To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of primary school children in each local education authority area in Wales speak Welsh fluently as a second language; and what the corresponding figures were for each year since 1977.
Information collected about the percentages of pupils, aged five and over, in maintained primary schools, who speak Welsh as a second language, are shown in the following tables. Prior to 1986 the school census sought information on the proportion of pupils who speak Welsh as a second language. This information is shown in table 1. Since 1986 information about the fluency of second language Welsh speakers has been collected under two separate categories as shown in table 2.
1986
| 1987
| 1988
| 1989
| 1990
| 1991
| |
South Glamorgan
| ||||||
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 2·8 | 2·1 | 2·6 | 3·3 | 3·6 | 2·7 |
| Speak Welsh but not fluently | 5·1 | 5·8 | 10·6 | 7·0 | 7·6 | 8·2 |
West Glamorgan
| ||||||
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 2·4 | 2·5 | 3·3 | 3·4 | 3·6 | 4·0 |
| Speak Welsh but not fluently | 5·2 | 7·1 | 4·1 | 7·1 | 10·5 | 14·9 |
Notes: At September each year. Figures are derived from assessments made by headteachers.
The figures for 1986 onwards are not directly comparable with those for 1985 and preceding years. From September 1986 the wording and format of the question on Welsh speaking ability was changed to permit a more detailed analysis of Welsh medium education.
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what change there has been in the percentage of fluent Welsh-speaking primary school children in each local education authority area in Wales since 1986–87.
| 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | |
| Clwyd | ||||||
| Speak Welsh at home | 5·2 | 4·7 | 4·3 | 5·2 | 4·3 | 4·1 |
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 5·0 | 5·5 | 5·9 | 5·9 | 5·7 | 6·1 |
| Dyfed | ||||||
| Speak Welsh at home | 20·8 | 20·1 | 19·5 | 18·8 | 18·9 | 18·2 |
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 8·0 | 8·4 | 9·0 | 10·3 | 11·1 | 12·9 |
| Gwent | ||||||
| Speak Welsh at home | 0·1 | 0·1 | 0·5 | 0·2 | 0·2 | 0·6 |
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 0·9 | 1·4 | 1·3 | 1·4 | 1·5 | 1·8 |
| Gwynedd | ||||||
| Speak Welsh at home | 40·7 | 40·2 | 39·2 | 39·5 | 39·5 | 39·5 |
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 18·4 | 18·6 | 19·5 | 19·7 | 21·4 | 21·3 |
| Mid Glamorgan | ||||||
| Speak Welsh at home | 0·6 | 0·7 | 1·0 | 0·9 | 0·9 | 0·9 |
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 8·8 | 9·1 | 9·0 | 8·6 | 9·3 | 9·9 |
| Powys | ||||||
| Speak Welsh at home | 5·6 | 5·7 | 5·5 | 5·9 | 5·5 | 5·5 |
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 3·6 | 4·2 | 4·2 | 5·3 | 5·3 | 5·1 |
| South Glamorgan | ||||||
| Speak Welsh at home | 1·2 | 1·2 | 1·3 | 1·2 | 1·3 | 1·8 |
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 2·8 | 2·1 | 2·6 | 3·3 | 3·6 | 2·7 |
| West Glamorgan | ||||||
| Speak Welsh at home | 2·8 | 2·8 | 2·8 | 2·9 | 3·1 | 3·4 |
| Do not speak Welsh at home but speak it with fluency | 2·4 | 2·5 | 3·3 | 3·4 | 3·6 | 4·0 |