The next item is a statement by the Minister for Economy on Qatar 2022. I call on the Minister, Vaughan Gething.

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. With 55 days to go until Wales plays its first game in the men's FIFA World Cup tournament, against the USA on 21 November, the excitement and anticipation of seeing our senior men’s national team compete in our first world cup for 64 years can be felt throughout the nation. With our hope and ambitions on the players’ shoulders, we're afforded one of the most compelling opportunities to promote Wales globally, and to introduce Wales to new audiences.

Firstly, I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate Robert Page, the players, the coaching staff and everybody at the Football Association of Wales for their fantastic achievement to date. Come what may in November, the team should know that they have already made Wales proud just by being there as one of only 32 countries to take a seat at the top table of the game.

The Welsh Government is working closely with the Football Association of Wales and other key partners to maximise this unique opportunity. I'm happy to update Members today on our approach. With a global audience of 5 billion people, the world cup offers a platform to take Wales to the world and to build on our previous activity to reconnect with existing audiences, including our global Welsh diaspora. It is the most significant marketing and sports diplomacy opportunity ever presented to Wales, given the profile of the event.

As Minister for Economy, I have lead ministerial responsibility for co-ordinating the delivery of an ambitious programme of activities that will look to maximise these opportunities and realise benefits that will be delivered through our four key objectives. These are: the promotion of Wales; projecting our values; ensuring the safety of Welsh citizens at the tournament; and securing a positive and lasting legacy from our participation at the men's world cup.

In relation to the promotion of Wales, I'm pleased to announce that much progress has already been made. A programme of activity has been mobilised that seeks to maximise these opportunities. We are implementing an enhanced marketing campaign that will focus on core target international markets across brand, business and tourism as well as a strong in-Wales presence. The campaign’s target markets include the USA, key European markets, the UK and Qatar.

The marketing campaign also looks to deliver activities through work with our greatest advocates—the fans and the voices from Wales—as well as with our partners, diaspora and world cup ambassadors, Lleisiau Cymru, who will act as strong and influential voices for Wales right across our activity. A budget of £2.5 million is in place to deliver on that enhanced marketing programme. Food and drink promotion will be taking place in Qatar, including a dinner in advance of the tournament to promote Welsh produce.

We've already established a partner support fund with the aim of adding value to a small number of exceptional projects that can deliver on our core objectives. This fund will utilise the expertise of a range of organisations to support and enhance our programme of activities and to develop content. I've announced today the 19 successful projects with a combined investment of £1.8 million that will support our objective of promoting Wales and of sharing our culture, arts, and heritage to become an integral part of this global celebration. Activities will take place here in Wales, in Qatar and in some of our key markets, as I've mentioned, such as the USA. As a package, these projects will project our collective strength as a nation with the wider partnership of organisations, the true embodiment of team Wales and the mantra that we are, indeed, stronger together.

To support our objective to promote Wales and engage in diplomacy, the First Minister, the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, and Chief Whip and I will attend a range of events, as well as each of Wales's group games against the USA, Iran and England. And I'm hoping to add more, depending on progress in the tournament. The core aim of these visits will be to support initiatives that will help to grow the economy, raise the profile of Wales and promote us as a globally responsible nation. Our Welsh Government offices in Dubai and Qatar have provided a wide-ranging and full programme of engagements for Ministers that will look to maximise our support for these initiatives.

We will also use the Welsh Government's wider network of overseas offices to maximise the opportunity to promote Wales and engage with key international stakeholders, particularly in Qatar, Dubai, the US and Europe. This includes working with our Welsh Government envoys, especially in the US and Dubai, and our wider diaspora. We're working closely with the UK Government and, indeed, the embassy in Qatar, on opportunities to promote Wales. We will have our own distinctly Welsh presence in Doha and Welsh content in the UK GREAT garden pavilion, GREAT festival and UK Day. We will have a Welsh themed VIP reception on 21 November, aligned with the USA match, which is to be hosted by the British ambassador to Qatar, with our First Minister as the chief guest.

