On the second theme, the process of protecting and conserving our historic environment depends on an understanding of its special qualities, and on a set of specific conservation craft skills. I'm very eager to support action to foster that understanding and to grow the practical skills base. To do this, it will require the mainstreaming of heritage craft skills into the wider construction industry and skills curriculum, and building on the already well-established examples within these courses.

In order to achieve the third theme, namely cherishing and enjoying our precious historic environment, I want to encourage many more visitors to our historic sites and help them all, whatever their specific needs or personal requirements, to do so.

Visitor numbers are significant. During 2016-17, over 1.4 million people visited Cadw’s 24 staffed sites alone. However, there's an opportunity for us to do more to encourage younger visitors, and I am keen to see more family activities at Cadw monuments and also engaging interpretation. And that's the purpose of exciting events such as opening Gilbert’s Maze and the Dragon’s Lair at Caerphilly castle, in the presence of the local Assembly Member, of course. Seeing the joy and wonder on the faces of the children and adults was priceless. 

We also need to continue the work on maximising and improving access to those with mobility difficulties, and to do so as effectively as we can. I hope that some of you have had an opportunity to see the excellent access bridges at Caernarfon and Harlech castles. I want to see significant progress in the improvement of access to the higher levels of some of our castles in a way that is sympathetic to their historic character and without affecting the unique experience of being within such monuments. I have also tasked Cadw with revisiting the guidance on easy access for all to historic buildings and to bring it into line with the latest thinking and standards. Access to Cadw sites, of course, also begins long before visitors arrive at the entrance. I have asked for a review of the way that visitors make their journeys to Cadw monuments to include signposting, parking, walking routes, cycle provision, and also on the co-ordination of public transport.

The need to sustain effective partnerships is the basis of the success of these four themes. In recent years, many of the successes of the historic environment sector have been founded on such partnerships, including those with the historic environment group, the built heritage forum and, of course, the local authorities, who are often vital for us to be able to deliver effectively on the front line. More recently, the newly formed Welsh places of worship gorum—and I've had an opportunity to go to one of their meetings recently—is tackling the difficult question, for those of us who are members of faith communities, of seeing the decrease in the congregations and the increasing numbers of chapels and churches that have become redundant, having been, in the past at least, the focus for their communities.  

The new strategic partnership between Cadw and the other three national heritage organisations in Wales provides a real opportunity to share skills and commercial experience—how to ensure revenue and funding for the work of heritage—and I look forward to receiving regular reports on progress in this direction. At the same time, as one who lived in the national library, almost, for some years when I was trying to be a scholar, before I pursued other temptations—this isn't in the official statement, I assure you—I want to recognise the contributions that the National Library of Wales, the National Museum Wales and Royal Commission for the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales make, in their own right, and the quality of their work, and their importance, in my opinion. As I argued some time ago, in a different situation, about their futures, their unique work and the quality of their work as individual bodies is very important. I do not want to see these organisations lose their individual identities, but I also look forward to the development of new governance arrangements for Cadw: a new internal board being established in the coming months, and greater operational support, then, allowing Cadw to operate more effectively, alongside its partners in the commercial environment. 

I am coming to a conclusion now, I'm pleased to say. These are challenging times for the historic environment sector because of financial pressures and many future uncertainties. The sector has benefited considerably, as we all know, from European Union funding in recent years, and the process of withdrawal from the EU—but not from Europe, and never from European culture—will present significant challenges. But they are also exciting times. The fact that we have achieved so much in recent years is testimony to the successful partnerships that the Welsh Government, through Cadw, has forged with a wide range of stakeholders. There is now a real opportunity for our outstanding heritage to be positioned at the centre of our future well-being. It sits at the very centre of our cultural identity as a nation, telling the story of Wales’s place in the world. Thank you very much.