6. What assessment has been made of the impact of coronavirus on cultural events, particularly Welsh language events such as Eisteddfod yr Urdd? OAQ55272

We are closely monitoring the impact of coronavirus on the events sector, and we are working with colleagues across Welsh Government and UK Government to take appropriate measures in response to the unfolding situation. We're also keeping in close contact with organisations such as the Urdd.

I'm grateful to the Minister for her reply, and obviously it's early days yet. But I'd be grateful if she can provide some further reassurance that she fully understands the financial impact on the Urdd—hopefully not, but possibly looking forward to the National Eisteddfod in the summer too—and we know that the margins on which these organisations operate are pretty slim anyway, and to lose the capacity to make some profit from running the centres and from the eisteddfod is a big blow for the Urdd. So, will the Minister guarantee to us that she will keep this under very close advisement, and that she will not rule out offering direct financial support, if that's the only way that we can ensure that this very important—? I think we can all be very proud that we have the biggest membership youth organisation in Europe in the Urdd. It's precious, it's priceless, not only because of the language, but because of all the opportunities it gives young people and it would be an absolute tragedy if this dreadful situation was allowed to bring to an end that amazing tradition. 

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.

Thank you for your response, Minister. I think it is very important to support organisations like the Urdd. My own constituency would have been a beneficiary of the fact that this particular Urdd eisteddfod was planned to be held in Denbigh, which is just outside of Clwyd West, but nevertheless has a significant impact on local tourism businesses in particular.

I just wonder what support package you might be able to build around those communities that were looking forward to being able to welcome in people from across Wales, and indeed internationally, to events like the Urdd eisteddfod, because, clearly, they're going to be significantly disadvantaged as a result. Many of them will have had bookings, which they're now going to have to have cancelled, in spite of actually having some outlay, which they may need to pay.

So, when you have a significant event like this that has been cancelled, is there specific support that you might be able to offer in order to compensate those who've already paid out significant sums in order to prepare for them? 

Well, I think, under normal circumstances, the answer would probably be, 'Yes, we'd be looking to create a package.' These are extreme circumstances and, therefore, we are responding day by day to the situation. I think the priority is to see how we can support those people who are working for the Urdd at the moment. Is there any way of protecting their jobs and looking to the future?

The key thing, as I say, is for us to see how we can preserve these great organisations to make sure that they can flourish in future. I know that the Presiding Officer will be also interested in knowing what is likely to happen with the Eisteddfod genedlaethol. These are all discussions that are being undertaken at the moment. 

The scope of this is huge. You think about all of the other organisations—the Hay festival, Llangollen festival. There are huge numbers of events, and obviously most of those events now have been cancelled. So, there are profound implications. I don't think, at this point, we can offer an extended package to those communities that were expecting that to happen, I'm afraid.  

Questions 7 [OAQ55263], 8 [OAQ55271] and 9 have been withdrawn. So, question 10, Vikki Howells. 

Question 9 [OAQ55249] not asked.