Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motion on behalf of the committee. It is my pleasure to open the debate today on behalf of our committee to discuss our report on participation in sport in disadvantaged areas. I would like to thank everyone who took part in this inquiry and who shared their experiences with us as a committee, and I’d like to thank the other members of the committee and our clerking and research teams for their work on the inquiry.

Our report, and our debate this afternoon, is about the opportunities that people have to be active when they live either in disadvantaged areas, or live disadvantaged lives. Sport should be played on a level playing field, as we say in English. But unfortunately, it's not like that. The subject of our inquiry was one that a number of our stakeholders asked us as a committee to look into, and it is clearly an important topic for the Government. After all, the Government told us in giving evidence on the draft budget in January this year that

'Sport can be the most effective preventative health tool in the country.'

Please note: it 'can' be. There is potential here, but, as we discovered as a committee when we took evidence, this potential is hindered in too many areas by poverty and a lack of opportunity. And the situation is getting worse. 

Dirprwy Lywydd, the pandemic has exacerbated a situation that was already very poor. The latest data from Sport Wales, from August this year, shows that 41 per cent of people say that the cost-of-living crisis has also now had a negative impact on their ability to be active. And the Sport Wales survey from February this year showed that 40 per cent of adults feel that the pandemic has led to negative changes in their exercise plans. Men, older adults, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and people with long-standing conditions or illnesses are the most likely ones to feel that way. People from more prosperous backgrounds tended to feel the opposite.

There is a stubborn deprivation gap in terms of the participation of school-age children in sport, too. Again, according to figures from Sport Wales, in 2022, 32 per cent of children from the most disadvantaged areas were taking part in sports outwith the curriculum three or more times a week. The figure for pupils in the least deprived areas was 47 percent. We have an opportunity to change things. And in light of the scale of the problem, it is disappointing that the Government has rejected our two main recommendations, although we do welcome the areas where the Government has said that it would consider making changes.

Our main recommendation talks about the need to change the system from the top down for sport and physical activity. Our report calls for a new, collaborative, national approach from the Welsh Government. This would be an opportunity to set measurable targets and a defined timetable, over a period of five years. The problems that we have identified are too deep rooted to resolve without that kind of astonishing change, and our recommendation would mean that every person, every agency and every department in the Government would work towards this same common goal. This wouldn’t mean starting again; it would mean the Government setting a definite ambition for taking part in sport, bringing good practices together. All of our other recommendations flow from this main recommendation.

The main other ones that I want to address are the physical activity development grant, which has been accepted in principle by the Government, and the recommendation relating to funding, which has been rejected. The grant, according to our recommendation, would learn from the Active Me—Kia Tū pilot scheme in New Zealand, seeking to improve access for those in disadvantaged areas to opportunities relating to sport and physical activity. And as the Deputy Minister has just returned from New Zealand, where she learned about this work, we would welcome an update from her on our recommendation. Our recommendation is different to the pupil development grant, as it would fund also support to get professional advice to develop plans, sports kit or subscription fees, access to a sports facility, and also travel expenses.

Finally, Dirprwy Lywydd, I will turn to our recommendation on funding. I will give some context to explain this. The Welsh Government has acknowledged that sport can be the most effective preventative health tool. NHS waiting lists grew 50 per cent between March 2020 and April this year, so a tool of this kind would be welcome. But the funding for Sport Wales has plateaued. The final revenue budget for 2021-22 will increase from £22.4 million to £22.7 million in the final budget for 2022-23; that is, an increase of 1 per cent.  And it's estimated that it will increase by 6 per cent by 2024-25, which is much lower than current inflation rates. And capital funding for the same period is down from £8.6 million to £8 million. 

Before we hear from other Members in this important debate, I would like to say that exceptionally good things are happening across Wales. A number of stakeholders applauded the work of Sport Wales—the projects across Wales that are doing such great work and making such a difference in people's lives. Our argument is that, with the right resources, things could be even better. Over recent weeks, we've all enjoyed watching Wales in the world cup. But without timely investment from the Welsh Government, we risk losing the infrastructure to develop the next generation of players—the Bales, the Ramseys of the future. And this applies, of course, to all sports and every activity. We want Wales to stay on top of the world. This would be an investment in the nation's health in so many ways, and I look forward to hearing the views of other Members. Thank you.