Eluned Morgan MS, Minister for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Welsh Language
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
I would like to notify Members of the outcome of the recent process to appoint new members to the Welsh Language Partnership Council. The Council was established by Section 149 of the Welsh Language Measure (Wales) 2011, and its main purpose is to give advice and guidance to Welsh Ministers in relation to the Welsh language and the implementation of its Welsh language strategy.
Some Council members’ terms came to an end on 30 June 2020, and I’m very grateful to them for their support during the last three years, especially considering the challenges we’ve faced as a result of the world-wide pandemic.
There was a positive response to the appointment process, with the standard of the applicants, as well as the range of expertise, extremely high. Deciding who to appoint was not easy. I’ve therefore decided to appoint seven new members, and I’m grateful to them for accepting the invitation to serve on the Partnership Council.
The new members who’ll be joining the six current members of the Council will be: Dyfed Edwards, Dafydd Hughes, Meleri Wyn Davies, Rosemary Jones, Rhys Jones, Lowri Morgans and Andrew White.
The new members will serve on the Council until the end of March 2024. I’m confident that they have the necessary experience and expertise to support the next Government. One of their tasks will be to contribute to the work of developing the second Cymraeg 2050 Work Programme, which is the next exciting step on our national journey towards a million Welsh speakers.
Last year, I set up various sub-groups to the Partnership Council to look closer at a number of issues concerning the language, for instance education, language use in the community, and the relationship between Welsh and the economy. These groups have been regularly reporting back to me about their work, and offering valuable advice to support us in taking Cymraeg 2050 forward.
We are now in the process of setting up a new sub-group to look at equalities issues in relation to race and ethnicity. Our aim is to make sure that Welsh is as open as possible to people from all backgrounds, and that the language used in this context is inclusive. The sub-group will include individuals who represent various ethnic communities, and its members will periodically attend Partnership Council meetings.
I’m confident that the Council will continue to be a useful forum to the next Government, as it steps decisively towards a million speakers.