Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. As with any ambitious statement of intent on the kind of nation that we want to create here in Wales, be that a statement of a climate emergency or securing the future of the Welsh language, we must ensure that the ideal is reinforced in our actions and our political priorities. We must recognise that it’s no easy task to overturn the situation of the Welsh language, and it’s important not to oversimplify the scale of the challenge facing us in trying to secure 1 million Welsh speakers by the middle of the century. We believe that seeking to reach the ambition of 1 million Welsh speakers requires strategic action and firm responses in all areas, and the areas where this is important include education, economic development, community development, the status and infrastructure of the language, the workplace and the family. I would encourage Members, therefore, to support amendment 2.

The Government’s plans in terms of the Welsh language Bill actually were scrapped, which unfortunately reflects the general mess in terms of the way that the Government has tried to govern this term, with priorities and plans coming and going as Ministers change. This was a good thing in this case, because the proposals to scrap the commissioner's role would have been a retrograde step to 1993, rather than a step forward to 2050. While the demand for more transparency is to be welcomed, the emphasis now needs to be returned to implementing the strategy.

So, I have to say that I rolled my eyes on seeing the last section of the Conservative motion, which returns again the discussion on the role of the commissioner. I was disappointed this morning in hearing comments by the Conservative spokesperson on Radio Cymru, and they have been rehearsed again this afternoon in the Chamber, which undermined the purpose of this debate. It is mind-boggling that the priority of the Conservative Party seems to be to weaken measures to increase the number of Welsh speakers by enabling individuals to complain when jobs require Welsh language skills.