Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:41 pm on 29 September 2020.
Can I firstly concur with the comments made by Mike Hedges regarding the need for greater regulation of fireworks? Two issues if I may, Llywydd: firstly, Trefnydd, I've been contacted by a number of constituents who are very concerned about the limited number of train carriages being used to get young people to and from Hereford Sixth Form College from Abergavenny station. Despite each child having paid for their season ticket in advance, I'm told that Transport for Wales have laid on buses that are totally inadequate, with no social distancing in operation whatsoever. I wonder if we could have a statement from the Minister for transport outlining any discussions he might have had with Transport for Wales and an explanation as to why young people do seem to be treated differently from adults in this regard.
Secondly and finally, Llywydd, the Musicians' Union have been very active on Twitter recently, and they've been raising some very extremely concerning statistics regarding the plight of musicians through the pandemic. Thirty-six per cent of musicians have no work at all; 87 per cent will be earning less than £20,000 per year. I know that Stephen Crabb has raised this issue in Parliament. Given that the arts are largely devolved to Wales, I wonder if we could have a statement from the Welsh Government as to what support is being given to the arts during this difficult time, particularly music. We know the importance that music has not just for musicians, but for all of us in terms of our mental health. I'm sure we want to listen to music, particularly at the moment, through the pandemic, and I think you'd agree with me that music deserves better.