, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
Indeed we do, yes.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
And it's a point of view that I don't agree with and you know why.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
It's a point of view, Alun, and I know it's a point of view you've expressed to me previously—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
I don't know if we can at this stage, can we? I think that was the point that Marcus was making to Llyr.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
On capital, and that's primarily been on the Celf ar y Cyd project.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
So, that's around about £1.363 million, is it?
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
Around February/March next year.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
Once we have the full business case for the selected site for the anchor gallery, then we'll have a much better idea of the costs associated with that particular site.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
What we do know is that the costs on the current model that we’re proposing are actually considerably less than were set out in the original feasibility study. There was a very wide range that was set out in that study and we’re very much at the lower end of…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
We don’t know at this stage, no.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
It’s a good question, and it will rely very much on the business cases that we see. We’re really working towards having an anchor gallery that will be viable, that will act—as the name suggests—as the anchor for the other sites, that acts as a kind of…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
Well, I’d like to think that that won’t be the case, but I can’t run away from the parlous financial situation that we’re in. What I would say, though, Llyr—and I’ve said this once or twice, but I think it is also relevant in terms of these difficult…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
Absolute assurances? We can’t, for the very reasons that you’ve just outlined. All I can say is to repeat what I said in my earlier answer: that the reliance on central revenue funding we anticipate can be reduced. So, inevitably, there will be funding from…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
I do, absolutely—
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
I think I would add as well, Llyr, that, obviously, we've got host galleries in the national museum and the national library, and they will continue to be funded with a grant in aid as normal. This will become part of their normal activities, if you like.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
The outline business case has contained some costs, but the project partners really have agreed that they're going to provide further detail as those projects are developed, and, again, that'll be part of the full business case that we're likely to see in…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
Thank you.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
The network of galleries, yes, probably October or November. This autumn.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
The nine proposed galleries within the network are currently developing their plans for submission to the arts council prior to being formally assessed. We expect to have the final list of the dispersed network announced sometime in October or November—so…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
It actually hasn't taken five years for that. The decision to appoint an independent chair was actually only taken in this financial year. There has been a chair of the project. We started with a chair who was a member of the Welsh Government, a Welsh…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
Yes, we have seen some capital works, particularly on the Celf ar y Cyd project, the digitisation project, and, of course, there's been some expenditure on the preparation that's been done by the potential gallery sites. But again, Ian or Marcus, I don't know…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
On a personal level, yes, I do. It remains a priority of the Welsh Government and part of our co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru. I don't think you can overestimate the importance of art and the benefits that they can bring to the general population. We…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
I think what we do know is that we will have greater floor space, because one of the things that we're projecting is that we will be able to display more of the national collection than the current host galleries are able to display.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
I will ask my officials whether they know the answer to that, if you don't mind. [Laughter.] Marcus.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
National contemporary art gallery: Ministerial evidence session
Yes, and I don't see—. You see, one of the things I think is interesting about the national contemporary art gallery project is the flexibility that it provides—the flexibility to expand the scope, the flexibility to scale up or down, the flexibility to plug…
