Part of 2. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure – in the Senedd at 1:38 pm on 19 July 2017.
Thank you, Llywydd. The Cabinet Secretary will be aware that publishing books is very important in the west of Wales, and I declare an interest, as is in the register of interests, as my wife and my niece work in this area. So, I’d like to ask him about publishing but starting by paying tribute, if I may, to Tony Bianchi, a gentleman who passed away some three weeks ago, who was from Newcastle, who learnt Welsh and became an eminent Welsh writer and promoted Welsh writing and publishing in Wales and professionalised the art too.
In that context, we have the Professor Medwin Hughes report, which has created something of a headache, from time to time, for the Cabinet Secretary over the past few weeks. I would like to thank him for the way he’s responded to the report and the way he’s brought everyone together to agree a way forward. Can I ask him specifically whether he will ensure that, as we are in a situation where the people who are seen to be criticised in the report are raising their voices, he will also listen to those people who are frankly less vocal but do want to work with him and everyone in the area to secure a prosperous future for publishing in Wales?