English: May I sincerely thank Delyth Jewell, the committee Chair, and her fellow committee members for this important report placed before the Senedd today? I believe that all of us in this Chamber understand that culture and sport are totally integral to the fabric and identity of Welsh life. We know that our cultural and sporting organisations barely endured the financial storm that the COVID pandemic brought to their doorstep, and this is despite the £140 million from Welsh Government, when many called for that to go elsewhere. But as they have re-emerged into a post-pandemic world, our arts sectors are now met with this crippling cost-of-living crisis, and this is alongside the remaining residue of COVID workforce capacity losses, as live music faces one of its worst landscapes since the second world war. I'm going to focus on just two of the committee's report recommendations, although I do have sympathy with recommendation 6, with the real amounts of money needed, but this is a fully devolved matter, and so I do understand why the Welsh Government has not accepted recommendation 6. Firstly, recommendation 7, namely that the Welsh Government should encourage sporting and cultural activities in warm hubs and fund the providers accordingly. I'm very heartened to see that the Welsh Labour Government is committed to accepting this recommendation. In Islwyn, Caerphilly County Borough Council has designated warm hubs that they have called 'welcoming spaces' in a variety of venues, such as libraries, community centres, church halls, sports clubs and many other places. One such welcoming space is the Newbridge library, which sits within the Newbridge memorial hall, where my constituency office is located. But it is these iconic community buildings - like the Newbridge Memo, which hosted Paul Robeson - that have played an integral cultural role in the life of our communities that must continue to do so. Indeed, our industrial mining heritage is integrally tied with cultural and musical offers of such mining workmen's halls. I see for myself on a weekly basis how important this building is in terms of its cultural hub, and also its performing auditorium, existing at the very heart. So, it is right that the Welsh Government has linked this, and has provided an initial amount of £1 million to support the development and expansion of warm hubs across Wales. The pandemic, and now the cost-of-living crisis, has shown how we now need, more than ever, to create and sustain focal cultural community points where society can come together, because together we truly are stronger, and culturally we are stronger. Finally, I want to turn to recommendation 8, namely that the Welsh Government should provide leadership to the culture and sport sectors during the cost-of-living crisis. It was good to see the Welsh Government accept this recommendation, and I note that the Government states it has committed almost £4 million during the financial year to the National Library of Wales, National Museum Wales and the arts sector, via the Arts Council of Wales, as well as a variety of other bodies. The ability of the culture and sporting sectors to uplift their managerial and leadership competence is vital to the delivery of events and offerings on the ground to members of the public and our communities, and I do look forward to watching this piece of work progress. Llywydd, we are all, I believe, summoned here in Senedd Cymru as the custodians and guardians of the rich and vibrant tapestry of Welsh life, and not just guardians but proponents of our cultural life, to be vigilant, to safeguard Wales and to safeguard our cultural and sporting landscapes, and drive, steer and lead Wales into a new renaissance - identity, artistry and excellence. Diolch.
