I would also like to thank the commissioner for her report, and I’d like to start by congratulating her for keeping within her budget, saving money on almost every line in her budget. Her office’s settlement last year was particularly difficult, and this year has been no different. I look forward to the details in the draft budget.

We welcome that efficiency, of course, but the fact that the First Minister had to find an additional £150,000 specifically to enforce standards, which are one of the core functions of the office of the commissioner, suggests that the stone has virtually been bled dry. You’re right, Minister, to seek savings, of course, but I wonder whether we have reached a point where substantial further cuts will cross the line and restrict the commissioner’s ability to do her work to an unacceptable extent.

Having said that, of course, the commissioner was told in February that this additional funding was on its way. It could have been useful—I agree with Jeremy Miles on this—in this report, to give an idea of the way that that funding is being spent, so that, next year, we can look back at this year’s report to trace how her objectives are developing.

I’m certain that the demand on the commissioner’s time will increase, and with each set of standards, it appears that we will face a new set of appeals. And even with a simplified process and a decreasing number of appeals in future, enforcement costs will continue to be a challenge for this year’s budget and beyond. The Government’s long-term target for a million Welsh speakers will demand a long-term approach from the commissioner’s office.

Last year, I asked where the second round of standards was. The year before that I asked where the first round of standards was. I don’t know what ‘groundhog’ is in Welsh, but there is no surprise as to what my question is for this year. Even though I’m sure that you will say that you’ve been focusing on bringing amended standards forward, you have had the report on the inquiry into the third round of standards since July. It would be worth having some kind of statement on the timetable soon, I think.

However, looking back can be a good thing sometimes, and it would have been interesting to see in this report some kind of reflection on the matters raised last year on progress made in the meantime. The Planning (Wales) Act 2015 and the Welsh in education strategic plans appear in both reports and essentially cover the same period. But we see nothing new on the controversial subject of post-16 education. If truth be told, we see very little detail on education at all, considering the fact that the Diamond review was such a major topic last year. That’s why we’re willing to support the amendments to the debate today. And perhaps we will, of course, see more about that in next year’s report.

Once again, I thank the commissioner for meeting party spokespeople on a regular basis to keep us up to date and to share concerns—a two-way process, by the way. Influencing and shaping policies can be done in many ways after all, and speaking to all parties might be something that the Government itself may want to consider before agreeing its draft budget. It is likely, even though this doesn’t have to be the case, that the commissioner is more open with the Assembly than the Government.

But you, as Minister, to be fair, are willing to discuss your priorities for the Welsh language, and I appreciate that. We most probably agree that the daily use of the Welsh language is our major aim as a nation, and our project for the high street, Tipyn Bach, contributes to the same agenda. The language, in truth, lives beyond the school gates, but all of our ambitions regarding the future of the Welsh language in education will count for little unless those who were let down by it in the past are included in attempts to ensure that the Welsh language is a living language now.

I’m pleased to see the report referring specifically to the soft diplomacy, if I may put it that way, deployed by the commissioner to create a new mindset, which will be vital in the workplace and the workforce. The need for this is still clear, because nobody wants to see another complaint such as the one made against Swansea council.

That is why I was also pleased to see a reference to the regulatory framework, section 4 powers to consult, and things like the seminars, quality targets and the various schemes to promote the Welsh language. There are many good things on the website about how to ensure supportive engagement with clubs, societies and civil society in general. But what I’m not quite sure about is how organisations of this kind are going to be drawn to the website in the first place—something that should be considered, perhaps, by any institution that has a duty to promote the Welsh language, including the Government. Thank you very much.