Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you. A lot of work has been going into the communications plan across Government. You are aware that during the Eisteddfod we launched the 2050 project. This was a plan to ensure that we can mainstream the Welsh language across Government, but I hope there will be, during the next month, a plan coming forward, and this, of course, is work for the Permanent Secretary to bring forward...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, the partnership council provides expert advice to us on the Welsh language. The minutes are published now and, certainly, the work that they do for us is a great assistance to ensure that we are on the right path to achieve our aim of a million Welsh speakers. One of the things, for example, in the last meeting, was that we were talking about the economy and how we look at the economy...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: It is a challenge to recruit teachers across the world currently, and I have been working very closely with the education Minister to ensure that we look at how we can help to attract more people into following a Welsh teaching course, and a lot of money has been going into it. For example, we have provided an additional £150,000 to ensure that more people undertake Welsh A-level because we...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, thank you very much, and I'm glad that you referred to the fact that we have written to Dominic Raab, but I think it is worth underlining the point that, actually, foreign affairs is an area where the UK Government takes the primary responsibility. But I think we are super sensitive to the fact that there is a large Kurdish community within Wales, who have real concerns about what's...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, this is one of the reasons why I was particularly pleased to hear Dominic Rabb say yesterday that he was going to suspend issuing further arms exports, because, actually, it's very difficult for us to do anything unilaterally in Wales. We come under the UK Government, we have to comply with those rules and those laws, and that's why I was delighted to see that that action was taken on...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you once again. It is the United Kingdom that takes the lead on foreign affairs, but I have already written to the Foreign Secretary to ask what representation they've made to the Spanish Government about the prison sentences handed down to the Catalan politicians. And my understanding is that we'll be having a further question on this during topical questions.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Promoting exports and international trade is a priority in the international strategy, and we've enhanced our support for Welsh exporters and we're working with a number of businesses across Ogmore to help them export.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, thank you very much for that invitation; I’ll certainly take you up on that. I think that there’s a huge amount of activity already being undertaken in Bridgend. You’ll be aware that, earlier this week, the Cabinet met in Bridgend, in solidarity partly with the workers in Ford. But one of the key sectors that we're hoping to promote in the international strategy is quality tv and...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much, John. I'm pleased the south-east has benefited from capital funding to expand Welsh-medium education and childcare provision that are provided in the area. This, of course, will nurture new Welsh speakers. And also, through the Urdd apprenticeship schemes, 35 young people are working in the Valleys taskforce areas to support Welsh language opportunities for children and...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well done, John, and thank you very much for that. I think you’re an example of how the Welsh language captures the imagination of people in areas such as Newport, and you are an example to other people in the area. So, thank you very much for the effort of learning Welsh. If more people did the same, we would reach the target of 1 million quite easily. What's interesting is that aim of...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much. I do think that the opportunities to use the Welsh language in the workforce are increasing. You will be aware that the National Centre for Learning Welsh provides special courses for people who want to speak Welsh in the workplace. Therefore, ensuring that more people can learn is a great help, I think. But also, the work of the commissioner is to ensure that the...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I hope, with a wide range of partners, to promote the Welsh language in Monmouthshire. The Welsh Government has provided additional investment of £2.5 million through the Welsh-medium education and childcare capital programmes to expand provision in the local authority.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much. I think it’s clear that we have been able to provide that additional capital funding; £2.5 million has gone in to increase the capacity in Ysgol Gymraeg y Ffin in Caldicot. What’s clear, in terms of revenue, is that if these children don’t receive their education through the medium of English, then the money will be spent on Welsh-medium edcuation. So, in terms of...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you very much. The council in Blaenau Gwent had been very clear that they wanted to see an expansion—they’d signed an agreement to say that they wanted to see an expansion in Welsh-medium provision. The Welsh Government has provided 100 per cent of the capital funding to open a new school, but it looks likely that they are trying to pull back from that situation. I’m aware that...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: The draft international strategy is currently out for public consultation. I'd encourage everyone with an interest to respond and would be more than happy to receive feedback from all communities represented in Wales. All responses will be considered and evaluated as a part of that consultation process.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you. Just to make it clear, I have written to Dominic Raab already to set out that, actually, we have concerns relating to the concerns that have been expressed by some of the Kurdish community in Wales about the situation that's ongoing in those areas. Whilst we acknowledge that the UK leads on foreign affairs, we are undertaking a review of our entire export strategy at the moment...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Thank you. There has been consultation with the honorary counsels, including the people representing Poland, so they've all received a copy of the strategy. We've also sent it to embassies throughout the United Kingdom, but I think the key thing for us to underline—and what is underlined very clearly in the strategy—is we want to celebrate those diaspora communities from abroad who have...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: I think that's absolutely right. I think that the whole agenda here is changing. I think there's recognition that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office leads in this area, but you will have heard the First Minister talk yesterday about the new constitutional settlement that we're looking for in relation to the United Kingdom, and it's clear that we will need more of a say and more of an input...
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: The lead for all matters relating to foreign affairs sits with the UK Government. But I have already written to the Foreign Secretary, to ask what representations the UK Government has made to the Spanish Government about the prison sentences handed down to Catalan politicians.
Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan: Well, I've noted the passion with which the Member's expressed his concern for the people of Catalonia. But I think it is worth emphasising that politicians in a democracy have a particular responsibility to work within the law, and the courts have a responsibility to enforce that law. But as the First Minister emphasised yesterday, there should be no place in a democracy for the sort of law...
