English: I'd also like to thank, as Delyth Jewell has, stakeholders from the sports and cultural sectors in Wales for giving their time to the committee and setting out the key issues that they face. A number of things struck me as we were gathering evidence for the report, including a huge range of problems that these sectors are facing. For example, we received evidence that showed that rises in wages were a big factor in staff turnover, as well as the affordability of keeping staff. So, it's clear that we must, again, rely on volunteers to help keep our vibrant culture sector going. I'm a big believer in volunteering, but think that giving them more burden without a solid support is not the way to go. So, it would be good to hear from the Deputy Minister what the Welsh Government is doing to ensure that people who follow careers in this area are encouraged, but also what support, additionally, over and above that, is provided to volunteers as well. There is also the issue of preparedness. The funding from Welsh Government in recent years hasn't taken into account rises in costs before the pandemic. That's something that we heard from the witnesses that came before us. Clearly, cultural and sporting venues have been supported throughout the pandemic by the Welsh Government and the UK Government, but there has been a sense that their long-term funding is unknown, and short-term support, as outlined by the Deputy Minister in her response to the committee, won't help in that regard. So, surely we should be looking further down the road and making sure that these vital community resources are protected and nurtured. And I do feel the concerns outlined by stakeholders when they say, and I quote, 'The sector is financially fragile - lots of late bookings, lack of public confidence and cash, high numbers of no-shows so no secondary income on bars etc.' That fragility, alongside rising energy costs, is causing venues to raise their prices, which, in turn, is pricing many individuals and families in Wales out of enjoying the arts and cultural sector, which then becomes a vicious cycle. Dirprwy Lywydd, the really concerning part of the evidence we received was from Sport Wales, where they noted that two in five people's ability was negatively impacted by rising costs and that 30 per cent were saying that they were less active as a result. That should send alarm bells ringing right across Welsh Government departments, especially because of a focus on reducing obesity, as well as the value of sport in preventing long-term health conditions. Turning to the Welsh Government's reply, I also welcome that the Deputy Minister has accepted all but two of the recommendations. However, I'm really interested that the Deputy Minister has accepted recommendation 4 about providing capital funding for the sport and culture sector on greening their energy consumption, but in her response she mentioned that this would be provided through the unhypothecated capital grant funding given to councils. And she said that this funding 'may be used to support sports and social facilities by Local Authorities in this way if Authorities consider it is appropriate to do so.' For me, I feel that's a little bit of a get-out clause, as local authorities will have, obviously, competing priorities, and making sure sporting and cultural venues are energy efficient may not necessarily be top of that list. This was a point that Community Leisure UK Wales made very well in their evidence to the committee, so I'd be very interested to learn how this acceptance by the Deputy Minister does pan out over the years to come. I'm also disappointed to see from the recommendations that the Welsh Government wasn't interested in opening dialogue with the UK Government