The following amendment has been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Siân Gwenllian.

We'll now move to the Welsh Conservative debate on major events. I call on Paul Davies to move the motion.

Motion NDM8086 Darren Millar

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the Welsh Government’s National Events Strategy for Wales 2022 to 2030.

2. Believes that major events help to boost jobs and the economy by showcasing Wales to the world.

3. Regrets the lack of ambition show by the Welsh Government in bringing these opportunities to Wales.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to rethink the strategy with a focus on aspiration, creativity and innovation in attracting major events to Wales.

Motion moved.

Diolch, Llywydd, and I'm pleased to move the motion, tabled in the name of my colleague, Darren Millar.

As Wales's football team heads to Qatar later this year, and following the publication of the Welsh Government's major events strategy in July, it's wholly appropriate that we consider the economic significance of major events, both home and away.

In developing a refreshed major events strategy, the Welsh Government has had the time and opportunity to learn lessons from the previous strategy and set a new direction for how major events are handled to ensure that we receive the maximum economic benefit from these events. And whilst we know that the Welsh events sector makes a significant contribution to our economy, we perhaps sometimes forget the cultural and linguistic significance of these events in our communities. For example, events like the Hay Festival, the national and Urdd eisteddfodau, the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod and the Royal Welsh Show are all examples of events that are integral to our culture and to our language.

Therefore, we on this side of the Chamber believe that the Welsh Government should rethink its major events strategy and ensure that there is much more on the cultural significance of major events. We also believe the Welsh Government should have much more of a focus on aspiration, creativity and innovation in attracting major events to Wales, as stated in our motion.

Of course, underpinning the Welsh Government's current strategy is the need for alignment and integration within the events sector, particularly in relation to workforce and planning. We need to develop an innovative, collaborative workforce that is focused on shared objectives, and, in order to do that effectively, the Welsh Government must invest in the growth of skills, knowledge and capability within the industry. Therefore, perhaps, in responding to the debate, the Minister will take the opportunity to tell us a bit more about the level of investment being made in the sector and the steps being taken to develop it even further.

Now, I'm pleased to see that the Welsh Government strategy accepts the need to maximise the geographical and seasonal spread of events across Wales. It's vital that all parts of Wales have the opportunity to benefit from a major event in one part of the country, and we need to see much more infrastructure investment take place outside of the capital city in order for that to happen.

Hosting a major event is important, not just because of the money spent whilst the event is taking place, but also because it focuses the world's attention on Wales and provides us with an opportunity to market the whole of Wales to visitors. And so we need to use that window to promote everything that Wales has to offer, not just the location of that event. For example, the recent WWE event in Cardiff was an opportunity for us to put Wales on the map internationally, to encourage visitors who came to Cardiff for the visit to explore outside the city centre and see other parts of Wales too.

Of course, a strong strategy for major events must draw together expertise, including partners in local government, the transport industry and even the private sector. The Welsh Government's strategy is right to say that:

'Understanding where stakeholders fit, regardless of size or tier, creates buy-in and operational efficiencies.'

And so I'm pleased to hear the Government accept that it's the private sector that is at the forefront of events delivery and can most directly realise the delivery aims of this strategy. Indeed, perhaps, in responding to this debate, the Minister will update us on how the Welsh Government is strengthening its relationship with the private sector in Wales to ensure the strategy is absolutely successful. 

Now, key to the successful implementation of the Welsh Government's strategy will be tracking the resources it's allocated and ensuring that those resources are used effectively. Now, of course, I'm conscious that the Minister doesn't have a magic money tree by which to support the sector. Nevertheless, where funding is allocated, taxpayers must be convinced that those resources are being used to genuinely deliver economic benefits for our country. There needs to be transparency in relation to Welsh Government investments, and Ministers need to be bold enough to accept when things aren't working and change direction.

My colleague Tom Giffard has been asking questions regarding the Welsh Government investment in the WWE ahead of their event in Cardiff in September and, whilst he's received a response that the funding package is subject to stringent, post-event monitoring, there is no information on what exactly that post-event monitoring looks like. It's not outrageous to want to understand exactly how much money the Welsh Government invested in this event and the criteria that was used to decide how much to invest. The taxpayer should know whether the criteria set has been met, and so perhaps the Minister will also use this opportunity to confirm whether or not that post-event monitoring has now taken place and what outcomes have been realised. 

