all changes known to be in force on or before 06 January 2026. There are changes that may be brought into force at a future date. Changes that have been made appear in the content and are referenced with annotations.
Changes to Legislation
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. Changes and effects are recorded by our editorial team in lists which can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area. Where those effects have yet to be applied to the text of the legislation by the editorial team they are also listed alongside the legislation in the affected provisions. Use the ‘more’ link to open the changes and effects relevant to the provision you are viewing.
Changes and effects yet to be applied to Section 78:
- s. 25(1A)(1B) inserted by 2024 asc 4 s. 4(1)(b)
- s. 25(7A) inserted by 2024 asc 4 s. 4(1)(h)
- s. 148(2)(kza) inserted by 2025 asc 2 Sch. 2 para. 21
- s. 148(2)(cb) inserted by 2025 asc 4 Sch. 1 para. 22
- s. 155A inserted by 2014 c. 29 s. 10
- Sch. 7A Section C15 para. 92 omitted by 2017 c. 4 s. 48(1)(a)
- Sch. 7A Section C15 para. 93 words omitted by 2017 c. 4 s. 48(1)(b)
- Sch. 7B para. 10(2)(o) inserted by 2022 c. 30 s. 143
- Sch. 7B para. 11(6)(b)para. 11(6)(ai)-(xiii) renumbered as unnumbered paragraphs in Sch. 7B para. 9(11)(6)(b) by 2025 c. 30 s. 3(7)(a)
Changes and effects yet to be applied to the whole Act associated Parts and Chapters:
Whole provisions yet to be inserted into this Act (including any effects on those provisions):
- s. 25(1A)(1B) inserted by 2024 asc 4 s. 4(1)(b)
- s. 25(7A) inserted by 2024 asc 4 s. 4(1)(h)
- s. 148(2)(kza) inserted by 2025 asc 2 Sch. 2 para. 21
- s. 148(2)(cb) inserted by 2025 asc 4 Sch. 1 para. 22
- s. 155A inserted by 2014 c. 29 s. 10
- Sch. 7A Section C15 para. 92 omitted by 2017 c. 4 s. 48(1)(a)
- Sch. 7A Section C15 para. 93 words omitted by 2017 c. 4 s. 48(1)(b)
- Sch. 7B para. 10(2)(o) inserted by 2022 c. 30 s. 143
- Sch. 7B para. 11(6)(b)para. 11(6)(ai)-(xiii) renumbered as unnumbered paragraphs in Sch. 7B para. 9(11)(6)(b) by 2025 c. 30 s. 3(7)(a)
78The Welsh languageU.K.
This section has no associated Explanatory Notes
(1)The Welsh Ministers must adopt a strategy [F1to be known as “the Welsh language strategy” or “strategaeth y Gymraeg”] setting out how they propose to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language.
[F2(1A)See Part 1 of the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 (asc 2) (referred to in Welsh as Deddf y Gymraeg ac Addysg (Cymru) 2025 (dsc 2)) for further requirements relating to the Welsh language strategy.]
F3(2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
F3(3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
(4)The Welsh Ministers—
(a)must keep under review F4... the Welsh language strategy F4..., and
(b)may from time to time adopt a new strategy or [F5revise it].
(5)Before adopting or revising a strategy F6..., the Welsh Ministers must [F7consult the Welsh Language Commissioner and such other] persons as they consider appropriate.
(6)The Welsh Ministers must publish the Welsh language strategy F8... when they first adopt it and—
(a)if they adopt a new strategy F9... they must publish it, and
(b)if they revise the Welsh language strategy F10... (rather than adopting a new strategy F9...) they must publish either the revisions or the strategy [F9or scheme] as revised (as they consider appropriate).
(7)If the Welsh Ministers publish a strategy F11..., or revisions, under subsection (6) they must lay a copy of the strategy or scheme, or revisions, before the [F12Senedd].
[F13(8)After each financial year the Welsh Ministers must publish a report of how the proposals set out in the Welsh language strategy were implemented in that financial year and how effective their implementation has been in promoting and facilitating the use of the Welsh language and must lay a copy of the report before the [F12Senedd].]
[F14(9)For each financial year, the Welsh Ministers must publish a plan setting out how they will implement the proposals set out in the Welsh language strategy during that year.
(10)The plan must be published as soon as reasonably practicable before the commencement of the financial year to which it relates.]
[F15(11)In subsection (5), the reference to the “Welsh Language Commissioner means the commissioner appointed under section 2 of the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (nawm 1) (referred to in Welsh as Mesur y Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011 (mccc 1)).]
Textual Amendments
F1Words in s. 78(1) substituted (7.9.2025) by Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 (asc 2), ss. 1(5)(a), 56(2)
F2S. 78(1A) inserted (7.9.2025) by Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 (asc 2), ss. 1(5)(b), 56(2)
F3S. 78(2)(3) omitted (31.3.2016) by virtue of The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(i)
F4Words in s. 78(4)(a) omitted (31.3.2016) by virtue of The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(ii)
F5Words in s. 78(4)(b) substituted (31.3.2016) by The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(iii)
F6Words in s. 78(5) omitted (31.3.2016) by virtue of The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(iv)
F7Words in s. 78(5) substituted (7.9.2025) by Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 (asc 2), ss. 1(5)(c), 56(2)
F8Words in s. 78(6) omitted (31.3.2016) by virtue of The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(v)
F9Words in s. 78(6) omitted (31.3.2016) by virtue of The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(iv)
F10Words in s. 78(6)(b) omitted (31.3.2016) by virtue of The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(vi)
F11Words in s. 78(7) omitted (31.3.2016) by virtue of The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(iv)
F12Words in Act substituted (6.5.2020) by Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020 (anaw 1), s. 42(2), Sch. 1 para. 2(19) (with Sch. 1 para. 2(11)-(14))
F13S. 78(8) substituted (31.3.2016) by The Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (Consequential Provisions) Order 2016 (S.I. 2016/409), arts. 1(2), 2(a)(vii)
F14S. 78(9)(10) inserted (5.2.2012) by Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011 (nawm 1), ss. 148(2), 156(2); S.I. 2012/223, art. 2(a)
F15S. 78(11) inserted (7.9.2025) by Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 (asc 2), ss. 1(5)(d), 56(2)
Commencement Information
I1Ss. 1-94, 97-106 in force immediately after "the 2007 election" by s. 161(1) (subject to s. 161(4)(5))
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