Item 4 this afternoon is a statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language on the Cymraeg 2050 annual report 2021-22. And I call on Jeremy Miles. 

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Today, I present the annual report on our Welsh language strategy, 'Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh speakers', for the 2021-22 financial year. At the beginning of the sixth Senedd, we published our five-year work programme for delivering 'Cymraeg 2050' during 2021-26. This annual report therefore reports on the first year of that programme and the commitments made in the programme for government and the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru.

The pandemic continued to affect our normal working arrangements during this period. Although we heard less about leaving the European Union, the effect of the rising cost-of-living crisis has come to the fore. Despite all of these changes, our work, come what may, was to respond to the challenges and opportunities that arose in order to increase the number of Welsh speakers, and more importantly, to increase daily use of our language.

This was another busy year in the area of language policy as we worked across Government and with various partners the length and breadth of the country and beyond. And today, Dirprwy Lywydd, is an opportunity for me to thank everyone who worked with us throughout the year. I must mention our grant partners who worked tirelessly and energetically to support us to deliver 'Cymraeg 2050'. Following a busy period of providing opportunities for us to use the Welsh language remotely, they have all been working to rebuild, have continued to innovate, and have kept many of the best practices developed during the national lockdowns. You will find details of much of this work in the report.

Now, I turn to some of the highlights of the year in question. We consulted upon the Welsh language communities housing plan—an ambitious plan that extends across the entire Government and works alongside other new tax and planning policies.

Next week, I will launch the final plan, and I will share the details with you in due course. However, it's fair to say that it's an innovative plan that will make a very real difference to people's lives, to communities, and indeed to our language, in all parts of the country. The new commission for Welsh-speaking communities will challenge us as we deliver the plan, and will support us to benefit those areas considered to be Welsh-speaking heartlands.

The new 10-year Welsh in education strategic plans came into force recently. Dirprwy Lywydd, this didn't happen overnight. A great deal of preparatory work was done during the reporting year as we held sessions to support local authorities and worked with them to refine their draft plans, and published guidance on categorising schools according to their Welsh-medium provision. Now, publishing the plans is but a first step; we will work closely with local authorities and schools to support them to increase Welsh language provision across Wales.

During the reporting year, we also announced our intention to provide new funding in order to, first, offer free Welsh lessons to all those between 16 and 25 years old and the teaching workforce, in order to, first, give everyone a second chance. Some will learn for the first time and others will gain confidence in their skills. And this was done as part of the co-operation agreement, and everyone will contribute to the one million and to doubling the use of the language. Secondly, funding was allocated to extend Welsh language late immersion support for every local authority during the reporting year and beyond. And this will allow so many more children to access our Welsh-medium education system.

In May this year, I announced the Welsh in education workforce plan, and detailed preparation work was undertaken during the reporting year. This is a difficult and challenging area. The plan therefore calls for radical and innovative action by many of us. Towards the end of the reporting period, I announced our intention to set up a company limited by guarantee, called Adnodd. It will work to ensure that sufficient Welsh-medium and bilingual resources are available to support the new curriculum.

During the reporting year, detailed work was undertaken to prepare standards for health regulators. This led to laying the regulations before the Senedd in July of this year, so that they may come into effect on 31 October. I discussed the Welsh language on a British-Irish Council level, with fellow Ministers, and with leaders of the member states at a summit in St Fagans. Hearing national leaders discussing the Welsh language, and indeed using the Welsh language and their own languages at the highest level, was significant and very satisfying.

In February, on Anglesey, I gave a speech under the title 'Cymraeg belongs to us all', where I shared my vision for the language, to mark 60 years since Saunders Lewis delivered his famous 'Tynged yr Iaith' lecture, in 1962. Here are some of the key messages. I want us to remember that the Welsh language, and the responsibility for acting to protect it, belongs to us all. Everyone has their role, regardless of where they live or how much Welsh they have. I want to see more organisations and public leaders taking responsibility for the language too. Our Leading in a Bilingual Country programme is one way of delivering this. And we as a whole Government will ensure that the Welsh language is always considered in the work of each team and department across the organisation. I have established a series of Cabinet meetings over the duration of this Senedd term to discuss with my fellow Ministers what more they can do to contribute to the delivery of 'Cymraeg 2050' in their policy areas.

Dirprwy Lywydd, in looking to the future, we await the 2021 census results in relation to the Welsh language—before Christmas, hopefully. We will scrutinise the results before adjusting our targets and the trajectory towards a million Welsh speakers, as needed. I have spoken today about the global challenges affecting Wales. So now, more than ever, I'm calling on everyone to pull together. We must work together, offer a helping hand when challenges and opportunities arise, and learn from each other. We must welcome everyone from all backgrounds to join us on our journey towards the million. Most importantly, we must remember that all of us have the responsibility and ability—as individuals and organisations—to work together to ensure a prosperous future for the Welsh language. Cymraeg belongs to us all.

