The following amendments have been selected: amendments 2, 3 and 9 in the name of Darren Millar, and amendments 4, 5 and 8 in the name of Rebecca Evans. In accordance with Standing Order 12.23(iii) amendments 1, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12 and 13 tabled to the motion have not been selected. If amendment 3 is agreed, amendment 4 will be deselected.

The next item on the agenda this afternoon is the Plaid Cymru debate on the challenges facing the arts, culture and heritage sectors, and I call on Siân Gwenllian to move the motion.

Motion NDM7421 Sian Gwenllian

To propose that the Senedd:

 1. Recognises the importance of the  Welsh Arts, Culture and Heritage sectors, and the challenges these sectors face as a result of COVID-19. 

2. Welcomes the renewed exploration of Wales’s diverse heritage during the months of the pandemic in light of the Black Lives Matter movement and other campaigns. 

3. Supports calls to ensure that our heritage is promoted and presented in a sensitive manner and inclusive of all of its rich diversity in future. 

4. Regrets that the UK Government’s job support scheme is unlikely to save many arts and live music venues and cultural attractions from closure, and to save arts workers’ careers (freelance and salaried), despite the fact that they were viable prior to COVID-19.

5. Opposes proposals to develop one or more military museums in Cardiff Bay. 

6. Calls on the Welsh Government to: 

a) work with the Arts Council of Wales, the Wales Freelance Task Force and other groups and organisations within the arts and culture sector to implement the recommendations of the report, 'Rebalancing and Reimagining: Strategies to Support Arts and Performance Freelancers';

b) use the planning system to restrict and manage the ability of buildings that were used for arts, cultural and heritage purposes prior to the Coronavirus Act 2020 to receive planning permission for a change of use whilst the pandemic continues to impact on the ability to use those venues for their intended purpose;

 c) explore the creation of a National Museum for Black and People of Colour History and Heritage, to be based in Tiger Bay as a potential alternative to the proposal for one or more military museums;

 d) ensure more black and people of colour involvement in arts and cultural bodies, as called for in Race Alliance Wales’s Manifesto for An Anti-Racist Wales;

 e) ensure that the Welsh language is at the heart of the workforce and output of the arts sector in its entirety going forward;

 f) introduce statutory protections to prevent the loss of Welsh language place names from the built and natural environments.

 g) ensure that each government department works strategically towards the delivery of the sixth pillar of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, a Wales of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language, and, in so doing, engages deeply and meaningfully with the arts, culture and heritage sectors.

Motion moved.

Thank you, Llywydd. I apologise for that slight delay. The arts in Wales touch each and every one of us and every community in Wales. Wales is a melting pot of talent. We are a nation where culture is at the heart of our way of life. How would the past few months have been if it hadn't been for the arts? Without the entertainment, the time to reflect and the opportunity to come together whilst remaining apart. The Government of our nation should also espouse the importance of the arts for the economy, for society, for its preventative and spiritual role. But, that isn't how it is. Yesterday, 'Coronavirus reconstruction: challenges and priorities' was published by the Counsel General Jeremy Miles, but there is little mention of culture; culture isn't considered as a priority. Society, the economy, the environment, health, social care and well-being, political engagement and digital technology—those are the six specific areas of priority. There is one major priority missing, and that is culture and the arts. This is an area that is central to the redevelopment of the nation post COVID. The fact that it isn't listed is very disappointing, and says it all: the Welsh Government doesn't see our arts and culture as a priority. And in Jeremy Miles's document, there's little talk of anything that would help to safeguard the sector, to help it rebuild stronger or to use it as an important tool in that recovery.

In Ireland, there is an ongoing, positive dialogue between the sector and the Government, and a full appreciation of the importance of the arts in the recovery programmes. In New Zealand, the sector is central to their recovery; work has been given to hundreds of artists in the nation's schools as part of their recovery programmes, and there are many different funds and proposals in place, as well as a particular arts and culture recovery programme in place that includes all parts of the sector. Oh, to have an imaginative vision of that kind here in Wales.

In Wales, the arts and the creative sector are in the mire at the moment, or like a beautiful ship without a captain. In speaking to stakeholders across Wales, the message is the same: the Government has no clear vision; there is a lack of leadership and a lack of communication with the sector as a whole, including with the unions representing creative people.

There are positive developments, yes, such as the activities in Theatr Clwyd to name but one, but, on the whole, the lockdown has highlighted the great weaknesses that already existed. A top-down model—that's what we have here in Wales, with the arts council given funding to administer, with that trickling down. That's not the Plaid Cymru vision; rather, we put the emphasis on building from the bottom up and feeding our institutions.

The arts are one ecology here in Wales, with the various elements reinforcing and strengthening each other. But, for that arts-ecology wheel to turn effectively, you have to respect every part of it and to support every part of it. Without freelance workers, the system would collapse; without the institutions, there wouldn't be projects or infrastructure to support artistic practitioners.

But, where is the Welsh Government's emphasis? On attracting film companies from outside of Wales and centring them in Cardiff, rather than nurturing our inherent creativity from the bottom up. There was an announcement over the weekend that the Welsh Government had made a deal with Great Point, which will come to Seren Stiwdios—the new name for Pinewood. Why couldn't the Welsh Government focus on assisting the sector and Welsh companies working on the ground, rather than multinationals? 