The Welsh Government must also learn from its previous strategies and also from other countries across the UK and further afield. Scotland has used a portfolio approach to events and festivals, which allows for a variety of large and small sport and culture fixed, recurring and one-off events to be identified and supported, and we need to see more of that innovative approach here in Wales. We need a similar portfolio approach to help spread the benefits across the year and the country, as well as to encourage and nurture innovation and entrepreneurship.

We need to proactively research and identify events that Wales can develop, attract or bid for and, when opportunities come knocking, like in the case of hosting the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK, we need to be doing everything possible to promote hosting events like this here in Wales. Now, I understand that there were issues with Cardiff hosting the event, but the reality is that there is little evidence of the Welsh Government looking outside the capital city to host that event. More could and should have been done, and all locations in Wales should have been explored to bring this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to Wales, and yet there was very little evidence of an effort to bring this major event to another part of Wales. Indeed, we need to see much more of a can-do attitude when it comes to hosting major events. 

Llywydd, I just want to briefly mention Qatar 2022 and the platform that it offers for us to showcase Wales to the world. I understand the Minister, First Minister and the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport will all attend each of Wales's group games against the USA, Iran and England, and it's absolutely crucial that the Welsh taxpayer sees value for money from these trips. Indeed, I hope the Minister will provide cast-iron assurances that there will be demonstrable outcomes as a result of these trips. Now, last week, the Minister said that the Welsh Government is

'implementing an enhanced marketing campaign that will focus on core target international markets across brand, business and tourism'.

As my colleague Tom Giffard rightly said, we need to know what the success of this campaign will look like. With £2.5 million given to the Lleisiau Cymru campaign, it's vital that the Welsh Government openly shows its spend and what that funding achieves.

Finally, Llywydd, Wales may be a small country, but we are a great one, and we must take every opportunity that comes our way to host major events and create legacies from events at home or, in the case of the football world cup, away. This is an area I believe where we are all team Wales. So, in closing, can I say that I look forward to hearing Members' contribution to this debate on how we can work to raise our profile internationally and maximise the opportunities that major events can bring here to Wales? I urge Members to support our motion.

I have selected the amendment to the motion. I call on Luke Fletcher to move amendment 1, tabled in the name of Siân Gwenllian.

Amendment1—Siân Gwenllian

Add as new point at end of motion:

Calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that Wales's culture, heritage and the Welsh language are further embedded in the strategy, including major homegrown events such as the National Eisteddfod, and that we embrace the use of 'Cymru' rather than 'Wales' internationally.

Amendment 1 moved.

Diolch, Llywydd, and I move the amendment tabled by Siân Gwenllian. We have a unique opportunity this year to learn from Wales's participation in the world cup and to build on Wales's growing presence on the global stage, as well as honing our ability to effectively reap the economic benefits of major events like this to Wales.

We also have some amazing Welsh-born events, such as the National Eisteddfod and Llangollen international eisteddfod, which I believe we have not fully realised the potential of to further promote Wales's culture, heritage and language. We must go further and we must provide that investment for events like the Eisteddfod to continue to evolve.

Wales has its own culture, its own language—one of the oldest surviving Celtic languages—and its own history. It's a powerful selling point, and one that we can't underestimate. That is our advantage, our hook, unique to this corner of the world—the story of the land of our fathers, a taste of which has been given via the world cup, and should happen with every global event where Wales is present. Putting our identity as a country front and centre is how we succeed in promoting Wales, and putting more of a focus on this to promote the Cymru brand can and will bring a form of sustainable heritage tourism to Wales, as it has for other places, like Scotland and like Ireland. That is the crux of our amendment today: to put Cymru at the heart of this strategy.

But, of course, what needs to follow is the addressing of the systemic problems that exist here in Wales today—our infrastructure, for example, which limits our ability to host major events and limits aspiration, creativity and innovation in Wales that comes with hosting and growing major events. Traws Link Cymru, the west Wales rail campaign group, pointed out in July this year how current transport infrastructure around Tregaron was not adequate to cope with the Eisteddfod. The chair of the group, Professor Mike Walker, noted the irony of the proximity of the National Eisteddfod to the disused railway route. Investing in infrastructure will unlock Wales and it will help to provide new forms of employment in these regions, and help to retain young people in the area whilst strengthening the language, culture and heritage. Without improvements to infrastructure, we would be hard pressed to meet any strategy, no matter its ambition.

To close, Llywydd, vital to this strategy will be our culture and heritage—pride in our culture, investment in its promotion, and access to it. I hope Members across the Chamber would agree.

