1. Will the Assembly Commission provide a fixed date for the switch over from Senedd.tv to YouTube? OAQ(5)0005(AC)

We are working to show live proceedings of the Assembly on as many platforms as possible, including Senedd.tv, Facebook Live and YouTube. We launched live Plenary meetings on YouTube yesterday. We are on YouTube now. [Laughter.]

Thank you very much, Llywydd. At the time of tabling my question, this hadn’t been done, so I’m hoping that, in some small way, my question being tabled may well have prompted the decision or brought about the change. But, however it came about, I am delighted this change has now been made, and I very much welcome the development. There is no doubt that Senedd.tv has played an important part in making the Assembly accessible to members of the public. In an age when social media plays such a large part in how Assembly Members communicate with their constituents, making the Assembly’s proceedings available on more accessible media, which is also more readily compatible with social media platforms, has to be a positive move in raising awareness of the work of the Assembly. In applauding the switchover, Llywydd, can I ask the Commission that early arrangements be put in place to provide appropriate training to enable Assembly Members and their staff to maximise the potential to publicise proceedings through social media, which in itself will help Members to publicise their work in the Assembly to their constituents?

Thank you for your supplementary and for the excellent timing of your question to the Commission. For clarity, Senedd.tv continues as one of the platforms that we have available to us, but YouTube is now being started as of this week, as are Facebook Live opportunities as well. Various committees, especially, have taken up the opportunity to use Facebook Live, and we will be developing that further.

The Commission has set up, as you know, the digital taskforce to provide us with expert recommendations on how we take forward the need to address the lack of coverage by traditional media of what we do in this place, and how we can use new media and new technology to take the work that we do here on behalf of the people of Wales directly to the people of Wales—to their homes and to their phones at the same time. You raise the very important point that some of us—some of you—are very able to use social media very well, and your staff are; but, others haven’t quite kept up to speed with everything that is going on. It’s an issue that I will take back to the Commission as to how we ensure that Members in this place and support staff are trained to enable us to avail ourselves of all the opportunities available to us now from social and new media.