The Welsh-medium sector is under specific threat. Evidence from the Welsh Language Commissioner to the culture and Welsh language committee notes that the Welsh language sector needs specific support because of the opportunities it provides for Welsh speakers to socialise through the medium of Welsh. We need assurances in the longer term that the Welsh language is given a central role in the workforce and output of the arts sector in its entirety as we move forward.

I turn now to our cultural institutions, and I want to mention just three. The national library has suffered as a result of systematic underfunding from the Welsh Government over a period of years. The recent tailored review, which has just been published, expresses major concern about the future of the national library, noting very clearly that the current situation is not sustainable.

The situation of our national museum is very vulnerable too. Certainly, underinvestment has been notable in terms of infrastructure and maintenance of sites. The Urdd—Urdd Gobaith Cymru—is facing what's been described by its chief executive as its most challenging period in its 98 years of history as a result of COVID-19. The organisation is facing a reduction of income of £14 million over the next two years.

We must stand against the disrespect shown to our national institutions and to the arts in general, as well as those working in the industry. We saw a perfect example of that disrespect just yesterday from Rishi Sunak, who infuriated musicians with his disrespectful comments. 

The UK Government were very reticent to provide financial support to the arts when the pandemic was at its height, and when a percentage of that funding came to Wales, far too late in the day, £6 million of it was missing. And just last week there was the announcement of a fund worth £7 million for freelance workers—the missing funding finding its way to the artists, perhaps? But it's too late in the day for many, who have long since given up trying to make a living in the arts, and our nation is losing out because of that.

The lockdown has highlighted the importance of the arts, in humanity's efforts to make sense of the world around us, but it has also drawn attention to just how vulnerable the sector is in Wales and that there's a great deal of work to be done before we deliver the ambitions of the well-being of future generations Act, which wants to see culture and the arts as a central part of everything that we do here in Wales.

We need to ensure that cultural activity takes root in our society and our economy and to create an interrelationship that is interactive and vibrant between the arts and all aspects of national life. That's not where we are at the moment, but that's where we will go when Plaid Cymru is in power in this place.

I have selected six of the 13 amendments tabled to the motion. If amendment 3 is agreed, amendment 4 will be deselected. And in accordance with Standing Order 12.23, I have not selected amendments 1, 10, 11, 12 and 13 tabled in the name of Neil Hamilton, nor amendments 6 and 7 tabled in the name of Darren Millar. I call now on Laura Anne Jones to move amendments 2, 3 and 9 tabled in the name of Darren Millar. Laura Anne Jones.

Amendment 2—Darren Millar

Delete point 4 and replace with:

Welcomes Her Majesty's Government's £1.57 billion arts rescue package and the £59 million consequential arising from it for Wales. 

Amendment 3—Darren Millar

Delete point 5 and replace with:

Welcomes plans for a museum of military medicine in Cardiff Bay and acknowledges the importance of venues across Wales which celebrate Wales's rich military heritage.

Amendment 9—Darren Millar

Add as new sub-point at end of point 6:

notes the outcome of the independent review into funding of the National Library of Wales and calls for an increase of £1.445 million in baseline funding in the next financial year to put the finances of the institution on a sustainable footing for the future. 

Amendments 2, 3 and 9 moved.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I move the amendments in the name of Darren Millar. We all recognise the value of arts and culture in our society. As well as enriching our lives, arts and culture have a wider more measurable impact on our economy, health and well-being, society and education. The current pandemic is continuing to have a devastating impact on our arts and creative industries. Theatres, galleries, music venues, heritage sites, museums, libraries, archives, festivals and cinemas are all at risk. 

The UK Conservative Government appreciates the grave challenges the arts face and the need to preserve them for future generations. That is why in July they announced a huge rescue package of over £1.5 billion to help weather the impact of the coronavirus. Thousands of organisations across a range of sectors are able to access the emergency grants and loans. This represents the biggest ever one-off investment in UK culture, providing a vital lifeline to the cultural and heritage organisations across this country. As a result of this new funding, Wales receives a consequential and additional £59 million, as outlined earlier, which we welcome in amendment 2. 

The Deputy Minister, however, announced in his cultural recovery fund that it would not consist of the full amount of the funding provided. As my colleague David Melding said at the time, the arts had been shortchanged by Welsh Ministers. I would ask the Deputy Minister: where has the additional funding gone, why isn't it being used to secure livelihoods in our creative industries and why isn't that money helping to secure the future of leisure and heritage venues and other organisations that contribute to the rich tapestry of Welsh life?

Not all the problems of the culture sector have been because of the coronavirus. The recent review of the National Library of Wales came after 10 years of financial problems, with income decreasing steadily year on year and a 23 per cent drop in staff numbers from 2008 to 2019. The reviewers concluded that the national library had not been as effective or consistent as it could have been in driving change, and they remained concerned about the lack of medium to long-term strategic plan. Our amendment 9 notes the outcome of the independent review and calls for an increase in baseline funding in the next financial year to put the finances of the institution on a more sustainable footing for the future. 