Welsh: A gaf fi ddiolch o galon i Delyth Jewell, Cadeirydd y pwyllgor, a'i chyd-aelodau o'r pwyllgor am yr adroddiad pwysig hwn a gyflwynwyd ger bron y Senedd heddiw? Credaf fod pob un ohonom yn y Siambr hon yn deall bod diwylliant a chwaraeon yn rhan annatod o wead a hunaniaeth bywyd yng Nghymru. Gwyddom mai prin y goroesodd ein sefydliadau diwylliannol a chwaraeon y storm ariannol a ddaeth yn sgil pandemig COVID, a hynny er gwaethaf y £140 miliwn a ddarparwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru, pan alwodd llawer o bobl am i'r arian hwnnw fynd i rywle arall. Ond wrth iddynt ailafael ynddi mewn byd ôl-bandemig, mae ein sectorau celfyddydol bellach yn wynebu'r argyfwng costau byw aruthrol hwn, a hynny ochr yn ochr â'r colledion sy'n weddill ar ôl COVID-19 o ran capasiti'r gweithlu, wrth i gerddoriaeth fyw wynebu un o'i chyfnodau gwaethaf ers yr ail ryfel byd. Rwy'n mynd i ganolbwyntio ar ddau yn unig o argymhellion adroddiad y pwyllgor, er fy mod yn cydymdeimlo ag argymhelliad 6, â'r symiau sylweddol o arian sydd eu hangen, ond mae hwn yn fater sydd wedi'i ddatganoli'n llawn, ac felly rwy'n deall pam nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi derbyn argymhelliad 6. Yn gyntaf, argymhelliad 7, sef y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru annog gweithgarwch diwylliannol a chwaraeon mewn hybiau cynnes ac ariannu'r darparwyr yn unol â hynny. Rwy'n falch iawn o weld bod Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru wedi ymrwymo i dderbyn yr argymhelliad hwn. Yn Islwyn, mae gan Gyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili hybiau cynnes dynodedig y mae wedi'u galw'n 'fannau croesawgar' mewn amrywiaeth o leoliadau, megis llyfrgelloedd, canolfannau cymunedol, neuaddau eglwysi, clybiau chwaraeon a llawer o leoedd eraill. Un man croesawgar o'r fath yw llyfrgell Trecelyn, sy'n rhan o neuadd goffa Trecelyn, lle mae fy swyddfa etholaethol. Ond mae'r adeiladau cymunedol eiconig hyn - fel Memo Trecelyn, lle perfformiodd Paul Robeson - wedi chwarae rhan ddiwylliannol annatod ym mywyd ein cymunedau, ac mae'n rhaid iddynt barhau i wneud hynny. Yn wir, mae ein treftadaeth lofaol ddiwydiannol yn rhan annatod o gynigion diwylliannol a cherddorol neuaddau gweithwyr. Rwy'n gweld drosof fy hun yn wythnosol pa mor bwysig yw'r adeilad hwn fel hyb diwylliannol, a hefyd ei awditoriwm perfformio, sef calon yr adeilad. Felly, mae'n iawn fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cysylltu hyn, ac wedi darparu swm cychwynnol o £1 filiwn i gefnogi'r gwaith o ddatblygu ac ehangu hybiau cynnes ledled Cymru. Mae'r pandemig, a'r argyfwng costau byw bellach, wedi dangos sut mae angen i ni, yn fwy nag erioed, greu a chynnal canolfannau cymunedol diwylliannol lle gall cymdeithas ddod at ei gilydd, oherwydd gyda'n gilydd, rydym yn gryfach, ac yn ddiwylliannol, rydym yn gryfach. Yn olaf, hoffwn droi at argymhelliad 8, sef y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru roi arweiniad i'r sectorau diwylliant a chwaraeon yn ystod yr argyfwng costau byw. Roedd yn dda gweld Llywodraeth Cymru yn derbyn yr argymhelliad hwn, a nodaf fod y Llywodraeth yn datgan ei bod wedi ymrwymo bron i £4 miliwn yn ystod y flwyddyn ariannol i Lyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru, Amgueddfa Cymru a sector y celfyddydau, drwy Gyngor Celfyddydau Cymru, yn ogystal ag amrywiaeth o gyrff eraill. Mae gallu'r sectorau diwylliant a chwaraeon i gynyddu eu cymhwysedd i reoli ac arwain yn hanfodol i ddarparu digwyddiadau a chynigion ar lawr gwlad i'r cyhoedd a'n cymunedau, ac edrychaf ymlaen at weld y gwaith hwn yn mynd rhagddo. Lywydd, credaf fod pob un ohonom wedi cael ein galw yma i Senedd Cymru fel ceidwaid a gwarcheidwaid tapestri cyfoethog a bywiog bywyd Cymru, ac nid yn unig i warchod, ond i gefnogi ein bywyd diwylliannol, i fod yn wyliadwrus, i ddiogelu Cymru ac i ddiogelu ein tirweddau diwylliannol a'n chwaraeon, ac i hybu, llywio ac arwain Cymru i mewn i ddadeni newydd - hunaniaeth, celfyddyd a rhagoriaeth. Diolch.