Addressing the Spring Forum at the Welsh Conference, Paul Davies AM, Shadow Minister for Education and the Welsh Language in the National Assembly for Wales said:
It gives me great pleasure to stand before you today as the Shadow Minister for the Welsh Language at the National Assembly for Wales.
Before I talk to you about the Welsh Language can I pay tribute to the man who introduced this session – Mohammad Ashgar.
He is the bravest Member in the Assembly – this is the man who just over a year ago joined us from Plaid Cymru.
He has found his real home in the Welsh Conservative Party – a Party he now feels comfortable with – the real Party of Wales.
We salute you!
Conference, the Conservative Party has a proud record when it comes to the Welsh Language.
It was a Conservative Government which laid the foundations for a bilingual Wales through the Welsh Language Act, the Welsh Language Board and the creation of S4C.
We as a Party continue to conserve and promote the Welsh language in the public arena, through the increasing number of Welsh language speakers representing the Party, both in Westminster and in Cardiff Bay.
Politicians from all areas of Wales, from our MPs like Alun Cairns, Glyn Davies to Assembly Members such as Brynle Williams continue to promote the use of Welsh across all public forums.
This practice has very much been paved by prominent past Conservative politicians such as Lord Wyn Roberts, who was responsible for the 1986 Education Act, which ensured that the Welsh language had a proper place in our education system…
…and just as importantly, he was responsible for the 1993 Welsh Language Act and the creation of S4C.
I pay tribute to all Party representatives, past and present, from local to national representatives, who fight for the Welsh language and who continue to promote its use at every available opportunity.
Over recent months, the Welsh language has dominated many of our national headlines, from issues such as S4C, which I will come onto later, to the Welsh Language Measure.
This important piece of legislation makes Welsh an official language in Wales, and obliges public bodies and some private companies to provide services in it.
And yet, even the Assembly Government’s parties can’t sing from the same hymn sheet on it!
Just ask Plaid Cymru about the general rights for Welsh speakers that are reasonable and proportionate…
It was a Plaid Cymru Member who tabled an amendment to the Measure during the legislative process on general rights but was then leant on by the Welsh Assembly Government not to pursue it – even their own Members couldn’t see eye to eye on it!
It took this Conservative to move the amendment instead, only to be voted down by Plaid Cymru and the Assembly Government.
In true Plaid fashion when push came to shove, the rights of Welsh speakers weren’t so important after all!!
Where was the Party of Wales when the Welsh Language needed it!!
We as a Party have stood by our principles for the Welsh Language Measure from day one- not sold them down the river for the sake of party politics.
We believe that both the Welsh and English languages should have official status here in Wales, confirming in law for the first time our position as a truly bilingual nation.
Welsh and English speakers should always be treated on an equal basis – anything else is unacceptable.
We also believe that the new Language Commissioner should remain at arm’s length from the Assembly Government – there should be an independent commissioner appointed in an open and transparent manner by the National Assembly, not by Welsh Ministers.
Sadly Conference, the Labour/Plaid Government did not agree with our sentiments.
Once again, the Labour/Plaid Assembly Government has failed the Welsh speaking communities of Wales for the sake of politics.
Whilst we support sensible legislation that seeks to strengthen the voice of Welsh speakers in Wales, we will not do so at the expense of those who cannot or do not speak the language.
Conference, we believe that whilst there is need for legislation in certain areas, we are more in favour of a voluntary approach to the use of Welsh language, when it comes to the private sector and small businesses in particular.
That is why we have recently launched our Charter Mark policy for businesses to recognise high quality Welsh-medium services.
This will give customers who want to use Welsh the confidence and knowledge necessary to access services.
It is also an issue of fairness.
It is a Conservative principle to give greater freedom and choice and our policy will offer the Welsh people the choice to receive their services through the medium of their mother-tongue.
We want to encourage businesses and support businesses across Wales to develop Welsh language services they can be proud of.
Now Conference, let us turn our attention to Welsh language broadcasting, and specifically S4C.
Mae S4C yn werth ryw £ 90 miliwn i economi Cymru – mae hyn yn dangos y cyfraniad economaidd enfawr mae S4C yn neud i Gymru.
