Report of the Government on the Application of Language Legislation 2013
oikeusministeriö
2013
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http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-259-327-6Tiivistelmä
This report on the application of language legislation, which the Government submits to Parliament
every fourth year, focuses on the changes that have occurred in recent years in the implementation
of linguistic rights in bilingual authorities. The report assesses how the language provisions
of the Language Act, the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public
Bodies and other specific legislation has been implemented from the viewpoint of citizens and
the authorities with regard to Finnish, Swedish, the Sámi languages, Romani, sign languages and
other language groups. Various authorities and other organisations were widely consulted for
the report. The report aims to provide decision-makers with information for any measures and
application of the provisions.
In the earlier reports submitted to Parliament in 2006 and 2009, the Government proposed
measures to ensure the implementation of linguistic rights in inter alia guidance of the authorities,
choice of solutions, customer service, communications and personnel policy. Based on these reports,
Parliament has repeatedly drawn attention to the authorities’ bilingual customer service and service
chains, as well as to assessing the linguistic effects of administrative reforms.Concerning the national
languages, this report mainly discusses Swedish because follow-up has primarily brought to light
deficiencies in the implementation of the linguistic rights of Swedish speakers. Also international
monitoring bodies have drawn attention to the position of Swedish,the Sámi languages and Romani.
Therefore this report also discusses international treaties on linguistic rights.
Recent years have seen more attention than earlier given to linguistic rights. Senior public officials
and decision-makers especially have shown they consider it important to promote linguistic rights.
More active efforts have been made to improve linguistic services by, inter alia,explicitly including
linguistic rights in guiding documents such as guidelines, recommendations and language programmes.
Also new regional and local bodies have been established and persons responsible have been appointed
to coordinate and develop the linguistic services of the authorities.The effects on linguistic rights
have been evaluated or raised across all administrative levels in conjunction with reforms and
legislative work. Nowadays, the authorities provide much more information than earlier on their
websites in both national languages and in other languages.Some fields of administration have paid
more attention to recruitment by, for example, writing recruitment instructions which take into account
language skills. Although the authorities have made progress with plans, they have not yet progressed
to putting these plans into practice – good intentions have not reached the practical level.
The authorities have not yet systematically ascertained how customer service or service chains
function. They consider the lack of staff with language skills to still be the biggest stumbling
block. It is hoped that language courses and, in the long-term, language immersion will increase
the number of staff with language skills.
The authorities have a duty to obtain, on their own initiative, information on a customer’s
mother tongue and contact language from the Population Information System, where it is stored
along with other information. Despite this, however, the authorities nowadays neither always
ascertain nor use an individual’s language when providing their services. The result in recent
years is that ensuring linguistic rights has increasingly relied on the individual’s own initiative.
Each authority oversees compliance with the Language Act in its own field, although it is ultimately
down to whether the customer’s own language is ascertained and used in practice.
Linguistic rights are an inherent part of an individual’s fundamental rights. Social welfare and
health care in a person’s mother tongue is an important part of an individual’s basic security at
all stages of life. Despite this, some sectors within social welfare and health care have had difficulties
in arranging services in both national languages. Forthcoming social welfare and health
care reforms, and the procurement of social welfare and health care services are faced with major 7
challenges. It is important that they particularly address the right of an individual to receive
nursing and care and related information in his or her own language. According to citizens, this
especially applies to medical care and care of the elderly. In recent years, citizens have also been
particularly concerned about the linguistic service at emergency response centres.
The Government’s resolution on the national language strategy proposes, inter alia, greater visibility
of both national languages and information on the opportunities to learn languages and
to meet other language groups. In addition, linguistic effects must be evaluated in conjunction
with administrative reforms and legislative drafting projects. The annex to the strategy provides
the practical tools to deal with various language situations in administration.
The Government proposes the authorities use the tools provided in the Strategy for
the National Languages of Finland when they improve the application of language
legislation in their activities on the basis of the needs for development revealed in this
report.
The Government reiterates its call to implement the measures suggested in its earlier
reports in 2006 and 2009 and deems that to secure linguistic services language skills
particularly need to be taken into account when recruiting and when evaluating linguistic
effects in reforms. It is important that the authorities do not devolve to the
individual their duty to serve an individual in his or her own language. Therefore, the
Government proposes that the authorities decide how they will carry out in practice
their duty to serve an individual in his or her registered language.
This report examines the linguistic conditions of other language groups more extensively than
earlier. The linguistic rights of the Sámi are secured increasingly more randomly and it is hard
to obtain oral service particularly in the Sámi language. In recent years, language nest activity
has promoted the position especially of Inari Sámi and Skolt Sámi. One main problem is considered
as being the large number of Sámi children living outside the Sámi homeland area who
do not receive teaching in or of the Sámi language. Progress has been made in some areas in
addressing the linguistic rights of sign language users, although Finland-Swedish sign language
is more endangered than earlier. Concern about the right to their own language and culture has
intensified with regard to children using sign language. Sign language users would also like more
communication by the authorities to be in sign language. The start of university teaching and
language immersion in Romani has supported the revitalisation of skills in the Romani language.
The Romani population would like to see inter alia more programmes in Romani. Recent years
have seen attention given to the Karelian language, which is now included in the scope of the European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The number of native Russian and Estonian
speakers in particular has increased significantly in Finland and their need for information has
grown.
