5. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, and Chief Whip: World Heritage in Northwest Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:37 pm on 4 October 2022.

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Photo of Mabon ap Gwynfor Mabon ap Gwynfor Plaid Cymru 4:37, 4 October 2022

(Translated)

Thank you to the Deputy Minister for this statement. This is excellent news, isn't it? It recognises the importance of an area, the landscape, the technology and the people in that part of Wales, not only for Welsh history, but for global history, and it demonstrates the history of an area going from an agricultural background to becoming industrial and now, it's post-industrial. And I look at Dwyfor Meirionnydd and the story of Bryn Eglwys quarry in Abergynolwyn and the Talyllyn railway, which is attached to that, the slate city of Blaenau Ffestiniog and the role of Bro Ffestiniog, and the port that took the slate to the world, to Australia, the United States, Denmark—that's Porthmadog, of course, and the role of Porthmadog in that history. It is something to be celebrated and we should ensure that we always remember it, and to take Sam's earlier point as to how children will benefit, we should put on record here the excellent work that this project did with Lle-CHI, ensuring that children benefited from learning about this in the area.

So, in terms of who benefits from this status, can I ask you what you will do to ensure—in terms of the income and the tourism benefit, what will you do to ensure that it's these communities that benefit economically from these investments and from the new UNESCO status?