The BBC report that The Welsh language commissioner has launched a consultation into standards which public sector bodies and some companies would have to follow.
They say that it means that a Welsh speaker can expect to receive correspondence and phone calls in Welsh, along with accessing Welsh-speaking doctors and carers. Firms who do not comply will be fined.
Commissioner Meri Huws, whose post was created under the measure, has now set out what exactly this could mean for them.
She said that public sector organisations, as well as private companies and voluntary sector organisations which receive more than £400,000 in public money, would have to provide fully bilingual services.
These would include councils, hospitals, courts, utility companies, telecommunication firms, social housing providers and bus and rail companies.
The standards mean organisations and companies would have to ensure that they employ enough Welsh speakers.
The commissioner will have the power to investigate those who do not comply and they could face a fine of £5,000 if they do not.
Ms Huws admitted the standards would be “challenging” for some organisations but insisted they were important.
“I would challenge the issue of it being a thick layer of bureaucracy – this is about securing services and securing ways of operating that are modern and relevant to people in Wales at the beginning of the 21st Century,” she said.
“This is about delivering quality services in Wales, not about bureaucracy.”
The consultation period runs until 11 August. It will be at least 2013 before any enforcement of the standards will come into effect.
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