Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd

Plenary - Fifth Senedd

13/11/2018

Cynnwys

Contents

1. Cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog 1. Questions to the First Minister
2. Datganiad a Chyhoeddiad Busnes 2. Business Statement and Announcement
3. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg: Gwerthfawrogi ein Hathrawon—Buddsoddi yn eu Rhagoriaeth 3. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Valuing our Teachers—Investing in their Excellence
4. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Lywodraeth Leol a Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus: Diwygio Trefniadau Llywodraethu a Chyllid Awdurdodau Tân ac Achub 4. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services: Reform of Fire and Rescue Authorities' Governance and Finance Arrangements
5. Datganiad gan y Gweinidog Plant, Pobl Hŷn a Gofal Cymdeithasol: Gwella Canlyniadau i Blant: Lleihau'r Angen i Blant fynd i Mewn i Ofal, a Gwaith Grŵp Cynghori'r Gweinidog 5. Statement by the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care: Improving Outcomes for Children: Reducing the Need for Children to Enter Care, and the Work of the Ministerial Advisory Group
6. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Ynni, Cynllunio a Materion Gwledig: Lles Anifeiliaid 6. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs: Welfare of Animals
7. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol: Cynlluniau Cyflenwi ar gyfer y Gaeaf 7. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: Winter Delivery Planning
8. Gorchymyn Draenio Cynaliadwy (Gorfodi) (Cymru) 2018 a 9. Rheoliadau Draenio Cynaliadwy (Apelau) (Cymru) 2018 8. The Sustainable Drainage (Enforcement) (Wales) Order 2018 and 9. The Sustainable Drainage (Appeals) (Wales) Regulations 2018
10. Dadl: Adroddiad Blynyddol Comisiynydd Plant Cymru 2017-18 10. Debate: The Children's Commissioner for Wales's Annual Report 2017-18
11. Cyfnod Pleidleisio 11. Voting Time

Cyfarfu’r Cynulliad am 13:30 gyda’r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair. 

The Assembly met at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.

1. Cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog
1. Questions to the First Minister

Yr eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni y prynhawn yma yw cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog. Ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Mike Hedges. 

The first item on our agenda this afternoon is questions to the First Minister. And the first question is from Mike Hedges. 

Cyfraniadau Pensiwn Athrawon
Teacher Pension Contributions

1. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am gyllido'r cynnydd mewn cyfraniadau pensiwn athrawon? OAQ52895

1. Will the First Minister make a statement on funding the increase in teacher pension contributions? OAQ52895

I share the concerns of others in the public sector that the proposed changes to public sector pension schemes risk diverting further funding from front-line services. The UK Government is responsible for these changes and we have made it clear that they must fund the increase in pension contributions.

Rwy'n rhannu pryderon pobl eraill yn y sector cyhoeddus bod perygl y bydd y newidiadau arfaethedig i gynlluniau pensiwn sector cyhoeddus yn dargyfeirio rhagor o arian o wasanaethau rheng flaen. Llywodraeth y DU sy'n gyfrifol am y newidiadau hyn ac rydym ni wedi ei gwneud yn glir bod yn rhaid iddyn nhw ariannu'r cynnydd i gyfraniadau pensiwn.

Can I thank the First Minister for that answer? The cost of funding the increase in the employer teacher pension contributions follows the decision of Westminster to implement cost capping, and this will fall mainly on school budgets. Unless money comes from Westminster—and there may be money from Westminster—will the First Minister commit that any money that comes as a consequential of the additional money for schools in England to cover the pensions will actually be given to schools in Wales?

A gaf i ddiolch i'r Prif Weinidog am yr ateb yna? Mae'r gost o ariannu'r cynnydd i gyfraniadau pensiwn cyflogwyr athrawon yn dilyn penderfyniad San Steffan i gyflwyno cap costau, a bydd hyn yn effeithio ar gyllidebau ysgolion yn bennaf. Oni ddaw arian gan San Steffan—ac efallai y bydd arian gan San Steffan—a wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ymrwymo y bydd unrhyw arian a ddaw fel swm canlyniadol o'r arian ychwanegol ar gyfer ysgolion yn Lloegr i dalu am y pensiynau wir yn cael ei roi i ysgolion yng Nghymru?

Well, we have already made it clear that local authorities are first in the queue, although there is a queue in terms of funding, but that depends on whether we do get consequentials. What is not fair, nor is it right, is a situation to arise where the UK Government imposes extra costs on local authorities that the Welsh Government is then expected to fund. That clearly can't be right. So, where costs are imposed by Government, we have an agreement with local authorities where we say that any new costs will be funded. The UK Government needs to do the same. 

Wel, rydym ni eisoes wedi ei gwneud yn glir bod awdurdodau lleol ar flaen y ciw, er bod ciw o ran cyllid, ond mae hynny'n dibynnu ar ba un a fyddwn ni yn cael symiau canlyniadol ai peidio. Yr hyn nad yw'n deg, ac nad yw'n iawn ychwaith, yw sefyllfa'n codi pan fo Llywodraeth y DU yn gorfodi costau ychwanegol ar awdurdodau lleol y disgwylir i Lywodraeth Cymru eu hariannu wedyn. Ni all hynny fod yn iawn, yn amlwg. Felly, pan fydd costau yn cael eu gorfodi gan y Llywodraeth, mae gennym ni gytundeb gydag awdurdodau lleol lle'r ydym ni'n dweud y bydd unrhyw gostau newydd yn cael eu hariannu. Mae angen i Lywodraeth y DU wneud yr un fath.

Well, of course, local authorities complain all the time that they're asked to make spending decisions based on decisions made here that aren't followed up by money. And if the Welsh Local Government Association is right on this one, we'll have far fewer teachers building up pensions rights anyway as a result of the cash cuts to both local government and the education budgets in the recent budget announcement.

Last week, we heard from the leader of Bridgend council about the cuts he was planning on making to services following the Welsh Government draft budget, and this week we have Swansea council's leader—both of these Labour, of course—saying that he's going to be making cuts to his schools budget due to the settlement from Welsh Government. The Chancellor's budget allocates three years' worth of funding. So, in your final weeks as First Minister, will you use some of that additional money to give local authority leaders in Wales the money they need to fund schools and staff?

Wel, wrth gwrs, mae awdurdodau lleol yn cwyno bob amser y gofynnir iddyn nhw wneud penderfyniadau gwario yn seiliedig ar benderfyniadau a wneir yma nad ydyn nhw'n eu dilyn gan arian. Ac os yw Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru yn iawn am hyn, bydd gennym ni lawer llai o athrawon yn cronni hawliau pensiynau beth bynnag o ganlyniad i'r toriadau arian parod i'r cyllidebau llywodraeth leol ac addysg yn y cyhoeddiad cyllideb diweddar.

Yr wythnos diwethaf, clywsom gan arweinydd cyngor Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr am y toriadau yr oedd yn bwriadu eu gwneud i wasanaethau yn dilyn cyllideb ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru, ac yr wythnos hon mae gennym ni arweinydd cyngor Abertawe—y ddau o'r rhain o'r balid Lafur, wrth gwrs—yn dweud ei fod yn mynd i wneud toriadau i'r gyllideb ysgolion oherwydd y setliad gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Mae cyllideb y Canghellor yn dyrannu gwerth tair blynedd o gyllid. Felly, yn eich wythnosau olaf fel Prif Weinidog, a wnewch chi ddefnyddio rhywfaint o'r arian ychwanegol hwnnw i roi'r arian i arweinwyr awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru sydd ei angen arnynt i ariannu ysgolion a staff?

The Chancellor's funding decision does not give us three years of funding, nor is it anything like the figure that he suggested of £555 million. In fact, we estimate it's around about £50 million or £60 million of revenue in this year, and £2.6 million in capital. So, a great deal of spin has gone into that announcement. What I can say is, having spoken to the leader of Bridgend, and spoken to the leader of Swansea, is, yes, they face difficult decisions and we're looking to help them, but they are absolutely clear that those decisions they face are as a result of the austerity imposed by a Tory Government in London. 

Nid yw penderfyniad ariannu'r Canghellor yn rhoi tair blynedd o gyllid i ni, ac nid yw'n agos at y ffigur a awgrymodd o £555 miliwn. A dweud y gwir, rydym ni'n amcangyfrif ei fod tua £50 miliwn neu £60 miliwn o refeniw y flwyddyn hon, ac yn £2.6 miliwn mewn cyfalaf. Felly, mae llawer iawn o sbin yn gysylltiedig â'r cyhoeddiad hwnnw. Yr hyn y gallaf ei ddweud, ar ôl siarad ag arweinydd Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, a siarad ag arweinydd Abertawe, yw, ydy, maen nhw'n wynebu penderfyniadau anodd ac rydym ni'n ceisio eu helpu nhw, ond maen nhw'n gwbl glir bod y penderfyniadau hynny y maen nhw'n eu hwynebu yn ganlyniad i'r cyni cyllidol a gyflwynwyd gan Lywodraeth Dorïaidd yn Llundain.

Mae'n amlwg fod yr ansicrwydd o gwmpas y taliadau pensiwn yma yn creu problemau mawr ar lawr gwlad, ac nid ydym ni'n glir o gwbl beth fydd y mecanwaith ar gyfer darparu'r arian ychwanegol yma. Pa drafodaethau ydych chi'n eu cael, felly, efo'r Trysorlys, efo'ch Aelodau Seneddol chi yn San Steffan ac, yn wir, efo'r undebau addysg ynglŷn â'r broblem yma?

It’s clear that the uncertainty around these pension payments is creating great problems at a grass-roots level, and it’s not clear at all what the mechanism will be for providing the additional funding. What discussions are you having, therefore, with the Treasury, with your Members of Parliament in Westminster and, indeed, with the teaching unions about this problem?

Rydym ni wedi ysgrifennu, gyda'r Alban, i alw am y newidiadau ynglŷn â'r pensiynau athrawon, a dylai hynny gael ei gyllido gan Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig. Nhw, wrth gwrs, sydd wedi creu'r sefyllfa, ac mae'r un peth yn yr Alban, fel rwy'n deall, ac felly rydym ni wedi ysgrifennu gyda'n gilydd er mwyn dweud, 'Chi sydd wedi mynnu dodi'r gost hyn ar awdurdodau lleol, felly chi ddylai dalu.'

We, along with Scotland, have written to call for changes in teachers’ pensions, and that should be funded from the UK Government. It’s they who have created this situation, and the same is true in Scotland, as I understand it, and so we have written jointly to say, ‘You have insisted on imposing this additional cost on local authorities, therefore you should fund it’.

Ail Gartrefi
Second Homes

2. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am effaith cofrestru ail gartrefi fel eiddo busnes ar dderbyniadau treth cyngor? OAQ52931

2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact of registering second homes as business properties on council tax receipts? OAQ52931

Cyfrifoldeb Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio, yn annibynnol ar Lywodraeth Cymru, yw penderfynu a ddylai pob eiddo dalu treth gyngor neu ardrethi annomestig, ac mae’r penderfyniadau hynny yn cael eu gwneud gan ddilyn meini prawf sydd wedi’u gosod yn y gyfraith.

It is the responsibility of the Valuation Office Agency, independently of the Welsh Government, to determine whether each property in Wales is liable for council tax or for non-domestic rates, and these decisions are made according to criteria set out in law.

Mae'n hysbys iawn yr effaith mae pryniant ar farchnad ail gartrefi a thai gwyliau yn ei chael ar allu pobl ifanc i gael ar yr ysgol eiddo yn lleol. Mae o'n gwthio prisiau i fyny ac yn gwthio pobl allan o'r farchnad dai. Rydym ni'n gwybod beth yw difrifoldeb y broblem—36 o dai a gafodd eu gwerthu yn Ynys Môn yn 2017-18 yn ail gartrefi neu yn buy-to-lets. Mae'r ffigurau'n uwch fyth yng Ngwynedd, ac mae hynny'n bryderus iawn. Rwy'n gefnogol iawn o fesurau, er enghraifft, fel codi mwy o dreth cyngor ar ail gartrefi fel ffordd o wneud i bobl feddwl ddwywaith, neu i ddod â rhagor o arian i mewn i goffrau cynghorau lleol. Ond mae yna batrwm yn ymddangos erbyn hyn lle mae mwy a mwy o bobl, yn hytrach na thalu treth cyngor ar y tai, yn eu cofrestru nhw fel eiddo busnes fel y byddan nhw wedyn yn gorfod talu ardrethi busnes. Ond, fel busnesau bach, maen nhw'n cael rhyddhad llawn o ardrethi busnes, ac mae hynny'n costio'n ddrud i awdurdodau lleol. A ydy'r Prif Weinidog yn cytuno bod hwn yn loophole sydd angen ei gau, a beth mae'r Llywodraeth yn ystyried ei wneud er mwyn cau y loophole yna?

The impact of the second-homes market and holiday homes is well known, in terms of young people’s ability to get on the property ladder locally. It pushes prices up and pushes people out of the housing market. We know the gravity of the problem—36 homes sold in Anglesey in 2017-18 were second homes or buy-to-lets. The figures are even higher in Gwynedd, and that’s very concerning indeed. I’m very supportive of measures such as charging more council tax on second homes as a way of making people think twice or to bring more funds into local authority coffers. But there is a pattern emerging now, where more and more people, rather than paying council tax on their homes, are registering them as business properties so that they would then have to pay business rates. But, as small businesses, they receive full business rate relief, and that is expensive for local authorities. Does the First Minister agree with me that this is a loophole that needs to be closed, and what is the Government considering doing in order to close that loophole?

13:35

Nid ydw i'n credu ei fod e'n loophole. Mae'r gyfraith yn eithaf clir—mae'r gyfraith yn gryfach nag yn Lloegr. Mater, wrth gwrs, i'r swyddfa brisio yw hwn, ond os yw rhywun yn moyn newid eu statws, lle maen nhw'n newid o dalu treth y cyngor i dalu ardrethi anomestig, mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw ddangos tystiolaeth bod hynny'n iawn. Nawr, allan nhw ddim jest datgan mai dyna sydd wedi digwydd; mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw ddangos tystiolaeth. Os yw'r dystiolaeth honno yn wan, neu os nad yw'r dystiolaeth yn ddigonol, felly wrth gwrs y byddai'r swyddfa brisio yn gallu ailystyried beth maen nhw wedi ei wneud, ac wedyn maen nhw'n gallu rhoi bil iddyn nhw, sydd yn mynd nôl efallai flynyddoedd ynglŷn â thalu treth y cyngor. Felly, sicrhau bod y gyfraith yn cael ei hystyried yw'r pwynt fan hyn. Rwy'n credu bod y gyfraith yn ddigon clir, ond mae hi lan i'r swyddfa brisio blismona'r sefyllfa.

I don’t think there’s a loophole, but the law is very clear—it’s stronger than in England. It is a matter, of course, for the Valuation Office Agency, but if somebody wants to change their status, where they change from paying the council tax to paying business non-domestic rates, they have to show evidence that that is correct. They can’t just state that; they have to provide evidence. If that evidence is weak, or the evidence isn’t sufficient, the Valuation Office Agency can reconsider what they’ve done, and then, of course, they can give them a bill that could go back years regarding paying the council tax. So, ensuring that the law is considered is the point here, and I think the law is clear enough, but it's up to the Valuation Office Agency to police the situation.

Well, you refer to the criteria that the Valuation Office Agency must adjudicate, where, in Wales, property is judged to be a business property and not liable for business rates if it's available for letting commercially as self-catering accommodation for 140 or more days in the following 12 months, has been in the previous 12 months, and has actually been commercially let for at least 70 days during that period. What assurance can you therefore provide the many providers, from Flintshire to Anglesey, who have contacted me, who run legitimate self-catering business, many of whom are farms that have diversified, that their genuine and legitimate businesses will not be compromised by any changes that might come?

Wel, rydych chi'n cyfeirio at y meini prawf y mae'n rhaid i Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio eu dyfarnu, lle, yng Nghymru, ystyrir bod eiddo yn eiddo busnes ac nad yw'n agored i dalu ardrethi busnes os yw ar gael i'w osod yn fasnachol fel llety hunan-arlwyo am 140 neu fwy o ddiwrnodau yn ystod y 12 mis canlynol, wedi ei osod yn ystod y 12 mis blaenorol, ac wedi ei osod yn fasnachol am o leiaf 70 diwrnod yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw. Pa sicrwydd allwch chi ei roi i'r darparwyr niferus felly, o Sir y Fflint i Ynys Môn, sydd wedi cysylltu â mi, sy'n rhedeg busnes hunan-arlwyo cyfreithlon, y mae llawer ohonyn nhw yn ffermydd sydd wedi arallgyfeirio, na fydd eu busnesau dilys a chyfreithlon yn cael eu peryglu gan unrhyw newidiadau a allai ddigwydd?

Well, genuine businesses need not fear, of course. What I can say is that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance is evaluating the impact of the introduction of council tax premiums. That does include a survey of local authorities, to assess how many properties have switched from council tax to non-domestic rates. Once that survey is complete, we can then see what the scale of the problem is, and whether there is a need to do more to ensure that people pay properly, according to the status of the property that they own.

Wel, nid oes angen i fusnesau dilys ofni, wrth gwrs. Yr hyn y gallaf ei ddweud yw bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid yn gwerthuso effaith cyflwyno premiymau treth gyngor. Mae hynny'n cynnwys arolwg o awdurdodau lleol, i asesu faint o eiddo sydd wedi newid o'r dreth gyngor i ardrethi annomestig. Ar ôl i'r arolwg hwnnw gael ei gwblhau, gallwn weld wedyn beth yw maint y broblem, a pha un a oes angen gwneud mwy i sicrhau bod pobl yn talu'n briodol, yn unol â statws yr eiddo y maen nhw'n berchen arno.

Will the Welsh Government legislate to ensure that all properties built or adapted for housing have to pay council tax based upon the band they're in and any second home premium charged by the local authority, or that the business rate relief for rented out properties is abolished? Because I think this is a loophole: it has to be available for 140 days; it is quite easy to make something available for 140 days, and get round it. It has to be let out for 70 days, whether renting out to family counts, which a lot of people do, in that you collect more rent, but they let family members use it, and therefore that builds up to the 70 days. So, will the Government look at taking either of those two actions, to ensure that local authorities get the money they deserve?

A wnaiff Llywodraeth Cymru ddeddfu i sicrhau bod yn rhaid i bob eiddo sy'n cael ei adeiladu neu ei addasu ar gyfer tai dalu'r dreth gyngor yn seiliedig ar y band y maen nhw ynddo a bod unrhyw bremiwm ail gartref sy'n cael ei godi gan yr awdurdod lleol, neu'r rhyddhad ardrethi busnes ar gyfer eiddo rhent yn cael eu diddymu? Oherwydd rwy'n credu bod hwn yn fwlch: mae'n rhaid iddo fod ar gael am 140 diwrnod; mae'n hawdd iawn rhoi rhywbeth ar gael am 140 diwrnod, a'i osgoi. Mae'n rhaid ei osod am 70 diwrnod, pa un a yw rhentu i deulu yn cyfrif, y mae llawer o bobl yn ei wneud, o'r safbwynt eich bod yn casglu mwy o rent, ond maen nhw'n gadael i aelodau teulu ei ddefnyddio, ac felly mae hynny'n cronni i'r 70 diwrnod. Felly, a wnaiff y Llywodraeth ystyried edrych ar y naill neu'r llall o'r ddau gam hynny, i sicrhau bod awdurdodau lleol yn cael yr arian y maen nhw'n ei haeddu?

We've legislated to allow local authorities to charge council tax premiums on second homes. As I said in the answer earlier, it's the responsibility of the Valuation Office Agency—independently of the Government—to determine the status of each property in Wales. As I said, those second home owners who try to game the system could find themselves facing very large backdated bills for council tax. But, again, I refer to the answer I gave earlier, where a review is being conducted, to examine the scale of the problem in different parts of Wales.

Rydym ni wedi deddfu i ganiatáu i awdurdodau lleol godi premiymau treth gyngor ar ail gartrefi. Fel y dywedais yn yr ateb yn gynharach, cyfrifoldeb Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio—yn annibynnol ar y Llywodraeth—yw pennu statws pob eiddo yng Nghymru. Fel y dywedais, gallai'r perchnogion ail gartrefi hynny sy'n ceisio twyllo'r system ganfod eu hunain yn wynebu biliau wedi'u hôl-ddyddio mawr iawn ar gyfer y dreth gyngor. Ond, unwaith eto, cyfeiriaf at yr ateb a roddais yn gynharach, sy'n golygu bod adolygiad yn cael ei gynnal, i archwilio maint y broblem mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru.

Cwestiynau Heb Rybudd gan Arweinwyr y Pleidiau
Questions Without Notice from the Party Leaders

Cwestiynau nawr gan arweinwyr y pleidiau. Arweinydd yr wrthblaid, Paul Davies.

Questions now from the party leaders. The leader of the opposition, Paul Davies.

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, why does your Government spend £678 less per pupil than in England?

Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, pam mae eich Llywodraeth yn gwario £678 yn llai fesul disgybl nag yn Lloegr?

That's a figure that's simply wrong. If he wishes to provide me with evidence for that figure, I'm willing to hear it.

Mae hwnna'n ffigur sy'n gwbl anghywir. Os yw'n dymuno rhoi tystiolaeth o'r ffigur hwnnw i mi, rwy'n barod i'w chlywed.

First Minister, these are figures from the Welsh branch of the NASUWT union, and this is despite having a funding settlement that allows £120 to be spent per person in Wales for every £100 spent in England. But it's not just your decision to underfund schools that has led to a decline in standards, it is the failure of your Government to set a clear direction for education here in Wales. Let's take the Programme for International Student Assessment targets, for example—a clear measure of managed decline in school standards. In 2011, your colleague, and the then education Minister, Leighton Andrews—Leighton Andrews: remember him? Yes; perhaps you don't want to remember him—set the ambitious target that, by 2015, Wales would be ranked in the top 20 countries for PISA results. The reality, First Minister, is that we are currently ranking thirty-ninth out of 71, and now there's no target at all. There is no ambition, no drive and no desire at the heart of your administration to develop an internationally competitive education system, which speaks volumes from a tired and unambitious Welsh Labour Government. So, do you agree with your previous colleague Leighton Andrews that Wales's education system continues to be complacent, falling short of being consistently good and not delivering the outcomes that our learners deserve? Would you agree that Wales's education system is currently in a weaker place now than when you became First Minister?

Prif Weinidog, mae'r rhain yn ffigurau gan gangen Cymru undeb Cymdeithas Genedlaethol yr Ysgolfeistri ac Undeb yr Athrawesau, ac mae hyn er gwaethaf cael setliad ariannu sy'n caniatáu i £120 gael ei wario fesul person yng Nghymru ar gyfer pob £100 sy'n cael ei wario yn Lloegr. Ond nid eich penderfyniad i dan-ariannu ysgolion yn unig sydd wedi arwain at ddirywiad i safonau, ond methiant eich Llywodraeth i bennu cyfeiriad eglur ar gyfer addysg yma yng Nghymru. Gadewch i ni edrych ar dargedau'r Rhaglen Ryngwladol Asesu Myfyrwyr, er enghraifft—mesuriad eglur o ddirywiad wedi ei reoli mewn safonau ysgolion. Yn 2011, pennwyd y targed uchelgeisiol gan eich cyd-Aelod, y Gweinidog addysg ar y pryd, Leighton Andrews—Leighton Andrews: ydych chi'n ei gofio fe? Ie; efallai nad ydych chi eisiau ei gofio—y byddai Cymru, erbyn 2015, yn yr 20 gwlad uchaf o ran canlyniadau PISA. Y gwir amdani, Prif Weinidog, yw ein bod ni yn y nawfed ar ddeg ar hugain safle allan o 71 ar hyn o bryd, ac nid oes unrhyw darged o gwbl erbyn hyn. Nid oes unrhyw uchelgais, dim ysgogiad a dim awydd wrth wraidd eich gweinyddiaeth i ddatblygu system addysg sy'n gystadleuol yn rhyngwladol, sy'n dweud cyfrolau gan Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru flinedig ac sy'n dangos diffyg uchelgais. Felly, a ydych chi'n cytuno â'ch cyd-Aelod blaenorol, Leighton Andrews, bod system addysg Cymru yn parhau i fod yn hunanfodlon, ac yn methu â bod yn gyson dda a chyflawni canlyniadau y mae ein dysgwyr yn eu haeddu? A ydych chi'n cytuno bod system addysg Cymru mewn lle gwannach ar hyn o bryd nag yr oedd pryd y daethoch chi'n Brif Weinidog?

13:40

Not at all. The reality is, of course, that to say that somehow the system is indifferent or that the system is in managed decline is a serious attack on our teachers who work very, very hard, day in, day out, to educate our children. The reality is that it is impossible to compare school funding between England and Wales. In England, they fund schools directly; in Wales, it doesn't happen. We give the money to local authorities and they are responsible for school funding.

He says that somehow there's a decline. Well, let me just give him some figures here: we have improved performance at the highest grades—A* to A from 17 per cent to 18 per cent in GCSEs; we see a 50 per cent increase in pupils studying science, with more getting A* to C and getting top grades for biology, chemistry and physics; we see, of course, A-level pass rates improving; we see, for example, 63 per cent of 16-year-olds getting A* to C at English language; we see mathematics numeracy is up at 60 per cent; we see improvements year after year in GCSE performance; and we see improvements year after year in A-level performance.

Our heads are not marching in the streets saying that their schools are underfunded, unlike the situation that exists under his party in England. I suggest to him, 'Go and see'. I was in his constituency a few weeks ago on a political visit—go and see the new schools that have been built or promised around Wales, and go and see how many are being built or promised in England. We want to make sure that our youngsters carry on with being able to have the facilities they require to learn, to have the support from Government that they need to learn, to have the finance from Government that they need to learn, rather than having the situation in England, where they teach young people and children in crumbling buildings while the heads are marching on the streets.

Ddim o gwbl. Y gwir amdani, wrth gwrs, yw bod dweud bod y system rywsut yn gymedrol neu fod y system mewn dirywiad a reolir yn ymosodiad difrifol ar ein hathrawon sy'n gweithio'n galed iawn, iawn, bob un dydd, i addysgu ein plant. Y gwir amdani yw ei bod hi'n amhosibl cymharu cyllid ysgolion rhwng Cymru a Lloegr. Yn Lloegr, maen nhw'n ariannu ysgolion yn uniongyrchol; yng Nghymru, nid yw'n digwydd. Rydym ni'n rhoi'r arian i awdurdodau lleol a nhw sy'n gyfrifol am ariannu ysgolion.

Mae'n dweud rywsut bod dirywiad. Wel, gadewch i mi roi rhai ffigurau iddo yn y fan yma: Rydym ni wedi gwella perfformiad ar y graddau uchaf—A* i A o 17 y cant i 18 y cant mewn arholiadau TGAU; wedi gweld cynnydd o 50 y cant yn nifer y disgyblion sy'n astudio gwyddoniaeth, gyda mwy yn ennill graddau A* i C ac yn cael y graddau uchaf ar gyfer bioleg, cemeg a ffiseg; gwelwn, wrth gwrs, gyfraddau pasio Safon Uwch yn gwella; gwelwn, er enghraifft, 63 y cant o bobl ifanc 16 oed yn cael A* i C ym mhwnc Saesneg iaith; gwelwn fod rhifedd mathemateg yn 60 y cant; gwelwn welliannau flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn i berfformiad TGAU; a gwelwn welliannau flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn i berfformiad Safon Uwch.

Nid yw ein penaethiaid yn gorymdeithio ar y strydoedd yn dweud bod eu hysgolion yn cael eu tanariannu, yn wahanol i'r sefyllfa sy'n bodoli o dan ei blaid ef yn Lloegr. Awgrymaf iddo, 'Ewch i weld'. Roeddwn i yn ei etholaeth ychydig wythnosau yn ôl ar ymweliad gwleidyddol—ewch i weld yr ysgolion newydd sydd wedi eu hadeiladu neu eu haddo ledled Cymru, ac ewch i weld faint sy'n cael eu hadeiladu neu eu haddo yn Lloegr. Rydym ni eisiau gwneud yn siŵr bod ein pobl ifanc yn parhau i allu cael y cyfleusterau sydd eu hangen arnyn nhw i ddysgu, i gael y cymorth gan Lywodraeth sydd ei angen arnynt i ddysgu, i gael y cyllid gan Lywodraeth sydd ei angen arnynt i ddysgu, yn hytrach na chael y sefyllfa yn Lloegr, lle maen nhw'n addysgu pobl ifanc a phlant mewn adeiladau sy'n dadfeilio tra bod y penaethiaid yn gorymdeithio ar y strydoedd.

First Minister, you said yourself that you took your eye off the ball on education. Clearly, your party has been asleep at the wheel for the last decade. And let me give you some figures: under your party's stewardship, we've seen the worst GCSE results in a decade; the lowest ranking PISA scores in the UK, with educational attainment ranking behind countries like Vietnam and Slovakia; an 8 per cent real-terms cut to funding for education, with schools braced to experience more cuts; and the leader of your own council in your own constituency has warned that the £57 million funding gap in education created by your Government could see the loss of 1,300 teachers or 2,400 teaching assistants across Wales.

It's completely unacceptable that our pupils' and Wales's future are shouldering the burden of your Government's incompetence in this area. Our children are worth more than what you give them, First Minister. When you took office in 2009, was this the type of reform you set out to achieve? And, are you proud of your record on education?

Prif Weinidog, dywedasoch eich hun eich bod chi wedi cymryd eich llygad oddi ar y bêl o ran addysg. Yn amlwg, mae eich plaid wedi bod yn cysgu wrth yr olwyn dros y degawd diwethaf. A gadewch i mi roi rhai ffigurau i chi: o dan stiwardiaeth eich plaid chi, rydym ni wedi gweld y canlyniadau TGAU gwaethaf mewn degawd; y sgoriau PISA isaf yn y DU, gyda chyrhaeddiad addysgol sy'n waeth na gwledydd fel Fietnam a Slofacia; a thoriad o 8 y cant mewn termau real i gyllid ar gyfer addysg, gydag ysgolion yn paratoi ar gyfer mwy o doriadau; ac mae arweinydd eich cyngor eich hun yn eich etholaeth eich hun wedi rhybuddio y gallai'r bwlch ariannu o £57 miliwn ym maes addysg a grëwyd gan eich Llywodraeth chi arwain at golli 1,300 o athrawon neu 2,400 o gynorthwywyr addysgu ledled Cymru.

Mae'n gwbl annerbyniol bod dyfodol ein disgyblion a dyfodol Cymru yn ysgwyddo baich anallu eich Llywodraeth yn y maes hwn. Mae ein plant yn werth mwy na'r hyn yr ydych chi'n ei roi iddyn nhw, Prif Weinidog. Pan gawsoch eich penodi i'r swydd yn 2009, ai dyma'r math o ddiwygio yr oeddech chi'n bwriadu ei gyflawni? Ac a ydych chi'n falch o'ch hanes ar addysg?

Yes and yes. But let me say two things to him: his party went into the 2011 Assembly election with a vow to cut education spending by 20 per cent—20 per cent. His own leader at the time, Nick Bourne, said it—[Interruption.]—I know you don't like it, but he said it live on a BBC Wales interview. We saw the alternative budget that his party provided, and if he has any complaint, then surely it's the fact that we haven't cut education spending enough as far as he is concerned.

Secondly, I've no doubt that we will sit here over the course of the next half an hour or so, and, indeed, in the weeks to come, while he will demand that we spend more money on everything—health, education, local government, everything—and we would like to do that. We would like to do that, but the reality is we have £4 billion less as a result of his party's policies than otherwise we would have if spending had kept up with economic development. He cannot have it both ways; he can't stand up here every week and demand money for each and every part of the Government every single week without being responsible and saying where that money is coming from. He won't do that because that's just too difficult.

Ie ac ydw. Ond gadewch i mi ddweud dau beth wrtho: aeth ei blaid ef i mewn i etholiad Cynulliad 2011 gydag addewid i dorri gwariant ar addysg gan 20 y cant—20 y cant. Dywedodd ei arweinydd ei hun ar y pryd, Nick Bourne, y byddai—[Torri ar draws.]—gwn nad ydych chi'n hoffi hyn, ond fe'i dywedodd yn fyw mewn cyfweliad ar BBC Wales. Gwelsom y gyllideb amgen a ddarparwyd gan ei blaid, ac os oes ganddo unrhyw gŵyn, does bosib nad honno yw'r ffaith nad ydym wedi torri digon ar wariant ar addysg cyn belled ag y mae ef yn y cwestiwn.

Yn ail, nid oes gen i unrhyw amheuaeth y byddwn ni'n eistedd yma yn ystod yr hanner awr nesaf, ac, yn wir, yn yr wythnosau i ddod, tra ei fod ef yn mynnu ein bod ni'n gwario mwy o arian ar bopeth—iechyd, addysg, llywodraeth leol, popeth—a hoffem ni wneud hynny. Hoffem wneud hynny, ond y gwir amdani yw bod gennym ni £4 biliwn yn llai o ganlyniad i bolisïau ei blaid ef nag y byddai gennym ni fel arall pe byddai gwariant wedi cadw i fyny â datblygiad economaidd. Ni all ei chael hi bob ffordd; ni all ef sefyll ar ei draed yma bob wythnos a gofyn am arian ar gyfer pob un rhan o'r Llywodraeth bob un wythnos heb fod yn gyfrifol a dweud o ble mae'r arian hwnnw'n dod. Ni fydd yn gwneud hynny gan fod hynny'n rhy anodd.

13:45

Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.

Leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, are you content that the RAF are training Saudi Arabian pilots at RAF Valley on Ynys Môn, teaching the techniques that can be used in the conflict in Yemen?

Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, a ydych chi'n fodlon bod yr RAF yn hyfforddi peilotiaid Saudi Arabia yn RAF y Fali ar Ynys Môn, gan addysgu'r technegau y gellir eu defnyddio yn y rhyfel yn Yemen?

These are matters, of course, that are not devolved, but I certainly join with him in wishing to see a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen. The current situation is unsustainable—innocent lives are being lost—and I know the UK Government's position is also that a peace settlement needs to be reached, and soon.

Mae'r rhain yn faterion, wrth gwrs, nad ydynt wedi eu datganoli, ond rwy'n sicr yn ymuno ag ef o ran dymuno gweld ateb heddychlon i'r rhyfel yn Yemen. Mae'r sefyllfa bresennol yn anghynaliadwy—mae bywydau diniwed yn cael eu colli—a gwn mai safbwynt Llywodraeth y DU hefyd yw bod angen dod i gytundeb heddwch, a hynny'n fuan.

You say that it's a non-devolved matter, but are ethics non-devolved? Is morality non-devolved? Where does it say in the Government of Wales Act 2006 that matters of conscience are reserved to Westminster? Thousands of people have died in the Yemeni conflict, many of them civilians, and among them children. The leader of the Labour Party has called upon the UK Government to end arms exports to Saudi Arabia, which, as he has pointed out, stands accused of war crimes by the United Nations.

Now, on Sunday, at a solemn ceremony at the Cenotaph to commemorate the victims of war, you and I both pledged, and I quote, 'To strive for all that makes peace.' So, in honour of that pledge, are you prepared to promise that no Welsh Government money will go to a company that is directly supplying weapons to Saudi Arabia while this bloody conflict continues?

Rydych chi'n dweud ei fod yn fater nad yw wedi ei ddatganoli, ond a yw moeseg yn rhywbeth nad yw wedi ei ddatganoli? A yw moesoldeb yn rhywbeth nad yw wedi ei ddatganoli? Ble mae'n dweud yn Neddf Llywodraeth Cymru 2006 bod materion y cydwybod wedi eu cadw yn ôl i San Steffan? Mae miloedd o bobl wedi marw yn y rhyfel yn Yemen, llawer ohonyn nhw yn sifiliaid, a phlant yn eu plith. Mae arweinydd y Blaid Lafur wedi galw ar Lywodraeth y DU i roi terfyn ar allforio arfau i Saudi Arabia, sydd, fel y nododd, wedi cael ei chyhuddo o droseddau rhyfel gan y Cenhedloedd Unedig.

Nawr, ddydd Sul, mewn seremoni sanctaidd ger y Senotaff i goffáu'r rhai a laddwyd mewn rhyfeloedd, gwnaed addewid gennych chi a minnau, a dyfynnaf, 'I ymdrechu am bopeth sy'n sicrhau heddwch.' Felly, i anrhydeddu'r addewid hwnnw, a ydych chi'n barod i addo y bydd dim o arian Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd i gwmni sy'n cyflenwi arfau yn uniongyrchol i Saudi Arabia tra bod y rhyfel gwaedlyd hwn yn parhau?

I am not aware of any company that's received money in that sense. We certainly haven't had contracts with the Saudi Government, and we share the UK Government's concern, not just in terms of what's happened in Yemen, but of course the well-publicised murder of the journalist, Khashoggi, in Turkey. There are questions for Saudi Arabia to answer, and I agree with him that we should be very careful indeed, as things stand at the moment, with those two situations in terms of the way in which we engage with the Saudi Government.

Nid wyf i'n ymwybodol o unrhyw gwmni sydd wedi cael arian yn yr ystyr hwnnw. Yn sicr nid ydym ni wedi trefnu contractau gyda Llywodraeth Saudi Arabia, ac rydym ni'n rhannu pryder Llywodraeth y DU, nid yn unig o ran yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd yn Yemen, ond wrth gwrs llofruddiaeth y newyddiadurwr, Khashoggi, yn Nhwrci, sydd wedi cael cymaint o gyhoeddusrwydd. Mae cwestiynau i Saudi Arabia eu hateb, ac rwy'n cytuno ag ef y dylem ni fod yn ofalus iawn, fel y mae pethau ar hyn o bryd, gyda'r ddwy sefyllfa hynny o ran y ffordd yr ydym ni'n ymgysylltu â Llywodraeth Saudi.

Well, I can tell the First Minister that the Welsh Government has given over £1 million to the US defence firm Raytheon. According to CNN, Raytheon's weapons have been used in the targeted bombing of civilians in Yemen. Information from the US Department of Defense confirms that Raytheon's Welsh operations are directly and substantially involved in delivering hundreds more air-to-ground missiles to the Saudi Arabian military. That $300 million deal, incidentally, was signed a week after the chief executive officer of Raytheon flew to Riyadh to lobby Mohammed bin Salman on whose instruction Jamal Khashoggi, whom the First Minister just referred to, was reportedly murdered. So, can I ask you, First Minister, to honour your pledge and commit that not a single penny more of public money from Wales will go to a company involved in the supply of weapons to this murderous and barbaric regime?

Wel, gallaf ddweud wrth y Prif Weinidog bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi dros £1 filiwn i gwmni amddiffyn Raytheon yn yr Unol Daleithiau. Yn ôl CNN, defnyddiwyd arfau Raytheon yn y bomio wedi'i dargedu o sifiliaid yn Yemen. Mae gwybodaeth gan Adran Amddiffyn yr Unol Daleithiau yn cadarnhau bod gweithrediadau Raytheon yng Nghymru yn cymryd rhan yn uniongyrchol ac yn sylweddol yn y broses o ddanfon cannoedd yn fwy o daflegrau aer i dir i fyddin Saudi Arabia. Llofnodwyd y cytundeb $300 miliwn hwnnw, gyda llaw, wythnos ar ôl i brif swyddog gweithredol Raytheon hedfan i Riyadh i lobïo Mohammed bin Salman, y dywedwyd mai ar ei gyfarwydd ef y llofruddiwyd Jamal Khashoggi, y mae'r Prif Weinidog newydd gyfeirio ato. Felly, a gaf i ofyn i chi, Prif Weinidog, i anrhydeddu eich addewid ac ymrwymo na fydd yr un geiniog arall o arian cyhoeddus o Gymru yn mynd i gwmni sy'n ymwneud â chyflenwi arfau i'r gyfundrefn lofruddiol a barbaraidd hon?

Well, the leader of Plaid Cymru has raised an important issue there in terms of Raytheon. It's not clear what the involvement of the Raytheon plant in Deeside is with regard to Saudi Arabia. I will, however, find out, and I will write to him once I've established what the connection is. Upon seeing the results of that investigation, I will then of course respond fully to the points that he's raised.

Wel, mae arweinydd Plaid Cymru wedi codi mater pwysig yn y fan yna o ran Raytheon. Nid yw'n eglur beth yw cyfraniad ffatri Raytheon yng Nglannau Dyfrdwy o ran Saudi Arabia. Fodd bynnag, byddaf yn darganfod hynny, a byddaf yn ysgrifennu ato ar ôl o mi sefydlu beth yw'r cysylltiad. Ar ôl gweld canlyniadau'r ymchwiliad hwnnw, byddaf yn ymateb yn llawn wedyn, wrth gwrs, i'r pwyntiau y mae ef wedi eu codi.

Arweinydd grŵp UKIP, Gareth Bennett.

Leader of the UKIP group, Gareth Bennett.

Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, one of the early policies enacted by the Welsh Government was to introduce a new educational qualification, the Welsh baccalaureate, or 'Welsh bac', as it is known. The Welsh bac has come under criticism, so do you still believe it has been a worthwhile addition to the national curriculum in Wales?

Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, un o'r polisïau cynnar a ddeddfwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru oedd cyflwyno cymhwyster addysgol newydd, bagloriaeth Cymru, neu 'bac Cymru', fel y'i gelwir. Mae bagloriaeth Cymru wedi cael ei feirniadu, felly a ydych chi'n dal i gredu ei fod wedi bod yn ychwanegiad gwerthfawr at y cwricwlwm cenedlaethol yng Nghymru?

Yes, I thought you would probably endorse it, so thank you for the answer. I have to say that you didn't tell us why you think that, but perhaps that will become—[Interruption.] I didn't ask. That may perhaps become clearer as we progress. I have to say—[Interruption.] I have to say, the majority of students doing the A-level version of the Welsh bac probably don't agree with your assessment of it—not as far as I can see. One of the issues is that A-level students trying to get into the UK's top universities have enough on their plate as it is with three A-levels to cope with. Then, your Government goes and handicaps them in Wales by forcing them to study an extra subject, the Welsh bac, which most of the top UK universities don't even recognise, and which doesn't count towards their grades for getting onto the top courses. Would you accept that your—[Interruption.] Would you accept that your Welsh bac is simply making life more difficult for Welsh A-level students?

Ie, roeddwn i'n meddwl ei bod hi'n debygol y byddech chi'n ei gymeradwyo, felly diolch am yr ateb. Mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud na wnaethoch chi ddweud wrthym ni pam yr ydych chi'n credu hynny, ond efallai y daw—[Torri ar draws.] Wnes i ddim gofyn. Efallai y daw hynny'n fwy eglur wrth i ni symud ymlaen. Mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud—[Torri ar draws.] Mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, mae'n debyg na fydd mwyafrif y myfyrwyr sy'n astudio fersiwn Safon Uwch bagloriaeth Cymru yn cytuno â'ch asesiad chi ohono—nid cyn belled ag y gallaf i ei weld. Un o'r problemau yw bod gan fyfyrwyr Safon Uwch sy'n ceisio cael eu derbyn i brifysgolion gorau'r DU ddigon ar eu plât fel y mae hi gyda thri chymhwyster Safon Uwch i ymdopi â nhw. Yna, mae eich Llywodraeth yn mynd ati i'w rhoi o dan anfantais yng Nghymru drwy eu gorfodi i astudio pwnc ychwanegol, bagloriaeth Cymru, nad yw'r rhan fwyaf o brifysgolion gorau'r DU yn ei gydnabod hyd yn oed, ac nad yw'n cyfrif tuag at eu graddau ar gyfer cael lle ar y cyrsiau gorau. A ydych chi'n derbyn bod eich—[Torri ar draws.] A ydych chi'n derbyn bod eich bagloriaeth Cymru yn gwneud bywyd yn fwy anodd i fyfyrwyr Safon Uwch Cymru?

13:50

This is not American politics. We like to see questions that are asked on the basis of evidence—any evidence, actually. He said that most A-level students probably wouldn't agree with me. He offers no evidence for that. He suggests that most universities see the Welsh bac as some kind of imposition or don't recognise it. There's no evidence for that at all. He believes that the Welsh bac itself is somehow handicapping our students. There's no evidence for that at all. Because what I can tell him is—I have a child, he's 16 years old, he's studying GCSEs this year, and the Welsh bac is immensely useful, because it teaches students how to operate in life and in work beyond academic subjects. They'll research topics and find out about areas like community work, they look at entrepreneurship—all the things that aren't taught in traditional subjects. So, I think what the bac does is prepare our young people in the broadest way possible not just for academic qualifications, but for the world of work. I know that many employers that I've spoken to—so that I'm not accused of making things up—have said to me that they find that those who've gone through the Welsh bac and have that qualification are better prepared to start in the world of work.

Nid gwleidyddiaeth America yw hyn. Rydym ni'n hoffi gweld cwestiynau a ofynnir ar sail tystiolaeth—unrhyw dystiolaeth, a dweud y gwir. Dywedodd ei bod yn debygol na fyddai mwyafrif y myfyrwyr Safon Uwch yn cytuno â mi. Nid yw'n cynnig unrhyw dystiolaeth ar gyfer hynny. Mae'n awgrymu bod y rhan fwyaf o brifysgolion yn gweld bagloriaeth Cymru fel rhyw fath o orfodaeth neu nad ydynt yn ei gydnabod. Nid oes unrhyw dystiolaeth o hynny o gwbl. Mae'n credu bod bagloriaeth Cymru ei hun rywsut yn rhoi ein myfyrwyr o dan anfantais. Nid oes unrhyw dystiolaeth o hynny o gwbl. Oherwydd yr hyn y gallaf ei ddweud wrtho yw—mae gen i blentyn, mae'n 16 mlwydd oed, mae'n astudio ar gyfer TGAU eleni, ac mae bagloriaeth Cymru yn hynod ddefnyddiol, gan ei fod yn addysgu myfyrwyr sut i weithredu mewn bywyd ac mewn gwaith y tu hwnt i bynciau academaidd. Byddan nhw'n ymchwilio i bynciau ac yn dod i wybod am feysydd fel gwaith cymunedol, maen nhw'n edrych ar entrepreneuriaeth—yr holl bethau nad ydyn nhw'n cael eu haddysgu mewn pynciau traddodiadol. Felly, rwy'n credu mai'r hyn y mae'r bac yn ei wneud yw paratoi ein pobl ifanc yn y ffordd ehangaf bosibl nid yn unig ar gyfer cymwysterau academaidd, ond ar gyfer y byd gwaith. Gwn fod llawer o gyflogwyr yr wyf i wedi siarad â nhw—fel nad wyf i'n cael fy nghyhuddo o ddweud celwydd—wedi dweud wrthyf eu bod nhw'n canfod bod y rhai sydd wedi bod trwy fagloriaeth Cymru ac wedi ennill y cymhwyster hwnnw wedi eu paratoi'n well i ddechrau yn y byd gwaith.

Yes, you say it prepares them better, but it also hinders them from getting onto the top courses. Now, you wanted—[Interruption.] You wanted evidence, so listen to some evidence. We know from freedom of information requests that in 2017 Oxford and Cambridge universities made 153 conditional offers to Welsh-domiciled students, none of which included the Welsh bac. Imperial College London said that it is not standard practice to make offers that include the Welsh bac. Indeed, out of 19 Russell Group universities, 14 of them made more conditional offers that did not include the Welsh bac to Welsh-based students than those that did. Therefore, would you agree that, based on the evidence before us, the Welsh bac does nothing to help Welsh students into top universities and everything, in fact, to hinder them? And would you agree with me that your Government should now seriously consider abolishing the Welsh bac altogether?

Ie, rydych chi'n dweud ei fod yn eu paratoi'n well, ond mae hefyd yn eu rhwystro rhag cael eu derbyn ar y cyrsiau gorau. Nawr, roeddech chi eisiau—[Torri ar draws.] Roeddech chi eisiau tystiolaeth, felly gwrandewch ar rywfaint o dystiolaeth. Rydym ni'n gwybod o geisiadau rhyddid gwybodaeth bod prifysgolion Rhydychen a Chaergrawnt wedi gwneud 153 o gynigion amodol i fyfyrwyr o Gymru yn 2017, ac nid oedd yr un ohonyn nhw yn cynnwys bagloriaeth Cymru. Dywedodd Coleg Imperial Llundain nad yw'n arfer safonol gwneud cynigion sy'n cynnwys bagloriaeth Cymru. Yn wir, o 19 o brifysgolion Grŵp Russell, gwnaeth 14 ohonynt fwy o gynigion amodol nad oeddent yn cynnwys bagloriaeth Cymru i fyfyrwyr yng Nghymru na'r rhai a oedd yn ei gynnwys. Felly, a fyddech chi'n cytuno, yn seiliedig ar y dystiolaeth ger ein bron, nad yw bagloriaeth Cymru yn gwneud dim i helpu myfyrwyr Cymru i gael eu derbyn i'r prifysgolion gorau ac yn gwneud popeth, mewn gwirionedd, i'w rhwystro? A ydych chi'n cytuno â mi y dylai eich Llywodraeth ystyried o ddifrif diddymu bagloriaeth Cymru yn gyfan gwbl?

No. He doesn't like it because it's Welsh. Let's be honest. He doesn't like anything Welsh, that's the reason why he doesn't like the Welsh bac.

Again, he offers no evidence. All he says is that some universities—and Cambridge is supportive of the Welsh bac; we know that, they've said it—are making offers where they rely on traditional A-level grades. They're not saying the Welsh bac is a handicap. And the Welsh bac is not just a qualification in academic terms. It is a qualification that prepares, as I've said, young people for the world of work. Universities are interested in academic grades, employers are interested in academic grades, yes, but also the readiness and preparedness of a young person to enter the world of work. It's something now that of course is being copied in England. I suppose if it's adopted there he'll be all in favour of the Welsh bac at that point, as long as it's called something else, that's not Welsh. 

No, I think we have done well in preparing our young people for the future. We have grafted the Welsh bac onto the traditional curriculum, and I can say from my own personal experience looking at it with my son, it does an immense amount of good in broadening the horizons of so many youngsters, which they need in order to make themselves even more employable in the future. 

Nac ydw. Nid yw'n ei hoffi gan ei fod yn gysylltiedig â Chymru. Gadewch i ni fod yn onest. Nid yw'n hoffi dim sy'n gysylltiedig â Chymru, dyna pam nad yw'n hoffi bagloriaeth Cymru.

Unwaith eto, nid yw'n cynnig unrhyw dystiolaeth. Y cwbl y mae'n ei ddweud yw bod rhai prifysgolion—ac mae Caergrawnt yn cefnogi bagloriaeth Cymru; rydym ni'n gwybod hynny, maen nhw wedi ei ddweud—yn gwneud cynigion lle maen nhw'n dibynnu ar raddau Safon Uwch traddodiadol. Nid ydyn nhw'n dweud bod bagloriaeth Cymru yn anfantais. Ac nid yw bagloriaeth Cymru yn gymhwyster o safbwynt academaidd yn unig. Mae'n gymhwyster sy'n paratoi pobl ifanc, fel y dywedais, ar gyfer y byd gwaith. Mae gan brifysgolion ddiddordeb mewn graddau academaidd, mae gan gyflogwyr ddiddordeb mewn graddau academaidd, oes, ond hefyd parodrwydd a pharatoad person ifanc i ymuno â'r byd gwaith. Mae'n rhywbeth nawr sy'n cael ei ailadrodd yn Lloegr, wrth gwrs. Mae'n debyg os caiff ei fabwysiadu yno y bydd o blaid bagloriaeth Cymru bryd hynny, cyn belled ag y bo ganddo wahanol enw, nad yw'n gysylltiedig â Chymru.

Na, rwy'n credu ein bod ni wedi gwneud yn dda i baratoi ein pobl ifanc ar gyfer y dyfodol. Rydym ni wedi asio bagloriaeth Cymru i'r cwricwlwm traddodiadol, a gallaf ddweud o'm profiad personol fy hun o edrych arno gyda fy mab, ei fod yn gwneud llawer iawn o ddaioni o ran ehangu gorwelion cynifer o bobl ifanc, sydd ei angen arnynt er mwyn gwneud eu hunain hyd yn oed yn fwy cyflogadwy yn y dyfodol.

Anghydraddoldebau Iechyd ym Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni
Health Inequalities in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney

3. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am y camau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael ag anghydraddoldebau iechyd ym Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni? OAQ52928

3. Will the First Minister provide an update on Welsh Government action to tackle health inequalities in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OAQ52928

It is a central ambition of the Government that everyone in Wales has a fair opportunity to live a healthy life, irrespective of their background or where they live. We continue to tackle the root causes of health inequalities through national and local action, and across Government.

Mae'n un o uchelgeisiau canolog y Llywodraeth fod pawb yng Nghymru yn cael cyfle teg i fyw bywyd iach, ni waeth beth yw eu cefndir neu ym mha le maen nhw'n byw. Rydym ni'n parhau i fynd i'r afael ag achosion sylfaenol anghydraddoldebau iechyd trwy gymryd camau cenedlaethol a lleol, ac ar draws y Llywodraeth.

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. In spite of the significant investment in health services in my constituency, we can see that there still remains an alarming health trend amongst the local population. You'll be aware that in 2016 the annual report of the Chief Medical Officer for Wales highlighted the social inequities that affect areas like Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney. Now, clearly adequate funding of local health and care services in order to overcome these inequalities must remain as the core of the Welsh Government's work in the years ahead, but given that these inequalities stubbornly persist, what more can the Welsh Government do to ensure that income and social class do not continue to be barriers to good health?

Diolch am yr ateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Er gwaethaf y buddsoddiad sylweddol mewn gwasanaethau iechyd yn fy etholaeth i, gallwn weld bod tueddiad iechyd sy'n peri pryder yn parhau o hyd ymhlith y boblogaeth leol. Byddwch yn ymwybodol bod adroddiad blynyddol Prif Swyddog Meddygol Cymru yn 2016 wedi tynnu sylw at yr annhegwch cymdeithasol sy'n effeithio ar ardaloedd fel Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni. Nawr, mae'n rhaid i gyllid digonol i wasanaethau iechyd a gofal lleol i oresgyn yr anghydraddoldebau hyn barhau i fod yn ganolog i waith Llywodraeth Cymru yn y blynyddoedd i ddod, ond o gofio bod yr anghydraddoldebau hyn yn parhau'n ystyfnig, beth arall all Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud i sicrhau nad yw incwm a dosbarth cymdeithasol yn parhau i fod yn rhwystrau i iechyd da?

Tackling social inequality is a cross-Government priority, as demonstrated by the fact it's a central ambition of 'Prosperity for All'. To give examples of Government programmes that are tackling the root cause of health inequalities, they include employment programmes, quality housing and access to childcare. They're combined with programmes to address healthy behaviour and improved access to healthcare, because we know that will reduce barriers to good health as well. And, of course, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 provides new impetus in tackling the persistent underlying causes of health inequalities through working differently with partners, intervening earlier and promoting better integration between services.

Mae mynd i'r afael ag anghydraddoldeb cymdeithasol yn flaenoriaeth traws-Lywodraeth, fel y dangosir gan y ffaith ei fod yn un o uchelgeisiau canolog 'Ffyniant i Bawb'. I roi enghreifftiau o raglenni'r Llywodraeth sy'n mynd i'r afael ag achosion sydd wrth wraidd anghydraddoldebau iechyd, maen nhw'n cynnwys rhaglenni cyflogaeth, tai o ansawdd a mynediad at ofal plant. Maen nhw'n cael eu cyfuno â rhaglenni i fynd i'r afael ag ymddygiad iachus a gwell mynediad at ofal iechyd, gan ein bod ni'n gwybod y bydd hynny'n lleihau rhwystrau i iechyd da hefyd. Ac, wrth gwrs, mae Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015 yn darparu ysgogiad newydd i fynd i'r afael ag achosion sylfaenol parhaus anghydraddoldebau iechyd trwy weithio'n wahanol gyda phartneriaid, ymyrryd yn gynharach a hyrwyddo gwell integreiddio rhwng gwasanaethau.

13:55

First Minister, Merthyr Tydfil has the highest level of childhood obesity in Wales. Seventeen and a half per cent of children in Merthyr Tydfil are obese, more than double the figure of the Vale of Glamorgan. In the view of the fact that diabetes is the fastest growing health crisis in Wales, what action is the Welsh Government taking to target areas of high childhood obesity, such as Merthyr Tydfil, to reduce future pressures on the NHS in Wales, please? 

Prif Weinidog, mae gan Ferthyr Tudful y lefel uchaf o ordewdra ymhlith plant yng Nghymru. Mae un deg saith y cant o blant ym Merthyr Tudful yn ordew, sy'n fwy na dwywaith ffigur Bro Morgannwg. Yng ngoleuni'r ffaith mai diabetes yw'r argyfwng iechyd sy'n tyfu gyflymaf yng Nghymru, pa gamau mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i dargedu ardaloedd o ordewdra uchel ymhlith plant, fel Merthyr Tudful, i leihau'r pwysau ar y GIG yng Nghymru yn y dyfodol, os gwelwch yn dda?

Well, there's consistent evidence to suggest that an investment in the early years significantly improves health, social and economic outcomes. So, our Healthy Child Wales programme has been developed with a standard universal NHS offer for all families with children aged nought to seven. That offers a consistent range of preventative and early intervention measures and, importantly, guidance to support parenting and healthy lifestyle choices. It also identifies families in need of additional support. So, that's one example, that programme, of what we are doing in order to ensure that the issue of obesity is tackled early on in a child's life, before difficult habits start to form.

Wel, ceir tystiolaeth gyson i awgrymu bod buddsoddiad yn y blynyddoedd cynnar yn gwella canlyniadau iechyd, cymdeithasol ac economaidd yn sylweddol. Felly, datblygwyd ein rhaglen Plant Iach Cymru gyda chynnig GIG cyffredinol safonol i bob teulu sydd â phlant rhwng dim a saith oed. Mae hynny'n cynnig amrywiaeth gyson o fesurau ataliol ac ymyrraeth gynnar ac, yn bwysig, canllawiau i gynorthwyo rhianta a dewisiadau ffordd iach o fyw. Mae hefyd yn nodi teuluoedd sydd angen cymorth ychwanegol. Felly, dyna un enghraifft, y rhaglen honno, o'r hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud i sicrhau bod y mater o ordewdra yn cael sylw yn gynnar ym mywyd plentyn, cyn i arferion anodd ddechrau ffurfio.

Y Cyfrif Refeniw Tai
The Housing Revenue Account

4. Pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o effaith codi'r cap benthyg ar y cyfrif refeniw tai? OAQ52932

4. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the effect of lifting the housing revenue account borrowing cap? OAQ52932

Lifting the housing revenue account borrowing cap is significant. It's welcome in Wales. It's a u-turn, but, nevertheless, we do welcome what has been done. It will help local authorities to deliver on their council house building strategies. And we're working closely with those authorities to fully understand the benefits.  

Mae codi'r cap benthyg ar y cyfrif refeniw tai yn arwyddocaol. Mae i'w groesawu yng Nghymru. Mae'n dro pedol, ond, serch hynny, rydym ni'n croesawu'r hyn a wnaed. Bydd yn helpu awdurdodau lleol i gyflawni eu strategaethau adeiladu tai cyngor. Ac rydym ni'n gweithio'n agos gyda'r awdurdodau hynny i ddeall y manteision yn llawn.

I also welcome the fact that this cap has been lifted. It will also allow local authorities to work effectively with other organisations, especially housing associations. I note the interesting partnership model that exists in Warrington council, where they have increased the total loans to housing associations by hundreds of millions of pounds. That sort of imagination we could see in Wales, with potential for local authorities to commission housing association development teams or to partner on modern methods of construction to achieve the scale that we need in this regard. And, as you, I think, also referred to, the 20,000 home target that we have in this Assembly term for social homes is another key area. But we need to go way beyond and ensure the new borrowing powers are used very, very effectively. 

Rwyf innau hefyd yn croesawu'r ffaith bod y cap hwn wedi ei godi. Bydd hefyd yn galluogi awdurdodau lleol i weithio'n effeithiol gyda sefydliadau eraill, yn enwedig cymdeithasau tai. Nodaf y model partneriaeth diddorol sy'n bodoli yng nghyngor Warrington, lle maen nhw wedi rhoi cannoedd o filiynau o bunnoedd yn fwy i gyfanswm y benthyciadau i gymdeithasau tai. Gallem weld y math hwnnw o ddychymyg yng Nghymru, gyda'r potensial i awdurdodau lleol gomisiynu timau datblygu cymdeithasau tai neu i ffurfio partneriaethau ar ddulliau adeiladu modern i gyflawni'r raddfa sydd ei hangen arnom yn hyn o beth. Ac, fel y gwnaethoch chi, rwy'n meddwl, gyfeirio ato hefyd, mae'r targed o 20,000 o gartrefi sydd gennym ni yn y tymor Cynulliad hwn ar gyfer cartrefi cymdeithasol yn faes allweddol arall. Ond mae angen i ni fynd ymhell y tu hwnt a sicrhau bod y pwerau benthyg newydd yn cael eu defnyddio yn hynod, hynod effeithiol.

Yes, that's true. One thing I can say is that the Minister has commissioned an independent review of the affordable housing supply. That's looking at a range of policies and processes to ensure we maximise the number of homes we get from our considerable investment. And, of course, the lifting of the borrowing cap will form part of the panel's consideration, and we expect recommendations from that panel in April of next year.

Ydy, mae hynny'n wir. Un peth y gallaf ei ddweud yw bod y Gweinidog wedi comisiynu adolygiad annibynnol o'r cyflenwad tai fforddiadwy. Mae hwnnw'n ystyried amrywiaeth o bolisïau a phrosesau i sicrhau ein bod ni'n sicrhau'r nifer fwyaf bosibl o gartrefi yr ydym ni'n eu cael o'n buddsoddiad sylweddol. Ac, wrth gwrs, bydd codi'r cap benthyg yn rhan o ystyriaeth y panel, ac rydym ni'n disgwyl argymhellion gan y panel hwnnw ym mis Ebrill y flwyddyn nesaf.

Y Gronfa Ffyniant Gyffredin
The Shared Prosperity Fund

5. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am drafodaethau gyda Llywodraeth y DU ynghylch y gronfa ffyniant gyffredin? OAQ52934

5. Will the First Minister provide an update on discussions with the UK Government regarding the shared prosperity fund? OAQ52934

I think it's fair to say that it's fairly vague at the moment, and fairly incoherent in terms of how it might operate or how much money might be available. I raised it, certainly, last week with David Lidington. It's not clear how it would work, how much money would be available and, of course, how it would work in terms of meshing with the devolved settlement. We simply have to wait and see.

Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n deg i ddweud ei bod hi'n eithaf amwys ar hyn o bryd, ac yn eithaf aneglur o ran sut y gallai weithredu neu faint o arian a allai fod ar gael. Fe'i codais, yn sicr, yr wythnos diwethaf gyda David Lidington. Nid yw'n eglur sut y byddai'n gweithio, faint o arian fyddai ar gael nac, wrth gwrs, sut y byddai'n gweithio o ran asio â'r setliad datganoli. Yn syml, mae'n rhaid i ni aros i weld.

I thank the First Minister for that response, and I'm aware that there have been pre-consultation meetings taking place in Wales, and the most recent one, I think, was last Friday, with representatives of the third sector. So, I don't know if the First Minister has got any feedback from those meetings, but doesn't he agree that it is absolutely crucial that the future of regional policy lies in the hands of the Welsh Government, and that the focus should be on tackling inequality as a means of improving prosperity and productivity?

Diolchaf i'r Prif Weinidog am yr ymateb yna, ac rwy'n ymwybodol bod cyfarfodydd cyn-ymgynghori wedi eu cynnal yng Nghymru, ac roedd y diweddaraf, rwy'n credu, ddydd Gwener diwethaf, gyda chynrychiolwyr y trydydd sector. Felly, nid wyf i'n gwybod a yw'r Prif Weinidog wedi cael unrhyw adborth o'r cyfarfodydd hynny, ond onid yw'n cytuno ei bod hi'n gwbl hanfodol mai Llywodraeth Cymru sy'n gyfrifol am ddyfodol polisi rhanbarthol, ac y dylai'r pwyslais fod ar fynd i'r afael ag anghydraddoldeb fel ffordd o wella ffyniant a chynhyrchiant?

Absolutely, because that is a devolved responsibility. It would be wholly inappropriate for a shared prosperity fund to be administered entirely from Whitehall, bypassing the Government and the Assembly completely. That would cut across what the UK Government has said about devolved responsibilities in a very serious way.

There was indeed a stakeholder event in Cardiff that took place on Thursday and Friday last week regarding the shared prosperity fund. In fairness, our officials were invited the day before. So, we didn't get much notice of that event taking place, but it does give you an example of the incoherent approach that's being taken where the Wales Office arranges something, doesn't tell anybody, appears to cut across devolved responsibility even though it has no powers of its own, and then all that does is confuse businesses. Well, I think it would be far better if the UK Government were clearer and followed the approach that we've suggested, where in effect you have a fund that closely mirrors the operation of the current European funds, and, of course, with maximum—a common set of rules, of course, but maximum flexibility for the devolved Governments. 

Yn sicr, oherwydd mae hwnnw'n gyfrifoldeb datganoledig. Byddai'n gwbl amhriodol i gronfa ffyniant gyffredin gael ei gweinyddu'n llwyr o Whitehall, gan osgoi'r Llywodraeth a'r Cynulliad yn gyfan gwbl. Byddai hynny'n mynd yn groes i'r hyn y mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi ei ddweud am gyfrifoldebau datganoledig mewn ffordd ddifrifol iawn.

Yn wir, roedd digwyddiad i randdeiliaid yng Nghaerdydd a gynhaliwyd ddydd Iau a dydd Gwener yr wythnos diwethaf ynghylch y gronfa ffyniant gyffredin. Er tegwch, gwahoddwyd ein swyddogion y diwrnod cynt. Felly, ni chawsom lawer o rybudd bod y digwyddiad hwnnw'n cael ei gynnal, ond mae'n rhoi enghraifft i chi o'r dull anghydlynol sy'n cael ei fabwysiadu pan fydd Swyddfa Cymru yn trefnu rhywbeth, ddim yn dweud wrth neb, yn ymddangos i dorri ar draws cyfrifoldeb datganoledig er nad oes ganddi unrhyw bwerau ei hun, ac yna'r cwbl y mae hynny'n ei wneud yw drysu busnesau. Wel, rwy'n credu y byddai'n llawer gwell pe byddai Llywodraeth y DU yn fwy eglur ac yn dilyn y dull yr ydym ni wedi ei awgrymu, lle mae gennych chi gronfa sy'n adlewyrchu'n agos, i bob pwrpas, gweithrediad y cronfeydd Ewropeaidd presennol, ac, wrth gwrs, gyda'r hyblygrwydd mwyaf posibl—cyfres gyffredin o reolau, wrth gwrs, ond yr hyblygrwydd mwyaf posibl i'r Llywodraethau datganoledig.

