Report of the Government on the application of language legislation 2013 ISBN 978-952-259-326-9 (pb.) ISBN 978-952-259-327-6 (pdf) Layout: Annukka Leppänen Report of the Government on the application of language legislation 2013 Content Summary 5 Introduction 7 1 Linguistic rights and international treaties 9 1.1 Finland’s international obligations . 9. 1.2 European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages . 10 1.3 Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities . 11. 2. Language conditions in Finland – changes and developments 13 2.1 National languages – language quality and usage . .13 . 2.2 Language groups in the light of statistics . 14 2.3 The Finnish- and Swedish-speaking populations and the authorities . 16. Structural changes and linguistic division . 16. Language profile of unilingual municipalities . 19 Language climate – awareness and attitudes . 19. 3 Application of language legislation in early childhood education and basic education 22 3.1 Language in child day care and early childhood education . .22 . Child day care in unilingual and bilingual municipalities . 22 Child day care staff situation in South and Southwest Finland . 24. Swedish-speaking child day care and teaching in Finnish-speaking municipalities . .25 . 3.2 Language in basic education . 25. Level of skills and teaching in Finnish and Swedish . .26 . Uni- and bilingual students – many languages under the same roof . .27 . Information on child day care, school and language immersion . 28. Morning and afternoon activities . 29 3.3 Language immersion in child day care centres and basic education . 29. 3.4 Language in upper secondary schools and at other stages of education . .30 . 3.5 Language teaching and bilingual education in universities and higher education institutions 31 4 Application of language legislation in state and municipal administration 33 4.1 Steering of linguistic services by the authorities . .33 . Steering through provisions, recommendations and training . .33 . Cooperation bodies and bodies of public officials for language matters based on statutes and regulations . 34. Non-regulated cooperation bodies and bodies of officials in language affairs . .36 . 4.2 Application of language legislation in public services . 36. Views of municipal inhabitants on public services in Finnish and Swedish . .37 . Linguistic service in the security sector . 39 Opinions and decisions regarding customer service in the transport and communications sector . .40 4.3 Ensuring and maintaining personnel language skills . 41. Language skills required by the authorities . 41. Ensuring personnel language skills . 42 Recruitment procedures of ministries and bilingual municipalities . .43 . Language allowances paid by the state and municipalities . 44. 4.4 Application of language legislation in state and municipal communication . 45. Communication by ministries and other state agencies . 45. Emergency warnings to the public . 46. Communication by municipalities and associations of municipalities . .47 . Official documents in Finnish and Swedish . 48 Bilingual signs and product information . .48 . 4.5 Choice and use of language by the state and municipalities . 49. 4.6 Use by the authorities of mother tongue information in the Population Information System .51 Use of mother tongue information by the police and municipal social services . 52. 5. Application of language legislation in social welfare and health care 54 5.1 New legislation and reforms in social welfare and health care . 54. 5.2 Citizens’ views on social welfare and health care . 56 5.3 Language in social welfare and health care – a look at the capital region . .57 . Work with families and child welfare . 58. Care of the elderly in bilingual municipalities . 58 Changes in mental health care . .60 . Linguistic service and child care and maternity clinics . .60 . Choice of care unit and language use in primary health care and medical care . 61 Language in patient documents . 62 Language of e-prescriptions and the patient’s right to check information . 63 Language programmes and provisions in hospital districts . .64 . 6 Application of language legislation in the judicial system and police 66 6.1 The police and linguistic rights . 66 Administrative reforms of the police . 67. Swedish language skills of the police . 68. Linguistic rights in pre-trial investigations . 69 Police training in Swedish . .70 . 6.2 Prosecutors and linguistic rights . 71 Swedish skills of prosecutors and distribution of cases . 72 Language of the application for a summons and the decision not to prosecute as well as translation .73 Executive assistance between prosecutor’s offices . 73. 6.3 District courts and linguistic rights . 74. Ascertaining an individual’s own language in a district court . .75 . Language of proceedings and use of an individual’s own language . 75 Informing a party of his or her rights . 76 Language skills and language training of judges . 76. Arranging interpretation . .77 . Inter-court cooperation and length of proceedings depending on language . .78 . 6.4 Linguistic rights of prisoners . 79 7 Application of language legislation in administrative reforms 80 7.1 Regional State Administrative Agencies as a promoter of linguistic rights . 80 7.2 Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres) . 81 7.3 Language-related examples in the implementation of regional administrative reform . .82 . 7.4 Administrative reform of the police . 84. 7.5 Language skills of Emergency Response Centre Administration and Emergency Services College personnel . 85. 7.6 A nationwide Tax Administration . 86. 8 Non-regulated sectors – universities and the church 87 Universities . 87. Church administration . .88 . 9 Linguistic rights – other language groups 90 9.1 Sámi languages . 91 Knowledge of and information on linguistic rights . 92 Securing linguistic rights within the authorities in the Sámi homeland . 92. Social welfare and health care services . .94 . Day care . .95 . Language nests . .96 . Teaching and research . 96 Access to information and cultural activities . 98. 9.2 Sign languages . 98. Knowledge of and information on linguistic rights . 99 Teaching and research . 100 Interpretation and translation . 101. Access to information and cultural activities . .102 . Finland-Swedish sign language . 103. 9.3 Romani . .104 . Teaching and research . 105 Access to information and cultural activities . .106 . 9.4 Views of certain other language groups on their linguistic conditions . 107. Russian . 107. Estonian . 108. Yiddish . 109 Karelian . 109. ..