I’m just responding as Chair of the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee in the context—as mentioned by Darren Miller earlier—of the inquiry we’re conducting into music in education, not because we as AMs wanted to do it, but because the public, through an opinion poll that we set up, decided for us that we should look at this issue because, despite the many task and finish groups, many of the decisions have been delayed and many of the actions on these issues have not come to fruition. I will say that we welcome this investment, but I think, as has been mentioned earlier, you cannot look at this endowment fund in isolation as a solution to local authority-run services. I think that’s where, potentially, we needed to have seen a more holistic statement here today. Not taking away from the fact that this is necessary, but, minded of the evidence that we’re receiving in committee at the moment, I think this is a concern of mine at the moment because those in the sector have already told me today, and these are their words, not mine, that this is ‘a drop in the ocean’ and to have parity with England in terms of pupil offer that this fund should be between £4 million and £5 million in Wales. Scotland has a £10 million fund already and that is in addition to their general music services. It is good to have a national endowment plan, but while areas across Wales are losing music tutors and peripatetic support as we speak, on the ground, would you not agree that it is not a viable solution to have instruments without looking at the wider picture and the haemorrhaging of music tutors locally?

I’d also like to understand who will get the funding. There’s no detail, from what I can understand, as to whether they will be pupils from more deprived areas or will it be for everybody in general to apply for this fund. I’d like to get some idea as to how much from this £1 million will be set-up costs and how much of it will actually be able to go into the actual acquisition of new instruments. What funds are going to be put in to bridge the funding gap between local activity and the national ensembles? You may find that people won’t be applying for this fund as young people will not be coming through the system in the first place. Will you be looking to set up a central protected funding mechanism for the delivery of music in education nationally?

Can you tell me if, and how, the fund will support the national ensembles? The Welsh Government’s task and finish group, which has been mentioned many times here today, suggested that National Youth Arts Wales should be a key beneficiary of any endowment fund and its interim board is in the process of setting up its work plan as we speak. So, can you tell me what conversations you have had with them about this particular new endowment plan? You mentioned setting up a steering group via the arts council on this. Can you just let me understand a bit more about why the new youth arts body could not have done this work, as opposed to setting up something via the arts council?

The BBC article on this issue suggested that the fund should start making payments in 2020. Will there be any support in the meanwhile? As I’ve mentioned previously, and I think it’s important to reiterate again, many of the services currently in operation simply will not be in operation in 2020, and I am told this by people on the ground, and, again, not by myself. There will be fewer pupils to access the endowment fund. How will this be targeted by yourself? The press release from Welsh Government said that the new fund is an invitation to private and corporate donors to join the Welsh Government in nurturing young musical talents. What evidence has there been that private and corporate donors will be willing to contribute to this particular areas of investment? Do you have names of businesses, for example, who are ready to step up to support music as opposed to, say, science, engineering, or other areas of interest for those businesses in Wales?

My final question is we have had evidence to our committee, and it’s on the record, that there simply is no link at the moment between creative learning through the arts plan—the £20 million that has been quoted quite a lot here today—and music and education. That’s from, again, people in the field. So, you say today that it’s going to complement that work. I really need to get an understanding as to how that will complement the work of the £20 million fund, considering that people are saying to me that it has nothing to do with the peripatetic delivery locally. I think that’s something that you should be mindful of when you’re potentially developing new policies.

I think, in the round, nobody—I don’t think anybody involved in music would go against the fact that this endowment plan is something that is positive, but it cannot, I believe, work in isolation to the issues of the fact that many schools—you know, many schools you’ve visited do good things, but there are many schools who are not investing in music at all, and they’re putting their money elsewhere. Tutors are having to leave music entirely to go and work in other professions because they simply cannot get that level of investment from individual schools. So, I would urge you to look at that, because some schools may be amazing but, if those schools down the road are doing nothing, how are we then going to be encouraging people to rise up the pyramid of musical development, so that they are then able to join the national youth choirs and orchestras that I and others in this Chamber have benefited so greatly from here in Wales?