We move now to item 6, Welsh Conservatives debate, making St David's Day a bank holiday. I call on Tom Giffard to move the motion.

Motion NDM7932 Darren Millar, Lesley Griffiths, Siân Gwenllian, Jane Dodds

Supported by Natasha Asghar, Peter Fox

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Believes that Saint David’s Day should be a bank holiday.

Motion moved.

Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi, Dirprwy Lywydd. Can I start by wishing you and everyone in this Chamber a very happy St David's Day? I am not a day late; I'm 364 days early instead. [Laughter.] There you go.

It's a real honour for me to open this Welsh Conservative debate today, tabled in the name of Darren Millar, and today's debate is simply one line, and it's that this Senedd

'Believes that Saint David's Day should be a bank holiday.'

To that end, I'm delighted to see that Members from Plaid Cymru, the Labour Party and Jane Dodds have all co-submitted this motion too. I really hope that the result of this debate today will be a true cross-party consensus on making our national day a bank holiday.

On that point—and I really didn't want to make a party political point today, but I felt I had to respond—I was really disappointed to see the education Minister yesterday in the media say that the Welsh Government had a long-standing campaign and that he was delighted to see the Welsh Conservatives lend their support. I remind the Minister—and it's disappointing that he's not here—that the Welsh Conservatives here in the Senedd have been calling for it for over a decade. [Interruption.] Well, I was very interested to see how long standing that Welsh Government support had been, so I looked back through the Record of Proceedings and I noted that, in 2018, Julie James, who was in Government at that time, said in a Plenary meeting, and I quote,

'I don't think we have any plans at all to make St David's Day a national public holiday'.

That was four years ago, so I'm delighted that the Welsh Government is now supporting the Welsh Conservatives' long-standing campaign. But, nevertheless, in the spirit of cross-party co-operation, I digress. But it's not only the 60 of us sat in this Chamber and on Zoom who think St David's Day should be a bank holiday, this is something that Welsh people support too. Not only did 10,000 people recently sign a petition calling for St David's Day to become a bank holiday, but a BBC Wales poll showed that 87 per cent of people in Wales also supported the idea. 

We also know there are significant economic benefits to the day becoming a bank holiday. According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research, retail sales are traditionally boosted by 15 per cent for a bank holiday, with hospitality and catering boosted by 20 per cent. And, after facing tough measures and trying to bounce back from the pandemic, wouldn't it be a welcome change for these industries to have that long-term added benefit to them as well? There would be huge economic benefits for Wales if it were to happen. A 2018 study found that giving a bank holiday gave UK small shops an average extra boost of £253 in profit. That could boost the Welsh economy by millions of pounds. And, in 2019, before coronavirus struck, two bank holidays gave a boost of £118 million to small and medium-sized businesses in the UK. 

And I think there are huge cultural benefits too, and a bank holiday on our national day gives us the opportunity to promote Wales to the rest of the world. Several organisations have already given their staff a St David's Day bank holiday, including Snowdonia National Park Authority. I believe that celebrations of this day shouldn't be just limited to those people, but all people across Wales. I also think that this bank holiday would be a fitting way to celebrate our heritage and our culture, alongside that economic and tourism boost—giving that industry a well-earned boost after the pandemic. Public holidays allow people to have additional recreational time, which typically helps create a positive impact on tourism and hospitality, and it would be a really welcome stimulus to the tourism industry, as bank holidays add around £50 million to tourism alone for the UK economy.

The Welsh Conservatives believe that a St David's Day bank holiday would draw thousands of visitors to our country to mark our special day, providing the Welsh economy and tourism with that big boost. And it works: a Scottish Parliament consultation found that respondents were supportive of the idea that the St Andrew's Day bank holiday boosted tourism in Scotland. St David's Day being made into a bank holiday is a fitting way to show the culture and history to the world. Campaigns such as Love Wales, Love Taste are helping to champion St David's Day across Wales and the rest of the UK, to celebrate Welsh food and drink. [Interruption.] I'm sitting next to the Member for the Vale of Clwyd, who is a keen advocate of the Denbigh plum. [Laughter.] There we go. It's nice for someone else to get that in the Record of Proceedings for a change.