We are acutely aware of the significant challenges in hosting an event of this nature in Qatar, with the fine balance we need to strike between maximising opportunities and promoting our core values as a nation. Hosting the world cup in Qatar has shone a light on that country's human rights and workers' rights records. We know that some of our LGBTQ+ fans will not travel to the country, due to its stance on LGBTQ+ rights, for example. We will use our platform as an opportunity to express our values and to demonstrate that Wales is a nation of values on the world stage. We will do this through our enhanced marketing campaign and international engagement, including through our promotion of the diverse stories of modern today's Wales and, indeed, of Wales as a nation of sanctuary. The Welsh Government recognises that the diversity of our global relationship means that not all the countries with which we have a relationship will share the same values. We take a balanced approach to our international engagement, promoting Wales's values and engaging constructively with partners and stakeholders across these issues. To ensure the safety and security of Welsh citizens in Qatar, and a welcome for all, we are continually engaging with the UK Government through regular meetings and a range of Government agencies. Regular channels of contact have been established for updates on matters of security and safety from the Qatari supreme committee, which is the committee responsible for managing and organising the event.

As a Government, and with our wider partners, we need to ensure that we build a legacy from the world cup that inspires the next generation of boys and girls. Even more importantly, we want to advance physical activity and sporting participation to support the health and well-being of our nation. To help secure a positive and lasting legacy, our programme for government already makes a commitment to invest in sporting facilities, with a capital budget of £24 million over the next three years to support investment in facilities across all sports. We also invest in facilities through the schools capital programme and, indeed, directly through local authorities. But, beyond that, there is an opportunity for all of us, as individuals, businesses, organisations and, indeed, as community leaders in this room and beyond, to embrace the legacy of our participation in this world cup.

In celebrating the men's achievement, we also have much to be proud of with the progress of the women's team. With the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on the horizon, should our women's team qualify through the play-offs, as we all hope they will, we should look to reflect activity and learn to support the team in their own world cup journey. And we, of course, all wish the team well in their upcoming play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 6 October.

Dirprwy Lywydd, as you can see, we have established an ambitious and exciting range of activities to make the most of this unique opportunity. My intention is to provide a further statement and update in November ahead of the world cup opening ceremony on 20 November. In the meantime, I wish the FAW and its partners all the very best in their preparations.

Can I thank the Minister for bringing this statement to the Senedd today? What an incredible opportunity that we have here. What a historic moment in our history to see Robert Page and the rest of team Cymru at our first world cup since 1958—our first world cup in 64 years, I think. Qualification was secured back in June in a game that I think you were at, and I was certainly at, Minister—I think I saw you there. We were both very privileged to attend, in that case. We're just 54-and-a-half days from the start of what is a golden opportunity to showcase our wonderful nation to the rest of the world. And the best way for us to showcase our great country to the rest of the world is through our great Welsh fans, because they know that it isn't just when the world cup starts that we can put Wales on display; there's an opportunity to give people a flavour of Welsh life and the opportunity for us to leave a legacy in Qatar. And there's no better example of that than the exemplary display from the travelling Welsh fans at the recent away game in Belgium, where they were picking up rubbish in Brussels to ensure that they left no footprint behind.

Much of your statement today, Minister, was devoted to the Lleisiau Cymru campaign, which sets aside £2.5 million to deliver what you call an enhanced marketing programme. But, these things are usually only worth the paper they're written on if you also publish not only the monetary figure but the metrics by which this scheme would be judged a success. So, what does success look like, exactly, on the back of this particular fund? How can we judge whether that money was well spent or not? Will you commit to sharing these specific metrics with the Senedd? 

