It's wonderful for me to be able to take part in this important debate. As Lee Waters mentioned, around a fifth of this Senedd have been part of this committee as we’ve been discussing this very important subject, and, to be fair, the issue of music in our schools is a fundamental one. That’s what the public in Wales have been telling us, and that’s why we discussed this issue in the first instance, because the people of Wales wanted us to discuss it. I pay tribute to the infectious enthusiasm of the Chair, and her natural musical ability as well, but also her ability to drive this agenda forward. We as a nation are meant to be in love with music—it's the land of song, after all, as Bethan said—but there is a shocking crisis, as Owain Arwel Hughes told us in committee. Owain Arwel Hughes, the founder of the Welsh Proms, famous worldwide, and when he says that there’s a crisis then people do have to sit up and listen.

We had detailed evidence over weeks and months and, yes, we did discuss what was the best way forward. I still remember the debates that we had: were we going to continue with the situation as it was, with funding being scarce and different priorities from different local authorities, and so on, or were we going to be brave and say that we needed an arm’s-length national body that could set priorities? Ultimately, that’s the major recommendation. That’s recommendation No. 1: that we need to develop a national body, an arm’s-length body, because this agenda is more than just teaching music in schools. As Lee Waters mentioned, and Bethan too, it’s part of our natural development as people, as children. We develop discipline, we develop the ability to be part of a team, we develop the ability to work hard sometimes to be able to excel, and to practise time and time again in order to reach the top.

I was only an organist in a chapel, and those alternative skills do allow you to develop so that you don’t have one narrow way of thinking in this world of ours. That’s what a number of our witnesses said. I’m so old now, when I was at school we had music lessons regardless. Everyone had them. You turned up, naturally, for a lesson; music was on the agenda. We enjoyed them and that, of course, developed one’s interest at the time, and there were plenty of opportunities in school to have lessons on the violin—although I wasn’t successful in those. Everyone had the opportunity then. It was a different time. I’m talking about a long time ago.

There is excellent work being done in the voluntary sector. We should talk about this, especially the Urdd Eisteddfod, and the National Eisteddfod itself, but the Urdd as an organisation is working miracles of course, with thousands of children learning all kinds of instruments and also signing in the different choirs and so on, and developing as singers. People like Bryn Terfel always talk about the fact that they excelled partly because of the kind of discipline and opportunities that they received through different eisteddfodau, the Urdd and the National Eisteddfod. We have to develop those natural platforms that we have as a nation because it’s an issue of strength.

When we talk about these issues we forget about the excellent work that’s being done on the ground from the different Urdd organisations and the Urdd nationally, developing the future of our people. Because there is excellent and inspiring activity going on on the ground. Yes, with teachers, inspiring teachers, especially with our orchestras, but to develop that interest in the first instance, an interest in music that is going to help you to develop as a person, so—