Our amendment 3 seeks to erase Plaid Cymru's opposition to planned military museums in Cardiff Bay. The first museum referred to is the museum of military medicine. It would tell the history of the four corps of the Army Medical Services: the Royal Army Medical Corps, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Royal Army Dental Corps and the Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps. The museum's archives, which go back to the Napoleonic wars, would be used by researchers in medicine and medical history. The second proposed museum is the museum of army music. I'm so disappointed to see that these proposals should be opposed by Plaid Cymru. In no way can it be claimed that museums of military medicine and music somehow glorify war. By letting their innate pacifism cloud their judgment, Plaid Cymru has exposed its contempt for those who serve and have served in these branches in our armed forces, and it again tries to pander to the cancel culture that would whitewash the history of a proud nation. Remembering war and commemorating sacrifice serves to ensure that mankind does not repeat the same mistakes.

Presiding Officer, these are challenging times for the arts and culture sector. I believe that recent funding provided by the UK Conservative Government demonstrates its understanding of the importance of our cultural assets and activities. If we act now, we can ensure that our arts and culture sector can grow and thrive once this crisis is over.

I call on the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism to move formally amendments 4, 5 and 8 tabled in the name of Rebecca Evans. 

Amendment 4—Rebecca Evans

Delete point 5 and renumber accordingly.

Amendment 5—Rebecca Evans

In point 6, delete sub-points b) and c) and replace with:

b) recognise the importance Planning Policy Wales places on cultural well-being through plan making and planning decisions, which supports the continued provision of cultural uses for communities through its approach to place making;

c) work to ensure that BAME history is embedded and reflected throughout the museum network in Wales and explore with community leaders future options to ensure this history is given rightful prominence.

Amendment 8—Rebecca Evans

In point 6, delete sub-points e) and f) and replace with:

e) work to ensure the Welsh language is at the heart of the workforce and output of the arts sector;

f) recognise the importance of Welsh language place names and continue to explore options to prevent them from being lost from the built and natural environments.

Amendments 4, 5 and 8 moved.

Formally, thank you.

Formally. Thank you to the Deputy Minister. So, I next call Leanne Wood.

On the weekend, I was tagged into a tweet of a photograph from 1965 asking me if I could identify the location from the background surroundings. The photograph was entitled 'Brass band, Wales', and it was taken by Evelyn Hofer. It turned out to be a picture of the Mid-Rhondda Band, which is still going strong despite the challenges that all entertainers face because of COVID. When I shared the photograph on my local Facebook page, it quickly became apparent that generations of the same families have played in that band, and the descendants and family members of the men in the photograph were popping up on my page, and we even saw family members united for the first time as a result of that photo share.

So, a picture taken on the site of a former colliery in 1965 in my home patch of Penygraig says so much about our culture, our history and the importance of music in it. And, of course, now, all of these bands are struggling. They've been playing together and making music for decades. They've been through thick and thin and now their futures may be threatened by COVID. Our choirs are the same; they can't practice and they can't entertain us. Of course, we all understand the reasoning and that the priority has to be to stop the spread of COVID, but we must also not lose sight of how much people get from music making and what happens to us when we can't access it. We have to find ways, where we can, to enable music making to happen. It's so important to so many people.

Returning to that photograph, it reminded me of the words of one of my favourites, Welsh Marxist cultural critic Raymond Williams, when he said, 'Culture is ordinary'. To me, that short and simple statement is so important. So many aspects of our everyday culture have been changed or taken away. I talked about the impact of music, but the same is the case with the performing arts, comedy and all other forms of live entertainment. People work hard, earn money, and on weekends we may like to escape with the help of the arts or by going down the pub or the club or even the local bingo hall. Culture is ordinary, and so the culture of workingmen's clubs is as significant and it is as worthy of protecting as the more traditionally thought of aspects of our culture. And that goes for venues that are important to people of colour, like the Paddle Steamer Cafe, or the black history museum in Butetown that would serve many more people than military museums looking at music or medicine. How is this happening on Labour's watch?

So many communities have lost their local library, and pubs and shops may have closed, as well as community centres. The pub or the workingmen's club may be the only venue left. If that goes, that's it, cultural connections will be lost. It also goes for those venues that are important to our young people or gay people, like nightclubs and late-night music venues often located in prime spots in town centres or city centres. These venues need protecting so that club culture can carry on after COVID, because in nightclubs, people can party in a safe environment instead of being potentially attracted to alternative events like illegal raves.

I'm making these points to ensure that this debate includes all forms of culture. There cannot and should not be a hierarchy; different groups have different cultural expressions and all are valid and all need protecting.

Well, this is the week that Cineworld has announced that it is closing all of its cinemas across the UK, affecting 5,500 jobs. Staff will be made temporarily redundant. There are two sites in north Wales, in Llandudno and Broughton. My heart goes out to anyone affected by the decision. This announcement was immediately followed by Odeon announcing the same thing. I am particularly upset by this development, as the cinema was my very first experience of going out to be entertained when I was a child. Seeing something new and exciting, it was a real occasion. I think that seeing a film on a big screen is many people's first experience of the arts, and for children the pictures and the annual pantomime, if you are lucky, is filled with wonderment, escapism and enjoyment. And just like that, it's gone. And there are venues up and down the country, small theatres, live music venues, comedy clubs—some may have tried to open to schedule events, only to be thwarted by local lockdowns. It's one step forward and many steps back.