Another avenue to support Wales internationally, as was mentioned in your statement, is via the world cup partner support fund. We warned at the time that the very short window for applications of just 11 days would severely disadvantage a wide variety of applicants from across Wales, and will instead significantly favour organisations with prior relationships with the Welsh Government that had the capacity and the knowledge to access this funding. I'm afraid to say that that's been borne out by your written statement from earlier today. A total of £1.9 million has been spread across 19 organisations in Wales. The biggest beneficiaries are organisations like the FAW, S4C, the Arts Council and Wales Arts International—all worthy causes in their own right, but the Welsh Government here missed an opportunity to do things differently and engage with a large number of organisations across Wales, not just the usual big institutions based here in Cardiff. So, Minister, on reflection, do you accept that the tight timescale could have been extended somewhat to allow a greater breadth of opportunity for smaller groups across the country to participate? Can I also ask, Minister, how many organisations in total applied for this particular fund, and what did some of the projects entail from these groups? How will the Welsh Government provide an opportunity to those groups that were either unsuccessful or, perhaps, didn't have the time to apply, to make a positive difference in their communities, both around the time of the world cup and afterwards?

Finally, I wanted to raise one organisation that doesn't fit the mould that the others do in your list, and that was The Barry Horns, who, I have seen, have received £17,032 of taxpayers' money from the World Cup partner support fund. Can you explain how this particular decision was taken and what the rationale was for their inclusion? If this World Cup is to bring us together as a nation and spread inclusivity in the way that you suggest, it's more important than ever that the Welsh Government distances itself from this particular organisation. Anyone who spends even a small amount of time on social media will see that 'The Barry Horns' is one of the most abusive and toxic social media accounts in Wales today. Most of their content is unrepeatable in this Chamber, but they seek to castigate any individual with a different political viewpoint to their own. I myself have had to block them on Twitter for the way they've castigated me personally, and many of my colleagues on these Welsh Conservative benches have had to do the same.

In a nation where Welsh Conservatives are the second biggest party in terms of parliamentary representation in both of our Parliaments, how can we legitimately use taxpayers' money to fund an organisation that spreads hate and bile towards such a large proportion of the population? Indeed, they don't even try to hide their political affiliation; bearing in mind that we've got a game against England coming up in the World Cup, they recently said that Wales was being destroyed by English rule. In the Senedd election, they used the hashtag 'kick the Tories out of the Senedd', and even last year they posted, 'Have you joined Plaid Cymru yet? Do it now.' It's a long-established principle in this country that we shouldn't be using taxpayers' money to fund party political causes, and we should take extra care to ensure that the perception that this is happening is not allowed to take hold either. So you'll understand my surprise to see them included in this list, and by funding them, you could level the accusation at Welsh Government that they endorse a number of their inflammatory comments. So finally, Minister, will you commit to reviewing the £17,000 figure awarded by your Government to this group?

The Llywydd took the Chair.

Thank you for the series of questions. In terms of the metrics that we'll use, I will share some of the information that we're going to be using to judge, but also we're going to have an evaluation on the impact as well, and I'll be very keen to share that—not just in the Senedd; it may be the sort of thing that I would expect the relevant subject committee would be very interested in. And there's a choice there about the two committees that may have an interest, because there's a significant economic impact as well as the broader challenges for the committee that Delyth Jewell chairs on arts, culture and that end as well.

So, we have this challenge of setting out what we want to do in terms of the number of people who will have a greater awareness of Wales and what's on offer here, both within this country and also in trading and other relationships further afield, and that's why we're particularly interested in the focus on target markets. It's fortuitous in many ways, but not entirely fortuitous, that we have had an event with the wrestling—that's a huge market in America, and if we'd had to pay for that it would have cost us a huge amount of money to get that sort of focus and attention. We now have the first game in the world cup with the Welsh diaspora there as well, and with two envoys there who are working very hard with us on their own links to promote Wales, too. And then what I'm really positive about is in terms of our ability to capitalise on the legacy in the immediate and longer term aftermath. So I'll be more than happy to provide more information in a way that is useful for Senedd Members to be aware of and, indeed, to scrutinise, but I don't think it will be as simple as one set of measures within a week because, as I say, there'll be the evaluations to look at as well.

