A thriving creative sector will support the economy, sell Wales to the world and offer for Welsh communities a future

The Party of Wales has challenged the government to see through its commitments on supporting creative industries in Wales. Referring to the Hargreaves report which was accepted by the Welsh Government in 2010, the party highlighted a number of commitments which were yet to be fulfilled, arguing that supporting creative industries in Wales has far reaching benefits for the Welsh economy, for Welsh cultural life, and for Welsh communities.

Highlighting one particular unfulfilled commitment, Plaid Cymru’s Welsh language spokesperson Simon Thomas said that the Welsh Government had failed to make progress on the Hargreaves recommendation to establish a Wales Collection Society, to collect the royalties of Welsh artists. He explained that little progress had been made on this issue since the First Minister agreed to it in 2010.

Plaid Cymru’s Welsh language spokesperson Simon Thomas said:

“Creative industries are the backbone of Welsh cultural life and are extremely important to the Welsh economy. The importance of the industry was highlighted in the excellent Hargreaves report in 2010, and the Welsh Government agreed to implement its recommendations. But unfortunately, progress has been slow and some of those in the industry are now suffering the consequence. One example of this are Welsh language musicians who are in a long-running dispute with the BBC over royalties.

“The digital economy is a key priority area for the Welsh Government, but unfortunately it doesn’t receive the support it should. A well-supported creative arts industry can feed into a strong economy, can support our local communities, and is a real selling point as we try to attract tourists to Wales. In 2010, creative industries contributed between £450m and £500m in economic output, and employ up to 30,000 thousand people in Wales. Wales is a nation famed for its culture, and this status needs to be protected.

“Wales’ cultural heritage is an integral part of its identity, and we would do much more to protect it. Plaid Cymru government work quickly to implement the findings of the esteemed Hargreaves report to give the creative industry the support it deserves.”