Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:43 pm on 10 July 2024.
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I'm very grateful to all Members who have contributed to this debate. As one Rhydaman boy to another, I would say, Tom, that your Welsh is excellent. It's something that I have to tell myself as I look in the mirror. It's very important that we develop confidence amongst each other, and in all the linguistic diversity of Wales. There are different dialects and different ways of speaking Welsh, and they must all be reflected here. That's an important part of the message.
I think, in terms of the points that you make on induction, the Welsh language should be a central part of that induction process, so we will certainly look at that as we prepare for Senedd reform. In terms of language skills, one of the things that I'd be eager to look at is to take the kind of approach that we took with Commission staff, and to look at gathering that data, with the agreement of everyone, looking then at Members and Members' staff too, so we can have a comprehensive picture across the whole Senedd. So, that is one way in which we can build on the good experience that we've had in terms of courtesy level Welsh and so on, by extending that, and the skills survey and that work, across all of our parliamentary staff, as it were, including Members.
And then, in terms of building on the experience, well, Tom, you almost answered your own question. Now, we have laid foundations, but we now need to look at building on those foundations at every level, in terms of how we can create domains where there is more internal communication and administration through the medium of Welsh, for example. Because that is a practical approach in assisting people to improve their language skills even more. Many congratulations to Hannah on her success in her exams. And it's fantastic to see more and more Members using the Welsh language in the different fora that we have.
Yes, we will be looking specifically, as I said—. There is now a range of ideas that we have in terms of how we can increase the use of the Welsh language in committees. And we will be trialling those and looking at progress over a period of six months. I think—. I will write to the different Members, particularly Siân. You asked a number of detailed questions, and I won't have the answers in front of me now. But just a few more general comments I'd like to make. I do think that, as a Senedd, now is the time for us to look at the framework in general. Siân's point as to whether we treat both languages equally, rather than promoting Welsh—. Now, we don't have a problem in the Senedd in relation to the English language. But we do have Welsh tutors, so, in a way, aren't we already promoting? But the legal framework that we have doesn't take us along that particular path. So, we need to look at that.
And we also need to look at parts of parliamentary life that are outwith even our own framework at the moment, in terms of the standards commissioner, the remuneration board, subordinate legislation that comes in English only, as is noted in the report. So, we do have to look at a framework that encapsulates everything, so that all aspects of parliamentary life treats the Welsh language equally and provides opportunities for us all to use the Welsh language.