On the speed of the applications and decisions made, there is always a balance here, is there not? We qualified when we did, so we couldn't really plan and deliver an application process before then. We then had a number of particular shocks and difficulties, then finding a budget, then needing to advertise it and then needing to make choices. And part of the challenge in making those choices is that we need to give organisations enough time to actually put a bid in, to actually look at it, to score it and to scrutinise it and then to be able to announce it, so that the organisations have the opportunity to plan and deliver their activity. And I simply don't accept the Member's contention that this is all about Cardiff-based organisations. The Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Wales, for example, have a footprint across the country. If you think about the Urdd, they may have an office literally over the way from here, but they're very much an all-Wales organisation and they're running a project that will go into every single primary school in Wales. So, there are many, many all-Wales projects, and actually, if you look at the geographic focus, and where there is only one particular geography where it's based, it's actually Wrexham that does better than other parts of Wales, because of the football museum and the work that is going to be done there, and a particular festival that's going to take place in Wrexham as well. The great majority of what we are supporting is all-Wales, and some specific activity within North America as well, which, as I say, is a big market for us.

I think when it comes to the broader legacy, not just in physical activity and the investment in facilities that is needed—because the event in itself won't guarantee that, in 10 years' time, Wales will be a fitter and healthier nation, but it is a potential springboard with investment in the community game, improving facilities for more people to be able to take part in physical activities—that is part of our change and shift in the culture of us as a nation. There's quite a lot of culture change that we need to see to renormalise ways of doing things, whether it's moving, getting to places, and indeed enjoying sport through all ages and all abilities as well.

I'll finally turn to your final point, and indeed your starting point. The starting point was about the impact of our fans as ambassadors, and the Red Wall have been huge ambassadors for Wales. I'm old enough—you may not be, but I'm old enough, even as a middle-aged man—to remember when football fans following the national team weren't always the credit that they are near universally recognised to be now. It wasn't always the case that Wales fans would be decent to each other, never mind the places they visited. There were too many examples of behaviour that we would not be proud of, and actually, for a long period of time now, our fans have been amazing ambassadors, not just for the team but for the country, and I know that having met other businesses, having met other ambassadors for other countries, and, actually, some of the ambassadorial team in the region, who recognise that, actually, from their previous postings, when Wales have played games in the more recent past, there has been a really positive legacy left by those fans, and I'm really proud of that. I saw it myself in 2016 at the Euros in Bordeaux, where Welsh fans were sitting down, drinking and eating before the game with Slovenian fans, and there wasn't a hint of trouble. And I'm afraid that, with our friends across the border, there are many fans who fit exactly into that mould—who are real, genuine fans, who want to take their family to enjoy the game—but, unfortunately, they still have a larger problem than we do in the behaviour of some of their fans. It's a real strength of ours that we really need to keep hold of—the unifying message of the team and the fan behaviour.

That brings me to The Barry Horns, because I think you need to be able to disconnect a Twitter account from somebody who has a particular view, which people are entitled to in a democratic country—and, let's be clear, the person who runs that Twitter account isn't a supporter of me and my party either, and I don't have a problem with that. But the band itself is very much part of what takes place around the game, and, if you've been to a number of games, then you know that The Barry Horns, within the fan base, are something that people actually like and enjoy about the atmosphere that's created, and that's what we're looking to promote. So, it's not an endorsement of individual views of individual members in or around the band itself; it is about what the band does as a really positive projection and extension of the Red Wall. And when they're part of team Wales and the Red Wall, I think all of us can see something to be proud of and that adds to the atmosphere and the environment. We'll carry on having our differences on other matters in public life, but I am comfortable with our decision to support The Barry Horns and their engagement with the wider Red Wall in Qatar. 

Thank you, Minister, for your statement today. 