We should be celebrating all that Wales has to offer and allow for as many people as possible to experience Wales's rich culture and history, and having a bank holiday would only help to champion those values. Yesterday, St David's Day was celebrated across the world by the Welsh diaspora. The Wales in London Society hosted a dinner at the Guildhall; the New York Welsh society celebrated at the Liberty NYC bar, in the shadow of the Empire State Building; and the Kansai St David's Society in Osaka, Japan, are hosting a week of virtual events that celebrate Wales. After the impact of COVID disruptions, isn't it great to see that celebrations are finally getting back to normal after a lengthy break, both in Wales and across the world? St David's Day is the perfect opportunity to enhance our country's global reputation, forging links with a wide range of people from all corners of the world. 

People all across Wales should be able to enjoy a bank holiday on St David's Day, and it would be a wonderful moment for our country to celebrate and unite around our heritage and our culture. Those in Scotland and Northern Ireland have a bank holiday to celebrate their patron saints, with the Scottish Parliament making it a bank holiday in 2006, and the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2000. And I now believe that it's time for Wales to follow suit and have the same for our patron saint.

But it is important that we bear in mind that it's not the only reason to have a bank holiday, that others have them too, but that it's a day when we can consider our culture and our heritage. This could be a day when we consider what it means to be Welsh in the year 2022. And, for me, the answer isn't cawl, rugby or dragons, but a modern Wales, and communities across the nation—communities who come together when times are tough. The Wales that I recognise is the Wales that dealt with coronavirus by going shopping on behalf of their neighbours; the Wales that I recognise is one that establishes community groups to help each other with things like mental health, for example; and the Wales that I recognise is one that stands united with the people of Ukraine. Of course, we are still the land of bards and song, but we are also a land of empathy. 

So, I'm really proud to be Welsh and I know that Wales has so much to offer the world, and I'm relentlessly optimistic about its future too. And I'll end by quoting our Prime Minister, who said yesterday,

'In short it is Wales and the Welsh who make the UK what it is today.'

And I couldn't agree more. 

I thank the Conservatives for bringing this debate before us, but I'd like to start today by taking you back on a history tour—not back to the age of David and the early saints, but far enough back to a time when Tom Giffard was wearing the short trousers of primary school and Gareth Davies was eating the Denbigh plum on his mother's lap, when Jack Sargeant had no beard and when I had a lot more hair on my head. Yes, 22 years ago to the first St David's Day at the National Assembly for Wales. In the Chamber in Tŷ Hywel, my father led a debate proposing that St David's Day become a bank holiday. He said this in opening the debate 22 years and a day ago:  

'St David’s Day is more than a celebration. It is our national day and the day when we, the people of Wales, at home and the world over, can celebrate our past and present and charge our batteries for future endeavours.'

The proposal received unanimous support a lot longer ago than a decade, Tom Giffard. It had the unanimous support of the Assembly, support from all parties, including the Welsh Conservatives. But, in 2002, following delays and the dragging of feet, Paul Murphy, the Secretary of State, rejected the Assembly's request. And in 2005, with the Assembly now in its second term, and with Peter Hain as Secretary of State, my father asked for an update from Rhodri Morgan, and Rhodri's answer was:

'Westminster has rejected the Assembly's request, but negotiations are still ongoing.' Well, I don't know if they're still ongoing—

—now, but they haven't been very successful so far, have they? 

And again in 2021, following a request by Gwynedd Council, the proposal to give Wales a bank holiday was rejected by the Westminster Government. Deja vu, groundhog day—call it what you like—but we've been here before. Despite the united voice of the Assembly and the Senedd on this issue, we've not made any progress in 22 years. Westminster Governments of every stripe—Labour, Conservative and even Liberal Democrats—and none of them have designated St David's Day as a bank holiday. Five Prime Ministers, seven Secretaries of State, all have said 'no'. This is not a partisan problem. We see today, as we saw 22 years ago, unanimous cross-party support in this Senedd. The problem is Westminster. Time and time again, we are being ignored. 

If the United Kingdom is a union of equals, as the muscular unionists and the not-so-muscular unionists like to throw around, then there would be parity between the nations—an equal opportunity for us to celebrate, to dance, to sing and to rest on the day of our patron saint. And as Tom Giffard said, during the past 22 years, Scotland and Northern Ireland have created extra bank holidays to celebrate their patron saints, and I hope our English neighbours will do the same soon. We're not asking for—.

Will you take an intervention?

Of course.

