Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:44 pm on 3 February 2021.
Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd also like to thank the committee for the report and for contributions made this afternoon. I was very pleased that of the 31 recommendations we've been able to accept the vast majority. Those that we haven't been able to accept were those that were outside the Government's responsibility.
So, may I just briefly explain what our approach is in this area, namely by working through the new public body that we have as part of Welsh Government, but operating independently, namely Creative Wales? My expectation is that there will be a music action plan for the whole of Wales and that Creative Wales will develop that plan particularly for the commercial music industry. The action plan that we hope to see put in place through Creative Wales will work on the short-term issues that are required to respond to the public health crisis that has faced us and continues to face us. But it's important too that it looks at longer term plans in terms of the role of live music in Wales in a global market.
We recognise, of course, that live music was one of the most negatively impacted by the public health crisis, but we have provided support to over 70 music businesses. And that means that we've been able to support venues, recording studios and rehearsal spaces that have been seriously impacted. We have provided over £4 million to deal with that situation and that's been done through Creative Wales and directly from other Government support funds.
Our intention is to keep music businesses alive and we have placed specific emphasis, of course, on the situation facing those working on a freelance basis. We do accept that there will be a need for further funding and that will be implemented through Creative Wales, as well as through the music development fund that's already been mentioned. There will be a music development fund. We're currently considering our options in terms of providing additional support, in addition to the £8.9 million already issued to freelancers. There is urgency in this area and we're pleased to have got substantial funds out at an early stage in this crisis. We're also continuing to look at the importance of supporting and assisting talent development projects, such as Beacons and Momentum, and these, hopefully, will also be a fundamental part of the music action plan.
The assistance that we have provided to the AM project, brought about by PYST, has been a huge success and I'm grateful to them for the way in which they've taken advantage of that opportunity. Our collaborative approach to responding to challenges will continue. This genuine partnership approach is embedded in the work of the music team within Creative Wales, local authorities and everyone else involved in promoting and supporting the commercial music industry. Thank you very much.