Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, in regard to—. It was clear, sorry, from this Chamber last week, following—

You need to ask the question on the order paper, please.

I've got it.

1. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of Brexit on the arts sector in Islwyn? OAQ53632

The Welsh Government and its agents are continuously assessing the potential impact and implications of Brexit on all aspects of Welsh society, including the arts and culture, to ensure that no area of Wales, including Islwyn, loses out as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Thank you. It was clear from this Chamber last week, following the important statement by the Chair of the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee, that there is a clear and critical consensus in this place and outside of the chaotic stalemate in Westminster that Wales must continue, as promised by those opposite, to receive the very same level of funding that it would have had had the UK remained in the European Union—not a penny less. And we will all monitor this avidly. What discussions, therefore, has the Welsh Government had with the UK Government to reiterate to them the importance of continuing funding for the arts in Islwyn?

I thank the Member for that supplementary. I know there are many organisations in her constituency that have benefited from EU funding, including the Blackwood Miners' Institute and other organisations. We've been consistent in our insistence that the UK Government should deliver on its promise that Wales would not lose a penny of the income it receives currently from the EU after we leave, and that's just as true for arts and cultural funding as it is for any other aspect of the current programmes. 

It's currently unclear whether, for example, in relation to Creative Europe and other programmes, we will continue as the UK to be eligible for that in the longer term. In the event of a deal, it's possible projects could continue, but it's not at all clear in the context of no deal that there will be access to those programmes in the future. The Welsh Government, of course, provides significant funding to the arts through the Arts Council of Wales, and they've undertaken their own analysis of the impact of Brexit on the arts sectors in Wales. And some of it's about funding, of course, but other aspects of it, equally important in many ways, are around European collaboration, artist mobility, and the impact of tariff and border regulations on cross-border arts and cultural partnerships across the European Union.