3. What effort has been made to ensure a wide variety of speakers at the GWLAD—Future Wales Festival? OAQ54315

The Assembly Commission has worked in partnership with external providers and organisations to deliver a variety of activities during the GWLAD festival held here at the Senedd at the end of September, and at regional events that will take place in November at Carmarthen, Caernarfon and Wrexham. 

Diolch, Llywydd. Of course, GWLAD is advertised a conversation starter that will encourage discussion about the future of Wales. Now, despite the festival not having taken place yet, you can certainly be proud that it has technically achieved its aim—it is very much a conversation starter now. Not least, this is because of some of the invitations that have been extended to the speakers at the event. So, I am quite alarmed at the lack of attention that has been given to a fair balance of speakers, because the inclusion of Carole Cadwalladr is likely to see the discussion meander in a particular direction on Brexit, and we all know that she speaks in a very, very politically motivated way. So, in answer to the questions that have been raised here and questions that have been raised with me, what steps have been taken to counteract this? Just please tell us, in terms of balance, who else has been invited in order to actually present at the festival so that there can be a truly balanced representation at this event?

Boris Johnson from The Telegraph. [Laughter.]

I can confirm that Guto Harri, who once worked for Boris Johnson from The Telegraph, is amongst the speakers invited and taking part in Gwlad, and I would have to say—and I heard it said as you were speaking, Janet Finch-Saunders—that politically motivated discussion is something that we excel at in this Chamber, in this building, and we need to promote more political discussion in Wales rather than less of it. So, the list of speakers—some are speakers, some are contributors, some will be members of the public, hopefully, coming to this building, taking part in democratic debate for the very first time. All of that should be encouraged and I encourage all of you to, if possible at all, attend any of the events and ask your constituents and others around you to attend as many events—. We need to have a festival of democracy in this place and at this time.

Thank you very much.