When I first saw the title of the debate, I thought it was a timely and sensitive intervention by Plaid, but I was wrong yet again as I read on. I really do take exception, and I've stated this before, to hanging any sort of hat on the Black Lives Matter hook. Though this is great sentiment, I have deep concerns about the core aims of the actual movement, although Plaid can make its own case for supporting a movement that wants to dismantle the state.

We usually sit in Cardiff Bay. It used to be Tiger Bay, and its heritage is steeped in inclusivity and the coming together of different communities and a welcome home of its maritime heritage. It's a shame that before devolution education in Wales was very light on Welsh history; I think, and I hope, that this has now changed. I know my children held annual eisteddfods and went to school dressed up on 1 March every year, but while these festivals are in our DNA, I'm not convinced that we have been told or remember the historical or cultural significance of them. So, I think that more can be done to instil in our children a real sense of where they come from and how this fits into the UK and the wider world. But I do question where Plaid was when they were in Government between 2007 and 2011, or would they use the excuse that they were merely a junior partner? And where is the Welsh Government? They've been in power since 1999.

I'm a little disconcerted at the motion's focus only on artists, though. I'm deeply concerned about the cleaners, the door staff and the people who hang works of art on walls. There is also a complete supply chain for the entertainment industry who will be worrying about paying their bills too. I have to admit that you lost me on point 5 of your motion.

I reiterate what Laura Jones said earlier: my own understanding is that the proposal is for a museum of military medicine in Cardiff Bay. So, as a mum with a son who is a serving soldier, I am deeply proud of his military service, deeply proud of any veteran and deeply proud of the medical boundaries pushed during battlefield medical procedures. Plaid is scoring an epic own goal here, because a stated aim of this museum is to collect stories of Welsh soldiers serving in Welsh regiments. So, well done, Plaid—not.

I think that the financial support package compiled by the UK Government has been pretty comprehensive, although I know that many, especially self-employed people, have lost out and are hanging by a thread. There are many jobs that were viable before COVID and many that won't survive lockdown measures. This week's announcement will no doubt be followed by many others. You may have guessed that I do not advocate—[Inaudible.]—measures, and my group has never voted for the lockdown restrictions, because of things like this. This is the result you get through those. So, to those who voted for the lockdown measures and continue to do so: please own it.

I have to say I never enjoy contributions by Members who have absolutely nothing constructive to say. Some people love tearing into other people's motions and have absolutely nothing positive to say, so, well done, Mandy Jones—not.

May I focus my comments on the planning system and how that system needs to change in order to do its part in safeguarding our culture, the arts and our heritage? There may not be a clear connection between the two things, but we know that many locations that have been used to this end are now under threat because of the pandemic. Many have been forced to close because of the circumstances and, as a result, have lost income, and one is concerned that we will lose some of the sites because they may have to close permanently. Others may face financial difficulties, and all of that will create problems and pressures when it comes to the assets that they own, the buildings, or, if they rent, they may have to move. Many of these organisations and entities exist in locations that are very desirable, in urban locations, in striking buildings, period buildings very often, and we are already seeing how developers would see them as a very attractive prospect in terms of making a profit, and one is concerned that we would see flats and apartments and all sorts of things developed on these sites.

So, without sufficient support from the Welsh and UK Governments, there is a risk that we will lose many of these important venues and locations in the future. But there is an effective and cost-free way for the Government to safeguard these areas, by, of course, doing more within the planning system to control change of use—not to prevent change of use entirely, but as the motion says, to use

'the planning system to restrict and manage the ability' to change use while the pandemic continues to impact on the ability of those venues to fulfil their intended purposes. So, this would mean using the planning system to create some temporary firewall around these important arts venues, which are culturally very important, until the sector is back on its feet. Because if we lose these venues during this period, they won’t return. Once they’re sold and developed, the cultural, artistic and community and socially important venues that have been such an important feature of the heritage of so many communities across Wales will have been lost forever.

We recall how the planning system failed to protect music venues in the past. Many have closed because it’s more profitable for developers to do something with them rather than them remaining as music venues. We remember the Womanby Street campaign in Cardiff, which highlighted how absurd it was that music venues that were well established over many years had to face substantial costs in order to soundproof their buildings because nearby buildings had been used for residential purposes. Barfly and the Point, for example, in Cardiff were lost before Womanby Street was under threat, and we don’t want to see the same kind of scenarios arising again in this context because of the pandemic.

I also want to mention the fact that we continue to face a situation where historic Welsh place names have no defence from being changed and lost. This lack of statutory protection is disgraceful, in my view, particularly given the importance of these names in the context of the history and heritage of our nation. It’s three years since Dai Lloyd proposed a Bill in this Parliament, back in 2017, which would have provided that protection to historic place names in Wales. But, of course, we all recall how the Government opposed that. The names of fields, farms, houses and natural features are very important elements in terms of agricultural practices, local industries and of how the landscape has changed, but the Government refused to take action. It's these names that tell us who we are and where we've come from, and they are being lost, and they will be lost at an even quicker rate in years to come because we are seeing more and more people moving into our communities, and there's no doubt that further names will be lost.

