I was fortunate enough to work in the broadcasting industry for a couple of decades before coming here. I declare an interest as a member of the National Union of Journalists still. I used to be employed by the BBC in Wales and a number of independent broadcasting companies.

Communication and broadcasting is how we talk to each other, about each other, learn about our history, excite together about our future. But in order to facilitate and encourage this kind of Welsh-focused public service broadcasting, there is a clear role for governments and parliaments to provide those platforms—from a distance, absolutely—but to make sure that those platforms exist. The key question for me here is: who do we want to have ultimate control when it comes to the landscape of broadcasting in Wales? Do we want the UK Government—and I can see the direction of travel there—or do we want something that we can have control over as a joint venture for our nation? The devolving of broadcasting and communication is crucial for that.

The direction of travel under the Conservative Government in the UK currently is very, very clear. We cannot leave it to market forces alone. That is what the Conservatives are pursuing. I think the privatisation of Channel 4 now speaks volumes about their attitudes towards the media. The freedom that Channel 4 has had has enabled it to develop really innovative programming and independent news that is appreciated by so many people. I do not want to jeopardise the future that Welsh broadcasting could have by allowing us to go down the road set by the UK Government currently to a point of no return.

We have to distinguish here between the kind of Welsh broadcasting and communications that we want to discuss and what devolution of broadcasting is all about and the broadcasting, television and film industry that some Members on the Conservative benches have chosen to focus on. Yes, we have a brilliant media sector in Wales, producing films and television programmes that are enjoyed the world over. We have world-leading directors, actors and presenters. That is something that we can nurture for the future, and it is something that the Welsh economy can benefit from for many years to come. But that is not the same as securing the kind of broadcasting that allows us to develop our national conversation.

We talk about S4C often, and it's a headline that I'm pleased is there. I'm pleased that, after so many years of cuts, S4C has received an increase in its funding. But let's focus on radio. What will happen to Radio Cymru if the licence fee is lost and the BBC becomes a wholly commercial venture that has to pay for itself in every element of its work? Will Radio Cymru pay for itself in those market terms? Possibly, probably not. Radio Cymru, since the mid 1970s, has been a cornerstone of life through the Welsh language. Radio Cymru 2, even with a smaller audience, is just as important to the future of Welsh language broadcasting. And whilst I have been excited, as so many of you have, listening to Nic Parry and Malcolm Allen commentating on the football, Dylan Griffiths and Iwan Roberts do it for me in exactly the same way, and I've probably listened to them on radio more than I have watched football on television.

But it's not just Welsh language television and radio that we're talking about. There's niche programming in the English language that we need to make sure is there for years to come. I remember the fight for a 6 o'clock news hour for Wales, a fight that eventually we found we had no real influence over. We need that kind of control over English language programming in Wales so that we can speak to each other and talk about our futures in both our national languages. And when Wales is independent, I am quite sure that there will be all sorts of shared institutions, and why not share the kind of regulation we need across these islands in broadcasting too, but let's not deny this opportunity to put these difficult issues on the table so that we can discuss the best way forward to protect Welsh communication and broadcasting for the future.