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I thank the Minister for giving me an advance look at his annual report on 'Cymraeg 2050', and also for the statement this afternoon.

From the outset, the Minister will be aware of my concerns about the accountability of this programme. As I have said in this Chamber previously, it is possible that neither he nor I will be in this Chamber in 28 years' time, so the question must be asked as to who will be accountable if this ambitious target is not reached. Having said that, the actions that have been taken over the last financial year reflect the ambition and intention that we need to reach that important target.

I am aware that we are still waiting for the publication of the 2021 census data—before Christmas, I think—but without jumping ahead, I'd like to hear, and would be interested to know whether the Minister knows about the projections for the total number of Welsh speakers in Wales. A central part of boosting the numbers, of course, is Welsh language education, and specifically from an early age. Despite the increase in opportunities for Mudiad Meithrin, I am concerned that the number of children who are attending cylch meithrin remains much lower than the levels seen before the pandemic. In light of this, what action is the Minister taking to ensure that attendance is higher than present levels by the next report?

Finally, teaching Mudiad Meithrin classes—Welsh education in general—is of course crucial to the success of your 'Cymraeg 2050' programme. Could you outline what steps are being taken to recruit more teachers who can teach fluently in Welsh, and have these numbers increased since the 'Cymraeg 2050' programme was launched? What are the KPIs and targets to ensure that we have enough teachers able to teach in the Welsh language to meet the demand that the Government's programme will hopefully create? If we want to realise this policy, 'Cymraeg 2050' must be part of a wider programme that not only strengthens our identity here in Wales, but also incorporates our unique place within the United Kingdom.

And you are right, Minister; the Welsh language belongs to us all, whatever your background, your identity or your politics, it has the ability to bind us all together, ensuring that our culture, our communities and our traditions can grow and flourish. Therefore, all of us in the Chamber have a duty to ensure that this programme has every chance of being successful. Thank you very much.

I thank Sam Kurtz for those questions. May I echo and identify myself with the final comment he made in his contribution? Everyone has an opportunity but also a responsibility to ensure that we do our very best for the Welsh language, and we have a plan here that lays the foundations for that.

He opened his contribution by asking about accountability. I wasn't quite sure if he was expressing his hope that I would still be Minister for the Welsh language in 2050—I didn't quite know if that's what he was asking. But on that theme, there are numerous opportunities—. This experience is one of the ways in which we are accountable for progress in this policy area. Figures are regularly published in terms of where we are on language use. Of course, as we've chosen the census as a means of measuring progress in the number of speakers, that happens on a 10-year basis, but we will see later this year what the figures are.

And within the broader 2050 plan, he mentioned how important it is to see this programme as part of a broader range of programmes related to the prosperity of the language in all of those. There are KPIs so that we as Ministers, as a Senedd, and as a nation can see where we are on that journey. For example, he asked the question as to where we are in terms of recruitment. We have a 10-year plan. We announced our projections in terms of what will be needed in terms of teacher numbers and the numbers qualifying, so those figures are publicly available and we are accountable for that. But I will also, within the 10-year plan, give a two-year update on where we are in terms of the impact of that specific scheme, and I hope to do that at a local authority level so that we can see the distribution of progress, hopefully, in terms of recruitment through that plan. I agree with him; it is truly important that we do secure opportunities to be accountable, and I'm sure that those are in place. 

In terms of investment in the early years, I agree with him that it's important that we do ensure that more and more children take the opportunity to access early years education through the medium of Welsh. We've reached the target of establishing 40 new groups during the first three years of the Set Up and Succeed programme, despite the impact of COVID. Twelve new provisions were provided during 2021-22 as part of the wider target of increasing provision during this Senedd term. So, we are on track in terms of early years too. 

Thank you, Minister, for the statement. I'd like to echo your thanks to everyone who is associated with the statistics within this report. It shows partnership across Wales, and that's something to be proud of. I'm sure that we can all agree also that Wales has a long and proud history and that our language, which is thriving today, is a central part of our identity and has survived despite the barriers that it has faced over the centuries. The language is, and we are, 'yma o hyd', in the words of Dafydd Iwan and, as you've already said, the language belongs to everyone in Wales, whether they speak it or not. 

There are so many things, of course, to celebrate in this report. The number of individuals who continue to learn Welsh beyond entry level is rising, and the Cymraeg for Kids programme and the Mudiad Meithrin are expanding. It's great to see more and more people are learning Welsh and looking for opportunities to use it. The future of the language is a hopeful one, although, as you've said, major challenges remain if we want to realise the target of 1 million speakers and increase everyday use.