The Government amendment to change this clause of the motion says it all, in my view: 'continue to explore options'. That's the Government's aim, in order to ensure that these names aren't lost. Well, where have you been for the last three years? What have you been doing since Plaid Cymru brought that proposed Bill forward, back in 2017? How much time does this Government need to consider this? Nations such as New Zealand have already taken action; they have already legislated. There are examples out there that we can emulate if we choose to do so. There are 18,000 people who signed a petition over the summer calling on the Senedd to legislate in order to prevent the loss of Welsh names. This fire is already burning, Deputy Minister. You've had plenty of time to consider options. Surely, the time has now come to take action.

Thank you very much to Plaid for putting forward this debate. I think it's given us an opportunity to discuss some of the more subtle challenges of beating this pandemic.

It seems to me that our arts and culture are so rich in Wales because so many of us care so much about our history, our storytelling and our music. But I want to start by thanking David Stacey, who has chaired the board of the Sherman Theatre for no less than 35 years, and who only stood down last week. He has been an indefatigable champion of the Sherman Theatre's innovative, challenging and award-winning work. The passion with which he has served the organisation since its inception is exemplary. Even though he is standing down from that role, I'm absolutely confident he will continue to hold people to account for promises made that are currently on hold because of the pandemic.

The Sherman's path-breaking work through the Sherman 5 to reach out to communities who do not normally go to the theatre—disabled people, low-income households, ethnic minority communities—is well recognised by the Arts Council of Wales and, I'm sure, the Welsh Government. This has given the Sherman the agility and the imagination to adapt its creative storytelling role, carrying on within the restrictions required to contain the COVID pandemic. The 'Tydfil Tales' is an excellent example of their way of working. Before the pandemic descended, students from Merthyr College had been visiting a local care home to interview residents about their lives as the basis for a new play. When COVID made live performances impossible, they simply adapted their dramatisation of the stories they had gathered into an audio format, so that care home residents have been able to share the 'Tydfil Tales' together. We hope that, in the future, we'll all be able to hear and indeed see the 'Tydfil Tales'. It's typical of how organisations can and must adapt to the current restrictions or risk falling silent forever.

Another amazing organisation in my constituency is Rubicon Dance, whose eclectic mix of dance opportunities for people of every age and ability has not ceased during the restrictions imposed by COVID. Many of you will have seen the quality of their work in the Senedd in better times. So, they initially started by making sure that they contacted people at the time when they normally attended classes in order to reach out and befriend people during lockdown, and now, like Mr Motivator or Joe Wicks, their online dance classes continue to offer exercise and creative expression to their students, and have been particularly enthusiastically received by the shyest students, who no longer feel inhibited to give full expression to their feelings, expressed through dance.

This doesn't mean that these organisations do not face challenges. The roof still leaks at the Sherman, and they no longer have receipts from ticket sales and cafe takings to pay for that. They have relied on an arts council stabilisation fund grant to invest in the IT infrastructure needed to hold their creative team together, and they managed to furlough 70 per cent of their staff through the coronavirus job retention scheme, which, however, comes to an end at the end of this month. They cannot extend their online performances without upgrading their website, for which they have now applied to the Welsh Government's cultural recovery fund.

Rubicon, too, had to suspend its renovation of the Roath library building on Newport Road, which was a community asset transfer from Cardiff Council. The roof leaks there, too, and the boiler is absolutely bust and does not work at all, so it's impossible to reopen it at the moment, but normal fundraising is impossible at the moment and so they've only managed to retain the current level of activity because of the dedication of their creatives and the generosity of some charitable trusts. How long they can go on for without additional funding is something that we all need to worry about.

The people I worry most about are the musicians in our communities, because, for them, the coronavirus restrictions have been particularly onerous. I know that Clwb Ifor Bach did attempt to reopen during the summer, when the lockdown was lifted, and were doing a reasonable business just as a bar in the city centre, on Womanby Street, but, when the 10 o'clock restrictions came, they felt they just had to close because 70 per cent of their takings were after 10 o'clock in the evening. So, now it is hard to know what organisations like Clwb Ifor Bach face, who have been so important in ensuring that we have a vibrant music industry in Cardiff and for developing the musical abilities and success of so many of our bands. So, I fear for the future for some of these organisations, particularly our musicians, and, so far, the support that's been available, particularly for freelancers, is insufficient to retain these people in the industries for which they are so well suited. So, we have very varied challenges and very significant challenges ahead, and we are absolutely not out of the woods. 

Well, there's much in this motion that I can agree with, in particular the importance of the arts. Having been a performer myself and appeared in shows at the Grand Theatre in Swansea and the New Theatre in Cardiff, as well as, I think, having had four sell-out shows at the Edinburgh festival, nobody needs to tell me of the importance of support for the arts in this country, and it is a tragedy what is now happening to it. But we also have to recognise that this is fundamentally, of course, ultimately, the result of COVID-19, but more immediately it's a result of the policy choices that have been made by the UK Government and the Welsh Government in how to deal with COVID-19.

