As we’ve already heard, the context of this inquiry by the committee was the Welsh Government’s intention in the summer of 2017 to legislate anew with regard to the Welsh language, and to do so barely 18 months after the 2011 Welsh language Measure had started to embed. So, Plaid Cymru was very pleased that common sense had prevailed, and ultimately the proposals were set aside. The evidence that the committee heard, the consensus of opinion that had been reported by language organisations, academics and perhaps most importantly by those organisations that implement legislation, all confirms that now is not the time to make far-reaching changes to a relatively new system. Even though that system isn’t perfect, as the committee says, it continues to drive significant progress with regard to the status of the Welsh language and its usage.

Even though I welcome the decision made by the Minister to set those proposals aside, recommendation 3 in the report, which suggests that any future proposals to amend or replace the Welsh language Measure should be supported by evidence, causes some concern and is a sign that the Welsh Government’s proposals for the language Bill weren't based on evidence in the first instance. And clearly, that isn't how a responsible Government should operate, and we need to learn lessons from these weaknesses that led to a loss of focus on the implementation of the strategy for creating 1 million Welsh speakers. So, I’d like to thank the committee for stepping into the breach and gathering the evidence that was missing in the discussion with regard to the Bill—to do the Government’s work for it, some would say, and to point to the priorities in moving forward.

It’s a matter, now, for the Government to look at these priorities, to take the reins and to implement them. And I want to focus the rest of my contribution on three important priorities, as far as I can see, and I would appreciate it if the Minister would take the opportunity to give a progress report on these points.

The report confirms that it’s in the Welsh Government’s hands that the responsibility for promoting the Welsh language lies and we need to improve the status of the Welsh language unit in the Government. Clearly, we need a powerful unit within Government, not a unit that’s buried in the civil service. I was at the Eisteddfod, where the Minister announced that there’s one new post—one new post—within the current division that will be created. And we also heard in the case of the fair work agenda, which is entirely appropriately a priority across Government—we heard in that particular case that there will be a directorate set up in the First Minister’s department to look at it. So, why doesn’t the Welsh language have the same status within Government?

The report recommends that the commissioner should review the complaints procedures regularly in terms of their effectiveness and their impact on service users. Everyone, as far as I can see it, wants to see effective procedures that give a voice to the citizen and the Welsh language. But putting additional pressure on the commissioner not to investigate complaints as a matter of course would be tantamount to weakening the standards regime. So, could you explain, Minister, why you have put pressure on the commissioner to undertake less investigation into complaints? And will you confirm today the independence of the commissioner?

My final point: Plaid Cymru—I have called many times for a timetable for introducing the standards across the whole range of areas that remain, where the commissioner has done that initial work. So, perhaps today you could share the latest timetable for introducing the timetables for the water companies and the health regulators, in addition to the remaining sectors in the Measure that haven’t been touched by you yet. Will you also confirm that you want to see the commissioner starting to do preparatory work in the telecommunications sector?