As you know, I was very keen to hear this statement before the summer. I was concerned prior to the recess that there were no plans in place, but I am really thrilled to see these announcements today. I was particularly pleased to see that you'd received 97 applications in total that could have been worth £7.1 million, which just shows that creativity that has been inspired by this historic event. And I think part of the challenge for us is looking at how, with a legacy, that continues in terms of that outpouring of support, that increase in confidence, how we can carry on with that legacy of creativity as well. 

Another important element is, of course, the opportunity it provides in terms of the Welsh language; the fact that the team now own that word 'Cymru'. When we're playing, it's Cymru there against any other country, rather than Wales, so that ownership and distinctiveness comes across clearly. And I would like to ask, Minister, how within the marketing campaign is that embodiment of Cymru being embraced by Welsh Government, because I think since the team and the Football Association of Wales have personified and owned that word so that it's normalised and used by everyone, whether they speak the language or not—how can we maximise that so that it's used internationally to identify Wales? 

I would also like to ask—. You've mentioned here the Welsh Government's overseas offices and the important role they play. In a previous role, I visited Qatar and saw that it was one member of staff in the Welsh Government offices. So, therefore, can I ask what additional resources have been put into those Welsh Government overseas offices in Qatar to ensure that we are maximising those opportunities? 

I also wanted to ask if you could give a bit more information about how you're working with the UK Government on the opportunities to promote Wales in Qatar, and, specifically, you've referenced the GREAT festival and the UK Day. You'll know that I've previously raised concerns about the risk of Wales being under that GREAT campaign banner, and how we have our distinct presence. So, I wonder if you could perhaps highlight how that distinct identity will be maintained, and that we don't see a union jack rather than our own flag representing us, which would, actually, undermine a lot of the great work being done by the FAW if that were to happen. I hope it's been resolved and there's not that risk, because you have mentioned there about our distinct identity, but I would like to see how that's going to work with this idea of a UK Day and GREAT festival and so on—how we're going to feature there. 

I'd also like to know what funding has been secured from UK Government to support the promotion of Wales specifically and Welsh identity as part of this. Because, obviously, we are competing against our neighbours, England; we have two distinct teams. And I'm sure there will be a great amount of promotion of the English team—we're already seeing it in supermarkets and so on, where some large companies have forgotten that there are two teams in the World Cup from the United Kingdom—and it's therefore important that we have that distinct identity, so I would like some reassurances there.

You've also referenced, of course, the key concern for many, which is around human rights in terms of LGBTQ and workers' rights. And obviously, the fact that some of our fans don't feel safe in travelling is of huge concern, and I note the discussions you've been having, but, obviously, I think one of the things—. For any fans who are LGBTQ+ who are travelling, I think it's knowing that assurances of their safety and how they will be supported is something that we need to make clear. Also, in terms of this world cup, it is likely to set standards for future events, so we need to ensure we are making a stand for human rights. I'm pleased to see you reference that, but I think some additional information would be helpful. Because, as you know, a YouGov survey, commissioned by Amnesty International, found that 73 per cent of people were in favour of using world cup revenues to compensate workers who suffered in preparation. And this increases to 84 per cent for those who are likely to watch at least one game, and 67 per cent want their national football associations to speak out. So, therefore, can the Minister put on record support for these calls to FIFA and the Qatari Government, to ensure workers who've suffered are compensated and that this level of human rights abuse should not be accepted or tolerated for future events.

Finally, if I may, you have mentioned legacy in terms of those sporting facilities. You will know that the FAW have said that, in order to be able to address poor facilities in Wales, it would require an investment of £343 million over the next 20 years. Therefore, can we look at ensuring that, after the evaluation and everything, that legacy part is central to our plans? Because, hopefully, we will be qualifying for the next world cup and can start our preparations for maximising on that legacy after this one. Like you said in your statement, we wish Cymru well in the world cup. There are very exciting plans here, which I'm pleased to see you announce, and I'm looking forward to being able to support the team—from Wales; unfortunately, I won't be travelling like you. Diolch.

