Part of 3. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 2:37 pm on 28 November 2018.
There is no question of losing the archive. The archive is the responsibility of the BBC, and the provision for its future is one that the library has expressed an interest in. And, indeed, it is true to say that some preparatory work has been done, and there has been correspondence between myself and the library over a period of a year on this issue, trying to put in place firm foundations for this development. For example, I wasn't content that the current staff of the library would have to be redirected, possibly, to duties related to the archive, which would put at risk the position of the library, and that we had to safeguard the financial situation of the library. And to that end, the £1 million, if I can respond to the question in this way, is still on the table. And I have discussed this issue this morning, as it happens, with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. What I wasn't happy to do was to proceed with this proposal until the library had reviewed its plan in its entirety, and given us an assurance that it was sustainable, and that it wouldn't, in any way, weaken the general provisions and broader provisions of the library.