Cwestiwn ysgrifenedig WQ86916
- Gofynnwyd gan
- James EvansCeidwadwyr
- I'w ateb gan
- Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
- Cyflwynwyd
- Dyddiad ateb
- Atebwyd
- Amser i'w ateb
- 9 diwrnod
Cwestiwn
Mae'r cwestiwn a'r ateb yn Saesneg gan nad oes fersiwn Gymraeg ar gael.
What assessment has the Minister made of the reasons for the decline in Welsh speakers between 2011 and 2021, as shown by the census?
Ateb
Atebwyd gan Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
The census gave us a snapshot of the situation of the Welsh language in March last year. It didn’t tell us what happened before or after that. Cymraeg 2050 had been in place for less than four years at the time Census 2021 was held, and much of that time was affected by COVID-19. Our work is now back on track.
Also, we should remember that this data is based on individuals’ perception of their ability (or in the case of children and young people, their parents’, or guardians’ perceptions of their ability) to speak Welsh. Unlike some of our other data sources, the census doesn’t capture people who say that they can speak some Welsh.
We remain absolutely committed to our aim of a million Welsh speakers and doubling the number of us who use Welsh every day by 2050. The National Survey for Wales shows an increase in people saying they are able to speak some Welsh. We’ll look at all these data sources carefully.
We’ll take time to examine the data carefully, including the figures relating to 3-15-year-olds. The decline is mainly due to the number of children and young people reported as being able to speak Welsh.