The Senedd has debated the Welsh language mainly through statements by Anna Brychan, the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, and through committee scrutiny. Members from all parties back the million speakers target, and questions focus on data, teacher supply, school places and tertiary provision. Some Reform UK Members have raised concerns about compulsion and cost.
The main arguments
Anna Brychan (Plaid Cymru) said the Government will lay foundations for 50 per cent of children to receive Welsh-medium education by 2050. Paul Davies (Welsh Conservatives) backed the million speakers target, noting 21 per cent of children are in Welsh-medium schools. Contributions: [1][2]
Steven Rodaway (Reform UK) asked how spending will be judged given doubts over survey figures. Anna Brychan (Plaid Cymru) said the census is the baseline. Official Jeremy Evas said ways of measuring use of Welsh, not only ability, are being examined.
Helen Jenner (Reform UK) said the plans need more detail on retaining bilingual teachers. Paul Davies (Welsh Conservatives) called teacher availability the biggest barrier. Official Siwan Jones pointed to the new athrofa and the Dysgu body. Contributions: [1][2][3]
Paul Davies (Welsh Conservatives) said ministers do not yet know how many extra Welsh-medium places are needed. Official Siwan Jones said modelling is under way and growth will be gradual. Huw Thomas (Welsh Labour) asked about funding for councils such as Cardiff as the birth rate falls. Contributions: [1][2][3]
Vikki Howells (Welsh Labour) asked how evidence from her post-16 review would be used. Cefin Campbell (Plaid Cymru) said under 1 per cent of further education provision is in Welsh. Catherine Cullen (Reform UK) asked about college finances and the north-south gap. Contributions: [1][2][3]
Louise Emery (Reform UK) said coercion drives resentment and the Government should create conditions in which people choose Welsh. Steven Rodaway (Reform UK) warned that legal protections in high-density areas could discriminate against non-Welsh speakers. Contributions: [1][2]
Beca Brown (Plaid Cymru) asked the Minister to learn from Gwynedd's language policy. Sam Rowlands (Welsh Conservatives) said Gwynedd primary schools are Welsh-medium only and asked what assurance non-Welsh-speaking families have. Anna Brychan committed to learn from local authorities. Contributions: [1][2][3]
Where the parties stand
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru Members in government set a goal of 50 per cent of children in Welsh-medium education by 2050, Welsh-medium childcare within the childcare expansion, and standards for more bodies. Anna Brychan said responsibility is shared across the Cabinet. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Reform UK
Helen Jenner expressed strong personal support for the language and pressed on teacher retention. Louise Emery and Steven Rodaway raised concerns about coercion and discrimination. Cai Parry-Jones questioned an Eisteddfod stall as a use of limited budget. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
Welsh Labour
Huw Thomas highlighted the second Cymraeg 2050 target of doubling daily use, asked for detail on Welsh-medium childcare, and asked how lessons from Cardiff will be shared. Vikki Howells pressed on post-16 planning. Contributions: [1][2][3][4]
Welsh Conservatives
Paul Davies said his party's manifesto maintained the million speakers target. He asked about a review of learner travel law, school capacity, workforce gaps and workplace use. Sam Rowlands asked about families in Gwynedd. Contributions: [1][2][3][4][5]
Welsh Liberal Democrats
Jane Dodds welcomed growth in Welsh-medium education in Powys, including all-age schools, and said the council needs more funding. Contributions: [1]
What the government is being pressed on
1Mair Rowlands (Plaid Cymru) asked for an update on extending standards. Anna Brychan said the work programme is being considered, some sectors may need adding to the 2011 Measure, and Secretary of State consent is needed for Ministers of the Crown. Contributions: [1][2]
2Paul Davies (Welsh Conservatives) pressed on the number of extra places and the teacher gap. Siwan Jones said this is part of the modelling for the strategy and that growth will start gradually. Contributions: [1][2][3]
3Mair Rowlands (Plaid Cymru) asked when an implementation timeline and workforce programme will be published. Anna Brychan said consultation on the framework will follow, and Siwan Jones said consultation will launch late in the autumn term. Contributions: [1][2][3]
4Vikki Howells (Welsh Labour) asked what assurance there is for Welsh-medium planning after post-16 review changes. Anna Brychan said discussions are under way with Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and Medr on moving from school to college. Contributions: [1][2]
5Huw Thomas (Welsh Labour) asked how many Welsh-medium childcare settings are needed. Anna Brychan said she and the Deputy First Minister have discussed Mudiad Meithrin's role in the childcare offer. Contributions: [1][2]
What the public is asking for
Two petitions are open: one asks for a change to the Welsh for Adults approach to reach a million speakers (155 signatures), and one asks to phase out plastic-based uniforms and support Welsh wool and natural fibres (9 signatures).
Who ministers are meeting
Ministers have met the Welsh Language Commissioner, the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities, Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and the Welsh Language Partnership Council. They have also attended Eisteddfod events with learners and early years groups such as Cwlwm and Mudiad Meithrin.
In the Sixth Senedd (2021 to 2026)
From the previous Senedd's record, for issues that run across both. The rest of this analysis covers the Seventh Senedd only.
In the Sixth Senedd, Welsh Government Ministers set out a five-year work programme for Cymraeg 2050 and pursued growth in Welsh-medium education through local authority plans. The 2021 census showing fewer Welsh speakers prompted debate on progress towards the target. Later debate turned to the Welsh Language and Education Bill and the recommendations of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities.
