Gwynedd councillors in Meirionnydd and Dwyfor have welcomed a report which says that within 300 years, three quarters of the population of Wales will be able to speak Welsh.

The report, carried out by scientists in New Zealand and published in The Royal Society on 8 January, predicts that 74 per cent of people will be proficient in Welsh by 2300.

Porthmadog councillor and Gwynedd Cabinet member for the Welsh language Cllr Nia Jeffreys said: “This research is very heartening and it gives us hope that all our efforts to protect and promote the Welsh language is working.

“Having said this we must never be complacent about the future of our language, the research highlights that 50 of world languages are under threat.”

Cllr Jeffreys added: “I am determined that Gwynedd Council will continue to be an example to other parts of Wales of how important the language is. The increasing role of technology in promoting the Welsh language is a challenge we are embracing. I am confident that the language has a bright and vibrant future in Gwynedd and across the country.”

Simon Brooks, who is town councillor for Borth-y-Gest, said: “I don’t doubt that you could get everyone in Wales able to speak Welsh in 300 years, presuming of course that the human race hasn’t gone extinct by then and half the country isn’t under water.

“Perhaps we will be able just to plant a chip in people and not have to bother with the education system.”

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