5. Will the Minister make a statement on safeguarding Welsh language communities? OQ57143

Brexit and COVID-19 have intensified the challenges to the socioeconomic infrastructure of Welsh-speaking communities. Tackling these challenges is central to the implementation of Cymraeg 2050. Our work programme focuses on limiting the impact and ensuring the sustainability and prosperity of our Welsh-speaking communities, and I will be announcing our plans imminently.

Thank you. Last month, you informed the Senedd that meeting woodland creation targets should not affect communities, nor, indeed, change the type of landowners. You also stated that you would take action if evidence developed that there is a problem. Now, the Farmers Union of Wales receive almost weekly reports of whole farms, of parcels of land, being bought up by individuals and businesses from outside of Wales for the purpose of tree planting. One such investment is a large farm here in Wales that has now been taken over by British Aerospace. For someone who believes in a free market, I believe it wrong to be seeing our farms and agricultural land in our strong Welsh-speaking communities simply being bought up in huge investments for companies and people from over the border. NFU Cymru have calculated that an additional 180,000 hectares of trees would require the complete afforestation of 3,750 Welsh family farms. So, do you share my concerns, Minister, and will you work with the Minister for Climate Change so as to establish a just transition commission to ensure the burden of decarbonisation does not unequally fall on our rural communities and continue to have a negative impact on the historically thriving Welsh language in rural Wales? Thank you. Diolch.

I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for that question. I can assure her, perhaps reassure her, that I'm already having discussions with the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change in relation to this matter. It has been raised and discussed in this Chamber a number of times, including by Cefin Campbell earlier today. I think I will echo the point that the Deputy Minister made in relation to the point raised by Cefin Campbell: we'll be working very closely together in relation to that particular point. 

Minister, the Swansea valley is an area of linguistic importance. Earlier this year, in response to concerns from campaigners and language specialists, you recognised that Neath Port Talbot Council hadn't given proper consideration to the impact of their plans to open a huge new English-medium school in the middle of the valley in Pontardawe on the Welsh language by commissioning a report and delaying the funding for the scheme. The report is unequivocal, although it hasn't been published in full, and I quote:

'it should be clearly underlined that, in terms of the language planning principles and processes noted...no mitigating actions in the context of the future of the Welsh language in the Swansea Valley will compensate for continuing with this proposal as it stands'.  

It also notes that:

'In bilingual communities, languages increasingly become a matter of choice. To support bilingualism within these communities, bilingualism must be an easy choice. This proposal takes away that easy choice.'

Do you agree that the Government needs to intervene where possible in order to safeguard Welsh-speaking communities and not allow local authorities free rein to implement proposals that would be a threat to the future of the Welsh language and a barrier to bilingualism? Thank you.

The Member and I have discussed this issue many times, including before the last election. I know that the Member knows that there is a restriction on what I can say about this specific proposal, because I'm a local Member as well as being a Minister. But, of course, when the Government imposes requirements in terms of prosperity of the Welsh language in communities, then local authorities need to collaborate with the Government in order to ensure that.