Meetings

NDM7111 Welsh Conservatives Debate - The ambition of the Cymraeg 2050 strategy of reaching one million Welsh speakers in a generation

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Meeting: 03/07/2019 - Plenary - Fifth Senedd (Item 9)

Welsh Conservatives Debate - The ambition of the Cymraeg 2050 strategy of reaching one million Welsh speakers in a generation

NDM7111 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the cross-party support within the Assembly for the ambition of the Cymraeg 2050 strategy of reaching one million Welsh speakers in a generation.

2. Recognises that the success of the strategy is dependent, in part, on:

a) creating more opportunities for people to use and develop their Welsh language skills in the workplace as well as in the community;

b) convincing businesses that there is commercial advantage in promoting a bilingual identity;

c) achieving a balance and flexibility between legislative and non-legislative steps to achieve this, and acknowledging that 99 per cent of Welsh enterprises are micro, small, or medium in size;

d) identifying and delivering value-for-money through increased use of Welsh in the workplace rather than the introduction of requirements which do not achieve this and which are not considered a priority by Welsh speakers.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to update the Assembly via oral statements every six months on progress made in relation to Cymraeg 2050.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to report to the Assembly before the end of 2019 on the effectiveness of its current promotion of the Welsh language to businesses, as distinct from the work of the Welsh Language Commissioner.

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to appoint a network of Welsh language business champions to promote the use of the language by micro, small and medium sized enterprises.

6. Calls on the Welsh Government to consider further reform of the role of the Welsh Language Commissioner to permit investigation of claims by both Welsh and non-Welsh speakers regarding breaches of their language rights.

Cymraeg 2050: Welsh language strategy

The following amendments have been tabled:

Amendment 1 - Rebecca Evans (Gower)

Delete points 2–6 and replace with:

Acknowledges that the Cymraeg 2050 strategy has three elements which pave the way for reaching a million Welsh speakers, namely:

a) increasing the number of speakers through the Cymraeg i Blant / Cymraeg for Kids programme, the improved Welsh in Education Strategic Plans and the new approach to teaching Welsh through the National Centre for Learning Welsh;

b) increasing the everyday use of the language in workplaces, businesses and in the community;

c) providing a solid infrastructure as a basis for all actions which includes public buy-in, linguistic infrastructure, and technology.

Celebrates since the launch of Cymraeg 2050, the Welsh Government has made significant progress in the following areas:

a) increasing the number of Cylchoedd Meithrin and Cylchoedd Ti a Fi in order to set more children on the journey into Welsh medium education;

b) moving from assessing the demand to creating the demand for Welsh medium education in order to increase the number of speakers via the Welsh in Education Strategic Plans;

c) launching a new Welsh Language Technology Action Plan which sets out the vision for Welsh to be readily available in technology;

d) funding the National Centre for Learning Welsh to provide the Cymraeg Gwaith / Work Welsh scheme to develop the Welsh language skills of workers within targeted sectors, including the apprenticeship sector;

e) the provision of almost £60 million of capital funding for early years, education and the renovation of Neuadd Pantycelyn and the Urdd facilities at Glan-llyn and Llangrannog;

f) funding 14 business officers across Wales to offer practical advice and tools to help businesses use more Welsh. A helpline will be launched soon to assist with information about the Welsh language, signposting and short translations.

Notes the Welsh Government’s active participation in the UN International Year for Indigenous Languages as a platform to celebrate Wales as an outward facing bilingual nation.

Welsh Language Technology Action Plan

[If amendment 1 is agreed, amendments 2 and 3 will be de-selected] 

Amendment 2 - Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)

Delete point 2 and replace with:

Recognises that implementing the aspiration of the strategy requires strategic planning and practical intentional implementation in every area, especially in relation to education, economic development, community development, status and infrastructure of the Welsh language, the workplace and the family.

Amendment 3 - Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)

Delete point 6 and replace with:

Calls on the Welsh Government to introduce a timetable that permits the Welsh Language Commissioner to set Welsh language standards and expand the rights to use the Welsh language in the area of housing associations, water, postal services, transport, energy, telecommunications as well as adding new bodies to regulations that have already been passed.

 

 

Minutes:

The item started at 17.56

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM7111 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the cross-party support within the Assembly for the ambition of the Cymraeg 2050 strategy of reaching one million Welsh speakers in a generation.