on sporting and cultural packages of support, because I think that's a missed opportunity. For example, the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the UK Parliament were calling for value-added tax relief in November, which could really help live music and heritage sectors in Wales, including for building restorations and ticket sales. Also, we learned how important the cultural recovery fund was to many in the Welsh arts sector, and we need to ensure that that is built upon. There seems to be a bit of a theme here. The other recommendation the Deputy Minister also declined was about improving engagement with the cultural sector. So, it looks like the Welsh Government perhaps doesn't play well with others, and that it's a one-way relationship. If the record of engagement with these sectors is, as you say, Deputy Minister, exemplar, then why is that recommendation included in the first place in the committee's report? It's not just a call to ensure that our culture is protected, but, logically, it's a part of our economy too. It's a great pity that the Welsh Government missed out on huge economic opportunities, such as bidding for Eurovision and the Commonwealth Games, which would have showcased our talent on an international stage. So, to conclude, it should be incumbent on you as a Minister and us as Senedd Members to represent how important Wales's rich culture and sporting pride is, especially when it comes to keeping them going. Instead, what we shouldn't be guilty of is watching on from the sidelines rather than tackling the key issues that face these sectors. Thank you.
Welsh: Hoffwn ddiolch hefyd, fel y gwnaeth Delyth Jewell, i randdeiliaid o'r sectorau chwaraeon a diwylliant yng Nghymru am roi eu hamser i'r pwyllgor a nodi'r materion allweddol sy'n eu hwynebu. Fe wnaeth nifer o bethau fy nharo wrth inni gasglu tystiolaeth ar gyfer yr adroddiad, gan gynnwys ystod enfawr o broblemau y mae'r sectorau hyn yn eu hwynebu. Er enghraifft, cawsom dystiolaeth a oedd yn dangos bod cynnydd mewn cyflogau yn ffactor mawr mewn perthynas â throsiant staff, yn ogystal â fforddiadwyedd cadw staff. Felly, mae'n amlwg fod yn rhaid i ni, unwaith eto, ddibynnu ar wirfoddolwyr i helpu i gadw ein sector diwylliant bywiog i fynd. Rwy'n gredwr mawr mewn gwirfoddoli, ond yn credu nad rhoi mwy o faich arnynt heb gefnogaeth gadarn yw'r ffordd i fynd. Felly, byddai'n dda clywed gan y Dirprwy Weinidog beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i sicrhau bod pobl sy'n dilyn gyrfaoedd yn y maes hwn yn cael eu hannog, ond hefyd pa gefnogaeth ychwanegol at hynny sy'n cael ei darparu i wirfoddolwyr yn ogystal. Mae parodrwydd hefyd yn fater sy'n codi. Nid yw'r arian gan Lywodraeth Cymru dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf wedi ystyried cynnydd mewn costau cyn y pandemig. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth y gwnaethom ei glywed gan y tystion a ddaeth ger ein bron. Yn amlwg, cafodd lleoliadau diwylliannol a chwaraeon eu cefnogi drwy gydol y pandemig gan Lywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth y DU, ond mae yna ymdeimlad na cheir gwybodaeth am eu cyllid hirdymor, ac ni fydd cefnogaeth yn y tymor byr, fel yr amlinellwyd gan y Dirprwy Weinidog yn ei hymateb i'r pwyllgor, yn helpu yn hynny o beth. Felly, dylem fod yn edrych ymhellach i lawr y ffordd a sicrhau bod yr adnoddau cymunedol hanfodol hyn yn cael eu diogelu a'u meithrin. Ac rwy'n teimlo'r pryderon a amlinellir gan randdeiliaid pan ddywedant, 'Mae'r sector yn fregus yn ariannol - llawer o archebion hwyr, diffyg hyder y cyhoedd ac arian parod, niferoedd uchel nad ydynt yn dod felly dim incwm eilaidd yn y bariau ac ati.' Mae'r breuder hwnnw, ochr yn ochr â chostau ynni cynyddol, yn peri i leoliadau godi eu