I hesitate to stop you in full flow, but you say it's not the parties that are the problem, but Westminster. Would you therefore agree with me that rather than pass motions and send these requests to Westminster, these powers should be here for us to determine and for us to decide?

Funny you say that, Alun, as my next sentence will be, 'For Wales needs to be able to decide when we have our own bank holidays.' [Laughter.] 

Instead of that, we're like Oliver Twist, aren't we, holding out our begging bowls, hoping for a few crumbs. Well, we should not have to rely on the charity of another Government to ensure that the day of our patron saint is a bank holiday. It was lovely to hear Tom Giffard speaking Welsh on Radio Cymru yesterday morning, and lovely to hear you speak Welsh today—stick with it, friend, do it again—but I regretted the fact that you then said on Radio Cymru that a bank holiday from May should be moved to 1 March. Well, more bank holidays are what are needed, Tom, not the status quo; creating equality with our friends in Scotland and Northern Ireland. There are 11 in Scotland, 10 in Northern Ireland, but only eight in England and Wales. Why? It doesn't make any sense.

I believe that the Welsh Government can follow in the footsteps of Gwynedd Council and designate a de facto bank holiday here in Wales. The leadership of Gwynedd Council has led to Snowdonia national park, Aberystwyth Town Council and a number of third sector organisations giving their workers a bank holiday.

Let me say that a lot has changed since the St David's Day debate in 2000, constitutionally and, of course, for us, personally—happy times and sad times; times of gain and times of loss. After all, 22 years is a long time. During that time, my father—.

I'll finish with this now, Dirprwy Lywydd.

During that time, my father has lost the ability to speak entirely, but his words, and through them his voice, remain. He ended his speech by quoting the last words of our patron saint,

'Brothers and sisters, rejoice and keep your faith and your belief, and do the little things.'

My father, Deputy Presiding Officer, went further by saying this:

'Note the words "byddwch lawen", which mean celebrate, be joyful and, who knows, maybe even take the day off? Who are we to ignore the great man’s wishes?'

Well, friends, 22 years on, not only have the wishes of the great man, St David, been ignored, but also, time and time again—

You do need to conclude now.

—the unanimous voice of the Assembly and the Senedd. I sincerely hope, friends, that we will not be back here in another 22 years having the same debate. Thank you very much.

To start, I am a proud Welshman.

As a proud Welshman, I do echo the words of Rhys ab Owen and his father in what he just said there. This is a really welcome debate today, and it is great to see that the motion is laid by all parties of the Senedd. I do hope that the UK Government are not only listening, but that they are listening with an intention to make sure that we can make this decision here in our Parliament.

Tom Giffard, you're right: we don't have enough bank holidays, as Rhys ab Owen echoed. What better day to have an extra bank holiday than on St David's Day? It's a great opportunity to celebrate Wales, but also, for many, just to get some time back.

But it's worth remembering, Dirprwy Lywydd, that not everyone gets a bank holiday off, and we should be looking further at improving ways to improve their work-life balance as well. Members will know that I'm a keen advocate of a four-day week, because I recognise that giving people time back offers a benefit in productivity. We recognise that we work the longest hours in Europe, yet we have a lower productivity rate than most.

For those wondering in these conversations today whom to thank in the past for those bank holidays that we have here in the United Kingdom, it's the trade unions. My message today to Members across the Chamber and to the people of Wales is to join a union; join the fight in solidarity with our comrades for a better work-life balance.

Deputy Presiding Officer, I won't test your patience, as others have in this debate, but can I please finish on this comment by endorsing our bold leader—our bold First Minister—and his message just yesterday, where he called for random acts of Welshness? By that, he meant good deeds. Spread the act of Welshness and spread the act of kindness, whether that's eating a leek, planting a Denbigh plum tree, drinking some Wrexham Lager or whatever it is you might do. But, please, spread that Welshness and spread that kindness, friends, on St David's Day and every single day across the year. Diolch yn fawr.

My thanks to Darren Millar for tabling this afternoon's motion. Members of the Siambr who follow me on social media will know that this is a cause that I am incredibly passionate about. Like Rhys ab Owen, I sincerely hope we're not still here in 22 years' time debating this very topic. However, I don't wish to use my brief remarks this afternoon to dwell on the politics. I'd rather talk about the many things that make Wales and the Welsh great and worthy of a national bank holiday, to celebrate and recognise the enormous contribution that our people, culture, and history have made to not only the United Kingdom but to the world.