2. Recognises that the success of the strategy is dependent, in part, on:

a) creating more opportunities for people to use and develop their Welsh language skills in the workplace as well as in the community;

b) convincing businesses that there is commercial advantage in promoting a bilingual identity;

c) achieving a balance and flexibility between legislative and non-legislative steps to achieve this, and acknowledging that 99 per cent of Welsh enterprises are micro, small, or medium in size;

d) identifying and delivering value-for-money through increased use of Welsh in the workplace rather than the introduction of requirements which do not achieve this and which are not considered a priority by Welsh speakers.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to update the Assembly via oral statements every six months on progress made in relation to Cymraeg 2050.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to report to the Assembly before the end of 2019 on the effectiveness of its current promotion of the Welsh language to businesses, as distinct from the work of the Welsh Language Commissioner.

5. Calls on the Welsh Government to appoint a network of Welsh language business champions to promote the use of the language by micro, small and medium sized enterprises.

6. Calls on the Welsh Government to consider further reform of the role of the Welsh Language Commissioner to permit investigation of claims by both Welsh and non-Welsh speakers regarding breaches of their language rights.

For

Abstain

Against

Total

11

3

33

47

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - Rebecca Evans (Gower)

Delete points 2–6 and replace with:

Acknowledges that the Cymraeg 2050 strategy has three elements which pave the way for reaching a million Welsh speakers, namely:

a) increasing the number of speakers through the Cymraeg i Blant / Cymraeg for Kids programme, the improved Welsh in Education Strategic Plans and the new approach to teaching Welsh through the National Centre for Learning Welsh;

b) increasing the everyday use of the language in workplaces, businesses and in the community;

c) providing a solid infrastructure as a basis for all actions which includes public buy-in, linguistic infrastructure, and technology.

Celebrates since the launch of Cymraeg 2050, the Welsh Government has made significant progress in the following areas:

a) increasing the number of Cylchoedd Meithrin and Cylchoedd Ti a Fi in order to set more children on the journey into Welsh medium education;

b) moving from assessing the demand to creating the demand for Welsh medium education in order to increase the number of speakers via the Welsh in Education Strategic Plans;

c) launching a new Welsh Language Technology Action Plan which sets out the vision for Welsh to be readily available in technology;

d) funding the National Centre for Learning Welsh to provide the Cymraeg Gwaith / Work Welsh scheme to develop the Welsh language skills of workers within targeted sectors, including the apprenticeship sector;

e) the provision of almost £60 million of capital funding for early years, education and the renovation of Neuadd Pantycelyn and the Urdd facilities at Glan-llyn and Llangrannog;

f) funding 14 business officers across Wales to offer practical advice and tools to help businesses use more Welsh. A helpline will be launched soon to assist with information about the Welsh language, signposting and short translations.

Notes the Welsh Government’s active participation in the UN International Year for Indigenous Languages as a platform to celebrate Wales as an outward facing bilingual nation.

A vote was taken on amendment 1:

For

Abstain

Against

Total

27

3

17

47

Amendment 1 was agreed.

As amendment 1 was agreed, amendments 2 and 3 were de-selected 

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

NDM7111 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Notes the cross-party support within the Assembly for the ambition of the Cymraeg 2050 strategy of reaching one million Welsh speakers in a generation.

2. Acknowledges that the Cymraeg 2050 strategy has three elements which pave the way for reaching a million Welsh speakers, namely:

a) increasing the number of speakers through the Cymraeg i Blant / Cymraeg for Kids programme, the improved Welsh in Education Strategic Plans and the new approach to teaching Welsh through the National Centre for Learning Welsh;

b) increasing the everyday use of the language in workplaces, businesses and in the community;

c) providing a solid infrastructure as a basis for all actions which includes public buy-in, linguistic infrastructure, and technology.

3. Celebrates since the launch of Cymraeg 2050, the Welsh Government has made significant progress in the following areas:

a) increasing the number of Cylchoedd Meithrin and Cylchoedd Ti a Fi in order to set more children on the journey into Welsh medium education;

b) moving from assessing the demand to creating the demand for Welsh medium education in order to increase the number of speakers via the Welsh in Education Strategic Plans;

c) launching a new Welsh Language Technology Action Plan which sets out the vision for Welsh to be readily available in technology;

d) funding the National Centre for Learning Welsh to provide the Cymraeg Gwaith / Work Welsh scheme to develop the Welsh language skills of workers within targeted sectors, including the apprenticeship sector;

e) the provision of almost £60 million of capital funding for early years, education and the renovation of Neuadd Pantycelyn and the Urdd facilities at Glan-llyn and Llangrannog;

f) funding 14 business officers across Wales to offer practical advice and tools to help businesses use more Welsh. A helpline will be launched soon to assist with information about the Welsh language, signposting and short translations.

4. Notes the Welsh Government’s active participation in the UN International Year for Indigenous Languages as a platform to celebrate Wales as an outward facing bilingual nation.

For

Abstain

Against

Total

27

11

9

47

The motion as amended was agreed.