I’m delighted to tell you that all 22 of our local authorities have committed to their ambitious 10-year targets of increasing the provision of Welsh-medium education. These targets match the milestones of our Welsh language strategy, 'Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers'. Some local authorities have gone the extra mile and have set targets that exceed our expectations. We want 26 per cent of year 1 learners receiving their education through the medium of Welsh by 2026, rising to 30 per cent by 2031. This is a target that I have every confidence in achieving with these WESPs in place.

I’d like to draw attention to some of the commitments set out in these plans. There are exciting developments on the horizon. There is a clear emphasis on increasing the number of primary school settings across Wales with commitments to establish 23 new Welsh-medium primary schools and to expand 25 Welsh-medium primary schools over the next 10 years. The revised plans show that a high percentage of these developments are to be realised during the first five years of the WESPs, and that more often than not, they are made possible with the support of capital funding from the Welsh Government.

Cymraeg, the Welsh language, belongs to us all, and it’s important to recognise that everyone has their own unique journey when it comes to learning and using the language. Working together to produce the WESPs has provided some great opportunities to see just what can be achieved. The Curriculum for Wales, which allows all schools and settings to introduces the teaching of Welsh from the age of three, has provided an opportunity for us to plan differently. It’s wonderful to see so many local authorities taking advantage of these opportunities. One such example is the 10 authorities that have decided to focus on moving their schools along a language continuum by increasing the provision of Welsh available.

Having said that, we must remind ourselves that the WESPs are a planning framework that cannot be implemented without cross-sector support. I know that there has been an army of individuals representing schools, parents, and organisations at all levels who have been actively involved over the last year in developing the WESPs and the draft plans of local authorities. I’d like to thank you all for that work, and also to thank you in advance for the work still ahead of us to support the implementation of the new plans from September. Your commitment is recognised and valued. I wish also to recognise and commend the officers at the local authorities for your commitment and perseverance through one of the most challenging times that we have faced in decades. It has been admirable. Your continued engagement with each other and with us has ensured that plans to grow Welsh-medium education over the next 10 years are as ambitious as they can be. Thank you to you all.

On the political side, I recognise the need to have the support of all cabinets in Wales to realise the ambition of 'Cymraeg 2050', and that's why I will take the opportunity to meet all council leaders during the autumn term to discuss opportunities and challenges related to Welsh-medium education planning. As Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, I’ve also put in place steps to support the effective implementation of the WESPs. These include investment since 2018 of £76 million in dedicated Welsh-medium capital grants, creating over 3,700 additional childcare and school places and 285 places in additional late immersion centres or units; a commitment to investing £2.2 million annually until the end of this Senedd term to support late immersion provisions in all local authorities in Wales; support for Mudiad Meithrin to increase Welsh-medium nursery provisions each year by establishing 150 new provisions by 2026; publishing a 10-year Welsh in education workforce plan with additional funding to deliver it; ensuring free Welsh lessons for the education workforce through the National Centre for Learning Welsh from September this year; consulting on a draft Curriculum for Wales framework for Welsh in English-medium education—the supporting materials will be refined and published in September this year; increasing funding for the e-sgol scheme to £600,000 to extend the e-learning programme to all areas of Wales by 2023.

I've been lucky to have been able to visit a number of the projects that we've invested in. There are so many innovative examples and inspiring stories from Anglesey to Monmouthshire, from late immersion provisions in Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy to innovative projects taking place at Pen y Dre school in Merthyr to increase the use of Welsh in an English-medium school.  

However, we must acknowledge the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which we're still processing. There must be a period for reflection, particularly in terms of supporting families and increasing understanding of what Welsh-medium education offers. We'll continue to closely monitor the longer term implications of the pandemic on the choices of parents and carers regarding Welsh-medium education. But my message is clear: I want Welsh-medium education to be an option for everyone, and I want everyone to have the opportunity to be bilingual citizens in Wales. 

Some will say that the strategic plans are not ambitious enough, but we must remember the journey that we've been on and what we've learnt. We've achieved a lot, but I know there's more that can and needs to be done to ensure better access to Welsh-medium education in areas where it's needed most. There are still too many barriers to Welsh-medium education and too many children missing out on opportunities to be educated through the medium of Welsh and become confident bilingual speakers and more. We've gone as far as we can within the current WESP framework, and further improvements to that framework will be considered as part of scoping work on a Welsh language education Bill. 

Before concluding, I would like to thank everyone once more and underline the importance of working together, to be open together, to support each other. It's a crucial decade, but an exciting opportunity for the Welsh language and for Wales.