Firstly, our culture and our sense of hiraeth, our nation's belonging and our longing for our nation, the notion that no matter how far from Wales you are your ears will prick up when you hear a word or two of Welsh or a Welsh accent. You'll inevitably have mutual friends or acquaintances. I saw this first-hand when, as a teenager, I visited the Gambia in Africa. One morning, I heard 'bore da' from one of the local Gambian tour guides, Mustapha Bojang, who would end up showcasing his beautiful country to us, and he had friends in Saundersfoot. And from our eisteddfodau and cymanfa ganus or even the Urdd's jamborees, our history of storytelling, singing and of coming together to revel in our culture is a cornerstone of what makes Wales great. 

Speaking of 'great' brings me on to my second point, which is our sport, a source of social cohesion and national ambition. Wales is the homeland of an undisputed boxing champion, a Tour de France winner, Grand Slam victors, Grand Slam darts winners, and champion Olympic gold medallists. Our sport is a tool for tackling poor mental health and a leverage for inward investment. Without doubt, sport has transformed lives and enhanced communities across Wales. And whilst we may be a small nation, we always seem to find ourselves punching well above our weight and defying the odds—not bad for a nation with just over 3 million people. But this brings me back to that sense of cohesion, belonging and community. Our sporting heroes are amongst us here in Wales, not faraway idols. I believe we're closer to our sports superstars than many other countries, and so we share in their victories and their defeats more so than some other nations.

This brings me on to my third point, our community. Speaking today and having witnessed our response to the war and conflict in Ukraine, it is unquestionable that Wales in 2022 is an open, tolerant and compassionate nation, whose humanity and empathy exist beyond our own borders and communities. And that is exactly what makes Wales so incredibly special. Our spirit of community is entrenched in every institution, every tradition, and every practice. It marks the very foundations of this very Senedd, and it is a characteristic that each and every one of us in this Siambr share.

This brings me on to my fourth point, our long and rich history of Welsh men and women serving in our armed forces. We are all aware of our deep historical tradition and commitment in the Welsh armed forces, a tradition that has seen the Royal Welsh battlegroup deployed to Estonia to support our European and NATO allies in efforts to support Ukraine and fight back against aggression. As well as those serving, Wales is a proud home to a number of veterans, and just yesterday it was announced by the UK Government that Colonel James Phillips was appointed Wales's first ever veterans commissioner, someone who our veterans can rely on to enhance support and scrutinise Government policy.

And finally, my fifth point, our language. Everyone speaks the language with pride, and that's the exact point: the Welsh language belongs to everyone and it plays a crucial role in our heritage, our history and our culture. Yesterday, I stood here and talked about how a nation's identity is not only based on culture and tradition, but also on community.

As I finish, I reflect on the words of Laugharne's most famous son, Dylan Thomas, who said of Wales, 'The land of my fathers? My fathers can have it!' Dare I say it, Dirprwy Lywydd, the Welsh poet is as wrong now as he was then. Indeed, Wales is the best place on earth, and I believe it is only right that we have a national holiday to reflect and recognise that. Diolch.

May I thank the Conservatives for bringing this issue forward, and thank Tom for opening this debate? It was wonderful to hear you make a contribution in Welsh. Thank you for that.

We can have a little competition, I think, between ourselves in the Welsh liberals and Welsh Labour, because bank holidays were actually first introduced in 1871 by Sir John Lubbock, who was a Liberal MP who drafted the Bank Holidays Bill. However, I would pay tribute to the trade unions, who have absolutely embedded in our culture that sense that we need a work-life balance. COVID, as we've all learned, haven't we, has actually made us rethink our lives in terms of what's important to us, and maybe what's not so important to us now, which is about not working our socks off, but having that time with our family and our friends and our communities is actually what's important. As we've heard—and again, Jack has mentioned this—it's really important we remember all of those people who work through bank holidays and through weekends as well. We need to pay tribute to them—our care workers, our shop workers, our factory workers, those working in health. We need to make sure that they are properly supported and compensated as well.

