Thank you, Llywydd, and I’d like to congratulate Eluned Morgan on being selected in the role of Minister for the Welsh language and I’d like to thank Alun Davies for his work.

I’d like to move amendments 1 and 2 in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth, and I note that the Government is in favour of amendment 1, but is against amendment 2. Our amendments to this debate today do emphasise the importance of the role of the Welsh Language Commissioner and how that role has ensured positive developments in the use of the Welsh language under the language standards system, and that after just a year of them being implemented. The report does compare statistics for a whole year under the standards system and the year that they came into force. For example, 76 per cent of Welsh speakers are of the opinion that public organisations’ Welsh language services are improving and 57 per cent of people believe that opportunities to use the Welsh language are increasing.

My job is not to defend the commissioner’s work, but you can’t deny the robust evidence that has been presented in this report. The statistics show how effective the role of the commissioner has been in the six years since the office was established. So, I am concerned, and those concerns are shared by a number of experts in the field of linguistics, that making any structural changes of the kind that are proposed in the White Paper of the Government for the Welsh language Bill are going to undo many of the positive developments that have happened so far.

I outlined in the debate on the White Paper a few months ago a number of reasons why the Welsh Government’s proposals for the Bill weaken our basic rights as Welsh speakers. This afternoon, I want to focus on the idea of abolishing the Welsh Language Commissioner.

In a secret letter from the international agency of language commissioners, the agency does say clearly that there is no better way to hold a Government to account than through one independent language commissioner. And they go on to say that they have come to this conclusion because of their extensive experiences in this field. In the letter, they argue that the language commissioner plays an important role in regulating the provision of Welsh language services, and that abolishing the role would damage the positive progress that has been made so far. This letter was signed by 10 language commissioners across the world.

If the aim of the Government is to strengthen the basic rights of Welsh speakers, as well as realising the target of reaching 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050—and I welcome your commitment to continue with that objective—if that is your aspiration, then simplifying the process and moving forward and introducing more standards is what’s needed, rather than making structural changes. We need to move urgently on with the work of introducing standards for other sectors. I do understand that you’re about to introduce standards for the health service and it’s about time that that happened. Reports on standards for housing associations have been on the desk of your predecessor for two years, and the water companies for almost two years, and buses and trains and railways for nearly a year. So, I do greatly hope that you, as the new Minister for the Welsh language, will reconsider the abolition of the role of the Welsh Language Commissioner and will move forward to expand the basic rights of Welsh speakers across Wales.