14:00

First Minister, the Member for Cardiff North makes a very good point when she says that future regional policy should be controlled by the Welsh Government, by this Assembly—a point that you've echoed yourself. Whilst I appreciate that there are still details, a large number of details, about the shared prosperity fund to be effectively ironed out, it's important that when the current European funding ends and the shared prosperity fund, whatever final form that takes, kicks in—it's important at that point that the Welsh Government is best placed to access that funding. What are you doing to make sure that Welsh Government departments across portfolios are fit for purpose and are ready to be at the front of the queue to access that shared prosperity funding as soon as we do leave the EU? Because it's important that there isn't a gap in funding.

Prif Weinidog, mae'r Aelod dros Ogledd Caerdydd yn gwneud pwynt da iawn pan ddywed y dylai polisi rhanbarthol yn y dyfodol gael ei reoli gan Lywodraeth Cymru, gan y Cynulliad hwn—pwynt yr ydych chi wedi ei ategu eich hun. Er fy mod i'n sylweddoli bod manylion, nifer fawr o fanylion, am y gronfa ffyniant gyffredin i'w cytuno'n effeithiol o hyd, mae'n bwysig pan fydd y cyllid Ewropeaidd presennol yn dod i ben ac y bydd y gronfa ffyniant gyffredin, pa bynnag ffurf derfynol y bydd honno'n ei chymryd, yn dechrau—mae'n bwysig ar yr adeg honno bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn y sefyllfa orau i gael mynediad at y cyllid hwnnw. Beth ydych chi'n ei wneud i sicrhau bod adrannau Llywodraeth Cymru ar draws portffolios yn addas i'w diben ac yn barod i fod ar flaen y ciw i gael mynediad at y gronfa ffyniant gyffredin honno cyn gynted ag y byddwn yn gadael yr UE? Oherwydd mae'n bwysig nad oes bwlch yn y cyllid.

Well, the structure is there, of course. We've had years of dealing with European funds. The Wales European Funding Office and other departments are well used to dealing with this kind of funding structure. The shared prosperity fund is not of itself a bad idea. It's how much money will be available and how it is administered that we are troubled by. It's hugely important, as the Member himself, in fairness, has said, that this in effect replaces European funds in terms of the actual quantum available but that the responsibilities and rights of this Chamber and the Government are protected as the shared prosperity fund is developed. We'd prefer to be part of that conversation to make sure that the fund operates not just as far as Wales is concerned but works properly across the whole of the UK.

Wel, mae'r strwythur yno, wrth gwrs. Rydym ni wedi cael blynyddoedd o ymdrin â chyllid Ewropeaidd. Mae Swyddfa Cyllid Ewropeaidd Cymru ac adrannau eraill wedi hen arfer ymdrin â'r math hwn o strwythur ariannu. Nid yw'r gronfa ffyniant gyffredin yn syniad gwael ynddo'i hun. Faint o arian fydd ar gael a sut y caiff ei weinyddu sy'n peri pryder i ni. Mae'n aruthrol o bwysig, fel y mae'r Aelod ei hun, a bod yn deg, wedi dweud, bod hyn i bob pwrpas yn disodli'r cronfeydd Ewropeaidd o ran y swm gwirioneddol sydd ar gael ond bod cyfrifoldebau a hawliau'r Siambr hon a'r Llywodraeth yn cael eu hamddiffyn wrth i'r gronfa ffyniant gyffredin gael ei datblygu. Byddai'n well gennym fod yn rhan o'r sgwrs honno i wneud yn siŵr bod y gronfa yn gweithredu nid yn unig cyn belled ag mae Cymru yn y cwestiwn ond yn gweithio'n iawn ar draws y DU gyfan.

Of course, we still have questions about the existing arrangements before moving to the so-called shared prosperity fund. The First Minister will be aware of the audit office report on the impact of a 'no deal' separation on structural and regional funding as they stand. At the time of the report's publication in August, it noted that WEFO had exceeded its spending targets in three out of four of its operational programmes and underspent in one, which was west Wales and the Valleys. In the first instance, is the First Minister able to reassure us that overspends will be covered by the UK Government in the event of a 'no deal' separation, and can he update the Assembly further on whether all spending targets in all operational programmes are now being met or exceeded?

Wrth gwrs, mae gennym ni gwestiynau o hyd ynghylch y trefniadau presennol cyn symud ymlaen i'r gronfa ffyniant gyffredin, fel y'i gelwir. Bydd y Prif Weinidog yn ymwybodol o adroddiad y swyddfa archwilio ar effaith gwahaniad 'dim cytundeb' ar gyllid strwythurol a rhanbarthol fel y maen nhw ar hyn o bryd. Ar adeg cyhoeddi'r adroddiad ym mis Awst, nododd bod WEFO wedi mynd y tu hwnt i'w thargedau gwario yn nhri o'i phedair rhaglen weithredol ac wedi tanwario mewn un, sef gorllewin Cymru a'r Cymoedd. Yn y lle cyntaf, a all y Prif Weinidog roi sicrwydd i ni y bydd achosion o orwario yn cael eu talu gan Lywodraeth y DU os bydd gwahaniad 'dim cytundeb', ac a all ef ddiweddaru'r Cynulliad ymhellach ar ba un a yw'r holl dargedau gwario ym mhob rhaglen weithredol yn cael eu bodloni nawr neu a oes mwy na hynny'n cael ei wario?

It's very unusual for spending programmes to spend 100 per cent of the money in any financial year, because some projects are kept over to the other financial year. I can't offer him comfort in terms of how overspends might be dealt with; the UK Government have given us no comfort on that or any other issue regarding European funding post 2022. There's no doubt that a 'no deal' Brexit would be hugely costly. We can try to mitigate against it but the reality is we can't prevent the economic disaster that would occur if there was a 'no deal' Brexit, which is why I hope that there is a satisfactory deal on the table. We wait to see. I hope that those who at the moment see a 'no deal' Brexit as no problem will come to their senses when that deal is considered in the UK Parliament. 

Mae'n anarferol iawn i raglenni gwario wario 100 y cant o'r arian mewn unrhyw flwyddyn ariannol, gan fod rhai prosiectau yn cael eu cadw drosodd ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol arall. Ni allaf gynnig cysur iddo o ran sut y gellid ymdrin ag achosion o orwario; nid yw Llywodraeth y DU wedi rhoi unrhyw gysur i ni ynghylch hynny nac unrhyw fater arall yn ymwneud â chyllid Ewropeaidd ar ôl 2022. Nid oes unrhyw amheuaeth y byddai Brexit 'dim cytundeb' yn hynod gostus. Gallwn geisio lliniaru rhagddo, ond y gwir amdani yw na allwn atal y drychineb economaidd a fyddai'n digwydd pe byddai Brexit 'dim cytundeb', a dyna pam yr wyf yn gobeithio bod cytundeb boddhaol ar y bwrdd. Rydym ni'n aros i weld. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y rhai sydd o'r farn ar hyn o bryd bod Brexit 'dim cytundeb' yn ddim problem yn dod at eu coed pan fydd y cytundeb hwnnw'n cael ei ystyried yn Senedd y DU.

Dyfodol Trefi yng Nghymru
The Future of Welsh Towns

6. Pa asesiad y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i wneud o'r argymhellion yn adroddiad y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach ar ddyfodol trefi yng Nghymru? OAQ52901

6. What assessment has the First Minister made of the recommendations contained in the Federation of Small Businesses report on the future of Welsh towns? OAQ52901

I think the work they've done is very useful and it's a very useful addition to our existing knowledge in this area. We will, of course, consider the recommendations carefully in light of our current initiatives to support town centres.

Rwy'n credu bod y gwaith y maen nhw wedi ei wneud yn ddefnyddiol iawn ac mae'n ychwanegiad defnyddiol iawn at ein gwybodaeth bresennol yn y maes hwn. Byddwn, wrth gwrs, yn ystyried yr argymhellion yn ofalus yng ngoleuni ein mentrau presennol i gefnogi canol trefi.

Thank you, First Minister. I agree with you: I think the work they've commissioned gives a solid evidence base, which is the kind of deep work that can of course lead to positive changes in Government policy and action. Let's remember that over 1 million people live in Wales's towns. We hear lots about city deals, but how do you feel a potential mid Wales growth deal can empower those who live in the towns of mid Wales to identify and promote their towns? The report that was commissioned also talks about ideas coming from the grass roots upwards. So, how do you believe that a potential mid Wales growth deal can support that aim?

Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Rwy'n cytuno â chi: mae'r gwaith y maen nhw wedi ei gomisiynu yn rhoi sylfaen dystiolaeth gadarn, sef y math o waith dwys a all arwain wrth gwrs at newidiadau cadarnhaol i bolisi a chamau gweithredu'r Llywodraeth. Gadewch i ni gofio bod dros 1 filiwn o bobl yn byw yn nhrefi Cymru. Rydym ni'n clywed llawer am fargeinion dinesig, ond sut ydych chi'n teimlo y gall bargen dwf canolbarth Cymru bosibl rymuso'r rhai sy'n byw yn nhrefi'r canolbarth i nodi a hyrwyddo eu trefi? Mae'r adroddiad a gomisiynwyd hefyd yn sôn am syniadau yn dod o lawr gwlad i fyny. Felly, sut ydych chi'n credu y gall bargen dwf canolbarth Cymru bosibl gefnogi'r nod hwnnw?

I think that's important. If we look at the bids process of business improvement districts, they have been led by businesses in respective towns. Any growth deal must be targeted specifically to the needs and requirements of the area in which that growth deal is based. So, certainly, as a growth deal is developed, it's hugely important to have the maximum amount of engagement with retail businesses in town centres and all those in the rural economy.

Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n bwysig. Os edrychwn ni ar broses ceisiadau ardaloedd gwella busnes, fe'u harweiniwyd gan fusnesau mewn trefi perthnasol. Mae'n rhaid targedu unrhyw fargen dwf yn benodol i anghenion a gofynion yr ardal y mae'r fargen dwf honno wedi ei lleoli ynddi. Felly, yn sicr, wrth ddatblygu bargen dwf, mae'n bwysig dros ben cael cymaint o ymgysylltiad â phosibl â busnesau manwerthu yng nghanol trefi ac â phawb sydd yn yr economi wledig.

14:05

First Minister, you'll be aware that the report shows clearly—and, of course, we already knew this—that empty shops detract from the overall performance of town centres and deter new businesses from locating themselves there. You will probably know that the Plaid Cymru-led Carmarthenshire County Council has made a big investment in Llanelli, buying shops, breaking them into smaller units that people can then afford to rent, and turning the upper levels of the shops into residential properties that also bring people in to live in the town centre. What further support can the Welsh Government provide to local authorities to enable them to continue to respond creatively to the crisis that is faced by many of our town centres?

Prif Weinidog, byddwch yn ymwybodol bod yr adroddiad yn dangos yn eglur—ac, wrth gwrs, roeddem ni eisoes yn gwybod hyn—bod siopau gwag yn amharu ar berfformiad cyffredinol canol trefi ac yn atal busnesau newydd rhag lleoli eu hunain yno. Mae'n debyg y byddwch chi'n gwybod bod Cyngor Sir Caerfyrddin dan arweiniad Plaid Cymru wedi gwneud buddsoddiad mawr yn Llanelli, gan brynu siopau, eu rhannu'n unedau llai y gall pobl fforddio eu rhentu wedyn, a throi lefelau uwch y siopau yn eiddo preswyl sydd hefyd yn dod â phobl i fyw yng nghanol y dref. Pa gymorth arall all Llywodraeth Cymru ei roi i awdurdodau lleol i'w galluogi i barhau i ymateb yn greadigol i'r argyfwng a wynebir gan ganol llawer o'n trefi?

I think we have to accept that we are not likely to see the same number of retail units in towns in the future. If I look at my own home town of Bridgend, there are many, many units that are empty and will probably never be filled. Some of them have been empty for many, many years. So, what then should happen? Well, a lot of them may be turned into residential units, to ensure there's a better mix in town centres. In my home town, it's been happening for 30 years or more. 

How do we then create more vibrant towns that are mixed in terms of their provision—some of it residential, some of it business, some of it will be retail, some of it will be restaurants, bars—to create that buzz in the town, not just in the day but in the evening as well? I think also it's important that consideration is given to when shops open in town centres, because, of course, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. doesn't suit most people any more, and, unless you have a very big footfall in a town centre because there are offices there, then you will lose out.

But, in terms of what the Government is doing, we have our targeted regeneration investment programme. That means capital funding of £100 million across Wales over three years to support regionally prioritised regeneration projects in town centres. We have the European-funded Building for the Future programme, which is providing £54 million to acquire, refurbish or redevelop unused buildings and land within or close to town or city centres across west Wales and the Valleys. And, of course, our town centre loan scheme has provided £27.5 million since 2014 to bring empty, underused sites and premises in town centres back into use. 

Rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i ni dderbyn nad ydym ni'n debygol o weld yr un nifer o unedau manwerthu mewn trefi yn y dyfodol. Os edrychaf ar fy nhref enedigol fy hun ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr, ceir llawer iawn o unedau sydd yn wag ac mae'n debyg na fyddan nhw byth yn cael eu llenwi. Mae rhai ohonynt wedi bod yn wag ers blynyddoedd lawer iawn. Felly, beth ddylai ddigwydd wedyn? Wel, efallai y gellir troi llawer ohonyn nhw yn unedau preswyl, i sicrhau bod gwell cymysgedd yng nghanol trefi. Yn fy nhref enedigol i, mae wedi bod yn digwydd ers 30 mlynedd neu fwy.

Sut yr ydym ni wedyn am greu trefi mwy bywiog sy'n gymysg o ran eu darpariaeth—rhywfaint ohoni'n breswyl, rhywfaint ohoni'n fusnes, bydd rhywfaint ohoni'n fanwerthu, bydd rhywfaint ohoni'n fwytai, yn fariau—i greu'r cyffro hwnnw yn y dref, nid yn unig yn ystod y dydd ond fin nos hefyd? Rwy'n credu ei bod hefyd yn bwysig rhoi ystyriaeth i ba bryd mae siopau yn agor yng nghanol trefi, oherwydd, wrth gwrs, nid yw 9 a.m. i 5 p.m. yn gyfleus i'r rhan fwyaf o bobl mwyach, ac, oni bai bod gennych chi nifer fawr iawn o ymwelwyr mewn canol tref gan fod swyddfeydd yno, yna byddwch ar eich colled.

Ond, o ran yr hyn y mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei wneud, mae gennym ni ein rhaglen buddsoddiad adfywio wedi'i dargedu. Mae hynny'n golygu cyllid cyfalaf o £100 miliwn ledled Cymru dros dair blynedd i gynorthwyo prosiectau adfywio sydd wedi eu blaenoriaethu'n rhanbarthol mewn canol trefi. Mae gennym ni'r rhaglen Adeiladu ar gyfer y Dyfodol a ariennir gan Ewrop, sy'n darparu £54 miliwn i gaffael, ailwampio neu ailddatblygu adeiladau a thir segur yng nghanol trefi a dinasoedd, neu'n agos atynt, ar draws y gorllewin a chymoedd y de. Ac, wrth gwrs, mae ein cynllun benthyciadau canol tref yn wedi darparu £27.5 miliwn ers 2014 i ddod â safleoedd ac adeiladau gwag, nad ydyn nhw'n cael eu defnyddio'n ddigonol yng nghanol trefi yn ôl i ddefnydd.

First Minister, when I speak to residents up and down the Cynon Valley, there's great passion about wanting to see our town centres rejuvenated. But, at the same time, that's often set against a reluctance by local people to actually shop locally. And when I speak to them about the reasons for that, one of the things that's most often cited is the lack of diversity of businesses on our high streets. Now, clearly, that's quite a difficult interface between the public and private sectors, but what is the Welsh Government doing to try and encourage local entrepreneurs to create that more diverse offer on our high streets?

Prif Weinidog, pan fyddaf yn siarad â thrigolion ar hyd a lled Cwm Cynon, ceir angerdd mawr ynghylch y dymuniad i weld canol ein trefi yn cael eu hadfywio. Ond, ar yr un pryd, mae hynny'n aml wedi ei gydbwyso ag amharodrwydd ymhlith pobl leol i siopa'n lleol mewn gwirionedd. A phan fyddaf yn siarad â nhw am y rhesymau am hynny, un o'r pethau y cyfeirir ato amlaf yw'r diffyg amrywiaeth o fusnesau ar ein strydoedd mawr. Nawr, yn amlwg, mae hynny'n rhyngwyneb braidd yn anodd rhwng y sectorau cyhoeddus a phreifat, ond beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i geisio annog entrepreneuriaid lleol i greu'r cynnig mwy amrywiol hwnnw ar ein strydoedd mawr?

I think part of the solution to this lies in retailers working together and, as the Member has said, creating a reason for people to go into town centres. Town centres are shut, often, by 5.30pm. If people are not working in those town centres, in reality they're shut all week. So thought needs to be given to opening hours, I believe, in order to make those town centres more accessible in the future. 

She mentioned her own constituency. I know that underused sites and premises in town centres are being brought back into use, and Aberdare is one of those areas that's been identified for that support. Aberdare, of course, is also one of the 10 additional BIDs that are being developed as a result of our recently announced further funding of £262,000. But, of course, what's important here is the money is made available for local businesses to decide how best to promote themselves. That's the key to it. We don't know how to do it. They will have ideas on the ground. That's why we wanted to make sure that they were fully engaged and have been from the start.

Rwy'n credu mai rhan o'r ateb i hyn yw i fanwerthwyr weithio gyda'i gilydd ac, fel y dywedodd yr Aelod, creu rheswm i bobl fynd i ganol trefi. Mae canol trefi wedi cau, yn aml, erbyn 5.30pm. Os nad yw pobl yn gweithio yng nghanol y trefi hynny, maen nhw wedi cau drwy'r wythnos i bob pwrpas. Felly mae angen rhoi ystyriaeth i oriau agor, rwy'n credu, er mwyn gwneud canol y trefi hynny yn fwy hygyrch yn y dyfodol.

Cyfeiriodd at ei hetholaeth ei hun. Gwn fod y safleoedd a'r adeiladau yng nghanol trefi nad ydynt yn cael eu defnyddio'n ddigonol yn cael eu dychwelyd i ddefnydd, ac mae Aberdâr yn un o'r ardaloedd hynny a nodwyd ar gyfer y cymorth hwnnw. Mae Aberdâr, wrth gwrs, hefyd yn un o'r 10 BID ychwanegol sy'n cael eu datblygu o ganlyniad i'n cyllid ychwanegol o £262,000 a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar. Ond, wrth gwrs, yr hyn sy'n bwysig yn y fan yma yw bod yr arian ar gael i fusnesau lleol benderfynu ar y modd gorau i'w hyrwyddo eu hunain. Dyna sy'n allweddol. Nid ydym ni'n gwybod sut i'w wneud. Bydd ganddyn nhw syniadau ar lawr gwlad. Dyna pam yr ydym ni eisiau gwneud yn siŵr eu bod nhw'n ymgysylltu'n llawn ac wedi bod o'r dechrau.

Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol
Additional Learning Needs

7. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi plant gydag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol mewn addysg? OAQ52891

7. How is the Welsh Government supporting children with additional learning needs in education? OAQ52891

Equity and inclusion are at the heart of our national mission for education. We are committed to ensuring all learners can access a high standard of education and reach their full potential. And implementation, of course, of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 is expected to begin in September 2020.

Mae tegwch a chynhwysiant yn ganolog i'n cenhadaeth genedlaethol ar gyfer addysg. Rydym ni wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau y gall pob dysgwr gael mynediad at addysg o safon uchel a gwireddu eu llawn botensial. A disgwylir i weithrediad Deddf Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol a'r Tribiwnlys Addysg (Cymru) 2018 gychwyn ym mis Medi 2020, wrth gwrs.

Thank you. Well, we know that children, pupils, young people with additional learning needs have seen their short-term exclusion rates in school go up, against the overall trend. Only two weeks ago, I was contacted by another parent, in this case in Conwy, where their autistic son had been excluded for 43 days after an autistic meltdown in school—the 43 days coincidentally taking him to the end of his term at the end of primary school. He then got, the parents told me, no support for transition into secondary school—because their son was 'such a naughty boy'. How, therefore, will you as a Welsh Government be ensuring that the education sector across Wales understands the court ruling in August, where the National Autistic Society intervened on behalf of some parents, and the court ruled for the first time that all schools must make sure that they have made appropriate adjustments for autistic children or those with other disabilities before they can resort to exclusion. 

Diolch. Wel, rydym ni'n gwybod bod cyfraddau gwaharddiad byrdymor yn yr ysgol o ran plant, disgyblion, pobl ifanc ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol wedi cynyddu, yn groes i'r duedd gyffredinol. Dim ond pythefnos yn ôl, cysylltodd rhiant arall â mi, yng Nghonwy yn yr achos hwn, lle'r oedd y mab awtistig wedi cael ei wahardd am 43 diwrnod ar ôl ffrwydrad awtistig yn yr ysgol—gyda'r cyd-ddigwyddiad bod y 43 diwrnod yn mynd ag ef i ddiwedd ei dymor ar ddiwedd yr ysgol gynradd. Ni chafodd wedyn, meddai ei rieni wrthyf, unrhyw gymorth ar gyfer pontio i'r ysgol uwchradd—gan fod eu mab yn 'fachgen mor ddrwg'. Sut, felly, gwnewch chi fel Llywodraeth Cymru sicrhau bod y sector addysg ledled Cymru yn deall dyfarniad y llys ym mis Awst, pryd yr ymyrrodd y Gymdeithas Genedlaethol Awtistiaeth ar ran rhai rhieni, ac y dyfarnodd y llys am y tro cyntaf bod yn rhaid i bob ysgol wneud yn siŵr eu bod wedi gwneud addasiadau priodol ar gyfer plant awtistig neu bobl ag anableddau eraill cyn y gallan nhw ddefnyddio gwaharddiadau.

14:10

Clearly, schools will have to take note of the court ruling. I can say that work has already started to support the new statutory system; it's not simply a question of waiting until September 2020 for everything to start. We are upskilling the workforce so that they're able to meet the needs of learners with ALN. That includes developing a professional learning offer for teachers, and funding to train educational psychologists and specialist teachers of the sensory impaired. So, yes, it's important that the law is in place and is ready to begin its course in September 2020, but we are investing to make sure that practitioners will be ready for when the changes come in September 2020.

Yn amlwg, bydd yn rhaid i ysgolion gymryd sylw o'r dyfarniad llys. Gallaf ddweud bod gwaith eisoes wedi dechrau i gefnogi'r system statudol newydd; nid yw'n fater syml o aros tan fis Medi 2020 i bopeth ddechrau. Rydym ni'n gwella sgiliau'r gweithlu fel eu bod nhw'n gallu diwallu anghenion dysgwyr ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Mae hynny'n cynnwys datblygu cynnig dysgu proffesiynol i athrawon, a chyllid i hyfforddi seicolegwyr addysgol ac athrawon arbenigol i blant â nam ar eu synhwyrau. Felly, ydy, mae'n bwysig bod y gyfraith ar waith ac yn barod i ddechrau ar ei hynt ym mis Medi 2020, ond rydym ni'n buddsoddi i wneud yn siŵr y bydd ymarferwyr yn barod pan ddaw'r newidiadau ym mis Medi 2020.

First Minister, one of the biggest challenges for children with additional learning needs in education is actually getting the additional learning needs recognised. I've had many families who are facing tireless fights just to get that recognition for their child so that they can go through the processes. Now, I appreciate that the additional learning needs Act will actually give them opportunities, and the other measures that you've taken with CAMHS and extra funding in CAMHS. But families need to ensure that that's there. Councils are facing difficult times ahead of them, with austerity and the measures. Will you monitor the funding for additional learning needs very carefully, and ensure that, as that comes in, local authorities will not have to fund additional funding to make sure that that works? Because I'm sure the demand will go up once they realise it's working.  

Prif Weinidog, un o'r heriau mwyaf i blant ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol mewn addysg mewn gwirionedd yw cael cydnabyddiaeth ar gyfer yr anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Rwyf i wedi gweld llawer o deuluoedd sy'n wynebu brwydrau diflino dim ond i gael y gydnabyddiaeth honno i'w plant fel y gallan nhw fynd drwy'r prosesau. Nawr, rwy'n sylweddoli y bydd y Ddeddf anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn rhoi cyfleoedd iddyn nhw, a'r mesurau eraill yr ydych chi wedi eu cymryd gyda CAMHS a chyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer CAMHS. Ond mae angen i deuluoedd sicrhau bod hwnnw ar gael. Mae cynghorau yn wynebu cyfnod anodd o'u blaenau, gyda chyni cyllidol a'r mesurau. A wnewch chi fonitro'r cyllid ar gyfer anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn ofalus iawn, a sicrhau, wrth i hwnnw gael ei gyflwyno, na fydd yn rhaid i awdurdodau lleol ariannu cyllid ychwanegol i wneud yn siŵr bod hynny'n gweithio? Oherwydd rwy'n siŵr y bydd y galw'n cynyddu ar ôl iddyn nhw sylweddoli ei fod yn gweithio.

I can assure the Member that £20 million has been made available for this Assembly term to support implementation of the Act and delivery of the wider ALN transformation programme. And, of course, we will work with local authorities to ensure that they're able to meet their legal obligations from 2020 onwards. 

Gallaf sicrhau'r Aelod bod £20 miliwn wedi ei roi ar gael ar gael ar gyfer y tymor Cynulliad hwn i gefnogi gweithrediad y Ddeddf a darparu'r rhaglen gweddnewid anghenion dysgu ychwanegol ehangach. Ac, wrth gwrs, byddwn yn gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n gallu bodloni eu rhwymedigaethau cyfreithiol o 2020 ymlaen.

Y gobaith ydy, wrth gwrs, y bydd y Ddeddf anghenion dysgu ychwanegol wir yn trawsnewid addysg ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc ond, fel rydym ni wedi ei glywed, mae adnoddau digonol yn hollbwysig, ond hefyd y sgiliau priodol. Ac mae yna gwestiwn ynglŷn ag a ydy'r sgiliau yna ar gael ym mhob man ar hyn o bryd. Pa mor hyderus ydych chi felly y bydd disgwyliadau uchel sydd gan ddisgyblion, rhieni ac athrawon yn sgîl y Ddeddf newydd yma—pa mor hyderus ydych chi fydd y disgwyliadau yma yn cael eu gwireddu yn wyneb y toriadau yn enwedig?   

The hope, of course, is that the additional learning needs Act will truly transform education for these children and young people, but, as we’ve heard, sufficient resources are crucial, but also the appropriate skills. There is a question as to whether those skills are available across the board at the moment. How confident are you, therefore, that the high expectations that pupils, parents and teachers have in light of this new legislation—how confident can you be that these expectations will be delivered, given the cuts that we’re facing, especially?

Rwy'n hyderus o hynny. Fel y dywedais i yn gynharach, rŷm ni wedi bod yn datblygu strwythur dysgu proffesiynol i athrawon, a hefyd rŷm ni wedi sicrhau bod yna gyllid ar gael er mwyn hybu seicolegwyr addysgol a hefyd athrawon arbenigol. Rydym ni hefyd, wrth gwrs, yn gweithredu pecyn eang o hyfforddiant er mwyn helpu pawb sydd yn rhan o'r system i gefnogi dysgwyr gydag ALN er mwyn, wrth gwrs, iddyn nhw'n deall ac yn paratoi am y system newydd sy'n mynd i ddechrau yn 2020. So, rŷm ni'n hyderus y bydd y system, o achos y ffaith y bydd yna eithaf amser wedi bod cyn bod y gyfraith newydd yn dechrau—bydd y system felly yn barod i ddechrau yn iawn pan fydd y gyfraith yn dod i rym.

I’m confident. As I said earlier, we have been developing a structure of professional learning for teachers, and we’ve also ensured that funding is available to promote educational psychologists and specialist teachers. We’ve also implemented a wide package of training in order to help everybody who’s part of the system to support learners with ALN so that they understand and prepare for the new system that’s going to be in place in 2020. So, we’re confident that the system, because of the fact that there will have been quite a long time before this new legislation comes into force—that the new system will be ready to begin properly when the Act comes into force. 

Blaenoriaethau Cyllidebol ar gyfer Llywodraeth Leol
Budgetary Priorities for Local Government

8. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog nodi blaenoriaethau cyllidebol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer llywodraeth leol? OAQ52913

8. Will the First Minister set out the Welsh Government's budgetary priorities for local government? OAQ52913

The Government’s priorities are set out in 'Prosperity for All'. Of course, it is for authorities to determine how they spend their funding allocation through the revenue support grant, together with their other income from specific grants, council tax and other sources.

Nodir blaenoriaethau'r Llywodraeth yn 'Ffyniant i Bawb'. Wrth gwrs, cyfrifoldeb yr awdurdodau yw penderfynu sut maen nhw'n gwario eu dyraniad cyllid drwy'r grant cymorth refeniw, ynghyd â'u hincwm arall o grantiau penodol, y dreth gyngor a ffynonellau eraill.

Thank you, First Minister. I know you like to accuse this side of the Chamber of calling for funding increases in all areas of Government; I'm sure in an ideal world we would all like to see that. But it's not just this side of the Chamber—[Interruption.] Or, indeed, your Minister emeritus. It's not just this side of the Chamber that has concerns about local government funding; the Welsh Local Government Association have also spoken about the way that local services are being threatened, and that the system is creaking under some of the funding problems they've had. Welsh Government is set to receive a significant uplift from the UK Government as a result of the recent UK Government budget. Can you reassure local authorities in Wales that they will at least receive a fair share of this new cake that is coming as a result of that UK Government budget, so that local authorities can at least be a little reassured in the short to medium term that local services can be protected?  

Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Gwn eich bod chi'n hoffi cyhuddo'r ochr hon i'r Siambr o alw am gynnydd i gyllid ym mhob rhan o'r Llywodraeth; rwy'n siŵr mewn byd delfrydol yr hoffem ni i gyd weld hynny. Ond nid yr ochr hon i'r Siambr yn unig—[Torri ar draws.] Neu, yn wir, eich Gweinidog emeritws. Nid yr ochr hon i'r Siambr yn unig sydd â phryderon am gyllid llywodraeth leol; mae Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru hefyd wedi siarad am y ffordd y mae gwasanaethau lleol yn cael eu bygwth, a bod y system yn gwegian o dan rai o'r problemau ariannu y maen nhw wedi eu cael. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru ar fin derbyn codiad sylweddol gan Lywodraeth y DU yn sgil cyllideb ddiweddar Llywodraeth y DU. A allwch chi sicrhau'r awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru y byddan nhw o leiaf yn cael cyfran deg o'r gacen newydd hon sy'n dod o ganlyniad i'r gyllideb Llywodraeth y DU honno, fel y gall awdurdodau lleol gael ychydig o sicrwydd o leiaf yn y byrdymor i'r tymor canolig y gellir diogelu gwasanaethau lleol?

Well, just to reiterate what I said before, local authorities are at the front of the queue. We are looking to see what kind of further financial package might be made available to local authorities, and that is something we will be considering over the course of the next week or two. We do understand, of course, the fact that austerity has imposed such a squeeze on local authority finances, and I believe that, when we state to the Assembly how we plan to deal with the not anything like as much amount as was announced by the Chancellor, but nevertheless some consequential that we have received in Wales, the package that we have for local government will be fair given the circumstances we've found ourselves in. 

Wel, dim ond i ailadrodd yr hyn a ddywedais yn gynharach, mae awdurdodau lleol ar flaen y ciw. Rydym ni'n ceisio gweld pa fath o becyn ariannol pellach y gellid ei roi ar gael i awdurdodau lleol, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth y byddwn ni'n ei ystyried yn ystod yr wythnos neu ddwy nesaf. Rydym ni'n deall, wrth gwrs, y ffaith bod cyni cyllidol wedi gorfodi cymaint o wasgfa ar gyllid awdurdodau lleol, ac rwy'n credu, pan fyddwn ni'n datgan i'r Cynulliad sut yr ydym yn bwriadu ymdrin â'r swm nad yw'n unrhyw beth tebyg i'r swm a gyhoeddwyd gan y Canghellor, ond er gwaethaf hynny rhywfaint o swm canlyniadol yr ydym ni wedi ei dderbyn yng Nghymru, bydd y pecyn sydd gennym ni ar gyfer llywodraeth leol yn deg o ystyried yr amgylchiadau yr ydym ni wedi canfod ein hunain ynddynt.

14:15

Ac yn olaf cwestiwn 9—Andrew R. T. Davies. 

Finally, question 9—Andrew R. T. Davies. 

Capasiti Technoleg Gwybodaeth o fewn GIG Cymru
Information Technology Capability within the Welsh NHS

9. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am gapasiti TG o fewn y GIG yng Nghymru? OAQ52927

9. Will the First Minister make a statement on IT capabilities within the Welsh NHS? OAQ52927

Yes. Our longer term plan for health and social care confirms we will significantly increase investment in both our IT infrastructure and the skills needed to accelerate digital change across the NHS, and that will include £50 million of revenue and capital in the coming year to support transformational change.

Gwnaf. Mae ein cynllun iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol tymor hwy yn cadarnhau y byddwn yn cynyddu buddsoddiad yn sylweddol yn ein seilwaith TG a'r sgiliau sydd eu hangen i gyflymu newid digidol ar draws y GIG, a bydd hynny'n cynnwys £50 miliwn o refeniw a chyfalaf yn y flwyddyn i ddod i gefnogi newid gweddnewidiol.

First Minister, you'll be aware of the Public Accounts Committee report that came out last week looking at IT provision within the Welsh NHS, and a damning report, to say the least, it was. I appreciate you won't comment specifically on that report because I will get the line that the Government is considering the report, but IT is a huge component of the delivery of healthcare within the whole of Wales. One element of that report identified the cancer computer network that was, in 2014, delisted from Microsoft support and has had outages on a regular basis. This greatly impacts the delivery of services for cancer patients, as identified by the charity Macmillan. This cannot be tolerated, surely, First Minister. What action is the Welsh Government taking on the broader narrative of improving IT services within Wales in the NHS, but specifically around cancer services that have such a demoralising effect, as the committee report identified, on staff who work in cancer services at Velindre hospital within my region? 

Prif Weinidog, byddwch yn ymwybodol o adroddiad y Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos diwethaf sy'n edrych ar ddarpariaeth TG o fewn GIG Cymru, ac adroddiad damniol ydoedd hefyd, a dweud y lleiaf. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi na wnewch am sôn am yr adroddiad hwnnw'n benodol gan y byddaf yn cael yr wybodaeth bod y Llywodraeth yn ystyried yr adroddiad, ond mae TG yn elfen enfawr o ddarparu gofal iechyd yng Nghymru gyfan. Nododd un elfen o'r adroddiad hwnnw fod y rhwydwaith cyfrifiadurol canser wedi ei ddileu oddi ar restr cefnogaeth Microsoft yn 2014 a'i fod wedi dioddef diffoddiadau'n rheolaidd. Mae hyn yn effeithio'n fawr ar ddarparu gwasanaethau i gleifion canser, fel y nodwyd gan yr elusen Macmillan. Ni ellir goddef hyn, yn sicr, Prif Weinidog. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd ar y naratif ehangach o wella gwasanaethau TG o fewn y GIG yng Nghymru, ond yn benodol ar wasanaethau canser sydd â'r fath effaith negyddol, fel y nododd adroddiad y pwyllgor, ar staff sy'n gweithio yng ngwasanaethau canser yn ysbyty Felindre yn fy rhanbarth i?

I can't give a response to the recommendations that the committee has tabled, but I will say this: clearly the report makes troublesome reading, clearly there is a need for action, and there will be action. There will be action in terms of funding, but clearly there needs to be action in terms of acceptance of new ways of working. We can't carry on with the old ways of working simply because people are used to them. So, the Government's response to the committee's report will encompass all features of what a robust response has to be and a constructive response has to be, looking at all factors including, of course, the financial.  

Ni allaf roi ymateb ynghylch yr argymhellion y mae'r pwyllgor wedi eu cyflwyno, ond fe ddywedaf hyn: yn amlwg mae'r adroddiad yn anodd ei ddarllen, yn amlwg, mae angen gweithredu, a byddwn yn gweithredu. Byddwn yn gweithredu o ran cyllid, ond yn amlwg mae angen gweithredu o ran derbyn ffyrdd newydd o weithio. Ni allwn barhau â'r hen ffyrdd o weithio dim ond am fod pobl wedi dod i arfer â nhw. Felly, bydd ymateb y Llywodraeth i adroddiad y pwyllgor yn cwmpasu holl nodweddion yr hyn y mae'n rhaid i ymateb cadarn fod a'r hyn y mae'n rhaid i ymateb adeiladol fod, gan edrych ar yr holl ffactorau, gan gynnwys, wrth gwrs, ffactorau ariannol.

2. Datganiad a Chyhoeddiad Busnes
2. Business Statement and Announcement

Yr eitem nesaf felly yw'r datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, ac rydw i'n galw ar arweinydd y tŷ i wneud y datganiad hwnnw—Julie James. 

The next item, therefore, is the business statement and announcement, and I call on the leader of the house to make the statement—Julie James. 

Diolch, Llywydd. There's one change to today's agenda—to amend the title of the statement on valuing our teachers—investing in their excellence. Additionally, Business Committee has agreed to reduce the time allocated to questions to the Assembly Commission tomorrow. Finally, no topic has been tabled for tomorrow's short debate. Draft business for the next few weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically. 

Diolch, Lywydd. Ceir un newid i agenda heddiw—newid teitl y datganiad ar werthfawrogi ein hathrawon—buddsoddi yn eu rhagoriaeth. Yn ogystal, mae'r Pwyllgor Busnes wedi cytuno i leihau'r amser a neilltuwyd ar gyfer cwestiynau i Gomisiwn y Cynulliad yfory. Yn olaf, nid oes unrhyw bwnc wedi ei gyflwyno ar gyfer dadl fer yfory. Mae'r busnes drafft ar gyfer yr ychydig wythnosau nesaf wedi ei nodi ar y datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, y gellir eu gweld ymhlith y papurau cyfarfod sydd ar gael i'r Aelodau yn electronig.

Leader of the house, can I call for an oral statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services on the Welsh Government's recent decision to provide abortions in Wales for women who are normally resident in Northern Ireland? The decision, as you will be aware, was announced on Friday. Just this morning, I received an e-mail from over 60 women living in Northern Ireland asking me to raise this issue as a matter of urgency. These women have said that they are appalled that one part of the UK that enjoys devolution should act to undermine the devolved arrangements in another part of the UK, and they are very concerned, frankly, that the decision to provide abortions has been made in spite of the significant opposition that women from Northern Ireland have expressed during the public consultation that the Welsh Government held on the matter.

Now, I understand from reading the summary of responses that there were 802 consultation responses in all, 788 of which—over 98 per cent—opposed the Welsh Government's plans, and the consultation report says that a significant proportion of those were from women in Northern Ireland. There were just 14 submissions that were in support of the Government's plans, none of which came from a single woman in Northern Ireland. This is an unusual consultation, of course, because it is uniquely and exclusively looking at the impact on women living in another devolved jurisdiction, and I think it's very important that when these sorts of consultations—these unusual ones—happen, the views of women living in that jurisdiction should be taken into account. What is the point in holding public consultations if the outcome of those public consultations is to be ignored? I think that this Assembly deserves an explanation from the Cabinet Secretary as to why he's ignored the views of women in Northern Ireland and why he feels it is appropriate to undermine the devolved arrangements in another part of the UK. 

Arweinydd y tŷ, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad llafar gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ar benderfyniad diweddar Llywodraeth Cymru i ddarparu erthyliadau yng Nghymru i fenywod sy'n preswylio fel arfer yng Ngogledd Iwerddon? Fel y byddwch yn ymwybodol, ddydd Gwener y cyhoeddwyd y penderfyniad. Dim ond y bore yma, cefais e-bost gan dros 60 o fenywod sy'n byw yng Ngogledd Iwerddon a ofynnodd i mi godi'r mater hwn ar frys. Mae'r menywod hyn wedi dweud eu bod nhw wedi eu brawychu bod un rhan o'r DU sy'n mwynhau datganoli yn gweithredu i danseilio'r trefniadau datganoledig mewn rhan arall o'r DU, ac maen nhw'n bryderus iawn, a dweud y gwir, fod y penderfyniad i ddarparu erthyliadau wedi'i wneud er gwaethaf y gwrthwynebiad sylweddol a fynegwyd gan fenywod o Ogledd Iwerddon yn ystod yr ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus a gynhaliwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar y mater.

Nawr, deallaf o ddarllen crynodeb o'r ymatebion y cafwyd cyfanswm o 802 o ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad, ac roedd 788 ohonyn nhw—dros 98 y cant—yn gwrthwynebu cynlluniau Llywodraeth Cymru, a dywed adroddiad yr ymgynghoriad fod cyfran sylweddol o'r ymatebion hynny gan fenywod o Ogledd Iwerddon. Dim ond 14 o gyflwyniadau oedd yn cefnogi cynlluniau'r Llywodraeth, ac ni ddaeth yr un ohonyn nhw gan unrhyw fenyw o Ogledd Iwerddon. Mae hwn yn ymgynghoriad anarferol, wrth gwrs, gan ei fod yn edrych yn unigryw ac yn benodol ar yr effaith ar fenywod sy'n byw mewn awdurdodaeth ddatganoledig arall, a chredaf ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn, pan geir y mathau hyn o ymgynghoriadau—y rhai anarferol hyn—fod barn y menywod yn yr awdurdodaeth honno yn cael ei hystyried. Beth yw pwynt cynnal ymgynghoriadau cyhoeddus os yw canlyniad yr ymgynghoriadau cyhoeddus hynny yn cael ei anwybyddu? Credaf fod y Cynulliad hwn yn haeddu eglurhad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ynghylch pam y mae wedi anwybyddu barn menywod yng Ngogledd Iwerddon a pham y mae'n teimlo ei bod hi'n briodol tanseilio trefniadau datganoledig mewn rhan arall o'r DU.

The Cabinet Secretary's already issued a statement on this issue, and I'm sure the Member is well aware of that. I can arrange for the statement to be forwarded to him if it's slipped his attention.

Mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet eisoes wedi cyhoeddi datganiad ar y mater hwn, ac rwy'n siŵr bod yr Aelod yn ymwybodol o hynny. Gallaf wneud trefniadau i anfon y datganiad ymlaen ato os nad yw wedi sylwi arno.

14:20

Leader of the house, you may remember that, earlier this year, I raised concerns with regard to the fact that over £36 million of public money had been spent on developing a 106-acre strategic business park at Felindre to the north of Swansea, yet, despite being in public ownership for 20 years, the business park was still empty. The Parc Felindre strategic business park has been promoted by the Welsh Government and Swansea council as having, and I quote:

'the potential to become a centre for networking and knowledge exchange in South Wales for emerging industries and specialist sectors such as R&D, life sciences, advanced engineering and ICT'.

The current Parc Felindre website currently states that Parc Felindre has planning permission for B1 and B2 uses, i.e., for emerging industries such as high-tech manufacturing and high-level services. Last week, as you will no doubt be aware, Swansea council leader Rob Stewart announced that the first potential tenant for the site, however, instead of a high-tech manufacturing firm, instead of emerging sectors such as research and development, life sciences, advanced engineering and ICT—the firm in fact was DPD, which wants to build a parcel delivery depot on part of the site. The firm, of course, already has a base in the Llansamlet area of the city. Now, whilst any jobs are to be welcomed, I'm sure that you'd agree that this announcement fails to meet the expectations that the Welsh Government and Swansea council set for themselves. Given that this site has been promoted as a potential jewel in the crown, will the Cabinet Secretary for the economy bring forward a statement on how he sees the site developing over the next few months and years and, following £36 million of public investment, will he state how he believes that the Welsh Government and Swansea council will deliver against the development brief of attracting top-end high-skilled jobs to the site?

Arweinydd y tŷ, efallai eich bod chi'n cofio, yn gynharach eleni, codais bryderon ynghylch y ffaith bod dros £36 miliwn o arian cyhoeddus wedi ei wario ar ddatblygu parc busnes strategol 106 erw yn Felindre i'r gogledd o Abertawe, ac er hynny, er ei fod wedi bod yn eiddo cyhoeddus am 20 mlynedd, roedd y parc busnes yn dal i fod yn wag. Mae parc busnes strategol Parc Felindre wedi ei hyrwyddo gan Lywodraeth Cymru a chyngor Abertawe fel bod â, a dyfynnaf:

'y potensial i ddod yn ganolfan ar gyfer rhwydweithio a chyfnewid gwybodaeth yn y de ar gyfer diwydiannau datblygol a sectorau arbenigol megis ymchwil a datblygu, gwyddorau bywyd, peirianneg uwch a TGCh'.

Dywed gwefan bresennol Parc Felindre fod gan Barc Felindre ganiatâd cynllunio ar gyfer defnydd B1 a B2, h.y., diwydiannau datblygol megis gweithgynhyrchu uwch-dechnoleg a gwasanaethau lefel uchel. Yr wythnos diwethaf, fel y byddwch yn ymwybodol mae'n siŵr, cyhoeddodd arweinydd Cyngor Abertawe, Rob Stewart, y tenant potensial cyntaf ar gyfer y safle, ond er hynny, yn hytrach na chwmni gweithgynhyrchu uwch-dechnoleg, yn hytrach na sectorau datblygol megis ymchwil a datblygu, gwyddorau bywyd, peirianneg uwch a TGCh—y cwmni mewn gwirionedd oedd DPD, sydd eisiau adeiladu depo danfon parseli ar ran o'r safle. Mae gan y cwmni eisoes, wrth gwrs, safle yn ardal Llansamlet o'r ddinas. Nawr, er y dylid croesawu unrhyw swyddi, rwyf yn siŵr y byddech yn cytuno bod y cyhoeddiad hwn yn methu â bodloni'r disgwyliadau a osodwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru a chyngor Abertawe ar gyfer eu hunain. O gofio bod y safle hwn wedi ei hyrwyddo fel datblygiad o'r radd flaenaf, a wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr economi gyflwyno datganiad ar sut y mae'n gweld y safle'n datblygu dros y misoedd a'r blynyddoedd nesaf, yn dilyn buddsoddiad cyhoeddus o £36 miliwn, ac a wnaiff ef ddatgan sut y mae'n credu y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru a chyngor Abertawe yn cyflawni yn erbyn y brîff datblygu o ddenu swyddi sgiliau uchel pen uchaf i'r safle?

Well, Dai Lloyd, thank you for those points. I, for one, welcome the creation of jobs in the Swansea area in the constituency of my colleague Mike Hedges. I think Swansea council and the Welsh Assembly Government have actually worked very hard indeed to get inward investment into that site. I'm very much in favour of the jobs that are coming there, and I think that Swansea council is to be congratulated on its efforts in this regard.

Wel, Dai Lloyd, diolch ichi am y pwyntiau yna. Rwyf i, yn un, yn rhywun sy'n croesawu'r broses o greu swyddi yn ardal Abertawe, etholaeth fy nghyd-Aelod, Mike Hedges. Credaf fod cyngor Abertawe a Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru wedi gweithio'n galed iawn, mewn gwirionedd, i gael mewnfuddsoddiad i'r safle hwnnw. Rwyf yn bendant iawn o blaid y swyddi sy'n dod yno, ac rwy'n credu y dylid llongyfarch cyngor Abertawe ar ei ymdrechion yn hyn o beth.

I'm sure that the leader of the house is aware of the research findings issued today by the Welsh Governance Centre on self-harm and violence at the young offender institutions in England and Wales. There were some rather alarming statistics about Parc young offenders' institution in that research. Children aged 15 to 17 recorded the highest rate of self-harm out of the five comparable institutions in Wales and England and also the highest rate of assaults, which is concerning. So, I wondered if it would be possible for, maybe, the Cabinet Secretary responsible for justice to make a statement to the Assembly about why, apparently, these figures appear to be so concerning.

Rwyf yn siŵr bod arweinydd y tŷ yn ymwybodol o'r canfyddiadau gwaith ymchwil a gyhoeddwyd heddiw gan Ganolfan Lywodraethiant Cymru ar hunan-niweidio a thrais mewn sefydliadau troseddwyr ifanc yng Nghymru a Lloegr. Roedd rhai ystadegau brawychus am sefydliad troseddwyr ifanc y Parc yn y gwaith ymchwil hwnnw. Cofnodwyd y gyfradd uchaf o hunan-niwed ar gyfer plant rhwng 15 a 17 oed o'r pum sefydliad tebyg yng Nghymru a Lloegr, a hefyd y gyfradd uchaf o ymosodiadau, sy'n destun pryder. Felly, tybed a fyddai'n bosibl, efallai, i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet â chyfrifoldeb dros gyfiawnder wneud datganiad i'r Cynulliad ynghylch pam, mae'n ymddangos, bod y ffigurau hyn yn destun y fath bryder.

I share your concern entirely. YOI Parc houses some of the most vulnerable people from our communities, and it's extremely important that they receive both the care and support they need to see them safely through to adulthood. Obviously, I completely agree with you that every effort should be made to keep children who are in custody for one reason or another safe and in appropriate placements. It's very much our view that placing a child in a young offender institution within the curtilage of a male adult prison is not conducive to the rehabilitative process that we would obviously like to see for all children. I'm certainly happy to discuss it with my colleague the Cabinet Secretary. We are due to have a discussion about the prison estate in general, and I'll certainly be including it in that and I'll report back to the Member on how those discussions have gone.

Rwy'n rhannu eich pryder yn llwyr. Mae Sefydliad Troseddwyr Ifanc y Parc yn gartref i rai o'r bobl sydd fwyaf agored i niwed yn ein cymunedau, ac mae'n bwysig dros ben eu bod nhw'n cael y gofal a'r cymorth sydd eu hangen arnynt i'w gweld nhw'n cyrraedd eu llawn dwf yn ddiogel. Yn amlwg, rwyf yn cytuno'n llwyr â chi y dylid gwneud pob ymdrech i gadw plant sydd yn y ddalfa am ba bynnag reswm yn ddiogel ac mewn lleoliadau priodol. Ein barn ni yn bendant, yw nad yw lleoli plentyn mewn sefydliad troseddwyr ifanc o fewn cwrtil carchar oedolion gwrywaidd yn addas ar gyfer y broses adsefydlu yr hoffem ni ei gweld, yn amlwg, ar gyfer pob plentyn. Rwyf yn sicr yn hapus i drafod hyn gyda fy nghyd-Aelod, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rydym i fod i gael trafodaeth am ystâd y carchardai yn gyffredinol, a byddaf yn sicr yn ei gynnwys yn hynny a byddaf yn rhoi adroddiad ynghylch sut y mae'r trafodaethau hynny wedi mynd rhagddynt i'r Aelod.

Leader of the house, could I seek two statements, if possible, please? The first is from the health Secretary, in relation to maternity services in Wales. When he made a statement in relation to the incident at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital and staffing at the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, he gave an assurance that his officials were working with health boards across Wales to satisfy himself that staffing numbers were up to the quota that was required in those maternity units the length and breadth of Wales. He did indicate he'd bring that assurance back to the Chamber, or certainly write to Members. I'm unaware—and I'm sure it's not a deliberate oversight, but I'm unaware that that has happened to date, but I think it would be reassuring if we could have that information, either via a statement, or certainly in a letter written to Members, that he can give that assurance that maternity units across the length and breadth of Wales are up to quota on the number of midwives and other staff that are associated with those units.

And the second statement or assurance from the Government or assurance from the Government I'd like to seek, if possible, please, is in light of the announcement this morning from the High Court that the Sargeant family do have the ability to take their case forward for consideration by the High Court. I note that the family's solicitors indicated that it is now within the gift of the Welsh Government to come forward with proposals that would allow the inquiry to resume its work, and I would hope that the Welsh Government would, in light of, obviously, the judgment this morning, come forward with proposals, as the solicitors indicated, that would facilitate the recommencement of the inquiry. Can the Government give that assurance that it will be in a position to do that, or is it committed to making sure this case goes all the way through the courts?

Arweinydd y tŷ, a gaf i ofyn am ddau ddatganiad, os yn bosibl, os gwelwch yn dda? Yn gyntaf, gan yr Ysgrifennydd dros iechyd ynglŷn â gwasanaethau mamolaeth yng Nghymru. Pan wnaeth ef ddatganiad ynglŷn â'r digwyddiad yn Ysbyty Brenhinol Morgannwg a staffio yn Ysbyty Brenhinol Morgannwg, rhoddodd sicrwydd fod ei swyddogion yn gweithio gyda byrddau iechyd ledled Cymru i’w fodloni ei hun bod niferoedd staffio yn bodloni'r cwota a oedd yn ofynnol yn yr unedau mamolaeth hynny ar hyd a lled Cymru. Nododd y byddai’n cyflwyno sicrwydd o hynny i'r Siambr, neu’n sicr, y byddai’n ysgrifennu at yr Aelodau. Ni wyf yn ymwybodol—ac nid wyf yn siŵr mai esgeulustod bwriadol yw hynny, ond nid wyf yn ymwybodol bod hynny wedi digwydd hyd yn hyn, ond rwy'n credu y byddai'n tawelu meddyliau pe byddem ni'n cael yr wybodaeth honno, naill ai drwy ddatganiad, neu’n sicr mewn llythyr ysgrifenedig at yr Aelodau, fel y gall ef roi'r sicrwydd hwnnw bod unedau mamolaeth ar hyd a lled Cymru yn bodloni cwota nifer y bydwragedd a staff eraill sy'n gysylltiedig â’r unedau hynny.

A’r ail ddatganiad neu sicrwydd yr wyf yn gofyn amdano gan y Llywodraeth, os yn bosibl, os gwelwch yn dda, yng ngoleuni cyhoeddiad y bore yma gan yr Uchel Lys bod gan y teulu Sargeant yr hawl i gyflwyno eu hachos ar gyfer ystyriaeth gan yr Uchel Lys. Sylwaf fod cyfreithwyr y teulu wedi nodi ei bod hi bellach yn nwylo Llywodraeth Cymru i gyflwyno cynigion a fyddai'n caniatáu i’r ymchwiliad ailgydio yn ei waith, ac rwyf yn gobeithio y byddai Llywodraeth Cymru, yng ngolau’r dyfarniad hwn y bore yma, yn amlwg, yn dod ymlaen gyda chynigion, fel y nododd y cyfreithwyr, a fyddai'n hwyluso’r ymchwiliad i ailddechrau. A wnaiff y Llywodraeth roi sicrwydd y bydd mewn sefyllfa i wneud hynny, neu a yw wedi ymrwymo i wneud yn siŵr bod yr achos hwn yn mynd yr holl ffordd drwy'r llysoedd?

14:25

Well, taking that one first, obviously, we'll be taking advice on the best way to deal with the judicial review and, of course, we want the best outcome for the Sargeant family. So, I'm sure that the First Minister and his legal advisers will be taking that into account, and, as soon as we're aware of what's going on, we will make sure that the Chamber is aware of that as well. Obviously, I can't comment on any of the merits of the case or anything else as it's clearly in a legal process.

In terms of the maternity services point that you raise, the health Secretary did indeed say that he would come back to us, and I will explore with him the best method of doing that and the timescale that he had in mind.

Wel, gan ateb hwnna'n gyntaf, yn amlwg, byddwn yn cael cyngor ar y ffordd orau i ymdrin â'r adolygiad barnwrol ac, wrth gwrs, rydym eisiau gweld y canlyniad gorau ar gyfer y teulu Sargeant. Felly, rwyf yn siŵr y bydd y Prif Weinidog a'i gynghorwyr cyfreithiol yn cymryd hynny i ystyriaeth, a chyn gynted ag y byddwn yn ymwybodol o'r hyn sy'n digwydd, byddwn yn sicrhau bod y Siambr yn ymwybodol o hynny hefyd. Yn amlwg, ni allaf wneud sylw ar unrhyw un o rinweddau'r achos nac unrhyw beth arall gan ei bod hi'n amlwg ei fod mewn proses gyfreithiol.

O ran y pwyntiau gwasanaethau mamolaeth a godwch, dywedodd yr Ysgrifennydd dros iechyd yn wir y byddai'n dod yn ôl atom, a byddaf yn archwilio gydag ef y dull gorau o wneud hynny a'r amserlen yr oedd ganddo mewn golwg.

Leader of the house, would you consider asking the Cabinet Secretary for the environment to make an oral statement with regard to best practice as to how local authorities should consult with communities about proposed major planning applications, particularly when the local authority itself is the applicant? I met this weekend with residents of Abermule, a village in Powys, who are very concerned about the proposed major recycling centre that's planned for their village. I'm not in any way suggesting that, through the consultation, the county council has done anything improper, but it is clear that the residents of the village—and if I tell you that it's a village of 700 households, and over 500 people are signed up to the protest group, that shows the level of concern—don't feel that they were fully informed, nor do they feel they were listened to. So, I would be grateful to hear from the Cabinet Secretary what further guidance the Welsh Government might be able to provide to local authorities to avoid communities finding themselves in this situation in the future.

Arweinydd y tŷ, a wnewch chi ystyried gofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr amgylchedd i wneud datganiad llafar o ran arfer gorau ynghylch sut y dylai awdurdodau lleol ymgynghori â chymunedau ynghylch ceisiadau cynllunio mawr arfaethedig, yn enwedig pan mai'r awdurdod lleol ei hun yw'r ymgeisydd? Cyfarfûm â thrigolion Aber-miwl, pentref ym Mhowys, y penwythnos hwn, sy'n bryderus iawn am y ganolfan ailgylchu fawr arfaethedig a fwriedir ar gyfer eu pentref. Nid wyf mewn unrhyw ffordd yn awgrymu, drwy'r ymgynghoriad, fod y cyngor sir wedi gwneud unrhyw beth amhriodol, ond mae'n amlwg nad yw trigolion y pentref—ac os dywedaf wrthych mai pentref o 700 o gartrefi ydyw, a bod dros 500 o bobl wedi ymuno â grŵp protest, mae hynny'n dangos lefel y pryder—yn teimlo eu bod wedi cael gwybod yn llawn, nac yn teimlo bod y cyngor wedi gwrando arnyn nhw. Felly, byddwn yn ddiolchgar o gael clywed gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet pa ganllawiau pellach y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru eu darparu i awdurdodau lleol fel y bydd cymunedau'n osgoi canfod eu hunain yn y sefyllfa hon yn y dyfodol.

Well, obviously we can't comment on individual applications of that sort. I know that 'Planning Policy Wales' is under review by the Cabinet Secretary, and I'm sure she'll take—

Wel, yn amlwg ni allwn wneud sylwadau ar geisiadau unigol o'r math hwnnw. Gwn fod 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru' wrthi'n cael ei adolygu gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ac rwyf yn siŵr y bydd hi'n cymryd—

Member
Lesley Griffiths 14:27:25
Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs

[Inaudible.]

[Anghlywadwy.]

So, there'll be something coming forward before the end of term on the review of 'Planning Policy Wales' in its strategic form, but, obviously, we can't comment on the individual circumstances.

Felly, caiff rhywbeth ei gyflwyno ar yr adolygiad o 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru' yn ei ffurf strategol cyn diwedd y tymor, ond, yn amlwg, ni allwn wneud sylwadau ar yr amgylchiadau unigol.

Can I ask for two statements? Leader of the house, I, again, return to an issue that affects your constituency and mine as well as those of several of our colleagues, namely the closure of the Virgin Media call centre in Swansea. Can I ask for a statement on the support being given by the Welsh Government taskforce to those seeking alternative employment?

And can I also ask for a statement on economic development in the Swansea area, outlining the success of the development in Swansea vale, outlining the success of the SA1 development, and how the Felindre development, which is the next major site on the development plan, will fit into that?

A gaf i ofyn am ddau ddatganiad? Arweinydd y tŷ, rwyf, eto, yn dychwelyd at fater sy'n effeithio ar eich etholaeth chi a minnau yn ogystal ag etholaeth sawl un o'n cyd-Aelodau, sef cau canolfan alwadau Virgin Media yn Abertawe. A gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad ar y cymorth a roir gan dasglu Llywodraeth Cymru i'r rhai sy'n chwilio am swyddi eraill?

A gaf i ofyn hefyd am ddatganiad ar ddatblygiadau economaidd yn ardal Abertawe, sy'n amlinellu llwyddiant y datblygiad ym Mro Abertawe, sy'n amlinellu llwyddiant datblygiad SA1, a sut y bydd datblygiad Felindre, sef y safle mawr nesaf ar y cynllun datblygu, yn cyd-fynd â hynny?

In terms of the ongoing engagement with Virgin Media, the taskforce continues to be engaged with all of the staff and with the company itself. I will ask the Cabinet Secretary, at an appropriate point in the engagement of the taskforce, to update Members by way of letter as to exactly where we are, how many people have gone through the process and so on. There is a normal situation with taskforces, and this one is—as Mike Hedges knows—very much ongoing at the moment. I just remind the Chamber that the company has given an assurance that employees who stay all the way till the end date will not be disadvantaged and, conversely, employees leaving early because they've secured alternative employment will also not be disadvantaged. That's an important concession by the company, it's worth reiterating.

And in terms of the development in the Swansea area, I will certainly speak with the Cabinet Secretary about making available to Members the statistics on the successful economic development arrangements that have been in place in Swansea vale, in his constituency, and the surrounding area for some time.

O ran ymgysylltiad parhaus gyda Virgin Media, mae'r tasglu'n dal i ymwneud â phob un o'r staff a'r cwmni ei hun. Gofynnaf i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddiweddaru'r Aelodau drwy gyfrwng llythyr, pan fydd y gwaith o ymgysylltu â'r tasglu wedi cyrraedd pwynt addas, i ddweud ble yn union yr ydym ni, faint o bobl sydd wedi mynd drwy'r broses ac ati. Ceir sefyllfa arferol gyda thasgluoedd, ac mae hwn—fel y mae Mike Hedges yn gwybod—yn mynd rhagddo ar hyn o bryd. Atgoffaf y Siambr fod y cwmni wedi rhoi sicrwydd na fydd gweithwyr sy'n aros yr holl ffordd tan y dyddiad terfyn o dan anfantais ac, i'r gwrthwyneb, na fydd gweithwyr sy'n gadael yn gynnar oherwydd eu bod wedi sicrhau swydd arall o dan anfantais ychwaith. Mae hwnnw'n gonsesiwn pwysig gan y cwmni, mae'n werth ei ailadrodd.

Ac o ran y datblygiad yn ardal Abertawe, byddaf yn sicr yn sgwrsio ag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ynghylch sicrhau bod yr ystadegau ar y trefniadau datblygu economaidd llwyddiannus sydd wedi bod ar waith ym Mro Abertawe, yn ei etholaeth ef, a'r cyffiniau ers peth amser, ar gael i'r Aelodau.

Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for health on the complaints procedure in the NHS in Wales? Last year, a record number of complaints about health services were made to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. Complaints made about Nye Bevan health board increased by 24 per cent. In response, the ombudsman said that evidence suggests

'there is a cultural problem when it comes to dealing with complaints in the Welsh NHS.'

Can we have a statement from the Cabinet Secretary with his response to the ombudsman's concerns and outlining what plans he has to review the complaints procedures in the NHS in Wales?

Arweinydd y tŷ, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd ar y weithdrefn gwyno yn y GIG yng Nghymru? Y llynedd, gwnaed y nifer uchaf erioed o gwynion ynghylch gwasanaethau iechyd i Ombwdsmon Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus Cymru. Roedd cwynion ynghylch bwrdd iechyd Aneurin Bevan wedi cynyddu gan 24 y cant. Mewn ymateb, dywedodd yr ombwdsmon fod tystiolaeth yn awgrymu bod

problem ddiwylliannol pan ddaw hi'n fater o ymdrin â chwynion yn y GIG yng Nghymru.

A gawn ni ddatganiad gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet gyda'i ymateb i bryderon yr ombwdsmon gan amlinellu pa gynlluniau sydd ganddo i adolygu'r gweithdrefnau cwynion yn y GIG yng Nghymru?

14:30

Yes. We take complaints right across Government public services very seriously indeed, and we view them very much as a learning opportunity to ensure that services can be the very best they can be and that lessons are learnt from complaints. A rise in complaints is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it indicates a particular confidence in the system, and that people's complaints will, in fact, be answered. So, I'm not aware of the particular circumstances the Member talks about. I will discuss with the Cabinet Secretary for health whether there are any general points that can be derived that would be of use to the Chamber in terms of the overarching points that he raises on the ombudsman's findings. 

Cewch. Rydym yn rhoi ystyriaeth o ddifrif i gwynion ar draws gwasanaethau cyhoeddus y Llywodraeth yn wir, ac rydym yn eu gweld i raddau helaeth fel cyfle i ddysgu er mwyn sicrhau bod gwasanaethau y gorau y gallant fod a bod gwersi'n cael eu dysgu o'r cwynion. Nid yw cynnydd mewn cwynion yn beth drwg bob amser. Weithiau mae'n dangos ffydd arbennig yn y system, ac y bydd cwynion pobl yn cael eu hateb mewn gwirionedd. Felly, nid wyf yn ymwybodol o'r amgylchiadau penodol y mae'r Aelod yn siarad amdano. Byddaf yn trafod gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd a oes unrhyw bwyntiau cyffredinol a allai ddeillio a fyddai o ddefnydd i'r Siambr o ran y pwyntiau cyffredinol a godir ganddo ar ganfyddiadau'r ombwdsmon.

Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn o bryderon rhieni, athrawon ac arweinwyr addysg ar draws y gogledd yn sgil canlyniadau arholiadau TGAU Saesneg. Mae'n ymddangos bod plant yn y gogledd wnaeth sefyll yr arholiadau yn haf 2018 wedi cael cam, ac mae'n rhaid unioni hynny ar fyrder. Gall fod hyd at 700 o blant wedi cael eu heffeithio—plant fyddai wedi derbyn gradd C neu uwch pe bai nhw wedi cael eu trin yn gyfartal â phlant a safodd yr arholiadau yn 2017. Mae hyn yn effeithio ar eu llwybrau gyrfa i'r dyfodol, sy'n amlwg yn hollol annheg.

Mae yna honiad pellach—difrifol iawn—fod athrawon yn y gogledd wedi colli hyder mewn dau gorff: Cymwysterau Cymru a Chyd-bwyllgor Addysg Cymru. A wnewch chi sicrhau bod y pryderon yma yn cael eu cymryd o ddifrif, ac a wnewch chi ofyn i'r Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg i gynnal ymchwiliad byr i weld beth sydd wedi mynd o'i le? Mae Cymwysterau Cymru wedi cynnal ymchwiliad—rwy'n ymwybodol o hynny—ond efallai fod angen ymchwiliad pellach ac un annibynnol. 

I’ve very aware of the concerns of parents, teachers and education leaders in north Wales as a result of GCSE English exam results. It appears that children in north Wales who sat the exams in the summer of 2018 have been let down. Up to 700 children could have been impacted by this—children who would have had grade C or above if they’d been treated equally with children who sat the exams in 2017. This affects their career options for the future, which is clearly unfair.

There is a further claim—a very serious one—that teachers in north Wales have lost confidence in two bodies: Qualifications Wales and WJEC. Will you ensure that these concerns are taken seriously? Will you ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education to conduct a short inquiry to see what has gone wrong? Qualifications Wales has conducted an inquiry—I’m aware of that—but perhaps there is a need for a further inquiry and an independent one.

