Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg has welcomed a series of amendments by members of the National Assembly's opposition parties to a motion by the Labour Government that states that the Assembly should not introduce statutory responsibilities which are outside the remit of the present Welsh Language Act of 1993.

The government motion, which will be discussed in the Senedd this afternoon, will note specifically that the responsibility of the Welsh Language Act should not be extended to include the private sector, something which Cymdeithas maintain is essential if the rights of the people of Wales to the language are to be protected.An amendment to the motion will be put forward by Jocelyn Davies, Plaid Cymru AM for South East Wales, Lisa Francis Conservative AM for Mid and West Wales, and Kirsty Williams AM for Brecon and Radnorshire which will call for "a revision of the need for legislation to strengthen the Welsh language."Kirsty Williams will also argue for an amendment calling for giving linguistic rights a key place in any plans of linguistic legislation made by the government. Catrin Dafydd, chair of Cymdeithas' New Welsh Language Act Group said:“We welcome the amendments and the calls made by the members of the opposition parties. As a whole, the amendments incorporate what Cymdeithas have been calling for over a number of years by calling for a New Welsh Language Act.""They are also a clear sign, if another was needed, of the national cross party consensus in terms of the need to introduce new and comprehensive legislation in the field of the Welsh language.""Legislation that would ensure official status for the Welsh language in Wales, and which would ensure that everyone who lives in Wales has a right to use the Welsh language in all facets of their everyday life. Legislation that would also create the role of a Commissioner with responsibility for the Welsh language, instead of a weak 'Dyfarnydd.'”“This discussion comes a month after over 300 people in Aberystwyth stated their support for new legislation in Cymdeithas' New Welsh Language Act Festival. These amendments by the opposition parties represent the calls from the people of all over Wales for the right to live their lives through the medium of Welsh. We therefore call on the Welsh Assembly's Labour Government to pay due attention to these calls, and to support the calls of the people of Wales for a New Welsh Language Act.”