Can I say what a pleasure it is to speak, again, in today's Welsh Conservative debate on major events, tabled, once again, by my colleague, Darren Millar? Today's debate is so important because, as we know, major events, as a whole, do so much in supporting our economy here in Wales and, of course, in our local communities. That's why, today, I'd like to start my contribution by clearly outlining the benefits of investment in major events.

First of all, they boost local economies from increased visitor numbers and increased spending; they extend the tourist and visitor season by providing a programme of events in the winter months; they can act as a platform for providing positive publicity in local and national media about an area; increase the area's profile locally, nationally and internationally by having such significant events; they can encourage economic growth opportunities by developing the local supply chain; provide opportunities for the community to get involved by volunteering to help develop skills and employment opportunities; and, of course, provide local entertainment for the community and additional recreational opportunities for residents across the area.

On top of these measurable benefits, there is of course the feel good factor. Having a lively and dynamic locality brings immeasurable benefits to communities, businesses and, of course, our health and well-being. I’m sure, Members, like me you were delighted to read the Federation of Small Businesses' 'Welcoming Communities: Developing tourism in Wales' report, which was published in August. This report highlighted again how important tourism and visitors are to us here in Wales, showing that 17.6 per cent of our gross domestic product is related to tourism, and over 12 per cent of our residents are employed within tourism. The link between tourism, visitors and events is significant for our thriving economy.

When looking at some of the previous major events held in my region, in north Wales, it’s clear to see why they’ve been so successful in boosting the Welsh economy. One example of that, of course, has been the Wales Rally GB, which took place in north Wales in the past. That was calculated to have an annual impact of around £10 million on the economy in north Wales—that’s £10 million of new money and new jobs.

But, of course, these types of events need a host, and need skilled people to organise and work together. The example of the world rally championships was an event hosted by Conwy County Borough Council, which, over the years, had built up expertise and in recent years has hosted—and I’ll rattle some of these things off—the Commonwealth mountain and ultra distance championship; the trail running world championships; the world shore angling championships; the world masters mountain running championship; the cycling Tour of Britain finishing team presentation; and annual concerts hosting legends such as Sir Tom Jones, Sir Elton John, Lionel Richie, Bryan Adams and the world’s biggest girl band, I’m told, Little Mix. They had BBC Proms in the Park for the first time in north Wales as well. Conwy County Borough Council helped to have Red Bull Unleashed and the UK pro surf challenge at Surf Snowdonia; they had the village for the world rally championships and the penultimate round of the world rally championships. All of this, as well as things like the Llandudno Extravaganza, which the Member for Aberconwy is always very keen to support, and the Conwy food festival, which all Members are always keen to support.

But many of these events, major events, taking place during what is traditionally the off season for visitors to the region, sustained hotels, sustained restaurants, sustained pubs and local shops, increasing their trade at times of year that are usually quieter, generating tens of millions of pounds for the economy. From my experience, these events wouldn’t have happened without an ambitious and intentional vision in a local authority; but also, to be fair, without the partnership working with Welsh Government, and both partners, whether it be private sector or public sector, being willing to invest to attract these events to the region. Again, Minister, to be fair, this ambition by Welsh Government in previous years has been shown to be a success at times, and it shouldn’t be dismissed or relented from.

That’s why I’m keen to support today’s motion, to see that we learn from what has worked well in the past, in particular on that partnership working between Welsh Government, local government and the private sector, to make sure we don’t lose sight of an ambitious vision for what’s worked well here in Wales, and so that we also don’t lose those important skills, experience and passion that already exist, and can be built upon in our communities, to make the most of major events here in Wales. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

I’m really delighted to take part in this debate, and 'thank you' to the Conservatives for moving this debate today. My focus, I hope, will interest the Chamber. I’m going to start with a quote from a theatre group that organises theatre that is based on our history and our culture—very much the heritage aspect that my colleague Luke was talking about. They title themselves Contemporancient Theatre, ‘Heb Hanes, Heb Hunaniaeth’—without history, without our identity, we don’t know where we’ve come from.

Now, there’s a pertinence to that, Minister, that I’ll come to in a moment, because I met last week with playwright, actor and director Vic Mills and the poet, novelist and academic Professor Kevin Mills, who head up this theatre company. Because what they’re doing next year is they’re creating theatre in the Garw valley, in my constituency, celebrating the tercentenary of the birth of Dr Richard Price, who I’ll come to in a moment in some detail. Because if we wanted a classic icon of Wales, an icon who’s known better, actually, beyond our shores, including in places like America, where we want to build links globally and internationally, then Richard Price ticks all the boxes, and I’ll explain why in a moment. But they, along with Huw Williams, senior lecturer in philosophy at Cardiff University, are putting together not only the play that will be touring next year through schools, through community centres and so on, but will also be hopefully coming to the Senedd to talk about what they're doing and also to the UK Parliament as well.

