Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg has condemned further cuts of £700,000 to Welsh for Adults which were announced by the Welsh Government today.

In a letter to the Welsh for Adults centres, the Welsh Govenrment states that the cuts come because "... there is no additional finance available to support the implementation of the Language Strategy ...". The First Minister claimed he was investing £1.6 million in the Welsh language in a policy statement last month. The cuts come on top of a 8% reduction in spending already announced.

Robin Farrar, Chair of Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg commented:  "When Carwyn Jones announced his so-called investment in the Welsh language last month, he tried to give the impression that there would be significant additional money. Despite all the spin, it seems the language is no priority for the Government. These cuts raise questions about the First Minister’s sincerity.”

In January 2013, the First Minister promised he would publish an assessment of the imapact that all the Government’s expenditure has on the Welsh language. No assessment has been published. In April last year, Cymdeithas yr Iaith revealed information showing that less than four thousand pounds out of a budget of almost £17 million was spent on Welsh medium education in the community, which is 0.02% of the budget.

Mr Farrar added: "The language needs fair funding. Cymdeithas yr Iaith doesn’t accept there need to be cuts - but even in the context of austerity measures, these cuts are unfair, given that the spending on promoting the language is only 0.15% of the government budget. We’re calling for an assessment of the language impact of all the expenditure of every department in Government, so that a significant and fair share of investment can be made in the language. The First Minister promised that over 16 months ago, but we haven’t heard anything since then.

“Despite people wanting to live in Welsh, the political will needed to realise that desire is lacking. We’ve set a clear agenda which would help the Government ensure that everyone, from every background, gets to live in Welsh: like ensuring Welsh-medium education for all, fair funding, and a planning bill that benefits the language. Over 18 months since the Census results were published, the Government has failed to act. The contribution of Welsh for Adults centres is important in ensuring that everyone can enjoy our unique national language."