It didn't need to be like this. The problems of the arts could have been so much more manageable but for the lockdown policies that have been imposed upon us all. Things like a maximum of 50 people in an auditorium in earlier times, and so on—no, sorry, this is something that is not found in other countries, like Sweden, for example, where a maximum of 50 people in a theatre was imposed, but nevertheless their industries have survived. The Swedish cinema chain Svenska Bio has remained operational and, as a result, has become Europe's biggest operator by box office revenue. And the latest figures for Sweden are that the number of people suffering critically or seriously from COVID in hospital has gone up from 15 to 20 in the entire country, whilst ours has been going up very rapidly because what we did as a result of the lockdown measures was not to stop the spread of the virus, but only to delay it. And the consequence has been vast economic damage as well as artistic damage done widely throughout the country. 

Of course, I agree entirely with what Leanne Wood said—it doesn't happen very often, but there was nothing in her speech that I disagreed with. Wales's social history, in all its diversity, does need to be commemorated, and I certainly do think that the role of ethnic minorities is a part of our history that we need to recognise and learn about, because that is part of Wales's history, but I don't believe that we should see everything through the prism of a kind of Black Lives Matter-skewed vision. Black Lives Matter, as I pointed out yesterday and as Mandy Jones has repeated, is actually a violent group, evidently anti-British and anti-Welsh. Their activists have desecrated war memorials, memorials of people who've given their lives to fight against racism and fascism, and they want to tear down statues like that of Sir Thomas Picton or the obelisk in Carmarthen. Picton, as David Melding has pointed out, was a flawed man but a man of his time, but, nevertheless, his military achievements were absolutely essential in winning the Napoleonic wars, and therefore keeping this country free from the clutches of a megalomaniac dictator who wanted to impose his rule on the whole of Europe and, in the process, re-impose slavery in the French West Indies.

So, yes, history is a checkerboard with black and white squares on it, and we should recognise them all. Black Lives Matter policies are open Marxism and Leanne Wood did refer to a Marxist philosopher in the course of her speech, but I don't know how many people who vote for Plaid Cymru actually believe in the kind of Marxist ideals that Black Lives Matter stands for—defunding the police, scrapping the army, opening the prisons and so on and so forth, dismantling capitalism, et cetera. Nobody in Wales beyond a few crackpots wants that.

I think the motion is spoilt by these kinds of references, because otherwise there's much at a practical level in this that I could vote for: for example, recognising the role of freelancers and properly supporting them; using the planning system imaginatively to enable arts institutions to survive; introducing statutory protections to avoid the loss of Welsh language place names—I can agree with that, and I can agree on the importance of preserving and developing and enhancing the Welsh language. But we have to recognise ultimately that the arts are going to be permanently damaged by the overall legislative scheme that all the people who are going to vote for this motion today have voted through this Senedd. I know these are hard policy choices to make but, fundamentally, the overreaction to COVID and, instead of concentrating on protecting the vulnerable, imposing a sledgehammer lockdown on everybody, has done enormous damage to our economy, enormous damage to our social life and, ultimately, to the mental well-being of the people of Wales.

The UK Tory Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, yesterday was asked what was his message to musicians, actors and freelancers in the arts, and the Chancellor eventually told ITN that everyone is having to adapt. Quite frankly, that is not good enough. Llywydd, musicians, actors and freelancers in the arts are integral to the cultural and economic soul of our great nation. It is imperative that this Senedd, this Welsh Parliament, refuses to let the UK Government stand by idly and sacrifice our cultural landscape during this pandemic.

Since my election to this place, I have strived to establish musical events and I'm privileged to now chair the cross-party group on music. Through this group, we have sought to bring together key stakeholders from across the entire music sector in Wales, from music educators to world-class orchestras, community choirs, brass bands and international artists. From the meeting of this key group, it was very apparent how devastating the impact of COVID-19 has been to the entire music sector in Wales. 

From this meeting, three key themes emerged from the challenges facing musicians: guidance around assuming activities; financial support for professionals in the music sector; a strategy for their sustainability. These challenges were shared with key Ministers from Welsh Government, and further to my correspondence I was grateful to the Deputy Minister for culture for meeting urgently with me to discuss these issues raised by the CPG. I know that we will all want to, as stated already, see music practice and performance resume safely as soon as this is possible and, of course, this has got to be guided by science. 

However, there remains a need for greater clarity in the existing Welsh Government guidance around music, and this needs urgent specification now. For instance, music teachers who work in private practice and in people's homes need clarity over how they can continue their work as safely as possible, complying with the rules. Community bands and choirs want clarification on how they can return safely to socially distanced rehearsal. There's also a need for specific guidance to be provided for musical instrumental performance teaching in schools. Music education, as the Minister knows, is key to skills, well-being, career pathways and attainment. 

