Part of 4. Topical Questions – in the Senedd at 3:35 pm on 25 January 2023.
Minister, the programme broadcast this week was a very distressing programme, and we heard some very distressing testimony. And I think we should all join together to applaud and to commend the women who spoke out then, and also, of course, the journalists who have told this story and who brought this to our attention.
To me, what this speaks of is not an individual HR issue, but a deep-rooted culture, and a culture that must change. And for all of us who have spent a lifetime supporting Welsh rugby at all levels, we want to see this change occur. And what I'm not interested in is hearing short-term, knee-jerk measures. I'm not interested in a short-term witch hunt; I'm interested in long-term, fundamental change, and long-term, fundamental cultural change. And I hope that Ieuan Evans will be leading that change, and what I will say is that the governance of the WRU needs to change, the culture of the WRU needs to change, and we need to ensure that the culture of rugby in this country is an inclusive culture and one which encourages women to be a fundamental part of it and doesn't force people out—that cannot be the case.
And what I would say to the WRU—if you are unable or unprepared to lead this change, then change will be forced upon you. This is not something that a sticking plaster will repair. This is not something that can be brushed under the carpet, and this is not something that the media will move on from next week. This calls for fundamental cultural change. And my question to you, Minister, is this: what will the Welsh Government do to work with the WRU to ensure that this change happens, and how will we understand that that change has happened? Because what I don't want to see is simply a list of actions, and we'll have a Senedd inquiry this time next year or whatever—what I want to see is that change taking place. It's for the WRU to lead this change, and it's for the WRU to take responsibility for that change. And I hope that we can all rely on the WRU to understand where it is today.