We all remember, those of us who were at school, those eisteddfods, those Dydd Gŵyl Dewis where we would dress up. For me, my hat, when I was about six years old, was actually bigger than me. We all remember those eisteddfods that we would have throughout the day as children, and we would be celebrating Dydd Gŵyl Dewi. That's what we need to think about in terms of us moving forward. We've heard that Wales is the most amazing country. We've got the Welsh language, we've got plygains. Don't forget, in mid and west Wales, we have those celebrations of plygain, which is about singing. We've got sheep. We've got sheep that beat any other country in the world. We've got our culture. We've got sport, we've got so much more. We need to make sure that the world and this country knows that we are proud to be Welsh, and that's why we need a Welsh bank holiday that is about St David's Day. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

St David is our country's patron saint, whose good deeds and actions continue to inspire many across our whole society. St David’s Day also marks a day of national festivity across Wales and in Welsh communities around the world. Creating a bank holiday to mark this occasion would allow our communities time to reflect and celebrate our history and culture and the important role both have played in the wider formation and culture of our United Kingdom.

Given that this is something that is already done in both Scotland and Northern Ireland, it is only fitting that Wales should be given the same opportunity. Whilst we are undeniably a family of nations, it is also right that each member is given this opportunity to cherish and celebrate its own history. In fact, many organisations, such as the Snowdonia National Park Authority, already do give their staff a day off to mark St David’s Day. For the first time this year, St David's Commercial, a property business in the constituency of my colleague Darren Millar, has given their staff the day off. So, that shows that businesses are now starting to acknowledge this.

Communities from all four corners of our society hold grand events and activities to mark the day. In Cardiff, there was a parade through the city followed by the singing of the Welsh national anthem. In Denbigh, local shops redecorated to mark the event. Flintshire has been holding a fortnight of activities in celebration of St David’s Day. I know that the deputy mayor of Llandudno attended a parade in Colwyn Bay, again in the constituency of my colleague Darren Millar. So, it is only right that a bank holiday is created to support these ongoing efforts and also to encourage more communities to mark this important national date.

There is also a compelling economic case for this bank holiday. As I'm sure many Members are aware, small and medium businesses, especially those operating in our valuable tourism, hospitality and retail sectors, face considerable challenges during the early months of the year. A bank holiday on 1 March would provide a warmly welcomed economic boost during a challenging financial quarter. According to a service that tracks card payments, two bank holidays in 2019 gave a boost of £118 million to British small and medium businesses.

Additionally, the Centre for Economics and Business Research claims that retail sales are traditionally boosted by around 15 per cent on a bank holiday, while hospitality sees a greater increase of 20 per cent compared to a weekend. As such, providing a bank holiday earlier on in the year would provide a much-needed economic boost to businesses, these businesses that form the backbone of our Welsh economy. And, as our colleague Jane Dodds has said, it will specifically support industries that have been so badly hit by the pandemic. Therefore, it is my great pleasure to add my support to this motion, which requests that the UK Government mark St David's Day as a bank holiday. Diolch.

I fully support the proposal that St David's Day should be a bank holiday here in Wales, and I'd like to thank my colleague Tom Giffard for leading the debate here in the Senedd today. A bank holiday on our national day will bring our nation together to celebrate our history, our achievements, our distinct culture and our diversity.

As someone born and bred as well as living in Newport, you may not find this surprising, however I'm sure that my late father would have been supporting this motion today, just as Jack Sargeant's would have as well. My father was not born in Wales, but he chose to make Wales his home, and perhaps was the biggest advocate of Wales that I've ever met. Aside from that, he felt it has immense potential in all aspects of life, from the economy to education and transport as well. He wanted to create a better Wales for everyone and was committed to bringing our diverse communities together. A bank holiday on St David's Day would give people all across Wales, whether they were born here or not, the chance to unite in appreciation and celebration of the place that we all call home. As Jane Dodds said, it would give us a chance to pay tribute to our heroes and, as International Women's Day is coming up, our sheroes from Wales. As Janet Finch-Saunders stated, it would be a time to reflect on and celebrate our history. 

I know that one of the arguments put forward against this proposal is the cost to the economy. However, let's be clear: this motion is not about creating a new bank holiday, it's about moving one existing bank holiday, either May Day or the spring bank holiday, from May to March, so we can celebrate our patron saint's day. As Rhys ab Owen said earlier, other devolved nations in the UK already are doing this. The Northern Ireland Assembly made St Patrick's Day a bank holiday back in 2000, with the Scottish Parliament doing the same for St Andrew's Day in 2006. Why should the people of Wales be denied the same privilege? There is widespread support amongst the public for such a move. A BBC Wales poll in 2006 actually stated that 87 per cent support for the idea was there, and over 10,000 people had signed a recent petition in favour of the proposal.

