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.