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.