It's also pleasing that this motion has received support from all parties represented in the Senedd today. It would also send a strong signal to Welsh expatriates and those who are proud of their Welsh heritage who live in other parts of the UK, or who live abroad, that they can celebrate with us on this very special day every year. There are Welsh societies in places as widespread as London, as Sam Kurtz mentioned in his contribution, Africa, New York, and, as Tom Giffard said, in Osaka as well. It was great to see the son of the Republican Senator for Utah and former candidate for President of the United States, Mitt Romney, wearing the Wales rugby shirt before the match against England. This clearly demonstrates his pride in his Welsh heritage on his mother's side, Ann Romney being the granddaughter of a miner from the Valleys.

Therefore, Deputy Presiding Officer, the power to make St David's Day a bank holiday does not reside here, but with the UK Government at Westminster. This motion, if passed, would enable us to work constructively with Westminster to secure a St David's Day bank holiday for Wales. I urge the Senedd to speak with one voice to bring this change about. Thank you very much.

I call on the Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, Mick Antoniw.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. What's happened in Ukraine over the last week has caused huge concern. It's emphasised how important it is to be able to celebrate your nationhood, and what better opportunity for us to celebrate here than on St David's Day? This is how we celebrate that we are a nation that supports other nations too. We demonstrate that we stand shoulder to shoulder with those of other nations across the world. Yesterday, seeing the Welsh daffodil alongside the Ukrainian sunflower showed that we insist on our place as a nation among other nations of the world. And the Welsh Government is proud to do this. Every year, we promote Wales and its special culture with various activities around St David's Day. Every year, the issue of creating a public holiday on St David's Day arises. Members can be assured of the view of the Welsh Government on this issue. It is something that we have been arguing for since the beginning of devolution, more or less.

There is widespread public support, as indeed there is across the parties in this Chamber, for making St David's Day a holiday here in Wales. However, the creation of bank holidays in England and Wales is not a devolved matter. In order to create St David's Day as a bank holiday, 1 March would need to be added to the list of existing bank holidays included in the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. This is currently within the gift of the UK Government.

Many Members will be aware that we have, on more than one occasion, asked the UK Government either to create St David's Day as a public holiday or to transfer the power to enable us to do it ourselves. Unfortunately, our requests have been refused—

Will the Minister give way?

Please.

Thank you for giving way, and I associate myself with the remarks you made in your opening remarks as well, as I'm sure we all do. 

Would he be interested to know that on 1 March 2016, a Bill was presented on the floor of Parliament by Mark Williams, who was then the MP for Ceredigion? It was called the Devolution (Bank Holidays) (Wales) Bill. I was proud to be one of the co-supporters of that, along with Members of Plaid Cymru, Liberals and other Members of the House. We were unable on that occasion to actually secure any Conservative support, but it sounds like we're getting there. If we're unsuccessful in persuading the UK Government to actually bring forward their own proposal, would he then seek cross-party support, not just in this Chamber, but actually with the support of colleagues of Conservative Members, to devolve the powers to Wales?

I certainly would support that proposal and, of course, we do recall that it was one of the things that we requested in the 2017 Wales Act that was declined. I will come to that perhaps in a moment, but I thank you for the point that you've made, and I'm sure it represents the cross-party feeling in this Chamber, and I believe, actually, across Wales.

Whilst Scotland and Northern Ireland, of course, both enjoy the privilege of being able to celebrate their national days with a public holiday, we're at a loss as to why that privilege is denied to us. There is no logical reason for our request not to be granted, but there are plenty of good reasons why it should. A public holiday would enable people, both residents and visitors, to celebrate and learn more about the rich cultural heritage of our nation, it would encourage tourism, potentially boosting the economy, particularly in those parts of Wales whose economy is largely dependent on visitors, and it would provide a much-needed opportunity for leisure and relaxation, just as we turn the corner of the seasons and move into spring. And it is worth remembering, of course, that the declaration of a bank holiday has no legal effect. It does not mean that shops and businesses have to shut on that day. However, there's also nothing to stop organisations from closing or having a half day on St David's Day, which would have a similar effect as creating a bank holiday on St David's Day. That would be a matter for organisations to determine themselves. Indeed, Gwynedd County Council has already given public servants across the county a day off on 1 March. 

