Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I first of all express my thanks for the opportunity to respond to a debate on the importance of the arts during a crisis, a position that I fully approve and fully support?

I accept that there's a need for us as a Government to understand that the arts are more than simply another part of Government, and that there are possibilities in using culture and the arts, particularly the performing arts, music, theatre, drama, and so on, as a means of regenerating people's lives during these difficult times. We know from the history of theatre throughout the years and music throughout the years that this can happen.

I also agree with the arguments that have been made on the importance of us calling on the Treasury, and we have done that already. I've written to the Treasury on this issue. But may I say that I don't consider myself to be a lobbier of the Treasury, because we are a Government here in Wales? We don't lobby the Westminster Government, we ask as a right that we should be recognised as a Government in terms of what should happen.

I also accept that there is community and national value to the arts and that therefore the possibilities of moving forward and using the arts is crucial. I don't agree that we need a particular action group to do this, because I think we do have within our national institutions, the arts council and the other arts organisations, the capacity to do this. I do pledge that, after this debate, I will once again look at the priorities that we have set for those organisations. 

May I say how pleased I was to hear robust talk about the black and ethnic minority community here in Wales? We're all minorities in different ways, and I don't think that we have properly understood in the past that the BAME community in our nation is so important for us. If I can speak quite clearly on this, it's as important as Welsh speakers as a minority. That's something that I have believed over the years and now I am making that point as culture Minister. I intend to take action on it so that we can learn lessons from linguistic equality that we need that same kind of mission in terms of racial equality, and we are a long way from achieving that at the moment. 

May I thank David Melding once again for his comments, and may I say that we understand the importance of public-private partnership in the arts? I'm not going to make any statements in this brief debate on the future of Theatr Clwyd or the millennium centre, but may I say that we are working hard as a Government? I don't have the budget in my department, but we're working hard as a Government to ensure that we can take care of both national institutions in south and north Wales.