As you also mentioned in your statement, the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Government includes a number of commitments regarding the Welsh language in order to strengthen our language and our culture, and specifically access to and use of the language. And this is, of course, the first report to include a reference to the agreement and to note initial progress. Through the fact that we are co-operating, I hope that we can make progress in a number of important areas for the life of the agreement and beyond, creating favourable conditions for the language. Furthermore, work is under way to strengthen the Welsh language standards, which are so important, and, more importantly, the Welsh language education Bill is on the way, a Bill that will determine the future of the language for generations to come.

As is also clear in the report, if we want to realise the vision for the Welsh language, every department in the Government has an important contribution to make, along with individuals and organisations throughout Wales. And you note in your statement that you want to see more institutions and public leaders taking responsibility for the language. One group of important stakeholders, of course, is the leaders of local government throughout Wales, and we must concede that, despite the fact that some progress can be seen in the Welsh in education strategic plans, some councils continue, in my opinion, to lack ambition or decisive action in terms of how they are going to play their part. This is particularly true in some areas where we continue to see plans in place to invest in English-medium schools, disregarding local requests to introduce a Welsh stream in these new schools. You will be aware of a proposed example of this in my region, where there is still an emphasis on meeting demand rather than creating or supporting demand. I therefore look forward to an update from you and the designated members of Plaid Cymru as work progresses on the Welsh language education Bill. A core part of this will, of course, be the use of the Welsh language in English-medium schools and moving these schools along the language continuum. The next decade will be essential if we are to make this a reality.

I would like to ask you about two specific elements of the report: first, late immersion. The progress here is undoubtedly to be welcomed, and it's good to see that there will be further investment. The emphasis in the report is on late immersion or immersion for latecomers, but one issue that has been raised with me is the need for places for immersion for children who may have fallen behind in terms of the Welsh language due to COVID, who are now in years 4, 5 and 6 and whose parents have moved them—or are seriously considering moving them—to English-medium schools, fearing that their children are not achieving as they should. Is immersion available to them, and is this being offered throughout Wales if parents or carers apply to move their children from Welsh-medium to English-medium education? Is work being done to understand why this change is happening and if lack of provision in terms of immersion or additional learning needs is a factor?

I also welcome in the report the emphasis on the importance of post-compulsory Welsh-medium and bilingual education. Without a doubt, expanding the use of the Welsh language in this sector is absolutely essential. You make reference to a budget in terms of Welsh-medium or bilingual apprenticeships in the report. May I ask what percentage of the budget for apprenticeships this represents, Minister, and whether there is any intention to increase this investment?

Like you, I am eager to see the results of the census, although I'm also hesitant. What is clear from this report is that we still do not fully understand the impact of COVID on the Welsh language, whether it be positive or not, nor what the impact of the cost-of-living crisis will be in terms of equitable access to the Welsh language. What I can guarantee you, Minister, is that we as a party take our responsibilities seriously in terms of the language, and the target of a million speakers, and are very willing to continue co-operating with you on this.

I thank Heledd Fychan for those questions and the welcome that she’s given to this afternoon’s statement and to the report for the first reporting year.

In terms of the strategic plans, I would say that much ambition has been demonstrated by each and every authority, so I don’t agree with her description in her question that there has been a lack of ambition. But it’s also certain that we don’t just need ambition in terms of the plan and the statement; we need progress on the ground too, not just ambition and words. That’s certainly true. It’s my intention over the next few weeks to have meetings with every leader in Wales and the cabinet members for education and the Welsh language, so that we understand what’s happening in terms of delivering the WESPs that they have and that I, as Minister, have an opportunity to set out my expectations within the plans agreed. Certainly, those discussions will be constructive and positive. 

In terms of investment in the Welsh-medium estate, I’ve already said in this Chamber that I expect to see progress in terms of WESPs working jointly with the broader investment in the school estate in all parts of Wales, and that will be one of the criteria that I use as a Minister to ensure that we take full account of the responsibilities and commitments of local authorities within the WESPs. It is important that each and every one of us, but also our partners in local government too, promote the benefits of Welsh-medium education—not just meeting demand, but also stimulating demand for Welsh-medium education.

Much of the focus in terms of the WESPs has been on the number of new Welsh-medium schools to be opened over the decade, but many schools mention that they intend to move along the linguistic continuum in terms of categorisation, which is important and the Member acknowledged that in her question.

