The Impact of Coronavirus on Cultural Events

Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:40 pm on 18 March 2020.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 2:40, 18 March 2020

(Translated)

I do agree that we need to look not only at the short term, but also what’s going to happen ultimately. The Urdd, of course, is one of the biggest employers in the third sector in Wales. It employs about 320 people; it contributes £31 million to the Welsh economy; and, of course, it’s one of the biggest employers in rural Wales and that’s very important. There are 10,000 volunteers and it may be possible for us to see how we can use those to help us.

You will be aware that Llangrannog has closed and Glanllyn and Cardiff have also closed, or are going to close by the end of the week. They’re going to cancel the local and regional eisteddfods; they’re going to postpone the Urdd eisteddfod in Denbigh for a year; and they’ve cancelled the sports competitions and the community activities. So, of course, it is a very concerning period, and I have had quite detailed conversations with the Urdd about whether we can help them, and we’re discussing that with other Ministers.

There's the National Eisteddfod, of course. There are lots of organisations in that situation, and those discussions are ongoing. But it won’t be possible to help everyone, so we have to look at the best way for us to help and try to put these in a state of suspension for a while, and that might be the best solution. But we’re having very detailed discussions with these organisations.