, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
I accept that—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
It appears to me that this is a real national emergency, because the issues we are talking about with the museum and the library, in particular, are not issues that have arisen in this particular year or last year, they are issues that have arisen over a…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
But that's not my starting point as the Minister dealing with arm's-length bodies. It may well be that it comes to that point, but the appropriate way for me to deal with bodies that I'm responsible for in Government is to have those private conversations to…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
Public scrutiny is quite an important part of that process.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
And the national museum as well, yes.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
Well, it should reach the public, surely.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
Sorry, can I say: why isn't it appropriate in public? Because this is public funding, these are public matters, a matter of public policy. Surely, if there are issues of the type that you're describing, then that's a proper subject for public debate as well.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
—just by saying it is a moving situation, as we can see? It's very fluid. It may be useful for the committee to pursue this matter with the Minister by correspondence.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
I can see Huw wants to come in. Can I just conclude my section—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
So, there's no conversation taking place between the Welsh Government and the arts council about a transition, if you like, or a—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
I'm grateful to you for that, Minister. Let's just crystallise what you've just said then. So, we've been through the process of the investment review with the arts council, and the arts council have taken some difficult decisions and we've seen the…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
Yes.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
Yes, I understand.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
No, I wasn't actually. I was going to come onto it, as it happens, but—.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
We've covered much of that ground in previous questions, but I think we need to test this just a little bit more, because as the Minister pointed out in his opening remarks, there are consequences to decisions. Decisions that you are taking on budgets now…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
The Minister’s tempting me to a debate around taxation, which I will resist this morning. [Laughter.]
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
Yes, I agree with you.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
That’s not what the Act says.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
Okay, let’s conclude this segment of the session with a question about how the decisions that you’ve explained—. And I recognise the power of the argument, I have no issue with any of that, but how does that sit with the wider Welsh Government’s position with…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
I understand. Let’s take, for example—. The members of the committee had a letter yesterday from Nick Lock, who was discussing the impact, the potential impact, of cuts to the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum in Caernarfon. Now, Caernarfon is a town that relies…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
I fully accept that, but let's look again at some of those overlaps. I don't disagree with your broad analysis about socioeconomics; we've debated it enough times. But the cuts that you are making in these areas will have economic impacts as well.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
I absolutely accept that. I represent a small authority that has less means of raising its own funding—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
Former deputy leader.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
I accept that.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25: evidence session with the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism and the Minister for Economy
I completely accept and agree with the overall budget narrative that the Government has provided. I think there is a diminishing spend available to Welsh Government, and Welsh Government is not at the moment in a place where it wants to raise its own income…
