I'd also like to thank, as Delyth Jewell has, stakeholders from the sports and cultural sectors in Wales for giving their time to the committee and setting out the key issues that they face. 

A number of things struck me as we were gathering evidence for the report, including a huge range of problems that these sectors are facing. For example, we received evidence that showed that rises in wages were a big factor in staff turnover, as well as the affordability of keeping staff. So, it's clear that we must, again, rely on volunteers to help keep our vibrant culture sector going. I'm a big believer in volunteering, but think that giving them more burden without a solid support is not the way to go. So, it would be good to hear from the Deputy Minister what the Welsh Government is doing to ensure that people who follow careers in this area are encouraged, but also what support, additionally, over and above that, is provided to volunteers as well.

There is also the issue of preparedness. The funding from Welsh Government in recent years hasn't taken into account rises in costs before the pandemic. That's something that we heard from the witnesses that came before us. Clearly, cultural and sporting venues have been supported throughout the pandemic by the Welsh Government and the UK Government, but there has been a sense that their long-term funding is unknown, and short-term support, as outlined by the Deputy Minister in her response to the committee, won't help in that regard. So, surely we should be looking further down the road and making sure that these vital community resources are protected and nurtured. And I do feel the concerns outlined by stakeholders when they say, and I quote,

'The sector is financially fragile—lots of late bookings, lack of public confidence and cash, high numbers of no-shows so no secondary income on bars etc.'

That fragility, alongside rising energy costs, is causing venues to raise their prices, which, in turn, is pricing many individuals and families in Wales out of enjoying the arts and cultural sector, which then becomes a vicious cycle.

Dirprwy Lywydd, the really concerning part of the evidence we received was from Sport Wales, where they noted that two in five people's ability was negatively impacted by rising costs and that 30 per cent were saying that they were less active as a result. That should send alarm bells ringing right across Welsh Government departments, especially because of a focus on reducing obesity, as well as the value of sport in preventing long-term health conditions.

Turning to the Welsh Government's reply, I also welcome that the Deputy Minister has accepted all but two of the recommendations. However, I'm really interested that the Deputy Minister has accepted recommendation 4 about providing capital funding for the sport and culture sector on greening their energy consumption, but in her response she mentioned that this would be provided through the unhypothecated capital grant funding given to councils. And she said that this funding

'may be used to support sports and social facilities by Local Authorities in this way if Authorities consider it is appropriate to do so.'

For me, I feel that's a little bit of a get-out clause, as local authorities will have, obviously, competing priorities, and making sure sporting and cultural venues are energy efficient may not necessarily be top of that list. This was a point that Community Leisure UK Wales made very well in their evidence to the committee, so I'd be very interested to learn how this acceptance by the Deputy Minister does pan out over the years to come.

I'm also disappointed to see from the recommendations that the Welsh Government wasn't interested in opening dialogue with the UK Government on sporting and cultural packages of support, because I think that's a missed opportunity. For example, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the UK Parliament were calling for value-added tax relief in November, which could really help live music and heritage sectors in Wales, including for building restorations and ticket sales. Also, we learned how important the cultural recovery fund was to many in the Welsh arts sector, and we need to ensure that that is built upon.

There seems to be a bit of a theme here. The other recommendation the Deputy Minister also declined was about improving engagement with the cultural sector. So, it looks like the Welsh Government perhaps doesn't play well with others, and that it's a one-way relationship. If the record of engagement with these sectors is, as you say, Deputy Minister, exemplar, then why is that recommendation included in the first place in the committee's report?

It's not just a call to ensure that our culture is protected, but, logically, it's a part of our economy too. It's a great pity that the Welsh Government missed out on huge economic opportunities, such as bidding for Eurovision and the Commonwealth Games, which would have showcased our talent on an international stage. So, to conclude, it should be incumbent on you as a Minister and us as Senedd Members to represent how important Wales's rich culture and sporting pride is, especially when it comes to keeping them going. Instead, what we shouldn't be guilty of is watching on from the sidelines rather than tackling the key issues that face these sectors. Thank you.