Well, there are many burdens in ministerial life, but I'll take one for the team, literally. Look, on the creative legacy, I actually think, with the programme we've announced, within that creative legacy, not just the projects we haven't been able to fund, but lots of organisations and groups, will be running their own activity anyway. We haven't had any real conversation about fan zones, partly because the tournament's in November and it'll probably be dark by the time the games are actually on here, as opposed to 2016, where we had a fantastic summer for each of the games that we played. But, actually, there'll be lots of activity, not just in venues that already exist and that will want to show the game and get people to celebrate, but in the run-up to it as well.

I remember—I still remember—being young and seeing other men's football world cups and there not being a Wales team there, but, actually, world cup fever is very hard to avoid when it comes to the football world cup. It is such a giant juggernaut of a game, and it's even bigger now than it was when I was genuinely young, as opposed to youthful for a politician. And I think that, within our country, given it's been 64 years, over the next few weeks, it'll be very hard to avoid the world cup, and I think lots of people will be looking to take part in different activities. And what we're doing within this programme is making it easy for a lot of people to get involved. Like I said, every primary school will be engaged in at least one of the projects.

But, more than that, I think you'll see lots of different clubs and organisations looking to engage their own supporter base, and lots of digital content as well for what's being done in some of the things that we've supported. And within that, you will see a very strong Welsh language narrative and use of what we're doing not just in Wales but, indeed, some of the things we're doing abroad as well. So, in North America—and one of the events we're looking to do there, it's with S4C—there'll be plenty of Welsh language content in what we're doing in promoting the language there. And, indeed, it's been one of the reasons why I think that the two new owners of Wrexham have been such a success: (a) because they've got a sense of humour—they've obviously come with a name that makes other people interested, but I think they've been very positive and respectful in promoting the Welsh language, and they've done things in a way that I think elected Members probably couldn't do. They've used that space really creatively, and I think that gives us a good base to have an even greater explanation and positive open-door policy into looking at the two languages of our country, not just the one of them. So, I think that's a really big opportunity, and hopefully you'll see that not just in the bids, but in what actually happens as well.

When it comes to additional resource, we'll have additional people on the ground, both during the tournament and in some of the run-up, in the region, but also in the US, to assist in some of the marketing and the engagement there as well. But it isn't just about the numbers of people, it's what they're able to do, and, again, some of the digital content we'll be able to use and working with partner organisations. If we simply wanted to do this ourselves, we wouldn't have the right number of people or, indeed, the right links that exist.

So, Wales's international diaspora and organisations that already exist in Dubai and Qatar will be really important for us in looking to grow and expand our links and exposure there, and I think that's also relevant to the engagement with UK-branded events. That's partly because I had the opportunity to go to Dubai during the World Expo, and, during that time, your concerns about the union jack being seen as interchangeable, say, with the George cross, actually, when we had Wales Day in the UK pavilion, it really was a proper Wales takeover, and you could not get anywhere near the UK pavilion without recognising that we were there and the promotion of Wales not just in the food and drink, but in what took place outside as well as inside as well.

So, I do think that our embassy staff in different parts of the world recognise their responsibility to all countries within the UK. We've had already really good engagement with the embassy with both the First Minister and myself in looking at making sure that what they do genuinely supports all nations. We're talking with the UK Government about UK Day and the 'GREAT' branded activity to be clear that it won't just be the union jack that's there; it'll be our flag alongside it as well, in particular on the things that we are doing, and it will properly reflect the fact that there are two nations from the UK who have qualified for this world cup. And, when it comes to future world cups, of course, there'll be the women's world cup, which I hope will be the next world cup that we get to discuss and talk about our direct participation in.

