20. Debate on the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Report: 'Exploring the devolution of broadcasting: How can Wales get the media it needs?

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:49 pm on 24 March 2021.

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Photo of Siân Gwenllian Siân Gwenllian Plaid Cymru 5:49, 24 March 2021

(Translated)

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. It's more important than ever to secure the devolution of broadcasting to Wales, not only for the benefit of our democracy, but, as the pandemic has demonstrated, for the benefit of our public health too. Plaid Cymru therefore welcomes this report enthusiastically. For the first time in the history of Welsh politics, we have a cross-party consensus in favour of the devolution of at least some elements of broadcasting to Wales. We must pay particular tribute to Bethan Sayed, as the committee Chair, for her leadership on this specific issue. You've been pushing hard for this over the past five years, I know. Thank you, Bethan, for your passion, and thank you for your perseverance in so many areas, and particularly for your role in laying firm foundations for this committee as an integral part of our national Parliament for the future. 

Plaid Cymru has argued for some time that powers over broadcasting in Wales should be in the hands of the Senedd rather than in the hands of the Westminster establishment that knows virtually nothing, and cares less about our communities. And to be entirely clear, a Plaid Cymru-led Government would commit to seek to ensure the powers for broadcasting are devolved to Wales. Will other parties also commit to do the same? Well, we will see quite soon. The devolution of broadcasting would help people living in Wales to better understand what's happening within their own nation without having to receive misinformation from the Westminster-based media, who simply can't understand devolution, as we have seen far too often over the period of the pandemic, unfortunately. It would also provide a much-needed opportunity for us to build diverse Welsh media, which would reflect the needs and interests of contemporary Wales as a maturing democracy.

In turning now to S4C, is there any other nation in the world that provides the powers over its main channel and public broadcaster to another nation? It was good to hear David Melding explaining that that simply isn't the case in other nations. S4C operates in accordance with a remit decided by the UK Government, which has a statutory duty to ensure that S4C is sufficiently funded. As the committee said, that situation is a very unusual situation—that powers for S4C are held in London rather than in our own nation. The establishment of S4C back in 1982 was a huge boost for our nation, for our identity and our culture. As it happens, I was fortunate to be involved with that campaign back in the 1980s. There's far more that needs to be done, and there's a great deal of work to build on the successes of S4C. But we must acknowledge that the political climate is very unstable, and we need to be very mindful of the interests of the channel. 

According to the report, the sixth Senedd should include a committee that discuses media policy as a central part of its remit. And I would have thought that, ultimately, we need far more than a committee; we need an independent body, independent of Government, in order to have that debate on the media in Wales. It's a discussion, of course, for the next Senedd now—