I'm pleased to contribute to this debate, although I was not a member of the committee when the report was being formulated. I have been very pleased to follow the work as it moved to publication and was then launched, as the Chair has indicated. I think it has been a very important area of work, and the report focuses on very practical ways in which we can improve film and major tv production in Wales.

I do want to start by saying that I am largely encouraged by the response of the Welsh Government in accepting most of the committee's recommendations, though I do note the Chair's frustration that some of that acceptance is contingent on the operation of Creative Wales when it is established.

I think it's right to note the growth in this sector since 2007—faster than that for the rest of the UK. Again, this has been referred to. But, there is still a long way to go. I think that Wales, as a nation, does extremely well compared to any region of England outside London and the south-east, and possibly Manchester. But, we are still well short of any proportion that was related to population, in terms of the amount of GVA that we generate through the film and tv industry. We could probably increase it by two or three times, and then only just get to a sort of rough calculation of what you'd expect by population. So, while we do have great success and we are one of the major areas for production—our creative industries have performed incredibly well over the last 10 years, and I'm sure it's a sector that will continue to grow—we shouldn't limit our ambition. We should really extend our expectations for this sector.

I think that there is a particular need to invest in Welsh language projects and Welsh language projects that can also be produced bilingually. There's no doubting the potential that we've seen fairly recently in terms of series like Hinterland, which completely normalise the use of Welsh, as well as producing a Welsh language version and a largely English one, but with the use of Welsh. I'm sure that this has done enormous good for people across the United Kingdom to know that it is normal if you are driving around Ceredigion to hear Welsh being spoken. I just think that it really was—. It lifted the heart to see that.

I also think that we should remember that it markets Wales to the rest of the world. Wales is the most distinctive cultural part of the British isles because we have a culture that is a non-English-language culture, as well as, obviously, a Welsh-English culture also and a British culture. All of these magnificent traditions mingle and are incredibly creative, and there's a great appetite out there to share in this, worldwide potentially, which is why I think some clever investment in Welsh film making is warranted. Obviously, you only get the occasional hit that makes it to the award ceremonies of the Oscars or whatever, but I think overall, at that level, that sort of creative excellence has an effect on the general sector as well, and I think we could also align it to the 'Cymraeg 2050' strategy—again, normalising Welsh and portraying our country as a truly bilingual one. So, I think that needs to be looked at, and the funding. It is the one area where we have real responsibility for projecting that aspect of the Celtic civilisation that continues to thrive in western Europe. I think more need to be seeing our drama about that.

I note that there's a need to strengthen the skills strategy. We do pretty well, as we saw when we went to the Atrium building of the University of Glamorgan, but there is still a need to improve skills, particularly relating to Welsh language output.

I also think the Government could do a bit more in terms of co-ordinating film festivals and ensuring that their worth is projected more widely. I know there's a slight difference of opinion on how that's best secured, but I think a more central, co-ordinated approach might be valuable.

Can I just end also with a plea that it's time for Creative Wales to step forward? It was envisaged in 2016, which was when the referendum on Brexit occurred, and at this rate we might get Brexit before we get Creative Wales. I'd be very happy to see Creative Wales 10 times. I'm not going to mention my attitude to the arrival, presumably when it does come, of Brexit.