Qualifications Wales is independent of the Government. That's its role, and it has conducted that inquiry and it has been very clear that it doesn't think that there is an issue as the Member sets out. I'd just remind the Chamber that Qualifications Wales was set up with that independent remit in the first place in order to be distant from the Cabinet Secretary on these decisions. 

Mae Cymwysterau Cymru yn annibynnol ar y Llywodraeth. Dyna yw ei swyddogaeth, ac mae wedi cynnal yr ymchwiliad hwnnw ac mae wedi bod yn glir iawn nad yw'n meddwl bod yna broblem fel y mae'r Aelod yn ei nodi. Byddwn yn atgoffa'r Siambr fod Cymwysterau Cymru wedi ei sefydlu gyda'r cylch gwaith annibynnol hwnnw yn y lle cyntaf er mwyn bod ymhell oddi wrth Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ar y penderfyniadau hyn.

Leader of the house, earlier this year, I raised the issue of pollution emanating from Tata with you and, basically, the pollution being a nuisance—'dust' as it's known. It does cause great problems for many of my constituents. Following the issue that I raised, I was informed that the Minister for Environment might be meeting with Tata, and I know that she's attended the air quality unit in the university bay campus as well. Could we have a statement from the Minister outlining the issues that she identified as a consequence of that, so that we can talk about how we address the pollution issues in my constituency and how Tata are working towards improving the well-being of the individuals living close by?

At the same time, could I also have a statement from the economy Secretary in relation to Tata, as to what the Welsh Government is doing to discuss with Tata the investment in modern equipment to ensure that the modernisation of the plant also works towards diminishing the pollution?

Arweinydd y tŷ, yn gynharach eleni, codais bryder ynghylch llygredd yn deillio o Tata gyda chi ac, yn y bôn, bod y llygredd yn niwsans—'llwch' fel y'i gelwir. Mae'n peri problemau mawr i lawer o'm hetholwyr. Yn dilyn y mater a godais, dywedwyd wrthym efallai y bydd Gweinidog yr Amgylchedd yn cyfarfod gyda Tata, a gwn ei bod wedi bod yn yr uned ansawdd aer ym nghampws bae'r brifysgol hefyd. A gawn ni ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog sy'n amlinellu'r materion a nodwyd ganddi o ganlyniad i hynny, fel y gallwn siarad am y modd y byddwn yn ymdrin â materion llygredd yn fy etholaeth i a sut y mae Tata yn gweithio tuag at wella llesiant unigolion sy'n byw gerllaw?

Ar yr un pryd, a gaf i ddatganiad hefyd gan Ysgrifennydd dros yr economi ynglŷn â Tata, ynghylch yr hyn y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n ei wneud i drafod gyda Tata y buddsoddiad mewn offer modern i sicrhau bod moderneiddio'r gwaith hefyd yn gweithio tuag at leihau'r llygredd?

Yes, I'll ensure that the Minister writes to the Member and copies it to all other Assembly Members. I think there are a number of us with an interest in that, and that can encompass the issues that arise in the Cabinet Secretary's portfolio as well. 

Cewch, byddaf yn gwneud yn siŵr bod y Gweinidog yn ysgrifennu at yr Aelod gan anfon copïau i holl Aelodau eraill y Cynulliad. Credaf fod nifer ohonom sydd â diddordeb yn hynny, a gall hynny gwmpasu'r materion sy'n codi ym mhortffolio Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet hefyd.

I call for two statements, firstly on something often referred to, which is the reduction of single-use plastic, but in the context of reusable bottles. I've been asked by water company Hafren Dyfrdwy Limited, Severn Dee, to join them in promoting their Refill in Wrexham initiative, which is launching, I believe, tomorrow, working collaboratively with the Welsh Government and foundling not-for-profit organisation City to Sea, where a national tap water campaign will encourage businesses, cafes, museums and restaurants to provide free refills, with businesses simply displaying a blue refill sticker in their windows, and a supporting smartphone app showing the locations of all water refill stations. 

Secondly, can I call for a statement on myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome—ME/CFS—in Wales, after I hosted three weeks ago the showing of Unrest in the Senedd and the discussion on behalf of ME support in Glamorgan and WAMES, the Welsh Association of ME and CFS Support in Wales? We heard that the cost to the UK economy of these conditions is £3.5 billion per annum. We heard that WAMES is calling on the Cabinet Secretary to address as a matter of urgency the continuing need for improved access to timely diagnosis, for GPs to fully understand the symptoms of the condition, and for the development of clinical expertise in Wales, with a standardised training and awareness programme. Also, we saw a copy of the ME Trust 2018-21 strategy, the 'Vision into Action' paper, saying that parts of the UK, such as Wales, have no specialist services. And, finally in this context, I'd like to consider the evidence we received from Dr Nina Muirhead, not only an NHS doctor but also an academic who's currently working with Cardiff University in implementing a pilot trial, introducing ME/CFS into the medical school curriculum here, uniquely so far in the UK. She says that she's very concerned that NICE guidelines say that graded exercise therapy, GET, and cognitive behavioural therapy, CBT, are the recommended treatments in NICE guidelines, when she says that these are causing harm, potentially, to patients and should be removed, as they have in America by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Galwaf am ddau ddatganiad, yn gyntaf ar rywbeth y cyfeirir ato’n aml fel gostyngiad mewn plastigau untro, ond yng nghyd-destun poteli y gellir eu hailddefnyddio. Gofynnwyd i mi gan gwmni dŵr Hafren Dyfrdwy Limited, Hafren Dyfrdwy, i ymuno â nhw i hyrwyddo eu menter Refill in Wrexham, sy'n cael ei lansio yfory, rwy'n credu, gan weithio ar y cyd â Llywodraeth Cymru a’r sefydliad nid er elw City to Sea, lle bydd ymgyrch genedlaethol dŵr tap yn annog busnesau, caffis, amgueddfeydd a bwytai i ddarparu ail-lenwadau’n rhad ac am ddim, gyda busnesau’n arddangos sticer ail-lenwi glas yn eu ffenestri, ac ap ffôn clyfar ategol sy'n dangos lleoliadau’r holl orsafoedd ail-lenwi dŵr. 

Yn ail, a gaf i alw am ddatganiad ar enceffalopathi myelitis myalgig neu syndrom blinder cronig—ME/CFS—yng Nghymru, ar ôl imi lywyddu dair wythnos yn ôl ddangosiad o Unrest yn y Senedd a’r drafodaeth ar ran cefnogaeth ME ym Morgannwg a Chymdeithas ME Support a CFS Cymru? Clywsom mai £3.5 biliwn y flwyddyn yw cost y cyflyrau hyn i economi’r DU. Clywsom fod Cymdeithas ME Support a CFS Cymru yn galw ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i fynd i'r afael â’r angen parhaus am well mynediad at ddiagnosis prydlon, i feddygon teulu ddeall symptomau’r cyflwr yn llawn, ac i ddatblygu arbenigedd clinigol yng Nghymru, gyda rhaglen hyfforddi a chodi ymwybyddiaeth safonedig fel mater o frys. Hefyd, gwelsom gopi o strategaeth ME Trust 2018-21, y papur 'Vision into Action', sy’n dweud bod rhannau o'r DU, megis Cymru, lle nad oes unrhyw wasanaethau arbenigol. Ac yn olaf yn y cyd-destun hwn, hoffwn ystyried y dystiolaeth a gawsom gan Dr Nina Muirhead, sydd nid yn unig yn feddyg y GIG ond hefyd yn academydd sy'n gweithio gyda Phrifysgol Caerdydd wrth weithredu prawf arbrofol, cyflwyno ME/CFS i gwricwlwm yr ysgolion meddygol yma, sy’n unigryw yn y DU hyd yn hyn. Mae hi'n dweud ei bod hi’n bryderus iawn bod canllawiau NICE yn dweud mai therapi ymarfer wedi ei raddio, GET, a therapi gwybyddol ymddygiadol, CBT, yw'r triniaethau a argymhellir yng nghanllawiau NICE, gan ei bod hi'n dweud bod y rhain yn achosi niwed, o bosibl, i gleifion ac y dylid eu dileu, fel y maen nhw wedi ei wneud yn America gan y Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

14:35

Well, the Member has done his usual very good job at highlighting the issues he wants raised all by himself, so I don't think there's any need for a supporting statement. And I know the Minister is very pleased with her refill policy, and no doubt will be bringing something back to the Chamber in the course of it to tell us how well it's doing.

Wel, mae'r Aelod wedi gwneud ei waith da iawn arferol o dynnu sylw at y materion y dymuna eu codi i gyd ar ei ben ei hun, felly nid wyf yn credu bod unrhyw angen am ddatganiad ategol. A gwn fod y Gweinidog yn fodlon iawn gyda'i pholisi ail-lenwi, ac nid oes amheuaeth y bydd hi'n dod â rhywbeth yn ôl i'r Siambr yn ystod ei hynt i ddweud wrthym pa mor dda y mae'n dod yn ei flaen.

Arweinydd y tŷ, mae yna gryn ddisgwyl am ddatganiad a phleidlais ar ddyfodol cynlluniau ar gyfer yr M4 yn y de-ddwyrain yn yr wythnosau nesaf. Rydym ni'n disgwyl rhywbeth—neu mi oeddem ni'n disgwyl rhywbeth—ddechrau mis Rhagfyr. A fyddech chi'n gallu egluro wrth y Cynulliad beth ydy'r tebygrwydd ar hyn o bryd y gall fod yna oedi yn yr amseru yna a rhoi eglurhad o rai o'r ffactorau a fydd yn dylanwadu ar yr amseru?

Leader of the house, there’s been quite some expectation of a statement and a vote on the future of plans for the M4 in the south-east over the next few weeks. We expect something—or we did expect something—at the beginning of December. Could you explain to the Assembly what the likelihood is at the moment that there could be some delay in the timing of that debate and give us an explanation of some of the factors that will influence that timetable?

Yes, certainly. When I was stepping in for the First Minister during First Minister's questions, I set out for the Assembly the legal process in which we are involved as a result of the inquiry and its findings, and the quite specific and very legalistic process that that follows. We haven't scheduled that debate so far because we're in the process of that. We have kept some space available on the Plenary timetable, should it be possible to schedule it in the time frame that was originally envisaged. We still hope that that might be the case, but, if not, then I'll certainly provide an explanation of exactly where we are and what the timescale has become.

Gallaf, yn sicr. Pan oeddwn i'n camu i mewn dros y Prif Weinidog yn ystod cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog, amlinellais ar gyfer y Cynulliad y broses gyfreithiol yr ydym yn rhan ohoni o ganlyniad i'r ymchwiliad a'i ganfyddiadau, a'r broses eithaf penodol a deddfol iawn sy'n dilyn hynny. Nid ydym wedi trefnu'r ddadl honno hyd yma gan ein bod ni wrthi'n gwneud hynny. Rydym wedi cadw rhywfaint o le ar amserlen y cyfarfod llawn, os bydd hi'n bosibl ei threfnu o fewn y cyfnod a ragwelwyd yn wreiddiol. Rydym yn dal i obeithio y bydd hynny'n digwydd, ond, os na fydd, yna byddaf yn sicr o esbonio ble'n union yr ydym ni yn ogystal â beth yw'r amserlen erbyn hyn.

Leader of the house, today is World Kindness Day. It's a day to celebrate and promote kindness in all its forms, from small acts of kindness, to fighting for a new, kinder politics, which is something that I've been calling for since arriving in this place, with support from Members from across the Chamber, including Darren Millar, Bethan Sayed and Julie Morgan, just to name a small few. The little conversations you have each day are all the experience you need to actually help save a life, and it's why I'm really pleased to be supporting the Samaritans' Small Talk Saves Lives campaign, and I hope Members, and the Welsh Government themselves, will support that with me as well. In a recent speech, I said that there are some, including the powerful in our economy and in political life, who cannot imagine that kindness works as a political strategy, and, once again, I do not agree with that. So, I was absolutely delighted to read the recent report from the Carnegie UK Trust, 'Kindness, Emotions and Human Relationships: the Blind Spot in Public Policy', and, as it rightly highlights, there is now a growing recognition of the importance of kindness and relationships for societal well-being in public policy making. So, with that in mind, leader of the house, what collective steps is the Welsh Government taking to make sure this becomes a reality?

Arweinydd y tŷ, mae hi'n Ddiwrnod Caredigrwydd y Byd heddiw. Mae'n ddiwrnod i ddathlu a hyrwyddo caredigrwydd yn ei holl ffurfiau, o gymwynasau bach, i ymladd am wleidyddiaeth newydd, mwy caredig, sy'n rhywbeth yr wyf i wedi bod yn galw amdano ers imi gyrraedd y lle hwn, gyda chymorth gan Aelodau ar draws y Siambr, gan gynnwys Darren Millar, Bethan Sayed a Julie Morgan, i enwi dim ond rhai ohonynt. Yr ychydig sgyrsiau a geir bob dydd yw'r unig brofiad y mae rhywun ei angen mewn gwirionedd i helpu i achub bywyd, a dyna pam yr wyf yn wirioneddol falch o gefnogi ymgyrch Mae Mân Siarad yn Achub Bywydau y Samariaid, a gobeithiaf y bydd yr Aelodau, a Llywodraeth Cymru ei hun, yn cefnogi hynny hefyd. Mewn araith ddiweddar, dywedais fod rhai, gan gynnwys y rhai pwerus yn ein heconomi ac mewn bywyd gwleidyddol, na all ddychmygu bod caredigrwydd yn gweithio fel strategaeth wleidyddol, ac, unwaith eto, nid wyf yn cytuno â hynny. Felly, roeddwn wrth fy modd pan ddarllenais yr adroddiad diweddar gan Carnegie UK Trust 'Kindness, Emotions and Human Relationships: the Blind Spot in Public Policy', ac, fel y mae'n amlygu'n gywir, ceir cydnabyddiaeth gynyddol bellach o bwysigrwydd caredigrwydd a pherthnasoedd ar gyfer lles cymdeithasol wrth lunio polisïau cyhoeddus. Felly, gyda hynny mewn golwg, arweinydd y tŷ, pa gamau ar y cyd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod hyn yn dod yn realiti?

I completely support Jack Sargeant in his campaign for this. I had no idea it was World Kindness Day, but I'm very happy to be told that and to say that that's a very good idea. I'm certainly very supportive of the Small Talk Saves Lives campaign from the Samaritans, and their excellent work. I had the privilege at lunchtime today to be sponsoring the multifaith forum and its community walk, and the real privilege of talking to people about how much each individual contribution to the way that we conduct ourselves in our society matters and builds up into a whole of which we can be proud, whereas everything that we do that we might not be so proud of also builds up into something, and that individual lives, and individual actions, very much matter. So, I entirely endorse his remarks. I have not read the Carnegie UK Trust report, but I will make sure that I do so. I'm sure it says something very similar. And I was very proud today to be standing with a forum of people who agree that, here in Wales, we can build a better future for Wales, based on acceptance, embracement of everyone here and of kindness and neighbourliness in all of its forms.

Rwyf yn cefnogi Jack Sargeant yn llwyr yn ei ymgyrch ar gyfer hyn. Nid oedd gennyf unrhyw syniad ei bod hi'n Ddiwrnod Caredigrwydd y Byd, ond rwyf yn hapus iawn i gael gwybod hynny ac i ddweud bod hwnnw'n syniad da iawn. Rwyf yn sicr yn gefnogol iawn o ymgyrch Mae Mân Siarad yn Achub Bywydau y Samariaid, a'u gwaith rhagorol. Cefais y fraint amser cinio heddiw i noddi'r fforwm aml-ffydd a'i daith gerdded gymunedol, a'r fraint wirioneddol o siarad â phobl ynghylch sut y mae pob cyfraniad unigol i'r ffordd yr ydym yn ymddwyn yn ein cymdeithas yn bwysig ac yn tyfu'n gyfanrwydd y gallwn fod yn falch ohono, er bod popeth a wnawn nad ydym mor falch ohono, efallai, hefyd yn tyfu'n rhywbeth, a bod bywydau unigol, a gweithredoedd unigol, o bwys mawr. Felly, cefnogaf ei sylwadau'n llwyr. Nid wyf wedi darllen adroddiad Carnegie UK Trust, ond byddaf yn gwneud yn siŵr fy mod yn gwneud hynny. Rwyf yn siŵr ei fod yn dweud rhywbeth tebyg iawn. Ac roeddwn i'n falch iawn heddiw o sefyll gyda fforwm o bobl sy'n cytuno y gallwn adeiladu dyfodol gwell i Gymru, yn seiliedig ar oddefgarwch, derbyn pawb sydd yma, a charedigrwydd a natur gymdogol yn ei holl ffurfiau yma yng Nghymru.

14:40

Leader of the house, are you able to inform Members when you expect to be able to make a statement on lot 2 of phase 2 of the Superfast Cymru programme? I see you smiling as I ask the question. And, secondly, can I request a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport on when he'll be providing Members with a copy of the remit letter and business plan for Transport for Wales that he's already committed to doing? A remit letter for Transport for Wales, I'd suggest, should have really already been made available to Members by now.

Arweinydd y tŷ, a fyddai modd ichi roi gwybod i'r Aelodau pryd yr ydych yn disgwyl gallu gwneud datganiad ar lot 2 yng ngham 2 rhaglen Cyflymu Cymru? Gwelaf eich bod chi'n gwenu wrth imi ofyn y cwestiwn. Ac, yn ail, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi a Thrafnidiaeth ynghylch pa bryd y bydd ef yn rhoi copi i'r Aelodau o'r llythyr cylch gwaith a chynllun busnes ar gyfer Trafnidiaeth Cymru fel yr ymrwymodd i'w wneud eisoes? Credaf y dylai llythyr cylch gwaith ar gyfer Trafnidiaeth Cymru fod ar gael eisoes i'r Aelodau erbyn hyn.

On that second one, I'll certainly discuss that with my Cabinet colleague and make sure that it's circulated as soon as possible. The reason I was smiling, Russell George, is because I'm answering oral Assembly questions tomorrow, and a large number of them are tabled on the issue that you raised. So, if there is a need for a further statement after that, I will certainly make sure that it happens.

Ar yr ail bwynt, byddaf yn sicr o drafod hynny gyda'm cyd-Aelod Cabinet a gwneud yn siŵr y caiff hwnnw ei ddosbarthu cyn gynted â phosibl. Y rheswm dros wenu, Russell George, yw y byddaf i'n ateb cwestiynau llafar yn y Cynulliad yfory, ac mae nifer fawr ohonyn nhw wedi eu cyflwyno ar y mater a godwyd gennych chi. Felly, pe bai angen datganiad pellach wedyn, byddaf yn sicr o wneud siŵr y bydd hynny'n digwydd.

Diolch i arweinydd y tŷ.

Thank you, leader of the house.

3. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg: Gwerthfawrogi ein Hathrawon—Buddsoddi yn eu Rhagoriaeth
3. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Valuing our Teachers—Investing in their Excellence

Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg ar werthfawrogi ein hathrawon—buddsoddi yn eu rhagoriaeth. Rydw i'n galw ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg i wneud y datganiad—Kirsty Williams.

The next item, therefore, is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education on valuing our teachers—investing in their excellence. I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Education to make the statement—Kirsty Williams.

Diolch, Llywydd. As we move closer towards the realisation of our new curriculum for Wales, we are accelerating the pace in developing the professional learning culture and infrastructure to ensure that curriculum reform becomes a reality. Recognising and promoting teaching excellence is one of the priorities in my agreement with the First Minister. It is a key objective of 'Our national mission', our shared action plan for education reform, and it is crucial to translating the new curriculum into practice. Although we have already made significant inroads in supporting practitioners, our journey is far from complete. To support us in this endeavour, a robust approach to professional learning is vital. The world’s highest performing education systems have vibrant, engaged educators and support staff who are committed to continuous learning. Our new curriculum cannot be delivered without a high-quality education workforce. That is why I am committed to developing a national approach to career-long professional learning that builds capacity from initial teacher education and is embedded in evidence-based research and effective collaboration. 

Through early engagement with the draft curriculum, pioneer schools have considered immediate professional learning implications, and it is clear that a national approach is needed as we rapidly move towards publication of the draft curriculum. The approach is centred on the learner and embodies the four purposes of the new curriculum. It is designed to be responsive to school, local and national priorities, and encompasses the individual learning journey of all practitioners. The new professional learning curriculum is based on the professional learning standards and exploits the benefits of a blend of approaches. The approach has been developed through a process of consultation and co-construction involving the OECD, the unions, universities, regional consortia, local authorities, school leaders, pioneer schools and many others. A range of research projects have been undertaken to provide an evidence base for the components of the approach and ensure overall coherence. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the work of the Children, Young People and Education Committee and their constructive challenge on professional learning in supporting the delivery of the curriculum. Last year’s committee report helped bring together valuable input and advice.

When the draft curriculum is launched in April 2019, we will further develop our understanding of the professional learning challenges associated with implementation in schools.  The investment that I'm announcing today gives us and the system the tools to do this successfully. Our own made-in-Wales approach to professional learning is a key point in our reform journey. It pulls together our new professional standards, the schools-as-learning-organisations approach and the professional learning model to create a vision fit for our evolving system.

The new approach will also include a focus on supporting teachers to better understand and improve mental health and well-being. We have listened carefully to the profession on this, and the work that was undertaken by the CYPE committee. In this spirit, I'm committed to making available significant additional funding and resources to support professional learning. In this financial year, we will make an additional £9 million available, and in the next financial year this will increase to £15 million. This means that, in total over the coming 18 months, we will provide an additional £24 million to support the implementation of the national approach. This is the single biggest investment in support for teachers in Wales since devolution. The money will go to the front line and will be targeted to create and release capacity at school and cluster level for structured, managed and resourced engagement with the professional learning needs of the new curriculum. We are expecting a profound transformation in the way our practitioners and leaders think about their professional learning in light of the new curriculum, and we need to provide support to schools to enable them to make this step change. 

This investment will enable teachers, leaders and others in school to take the time that they need to make changes and refine their practice. There will be flexibility as part of the funding, allowing schools to work together in ways that suit their own circumstances. It will support teachers to develop the skills needed for the new curriculum design and delivery, in line with the fundamental shift in approach required in the new curriculum. And it will support dedicated school and cluster-level professional learning coaches and leaders—a key recommendation from university and international research in this area.

Presiding Officer, our national approach to professional learning is fundamental to how we value our teachers and invest in their excellence. We are moving forward in our reform journey with clarity and confidence, giving our teachers the support and investment they need to ensure that they keep on raising standards across our education system. Diolch yn fawr.

Diolch, Llywydd. Wrth inni symud yn nes tuag at wireddu ein cwricwlwm newydd i Gymru, rydym yn cyflymu'r gwaith o ddatblygu'r diwylliant a'r seilwaith dysgu proffesiynol i sicrhau y bydd diwygio'r cwricwlwm yn cael ei wireddu. Mae cydnabod a hyrwyddo rhagoriaeth addysg yn un o'r blaenoriaethau yn fy nghytundeb gyda'r Prif Weinidog. Mae'n un o amcanion allweddol 'Cenhadaeth ein Cenedl', ein cynllun gweithredu ar y cyd i ddiwygio addysg, ac mae'n ganolog i roi'r cwricwlwm newydd ar waith. Er ein bod eisoes wedi cychwyn yn dda gyda chefnogaeth i ymarferwyr, mae ein taith ymhell o fod wedi dod i ben. I'n cefnogi yn yr ymdrech hon, mae dull cadarn o ddysgu proffesiynol yn hanfodol. Mae gan y systemau addysg sy'n perfformio orau yn y byd addysgwyr bywiog ac ymgysylltiedig a staff cymorth sydd wedi ymrwymo i ddysgu parhaus. Ni ellir cyflwyno ein cwricwlwm newydd heb weithlu addysg o ansawdd uchel. Dyna pam yr wyf wedi ymrwymo i ddatblygu dull cenedlaethol o ddysgu proffesiynol trwy gydol gyrfa, sy'n cynyddu gallu o'r addysg gychwynnol i athrawon ac a gaiff ei wreiddio mewn ymchwil ar sail tystiolaeth a chydweithredu effeithiol.

Drwy ymgysylltiad cynnar â'r cwricwlwm drafft, mae ysgolion arloesi wedi ystyried goblygiadau dysgu proffesiynol uniongyrchol, ac mae'n amlwg y bydd angen dull cenedlaethol wrth inni symud yn gyflym tuag at gyhoeddi'r cwricwlwm drafft. Mae'r dull yn canolbwyntio ar y dysgwr ac yn ymgorffori pedwar diben y cwricwlwm newydd. Fe'i cynlluniwyd i ymateb i flaenoriaethau ysgol yn ogystal â blaenoriaethau cenedlaethol a lleol, ac mae'n cwmpasu taith ddysgu unigol pob ymarferwr. Mae'r cwricwlwm dysgu proffesiynol newydd yn seiliedig ar y safonau dysgu proffesiynol ac mae'n elwa ar fanteision cyfuniad o ddulliau. Datblygwyd y dull drwy broses o ymgynghoriad a chydadeiladu gan gysylltu â'r OECD, yr undebau, y prifysgolion, y consortia rhanbarthol, yr awdurdodau lleol, arweinwyr ysgolion, yr ysgolion arloesi a llawer o rai eraill. Cynhaliwyd amrywiaeth o brosiectau ymchwil ar gyfer rhoi sail dystiolaeth i gydrannau'r dull a sicrhau cydlyniad cyffredinol. Hoffwn achub ar y cyfle hwn hefyd i gydnabod gwaith y Pwyllgor Plant, Phobl Ifanc ac Addysg a'u her adeiladol i ddysgu proffesiynol wrth gefnogi cyflwyno'r cwricwlwm. Llwyddodd adroddiad y pwyllgor y llynedd i ddwyn ynghyd gyngor a mewnbwn gwerthfawr.

Pan gaiff y cwricwlwm drafft ei lansio ym mis Ebrill 2019, byddwn yn datblygu ymhellach ein dealltwriaeth o'r heriau sy'n gysylltiedig â'i weithredu mewn ysgolion. Mae'r buddsoddiad yr wyf yn ei gyhoeddi heddiw yn rhoi'r offer inni ac i'r system i wneud hyn yn llwyddiannus. Mae ein dull brethyn cartref o ddysgu proffesiynol yng Nghymru yn bwynt allweddol yn ein taith ddiwygio. Mae'n dwyn ein safonau proffesiynol newydd, y dull ysgolion fel sefydliadau addysgol a'r model dysgu proffesiynol at ei gilydd i greu gweledigaeth sy'n addas i'n system ni wrth iddi ddatblygu.

Bydd y dull newydd hefyd yn cynnwys canolbwyntio ar gefnogi athrawon i gael gwell dealltwriaeth o iechyd meddwl a lles a'i wella. Rydym wedi gwrando'n ofalus ar y proffesiwn yn hyn o beth, a'r gwaith a wnaeth y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg. Yn yr ysbryd hwn, rwy'n ymrwymedig i sicrhau y bydd arian ychwanegol sylweddol ac adnoddau ar gael i gefnogi dysgu proffesiynol. Yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon, bydd £9 miliwn ychwanegol ar gael, ac yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf bydd hyn yn cynyddu i £15 miliwn. Mae hyn yn golygu y byddwn, dros y 18 mis nesaf, yn rhoi cyfanswm o £24 miliwn yn ychwanegol i gefnogi gweithredu'r dull cenedlaethol. Dyma'r buddsoddiad unigol mwyaf ar gyfer cymorth i athrawon yng Nghymru ers datganoli. Bydd yr arian yn mynd i'r rheng flaen a'r nod fydd creu a rhyddhau capasiti ar lefel ysgol a chlwstwr ar gyfer ymgysylltiad ag anghenion dysgu proffesiynol y cwricwlwm newydd sy'n strwythuredig, wedi'i reoli ac yn meddu ar yr adnoddau priodol. Rydym yn disgwyl trawsnewid mawr yn y ffordd y mae ein hymarferwyr a'n arweinwyr yn meddwl am eu dysgu proffesiynol yng ngoleuni'r cwricwlwm newydd, ac mae angen inni roi'r cymorth i ysgolion i wneud y newid sylweddol hwn.

Bydd y buddsoddiad hwn yn galluogi athrawon, arweinwyr a rhai eraill yn yr ysgolion i gymryd yr amser y bydd ei angen arnyn nhw i gyflawni'r newidiadau a mireinio eu harferion. Bydd hyblygrwydd yn rhan o'r cyllido, gan alluogi ysgolion i weithio gyda'i gilydd mewn ffyrdd sy'n addas i'w hamgylchiadau eu hunain. Bydd yn cefnogi athrawon i ddatblygu'r sgiliau sydd eu hangen i gynllunio'r cwricwlwm newydd a'r ddarpariaeth ohono, yn unol â'r newid sylfaenol yn y dull o weithredu sy'n ofynnol yn y cwricwlwm newydd. A bydd yn cefnogi hyfforddwyr ac arweinyddion dysgu proffesiynol penodedig ar lefel ysgol a chlwstwr—argymhelliad allweddol gwaith ymchwil gan brifysgolion ac yn rhyngwladol yn y maes hwn.

Llywydd, mae ein dull cenedlaethol o weithredu dysgu proffesiynol yn hanfodol i sut yr ydym yn gwerthfawrogi ein hathrawon ac yn buddsoddi yn eu rhagoriaeth. Rydym yn parhau â'n taith ddiwygio gydag eglurder a hyder, gan roi i'n hathrawon y gefnogaeth a'r buddsoddiad y mae eu hangen arnyn nhw i sicrhau eu bod yn dal ati i godi safonau ledled ein system addysg. Diolch yn fawr.

14:45

Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement today. We're very happy to support quite a lot of what you're saying on this, because we recognise, of course, that Donaldson will require some major reskilling of our teachers and other support staff, hopefully, as well, with the freedom to respond more directly to the different learning styles of pupils, rather than Estyn's more prescriptive take on teaching, shall we say? Thank you also for your comments on the Children, Young People and Education Committee. I think it's a point worth making that constructive criticism is about helping this place do a good job, it's not just a 'Let's get the Government' moment, tempting though that is occasionally. I imagine that you will, of course, be looking forward to our next inquiry, which is on school funding, which, I think, actually, does speak to this statement to some degree as well.

You say that the approach to this new funding on supporting teacher development has been co-constructed with a number of interested parties, including local authorities. Were they aware of your intention to earmark this very welcome new funding for this purpose in the way that you have? And are you confident that this is what it'll be used for as soon as it gets to councils? I appreciate what you say, that this is for the front line, and, obviously, as Welsh Conservatives, we support any direct funding to schools, but I'm quite curious about how you'll monitor the use of this money when you—well, obviously, you know where local authorities are on this at the moment, and there is some public sympathy for the position that they're putting forward.

With regard to the specific amount of money, how did you conclude that succeeding in developing this new professional learning, to the level needed to be successful, was going to cost £24 million? Did you argue with the finance Cabinet Secretary that, actually, to get this absolutely right, you might need more, but this was all he was prepared to give you? Either way, actually, if the local authority is able—and, obviously, this is what I was after in my first question—to use some of this money slightly differently from the purpose for which you intended it, would that actually then diminish the availability of actual funds to provide the training that you think is needed in order to get the job done? I think one of the things we'd all be worried about is that, as a policy objective, this could become fragile and maybe even fail if the money that you've identified as being absolutely necessary doesn't get there.

My next question is: 'What's absolutely necessary?' The £24 million—obviously, the finance Cabinet Secretary said that for next year we're talking about £15 million. Another £9 million has appeared from somewhere, so I'd like you to tell us from where that £9 million has come. I'm not saying it's unwelcome, but with just five months to go before the end of the financial year, how do you expect that £9 million to be spent meaningfully, when any national approach is only anticipated as being rolled out, really, from next year? And moreover, the development of the professional learning offer—only £5.8 million was anticipated as being necessary to develop that. So, that's already developed, effectively, so where does that £9 million fit in? Is it for roll-out? And how would you do that in five months' time?

I heard from your statement that there are a range of research projects ongoing. Well, presumably, they're not going to be ready to inform how that £9 million is to be spent. Or is there something you really, really could bring forward into this year? Because if there is—and there may well be—that's obviously going to release £9 million at the other end of next year's budget. What do you anticipate spending that on? Who are the professional learning coaches and leaders that you're anticipating? I mean, are they available now, or is the anticipation that they would be stepping up and helping us roll out this good plan next year? Are the schools clear about who they would want to release, if you're able to bring a lot of this forward?

I just want to make it plain, really, that I'm asking these questions not to challenge your policy objective, but bearing in mind that local authorities have been clamouring for extra money, not least for their schools budget, how was the decision made that this £9 million, which has come from somewhere, goes for this very creditable and worthy objective at the same time when schools are saying, 'Actually, we can't afford to run our schools.' So, if you could help us and explain that, I would be very grateful. Certainly, the money is welcome, it's just the immediacy of the use of it that I'm curious to know more about.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, am eich datganiad heddiw. Rydym yn hapus iawn i gefnogi cryn dipyn o'r hyn yr ydych yn ei ddweud. Rydym yn cydnabod, wrth gwrs, y bydd adroddiad Donaldson yn gofyn am ailsgilio eang ymhlith ein hathrawon a staff cymorth, gyda'r rhyddid hefyd, gobeithio, i ymateb yn fwy uniongyrchol i'r dulliau amrywiol sydd gan ddisgyblion o ddysgu, yn hytrach na'r ddealltwriaeth fwy ragnodol sydd gan Estyn o addysgu, dyweder? Diolch i chi hefyd am eich sylwadau ar y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg. Mae'n bwynt sy'n werth ei wneud bod beirniadaeth adeiladol yn ymwneud â helpu'r lle hwn i wneud gwaith da, ac nid yw'n gyfle'n unig i ddweud 'Gadewch i ni roi pwniad i'r Llywodraeth', er bod hynny'n demtasiwn ar adegau. Tybiaf y byddwch, wrth gwrs, yn edrych ymlaen at ein hymchwiliad nesaf, sydd ar gyllid ysgolion, sydd, yn fy marn i, mewn gwirionedd, yn ymwneud â thestun y datganiad hwn i ryw raddau hefyd.

Rydych yn dweud bod y dull o weithredu'r cyllid newydd hwn i gefnogi datblygiad athrawon wedi cael ei lunio ar y cyd â nifer o bartïon â diddordeb, gan gynnwys awdurdodau lleol. A oedden nhw'n ymwybodol o'ch bwriad chi i glustnodi'r cyllid newydd hwn sydd i'w groesawu'n fawr iawn ar gyfer y diben hwn yn y ffordd a wnaethoch chi? A ydych yn hyderus y caiff ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer hyn cyn gynted ag y bydd y cynghorau yn ei gael? Rwy'n deall yr hyn a ddywedwch chi, fod hyn ar gyfer y rheng flaen, ac, yn amlwg, fel Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, rydym yn cefnogi unrhyw gyllid uniongyrchol i ysgolion. Ond rwy'n awyddus i wybod sut y byddwch chi'n monitro'r defnydd o'r arian hwn pan fyddwch—wel, yn amlwg, rydych chi'n gwybod am sefyllfa'r awdurdodau lleol ar hyn o bryd, a cheir peth cydymdeimlad ymhlith y cyhoedd â'r safbwynt y maen nhw'n ei gyflwyno.

O ran y swm penodol o arian, sut ddaethoch chi i'r casgliad y byddai llwyddo i ddatblygu'r dysgu proffesiynol newydd hwn, i'r lefel a fyddai'n angenrheidiol iddo fod yn llwyddiannus, yn costio £24 miliwn? A wnaethoch chi ddadlau gydag Ysgrifennydd cyllid y Cabinet y gallai, er mwyn gwneud hyn yn hollol iawn, fod angen mwy arnoch, ond mai dyna'r cyfan yr oedd yn barod i'w roi i chi? Sut bynnag yr oedd hi, mewn gwirionedd, pe byddai'r awdurdod lleol yn gallu defnyddio rhywfaint o'r arian hwn mewn ffordd ychydig yn wahanol i'r diben yr oeddech chi'n ei fwriadu ar ei gyfer—ac, yn amlwg, dyma'r hyn yr oeddwn yn ei geisio yn fy nghwestiwn cyntaf—a fyddai hynny mewn gwirionedd yn lleihau'r swm gwirioneddol o arian fyddai ar gael i ddarparu'r hyfforddiant yr ydych yn credu sydd ei angen i gwblhau'r gwaith? Rwy'n credu mai un o'r pethau y byddem ni i gyd yn poeni amdano yw y gallai hyn, fel amcan polisi, ddatblygu i fod yn rhywbeth bregus a hyd yn oed fethu pe na fyddai'r arian y dywedasoch sy'n gwbl angenrheidiol yn dod i law.

Fy nghwestiwn nesaf yw: 'Beth sy'n hollol angenrheidiol?' Y £24 miliwn—yn amlwg, dywedodd Ysgrifennydd cyllid y Cabinet ein bod ni'n sôn am £15 miliwn ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf. Mae £9 miliwn arall wedi ymddangos o rywle, felly hoffwn pe gallech ddweud wrthym o ble y daeth y £9 miliwn hwn. Nid wyf yn dweud nad oes croeso iddo, ond gyda dim ond pum mis eto cyn diwedd y flwyddyn ariannol, sut ydych yn disgwyl i'r £9 miliwn hwn gael ei wario mewn ffordd ystyrlon, pan ragwelir na fydd unrhyw ddull cenedlaethol ond yn cael ei gyflwyno, mewn gwirionedd, o'r flwyddyn nesaf ymlaen? Ac ar ben hynny, datblygiad y cynnig dysgu proffesiynol—rhagwelwyd mai dim ond £5.8 miliwn fyddai'n angenrheidiol i ddatblygu hwnnw. Mae eisoes wedi cael ei ddatblygu, i bob pwrpas, felly beth am y £9 miliwn? Ar gyfer y cyflwyno? A sut fyddech chi'n gwneud hynny ymhen pum mis?

Clywais o'ch datganiad fod amrywiaeth o brosiectau ymchwil yn mynd rhagddynt. Wel, mae'n debyg na fyddan nhw'n barod i roi gwybod sut y bydd y £9 miliwn hwnnw i'w wario. Neu a oes unrhyw beth y gallech yn wirioneddol ei ddwyn ymlaen i'r flwyddyn hon? Oherwydd os oes— ac mae'n hynny'n gwbl bosibl—byddai hynny, yn amlwg, yn rhyddhau £9 miliwn ym mhen arall cyllideb y flwyddyn nesaf. Beth ydych chi'n rhagweld gwario hynny arno? Pwy yw'r hyrwyddwyr a'r arweinyddion dysgu proffesiynol yr ydych chi'n disgwyl eu gweld? Hynny yw, a ydyn nhw ar gael nawr, neu ai'r disgwyliad yw y byddan nhw'n dod i'r adwy ac yn ein helpu i gyflwyno'r cynllun da hwn y flwyddyn nesaf? A yw'r ysgolion yn glir ynghylch pwy y bydden nhw'n hoffi eu rhyddhau, os ydych yn gallu dwyn llawer o hyn yn ei flaen?

Rwy'n dymuno ei gwneud yn glir, mewn gwirionedd, nad wyf yn holi'r cwestiynau hyn i herio amcan eich polisi. Ond gan gofio bod yr awdurdodau lleol wedi bod yn crochlefain am arian ychwanegol, yn enwedig ar gyfer eu cyllideb ysgolion, sut y daethpwyd i'r penderfyniad fod y £9 miliwn hwn, sydd wedi ymddangos o rywle, yn mynd i gael ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer yr amcan clodwiw a theilwng hwn ond ar yr un pryd mae'r ysgolion yn dweud, 'A dweud y gwir, nid ydym yn gallu fforddio i redeg ein hysgolion.' Felly, pe gallech ein helpu ni ac esbonio hynny, byddwn yn ddiolchgar iawn. Yn sicr, mae'r arian i'w groesawu, ond rwy'n awyddus i ddeall mwy am natur uniongyrchol y defnydd ohono.

14:50

Thank you very much to Suzy Davies for those observations and questions. I think it is important to recognise the role of the committee in this regard. When the committee looked at the curriculum, this was the committee's No. 1 recommendation: that we needed, as a Government, to address the professional learning needs of the staff, if the objectives of the curriculum were to be developed. I hope that the members of the committee who worked on that report are pleased that we have taken their views into consideration when doing this.

Let me be absolutely clear about how the money will get to the front line. So, in this financial year, the money will be allocated to the regional consortia, who have been involved in the development of this programme and are confident that we can get those resources out to the front line. We're not starting from scratch. There is much evidence base already that has been undertaken, and our pioneer schools that are involved in professional learning have already been trying out some of these techniques. So, this is not a standing start. This is informed by practice that has already been undertaken in schools, and there are some wonderful examples that I can point to. For instance, King Henry VIII school in Abergavenny: a relatively new professional development pioneer, but working really, really hard, not only within their own school, but actually with surrounding cluster schools, to really look at what are the professional learning opportunities and needs if we're to get ready for the curriculum—very proactive in that. Romilly Primary School: again, another example where, already, the mapping has been done for individuals to identify what they feel they need to get ready to be ready for the new curriculum. But, clearly, some of this will have to be developed further when the details of the AoLEs are released in the spring of next year. That will shape our ongoing discussions about what's needed.

The money for next year will be a hypothecated grant to local authorities, which has to be spent on these purposes. Both with regard to money to consortia and to schools, we will be looking to ensure transparency in the method of allocation of the resources and also the monitoring of the funding. Now, there is always, is there not, a balancing act to be struck between creating huge amounts of bureaucracy, especially for individual schools, to account for money, and making sure the money is used for what it is intended for? Therefore, we will be working with regional consortia, who will be required to publish their spending plans for the money, and we will be monitoring the uptake of professional learning opportunities by professional group and by individual school. So, we will be expecting the collection of that data so that we can satisfy ourselves as to what use is being made of the money, but it's a balancing act between creating a bureaucratic nightmare for people and allowing the money to be used for the purposes that it's intended to be used for.

I don't have rows with my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. It's not in my interest to have rows. I think you used the word 'arguments' with him. But he is aware that, if our curriculum is to be a success, then we have to invest in our teachers to enable them to do that. All the work that we have done on the curriculum will come to naught if our teachers are not in a position to implement that successfully on behalf of their students. The examples of sorts of things that schools will need to explore—we'll be looking at the implications of the new content, new approaches for planning and realising learning, new approaches to assessment of children's progress, developing the skills for school-level curriculum design—something that perhaps schools have not been quite so used to doing—developing collaborative arrangements for school-level curriculum from four to 19, so actually getting schools to work together in both the primary and the secondary phases to ensure that there is the pathway for individual learners. Implications of the AoLEs, for instance—we will have a new AoLE of health and well-being. That, in some ways, will be a challenge to the sector in this particular area, and that's why we need to make sure that our teachers are confident that they can make the most of the opportunity of having that new AoLE.

What do we expect the money to be used for? Well, we are confident that schools are in a position to map the learning needs of their teachers. We will expect them to use the money for releasing and covering staff time to be involved in collaborative work. Often that's really difficult. I think we had this conversation just the other week in committee about when budgets are tight, the ability to release staff for training disappears, and this now means that there will be dedicate resource to allow that to happen.

I'm very alive to and alert to the significant pressures on local government. You will have heard the First Minister's answers today about the Government continuing to look to see what more we can do to alleviate those pressures. I'm sure that, if the Government is in a position to do that, local authorities will want to prioritise spending on schools and to ensure that children in their local area get the best possible opportunities. But having done that, we need to make sure that those teachers in those classrooms have the skills and the training that they need. In responding to the committee's report, we're also responding to consistent calls from the unions to have this money in place, and I was delighted yesterday to see the very warm welcome the teaching unions gave to this announcement.

Diolch yn fawr iawn i Suzy Davies am y sylwadau a'r cwestiynau yna. Rwyf i o'r farn ei bod yn bwysig i ni gydnabod gwaith y Pwyllgor yn hyn o beth. Pan edrychodd y pwyllgor ar y cwricwlwm, hwn oedd argymhelliad Rhif Un y pwyllgor: mae angen i ni, fel Llywodraeth, fynd i'r afael ag anghenion dysgu proffesiynol y staff, os ydym eisiau datblygu amcanion y cwricwlwm. Rwy'n gobeithio bod yr aelodau o'r Pwyllgor a weithiodd ar yr adroddiad hwnnw yn falch ein bod wedi cymryd eu safbwyntiau i ystyriaeth wrth wneud hyn.

Gadewch imi fod yn gwbl glir ynglŷn â'r ffordd y bydd yr arian yn cyrraedd y rheng flaen. Yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon, dyrennir yr arian i'r consortia rhanbarthol, sydd wedi bod yn ymwneud â datblygiad y rhaglen hon ac sy'n hyderus y gallwn anfon yr adnoddau hynny i'r rheng flaen. Nid ydym yn dechrau o'r dechrau. Ceir sylfaen eang o dystiolaeth a gafwyd eisoes, ac mae ein hysgolion arloesi sy'n ymwneud â dysgu proffesiynol wedi bod yn arbrofi gyda rhai o'r technegau hyn eisoes. Felly, nid cychwyn stond yw hwn. Caiff ei lywio gan ymarfer sydd eisoes wedi ei wneud mewn ysgolion, ac mae rhai enghreifftiau gwych y gallaf gyfeirio atyn nhw. Er enghraifft, Ysgol Brenin Harri'r VIII yn y Fenni: arloeswr cymharol newydd ym maes datblygiad proffesiynol, ond yn gweithio yn galed iawn, iawn, nid yn unig o fewn eu hysgol eu hunain, ond mewn gwirionedd gydag ysgolion y clwstwr o'i chwmpas, i edrych o ddifrif ar beth yw'r anghenion a'r cyfleoedd dysgu proffesiynol os ydym eisiau bod yn barod ar gyfer y cwricwlwm—yn rhagweithiol iawn. Ysgol Gynradd Romilly: unwaith eto, enghraifft arall lle mae'r mapio wedi cael ei wneud eisoes ar gyfer unigolion i nodi beth y maen nhw'n ei deimlo sydd ei angen i'w paratoi ar gyfer bod yn barod i'r cwricwlwm newydd. Ond, yn amlwg, bydd yn rhaid i rywfaint o'r gwaith hwn gael ei ddatblygu ymhellach pan fydd manylion y Meysydd Dysgu a Phrofiad yn cael eu rhyddhau yn y gwanwyn y flwyddyn nesaf. Bydd hyn yn llywio ein trafodaethau parhaus am yr hyn sy'n angenrheidiol.

Grant a neilltuir i'r awdurdodau lleol fydd yr arian ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf, a bydd yn rhaid gwario'r arian i'r dibenion hyn. O ran arian i gonsortia ac i ysgolion fel ei gilydd, byddwn yn ceisio sicrhau bod tryloywder yn y dull o ddyrannu adnoddau a hefyd yn y gwaith o fonitro'r cyllid. Nawr, mae cydbwysedd i'w daro bob amser, onid oes, rhwng creu swm enfawr o fiwrocratiaeth, yn enwedig i ysgolion unigol, i roi cyfrif am arian, a gwneud yn siŵr bod yr arian yn cael ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer yr hyn y mae wedi ei fwriadu ar ei gyfer. Felly, byddwn yn gweithio gyda'r consortia rhanbarthol, y bydd yn ofynnol iddyn nhw gyhoeddi eu cynlluniau gwariant ar gyfer yr arian, a byddwn yn monitro'r niferoedd sy'n manteisio ar gyfleoedd dysgu proffesiynol yn ôl y grwpiau proffesiynol ac yn ôl yr ysgolion unigol. Felly, byddwn yn disgwyl casglu'r data hynny fel y gallwn fodloni ein hunain ynghylch y defnydd a wneir o'r arian. Ond mae'n rhaid taro cydbwysedd rhwng creu hunllef fiwrocrataidd i bobl a chaniatáu i'r arian gael ei ddefnyddio at y dibenion a fwriedir.

Nid oes cweryl rhwng fy nghydweithiwr Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid a minnau. Nid oes mantais i mi o fod yn cweryla. Rwy'n credu ichi ddweud mod i'n 'dadlau' ag ef. Ond mae ef yn ymwybodol, os yw'n cwricwlwm am fod yn llwyddiant, yna bydd raid inni fuddsoddi yn ein hathrawon i'w galluogi i gyflawni hynny. Bydd yr holl waith yr ydym wedi ei wneud ar y cwricwlwm yn mynd i'r gwellt os na fydd ein hathrawon mewn sefyllfa i roi hwnnw ar waith yn llwyddiannus ar ran eu disgyblion. Yr enghreifftiau o'r mathau o bethau y bydd angen i ysgolion eu harchwilio—byddwn yn edrych ar oblygiadau'r cynnwys newydd, dulliau newydd o gynllunio a gwireddu dysgu, dulliau newydd o asesu cynnydd plant, datblygu'r sgiliau ar gyfer cynllunio'r cwricwlwm ar lefel ysgol—rhywbeth nad yw ysgolion efallai mor gyfarwydd â'i wneud—datblygu trefniadau cydweithredol ar gyfer y cwricwlwm ar lefel ysgol o 4 i 19 oed, felly mewn gwirionedd gwneud yn siŵr bod ysgolion cynradd ac uwchradd yn cydweithio i sicrhau bod llwybr i'w gael ar gyfer dysgwyr unigol. Goblygiadau, er enghraifft, y meysydd dysgu a phrofiad—bydd gennym faes dysgu a phrofiad newydd, sef iechyd a lles. Bydd hynny, mewn rhai ffyrdd, yn her i'r sector yn y maes arbennig hwn, a dyna pam mae angen i ni wneud yn siŵr y bydd ein hathrawon yn hyderus y gallan nhw fanteisio i'r eithaf ar y cyfle o fod â'r maes dysgu a phrofiad newydd o iechyd a lles.

At ba ddiben y disgwyliwn i'r arian gael ei ddefnyddio? Wel, rydym yn hyderus bod ysgolion mewn sefyllfa i fapio anghenion dysgu eu hathrawon. Byddwn yn disgwyl iddyn nhw ddefnyddio'r arian i ryddhau a llenwi bylchau gydag amser y staff ar gyfer cymryd rhan mewn gweithgarwch ar y cyd. Mae hynny'n anodd iawn yn aml. Rwy'n credu i ni gael y sgwrs hon yr wythnos o'r blaen yn y pwyllgor wrth drafod yr adegau y bydd cyllidebau yn gyfyng, y bydd y gallu i ryddhau staff ar gyfer hyfforddiant yn diflannu. Mae hyn nawr yn golygu y bydd adnoddau wedi eu neilltuo i ganiatáu i hynny ddigwydd.

Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn ac yn effro i'r pwysau sylweddol sydd ar lywodraeth leol. Byddwch wedi clywed ateb y Prif Weinidog heddiw o ran y Llywodraeth yn parhau i fwrw golwg ar beth arall y gallwn ei wneud i ysgafnhau'r pwysau. Rwy'n siŵr, pe bai'r Llywodraeth mewn sefyllfa i wneud hynny, byddai'r awdurdodau lleol yn awyddus i flaenoriaethu gwariant ar ysgolion a sicrhau bod plant yn eu hardal leol yn cael y cyfleoedd gorau posibl. Ond wedi gwneud hynny, bydd angen inni wneud yn siŵr bod gan yr athrawon hynny yn y stafell ddosbarth y sgiliau a'r hyfforddiant sydd eu hangen arnyn nhw. Wrth ymateb i adroddiad y pwyllgor, rydym yn ymateb hefyd i alwadau cyson gan yr undebau i fod â'r arian hwn yn ei le, ac roeddwn yn hapus iawn ddoe i weld y croeso cynnes iawn a roddodd undebau'r athrawon i'r cyhoeddiad hwn.

14:55

Mae codi safonau a chodi statws y proffesiwn yn rhywbeth y mae Plaid Cymru wedi bod yn galw amdano fo ers blynyddoedd, wrth gwrs. Os nad ydy'r gweithlu yn cael—

Raising standards and raising the status of the profession is something that Plaid Cymru has been calling for for many years, of course. If the workforce isn't given—

I'm ever so sorry, but I don't have the translation, Presiding Officer. I'm very sorry.

Mae'n flin iawn gyda fi, ond nid yw'r cyfieithiad i'w gael gennyf i, Llywydd. Rwy'n flin iawn.

Iawn. A ydych chi eisiau imi drio eto? A ydy o'n gweithio rŵan?

Okay. Do you want me to try again? Is it working now?

Okay. Is this a problem with everybody's?

Ocê. Ydy hon yn broblem gan bawb?

No, it's okay. It's not your fault; it happens.

Na. Nid arnoch chi y mae'r bai; mae pethau fel hyn yn digwydd.

No, it's my fault, sorry. It's working on this one—I'll borrow Lesley's.

Nage, arnaf i y mae'r bai, sori. Mae'n gweithio ar hwn—mi gymeraf i fenthyg un Lesley.

I'll have to clean it for her later.

Bydd raid i mi lanhau hwn iddi wedyn.

Too much information, Cabinet Secretary. [Laughter.]

Peidiwch â sôn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. [Chwerthin.]

Siân Gwenllian i gario mlaen. 

Siân Gwenllian to carry on.

Iawn. Gobeithio eich bod chi'n fy nghlywed i, a chlywed y cyfieithiad yn glir hefyd.

Okay. I hope you can hear me now, and I hope the interpretation is clear too.

Ardderchog. Fe wnaf ddechrau eto, felly.

Mae codi safonau a chodi statws y proffesiwn yn rhywbeth y mae Plaid Cymru wedi bod yn galw amdano fo ers nifer o flynyddoedd. Os nad ydy'r gweithlu yn cael hyfforddiant o safon uchel drwy gydol eu gyrfa, o'u haddysg gychwynnol hyd at gyfnod ymddeol o'r sector, fydd y safonau ddim yn codi yn y dosbarth.

Cyn troi at fater sydd wedi cael ei drafod yn fan hyn nifer o weithiau, sef athrawon llanw a'u rhan nhw yn y broses yma, rydw i eisiau cyffwrdd hefyd ar y mater yr oedd Suzy yn ei godi ynglŷn â'r £15 miliwn o arian, ac a fyddai fo wedi bod yn well i'r arian fynd yn syth i'r gyllideb graidd yn hytrach na chael ei roi fel grant benodol.

Rŵan, rydw i'n cydymdeimlo â chi, achos rydw i newydd ddweud fy mod i'n meddwl bod angen buddsoddi i gael y dysgu proffesiynol yma'n digwydd yn iawn, ond, wrth gwrs, mae hi'n gyfnod eithriadol o anodd ar y cynghorau sir, ac mae'r gymdeithas llywodraeth leol wedi dweud y byddai'n llawer iawn gwell ganddyn nhw weld y £15 miliwn yn cael ei wario ar gadw swyddi—un ai dros 350 o athrawon profiadol neu dros 600 o gymorthyddion dysgu—fel y byddai'r achos wedi bod petai'r cyllid yma wedi cael ei gynnwys o fewn y gyllideb graidd. Rydw i'n gweld eich dilema chi: rydych chi eisiau gwario'r arian yn y lle iawn, ond, ar y llaw arall, mae hi'n gyfnod o argyfwng ac mae ein hysgolion ni angen pob ceiniog er mwyn cadw'r athrawon profiadol—felly, jest gofyn ichi jest ystyried ychydig ar hynny unwaith yn rhagor.

Ond i droi yn benodol rŵan at athrawon llanw, mae yna bedair gwaith mwy o asiantaethau preifat ar gyfer athrawon llanw rŵan nag oedd yna ychydig o flynyddoedd yn ôl, ac mae yna bryderon ynglŷn â thâl ac amodau a datblygiad proffesiynol yr athrawon yma, efo llawer o ysgolion yn dibynnu'n gynyddol ar athrawon llanw i lenwi absenoldebau athrawon. Mae'n hollbwysig, felly, onid ydy, bod yr athrawon llanw hefyd yn derbyn hyfforddiant a bod eu gwybodaeth o ddatblygiadau yn y cwricwlwm yn gyfoes.

Mewn datganiad gennych chi'n ddiweddar ar wefan y Llywodraeth, mi ddywedwyd y bydd dysgu proffesiynol yn hawl i bob ymarferwyr mewn ysgolion, nid athrawon yn unig, felly hoffwn i wybod a fydd yna ddarpariaeth ar gyfer athrawon llanw hefyd a sut rydych chi'n mynd i sicrhau bod hynny'n digwydd.

Mae'r datganiad yn dweud hefyd y bydd arian yn sicrhau bod y newidiadau'n cael eu gwneud mewn ffordd a fydd yn blaenoriaethu lles athrawon ac yn aflonyddu cyn lleied â phosib ar ddysgu'r disgyblion, a bydd yr arian yn helpu sicrhau bod staff yn cael eu rhyddhau ar gyfer dysgu proffesiynol hefyd. Felly, a fedrwch chi ymhelaethu ar sut y mae hynny'n mynd i ddigwydd? Ac a ydy hynny, yn anorfod, yn mynd i arwain at ragor o ddibyniaeth ar athrawon llanw? Felly, y pwynt penodol yna, os gwelwch yn dda, a'ch sylwadau chi ynglŷn â'r gyllideb graidd yn erbyn grant. Diolch.

Excellent. I will start again, therefore.

Raising standards and raising the status of the profession is something that Plaid Cymru has been calling for for many years. If the workforce isn’t given quality training throughout their career, from the initial teacher training up to retirement from the sector, then standards won’t improve in our classrooms.

Before turning to one issue that's been discussed here on a number of occasions, namely supply teachers and their part in the process, I also want to touch on the issue Suzy raised on the £15 million, and whether it would have been better for that funding to go straight into the core budget, rather than being a specific grant.

Now, I sympathise with you, because I’ve just said that I do think that we need to invest in professional learning. But, of course, it is an exceptionally difficult period for our local authorities, and the WLGA have said that they would very much prefer to see that £15 million being spent on retaining posts—either 350 experienced teachers or over 600 teaching assistants—as would have been the case if this funding had been included within the core budget.
I do recognise your dilemma: you want to spend the money in the right place, but, on the other hand, it is a period of crisis and our schools need every penny to retain their experienced teachers. So, I would just ask you to consider and to dwell on that a little.

To turn specifically now to supply teachers, there are four times more private agencies for supply teachers now than there were just a few years ago, and there are concerns about pay and conditions and professional development for these teachers, with very many schools increasingly reliant on supply teachers to cover teacher absences. It’s crucial, therefore, that those supply teachers also get training and that their information about curriculum developments is up to date.

In a statement by you recently on the Government website, it was stated that professional learning will be available to all practitioners in schools, not just teachers, so I would like to know whether there will be provision for supply teachers too and how you’re going to ensure that that works.

The statement also says that funding will ensure that the changes are made in a way that will prioritise the welfare of teachers and will have as little a disruptive effect on pupil learning as possible, and that the funding will help to ensure that staff are released for professional learning too. So, can you expand on how that is going to happen? Is that inevitably going to lead to more reliance on supply teachers? So, on those specific points and your comments on the core budget against the grant. Thank you.

15:00

Diolch yn fawr, Siân, and I'm so sorry for the disruption in making you start again. My Welsh is improving, but it's a blwyddyn 2 or blwyddyn 3 standard, and not good enough for the Chamber.

I think what I absolutely welcome is your understanding that without excellence in the teaching workforce, we cannot realise, I believe, a shared endeavour across this Chamber to provide first-class education. That's why the committee stressed so much the importance of finding these resources. If we look to past Estyn reports, it has highlighted the need to invest in the quality of our teaching as a priority, and that's why it's absolutely right to find this money.

We can have a debate about the mechanisms by which this money will find its way to the frontline, but, as you've recognised yourselves, often the first thing to go is investment in staff and training. And, therefore, if we are to invest in our staff, I have made the decision that the only way that we can be absolutely sure that that will happen is via a hypothecated grant. I don't think it should be a binary choice either—that this is either about money for the RSG or money for professional learning. We need to do better than that, and I would also reiterate that the Government continues to look at what more it can do to support the RSG going forward.

But, Presiding Officer, Siân Gwenllian used the word 'crisis'. What I believe will be a crisis is if our new curriculum is introduced on a statutory basis in 2022 and our teachers are not in a position to deliver it. Now that, indeed, would be a crisis. And unless we prioritise this expenditure on support and professional learning, the new curriculum will not do what it needs to do. I think that indeed would be a crisis that we would find ourselves in. That's why I have made this decision to prioritise and make these resources specifically available to invest in our staff. As I said, it's been done in conjunction with our teaching union colleagues and they have welcomed this resource. 

You're also absolutely right to recognise that both teaching assistants and supply teachers have an equal right to access professional learning opportunities. They are much valued and valuable members of our education workforce and have a significant role in developing and delivering on education, on our national mission. Therefore, we will be, as part of the monitoring process, looking to consortia to report on the amount of training that is taken up and made available both to supply teachers, but also looking and giving schools flexibility on their ability to use their resources to support their teachers but also their teaching assistant staff. Some schools already do that; some schools say they're not in a position to do that. So, there will be flexibility for individual schools and clusters to make arrangements for both teaching staff and teaching assistant staff and we will be monitoring issues around supply.

I know issues around supply continue to be of concern to Members across this Chamber; they are of concern to me. That's why we continue with our work to look to enshrine better terms and conditions via our national procurement of these services and look to ensure access to professional training as a prerequisite to agencies working in this area. As I said, I'm under no illusions about the challenges facing the RSG, but, if we're serious about getting the profession ready for the new curriculum, and we are serious about the curriculum being successful, then we have to invest in our workforce and we have to do that now, at this point. It'll be too late if we wait for a couple of years' time, if and when the financial system may or may not be—the financial sector, financial atmosphere, may or may not be better. We have to take this opportunity right now. 

Diolch yn fawr, Siân, ac mae'n flin iawn gyda fi am yr amhariad a gorfod gwneud ichi ailddechrau. Mae safon fy Nghymraeg yn gwella, ond hyd at flwyddyn 2 neu flwyddyn 3, ac nid yn ddigon da ar gyfer y Siambr.

Rwy'n credu mai'r hyn a groesawaf yn bendant yw eich dealltwriaeth na allwn ni sylweddoli, heb ragoriaeth yn y gweithlu addysgu, yr ymdrech ar y cyd ar draws y Siambr hon i ddarparu addysg o'r radd flaenaf. Dyna pam y tynnodd y Pwyllgor sylw at bwysigrwydd dod o hyd i'r adnoddau hyn. Os edrychwn ar adroddiadau blaenorol Estyn, tynnwyd sylw at yr angen i fuddsoddi yn ansawdd ein dysgu fel blaenoriaeth, a dyna pam mae hi'n hollol iawn dod o hyd i'r arian hwn.

Gallwn gael dadl am y dulliau y gall yr arian hwn fynd i'r rheng flaen, ond, fel yr ydych chi eich hunain wedi ei gydnabod, yn aml y peth cyntaf i ddiflannu yw buddsoddiad mewn staff a hyfforddiant. Ac, felly, os ydym eisiau buddsoddi yn ein staff, rwyf wedi penderfynu mai'r unig ffordd y gallwn fod yn gwbl sicr y bydd hynny'n digwydd yw drwy grant wedi'i neilltuo. Nid wyf i o'r farn y dylai fod yn ddewis deuaidd chwaith—ei fod yn arian ar gyfer y grant cynnal refeniw neu'n arian ar gyfer dysgu proffesiynol. Mae angen inni wneud yn well na hynny, a byddwn yn ailadrodd hefyd bod y Llywodraeth yn parhau i edrych ar yr hyn y gellir ei wneud i gefnogi'r grant cynnal refeniw yn y dyfodol.

Ond, Llywydd, defnyddiodd Siân Gwenllian y gair 'argyfwng'. Credaf i mai argyfwng fyddai ein cwricwlwm newydd yn cael ei gyflwyno ar sail statudol yn 2022 ac na fyddai ein hathrawon mewn sefyllfa i'w gyflawni. Byddai hwnnw'n argyfwng gwirioneddol. A heb i ni flaenoriaethu'r gwariant hwn ar gymorth a dysgu proffesiynol, ni fydd y cwricwlwm newydd yn cyflawni'r hyn y mae angen iddo'i gyflawni. Rwy'n credu y byddai hynny'n argyfwng gwirioneddol inni. Dyna pam yr wyf wedi gwneud y penderfyniad hwn i flaenoriaethu a rhoi'r adnoddau hyn yn benodol i fuddsoddi yn ein staff. Fel y dywedais, gwnaed hyn ar y cyd â'n cydweithwyr yn undebau'r athrawon ac maen nhw wedi croesawu'r adnodd hwn.

Rydych chi yn llygad eich lle i gydnabod bod gan gynorthwywyr addysgu ac athrawon cyflenwi hefyd yr un hawl i gael cyfleoedd dysgu proffesiynol. Maen nhw i raddau helaeth iawn yn aelodau gwerthfawr a werthfawrogir o'n gweithlu addysg ac mae ganddyn nhw swyddogaeth sylweddol wrth ddatblygu a chyflawni gydag addysg, ar ein cenhadaeth genedlaethol. Felly, yn rhan o'r broses fonitro, byddwn yn ceisio cael y consortia i adrodd ar y niferoedd sy'n manteisio ar yr hyfforddiant a faint ohono sydd ar gael i athrawon cyflenwi, ond hefyd yn edrych ar, ac yn rhoi, hyblygrwydd i ysgolion o ran eu gallu i ddefnyddio eu hadnoddau i gefnogi athrawon, a hefyd eu staff addysgu cynorthwyol. Mae rhai ysgolion yn gwneud hynny eisoes; mae rhai ysgolion yn dweud nad ydyn nhw mewn sefyllfa i wneud hynny. Felly, ceir hyblygrwydd ar gyfer ysgolion unigol a chlystyrau i wneud trefniadau ar gyfer staff addysgu a staff cynorthwyol addysgu a byddwn yn monitro materion sy'n ymwneud â chyflenwi.

Gwn fod materion ynghylch cyflenwi yn parhau i beri pryder i'r Aelodau ar draws y Siambr hon; maen nhw'n peri pryder i minnau. Dyna pam rydym yn parhau â'n gwaith o geisio ymgorffori telerau ac amodau gwell yn sgil ein caffael cenedlaethol o'r gwasanaethau hyn ac yn bwriadu sicrhau bod hyfforddiant proffesiynol ar gael fel rhagofyniad i asiantaethau sy'n gweithio yn y maes hwn. Fel y dywedais, nid wyf dan unrhyw gamargraff o ran yr heriau sy'n wynebu'r grant cynnal refeniw, ond, os ydym yn ddifrifol o ran sicrhau bod y proffesiwn yn barod ar gyfer y cwricwlwm newydd, a'n bod ni'n ddifrifol o ran llwyddiant y cwricwlwm, yna bydd yn rhaid inni fuddsoddi yn ein gweithlu ac mae'n rhaid inni wneud hynny nawr. Bydd yn rhy hwyr os arhoswn am flwyddyn neu ddwy arall, os neu pan fyddai neu na fyddai'r system ariannol—y sector ariannol, yr awyrgylch ariannol, yn well neu beidio. Mae'n rhaid achub ar y cyfle hwn nawr.