In terms of the specific points, she raised immersion. Every authority in Wales has applied for an immersion budget. And £2.2 million has already been allocated and another £6.6 million has been allocated until the end of this Senedd term. Each authority has submitted bids. As you would expect, that looks different in different parts of Wales. Every authority is at a different point in their journey towards immersion, but I do share with her the support for immersion here in Wales. It’s a unique way for us in Wales to deliver what we do deliver. It’s something to be celebrated. It’s certainly true that many areas in Wales can learn from others who have been providing immersion over a longer period of time. So, I’m confident that local authorities will take advantage of that, and I agree with her on the importance of investment in Welsh-language opportunities in the post-16 sector. This is an important part of the legislation that we as a Senedd passed at the end of the summer term, and also an important part of the co-operation agreement, including the further investment in the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, which does a lot of good work in the post-16 sector, including apprenticeships.

I thank the Minister for the statement this afternoon, and I also thank the Minister for his leadership in this policy area. I spent some time in the Eisteddfod over the summer, and I was very impressed with the way in which you led the discussion, but also the tone that you've adopted in leading on this here. Sometimes, the tone of the discussion can be just as important as the policies that you've been leading on. I think that's very important.

It has been quite a debate this afternoon in terms of the census, and I think we are all looking forward to seeing the results of that as they're published in the coming weeks. What do you expect to see when it is published. What are your expectations?

The second question that I have is about the emphasis in terms of regulation and promotion of the Welsh language. You know that I think that the standards that we have do reflect too much bureaucracy and the language sometimes is used as something that we regulate rather than something that we use and speak. To me, the important thing that we need to do is to promote the use of the Welsh language. So, how do you see the balance in that context, and how do you intend to promote the use of the Welsh language instead of insisting that there is no use of the Welsh language through too much bureaucracy?

I thank Alun Davies for those questions and for his contribution towards what we are discussing today. We wouldn't be having this discussion if it weren't for the work that he did as Minister for the Welsh language. In terms of our expectations on the census, we will have to wait and see what those results are. It's a little early for us to predict how those will go. We hope to have those figures by the end of the year. Then we will have to carefully assess those figures.

It's five years since the new strategy came into place, as the Member will know, which is half the period since the last census. For half of that time, we've been living under COVID, so that's the context in terms of policy impact and the figures that we will see in the coming weeks. But, from the census results already published, we have seen that there's been a reduction in the population in those areas of Wales considered to be Welsh-speaking heartlands—that's Gwynedd and Ceredigion, for example—and, clearly, we would expect that to have an impact on the figures that we will see before the end of the year, hopefully—I hope that's when they'll be published.

What I can say quite clearly is that we are fully committed to the strategy and to ensuring not just that we grow the numbers of people are able to speak Welsh, but also use the Welsh language.

In terms of the balance between promotion and regulation, well, we certainly won't regulate our way to a prosperous Welsh language. We have to have a balance. Standards have a role to play, but promotion also has an important role to play, and we need to ensure that people have easy access to the Welsh language and opportunities to use the language.

I thank him for his comments regarding tone. I am entirely convinced that we won't deliver against our ambition if the Welsh language is a cause of debate and argument. Everyone in this Chamber is committed to the concept that the Welsh language belongs to us all. That's the mindset that will ensure, however much Welsh you have, you use it as much as you can as often as you can. And that creates a context that encourages others to learn and, importantly, encourages others to use the Welsh language.

And finally, Huw Irranca-Davies.

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I agree with my friend and colleague Alun Davies in terms of the tone and the message. Minister, I welcome the statement today and the continuing efforts of the Welsh Government to create a living language in Wales that is part of our day-to-day life—in our work, at play and all around us. Proof of success in this area will be helping more and more pupils in Wales to access Welsh-medium education as a natural and easy choice. In Ogmore, which has two local councils, this will mean greater and greater cross-border co-operation on school travel, working together on the location of secondary schools, and making sure that our Welsh schools are as modern and as excellent as any other school, as part of the twenty-first century schools programme. So, Minister, could I ask you: how can you help local councils to work together better so that we can extend the reach of Welsh-language education deeper and deeper into all our communities?

I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for the question and the example that he's given to Welsh-language learners in using Welsh in the Chamber today. The point that he made is an important one: that we do need to collaborate regionally in order to ensure the success of the WESPs. There's an example in Merthyr, for example, where Merthyr and nearby councils are collaborating on the feasibility of a secondary school, so there are examples already within the WESPs.

The point that he made on transport is very important I think, because, in many areas of Wales, the closest Welsh-medium school won't be in the county you live in—it happens. I went to Ystalyfera and there were a number of children coming from Cwmtwrch in Powys, over the border, because that was the nearest Welsh-language school, and we must ensure that they're not deprived of the opportunity to receive Welsh-medium education because of those borders and boundaries. So, I will want to discuss with leaders during the next few weeks where those examples are, because they are very specific. We know where it happens. It doesn't happen everywhere, but it is specific to certain communities in certain parts of Wales. I want to discuss with them what more we can do to ensure that that doesn't happen in those communities—that people have equal access to Welsh-medium education wherever they live.

Thank you, Minister.