The Minister will be aware that the Swansea valley, in his own constituency, is linguistically significant because it includes the highest number and highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Neath Port Talbot—among the highest in the whole of Wales in fact. In relation to the objectives set out by the Minister today in terms of developing Welsh-medium education, safeguarding and developing the Welsh language as a community language, and providing opportunities for the use of the Welsh language outside the classroom, I'd like to ask how the Minister will ensure that local authorities don't take steps that would threaten that, such as the plan by Neath Port Talbot who want to open a new, huge English-medium school in Pontardawe, contrary to the wishes of the communities of the schools that will have to close in order to do that, and also the view of experts such as Heini Gruffudd, Dyfodol i'r Iaith and Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg, who say that it will be a detrimental blow to Welsh-medium education and the viability of the language in the valley. And the Minister will be aware that Neath Port Talbot hasn't opened a new single new Welsh-medium primary school since the reorganisation of local government in 1996. So, there is work to be done.

There is no talk either, in the work programme, of building on the Government's significant investment in terms of establishing Welsh language community centres, although those like Tŷ'r Gwrhyd in Pontardawe—and Alun Davies may recall coming to open that centre—have seen great success in expanding the use and procurement of the Welsh language—