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.