Sir, Every household in Wales will receive two national census forms (letters, Mar 9 and 10), one in English and the other in Welsh. Why? There are no people in Wales who only speak Welsh and all Welsh speakers also speak English.
The English language version of the form includes the question: “Can you understand, speak, read or write Welsh?” There is no need to go to the expense of translating, printing and posting a Welsh language version other than to satisfy the inflated egos of the nationalists who insist that huge sums of money be wasted each year on this linguistic millstone round our necks. It’s little wonder so many schools are failing here when secondary schoolchildren must waste three years having pointless lessons in a language most of them will never use outside the classroom.
R. Conolly
Haverfordwest, Pembs
Sir, I pointed out to my mother-in-law, who has completed and posted her Census form, that Census Day is March 27 and that she may — or may not — die between now and that date (“Census confusion”, letters, Mar 10). How confusing it will be for researchers in future years.
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Victoria Bartman
Stoke Mandeville, Bucks