Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I will be delighted to join you at such a meeting, obviously, and hopefully celebrate a success tonight. The key investment that we make, through the Football Association of Wales Trust, is to the development of football in Wales, and systems for developing the game enable more to play, reach a higher level of competition and progress through. And, at the top end, Sport Wales invests £7.4...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: As it's within my portfolio, I'm delighted to be able to respond, especially on this day, when I must begin by answering your question: yes, I am looking forward to a great success from Newport County this evening.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you. And having secured total agreement on that early part of my reply, I'll carry on. The development of professional sport is the pinnacle of a pathway system, and I have never seen any contradiction between investing in community sport and professional sport, because it is out of communities that the professionals grow. The Welsh Government provides funding for the Welsh Football...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much for your contributions.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I'm very grateful to Mike for providing us with lessons in public administration in a way that is so attractive and amusing to listen to, and that's supposed to be a compliment. We are certainly aiming for financial stability and, indeed, Welsh Government has already indicated that we are looking to ensure proper financial capacity, which must include meeting the need for effective...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much, Llywydd, and may I thank all of the Members who have taken part in this debate, and for the general welcome that's been extended to the recommendations? We had opening remarks from Suzy Jenkins that emphasised that—why did I say Suzy Jenkins? It was Suzy Davies. I was thinking about someone else, Suzy Davies. We had remarks about the importance of Assembly Members...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: The whole point of the museum's structure, as we heard earlier, is that their history is very much based upon their own independence, guaranteed in the case of the original—[Interruption.] Guaranteed by the royal charter in its original inception. That is essential to maintain its independent structure, just as the arts council maintains an independent structure through that model, and I...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I think there are three main areas of recommendations and I’ll try refer to these in turn. They include the need for Amgueddfa Cymru to maximise income to improve sustainability and to decrease its significant dependency on public funding, to develop links and relationships, especially with the Welsh Government, and to develop the interpretation offer in the museums across the entire...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much, Llywydd. It’s a privilege for me to open this discussion on a matter within my cultural responsibilities, and in so doing I use the Government time at the Assembly to celebrate the development of cultural institutions—important institutions—and also to give Assembly Members and the public the opportunity, following the publication of this report, to discuss its...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I am not refusing to answer questions. I have offered to meet with Suzy Davies to discuss this issue, and I do hope that we can arrange that meeting before too long. Given his great interest in this issue, I’m happy to invite Adam Price to the same meeting or to another meeting.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: As I explained in response to a question on this prior to Christmas, the terms of the agreement with the company are confidential for commercial reasons. But I can confirm that the relationship with what was the Pinewood unit continues, but that Pinewood no longer operates that role of third party fund management. That’s the situation as it stands, and that situation remains at present.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I will respond to this question as it falls within my portfolio and because I have answered on this matter in the past. These changes in our relationship with Pinewood follow commercial changes within the structure of Pinewood as a company and the company that is now responsible for Pinewood’s facilities. It is not accurate to say that we as a Government are paying Pinewood, but Pinewood...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much for that series of questions. I would expect no less from the Member. But my answer, very clearly, is that the three objectives that he has set out are interlinked and all relevant to the film industry, of any kind. And what has happened here, of course, is that commercial changes have taken place in the ownership of Pinewood and that that has led to new priorities for the...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Well, I don't know about meat on the bone, because I'm not a very good butcher. However, I would like to emphasise that the commitment to Pinewood remains, and that that commitment will mean the operation of the studio under a new agreement. Aspects of that agreement remain commercial in confidence, but I am very happy to offer you a meeting, where I would be able to discuss in greater detail...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Diolch Suzy. I'm replying on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary. Pinewood remains committed to operating the studio in Wentloog and continuing to promote Wales internationally as a destination for high-end tv and film production.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Well, I'm very keen that everyone who is able to benefit from the revised scheme will be able to do so. And, certainly, this relates closely to the statement I made yesterday, whereby the emphasis was on Cadw remaining in Government, but becoming an even more commercial organisation than it is already. And, as I implied yesterday, Cadw has produced substantial revenue. I'm certain that,...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: I can confirm that I have been made fully aware of the current Cadw local residents pass scheme, and particularly of the issues in Caerphilly in relation to local boundary issues, as you describe, where some residents who are living near the monument weren't able to apply for a pass. I am pleased to say that this review, to which my colleague the Cabinet Secretary referred, of a local...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you very much for that question. The Welsh Government, through Cadw, strives for an accessible, well-protected historic environment for Wales. In addition to the newly improved local residents pass, it will introduce new schemes to further promote access to its monuments, to avoid admission prices being a barrier for Welsh residents and under-represented audiences.
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Again, thank you for your very kind remarks. It is always a pleasure to hear you expound the delights of the heritage, especially of the north, where, as you know, I still spend as much time as I can and continue to do so. In fact, I will be working out of the office in Llandudno Junction this week, and I hope that we can meet there perhaps in future. But I'm not going to engage with the...
Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas: Thank you, Mike, for your kind remarks. And then you seek to lead me right down into a western bog, I think, somewhere near to your constituency. It is not for Ministers to make decisions about listing. It is not for Ministers to make decisions about what local authorities should do in this area either. I think we need to look for partnerships. I'm not going to talk about the planning aspects...
