I’d like to thank Suzy Davies for her general welcome for the words and the statement and the strategy itself. May I say this in responding to you, Suzy? We are starting on a journey here—a journey over two generations to reach 2050, a journey where we have to make investment very early on, and that’s what I’ve tried to do today, by showing some sort of picture of what I hope to do over the current Assembly and this Government, because I think it is important to set targets not just for 2050, and whoever is Minister at that point, but also targets for the Government here whilst I’m Minister. And we have to create a network or a structure where it’s possible to ensure accountability for this Government—this current Government—too. So, we do hope to do that today and over the coming weeks and months.

Mudiad Meithrin will be one of the most important partners that we have as we move ahead, ensuring that we do have the framework and structure of the ‘meithrin’ groups across Wales. We will continue to collaborate with them.

You’ve asked many questions about developing the workforce. Kirsty Williams has commissioned work by Delyth Evans, and the report of that taskforce will be published over the next few weeks. And that report will start to put together that picture of how we can develop further education through the medium of Welsh by ensuring that we have post-16 courses through the medium of Welsh for those people who want to work with the Mudiad Meithrin, for example, but also to develop skills and new services through the medium of Welsh. Kirsty Williams will have a statement to make on that over the coming weeks.

But we are seeing that the Welsh language—. It is important to see the Welsh language as a communication skill, as you described, but also the Welsh language has to be more than that—more than just a communication skill that you use when you need to in the workplace. The Welsh language is more than that. It’s a vital part of our culture and history as a nation, and we also have to acknowledge the value of the Welsh language because of what it is, and not just because it’s a skill in the workplace. I do want to emphasise the importance of that.

As part of the journey, I will be publishing a White Paper in the Eisteddfod, and we will be starting a process of discussing what kind of legislative structure we need over the coming years. I was clear in my mind—and I hope that Members will agree—that we need to set out the vision first of all, we need the set out the strategy first of all, and then discuss how we implement the strategy and how we achieve that vision. And so, I was clear that I wanted to set out the strategy here, and then have the discussion about the legislation and the new Bill for the Welsh language. We will be starting that process of discussion with regard to the Bill in the Eisteddfod. That will then continue into the autumn, and then when we’ve had that national debate about that, I hope that we will be able to bring forward legislative proposals to this Assembly so that Members can discuss and debate those proposals that we have, and I hope to do that very early in the new year.

When I talk about favourable conditions for the Welsh language, then I’m talking about what kind of rights we need as Welsh speakers, how we demand our rights as Welsh speakers, and how the public services and other services work within a statutory system that will ensure and guarantee our rights as Welsh speakers. We do have to have that discussion, and I look forward to that. But more than that—and I will conclude with this response—I want to shift the emphasis from regulation to promotion and facilitation, and I want to shift the emphasis from discussion to a national debate about the Welsh language that’s positive with regard to how we expand the use of the Welsh language, how we increase achievement with regard to the Welsh language, if you like—we need to move away from these things with regard to conflict, as you’ve suggested, and talk about how we can expand the Welsh language, and do that by including all of us. Very often we discuss strategies with regard to the Welsh language only in Welsh, but this is a strategy for Wales, Welsh speakers and those who don’t speak Welsh, together.