Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 2:08 pm on 8 February 2017.
Can I thank the Minister for that response? As someone who has been learning Welsh for many years, I know how difficult it is to learn as an adult. The Minister has said there are 8,804 five-year-olds in Welsh-medium schools currently, which equates, assuming a life expectancy of 85 years, to something in the order of 850,000 or so—perhaps slightly under—Welsh speakers in 2097. That is, unless more five-year-olds commence Welsh-medium education over future years. Does the Minister recognise these numbers, and can he indicate how the Government intends to increase these numbers so that by 2097 we reach 1 million?