Thank you to the Minister for the statement and this investment, and we very much welcome that there is recognition that a 10-year plan is needed to develop the Welsh in education workforce. But I'd like to echo a number of the concerns expressed by Samuel Kurtz as well, because, as he said, the data that goes along with the plan shows that the situation as it currently stands is extremely worrying, with the targets set for 2021 missed in terms of primary and secondary schools. So, if we are truly to reach the 'Cymraeg 2050' target, more must be done as a matter of urgency. Otherwise what hope do we have of reaching the 2031 targets?

I would therefore like to ask, first of all: why did the Government fail to reach the 2021 targets, and what lessons were learned from this failure that have influenced this 10-year plan? I think that we need to learn those lessons if we are to understand how that progress can be realised.

The concern that I and various other people, such as Cymdeithas yr Iaith, have is that the plan isn’t sufficiently ambitious or far-reaching to deliver the change needed, with the language used being rather weak in terms of the expectations placed on providers and, while the plan recognises that there is a challenge in the secondary sector, it worries me that this gives the impression that there isn’t really a problem in the primary sector, and all this despite the fact that Government data show that 273 primary teachers need to be trained every year, and around 300 secondary teachers. With only 250 training to be primary and secondary teachers at the moment, how are we to ensure that we more than double the number that we need?

And you mentioned in your response to Samuel Kurtz that you will monitor how effective this scheme is every two years. But, if the necessary progress isn't made, do you commit to adapt the plan to be more radical and far-reaching if the numbers don't increase? It will be too late to remedy the situation if we continue to miss these targets.

And what are the implications in terms of local authorities that don't reach their targets? We often see, with the plans over the past few years, target after target being missed. How will you ensure that that doesn't happen, so that every local authority in Wales hits its targets as it should, and that we understand why they don't do that if they don't hit the targets, and then we can intervene as necessary?

The final point that I would like to make relates to the issue raised by UCAC today in response to the plan’s publication, namely the question of whether the profession continues to be attractive. As I mentioned to you last week, we know that there are problems with the retention of teachers and that they are under huge pressures in terms of mental health pressures, bureaucracy, financial pressures and the major changes to the education system that are in the pipeline, for example with additional learning needs reform and the new curriculum, and this is having an impact on the number of teachers being recruited and the number of teachers retained in the workforce. We also know that not all local authorities are equal in terms of how they invest in Welsh-medium education, and that some don’t understand—or don’t want to understand—their role in generating demand, rather than just providing according to demand. We know of teachers who are able to speak Welsh who have left their roles in Welsh-medium schools to teach in new English-medium schools because the facilities for students and staff are better, rather than trying to teach in an unsuitable building that is collapsing around them.

So, what research has been commissioned by the Government to understand why educators who are able to speak Welsh are leaving the profession or are opting not to teach through the medium of Welsh? Isn’t understanding this vitally important if we are to ensure equal access for every pupil in Wales to Welsh-medium education?

As you said in your statement, there is no time to waste and there is a great deal to do. I'm very pleased that you feel confident that we will be able to take these steps, but the challenge is whether these steps will also lead us to the successful achievement of the targets. That will be the measure of success.