Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 5. Questions to the Minister for International Relations and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:32 pm on 1 July 2020.

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Photo of Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Baroness Mair Eluned Morgan Labour 2:32, 1 July 2020

(Translated)

I think that if you look at what the arts council has done in terms of its funding, they've restructured that, they've understood that there is a crisis within the industry, and they have ensured that it's possible for people to apply for funding through the process that they've established. I'm very grateful that Dafydd Elis-Thomas has led on that work. And, of course, there is an opportunity within that for those working in the creative industries through the medium of Welsh to access that funding. That isn't sufficient. We are highly aware that there is a crisis in the arts at present.

Our hope, of course, is that the Westminster Government will bring forward a new package of funding, and, if that does happen, of course, we would be very hopeful that we could provide the appropriate Welsh share in order to provide new support, which would ensure that there is support available for this sector. This sector has grown immensely over the past 10 years. There are around 50,000 people across Wales working in the sector and it would be tragic if we were to miss this opportunity to build on what was already in place. But, of course, it is suffering at the moment, and many of the jobs in this sector are not full-time posts; they are not roles where individuals can rely on a regular salary. We're highly aware of all of this and we're hopeful and we are pushing the UK Government to ensure that they understand the situation and provide funding to us.