15:05

Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary, although I note that, once again, you press-released your key announcement before announcing it to us. Since you're able to issue a press release on the matter, you're clearly in a position to issue the statement to AMs, but you didn't. I do find it rather disappointing that you released it to the press first before making the announcement here. 

But, turning to your statement, I'm sure teachers and schools will be deeply, deeply grateful for the funds that you're announcing today—or rather that you pre-announced. I just wonder: is this an admission that you're seeking to change too much too quickly? Have you had to pledge this amount of funding because of the cost of supply teachers because you haven't sorted out an alternative to using agencies, which charge a fortune to schools? Was it always the plan to spend the huge sum of £24 million in this way? If so, why haven't you said so before—that is, when you announced the new curriculum?

You say it's to ensure that changes are made in a way that will prioritise the well-being of teachers and minimise disruption to pupils' learning. I don't object in principle to the allocation of the money. I think I've always said that, any measure that you introduce, whether it's the additional learning needs Bill or whatever, unless the resources are there to enable those changes to take place, it's not worth the paper it's written on. I'm just questioning why this is now coming up and why it hasn't been considered before, because surely you should have considered this when you first announced your plans to introduce all these curriculum changes, and surely you should have done an impact assessment on how much these changes were likely to cost the teaching profession to implement them.

In the Government written press release, you're quoted as saying that the money shows how highly we value teachers and professional learning, yet earlier it says it's to make the transition to the new curriculum as smooth as possible. But which is it? It seemed a little bit contradictory there. Is this a new opportunity for professional learning, as your quote suggests, or is it a response to panic that teachers will need hitherto unforeseen help in adapting to all the changes, as the rest of the article suggests? Is this new money, or is this money that will have to be found from the existing dwindling education budget that the Labour Government you're propping up has cut in real terms? If it's not new money, do you feel embarrassed that your changes are requiring money to be taken from other parts of the education system in order to help smooth the transition to the new curriculum because you're trying to make too many changes too quickly? Twenty-four million pounds is a lot of new teachers, a lot of new books—a few rural schools and local schools could avoid closure. So, I think we and the taxpayers deserve to know what is having less spent money—sorry, I'll start again—what is having less money spent on it in order to fund your latest announcement. And can you give us an itemised list of what will be getting less funding than anticipated as a result of this and what assessments you and the rest of the members of the Cabinet have made of the implications of those reductions? Thank you.

Diolch i chi am eich datganiad, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, er fy mod yn nodi, unwaith eto, eich bod wedi rhyddhau eich cyhoeddiad allweddol i'r wasg cyn ei gyhoeddi i ni. Gan eich bod yn gallu cyhoeddi datganiad i'r wasg ar y mater, rydych chi'n amlwg mewn sefyllfa i gyhoeddi'r datganiad i Aelodau'r Cynulliad, ond wnaethoch chi ddim. Rwyf braidd yn siomedig eich bod wedi ei ryddhau i'r wasg gyntaf cyn gwneud y cyhoeddiad yn y fan hon.

Ond, gan droi at eich datganiad, rwy'n siŵr y bydd athrawon ac ysgolion yn hynod ddiolchgar i chi am yr arian yr ydych yn ei gyhoeddi heddiw—neu yn hytrach a gyhoeddwyd gennych chi ymlaen llaw. Tybed a yw hwn yn gyfaddefiad eich bod chi'n ceisio newid gormod yn rhy gyflym? A fu'n rhaid ichi addo'r swm hwn o arian oherwydd cost athrawon cyflenwi gan nad ydych chi wedi sicrhau dewis arall ar wahân i ddefnyddio asiantaethau, sy'n codi crocbris ar ysgolion? Ai'r cynllun o'r dechrau oedd gwario'r swm enfawr o £24 miliwn yn y modd hwn? Os felly, pam nad ydych chi wedi dweud hynny o'r blaen—hynny yw, pan wnaethoch chi gyhoeddi'r cwricwlwm newydd?

Rydych yn dweud ei fod ar gyfer sicrhau bod newidiadau yn cael eu gwneud mewn ffordd a fydd yn blaenoriaethu lles athrawon ac yn lleihau'r amharu ar ddysgu disgyblion. Nid wyf yn gwrthwynebu'r egwyddor o ddyrannu'r arian. Rwy'n credu fy mod i wedi dweud, gydag unrhyw fesur yr ydych yn ei gyflwyno, boed yn Fil anghenion dysgu ychwanegol neu beth bynnag, oni bai i'r adnoddau fod ar gael i ganiatáu i'r newidiadau hyn ddigwydd, nad yw hynny'n werth dim. Holi'r wyf i pam mae hyn yn dod i'r amlwg nawr a pham na chafodd ei ystyried yn gynharach, oherwydd siawns gen i y dylech chi fod wedi ystyried hyn pan gyhoeddwyd eich cynlluniau i gyflwyno'r holl newidiadau hyn i'r cwricwlwm yn y lle cyntaf, ac yn sicr fe ddylech chi fod wedi gwneud asesiad o'r effaith y byddai maint y newidiadau hyn yn debygol o'i gostio i'r proffesiwn addysgu i'w rhoi ar waith.

Yn y datganiad ysgrifenedig i'r wasg gan y Llywodraeth, cewch eich dyfynnu'n dweud bod yr arian yn dangos cymaint yr ydym yn gwerthfawrogi athrawon a dysgu proffesiynol, ac eto i gyd cyn hynny dywed mai bwriad yr arian yw pontio i'r cwricwlwm newydd mor hawdd â phosibl. Ond pa un o'r ddau ydyw? Roedd ychydig o anghysondeb yn y fan honno, mae'n ymddangos. Ai cyfle newydd yw hwn ar gyfer dysgu proffesiynol, fel yr awgryma eich dyfyniad, ynteu ymateb i'r panig y bydd angen help na chafodd ei ragweld hyd yma ar athrawon ar gyfer addasu i'r newidiadau, fel yr awgryma gweddill yr erthygl? Ai arian newydd yw hwn, ynteu arian y bydd yn rhaid iddo ddod o'r gyllideb addysg bresennol sy'n lleihau, y mae'r Llywodraeth Lafur yr ydych chi'n ei chynnal wedi ei thorri mewn termau gwirioneddol? Os nad yw'n arian newydd, a oes gennych gywilydd bod eich newidiadau chi yn gofyn am gymryd arian o rannau eraill o'r system addysg er mwyn helpu i hwyluso'r broses o drosglwyddo i'r cwricwlwm newydd oherwydd eich bod chi'n ceisio gwneud gormod o newidiadau yn rhy gyflym? Mae £24 million yn golygu llawer o athrawon newydd, llawer o lyfrau newydd—gallai rhai ysgolion gwledig ac ysgolion lleol osgoi cael eu cau. Felly, rwyf i o'r farn ein bod ni a'r trethdalwyr yn haeddu cael gwybod beth sy'n cael llai o arian—mae'n ddrwg gennyf, dechreuaf eto—beth fydd llai o arian yn cael ei wario arno er mwyn ariannu eich cyhoeddiad diweddaraf chi. Ac a wnewch chi roi rhestr fanwl o'r hyn fydd yn cael llai o gyllid nag a ragwelwyd o ganlyniad i hyn a pha asesiadau yr ydych chi a gweddill aelodau'r Cabinet wedi eu gwneud o oblygiadau'r gostyngiadau hynny? Diolch.

15:10

Presiding Officer, sorry, I must have been mistaken, because I thought that the Children, Young People and Education Committee that made their No. 1 commitment around resulting professional development for the curriculum was a unanimous report that was signed off by all members of the committee and the last I remember Michelle Brown was a member of that committee, so she was well aware of the discussions surrounding that.

I have never, ever, ever said that we would not need to invest in the professional learning development of our teaching staff. I have never said that. I know better than anyone that, if we are to have the education system that I want for my children and, indeed, every child in Wales, it is a quality education workforce that will deliver it. Now, the Member says 'Why now?', and that is a legitimate question to ask. We're making this announcement now because the research has been done, the work has been done, to identify what professional learning opportunities and requirements are arising out of our curriculum changes. That's why it's important to make this announcement now, because we have the research—we've done the research with our universities, we have consulted with our teaching profession, we have looked at the impact of curriculum changes in other nations and what they have done to make sure that their curriculum reforms have been successful. That work is now completed, our pioneer schools have fed back, and we're in a position to ensure that that national approach is taken forward.

Now, Michelle Brown says, 'Do the public really want us to spend this money?' Well, I would argue— I would argue—[Interruption.] I would argue that the public do expect this Government to invest in the teachers up and down this country who stand in front of their children day in, day out, delivering not only the current curriculum but the future curriculum—a curriculum that, with the exception of UKIP, it has been acknowledged that we need here in Wales. And to give it its best chance of success and not to set our teachers up for failure, we need to invest in them. The Member says, 'Which is it? Is it an investment in our teaching staff or is it an investment in our curriculum?' Well, you can't have one without the other. This is about valuing our teaching profession; it is about saying that we will prioritise their learning and development. We will not just talk about it, we will fund it, and we will give them the very best chance of making the exciting new curriculum for Wales a reality for them, but, more importantly, a reality for our learners.

Llywydd, mae'n flin gennyf, mae'n rhaid fy mod i wedi camgymryd, oherwydd roeddwn i'n credu bod y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg a wnaeth ei ymrwymiad Rhif 1 ynghylch datblygiad proffesiynol o ganlyniad i'r cwricwlwm yn adroddiad unfrydol a gafodd ei gymeradwyo gan bob aelod o'r pwyllgor. Cyn belled ag y cofiaf i roedd Michelle Brown yn aelod o'r pwyllgor hwnnw, felly roedd hi'n gwbl ymwybodol o'r trafodaethau am hynny.

Nid wyf i erioed, ddim erioed wedi dweud na fyddai angen inni fuddsoddi yn natblygiad dysgu proffesiynol ein staff addysgu. Ni ddywedais i hynny erioed. Gwn yn well na neb, os ydym eisiau cael y system addysg yr wyf i'n ei dymuno i'm plant i, ac yn wir, i bob plentyn yng Nghymru, yna gweithlu addysg o ansawdd da fydd yn ei chyflawni. Nawr, mae'r Aelod yn dweud 'Pam nawr?', ac mae hwnnw'n gwestiwn dilys i'w ofyn. Rydym yn gwneud y cyhoeddiad hwn nawr gan fod y gwaith ymchwil wedi dod i ben, mae'r gwaith wedi cael ei wneud, i nodi pa gyfleoedd a gofynion dysgu proffesiynol sy'n deillio o'r newidiadau i'n cwricwlwm. Dyna pam mae'n bwysig inni wneud y cyhoeddiad hwn nawr, oherwydd mae'r ymchwil gyda—rydym wedi gwneud y gwaith ymchwil gyda'n prifysgolion, rydym wedi ymgynghori â'n proffesiwn addysgu, rydym wedi edrych ar effaith y newidiadau i'r cwricwlwm mewn gwledydd eraill a'r hyn y maen nhw wedi ei wneud i sicrhau bod y diwygiadau i'w cwricwlwm nhw wedi bod yn llwyddiannus. Mae'r gwaith wedi cael ei gwblhau bellach, mae ein hysgolion arloesi wedi bwydo nôl, ac rydym mewn sefyllfa i sicrhau y bydd y dull gweithredu cenedlaethol yn cael ei ddwyn yn ei flaen.

Nawr, mae Michelle Brown yn dweud, 'A yw'r cyhoedd mewn gwirionedd yn dymuno i ni wario'r arian hwn?' Wel, byddwn i'n dadlau—byddwn i'n dadlau—[Torri ar draws.] Byddwn i'n dadlau bod y cyhoedd yn disgwyl i'r Llywodraeth hon fuddsoddi mewn athrawon ledled y wlad hon sydd yn sefyll o flaen eu plant o ddydd i ddydd, yn darparu nid yn unig y cwricwlwm presennol ond gwricwlwm y dyfodol—cwricwlwm y cydnabyddir, ac eithrio gan UKIP, fod ei angen arnom ni yma yng Nghymru. Ac er mwyn rhoi'r cyfle gorau iddo lwyddo a pheidio â thynghedu ein hathrawon i fethiant, mae angen inni fuddsoddi ynddyn nhw. Mae'r Aelod yn dweud, 'Pa un o'r ddau ydyw? Buddsoddiad yn ein staff addysgu neu fuddsoddiad yn ein cwricwlwm?' Wel, ni allwch gael un heb y llall. Mae'n ymwneud â gwerthfawrogi ein proffesiwn addysgu; mae'n ymwneud â dweud y byddwn yn blaenoriaethu eu dysgu a'u datblygiad nhw. Nid siarad am y peth yn unig fyddwn ni, byddwn yn ei ariannu, a byddwn yn rhoi iddyn nhw'r cyfle gorau posibl i wireddu'r cwricwlwm newydd cyffrous i Gymru ar eu cyfer nhw, ond, yn bwysicach na hynny, ar gyfer ein dysgwyr.

Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for your statement? I very much welcome it and the additional funding. As you've highlighted, this was an area of great concern for the committee and I, for one, am really pleased that the Government has been able to respond so positively.

As you've highlighted, it is about the new curriculum, but it is also about investing in our workforce, who are our greatest asset. And I know that local government have been quite vocal about this funding, but I wonder if you'd take this opportunity to reiterate to me now that, although we desperately need more funding for local government, and I hope that will come, it is absolutely crucial that we have this protected resource to invest in our skilled teachers, especially as Estyn has consistently told us that teaching is the weakest aspect of the system. 

I had one further question, which was around what you've said about the funding contributing towards helping teachers with emotional and mental health. That also responds to the committee's 'Mind over matter' report, and I wondered if you could say just a little bit more about how you would anticipate that part of the money being spent.  

A gaf i ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am eich datganiad? Rwy'n croesawu'r datganiad a'r cyllid ychwanegol yn fawr iawn. Fel y tynnwyd ein sylw ato, roedd hwn yn faes o bryder mawr i'r pwyllgor ac rwyf fi, am un, yn falch iawn bod y Llywodraeth wedi gallu ymateb mor gadarnhaol.

Fel y tynnwyd ein sylw ato gennych, mae a wnelo hyn â'r cwricwlwm newydd, ond hefyd â buddsoddi yn ein gweithlu, sef ein hased mwyaf. Gwn fod Llywodraeth Leol wedi bod yn uchel ei gloch o ran y cyllid hwn, ond ys gwn i a fyddech chi'n achub ar y cyfle hwn i ailadrodd i mi nawr, er bod taer angen mwy o arian ar gyfer Llywodraeth Leol, ac rwy'n gobeithio y daw hwnnw, ei bod yn gwbl hanfodol inni fod â'r adnodd gwarchodedig hwn i fuddsoddi yn ein hathrawon medrus, yn enwedig gan fod Estyn wedi dweud wrthym ni'n gyson mai addysgu yw'r agwedd wannaf yn y system.

Roedd gennyf i un cwestiwn arall, am yr hyn a ddywedwyd gennych am y cyllid yn cyfrannu at helpu athrawon gyda'u hiechyd emosiynol a meddyliol. Mae hynny hefyd yn ymateb i adroddiad 'Cadernid Meddwl' y pwyllgor, a tybed a allech chi ddweud ryw ychydig bach mwy am sut y byddech chi'n rhagweld y rhan honno o'r arian yn cael ei gwario.

15:15

Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (Ann Jones) i’r Gadair.

The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.

Thank you, Lynne, and I'm glad that we've been able to use the committee's report and the evidence that was taken to help inform and shape Government policy. As Suzy Davies said earlier, that's one of the strengths of our system, I believe. I'm a great believer in, also, the principle that Government and civil servants don't have all the answers, and it is important to use the recommendations of the committees, and the time and effort they put into those reports, to help guide policy. 

It has been necessary for me to hypothecate this funding to ensure that it is spent for these purposes. Without such hypothecation, I think there is a very real danger that this money would not be available for professional learning opportunities. I guess the WLGA press release confirms that—that they would not have prioritised that; they would have spent it not on less important things, but they would have spent it on different things. I will always continue in the Cabinet to look to maximise the resources going to the front line in education. As I said earlier, the Government continues to look to see what more can be done to support local authorities through the RSG, but it is absolutely crucial, if our education reforms are to be successful, that we invest in our teaching profession. 

Now, the Member will be aware that 'Successful Futures'—'Donaldson', as it is known—highlights, and I would quote, that

'Children and young people need to experience social, emotional and physical well-being to thrive and engage successfully with their education.'

And one of the four purposes of the new curriculum will be to support children and young people to become healthy, confident individuals, and those four purposes are, of course, at the heart of our new curriculum. So, we need to be in a position to ensure that teachers have that training to allow them to realise one of those purposes.

One of the 'what matters' of the health and well-being area of learning and experience will focus on mental and emotional health, and, as I said in answer to questions earlier, one of the things that schools will need to address as they prepare for the new curriculum is how they will be able to interact with the AoLEs, and how they will be able to have confidence that their staff are in a position to deliver that. Given that that is such a fundamental part of that area of learning and experience, we would expect that schools—perhaps in the past, in some schools, they haven't had a great deal of attention on this area—would want to utilise some of this resource to be able to put themselves in a position to deliver on that AoLE, and on that 'what matters' statement. 

Of course, there will be greater clarity for everybody regarding the AoLEs when they are published in the spring of next year, and then that will help us guide our next set of professional learning opportunities. 

Diolch, Lynne, ac rwy'n falch ein bod wedi gallu defnyddio adroddiad y pwyllgor a'r dystiolaeth a gasglwyd i helpu i lunio a ffurfio polisi'r Llywodraeth. Fel y dywedodd Suzy Davies yn gynharach, dyna un o gryfderau ein system, rwy'n credu. Rwy'n gredwr cryf hefyd, yn yr egwyddor nad oes gan y Llywodraeth a gweision sifil yr holl atebion, ac mae hi'n bwysig defnyddio argymhellion y pwyllgorau, a'r amser y maen nhw'n ei roi, a'r ymdrech y maen nhw'n ei wneud, i lunio'r adroddiadau hynny, i helpu datblygu polisïau.

Bu'n rhaid i mi i glustnodi'r cyllid hwn i sicrhau y caiff ei wario at y dibenion hyn. Heb glustnodi yn y fath fodd, rwy'n credu bod perygl gwirioneddol na fyddai'r arian hwn ar gael ar gyfer cyfleoedd dysgu proffesiynol. Mae'n debyg bod datganiad i'r wasg Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru yn cadarnhau hynny—na fydden nhw wedi blaenoriaethu hynny; bydden nhw wedi ei wario nid ar bethau llai pwysig, ond bydden nhw wedi ei wario ar bethau gwahanol. Byddaf bob amser yn y Cabinet yn ceisio rhoi cymaint o adnoddau â phosibl i reng flaen y byd addysg. Fel y dywedais yn gynharach, mae'r Llywodraeth yn parhau i edrych i weld beth y gellir ei wneud i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol drwy gyfrwng y grant cynnal refeniw, ond mae hi'n gwbl hanfodol, os yw ein diwygiadau addysg i fod yn llwyddiannus, ein bod yn buddsoddi yn ein proffesiwn addysgu.

Nawr, bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol bod 'Dyfodol Llwyddiannus'—'Donaldson', fel y'i gelwir—yn amlygu, ac rwy'n dyfynnu,

'Mae angen i blant a phobl ifanc brofi lles cymdeithasol, emosiynol a chorfforol er mwyn ffynnu a llwyddo yn eu haddysg.'

Ac un o bedwar diben y cwricwlwm newydd fydd cefnogi plant a phobl ifanc i ddatblygu yn unigolion iach, hyderus, ac mae'r pedwar diben hynny, wrth gwrs, wrth wraidd ein cwricwlwm newydd. Felly, mae angen inni fod mewn sefyllfa i sicrhau bod athrawon yn meddu ar yr hyfforddiant hwnnw i'w galluogi i wireddu un o'r dibenion hynny.

Bydd un agwedd o ran 'yr hyn sy'n bwysig' ym maes dysgu a phrofiad iechyd a lles yn canolbwyntio ar iechyd meddwl ac emosiynol, ac, fel y dywedais wrth ateb cwestiynau yn gynharach, un o'r pethau y bydd angen i ysgolion fynd i'r afael ag ef wrth iddyn nhw baratoi ar gyfer y cwricwlwm newydd yw sut byddan nhw'n gallu ymwneud â'r meysydd dysgu a phrofiad, a sut byddan nhw'n gallu bod yn ffyddiog bod eu staff mewn sefyllfa i gyflawni hynny. O ystyried bod hynny'n rhan mor hanfodol o'r maes dysgu a phrofiad, byddem ni'n disgwyl y byddai ysgolion—efallai yn y gorffennol, mewn rhai ysgolion, nad ydyn nhw wedi rhoi llawer iawn o sylw i'r maes hwn—eisiau defnyddio rhai o'r adnoddau hyn i allu rhoi eu hunain mewn sefyllfa i gyflawni'r maes dysgu a phrofiad hwnnw, a'r datganiad 'yr hyn sy'n bwysig' hwnnw.

Wrth gwrs, bydd pethau'n gliriach i bawb ynghylch y meysydd dysgu a phrofiad pan gânt eu cyhoeddi yn y gwanwyn y flwyddyn nesaf, a bydd hynny'n ein helpu i lunio ein cyfres nesaf o gyfleoedd dysgu proffesiynol.

Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet.

4. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Lywodraeth Leol a Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus: Diwygio Trefniadau Llywodraethu a Chyllid Awdurdodau Tân ac Achub
4. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services: Reform of Fire and Rescue Authorities' Governance and Finance Arrangements

Item 4 on the agenda this afternoon is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services: reform of fire and rescue authorities' governance and finance arrangements, and I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services—Alun Davies. 

Eitem 4 ar yr agenda y prynhawn yma yw datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Lywodraeth Leol a Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus: diwygio trefniadau llywodraethu a chyllid awdurdodau tân ac achub, ac rwy'n galw ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Lywodraeth Leol a Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus—Alun Davies.

Member
Alun Davies 15:19:19
Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services

Deputy Presiding Officer, we are all rightly proud of our fire and rescue services. They respond swiftly, effectively and selflessly to serious threats to our safety. More than that, their prevention work has helped reduce the number of fires and fire casualties by more than half since responsibility was devolved to Wales in 2005. That is a huge success, but it is also a challenge. As the number of fires falls, the role of the service will become broader. Firefighters have the skills, training, capabilities and values to deal with a wide range of other incidents, such as floods, medical emergencies and terrorist attacks. Taking on this broader role is not only beneficial, I believe it is essential to the service’s future. 

Dirprwy Lywydd, rydym ni i gyd yn falch iawn o'n gwasanaethau tân ac achub, a hynny'n haeddiannol hefyd. Maen nhw'n ymateb yn gyflym, yn effeithiol ac yn anhunanol i fygythiadau difrifol i'n diogelwch. Yn fwy na hynny, mae eu gwaith ataliol wedi helpu i leihau nifer y tanau a nifer y bobl sy'n cael eu hanafu gan danau o fwy na hanner ers datganoli'r cyfrifoldeb i Gymru yn 2005. Mae hynny'n llwyddiant mawr, ond mae hefyd yn her. Wrth i nifer y tanau leihau, bydd swyddogaeth y gwasanaeth yn ehangu. Mae gan ddiffoddwyr tân y sgiliau, yr hyfforddiant, y galluoedd a'r gwerthoedd i ymdrin ag amrywiaeth eang o ddigwyddiadau eraill, megis llifogydd, achosion meddygol brys ac ymosodiadau terfysgol. Mae ymgymryd â'r swyddogaeth ehangach hon nid yn unig yn fuddiol, ond rwy'n credu yn hanfodol i ddyfodol y gwasanaeth.

We already have several fire stations in Wales that typically deal with less than one emergency call-out to a fire every month, and many that see only a few dozen a year. We understand that this is not sustainable and it makes recruiting, motivating and retaining firefighters very difficult indeed. But nor should such stations be closed, as that would leave large parts of the country with no fire service at all. 

So, the future depends on realising the potential to do more in collaboration with other agencies. To achieve that and secure a future that is viable, the service needs to be governed and funded in a modern, accountable and sustainable way. At present it is not.

There are other growing challenges too. People are living longer and staying independently in their homes, which is exactly what we want to see. However, older people are at greater risk of fires in their homes. At the same time, the lessons of the Grenfell Tower tragedy still have to be fully learned and applied. Climate change will increase the risks of flooding and wildfires, and public finances are extremely constrained—a situation that is only likely to worsen in the aftermath of Brexit. Again, this calls for the highest standards of leadership and transparency, ensuring the service has the resources it needs, but also placing that in a wider context of other public services.

The current governance and funding arrangements are not fit for this new purpose. They mean the service is run by what are, in effect, large committees at arm’s length from all other local services and without any kind of direct democratic mandate. There isn’t any real public debate or accountability about what the service does or ought to do, and insufficient engagement tools to respond to changing local needs. Yet such debate and such accountability have never been more important.

Fire and rescue authorities’ funding arrangements have similar flaws. They involve the authorities levying contributions from local authorities, at a level that the fire and rescue authority alone determines. There is no external control or approval at all at either the local or the national level. At a time of continuing, severe austerity across all public services, that is difficult to justify. There needs to be a sustainable source of funding for the growing range of non-fire responsibilities that I have already described this afternoon. 

Deputy Presiding Officer, the current arrangements date from the mid-1990s. Whilst they may well have been adequate at that time, the service and the demands placed upon it have changed significantly since. No-one should see this as any kind of criticism of the current fire and rescue authority members, managers or staff. We know that they have done their best within the flawed system, but that system itself now needs to change.

The White Paper I am publishing today sets out our preferred approach to reform. This is grounded firmly in the need to enhance local control of the service, and to generate effective leadership and real accountability at that local level. That will mean fire and rescue authority membership becoming more streamlined and more transparent, with greater capacity and capability to provide strategic and political leadership and to build connections with other services and agencies. I also want to see effective challenge at that level from non-executive members.

Fire and rescue authorities' budgets also need proper scrutiny and approval. That role should rest with local authorities, which provide the great majority of fire and rescue authority funds. We appreciate emergency services can neither manage nor predict demand, so that must be reflected in their resourcing. If there were any threat to that or the service standards we enjoy, the Welsh Government would not hesitate to step in.   

Most of these changes can happen relatively soon, without the need for primary legislation. In the longer term, I am keen to explore a more radical reform that would fully support the changing role of the service and would enable proper professional leadership of it, with appointed members remaining in an oversight role. I also want to explore options for sustainable and transparent funding for the range of responsibilities we expect the service to discharge.

We must focus on the outcomes of reform than merely on the means. I would, therefore, also be happy to consider other options for reform through the consultation process that would clearly meet the criteria that the White Paper demands. 

However, let me be very clear that under no circumstances am I prepared to transfer control of the service to police and crime commissioners, as is happening in England. I do not either intend to alter the current pattern of three fire and rescue authorities or amend their existing boundaries. As we have seen across the border, those approaches create more problems than they would resolve. 

I also want to reassure our firefighters that reform is concerned solely with how the fire and rescue authorities operate at the corporate level, and not with front-line delivery. I want to provide the service with clearer, more accountable leadership and fairer, more sustainable funding. There is nothing here that will affect the numbers of firefighters, the training regimes, appliances, fire stations or other operational matters. 

Deputy Presiding Officer, change is all too often a response to failure and creates even more burdens on an organisation in difficulty. That is not the case here. I want to build on the successes that we have seen and to sustain the successes that the service has enjoyed to ensure that we do have in the future a service on which we can all continue to rely. 

Mae gennym ni eisoes nifer o orsafoedd tân yng Nghymru sydd fel arfer yn ymdrin â llai nag un alwad brys i ddiffodd tân bob mis, a llawer sy'n gweld dim ond ambell ddwsin y flwyddyn. Rydym ni'n deall nad yw hyn yn gynaliadwy a'i fod yn gwneud recriwtio, ysgogi a chadw diffoddwyr tân yn anodd iawn. Ond ni ddylid cau gorsafoedd o'r fath chwaith, oherwydd byddai hynny'n gadael rhannau helaeth o'r wlad heb wasanaeth tân o gwbl.

Felly, mae'r dyfodol yn dibynnu ar wireddu'r potensial i wneud mwy trwy gydweithio ag asiantaethau eraill. I gyflawni hynny ac i sicrhau dyfodol sy'n hyfyw, mae angen i'r gwasanaeth gael ei lywodraethu a'i ariannu mewn ffordd fodern, atebol a chynaliadwy. Ar hyn o bryd nid dyna'r achos.

Ceir heriau cynyddol eraill hefyd. Mae pobl yn byw'n hwy ac yn aros yn annibynnol yn eu cartrefi, a dyna'n union beth yr ydym ni eisiau ei weld. Fodd bynnag, mae pobl hŷn mewn mwy o berygl o gael tanau yn eu cartrefi. Ar yr un pryd, mae angen i'r gwersi o drychineb Tŵr Grenfell gael eu dysgu a'u cymhwyso'n llawn o hyd. Bydd newid yn yr hinsawdd yn cynyddu'r peryglon o lifogydd a thanau gwyllt, ac mae cyllid cyhoeddus yn hynod gyfyngedig—sefyllfa nad yw ond yn debygol o waethygu yn sgil Brexit. Unwaith eto, mae hyn yn galw am y safonau uchaf o arweinyddiaeth ac eglurder, gan sicrhau fod gan y gwasanaeth yr adnoddau y mae eu hangen, ond gan roi hynny hefyd yng nghyd-destun ehangach gwasanaethau cyhoeddus eraill.

Nid yw'r trefniadau llywodraethu ac ariannu presennol yn addas at y diben newydd hwn. Maen nhw'n golygu y caiff y gwasanaeth ei redeg gan yr hyn sydd, i bob pwrpas, yn bwyllgorau mawr sydd led braich o'r holl wasanaethau lleol eraill a heb unrhyw fath o fandad democrataidd uniongyrchol. Nid oes unrhyw drafod cyhoeddus gwirioneddol nac atebolrwydd ynglŷn â'r hyn y mae'r gwasanaeth yn ei wneud neu'r hyn y dylai ei wneud, ac mae diffyg mecanweithiau ymgysylltu i ymateb i anghenion lleol sy'n newid. Eto i gyd, ni fu trafodaeth o'r fath ac atebolrwydd o'r fath erioed yn fwy pwysig.

Mae diffygion tebyg yn nhrefniadau ariannu awdurdodau tân ac achub. Mae'n rhaid i'r awdurdodau godi cyfraniadau ar ffurf ardoll gan awdurdodau lleol, gyda'r awdurdod tân ac achub a neb arall yn penderfynu ar y swm hwnnw. Nid oes unrhyw reolaeth neu gymeradwyaeth allanol o gwbl yn lleol nac yn genedlaethol. Ar adeg o gyni llym parhaus ym mhob gwasanaeth cyhoeddus, mae hynny'n anodd ei gyfiawnhau. Mae angen ffynhonnell gynaliadwy o arian ar gyfer yr amrywiaeth gynyddol o gyfrifoldebau amgenach na diffodd tân a ddisgrifiais i eisoes y prynhawn yma.

Dirprwy Lywydd, mae'r trefniadau presennol yn dyddio o ganol y 1990au. Er y buont efallai yn ddigonol ar y pryd, mae'r gwasanaeth a'r gofynion a roddir arno wedi newid yn sylweddol ers hynny. Ni ddylai unrhyw un weld hyn fel unrhyw fath o feirniadaeth ar aelodau, rheolwyr neu staff presennol yr awdurdod tân ac achub. Rydym ni'n gwybod eu bod nhw wedi gwneud eu gorau yn y system ddiffygiol sydd ohoni, ond mae angen newid y system honno ei hun bellach.

Mae'r Papur Gwyn yr wyf yn ei gyhoeddi heddiw yn nodi sut yr hoffem ni ddiwygio'n ddelfrydol. Mae hyn wedi ei seilio'n gadarn ar yr angen i wella'r ffordd y caiff y gwasanaeth ei reoli'n lleol, ac i sicrhau bod arweiniad effeithiol a gwir atebolrwydd ar y lefel leol honno. Bydd hynny'n golygu y bydd aelodaeth awdurdodau tân ac achub yn dod yn symlach ac yn fwy tryloyw, gyda mwy o gapasiti a gallu i ddarparu arweinyddiaeth strategol a gwleidyddol ac i ddatblygu cysylltiadau gyda gwasanaethau ac asiantaethau eraill. Hoffwn i hefyd weld aelodau anweithredol ar y lefel honno yn herio'n effeithiol.

Mae angen craffu'n briodol a chymeradwyo cyllidebau awdurdodau tân ac achub hefyd. Dylai'r swyddogaeth honno fod yn un i awdurdodau lleol, sy'n darparu'r mwyafrif sylweddol o gyllid awdurdodau tân ac achub. Rydym ni'n sylweddoli na all y gwasanaethau brys reoli na chwaith ragweld galw, felly mae'n rhaid adlewyrchu hynny wrth ddarparu adnoddau ar eu cyfer. Pe bai unrhyw fygythiad i hynny neu i safonau'r gwasanaeth yr ydym ni'n eu mwynhau, ni ddylai Llywodraeth Cymru oedi cyn ymyrryd.

Gall y rhan fwyaf o'r newidiadau hyn ddigwydd yn gymharol fuan, heb yr angen am ddeddfwriaeth sylfaenol. Yn y tymor hwy, rwy'n awyddus i archwilio diwygio mwy radical a fyddai'n llwyr gefnogi swyddogaeth gyfnewidiol y gwasanaeth ac yn sicrhau bod ganddo'r arweinyddiaeth broffesiynol briodol, gyda'r aelodau'n parhau i gael eu penodi i oruchwylio. Hoffwn i hefyd edrych ar y dewisiadau o ran ariannu'r ystod o gyfrifoldebau yr ydym ni'n disgwyl i'r gwasanaeth eu cyflawni mewn modd cynaliadwy a thryloyw. 

Rhaid inni ganolbwyntio ar ganlyniadau'r diwygio yn hytrach na dim ond ar y ffordd o wneud hynny. Rwyf, felly, yn hapus hefyd i ystyried dewisiadau eraill ar gyfer diwygio drwy'r broses ymgynghori a fyddai'n amlwg yn bodloni'r meini prawf y mae'r Papur Gwyn yn galw amdanynt.

Fodd bynnag, gadewch imi fod yn glir iawn nad wyf i o dan unrhyw amgylchiadau yn barod i drosglwyddo rheolaeth dros y gwasanaeth i gomisiynwyr heddlu a throseddu, fel sy'n digwydd yn Lloegr. Nid wyf i chwaith yn bwriadu newid y patrwm cyfredol o gael tri awdurdod tân ac achub na diwygio eu ffiniau presennol. Fel yr ydym ni wedi gweld dros y ffin, mae mynd ati fel yna yn creu mwy o broblemau nag y bydden nhw'n eu datrys.

Hefyd, fe hoffwn i sicrhau ein diffoddwyr tân fod diwygio ynglŷn â dim ond sut mae awdurdodau tân ac achub yn gweithredu yn gorfforaethol, ac nid ynglŷn â darpariaeth rheng flaen. Rwyf eisiau sicrhau y caiff y gwasanaeth ei arwain mewn modd cliriach a mwy atebol, a'i ariannu mewn ffordd decach, fwy cynaliadwy. Nid oes a wnelo hyn o gwbl ag unrhyw beth a fydd yn effeithio ar nifer y diffoddwyr tân, y cyfundrefnau hyfforddiant, offer, gorsafoedd tân neu faterion gweithredol eraill.

Dirprwy Lywydd, mae newid yn rhy aml o lawer yn ymateb i fethiant ac yn creu hyd yn oed mwy o bwysau ar sefydliad sydd mewn anhawster. Nid yw hynny'n wir yn yr achos hwn. Rwyf eisiau adeiladu ar y llwyddiannau yr ydym ni wedi'u gweld a chynnal y llwyddiannau a gafodd y gwasanaeth er mwyn sicrhau bod gennym ni wasanaeth yn y dyfodol y gallwn ni i gyd barhau i ddibynnu arno.

15:25

Well, as you say, we are rightly proud of our fire and rescue services. You state in your opening paragraph that they've worked to help reduce the number of fires and fire casualties. In fact, since 2001-02, a little bit further back than you look, they've reduced by 69 per cent. However, how do you respond to concern that the number of fires attended by Welsh fire and rescue authorities in 2017-18 actually increased by 3 per cent, reversing that trend, with the number of secondary fires rising by 13 per cent, and grassland, woodland and crop fires by 22 per cent, and 15 casualties from fires in Wales, which is actually 50 per cent higher than when 10 fire casualties in Wales were used as an argument in favour of what became the fire sprinkler legislation?

You refer to older people being at greater risk of fire in their homes and the lessons of the Grenfell tragedy. What consideration are you giving or have you given to the Building Research Establishment report commissioned by the Deputy Prime Minister in the UK in 2002 and the follow-up report by the Welsh Government itself at the tail end of the fire sprinkler legislation, which recommended fire sprinklers in high-rise towers? It was less enthusiastic about new-build residential properties. But it appeared that no response to that was taken until after the Grenfell tragedy.

In a letter to me on 20 June, you said that you don't agree that older people are at particular risk of electrical fires, whether in terms of the source of fire or the cause. I believe you might have since met Electrical Safety First. I think you had a meeting scheduled with them for July. They produced figures showing that, of 1,485 reported domestic fires last year—I presume that's UK—71 per cent of those were electrical fires and 63 per cent in the kitchen. And, in that context, what is the Welsh Government doing to raise awareness of fires caused by electricity in Wales?

My final questions relate to your proposed changes to governance and funding arrangements, which you say are simply not up to the job. You then ironically attribute the failings to

'large committees of backbench councillors, at arm’s length from all other local services and without any kind of direct democratic mandate.'

That's a model that, as I recall, you defended when the UK Government was proposing police and crime commissioners, using almost identical words at that time. You say that will mean fire and rescue authority membership becoming more streamlined and transparent, and budgets needing proper scrutiny and approval. Well, thankfully, the fire and rescue authorities are transparent with their meeting documentation, which is surely a valid point when considering their current governance and finance arrangements. The report from the chief fire officer in north Wales to their fire authority on 17 September referred to key issues set out in a letter to fire and rescue authority chairs in February by you for the meeting the three chairs had with you at the end of April, to your then engagement of Professor Catherine Farrell of the University of South Wales and Professor Rachel Ashworth at Cardiff University, to speak with representatives of the fire rescue authorities and the WLGA, and that their report was submitted to you. And the report from the deputy chief officer of South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority in September to his or her authority attached a summary feedback drawn from the meetings held with the fire and rescue authority chairs, chiefs and additional personnel and the WLGA. How, therefore, do you respond to the findings in that report that chiefs and chairs are not resistant to change, and provided many examples of how they embraced it, but they raised a series of concerns regarding the suggestion that fire and rescue governance in Wales might be reformed?

How do you respond to the statement that several queried the lack of clear evidence and rationale for reform, feeling that perceived problems with the current system had not been clearly identified, making it difficult for them to estimate the added value that might be gained through any change, to the statement in which some of them raised concern about changing a system that operates well and, quote, 'breaking a system which is not broken', giving the example that it was identified that accountability for fire was highly sufficient given the scale and budget for the service, relative to systems of accountability for other public services operating at a much larger scale, and to the statement that interviews emphasised the importance of the electoral link via local authorities and provided examples of how this was currently operationalised to deliver accountability, transparency, consultation and information? And, finally, how do you respond—I won't read them all because there are a lot of them—to the summary of suggestions for improvement in that report, which I'm sure you have engraved on your bedroom wall, but which included the need for consistency around member role specifications, the clarity around the scrutiny and challenge role, an indication of the level of member development and support, and the need for members with expertise from outside the service, from areas such as health and social care, to be co-opted onto the fire and rescue authority, or a new national issues committee scrutiny sub-committee? Thank you. 

Wel, fel yr ydych chi'n ei ddweud, rydym ni'n falch iawn o'n gwasanaethau tân ac achub, a hynny am resymau da. Rydych chi'n nodi yn eich paragraff agoriadol y buon nhw'n gweithio i helpu i leihau nifer y tanau a phobl sy'n cael eu hanafu gan dannau. Yn wir, ers 2001-02, ychydig ymhellach yn ôl nag yr ydych chi'n edrych, bu gostyngiad o 69 y cant. Fodd bynnag, sut ydych chi'n ymateb i'r pryder bod cynnydd o 3 y cant mewn gwirionedd yn nifer y tanau y galwyd awdurdodau tân ac achub i ymdrin â nhw yn 2017-18, gan wrthdroi'r duedd honno, gyda chynnydd o 13 y cant yn nifer y tanau eilaidd, a chynnydd o 22 y cant yn nifer tannau glaswelltir, coetiroedd a chnydau, a 15 o anafiadau o ganlyniad i danau yng Nghymru, sydd mewn gwirionedd 50 y cant yn uwch na'r ffigur o 10 o bobl a gafodd eu hanafu gan dân a ddefnyddiwyd fel dadl o blaid yr hyn a ddaeth yn ddeddfwriaeth systemau chwistrellu rhag tân?

Rydych chi'n cyfeirio at bobl hŷn sydd mewn mwy o berygl o gael tân yn eu cartrefi a'r gwersi o drychineb Grenfell. Pa ystyriaeth ydych chi'n ei rhoi neu a roesoch chi i adroddiad y Sefydliad Ymchwil Adeiladu a gomisiynwyd gan y Dirprwy Brif Weinidog yn y DU yn 2002 a'r adroddiad dilynol gan Lywodraeth Cymru ei hun ar ddiwedd y ddeddfwriaeth systemau chwistrellu tân, a argymhellodd roi systemau chwistrellu rhag tân mewn tyrau uchel? Roedd yn llai brwdfrydig ynglŷn â thai newydd. Ond mae hi'n ymddangos na fu unrhyw ymateb i hynny tan ar ôl trychineb Grenfell.

Mewn llythyr ataf ar 20 Mehefin, fe wnaethoch chi ddweud nad ydych chi'n cytuno bod pobl hŷn yn wynebu risg benodol o danau trydanol, p'un ai o ran ffynhonnell y tân neu ei achos. Rwy'n credu o bosib eich bod chi wedi cwrdd ag Electrical Safety First ers hynny. Rwy'n credu yr oedd gennych chi gyfarfod wedi ei drefnu gyda nhw ym mis Gorffennaf. Roedd ganddyn nhw ffigurau yn dangos, o 1,485 o danau domestig y llynedd—rwy'n cymryd bod hynny'n golygu yn y DU—roedd 71 y cant ohonyn nhw yn danau trydanol a 63 y cant yn y gegin. Ac, yn y cyd-destun hwnnw, beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r tanau a achosir gan drydan yng Nghymru?

Mae fy nghwestiynau olaf yn ymwneud â'ch newidiadau arfaethedig i drefniadau llywodraethu a chyllido, yr ydych chi'n dweud yn syml nad ydyn nhw'n addas at y diben. Yna yn eironig, rydych chi'n priodoli'r methiannau i

'bwyllgorau mawr o gynghorwyr meinciau cefn sydd led braich o'r holl wasanaethau lleol eraill a heb unrhyw fath o fandad democrataidd uniongyrchol.'

Mae hwnnw'n fodel, os cofiaf, y buoch chi'n ei amddiffyn pan oedd Llywodraeth y DU yn cynnig sefydlu comisiynwyr heddlu a throseddu, gan ddefnyddio geiriau bron yn union yr un fath bryd hynny. Rydych chi'n dweud y bydd hynny'n golygu y bydd aelodaeth awdurdod tân ac achub yn symlach a mwy tryloyw o ganlyniad, gyda'r angen i gymeradwyo a chraffu ar gyllidebau mewn modd priodol. Wel, diolch byth, mae'r awdurdodau tân ac achub yn dryloyw gyda dogfennau eu cyfarfod, sydd yn bwynt dilys wrth ystyried eu trefniadau cyllid a llywodraethu presennol. Cyfeiriodd adroddiad prif swyddog tân y gogledd i'w awdurdod tân ar 17 Medi at faterion allweddol a nodir mewn llythyr gennych chi at gadeiryddion awdurdodau tân ac achub ym mis Chwefror ar gyfer y cyfarfod a gafodd y tri chadeirydd gyda chi ar ddiwedd Ebrill, at eich penodiad ar y pryd o'r Athro Catherine Farrell o Brifysgol De Cymru a'r Athro Rachel Ashworth, Prifysgol Caerdydd, i siarad â chynrychiolwyr o awdurdodau tân ac achub a Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, ac fe gyflwynwyd eu hadroddiad i chi. Ac roedd adroddiad dirprwy brif swyddog Awdurdod Tân ac Achub De Cymru ym mis Medi i'w awdurdod ef neu hi yn cynnwys crynodeb o'r adborth a gasglwyd ynghyd o'r cyfarfodydd a gynhaliwyd gyda chadeiryddion, penaethiaid a phersonél ychwanegol yr awdurdod tân ac achub a Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru. Sut, felly, ydych chi'n ymateb i'r canfyddiadau yn yr adroddiad hwnnw nad yw penaethiaid a chadeiryddion yn gwrthsefyll newid, a'u bod wedi rhoi enghreifftiau lu o sut maen nhw wedi cofleidio hynny, ond fe wnaethon nhw sôn am nifer o bryderon ynghylch yr awgrym y gellid diwygio awdurdodau tân ac achub yng Nghymru?

Sut ydych chi'n ymateb i'r datganiad bod sawl un ohonyn nhw yn cwestiynu'r diffyg tystiolaeth a'r sail resymegol glir ar gyfer diwygio, a'u bod yn teimlo nad yw'r problemau honedig gyda'r system bresennol wedi'u nodi'n glir, gan ei gwneud hi'n anodd iddyn nhw amcangyfrif y gwerth ychwanegol y gellid ei ennill drwy unrhyw newid, a'r datganiad lle mynegodd rhai ohonyn nhw eu pryder am newid system sy'n gweithio'n dda ac am 'chwalu system nad yw wedi torri', gan roi'r enghraifft y canfuwyd bod atebolrwydd o ran tân yn ddigonol iawn o gofio'r raddfa a'r gyllideb ar gyfer y gwasanaeth, o gymharu â systemau atebolrwydd ar gyfer gwasanaethau cyhoeddus eraill sy'n gweithredu ar raddfa lawer mwy, a'r datganiad y pwysleiswyd yn y cyfweliadau pa mor bwysig yw'r cyswllt etholiadol drwy awdurdodau lleol ac a oedd yn cynnig enghreifftiau o sut y caiff hyn ei weithredu ar hyn o bryd i sicrhau atebolrwydd, tryloywder, ymgynghori a gwybodaeth? Ac, yn olaf, sut ydych chi'n ymateb—ni wnaf ddarllen pob un ohonyn nhw oherwydd bod llawer ohonyn nhw—i'r crynodeb o'r awgrymiadau ar gyfer gwella yn yr adroddiad hwnnw, yr ydych chi rwy'n siŵr, wedi eu cerfio ar wal eich ystafell wely, ond a oedd yn cynnwys yr angen am gysondeb o ran manylebau swyddogaeth aelodau, eglurder ynglŷn â'r swyddogaeth o graffu a herio, arwydd o lefel datblygiad aelodau a'r cymorth y maen nhw yn ei gael, a'r angen i gyfethol aelodau sydd ag arbenigedd o'r tu allan i'r gwasanaeth, o feysydd megis iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, ar gyfer yr awdurdod tân ac achub, neu is-bwyllgor newydd i graffu ar waith pwyllgor materion cenedlaethol? Diolch.

15:30

Deputy Presiding Officer, I had a terrible fear halfway through that contribution that the Conservative Member was going to read out the notes of every meeting that I've had over the last year, and read out from the notes of every meeting the contribution of every member in that meeting. [Laughter.] It could have been a very, very long session. 

Let me say this: we have, as the Member has indicated, shall I say, had a very long conversation with both the current chairs and the chief officers as we've moved through this process. And I have, over the last year or so, sought to develop a debate, with the chairs particularly, over the need for reform and the shape that that reform will take. I introduced the academic element to that on the basis of an attempt to shape and to allow the development of their own thoughts on some of these issues. And let me say this: this is a White Paper, and it is a White Paper that seeks views on particular proposals, but it is not a White Paper that rules out alternatives. In fact, were the Member to take the time to read the White Paper in any detail, then he would see that, in the White Paper itself, we do take the time to say that if there are other proposals, other suggestions, other recommendations for reform, then we're very happy to take that forward and to consider those additional proposals. At no time in this process have I ruled in or ruled out any alternative measures or any alternative suggestions, with the exception of a national force, a national brigade, and also a transfer of responsibility to the police and crime commissioners. Those are the two options I've ruled out, but I've not ruled out other options. If the Conservative spokesperson does have any suggestions he wishes us to consider, then I'm more than happy to give due consideration to those issues. 

But in his contribution, he does, in many ways, make the case for reform. It might break his heart to learn this, but he does make the case for reform, because he outlines the changing nature of the threat from fire. He describes secondary fires, grassland and moorland fires, and he may wish to appreciate the expertise and specialisms that we now have in the fire services in Wales. He may be aware that the south Wales fire service spent a great deal of time working with others on Saddleworth moor, for example, dealing with the fires that took place in England, across the border, over the summer months. And that expertise—that knowledge, that specialism—is something that we want to enhance and invest in for the future. The abilities that the fire and rescue authorities and services now have is far beyond that which we would have potentially envisaged in the 1990s, when the current structures were put in place. And it is right and proper, therefore, that we meet an evolving and changing need with a debate and a discussion about how our structures are fit for purpose to meet that changing and evolving landscape.

So, I hope that he will perhaps lift his head a little, and give due consideration to these matters. And if he wishes to join the debate about the future, then I'm more than happy to have that conversation with him. The challenges that we will face in the future are great. We know, and we've debated already, the changes to a pattern of fire responses required. The Member asked a number of questions on Grenfell Tower and our response to that. I will say to him that our response has been led by the Minister in these matters, and she has, as he will be aware, made a number of statements to this Assembly on the evolving response of the Welsh Government to the absolute tragedy of Grenfell Tower. And we will be continuing, and she will be continuing, to lead that response.

But let me say this: as we move forward to respond—and, I believe, put in place a new structure to respond to Grenfell—it is right and proper that the fire and rescue authorities play a full and leading role in responding to that. That is why we need fire and rescue authorities that are fit for purpose, with the funding and the governance in place to enable them to do so.

Dirprwy Lywydd, daeth ofn dychrynllyd arnaf hanner ffordd drwy'r cyfraniad hwnnw fod yr Aelod Ceidwadol yn mynd i ddarllen nodiadau pob cyfarfod a gefais dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, a darllen o nodiadau pob cyfarfod, cyfraniad pob aelod yn y cyfarfod hwnnw. [Chwerthin.] Gallai fod wedi bod yn sesiwn hir iawn, iawn.

Gadewch imi ddweud hyn: rydym ni, fel y dywedodd yr Aelod, wedi cael sgwrs hir iawn gyda'r cadeiryddion a'r prif swyddogion presennol wrth inni symud drwy'r broses. A, dros y flwyddyn neu ddwy ddiwethaf, rwyf wedi ceisio datblygu dadl, gyda'r cadeiryddion yn arbennig, dros yr angen i ddiwygio a ffurf y diwygio hwnnw. Cyflwynais yr elfen academaidd i hynny ar sail ymgais i lunio ac i ganiatáu datblygu syniadau eu hunain ar rai o'r materion hyn. A gadewch imi ddweud hyn: Papur Gwyn yw hwn, ac mae'n Bapur Gwyn sy'n holi barn ynglŷn â chynigion penodol, ond nid yw'n Bapur Gwyn sy'n anwybyddu dewisiadau eraill. Yn wir, pe bai'r Aelod yn rhoi o'i amser i ddarllen y Papur Gwyn yn fanwl, yna byddai'n gweld, yn y Papur Gwyn ei hun, ein bod ni yn gwneud ymdrech i ddweud, os oes cynigion eraill, awgrymiadau eraill, argymhellion eraill ar gyfer diwygio, ein bod ni'n hapus i roi sylw iddyn nhw ac i ystyried y cynigion ychwanegol hynny. Nid wyf ar unrhyw adeg yn y broses hon wedi siarad o blaid nac yn erbyn unrhyw fesurau amgen neu unrhyw awgrymiadau amgen, ac eithrio cael llu cenedlaethol, brigâd genedlaethol, a hefyd trosglwyddo cyfrifoldeb i'r comisiynwyr heddlu a throseddu. Dyna'r ddau ddewis yr wyf i wedi eu diystyru, ond nid wyf i wedi diystyru dewisiadau eraill. Os oes gan lefarydd y Blaid Geidwadol unrhyw awgrymiadau y mae'n dymuno inni eu hystyried, yna rwy'n fwy na pharod i roi ystyriaeth briodol i'r materion hynny.

Ond yn ei gyfraniad, mae yntau, mewn sawl ffordd, yn dadlau dros ddiwygio. Efallai y bydd clywed hynny yn torri ei galon, ond mae yn dadlau o blaid diwygio, oherwydd mae yntau yn amlinellu'r newid yn natur bygythiad tân. Mae'n disgrifio tanau eilaidd, tannau ar y glaswelltiroedd a'r rhosydd, ac efallai yr hoffai werthfawrogi'r arbenigedd a'r deheurwydd sydd gennym ni yn awr yn y gwasanaethau tân yng Nghymru. Efallai ei fod yn ymwybodol bod gwasanaeth tân de Cymru wedi treulio llawer iawn o amser yn gweithio gydag eraill ar weunydd Saddleworth, er enghraifft, yn ymdrin â'r tanau a fu yn Lloegr, ar draws y ffin, dros fisoedd yr haf. Ac mae'r arbenigedd hwnnw—yr wybodaeth, y deheurwydd hwnnw—yn bethau y mae arnom ni eisiau eu gwella a buddsoddi ynddyn nhw ar gyfer y dyfodol. Mae'r galluoedd sydd gan yr awdurdodau a'r gwasanaethau tân ac achub bellach ymhell y tu hwnt i'r hyn y byddem ni wedi eu rhagweld yn bosibl yn y 1990au, pan luniwyd y strwythurau presennol. Ac mae'n addas ac yn briodol, felly, ein bod yn diwallu angen sy'n newid ac yn esblygu drwy ddadlau a thrafod sut mae ein strwythurau yn addas at y diben i ymateb i'r sefyllfa honno sy'n newid ac yn datblygu.

Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y gwnaiff efallai godi ei ben ychydig, a rhoi ystyriaeth ddyledus i'r materion hyn. Ac os yw'n dymuno bod yn rhan o'r drafodaeth am y dyfodol, rwy'n fwy na pharod i gael y sgwrs honno gydag ef. Bydd yr heriau y byddwn ni yn eu hwynebu yn y dyfodol yn rhai mawr. Rydym ni'n gwybod, ac rydym ni wedi trafod eisoes, y newidiadau sydd eu hangen i'r patrwm o ymateb i danau. Gofynnodd yr Aelod nifer o gwestiynau am Dŵr Grenfell a'n hymateb i hynny. Dywedaf wrtho ein bod wedi dilyn arweiniad y Gweinidog wrth ymateb i'r materion hyn, ac mae hi, fel y bydd yn ymwybodol, wedi gwneud sawl datganiad i'r Cynulliad hwn ar ymateb esblygol Llywodraeth Cymru i drychineb llwyr Tŵr Grenfell. A byddwn yn parhau, a bydd hithau'n parhau, i arwain yr ymateb hwnnw.

Ond gadewch i mi ddweud hyn: wrth inni symud ymlaen i ymateb—ac rwy'n credu, sefydlu strwythur newydd i ymateb i Grenfell—mae'n addas a phriodol bod yr awdurdodau tân ac achub yn chwarae rhan lawn a blaenllaw wrth ymateb i hynny. Dyna pam fod angen awdurdodau tân ac achub arnom ni sy'n addas at y diben, ac sydd â'r cyllid a'r drefn lywodraethu i'w galluogi i wneud hynny.

15:35

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Before I start, actually, it's entirely right that you are in the chair for this statement, DPO, being as you are the inspiration behind the fire sprinklers legislation, and it is right that we acknowledge that once again.

Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary also for his statement and welcome the production of this White Paper? It is right that we pay tribute to firefighters—we are rightly proud of them and all their rescue services. They rightly, as is always said, put their bodies on the line. And as is mentioned, there are other growing challenges too—people are living longer, as the Cabinet Secretary mentioned. And, yes, certainly in the community and primary care, we are keeping people at home now who we didn't use to keep at home. Routinely, we have very frail 80 and 90-year-old people living alone, and that is a particular challenge, and it's a challenge that, from time to time, I'm in conversation with fire colleagues as to how to address those challenges. So, certainly, the field is changing, with more emphasis on prevention work, as the number of fires, as we've heard, reduce. In fact, that's become obvious when you look at the Welsh cartoon involving that scion of the firefighting community, Sam Tân—firefighter Sam. Obviously, I'm watching these videos now with my grandson and they are entirely different videos to the ones I was watching a generation ago with my children, involving that accident-prone community of Pontypandy—far more emphasis on prevention these days, and the expanded role of the fire services generally, which is to be welcomed, naturally.

Now, in 1999, only one of the 999 services was devolved to this Assembly. By 2005, the second 999 service was devolved, and that was the fire service. We still await further devolution of 999 services like the police. So, I welcome the Cabinet Secretary's comments about not devolving any control of the fire services to the police, certainly, who remain not devolved at the moment. So, I do welcome those comments. But, in terms of consistency, would the Cabinet Secretary agree with me in terms of—? I realise you've put your proposals, but you also said it's a White Paper, so you're entertaining other opinions. In terms of co-working between the different 999 services, how do you feel that consistency of boundaries and consistency of the means of funding the different 999 services would this help co-working and co-location of emergency responses to all of the 999 emergency services? 

Talking about your White Paper, on the second page, you've set out some proposals here. Have you got a preliminary idea of what the response of the fire and rescue authorities is to your proposed reforms? Plainly, we still remember that you had a little local difficulty recently, with regard to reforming local authorities. Have you had any indication of how fire and rescue authorities view these plans, because, obviously, we wouldn't want any danger of a rerun of that debacle, would we? Thank you. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Cyn imi ddechrau, mewn gwirionedd, mae'n gwbl briodol eich bod yn y gadair ar gyfer y datganiad hwn, Dirprwy Lywydd, gan mai chi yw'r ysbrydoliaeth y tu ôl i'r ddeddfwriaeth systemau chwistrellu rhag tân, ac mae hi'n briodol inni gydnabod hynny unwaith eto.

A gaf i ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet hefyd am ei ddatganiad a chroesawu llunio'r Papur Gwyn hwn? Mae'n briodol inni dalu teyrnged i ddiffoddwyr tân—mae hi'n briodol inni fod yn falch iawn ohonyn nhw a'u holl wasanaethau achub. Maen nhw, yn briodol iawn, fel y dywedir bob amser, yn peryglu eu cyrff. Ac fel y crybwyllwyd, ceir heriau cynyddol eraill hefyd—mae pobl yn byw'n hwy fel y soniodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Ac, ie, yn sicr yn y maes gofal cymunedol a gofal sylfaenol, rydym ni'n cadw pobl yn eu cartrefi yn awr nad oeddem ni'n arfer eu cadw yn eu cartrefi. Yn rheolaidd, mae gennym ni bobl eiddil iawn 80 a 90 mlwydd oed sy'n byw ar eu pen eu hunain, ac mae hynny'n her benodol, ac mae'n her, o bryd i'w gilydd, yr wyf yn ei thrafod gyda chydweithwyr o'r gwasanaethau tân ynghylch sut i fynd i'r afael â'r heriau hynny. Felly, yn sicr, mae'r maes yn newid, gyda mwy o bwyslais ar waith ataliol, wrth i nifer y tanau, fel yr ydym ni wedi clywed, leihau. Yn wir, mae hynny wedi dod yn amlwg wrth edrych ar y cartŵn Cymraeg sy'n cynnwys eicon y diffoddwyr tân, Sam Tân. Yn amlwg, rwy'n gwylio'r fideos hyn bellach gyda'r ŵyr ac maen nhw'n fideos hollol wahanol i'r rhai yr oeddwn i'n eu gwylio genhedlaeth yn ôl gyda'm plant, sy'n seiliedig ar gymuned Pontypandy lle mae rhywbeth o hyd yn mynd o chwith—ac mae llawer mwy o bwyslais ar atal y dyddiau hyn, ac ar swyddogaeth ehangach y gwasanaethau tân yn gyffredinol, sydd i'w groesawu, yn naturiol.

Nawr, ym 1999, dim ond un o'r gwasanaethau 999 oedd wedi'i ddatganoli i'r Cynulliad hwn. Erbyn 2005, roedd yr ail wasanaeth 999 wedi ei ddatganoli, sef y gwasanaeth tân. Rydym ni'n dal i ddisgwyl i wasanaethau 999 eraill gael eu datganoli, megis yr heddlu. Felly, rwy'n croesawu sylwadau Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ynghylch peidio â datganoli unrhyw reolaeth dros y gwasanaethau tân i'r heddlu, nad ydyn nhw, yn sicr wedi eu datganoli ar hyn o bryd. Felly, rwyf yn croesawu'r sylwadau hynny. Ond o ran cysondeb, a yw Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cytuno â mi o ran—? Rwy'n sylweddoli eich bod wedi cyflwyno eich cynigion, ond fe wnaethoch chi ddweud hefyd ei fod yn Bapur Gwyn, felly rydych chi'n croesawu safbwyntiau eraill. O ran cydweithio rhwng gwasanaethau 999 gwahanol, sut ydych chi'n teimlo y byddai cysondeb o ran ffiniau a chysondeb o ran y dull o ariannu gwasanaethau 999 gwahanol yn helpu i gael mwy o gyd-leoli a chydweithio rhwng y gwasanaethau brys o ran ymateb i achosion o argyfwng?  

A sôn am eich Papur Gwyn, ar yr ail dudalen, rydych chi wedi nodi rhai cynigion yma. Oes gennych chi syniad cychwynnol o ymateb yr awdurdodau tân ac achub i'ch diwygiadau arfaethedig? I siarad yn blaen, rydym ni'n dal i gofio y cawsoch chi ychydig o anhawster lleol yn ddiweddar, o ran diwygio awdurdodau lleol. Ydych chi wedi cael unrhyw argoel o farn yr awdurdodau tân ac achub am y cynlluniau hyn, oherwydd, yn amlwg, nid ydym ni eisiau gweld y llanast hwnnw'n cael ei ailadrodd, nac ydym? Diolch.

15:40

Deputy Presiding Officer, we met, of course, at Southwark cathedral when we were both there to pay tribute to the work of the Fire Brigades Union and firefighters over the last century, and the Plaid Cymru spokesperson is absolutely right to pay tribute to you in the work that you have done in the time that you've served here, both through the legislation you pioneered, but also, I think, as being—how shall I put this gently and diplomatically—a loud and clear voice for the fire service, for firefighters and the place of the fire service in our national life. I think all of us would want to join together across the Chamber in paying tribute to you for that work over the years. 

Dirprwy Lywydd, fe wnaethom ni gwrdd, wrth gwrs, yn eglwys gadeiriol Southwark pan oedd y ddau ohonom ni yno i dalu teyrnged i waith Undeb y Brigadau Tân a diffoddwyr tân dros y ganrif ddiwethaf, ac mae llefarydd Plaid Cymru yn llygad ei le yn talu teyrnged i chi am y gwaith yr ydych chi wedi ei wneud yn yr amser yr ydych chi wedi gwasanaethu yma, drwy'r ddeddfwriaeth yr ydych chi wedi arloesi gyda hi, ond hefyd, rwy'n credu, drwy fod—sut allaf i fynegi hyn yn foneddigaidd ac yn ddiplomataidd—yn llais uchel a chlir ar gyfer y gwasanaeth tân, diffoddwyr tân a lle'r gwasanaeth tân yn ein bywyd cenedlaethol. Rwy'n credu yr hoffai pob un ohonom ni yn y Siambr ymuno i dalu teyrnged i chi am y gwaith hwnnw dros y blynyddoedd.

You're not getting any more time—go on. Carry on. [Laughter.]

Ni chewch chi fwy o amser—ewch ymlaen. Ewch ymlaen. [Chwerthin.]

I'd be disappointed were you to show any leniency to me at all. [Laughter.]

But let me say this: clearly, the issues of prevention and awareness are issues that the fire services will be focusing upon in a way that perhaps they didn't in the past, and certainly not 20 or 30 years ago, and that is something that I hope we will continue to focus upon as we see a continued, I hope, decline in the overall amount of fires, particularly domestic fires.

I think it is right and proper—. And if the Member is able to take the time to read through the White Paper, he will see that we are seeking to be consistent in terms of the principles we follow in pursuing a reform programme. Those principles include localism. I want to see locally accountable, locally governed services. It is not my wish or my style to attempt to nationalise, if you like, the whole of our public services. I believe local accountability is important. I listened to an excellent lecture at lunchtime from the outgoing chief executive of the WLGA, and I was struck listening to him by the shared territory, where we share the ambitions, both himself and others, regarding the vision for the future of local government and local service delivery that we all want to see in the future. 

Clearly, we have given some consideration to the issue of boundaries and co-location of the blue light services. It is my strong view—it is a view of the Welsh Government—that policing should be devolved to this place, and we I think see the advantages of coherence in policy making and coherence in service delivery where we have a holistic way of managing and delivering absolutely core and key services. The points raised by the Member for Cardiff North during business questions of course refer to services where we do not have the same level of consistency and are unable to deliver a holistic approach to policy, and I think we see the consequences of that in its impact on people up and down our country.

Can I say, I have pursued, in my time here, the issues of co-location and co-working between the blue light services? I hope that the reforms we've put in place will be reforms that will enable that to continue, and I hope that we will see more co-location and more co-working in the future. In terms of the view that the fire and rescue authorities take to these matters, being a reforming Minister in this country can be a difficult task. Wales is a beautiful, wonderful country, full of conservative people for whom reform can sometimes be very, very difficult, and what I have to say to the Member is that this is a radical Government and we do seek radical reform. The Member can decide whether he sits as part of a reforming Assembly or not, and that is a matter for him to take forward, but I will say to you, in my experience of this place, when we are reforming, when we are looking towards putting in place structures that will serve us into the future, then we are delivering at our best for the people we seek to represent.

Fe fyddwn i'n siomedig pe baech chi'n dangos unrhyw drugaredd tuag ataf o gwbl. [Chwerthin.]

Ond gadewch i mi ddweud hyn: yn amlwg, mae'r materion o atal ac ymwybyddiaeth yn faterion y bydd y gwasanaethau tân yn canolbwyntio arnyn nhw mewn ffordd efallai na wnaethon nhw yn y gorffennol, ac yn sicr nid 20 neu 30 mlynedd yn ôl, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth y gobeithiaf y byddwn yn parhau i ganolbwyntio arno wrth inni weld, rwy'n gobeithio, gostyngiad parhaus yn nifer cyffredinol y tanau, tanau domestig yn benodol.

Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n addas ac yn briodol—. Ac os yw'r Aelod yn gallu rhoi o'i amser i ddarllen drwy'r Papur Gwyn, bydd yn gweld ein bod yn ceisio bod yn gyson o ran yr egwyddorion yr ydym ni'n eu dilyn wrth geisio gweithredu rhaglen ddiwygio. Mae'r egwyddorion hynny'n cynnwys gweithio'n lleol. Rwyf eisiau gweld gwasanaethau sy'n atebol yn lleol, ac sy'n cael eu rheoli yn lleol. Nid wyf eisiau nac yn bwriadu chwaith ceisio gwladoli, os mynnwch chi, ein holl wasanaethau cyhoeddus. Rwy'n credu bod atebolrwydd lleol yn bwysig. Fe wrandewais i ar ddarlith ardderchog amser cinio gan brif weithredwr Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, ac fe'm trawyd wrth wrando arno gan y tir cyffredin, lle'r ydym ni'n rhannu'r un uchelgais, yntau a phobl eraill, ynghylch y weledigaeth ar gyfer dyfodol llywodraeth leol a darparu gwasanaethau lleol yr ydym ni i gyd eisiau eu gweld yn y dyfodol.

Yn amlwg, rydym ni wedi rhoi rhywfaint o ystyriaeth i'r mater o ffiniau a chydleoli'r gwasanaethau brys. Fy marn gadarn i yw—a barn Llywodraeth Cymru yw hyn—y dylid datganoli plismona i'r lle hwn, ac rydym ni'n gweld, rwy'n credu, y manteision o ran cael cydlyniant wrth lunio polisïau a chydlyniant wrth ddarparu gwasanaethau lle mae gennym ni ffordd gynhwysfawr o reoli a darparu gwasanaethau sy'n hollol greiddiol ac allweddol. Mae'r pwyntiau a godwyd gan yr Aelod dros Ogledd Caerdydd yn ystod y cwestiynau busnes wrth gwrs yn cyfeirio at wasanaethau lle nad oes gennym ni'r un graddau o gysondeb ac na allwn ni ymdrin â pholisïau mewn modd cynhwysfawr, ac rwy'n credu ein bod ni'n gweld canlyniadau hynny yn ei effaith ar bobl ar hyd a lled ein gwlad.

A gaf i ddweud, rwyf wedi rhoi sylw, yn ystod fy amser yma, i'r materion o gydleoli'r gwasanaethau brys a chael mwy o gydweithio rhyngddynt? Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y diwygiadau yr ydym ni'n eu hargymell yn galluogi hynny i barhau, ac rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn ni'n gweld mwy o gydleoli a mwy o gydweithio yn y dyfodol. O ran barn yr awdurdodau tân ac achub ynglŷn â'r materion hyn, fe all hi fod yn anodd bod yn Weinidog yn y wlad hon os ydych chi â'ch bryd ar ddiwygio. Mae Cymru'n wlad hardd, wych, sy'n llawn o bobl geidwadol y gall diwygio fod yn anodd iawn, iawn iddyn nhw, a'r hyn sydd gennyf i i'w ddweud wrth yr Aelod yw mai Llywodraeth radical yw hon a'n bod ni'n dymuno diwygio mewn modd radical. Gall yr Aelod benderfynu a yw'n rhan o Gynulliad sy'n diwygio neu beidio, ac mae hynny'n fater iddo ef bendroni yn ei gylch, ond rwy'n dweud wrthych chi, yn fy mhrofiad i o'r lle hwn, pan ydym ni'n diwygio, pan ydym ni'n ystyried rhoi strwythurau ar waith a fydd yn ein gwasanaethu ni yn y dyfodol, yna rydym ni'n darparu'r gorau y gallwn ni ar gyfer y bobl yr ydym ni'n ceisio'u cynrychioli.

15:45

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement here today. I've got a couple of questions for you. Firstly, will you join with me in congratulating the extrication team from the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service? Not only are they now five times UK national champions, but, for the third year in succession, they recently won the world rescue organisation challenge in Cape Town, firmly putting South Wales Fire and Rescue Service on the map.

With regard to the consultation document, I notice your comments about governance arrangements. I'm not convinced that Cabinet members are better placed to offer scrutiny than backbenchers, who may hold senior scrutiny roles. For example, there's no requirement for councillors sitting on police and crime panels or local health boards to be executive members, and I'm concerned that this could lead to a hollowing out, with a small executive doing more and more and scope for backbench councillors being reduced. I'd be interested in your response to this.

Thirdly, I note the comments around reducing the size of authorities. However, I know authorities are required by statute to have a variety of standing committees, and a larger fire authority, of course, means that these are more manageable. What consideration have you placed on how this would work in practice?

Finally, in terms of the funding model, I do see the benefits of moving to a precept model, and, when I've met with the south Wales service, I've always been impressed by all that they do. I'd welcome more information around ministerial intervention, though, about what could happen when authorities don't actually agree on the level of the precept. So, for example, if it was just one authority that disagreed and the others agreed on the level of the precept, what would happen in that case? Because I'm concerned that that could lead to some potential problems.

Diolch ichi, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, am eich datganiad yma heddiw. Mae gen i ddau gwestiwn i chi. Yn gyntaf, a wnewch chi ymuno â mi wrth longyfarch tîm rhyddhau Gwasanaeth Tân ac Achub De Cymru? Erbyn hyn, maen nhw nid yn unig yn bencampwyr cenedlaethol bum gwaith yn y Deyrnas Unedig, ond, am y drydedd flwyddyn yn olynol, fe wnaethon nhw ennill her y sefydliad achub byd-eang yn ddiweddar yn Cape Town, gan roi Gwasanaeth Tân ac Achub De Cymru yn gadarn ar y map.

O ran y ddogfen ymgynghori, rwy'n sylwi ar eich sylwadau am drefniadau llywodraethu. Nid wyf yn argyhoeddedig bod aelodau Cabinet mewn sefyllfa well i graffu nac aelodau meinciau cefn, sydd o bosib â swyddogaethau craffu uwch. Er enghraifft, nid oes unrhyw ofyniad i gynghorwyr sy'n eistedd ar baneli yr heddlu a throseddu neu fyrddau iechyd lleol fod yn aelodau gweithredol, ac rwy'n bryderus y gallai hyn arwain at ddiberfeddu, gyda chriw bach o aelodau gweithredol yn gwneud mwy a mwy a chwmpas y cynghorwyr meinciau cefn yn cael ei leihau. Byddai gennyf ddiddordeb clywed eich ymateb i hyn.

Yn drydydd, nodaf y sylwadau ynghylch lleihau maint yr awdurdodau. Fodd bynnag, rwy'n gwybod ei bod hi'n ofynnol drwy statud i awdurdodau gael amrywiaeth o bwyllgorau sefydlog, ac mae awdurdod tân mwy, wrth gwrs, yn golygu bod y rhain yn fwy hydrin. Ydych chi wedi ystyried sut y bydd hyn yn gweithio yn ymarferol?

Yn olaf, o ran y model ariannu, rwyf yn gweld y manteision o symud i fodel praesept, a phan wyf wedi cyfarfod â gwasanaeth de Cymru mae'r hyn y maen nhw yn ei wneud wastad wedi gadael argraff arnaf. Byddwn yn croesawu mwy o wybodaeth ynghylch ymyrraeth gan Weinidogion, fydd bynnag, ynghylch beth allai ddigwydd pan nad yw awdurdodau mewn gwirionedd yn cytuno ar faint y praesept. Felly, er enghraifft, petai dim ond un awdurdod yn anghytuno a'r gweddill yn cytuno ar faint y praesept, beth fyddai'n digwydd yn yr achos hwnnw? Oherwydd rwy'n pryderu y gallai hynny arwain at rai problemau posib.

I'm grateful to the Member for her general welcome for the White Paper, and I'd certainly want to join her in congratulating the south Wales extrication team on the world rescue challenge that they have succeeded in winning again. It is one of the great pleasures of elected office that we all share the opportunity to meet people who perform such fantastic roles within our communities, and, certainly, I try to spend time talking to firefighters who are on the front line, as it were, delivering the services that we all need to see in our community. Can I say this? When I stood in the Rhondda talking to the firefighters who had just come back from Saddleworth and talking to firefighters who were dealing with the moorland fires across south Wales over the summer, I was struck by their professionalism, by their knowledge—sheer knowledge—and understanding of the threats that our communities were facing, but also their commitment to use that knowledge, to use that experience, in order to protect our people and our communities, and I think that's something that strikes me time and time again.

In terms of the role of backbench councillors, what we're seeking to do is to ensure that we have the levels of governance that are in place that can provide us with the assurance that we require in order to deliver both the local scrutiny and accountability—which we want to hold locally rather than create more national structures—but, at the same time, ensure that we do have the ability to link the work of the fire service into the work of other services being delivered by that authority. The points that were made by the Conservatives—by the Plaid Cymru spokesperson, I'm sorry—in this matter are quite important, because, in the same way as we want to see the devolution of policing to ensure that we have the coherence of ability to respond to and plan service interventions, we also want to have that same coherence between local authorities and the blue light services. And it is felt, and I feel, that by having an executive councillor or a cabinet member serving on the fire authority then we will have that link, and we will have more, and greater, coherence. Clearly, that is a debate that we will have over the coming months.

In terms of the funding models, I'm anxious that we are able to put in place a structure whereby local government and the fire and rescue authorities are able to jointly work and jointly agree a budget for the future. That is what I want. The Member quite rightly identifies areas where that can potentially not happen and where there are problems within that. Clearly, there would need to be backstop powers here to resolve that. What we're suggesting in this White Paper is that the backstop provides powers for Ministers, but powers only to intervene under certain circumstances and then to intervene to deliver a budget that is no higher than the fire and rescue authority proposes. So, those powers are delineated, if you like, or certainly have parameters beyond which a Minister could not intervene. But I see those as very much backstop powers that would enable an authority and a fire and rescue authority to reach agreement and to adjudicate if they're unable to do that. But I don't see those powers as being powers that would be available to a Minister unless the locally held powers, and unless the local authorities involved, were unable to reach agreement between themselves.

Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Aelod am ei chroeso cyffredinol i'r Papur Gwyn, ac yn sicr fe hoffwn i ymuno â hi i longyfarch tîm rhyddhau de Cymru ar yr her achub fyd-eang y maen nhw wedi llwyddo i'w hennill eto. Un o bleserau mawr swydd etholedig yr ydym ni i gyd yn ei rannu yw'r cyfle i gwrdd â phobl sy'n gwneud gwaith mor wych yn ein cymunedau, ac, yn sicr, rwy'n ceisio treulio amser yn siarad â diffoddwyr tân sydd ar y rheng flaen, fel petai, sy'n darparu'r gwasanaethau y mae angen inni i gyd eu gweld yn ein cymuned. A gaf i ddweud hyn? Pan sefais yn y Rhondda yn siarad â'r diffoddwyr tân a oedd newydd ddychwelyd o Saddleworth a phan oeddwn yn siarad â diffoddwyr tân a oedd yn ymdrin â thanau rhostir ar draws de Cymru dros yr haf, fe'm trawyd gan eu proffesiynoldeb, gan eu gwybodaeth—ehangder eu gwybodaeth—a'u dealltwriaeth o'r bygythiadau yr oedd ein cymunedau yn eu hwynebu, ond hefyd eu hymrwymiad i ddefnyddio'r wybodaeth honno, i ddefnyddio'r profiad hwnnw, er mwyn diogelu ein pobl a'n cymunedau, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth sy'n fy nharo drachefn a thrachefn.

O ran swyddogaeth cynghorwyr y meinciau cefn, yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ceisio ei wneud yw sicrhau bod gennym ni'r haenau llywodraethu sy'n gallu rhoi'r sicrwydd angenrheidiol inni er mwyn sicrhau craffu ac atebolrwydd lleol—yr ydym ni eisiau iddo fod yn lleol yn hytrach na chreu strwythurau cenedlaethol mwy— ond, ar yr un pryd, i sicrhau bod gennym ni'r gallu i gysylltu gwaith y gwasanaeth tân gyda gwaith y gwasanaethau eraill a ddarperir gan yr awdurdod hwnnw. Mae'r pwyntiau a wnaed gan lefarydd y Ceidwadwyr—Plaid Cymru, mae'n ddrwg gennyf—yn hyn o beth yn eithaf pwysig, oherwydd, yn yr un modd ag yr ydym ni eisiau gweld datganoli'r heddlu i sicrhau bod gennym ni'r cydlyniant gallu i ymateb i a chynllunio ymyriadau gwasanaeth, rydym ni hefyd eisiau yr un cydlyniant hwnnw rhwng awdurdodau lleol a gwasanaethau brys. A'r teimlad, rwy'n credu, yw drwy gael cynghorydd gweithredol neu aelod o'r cabinet yn gwasanaethu ar awdurdod tân, yna bydd gennym ni'r cysylltiad hwnnw, a bydd gennym ni fwy o gydlyniant a gwell cydlyniant. Yn amlwg, mae hynny'n drafodaeth y byddwn ni'n ei chael dros y misoedd nesaf.

O ran y modelau ariannu, rwy'n awyddus ein bod yn gallu sefydlu strwythur lle mae llywodraeth leol a'r awdurdodau tân ac achub yn gallu cydweithio a chytuno ar gyllideb ar y cyd ar gyfer y dyfodol. Dyna'r hyn y sydd arnaf ei eisiau. Mae'r Aelod yn gwbl briodol yn nodi meysydd lle mae'n bosib i hynny beidio â digwydd a lle ceir problemau yn hynny o beth. Yn amlwg, byddai angen pwerau wrth gefn i ddatrys hynny. Yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei awgrymu yn y Papur Gwyn hwn yw bod y pwerau wrth gefn hyn yn rhoi pwerau i Weinidogion, ond dim ond pwerau i ymyrryd o dan amgylchiadau penodol ac wedyn i ymyrryd i ddarparu cyllideb sy'n ddim uwch na'r hyn y mae'r awdurdod tân ac achub yn ei gynnig. Felly, mae'r pwerau hynny wedi eu dylunio, os mynnwch chi, neu yn sicr mae ffiniau iddynt na allai Gweinidog ymyrryd y tu hwnt iddynt. Ond rwy'n gweld y rhai hynny i raddau helaeth iawn fel pwerau wrth gefn a fyddai'n galluogi awdurdod ac awdurdod tân ac achub i gytuno a dyfarnu a allan nhw wneud hynny. Ond nid wyf yn gweld y pwerau hynny fel pwerau a fyddai ar gael i Weinidog oni bai bod y pwerau, ac oni bai bod yr awdurdodau lleol cysylltiedig, yn methu â dod i gytundeb ymysg ei gilydd. 

15:50

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I think I will start by saying we all owe a debt of gratitude to firefighters who enter buildings when the rest of us are leaving. A huge amount of work has been done on fire prevention, and credit has been paid to you and the sprinkler system, but the huge amount that's done by the fire service in going out and putting smoke alarms in houses have obviously saved many hundreds of lives.

I was hoping this statement would have involved the reconfiguration of fire and rescue services. I have long been of the view that a mid and west Wales fire and rescue service makes little operational sense. A major fire in Welshpool, for example, will want tenders from Wrexham; it won't want them from Swansea or Neath Port Talbot.

On governance, there is a substantial democratic deficit. This is not unique to the fire and rescue service; it covers all joint working. That's why people have some concerns over joint working. How will changing the current membership of fire and rescue authorities ensure that members are accountable to their electorate? Why not have a report from the fire and rescue to a scrutiny committee at each council, or, better still, have an annual report from the chief fire officer and the fire authority to a council meeting? How will appointing non-council members and reducing the number of councillors involved improve accountability?

On funding, can the Cabinet Secretary name another council service that would not like to change the fire and rescue authorities' ability to levy on the councils concerned? I think that both education and social services would leap at the chance to have this opportunity. So, we do need a better method of funding fire services because they are funded entirely differently. And it didn't matter when we had a growing amount of money in the public services; it does matter now. And I think that the Cabinet Secretary is right—we should not be afraid of change, but what we should always do is make sure change is for the better, not for the worse.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n credu y gwnaf i ddechrau drwy ddweud bod ar bob un ohonom ni ddyled o ddiolchgarwch i ddiffoddwyr tân sy'n mynd i adeiladau pan fo'r gweddill ohonom ni'n gadael. Mae llawer iawn o waith wedi'i wneud ar atal tannau, ac rydych chi a'r system chwistrellu wedi eu canmol, ond mae'r gwaith enfawr a wneir gan y gwasanaeth tân o ran mynd allan a rhoi larymau mwg mewn tai yn amlwg wedi arbed cannoedd o fywydau.

Roeddwn yn gobeithio y byddai'r datganiad hwn wedi cynnwys ad-drefnu gwasanaethau tân ac achub. Rwyf wedi bod o'r farn ers tro byd nad yw gwasanaeth tân ac achub ar gyfer y canolbarth a'r gorllewin yn gwneud fawr o synnwyr gweithredol. Er enghraifft, pe byddai tân mawr yn y Trallwng, byddai angen diffoddwyr o Wrecsam; nid o Abertawe neu Gastell-nedd Port Talbot.

O ran llywodraethu, mae diffyg democrataidd sylweddol. Nid yw hyn yn unigryw i'r gwasanaeth tân ac achub; mae'n berthnasol i bob math o gydweithio. Dyna pam mae rhai pryderon gan bobl dros weithio ar y cyd. Sut fydd newid aelodaeth bresennol awdurdodau tân ac achub yn sicrhau bod aelodau yn atebol i'w hetholwyr? Pam ddim cael adroddiad oddi wrth yr awdurdod tân ac achub i bwyllgor craffu ym mhob cyngor, neu, gwell fyth, cael adroddiad blynyddol gan y prif swyddog tân a'r awdurdod tân i gyfarfod cyngor? Sut fydd penodi aelodau nad ydyn nhw'n gynghorwyr a lleihau nifer y cynghorwyr yn gwella atebolrwydd?

O ran cyllid, a all Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet enwi gwasanaeth cyngor arall na hoffai newid gallu yr awdurdodau tân ac achub i godi ardoll ar y cynghorau dan sylw? Rwy'n credu y byddai addysg a'r gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn eiddgar iawn i gael cyfle o'r fath. Felly, mae angen dull gwell arnom ni o ariannu gwasanaethau tân oherwydd maen nhw yn cael eu hariannu mewn ffordd gwbl wahanol. Ac nid oedd ots pan oedd gennym ni swm cynyddol o arian yn y gwasanaethau cyhoeddus; mae yn bwysig bellach. Ac rwy'n credu bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn gywir—ni ddylem ni fod ag ofn newid, ond beth y dylem ni ei wneud bob amser yw gwneud yn siŵr bod y newid er gwell, nid er gwaeth.

I always welcome a contribution from the Member for Swansea East to the debate on reconfiguration of local services, and the consistency he shows in his contributions is sometimes to be welcomed.

Can I say—? Can I say that I agree with the points that he's made? And can I say also that, in many ways, we have inherited systems and structures from the past and that it is our duty and responsibility to ensure that they are fit for the future? And it is our responsibility, therefore, to look at those processes and structures to ensure that, periodically, we do have the opportunity to give the sort of considered thinking that these matters demand of us. In terms of the suggestions he's made over reports to scrutiny committees of local authorities, I very much would welcome that. Do you know, one of the debates and discussions we have around the powers held in local government and elsewhere forgets that the power of a local authority isn't simply the powers that are provided to it by statute, but the power it has as an elected body to represent the interests of the people it serves? As such, it can demand those reports, it can demand that people appear to give evidence, it can create the structures of scrutiny, and it doesn't need statute to do that, and it certainly doesn't need a Minister's blessing in order to do that. That is a matter for local government and I would encourage all local authorities across the whole of the country to ensure that they take forward their scrutiny function with that creative approach, if you like, which isn't delineated simply by what they're able to do or compelled to do by law. So, I'd certainly welcome that. 

In terms of the points that he makes—and I will try to make good time, Deputy Presiding Officer—I have considered the issue of boundaries, and it was a point raised, of course, by the Plaid Cymru spokesperson as well. At the moment, I do not believe that the case has been made for a significant change to any of the boundaries or the numbers of the current fire and rescue authorities. But what I am not doing is closing the door to such change, were that case to be made. Now, it is clearly possible to point to communities either side of any border and to say that those communities should work together in order to deliver services. That's the easiest thing in the world to do, and I accept that, clearly, in the example quoted, those authorities would, I would anticipate, work together to deliver the services they require. What we're talking about here is a different matter; it's about governance, and I'm yet to be convinced that there is a case for change along the lines that have been described by the Member, but my mind is not closed to that, and if he's able to present the arguments for the change he suggests, then I'm very happy to give that due consideration in the future.

In terms—. This is my final point, Deputy Presiding Officer. In terms of the point he makes on the additional I think it's two or three members that would sit on reformed boards in order to provide accountability, scrutiny and challenge, we are looking to ensure that we have the right mix of locally elected, locally accountable members who are able to provide challenge to the management of the authorities, but also to ensure that we have the skills mix within the new boards of fire and rescue authorities to ensure that we have the people there who are able to provide challenge to that board as well. That is the role of a non-executive director in many businesses up and down the country. It is a role that I would want to see performed within these new boards, but, again, this is the beginning of a consultation, not the end of a consultation, so I'd be very happy to join the debate if Members wish to contribute further over the coming months.

Rwyf wastad yn croesawu cyfraniad gan yr Aelod dros Ddwyrain Abertawe i'r ddadl ar ad-drefnu gwasanaethau lleol, ac mae'r cysondeb y mae'n ei ddangos yn ei gyfraniadau yn rhywbeth i'w groesawu.

A gaf i ddweud—? A gaf i ddweud fy mod i'n cytuno â'r sylwadau y mae wedi eu gwneud? Ac a gaf i ddweud hefyd ein bod ni, mewn sawl ffordd, wedi etifeddu systemau a strwythurau o'r gorffennol a'i bod hi'n ddyletswydd ac yn gyfrifoldeb arnom ni i sicrhau eu bod yn addas ar gyfer y dyfodol? A'n cyfrifoldeb ni, felly, yw edrych ar y prosesau a'r strwythurau i sicrhau, o bryd i'w gilydd, bod gennym ni'r cyfle i roi'r ystyriaeth ddwys sy'n ddyledus i'r materion hyn. O ran yr awgrymiadau y mae wedi eu gwneud o ran adroddiadau i bwyllgorau craffu awdurdodau lleol, byddwn yn croesawu hynny'n fawr iawn. Wyddoch chi, mae un o'r dadleuon a'r trafodaethau a gawsom ni o ran y pwerau sydd wedi eu crynhoi mewn llywodraeth leol a mannau eraill yn anghofio nad dim ond y pwerau a roddir drwy statud yw pwerau awdurdod lleol, ond y pŵer sydd ganddo fel corff etholedig i gynrychioli buddiannau'r bobl y mae'n eu gwasanaethu? Fel y cyfryw, gall fynnu'r adroddiadau hynny, gall alw ar bobl i ymddangos i roi tystiolaeth, gall greu strwythurau craffu, ac nid oes angen statud i wneud hynny, ac yn sicr nid oes angen sêl bendith Gweinidog arno er mwyn gwneud hynny. Mae hynny'n fater i lywodraeth leol ac rwy'n annog pob awdurdod lleol ledled y wlad i sicrhau eu bod yn defnyddio eu swyddogaeth graffu yn y modd creadigol hwnnw, os mynnwch chi, sydd ddim yn gaeth i'r hyn y maen nhw'n gallu ei wneud neu dan orfodaeth i'w wneud gan y gyfraith. Felly, rwy'n sicr yn croesawu hynny.

O ran y pwyntiau y mae'n eu gwneud—a byddaf yn ceisio cadw o fewn yr amser, Dirprwy Lywydd—rwyf wedi ystyried y mater o ffiniau, ac roedd yn bwynt a godwyd, wrth gwrs, gan lefarydd Plaid Cymru. Ar hyn o bryd, nid wyf yn credu bod dadl dros wneud newidiadau sylweddol i unrhyw un o'r ffiniau na niferoedd presennol awdurdodau tân ac achub. Ond nid wyf yn diystyru newid o'r fath yn llwyr, pe byddai dadl o'r fath yn cael ei chyflwyno. Nawr, mae hi'n amlwg yn bosib pwyntio at gymunedau ar y naill ochr i unrhyw ffin a dweud y dylai'r cymunedau hynny weithio gyda'i gilydd i ddarparu gwasanaethau. Dyna'r peth hawsaf yn y byd i'w wneud, ac rwy'n derbyn, yn amlwg, yn yr enghraifft a roddwyd, y byddai'r awdurdodau hynny, rwy'n rhagweld, yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd i ddarparu'r gwasanaethau y mae arnyn nhw eu hangen. Mae'r hyn yr ydym ni'n sôn amdano yma yn fater gwahanol; mae'n ymwneud â llywodraethu, ac rwyf eto i gael fy argyhoeddi bod dadl dros newid yn y modd a ddisgrifiwyd gan yr Aelod, ond nid wyf wedi diystyru hynny, ac os yw'n gallu cyflwyno'r dadleuon o blaid y newid y mae'n ei awgrymu, yna rwy'n hapus iawn i roi ystyriaeth briodol i hynny yn y dyfodol.

O ran—. Hwn yw fy mhwynt olaf, Dirprwy Lywydd. O ran y pwynt y maen ei wneud ynglŷn â'r ddau neu dri aelod ychwanegol rwy'n credu a fyddai'n eistedd ar fyrddau diwygiedig er mwyn eu dwyn i gyfrif, craffu a herio, rydym ni'n edrych i sicrhau bod gennym ni'r cyfuniad cywir o aelodau wedi eu hethol yn lleol, sy'n atebol yn lleol sy'n gallu herio rheolwyr yr awdurdodau, ond hefyd i sicrhau bod gennym ni'r cyfuniad o sgiliau ar fyrddau newydd yr awdurdodau tân ac achub i sicrhau bod gennym ni'r bobl yno sy'n gallu herio'r bwrdd hwnnw hefyd. Dyna swyddogaeth cyfarwyddwr anweithredol mewn llawer o fusnesau ar hyd a lled y wlad. Mae'n swyddogaeth yr wyf eisiau gweld ei chyflawni ar y byrddau newydd hyn, ond, unwaith eto, dyma ddechrau ymgynghoriad, nid diwedd ymgynghoriad, felly rwy'n hapus iawn i ymuno yn y ddadl os yw Aelodau yn dymuno cyfrannu ymhellach dros y misoedd nesaf.

15:55
5. Datganiad gan y Gweinidog Plant, Pobl Hŷn a Gofal Cymdeithasol: Gwella Canlyniadau i Blant: Lleihau'r Angen i Blant fynd i Mewn i Ofal, a Gwaith Grŵp Cynghori'r Gweinidog
5. Statement by the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care: Improving Outcomes for Children: Reducing the Need for Children to Enter Care, and the Work of the Ministerial Advisory Group

Yr eitem nesaf yw datganiad gan y Gweinidog Plant, Pobl Hŷn a Gofal Cymdeithasol: 'Gwella Canlyniadau i Blant: Lleihau'r Angen i Blant fynd i Mewn i Ofal, a Gwaith Grŵp Cynghori'r Gweinidog'. Galwaf ar y Gweinidog, Huw Irranca-Davies.

The next item is a statement by the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care: 'Improving Outcomes for Children: Reducing the Need for Children to Enter Care', and the Work of the Ministerial Advisory Group. I call on the Minister, Huw Irranca-Davies.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n ddiolchgar am y cyfle hwn i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i Aelodau ar y ffordd rydym ni'n cydweithio i wella sefyllfa plant sy'n derbyn gofal yng Nghymru.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm grateful for this opportunity to update Members on the collaborative approach we are taking to improve outcomes for looked-after children in Wales.

'Taking Wales Forward', Deputy Presiding Officer, sets out this Government’s commitment to

‘examine ways of ensuring looked after children enjoy the same life chances as other children and if necessary reform the way they are looked after’.

Our national strategy, 'Prosperity for All', also describes our priorities around supporting children and families at the edge of care and young people in care, particularly as they transition towards adulthood. Through my Improving Outcomes for Children programme, we are taking an ambitious cross-Government and cross-sector approach to help us achieve our priorities and fulfil our commitment. This programme, supported by my ministerial advisory group, chaired by our colleague David Melding Assembly Member, is covering a broad range of work, looking across the spectrum of care and support, but with a real focus on addressing the factors that can lead to children requiring local authority care.

Mae 'Symud Cymru Ymlaen', Dirprwy Lywydd, yn nodi ymrwymiad y Llywodraeth hon i

archwilio ffyrdd o sicrhau bod plant sy'n derbyn gofal yn mwynhau’r un cyfleoedd mewn bywyd â phlant eraill, a diwygio’r ffordd y gofelir amdanynt os oes angen.

Mae ein strategaeth genedlaethol, 'Ffyniant i Bawb', hefyd yn disgrifio ein blaenoriaethau ynglŷn â chefnogi plant a theuluoedd sydd ar gyrion y maes gofal a phobl ifanc sy'n derbyn gofal, yn enwedig wrth iddyn nhw ddatblygu i fod yn oedolion. Drwy fy rhaglen Gwella Canlyniadau i Blant, rydym yn mynd ati mewn modd uchelgeisiol sy'n cwmpasu'r Lywodraeth gyfan a phob sector i'n helpu i wireddu ein blaenoriaethau a chyflawni ein hymrwymiad. Mae'r rhaglen hon, a gefnogir gan fy ngrŵp cynghori, dan gadeiryddiaeth ein cyd-Aelod Cynulliad David Melding, yn cwmpasu amrywiaeth eang o waith, gan roi sylw i'r holl sbectrwm gofal a chymorth, ond gyda phwyslais gwirioneddol ar fynd i'r afael â ffactorau a all arwain at yr angen i blant fod yn derbyn gofal gan awdurdodau lleol.

The ministerial advisory group has representation from all senior leaders and organisations with an involvement in children’s services. The group has been instrumental in advising me on, and co-producing, the improving outcomes for children work programme, and I'm pleased our partners are actively involved in this work. In fact, I attended the last ministerial advisory group meeting, and I could see again that this collaborative way of working continues to be a real strength of the group.

So, what have we achieved? Well, you will remember last year we invested £9 million to support care-experienced children. I'd like to tell you some of the headline outcomes on how that money was used by local authorities. Over 1,900 care-experienced children across Wales have received funds via our £1 million St David's Day fund, to support their transition to adulthood and to independence. Our £5 million investment in local authority edge-of-care services meant that local authorities helped over 3,600 children to remain within the family unit, by working with more than 2,000 families. We now have edge-of-care services in all local authorities in Wales. Welsh Government funding has led to the establishment of regional Reflect services. During the past year, these services have supported 150 young parents whose children have been placed in the care system with a wide range of emotional and practical issues. This is a popular service, and we expect to see the number of referrals rise significantly in the coming years. We also provided £1 million to extend the provision of personal advisers, so that all care leavers up to the age of 25 are offered a personal adviser, regardless of circumstances. As a result, an additional 20 personal advisers have been recruited, and the extended offer has been taken up by more than 500 care leavers. And finally, care leavers have been helped to access opportunities in education, employment and training, with 70 young people now participating in a local authority work placement or a traineeship scheme. These are real, tangible outcomes that are having a direct and positive impact on the lives of children and young people.

We have progressed other areas of work. For example, in May this year, we published research on placement outcomes for children after a final care order. This important research showed that over three quarters of the children in the study experienced a high level of placement stability as well as identifying other positive experiences of care. We have also developed national standards for independent reviewing officers and for independent visitors to ensure there is quality and consistency of service. And we funded the first year of the implementation of the national fostering framework. I am very pleased that my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Finance last week published a consultation on exempting all care leavers from paying council tax so that we have a consistent approach right across Wales.

This is all good progress, but there is still more to do. Before the summer, I asked for the work programme to be accelerated and intensified, to expedite delivery against the key challenges, including those that were identified in 'Care Crisis Review'. As a result, the improving outcomes for children work programme has been refreshed. This third phase of the programme continues much of the important work that's already in train, but it places more emphasis on reducing the need for care by providing effective, preventative, early support to families, as well as ensuring therapeutic support to children and families is intrinsic throughout the programme. To inform this phase, my officials have carried out an appreciative inquiry across six local authorities. The inquiry highlighted good preventative social work and family support being delivered by local authorities. All of the local authorities demonstrated integrated care systems where multi-agency teams provided timely support to families so crises could be de-escalated or avoided, thereby helping families to stay safely together. To illustrate this, one example has been the use of family group meetings. This is a family-centered approach that enables children, young people, as well as wider family members, to participate and own solutions that will improve their circumstances. This is very much in keeping with our co-production approach, which is central to our Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. Investment in such preventative and early intervention approaches really does realise savings in the long term.

As part of the draft budget proposals announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance for 2019-20, an additional £30 million has been allocated to regional partnership boards to help strengthen these integration arrangements. Today, I'm pleased to announce that £15 million of this funding will be allocated to progress our shared ambition of reducing the need for children to be in care. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference to a whole-system change. 

I would like local authorities, third sector organisations and health boards to work together to use this fund flexibly and creatively across their regions. My expectation is that this money focuses on early intervention and preventative services for families in need of help and assistance, building on the approaches we already know help families avoid crisis situations. For those children and young people in care, I want to ensure we have in place the therapeutic services needed to help them successfully reunite with their families, where appropriate. 

Before I finish, I want to remind everyone that it is National Safeguarding Week. I'm really pleased that the Welsh Government is working with Stop It Now! Wales to launch a new campaign, which will help encourage the people of Wales to play their part in stopping child sexual abuse.  

Mae gan y grŵp cynghori gweinidogol gynrychiolaeth gan bob uwch arweinydd a sefydliad sy'n ymwneud â gwasanaethau i blant. Mae'r grŵp wedi bod yn allweddol o ran fy nghynghori ar, a chyd-gynhyrchu, y rhaglen waith gwella canlyniadau i blant, ac rwy'n falch bod ein partneriaid yn cymryd rhan weithredol yn y gwaith hwn. Yn wir, roeddwn yng nghyfarfod diwethaf y grŵp cynghori gweinidogol, ac fe allwn i weld unwaith eto bod y dull cydweithredol hwn o weithio yn parhau i fod yn gryfder gwirioneddol sydd gan y grŵp.

Felly, beth ydym ni wedi ei gyflawni? Wel, fe gofiwch chi y llynedd ein bod ni wedi buddsoddi £9 miliwn i gefnogi plant sydd wedi cael y profiad o dderbyn gofal. Fe hoffwn i ddweud wrthych chi am rai o'r prif ganlyniadau o ran sut y defnyddiwyd yr arian hwnnw gan awdurdodau lleol. Mae mwy na 1,900 o blant ledled Cymru sydd wedi bod drwy'r system gofal wedi cael arian drwy ein Cronfa Dydd Gŵyl Dewi £1 miliwn, i'w cefnogi wrth iddyn nhw drosglwyddo i fod yn oedolion ac i annibyniaeth. Roedd ein buddsoddiad o £5 miliwn mewn gwasanaethau gofal ymylol yn golygu bod awdurdodau lleol wedi helpu dros 3,600 o blant i aros o fewn yr uned deuluol, drwy weithio gyda mwy na 2,000 o deuluoedd. Mae gennym bellach wasanaethau gofal ymylol ym mhob awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru. Mae cyllid gan Lywodraeth Cymru wedi arwain at sefydlu gwasanaethau Adlewyrchu rhanbarthol. Yn ystod y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, mae'r gwasanaethau hyn wedi cefnogi 150 o rieni ifanc y mae eu plant wedi eu rhoi yn y system gofal gydag amrywiaeth eang o faterion emosiynol ac ymarferol. Mae hwn yn wasanaeth poblogaidd, ac rydym yn disgwyl gweld nifer y rhai sy'n cael eu hatgyfeirio yn codi yn sylweddol yn y blynyddoedd i ddod. Rydym ni hefyd wedi darparu £1 miliwn i ymestyn y ddarpariaeth o gynghorwyr personol, fel bod pawb hyd at 25 oed sy'n gadael gofal, waeth beth fo'u hamgylchiadau, yn cael cynnig cynghorydd personol. O ganlyniad, mae 20 o gynghorwyr personol ychwanegol wedi eu recriwtio erbyn hyn, ac mae mwy na 500 o'r rhai sy'n gadael gofal wedi derbyn y cynnig estynedig. Ac yn olaf, mae'r rhai sy'n gadael gofal wedi cael cymorth i fanteisio ar gyfleoedd mewn addysg, gwaith a hyfforddiant, gyda 70 o bobl ifanc yn cael lleoliad gwaith drwy'r awdurdod lleol neu'n mynd ar gynllun hyfforddeiaeth. Mae'r rhain yn ganlyniadau real, mesuradwy, sy'n cael effaith uniongyrchol a chadarnhaol ar fywydau plant a phobl ifanc.

Rydym ni wedi gwneud cynnydd gyda meysydd gwaith eraill. Er enghraifft, ym mis Mai eleni, fe wnaethom ni gyhoeddi ymchwil ar ganlyniadau lleoliadau i blant ar ôl gorchymyn gofal terfynol. Roedd yr ymchwil pwysig hwn yn dangos bod dros dri chwarter y plant yn yr astudiaeth yn sefydlog iawn o ran lleoliadau yn ogystal â nodi profiadau cadarnhaol eraill o ofal. Rydym ni hefyd wedi datblygu safonau cenedlaethol ar gyfer swyddogion adolygu annibynnol ac ar gyfer ymwelwyr annibynnol i sicrhau ansawdd a chysondeb y gwasanaeth. Ac fe wnaethom ni ariannu blwyddyn gyntaf gweithredu'r fframwaith maethu cenedlaethol. Rwy'n falch iawn bod fy nghyd-Aelod, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid, wedi cyhoeddi ymgynghoriad yr wythnos diwethaf ynglŷn ag eithrio bawb sy'n gadael gofal rhag talu'r dreth gyngor fel bod gennym ni gysondeb ledled Cymru.

Mae hyn i gyd yn gynnydd da, ond mae mwy eto i'w wneud. Cyn yr haf, gofynnais am y rhaglen waith i gael ei chyflymu a'i dwysáu, i hwyluso cyflawni yn erbyn yr heriau allweddol, gan gynnwys y rhai a nodwyd yn 'Adolygiad o Ofal mewn Argyfwng'. O ganlyniad, mae'r rhaglen waith gwella canlyniadau ar gyfer plant wedi ei hadnewyddu. Mae'r trydydd cam hwn o'r rhaglen yn parhau llawer o'r gwaith pwysig sydd eisoes ar y gweill, ond mae'n rhoi mwy o bwyslais ar leihau'r angen am ofal drwy ddarparu cymorth effeithiol, ataliol a chynnar i deuluoedd, yn ogystal â sicrhau bod cefnogaeth therapiwtig i blant a theuluoedd yn hanfodol drwy gydol y rhaglen. Er mwyn llywio'r cam hwn, mae fy swyddogion yn cynnal ymchwiliad gwerthfawrogol ar draws chwe awdurdod lleol. Mae'r ymchwiliad yn tynnu sylw at waith cymdeithasol ataliol da a chymorth i deuluoedd a ddarperir gan awdurdodau lleol. Roedd pob awdurdod lleol yn dangos bod ganddyn nhw systemau gofal integredig lle mae timau aml-asiantaeth yn darparu cymorth amserol i deuluoedd fel y gallai argyfyngau gael eu lleihau neu eu hosgoi, gan helpu teuluoedd i aros gyda'i gilydd yn ddiogel. I ddangos hyn, un enghraifft oedd defnyddio cyfarfodydd grŵp teulu. Mae hyn yn ddull sy'n canolbwyntio ar y teulu sy'n galluogi plant, pobl ifanc, yn ogystal ag aelodau'r teulu ehangach, i gymryd rhan a rhoi eu hatebion eu hunain a fydd yn gwella eu hamgylchiadau. Mae hyn yn gydnaws â'n dull cydgynhyrchu, sy'n ganolog i'n Deddf Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a Llesiant (Cymru) 2014. Mae buddsoddi mewn dulliau ataliol ac ymyraeth gynnar o'r fath yn sicrhau arbedion yn y tymor hir. 

Yn rhan o gynigion y gyllideb ddrafft a gyhoeddwyd gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet dros gyllid ar gyfer 2019-20, dyranwyd £30 miliwn yn ychwanegol i fyrddau partneriaeth rhanbarthol i helpu i gryfhau'r trefniadau integreiddio hyn. Heddiw, rwyf yn falch o gyhoeddi y bydd £15 miliwn o'r arian hwn yn cael ei ddyrannu i symud ymlaen ein huchelgais a rennir o leihau'r angen i blant fod yn derbyn gofal. Mae hwn yn gyfle cyffrous i wneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol er mwyn newid y system gyfan.

Hoffwn i awdurdodau lleol, sefydliadau'r trydydd sector a byrddau iechyd weithio gyda'i gilydd i ddefnyddio'r gronfa hon mewn modd hyblyg a chreadigol ar draws eu rhanbarthau. Fy nisgwyliad yw y bydd yr arian hwn yn canolbwyntio ar wasanaethau ataliol ac ymyrraeth gynnar ar gyfer teuluoedd sydd angen cefnogaeth a chymorth, gan adeiladu ar y dulliau y gwyddom eisoes sydd yn helpu teuluoedd i osgoi sefyllfaoedd argyfwng. Ar gyfer y plant a'r bobl ifanc hynny sy'n derbyn gofal, rwyf eisiau sicrhau bod gennym ar waith y gwasanaethau therapiwtig sydd eu hangen i'w helpu i aduno â'u teuluoedd yn llwyddiannus pan fo hynny'n briodol.

Cyn imi orffen, hoffwn atgoffa pawb ei bod hi'n Wythnos Diogelu Genedlaethol. Rwyf yn falch iawn bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda Stop It Now! Cymru i lansio ymgyrch newydd, a fydd yn helpu i annog pobl Cymru i chwarae eu rhan wrth atal cam-drin plant yn rhywiol.

Rwy'n gobeithio, felly, eich bod chi'n cytuno ein bod ni wedi gwneud cryn gynnydd o ran gwella sefyllfa plant yng Nghymru. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at fynd i ddigwyddiad cenedlaethol ar wella sefyllfa plant ddydd Iau, lle bydd yna gyfle i rannu'r hyn yr ydw i wedi'i ddysgu, rhannu dulliau arloesol, a chydnabod y llwyddiannau. Ond yn bwysicaf oll, bydd yn gyfle i wrando a dysgu gan unigolion sydd â phrofiad personol o fod mewn gofal. Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd.

I hope, therefore, that you will agree that we have made significant progress in terms of improving outcomes for children in Wales. I am looking forward to attending the improving outcomes for children national event on Thursday, where there will be an opportunity to share learning, to share innovative approaches and to recognise successes. But, most importantly, it'll be an opportunity to listen and learn from individuals who have first-hand experience of being in care. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.

16:05

I speak as chair of the ministerial advisory group, which makes my response from the Conservative benches slightly irregular. So, I'll have a judicious mix of both roles, I think. But it is a serious point here that I think work in this area, which is very challenging, but there's a lot of good practice and good outcomes out there as well, requires to the maximum extent a non-partisan approach, and I think this work throughout the life of the Assembly has achieved that level of consensus, and the need to ensure better outcomes for those children and young people that we look after.

I think, Minister, that you're right to emphasise that the ministerial advisory group is now entering a key period, and this has required the work programme to be updated. I just want to say a little bit about that in a moment. It reflects, really, I think, the five-year term of the work. The initial phase was very much filling in the data gaps, commissioning some really important studies—you've referred to one that demonstrated the good outcomes that were measured after a final care order, and something like 75 per cent of children felt that they'd benefitted. So it is a sector, often, that is portrayed by its problems, because sometimes events occur that are really devastating, and obviously quite properly very newsworthy, but there's an awful lot of good practice out there, and it is very much building on that.

As far as the new work programme and its additions and development go, can I think Phil Evans, the co-chair of the MAG group and the former director of social services in the Vale of Glamorgan, and also the officials in your department that have produced the work plan? It has required a huge amount of work. It's been shaped by MAG, but we still needed the engine room of the operation group, led by Phil Evans, to draw it all together. It's largely analysis of the existing work and what's been achieved, a reflection on the data and reports that I just mentioned, and extensive consultation. I must say the consultation efforts are greatly aided by the other co-chair, Dan Pitt, from Voices from Care, and indeed the whole collaborative working of the ministerial advisory group has really been possible because of the extensive involvement in the group of various Welsh Government departments that have a key role—housing and public health, for instance—local authorities' children's services, and also the cabinet leads and the non-governmental organisations—the third sector. I think it has really given the group a dynamism and an ability to speak to you with authority and really provide that high-level advice that you need.

The programme now reflects the importance of prevention and early support, and, in addition, things that it has decided to emphasise that were either in the work plan but not prominent enough, or have now been absorbed into the work plan, and I'm just mentioning the changes here. But the emphasis on therapeutic services, I think, in large part, was driven by Lynne Neagle's or the committee that Lynne chairs' 'Mind over matter' report, which had a big impact in the discussion that the MAG was having, and the importance of therapeutic services linked into emotional well-being, which is constantly referred to by looked-after children as something that they really, really need, and that's a level of support.

Another area that was fairly new to me, I have to say, but has perhaps been overlooked, and that's the level of kinship caring that goes on. And that's a resource—many countries absolutely have a policy to make that more of a resource. But, certainly, it is used, it is very appropriate in certain cases, and perhaps we've not been as advanced in our thinking in this area in how we can support kinship carers.

The well-being of future generations Act has also shaped the MAG's work very considerably, and I know that's an important feature for you as well.

The problem of homelessness for care leavers is a very great one, and how we support care leavers in their tenancies is clearly a crucial element of our role as corporate parents, one can say. And I'm glad that a piece of work has been commissioned from the Wales Public Policy Institute, and I think that will help very much. I think, for care leavers, the housing situation is as crucial as the education situation and educational attainment is for those in care when they're going through formal education.

And then adverse childhood experience frameworks have come to play a big part in tying together a lot of the various threads of the ministerial advisory group's work.

Can I also welcome the funding? The £9 million that launched the programme a couple of years ago has a huge, I think, impact on local authorities developing best practice, and I think it sends a very positive signal that there is another funding stream.

And can I just say, do you agree with me that what we are seeing emerge is a fuller concept of the corporate parenting role? Which means every public agency, but also in the political field—obviously, you have a leadership role there, but it's also your colleagues, it's also us as Members that scrutinise the Government, and it's key partners, politicians in the council—the cabinet leads and the committee chairs that are doing the scrutiny. And all councillors ought to, surely, or all councils ought to follow the decision that Cardiff council made to train all their councillors in looked-after children's issues. And they're making progress on that. Perhaps not as quickly as they would like, but that's the sort of leadership that we do need to see really emerge to give us a full corporate parenting picture. Thank you.

Rwy'n siarad fel cadeirydd grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog, sy'n gwneud fy ymateb o feinciau'r Ceidwadwyr ychydig yn afreolaidd. Felly, bydd gennyf gyfuniad doeth o ddwy swyddogaeth, rwy'n credu. Ond mae'n bwynt difrifol yn y fan yma fy mod i'n credu bod gwaith yn y maes hwn, sy'n heriol iawn, ond y mae llawer o arfer da a chanlyniadau da i'w gweld hefyd, yn ei gwneud hi'n ofynnol cael dull amhleidioli i'r graddau mwyaf posibl, ac rwy'n credu bod y gwaith hwn drwy gydol oes y Cynulliad wedi cyrraedd y consensws hwnnw, a'r angen i sicrhau gwell canlyniadau ar gyfer y plant a'r bobl ifanc yr ydym ni'n gofalu amdanynt.

Rwy'n credu, Gweinidog, eich bod yn iawn i bwysleisio bod grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog yn awr yn dod at gyfnod allweddol, ac mae hyn wedi gofyn am ddiweddaru'r rhaglen waith. Hoffwn ddweud ychydig am hynny mewn munud. Mae'n adlewyrchu, mewn gwirionedd, rwy'n credu, tymor pum mlynedd y gwaith. Y cam cychwynnol i raddau helaeth iawn oedd llenwi'r bylchau data, comisiynu rhai astudiaethau gwirioneddol bwysig—rydych chi wedi cyfeirio at un a oedd yn dangos y canlyniadau da a fesurwyd ar ôl gorchymyn gofal terfynol, ac mae tua 75 y cant o blant yn teimlo eu bod wedi elwa. Felly mae'n sector, yn aml, a bortreadir gan ei broblemau, oherwydd weithiau mae pethau'n digwydd sy'n ddinistriol iawn, ac yn gwbl briodol yn destun newyddion, ond ceir llawer iawn o arferion da ar lawr gwlad, ac mae a wnelo hyn i raddau helaeth ag adeiladu ar hynny.

O ran y rhaglen waith newydd a'i hychwanegiadau a'r datblygu, a gaf i ddiolch i Phil Evans, cyd-gadeirydd grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog a chyn-gyfarwyddwr y gwasanaethau cymdeithasol ym Mro Morgannwg, a hefyd y swyddogion yn eich adran, sydd wedi cynhyrchu'r cynllun gwaith? Mae wedi golygu llawer iawn o waith. Fe'i lluniwyd gan grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog, ond roeddem ni'n dal i fod angen gweithgarwch y grŵp gweithredu, a arweinir gan Phil Evans, i'w gasglu ynghyd. I raddau helaeth mae'n ddadansoddiad o'r gwaith presennol a'r hyn a gyflawnwyd, yn adlewyrchiad o'r data a'r adroddiadau yr wyf newydd eu crybwyll, ac ymgynghori helaeth. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod yr ymdrechion ymgynghori yn cael cymorth mawr gan y cyd-gadeirydd arall, Dan Pitt, Voices From Care, ac yn wir mae holl gydweithio grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog mewn gwirionedd wedi bod yn bosibl oherwydd y rhan helaeth a chwaraewyd gan amrywiol adrannau Llywodraeth Cymru sydd â swyddogaeth allweddol yn y grŵp—tai ac iechyd y cyhoedd, er enghraifft—gwasanaethau plant awdurdodau lleol, a hefyd yr arweinyddion cabinet a sefydliadau anllywodraethol—y trydydd sector. Rwy'n credu mewn difrif fod hyn wedi rhoi i'r grŵp yr egni a'r gallu i siarad â chi gydag awdurdod a darparu'r cyngor trylwyr hwnnw sydd ei angen mewn gwirionedd.

Mae'r rhaglen bellach yn adlewyrchu pwysigrwydd atal a chymorth cynnar, a, hefyd, pethau y mae wedi penderfynu eu pwysleisio a oedd naill ai yn y cynllun gwaith ond ddim yn ddigon amlwg, neu sydd bellach wedi cael eu hamsugno i'r cynllun gwaith, a dim ond  sôn am y newidiadau yr wyf i yma. Ond roedd y pwyslais ar wasanaethau therapiwtig, rwy'n credu, i raddau helaeth wedi ei sbarduno gan adroddiad Lynne Neagle neu adroddiad y pwyllgor y mae Lynne yn gadeirydd arno, 'Cadernid meddwl', a gafodd effaith fawr ar y drafodaeth yr oedd y grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog yn ei chael, a phwysigrwydd gwasanaethau therapiwtig yn gysylltiedig â lles emosiynol, y cyfeirir ato drwy'r amser gan blant sy'n derbyn gofal fel rhywbeth y maen nhw wirioneddol ei angen, ac mae hynny'n lefel o gymorth.

Maes arall a oedd yn gymharol newydd i mi, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, ond sydd efallai wedi ei esgeuluso, yw faint o ofal a roddir gan berthnasau. Ac mae hynny'n adnodd—mae gan lawer o wledydd bolisi yn sicr i wneud hynny'n fwy o adnodd. Ond, yn sicr, caiff ei ddefnyddio, mae'n briodol iawn mewn achosion penodol, ac efallai nad ydym ni wedi bod mor graff yn y maes hwn yn y modd y gallwn ni gefnogi gofalwyr sy'n berthnasau.

Mae Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol hefyd wedi dylanwadu ar waith grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog yn sylweddol iawn, ac rwy'n gwybod bod hynny'n nodwedd bwysig i chi hefyd.

Mae'r broblem o ddigartrefedd i'r rhai sy'n gadael gofal yn un fawr iawn, ac mae sut yr ydym ni'n cefnogi'r rhai sy'n gadael gofal gyda'u tenantiaethau yn amlwg yn elfen hollbwysig o'n swyddogaeth fel rhieni corfforaethol, gellid dweud. Ac rwy'n falch bod gwaith wedi'i gomisiynu gan Sefydliad Polisi Cyhoeddus Cymru, ac rwy'n credu y bydd hynny'n gymorth mawr. Credaf, o ran y rhai sy'n gadael gofal, bod y sefyllfa dai yn un mor hanfodol â'r sefyllfa addysg a chyrhaeddiad addysgol ar gyfer y rhai sydd mewn gofal pan fyddan nhw'n cael addysg ffurfiol.

Ac yna mae'r fframweithiau profiad niweidiol yn ystod plentyndod wedi dod i chwarae rhan fawr mewn dod â sawl gwahanol elfen o waith grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog at ei gilydd.

A gaf i groesawu'r cyllid hefyd? Mae'r £9 miliwn a lansiodd y rhaglen ddwy flynedd yn ôl yn cael effaith fawr, rwy'n credu, ar awdurdodau lleol i ddatblygu arfer gorau, ac rwy'n credu ei fod yn arwydd cadarnhaol iawn bod ffynhonell arianol arall ar gael.

Ac a gaf i ddim ond dweud, a ydych chi'n cytuno â mi mai'r hyn yr ydym ni'n ei weld yn dod i'r amlwg yw cysyniad llawnach o swyddogaeth rhianta corfforaethol? Sy'n golygu pob asiantaeth gyhoeddus, ond hefyd yn y maes gwleidyddol—yn amlwg, mae gennych chi swyddogaeth arweinyddiaeth yn y maes hwnnw, ond mae hefyd yn golygu eich cyd-weithwyr, a ninnau hefyd fel Aelodau yn craffu ar y Llywodraeth, a'i phartneriaid allweddol, gwleidyddion yn y cyngor—yr arweinyddion cabinet a chadeiryddion pwyllgor sy'n gwneud y gwaith craffu. A dylai'r holl gynghorwyr, does bosib, neu dylai'r holl gynghorau ddilyn penderfyniad Cyngor Caerdydd i hyfforddi bob cynghorydd ym materion plant sy'n derbyn gofal. Ac maen nhw'n gwneud cynnydd ar hynny. Efallai ddim mor gyflym ag y byddent yn ei hoffi, ond dyna'r math o arweinyddiaeth y mae angen inni ei weld mewn gwirionedd yn dod i'r amlwg i roi darlun llawn inni o rianta corfforaethol. Diolch. 

16:10

I did allow the Member there some licence, given that he chairs the ministerial working group—task group, but that same licence doesn't apply to the rest of the speakers, I'm afraid. Neither does it to the Minister for winding up as well.

Fe wnes i roi ychydig o benrhyddid i'r aelod yn y fan yna, o gofio ei fod yn cadeirio'r gweithgor gweinidogol—y grŵp gorchwyl, ond nid yw'r un penrhyddid hwnnw yn berthnasol i weddill y siaradwyr, mae arnaf i ofn. Nac i'r Gweinidog wrth iddo ddirwyn i ben ychwaith. 

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'll keep my response very, very brief. It is, undoubtedly, a big strength of our approach that this is cross-Government, cross-sector, but also, it is non-partisan. This is an agenda that we all have a role to play in, and we all need to bring our experience and knowledge and understanding, including, by the way—and I welcome your words of tribute to both your co-chairs—the co-chair who himself is care experienced. I think that's vital within this. This is genuine co-production in line with the legal framework that we've set up. This is not Government doing to people, it's Government working with people to come up with the right solutions. I absolutely applaud the work that's been done already by the MAG and it is having an effect already. We are seeing that in the evidence that is coming forward, without a doubt. But the prominence now and the priority given to certain work streams, in addition to those around therapeutic services—we've got much more to do on that. I think there is exciting work that the MAG will do and that Government needs to bring forward on that as well, both therapeutic services generally but also therapeutic services as might apply to residential care particularly, kinship care and transition to independent living and the corollary of that, which is homelessness, if we do not get it right.

The funding will help, undoubtedly, but just to reply to the point made on corporate parenting and to pay tribute to David in particular, who's very much led the agenda around corporate parenting, we all have a role—every individual, every scrutineer, every local government official, senior leader, head of directorate. All of us have a role in stepping up to the mark now in order to improve the outcomes for care-experienced children and young people. And that is starting to happen and we're doing it because there is a shared agenda now and we need to keep this momentum going. It's not the funding per se that will transform this, it'll be the fact we focus on the important priority areas that are brought forward by the MAG and by others that say, 'This is what will make the difference.' The funding will help.

Diolch ichi, Dirprwy Lywydd. Fe wnaf i gadw fy ymateb yn fyr iawn, iawn. Yn sicr, cryfder mawr ein ffordd o weithio yw ei bod hi'n traws-lywodraethol, yn draws-sector, ond hefyd yn amhleidiol. Mae hon yn agenda y mae gennym ni i gyd ran i'w chwarae ynddi, ac mae angen i bob un ohonom ni ddod â'n profiad a'n gwybodaeth a'n dealltwriaeth, gan gynnwys, gyda llaw—ac rwy'n croesawu eich geiriau o deyrnged i'ch dau gyd-gadeirydd—gyda'r cyd-gadeirydd sydd ei hun â phrofiad o'r byd gofal. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n hanfodol yn hyn i gyd. Dyma gyd-gynhyrchu mewn difrif yn unol â'r fframwaith cyfreithiol yr ydym ni wedi ei sefydlu. Nid Llywodraeth yn teyrnasu ar bobl yw hyn, ond Llywodraeth yn gweithio gyda phobl i lunio atebion cywir. Rwy'n cymeradwyo'n llwyr y gwaith sydd wedi'i wneud eisoes gan grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog ac mae'n cael effaith eisoes. Rydym ni'n gweld hynny yn y dystiolaeth sy'n dod i law, heb unrhyw amheuaeth. Ond mae'r amlygrwydd yn awr a'r flaenoriaeth a roddir i ffrydiau gwaith penodol, yn ogystal â rhai sy'n ymwneud â gwasanaethau therapiwtig—mae gennym ni lawer mwy i'w wneud ar hynny. Rwy'n credu bod gwaith cyffrous y bydd grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog yn ei wneud ac y mae angen i'r Llywodraeth ei gyflwyno yn y maes hwnnw hefyd, gwasanaethau therapiwtig yn gyffredinol ond gwasanaethau therapiwtig hefyd fel y gallent fod yn berthnasol i ofal preswyl yn benodol, gofal gan berthnasau a phontio i fyw'n annibynnol a chanlyneb hynny, sef digartrefedd, os na wnawn ni hyn yn iawn.

Bydd cyllid yn helpu, yn sicr, ond dim ond i ymateb i'r sylw a wnaed ynglŷn â rhianta corfforaethol ac i dalu teyrnged i David yn arbennig, sydd wedi arwain yr agenda ynghylch rhianta corfforaethol i raddau helaeth iawn, mae gan bob un ohonom ni swyddogaeth—pob unigolyn, pob un sy'n craffu, pob swyddog llywodraeth leol, yr uwch-arweinydd, pennaeth y gyfarwyddiaeth. Mae gan bob un ohonom ni swyddogaeth i wneud ein dyletswydd yn awr er mwyn rhoi canlyniadau gwell i blant a phobl ifanc sydd wedi bod yn y system gofal. Ac mae hynny'n dechrau digwydd ac rydym ni yn ei wneud oherwydd ceir agenda gyffredin erbyn hyn ac mae angen inni gynnal y momentwm hwn. Nid y cyllid fel y cyfryw a fydd yn gweddnewid hyn, ond y ffaith inni ganolbwyntio ar y meysydd blaenoriaeth pwysig y mae grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog yn eu datblygu, a chan bobl eraill sy'n dweud, 'Dyma beth fydd yn gwneud y gwahaniaeth.' Bydd y cyllid yn helpu.

16:15

Can I begin by saying how much I welcome the statement? I'm really pleased to see how much progress is being made in this very important area of work. Of course, we would expect no less, particularly with my friend David Melding chairing the ministerial advisory group. I think we all know that his commitment to the well-being of children, particularly very vulnerable children and children in care, is absolutely second to none. I'd echo what David has said and what the Minister has said about the importance of a non-partisan approach on these issues. 

I'm also very pleased, Minister, to see that there's no complacency here, that you're recognising very clearly that there is more work to do. I'll actually raise a couple of questions in that context. I won't ask you to comment on a particular case, but we are aware that there are some local authorities that are doing better in this field than others. In my own region, I continue to have some concerns about Powys, and I hope that the Minister can reassure us today that, while working very strongly on this collaborative approach, there will be no prisoners taken if there are partners who are failing these most vulnerable children and young people. 

The statement itself makes no specific reference to taking a rights-based approach to developing policy in this field. It may very well be, Minister, that this is because you're taking this as read, but given how difficult we know it can be to mainstream a rights-based approach into work with children across the public sector, I would like to give you the opportunity to confirm that the rights-based approach is at the heart of your policy development and your expectations of others and of the work of the ministerial advisory group, and to commit perhaps to making this more explicit in future. Because whereas that may come naturally perhaps to some of us in this Chamber, there are many others providing services to children and young people who unfortunately remain to be convinced.

I welcome very much the work being done to enable children at risk of being taken into care to stay with their families where that's possible and where that's safe. However, I had some constituency casework brought to me and I'm concerned that there are times still when legal proceedings lead to a child bouncing between birth parents who can't, sadly, cope and foster parents, delaying adoption outcomes where this is best for the child. Can you tell us what discussions you've been having with the family court services with a view to minimising the number of occasions when this happens, given how very damaging that is for very vulnerable children, and very young children, very often?

I very much welcome the investment—the £15 million is very much to be welcomed, and I very much welcome the fact that we're looking at reducing the need for children to be taken into care. We'd all welcome that, but can you confirm, Minister, that your expectation is that this new funding will create sustainable services? Given the pressure that there is on local government funding, it is too often the case that good investment is put in to kick-start positive work but there then isn't the resources to carry on innovative programmes, for example, even when they're proved to work. So, can you reassure us today that this £15 million will not be a one-off and that those new services will be able to be sustained?

Minister, you'll be aware of the large number of private children's homes, particularly in rural Wales, accommodating very vulnerable young people out of county, very often from large cities in England. I've had constituents raise concerns with me about some of these, particularly when they're in very isolated rural locations. Can you confirm to us today that you are satisfied that the current inspection and regulation regime sufficiently protects the best interests of these looked-after children? They are maybe not always our looked-after children, but my view, and I'm sure your view, would be that, while they're in Wales, we have the same duty of care to them as we do for Welsh-domiciled children. And would you consider writing to Members to update us on arrangements for those inspections, so that I can reassure the constituents who've raised concerns with me?

And finally, you refer in the statement to listening and learning from those who've had first-hand experiences of being in care. I'm very glad to see that the ministerial group is jointly chaired by a person with care experience, but could you take this opportunity to tell the Assembly a little more about how care-experienced individuals, and particularly children and young people currently in care or at risk of care, have been involved in developing this policy and how that will continue to be central to the work?

A gaf i ddechrau drwy ddweud cymaint yr wyf yn croesawu'r datganiad? Rwyf yn falch iawn o weld faint o gynnydd sy'n cael ei wneud yn y maes pwysig iawn hwn. Wrth gwrs, ni fyddem yn disgwyl llai, yn enwedig gyda fy nghyfaill David Melding yn cadeirio grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog. Rwy'n credu ein bod ni i gyd yn gwybod bod ei ymrwymiad i les plant, yn enwedig plant agored i niwed a phlant mewn gofal, yn hollbwysig. Hoffwn ategu'r hyn a ddywedodd David a beth ddywedodd y Gweinidog am bwysigrwydd ymagwedd amhleidiol ynghylch y materion hyn.

Rwyf hefyd yn falch iawn, Gweinidog, o weld nad oes unrhyw hunanfoddhad yn y fan yma, a'ch bod chi'n cydnabod yn glir iawn bod mwy o waith i'w wneud. Fe godaf un neu ddau o gwestiynau yn y cyd-destun hwnnw. Ni ofynnaf ichi roi sylwadau ar achos penodol, ond rydym ni'n ymwybodol bod rhai awdurdodau lleol yn gwneud yn well yn y maes hwn nag eraill. Yn fy rhanbarth i, mae gennyf i rai pryderon o hyd ynghylch Powys, a gobeithiaf y gall y Gweinidog dawelu ein meddyliau heddiw, er ein bod yn gweithio'n galed iawn ar y dull o weithredu cydweithredol hwn, na fydd unrhyw faddeuant os gwelir bod unrhyw bartneriaid yn esgeuluso'r plant a phobl ifanc hyn sy'n agored i niwed.

Nid yw'r datganiad ei hun yn gwneud unrhyw gyfeiriad penodol at fabwysiadu dull seiliedig ar hawliau i ddatblygu polisi yn y maes hwn. Efallai'n wir, Gweinidog, fod hyn oherwydd eich bod chi'n cymryd hyn yn ganiataol, ond o gofio pa mor anodd y gall hi fod i brif ffrydio'r dull o weithredu yn seiliedig ar hawliau i waith gyda phlant ar draws y sector cyhoeddus, hoffwn roi'r cyfle i chi gadarnhau bod y dull seiliedig ar hawliau yn ganolog i'r ffordd yr ydych yn datblygu eich polisi a'ch disgwyliadau o ran pobl eraill a gwaith y grŵp cynghori gweinidogol, ac i ymrwymo, efallai, i wneud hyn yn fwy eglur yn y dyfodol. Oherwydd tra bo hynny efallai'n dod yn naturiol i rai ohonom ni yn y Siambr hon, ceir llawer o rai eraill sy'n darparu gwasanaethau i blant a phobl ifanc sydd yn anffodus yn parhau i fod heb eu hargyhoeddi.

Croesawaf yn fawr iawn y gwaith a wneir i alluogi plant sydd mewn perygl o gael eu rhoi mewn gofal i aros gyda'u teuluoedd pan fo hynny'n bosibl ac yn ddiogel. Fodd bynnag, dangoswyd gwaith achos etholaethol i mi ac rwy'n pryderu y ceir achosion o hyd pan fydd achos cyfreithiol yn arwain at blentyn yn cael ei symud yn ôl a blaen rhwng rhieni biolegol sy'n anffodus yn methu ag ymdopi, a rhieni maeth, ac mae hyn yn gohirio canlyniadau mabwysiadu sef yr hyn a fyddai orau i'r plentyn. A wnewch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa drafodaethau yr ydych chi wedi eu cael gyda'r gwasanaethau llys teulu gyda'r bwriad o leihau nifer y troeon pan fydd hyn yn digwydd, o gofio pa mor niweidiol yw hynny i blant agored iawn i niwed, a phlant ifanc iawn, yn aml?