Richard Price is a man of significance. Now, the reason I mention that is that within the national events strategy we have here, it talks about some really interesting focuses. So, the economic return on investment and international profile of events—I agree entirely; it talks about the international reach and targets of events, so we should measure them by how much they generate international profile, in turn supporting and positioning Wales as a destination to inspire future visitation; it talks about international media coverage, generated specifically by events in markets of interests; brand awareness of Wales; and events delivered in the tourism off-season and so on. Dr Richard Price, philosopher, et cetera, extraordinaire, ticks all those boxes, Minister.

So, the point I'm going to come to at the end of my brief words here today is to try and seek a meeting with you, because we're trying to do local events here next year, within the Garw valley, within the Bridgend area—supported, by the way, by Bridgend County Borough Council as well, who have put some money behind this—but we need to look at what we can do with icons like this of Wales to actually develop that international reach as well. So, there's a chapter in your strategy that deals with authenticity, events that are good for Wales, that reflect and celebrate those things that are authentically Welsh in all aspects, and it talks about ensuring that Welsh culture and language will be represented at events in Wales, helping to tell the stories of Wales to residents and visitors alike, and it talks about delivering a greater sense of Welshness for events, through, for example, landscape, coastline, history, culture and so on—celebrating Welsh icons to develop strong event propositions.

So, let me just go to this Dr Richard Price. I've mentioned him in the Chamber before, but he is so little known here in Wales. He was probably known more at his time, in fact he prominently featured in cartoons and polemics against him in The Times and other newspapers of the day because he was a thorn in the flesh of the establishment. I'm indebted to Professor Kevin Mills for an excellent piece that he's written on Dr Richard Price of Llangeinor, born on Tynton farm into a large family, made his way to London—walked to London, by legend. He was a radical free-thinker and preacher; he was a political thinker; a mathematician. He has been called Wales's most influential thinker. In his words, from this article by Professor Mills, says Dr Price,

'There is not a word in the whole compass of language which expresses so much of what is important and excellent…Nothing can be of as much consequence to us as liberty. It is the foundation of all honour, and the chief privilege and glory of our natures.'

That's why he was a thorn in the side of the establishment; that's why he was a supporter of the French revolution; that's why he's regarded as one of the founding fathers of the American revolution and the American constitution; that is why he was a leading not only political thinker, but also mathematical thinker, a significant contributor to probability theory, Bayes' theorum, which underpins the writing of insurance premiums to this day, and his reach in America is massive.

Llywydd, in closing my remarks, I simply say that Dr Richard Price is one of those icons of Wales, of Welsh culture and heritage, that it would do us well to celebrate, not just here in Wales, but to reach out to our American cousins as well, because they know him very, very well, and we need to bring them here to see his birthplace and to see the events we can put on in his name.

We all know the benefits that holding major events here in Wales can bring. Major events create opportunities for individuals, communities, businesses and organisations, all across Wales, to share in the economic benefits generated and provide an opportunity to showcase Wales on an international platform.

Wales already has world-class venues in place, including the Principality Stadium, the Celtic Manor Resort, Venue Cymru, and the new Swansea Arena, but sadly the Welsh Government’s record in bringing major events to Wales is patchy, to say the least. This is because the Welsh Government’s approach to holding major events in Wales is characterised, sadly, by a lack of ambition. By failing to capture the full economic potential of holding major events, the people of Wales are being let down over and over again. One of the most successful major events, the Ryder Cup, held at the Celtic Manor Resort in 2010, injected over £80 million into the economy of south Wales. A large number of spectators were attracted to the host venue, and the event was watched by millions of people on television here and abroad, ultimately raising the profile of Wales. In 2014, the same venue hosted the NATO summit, an event about which the then First Minister, Carwyn Jones, said the value of the publicity the event brought Wales was literally incalculable.

