, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Yes, and I think that’s a fair challenge. That’s why I’m saying that we’ve put the highest level of capital investment ever into trying to address that. So, £24 million over three years, that's just directly from—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
It’s difficult to do that, really, isn’t it? Because it’s like comparing apples with pears. Other nations fund their sporting activities in different ways. All of our sporting activities are not just funded through Sport Wales. It’s funded through the…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
I think we probably would all like to see our facilities improved, being much better than they have been in the past. What I would say is that the starting point for me as a new Minister is that we have the highest level of capital investment in sporting…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Okay. Alun.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
What we saw through COVID was all the indices of deprivation that we've identified—. We saw those gaps grow throughout COVID. The greatest impacts on everybody, adverse impacts on people throughout COVID, were in those areas of the highest deprivation—not…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
I suppose the only other thing I would add to that is that, although we are directly funding that through Sport Wales, in terms of the element of the responsibility that Sport Wales has for those things, we're not doing that in isolation. So, Sport Wales is…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Of course, yes. I suppose I'll take that in two parts, I think, Chair. Firstly is to look at what happened through the pandemic, and how we funded sport through the pandemic, because we were obviously in a crisis situation; most of our sports organisations…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Yes. Quite rightly so, yes.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
I know, I know.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
And I think—.I will also say, Chair, that obviously this is very early days post the qualification of the world cup, and there's going to be an awful lot of discussions that we'll be having with all of our partners, with the Football Association of Wales in…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Of course, yes.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Yes, basketball is a very fast-growing sport, yes.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Yes. No, it's something like—. Now, I'm going to be called up on this, but it's something like—. It's not squash, but it's something like that. It's swimming, is it? It's a sport that you wouldn't automatically think of as being the greatest participation, in…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Well, there are—. I'm trying to find out—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Well, I think the focus of everything that we want to do is about opening up sport activity for everybody—equal access, that's there for everybody, but particularly in disadvantaged areas. Wales qualifying for the world cup gives us a huge opportunity…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Participation in sport in disadvantaged areas: Evidence session with the Welsh Government
Indeed. You can introduce yourselves.
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
But just to finally say, on those points, Delyth Jewell and Cefin Campbell also both referenced the work of the previous culture committees in this area, and I hope very much that the work of the previous culture committee will be work and evidence that the…
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
What I don't want to do, Tom—. That would be my aspiration, because I do not believe that the privatisation of Channel 4 or the abolition of the licence fee for the BBC is the right way for us to proceed. But let me be absolutely clear, I am not going to set…
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
Sorry, I beg your pardon. Sorry, Tom. Yes.
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
No, I don't know how much that would cost, Gareth, but all of the financial implications for any of these proposals as we move forward would have to be looked at, and would be part of the case that we develop to either pursue the devolution of broadcasting or…
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
Indeed.
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
Diolch, Llywydd. Can I thank all colleagues for their contributions this afternoon? I will try and respond to a number of the points made, but forgive me if I don't cover everything, because there were lots of very good points made, and people making the same…
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
The policy of Welsh Labour is yet to be developed in this area, but this is very much part of the co-operation agreement between Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru that was necessary for a range of issues that we needed to deliver the programme for government…
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
Indeed.
, Plenary
Debate: Broadcasting
Diolch, Llywydd. I very much welcome the opportunity to talk today about the important work that we are taking forward, through our co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru, to support a broadcasting and communications framework for Wales that is fit for…
