Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Well, there were around 10 questions there, I think, but I will seek to answer some of them. I haven't responded correctly to the first question, I realise. I haven't had direct discussions with the broadcasters or with the rugby union on this issue. That was the response that I should have given initially. I accept that the situation that we are in is that we have a system here of listing...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I'm very grateful to you for setting out the dilemma that this poses for the rugby governing bodies and, of course, to us as a Government. In responding to you earlier on this matter, I think I must have pointed out that our funding finds its way to governing bodies through the offices of the sports council, and on the advice of the sports council I would be reluctant to look for a way of...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Well, in response to that very forthright statement, I can give undertakings that I will carry out what has been requested, because I am, after all, not only a member of the Government, but I'm a servant of this National Assembly, and it's very clear, in this exchange, what the views of Members are. I will be delighted to draw them to the attention—. Obviously, it's been made in this...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’m pleased to confirm that we as a Government will be supporting this motion, and I therefore expect the support to be unanimous, as all contributions have been. You will recall that we had a topical question and I responded to that as robustly as I could last week. I won’t rehearse anything that I said last week, but I do want to inform you...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much for that. On the basis of that pledge, you will know how much I enjoy appearing before your committee, particularly under you as Chair, perhaps. So, thank you for that invitation. I’m pleased to confirm and ask everyone to support this motion today. Thank you.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I first of all express my thanks for the opportunity to respond to a debate on the importance of the arts during a crisis, a position that I fully approve and fully support? I accept that there's a need for us as a Government to understand that the arts are more than simply another part of Government, and that there are possibilities in using...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Rhianon Passmore, as always, inspires me with her love of music and her absolute commitment to music, and I'm very grateful to you yet again for emphasising the fact that we in Welsh Government need to stand up clearly in this situation and make it clear to the UK Government that we support live music and that we support in particular orchestral music, which is the highest achievement,...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: And then finally Siân Gwenllian. Thank you for your request to reassess Welsh Government support for the arts. I take that seriously, too, and I will seek to respond to it over the coming months that I have in this role. I also accept that live performance is crucial, not just in terms of income for organisations but also in terms of people's experience and that the Well-being of Future...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Is that all right now?
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Sorry, it was the extension lead that got me into trouble.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much, Mike, for that question and for asking it in Welsh, and I will answer in Welsh too. The Welsh Government recognises the importance of local Welsh-medium publications in ensuring that people in all parts of Wales have access to vital local news and information during this current public health crisis. We are working closely with the Books Council of Wales and other...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Well, Wilia is one of a network of 52 papurau bro, if memory serves me correctly, and they're available throughout Wales, and they play a crucial role in linking and connecting communities, particularly in situations such as this public health crisis. We have supported them through the mentrau iaith, and as I said at the outset, there are 52 papurau bro, and there is a grant of £97,000 that...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Well, the papurau bro—at least half of them now, I believe—are published digitally, and therefore they are available online online as a medium that people can turn to. I would encourage the papurau bro to take advantage of the support of the Welsh Books Council, and through the books council the Welsh Government, in order to enable more people to take advantage of digital material through...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I'm very pleased to make a statement about mid Wales because, as no doubt you know, Russell, I used to live there for 20 years, and in those days, of course, there was a lot of interest in promoting the identity of mid Wales. When it came to my role in tourism, I was very keen that we maintained mid Wales as a region.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Well, I'm pleased to say I look forward to discussing this with Steve Hewson, who represents mid Wales on our tourism conference, which is a regular fortnightly, and sometimes weekly, event that we hold. In the discussions that I've had with him, the whole question of mid Wales as a major centre for national events—and obviously Steve himself is a chief executive of the Royal Welsh...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you for that question, Mark. Our package of support for the visitor economy and the tourism industry is the most generous in the United Kingdom. And, at 5 June, over £10 million had been awarded to tourism enterprises through our economic resilience fund. We estimate that this has safeguarded over 4,500 employees in the sector. And we are now in phase 2 of the fund, which is open,...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I am happy to review the situation, and I'd be very interested in seeing examples of the businesses that have approached you, so that our officials can talk to them about how we can meet their needs more effectively.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much for that question. And I will find the answer in a few moments' time. Here we are. The Welsh Government has worked closely with the public service broadcasters and with Ofcom in Wales during this current public health crisis on broadcasting issues that affect Wales, despite the fact that broadcasting is not devolved.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: This is a matter for Ofcom as the regulator. And may I again ask for examples? Every time we come across examples as Ministers, or officials within Government, we raise them directly. But the problem does not lie in Wales. It is a problem in terms of a lack of understanding of the UK constitution, and of the impact of devolution, among broadcasters who broadcast in Wales from England.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: That question warms my heart, because in the dim and distant past, I was a director of one of these community stations, called Champion FM, in the north, and it was a very successful radio station, which is still operating. I have followed, with some concern, what has happened in terms of the ownership and control of some of our smaller stations. And I can see that there is a very strong...