Sadly, major events like this held in Wales are the exception rather than the rule. My colleague Paul Davies, in his contribution, has referred to the failure to bid and hold the Eurovision Song Contest here in Cardiff. We on this side of the Chamber have repeatedly called for Wales to make a bid to hold the Commonwealth Games in 2026 or even 2030. The Commonwealth Games were last held in Wales 1958. Bringing the Commonwealth Games to Wales once again will enhance our reputation for staging international events. In July 2016, the Welsh Government published a feasibility study into holding the games. It concluded that a bid was technically possible if the logistical challenges could be overcome. These challenges include the games and events being held over a wider geographic spread. But, surely, this would be an advantage, delivering economic benefits across Wales and not just to one small region.

An ambitious major events strategy may even give the Deputy Minister for Climate Change an incentive to finally sort out Wales’s chronic transport problem. Recent concerts in Cardiff by Tom Jones, the Stereophonics and Ed Sheeran clearly have demonstrated the deficiencies of our transport systems. We all witnessed the complete chaos when Ed Sheeran staged three concerts in the Principality Stadium. There were 15-mile-long queues on the M4, motorists were trapped in their car parks because the city centre was in gridlock, and many people were left stranded on train platforms for hours on end because our crumbling rail network couldn’t cope with the sheer demand. Cardiff and the surrounding areas were brought to a standstill. It’s a really sad state of affairs when people were being urged not to take the train because the rail network isn’t fit for the twenty-first century.

The previous major events strategy, which expired two years ago, had the aim of,

‘Developing a balanced and sustainable portfolio of major events which enhances Wales’ international reputation and the wellbeing of its people and communities.’

That strategy has well and truly failed. However, Minister, one event the Welsh Government has supported is the Green Man festival. Between 2010 and 2019, Green Man and its associated companies received financial support totalling £921,000 from your Government. This is on top of the £4.25 million you spent on buying Gilestone Farm. In contrast, just for comparison for all the Members here today and beyond, Glastonbury, which we’ve all heard of, received only £14,950 in 2019 to 2020, and £14,500 the previous year from Arts Council England.

For me and event lovers, it’s really, really sad that only some events are given preference over others by the Welsh Government, and the only way we can excel is if we give Wales equality of opportunity when it comes to holding major events. So, Minister, I hope that you can see now that we, on this particular side of the Chamber, have very little confidence that your new strategy will actually achieve its aims. All that is lacking is ambition and the will to succeed. So, I urge the Welsh Government to take the advice of William Shakespeare: ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Thank you.

My colleagues have highlighted some of the deficiencies. I'm going to talk about some of the positives, I think, across Wales. Do you know, I'm actually very pleased with the major events that have come to my constituency? I look at the Hay-on-Wye literary festival that brings £70 million into the local economy. I know many people on these benches and others enjoy the Royal Welsh Show, the agricultural show, which does highlight the economic benefits of agriculture to Wales. Yes, I will take an intervention, Huw, if you put your hand up for that.

Yes, thanks, James, for giving way. Sorry, it's a subject I used to lecture on years ago. Noticeably, it's not the mega, mega events that earn the big bucks for Wales plc or UK plc; it's the regular, annual events, just the ones that you were mentioning. Those are the bedrock, not just of our local communities, but actually driving repeated economic gains. It's not the one-offs; it's the regular, annual events.

That's very true, Huw. I know 13.2 per cent of people in my constituency are employed within tourism. A lot of that tourism in Hay-on-Wye, Crickhowell, Builth Wells and other parts of my constituency rely on that regular tourism, year in, year out, to promote economic growth, so I do take that point and take it on board.

But we do have music festivals in Brecon and Radnorshire. We also have stages of the Tour of Britain come through on the cycling. I know that recently the young farmers organisation did their Breconshire young farmers club tour, which I took part in. I count it as a major event because I was there. [Laughter.]

But one of the greatest loves of my life is golf—not you, Tom Giffard—and darts. And I was very pleased that we had the Premier League Darts in Cardiff last year, really highlighting to the people of Wales and the world that Wales is a place that loves its darts. I know the Llywydd loves her darts, and I know many people in this Chamber, as well, also enjoy darts.

I think you're slightly over-egging it there.

Having that regular event coming back and forth to Wales is fantastic. I would like to see more major darts events in Wales, because I think it's very, very important that we highlight that. But golf is probably my No. 1 love in life, I would think—[Interruption.] No, I won't tell my girlfriend. [Laughter.] I spend much of my time on the golf course, and she isn't very happy about that either. But as Natasha Asghar did say, the 2010 Ryder Cup really did put Wales on the world map in terms of golf, and now Wales is seen as one of the top golfing destinations around the world. Things have flowed out from the 2010 Ryder Cup. We've seen the senior men's open come to Wales, with the best men golfers from around the world coming here, and we had Bernhard Langer win at Royal Porthcawl, with all the best golfers coming to Wales.

