Thank you, Minister, for today’s statement, the first, I assume, in a long series, because the lifespan of the strategy is very lengthy. I have to say, I do like the fundamental message that this strategy is to unite us rather than divide us, because we all know how the language has been used by various people over the past decades, and hopefully we will see an end to that. This is something of an experiment here, Minister. I’ve written my notes in English, and I’m translating them as I speak.

I would like to start with the education workforce. This is important because we have seen a decline in the number of people teaching through the medium of Welsh recently. I note the sabbatical programme, and I appreciate, of course, the Mudiad Meithrin training programme which is also set out in the strategy itself. Perhaps it's too early to ask this question, but I would like to know, how the ideal of having a training programme provided by Mudiad Meithrin is going to work in non-Welsh placements during this current period, because we all look forward to generations of bilingual children who can speak English or Welsh without even thinking about it, but I'm still concerned about this current phase and how that training is going to be provided during this phase because it is important for very young children, particularly in that transition phase, to hear the language as part of their daily lives, even if the main language of the placement is not Welsh. So, if you could tell us something about your short-term commitment in that regard I would be very grateful.

Also, in terms of the sabbatical scheme: that is going to work for those who have an opportunity to take advantage of it, but I'm still concerned about those who can't be released from their schools—or the workplace, if it applies there—in this current phase. How do people currently working in our schools who do want to take advantage of any opportunity to enhance their Welsh language skills—how can they benefit? Because I don't see that this is going to be easy. We all know of the problems with supply teaching, and the question extends to them too, of course.

I agree 100 per cent that, post-16, we don't want to see young people losing those skills that children coming into the system will attain at an early age. We don't want to see the language going back to being just a social thing, or something that is lost entirely in that post-16 sector. So, can you tell us again, in detail, what's going to happen in the FE system, or in apprenticeships, in order to reinforce the value and the purpose of being bilingual? Because you have said at the opening and closing of your address that we are building one nation, but there are a number of ways to approach that and, in this current phase we still have this problem of people who have, perhaps, had a terrible experience of the language if they have come through the English medium sector. So, can you tell us what has been provided in looking at the Welsh language as a core communication skill and an integral part of the vocational courses, particularly in courses such as social care, child care and hospitality? These aren't new questions, I know that, but I would like to know if there hasn't been any progress. I would like to hear about that. Will we hear more of that as we proceed with the strategy?

As I said, I would like to hear more about the workplace. When you talk about creating favourable conditions so that people can choose to use the Welsh language, not only that they have those skills, but they can choose to use them, well, there's a question in terms of standards. They do have a role in the workplace, but, for me, there is a way of creating supply rather than generating demand, and this strategy can only succeed if it actually creates that demand.

I have just mentioned the poor experience of people coming through the English medium sector, and, of course, I am looking here on the new generation of bilingual people. If this works well, they will get to the workplace, but those in the higher positions will have come through a different education system and they have come through with attitudes that aren’t, perhaps, positive towards the language. I would like to hear how the strategy is going to avoid a situation where we have people who enter the workplace being fully bilingual, but then they come across people who are perhaps older than them and have very different attitudes towards the language, and perhaps don’t appreciate the skills that they have developed from the very early stages, if this strategy works well. I would just like to know if there are ways and means of avoiding any culture clashes here. So, could you tell us how you’re going to monitor the success of the Welsh for adults centres that we currently have? I know it’s very early days, but how can we learn lessons from that experience in order to ensure that people can enter the workplace without the tensions for either the employee or the employer, because there is still that disconnect between those starting in that system and those who have been through previous systems, and have taken those old attitudes with them into the workplace. Thank you very much.