Croesawaf yn fawr iawn y buddsoddiad—mae'r £15 miliwn i'w groesawu'n fawr, ac rwy'n croesawu'n fawr y ffaith ein bod yn ystyried lleihau'r angen i blant gael eu rhoi mewn gofal. Fe fyddem ni i gyd yn croesawu hynny, ond a wnewch chi gadarnhau, Gweinidog, eich bod yn disgwyl i'r arian newydd hwn greu gwasanaethau cynaliadwy? O ystyried y pwysau sydd ar gyllid Llywodraeth Leol, yn aml iawn defnyddir buddsoddiad da i roi hwb cychwynnol i waith cadarnhaol ond wedyn nid oes yr adnoddau i barhau â'r rhaglenni arloesol, er enghraifft, hyd yn oed pan geir tystiolaeth eu bod yn gweithio. Felly, a wnewch chi ein sicrhau ni heddiw nad taliad untro yw'r £15 miliwn hwn ac y bydd yn bosibl cynnal y gwasanaethau newydd hynny?

Gweinidog, fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol o'r nifer fawr o gartrefi plant preifat, yn enwedig yng Nghymru wledig, sy'n cynnig llety i bobl ifanc sy'n agored iawn i niwed y tu allan i'r sir, yn aml iawn o ddinasoedd mawr yn Lloegr. Mae rhai o'm hetholwyr wedi codi pryderon ynglŷn â rhai o'r rhain, yn enwedig pan fyddan nhw mewn lleoliadau gwledig ynysig iawn. A allwch chi gadarnhau i ni heddiw eich bod yn fodlon bod y drefn arolygu a rheoleiddio presennol yn ddigonol i ddiogelu buddiannau'r plant hyn sy'n derbyn gofal? Efallai nad ein plant ni sy'n derbyn gofal bob amser, ond fy marn i, ac yr wyf yn siŵr eich barn chithau hefyd, yw, tra byddan nhw yng Nghymru, bod gennym ni'r un ddyletswydd gofal â'r hyn sydd gennym ar gyfer plant sy'n hanu o Gymru. A wnewch chi ystyried ysgrifennu at yr Aelodau i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni ynghylch y trefniadau ar gyfer yr arolygiadau hynny, fel y gallaf dawelu meddwl fy etholwyr sydd wedi codi pryderon gyda mi?

Ac yn olaf, rydych chi'n cyfeirio yn y datganiad at wrando a dysgu oddi wrth y rhai sydd wedi cael profiadau uniongyrchol o fod mewn gofal. Rwyf yn falch iawn o weld bod y grŵp gweinidogol yn cael ei gadeirio ar y cyd gan rywun sydd â phrofiad o ofal, ond a wnewch chi achub ar y cyfle hwn i ddweud ychydig mwy wrth y Cynulliad am sut y mae unigolion â phrofiad o ofal, ac yn enwedig plant a phobl ifanc sydd ar hyn o bryd mewn gofal neu mewn perygl o gael eu rhoi mewn gofal, wedi bod yn cymryd rhan yn y broses o ddatblygu'r polisi hwn a sut y bydd hynny yn parhau i fod yn ganolog i'r gwaith?

16:20

Helen, thank you very much for those detailed comments. Let me begin where you began: our expectation is that all local authorities and those who provide support should rise to the level of the best. We know, as was remarked by the chair of the MAG earlier on, there is some really good practice out there; we've unearthed that ourselves. We expect that to be standard. 

In terms of the rights-based approach—in some ways, this may be a trailer for a later debate this afternoon as well, where I'll be going large on the rights-based approached, but a rights-based approach is at the heart of this programme as well. The children's commissioner, who is a member of the group, has made sure that it is so, and we would want it to be so. So, even though it wasn't mentioned explicitly in the statement, it's right at the core of the work that we're doing in Government and in the group itself. You can have that assurance. 

We have regular discussions, both at an official level but also with those directly involved in the family court service, and the family court service itself has, partly in response to the work of the ministerial advisory group, refreshed its approach to children experiencing care over recent years, and we expect it to keep on learning, not least, I have to say, from the 'Care Crisis Review' as well. The 'Care Crisis Review' was very helpful in that it said there is no one magic bullet—there are a range of things that you need to bring it up to the very best standard, not only in terms of support and provision at local authority level, but the way in which family courts also respond to cases appearing and not to have great regional disparity in the way that family courts respond to it. 

You mentioned the assurance of sustainable solutions and funding—absolutely. Now, this is partly to do with making sure that the money is going into the right place. And the reason why we have the announcement today on the £15 million into regional partnership boards is because they are set up directly to do that basis of saying, 'What are the needs in our region? How do we make this apply in the very best way?', jointly working together, so it's not any more to do with pots of money, it's to do with a focus on the outcomes of those care-experienced children. But there also need to be sustainable solutions as well as sustainable funding, and that requires some creative and innovative approaches to working jointly. And one of the things we're very keen to do is to embed those ways of working across different agencies—local authorities, health and others—to make sure that they bring forward solutions that are long-lasting because they are more preventative, more early in the way that they intervene and in a more timely way. That is part of the sustainability as well.

I'm very happy to write in response to your request to Members to update them on the way we are approaching the inspection and regulation regime, but you also raised the issue of children's residential care, and this frequently appears, and I know that it's one of the things that the ministerial advisory group is looking at: do we have the right not simply secure accommodation but actually, beyond that, therapeutic care accommodation settings in the right place in all different parts of Wales? We think there is a job of work to be done on that, so we are now currently working with stakeholders to develop new approaches to therapy and care for children with particularly complex needs and challenging behaviours that might not necessitate secure accommodation but actually need a different, bespoke model for them. So, we are exploring the scope for regional approaches to this type of provision so we avoid the impact that one child in one authority then has a massive impact, and they look around in desperation to say, 'Well, where can we place this child?', and often that means out of county or sometimes out of country. So, the work is being taken forward by a task and finish group on children's residential care, and we hope that will not only improve our understanding of the profile of residential care for children, but also bring forward ideas on improving the range of therapeutic models available to residential care providers. But I think regionality on this is going to be key. 

I think I might have dealt with all of the matters. 

Helen, diolch yn fawr iawn am y sylwadau manwl yna. Gadewch imi ddechrau lle y gwnaethoch chi ddechrau: ein disgwyliad yw y dylai'r holl awdurdodau lleol a'r rhai sy'n darparu cymorth godi i lefel y goreuon. Fe wyddom ni, fel y clywsom gan gadeirydd grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog yn gynharach, fod arfer da iawn ar gael; rydym ni wedi dwyn hynny i'r amlwg ein hunain. Rydym ni'n disgwyl i hynny fod yn arfer safonol.

O ran y dull seiliedig ar hawliau—mewn rhai ffyrdd, gallai hyn fod yn rhagflas o ddadl yn ddiweddarach y prynhawn yma hefyd, pryd y byddaf yn ymhelaethu ar y dull seiliedig ar hawliau, ond mae'r dull seiliedig ar hawliau wrth wraidd y rhaglen hon hefyd. Mae'r comisiynydd plant, sy'n aelod o'r grŵp, wedi sicrhau hyn, a dyna ein dymuniad ni. Felly, er na chafodd ei grybwyll yn benodol yn y datganiad, hwn yn ddiau yw craidd y gwaith yr ydym yn ei wneud yn y Llywodraeth ac yn y grŵp ei hun. Fe gewch chi'r sicrwydd hwnnw.

Rydym yn cael trafodaethau rheolaidd, ar lefel swyddogol, ond hefyd gyda'r rhai sy'n cymryd rhan uniongyrchol yn y gwasanaeth llysoedd teulu, ac mae'r gwasanaeth llys teulu ei hun, yn rhannol mewn ymateb i waith grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog, wedi adnewyddu ei ymagwedd tuag at blant sydd wedi cael profiad o ofal dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, ac rydym yn disgwyl iddo barhau i ddysgu, yn rhannol, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, o'r 'Adolygiad Gofal Argyfwng' hefyd. Roedd yr 'Adolygiad Gofal Argyfwng' yn ddefnyddiol iawn gan iddo ddweud nad oes un fwled hud ar gael—ceir amrywiaeth o bethau sydd eu hangen er mwyn ichi ei godi i'r safon orau un, nid yn unig o ran cefnogaeth a darpariaeth ar lefel awdurdod lleol, ond yn y ffordd y mae'r llysoedd teulu hefyd yn ymateb i achosion ac i beidio â chael anghyfartaledd rhanbarthol mawr yn y ffordd y mae llysoedd teulu yn ymateb i hyn.

Fe wnaethoch chi sôn am sicrwydd atebion cynaliadwy ac ariannu—yn bendant. Nawr, mae hyn yn ymwneud yn rhannol â sicrhau bod yr arian yn mynd i'r lle iawn. A'r rheswm dros gael y cyhoeddiad heddiw ynghylch y £15 miliwn yn mynd i fyrddau partneriaeth rhanbarthol, yw eu bod wedi'u sefydlu'n uniongyrchol i wneud hynny ar sail dweud, 'Beth yw'r anghenion yn ein rhanbarth ni? Sut mae gwneud hyn yn y ffordd orau?' Gweithio ar y cyd, er mwyn sicrhau nad yw bellach yn ymwneud â photiau o arian, mae'n ymwneud â chanolbwyntio ar ganlyniadau'r plant hynny sydd â phrofiad o ofal. Ond mae hefyd angen atebion cynaliadwy yn ogystal ag ariannu cynaliadwy, ac mae hynny'n gofyn am rywfaint o ymagweddau creadigol ac arloesol tuag at weithio ar y cyd. Ac un o'r pethau yr ydym ni'n awyddus iawn i'w wneud yw ymgorffori'r ffyrdd hynny o weithio ar draws gwahanol asiantaethau—awdurdodau lleol, iechyd ac eraill—i wneud yn siŵr eu bod yn cyflwyno atebion sy'n para'n hir oherwydd eu bod yn fwy ataliol, yn fwy cynnar yn y ffordd y maen nhw'n ymyrryd ac mewn modd mwy amserol. Mae hynny'n rhan o'r cynaliadwyedd hefyd.

Rwy'n hapus iawn i ysgrifennu mewn ymateb i'ch cais i Aelodau i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf iddynt ynghylch ein hymagwedd tuag at y drefn arolygu a rheoleiddio, ond hefyd fe wnaethoch chi godi'r mater o ofal preswyl i blant, ac mae hyn yn ymddangos yn aml, ac fe wn i ei fod yn un o'r pethau y mae grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog yn edrych arno: a yw nid yn unig y llety diogel gennym, ond mewn gwirionedd, y tu hwnt i hynny, a oes gennym ni'r lleoliadau llety â gofal therapiwtig yn y lleoedd iawn ym mhob rhan ledled Cymru? Rydym yn credu bod tipyn o waith i'w wneud ynghylch hynny, felly rydym ni ar hyn o bryd yn gweithio gyda rhanddeiliaid i ddatblygu dulliau newydd o weithredu ar gyfer therapi a gofal ar gyfer plant ag anghenion arbennig cymhleth ac ymddygiadau heriol. Efallai nad oes angen sicrhau llety diogel ar eu cyfer, ond yn hytrach, model gwahanol, pwrpasol. Felly, rydym ni'n ystyried y posibiliadau o ddulliau rhanbarthol ar gyfer y math hwn o ddarpariaeth er mwyn osgoi effaith un plentyn mewn un awdurdod wedyn yn cael effaith aruthrol, ac maen nhw'n edrych o amgylch mewn anobaith a dweud, 'Wel, ble allwn ni osod y plentyn hwn?' Ac yn aml mae hynny'n golygu y tu allan i'r sir neu weithiau y tu allan i'r wlad. Felly, mae grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen yn bwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith ar ofal preswyl i blant, a gobeithiwn y bydd nid yn unig yn gwella ein dealltwriaeth o broffil gofal preswyl ar gyfer plant, ond hefyd yn cyflwyno syniadau ar gyfer gwella'r amrywiaeth o fodelau therapiwtig sydd ar gael i ddarparwyr gofal preswyl. Ond rwy'n credu bydd ymagwedd ranbarthol yn hyn o beth yn allweddol.

Rwy'n credu fy mod wedi ymdrin â'r materion i gyd.

16:25

It should be fine, thank you. Jenny Rathbone. 

Dylai fod yn iawn, diolch. Jenny Rathbone.

Thank you. Corporate parenting is all our responsibility, so I completely share David Melding and Helen Mary's comments on this matter.

Last night, I attended a dinner organised by the faculty of sexual and reproductive healthcare, along with my colleagues Julie Morgan and Angela Burns. It was done on the Chatham House rule where everything remained in the room, but I was really shocked to hear that in one local authority in Wales nearly all of the care-experienced children come from 10 families, and that's because we've failed to provide the service that we need to to ensure that people don't go on simply having more children. So, I was very pleased to see that you're now going to have regional Reflect services, because that's what these services are about; it's not supporting families to get their child that's been removed back, but enabling them to reflect on the reasons why that child was taken into care in the first place.

I'm less impressed by your description of it as a 'popular' service. I want to know whether it's an effective service. I think that it very much depends on the quality of the outreach to ensure that those who most need such a service are actually getting it, rather than abandoning them to just going on having more and more children, with a vicious cycle.

I was interested to see the research that's been done on placements and the positive outcomes, but of 42 pupils in the school where I'm a governor, which I'm afraid is the highest in Wales, already three have had a change of placement, but, I'm glad to say, not a change of school. So, at least there is some continuity and stability in their lives that can be provided at the school.

I think that another thing that's been very important in terms of preventative and joined-up social work is that having a social worker located at the school has enabled them to access important information about the background of the young person in a timely fashion, without in any way breaching data protection rules. So, I think that we need to do a lot more of that sort of thing. I appreciate that you're going to allocate £15 million more to reduce the need for children to be in care, but we have to recognise that we are an outlier at the moment—95 per 10,000 pupils/children versus 62 to 10,000 in England—so, there's no room for complacency in this.    

I think that we simply have to—. The importance of the school, it seems to me, was reflected in Kirsty Williams's statement about the importance of well-being, just as much as academic achievement, and celebrating the work that's done by schools. So, I think that the national outcomes framework, as part of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, has only got one indicator in relation to care-experienced children, relating to the external qualifications they get when they're 16. I think there needs to be further indicators of the type of really specialist work that schools can do to really contribute to that.

Being in care is an adverse childhood experience; it couldn't possibly be otherwise. So, the numerically small numbers we have surely means we should be ensuring that all those young people are getting proper access to mental health services and counselling services to enable them to process the trauma that they have suffered. I absolutely think that we need to be ensuring in all local authorities that all these young people are getting those services they need, or they are going to end up being parents of care-experienced children themselves, and that is the vicious circle we've got to breach. Otherwise, it's going to cost local authorities money we simply don't have, because the investigation that was done by a national newspaper about the level of cost for very specialist care—£7,000 a week—and the real concerns about auctioning of vulnerable children—. Obviously, we have to put a stop to that and we need to get to the bottom of ensuring that we are reducing the numbers and that those who are care experienced are not themselves going to lose their own children. 

Diolch. Mae rhianta corfforaethol yn gyfrifoldeb ar bob un ohonom ni, felly rwyf i'n cytuno'n llwyr â sylwadau David Melding a Helen Mary ar y mater hwn.

Neithiwr, bûm mewn cinio a drefnwyd gan y gyfadran gofal iechyd rhywiol ac atgenhedlu, ynghyd â'm cyd-Aelodau Julie Morgan ac Angela Burns. Gwnaed hynny o dan reol Chatham House pryd yr oedd popeth yn aros yn yr ystafell, ond cefais fy syfrdanu'n wirioneddol o glywed, mewn un awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru, bod bron bob un o'r plant a oedd â phrofiad o ofal yn dod o 10 teulu, ac mae hynny oherwydd ein bod ni wedi methu â darparu'r gwasanaeth sydd ei angen i sicrhau nad yw pobl yn mynd ymlaen i gael mwy o blant. Felly, roeddwn i'n falch iawn o weld eich bod nawr yn mynd i gael gwasanaethau Reflect rhanbarthol, oherwydd dyna beth yw'r gwasanaethau hyn; nid yw'n ymwneud â chefnogi teuluoedd i gael eu plentyn a symudwyd o'i gartref, yn ôl, ond eu galluogi i ystyried y rhesymau pam y rhoddwyd y plentyn hwnnw mewn gofal yn y lle cyntaf.

Nid wyf i'n meddwl llawer o'ch disgrifiad ohono fel gwasanaeth 'poblogaidd'. Yr hyn yr wyf i eisiau ei wybod yw a yw'r gwasanaeth yn effeithiol. Rwy'n credu ei fod yn dibynnu llawer iawn ar ansawdd yr allgymorth i sicrhau bod y rhai sydd angen y gwasanaeth fwyaf, mewn gwirionedd, yn ei gael, yn hytrach na throi cefn arnyn nhw a gadael iddyn nhw gael mwy a mwy o blant, mewn cylch dieflig.

Roedd yn ddiddorol gweld yr ymchwil a wnaed ar leoliadau a'r canlyniadau cadarnhaol, ond allan o 42 o ddisgyblion yn yr ysgol lle'r wyf i'n llywodraethwr, sydd, rwy'n ofni yr uchaf yng Nghymru, mae tri wedi newid lleoliad eisoes, ond, rwy'n falch o ddweud, nid newid ysgol. Felly, o leiaf ceir rhywfaint o gysondeb a sefydlogrwydd yn eu bywydau y gellir eu darparu yn yr ysgol.

Rwy'n credu mai'r peth arall sydd wedi bod yn bwysig iawn o ran gwaith cymdeithasol cydgysylltiedig ac ataliol yw bod cael gweithiwr cymdeithasol wedi ei leoli yn yr ysgol wedi ei alluogi i gael gafael ar wybodaeth bwysig am gefndir y person ifanc mewn modd amserol, heb mewn unrhyw ffordd dorri rheolau diogelu data. Felly, rwy'n credu bod angen inni wneud llawer mwy o'r math hwn o beth. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi'r ffaith eich bod yn mynd i ddyrannu £15 miliwn mwy i leihau'r angen i blant fod mewn gofal, ond mae'n rhaid inni gydnabod ein bod ar wahân ar hyn o bryd—95 ymhob 10,000 o ddisgyblion/plant o'i gymharu â 62 ymhob 10,000 yn Lloegr—felly, nid oes lle i laesu dwylo yn hyn o beth.

Rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i ni—. Cafodd pwysigrwydd yr ysgol, mae'n ymddangos i mi, ei adlewyrchu yn natganiad Kirsty Williams am bwysigrwydd llesiant, sydd yr un mor bwysig â chyflawni'n academaidd, a dathlu gwaith a wneir gan ysgolion. Felly, rwy'n credu bod gan y fframwaith canlyniadau cenedlaethol fel rhan o Ddeddf Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a Llesiant (Cymru) 2014 ddim ond un dangosydd o ran plant â phrofiad o ofal, sy'n ymwneud â'r cymwysterau allanol y maen nhw'n eu cael pan fyddan nhw yn 16 oed. Rwy'n credu bod angen mwy o ddangosyddion o'r math o waith arbenigol y gall ysgolion ei wneud i gyfrannu at hynny mewn gwirionedd.

Mae bod mewn gofal yn brofiad andwyol mewn plentyndod; ni allai ar unrhyw sail fod fel arall. Felly, mae'r niferoedd bach sydd gennym ni yn golygu yn sicr y dylem ni fod yn sicrhau bod yr holl bobl ifanc hynny yn cael mynediad priodol i wasanaethau iechyd meddwl a gwasanaethau cwnsela er mwyn iddyn nhw allu prosesu'r trawma y maen nhw wedi ei ddioddef. Rwy'n credu'n gryf bod angen inni sicrhau yn yr holl awdurdodau lleol bod y bobl ifanc hyn i gyd yn cael y gwasanaethau hynny y maen nhw eu hangen, neu fe fyddan nhw'n dod yn rhieni i blant â phrofiad o ofal eu hunain, a dyna'r cylch dieflig y mae'n rhaid inni ei dorri. Fel arall, fe fydd cost ariannol i'r awdurdodau lleol na allwn ei dalu, oherwydd dangosodd yr ymchwiliad a wnaed gan bapur newydd cenedlaethol ynghylch lefel y costau ar gyfer gofal arbenigol iawn—£7,000 yr wythnos—a'r gwir bryderon ynghylch arwerthu plant sy'n agored i niwed—. Yn amlwg, mae'n rhaid inni roi terfyn ar hynny ac mae angen inni edrych yn fanwl i weld sut y gallwn ni sicrhau ein bod yn lleihau'r niferoedd a sicrhau na fydd y rhai sydd â phrofiad o ofal yn colli eu plant eu hunain.

16:30

Thank you, Jenny. You rightly remind us that we actually need to look at the whole care experience here. It's those people, the children and young people, who are in care—we absolutely need to put the right priorities for them to improve their outcomes—those who are leaving care, but also to focus on, as is the No. 1 work stream now, how we reduce the numbers of children and young people in care. Because we know that if we can make the right early interventions—and that includes with some of our wider support that can identify issues early and apply that multi-agency approach earlier—then we save those costs further down that can be released to put towards children who are in care, and so on. But I'm glad that you are welcoming what we've done with the regional Reflect services and the way we anticipate that there will indeed be a significant uptake on this, because we're starting to see already evidence that it is effective and we expect to see more. It's the right way, I think, again, to work with the people directly to try and help turn around positive outcomes. 

Placement stability—absolutely critical. We know that, for those children who are in care, if we get stable placement it leads to positive outcomes, whether that's educationally, on health, on transition to adulthood—the stability of the placement is absolutely key. Some of the recent research that we did—we published research that we brought forward in May this year—it looked at the placement outcomes of children four to five years after a final care order was made. What was heartening from that was that three quarters of that whole cohort of children experienced a high level of placement stability, with either no placement move or only one placement move over the four-year period. Now, that's significant and it shows we're starting to join the dots up a little bit to make sure that they have that stability that gives them the basis then for growing and having the right outcomes as a young individual.

Now, you rightly reflected on the wider aspect of wider mental health and well-being and, again, this goes into the preventative and early intervention agenda. If we can identify and save the costs earlier, it's better for the individual but also better in terms of avoiding the rescue costs further down the line. Of course, the 'Mind over matter' report by the Children, Young People and Education Committee I think was very helpful within this. In September, the Cabinet Secretaries for health and education announced that they would convene a joint ministerial task and finish group—I'm avoiding looking to my right here at the moment, my immediate right—to consider but also to accelerate work to achieve a whole-school approach as part of a whole-system approach to children's mental well-being. The first meeting was on 17 October. We've committed now to move this agenda forward at pace and we'll be providing the CYPE committee with an update on activity and progress against the 'Mind over matter' report in the spring of 2019. And this will, by the way, link, as David will know, with the Improving Outcomes for Children work programme and the ministerial advisory group to ensure that school-based services are able to meet the distinct mental health needs of care-experienced or looked-after children. I think—. I'm looking at Dirprwy—. Sorry, Dirprwy Lywydd, I'd better stop there. [Laughter.]  

Diolch, Jenny. Rydych chi'n ein hatgoffa'n briodol bod angen inni edrych ar y profiad gofal cyfan yn y fan yma mewn gwirionedd. Y bobl hynny, plant a phobl ifanc sydd mewn gofal—mae angen inni roi'r blaenoriaethau cywir er mwyn iddyn nhw wella eu canlyniadau—y rhai sy'n gadael gofal, ond hefyd i ganolbwyntio ar, fel y mae'r ffrwd waith Rhif 1 nawr, sut ydym ni'n lleihau nifer y plant a phobl ifanc sy'n derbyn gofal. Oherwydd fe wyddom ni os gallwn ni gyflawni ymyraethau cynnar cywir—ac mae hynny'n cynnwys rhai elfennau o gefnogaeth ehangach sy'n gallu nodi problemau yn gynnar a gweithredu'r dull amlasiantaeth yn gynharach—yna byddwn ni'n arbed y costau hynny ymhellach ymlaen er mwyn eu rhyddhau a'u rhoi tuag at blant sy'n derbyn gofal, ac ati. Ond rwy'n falch eich bod yn croesawu'r hyn yr ydym ni wedi'i wneud gyda'r gwasanaethau Reflect rhanbarthol a'r ffordd yr ydym yn rhagweld y bydd defnydd sylweddol yn cael ei wneud o hyn, oherwydd rydym ni'n dechrau gweld tystiolaeth eisoes ei fod yn effeithiol a disgwyliwn weld mwy. Dyma'r ffordd iawn, rwy'n credu, unwaith eto, sef gweithio gyda phobl yn uniongyrchol er mwyn helpu i greu canlyniadau cadarnhaol.

Sefydlogrwydd lleoliadau—cwbl hanfodol. Fe wyddom ni, ar gyfer y plant hynny sy'n derbyn gofal, os cawn ni leoliad sefydlog, bydd yn arwain at ganlyniadau cadarnhaol, boed yn ymwneud ag addysg, iechyd, â phontio i fod yn oedolion—mae sefydlogrwydd y lleoliad yn hollol allweddol. Roedd rhywfaint o'r ymchwil diweddar a wnaethom—fe wnaethom ni gyhoeddi ymchwil a gyflwynwyd gennym ym mis Mai eleni—roedd yn edrych ar ganlyniadau lleoli plant bedair i bum mlynedd ar ôl i'r gorchymyn gofal terfynol gael ei wneud. Yr hyn a oedd yn galonogol yn sgil hynny oedd bod tri chwarter y garfan gyfan o blant wedi profi lefel uchel o sefydlogrwydd lleoliadau, heb unrhyw symudiad o ran lleoliad neu ddim ond un symudiad lleoliad dros y cyfnod o bedair blynedd. Nawr mae hynny'n arwyddocaol ac mae'n dangos ein bod yn dechrau cysylltu rhywfaint ar y dotiau i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n mwynhau'r sefydlogrwydd hwnnw sy'n rhoi'r seiliau iddyn nhw wedyn i dyfu a chael y canlyniadau cywir fel unigolion ifanc.

Nawr, fe wnaethoch chi sôn, yn briodol am yr agwedd ehangach ar iechyd meddwl a llesiant ac, unwaith eto, mae hyn yn mynd yn rhan o'r agenda atal ac ymyrraeth gynnar. Os gallwn ni nodi ac arbed y costau yn gynharach, bydd yn well i'r unigolyn, ond hefyd yn well o ran osgoi costau achub ymhellach ymlaen. Wrth gwrs, roedd yr adroddiad 'Cadernid Meddwl' gan y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg yn ddefnyddiol iawn yn hyn o beth. Ym mis Medi, cyhoeddodd Ysgrifenyddion y Cabinet dros iechyd ac addysg y bydden nhw'n galw ynghyd grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen gweinidogol ar y cyd—rwy'n osgoi edrych i fy ochr dde ar hyn o bryd, fy ochr dde agosaf—i ystyried ond hefyd i gyflymu'r gwaith i gyflawni dull o weithredu ysgol gyfan yn rhan o ddull o weithredu system gyfan tuag at lesiant meddyliol y plant. Roedd y cyfarfod cyntaf ar 17 Hydref. Rydym ni wedi ymrwymo nawr i symud yr agenda hon ymlaen yn gyflym a byddwn ni'n darparu'r newyddion diweddaraf ynghylch gweithgareddau a chynnydd yn unol â'r adroddiad 'Cadernid Meddwl' i'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg yng ngwanwyn 2019. A bydd hyn, fel y gŵyr David, yn cysylltu â'r rhaglen waith Gwella Canlyniadau ar gyfer Plant a gyda'r grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog i sicrhau bod gwasanaethau ysgol yn gallu diwallu anghenion iechyd meddwl penodol plant â phrofiad o ofal neu blant sy'n derbyn gofal. Rwy'n credu—. Rwy'n edrych tuag at y Dirprwy—. Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, Dirprwy Lywydd, mae'n well imi dawelu nawr. [Chwerthin.]

It would be helpful, because we have—. And, finally, Michelle Brown. And we are out of time, but—. Michelle. 

Byddai hynny yn ddefnyddiol, oherwydd mae gennym ni—. Ac, yn olaf, Michelle Brown. Ac mae'r amser ar ben, ond—. Michelle.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your statement, Minister. I'd also like to thank the advisory group for their work so far. I'd also like to congratulate those involved in delivering the improvements in transition services and other positive steps that you've updated us on today, Minister.

In an ideal world, no child would have to go into the care system—I think that's a given, isn't it? But part of the reason we're justifiably keen to prevent children needing to go into care is because successive Governments have not got care provision right. Your statement relates to reducing the number of children going into care, suggesting that children and young people are being taken into care when alternatives may be available. You've given an example of how alternatives are being considered, but the prospect of children going into care when there's another choice is deeply concerning and I'd like you to clarify the extent of the problem and quantify it. How big a worry is this? How are you going to ensure that aiming to reduce the number of children in care doesn't have the consequence of down-prioritising improving the care system itself and discourage Government from making the care system better for those who really do need it and for whom there is no choice but to put them in care?

If fewer children and young people are in care, will that result in more funds being spent on each child still in care or will that result in a reduction in the amount of funding allocated to care provision? What conversations have you had with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance about directing the savings created by taking fewer children into care to those who have to be in care? Are you going to be looking at the threshold for placing children into care that's being used by the statutory agencies? If so, do you think that current threshold is too low, do you think it's about right—where do you think that threshold is right now? Is that the right threshold to have? I'd like to be reassured that, firstly, you won't be taking the money out of the care system in order to fund extra focus on preventing children needing the care system and, further, can you confirm that spending on the care system will increase in line with both need and inflation?

Not long ago, I also asked you a question about the adoption system. You didn't answer it. So, as part of the efforts to prevent children having to stay in the care system longer than is necessary, I'll ask it again: do you believe, as I do, that there's no reason why children shouldn't be adopted by parents of a different ethnicity from themselves? And what have you done to assess whether, and if so ensure that, adoption agencies and social workers are neither formally nor informally acting to discourage mixed-race adoptions? There are many ethnically mixed families in the UK, and that's to be celebrated as we enjoy a diverse society. We rightly also don't treat gay couples differently from other couples in the adoption process. So, do you agree with me that racial diversity in families is a good thing, as it is in our wider society, and that ethnic differences shouldn't be a factor in placing children for adoption? If you're serious about keeping as many children as possible out of the care system, or keeping their time in it to a minimum, I'm sure you'll agree, but I would like to hear you say it.

Finally, in this week of National Safeguarding Week, we've had many, many stories in the press and elsewhere over the last few years about grooming gangs and adults grooming children for sexual exploitation, so I would like the Minister to take this opportunity to actually give us an update on the measures that you're taking and the measures that social services are taking to safeguard children and to prevent groomers having—to prevent individual groomers and grooming gangs having—access to children in care, because one of the most vulnerable groups of children to these grooming gangs is obviously children in care. The state has a massive duty to make sure that those groomers don't have access to those children, so I would really, really like to know what you're actually doing to stop that. Thank you.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, a diolch i chi am eich datganiad, Gweinidog. Hoffwn hefyd ddiolch i'r grŵp cynghori am eu gwaith hyd yma. Hoffwn hefyd longyfarch y rhai sy'n ymwneud â chyflawni gwelliannau yn y gwasanaethau pontio a'r camau cadarnhaol eraill y cawsom y newyddion diweddaraf yn eu cylch heddiw, Gweinidog.

Mewn byd delfrydol, ni fyddai unrhyw blentyn yn gorfod mynd i mewn i'r system ofal—onid yw hynny'n hollol amlwg? Ond rhan o'r rheswm pam yr ydym ni'n awyddus i atal plant rhag gorfod mynd i mewn i ofal yw oherwydd nad yw Llywodraethau olynol wedi darparu gofal yn iawn. Mae eich datganiad yn ymwneud â lleihau nifer y plant sy'n mynd i ofal, gan awgrymu bod plant a phobl ifanc yn cael eu rhoi mewn gofal pan efallai fod dewisiadau eraill ar gael. Rydych chi wedi rhoi enghraifft o sut y mae dewisiadau eraill yn cael eu hystyried, ond mae'r posibilrwydd o blant yn mynd i mewn i ofal pan fo dewis arall ar gael yn peri pryder mawr ac fe hoffwn ichi egluro beth yw hyd a lled y broblem a'i maint hi. Pa mor fawr yw'r pryder hwn? Sut byddwch chi'n sicrhau na fydd ceisio lleihau nifer y plant mewn gofal yn lleihau'r flaenoriaeth i wella'r system ofal ei hun gan annog y Llywodraeth i beidio â gwella'r system ofal ar gyfer y rhai hynny y mae ei hangen arnyn nhw yn ddiau, y rhai nad oes dewis ar eu cyfer heblaw eu rhoi mewn gofal?

Os oes llai o blant a phobl ifanc mewn gofal, a fydd hynny'n arwain at fwy o arian yn cael ei wario ar bob plentyn sy'n parhau mewn gofal, neu a fydd yn arwain at ostyngiad yn yr arian ar gyfer darparu gofal? Pa sgyrsiau ydych chi wedi eu cael gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid am gyfeirio'r arbedion a grëwyd drwy osod llai o blant mewn gofal, tuag at y rhai hynny sydd yn gorfod bod mewn gofal? A fyddwch chi'n edrych ar y trothwy ar gyfer lleoli plant mewn gofal a ddefnyddir gan yr asiantaethau statudol? Os felly, a ydych chi'n credu bod y trothwy presennol yn rhy isel, a ydych chi'n credu ei fod yn gywir—ble mae'r trothwy hwnnw ar hyn o bryd yn eich barn chi? Ai hwnnw yw'r trothwy cywir? Fe hoffwn gael sicrwydd, yn gyntaf, na fyddwch yn cymryd yr arian allan o'r system ofal er mwyn ariannu mwy o bwysais ar ffyrdd i leihau'r angen i blant fod yn y system ofal ac a wnewch chi gadarnhau y bydd gwariant ar y system ofal yn cynyddu yn unol ag angen a chwyddiant?

Yn ddiweddar, gofynnais gwestiwn ichi hefyd am y system fabwysiadu. Ni wnaethoch ei ateb. Felly, yn rhan o'r ymdrechion i atal plant rhag gorfod aros yn y system ofal yn hwy na'r angen, fe'i gofynnaf eto: a ydych chi'n credu, fel yr wyf i, nad oes unrhyw reswm pam na ddylai plant gael eu mabwysiadu gan rieni o ethnigrwydd gwahanol iddyn nhw? A beth ydych chi wedi'i wneud i asesu, ac os felly sicrhau nad yw asiantaethau mabwysiadu a gweithwyr cymdeithasol yn gweithredu, yn ffurfiol nac yn anffurfiol i annog pobl i beidio â mabwysiadu pan fo hiliau'n gymysg? Ceir llawer o deuluoedd ethnig cymysg yn y DU, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth i'w ddathlu wrth inni groesawu cymdeithas amrywiol. Yn briodol hefyd, nid ydym ni'n trin cyplau hoyw yn wahanol i gyplau eraill yn y broses o fabwysiadu. Felly, a ydych chi'n cytuno â mi bod amrywiaeth hiliol mewn teuluoedd yn beth da, fel y mae yn ein cymdeithas ehangach, ac na ddylai gwahaniaethau ethnig fod yn ffactor wrth leoli plant i'w mabwysiadu? Os ydych o ddifrif ynghylch cadw cymaint o blant â phosibl allan o'r system ofal neu gadw eu hamser ynddi mor fyr â phosibl, rwy'n siŵr y gwnewch chi gytuno, ond fe hoffwn eich clywed yn dweud hynny.

Yn olaf, yn yr Wythnos Diogelu Cenedlaethol hon, rydym ni wedi cael llawer iawn o straeon yn y wasg ac mewn mannau eraill dros yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf ynghylch gangiau'n meithrin perthynas amhriodol ac oedolion yn paratoi plant i bwrpas camfanteisio rhywiol, felly hoffwn i'r Gweinidog achub ar y cyfle hwn i roi'r newyddion diweddaraf inni ynghylch y mesurau yr ydych chi'n eu cymryd a'r mesurau y mae'r gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn eu cymryd i ddiogelu plant ac i atal y rhai sy'n meithrin perthynas amhriodol rhag—i atal yr unigolion a'r gangiau sy'n paratoi plant i bwrpas rhyw—rhag cael mynd at blant sy'n derbyn gofal, oherwydd un o'r grwpiau o blant mwyaf agored i niwed oddi wrth y gangiau hyn yw, yn amlwg, plant sy'n derbyn gofal. Mae gan y wladwriaeth ddyletswydd enfawr i wneud yn siŵr nad yw'r rhai sy'n ceisio meithrin perthynas amhriodol yn cael mynd at y plant hynny, felly fe fyddwn i'n hoffi'n fawr iawn, iawn cael gwybod beth yr ydych chi mewn gwirionedd yn ei wneud i atal hynny. Diolch.

16:35

Yes. Thank you. I've mentioned already in my preceding answers a lot of the work that we're doing on increasing family support and therapeutic support in order, where we can, to safely and appropriately keep children within the family unit. I mentioned it in my opening remarks but also some of the work streams that the MAG is taking forward as well.

You majored in a couple of your points there on whether, if we make savings in one area, for example—and we haven't achieved this yet, I have to say—on reducing the numbers of children coming into care, would that be transferred across into another area. Look, we're not cutting and splicing this budget. We've just announced an additional £15 million today. Our intention is to sustain the funding that's going in there, and, as I said to Helen Mary's earlier point, also to find sustainable models in which we keep that going, and part of that is through regional partnership working but also local partnership working, I have to say as well. It's got to translate right down to the local level. But I think our commitment today and over the last few years has been clear that, whilst for some people this might be a slightly left field thing—it's not often a thing that attracts big media headlines—for us it's the most important thing if we genuinely believe that every single child has the right to have those outcomes regardless of the circumstances into which they are born or what life throws at them and their family situation.

On the safeguarding issue, I mentioned today that we are supporting—and encouraging others to support, I have to say—the Stop it Now! Wales campaign around sexual abuse of children, but, of course, in Wales, we are probably slightly more ahead of the game as well in terms of the work we are doing with our national safeguarding board, our regional safeguarding boards—. We are not complacent because I think the safeguarding boards themselves know that we've still got work to do. We see it when something hits the headlines. We look at what's happened, we look at what's gone wrong, we learn from it, and then we make sure those lessons are learned not just in the region but across Wales as well. So, I hope that gives you the reassurance.

And, finally—my apologies—the reason I didn't respond to you last time is that I couldn't—. It was my fault; I was slightly confused on what you're asking me, but I went back and had a look at the transcript. So, let me just make it clear here: on the day that we made the last statement, I went to actually visit a young couple not far from here in Cardiff, actually, who were part of the Adopting Together programme. I think you mentioned previously about this issue around ethnic minorities that they weren't specifically mentioned within that. Actually, they are, and I think we've written to you now to explain that, within the literature, it specifically refers, for example, to children from a black and minority ethnic background. So, I'm very happy to put on record that there should be nothing that disbars people from adoption—from becoming a loving, caring family—based on race or ethnicity or gender or sexuality or whatever. What matters is a caring, loving family that will give that child the very best start in life and the stability they have to live and thrive. That's what this is all about.

Byddaf. Diolch. Rwyf i wedi sôn eisoes, yn fy atebion blaenorol, am lawer o'r gwaith yr ydym ni'n ei wneud i gynyddu cymorth i deuluoedd a chymorth therapiwtig er mwyn, lle y gallwn ni, gadw plant o fewn yr uned deuluol yn ddiogel ac yn briodol. Soniais am hyn yn fy sylwadau agoriadol, ond hefyd rhai o'r ffrydiau gwaith y mae grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog yn eu hybu hefyd.

Roeddech chi'n rhoi sylw arbennig i un neu ddau o'ch pwyntiau yn y fan yna ynghylch petai ni'n gwneud arbedion mewn un maes er enghraifft—ac nid ydym wedi cyflawni hyn eto, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud—wrth leihau nifer y plant sy'n cael eu gosod mewn gofal, a fyddai hynny'n cael ei drosglwyddo i faes arall. Edrychwch, nid ydym ni'n torri nac yn asio'r gyllideb hon. Rydym ni newydd gyhoeddi £15 miliwn ychwanegol heddiw. Ein bwriad yw cynnal y cyllid sy'n mynd i mewn i hyn, ac, fel y dywedais wrth ymateb i bwynt Helen Mary yn gynharach, i ddod o hyd hefyd i fodelau cynaliadwy i alluogi hynny i barhau, a rhan o hynny yw drwy weithio mewn partneriaeth ranbarthol, ond hefyd gweithio mewn partneriaeth leol. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud hefyd. Mae'n rhaid iddo dreiddio i lawr i'r lefel leol. Ond rwy'n credu bod ein hymrwymiad heddiw a dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf wedi bod yn glir, er i rai pobl, gallai hyn fod yn rhywbeth ychydig yn anghonfensiynol—nid yw'n rhywbeth sy'n creu penawdau mawr yn y cyfryngau—i ni dyma'r peth pwysicaf os ydym ni'n credu o ddifrif bod gan bob un plentyn yr hawl i gael y canlyniadau hynny beth bynnag yw amgylchiadau eu geni neu'r hyn y mae bywyd yn ei daflu atyn nhw a'u sefyllfa deuluol.

Ar fater diogelu, soniais heddiw ein bod yn cefnogi—ac yn annog eraill i gefnogi, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud—yr ymgyrch Stop it Now! ynghylch cam-drin plant yn rhywiol, ond, wrth gwrs, yng Nghymru, rydym ni mwy na thebyg ychydig mwy ar flaen y gad hefyd o ran y gwaith yr ydym ni'n ei wneud gyda'n bwrdd diogelu cenedlaethol, ein byrddau diogelu rhanbarthol—. Nid ydym ni'n hunanfodlon oherwydd rwy'n credu bod y byrddau diogelu eu hunain yn gwybod bod gennym ni waith i'w wneud o hyd. Fe welwn ni hyn pan fo rhywbeth yn cyrraedd y penawdau. Rydym ni'n edrych ar yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd, rydym ni'n edrych ar yr hyn aeth o'i le, fe ddysgwn ni o hyn, ac wedyn rydym yn gwneud yn siŵr bod y gwersi hynny yn cael eu dysgu, nid yn unig yn y rhanbarth, ond ledled Cymru hefyd. Felly rwy'n gobeithio bod hynny'n rhoi sicrwydd i chi.

Ac, yn olaf—rwy'n ymddiheuro—y rheswm pam na wnes i ymateb i chi y tro diwethaf yw oherwydd nad oeddwn i'n gallu—. Arnaf i oedd y bai; Roeddwn i braidd yn ddryslyd ynglŷn â'r hyn yr oeddech chi'n ei ofyn imi, ond fe es i'n ôl ac edrych ar y trawsgrifiad. Felly, gadewch imi ei gwneud un glir yn y fan yma: ar y diwrnod y gwnaethom ni'r datganiad diwethaf, fe es i ymweld â chwpl ifanc nid nepell oddi yma yng Nghaerdydd, mewn gwirionedd roedden nhw'n rhan o'r rhaglen Mabwysiadu Gyda'n Gilydd. Rwy'n credu ichi grybwyll o'r blaen y mater hwn ynghylch lleiafrifoedd ethnig nad oedd sôn amdanyn nhw'n benodol o fewn hynny. Mewn gwirionedd, y mae sôn amdanyn nhw, ac rwy'n credu bellach ein bod ni wedi ysgrifennu atoch i egluro y ceir, o fewn y llenyddiaeth, gyfeiriad penodol er enghraifft at blant o gefndir pobl dduon a lleiafrifoedd ethnig. Felly, rwyf yn hapus iawn i ddweud ar goedd na ddylai unrhyw beth eithrio pobl rhag mabwysiadu—rhag dod yn deulu cariadus, gofalgar—ar sail hil nac ethnigrwydd na rhyw na rywioldeb nac unrhyw beth. Yr hyn sy'n bwysig yw teulu gofalgar, cariadus a fydd yn rhoi'r cychwyn gorau posibl mewn bywyd i'r plentyn hwnnw ynghyd â sefydlogrwydd i fyw ac i ffynnu. Dyna hanfod hyn i gyd.

16:40
6. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Ynni, Cynllunio a Materion Gwledig: Lles Anifeiliaid
6. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs: Welfare of Animals

Item 6 on our agenda this afternoon is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs on the welfare of animals, and I call on the Cabinet Secretary, Lesley Griffiths. 

Eitem 6 ar yr agenda y prynhawn yma yw datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Ynni, Cynllunio a Materion Gwledig ar les anifeiliaid, a galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, Lesley Griffiths.

Member
Lesley Griffiths 16:42:17
Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to have this opportunity to update Members on work to continue to improve standards of animal welfare in Wales. Animal welfare remains high on my agenda as we move through this time of change and uncertainty. It is vital we maintain our standards and expectations, particularly considering the pressures faced as we leave the European Union. I'm very clear: the Welsh Government will not compromise on animal welfare. I'm determined we will continue to lead the way in raising standards, both now and after we leave the EU.

At this year’s Royal Welsh Show, I chaired a dry weather summit to engage with key stakeholders on the prolonged dry weather we experienced this summer, where animal welfare concerns were raised. I committed to helping the industry build its resilience to a whole range of issues, including fluctuating weather conditions. As a consequence of the summit, I am ensuring basic payment scheme payments, including loans for those eligible who have applied, are made on 3 December. I also announced a donation of £0.5 million to provide short-term support to those families most in need. Working with rural charities, we are on course to make funding available before the end of the year.

Working in partnership is key, as is engaging with enforcement agencies and the third sector. I've had the privilege of spending an afternoon shadowing an RSPCA Cymru inspector to witness how their vital services are delivered. I said in June I've asked RSPCA Cymru to consider the recommendation of the 2014 Wooler report for the RSPCA inspectorate to receive statutory status under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. RSPCA Cymru has now employed a member of staff to investigate this, my officials have received an outline programme, and we'll be meeting them soon to discuss this groundbreaking approach.

I've also spent time with the police rural crime team in north Wales to explore how we might reduce the number of livestock attacks. These are distressing for both the animals and the farmers involved and are costly in emotional and financial terms.

I regularly meet Julie Morgan AM, Councillor Dilwar Ali and David Joyce from the Communication Workers Union to discuss dangerous dogs and responsible ownership. There are harrowing incidents of dog attacks that result in life-changing injuries. Whilst much of the legislation surrounding dangerous dogs is non-devolved, the obvious lack of responsible ownership associated with these attacks is devolved. These are our citizens, our animals, our health impacts and our life-changing traumas. I'm corresponding with the UK Government and ensuring that we use the powers we have.

I've always been clear, animals should be slaughtered as close to the farm as possible. I will continue to ensure the welfare of animals during transport and at the time of killing continues to improve in Wales. The Welsh Government is investing in the small and medium slaughterhouse sector to ensure they are more resilient for the future. The food business investment scheme, which is currently open to expressions of interest, is weighted towards slaughterhouses planning improvements to the safeguarding of animal welfare, including the installation and upgrade of closed-circuit television systems. This grant can be used to reinforce the high animal welfare standards already achieved in Welsh slaughterhouses.

I've previously stated I will consider legislating to ensure CCTV is in place in all Welsh slaughterhouses. However, I am committed to working with food business operators in a supportive relationship to achieve the same objective. CCTV is useful in safeguarding animal welfare and is also an effective training tool.

Raising the profile of the food and drink industry is a priority for Welsh Government, and I am proud to promote Welsh provenance. Our food labelling legislation sets the standards required of food producers to meet its obligation in providing information to the consumer. All fresh, chilled and frozen pork, lamb, goat and poultry meat must be labelled with an indication of origin, meaning mandatory labelling of the place of rearing and place of slaughter of the animal from which the meat is obtained.

With nearly all UK supermarkets committed to 100 per cent free-range eggs by 2025, I have asked the Wales animal health and welfare framework group to review the available evidence on the welfare and biosecurity impact of different production systems. Ninety per cent of eggs produced in Wales are free range, which is much higher than anywhere else in the UK. It is my ambition for Wales to become a free-range nation for egg production.

We've worked in partnership to review and update our laying hens and pullets and broiler codes of practice. Work continues on these codes to allow them to be laid before summer recess. These codes will include guidance to reduce incidence of injurious pecking. The codes of practice for the welfare of horses, and one for dogs, were published yesterday. The welfare of game birds is a priority for me. Officials are working with the shooting industry and welfare organisations to review and update our existing code of practice for the welfare of game birds. It is important the code reflects the latest husbandry and management techniques, and standards of care the law requires.

Information on the supply chain of puppies is of particular significance in this process, and a number of colleagues have raised the issue of Lucy’s law with me over the last few months. It is essential we address the root cause of any welfare concerns in changes to legislation. Last week, I announced we are undertaking a consultation early in the new year on this important issue. Whilst I support the Farm Animal Welfare Committee's opinion in favour of universal use of well-designed and operated free farrowing systems, I believe this should only be implemented if piglet mortality rates are uncompromised. I will maintain a close interest in new developments in husbandry systems that may provide the answer to the conflict between sow and piglet welfare.

Good animal health and welfare are central to our approach in Wales; for example, through the HerdAdvance animal health planning initiative, launched at the Welsh Dairy Show. Prevention is always better than cure. It reduces the need for antibiotics, lessening the risk of antimicrobial resistance. The continued effectiveness of antibiotics underpins our one health agenda. This is World Antibiotic Awareness Week, and I urge AMs to become antibiotic guardians, as I have done today—[Interruption.

Diolch ichi, Dirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n falch o gael y cyfle hwn i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Aelodau ar waith i barhau i wella safonau lles anifeiliaid yng Nghymru. Mae lles anifeiliaid yn parhau i fod yn uchel ar fy agenda wrth inni symud drwy'r cyfnod hwn o newid ac ansicrwydd. Mae'n hanfodol ein bod yn cynnal ein safonau a'n disgwyliadau, yn enwedig o ystyried y pwysau a wynebir fel y byddwn yn gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Rwy'n glir iawn: ni fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn cyfaddawdu ar les anifeiliaid. Rwy'n benderfynol y byddwn yn parhau i arwain y ffordd o ran codi safonau, yn awr ac ar ôl inni adael yr UE.

Yn y Sioe Frenhinol eleni, cadeiriais uwchgynhadledd tywydd sych i ymgysylltu â rhanddeiliaid allweddol ar y tywydd sych a brofwyd gennym am gyfnod hir dros yr haf, lle codwyd pryderon ynglŷn â lles anifeiliaid. Ymrwymais i helpu'r diwydiant i feithrin cydnerthedd i amrywiaeth eang o faterion, gan gynnwys amodau tywydd anwadal. O ganlyniad i'r uwchgynhadledd, rwy'n sicrhau bod taliadau cynllun y taliad sylfaenol, gan gynnwys benthyciadau ar gyfer y rhai cymwys sydd wedi gwneud cais, yn cael eu gwneud ar 3 Rhagfyr. Cyhoeddais hefyd rodd o £0.5 miliwn i roi cymorth tymor byr i'r teuluoedd hynny sydd fwyaf mewn angen. Gan weithio gydag elusennau gwledig, rydym ar y trywydd iawn i sicrhau bod cyllid ar gael cyn diwedd y flwyddyn.

Mae gweithio mewn partneriaeth yn allweddol, felly hefyd ymgysylltu ag asiantaethau gorfodi a'r trydydd sector. Rwyf wedi cael y fraint o dreulio prynhawn yn cysgodi arolygydd RSPCA Cymru i weld sut y darperir eu gwasanaethau hanfodol. Dywedais ym mis Mehefin fy mod i wedi gofyn i RSPCA Cymru ystyried yr argymhelliad yn adroddiad Wooler 2014 i Arolygiaeth yr RSPCA dderbyn statws statudol dan Ddeddf Lles Anifeiliaid 2006. Bellach mae RSPCA Cymru wedi cyflogi aelod staff i ymchwilio i hyn. Mae fy swyddogion wedi derbyn amlinelliad o'r rhaglen, a byddwn yn cyfarfod cyn hir i drafod y dull arloesol hwn.

Hefyd rwyf wedi treulio amser gyda'r tîm heddlu troseddau gwledig yn y Gogledd i archwilio sut y gallwn leihau nifer yr ymosodiadau ar dda byw. Mae'r rhain yn peri gofid i'r anifeiliaid ac i'r ffermwyr ac yn gostus yn ariannol ac yn emosiynol.

Rwy'n cwrdd yn rheolaidd â Julie Morgan AC, y Cynghorydd Dilwar Ali a David Joyce o Undeb y Gweithwyr Cyfathrebu i drafod cŵn peryglus a pherchnogaeth gyfrifol. Ceir achosion brawychus o ymosodiadau gan gŵn yn arwain at anafiadau sy'n newid bywydau. Er nad yw llawer o'r ddeddfwriaeth sy'n ymwneud â chŵn peryglus wedi'i datganoli, mae'r diffyg amlwg mewn perchnogaeth gyfrifol sy'n gysylltiedig â'r ymosodiadau hyn wedi'i ddatganoli. Ein dinasyddion ni, ein hanifeiliaid ni, yr effeithiau ar ein hiechyd ni a thrawma sy'n newid ein bywydau ni yw'r rhain. Rwy'n gohebu â Llywodraeth y DU ac yn sicrhau ein bod yn defnyddio'r pwerau sydd gennym.

Rwyf wastad wedi bod yn glir, dylai anifeiliaid gael eu lladd mor agos i'r fferm â phosibl. Byddaf yn parhau i sicrhau bod lles anifeiliaid sy'n cael eu cludo ac adeg eu lladd yn parhau i wella yng Nghymru. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn buddsoddi yn y sector lladd-dai bach a chanolig i sicrhau eu bod yn fwy cydnerth ar gyfer y dyfodol. Mae'r cynllun buddsoddi mewn busnesau bwyd, sydd ar agor ar hyn o bryd ar gyfer mynegiant o ddiddordeb, wedi'i bwysoli tuag at gynllunio gwelliannau i ddiogelu lles anifeiliaid, gan gynnwys gosod ac uwchraddio systemau teledu cylch cyfyng mewn lladd-dai. Gellir defnyddio'r grant hwn i atgyfnerthu safonau uchel lles anifeiliaid a gyflawnwyd eisoes yn lladd-dai Cymru.

Rwyf wedi dweud o'r blaen y byddaf yn ystyried deddfu i sicrhau bod teledu cylch cyfyng ar waith ym mhob lladd-dy yng Nghymru. Fodd bynnag, rwy'n ymrwymedig i weithio gyda gweithredwyr busnes bwyd mewn perthynas gefnogol i gyflawni'r un amcan. Mae teledu cylch cyfyng yn ddefnyddiol o ran diogelu lles anifeiliaid ac mae hefyd yn offeryn hyfforddi effeithiol.

Mae codi proffil y diwydiant bwyd a diod yn flaenoriaeth i Lywodraeth Cymru, ac rwy'n falch o hyrwyddo cynnyrch sy'n tarddu o Gymru. Mae ein deddfwriaeth labelu bwyd yn gosod safonau sy'n ofynnol gan gynhyrchwyr bwyd i fodloni eu rhwymedigaeth i ddarparu gwybodaeth i ddefnyddwyr. Rhaid labelu'r holl gig porc, oen, geifr a dofednod ffres, wedi'u hoeri ac wedi'u rhewi gyda chofnod o'u tarddiad, sy'n golygu labelu gorfodol o ran man magu a man lladd yr anifail y daw'r cig ohono.

Gyda phob archfarchnad bron yn y DU wedi ymrwymo i wyau maes 100 y cant erbyn 2025, rwyf wedi gofyn i grŵp fframwaith iechyd a lles anifeiliaid Cymru adolygu'r dystiolaeth sydd ar gael ar effaith ar les a bioddiogelwch y systemau cynhyrchu gwahanol. Mae naw deg y cant o'r wyau a gynhyrchir yng Nghymru yn wyau maes, sy'n uwch o lawer nag yn unman arall yn y DU. Fy uchelgais yw bod Cymru yn dod yn genedl sy'n cynhyrchu wyau maes yn gyfan gwbl.

Rydym wedi cydweithio mewn partneriaeth i adolygu a diweddaru ein codau ymarfer ieir dodwy a chywennod a brwyliaid. Mae gwaith yn parhau ar y codau hyn i ganiatáu iddynt gael eu cyflwyno cyn toriad yr haf. Bydd y codau'n cynnwys canllawiau i leihau nifer yr achosion o bigo andwyol. Cafodd y codau ymarfer er lles ceffylau, ac un ar gyfer cŵn, eu cyhoeddi ddoe. Mae lles adar hela yn flaenoriaeth i mi. Mae swyddogion yn gweithio gyda'r diwydiant saethu a sefydliadau lles i adolygu a diweddaru ein cod ymarfer ar gyfer lles adar hela sy'n bodoli eisoes. Mae'n bwysig bod y cod yn adlewyrchu'r technegau hwsmonaeth a rheoli diweddaraf, a'r safonau gofal sy'n ofynnol gan y gyfraith.

Mae gwybodaeth am y gadwyn gyflenwi cŵn bach yn arbennig o bwysig yn y broses hon, ac mae nifer o gydweithwyr wedi codi'r mater o gyfraith Lucy gyda mi dros yr ychydig fisoedd diwethaf. Mae'n hanfodol inni fynd i'r afael â gwraidd unrhyw bryderon lles mewn newidiadau i'r ddeddfwriaeth. Yr wythnos diwethaf, cyhoeddais ein bod yn cynnal ymgynghoriad cynnar yn y flwyddyn newydd ar y broblem bwysig hon. Er fy mod yn cefnogi barn y Pwyllgor Lles Anifeiliaid Fferm o blaid y defnydd cyffredinol o systemau porchella rhydd sydd wedi'u cynllunio a'u gweithredu'n dda, credaf na ddylid gweithredu hyn dim ond os yw cyfraddau marwolaethau perchyll ddim mewn perygl. Byddaf yn cadw diddordeb mewn datblygiadau newydd i systemau hwsmona a allai ddarparu ateb i'r gwrthdaro rhwng lles hwch a phorchell.

Mae iechyd a lles da ar gyfer anifeiliaidyn ganolog i'n dull ni o weithredu yng Nghymru; er enghraifft, drwy'r fenter cynllunio iechyd anifeiliaid HerdAdvance, a lansiwyd yn Sioe Laeth Cymru. Mae atal yn well na gwella bob amser. Mae'n lleihau'r angen am wrthfiotigau, gan leihau'r risg o ymwrthedd gwrthficrobaidd. Mae effeithiolrwydd parhaus y gwrthfiotigau yn sail i'n un agenda iechyd. Dyma Wythnos Ymwybyddiaeth o Wrthfiotigau y Byd, ac anogaf Aelodau'r Cynulliad i fod yn warcheidwaid gwrthfiotigau, fel yr wyf i wedi'i wneud heddiw— [Torri ar draws.]

16:45

I hope the Minister recovers her voice shortly. Thank you, Minister, for your statement, or Cabinet Secretary, it's very much appreciated. Animal welfare is one of the issues that is always one of the big issues that are in most Members' postbags. Periodically, there are campaigns, but I never find a time in the year where some issue on animal welfare isn't capturing the public's imagination. And it is beneficial that this institution does have a vast array of responsibilities and powers available to itself to bring either forward legislation or regulation in this particular field, compared to where we were 20 years ago.

If I could touch on a couple of points out of the statement, because I appreciate it's only a 30-minute statement, it is, so I don't want to take other Members' times, but if I could touch on the Lucy's law proposal, I know that the Cabinet Secretary met campaigners around Lucy's law last week, and, sadly, I didn't have the opportunity because I was unwell at the time, but I know I'm tied up on a future date to meet with them. Could the Cabinet Secretary confirm what type of consultation she will be bringing forward in the new year? Third-party selling of puppies and kittens is an issue that we have talked about much in this Chamber and it is a rather unfortunate tag that, in particular, west Wales has been home to much of the puppy farming industry, and I'm sure we want to lose that tag as soon as possible and get back to responsibilities in this area. So, the sooner we can legislate in this field, I know that many members of the public and, indeed, Members on this side of the Chamber would be very grateful.

The responsibilities around education of the public are really important. The Cabinet Secretary touches on the work that Julie Morgan, the Member for Cardiff North, has done around the postal workers union, as well, and it is a huge responsibility when members of the public take on owning an animal of whatever type. I, too, have been with the RSPCA on a drive-by and I was overwhelmed, in some respects, by this one incident that we looked at, where there were four dogs in this one particular house, and the owner didn't have an idea at all about the responsibilities on them to neuter the dogs and provide good food for the dogs and a good home, and, in the end, the RSPCA ended up taking those dogs out of that environment. But I always remember the inspector saying, 'I bet you I'll come back in a month's time and there'll be a dog back in that house, and the process will be begun all over again.' It is a huge responsibility to be a pet owner, and, therefore, the job and role of educating people about those responsibilities is a huge performance that Government can undertake with the levers it has available to itself.

I notice, at the start of the statement, the Cabinet Secretary talked about the money that had been made available back in the summer to the charities—the £500,000. It has been a very difficult summer; the feeding and welfare of livestock has been a big issue on farms. I'm just a little surprised that that money hasn't already hit the charities, because, as the Minister identified, this money was designated for families under particular stress at that time. We are now in November. I think the statement indicates that that money is going to be made available at the back end of this year. Could the Minister clarify why it has not been made available to the charities so it can be dispersed amongst the agricultural community, to the needy cases that require that money coming forward?

And labelling—you also touched on labelling. The informed choice of the consumer is a really important area. Only recently, there was some social media activity around the purchase of chicken within one of our major supermarkets, and on the front of the packaging it highlighted that it was British chicken, when you turned it over, 'Produce of Thailand'. That just clearly is unacceptable. I believe, in the environment and sustainability committee, we have taken evidence recently that indicates we do have powers in this particular area around labelling, and so I would be interested to understand: has the Cabinet Secretary given any consideration to exercising those powers so that the consumer can be informed on welfare when they are making the purchases that they require?

And my one final other point, if I may, Deputy Presiding Officer, is capacity within local authorities and enforcement agencies. It is all well and good us passing legislation, passing regulation here and talking very grandly in this wonderful Chamber of ours, but the reality is you need the enforcement agencies to be resourced in the communities, whether they be local authorities or the police themselves, to actually use that legislation and those regulations to drive up standards of welfare. We know full well that, very often, local authorities, in particular when it comes to trading standards, have not got the officers to undertake many of the basic functions that are placed on them. So, what assessment has the department made of local authorities and third-party agencies' abilities to actually implement the legislation and regulation we have now around animal welfare, let alone new regulation and legislation that will be brought forward?

Gobeithio y bydd y Gweinidog yn adennill ei llais cyn bo hir. Diolch ichi, Gweinidog, am eich datganiad, neu Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae'n cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr. Mae lles anifeiliaid yn un o'r materion sydd bob amser yn un o'r materion mawr sydd yn sachau post y rhan fwyaf o'r Aelodau. O bryd i'w gilydd, ceir ymgyrchoedd, ond ni allaf byth ganfod adeg yn ystod y flwyddyn lle nad oes rhyw fater ar les anifeiliaid yn dal dychymyg y cyhoedd. Ac mae'n fuddiol bod gan y sefydliad hwn amrywiaeth eang o gyfrifoldebau a phwerau i gyflwyno deddfwriaeth neu reoliad yn y maes hwn, o'i gymharu â lle'r oeddem 20 mlynedd yn ôl.

Os caf i sôn am un neu ddau o bwyntiau yn y datganiad, oherwydd rwy'n gwerthfawrogi mai dim ond datganiad 30 munud sydd yma, ac felly nid wyf eisiau cymryd amser Aelodau eraill. Ond os caf i gyfeirio at gynnig cyfraith Lucy, gwn fod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi cwrdd ag ymgyrchwyr ynghylch cyfraith Lucy yr wythnos diwethaf, ac, yn anffodus, chefais i ddim o'r cyfle i wneud hynny oherwydd roeddwn yn sâl ar y pryd, ond gwn fy mod wedi ymrwymo ar gyfer dyddiad yn y dyfodol i gwrdd â nhw. A allai Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet gadarnhau pa fath o ymgynghoriad fydd hi'n ei gyflwyno yn y flwyddyn newydd? Mae gwerthu cŵn a chathod bach gan drydydd parti yn broblem yr ydym wedi sôn llawer amdani yn y Siambr hon ac mae'n label anffodus braidd bod Gorllewin Cymru, yn benodol, wedi bod yn gartref i lawer o'r diwydiant ffermio cŵn bach, ac rwy'n siŵr ein bod yn awyddus i golli'r label hwnnw mor fuan â phosibl a chael cyfrifoldebau yn ôl yn y maes hwn. Felly, gorau po gyntaf y gallwn ddeddfu yn y maes hwn, oherwydd gwn y byddai llawer o aelodau'r cyhoedd ac, yn wir, Aelodau ar yr ochr hon i'r Siambr yn ddiolchgar iawn.

Mae'r cyfrifoldebau ynghylch addysg y cyhoedd yn bwysig iawn. Mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cyfeirio at y gwaith a wnaeth Julie Morgan, yr Aelod dros Ogledd Caerdydd, o safbwynt undeb y gweithwyr post, ac mae'n gyfrifoldeb enfawr pan fydd aelodau'r cyhoedd yn dod yn berchnogion ar anifail o ba fath bynnag. Rwyf innau, hefyd, wedi bod allan o gwmpas gyda'r RSPCA ac roeddwn wedi fy llethu, mewn rhai ffyrdd, gan un digwyddiad a welais i, lle'r oedd pedwar ci yn y tŷ penodol hwn, ac nid oedd gan y perchennog unrhyw syniad o gwbl am y cyfrifoldeb arno i ysbaddu'r cŵn a darparu bwyd da a chartref da i'r cŵn, ac, yn y pen draw, aeth yr RSPCA â'r cŵn hynny oddi wrthynt. Ond rwyf bob amser yn cofio'r arolygydd yn dweud, 'Byddaf i'n dod yn ôl ymhen y mis ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd ci yn ôl yn y tŷ, a bydd y broses yn dechrau unwaith eto.' Mae'n gyfrifoldeb enfawr i fod yn berchen ar anifeiliaid anwes, ac, felly, mae'r swyddogaeth o addysgu pobl am y cyfrifoldebau hynny yn gyflawniad enfawr y gall Llywodraeth ymgymryd ag o gyda'r dulliau sydd ar gael iddi.

Rwy'n sylwi, ar ddechrau'r datganiad, fod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi sôn am yr arian a roddwyd yn ôl yn yr haf i elusennau—y £500,000. Mae wedi bod yn haf anodd iawn; mae bwydo a lles da byw wedi bod yn broblem fawr ar ffermydd. Rwy'n synnu braidd nad yw'r arian hwnnw eisoes wedi cyrraedd yr elusennau, oherwydd, fel y nododd y Gweinidog, dynodwyd yr arian hwn ar gyfer teuluoedd dan straen penodol ar yr adeg honno. Rydym bellach ym mis Tachwedd. Credaf y dengys y datganiad fod yr arian hwnnw'n mynd i fod ar gael ddiwedd y flwyddyn hon. A allai'r Gweinidog egluro pam na sicrhawyd ei fod ar gael i elusennau fel y gellir ei ddosbarthu ymysg y gymuned amaethyddol, i achosion anghenus sydd angen yr arian hwnnw?

