Could I thank the Conservatives for bringing this debate forward today? I thank Tom for sharing his journey with the language. It was delightful to hear you and the fact that your confidence has increased during the period you've been here. I'm looking forward to being on Hawl i Holi, something that you wouldn't have done a couple of months ago, but you are doing it tomorrow night. I think that that's excellent and shows that it is possible to have that support, and the difference that it makes in of terms of taking that opportunity to take a chance on speaking Welsh, regardless of making any errors. It's lovely to hear more Welsh here and more people trying to use their Welsh.

Certainly, it is easy for somebody like me, Heledd Fychan, who was brought up in Anglesey to Welsh-speaking parents, to be here speaking Welsh. I was brought up in a community where there was almost no English. Indeed, when I went to university I started speaking English day to day. So, I think it's vital that if we are serious about wanting to see the Welsh language surviving into the future, it's not people like me who are going to save the language, but those who do take that chance and who set out to learn and support the language.

As it's St David's Day, we will all remember today the words of St David in terms of doing the little things. Certainly, when it comes to the Welsh language and its survival, we can all, confident Welsh speakers, learners, and supporters of the language alike—and those with Welsh in their hearts, not in their heads—do the little things every day to ensure a future for the language. But it's also clear that this will not be enough, and that the Government needs to do the big things if we want to reach the goal of a million Welsh speakers. This is particularly true following the results of the recent census, with the number of Welsh speakers having fallen to 17.8 per cent, the lowest figure on record.

As we see in the Government's amendment, this runs counter to some other data sources. But as I have said a number of times now, it is worrying to hear the Government time and again questioning the census figures, given that, until this year, they have used them as the basis for planning the growth of the language. That is why, therefore, although we agree with the remaining points in the Government amendment, we as Plaid will abstain from supporting the amendment, as we do not believe that questioning the validity of the census data is genuinely helpful in terms of ensuring the survival of the language.

But setting the numbers issue aside for a moment, I hope that we can all agree that there has been a shift in attitudes towards the language over recent years, with more people generating positivity about the language and wanting to learn it. We can’t over-emphasise the importance of organisations such as the FAW, the Urdd and others in terms of ensuring that more and more people begin to feel that the language belongs to them, whether they speak the language or not. I will never, as long as I am alive, forget seeing Gareth Bale and the rest of the team singing ‘Yma o Hyd’ together with Dafydd Iwan. That was a big moment for the language, and one that, you could argue, was rooted in the ‘Fate of the Language’—‘Tynged yr Iaith’—lecture by Saunders Lewis in 1962, which was the trigger for establishing Cymdeithas yr Iaith.

Regarding today's original motion, I am pleased to see the emphasis from the Conservatives on the importance of using the Welsh language. It is certainly essential to provide opportunities to use the Welsh language beyond the classroom or at work, but, unfortunately, the opportunity to do so remains inconsistent throughout Wales. Take, for example, services provided in the Welsh language, or the opportunity to enjoy through the Welsh language or to get involved in leisure activities. Although the standards have improved access to services, very often, these services have been restricted. We must continue to strengthen this element.

The same is also true, of course, in terms of access to Welsh education, and the inconsistency in terms of how Welsh is taught in English-medium schools. One thing that has saddened me since becoming a Member of the Senedd is the number of young people that I have met who have told me of their anger regarding the fact that they can’t speak Welsh, despite having attended schools in Wales and having received Welsh lessons, and having a Welsh GCSE very often. And these are young people born since the inception of the Senedd, and it is our responsibility—through the Welsh Language Education Bill, which is part of the co-operation agreement—that we rectify this error for future generations. Every pupil in Wales should leave school able to speak Welsh and English confidently—along with other languages—and failing to set that as a goal and taking action to make it happen would be a failure on our part.

Obviously, a lack of teachers is something we’re also aware of, and we have to ensure growth in that area. We also need to ensure digital opportunities in the Welsh language. With more and more of us using online content, we have to ensure that those are available too. It is just as important as having a bible in Welsh was, following its translation by Bishop William Morgan in 1588.

The Welsh language belongs to us all, but if we want everyone to have the opportunity to learn and use it, wherever they live in Wales, then there is a great deal of work still ahead of us. The language may still be 'yma o hyd'—still here—despite everyone and everything, but its future remains fragile if we don't also see radical action.