WELSH langage society Cymdeithas yr Iaith accused the Welsh Language Commissioner of having “lost her way” ahead of a Senedd scrutiny session today.

The group, which campaigns for the use of Welsh to be facilitated in all aspects of life in Wales, cited a halving of the number of complaints about lack of provision that the commissioner investigated, from 63 per cent in 2021-22 to just 26 per cent in the last year.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith language rights group chair Aled ap Robert said Ms Gruffudd Jones had undermined legislation founding her role, which calls for language standards to be imposed on bodies.

“The practical effect of this direction by Efa Gruffydd Jones is even less certainty that our children will be able to have their swimming lessons in Welsh and no consequences for a prison service that bans vulnerable prisoners from speaking Welsh to each other.

“The commissioner is increasingly putting the responsibility on ordinary people to ‘use’ their Welsh even though services are often not available, while fat-cat companies providing essential gas, electricity, phone and postal services get away with ignoring the needs of Welsh speakers,” he charged.

Ms Gruffydd Jones said: “Carrying out statutory investigations and taking enforcement action is an important part of how we work. We usually do this when a failure has occurred.

“But my aim is to ensure that Welsh speakers receive the services they are entitled to by avoiding situations where organisations fail in the first place. We do this by intervening early [and] supporting organisations to understand their duties.”

A Welsh government spokesperson said: “We recognise and respect the commissioner’s independence, which is essential for her to carry out her statutory functions effectively.”