Call for probe into funding of the film industry inWales
CALLS have been made for an inquiry into the Welsh Government’s support for the film industry in Wales.
Plaid Cymru’s economy spokesman, Adam Price has spoken out about a number of concerns including the management of conflict of interest, value for money, duplication, and a perceived lack of clarity and transparency.
Mr Price said: “Growing concerns about Welsh Government funding of the film industry mean that an independent inquiry is now imperative.
“I have written to the Auditor General requesting that he launches a sector-specific inquiry to examine various aspects of Welsh Government policy in this area.
“There are questions around issues ranging from the management of potential conflicts of interest – for example, in relation to Pinewood Studios and Bad Wolf – poor value for money, a lack of clarity on policy aims, and inadequate transparency.
“Film, television and the moving image are important to Wales, culturally and economically, and it is in the public and national interest to know whether or not the Welsh Government has been acting properly and effectively, and if not, what could and should be done differently. Only a full audit will be able to achieve this.
“In particular, government must not be allowed to hide poor practice beneath a cloak of commercial confidentiality. I hope the auditor general will agree to this important inquiry and I look forward to his response.”
In a letter to the auditor general, Huw Vaughan Thomas, Mr Price drew attention to conflict-of-interest concerns relating to Pinewood Studios Cardiff, in St Mellons.
The AM wrote: “Questions [relating to potential conflicts of interest] are inevitable in a sector often characterised by dense and inter-locking relationships, both personal and corporate. This question has surfaced specifically in relation to Pinewood’s advisory role in the management of the Media Investment Budget given the potential conflict of interest arising out of its other activities, eg in providing studio facilities, deal brokering etc.
“The role of the Welsh Government’s independent Media Investment Panel in overseeing the question of conflicts of interest is also opaque.”
Last autumn the top civil servant at the Welsh Government, Permanent Secretary Dame Shan Morgan, looked into concerns over a potential conflict of interest involving a senior official seconded to work for the film company Bad Wolf.
Natasha Hale held senior roles in the Welsh Government in which she was involved in providing financial support to creative organisations as head of creative industries, and later as deputy director of sectors and business.
But she did not have a vote “in any of the associated approvals” when a £4m loan to Bad Wolf was made in 2015, the Permanent Secretary found.
Referring to Ms Hale’s involvement with Bad Wolf, Dame Shan wrote to Welsh Conservative AM Suzy Davies stating: “In the case of this particular secondment I can confirm that the appropriate processes were put in place. The review found some improvements that could have been made in the management of this secondment, in relation to record keeping; the level of detail and clarity included in documentation; and the guidance and communication issued to relevant staff on this secondment.
“The Welsh Government has taken action to put in place the lessons from this report, as we do from all internal audit reports. The review was about how the Welsh Government dealt with this secondment rather than being about the actions of either Natasha Hale or Bad Wolf, but I can confirm that no evidence was found of any wrongdoing by either party – in fact, the review found that Natasha Hale herself was active in ensuring that the terms of her secondment were properly applied.”
After a period on secondment, Ms Hale was appointed interim chief operating officer of Bad Wolf.
A spokeswoman for the Wales Audit Office said: “We can confirm the Auditor General has received correspondence asking him to investigate Welsh Government funding for the film and media industries.”