But something I would like to see, and maybe the Minister could pick this up in his closing speech at the end, is the Solheim Cup, which is the women's equivalent of the Ryder Cup. It's been here once before, and I know they are looking for a venue, so I'd like to know what work the Welsh Government is doing to try and get the Solheim Cup back to Wales, to really promote women's golf, and the value that that brings to enhancing women's sport around the world. I'd also like to know what discussions you've had with the Royal and Ancient to actually bring the Open Championship to Wales. It's been in Scotland, it's been in England, it's been in Northern Ireland. So, I do think it's about time Wales hosted the men's open golf tournament.

I can't help but remember the First Minister mentioning not so long ago his love of cricket. We had the Hundred come to Cardiff, which I went to watch, and I'm sure we'd like to see more major cricket events coming to Wales and more tests, so maybe the Minister can comment on that. Major sporting events are very, very important for Wales. They highlight just how much of a sporting nation we are. It's not just about the rugby, it's not just about the football, but, as Huw said, it's about the smaller events that really do mean the most to the Welsh people and the Welsh economy.

The Minister to contribute to the debate—Vaughan Gething.

Thank you, Llywydd. I'd like to thank the Conservatives for tabling this debate today, as it gives me the opportunity to highlight the importance of events to Wales, and how we are supporting our vision as set out in the new national events strategy. Our ambition is that Wales stages outstanding events that support the well-being of our people, place and the planet. It should surprise no-one that I won't support the motion and, indeed, the amendment.

Before going into some more detail, I think it's been an odd series of speeches from the Conservatives, on the one hand saying we have all these great events that turn up in Wales, and almost all the events that have been mentioned have been supported by the Welsh Government, and then they say the Welsh Government isn't doing enough. And at the same time, we have this big challenge of the reality of our financial resources, and it means you have to choose. You have to prioritise. You can't do everything. And what we're looking to do is to maximise the return on each of the events that we support.

On Eurovision, I should clarify that no other facility in Wales, apart from the stadium in Cardiff, would have been big enough, and it of course has a very strong track record of hosting major events. The challenge, though, was that actually due to the complexity of staging the event, the demands of doing so, and also the staging of a significant number of scheduled events in the Principality Stadium, those events would have had to have been cancelled, including the European wheelchair rugby championships, for example; a major international artist who was contracted to appear; and other events. Alongside the council and the stadium, we explored a range of options, to see if we could accommodate the event alongside the existing schedule, but it wasn't possible. So, we did everything that we practicably could to try to land Eurovision, and I would have been delighted to have attended myself, as a cast-iron Eurovision fan, much to the annoyance of my wife.

But we do, of course, have a thriving events industry, as a number of Conservative speeches highlighted. We're always open to discussions around bringing major events to Wales, and indeed maintaining a balanced portfolio of local events. We all know that a full range of cultural and sporting and business events are a vital part of our broader economy. The Welsh Government supports, for example, events across Wales through Event Wales that help to drive a positive economic impact. We also showcase world-class venues, spotlight our cities, our towns, our communities, and, as has been said, highlight our wonderful landscapes in different parts of the country. 

It is because we recognise the vital role of events in Wales, to the people and to the economy, that we know that the sector was hit hard by the pandemic. That's why I'm proud that this Welsh Government supported the sector with £24 million to support more than 200 sporting, cultural and business events and technical suppliers through the cultural recovery fund. And we will continue to work alongside the industry as we still face a number of challenges as well as opportunities. Those challenges include the cost-of-living crisis, the new realities of Brexit that are still not completed, staff and volunteer shortages, and those are real and continuing. Our focus remains on supporting the events industry in Wales to survive whilst also looking to the future. That's why we're developing Welsh events and suppliers. That's why we're still attracting international events, to further enhance our reputation as a leading events destination. That's why our commitment to work in partnership with the sector continues, both through the new strategy and even more so the fact that the new strategy was created in partnership with the sector. An experienced industry chair will be taking forward the work of the implementation of the strategy as well. 

The strategy re-emphasises our reputation in Wales as an events nation on the world stage. We have clear ambitions to ensure that we do deliver an all-Wales approach, to maximise our various assets to support the geographical and seasonal spread—I'm glad it's been picked up in a number of the speeches—of both indigenous and international events, from sport, business, culture and throughout the whole of Wales, that help to celebrate our distinct Welsh culture. [Interruption.] I'll take the intervention. 

