MINUTES
Date: Wednesday 28 June 2000
Time: 9.00am
Venue: Committee Room 2, National Assembly Building
The Chair opened proceedings by reminding Members of Standing Order 8.7 which states that "if a member fails to attend in person four consecutive meetings of a committee of which he or she is a member, and cannot show good cause to the satisfaction of the Presiding Officer, he or she will cease be a member of that committee". Jonathan Morgan has now missed four consecutive meetings, and the Chair would inform the Presiding Officer accordingly.
Agenda Item 1: Policy Review: Arts & Culture in Wales
The Committee considered two papers: ETR-15-00(p.1a), which set out the structure, themes and headings for the draft committee report and ETR-15-00(p.1b) from Ceri Sherlock which attempts a definition of "culture" and discusses ideas on a possible "cultural consortium" and "creative industries task force".
ETR-15-00(p.1a)
The Committee went through the paper page by page. The following comments were made in discussion:
General comments
Christine Chapman reminded the Committee of the review's terms of reference particularly promoting social cohesion and active citizenship through widening community access to the arts in Wales. She stressed that the report needs to reflect that arts and culture can have an important role to play in community generation. She also felt that the theme of equal opportunities should be reflected throughout the report.
The Chair stated that it's important that the report gives a broad definition of culture and to show how the arts fit into this.
Specific comments on proposed chapter headings
The current arts scene in Wales
As a general comment, Members agreed that there was a lack of connectivity and vertical integration in the arts world. There was also a perception that arts in Wales were inadequately funded in comparison with England and Scotland and that certain artforms, such as opera, were still viewed as elitist. The Committee agreed that the barriers of elitisism needed to be broken down.
In the section on community arts, Members agreed that a bullet point should be added pointing to the need for more pro-activity in relation to training and skills in this field.
In respect of high profile companies and activities, Alun Pugh felt that some of the so-called "flagship" companies did not portray a strong enough Welsh identity, particularly in their programmes and promotional literature.
On learning and skills, the Committee felt that one of the report's recommendations should be that the curriculum be drawn up in such a way as to allow scope for the development of cultural activity within schools.
Also in respect of learning and skills, Alun Pugh asked for a recommendation made in the Committee's report on the ETAG recommendations to be reinforced here: namely that the Assembly Secretary commission the Council for Education and Training in Wales to undertake a study on a fair funding formula and that such a study include the hidden curriculum (incorporating sporting and cultural activities).
Under new technology, Alun Pugh stated that the main weaknesses in Wales related to access and levels of connectivity. There are fewer computers in Wales than in many other countries, and of those, only a small percentage are plugged into the Internet.
The vision
The Committee had a wide-ranging discussion of excellence in the arts and whether the report should attempt to define excellence or acknowledge the existence of a hierarchy of excellence. The Committee agreed that the report should not attempt a definition; it should acknowledge that excellence exists and that one of the aims of public policy is to promote and enable excellence to occur; it should also point out that excellence exists not only at national and international levels but also on the experiential level. The emphasis should be placed on developing artforms and raising standards.
Elin Jones wanted this section of the report to promote and encourage the relationship between traditional and modern arts and to refer to the value of the professional artist to society.
Alun Pugh felt that the report should support the values contained in "Better Wales", particularly in respect of Better Health.
Christine Chapman felt that the report should set out to challenge the traditional stereotypes of Wales and a create a new cultural identity which reflected the nation's diversity.
The Assembly Secretary thought that the report needed to underscore the important role of local government in relation to the arts.
Under the heading "Profile, Participation and Practitioners", Elin Jones felt that the responsibilities of the national arts companies should be defined and should include work in the community and with educational institutions; a greater reflection of "Welsh" life in their work and an increased role in nurturing and promoting young talent and creativity in Wales.
Cynog Dafis suggested that the report's recommendations in respect of dance should stress the importance of dance for participation as well as for performance and that folk dancing, ballroom dancing etc are very much part of this tradition.
There was general agreement that the report should point to the potential of open access performance in the new Assembly building.
Learning and Skills
Cynog Dafis felt that the report should point to the need for greater opportunities for career development in the arts world.
Christine Chapman suggested that the arts had a crucial role to play in the lifelong learning agenda.
Elin Jones stressed the importance of entry points and the need to create links between national companies and educational bodies.
ETR-15-00(p.1b)
The Committee discussed the proposals put forward by Ceri Sherlock of a "Cultural Consortium" - an armslength body, chaired by the Assembly's Culture Secretary, which would bring together various organisations already in existence and take responsibility for the development of a wider cultural strategy.
The following comments were made in discussion:
The Assembly Secretary welcomed the paper as a positive contribution to the discussion. He agreed that there was currently no forum for connecting the important institutions in Wales. He agreed with the principle of such a consortium but wanted more time to consider its functions, structures and mechanisms of delivery.
The Committee agreed that the idea of a consortium of forum was a valid one, but Members requested a further paper for the next meeting which would address a series of questions relating to the role and composition of such a body.
LIST OF ACTION POINTS
Members requested a further paper on the Cultural Consortium for the next meeting which would address a series of questions relating to the role and composition of such a body. ACTION: SECRETARIAT AND CERI SHERLOCK
Attendance:
Cynog Dafis (Plaid Cymru, Mid & West Wales: Chair)
Tom Middlehurst (Labour, Alyn & Deeside: Assembly Secretary)
Elin Jones (Plaid Cymru, Ceredigion)
Alun Pugh (Labour, Clwyd West)
Jocelyn Davies (Plaid Cymru, South Wales East) - item 1 only
John Griffiths (Labour, Newport East)
Christine Chapman (Labour, Cynon Valley)
Apologies
Jonathan Morgan (Conservative, South Wales Central)
Christine Humphreys (Liberal Democrat, North Wales)
Officials
Julia Annand (Committee Clerk)
Stephen Thomas (Deputy Committee Clerk)
Richard Davies (Director, National Assembly's Education and Training Department)
Peter Greening (Training, Skills and Careers Policy Division) - items 2 & 3
Also in attendance
Ceri Sherlock (Committee's Arts and Culture advisor)
Declarations of Interest: None
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