, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Diolch, Carolyn. Chair, without, perhaps, entering into budget discussions here today, and perhaps in areas that are not my direct responsibility either—so, the issue around transport and, perhaps, school transport as well in making sure that schoolchildren…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I'm sure, no doubt, there are other examples. Let us do the work around what that looks like, because I'm as interested as the Member is to understand that.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Yes. We need to do a bit of work about exactly what looks like. And, of course, the £1.5 million hasn't reached the sector yet, so that will need to take place as well. To the point, which I think is a good point, because of that funding, £90,000 for the…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Yes, so I'm happy to provide that. The funding of that £5 million was very much focused on supporting jobs and resilience in the sector. So, no doubt it will have gone some way—. I think I've said, in the Chamber, the breakdown—not in, perhaps, the level of…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Diolch, Heledd, and thank you for the opportunity to bring up these issues, because they are issues of national importance, aren’t they? If we take the WNO first, one of the early meetings I had as Minister with responsibility for this was regarding the WNO…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I don't think I'm grandstanding at all. I think we've been over the situation of where the cuts have come from and the reasons behind those difficult decisions that had to be made. I'm relatively new in this post. I think I've set out my stall in terms of my…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I'm not making the decision for them. I think it's reasonable for me to understand the outcome of that trial period, and that's what I've asked them to do. It's a trial period where they've charged an amount of money to go down into the Big Pit; they've done…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Well, it's free entry into the museum, isn't it? I've raised this with them. Before having a view on that, I do need to understand the detail. It was a trial period and they had a number of different trials in different locations. Pay what you can is one of…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Yes, sure. Okay. Thank you. Diolch, Heledd. And you're right. In our first exchanges in the Siambr—I think in response to the Conservative spokesperson—I used the phrase, around my ambitions for this portfolio and me as a Minister, as very much 'the bread and…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
And then, on the importance of the future—. Well, the future generations Act is ever so important, isn't it, and all of the goals in my mind are equally as important as each other. That's where I started from here. So, the culture goal within the future…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Okay, on your broader points, I think you've given us a flavour in which we will try and shape a response to committee for. I won't be able to go into those details now, but we're happy to write to you, Chair.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Some of the work in Caerphilly is—. I mean, if you haven't been there as a committee, you should try and get a trip, Chair.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I think there is a valid case to be made, isn't there, where those arguments could be realised. I'm afraid, Chair, I don't want to get into a discussion about what the budget might or might not entail, going forward. If the committee was minded to support…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Diolch, Heledd. Your point on local authority support, there's been an announcement this week of funding from Sport Wales that will go directly to support local authorities in some of the things that they need to do in terms of making sport facilities and…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Again, in the context of where we have found ourselves and the budgets and what I've outlined already today, local authorities have found themselves, perhaps, in a worse position because of the impacts of austerity and the inflationary pressures that they've…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Diolch, Carolyn. Chair, I should say, Carolyn Thomas has been, particularly in the north-east Wales area, a champion for a number of years now, both here in the Senedd and before that in her role as deputy leader of the council in Flintshire. Again, she…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I can't give you assurances of what that will be, but I will consider it.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I think back—I'm an engineer by trade, and I'm always open to problem solving to find solutions, so if that takes a radical approach, I'd perhaps prefer a bold approach to what that might look like. Of course, I would be happy to consider all of that. I…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I think the period of cuts—. As I say, no Minister will have wanted to take the decisions that they've had to make, and it isn't just the arts sector that has faced cuts across the Government. In the period that we talk about, we reflect on where the Welsh…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
You have to have the context of where the Welsh Government's budget comes from as well, don't you? The Welsh Government's budget has been impacted, as I've already outlined today and in my written evidence, by those policies. So, it's the impact overall that…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
We are talking about the Welsh—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I think the state of the sector, and you referenced the 14 years—. Well, I agree with you, we've had 14 years of policies from a Westminster Government. That impact of austerity is very real, and the situation that is in front of the arts, culture and sports…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
It’s great to be here talking about this important topic. Your points and the reference to the draft culture priorities and the ambition within the draft culture priorities—I think it's the right ambition to have, isn’t it? I would suggest that most, if not…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Diolch, Cadeirydd. I think I should say at the start that it’s great to be in front of you with my first evidence session as a Minister today.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Diolch, Cadeirydd, and bore da, bawb. I think I’ll ask officials to introduce themselves this morning, if that’s okay, starting with Ruth.
