Dawn Bowden: Can I thank the Member for that supplementary question? Yes, I did see that you recently visited Plas y Brenin; I do follow you on Twitter. It clearly is an excellent facility, and I'm very pleased that you had a positive experience there. And I do fully recognise, of course, the importance of active recreation across Wales and, in this context, the importance of our programme for government...
Dawn Bowden: Our programme for government makes clear our commitments to promote equal access to sport and leisure activities and our aims for a safe and welcoming tourism and leisure sector across Wales. North Wales features prominently in Visit Wales’s promotional activities and in our capital investment programme for tourism.
Dawn Bowden: As I said in response to an earlier question, Heledd, I'm not in a position yet to tell you about funding because that is where we are currently at, in terms of looking at how all of our organisations are funded and what funding is to be allocated to each of those sectors. In terms of the museums review, I would want to be reviewing where we are with that now, because we have talked...
Dawn Bowden: The tailored review that you talk about, of course, did come with a number of recommendations, and a considerable amount of Welsh Government funding and support that went alongside that. We continue to have those discussions with the museum, and with the trade unions in the museum, about ensuring that the recommendations of that tailored review are fully implemented. It has been problematic...
Dawn Bowden: I thank Heledd Fychan for that question and I think her final point there was a very relevant one. You know, what we have seen in the museum sector, as in other sectors of my portfolio, is the impact of 10 years of Tory austerity, which has filtered through to local authorities and to the organisations that they have to fund. However, what I also agree with her on is the fact that our museums...
Dawn Bowden: No, I don't.
Dawn Bowden: In terms of the New Zealand and Wales game last Saturday, you're quite right, COVID passes were used, and, actually, the feedback that we received is that the implementation of the pass at that game went remarkably well, and fans were extremely compliant, with about 90 per cent of the audience being in the stadium at least 30 minutes before the game kicked off. Now, as you quite rightly...
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank Tom Giffard for that comment? As the Member knows, we are still facing a very challenging situation around COVID. We are still seeing significant levels of infections, and we know that a number of premises, events, hospitality organisations and venues are very high-risk venues, because primarily they tend to be indoors. Now, the First Minister did signal at the last COVID review...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. The regulations for consideration by Members of the Senedd today will, if approved, allow heritage partnership agreements in Wales to come into full effect. The Historic Environment (Wales) Act 2016 amended existing primary legislation to create heritage partnership agreements. A heritage partnership agreement is a voluntary arrangement for the long-term...
Dawn Bowden: Thank you, Rhianon. You've been such an amazing advocate for the music services throughout your time in this place, and I thank you for your ongoing support for the work that the Welsh Government is doing to try to establish a national music service. I can assure you that those discussions are well advanced. I meet with my colleague the Minister for education on a regular basis. We, in fact,...
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank Heledd Fychan for those comments and questions? And I think she and I are very much on the same page. We set out the programme for government, and our programme for government was very clear that inclusion, diversity, equality—whether that's gender, whether that's in our BAME communities, whether it's people with disabilities, whatever that is, our inclusion agenda covers all of...
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank the Member for those comments and those questions? I think that there are several things to deal with there. I think that if we start with the COVID restrictions and the issue of COVID passes and the support that was given by the Welsh Government to the cultural sector, I think that we need to recognise that £93 million was made available to the cultural sector through the...
Dawn Bowden: When we launched Creative Wales, skills and talent support was identified as a key priority, and our actions to date have supported positive change. Within 18 months of its launch, Creative Wales has worked with all our partners in Wales, and at a UK level, to support 12 skills projects across the creative sectors, each addressing one or more of our priority areas. Whilst action has been...
Dawn Bowden: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. The importance of the creative industries to the culture and economy of Wales is significant and, as such, must be nurtured and supported. Prior to the pandemic, the sector had a turnover of £2.2 billion and employed 56,000 people. A recent UK report also noted the potential for the sector to recover faster than the UK economy as a whole. The pandemic affected our...
Dawn Bowden: The Imperial War Museum maintains a register of war memorials and the Welsh Government has provided financial support to the War Memorials Trust to make information about those memorials more accessible to the public through War Memorials Online. This includes thousands of records and provides a platform for members of the public to get involved by contributing their own photographs and...
Dawn Bowden: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm certainly very grateful to Paul Davies for instigating this debate today about the importance of protecting our memorials. I know he's raised this matter in the Senedd on several occasions and feels passionately about it, and I agree that Wales's memorials are important parts of our heritage. I don't think there's anyone who can deny the emotional power of these...
Dawn Bowden: I think the guidance that has been issued to all of these organisations is consistent. What is a matter for the organisations themselves is to undertake their own risk assessments based on their venues, their numbers and how they are going to mitigate against the infection. So, whether it's an indoor or an outdoor event. So, the guidance is consistent. What are not, necessarily, are the...
Dawn Bowden: As the Member knows, phase 2 of the pilot events involved nine events here in Wales, including Eid and Tafwyl at Cardiff castle, We Need Bees in Brecon, and Wales versus Albania. All of those were completed successfully and work on the final report will be completed shortly. Ahead of that, many of the findings have informed some of the revised events guidance. We're still in detailed...
Dawn Bowden: Can I thank the Member for that question and for the meeting that I had with him on 24 June, when we discussed this issue? Subsequently, I did meet with the FAW and they made several commitments that I expect them to deliver on. Firstly, they agreed to meet the clubs affected by the changes and to discuss any further support that they may need. And I understand that a positive meeting has...
Dawn Bowden: First, like others, I would like to echo the comments made by Members, both today and yesterday, in reflecting on the truly shocking scenes in the European championship involving Christian Eriksen at the weekend. What we witnessed last Saturday highlights the importance of defibrillators and the need for properly trained officials. I'm sure that the whole Chamber will join me in wishing him a...
