§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many children in Wales currently receive a Welsh language medium education. [27443]
§ Mr. HainAt January 1997, 50,392 children in maintained primary schools were in classes in which Welsh was the sole or main medium of instruction and a further 7,649 were in classes in which Welsh was used as a medium of teaching for part of the curriculum. 49 maintained secondary schools were "Welsh speaking" schools (as defined by the Education Act 1996) but not all pupils in these schools would have been taught through Welsh. Of the 28,831 pupils in Years 7 to 11 in these schools, 21,372 were taught the subject of Welsh as a first language. This may give an indication of the number studying other subjects through the medium of Welsh.