One Wales Government, two Plaid Cymru Heritage Ministers, and …… 16 months without a Welsh language LCO

Cymraeg
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Eleanor Burnham <info@eburnham.org.uk>

One Wales Government, two Plaid Cymru Heritage Ministers, and …… 16 months without a Welsh language LCO - Burnham.

October 21, 2008 4:00 PM

Speaking during today's One Wales Government debate, Eleanor Burnham, Welsh Lib Dem Welsh language spokesperson, slammed the Labour-Plaid government on their failure to promote and protect the Welsh language.

Ms Burnham said: "This Labour-Plaid government is letting the Welsh language down and the people who support it.

"We have seen a catalogue of failures from this government from failing to fund Y Byd, failure to give equal status to the Welsh language in school travel provision and failure to bring on the Welsh language LCO.

"Earlier in the year, the Labour-Plaid government had to effectively abandon one of its key pledges to support Welsh language media, after it discovered that the support for Y Byd would cost almost triple what it wanted to pay - a failure that resounded amongst many people who wanted a Welsh language daily.

"This Labour-Plaid government cannot blame the credit crunch and tight settlement for failing to deliver a Welsh language LCO to strengthen and promote the language in everyday Wales.

"Back in June 2007, the First Minster announced the Welsh Language LCO and here we are 16 months and two Plaid Cymru Heritage Ministers later we are still left without an LCO. This LCO doesn't have any real cost implications, so tight budgets are not to blame. What is taking them so long?

"This is very disappointing for the people of Wales. Clearly this Labour-Plaid cannot be trusted to look after one of our nation's languages."