Part of 5. Questions to the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:29 pm on 1 July 2020.
Well, there was a whole host of questions there, Suzy, and I won't have an opportunity to answer them all. But just to pick up on some of them—of course we will need to reconsider the way that we provide support, and we will have to consider how we can think again about providing opportunities for people to practise their Welsh language skills. There are ways of doing that online, and I know that there is a lot of innovative work being done by the national centre.
In terms of skills and the importance of Welsh language skills—and I think it's important to highlight that speaking Welsh is a skill, and it's certainly something that's recognised within Welsh Government that will become more important in the future in terms of staffing within Welsh Government. And we hope that that will lead the way for other organisations across Wales, where there will be recognition that speaking Welsh as a skill is something that brings something additional to a post.
In terms of childcare, I do know that there are people working at the moment on the process of seeking to ensure that Welsh-medium summer activities are available. So, work is being done on that at the moment. And, in terms of training courses, you will be aware, Suzy, that it is a requirement now for students to have some Welsh language learning if they do want to become teachers. So, that is now part of that curriculum, if you do wish to train to become a teacher in Wales.