Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm what discussions the Welsh Government had with a) the Secretary of State for Wales and b) the Welsh Language Commissioner on the potential impact of leaving the European Union on Welsh speakers andand Welsh-language communities?
There are regular discussions between the Welsh Government and the Secretary of State for Wales in regards to our exit from the European Union, including through the Joint Ministerial Committee (European Negotiations). We have not specifically discussed the question of the potential impact of Brexit on Welsh speakers and Welsh-language communities with the Secretary for State or the Welsh Language Commissioner.
We continue to emphasise to the UK Government and to stakeholders in both public and private that there will be negative effects of Brexit on all of the people of Wales, and these will be particularly acute in the case of a no deal outcome to the current negotiations. Such an outcome is likely to impact severely on rural communities, many of which are predominantly Welsh speaking, due to the potentially severe effects on farming of the loss of access to European markets.