Sorry to interrupt you. I just wanted to say, Minister, don't you think that we need to capitalise as much as we can, particularly on major sporting events, by also investing then in grass-roots sporting facilities? Because if we're stimulating all this interest in a sport—for example, football, or whatever it might be—it's a real shame that some people across Wales are unable to take up that sport in their local areas because the facilities are so poor.

That's why we're investing £24 million of capital into grass-roots facilities. It's why it's such a shame that we saw a cut to our capital budget from the spending review. We, of course, want to do more, but it does mean we need the resources to do more and not to have our resources denuded and taken away by the UK Government. I will take an interest in Huw Irranca-Davies's spotlighting of Dr Richard Price. I'm due to have a meeting with Huw Irranca-Davies on a number of subjects, so I'll add another one to the list. [Laughter.]

We are, of course, well versed in successfully hosting major events, from WOMEX to NATO, the Ashes test, the Ryder Cup and the UEFA Champions League final, to name but a few, in all of which the Welsh Government had a key role in landing and putting on. You wouldn't have thought that from half of the Conservative speeches. But, most recently, of course, we did help to land the WWE Clash at the Castle. That was a major event—a US-based but international sports entertainment extravaganza for the first time in the UK in 30 years. And actually part of the reason they came to Wales was because, despite what the Conservatives are saying about our ability to land large events, they had confidence in our ability to do so and had noticed Wales on the world stage because of what we had already done in the past.

And of course that event gave us the opportunity to use WWE promotional platforms to gain further exposure for Wales. So, tourism locations, personalities, food and drink and the language were all featured in advance of the event and during the event as well, and they were broadcast live worldwide during the event itself. And it wasn't just the stadium and Cardiff that were profiled, as west Wales, north Wales, mid Wales and south Wales outside the capital as well were all featured. And I think that's part of what we've been able to do by working with them. It's part of the reason why we supported the event, because of the huge exposure that Wales got as a result of it, and not just for the 62,000 people who came to Wales from 42 countries for the event itself. It's worth noting that, on the night of the event, it was the top trending item globally on Twitter. And I will be happy to publish more information on the post-event monitoring, including the economic impact assessment, which is not yet complete. And indeed, post Qatar, we will of course update Members and the wider public on the impact of our activity around the men's football world cup to promote Wales. I'll also be happy to provide a further update to Members in advance of the tournament kick off. 

Another one of our supported events, not quite such a major event in the sense of the world cup or WWE, is the World Rowing Coastal Championships and Beach Sprint Finals, which I know everyone is looking forward to. It's actually—[Interruption.] I knew that there would be an interest from this side, because it's another example of our ambition and innovation right across the country. The event has become one of the first rowing events of its type globally to have achieved International Organization for Standardization 20121. That may not mean much to people here, but in the events sector, it's a coveted certification on sustainability. It recognises the event's commitment to reducing its economic, social and environmental impacts in all aspects relating to event planning and execution. The organisers sought at all times to benefit and boost the local economy whilst being sensitive to the important nature reserves and geology in the area. I could go on and on and on talking about what we can do and have done within the events sector here in Wales, but I think we have a track record to be proud of here in Wales, with real ambition in the new strategy, and I look forward to reporting on more success from major events, local events, right across Wales. I hope that people will support those, not just in the Chamber, but in their local communities and across the country in the future.

Tom Giffard to reply to the debate.

Diolch, Llywydd. Can I thank all Members and the Minister for their contribution to today's debate? Llyr Gruffydd told me in the tea room earlier that this debate would be a major event in and of itself, and I think he was proven quite correct. [Laughter.]

To summarise some of the contributions, Paul Davies in his opening remarks referred to the magnificent achievement of team Cymru, and I want to repeat my well wishes to them ahead of their world cup campaign in Qatar. And on the world cup, I have to say I'm still disappointed that grass-roots-level campaigns have not been able to get involved with the world cup partner support fund when it was announced last week. I'd hoped that we would have had the ability to involve people all across Wales. It's also disappointing to hear that official fan zones are not taking place to commemorate the event, and I would urge the Government to work with councils across Wales to make sure that that does happen.

