Plaid Cymru Senedd Member for Mid and West Wales Cefin Campbell criticised the Welsh Government’s lack of “recognition of the crisis” during First Minister's Questions in the Senedd on Tuesday, March 18.
In Carmarthenshire, Cefin Campbell’s home county, the percentage of those who speak the language has fallen from 50.3 per cent in 2001 to 39.9 per cent in 2021.
Mr Campbell asked when the Welsh Government would respond to and act on the final report of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities, which contains policy recommendations to support the language in its strongholds.
The Commission was established in November 2022, as part of the Welsh Government's response to the “socio-economic and societal crisis which has developed in Welsh-speaking communities”, revealed by the results of the 2021 Census.
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The Commission's final report was presented to the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, during the National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd last August. However, but she was unable to confirm that her government will act on its recommendations before the end of this Senedd term. The First Minister said that its response will be published during the Urdd Eisteddfod in May,
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr. Campbell said:
"This is an extremely valuable piece research and reflection by experts in the field, which sets clear recommendations for the Government to enact, including in education, housing, country and town planning and economic development in order to prevent the further deterioration of our Welsh-speaking communities and secure their recovery.
"There are only 14 months left until the next Senedd election. Time is running out to act and the clock is ticking for our Welsh-speaking communities.
"So, when will the Government publish its response to this report, and can we be confident that the recommendations will be implemented before the end of this Senedd term?"