When it comes to LGBTQ+ fans, that is part of our challenge, in how we give people the certainty and the confidence that their issues and concerns won't be avoided. That's why I talk about being positive about our values and who we are as Wales today and who we want to be in the future, and for fans to go there and to be who they are and to be safe and to be looked after. The Qatari supreme committee who are organising the tournament are quite sensitive to this, in that they don't want anyone to not feel welcome. And it's not just Wales that are talking about this—virtually every European football association has talked about this proactively, because of the great changes taking place across Europe. Actually, if this tournament had taken place 50 years ago, we wouldn't have been talking about this, because, actually, across Europe, there was a very different attitude. And actually, 50 years ago—. Well, certainly when Wales qualified for the last tournament, it wasn't legal in this country to be gay and in a relationship. So, we recognise that we've made progress in the last half century, and some of this is about making sure that those gains aren't put to one side or avoided for the sake of sport, but are part of our engagement. The First Minister will be making a statement on our engagement with different parts of the world, as I've referenced in my own statement, to set out our approach to how we'll engage with different countries in the world without sacrificing our own values. 

Then, on the point the FAW have made, it's a brave, seductive and audacious bid to get £343 million of capital out of the finance Minister when, actually, we do know that we had a practical and, in fact, a cash cut in our capital budget. So, there's a lot of pressure. So, the money that we've already put in is money that is a priority in really difficult times. Our challenge will be how and where we can get capital and how we use that to improve facilities, and, crucially, in the way we look at sporting facilities, how we can get multi-use for different sports. That's already taking place between a range of organisations, but there will certainly be much more to do in improving grass-roots and community facilities in this and many other activities after the tournament. 

In my view, I don't think that Qatar should be hosting the world cup at all; I think it's an appalling reflection on the values of FIFA that a country with human rights records such as theirs, and not just in the treatment of LGBTQ+ people—but also the appalling treatment of migrant workers that was exposed by Gary Neville recently demonstrates that this world cup should never have gone to Qatar. 

In his statement, the Minister says:

'We will use our platform as an opportunity to express our concerns and demonstrate Wales is a nation of values on the world stage.'

I'd like to know, with Ministers going there, will they take the opportunity to express those concerns directly to the officials they meet and anyone in Government that they meet, and say that those values that Qatar holds are not values held by a respectable country? And did the Government at all consider Ministers boycotting the world cup?

Thank you for the points and comments. Look, we’re not responsible for FIFA's choices about how it operates as an organisation on a number of levels. We are responsible for wanting to work alongside the game, the people who run it, and the people who play it and support it. That's why we've set out the balance in what we're doing to ensure the safety of people travelling, what we need to do to maximise the opportunities for Wales from the tournament, wherever it takes place, and indeed the point about our values and not losing sight of our values in the work that we do. That's why the First Minister's statement will be even more helpful because Hefin David is expressing a view that many Members share, and I recognise that. And, given my own background as an employment lawyer for trade unions and a trade union shop steward, I recognise many of the points you're making about how our own workforce is treated and the fact that those values are international and not simply for people that we happen to know ourselves. So, our values and our approach will be key, and that will inform our engagement with people in Qatar as well.

Our challenge, I think, is when we talk about what we're doing and the sort of Wales we are, we will talk about what a modern Wales is, and it's worth reflecting that, in some parts of that region, there are people who are looking to make progress and they're looking to make progress within a much shorter space of time than the few centuries or five or six decades it's taken us to make the progress that we now value and respect today. And what we, I think, need to be doing is showing that, actually, a modern country that respects all of its citizens is in a better place to prosper in the future rather than one that doesn't recognise and value all of the difference and diversity that you have within your country. You lose talent as well as those people who will look at you and think they wouldn't want to have all the relationships they otherwise might do in terms of other parts of the world. So, I can give the Member the assurance that the way that Ministers engage will be positive about who we are, who our fans are, and how we want to work with the rest of the world.

In considering a boycott, we've considered all options, but we think it's the right thing for Ministers to go, to support our team, and to make the very best of the opportunity that it is, both in terms of what it does for Wales on the stage, but also in that positive point about projecting and being proud of our values today.

I thank the Minister.