Paul also went on to mention the major events strategy and how we can maximise the economic benefit from these events. As has been mentioned, there are many major cultural events that take place each year, and we can capitalise on those events that take place—not just in Cardiff, but in Swansea, in north Wales, in mid Wales, in west Wales as well. I'd like to echo his call that the strategy should be rethought with an additional focus on how we can look at more aspiration and innovation in it. And through that aspiration and innovation, my colleague Natasha Asghar mentioned the recent events that unfortunately brought Cardiff to a standstill during the Ed Sheeran and the Stereophonics concerts, which caused absolute havoc to our transport networks, with some people, as she illustrated, stuck for hours, only to end up missing their concert, or arriving very late home.

There needs to be a joined-up approach throughout all of the major events strategies to maximise revenue for the whole city, the whole town, or the whole area to benefit from that major event when it comes to Wales. We need to make sure that we tap into people's interests when they're travelling to our cities and our towns and sell other parts of our country whilst they are here. That could not have been more relevant than when the recent WWE Clash at the Castle event took place in Cardiff last month. Here we had an opportunity to galvanise people's interest in our cultural wonders and not just concentrate them in Cardiff.

Also, my colleague Paul Davies mentioned the fact that the Welsh Government seemed to be hiding behind the figures that brought the event here in the first place. I heard the Minister in his response talking about maximising the return on the events we support, which sounds like a noble ambition, but you haven't told us how much you spent on it, Minister, in the first place. How would we know that you've maximised the return on such an event? Taxpayers' money being used to bring such a global brand to Wales is something to be welcomed, but it's really concerning to see the obfuscation from the Welsh Government to release those figures, so we as Members of the Senedd can scrutinise that investment and ensure taxpayers were getting value for money.

It's also been the case in James Evans's constituency with the Gilestone Farm scandal, where Ministers have again refused to be honest with the Welsh people about what has happened. [Interruption.] I'm happy to give way to the Deputy Minister, if he'd like to come in. No? No, I didn't think so. There is a continued clear disregard for the Welsh public and scrutiny of Government decision making leaves us to wonder what really goes on in bringing these major events to Wales when we should be working together to make them a success in the first place. Sam Rowlands reeled off a wonderful list of all the events that he had brought to his area when he led Conwy council—

Would you give way?

Absolutely.

I am enjoying a lot of what you're saying—

I'd expect that. [Laughter.]

But it just does strike me that some of the criticism around the support given to events—. When the Olympics came to London—I was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Tessa Jowell at the time—it was universally derided by many Conservative Members as a waste of money, waste of investment, waste of time; we'd never get it. Then when we got it, everybody celebrated and said what a wonderful thing this was for Britain to have. So, I'd just ask for some latitude that when a Minister decides to actually support an event and bring it here to Wales, normally, they're doing it with the best intention, not because there's some grand conspiracy. 

I never said that there was a grand conspiracy, but what I thought was very important was that the Welsh Government is open when it spends taxpayers' money so that we can decide whether that money was well spent. I don't think that that's a novel concept.

Luke Fletcher spoke excellently, I thought, about the culture, heritage and the language being the most powerful selling points, and putting our identity front and centre is absolutely crucial. I'm happy to give way to the First Minister if he'd like to come in, as well. [Laughter.] Huw Irranca-Davies spoke about the importance of regular, annual events, and I was genuinely interested to hear what he had to say about Dr Richard Price, as well. James Evans, I think, will be in trouble when he gets home when he talks about the true love in his life, but he mentioned a great deal about the local events in Brecon and Radnorshire. Finally, Laura Anne Jones made an excellent point about the wider legacy left behind by major events as well; how we leave a footprint that genuinely benefits the people of Wales.

And Paul Davies, finally, spoke about a can-do attitude in Welsh Government when it comes to major events, and that lack of ambition has also been prevalent when the Welsh Government failed to even co-ordinate a plan to bring the Eurovision Song Contest to Wales. We have arenas that can hold international events across Wales, and that lack of ambition has been clear for all to see. The question has to be asked whether the chaos on our transport system and gridlocking an entire city played a part in that decision not to bring the event here, which was backed in our debate, to Wales. We want to bring these events to Wales and bring with them further opportunities to develop our country as one that can attract the very best events, talent and culture from across the world.

In conclusion, Llywydd, I hope that Members can unite behind our motion before us today, and I firmly believe that this motion can show to Wales and the rest of the world that we are relentlessly optimistic about what our country can achieve. Thank you.

The proposal is to agree the motion without amendment. Does any Member object? [Objection.] There are objections, and we will defer voting under this item until voting time.

Voting deferred until voting time.

I'm now going to suspend the meeting as we prepare for voting time.

Plenary was suspended at 17:17.

The Senedd reconvened at 17:20, with the Llywydd in the Chair.