Mentrau Iaith Cymru have today welcomed the First Minister’s announcements at the Senedd regarding the Welsh Government’s plans to offer further support to promote and strengthen the Welsh language, including further resources and funding for key projects. The extra resources to promote the Welsh language in the community are encouraging, and Mentrau Iaith Cymru considers the announcements as a positive step forward towards securing more realistic funding for the language in the long term.
During his announcement the First Minister acknowledged that the work of the Mentrau and their part in strengthening and promoting the language across Wales is important, whilst also acknowledging that the Welsh language still faces difficult and complicated challenges.
In response to the First Minister’s announcement, a spokesperson on behalf of Mentrau Iaith Cymru stated: “we welcome the First Minister’s statements today and his comments confirm that the Mentrau will continue to be key partners of the Welsh Government who work to promote and facilitate the use of the Welsh language. We also agree with the First Minister that the Welsh language continues to face serious problems relating to a number of aspects of community life, and to this end it is essential that the Welsh Government offers continued support and increased investment in the long term so that we can create stronger foundations for the language in our communities across Wales.”
Today’s announcements by the First Minister follow a number of reports and consultations over the past 18 months in relation to the Welsh language, including an independent report on the Work of the Mentrau Iaith, commissioned by the Welsh Government. In their response to this report, released in March 2014, the Mentrau Iaith state their vision and desire to develop in order to further expand their work of promoting the language in communities across Wales, noting that an investment of £4.8m is needed over three years for them to do so. The Mentrau’s spokesperson added “we consider the announcements made today by the First Minister – including £750,000 towards the Mentrau Iaith over the next two years – as significant first steps that the Welsh Government will take in order to take action for the benefit of the language. The Mentrau are eager to continue to play a central role in developing stronger foundations for the language in the future.”
