3. Will the Minister make a statement on plans by councils in South Wales West to provide Welsh-medium education? OAQ53535

Diolch yn fawr, Dai. All Welsh in education plans within South Wales West have been approved and implementation plans submitted to the Welsh Government in late December. Officials continue their discussions with local authorities regarding the progress outlined within those implementation plans.

Thank you very much for that response. Now, the Welsh in education strategic plans, as you've mentioned, which have been approved by your Government, do show a great variation in the plans of councils across Wales, and within the South Wales West region in particular. The plan for Bridgend is very disappointing as compared to other councils. Only 7.5 per cent of seven-year-old children receive Welsh-medium education in Bridgend, and there’s been virtually no progress made during the current planning period. This compares with a target of 16 per cent in Swansea and a target of 22 per cent in Neath Port Talbot next door. Do you agree that the WESPs have been a complete failure in areas such as Bridgend, as your Government aims towards a million Welsh speakers?

Well, Dai, as I've said, the plans have been approved. My understanding of the situation in Bridgend is that the authority has committed to expanding Welsh-medium provision in its band B programme, with a commitment to a new Welsh-medium school in the west of the authority, where there are new housing developments in the lower Ogmore valley. Furthermore, approval in principle of £2.6 million for the Welsh-medium and childcare offer, for the capital grants element of that, has been granted to the authority, to expand Welsh-medium childcare provision in four areas of the greatest demand, namely Bettws, Ogmore, Porthcawl and central Bridgend, in order to further support the growth of Welsh-medium education. You will be glad to hear that. And I will be constantly challenging local authorities to ensure that their ambition matches my ambition for the opportunities afforded to parents to make this positive choice of educating their children through the medium of Welsh.