Welsh Affairs

That is excellent news, and I congratulate my hon. Friend on that news for his constituency and his constituents. It is good to hear about such events. I turn to another important issue that the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs is dealing with, which is the Welsh language legislative competence order. I have presented the proposed Welsh language order to Parliament for pre-legislative scrutiny, and I hope that everybody will urge their constituents to have their say on the proposals. I want to see the biggest public debate on the Welsh language of recent years, and to hear from all sectors of society in Wales—the public sector, business, the voluntary sector and the general public—to ensure that the draft order meets the needs of the people of Wales. When the order was published some weeks ago, some people thought that I was somewhat lukewarm on the issue of the Welsh language LCO. Indeed, this was referred to in Mr. Vaughan Roderick's blog, which is of course written in Welsh, but it has been translated for me because we have a very good Welsh language scheme in the Wales Office. In it he says:"““Paul Murphy's press release on the Welsh language LCO was rather lukewarm. He said more consultation was needed and that the order could change. To use his words, 'it is not set in stone.'””" Apparently, some Labour Assembly Members were amazed by the release, but it is not the Secretary of State that is to blame:"““Don Touhig is the problem. One said, 'Don is Paul's best friend, and they spend a lot of their spare time in each other's company, and with their families, and they go on holiday together like brothers.””" So what I have to say on the Welsh language order is all the fault of my right hon. Friend the Member for Islwyn (Mr. Touhig). In reality, we have come a great distance in the past 20 or 30 years on the Welsh language in Wales. When I was a lad, no one was taught Welsh in Gwent—it was not on the curriculum. In my constituency today, I have three Welsh medium schools: one secondary and two primary. Every child in Wales, and in my constituency, is taught Welsh. The best way to develop an interest in, and the challenge for, the Welsh language is for people to learn it, and for them to be taught it. The best way forward, as with everything else in this regard, is to move forward by consensus. There should be a consensus among the people of Wales that we have a sensible way forward, and we should give the Welsh language an opportunity to flourish, which of course it should. By asking people in Wales their views on the Welsh language order, we are giving them the opportunity to express their views on a detailed document, on which this House will eventually have to decide to vote. It will do two things. It will give the opportunity to all people—particularly those affected by the order—to make their views known, and it will also mean that we can explain to people and reassure them about what is not in the Welsh language order. Some of the mixed correspondence that we are all getting does not reflect what is likely to be in the order. It is a draft order, which means that the Welsh Affairs Committee, chaired by my hon. Friend the Member for Aberavon, will have a proper opportunity to examine it. In doing so, it will talk to people in Wales who are involved in the matter. The Assembly itself will be able to do exactly the same thing. I have sent letters today to public bodies and others in Wales, and I will share any results of the consultation with the House and with our colleagues in the Assembly, so that we can come to a proper decision.