Plan To Boost Welsh Language

17 June 2014, 18:01 | Updated: 17 June 2014, 18:05

First Minister Carwyn Jones has announced his plans to try and get us to speak Welsh more.

The Welsh Government will spend 1.6 million pounds over the next two years.

The last census - in 2011 - showed the number of Welsh speakers in Wales has fallen.

The funding will pay for a pilot project to improve the way businesses provide services in Welsh.

The First Minister also wants to change the way Welsh is taught in English medium schools - to make sure pupils can speak the language confidently.

He said: "Wherever you live in Wales, regardless of whether you speak it or not, it belongs to you. It belongs to our common heritage and history in Wales and it's important that the one thing that makes Wales very different is able to thrive in the future.

"What I want to do is to make sure that people who do speak Welsh are confident enough to use it and to make it as easy as possible that those who want to lean Welsh are able to do so."

Welsh language campaigners have been camped outside the Senedd since Sunday.

They claim Welsh is facing a crisis and the Welsh Government needs to do more.

Robin Farrar from Cymdeithas yr Iaith says today's plan doesn't go far enough. He said: "We're disappointed with what was a weak statement from Carwyn Jones and a very late statement too.

"We've been waiting 18 months since the census results came out.

"Finally he's talking about all the right things but is he actually doing anything? Not yet."

The Welsh Government is encouraging people to get in touch with their views about the plan before the final version is published at the Eisteddfod in July.