The need, though, for further cultural UK Treasury funding to Wales means that these measures are continually adapting, but I would strongly articulate during this debate that assurances on those matters raised with the Minister be provided to the Senedd as a matter of urgency, and that further and specific guidance, as called for by the sector, will be issued for musicians by the Welsh Government.

The second major issue raised was the number of musicians that have fallen between the gaps, despite Welsh Government efforts and the funding provided by furlough and other schemes. So, I greatly welcomed last week's Welsh Government launch of the freelance £2,500 grant. But I hear, as in successive schemes, today that, just days on, it is oversubscribed and closed in the first phase. So, this demonstrates, surely, the level and scale of the benefit to the economy of music in Wales, and demonstrates the underestimation of the need for this Wales-only fund. We need more funding, though, from the UK. So, how is this being articulated by the Minister to the UK Government as the Minister responsible for music in Wales?

Finally, Llywydd, the letter from the CPG outlined the sector's continuing and deepening call for a national music strategy for Wales, and an underpinning music education plan and the actioning of the Welsh Government feasibility study on the future of music support services across Wales. A Welsh network of accessible, equitable pupil access to a music support service and instrumental tuition should not in Wales, surely, be based on postcode, the whim of a headteacher and, overall, the depth of a parent's pocket.

We must be creating made-in-Wales employment pathways and professional interaction with the new curriculum in areas of creative learning. Class practitioners often have no or little experience. Wales must lead the way here, and I call again for the resolution of this and an end to the erosion of instrumental teaching across Wales. Culture, historically, has always felt the poor relation in public spending, but I also know that the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, values greatly and understands that this is not just about the economy, culture or livelihoods—it is also about the type of Wales this Government sees for the future and sells to the wider world, and I know he has a deep passion for Wales's cultural soul and the need to save it. So, now, Minister, is that time, and you will have my full and unequivocal support in doing that. I support the motion.

I call on the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism to contribute—Dafydd Elis-Thomas. You need to—

Thank you, I'm doing that now. Can you hear me now?

Excellent.

Okay, thank you very much. I'd like to thank Plaid Cymru for bringing this motion forward, which has given us an opportunity to have such a varied and valuable debate. I think this is the most comprehensive debate on culture and the arts that we've had during my period in this role. I will seek to respond to some of the points made by everyone who contributed if I have enough time. I think I have around eight minutes, do I, Llywydd? Something of that nature.

Siân Gwenllian said that I and the Government didn't place the arts at the heart of our activities, but we have placed Creative Wales at the centre of our policies and we are now developing activity through Creative Wales and investing in that. The investment in Seren Stiwdios was criticised, but, of course, developing international film output along with the development of the industry in Wales goes hand in hand. As people have an opportunity of working on the international stage, then standards can be raised.

Laura Anne Jones discussed the future potential of a military medical museum in Wales. Of course, we already have a small military museum, the Firing Line, which I was associated with years ago, and I think it is important that we realise that these developments will be private developments—they're not part our national museum system—and therefore I doubt very much whether we will be called upon to fund or support them.

Leanne Wood took us back into that wonderful world of brass bands—again a tradition that I know she appreciates and, with family coming from Blaenau Ffestiniog as I do, I also appreciate it, and this is a central part of our musical tradition and one that we must struggle to maintain, even throughout these difficult times. And of course she ingratiated herself to me once again by quoting my great mentor, Raymond Williams. 'Culture is ordinary' is the strapline of this department of culture, and always will be.

She referred to the development of a black history museum. This is something we have not actually discussed in detail. The question that we have to face is whether this should be a further distinctive museum or whether we should recognise that the nationality of Wales must—must—give appropriate and full status, especially in this part of south-east Wales, to the black and other minority communities and the diverse nationalities that are part of our history. So, it's a question of how we develop that.

Mandy Jones stressed the importance of the cinema, and again I warm to that because in the dim and distant past I was a member of the British Film Institute. I think the experience of cinema and the public enjoyment of film is a very difficult thing to restore, but I hope that will develop soon.

Thank you very much, Llyr, for addressing the issues around the planning system. We are very eager as a Government to see how we can use the planning system in order to safeguard historic buildings. 'Planning Policy Wales' already sets out how music and arts venues can be supported as part of regeneration, and we are aware also that it's important that the class use order does allow some changes to use without there being a need for a planning application, but this is limited to heritage, arts and cultural activity, and I'm eager to ensure that we can retain that.

Thank you, Jenny Rathbone, for your references to David Stacey and the great legacy of Sherman Theatre and also your support for Rubicon Dance, with which I have strong connections. I was pleased to be able to visit the Roath library building and I hope that what is a central building, really, in the middle of Cardiff, and has great architectural value—I very much hope that there can be funding, a combination of private and public funding, made available for the revitalisation of this place for Rubicon Dance.

Clwb Ifor Bach: I was one of the original contributors to the setting up of that club, and, again, you're absolutely right, we must try and ensure that we can find a way of ensuring that these music venues—which we have funded, by the way; we have given limited funding to music venues already. It was one of the first things we did as a Government as this crisis developed.

