MPs allowed to speak Welsh in some Westminster debates

It's taken more than 50 years but lobbying by Welsh speaking MPs to be allowed occasionally to use the language at Westminster has finally borne fruit. The UK Government has decided to back the idea of it being spoken at all meetings of the Welsh Grand Committee.

The committee consists of all Welsh MPs and meets to debate subjects such as the impact on Wales of the Budget and the proposals in the Queen's Speech. In the 1990s it regularly met in Wales and MPs were allowed to use Welsh because they weren't at Westminster but that's only happened twice since devolution in 1999.

Mr Lidington has promised to find time for MPs to debate and vote on the idea, which is expected to win cross-party support. Until now only brief quotations in a language other than English have been allowed at Westminster. Anything else has been ruled out of order, as the Labour MP for Merioneth, Thomas William Jones, discovered when he tried his luck in 1964.

He was immediately pulled up by the Deputy Speaker, who demanded a translation. The MP said he'd thanked the Prime Minister "on behalf of the people of Wales" for establishing the Welsh Office. Today the current Secretary of State looked forward to debating and answering questions in Welsh.

There'll be simultaneous translation into English of contributions made in Welsh. The House of Commons authorities say that the cost of interpreters and equipment will come out of existing budgets.