Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:25 pm on 12 July 2017.
Diolch, Llywydd. Can I thank all those who’ve contributed to this debate? And, if I may, I’d like to highlight some of the comments Members made. Mike Hedges—can I belatedly echo Mike Hedges’s comments on thanking both the Business Committee and Plaid Cymru for allowing this debate to take place? And I concur with all of his supportive comments. Suzy Davies spoke about the therapeutic value of music, and the economic value of such venues, and I agree we should also look at existing businesses and the consequence of noise they make. Neil McEvoy rightly pointed out how the unique procedure of petitions and their implications is something we in the Welsh Assembly should be proud of. Julie Morgan also added her support, having met—with Jenny Rathbone and Lesley Griffiths—the petitioners, and also rightly pointed out how important these venues are to promoting local bands. Jenny Rathbone pointed out how localised music noise can be if in the right place, and how important these venues and the music they create are to the economy of Wales. It needs only for me to thank the Cabinet Minister for her broad acceptance of the principles of agents of change, and her swift action with regard to proportionate response and to give appropriate advice to planning authorities.
To sum up, because the committee is not making recommendations at this stage, or siding in either direction, the main suggestion is that the committee takes comments back and considers what Members and the Cabinet Secretary have said following the summer recess. The committee with also, in the summer recess, seek the views of the petitioner over that period before deciding on a future course of action in the autumn. Thank you.