Neil Hamilton regaled us with his performance at the Edinburgh festival; I wish I could have seen it. But he also emphasised the importance of the public health impact of lockdown measures and made some comparisons with Sweden. Well, unfortunately, Wales is not Sweden, and the kind of social and political culture that exists there is not exactly replicated in Wales. But he also said some supportive things about the position of ethnic minorities, but I don't think he was so keen on Black Lives Matter. I think Black Lives Matter is very important because it's an international movement of the black community and is very much strongly reflected in the black communities in north and south Wales, and I think it's our duty as a Government to indicate that where we can we support activities that are community-based around the black community.

Rhianon Passmore is always very strong on support for music and she asked for greater clarity on guidance, especially guidance for private music teachers, and, certainly, I will have another look at this following our discussion. 

I think I've referred to most of the people who have spoken, so again, I'm very grateful for this opportunity to respond, and I will study anything else that was said in the debate that I haven't specifically referred to.

I haven't been able to refer to everything, but we will have a look at the Record, and I will be in touch with any Members that I haven't referred to already. So, thank you for the opportunity to celebrate the light of the arts in the darkness that we are currently in because of the pandemic. Thank you very much.

I call on Helen Mary Jones to reply to the debate.

Diolch, Llywydd, and can I thank everybody who has contributed to this debate? I think the number of people who've contributed—and indeed the number of amendments that were tabled—show us how important the parties across this Senedd take our responsibilities towards the arts sector. I should be clear at this point that I am speaking for my party here, not as Chair of the culture committee, but much of the evidence that the culture committee has taken has influenced our motion today.

Siân Gwenllian has painted a very stark picture of the position of the sector now; she talks about the interconnectedness and the vital need to support the Welsh-medium sector, and to support our institutions.

Laura Anne Jones's contribution was a little bit confused to me, really. I very much welcome what she had to say about amendment 9; we're accepting that, we feel that that's very important. I know that my colleagues Elin Jones, the Llywydd, and Ben Lake have written to the Government with their concerns, as have I, about our national library. It is a vital institution, of course.

With regard to amendment 2, I mean, nobody is going to say 'no' to money, but other speakers in this debate have referred to what Rishi Sunak said yesterday, and I think that shows a lack of respect, to be honest.

When it comes to a amendment 3, we need to be clear here: I am nobody's pacifist, and as to disrespect for the military, my father served on active service all the way through the second world war, so there is no disrespect to the military from this side of the house. But these are questions of priorities. Our current museums are full of military history in many, many aspects. When you look at our—[Interruption.] I wish I could take an intervention, but the current rules do not allow, Darren Millar, as well you know. It is about priorities. Our museums are full of military memorabilia; they could often, I'm sure, be better portrayed and the story better told, but we believe that a museum to reflect this community in which we sit, a museum for black people and people of colour, is a higher priority, and I was glad to hear the Minister say that despite their amendment, they're not taking this off the table. I'm quite surprised, given what I thought was an excellent contribution by Laura Anne Jones to yesterday's anti-racist debate, that she doesn't agree with me that this is important.

Leanne Wood's contribution was about how deeply rooted arts and music are in our history and in our culture. I love the phrase—as does the Minister indeed—that culture is ordinary; it is ordinary and extraordinary at the same time, and all forms of culture matter.

I think Llyr Gruffydd has said probably everything that needs to be said in response to Mandy Jones. Llyr, of course, speaks very strongly about the importance of protecting our venues and the long-term consequences if they are not protected. It is clear that the current planning system does not allow for that: the evidence that was taken by the committee made that very clear, and it's the same situation with our ancient place names. We are losing ancient place names on a daily, weekly basis in many of the communities that I represent, and we can't wait while more options are considered.

I felt that Jenny Rathbone's contributions about the importance of arts in her own constituency were extremely valuable and very welcome, as were Rhianon Passmore's. Her passion for music is well known and she made some very positive and strong contributions here.

I'm grateful to the Deputy Minister for his positive response to the debate, and I suppose I should also be grateful to him that the Government has paid our motion more respect than to do that all-too-common 'delete all and replace', but we can't accept their amendments. I don't have time to go through all of the reasons why, but essentially what the Government amendments do is to water down our motion. It's a little bit back to telling us that everything is all right. Well, people who work in the sector tell us, people who need the sector for their emotional well-being tell us that not everything is right. It is not, of course, Llywydd, our contention that the Government has done and is doing nothing, but they have not done enough.

In conclusion, we know that the arts and cultural sector are a vital industry in Wales. If we added up all the jobs that are at risk, they would be as big a threat to our economy as many of our big institutions like Airbus, like the steel industry. But because they're made up so much by individuals, freelancers, small institutions, we perhaps don't see that economic importance as we should, and we must value that vital economic contribution.

But, as other speakers have said in this debate, arts and culture is about much more than that. The arts is about who we are, about how we express ourselves, how we explain ourselves to each other, how we understand our past and our present and how we map our future. I think this is true globally, but here in Wales our history tells us how important the arts have always been, from the middle ages onwards. We must protect them through these hard times or future generations will never forgive us. The Welsh Government's response is not enough, and I commend our motion as it stands, amended by amendment 9, to the Senedd.

The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? [Objection.] I've heard some objections. Therefore, I defer voting under this item until voting time.

Voting deferred until voting time.