Attitudes to different language groups have hardened in recent years. The need for a debate on
values has been highlighted with regard to the minorities in Finland and tolerance towards other
language groups.
every fourth year, focuses on the changes that have occurred in recent years in the implementation
of linguistic rights in bilingual authorities. The report assesses how the language provisions
of the Language Act, the Act on the Knowledge of Languages Required of Personnel in Public
Bodies and other specific legislation has been implemented from the viewpoint of citizens and
the authorities with regard to Finnish, Swedish, the Sámi languages, Romani, sign languages and
other language groups. Various authorities and other organisations were widely consulted for
the report. The report aims to provide decision-makers with information for any measures and
application of the provisions.
In the earlier reports submitted to Parliament in 2006 and 2009, the Government proposed
measures to ensure the implementation of linguistic rights in inter alia guidance of the authorities,
choice of solutions, customer service, communications and personnel policy. Based on these reports,
Parliament has repeatedly drawn attention to the authorities’ bilingual customer service and service
chains, as well as to assessing the linguistic effects of administrative reforms.Concerning the national
languages, this report mainly discusses Swedish because follow-up has primarily brought to light
deficiencies in the implementation of the linguistic rights of Swedish speakers. Also international
monitoring bodies have drawn attention to the position of Swedish,the Sámi languages and Romani.
Therefore this report also discusses international treaties on linguistic rights.
Recent years have seen more attention than earlier given to linguistic rights. Senior public officials
and decision-makers especially have shown they consider it important to promote linguistic rights.
More active efforts have been made to improve linguistic services by, inter alia,explicitly including
linguistic rights in guiding documents such as guidelines, recommendations and language programmes.
Also new regional and local bodies have been established and persons responsible have been appointed
to coordinate and develop the linguistic services of the authorities.The effects on linguistic rights
have been evaluated or raised across all administrative levels in conjunction with reforms and
legislative work. Nowadays, the authorities provide much more information than earlier on their
websites in both national languages and in other languages.Some fields of administration have paid
more attention to recruitment by, for example, writing recruitment instructions which take into account
language skills. Although the authorities have made progress with plans, they have not yet progressed
to putting these plans into practice – good intentions have not reached the practical level.
The authorities have not yet systematically ascertained how customer service or service chains
function. They consider the lack of staff with language skills to still be the biggest stumbling
block. It is hoped that language courses and, in the long-term, language immersion will increase
the number of staff with language skills.
The authorities have a duty to obtain, on their own initiative, information on a customer’s
mother tongue and contact language from the Population Information System, where it is stored
along with other information. Despite this, however, the authorities nowadays neither always
ascertain nor use an individual’s language when providing their services. The result in recent
years is that ensuring linguistic rights has increasingly relied on the individual’s own initiative.
Each authority oversees compliance with the Language Act in its own field, although it is ultimately
down to whether the customer’s own language is ascertained and used in practice.
Linguistic rights are an inherent part of an individual’s fundamental rights. Social welfare and
health care in a person’s mother tongue is an important part of an individual’s basic security at
all stages of life. Despite this, some sectors within social welfare and health care have had difficulties
in arranging services in both national languages. Forthcoming social welfare and health
care reforms, and the procurement of social welfare and health care services are faced with major 7
challenges. It is important that they particularly address the right of an individual to receive
nursing and care and related information in his or her own language. According to citizens, this
especially applies to medical care and care of the elderly. In recent years, citizens have also been
particularly concerned about the linguistic service at emergency response centres.
The Government’s resolution on the national language strategy proposes, inter alia, greater visibility
of both national languages and information on the opportunities to learn languages and
to meet other language groups. In addition, linguistic effects must be evaluated in conjunction
with administrative reforms and legislative drafting projects. The annex to the strategy provides
the practical tools to deal with various language situations in administration.
The Government proposes the authorities use the tools provided in the Strategy for
the National Languages of Finland when they improve the application of language
legislation in their activities on the basis of the needs for development revealed in this
report.
The Government reiterates its call to implement the measures suggested in its earlier
reports in 2006 and 2009 and deems that to secure linguistic services language skills
particularly need to be taken into account when recruiting and when evaluating linguistic
effects in reforms. It is important that the authorities do not devolve to the
individual their duty to serve an individual in his or her own language. Therefore, the
Government proposes that the authorities decide how they will carry out in practice
their duty to serve an individual in his or her registered language.
This report examines the linguistic conditions of other language groups more extensively than
earlier. The linguistic rights of the Sámi are secured increasingly more randomly and it is hard
to obtain oral service particularly in the Sámi language. In recent years, language nest activity
has promoted the position especially of Inari Sámi and Skolt Sámi. One main problem is considered
as being the large number of Sámi children living outside the Sámi homeland area who
do not receive teaching in or of the Sámi language. Progress has been made in some areas in
addressing the linguistic rights of sign language users, although Finland-Swedish sign language
is more endangered than earlier. Concern about the right to their own language and culture has
intensified with regard to children using sign language. Sign language users would also like more
communication by the authorities to be in sign language. The start of university teaching and
language immersion in Romani has supported the revitalisation of skills in the Romani language.
The Romani population would like to see inter alia more programmes in Romani. Recent years
have seen attention given to the Karelian language, which is now included in the scope of the European
Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The number of native Russian and Estonian
speakers in particular has increased significantly in Finland and their need for information has
grown.
Attitudes to different language groups have hardened in recent years. The need for a debate on
values has been highlighted with regard to the minorities in Finland and tolerance towards other
language groups.