Can I also thank the Minister for his statement and also, formally, welcome him to his new role and say I look forward to working with him again as well? Now, I would join with you, Minister, in welcoming the UK Government’s White Paper, which provides the BBC with long-term stability and an explicit commitment, of course, to providing a stronger voice for Wales, within Wales and through greater opportunities for portraying Wales across the UK—I know you alluded to this in your last answer—but especially of course in UK news coverage. I know that the regeneration investment fund for Wales scandal, for example, would have been a UK headline had it happened in England, and I think the performance of devolved nations seems to, sometimes, escape attention.

It is, I think, the very least we should expect that the new unitary board of the BBC will have representation from Wales and that the continued partnership between the BBC and S4C will be protected after a united approach, I think, from this Assembly in supporting the Welsh language broadcaster. S4C is, of course, mainly funded by public money, but it is its ambition—. It’s got ambition, it wants improvement, and I would, therefore, be interested in hearing from the Minister what steps he intends to take to ensure that S4C is fully encouraged and supported in finding extra income streams so that it can and is able to contribute to its long-term financial future.

The inclusion in the White Paper of portrayal objectives across all areas of network commissioning and a commitment to increase investment in English language tv programmes are promising. I should say that I agree with the Minister that it will now be necessary to put some meat on the bones and outline how this translates into concrete financial commitments towards programming for Wales, in addition to network programming. As I think the Minister rightly implies, in spite of the BBC’s dominance in Wales, it cannot be treated in isolation. In stark contrast to the situation in Scotland, where the ITV service has increased its output specifically for Scotland, ITV Wales’s performance and programming objectives have declined by 40 per cent since 2009, with little sign of there being an increase in the foreseeable future. I would therefore be grateful if the Minister could perhaps outline what discussions he’s had with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Office of Communications and others to define enhanced commissioning commitments to Wales from other broadcasters, including the BBC and ITV, both of whom have a role in providing much-needed plurality in a media landscape that is dominated, of course, by the BBC.

Finally, I wonder whether the Minister could outline how he intends to ensure that all public service broadcasters, and the regulator, are required to report and give evidence to the National Assembly for Wales on devolved matters during the fifth Assembly. Equally important is how reports from those evidence sessions will be weighted by the UK Government and parliamentary colleagues who remain largely responsible for broadcasting, of course, as a non-devolved area. Can I ask, perhaps, what progress has been made on protocols to ensure that due weight is given to recommendations from this place to the UK Government regarding those matters where public service broadcasters’ roles affect and enter into certain devolved areas?