For our part, as Welsh Government, we are happy to reiterate and confirm our wholehearted support for the creation of St David's Day as a bank holiday and we will continue to assert the case for the devolution of powers to the Senedd and to Welsh Ministers to make it so. And as soon as the Conservative UK Government devolve this responsibility to us, we can proceed with making St David's Day a bank holiday.

I call on Peter Fox to reply to the debate.

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd, and many thanks to everybody who's contributed to this really important debate today. And can I thank my colleague Tom Giffard for opening up and for putting me to shame, because I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to speak Welsh as Tom did? And I congratulate you on your progress and I hope to emulate you some time in the future.

Countries right across the world rightly celebrate their immense pride in their identities. One way many of us do this is by celebrating our patron saint, as we've already heard. Perhaps one of the most successful dates in the calendar is St Patrick's Day, and when I mention this date, what comes to your mind? Because what springs to my mind is the very best of Irish culture and all that it conjures up, from music to dance to greenery to happiness—[Interruption.]—and Guinness, indeed. And surprisingly, the success of St Patrick's bank holiday has projected Ireland onto the global stage, where literally millions across the world celebrate Irish culture. Culture propels the very best in a nation, doesn't it, to widen the audience, and this is something that people, rightly, bravely guard? The epitome of what I've just said is the country of Ukraine, which the Counsel General referred to; we've all seen the powerful and emotional scenes of Ukrainians defending their country fiercely. Their identity, their land, their culture and their history is so precious to them that thousands are ready to lay down their lives for their country, such is the strength of identity and pride, and we saw and heard a lot of that yesterday. 

Here in Wales our sense of pride and passion is no less. We are blessed with so much, aren't we? Equal to anywhere in the world, our culture, our language and our history, coupled with the beauty of our landscape, our mountains and coast, castles and food, and add to that the red roaring dragon, our sporting heroes and global icons and we can be justly proud. With all these ingredients, the argument for St David's Day being accorded a bank holiday is obvious. In a nutshell, it's a fitting way to celebrate the heritage and culture of Wales, as well as a welcome boost for our businesses. And a BBC poll conducted in 2006, as we've heard already from somebody, showed that 87 per cent supported the idea. And today's debate is unusual, in that the Senedd speaks with one unequivocal voice: St David's Day should be made a bank holiday. As my colleagues have stressed—

Will you take an intervention, please?

I certainly will do.

Thank you so much for doing that. In light of what you've said and in hearing what Huw Irranca-Davies has also said, I wonder if you and your colleagues will take the message back to your colleagues in Westminster that this is what we want and that you will be powering this through. Diolch.

Well, thank you very much. I'm hoping that many Welsh MPs listen to this today and we will make sure that the voices of all of us are heard loud and clear as we champion this cause even further. Can I thank—[Interruption.] In the spirit of debate, I'll continue to be optimistic.

Thank you for your comment, Tom, and for your depth of introduction again. It was really helpful, just reminding us of the Conservative support for this over many years—indeed, a decade. And thanks, Rhys, for taking us on that history trip of 22 years ago—that important time when your father came and was in this Chamber and was calling for this. I'm sure he'll be proud that you're here talking and sharing the need for this today. I welcome that. And, yes, let's be joyful and let's celebrate this day. Jack, the UK Government needs to listen—we know that and we've got to make that case, because it is important that we have our identity here. And, Sam, I hope you'll be here in 22 years—[Laughter.]—because you're a young man with so much to offer that I'm sure you'll be occupying senior positions here in the future. [Interruption.] And I'm sure that Mustapha Bojang—is that right—will be also proud if he sees you here when he visits Saundersfoot next. And, Jane, you reminded us of that deeper historical journey as well. This is a debate that has been going on for many years, indeed, almost centuries. And, Janet, we need to allow our communities to celebrate—it is so important that they have the opportunity to do this, as others do across the world. And, Natasha, we know that your father, Oscar, would've been passionate today and would've been a passionate supporter, a true Welshman in supporting everything we have here today.

Counsel General, thank you for your words and the support that the Welsh Government continues to provide to try and make this happen. And as I shared, we will, where we can, try to do what we can to make sure that this happens. Diolch yn fawr.

The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? I don't see any objection. The motion is therefore agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.