Terms of reference: second phase

The work of the Welsh Language Communities Commission is to make recommendations to strengthen public policy regarding language sustainability in communities, and the use of Welsh as a community/social language. 

Welsh is a language for the whole of Wales, and indeed is also spoken outside Wales, and the work of the Commission will take place in the context of the sustainability of the Welsh language wherever it is spoken.

In August 2024 the Welsh Communities Commission published its final report for higher density Welsh communities (the first phase of its work). The Welsh Government is also committed to looking at the situation of the Welsh language in other parts of Wales and beyond. As a result of this commitment the Welsh Communities Commission will do this as a second phase of its programme of work.

Many of the areas that were not part of the Commission's terms of reference during Phase 1 have seen an increase in numbers and percentages of Welsh speakers over recent decades largely as a result of growth in Welsh-medium education. The opportunities there for people to acquire and use Welsh outside of school also need to be increased. 

The Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities will be chaired by Dr. Simon Brooks.

The main aim of the second phase of the Welsh Language Communities Commission is to consider the situation of the Welsh language in areas with a medium or lower density of Welsh speakers in Wales and beyond. The Commission will be expected to make policy recommendations to the Welsh Government within two years.

The Commission can set some objectives of its own that it considers beneficial to the future of Welsh as a community language, nevertheless the Welsh Government is keen for the Commission to discuss the following objectives as part of the terms of reference for the second phase: 

1. Consider the position of Welsh as a social/community language in communities with a medium or lower density of Welsh speakers.
2. Consider how the sustainability of the Welsh language and the use of Welsh in these communities can be strengthened.
3. Identify the role and contribution of key policy areas in relation to the Welsh language in this context when applicable.
4. Consider relevant Welsh language strategies in communities with a medium or lower density of Welsh speakers (for example, where between around 25% and 40% of the population speaks Welsh).
5. Complete a summary report on town and country planning by December 2024.
6. Consider the presence of Welsh beyond Wales, including the contribution that Welsh speakers there could make to the prosperity of the Welsh language as a whole.
7. Submit a public policy report and recommendations to the Welsh Government within two years of the date of its establishment.

Cymraeg 2050: a million speakers recognises the language as a national language and have set two main targets, namely: 

1. Number of Welsh speakers to reach 1 million by 2050.
2. The percentage of the population who speak Welsh daily, and can speak more than a few words of Welsh, to increase from 10% (in 2013 to 2015) to 20% by 2050.

The Commission submitted a report and recommendations on language sustainability and language use in the context of areas with a higher density of Welsh speakers in August 2024. The Commission will submit a report and policy recommendations to the Welsh Government for other areas of Wales and beyond within two years of the date of its establishment.