Order, order, I regret to have to inform the House of the death of Alexander Wilson, Esquire,

Member for Hamilton, and I desire on behalf of the House to express our sense of the loss we have sustained

and our sympathy with the relatives of the Honourable Member.

Questions? Mr. William Roberts.

Go on, sir.

I will, with permission, publish the figures in the official report.

Between 1951 and 1971, the number of Welsh speakers fell by over 170,000.

This government has taken and continues to take a wide and significant range of measures

to support and encourage the speaking of Welsh.

Mr. Gwillillim Robert.

Would my right honourable friend accept that in view of

the evidence that the number

speaking Welsh are falling

consistently in spite of the

strenuous efforts by the government,

more emphasis should be made on

informal methods of supporting

the language. Would he not agree that the most important thing is to stimulate an interest in the language

among young people, possibly in the first instance by extending a radio and television coverage in Welsh?

I certainly would not dissent in any way from the helpful comment of my honorable friend.

Certainly, the government is committed to the fourth channel. It is a matter of resources.

And my right, honorable friend, the Home Secretary, has set up a working party to consider this issue further.

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