A labelu—cyfeiriasoch hefyd at labelu. Mae dewis doeth y defnyddiwr yn faes pwysig iawn. Dim ond yn ddiweddar, roedd rhywfaint o drafod yn y cyfryngau cymdeithasol ynghylch prynu cywion ieir yn un o'n harchfarchnadoedd mawr, ac ar flaen y deunydd pacio, nodwyd ei fod yn gyw iâr o Brydain, ond o'i droi drosodd roedd yn dweud 'Cynnyrch Gwlad Thai'. Mae hynny'n amlwg yn annerbyniol. Credaf, yn y Pwyllgor Amgylchedd a Chynaliadwyedd, ein bod wedi cael tystiolaeth yn ddiweddar sy'n dangos bod pwerau gennym yn y maes hwn ynglŷn â labelu, ac felly byddai gennyf ddiddordeb mewn deall: a yw Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi rhoi unrhyw ystyriaeth i arfer y pwerau hynny fel y gall y defnyddiwr gael gwybod am les pan fyddant yn prynu nwyddau sydd eu hangen arnynt?

A'r pwynt olaf, os caf, Dirprwy Lywydd, yw capasiti o fewn awdurdodau lleol ac asiantaethau gorfodi. Un peth yw pasio deddfwriaeth, pasio rheoliad yma a siarad yn fawreddog yn y Siambr wych hon sydd gennym, ond y realiti yw bod angen i'r asiantaethau gorfodi gael yr adnoddau angenrheidiol yn y cymunedau, sef yr awdurdodau lleol neu'r heddlu eu hunain, i ddefnyddio'r ddeddfwriaeth honno a'r rheoliadau hynny i wella safonau lles. Rydym yn gwybod yn iawn, yn aml iawn, yn enwedig pan ddaw i safonau masnach, nad oes gan yr awdurdodau lleol y swyddogion i ymgymryd â llawer o'r swyddogaethau sylfaenol a roddir arnynt. Felly, pa asesiad a wnaeth yr adran o awdurdodau lleol a gallu asiantaethau trydydd parti i weithredu'r ddeddfwriaeth a'r rheoliadau sydd gennym yn awr ynghylch lles anifeiliaid, heb sôn am reoliadau a deddfwriaeth newydd a gaiff eu cyflwyno?

16:50

I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for his list of questions. I quite agree with you. I think probably all of us in the Chamber, as Assembly Members—. Certainly, the biggest postbags I've always had, as the Assembly Member for Wrexham, are around animal health and welfare. It's very interesting that the only correspondence I've had as an AM in relation to the technical notices that are coming out of the UK Government around Brexit have actually been around animals. I think we're certainly a nation of people who absolutely love our animals.

Andrew mentioned Lucy's law and what we would be consulting on. I've made it very clear we will be launching a consultation in the new year on the impact of banning the third-party sales of puppies and kittens in Wales, and as I say, we will be doing that early in the new year.

I think you're right about education, and certainly the work that I've been doing with Julie Morgan and the meetings we've had with Councillor Dilwar Ali and David Joyce—. I mean, some of the photographs that David has brought to those meetings of injuries that have been sustained by postal workers just going about doing their job are truly horrific. And you're quite right; it is a great joy to be a pet owner, but it is a huge responsibility, and it's very important that we work with the public around education, and in our schools too. I've had conversations with the Cabinet Secretary for Education around this, and she's very supportive.

You asked about the £0.5 million that I announced at the Royal Welsh Show around the dry weather summit and why it hasn't gone out to charities. My understanding is that the charities felt that that money would be more needed in January and February of next year. I'm due to meet the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution—I think it's on 28 November—when I will clarify that, but that money is certainly ready to go to those families who, as you say, within—. We had that very long, hard, wet winter, then we had the snow in the spring, then we had the dry weather. Autumn's brought flooding. So, as we approach winter, I'm very conscious that there are many in the agricultural sector that will require funding, and that was the reason I brought the basic payment loans forward. It's the first time I've done that. So, on 3 December, people will know that if they don't get their basic payment, so long as they've applied for the loan, they will get that.

The points you made around labelling are absolutely right, and the incident that you described is completely unacceptable. We do have some powers, but I'm also working with DEFRA in relation to labelling, and, again, post Brexit, I think there is an opportunity to make sure that we absolutely beef up our labelling to make sure that people know—consumers can be absolutely confident in what they are buying.

Diolch i Andrew R.T. Davies am ei restr o gwestiynau. Cytunaf yn llwyr â chi. Rwy'n credu bod pob un ohonom yn y Siambr mae'n debyg, fel aelodau o'r Cynulliad—. Yn sicr, mae'r sachau post mwyaf a gefais bob amser, fel yr Aelod Cynulliad dros Wrecsam, yn cynnwys materion am iechyd a lles anifeiliaid. Mae'n ddiddorol iawn mewn gwirionedd bod yr unig ohebiaeth a gefais fel AC mewn cysylltiad â hysbysiadau technegol sy'n dod allan o Lywodraeth y DU ynghylch Brexit wedi ymwneud ag anifeiliaid. Credaf yn sicr ein bod yn genedl o bobl sydd yn caru ein hanifeiliaid.

Soniodd Andrew am gyfraith Lucy a'r hyn y byddem yn ymgynghori arno. Rwyf wedi ei gwneud yn glir iawn y byddwn yn lansio ymgynghoriad yn y flwyddyn newydd ar effaith gwahardd gwerthu gan drydydd parti ar gŵn a chathod bach yng Nghymru, ac fel y dywedaf, byddwn yn gwneud hynny'n gynnar yn y flwyddyn newydd.

Credaf eich bod yn iawn am addysg, ac yn sicr mae'r gwaith yr wyf wedi bod yn ei wneud gyda Julie Morgan a'r cyfarfodydd a gawsom gyda'r cynghorydd Dilwar Ali a David Joyce—. Hynny yw, mae rhai o'r ffotograffau a gyflwynwyd yn y cyfarfodydd hynny gan David o anafiadau sydd wedi eu dioddef gan weithwyr post a oedd ond yn ceisio gwneud eu gwaith yn wirioneddol erchyll. Ac rydych yn hollol iawn; mae'n hyfrydwch mawr i fod yn berchen ar anifail anwes, ond mae'n gyfrifoldeb enfawr, ac mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn gweithio gyda'r cyhoedd ynghylch addysg, ac yn ein hysgolion hefyd. Rwyf wedi cael sgyrsiau gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros addysg ynglŷn â hyn, ac mae hi'n gefnogol iawn.

Gofynasoch am y £0.5 miliwn a gyhoeddais yn y Sioe Frenhinol ynghylch yr uwchgynhadledd tywydd sych a pham nad yw wedi mynd i elusennau. Fy nealltwriaeth i yw bod yr elusennau yn teimlo y byddai mwy o angen yr arian ym mis Ionawr a Chwefror y flwyddyn nesaf. Rwy'n bwriadu cwrdd â'r Sefydliad Lles Amaethyddol Brenhinol—ar 28 Tachwedd, rwy'n credu—pan fyddaf yn egluro hynny, ond mae'r arian hwnnw yn sicr yn barod i fynd i'r teuluoedd hynny sydd, fel y dywedasoch, o fewn—. Cawsom y gaeaf hir, caled a gwlyb hwnnw, yna cawsom eira yn y gwanwyn, yna cawsom y tywydd sych. Mae'r hydref wedi dod â llifogydd. Felly, wrth inni nesáu at y gaeaf, rwy'n ymwybodol iawn bod llawer yn y sector amaethyddol fydd angen cyllid, a dyna pam y cyflwynais fenthyciadau'r taliad sylfaenol ynghynt. Dyma'r tro cyntaf yr wyf wedi gwneud hynny. Felly, ar 3 Rhagfyr, bydd pobl yn gwybod os nad ydynt yn cael eu taliad sylfaenol, cyn belled â'u bod wedi gwneud cais am y benthyciad, byddant yn cael hynny.

Mae'r pwyntiau a wnaethoch ynglŷn â labelu yn hollol gywir, ac mae'r digwyddiad a ddisgrifiwyd gennych yn gwbl annerbyniol. Mae gennym rai pwerau, ond rwyf hefyd yn gweithio gyda DEFRA mewn cysylltiad â labelu, ac, unwaith eto, ar ôl Brexit, credaf y daw cyfle i wneud yn siŵr ein bod yn cryfhau ein labelu i sicrhau bod pobl yn gwybod—y gall defnyddwyr fod yn gwbl hyderus yn yr hyn maent yn ei brynu.

16:55

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement—a bit of a scatter-gun statement, I think. You covered about 15 or 16 different policy areas within the welfare of animals subject area. I want to pick up on the £500,000 contribution, as well, to rural charities, because many of us have supported rural charities over the years, through contributions or involvement in various activities. But for the Welsh Government—. And I made this point previously. For the Welsh Government to endorse, through its contribution, the fact that farmers are really dependent on charity now says a lot, I think, about where we are, or where the farming sector is, or where it finds itself under your watch at the moment, and I think that's quite an issue of regret for me, that you feel that you have to do that. It says a lot about where the sector is, these days, because what farmers want, of course, isn't charity but action: action to ensure the availability of fodder to Welsh farms over the coming months, so that they can protect the welfare of their animals through having sufficient food available. We remember how the Irish Government announced, back in April of this year, that they were going to support the importation of fodder to Ireland, much of that coming from Wales or through Wales, making it much more difficult, therefore, I'd imagine, for Welsh farmers to source the fodder they need, and making that fodder more expensive as well. I would much rather see greater action from Welsh Government than contributions to charity, as important as the role of those charities is.

And, of course, in your response to the dry weather situation, you've leant on the basic payment to try and address some of those pressures—that very basic payment, of course, that you will be getting rid of, if you get your way in relation to future proposals for farm support here in Wales. So, what happens when the basic payment is gone? Clearly, farmers will be committed, through the public goods and economic resilience aspects, to fulfil certain obligations, but where will they have that security and that stability that they look for, so that they can keep their farms afloat and, of course, protect the welfare of their animals?

The RSPCA inspectorate to receive statutory status is something I would very much support, but, of course, the Wooler report was published, as you say, four years ago, so I'm just wondering how much longer we need to wait. Maybe you could tell us in response when you hope to take decisive action on this.

Likewise with dangerous dogs, we've been talking about this for years and years and years. I remember six, seven years ago when I joined with you in paying testament to the people that you name in your statement, and I remember events calling for action on this front six, seven years ago, as I say, and still we're waiting, and you do get quite impassioned in this section of your statement:

'These are our citizens, our animals, our health impacts and our life-changing traumas.'

So you're writing a letter.

'I'm corresponding with the UK Government'.

You say in the preceding sentence that aspects of this are devolved, so why aren't we getting on and doing something? I'd like to hear a bit of urgency, because I don't want to be here again in another seven years talking about this.

On stunning animals before slaughter, clearly there'll be an opportunity tomorrow to expand on some of this in a debate in this Assembly, but I would like to ask whether the explicit labelling of food where an animal has not been stunned is one way of maybe at least ensuring that the consumer can make an informed choice.

The codes of practice for the welfare of horses and the one for dogs that were published yesterday, we welcome those. Of course we were promised them before the summer. Maybe you could explain why the delay. Lucy's law: likewise, I would urge the Government to get a move on. Maybe you could confirm whether it is your intention to make sure that there is legislation on that in this Assembly at the very least.

And just finally, Deputy Presiding Officer, two issues that aren't actually in the statement. On 17 June you said that you'd investigate the need for new codes of practice on primates and other exotic pets. There's no mention of that in the statement. I was wondering if you could give us an update and whether you could tell us whether it is really a new code of practice that we need when maybe some of us would be in favour of an outright ban. So maybe you could tell us where we are at in that respect.

Finally, there's no reference at all in this statement to vets, veterinary surgeons, and of course given concerns around the sufficiency of the workforce post Brexit, for large animals and small animals, I'd like some reassurances that—I know you're on the case, but we need to know that there is a sufficient workforce here so that we don't fall back post Brexit in not being able to implement a lot of the aspirations that are in this statement.

Diolch i chi, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, am eich datganiad—datganiad braidd yn wasgaredig, rwy'n credu. Cyfeiriasoch at tua 15 neu 16 maes polisi gwahanol o fewn maes pwnc lles anifeiliaid. Rwy'n awyddus i sôn am y cyfraniad £500,000, hefyd, i elusennau gwledig, oherwydd mae llawer ohonom wedi cefnogi elusennau gwledig dros y blynyddoedd, drwy gyfraniadau neu gymryd rhan mewn gweithgareddau amrywiol. Ond mae i Lywodraeth Cymru—. A gwneuthum y pwynt hwn o'r blaen. Mae'r ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn cymeradwyo, drwy ei chyfraniad, fod ffermwyr yn dibynnu ar elusen mewn gwirionedd erbyn hyn yn dweud llawer, yn fy marn i, ynglŷn â lle’r ydym ni, neu lle mae'r sector ffermio, neu lle mae'n canfod ei hun o dan eich goruchwyliaeth chi ar hyn o bryd, a chredaf ei fod yn fater o ofid i mi, eich bod yn teimlo bod yn rhaid i chi wneud hynny. Mae'n dweud llawer am sefyllfa'r sector y dyddiau hyn, oherwydd yr hyn y mae'r ffermwyr ei eisiau, wrth gwrs, yw nid elusen ond gweithredu: gweithredu i sicrhau porthiant i ffermydd Cymru dros y misoedd nesaf, fel y gallant amddiffyn lles eu hanifeiliaid drwy gael digon o fwyd iddynt. Rydym yn cofio sut y cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Iwerddon, yn ôl ym mis Ebrill eleni, ei bod yn mynd i gefnogi mewnforio porthiant i Iwerddon, llawer o hynny yn dod o Gymru neu drwy Gymru, gan ei gwneud yn llawer mwy anodd, felly, gallaf ddychmygu, i ffermwyr Cymru gael y porthiant sydd ei angen arnynt, a gwneud y porthiant yn ddrutach hefyd. Byddai'n llawer gwell gennyf weld mwy o weithredu gan Lywodraeth Cymru na chyfraniadau i elusen, er mor bwysig yw rôl yr elusennau hynny.

Ac, wrth gwrs, yn eich ymateb i'r sefyllfa tywydd sych, rydych wedi pwyso ar y taliad sylfaenol i geisio mynd i'r afael â rhywfaint o'r pwysau hwnnw—y taliad sylfaenol hwnnw, wrth gwrs, y byddwch yn cael gwared arno, os ydych yn cael eich ffordd o ran cynigion yn y dyfodol ar gyfer cymorth ffermio. Felly, beth sy'n digwydd pan fydd y taliad sylfaenol wedi mynd? Yn amlwg, bydd ffermwyr yn ymrwymedig, drwy'r agweddau nwyddau cyhoeddus a chadernid economaidd, i gyflawni rhwymedigaethau penodol, ond ble fydd y sicrwydd a'r sefydlogrwydd y maent yn chwilio amdano, fel y gallant gadw eu ffermydd i fynd ac, wrth gwrs, amddiffyn lles eu hanifeiliaid?

Mae i Arolygiaeth yr RSPCA dderbyn statws statudol yn rhywbeth yr wyf yn gefnogol iawn iddo, ond, wrth gwrs, cyhoeddwyd adroddiad Wooler, fel y dywedwch, bedair blynedd yn ôl, felly tybed am faint yn rhagor y mae angen inni aros. Efallai y gallech ddweud wrthym mewn ymateb pryd yr ydych yn gobeithio cymryd camau pendant ar hyn.

Yn yr un modd gyda chŵn peryglus, rydym wedi bod yn siarad am hyn am flynyddoedd lawer. Cofiaf chwech neu saith mlynedd yn ôl pan ymunais â chi i gydnabod y bobl yr ydych yn eu henwi yn eich datganiad, a gallaf gofio digwyddiadau yn galw am weithredu yn y cyswllt hwn chwe, saith mlynedd yn ôl, fel y dywedais. Ac rydyn ni'n dal i aros, ac rydych chi'n eithaf angerddol yn adran hon o'ch datganiad:

'Ein dinasyddion ni, ein hanifeiliaid ni, yr effeithiau ar ein hiechyd ni a thrawma sy'n newid ein bywydau ni yw'r rhain.'

Felly, rydych yn ysgrifennu llythyr.

'Rwy'n gohebu â Llywodraeth y DU'. 

Rydych yn dweud yn y frawddeg flaenorol bod agweddau ar hyn wedi'u datganoli, felly pam nad ydym yn bwrw ymlaen ac yn gwneud rhywbeth? Hoffwn glywed bod ychydig o frys, oherwydd nid wyf eisiau bod yma unwaith eto mewn saith mlynedd arall yn sôn am hyn.

Ynghylch stynio anifeiliaid cyn eu lladd, yn amlwg bydd cyfle yfory i ymhelaethu ar rywfaint o hyn mewn dadl yn y Cynulliad hwn. Ond hoffwn ofyn a fyddai labelu manwl ar fwyd lle na chafodd yr anifail ei stynio yn amlwg yn un ffordd o sicrhau o leiaf y gall y defnyddiwr wneud dewis sy'n seiliedig ar wybodaeth.

Y codau ymarfer er lles ceffylau a'r un ar gyfer cŵn a gyhoeddwyd ddoe, rydym yn croesawu'r rheini. Wrth gwrs fe'u haddawyd inni cyn yr haf. Efallai y gallech egluro pam yr oedi. Cyfraith Lucy: yn yr un modd, byddwn yn annog y Llywodraeth i fwrw ymlaen â hyn. Efallai y gallech gadarnhau a yw'n fwriad gennych i wneud yn siŵr bod deddfwriaeth ar hynny yn y Cynulliad hwn o leiaf.

Ac yn olaf, Dirprwy Lywydd, dau fater nad ydynt mewn gwirionedd yn y datganiad. Ar 17 Mehefin, dywedasoch y byddech yn ymchwilio i'r angen am godau ymarfer newydd ar brimatiaid ac anifeiliaid anwes egsotig eraill. Nid oes unrhyw sôn am hynny yn y datganiad. Tybed a allwch chi roi diweddariad inni ac a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ai cod ymarfer newydd sydd ei angen mewn gwirionedd, wrth ystyried efallai y byddai rhai ohonom o blaid gwaharddiad llwyr. Felly efallai y gallech ddweud wrthym beth yw'r sefyllfa yn hynny o beth.

Yn olaf, nid oes cyfeiriad o gwbl yn y datganiad hwn at filfeddygon, ac wrth gwrs o gofio'r pryderon ynghylch digonolrwydd y gweithlu ar ôl Brexit, ar gyfer anifeiliaid mawr ac anifeiliaid bach, hoffwn gael rhywfaint o sicrwydd— gwn eich bod yn gweithio ar hyn, ond mae angen inni wybod bod gweithlu digonol yma fel nad ydym yn syrthio'n ôl ar ôl Brexit ac yn methu â gweithredu llawer o'r dyheadau sydd yn y datganiad hwn.

17:00

Can I thank Llyr for his list of questions? It is a very big area of responsibility in my portfolio and it's very hard to just pinpoint it. I did look at perhaps having a statement on farm animals, for instance, or companion animals, but we thought we would have it a bit more general.

You ask about the £0.5 million that I referred to in my answers to Andrew R.T. Davies, which we've given to the agricultural charities, and of course it's not that we want our farmers to be reliant on charity. However, it was very clear to me, certainly over the summer down at the Royal Welsh Show and at the agricultural shows and when we had the dry weather summit at the Royal Welsh Show, that regarding the weather volatility, unfortunately a lot of our farming businesses aren't resilient and sustainable in a way that we would want, and as you're aware—obviously you referred to the basic payment scheme going and being replaced by schemes that are in the consultation, and I don't want to pre-empt the consultation, which only closed a couple of weeks ago—one of the reasons why we want to look at having a new scheme is because we don't believe the basic payment scheme has enabled our agriculture sector to have that resilience and that sustainability that is needed when you have the unprecedented weather that we've had this year. Again, farmers, I'm not saying there won't be support for farmers. I want to make that very clear, and I'm very grateful to have the opportunity again. We have said we want to replace the direct payment scheme. However, there will be the economic resilience scheme and the public goods scheme that you referred to, and every farmer will be able to apply for both of those schemes.

You talk about the RSPCA and the statutory status, and I welcome your support for that. I'm certainly looking into that very carefully. I mentioned the RSPCA are doing a piece of work. They've employed a person to do that, and I had a discussion just last week with the RSPCA, and I do hope to be able to make more of a decision and an announcement early in the new year.

You mentioned dangerous dogs and, as I say, a lot of the legislation isn't devolved; it is reserved. Interestingly, on a couple of occasions when I've been out with the north Wales rural crime team, they clearly don't think that the UK Government's legislation is fit for purpose. So I'm not just corresponding. I'm corresponding with the UK Government, I've had meetings on several levels around the legislation, particularly in relation to dangerous dogs, but also the meetings that I've had with Julie Morgan and others to look at what powers we have. So, for instance, do we have the powers to look at fixed-penalty notices? Do we have the powers to look at licensing? So that is a big piece of work and I am committed to taking this forward as quickly as possible with Julie Morgan.

You asked why the codes of practice were delayed. Well, I think there's one word for that and that's 'Brexit'. With the number of statutory instruments that are coming through, they've had to take precedent over the summer. I am probably clearing several statutory instruments a week at the moment—it's a huge piece of work. But we have to make sure that statue book is there on 30 March. So, that has to take precedence. So, you're right, we are looking—. I've promised to look at others: primates, exotic pets—do we need to look at a ban? And that's something I'm happy to do.

I think the Member raises a very important point on veterinary surgeons. Clearly, we have a very high number of veterinary surgeons who are EU nationals. So, it's very important that when I have my discussions with DEFRA—and we've got the next quadrilateral with Ministers on Monday here in Cardiff—that we leave the UK Government under no uncertainty how important this sector is to us. And I have done that over the past two years. At the moment, we believe we have the workforce, but, obviously, further down the line, I think there could be difficulties.

A gaf i ddiolch i Llyr am ei restr o gwestiynau? Mae'n faes cyfrifoldeb mawr iawn yn fy mhortffolio i, ac mae'n anodd iawn ei leoli'n fanwl. Ceisiais gael datganiad efallai ar anifeiliaid fferm, er enghraifft, neu anifeiliaid anwes, ond roeddem yn credu y byddai'n well ei gael ychydig yn fwy cyffredinol.

Rydych yn gofyn am y £0.5 miliwn y cyfeiriais ato yn fy ateb i Andrew R.T. Davies, yr ydym wedi'i roi i elusennau amaethyddol, ac wrth gwrs nid yw hyn yn golygu ein bod eisiau gweld ein ffermwyr yn dibynnu ar elusen. Fodd bynnag, roedd yn amlwg iawn i mi, yn sicr dros yr haf yn y Sioe Frenhinol ac yn y sioeau amaethyddol pan gawsom y tywydd sych a phan gawsom yr uwchgynhadledd tywydd sych yn Sioe Frenhinol Cymru, o ran anwadalwch y tywydd, yn anffodus nid yw llawer o'n busnesau ffermio yn gydnerth nac yn gynaliadwy yn y ffordd y byddem yn dymuno. Ac fel y gwyddoch—yn amlwg cyfeiriasoch at gynllun y taliad sylfaenol yn cael ei ddisodli gan gynlluniau sydd yn yr ymgynghoriad, ac nid wyf eisiau achub y blaen ar yr ymgynghoriad, a ddaeth i ben ychydig wythnosau'n unig yn ôl—un o'r rhesymau pam yr ydym yn ceisio cael cynllun newydd yw oherwydd nad ydym yn credu bod y cynllun taliad sylfaenol wedi galluogi ein sector amaethyddiaeth i gael y cydnerthedd hwnnw a'r cynaliadwyedd hwnnw sydd ei angen pan fyddwn yn cael y tywydd digyffelyb a gawsom eleni. Unwaith eto, ffermwyr, nid wyf yn dweud na fydd cymorth ar gyfer ffermwyr. Rwyf am wneud hynny'n glir iawn, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i gael y cyfle unwaith eto. Rydym wedi dweud ein bod eisiau disodli cynllun y taliad uniongyrchol. Fodd bynnag, bydd y cynllun cadernid economaidd a'r cynllun nwyddau cyhoeddus, y bu ichi gyfeirio atynt, a bydd pob ffermwr yn gallu gwneud cais am y ddau gynllun hynny.

Rydych yn siarad am yr RSPCA a statws statudol, a chroesawaf eich cefnogaeth i hynny. Rwy'n sicr yn edrych yn ofalus iawn ar hynny. Soniais fod yr RSPCA yn gwneud darn o waith. Maent wedi cyflogi person i wneud hynny, cefais drafodaeth yr wythnos diwethaf gyda'r RSPCA ac rwy'n gobeithio gallu gwneud mwy o benderfyniad a chyhoeddiad yn gynnar yn y flwyddyn newydd.

Soniasoch am gŵn peryglus ac, fel y dywedais, mae llawer o ddeddfwriaeth heb ei datganoli; mae wedi'i neilltuo. Yn ddiddorol, ar ddau achlysur pan wyf wedi bod allan gyda thîm troseddau gwledig y Gogledd, yn amlwg nid ydynt yn credu bod deddfwriaeth Llywodraeth y DU yn addas i'r diben. Felly, nid dim ond gohebu yr wyf i. Rwy'n gohebu â Llywodraeth y DU, rwyf wedi cael cyfarfodydd ar sawl lefel ynghylch y ddeddfwriaeth, yn enwedig mewn perthynas â chŵn peryglus, ond hefyd y cyfarfodydd a gefais gyda Julie Morgan ac eraill i edrych ar y pwerau sydd gennym. Felly, er enghraifft, a oes gennym y pwerau i edrych ar hysbysiadau cosb benodedig? A oes gennym y pwerau i edrych ar drwyddedu? Felly dyna ddarn mawr o waith ac rwyf wedi ymrwymo i fynd â hyn ymlaen mor gyflym â phosibl gyda Julie Morgan.

Gofynasoch pam y gohiriwyd y codau ymarfer. Wel, credaf fod un gair am hynny sef 'Brexit'. Gyda'r nifer o offerynnau statudol sy'n dod drwodd, maent wedi gorfod cael blaenoriaeth dros yr haf. Mae'n debyg fy mod yn clirio nifer o offerynnau statudol bob wythnos ar hyn o bryd—mae'n ddarn enfawr o waith. Ond rhaid inni wneud yn siŵr bod llyfr statud yno ar 30 Mawrth. Felly, mae hynny'n cael blaenoriaeth. Felly, rydych yn iawn, rydym yn edrych—. Rwyf wedi addo edrych ar eraill: primatiaid, anifeiliaid anwes egsotig—a oes angen inni edrych ar waharddiad? Ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth yr wyf yn hapus i'w wneud.

Credaf fod yr Aelod yn codi pwynt pwysig iawn am filfeddygon. Yn amlwg, mae gennym nifer uchel iawn o filfeddygon sydd yn wladolion yr UE. Felly, mae'n bwysig iawn pan fyddaf yn cael fy nhrafodaethau gyda DEFRA—ac mae gennym y cyfarfod pedair ochrog nesaf â'r Gweinidogion ddydd Llun yma yng Nghaerdydd—y byddwn yn ei gwneud yn amlwg i Lywodraeth y DU pa mor bwysig yw'r sector hwn i ni. Ac rwyf wedi gwneud hynny dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf. Ar hyn o bryd, credwn fod y gweithlu gennym, ond, yn amlwg, ymhellach i lawr y lein, credaf y gallai fod anawsterau.

17:05

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement and I'm very pleased that she has taken the time to meet Councillor Dilwar Ali and Dave Joyce from the Communications Workers Union with me. As she knows, my constituent, Dilwar Ali, is involved in this campaign about dangerous dogs because his young son was viciously attacked by a dog when he was in his own back garden in 2011, and he's been left scarred for life. I think it's true to say that we have been campaigning since that time for the welfare of dogs, really, and to try to reduce the number of attacks by dangerous dogs.

Some of the information that Dave Joyce has brought to us has been very distressing, and the Cabinet Secretary has referred to some of the awful injuries that postal workers have suffered. But, he has drawn our attention to the fact that the number of attacks are actually increasing in Wales, and a total of 167 postal workers were the victims of aggression from dogs in 2017-18, and this is a rise of 22 per cent. So, I wondered if the Cabinet Secretary had any comments about this apparent, quite a large rise in the number of attacks.

It's already been mentioned that the Cabinet Secretary is looking to see if there are any further powers that can be used. I do commend the fact that she's doing that, because I think there are many things that could be done in a preventative way to try to prevent these awful attacks. We have discussed, here in this Chamber, dog control notices and we've discussed licensing and all these other issues, but I think it is important that we get a clear idea of what we can do and what we can't do. So, I look forward to an update on that when she's ready.

And I'd just like to, lastly, comment on Lucy's law. I'm really pleased that there is going to be a consultation on Lucy's law, because I think it's a matter of vital importance that we don't allow puppies and dogs and other animals to suffer in the way we know happens.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lywydd. Hoffwn ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei datganiad ac rwy'n falch iawn ei bod wedi neilltuo amser i gyfarfod â'r Cynghorydd Dilwar Ali a Dave Joyce o Undeb y Gweithwyr Cyfathrebu gyda mi. Fel y gŵyr hi, mae fy etholwr, Dilwar Ali, yn cymryd rhan yn yr ymgyrch hon am gŵn peryglus oherwydd ymosodwyd ar ei fab ifanc gan gi pan oedd yn ei ardd gefn yn 2011, ac mae hynny wedi ei adael â chreithiau am oes. Credaf ei bod yn wir i ddweud ein bod wedi bod yn ymgyrchu ers yr amser hwnnw er lles cŵn, mewn gwirionedd, ac i geisio lleihau nifer yr ymosodiadau gan gŵn peryglus.

Mae rhywfaint o'r wybodaeth a gyflwynwyd i ni gan Dave Joyce wedi bod yn ofidus iawn, ac mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi cyfeirio at rai anafiadau ofnadwy a ddioddefodd gweithwyr post. Ond tynnodd ein sylw at y ffaith bod nifer yr ymosodiadau mewn gwirionedd yn cynyddu yng Nghymru, ac roedd cyfanswm o 167 o weithwyr post wedi dioddef o ymosodiadau gan gŵn yn 2017-18, ac mae hyn yn gynnydd o 22 y cant. Felly, tybed a oedd gan Ysgrifennydd Cabinet unrhyw sylwadau am y cynnydd amlwg, eithaf mawr hwn yn nifer yr ymosodiadau.

Crybwyllwyd eisoes bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn edrych i weld a oes unrhyw bwerau pellach y gellir eu defnyddio. Rwy'n cymeradwyo'r ffaith ei bod yn gwneud hynny, oherwydd rwy'n credu bod llawer o bethau y gellid eu gwneud mewn ffordd ataliol i geisio atal yr ymosodiadau ofnadwy hyn. Rydym wedi trafod, yma yn y Siambr, hysbysiadau rheoli cŵn ac rydym wedi trafod trwyddedu a'r holl faterion eraill hyn, ond mae'n bwysig inni gael syniad clir o'r hyn y gallwn ei wneud a'r hyn na allwn ei wneud. Felly, edrychaf ymlaen at gael yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ar hynny pan fydd hi'n barod.

A hoffwn yn olaf, wneud sylw ar gyfraith Lucy. Rwy'n falch iawn y bydd ymgynghori ar gyfraith Lucy, oherwydd credaf ei fod yn fater o bwys hanfodol nad ydym yn caniatáu i gŵn bach a chŵn ac anifeiliaid eraill ddioddef yn y modd y gwyddom sy'n digwydd.

Thank you, Julie, and I would like to pay tribute to Councillor Dilwar Ali. This campaign he's had, as you say, is on the back of a family member having life-changing injuries following a dog attack and, I'm sure, when he sits in those meetings with us, it must be even more harrowing for him. But, you're quite right, I think it was just last week that we met again and, certainly, the information that Dave Joyce brought from the CWU was that the number of attacks are worrying. One hundred and sixty-seven people being attacked going about their daily jobs is completely unacceptable, and I am committed to doing all I can to work with the three of you to take this issue forward. I think we have to accept that the vast majority of dog owners are responsible—they take their responsibilities very seriously. I think, obviously, Wales was one of the first countries to introduce the compulsory microchipping of dogs. In Wales we've got our breeding regulations that say that dogs should be socialised as far as they can be before they leave the breeder. I do think that does have a lasting impact on the behaviour of a dog later in life. I'll mention that there are elements of the Dangerous Dogs Act that are not devolved, but I am committed to continuing to work with the UK Government to address the deficits, as Dave Joyce sees.

In relation to Lucy's law, sorry, I didn't answer Llyr's question around would I be doing it in this term of Assembly. Obviously, we'll be going out to consultation in January and it will then be about looking for a slot in the very packed legislative programme, but I would certainly want to do that. I think it's something I'm personally very keen to do. I think it's really important that we work jointly on these issues and I am really grateful to the rural crime team up in north Wales. I think some of the ideas they have around this agenda are very helpful to me. I do think we need the UK Government to look at that legislation to make sure it is fit for purpose and certainly, at the moment, I don't think it is.

Diolch i chi, Julie, a hoffwn dalu teyrnged i'r Cynghorydd Dilwar Ali. Mae'r ymgyrch hon ganddo ef, fel y dywedwch, yn dod ar ôl i aelod o'r teulu gael anafiadau yn dilyn ymosodiad gan gi sydd wedi newid ei fywyd, ac rwy'n siŵr, pan fydd yn eistedd yn y cyfarfodydd hynny gyda ni, rhaid ei fod hyd yn oed yn fwy gofidus iddo ef. Ond, rydych yn llygad eich lle, credaf mai dim ond yr wythnos diwethaf y cawsom gyfarfod eto ac, yn sicr, roedd yr wybodaeth a gyflwynwyd gan Dave Joyce o'r CWU am nifer yr ymosodiadau yn peri pryder. Mae'r ffaith yr ymosodwyd ar gant chwe deg saith o bobl wrth wneud eu gwaith bob dydd yn gwbl annerbyniol, ac rwyf wedi ymrwymo i wneud popeth a allaf i weithio gyda'r tri ohonoch i weithredu ar y mater hwn. Credaf fod yn rhaid inni dderbyn bod y mwyafrif helaeth o berchnogion cŵn yn gyfrifol—yn cymryd eu cyfrifoldebau o ddifrif. Credaf, yn amlwg, mai Cymru oedd un o'r gwledydd cyntaf i gyflwyno microsglodion gorfodol ar gŵn. Yng Nghymru mae gennym ein rheoliadau bridio sy'n dweud y dylai cŵn gael eu cymdeithasoli cyn belled ag y gallant fod cyn iddynt adael y bridiwr. Credaf fod hynny'n cael effaith barhaol ar ymddygiad y ci yn ddiweddarach mewn bywyd. Byddaf yn crybwyll bod elfennau o'r Ddeddf Cŵn Peryglus sydd heb eu datganoli, ond rwyf wedi ymrwymo i barhau i weithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i fynd i'r afael â'r diffygion, fel y gwêl Dave Joyce.

Mewn cysylltiad â chyfraith Lucy, mae'n ddrwg gennyf, wnes i ddim ateb cwestiwn Llyr ynghylch a fyddwn yn gwneud hynny yn y tymor hwn o'r Cynulliad. Yn amlwg, byddwn yn mynd allan i ymgynghoriad ym mis Ionawr ac yna bydd yn fater o chwilio am slot yn y rhaglen ddeddfwriaethol lawn iawn, ond yn sicr hoffwn i wneud hynny. Credaf ei fod yn rhywbeth yr wyf i'n bersonol yn awyddus iawn i'w wneud. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod yn gweithio ar y cyd ar y materion hyn ac rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i'r tîm troseddu gwledig yn y Gogledd. Credaf fod rhai o'r syniadau sydd ganddynt ynghylch yr agenda hon yn ddefnyddiol iawn i mi. Credaf fod angen i Lywodraeth y DU edrych ar y ddeddfwriaeth honno i wneud yn siŵr ei bod yn addas i'r diben ac yn sicr, ar hyn o bryd, ni chredaf hynny.

17:10

Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary, and the actions you have taken to improve animal welfare in Wales. I too support the introduction of Lucy's law and look forward to legislation to ban puppy and kitten farming. Cabinet Secretary, when do you expect to introduce any new legislation identified by the consultation?

Cabinet Secretary, a group of vets has accused DEFRA and UK Government Ministers of telling bare-faced lies about the effectiveness of the badger cull in England. The vets state that claims the cull in Somerset and Gloucestershire was working were not based on any scientific evidence. Cabinet Secretary, do you have any plans to abandon badger culls in Wales, based upon these new developments?

An independent scientific review into DEFRA's strategy for controlling the spread of bovine TB, released today, has found that culling could reduce between 12 and 16 per cent of new cases in cattle, but that in order to achieve this more than 70 per cent of badgers would have to be killed. Cabinet Secretary, the report's authors recommend non-lethal controls such as a vaccination. Do you agree that this is much better than driving our badger population to near extinction?

Moving away from wildlife and on to domestic animals, pressure is being put upon the UK Government to consult on banning the sale of fireworks. Given the impact that fireworks have on domestic animals, particularly at this time of year, does your Government have any plans to consult on restricting the sale of fireworks and allowing organised firework displays only?

Finally, Cabinet Secretary, I welcome the fact that you have become an antibiotic guardian. The threat we face from antimicrobial resistance not only threatens our farm animals and our pets, but also poses a danger to human health. Cabinet Secretary, apart from championing the cause, what is your Government doing to reduce the use of antibiotics in agriculture? Thank you. Diolch yn fawr. 

Diolch i chi am eich datganiad, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a'r camau a gymerwyd gennych i wella lles anifeiliaid yng Nghymru. Rwyf innau hefyd yn cefnogi cyflwyno cyfraith Lucy ac edrychaf ymlaen at ddeddfwriaeth i wahardd ffermio cŵn bach a chathod bach. Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, pryd ydych chi'n disgwyl cyflwyno unrhyw ddeddfwriaeth newydd a nodwyd gan yr ymgynghoriad?

Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae grŵp o filfeddygon wedi cyhuddo DEFRA a Gweinidogion Llywodraeth y DU o ddweud celwydd noeth am effeithiolrwydd difa moch daear yn Lloegr. Dywed y milfeddygon nad oedd yr hawliadau bod y difa yng Ngwlad yr Haf a Swydd Gaerloyw yn gweithio yn seiliedig ar unrhyw dystiolaeth wyddonol. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a oes gennych unrhyw gynlluniau i roi'r gorau i ddifa moch daear yng Nghymru, yn seiliedig ar y datblygiadau newydd hyn?

Mae adolygiad gwyddonol annibynnol o strategaeth DEFRA i reoli lledaeniad TB mewn gwartheg, a ryddhawyd heddiw, wedi canfod y gallai difa leihau rhwng 12 ac 16 y cant o achosion newydd mewn gwartheg. Ond er mwyn cyflawni hyn byddai'n rhaid lladd mwy na 70 y cant o foch daear. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae awduron yr adroddiad yn argymell rheolaethau nad ydynt yn angheuol megis brechu. A ydych yn cytuno bod hyn yn llawer gwell na bod ein poblogaeth moch daear yn agos at gael eu dileu yn llwyr?

Gan symud oddi wrth fywyd gwyllt ac ymlaen at anifeiliaid domestig, rhoddir pwysau ar Lywodraeth y DU i ymgynghori ar wahardd gwerthu tân gwyllt. O ystyried yr effaith a gaiff tân gwyllt ar anifeiliaid domestig, yn enwedig yr adeg hon o'r flwyddyn, a oes cynlluniau gan eich Llywodraeth i ymgynghori ynghylch cyfyngu ar werthiant tân gwyllt a chaniatáu arddangosfeydd tân gwyllt wedi'u trefnu yn unig?

Yn olaf, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, croesawaf y ffaith eich bod bellach yn warcheidwad gwrthfiotig. Mae'r bygythiad a wynebwn gan ymwrthedd gwrthficrobaidd nid yn unig yn bygwth ein hanifeiliaid fferm a'n hanifeiliaid anwes, ond hefyd yn achosi perygl i iechyd dynol. Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, ar wahân i bledio'r achos, beth mae eich Llywodraeth yn ei wneud i leihau'r defnydd o wrthfiotigau mewn amaethyddiaeth? Diolch. Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you, Caroline Jones. In relation to Lucy's law, I think you will have heard me say that we will be having a consultation in January and I will then, depending what comes forward from the consultation, be looking at a slot in the legislative programme over the next couple of years.

In relation to the report that Caroline Jones spoke about with the DEFRA Ministers and the badger cull, I think there are two important points here. One is I'm not here to defend the UK Government's policy in relation to badger culling. I have made it very clear that we would rule out an England-style cull here in Wales from the day I've been in portfolio, and there is no badger cull here in Wales. What we have is a refreshed TB eradication programme that I introduced in October of last year. I'm committed to bringing forward an update on how the programme is working, probably around April of next year, when we've got a full year's data to be able to report on.

I think what we're doing, having a bespoke action plan on those farms where there is a significant breakdown and has been for many years, those bespoke action plans are all being undertaken as we speak. You'll be aware, I'm sure, that we had a vaccination policy in relation to TB and unfortunately the vaccination wasn't available for the fifth year. But, we have got some pilot areas where we have used vaccinations over these last few months. 

In relation to banning fireworks, that would be a matter for the UK Government, but I would be very interested to see anything that they bring forward.

And, as I said, I have become an antibiotic guardian today and I would urge fellow Members to do so. I think it's very important that we work with the agricultural sector to ensure there isn't overuse of antibiotics. And certainly the work that we've done in relation to antimicrobial reaction is very important, and that's been a significant piece of work.

Diolch i chi, Caroline Jones. Mewn cysylltiad â chyfraith Lucy, credaf y byddwch wedi fy nghlywed yn dweud y byddwn yn cael ymgynghoriad ym mis Ionawr ac yna, gan ddibynnu ar beth sy'n cael ei ddwyn ymlaen o'r ymgynghoriad, byddaf yn edrych ar slot yn y rhaglen ddeddfwriaethol dros y ddwy flynedd nesaf.

Mewn cysylltiad â'r adroddiad y siaradodd Caroline Jones amdano gyda Gweinidogion DEFRA a difa moch daear, credaf fod dau bwynt pwysig. Un yw nad wyf yma i amddiffyn polisi Llywodraeth y DU ar ddifa moch daear. Rwyf wedi ei gwneud yn glir iawn y byddwn yn diystyru dull difa fel un Lloegr yma yng Nghymru ers y diwrnod yr wyf wedi bod yn y portffolio, ac nid oes difa moch daear yma yng Nghymru. Yr hyn sydd gennym yw rhaglen o ddileu TB ar ei newydd wedd a gyflwynais ym mis Hydref y llynedd. Rwyf wedi ymrwymo i gyflwyno'r newyddion diweddaraf ar sut y mae'r rhaglen yn gweithio, mae'n debyg tua mis Ebrill y flwyddyn nesaf, pan fyddwn yn gallu adrodd ar ddata blwyddyn lawn.

Credaf fod yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud, sef cael cynllun gweithredu pwrpasol ar y ffermydd hynny lle ceir problemau sylweddol a hynny ers blynyddoedd lawer, mae'r cynlluniau gweithredu pwrpasol hynny i gyd yn cael eu cynnal wrth inni siarad. Byddwch yn ymwybodol, mae'n siŵr, fod gennym bolisi brechu mewn perthynas â TB ac yn anffodus doedd y brechiad ddim ar gael ar gyfer y bumed flwyddyn. Ond mae gennym rai ardaloedd peilot lle'r ydym wedi defnyddio brechiadau dros y misoedd diwethaf.

Mewn cysylltiad â gwahardd tân gwyllt, byddai hynny'n fater i Lywodraeth y DU, ond byddai'n ddiddorol iawn gweld unrhyw beth y maent yn ei ddwyn ymlaen.

Ac, fel y dywedais, rwy'n warcheidwad gwrthfiotig heddiw a byddwn yn annog fy nghyd-Aelodau i wneud hynny. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod yn gweithio gyda'r sector amaethyddol i sicrhau nad oes gorddefnydd o wrthfiotigau. Ac yn sicr mae'r gwaith a wnaethom mewn cysylltiad ag adwaith gwrthficrobaidd yn bwysig iawn, ac mae hynny wedi bod yn ddarn sylweddol o waith.

17:15

Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet.

7. Datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol: Cynlluniau Cyflenwi ar gyfer y Gaeaf
7. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: Winter Delivery Planning

Item 7 on our agenda this afternoon is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services on winter delivery planning, and I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services, Vaughan Gething. 

Eitem 7 ar ein hagenda y prynhawn yma yw datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ar y cynlluniau cyflenwi ar gyfer y gaeaf, a galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol, Vaughan Gething.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I am pleased to update Members on how NHS Wales, local authorities and other partners are planning to deliver resilient services for the winter. Last winter was one of the most difficult that our health and care services have faced in several years and saw increased challenges for our front-line staff. This was not, however, unique to Wales as health services across the UK were put under immense strain. Significant snowfall, freezing conditions, increased demand for GP and emergency care services, increased admissions to hospitals for older people with complex conditions, and the largest number of flu cases since the pandemic of 2009 meant that our NHS and social care system was under unprecedented pressure. Despite these pressures, the majority of people accessing health and social care services during last winter received timely and safe care. This is testament to the thousands of committed staff working in often difficult circumstances, often going above and beyond what could reasonably be expected of them to deliver professional and compassionate care. 

Members will be aware that an evaluation of health and social care resilience over the last winter was published recently. Reflecting on learning from this evaluation, it was recognised that a co-ordinated and collaborative whole-system approach is essential. It also suggested that prioritising delivery of a small number of areas in a targeted way ahead of this winter would support better management of surges in demand and changes in patterns of demand.

As I stated in my written statement on 25 October, my officials have worked with national clinical leaders, leaders from the NHS Wales organisations and local authorities to develop five winter delivery priorities for this winter. These will increase focus on the management of patients in the community, make sure there is clinically focused hospital management to manage risk and peaks in demand, and to ensure that people are able to return home from hospital when they are ready.

While we recognise that pressures on the health and care system are a year-round reality, planning for winter remains a significant priority for our health and care system and national agencies. Preparations for this winter have been taking place throughout Wales and across organisational boundaries since last winter. Local health boards, the Welsh ambulance service, local authorities and other partners have been working over recent months to develop and finalise integrated winter delivery plans for their health and care communities, aligned to those five priorities. 

Integrated winter delivery plans have been received from every health board and they have been scrutinised by my officials, the NHS Wales delivery unit and the national programme for unscheduled care. Feedback has been provided to help improve their plans ahead of the winter. The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust has developed a national plan that has been considered and agreed by the Emergency Ambulance Services Committee as well.

The local plans include an additional focus on providing telephone advice to people with urgent care needs, increasing access to services in the community over evenings and weekends, and collaborative working with the third sector to support people to leave hospital when they are ready.

To support the delivery plans, I announced a £20 million package for the NHS and social care partners in Wales ahead of this winter. Learning from previous years, I made the decision to allocate this funding earlier this year to ensure local health and care teams are as prepared as they can be for the winter to come. This funding is, of course, on top of the £5 million I announced on 17 October to help relieve pressure on critical care units and the £10 million I announced on 22 October to support sustainable social services through this winter. It will help people to access care closer to home, ensure there is sufficient available hospital capacity and help people to leave hospital for home when they are ready. Sixteen million pounds of that £20 million package will be allocated directly to local health boards to support delivery of actions featured in their plans, alongside their partners in the ambulance service, local authorities and the third sector.

I expect that funding to be used to support health boards’ delivery against milestones identified for this winter, as part of the adoption and adaptation of the primary care model for Wales. Delivery against these milestones will be monitored through monthly meetings with directors of primary and community care. We've made clear our expectations to health boards that this funding must be used to support delivery of actions outlined in their integrated winter plans, and that, again, will be evaluated as part of another review of winter resilience after this winter finishes.

The remaining £4 million of the £20 million package will fund nationally agreed priorities for the winter period, and these include increasing capacity in emergency departments to support patient flow, four high-impact Welsh ambulance service projects to manage patient demand in the community, and two pilots to extend primary care out-of-hours access.

The winter will also see NHS Wales work more closely with the third sector. For example, local health boards will work with the British Red Cross to support patients and staff in emergency departments, and transport relevant patients home, helping them to resettle and reconnect with community services. The Welsh ambulance service will also be working with St John Cymru Wales to scale up a project, trialled in south Wales last winter, to introduce a dedicated falls service, and I outlines this in my statement last week about the amber review. This will help avoid sending essential emergency ambulance resources to people who can safely be resettled without a clinical intervention.

Health boards have been asked to formulate operational plans for the crucial 18-day period between 21 December and 6 January. That's in recognition of the particular challenges that this period presents due to the number of bank holidays. This year’s Choose Well winter campaign that I launched recently places more of a focus on the role of community pharmacy and the wide range of other services that are available within the community. They're often closer to people’s homes and available at more convenient times for a range of people in the evenings and weekends.

I was pleased to launch the annual Beat Flu campaign on 3 October, and I had my flu jab in a community pharmacy in Cwmbran. The Beat Flu campaign encourages all those who are eligible for the free flu vaccination to get protected. This year, the vaccine will be more widely available than ever before, including for staff within the social care sector, paid for by the national health service.

But there is no reason to think that this winter will be any less challenging than previous years and, yet again, we will rely on the dedication of our staff at the most extreme times of pressure. However, the plans that we have across health and social care come from a partnership between our NHS, local authorities, the third sector and the Government. The combination of local and national plans should provide increased resilience against the inevitable pressures that will come over the winter months. As ever, it is our aim, and that of our dedicated staff, to make sure that patients continue to access the care they require, when they need it and where they need it. 

Diolch ichi, Dirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n falch o roi diweddariad i'r Aelodau ynglŷn â sut y mae GIG Cymru, awdurdodau lleol a phartneriaid eraill yn cynllunio i ddarparu gwasanaethau cydnerth ar gyfer y gaeaf. Roedd y gaeaf diwethaf yn un o'r anoddaf y mae ein gwasanaethau iechyd a gofal wedi'i wynebu ers nifer o flynyddoedd a gwelwyd heriau cynyddol ar gyfer ein staff rheng flaen. Nid oedd hyn, fodd bynnag, yn unigryw i Gymru gan y rhoddwyd gwasanaethau iechyd ar draws y DU o dan straen aruthrol. Roedd eira sylweddol, amodau rhewllyd, cynnydd yn y galw am wasanaethau meddygon teulu a gofal brys, cynnydd yn y derbyniadau i ysbytai ar gyfer pobl hŷn sydd â chyflyrau cymhleth, a'r nifer fwyaf o achosion o'r ffliw ers pandemig 2009 yn golygu bod ein GIG a'n system gofal cymdeithasol dan bwysau digynsail. Er gwaethaf y pwysau hyn, fe wnaeth y rhan fwyaf o bobl a oedd yn defnyddio gwasanaethau iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn ystod gaeaf diwethaf dderbyn gofal prydlon a diogel. Mae hyn yn deyrnged i'r miloedd o staff ymroddedig sy'n aml yn gweithio mewn amgylchiadau anodd, yn aml yn mynd y tu hwnt i'r hyn y gellid ei ddisgwyl yn rhesymol ohonynt i ddarparu gofal tosturiol a phroffesiynol.

Bydd yr Aelodau yn ymwybodol y cyhoeddwyd gwerthusiad o gydnerthedd iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol dros y gaeaf diwethaf yn ddiweddar. Gan fyfyrio ar yr hyn a ddysgwyd o'r gwerthusiad hwn, cydnabuwyd bod angen mynd ati drwy gynnwys y system gyfan mewn modd cydgysylltiedig a chydweithredol yn hanfodol. Awgrymodd hefyd y byddai blaenoriaethu cyflawni nifer fach o feysydd mewn modd penodol cyn y gaeaf hwn yn cefnogi gwell rheolaeth o'r ymchwydd mewn galw a newidiadau ym mhatrymau'r galw.

Fel y dywedais yn fy natganiad ysgrifenedig ar 25 Hydref, mae fy swyddogion wedi gweithio gydag arweinwyr clinigol cenedlaethol, arweinwyr o sefydliadau GIG Cymru ac awdurdodau lleol i ddatblygu pum blaenoriaeth cyflawni ar gyfer y gaeaf hwn. Bydd y rhain yn cynyddu'r pwyslais ar reoli cleifion yn y gymuned, yn sicrhau bod dulliau rheoli â phwyslais clinigol mewn ysbytai i reoli risg a chynnydd yn y galw, ac i sicrhau bod pobl yn gallu dychwelyd adref o'r ysbyty pan fyddant yn barod.

Er ein bod yn cydnabod bod pwysau ar y system iechyd a gofal yn realiti drwy gydol y flwyddyn, mae cynllunio ar gyfer y gaeaf yn parhau i fod yn flaenoriaeth bwysig ar gyfer ein system iechyd a gofal a'n hasiantaethau cenedlaethol. Mae'r paratoadau ar gyfer y gaeaf hwn wedi bod ar waith trwy Gymru ac ar draws ffiniau sefydliadol ers y gaeaf diwethaf. Mae byrddau iechyd lleol, gwasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru, awdurdodau lleol a phartneriaid eraill wedi bod yn gweithio dros y misoedd diwethaf i ddatblygu a chwblhau cynlluniau cyflawni integredig ar gyfer y gaeaf ar gyfer eu cymunedau iechyd a gofal, sy'n cyd-fynd â'r pum blaenoriaeth hynny.

Rydym ni wedi cael cynlluniau cyflawni integredig ar gyfer y gaeaf gan bob bwrdd iechyd ac mae fy swyddogion i, uned gyflawni GIG Cymru a'r rhaglen genedlaethol ar gyfer gofal heb ei drefnu wedi craffu arnyn nhw. Darparwyd adborth i helpu i wella eu cynlluniau cyn y gaeaf. Mae Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Gwasanaethau Ambiwlans Cymru wedi datblygu cynllun cenedlaethol a ystyriwyd ac y cytunwyd arno gan y Pwyllgor Gwasanaethau Ambiwlans Brys hefyd.

Mae'r cynlluniau lleol yn cynnwys pwyslais ychwanegol ar ddarparu cyngor dros y ffôn i bobl ag anghenion gofal brys, sicrhau bod gwasanaethau yn y gymuned ar gael yn amlach gyda'r nos a dros y penwythnosau, a gweithio ar y cyd gyda'r trydydd sector i gynorthwyo pobl i adael yr ysbyty pan fyddant yn barod.

I gefnogi'r cynlluniau cyflawni, cyhoeddais becyn £20 miliwn ar gyfer y GIG a phartneriaid gofal cymdeithasol yng Nghymru cyn y gaeaf hwn. Gan ddysgu o flynyddoedd blaenorol, fe wnes i'r penderfyniad i ddyrannu'r arian hwn yn gynharach eleni i sicrhau bod timau iechyd a gofal lleol mor barod ag y gallan nhw fod ar gyfer y gaeaf sydd i ddod. Mae'r cyllid hwn, wrth gwrs, ar ben y £5 miliwn a gyhoeddais ar 17 Hydref i helpu i leihau'r pwysau ar unedau gofal critigol a'r £10 miliwn a gyhoeddais ar 22 Hydref i gefnogi gwasanaethau cymdeithasol cynaliadwy trwy'r gaeaf hwn. Bydd yn helpu pobl i gael gofal yn nes at y cartref, yn sicrhau bod digon o gapasiti ar gael mewn ysbytai ac yn helpu pobl i adael yr ysbyty a mynd adref pan fyddan nhw'n barod. Dyrennir 16 miliwn o bunnoedd o'r pecyn gwerth £20 miliwn hwnnw yn uniongyrchol i'r byrddau iechyd lleol i helpu i gefnogi'r gwaith o gyflawni'r camau gweithredu sy'n rhan o'u cynlluniau, ochr yn ochr â'u partneriaid yn y gwasanaeth ambiwlans, awdurdodau lleol a'r trydydd sector.

Rwy'n disgwyl i'r arian hwnnw gael ei ddefnyddio i gefnogi byrddau iechyd i gyflawni'r cerrig milltir a nodwyd ar gyfer y gaeaf hwn, yn rhan o fabwysiadu ac addasu'r model gofal sylfaenol ar gyfer Cymru. Bydd cyflawni'r cerrig milltir hyn yn cael ei fonitro drwy gyfarfodydd misol â chyfarwyddwyr gofal sylfaenol a chymunedol. Rydym ni wedi nodi ein disgwyliadau yn glîr wrth y byrddau iechyd bod yn rhaid defnyddio'r arian hwn i helpu i gyflawni'r camau gweithredu a amlinellwyd yn eu cynlluniau integredig ar gyfer y gaeaf, ac, unwaith eto, caiff hynny ei werthuso yn rhan o adolygiad arall o wrthsefyll pwysau'r gaeaf ar ôl i'r gaeaf hwn ddod i ben.

Bydd y £4 miliwn sy'n weddill o'r pecyn £20 miliwn yn ariannu blaenoriaethau y cytunwyd arnynt yn genedlaethol ar gyfer y gaeaf, ac mae'r rhain yn cynnwys cynyddu capasiti adrannau achosion brys i gefnogi llif cleifion, pedwar prosiect gwasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru hynod effeithiol i reoli galw cleifion yn y gymuned, a dau gynllun arbrofol i ymestyn y gallu i gael gofal sylfaenol y tu allan i oriau.

Bydd GIG Cymru yn gweithio'n agosach gyda'r trydydd sector dros y gaeaf hefyd. Er enghraifft, bydd byrddau iechyd lleol yn gweithio gyda'r Groes Goch Brydeinig i gynorthwyo cleifion a staff mewn adrannau achosion brys, ac i gludo cleifion perthnasol gartref, gan eu helpu i ailymgartrefu ac ailgysylltu â gwasanaethau cymunedol. Bydd gwasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru hefyd yn gweithio gyda St John Cymru i gyflwyno ar raddfa fwy prosiect a dreialwyd yn ne Cymru y gaeaf diwethaf, i gyflwyno gwasanaeth penodol ar gyfer codymau, ac fe wnes i amlinellu hyn yn fy natganiad yr wythnos diwethaf am yr adolygiad o achosion oren. Bydd hyn yn helpu i osgoi anfon adnoddau ambiwlans brys hanfodol at bobl a all gael eu hailymgartrefu yn ddiogel heb ymyrraeth glinigol.

Rydym ni wedi gofyn i fyrddau iechyd lunio cynlluniau gweithredol ar gyfer y cyfnod 18 diwrnod hollbwysig rhwng 21 Rhagfyr a 6 Ionawr. Mae hynny i gydnabod yr heriau penodol y mae'r cyfnod hwn yn ei achosi oherwydd nifer y gwyliau banc. Mae ymgyrch Dewis Doeth y gaeaf hwn a lansiwyd gennyf yn ddiweddar yn rhoi mwy o bwyslais ar swyddogaeth fferyllfeydd cymunedol a'r ystod eang o wasanaethau eraill sydd ar gael yn y gymuned. Maen nhw'n aml yn agosach at gartrefi pobl ac ar gael ar adegau mwy cyfleus ar gyfer amrywiaeth o bobl gyda'r nos ac ar benwythnosau.

Roeddwn yn falch o lansio yr ymgyrch flynyddol Curwch Ffliw ar 3 Hydref, ac fe gefais i fy mhigiad ffliw mewn fferyllfa gymunedol yng Nghwmbrân. Mae'r ymgyrch Curwch Ffliw yn annog pawb sy'n gymwys i gael brechiad rhag y ffliw am ddim er mwyn eu diogelu. Eleni, bydd y brechlyn ar gael yn fwy eang nag erioed o'r blaen, gan gynnwys staff yn y sector gofal cymdeithasol, wedi'i dalu gan y gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol.

Ond nid oes unrhyw reswm i feddwl y bydd y gaeaf hwn unrhyw faint yn llai heriol na rhai'r blynyddoedd blaenorol ac, unwaith eto, byddwn yn dibynnu ar ymroddiad ein staff ar yr adegau mwyaf eithafol o bwysau. Fodd bynnag, mae'r cynlluniau sydd gennym ni ar draws y maes iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn dod o bartneriaeth rhwng ein GIG, awdurdodau lleol, y trydydd sector a'r Llywodraeth. Dylai'r cyfuniad o gynlluniau lleol a chenedlaethol ddarparu mwy o gydnerthedd yn erbyn y pwysau anochel a ddaw dros fisoedd y gaeaf. Fel erioed, ein nod ni, a nod ein staff ymroddedig, yw gwneud yn siŵr bod cleifion yn parhau i gael y gofal sydd ei angen arnynt, pan fo'i angen a lle y mae ei angen.

17:20

Cabinet Secretary, thank you for your statement today. One of the things that does seem to mark out the winter months is these winter pressures on the NHS and, obviously, over the Christmas period, as you alluded to in your statement. With the bank holidays and all the rest of it, it is a particularly challenging management time for the NHS, and we do pay tribute to the work of the NHS staff across the whole estate, because it needs everyone within that estate to work, as well as the voluntary sector, to meet those challenges. 

I will take a couple of points out of the statement, in particular around the capacity. You can talk about the extra money you've put in, which is very welcome, but is that extra money buying additional capacity, both in hospital beds and access to GP practices and primary locations, in particular? In the statement you talk about increasing access to services in the community over evenings and weekends. Well, if you talked to most people, they do have difficulties at the best of times trying to access appointments in the evenings within the GP sector, for example. So, what additional capacity will the resource that you're identifying buy over these coming months so that that will actually treat patients in the best location, which is the community itself?  

Here in Cardiff, for example, over the Christmas period last year, there was a certain period of time when there was no GP out-of-hours provision whatsoever because the health board was unable to attract any GPs to fill those rota slots. Can you give a commitment today that that situation will not happen this winter, given the preparedness that you've identified within your statement this afternoon? In particular, and I did raise it with the leader of the house, could you touch on staffing levels within the NHS, in particular in maternity services? You did indicate that you were going to come back to the Chamber to inform us about staffing levels within maternity services across Wales in light of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital situation and the staffing numbers there. If you could use, maybe, this statement to give us an assurance that your officials now have satisfied themselves and confirmed to you that staffing numbers are robust in the services that will be called upon for the winter months, I think that would be greatly appreciated.

The flu vaccination—obviously there's a widespread campaign around flu vaccine across the length and breadth of Wales. Only this morning I was hearing of issues in north Wales in particular, where there does seem to be a shortage, certainly in some GP surgeries, and patients unable to actually have the jab when they've presented themselves to have that vaccination. Can you confirm whether you are aware of such instances where patients are turned away when they present for the vaccination, and, if that isn't the case, are you able to give an assurance that, if constituents do want to have the flu vaccine, there is ample supply here in Wales for that programme to actually meet the goals that we want it to achieve?

Obviously, what's really important as well is to focus on the wider NHS estate. There is little or no point in having the hospital itself working if the car parks, for example, or the roadways into the car parks, are blocked up. Very often, these are the things that do tend to get overlooked. I can remember in Llandough hospital, some two years ago, the hospital itself was functioning very well but because the car parks were iced up and snowed under, basically they couldn't get any patients in or staff to assist in the changeovers that were required. So, when the hospitals and health boards look at their estate, they should look at the entire estate and the workings on that estate so that we don't find that sort of anomaly happening again that puts undue pressure on the hospital environment itself.

You also touched in your statement on the increase in community facilities that will be made available. Could you explain what increase you're looking at creating this winter that wasn't available last winter in the community, so that patients know where they need to go and present? It is important, as you quite rightly identified within your statement, to say that this is a multi-agency approach that's required, from the voluntary sector, from local authorities and the health service itself. If all walk in unison together, then we can have confidence in the plans that you've outlined today. But what we saw last winter was a breakdown in the service, regrettably, despite the best endeavours of many people across the length and breadth of Wales. I do point to that specific point that I touched on, where, in Cardiff for example, there was no out-of-hours provision whatsoever and so that only leaves the A&E department to take the brunt then of all that extra demand arriving at the doors of the hospital, which puts pressure on the hospital itself, and that pressure drives the service down. So, can you give us the commitment that the capacity will be in the community? Can you give us the commitment that health boards have got the staffing levels they require, and, above all, what new initiatives will you be bringing forward where you've learnt the lessons from last winter? 

Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, diolch i chi am eich datganiad heddiw. Un o'r pethau sy'n dueddol o fod yn nodwedd amlwg o fisoedd y gaeaf yw pwysau'r gaeaf ar y GIG ac, yn amlwg, dros gyfnod y Nadolig, fel y gwnaethoch chi gyfeirio ato yn eich datganiad. Gyda'r gwyliau banc ac yn y blaen, mae'n amser rheoli arbennig o anodd ar gyfer y GIG, ac rydym ni yn talu teyrnged i waith staff y GIG drwy'r ystad gyfan, oherwydd mae angen i bawb o fewn yr ystad honno weithio, yn ogystal â'r sector gwirfoddol, i ymdopi â'r heriau hynny.

Fe wnaf i ymdrin ag ychydig o bwyntiau o'r datganiad, yn arbennig ynghylch y capasiti. Fe allwch chi siarad am yr arian ychwanegol yr ydych chi wedi i roi, sydd i'w groesawu'n fawr, ond a yw hwnnw'n arian ychwanegol sy'n prynu capasiti ychwanegol, mewn gwelyau ysbyty a'r gallu i ddefnyddio meddygfeydd teulu a lleoliadau gofal sylfaenol, yn benodol? Yn y datganiad rydych chi'n sôn am gynyddu'r gallu i gael gwasanaethau yn y gymuned gyda'r nos ac ar benwythnosau. Wel, pe baech chi'n siarad â'r rhan fwyaf o bobl, maen nhw'n cael trafferthion drwy'r amser yn ceisio cael apwyntiadau gyda'r nos yn y sector meddygon teulu, er enghraifft. Felly, pa gapasiti ychwanegol fydd yr adnodd yr ydych chi'n sôn amdano yn ei brynu dros y misoedd nesaf hyn sydd i ddod er mwyn i hynny drin cleifion, mewn gwirionedd, yn y lleoliad gorau, sef yn y gymuned ei hun?

Yma yng Nghaerdydd, er enghraifft, dros gyfnod y Nadolig y llynedd, cafwyd cyfnod o amser pan nad oedd unrhyw ddarpariaeth meddyg teulu y tu allan i oriau o gwbl gan nad oedd y bwrdd iechyd wedi gallu denu unrhyw feddygon teulu i lenwi'r slotiau hynny yn y rota. A allwch chi roi ymrwymiad heddiw na fydd y sefyllfa honno yn digwydd y gaeaf hwn, o ystyried y parodrwydd yr ydych chi wedi'i nodi yn eich datganiad y prynhawn yma? Yn benodol, a chodais hyn gydag arweinydd y tŷ, a wnewch chi sôn am lefelau staffio yn y GIG, yn arbennig yn y gwasanaethau mamolaeth? Fe wnaethoch chi ddweud eich bod yn mynd i ddod yn ôl i'r Siambr i roi gwybod inni am lefelau staffio yn y gwasanaethau mamolaeth ledled Cymru yng ngoleuni'r sefyllfa yn Ysbyty Brenhinol Morgannwg a niferoedd y staff yn y fan honno. Os gallech chi ddefnyddio, efallai, y datganiad hwn i roi sicrwydd inni fod eich swyddogion bellach wedi bodloni eu hunain a chadarnhau i chi bod niferoedd y staff yn gadarn yn y gwasanaethau y bydd galw arnynt dros fisoedd y gaeaf; rwy'n credu y byddem ni'n gwerthfawrogi hynny'n fawr.

