P-04-677 Equal Access to Welsh Language. Correspondence – Petitioner to the Committee 25.08.2016

I am encouraged by the following passages from the response of the Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language Alun Davies: "I agree with the petitioner that learning Welsh should be as accessible as learning English" and "Welsh Government officials are considering the parallels between Welsh for Adults and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision".

Nevertheless I am concerned that some other passages don't go far enough ("ESOL providers are encouraged to incorporate some Welsh language training into their classes") and are rather lukewarm, not consistent with the principle of equality and very far removed from the recently announced Welsh Government’s aim of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050 ("It is important to note that at present, there are different policies with regards to the charging of fees).

Kind regards,

Remigijus Šiaučiūnas