In July 2021 Jeremy Miles (Welsh Labour) published a five-year work programme for Cymraeg 2050. Cefin Campbell (Plaid Cymru) welcomed the policies agreed between the two parties. Contributions: [1][2]
In July 2022 Jeremy Miles said all 22 councils had committed to 10-year targets, with 26 per cent of year 1 learners in Welsh-medium by 2026 and 30 per cent by 2031. Heledd Fychan (Plaid Cymru) raised equal access. Contributions: [1][2]
After the 2021 census, Tom Giffard (Welsh Conservatives) noted 538,000 speakers, below the Government's projection. Heledd Fychan (Plaid Cymru) said the target was further away than when it was set. Contributions: [1][2]
In July 2024 Eluned Morgan (Welsh Labour) said the Bill would describe ability in Welsh using the CEFR framework. Heledd Fychan (Plaid Cymru) said she wanted a more ambitious Bill. Contributions: [1][2]
Written by AI on 30 October 2026 from 115 contributions in the Senedd between 9 June 2026 and 22 October 2026, with the petitions and ministers' meetings on this brief. Each point links to the contributions it draws on; check them before quoting. How the analysis is written.
Where things stand
Statistics published by the Welsh Government. Each chart covers the years since the 2016 Senedd election, or as far back as the figures go, and marks each election since.
People who say they can speak Welsh
27.4%
The year to 30 June 2026
A year earlier
27.2%(the year to 30 June 2025)
The share of people aged 3 or older who say they can speak Welsh, over the twelve months to each date.
The survey gives higher figures than the Census, which the Welsh Government uses to measure progress towards a million speakers: 17.8% in 2021. Interviews were held by telephone from March 2020 to autumn 2023, which slightly raised the share saying they can speak Welsh, so the publisher advises caution when reading the trend. The figures are no longer accredited official statistics because the survey's sample has fallen.
Grow the proportion of children and young people receiving Welsh‑medium education, and improve accessibility to Welsh‑medium education, setting local targets to ensure the steady growth of Welsh‑medium provision in all schools.
Increase the number of students able to access tertiary pathways in Welsh, supporting and developing the work of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol and working with the Coleg and Medr to increase opportunities to study Welsh as a subject.
Support an increase in the number of teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh, promoting and developing the Welsh‑language skills of practitioners and developing new sabbatical opportunities.
Publish and implement a new strategy for Cymraeg with a renewed focus on increasing the number of speakers to a million and more by 2050, doubling the daily use of the language, and ensuring that the language belongs to us all in Wales.
Work to strengthen the resilience of Cymraeg as a community language and in workplaces, implementing the recommendations of the commission for Welsh‑speaking communities, and work towards designating areas of higher linguistic sensitivity and protecting Welsh place names.
Work towards extending Welsh Language Standards to UK government bodies and to services operating in Wales, and ensure that Cymraeg is at the heart of all public policy, including health, housing, planning, transport, education, culture and the economy.
Source: Welsh Government, Programme for government 2026 to 2030: New ambition for Wales, first published on 10 September 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Mentions are found by matching the names of plans, bodies and schemes; a mention says nothing about progress.
Key moments in the Senedd
Statements, debates and legislation in Plenary on this brief, newest first. Oral question sessions are counted in the contributions below.
Each bar is the share of that party's speeches and questions in the Sixth Senedd that touched this brief, so large and small parties can be compared. The upright line marks the chamber as a whole: 1.0%.
Ministers' meetings with outside organisations and their engagements on this brief, from the register the Welsh Government publishes every three months. 2 since the 2026 election; the latest:
28 July 2026
Meeting Ioan Matthews/CMEWL - Chief Executive of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
Meeting, Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education
28 July 2026
Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol
Meeting, Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Stage 3 of the Senedd’s consideration of the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill will take place on Tuesday 6 May. In this article, we set out some relevant background, including our summary of changes to the Bill at Stage 2.
The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill proposes changes to the way Welsh language education is planned and delivered, with an aim that all school pupils become independent Welsh language users by the time they reach the end of compulsory school age.
Cymraeg 2050, the Welsh Government’s Welsh language strategy, aims to increase the number of Welsh speakers to one million, and double daily use of Welsh from 10% to 20% by 2050.
Tagged for: “Welsh-medium”Translated from WelshOfficial Record
Month by month
828
12
202120222023202420252026
Contributions tagged in each month of the Sixth Senedd. No sittings were held in August 2021, August 2022, August 2023, December 2024, February 2025, March 2025, April 2025, May 2025, June 2025, July 2025, August 2025, September 2025, October 2025, November 2025 and December 2025.Show the numbers
Month
Contributions
May 2021
2
June 2021
10
July 2021
12
August 2021
No sittings
September 2021
25
October 2021
2
November 2021
42
December 2021
99
January 2022
40
February 2022
6
March 2022
31
April 2022
1
May 2022
28
June 2022
33
July 2022
92
August 2022
No sittings
September 2022
118
October 2022
126
November 2022
14
December 2022
How this brief is put together
This brief follows the Programme commitments listed above and tags the record with the phrases below. Keyword matching can miss business that discusses the issue in other words, and can tag a passing mention.
Show the phrases it uses
A contribution is tagged when its English text contains one of these phrases. Capital letters don't matter, except in abbreviations, which must match exactly. It is also tagged when the title of the agenda item or question it was part of contains one, as long as the contribution is at least 30 words long. The brief is also tagged whenever one of its themes is.