Mae S4C hefyd yn cynnal ryw 2,100 o swyddi yn y sector greadigol Cymreig, ac mae’r canlyniadau hyn ar ein diwydiannau creadigol yn glir i’w weld.
Yr ydym wedi gweld llwyddiant rhaglenni S4C fel Pen Talar – rhaglen uchelgeisiol a drama ar raddfa fawr …
… ac wrth gwrs, mae gennym y gyfres feithrin Y Diwrnod Mawr sydd wedi bod ar y rhestr fer am wobr BAFTA eleni a chafwyd ei henwebu am wobr Rose D’Or y llynedd.
Ffrindiau, mae hyn, nid yn unig, yn dangos y llwyddiannau o ddarlledu Cymraeg …
… mae’n dangos y cyfraniad mae rhaglenni S4C yn i’w wneud i ddiwylliant a chymdeithas Cymru.
Mae’n hollbwysig fod yna ffrydiau ariannu cynaliadwy ar gyfer ddarlledu annibynnol Cymraeg.
A gadewch i ni fod yn glir, taw beth mae’r pobol yn codi bwganod yn ei ddweud – dyna beth fydd yn digwydd o dan y Ceidwadwyr.
In our country we are seeing the demand for Welsh medium education continue to grow.
Our children and future generations must have the opportunity to watch and listen to our language both inside and outside of the classroom.
We live in a country where the demand for Welsh medium education is growing at some speed.
The growth in bilingual and Welsh medium schools in recent history has been driven by parental demand…
…by individual parents and guardians – and not by remote policymakers and politicians.
And yet this issue has clearly fallen on deaf ears!
Demand for Welsh language primary education in Cardiff is expected to rise by almost 50 per cent over the next five years, according to Cardiff’s chief education officer.
And so what has the Labour Plaid Assembly Government being doing about it?
Well, if we take the issue of Ysgol Treganna, here in Cardiff for instance, then the answer is quite simply, nothing.
We believe that families who want to learn to speak Welsh with their children must be encouraged and we must provide parents with the language skills that they need to support their children who are learning Welsh at school.
We believe that the ability to speak more than one language, especially at an early age, can excite the mind and open one to different cultures and to new experiences.
A successful education system in Wales should be cultured and vibrant, catering for both the Welsh and English languages and encouraging children and their parents to develop language skills.
Now, let us turn to the impact of the Welsh language on rural communities.
For many young people in rural areas, their only choice is to leave to find work and affordable housing in other areas of the country.
This can put the linguistic nature and the cultural identity of the community at risk.
As an Assembly Member for a largely rural constituency, I can sympathise with the issues that many areas are facing.
And yet, the Labour/Plaid Assembly Government continue to bury their head in the sand on this issue.
We should be thankful to the local schools, farmer’s clubs and other local groups who continue to promote the use of Welsh through community activities that encourage the use of the Language.
We all know the Labour/Plaid Assembly Government’s record over the past four years in helping develop businesses in rural areas!
If that’s anything to go by, the Welsh language will continue to face difficulties in these areas for years to come.
Something has to change.
We need to see more business development and job creation in the more rural areas of Wales.
We need to see better communications and broadband access provisions in rural areas.
And we need to see a more focused and innovative approach to protecting the Welsh language and protecting our cultural identities.
So what have we seen in the last four years from the Labour-Plaid Government?
Y Byd, the Welsh language daily newspaper – scrapped.
Business Grants from the Welsh language board – scrapped.
Mental Health services through the medium of Welsh – scrapped.
….and we were lucky that they finally got their act together and made some watered down language legislation after countless delays!
The message today for the Labour and Plaid parties is clear…
…where’s your “chwarae teg” now?
Conference, the next 2 months will be crucial for Wales.
People are looking for strong leadership and commitment.
They value our values.
Strong families, personal responsibility, opportunity and freedom for all.
The choice at this Assembly Election will be clear.
State control and a socialist agenda from Labour.
A separatist agenda from Plaid.
Or real change under the Welsh Conservatives.
So let’s get out there and win for Wales.
