Thank you for holding this debate on the White Paper on the proposals for the Welsh language Bill. This consultation goes on until the end of the month and this debate is a good way of reminding people of the need to record their comments throughout the consultation before the closing date.

We have set our viewpoint as a party very clearly through the medium of amendments that explain our vision—a vision that is different to the one of the Government. We don’t want to see any weakening or limitation on the legal rights of Welsh speakers. We believe that we need to keep regulation and promotion separate, and that they should be undertaken by two separate bodies, and we’re calling for moving forward with the Welsh language standards on health and housing associations urgently, and we’re calling for a timetable for introducing standards to the energy sector, water companies, telecommunications and train and bus companies. We’re calling on the Government to extend the standards to the private sector. So, we’re setting our stall clearly at the start of the process.

Any weakening or restriction on the legislation would be a significant backward step for the Welsh language. Friends, the Welsh language is losing ground. Only in 7 per cent of communities in Wales is Welsh the language of 70 per cent of the population—a living language on the street and in the pub. That is the subject of great pain for me, and I can’t support any back-turning on any rights that have already been established. To the contrary: we need to strengthen these rights if we seriously want to see the Welsh language continuing.