Thank you very much, Llywydd, and thank you for the opportunity to respond to this discussion. I was listening to the contribution from every part of the Chamber and I had written on my notes here to thank Plaid Cymru for the way Llyr had opened the debate, and I had also written to thank you for the sense of consensus that is in each part of the Chamber. [Laughter.] So, at least I can be accused of being a little bit of an optimist at times. Can I just say this? Because I do think, when we’re discussing the language and our culture it’s important that we look for consensus, and don’t look for those things that divide us, and I know that the Plaid Cymru spokesperson agrees with that. I also acknowledge the tone in the way that Llyr had opened this discussion, and also the challenge. He started his contribution with a challenge for myself and the Government, and he finished his contribution with the same challenge: are you serious? That was the question he asked. And can I just say this? I am serious and we as a Government are serious about this, and we’re going to show that, not just by words in closing a discussion here in the Assembly, but also in how we’re going to act during the years and months to come.

We’ve set a target of 1 million speakers, and, when we’re talking about speakers, we’re talking about people who can use the Welsh language, not just speak the Welsh language when there is a need now and again. And, Mike, you are one of that 1 million, and I welcomed each one of the comments you made during your contribution and also the positive contributions about how we move this agenda forward. I think that is important and it’s something that we are going to do. So, we do recognise the challenge that’s facing us, we acknowledge the challenge, and we also know where we are today. We’re not going to hide from the truth, or avoid facing the reality of where we are. We’re not going to do that. But we aren’t going to repeat the same sort of discussions that we’ve had. We’re going to take action. And that is why we’re taking time to discuss with people across Wales at the moment, and we will be, when we come to publish the strategy in the spring, publishing a strategy that will be clear, that will have targets, clear targets, for the activities that we’re going to undertake in the next few years, and clear targets about how we’re going to reach the target of 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050.

We recognise that there is a challenge, as Suzy Davies said, and others have said, from the early years to the post-16 sector. We have to take intentional steps to increase the provision if we’re going to see this vision realised. Each one of the speakers this afternoon has spoken about the importance of Welsh-medium education, and we recognise that there is a need to strengthen the strategic planning system for every stage of education and training, which is vital if we’re going to succeed. We’re looking forward to receiving the WESPs from local authorities next month. Sian Gwenllian has emphasised the importance of this, and we recognise that and we agree with you that there is a need for these plans to be serious. They need to be robust and they need to be ambitious. If they’re not ambitious and if they’re not helping us to reach the target, we won’t accept them. We’re clear on that. We’re talking with local authorities to set targets that will enable us to reach our aims.

We also want to see an increase in Welsh-medium education and ensure that we have a sufficient workforce to enable us to do that. I welcomed the words of Suzy Davies when she was talking about the importance of initial training through the medium of Welsh, and also more teachers who can take advantage of the sabbatical scheme to develop Welsh language skills. I recognise that that is happening, and I recognise that we need to increase that, and we’re going to do that. We also want to see more learners in FE and HE being able to continue their education in the Welsh language, or in both languages, and we will be developing opportunities to do that. Each Member is aware that the Cabinet Secretary Kirsty Williams has established a working group to review the activities of the Coleg Cymraeg and to consider that the Coleg Cymraeg’s role should be expanded to the post-16 sector. The working group has been established and it will be reporting back to the Cabinet Secretary next summer. We will then consider how we’re going to move that forward. I don’t want to pre-empt the findings of the group, but I’m certain that we have to take that work seriously and we have to move very quickly once we receive their report.

Can I just say this? We recognise that it’s disappointing that we haven’t reached all our targets by now, but we also have a clear focus that we are moving to set targets that can be part of a wider strategy, and that will ensure that we reach the target of 1 million speakers by 2050. We are going to do that during the next few months, and there will be clear targets published next spring.

We accept the second amendment about the importance of the way in which Welsh is taught and used in the workplace. I acknowledge what Dai Lloyd has said about the importance of this, and we will be doing everything we can to ensure that bodies that provide services, and businesses, can do so in the Welsh language as well.

So, we do think that there is consensus and agreement around the Chamber—not a cozy consensus, but a clear consensus, and a consensus that is based on vision; a vision relating to the place of our language and our culture in the future in our country. I agree with Dai Lloyd when he was talking about reviving the Welsh language and ensuring that there is a place for the Welsh language in all our communities, wherever we work and live in Wales. We will be leading on this consensus. We will be ensuring that this consensus is a strong consensus, and one that has strong roots, and we will ensure that this consensus leads a robust vision and a clear vision for the Welsh language and the future of the Welsh language.