The National Music Service will be made up of key partners and organisations working together as a hub, with the Welsh Local Government Association, as the lead body, responsible for co-ordinating the activities of the service and its work programmes. They will ensure that the work programmes are diverse and accessible to all children and young people, and allocate funding to local authorities to provide the necessary resources and staff to deliver the work.

The plan sets out our work programmes for the service, which will ensure that access to music education is fairer and more consistent right across Wales. The main focus of our work programmes will, from September, help our children and young people in schools and settings, with support for our learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, low-income households and those with additional learning needs to be able to access and progress with music tuition. Children and young people from under-represented groups and disadvantaged backgrounds will also be supported to join music ensembles as part of the plans.

For example, our First Experiences programme will give children in primary schools and settings a minimum of half a term of musical instrument taster sessions, delivered by trained and skilled music practitioners, to take part and enjoy making music. Our secondary schools and settings will receive funding for experiences that will support young people's health and well-being and their progression to GCSE music, providing them with opportunities to develop in playing an instrument or singing, and so nurturing their talents and ambitions. There'll also be a Making Music with Others initiative, which includes an ensemble recovery programme to support the recovery from the COVID pandemic in this area, and opportunities for our young people to gain industry experience through working alongside musicians and creative industries. A new national instrument and equipment library will also be created to support local authorities in establishing access to a resource bank of instruments and equipment to be shared across Wales.

Crucial to the service's success is the ability to assess how well these programmes are doing. The WLGA will develop an evaluation strategy, looking at the benefits to our children and young people and, more importantly, its success. They will have the flexibility to develop new work programmes if a programme is not going well, and adapt accordingly. The WLGA will also look at the challenges facing the music education workforce across Wales. To ensure our local authority hosted music tutors are treated equitably and that their contribution to music education is recognised properly, the WLGA will carry out a review of the terms and conditions, which will begin in autumn 2023 and is expected to complete by summer 2024.

Dirprwy Lywydd, I know how important it was to me, when I was in school, to have the opportunity to learn the baritone, in my case, and to be able to play in brass ensembles. I'm not alone in this. Music, I know, is something that many of us here today hold close to our hearts. I'd like to acknowledge the hard work of many Members of the Senedd who've campaigned in this area over recent years, none more so than Rhianon Passmore, whose passion in this area is clear for all to see. I'd also like to recognise the work of the Culture, Welsh Language and Communications committee, whose inquiry and recommendations in the last Senedd have played an important role in today’s announcement.

Dirprwy Lywydd, the National Music Service and the national plan represent a bold step forward in supporting music education in Wales. Nerth gwlad, ei gwybodaeth—the strength of a nation is its knowledge. Our new National Music Service delivers on our manifesto, our programme for government commitment, and is vital to make that difference for our children and young people to nurture their musical skills in schools and our communities and for their well-being, so that we continue to produce new talent from our land of song for the next generation to come.