Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what plans her Department has to promote the National Year of Reading in Wales.

My Department works closely with the Department for Education (DfE) and the Welsh Government to deliver for the people of Wales across a range of shared priorities.

The National Year of Reading, a DfE initiative, aims to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment through engaging new audiences, reshaping public attitudes and building the systems needed to embed lasting, meaningful change, during 2026 and beyond. The National Year of Reading includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools, and early years settings throughout the year.

In Wales, the bilingual campaign will build on work already underway to support schools, learners and families, to improve literacy standards and nurture a lasting habit of enjoying reading. The campaign will encourage people to ‘Go all in’/ Ymgolli’ and enjoy reading. The National Year of Reading offers further opportunity to celebrate and promote the love of reading in both English and Welsh, showcasing the rich linguistic landscape and encouraging more people to discover, enjoy and engage with literature in the language of their choice.

As Education is devolved, the Welsh Government is working with partners such as schools, local authorities, public libraries, and community groups across Wales to promote a love of reading and deliver a campaign to nurture lifelong reading habits. These partners play a vital role in the campaign and will take part in events across the year to showcase the joy of reading to people of all ages. The campaign also aligns with Estyn’s enhanced focus on reading, which will see the inspectorate working with all education providers to prioritise improving the reading skills of all learners in Wales.