7. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's plans to celebrate St David's Day? OQ57549

Llywydd, I thank Rhys ab Owen for the question. We will celebrate St David’s Day at home and overseas, using our national day to raise the profile and awareness of Wales across the world. My own St David’s Day schedule includes virtual events in Japan and Germany, and face-to-face meetings with representatives of Quebec, Canada and key European partners.

Thank you very much, First Minister. It's good to hear the news of what is happening with the Welsh diaspora. It is a wonderful way to enhance Wales's profile across the globe. But it's a disappointment, but not a shock, to read once again that the Westminster Government is refusing to make St David's Day a bank holiday, but, of course, it's not just the Tories that have rejected this; the Labour Government also rejected the idea in 2002, after a request from the Assembly. It's good to see cross-party support here in favour of making St David's Day a bank holiday, and I very much hope that this can be part of the sixth Senedd, that we generate that cross-party support. Will the First Minister encourage other councils to, like Gwynedd Council and Aberystwyth Town Council, give a day's holiday to their staff on St David's Day, and has the First Minister spoken to the Labour Party in Westminster and has he been told that they wouldn't reject a request from this place once again? Thank you.

Llywydd, what I want to see is the responsibility being transferred to the Senedd for us here to have the opportunity to legislate to have a bank holiday on St David's Day. I think it's in the hands of the Senedd that would be the best place to make those decisions. They are with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland already. It's only in Wales that we can't make the decisions for ourselves on that subject. And I want to do it that way because I want to see a bank holiday for everyone here in Wales, not just people who work for councils or people working in the public sector, but all of us having an opportunity to celebrate St David's Day in that way, and that's why I want to see the powers in the hands of the Senedd to make those decisions that are better for us here in Wales on an important issue for the people of Wales such as St David's Day.

And finally, question 8, Jane Dodds. We can't hear Jane Dodds at th at the moment. If you'll just wait a second. Thank you.