prisiau, sydd yn ei dro yn prisio llawer o unigolion a theuluoedd yng Nghymru allan o fwynhau'r sector celfyddydau a diwylliant, sydd wedyn yn troi'n gylch dieflig. Ddirprwy Lywydd, Chwaraeon Cymru a ddarparodd y rhan wirioneddol bryderus o'r dystiolaeth a gawsom, lle nodwyd bod costau cynyddol yn effeithio'n negyddol ar allu dau o bob pump o bobl a bod 30 y cant yn dweud eu bod yn gwneud llai o weithgarwch corfforol o ganlyniad. Dylai hynny ganu larymau ar draws adrannau Llywodraeth Cymru, yn enwedig yn sgil ffocws ar leihau gordewdra, yn ogystal â gwerth chwaraeon i atal cyflyrau iechyd hirdymor. Os caf droi at ateb Llywodraeth Cymru, rwyf innau hefyd yn croesawu'r ffaith bod y Dirprwy Weinidog wedi derbyn pob un heblaw dau o'r argymhellion. Fodd bynnag, mae gennyf ddiddordeb mawr yn y ffaith bod y Dirprwy Weinidog wedi derbyn argymhelliad 4 ynglŷn â darparu cyllid cyfalaf i'r sector chwaraeon a diwylliant ar gyfer gwyrddu eu defnydd o ynni, ond yn ei hymateb soniodd y byddai'n cael ei ddarparu drwy'r cyllid grant cyfalaf heb ei glustnodi a roddir i gynghorau. A dywedodd y gellid defnyddio'r arian hwn 'a roddir i Awdurdodau Lleol i gynnal eu cyfleusterau chwaraeon a chymdeithasol os yw Awdurdodau o'r farn ei bod yn briodol gwneud hynny.' I mi, rwy'n teimlo bod hwnnw'n gymal osgoi braidd, gan y bydd gan awdurdodau lleol flaenoriaethau sy'n cystadlu, yn amlwg, ac efallai na fydd sicrhau bod lleoliadau diwylliannol a chwaraeon yn gwneud defnydd effeithlon o ynni ar frig y rhestr honno o reidrwydd. Roedd hwn yn bwynt a wnaed yn dda iawn gan Community Leisure UK Cymru yn eu tystiolaeth i'r pwyllgor, felly byddai gennyf ddiddordeb mawr mewn clywed sut mae'r derbyniad hwn gan y Dirprwy Weinidog yn datblygu dros y blynyddoedd i ddod. Siom hefyd oedd gweld o'r argymhellion nad oedd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ddiddordeb mewn agor deialog gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar becynnau cymorth chwaraeon a diwylliannol, oherwydd rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n gyfle a gollwyd. Er enghraifft, roedd y Pwyllgor Technoleg Ddigidol, Diwylliant, y Cyfryngau a Chwaraeon yn Senedd y DU yn galw am ryddhad treth gwerth ychwanegol ym mis Tachwedd, a allai fod yn help mawr i'r sector cerddoriaeth fyw a'r sector treftadaeth yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys ar gyfer adfer adeiladau a gwerthiant tocynnau. Hefyd, fe glywsom pa mor bwysig oedd y gronfa adferiad diwylliannol i lawer yn y sector celfyddydau yng Nghymru, ac mae angen inni sicrhau bod hynny'n cael ei ddatblygu. Ymddengys bod yma thema. Roedd yr argymhelliad arall a wrthodwyd gan y Dirprwy Weinidog hefyd yn ymwneud â gwella ymgysylltiad â'r sector diwylliannol. Felly, mae'n edrych yn debyg efallai nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru'n dda am chwarae gydag eraill, ac mai perthynas un ffordd yw hi. Os yw'r hanes o ymgysylltu â'r sectorau hyn yn rhagorol fel y dywedwch, Ddirprwy Weinidog, pam mae'r argymhelliad hwnnw wedi ei gynnwys yn y lle cyntaf yn adroddiad y pwyllgor? Nid yw'n alwad i sicrhau'n unig fod ein diwylliant yn cael ei ddiogelu, ond yn rhesymegol, mae'n rhan o'n heconomi hefyd. Mae'n drueni mawr fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi colli cyfleoedd economaidd enfawr, fel gwneud cais i gynnal Eurovision a Gemau'r Gymanwlad, a fyddai wedi arddangos ein talent ar lwyfan rhyngwladol. I gloi felly, dylai fod yn ddyletswydd arnoch chi fel Gweinidog a ninnau fel Aelodau o'r Senedd i ddangos pa mor bwysig yw diwylliant cyfoethog a balchder chwaraeon Cymru, yn enwedig i sicrhau eu bod yn parhau. Yn hytrach, yr hyn na ddylem fod yn euog ohono yw gwylio o'r cyrion yn hytrach na mynd i'r afael â'r materion allweddol sy'n wynebu'r sectorau hyn. Diolch.