Dawn Bowden: So, the return of the Royal Welsh Show is, of course, very welcome, and I'm pleased that the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd has recently approved funding to the value of £110,000 to the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society for the 2022-23 financial year. The Royal Welsh has played a leading role in the development of agriculture and the rural economy in Wales for well...
Dawn Bowden: Okay. I was just going to say that the new strategy will build on these successes and the seven goals of the well-being of future generations Act. The strategy identifies clear ambitions to ensure an all-Wales approach to supporting events that are authentically Welsh, and it has been developed in consultation with the sector, and we will now work with stakeholders to develop an...
Dawn Bowden: I thank Heledd Fychan for that question. I have held discussions on workers' rights with officials of the recognised union at Plas Menai, with Sport Wales, and with Siân Gwenllian, the constituency Senedd Member for the local area. Yesterday's announcement by Sport Wales confirms that Parkwood must safeguard staff employment terms and conditions, and I'm reassured that Sport Wales has...
Dawn Bowden: You'll be aware from the written statement I issued yesterday that Sport Wales announced the conclusion to its process to identify what they term as a strategic partner for the future management of Plas Menai in Gwynedd, and I think it's important to say that. We are talking about the management of the centre, we're talking about a specification there, a contract with Parkwood Leisure that is...
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank Carolyn Thomas for that question? She's quite right that in these times of austerity and different approaches to how we can make businesses and facilities successful, we have to look at different models. And, if we were living in an ideal world, we probably wouldn't be looking at this type of model, but we're not, and so we are, because what we're looking to do is to ensure the...
Dawn Bowden: Well, first of all, thank you for that question, Mike. First of all, I don't think that the private sector can do things better than the public sector. What we are faced with and what we were dealing with was an organisation that has tried several different options to deliver success for Plas Menai, including bringing in their own managers, bringing in marketing staff, and bringing in other...
Dawn Bowden: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Last year, Senedd Members joined with communities across north-west Wales to celebrate the inscription of tirwedd llechi gogledd-orllewin Cymru, the slate landscape of north-west Wales, on the UNESCO world heritage site list. The Welsh Government successfully delivered our programme for government commitment to support the inscription of the slate landscape...
Dawn Bowden: Today, world heritage plays an important role in our tourism economy, drawing thousands of visitors here each year. But we should not overlook its wider benefits; in particular, community pride, well-being and a sense of place. The slate landscape nomination was notable for its community involvement. The Heritage Lottery-funded LleCHI project supported young people from the region to play a...
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank Tom Giffard for those comments and those questions? If I start with his first comments around the engagement and visitor management programme, that's something that we're clearly continuing to engage on with the local community, with the museum of north Wales and the slate landscape management organisations, including Gwynedd Council, Snowdonia national park and so on. So, there...
Dawn Bowden: Diolch, Heledd. Can I start by agreeing absolutely with your opening remarks about how the threat to tourism and the visitor economy at the moment is the cost-of-living crisis? I think most of our tourism partners and stakeholders would tell us that. Myself and the Minister for Economy regularly meet with tourism stakeholders, and that is one of the issues that they tell us, not just in terms...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Carolyn, for those questions. You're absolutely right, the squeeze on public funding and the challenge to us is not insignificant and is a real danger. What I can say to you is that the programme for government commitments that we have made in the areas that you have outlined—so, the national museum of Wales, the development of that national museum, Theatr Clwyd, the football...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Sam, for that question. I think that's a very, very important point that you raise: our history, our heritage, how we've evolved, and why we are as we are today is hugely important, and it's something that children do need to understand and learn from a very early age. And that is one of the benefits that the new curriculum does give us; it gives us that flexibility to be able to...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Mabon, for that question. I think that that's a hugely important point, developing these sites, having a world heritage site on our doorstep, an inscribed world heritage site—well, not just one, but four in Wales—two in that part of Wales, and everything that that brings. So, yes, it is about acknowledging and recognising our history and the importance of that history, not just...
Dawn Bowden: I think that, again, is a very valid point, Alun. I was just about to say that you have a world heritage site in your constituency, but, of course, it's not yours, is it, it's Lynne Neagle's—it's in Torfaen, in Blaenavon. But nevertheless, we have a world heritage site in the northern Valleys. But I think if I go back to the point that Mabon was raising in his—we refer to the LleCHI...
Dawn Bowden: Janet, again, I take my hat off to you, I really do. For Conservative Members to stand up and stand there and talk about how sorry they feel for people who are hit by the cost-of-living crisis just absolutely beggars belief. Have you completely missed the damage that your Government has done over the last few days, let alone the last 12 years? So, when we want to talk about a cost-of-living...
Dawn Bowden: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. And can I thank very much Sam Rowlands for introducing this short debate this afternoon? I'm grateful for all Members and their thoughtful contributions. As Sam has already said, we've got great sporting traditions in Wales. We're excelling in many sports, and we look forward to the women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand starting next week, and, hopefully, the women's...
Dawn Bowden: I can't tell you exactly how many miles it is, but I think New Zealand is around 12,000 miles, is it?
Dawn Bowden: There we are; that's quite right.
Dawn Bowden: I wouldn't frame it in quite that way, Tom. What I would say is, certainly—if I deal with your first point first—going to New Zealand was a very valuable experience, and I've done quite a detailed report on the activities that I undertook while I was there. I think it was extremely important to support the women's team while they were out there, qualifying for the world cup, playing on a...
Dawn Bowden: Well, I think it's been abundantly clear why the Welsh Government is attending the FIFA World Cup. I think all of us accept, and have said on several occasions, we would prefer not to be in Qatar for all the reasons that have been previously talked about. In fact, just answering this question is one of those reasons, because what I would like to be focusing on is the fact that, for the first...