Y brechiad rhag y ffliw—yn amlwg mae yna ymgyrch eang ynghylch y brechlyn ffliw ar hyd a lled Cymru. Dim ond y bore yma roeddwn yn clywed am broblemau yn y gogledd yn benodol, lle mae'n ymddangos bod yna brinder, yn sicr mewn rhai meddygfeydd teulu, ac nid yw cleifion yn gallu cael y brechiad mewn gwirionedd pan fyddan nhw'n dod i gael y brechiad hwnnw. A allwch chi gadarnhau a ydych chi'n ymwybodol o achosion o'r fath lle mae cleifion wedi eu troi ymaith pan fyddant yn dod i gael y brechiad, ac, os nad yw hynny wedi digwydd, a allwch chi roi sicrwydd, os yw etholwyr yn dymuno cael y brechlyn ffliw, bod digonedd o gyflenwad yma yng Nghymru i'r rhaglen honno gyflawni'r amcanion yr ydym ni eisiau iddi eu cyflawni mewn gwirionedd?

Yn amlwg, yr hyn sy'n wirioneddol bwysig hefyd yw canolbwyntio ar ystad ehangach y GIG. Nid oes llawer o ddiben, neu ddim diben o gwbl, bod yr ysbyty ei hun yn gweithio os yw'r meysydd parcio, er enghraifft, neu'r ffyrdd i mewn i'r meysydd parcio, wedi'u rhwystro. Yn aml iawn, dyma'r pethau sy'n tueddu i gael eu hesgeuluso. Gallaf gofio yn Ysbyty Llandochau, ryw ddwy flynedd yn ôl, roedd yr ysbyty ei hun yn gweithredu'n dda iawn ond oherwydd bod y meysydd parcio dan rew ac eira, yn y bôn, nid oedden nhw'n gallu cael unrhyw gleifion i mewn na staff i gynorthwyo yn y newid shifftiau yr oedd ei angen. Felly, pan fo'r ysbytai a'r byrddau iechyd yn edrych ar eu hystad, dylen nhw edrych ar yr ystad gyfan a'r modd y mae'r ystad hwnnw yn gweithredu fel nad ydym ni'n cael y math hwnnw o anghysondeb yn digwydd eto sy'n rhoi gormod o bwysau ar amgylchedd yr ysbyty ei hun.

Fe wnaethoch chi grybwyll hefyd yn eich datganiad y cynnydd mewn cyfleusterau cymunedol a fydd ar gael. A wnewch chi egluro pa gynnydd yr ydych chi'n bwriadu ei greu y gaeaf hwn nad oedd ar gael y gaeaf diwethaf yn y gymuned, fel bod cleifion yn gwybod lle y mae angen iddyn nhw fynd? Mae'n bwysig, fel y gwnaethoch chi ei nodi yn gwbl briodol yn eich datganiad, dweud bod hwn yn rhywbeth y mae angen i sawl asiantaeth gydweithio arno, y sector gwirfoddol, yr awdurdodau lleol a'r gwasanaeth iechyd ei hun. Os bydd pawb yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd, yna gallwn gael hyder yn y cynlluniau yr ydych chi wedi'u hamlinellu heddiw. Ond yr hyn a welsom ni y gaeaf diwethaf oedd chwalfa yn y gwasanaeth, yn anffodus, er gwaethaf ymdrechion gorau llawer o bobl ar hyd a lled Cymru. Rwyf yn cyfeirio at y pwynt penodol hwnnw y cyfeiriais ato, lle, yng Nghaerdydd er enghraifft, nad oedd darpariaeth y tu allan i oriau o gwbl ac felly nid yw hynny ond yn gadael yr adran ddamweiniau ac achosion brys i ddwyn y baich am y galw ychwanegol hwnnw sy'n cyrraedd wrth ddrysau yr ysbyty, sy'n rhoi pwysau ar yr ysbyty ei hun, a'r pwysau hynny yn gwasgu ar y gwasanaeth. Felly, a allwch chi roi yr ymrwymiad inni y bydd y capasiti yn y gymuned? Allwch chi roi'r ymrwymiad inni fod gan y byrddau iechyd y lefelau staffio sydd eu hangen arnynt, ac, yn anad dim, pa fentrau newydd y byddwch chi'n eu cyflwyno lle'r ydych chi wedi dysgu gwersi o'r gaeaf diwethaf?

17:25

Thank you for the wide range of questions. Some of your broader points were about capacity across the system—you started and ended on those points. On capacity within the beds part of the system, and not just within the hospital setting, but the ability to flex bed capacity, that requires staff, and that's the biggest limiting factor, rather than the physical beds and space themselves. But there are also beds in different parts of the system, so a focus on reablement beds, to get people out of hospital if they need an intermediate setting before going back to their own home wherever that may be, whether it's a private residence or if they're in the residential care sector.

There's always capacity to make better use of the capacity within the pharmacy sector too, which I've outlined in the statement. There are more services that pharmacies can provide than many people are aware of. We want to make the best possible use of that service. I've outlined in both the amber review and in today's statement some of where that extra capacity will be—for example, more clinicians available to service the clinical desk with the Welsh ambulance service, where lots of demand ends up being filtered through during this time of year, and, where the 111 service has been rolled out, there is more resilience in the out-of-hours service and not just people interacting with the emergency ambulance service as well. So, we will have more staff to help make that work. That partly follows on from the statement last week on the amber review. Today, for example, you know that, across the system, the successful pilot of advanced paramedic practitioners in north Wales is being rolled out through the service. So, that's extra capacity but not just numbers, but the sorts of people making use of the skill that those advanced paramedics have. Local health boards have decided with their local authority partners where best to deploy the skills of those advanced paramedics. So, yes, there are going to be more staff in and around our system, and we really are trying to learn lessons from the last winter. It should be a positive that that lesson learning takes place between professional staff and leaders of staff, so I'm not getting drawn into the operational detail of that because, actually, that's not where a politician should be. It's about the assurance that we are providing them with the resources they need to deal with the capacity and where they need that capacity to try and deliver a more resilient system through this winter.

But it would be foolish of any health Minister in any Government to try and provide an absolute guarantee that the system won't come under pressure or strain during the winter, and that includes our ability to provide out-of-hours services and how all parts of the system flex with each other. That's why we need to make better use of integrating the whole system together, because otherwise I recognise that that pressure goes into different areas. That's why we are looking to provide more capacity across the social care side of the system, because the dedication of our staff has to be in all of those sectors. If we achieve greater flow through the healthcare system, as we expect to do and as we want to do, that means that people will arrive in the social care sector more rapidly than before. We need capacity in that sector, not just in beds but in staff to do their job too.

On some of the specific points you made, on the operational plans that health boards are delivering, I do expect them to cover the estate within our hospitals so people can actually move around that estate—that's staff and patients and visitors too. On the assurances on the maternity services, we have received assurances, and I'll be providing a written note for Members to confirm that those assurances have been received about the staff members on maternity services around the country.

And then, on the flu vaccine, there was significant additional demand for the manufacture this year. Every year, public health organisations agree on the right strains of the flu vaccine to target. There's a slightly different vaccine available depending on different age groups and the efficacy of that. The manufacturer had some short-term supply issues at the start of the season. They're being resolved and the batches are being released across England, Wales and the rest of the UK as well. So, if anyone has not had the flu jab who wants it they should re-contact either their GP or their local community pharmacy and they can give them local information about when to have the jab and when it will be readily available in each area of the country. But we've actually got ahead this year in our flu campaign. We expect and want to vaccinate more of our staff and more of the public, and there should be more opportunities to do that in different locations around the country too.

Diolch i chi am yr amrywiaeth eang o gwestiynau. Roedd rhai o'ch pwyntiau ehangach ynghylch capasiti ar draws y system—fe wnaethoch chi ddechrau a therfynnu ar y pwyntiau hynny. O ran y capasiti gwelyau sy'n rhan o'r system, ac nid dim ond yn lleoliad yr ysbyty, ond y gallu i ymestyn capasiti gwelyau, mae angen staff ar gyfer hynny, a dyna'r ffactor sy'n cyfyngu fwyaf, yn hytrach na'r gwelyau eu hun a'r lle ar eu cyfer. Ond mae yna hefyd welyau mewn gwahanol rannau o'r system, felly mae canolbwyntio ar welyau ailalluogi, i gael pobl allan o'r ysbyty os oes angen iddynt fod mewn lleoliad canolraddol cyn mynd yn ôl i'w cartrefi eu hunain, ble bynnag y bo, boed yn gartref preifat neu os ydyn nhw yn y sector gofal preswyl.

Mae bob amser capasiti i wneud gwell defnydd o gapasiti yn y sector fferyllol hefyd, ac amlinellais hyn yn y datganiad. Mae mwy o wasanaethau y gall fferyllfeydd eu darparu nag y mae llawer o bobl yn ymwybodol ohonynt. Rydym ni eisiau gwneud y defnydd gorau posibl o'r gwasanaeth hwnnw. Rwyf wedi amlinellu yn yr adolygiad achosion oren ac yn y datganiad heddiw, rai o'r lleoedd lle bydd y capasiti ychwanegol hwnnw—er enghraifft, mwy o glinigwyr ar gael i wasanaethu'r ddesg glinigol gyda gwasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru, lle mae llawer o'r galw yn mynd yn y pen draw ar yr adeg hon o'r flwyddyn, a, lle mae'r gwasanaeth 111 wedi'i gyflwyno, mae mwy o gydnerthedd yn y gwasanaeth y tu allan i oriau ac nid dim ond pobl yn rhyngweithio â'r gwasanaeth ambiwlans brys hefyd. Felly, bydd gennym ni fwy o staff i helpu i wneud y gwaith hwnnw. Mae hynny'n rhannol yn dilyn ymlaen o'r datganiad yr wythnos diwethaf ar yr adolygiad o achosion oren. Heddiw, er enghraifft, rydych chi'n gwybod, ar draws y system, bod y cynllun treialu llwyddiannus o uwch ymarferwyr parafeddygol yn y gogledd yn cael ei gyflwyno drwy'r gwasanaeth. Felly, mae hynny'n gapasiti ychwanegol ond nid dim ond o ran niferoedd yn unig, ond y math o bobl sy'n defnyddio'r sgiliau hynny sydd gan yr uwch ymarferwyr parafeddygol hynny. Mae byrddau iechyd lleol wedi penderfynu gyda'u partneriaid awdurdod lleol lle yw'r man gorau i ddefnyddio sgiliau'r uwch ymarferwyr parafeddygon hynny. Felly, oes, mae mwy o staff yn mynd i fod yn ein system ac o'i hamgylch, ac rydym ni mewn gwirionedd yn ceisio dysgu gwersi o'r gaeaf diwethaf. Dylai fod yn gadarnhaol bod y dysgu gwersi hynny yn digwydd rhwng staff proffesiynol ac arweinwyr staff, felly nid wyf yn cael fy nhynnu i mewn i'r manylion gweithredol hynny oherwydd, mewn gwirionedd, nid dyna lle y dylai gwleidydd fod. Mae'n ymwneud â'r sicrwydd yr ydym yn ei roi iddynt gyda'r adnoddau y mae eu hangen arnynt er mwyn ymdrin â'r capasiti a lle mae angen y capasiti hwnnw arnyn nhw er mwyn ceisio cyflawni system fwy cydnerth drwy'r gaeaf hwn.

Ond byddai'n ffôl i unrhyw Weinidog iechyd mewn unrhyw Lywodraeth geisio rhoi sicrwydd llwyr na fydd y system yn dod o dan bwysau neu straen yn ystod y gaeaf, ac mae hynny yn cynnwys ein gallu i ddarparu gwasanaethau y tu allan i oriau a sut y mae'r holl rannau o'r system yn cyd-addasu gyda'i gilydd. Dyna pam y mae angen inni wneud defnydd gwell o integreiddio'r system gyfan gyda'i gilydd, oherwydd fel arall rwy'n cydnabod bod y pwysau hynny yn mynd i wahanol feysydd. Dyna pam yr ydym ni'n bwriadu rhoi mwy o gapasiti yn ochr gofal cymdeithasol y system, oherwydd mae'n rhaid i ymroddiad ein staff fod ym mhob un o'r sectorau hynny. Os byddwn yn cael mwy o gleifion yn llifo drwy'r system gofal iechyd, fel y disgwyliwn ei wneud ac fel yr ydym ni eisiau ei wneud, mae hynny'n golygu y bydd pobl yn cyrraedd yn y sector gofal cymdeithasol yn gyflymach nag o'r blaen. Mae angen capasiti arnom ni yn y sector hwnnw, nid dim ond gwelyau ond staff i wneud eu gwaith hefyd.

Ynglŷn â rhai o'r pwyntiau penodol a wnaethoch chi, ar y cynlluniau gweithredu y mae byrddau iechyd yn eu cyflawni, rwy'n disgwyl iddynt gynwys yr ystad yn ein hysbytai fel y gall pobl, mewn gwirionedd, symud o amgylch yr ystad honno—mae hynny'n cynnwys y staff, y cleifion a'r ymwelwyr hefyd. O ran y sicrwydd ynglŷn â gwasanaethau mamolaeth, rydym ni wedi cael sicrwydd, a byddaf yn rhoi nodyn ysgrifenedig i'r Aelodau gadarnhau y derbyniwyd y sicrwydd hwnnw ynghylch yr aelodau staff ar wasanaethau mamolaeth ledled y wlad.

Ac yna, ynglŷn â'r brechlyn ffliw, bu galw ychwanegol sylweddol i'w gynhyrchu eleni. Bob blwyddyn, mae sefydliadau iechyd cyhoeddus yn cytuno ar y mathau cywir o'r brechlyn ffliw i'w targedu. Mae brechlyn ychydig yn wahanol ar gael yn dibynnu ar y grwpiau oedran gwahanol ac effeithiolrwydd hwnnw. Cafodd y gwneuthurwr rai problemau cyflenwi byr dymor ar ddechrau'r tymor. Maen nhw'n cael eu datrys ac mae'r cyflenwadau yn cael eu rhyddhau ledled Cymru, Lloegr a gweddill y DU hefyd. Felly, os oes unrhyw un nad yw wedi cael brechiad rhag y ffliw sydd ei eisiau fe ddylen nhw gysylltu eto â'u meddyg teulu neu eu fferyllfa gymunedol lleol ac fe allan nhw roi gwybodaeth leol iddyn nhw ynglŷn â phryd i gael y pigiad a phryd y bydd ar gael yn rhwydd ym mhob ardal o'r wlad. Ond mewn gwirionedd rydym ni ar y blaen yn ein hymgyrch ffliw eleni.  Rydym ni'n disgwyl brechu mwy o'n staff a mwy o'r cyhoedd, ac rydym ni eisiau gwneud hynny, a dylai fod mwy o gyfleoedd i wneud hynny mewn gwahanol leoliadau o amgylch y wlad hefyd.

17:30

I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement. I'll just start with a general issue. Cabinet Secretary, you quite rightly highlight at a number of points in your statement the huge pressure that there has been on staff. I think you said in a recent interview:

'Last winter was really difficult and meeting staff who were at the sharpest of sharp ends. Knowing they are committed, and knowing that they want you to do something for them. Sometimes that’s listening and there’s times people say "You can make this better for us".'

Cabinet Secretary, are you confident that the plans that you've outlined for us today will relieve the pressure on staff? Nobody could expect you to guarantee that there won't be additional pressure, because there always is at winter time, but are you confident that it will relieve pressure on staff and make this winter somewhat less stressful for them? I have to say that my inbox and my postbag suggest that there's a certain amount of scepticism out there about how much has changed, so perhaps you can take the opportunity this afternoon to further reassure staff.

Turning to the main content of your statement, you talk about the winter delivery priorities focusing on management of patients in their communities and ensuring that people are able to return from hospital when they are ready. Now, you'll be aware of concerns that have been raised consistently by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists about the lack of occupational therapists available both to take part in the assessment processes when people are ready to leave hospital and to assess their homes to make sure that the homes are appropriate to receive those patients returning home. Will the initial resources that you've announced today help increase the occupational therapy capacity where that's needed to facilitate people going home from hospital as quickly as possible?

With regard, then, to the winter delivery plans—and I'm sure we're all very pleased to know that they're in place—you refer in your statement to feedback having been provided to the care providers, to the local health boards, to improve those plans. Are you able to share with us a little bit more of the concerns that you did have about those plans, or that your officials had, and what steps you expect local health boards to have put in place to address them. I fully take on board what you say about detailed operational matters not being a matter for you, but given that you have highlighted that feedback was needed, I think it would be helpful for us to know what that feedback was in order to be assured that that was fully taken on board.

Like Andrew R.T. Davies, I welcome the £20 million package. Could you tell us, please, whether this is new funding for the health budget or whether this is funding that's been moved from another priority to this priority, and, in which case, where that funding has been moved from? I realise and appreciate how very tight the budget is and I am, as I've said, welcoming that additional resource, but it is important for us to understand where other pressures may arise if that funding has been moved.

I would very much welcome the references to some of the positive work with the third sector, and I'd just like you to tell us this afternoon what you propose to do to ensure that, where there is good project working in particular areas with the third sector, that that is learnt from and that those good uses of the third sector are extended nationally. Of course, there will be different third sector provisions in different parts of Wales and it may not be possible to do it everywhere, but where there is good practice, I'm sure that you would agree that it's best that that's shared and used.

One of the important parts, of course, is that your statement highlights the emergency care system—out-of-hours GP services and the 111 call centre. Now, given the extremely critical audit office report on out-of-hours care that came out last summer and the concerns that the Royal College of General Practitioners have raised today again about the number of general practitioners we have, the gaps, and general practice's capacity to cope, with 84 per cent of GPs saying they're concerned that their workload will negatively affect their ability to provide care for their patients this coming winter, can you assure us, and can you update us on the progress on implementing that report's recommendations so that out-of-hours care will be strengthened this winter and will be as robust as you are setting out for us that you hope that it will be?

Of course, finally, winter planning is not just about making sure that doctors and nurses are available in our hospitals. Hospitals, particularly, have a whole range of support staff to make sure that pharmacies are stocked and equipped, to make sure that porters are in place to help patients to move about and so on and so forth. Can you confirm that keeping these support services operational is also part of the key, particularly, holiday planning that you've expected the local health boards to make to prepare for the Christmas season?

Hoffwn ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei ddatganiad. Fe ddechreuaf gyda mater cyffredinol. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, rydych chi yn gwbl briodol yn amlygu nifer o bwyntiau yn eich datganiad, y pwysau enfawr a fu ar staff. Credaf ichi ddweud mewn cyfweliad yn ddiweddar:

'Roedd y gaeaf diwethaf yn anodd iawn a chyfarfod â staff a oedd ar ben eu tennyn. Gan wybod eu bod yn ymrwymedig, a gwybod eu bod eisiau i chi wneud rhywbeth drostyn nhw. Weithiau gwrando yw hynny ac mae yna adegau pan fydd pobl yn dweud "Gallwch chi wneud hyn yn well i ni".'

Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a ydych chi'n ffyddiog y bydd y cynlluniau yr ydych chi wedi'u hamlinellu i ni heddiw yn lleihau'r pwysau ar staff? Ni all neb ddisgwyl i chi roi gwarant na fydd pwysau ychwanegol, oherwydd y mae yna bob tro yn ystod y gaeaf, ond a ydych chi'n ffyddiog y bydd yn lleihau'r pwysau ar staff gan olygu bod ychydig yn llai o bwysau arnyn nhw y gaeaf hwn? Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod fy mewnflwch a fy mag post yn awgrymu bod rhywfaint o amheuaeth ar lawr gwlad am faint sydd wedi newid, felly efallai y gallwch chi achub ar y cyfle y prynhawn yma i roi rhagor o sicrwydd i'r staff.

Gan droi at brif gynnwys eich datganiad, rydych chi'n sôn am flaenoriaethau cyflenwi y gaeaf sy'n canolbwyntio ar reoli cleifion yn eu cymunedau a sicrhau bod pobl yn gallu dychwelyd o'r ysbyty pan fyddant yn barod. Nawr, byddwch chi'n ymwybodol o'r pryderon sydd wedi eu codi'n gyson gan Goleg Brenhinol y Therapyddion Galwedigaethol am y diffyg therapyddion galwedigaethol sydd ar gael i gymryd rhan yn y prosesau asesu pan fydd pobl yn barod i adael yr ysbyty ac i asesu eu cartrefi i wneud yn siŵr bod y cartrefi yn briodol i dderbyn y cleifion hynny sy'n dychwelyd adref. A fydd yr adnoddau cychwynnol yr ydych chi wedi eu cyhoeddi heddiw yn helpu i gynyddu capasiti therapi galwedigaethol lle y mae ei angen i hwyluso pobl i fynd adref o'r ysbyty cyn gynted â phosibl?

Ar y cynlluniau cyflawni ar gyfer y gaeaf, felly—ac rwy'n siŵr ein bod i gyd yn falch iawn o wybod eu bod ar waith—rydych chi'n cyfeirio yn eich datganiad at roi adborth i'r darparwyr gofal, i'r byrddau iechyd lleol, i wella'r cynlluniau hynny. A allwch chi rannu gyda ni ychydig mwy o'r pryderon a oedd gennych am y cynlluniau hynny, neu a oedd gan eich swyddogion, a pha gamau yr ydych chi'n disgwyl bod byrddau iechyd lleol wedi eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â nhw. Rwy'n derbyn yn llwyr yr hyn yr ydych chi'n ei ddweud am y ffaith nad yw materion gweithredol manwl yn fater i chi, ond o gofio eich bod wedi dweud y bu angen rhoi adborth iddyn nhw, credaf y byddai'n ddefnyddiol i ni wybod beth oedd yr adborth hwnnw er mwyn bod â sicrwydd bod hwnnw wedi ei dderbyn yn llwyr.

Fel Andrew R.T. Davies, rwy'n croesawu'r pecyn gwerth £20 miliwn. A wnewch chi ddweud wrthym ni, os gwelwch yn dda, a yw hwn yn gyllid newydd ar gyfer y gyllideb iechyd, neu a yw hwn yn arian sydd wedi'i symud o flaenoriaeth arall i'r flaenoriaeth hon, ac, os felly, o ble y symudwyd y cyllid hwnnw? Rwy'n sylweddoli ac yn gwerthfawrogi pa mor dynn iawn yw'r gyllideb ac rwyf, fel yr wyf wedi dweud, yn croesawu'r adnodd ychwanegol hwnnw, ond mae'n bwysig inni ddeall lle y gallai pwysau eraill godi os yw'r cyllid hwnnw wedi'i symud.

Byddwn yn croesawu'n fawr iawn y cyfeiriadau at rywfaint o'r gwaith cadarnhaol gyda'r trydydd sector, a hoffwn ichi ddweud wrthym y prynhawn yma beth yr ydych chi'n bwriadu ei wneud i sicrhau, pan fo gwaith prosiect da yn digwydd mewn meysydd penodol gyda'r trydydd sector, ein bod yn dysgu o hynny a bod y defnydd da hwnnw o'r trydydd sector yn cael ei gyflwyno'n genedlaethol. Wrth gwrs, bydd gwahanol ddarpariaethau trydydd sector mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru ac efallai na fydd yn bosibl eu darparu ym mhobman, ond lle ceir arferion da, rwy'n siŵr y byddech chi'n cytuno ei bod orau i hynny gael ei rannu a'i ddefnyddio.

Un o'r rhannau pwysig, wrth gwrs, yw bod eich datganiad yn tynnu sylw at y system gofal brys—gwasanaethau meddygon teulu y tu allan i oriau a'r ganolfan alwadau 111. Nawr, o ystyried yr adroddiad hynod feirniadol gan y swyddfa archwilio ar ofal y tu allan i oriau a gyhoeddwyd yr haf diwethaf a phryderon y mae Coleg Brenhinol yr Ymarferwyr Cyffredinol wedi eu codi heddiw eto am nifer y meddygon teulu sydd gennym ni, y bylchau, a gallu meddygon teulu i ymdopi, ac 84 y cant o'r meddygon teulu yn dweud eu bod yn pryderu y bydd eu llwyth gwaith yn cael effaith negyddol ar eu gallu i ddarparu gofal ar gyfer eu cleifion yn ystod y gaeaf hwn, a allwch chi ein sicrhau, ac a allwch chi roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni am y cynnydd ar weithredu argymhellion yr adroddiad hwnnw er mwyn i ofal y tu allan i oriau fod wedi'i gryfhau y gaeaf hwn ac y bydd mor gadarn ag yr ydych chi'n ei nodi inni, yr ydych yn gobeithio y bydd?

Wrth gwrs, yn olaf, nid yw cynllunio ar gyfer y gaeaf yn ymwneud â gwneud yn siŵr bod meddygon a nyrsys ar gael yn ein hysbytai yn unig. Mae gan ysbytai, yn enwedig, ystod eang o staff cymorth i wneud yn siŵr bod gan fferyllfeydd gyflenwadau ac offer, i wneud yn siŵr bod porthorion ar gael i helpu cleifion i symud o gwmpas ac ati ac ati. A allwch chi gadarnhau bod cadw'r gwasanaethau cymorth hyn yn weithredol hefyd yn rhan allweddol o'r cynlluniau ar gyfer y gwyliau, yn arbennig, yr ydych chi wedi disgwyl i'r byrddau iechyd lleol eu gwneud i baratoi ar gyfer tymor y Nadolig?

Daeth y Llywydd i’r Gadair.

The Llywydd took the Chair.

17:35

I tried to cover the final point in the series of questions in the statement. I tried to refer to the range of bank holidays that take place between 21 December and 6 January. We know that's partly about bank holidays and also about the additional surge that we tend to see both after Christmas and after new year when people have put off going to seek help and advice, and after each of those particular milestones we see a surge in demand coming into the whole health and care system, not just our hospital sector, but general practitioners certainly see that surge in demand as well.

On your—I'm trying to address the number and the range of questions that you asked—I think the plans will help to make sure that we have the best prospect of delivering the best possible service through winter, and I recognise there is always pressure and stress on staff. We're talking about the busiest end of the service, both in emergency departments, but even more so in primary care. The busiest part of our system is actually primary care. And I can't take away all of the stresses of the job. And there's something about honesty when you meet staff—being honest with them about what you can do and an understanding of the pressures that they're going through and recognising that the system really is busy all year. But what should give people some confidence isn't a group of politicians who sit down with a variety of officials in a room and decide to concoct plans that have no bearing on practice. The advice we get and the plans are drawn up by people leading and working in our system. For example, the clinical lead that we have for unscheduled care is actually an emergency department consultant who works in the Heath in a busy department, has been part of leading an improvement in that unit and has, frankly, buy-in from her colleagues around the country in a way that a politician or an official who has never done that job doesn't have. So, there's real confidence that it is possible to deliver improvement as well as understanding the specific nature of some of the workspaces and demand coming into different parts of the country.

On your particular point about occupational therapy, there's a challenge about the shorter term and the money may help with some of that shorter term capacity through winter, but there is, of course, a longer term challenge as well, and that's where we'll look at our training places and the numbers we invest. We've had a significant increase in occupational therapy training places over the last four to five years. The same goes for some of the points made by the Royal College of General Practitioners today. We're actually looking again at how we recruit and where we recruit GPs to and from. In the last two years—we overfilled our GP training place numbers the year before last; this year, we had a 98 per cent fill rate in GP training and Health Education and Improvement Wales will be looking again at both how we recruit, but also the numbers of training places again in this year.

On your point about out of hours, it's something that I recognise as a challenge. The 111 programme that I talked about is not just about a different way to deliver part of an out-of-hours service; it's actually reshaping the model of how we deliver out-of-hours services, and a broader range of healthcare professionals—GPs, pharmacists, nurses and therapists in particular—to make sure that a range of advice is available and to make sure that there is resilience across the whole system.

On your point about money, the £20 million that I announced weeks ago for the national health service, with partners—that's one-off money to make sure that we get through winter this year. The £10 million that you will have heard us put into the social care system—that's one-off money, but, of course, that will be followed by £13 million of recurrent investment into the social services system from the health budget for the next financial year. 

Finally, your point on the third sector. We have national partnerships in some areas. The examples I've given are St John Cymru and the Red Cross, but, equally, you will understand that there are more local third sector partners that deliver services, and that is absolutely part of the learning for this winter. And I expect we'll learn again at the end of this winter what has worked successfully and what we could do even more successfully in other parts of our system.

Ceisiais ymdrin â'r pwynt olaf yn y gyfres o gwestiynau yn y datganiad. Ceisiais gyfeirio at yr amrywiaeth o wyliau banc sy'n digwydd rhwng 21 Rhagfyr a 6 Ionawr. Gwyddom fod hynny yn rhannol am wyliau banc a hefyd am yr ymchwydd ychwanegol yr ydym yn tueddu i'w weld ar ôl y Nadolig ac ar ôl y flwyddyn newydd pan fydd pobl wedi gohirio mynd i ofyn am gymorth a chyngor, ac ar ôl pob un o'r cerrig milltir penodol hynny rydym yn gweld ymchwydd yn y galw ar yr holl system iechyd a gofal, nid dim ond ein sector ysbytai, ond mae meddygon teulu yn sicr yn gweld yr ymchwydd hwnnw yn y galw hefyd.

Ar eich—rwy'n ceisio mynd i'r afael â nifer ac ystod y cwestiynau a ofynnwyd gennych chi—credaf y bydd y cynlluniau yn helpu i wneud yn siŵr bod gennym ni'r gobaith gorau o ddarparu'r gwasanaeth gorau posibl drwy'r gaeaf, ac rwy'n cydnabod bod pwysau a straen ar y staff bob amser. Rydym ni'n sôn am adeg brysuraf y gwasanaeth, yn yr adrannau achosion brys, ond hyd yn oed yn fwy felly mewn gofal sylfaenol. Rhan brysuraf ein system mewn gwirionedd yw gofal sylfaenol. Ac ni allaf ddileu holl straen y gwaith. Ac mae a wnelo hyn ag onestrwydd pan fyddwch yn cyfarfod â staff—bod yn onest â nhw am yr hyn y gallwch chi ei wneud a deall y pwysau y maen nhw'n ymdopi ag ef a chydnabod bod y system mewn gwirionedd yn brysur drwy'r flwyddyn. Ond nid grŵp o wleidyddion sy'n eistedd i lawr gydag amrywiaeth o swyddogion mewn ystafell ac yn penderfynu creu cynlluniau nad ydynt yn cael unrhyw effaith ar ymarfer yw'r hyn a ddylai roi rhywfaint o hyder i bobl. Mae'r cyngor a gawn, a'r cynlluniau yn cael eu llunio gan bobl sy'n arwain ac sy'n gweithio yn ein system. Er enghraifft, mae'r arweinydd clinigol sydd gennym ni ar gyfer gofal heb ei drefnu, mewn gwirionedd, yn feddyg ymgynghorol mewn adran achosion brys sy'n gweithio yn Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru mewn adran brysur, ac mae hi wedi bod yn rhan o arwain gwelliant yn yr uned honno ac mae ganddi, a dweud y gwir, gefnogaeth ei chydweithwyr o amgylch y wlad mewn modd nad oes gan wleidydd neu swyddog sydd erioed wedi gwneud y swydd honno. Felly, mae yna hyder gwirioneddol ei bod yn bosibl cyflawni gwelliant yn ogystal â deall natur benodol rhai o'r gweithleoedd a'r galw mewn gwahanol rannau o'r wlad.

Ar eich pwynt penodol am therapi galwedigaethol, mae her ynghylch y tymor byrrach ac efallai y bydd yr arian yn helpu â pheth o'r capasiti tymor byrrach hwnnw drwy'r gaeaf, ond wrth gwrs, mae yna her tymor hwy hefyd, a dyna lle y byddwn ni'n edrych ar ein lleoedd hyfforddi a'r niferoedd y buddsoddwn. Rydym ni wedi cael cynnydd sylweddol yn y lleoedd hyfforddi therapi galwedigaethol dros y pedair i bum mlynedd diwethaf. Mae'r un peth yn wir am rai o'r pwyntiau a wnaed gan Goleg Brenhinol yr Ymarferwyr Cyffredinol heddiw. Rydym ni mewn gwirionedd yn edrych eto ar sut yr ydym ni'n recriwtio ac i ble ac o ble yr ydym yn recriwtio meddygon teulu. Yn y ddwy flynedd diwethaf—fe wnaethom ni orlenwi ein nifer o leoedd hyfforddi meddygon teulu yn y flwyddyn cyn y ddiwethaf; eleni, cawsom gyfradd lenwi o 98 y cant mewn hyfforddiant meddygon teulu a bydd Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru yn edrych eto ar y ffordd yr ydym ni'n recriwtio, ond hefyd ar nifer y lleoedd hyfforddi eto eleni.

Ar eich pwynt ynglŷn â gwasanaeth y tu allan i oriau, mae'n rhywbeth yr wyf yn cydnabod fel her. Nid yw'r rhaglen 111 honno y soniais amdani ond yn ffordd wahanol o gyflawni rhan o wasanaeth y tu allan i oriau; mae hi mewn gwirionedd yn ail-lunio'r model o sut yr ydym ni'n darparu gwasanaethau y tu allan i oriau, ac amrywiaeth ehangach o weithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol—meddygon teulu, fferyllwyr, nyrsys a therapyddion yn arbennig—i wneud yn siŵr bod amrywiaeth o gyngor ar gael ac i wneud yn siŵr bod cydnerthedd ar draws y system gyfan.

Ynghylch eich pwynt am arian, yr £20 miliwn a gyhoeddais wythnosau yn ôl ar gyfer y gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol, gyda phartneriaid—mae hwnnw'n arian untro i wneud yn siŵr ein bod yn ymdopi â'r gaeaf eleni. Mae'r £10 miliwn y byddwch wedi ein clywed ni yn ei roi yn y system gofal cymdeithasol—mae hwnnw'n arian untro, ond, wrth gwrs, yn dilyn hwn bydd £13 miliwn o fuddsoddiad rheolaidd yn y system gwasanaethau cymdeithasol o'r gyllideb iechyd ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf.

Yn olaf, eich pwynt ar y trydydd sector. Mae gennym ni bartneriaethau cenedlaethol mewn rhai ardaloedd. Yr enghreifftiau a roddais yw St John Cymru a'r Groes Goch, ond yn yr un modd, byddwch yn deall bod yna fwy o bartneriaid trydydd sector lleol sy'n darparu gwasanaethau, ac mae hynny yn sicr yn rhan o'r hyn a ddysgwyd ar gyfer y gaeaf hwn. Ac rwy'n disgwyl y byddwn yn dysgu unwaith eto ar ddiwedd y gaeaf hwn beth sydd wedi gweithio'n llwyddiannus a beth y gallem ni ei wneud hyd yn oed yn fwy llwyddiannus mewn rhannau eraill o'n system.

17:40

Thanks, Minister, for your statement today. Just a couple of points to raise. Vaccination has been mentioned a couple of times. You describe in your statement that you're now encouraging social care staff to get vaccinated, which is a good development. There was an issue a couple of years ago that there was actually a less than 50 per cent take-up of the flu vaccination from within the NHS staff. I guess a lot of this is due to actually publicising the availability. Are you confident that there's going to be a much better take-up this year?

You're right about encouraging people to not always see a doctor and that sometimes, they're better off going to see the local pharmacist, so you're directing people to try and see the pharmacist where possible, which is, again, a good development. Of course, it does raise the ongoing issue of the co-location, which was a recommendation of the health committee a couple of years ago after their inquiry. They wanted pharmacy services co-located within A&E departments. I wondered if you'd had further reflections on that.

And with the telephone advice, yes, there's obviously going to be a need for more telephone advice. Are more people being taken on to offer this advice and are they being trained well enough to give reliable advice? Because, obviously, that's what the public need to be convinced of. It's a very challenging job, so I'd be interested to hear how the training is going and how you're going to offer increased capacity this winter. Diolch yn fawr.

Diolch, Gweinidog, am eich datganiad heddiw. Dim ond ychydig o bwyntiau i'w codi. Mae brechu wedi ei nodi unwaith neu ddwywaith. Rydych chi'n disgrifio yn eich datganiad eich bod bellach yn annog staff gofal cymdeithasol i gael eu brechu, sy'n ddatblygiad da. Roedd yna broblem ychydig o flynyddoedd yn ôl fod llai na 50 y cant, mewn gwirionedd, yn dewis cael y brechiad rhag y ffliw, o blith staff y GIG. Mae'n debyg bod llawer o hyn yn sgil rhoi cyhoeddusrwydd i'r ffaith ei fod ar gael, mewn gwirionedd. A ydych chi'n hyderus bod llawer mwy o bobl yn mynd i ddewis ei gael eleni?

Rydych chi'n gywir ynglŷn ag annog pobl i beidio â mynd i weld meddyg bob amser ac weithiau, mae hi'n well iddyn nhw fynd i weld y fferyllydd lleol, felly rydych chi'n cyfeirio pobl i geisio gweld y fferyllydd lle bo modd, sydd, unwaith eto, yn ddatblygiad da. Wrth gwrs, mae'n codi'r mater parhaus o gydleoli, sef un o argymhellion y pwyllgor iechyd ychydig o flynyddoedd yn ôl ar ôl ei ymchwiliad. Roedden nhw eisiau i wasanaethau fferylliaeth gael eu cydleoli mewn adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys. Tybed a ydych chi wedi meddwl ymhellach am hynny?

A gyda'r cyngor dros y ffôn, ie, mae'n amlwg y bydd angen mwy o gyngor dros y ffôn. A oes mwy o bobl yn cael eu cyflogi i gynnig y cyngor hwn ac a ydyn nhw'n cael eu hyfforddi yn ddigon da i roi cyngor dibynadwy? Oherwydd, yn amlwg, dyna y mae angen i'r cyhoedd gael ei argyhoeddi ohono. Mae'n waith heriol iawn, felly, byddai'n ddiddorol clywed sut y mae'r hyfforddiant yn mynd a sut yr ydych chi'n mynd i gynnig mwy o gapasiti y gaeaf hwn. Diolch yn fawr.

Thank you for those questions. To deal with your last point about reliable advice on the telephone, we'll either have staff who go through a series of options that is drawn up by a clinician to get to the right point about whether further advice is needed, but lots of our advice is actually directly with the clinician. If you ring up what would've been the NHS Direct Wales line—if you ring up 111, you will get to talk to a call handler, to then be screened and be put through to a relevant healthcare professional. So, yes, there is training available, and it's actually about making better use, in those telephony services, of skills that paramedics have as well. A successful pilot that I visited last winter in north Wales that has been rolled out is actually using the skills of advanced paramedics to screen calls and to give people advice to avoid actually having to send an ambulance when it's not necessary. We know, for example, that some of the big priorities for improving the Welsh ambulance service this year—we think that the ambulance service thinks that up to three quarters of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admissions could be avoided if they got the right advice and support, and they could do that and deliver that over the telephone. And that is about the right person giving that advice.

I do think we'll see again an improvement in the uptake of the flu vaccine by NHS staff. We've seen that over the last couple of years and that isn't by accident—it's a deliberate attempt, both by health boards as employers but also, frankly, with some leadership from staff organisations as well. Both the Royal College of Nurses and Unison, I know, have been very consistent in encouraging their members to take up the flu vaccine and making sure that those opportunities are available in workplaces for that to take place. We've learnt from that by looking, this year, through community pharmacy, to deliver the flu vaccine service for residential care staff. By definition, residents in those areas are much more likely to be vulnerable. 

On your point about pharmacy, I would much rather see a pharmacy service where people recognise they can get it in the community. I reckon that there are challenges about having a pharmacy service located in A&E, but I want the message to be: 'Use your pharmacy in your community; it's at the most convenient place—you'll avoid needing to go on to a busy hospital site to go to an A&E, and try and get the support and advice that you could and should get there, rather than travelling unnecessarily to your hospital.' I think that will help the person, who doesn't need to go to hospital, as well as those that really do, to avoid additional traffic unnecessarily.

Diolch ichi am y cwestiynau hynny. I ymdrin â'ch pwynt olaf ynghylch cyngor dibynadwy ar y ffôn, naill ai bydd gennym staff sy'n mynd drwy gyfres o ddewisiadau sydd wedi eu llunio gan glinigydd i gyrraedd y pwynt cywir ynghylch a oes angen rhagor o gyngor, ond mae llawer o'n cyngor, mewn gwirionedd, yn uniongyrchol gyda'r clinigydd. Os ffoniwch chi beth fyddai wedi bod yn llinell Galw Iechyd Cymru—os ffoniwch chi 111, cewch siarad â rhywun sy'n ymdrin â galwadau, ac wedyn cewch eich sgrinio a chael eich cysylltu â gweithiwr gofal iechyd proffesiynol perthnasol. Felly, oes, mae hyfforddiant ar gael, ac mewn gwirionedd mae'n ymwneud â gwneud gwell defnydd, yn y gwasanaethau ffôn hynny, o'r sgiliau sydd gan barafeddygon hefyd. Mae cynllun treialu llwyddiannus yr ymwelais i ag ef y gaeaf diwethaf yn y gogledd, sydd wedi'i gyflwyno, mewn gwirionedd yn defnyddio sgiliau uwch barafeddygon i sgrinio galwadau ac i roi cyngor i bobl er mwyn osgoi gorfod anfon ambiwlans pan nad yw'n angenrheidiol, mewn gwirionedd. Gwyddom, er enghraifft, bod rhai o'r blaenoriaethau mawr ar gyfer gwella gwasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru eleni—rydym ni'n credu bod y gwasanaeth ambiwlans o'r farn y gellid osgoi hyd at dri chwarter o'r achosion o glefyd rhwystrol cronig yr ysgyfaint a dderbynnir pe bydden nhw'n cael y cyngor a'r cymorth cywir, a bydden nhw'n gallu gwneud hynny a chyflawni hynny dros y ffôn. Ac mae hynny ynglŷn â'r person cywir yn rhoi'r cyngor hwnnw.

Rwy'n credu y gwelwn ni welliant eto o ran nifer staff y GIG sy'n dewis cael y brechlyn ffliw. Rydym ni wedi gweld hynny dros yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf ac nid yw hynny'n ddamweiniol—mae'n ymgais fwriadol, gan y byrddau iechyd fel cyflogwyr ond hefyd, a dweud y gwir, gyda rhywfaint o arweiniad gan sefydliadau staff hefyd. Rwy'n gwybod bod Coleg Brenhinol y Nyrsys ac Unsain wedi bod yn gyson iawn yn annog eu haelodau i fanteisio ar y brechlyn ffliw a gwneud yn siŵr bod y cyfleoedd hynny ar gael yn y gweithleoedd i hynny ddigwydd. Rydym ni wedi dysgu o hynny gan geisio, eleni, drwy fferylliaeth gymunedol, i ddarparu gwasanaeth brechlyn ffliw ar gyfer staff gofal preswyl. Yn sicr, mae preswylwyr yn y meysydd hynny yn llawer mwy tebygol o fod yn agored i'r ffliw.

Ar eich pwynt am fferylliaeth, byddai'n llawer gwell gennyf weld gwasanaeth fferyllfa lle mae pobl yn sylweddoli y gallan nhw ei gael yn y gymuned. Credaf fod yna heriau ynghylch bod â gwasanaeth fferyllfa wedi'i leoli mewn adran damweiniau ac achosion brys, ond rwyf eisiau i'r neges fod: 'Defnyddiwch eich fferyllfa yn eich cymuned; dyma'r lle mwyaf cyfleus—byddwch yn osgoi'r angen i fynd i safle ysbyty prysur, i fynd i adran ddamweiniau ac achosion brys, a cheisio cael y cymorth a'r cyngor y gallech chi ac y dylech chi eu cael yno, yn hytrach na theithio yn ddiangen i'ch ysbyty.' Credaf y bydd hynny'n helpu'r person, nad oes angen iddo fynd i'r ysbyty, yn ogystal â'r bobl hynny y mae gwir angen iddynt fynd yno, er mwyn osgoi niferoedd ychwanegol diangen.

17:45

Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement this afternoon? It's important that we look at the issues facing us. One of the disadvantages of going after other speakers is that most of the questions get asked, while the advantage is that I don't spend so much of your time. But there are a couple of points I want to highlight and perhaps ask you questions on.

In the summer, ABMU, my health board, had a consultation on beds and capacity, and as a consequence reduced the number of beds, which it said it used as surge capacity last winter. Now, those beds are therefore gone, so the question I want to ask is: will you publish, perhaps, your analysis of the implementation plans for each health board, so that we can see that and be assured that the considerations for surge capacity and other matters have been reflected upon in those analyses? It's crucial that we ensure our constituents are able to be reassured that the beds in the hospitals, which have now been reduced—that that will not have an impact upon the availability during the winter period. Now, over the time that I've been a Member of this Assembly, I have seen the improvement in the winter preparedness plans. I have also seen a continuation of the challenges every winter presents to the health boards, and patients need that reassurance.

Can you also answer a question on capacity, as to what's in the community? Many district nurses in my area are struggling with the workloads they have, very often, and clearly your intention is to get people out of hospital as quickly as possible, back in the community, back under the care of the social care sector, or the district nurses, and yet we are seeing them challenged every day in that service. What analysis have you done of the capacity of district nurses within the health board regions to ensure that they can deliver on your intention of getting people back in the community as soon as possible? I fully appreciate we want to get them out, and we've got a problem with the flow through the hospitals, because we see the ambulances stacked up outside the front. We all focus on the front, but not focus on the back; we've got to get people in the community—but being cared for in the community is the crucial element here.

On that question, also we see people waiting in the hospitals; there are very many systems for discharge, but they can't get discharged because systems in the hospitals are slow. Will you also ensure that the systems in the preparedness of those health boards allow patients to be discharged quickly, and there's not some bureaucracy being kept? Gareth Bennett talked about pharmacies; how many patients wait in a hospital, in a bed, for hours, whilst they wait for a pharmacy to actually deliver the medication before they can be released? So, have you done an analysis of the systems within the health boards to ensure that this flow you want—we all want—is actually achievable?

A gaf i ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei ddatganiad y prynhawn yma? Mae'n bwysig inni ystyried y materion sy'n ein hwynebu. Un o'r anfanteision o fynd ar ôl siaradwyr eraill yw bod y rhan fwyaf o'r cwestiynau wedi'u gofyn, ond y fantais yw nad wyf yn cymryd cymaint o'ch amser. Ond mae un neu ddau o bwyntiau yr wyf eisiau tynnu sylw atynt ac efallai gofyn cwestiynau ichi arnynt.

Yn yr haf, roedd gan fy mwrdd iechyd i, Prifysgol Abertawe Bro Morgannwg, ymgynghoriad ar welyau a chapasiti, ac o ganlyniad mae nifer y gwelyau wedi'u lleihau, y dywedodd yr arferai eu defnyddio fel capasiti ymchwydd y gaeaf diwethaf. Nawr, mae'r gwelyau hynny wedi mynd, felly y cwestiwn yr wyf i eisiau ei ofyn yw: a wnewch chi gyhoeddi, efallai, eich dadansoddiad o'r cynlluniau gweithredu ar gyfer pob bwrdd iechyd, fel y gallwn ni ei weld a chael sicrwydd bod yr ystyriaethau ar gyfer capasiti ymchwydd a materion eraill wedi'u hadlewyrchu yn y dadansoddiadau hynny? Mae'n hollbwysig ein bod yn sicrhau bod ein hetholwyr yn gallu bod yn dawel eu meddyliau na fydd nifer y gwelyau mewn ysbytai, sydd bellach wedi eu gostwng—na fydd hynny'n effeithio ar faint ohonyn nhw sydd ar gael dros gyfnod y gaeaf. Nawr, yn ystod yr amser yr wyf i wedi bod yn Aelod o'r Cynulliad hwn, rwyf wedi gweld y gwelliant yn y cynlluniau parodrwydd ar gyfer y gaeaf. Rwyf hefyd wedi gweld parhad o'r heriau y mae pob gaeaf yn eu cyflwyno i'r byrddau iechyd, ac mae angen y sicrwydd hwnnw ar gleifion.

A wnewch chi hefyd ateb cwestiwn ar gapasiti, ynghylch yr hyn sydd yn y gymuned? Mae llawer o nyrsys ardal yn fy ardal i yn cael trafferth gyda'r llwythi gwaith sydd ganddynt, yn aml iawn, ac yn amlwg eich bwriad chi yw cael pobl allan o'r ysbyty cyn gynted ag y bo modd, yn ôl yn y gymuned, yn ôl o dan ofal y sector gofal cymdeithasol, neu'r nyrsys ardal, ac eto rydym ni'n eu gweld nhw'n cael eu herio bob dydd yn y gwasanaeth hwnnw. Pa ddadansoddiad ydych chi wedi'i wneud o gapasiti nyrsys ardal o fewn rhanbarthau'r byrddau iechyd i sicrhau y gallan nhw gyflawni eich bwriad o gael pobl yn ôl yn y gymuned mor fuan â phosibl? Gwerthfawrogaf yn llwyr ein bod eisiau eu cael nhw allan, ac mae gennym ni broblem gyda'r llif drwy ysbytai, oherwydd gwelwn yr ambiwlansys mewn rhes y tu allan iddynt. Rydym ni i gyd yn canolbwyntio ar y tu blaen, ond nid ydym yn canolbwyntio ar y tu cefn; mae'n rhaid inni gael pobl yn y gymuned—ond derbyn gofal yn y gymuned yw'r elfen hollbwysig yma.

Ar y cwestiwn hwnnw, rydym ni hefyd yn gweld pobl yn aros mewn ysbytai; mae llawer iawn o systemau ar gyfer rhyddhau cleifion, ond ni ellir eu rhyddhau oherwydd bod systemau yn yr ysbytai yn araf. A wnewch chi hefyd sicrhau bod y systemau yn nhrefniadau parodrwydd y byrddau iechyd hynny yn galluogi cleifion i gael eu rhyddhau'n gyflym, ac nad oes ryw fiwrocratiaeth yn cael ei arddel? Soniodd Gareth Bennett am fferyllfeydd; faint o gleifion sy'n aros mewn ysbyty, mewn gwely, am oriau, tra byddant yn aros i fferyllfa ddanfon y feddyginiaeth cyn y gellir eu rhyddhau? Felly, a ydych chi wedi gwneud dadansoddiad o systemau o fewn y byrddau iechyd i sicrhau y gellir cyflawni'r llif hwn yr ydych chi ei eisiau—yr ydym ni i gyd ei eisiau—mewn gwirionedd?

Thank you for the questions. We could put up a series of the key actions from the local health board winter plans, but you'll know that, of course, every health board plans to flex its bed capacity during winter, because they know there will be a greater likelihood of needing to admit people, for the right reasons, and they're more likely to stay for longer, as I outlined earlier. But I'll certainly give some thought to publishing something in a useful way that would inform Members, rather than provide more fog, and will actually be helpful for Members to look at as well. 

On your point about the type of capacity needed, well, it reinforces the crucial partnership between the health service, local government, but also housing providers as well, to actually be able to plan and commission for the right capacity in the right place, because, often, it doesn't need to be a hospital bed; it could be a bed in the care sector, and it's often more appropriate for that person, and we'll definitely see that running through the winter plans that each partnership has provided.

And I recognise your consistent interest in district nurse capacity—not just for this winter, actually, but more broadly—and the chief nurse principles that have been introduced. It's one of the areas we're looking at with a potential extension on staffing numbers, to understand not just what we need, but how many people we need and where we want them to be. So, there'll work done not just by the chief nurse's office, but of course HEIW will take an interest in that as well.

On your challenge about discharge from hospital, it's one of the areas that I've regularly focused on, actually, about understanding what more could we get out of the pharmacy, in particular hospital pharmacy, where people have got their discharge advice and they're ready to go, and actually they need to be able to go home and to have medication to go with them. It is one of the areas where I think we'll be able to make greater progress soon in the next year, because I do think there's a greater role for community pharmacy. If they're prepared to step up, and they're able to deliver that service to patients in their own homes, those people can leave hospital more quickly than some of them are able to do now. I think there's a real gain to be made in delivering that greater flow, and, actually, for the person who wants to leave the hospital, to enable them to do so.

But two of the big five winter delivery priorities are a focus on getting people out of hospital when they're ready, but also looking at a discharge-to-assess model as well. We regularly talk about this: discharge someone to assess their need rather than keep them in hospital in an artificial environment to try and understand their need in their home environment. It reinforces the point about the role of therapists and, in particular, occupational therapists, to understand the need of that person. Again, that is a partnership between health and local government, and it goes back to where we launched the 'A Healthier Wales' plan. We went to Ynysybwl and we looked at the work that therapists had led to get someone out of hospital sooner, into their own home, to assess their need, and a package of care was provided. That's the genuine partnership that we're looking for between health, local government and, crucially, the citizen.

Diolch ichi am y cwestiynau. Fe allem ni nodi cyfres o'r camau allweddol o gynlluniau gaeaf y byrddau iechyd lleol, ond byddwch chi'n gwybod, wrth gwrs, bod pob bwrdd iechyd yn bwriadu addasu ei gapasiti o ran gwelyau yn ystod y gaeaf, oherwydd maen nhw'n gwybod y bydd yn fwy tebygol y bydd angen derbyn pobl, am y rhesymau iawn, a'u bod yn fwy tebygol o aros am gyfnod hwy, fel yr amlinellais yn gynharach. Ond fe wnaf yn sicr roi rhywfaint o ystyriaeth i gyhoeddi rhywbeth mewn ffordd ddefnyddiol a fyddai'n hysbysu'r Aelodau, yn hytrach na darparu mwy o wybodaeth niwlog, a bydd mewn gwirionedd yn ddefnyddiol i'r Aelodau edrych arno hefyd.

Ar eich pwynt am y math o gapasiti sydd ei angen, hefyd, wel, mae'n atgyfnerthu'r bartneriaeth hanfodol rhwng y gwasanaeth iechyd, llywodraeth leol, ond hefyd darparwyr tai hefyd, i allu cynllunio a chomisiynu ar gyfer y capasiti cywir yn y lle cywir, oherwydd, yn aml, nid oes angen iddo fod yn wely mewn ysbyty; gallai fod yn wely yn y sector gofal, ac mae'n aml yn fwy priodol ar gyfer y person hwnnw, a byddwn yn bendant yn gweld hynny yn rhan o'r cynlluniau gaeaf a ddarparwyd gan bob partneriaeth.

Ac rwy'n cydnabod eich diddordeb cyson yng nghapasiti nyrsys ardal—nid dim ond ar gyfer y gaeaf hwn, mewn gwirionedd, ond yn fwy cyffredinol—ac egwyddorion y prif nyrs sydd wedi'u cyflwyno. Mae'n un o'r meysydd yr ydym ni'n edrych arno gydag estyniad posibl o ran niferoedd staff, i ddeall nid yn unig beth sydd ei angen arnom ni, ond faint o bobl yr ydym ni eu hangen a lle yr ydym ni eisiau iddyn nhw fod. Felly, bydd gwaith yn cael ei wneud nid yn unig gan swyddfa'r prif nyrs, ond wrth gwrs bydd Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru yn ymddiddori yn hynny hefyd.

Ar eich her ynghylch rhyddhau cleifion o'r ysbyty, mae'n un o'r meysydd yr wyf wedi canolbwyntio arno yn rheolaidd, mewn gwirionedd, ynghylch deall beth arall y gallem ni ei gael o'r fferyllfa, yn enwedig fferyllfa ysbyty, lle mae pobl wedi cael eu cyngor rhyddhau ac maen nhw'n barod i fynd, ac mewn gwirionedd mae angen iddyn nhw allu mynd adref a bod â meddyginiaeth i fynd gyda nhw. Mae'n un o'r meysydd lle y credaf y byddwn ni'n gallu gwneud mwy o gynnydd yn fuan yn y flwyddyn nesaf, oherwydd rwy'n meddwl bod mwy o swyddogaeth ar gyfer fferylliaeth gymunedol. Os ydyn nhw'n barod i gamu ymlaen, a'u bod yn gallu cyflawni'r gwasanaeth hwnnw i gleifion yn eu cartrefi eu hunain, gall y bobl hynny adael yr ysbyty yn gynt nag y mae rhai ohonyn nhw'n gallu ei wneud ar hyn o bryd. Rwy'n credu bod budd gwirioneddol i'w wneud drwy gyflawni'r llif mwy hwnnw, ac, mewn gwirionedd, ar gyfer yr unigolyn sydd eisiau gadael yr ysbyty, i'w alluogi i wneud hynny.

Ond dau o'r pum blaenoriaeth mawr o ran cyflawni ar gyfer y gaeaf yw canolbwyntio ar gael pobl allan o'r ysbyty pan fyddant yn barod, ond hefyd ystyried model rhyddhau i asesu hefyd. Rydym ni'n rheolaidd yn sôn am hyn: rhyddhau rhywun i asesu ei angen yn hytrach na'i gadw yn yr ysbyty mewn amgylchedd artiffisial er mwyn ceisio deall ei angen yn ei amgylchedd cartref. Mae'n atgyfnerthu'r pwynt am swyddogaeth therapyddion ac, yn benodol, therapyddion galwedigaethol, i ddeall angen yr unigolyn hwnnw. Unwaith eto, mae hynny'n bartneriaeth rhwng iechyd a Llywodraeth Leol, ac mae'n mynd yn ôl i'r adeg y gwnaethom ni lansio'r cynllun 'Cymru Iachach'. Aethom i Ynysybwl a buom yn edrych ar waith a arweiniwyd gan therapyddion i gael rhywun allan o'r ysbyty yn gynt, i mewn i'w gartref ei hun, i asesu ei angen, a darparwyd pecyn gofal. Dyna'r gwir bartneriaeth yr ydym ni ei eisiau rhwng iechyd, llywodraeth leol ac, yn hollbwysig, y dinesydd.

17:50

Diolch i'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet.

Yr eitemau nesaf yw'r Gorchymyn Draenio Cynaliadwy (Gorfodi) (Cymru) 2018 a'r Rheoliadau Draenio Cynaliadwy (Apelau) (Cymru) 2018. Yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.24, rydw i'n cynnig bod y ddau gynnig a ganlyn o dan eitemau 8 a 9 yn cael eu grwpio i'w trafod. A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu'r grwpio? 

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary.

The next items are the Sustainable Drainage (Enforcement) (Wales) Order 2018 and the Sustainable Drainage (Appeals) (Wales) Regulations 2018. In accordance with Standing Order 12.24, I propose that the following two motions under items 8 and 9 are grouped for debate. Does any Member object the grouping?

8. Gorchymyn Draenio Cynaliadwy (Gorfodi) (Cymru) 2018 a 9. Rheoliadau Draenio Cynaliadwy (Apelau) (Cymru) 2018
8. The Sustainable Drainage (Enforcement) (Wales) Order 2018 and 9. The Sustainable Drainage (Appeals) (Wales) Regulations 2018

Galwaf ar Weinidog yr Amgylchedd, felly, i wneud y cynigion. Hannah Blythyn.

I call on the Minister for Environment, therefore, to move the motions. Hannah Blythyn.

Cynnig NDM6858 Julie James

Cynnig bod Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 27.5:

1.  Yn cymeradwyo bod y fersiwn ddrafft o Orchymyn Draenio Cynaliadwy (Gorfodi) (Cymru) 2018 yn cael ei llunio yn unol â’r fersiwn ddrafft a osodwyd yn y Swyddfa Gyflwyno ar 15 Hydref 2018.

Cynnig NDM6859 Julie James

Cynnig bod Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 27.5:

1.  Yn cymeradwyo bod y fersiwn ddrafft o Reoliadau Draenio Cynaliadwy (Apelau) (Cymru) 2018 yn cael ei llunio yn unol â’r fersiwn ddrafft a osodwyd yn y Swyddfa Gyflwyno ar 15 Hydref 2018.  

Motion NDM6858 Julie James

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales, in accordance with Standing Order 27.5:

1.  Approves that the draft Sustainable Drainage (Enforcement) (Wales) Order 2018 is made in accordance with the draft laid in the Table Office on 15 October 2018.

Motion NDM6859 Julie James

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales, in accordance with Standing Order 27.5:

1.  Approves that the draft Sustainable Drainage (Appeals) (Wales) Regulations 2018 are made in accordance with the draft laid in the Table Office on 15 October 2018.

Cynigiwyd y cynigion.

Motions moved.

Diolch, Llywydd. The two items laid before the Assembly today are part of the regulatory suite that make sustainable drainage systems, or SUDS, a mandatory requirement on new developments from early next year. Both of these instruments have been introduced under powers contained under Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. A number of external organisations have contributed significantly to the development of this policy, and I'd like to take the opportunity to thank those representatives from local authorities, the Welsh Local Government Association, the Home Builders Federation, water companies and Natural Resources Wales.

The 2010 Act makes provision for the establishment of a SUDS-approving body or SAB to be set up within each local authority alongside their lead local flood authority duties. SAB approval will be required before construction of drainage systems can commence on new and redeveloped sites. The sustainable drainage enforcement Order provides for the enforcement of breach of the approval required in relation to drainage systems. The Order makes provision for the SAB or local planning authority to exercise powers of entry and issue enforcement notices or stop notices to a developer who breaches the requirement for approval. Similarly, it details enforcement for the failure to comply with such notices. It also provides for developers' right to compensation and right to appeal enforcement decisions to the Welsh Ministers, which in practice will be via the Planning Inspectorate.

Complementing the Order, the sustainable drainage appeals regulations provide for a right of appeal to the Welsh Ministers against the decision of a SAB in relation to applications for approval or in relation to the duty to adopt SUDS once constructed. The regulations detail the developers' right to appeal SAB approval and adoption decisions, set SAB procedures for appeals and their determination, and a power for the Welsh Ministers to affirm or substitute a decision made by the SAB.

In my statement on 16 October responding to storm Callum I stressed the importance of adapting to our changing and challenging climate in the context of flood-risk management. Flooding experience shows how quickly our infrastructure can get overwhelmed by heavy rainfall. Mandating the use of effective SUDS forms part of the response to these challenges, and implementing this legislation is vital to ensure long-term viability and to adapting to the challenges of climate change.

Llywydd, I commend this Order and these regulations to the National Assembly.

Diolch, Llywydd. Mae'r ddwy eitem sy'n cael eu gosod gerbron y Cynulliad heddiw yn rhan o'r gyfres reoleiddio sy'n gwneud systemau draenio cynaliadwy, neu SUDS, yn ofyniad gorfodol ar ddatblygiadau newydd o ddechrau'r flwyddyn nesaf. Cyflwynwyd y ddau offeryn hyn o dan bwerau sydd yn Atodlen 3 o Ddeddf Rheoli Llifogydd a Dŵr 2010. Mae nifer o sefydliadau allanol wedi cyfrannu'n sylweddol at ddatblygu'r polisi hwn, a hoffwn achub ar y cyfle hwn i ddiolch i'r cynrychiolwyr hynny o awdurdodau lleol, Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, y Ffederasiwn Adeiladwyr Cartrefi, cwmnïau dŵr a Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru.

Mae Deddf 2010 yn gwneud darpariaeth ar gyfer sefydlu corff cymeradwyo SUDS neu SAB i gael ei sefydlu ym mhob awdurdod lleol ochr yn ochr â'u dyletswyddau awdurdod llifogydd lleol arweiniol. Bydd angen cymeradwyaeth SAB cyn y gellir dechrau adeiladu systemau draenio ar safleoedd newydd a safleoedd ailddatblygu. Mae'r Gorchymyn gorfodi draenio cynaliadwy yn darparu ar gyfer gorfodi toriad yn y gymeradwyaeth sy'n ofynnol yn gysylltiedig â systemau draenio. Mae'r Gorchymyn yn gwneud darpariaeth ar gyfer SAB neu awdurdod cynllunio lleol i arfer pwerau mynediad a chyflwyno hysbysiadau gorfodi neu hysbysiadau stop i ddatblygwr sy'n torri'r gofyniad am gymeradwyaeth. Yn yr un modd, mae'n nodi manylion gorfodi ar gyfer y methiant i gydymffurfio â hysbysiadau o'r fath. Mae hefyd yn darparu ar gyfer hawliau datblygwyr i gael iawndal a'r hawl i apelio yn erbyn penderfyniadau gorfodi i Weinidogion Cymru, a fydd, yn ymarferol, trwy'r Arolygiaeth Gynllunio.

I ategu'r Gorchymyn, mae'r rheoliadau apeliadau draenio cynaliadwy yn darparu ar gyfer hawl i apelio i Weinidogion Cymru yn erbyn penderfyniad SAB yn gysylltiedig â cheisiadau am gymeradwyaeth neu o ran y ddyletswydd i fabwysiadu SUDS ar ôl adeiladu. Mae'r rheoliadau yn nodi manylion hawl datblygwyr i apelio yn erbyn penderfyniadau cymeradwyo a mabwysiadu SAB, pennu gweithdrefnau SAB ar gyfer apeliadau a'u penderfyniad, a'r pŵer i Weinidogion Cymru gadarnhau neu amnewid penderfyniad a wnaed gan y SAB.

Yn fy natganiad ar 16 Hydref yn ymateb i storm Callum, pwysleisiais bwysigrwydd addasu i'n hinsawdd heriol sy'n newid yng nghyd-destun rheoli perygl llifogydd. Mae profiad o lifogydd yn dangos pa mor gyflym y gall ein seilwaith gael ei drechu gan law trwm. Mae mandadu'r defnydd o SUDS effeithiol yn ffurfio rhan o'r ymateb i'r heriau hyn, ac mae gweithredu'r ddeddfwriaeth hon yn hollbwysig i sicrhau dichonoldeb hirdymor ac i addasu i heriau newid yn yr hinsawdd.

Llywydd, rwy'n cymeradwyo'r Gorchymyn hwn a'r rheoliadau hyn i'r Cynulliad Cenedlaethol.

Nid oes dim siaradwr yn y ddadl ar y ddwy eitem yma. Felly, rwy'n cymryd nad yw'r Gweinidog eisiau ymateb i'r ddadl—na. Felly, y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid derbyn y cynnig o dan eitem 8? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? Derbynnir y cynnig o dan eitem 8 yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.

There are no speakers in the debate on these two items. Therefore, I presume that the Minister doesn’t want to reply to the debate—no. Therefore, the proposal is to agree the motion under item 8. Does any Member object? The motion under item 8 is, therefore, agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Derbyniwyd y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Y cwestiwn sy'n weddill, felly, yw: a ddylid derbyn y cynnig o dan eitem 9? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? Nac oes. Felly, derbynnir y cynnig o dan eitem 9 yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.

The question remaining is the proposal to agree the motion under item 9. Does any Member object? No. Therefore, the motion under item 9 is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Derbyniwyd y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

10. Dadl: Adroddiad Blynyddol Comisiynydd Plant Cymru 2017-18
10. Debate: The Children's Commissioner for Wales's Annual Report 2017-18

Detholwyd y gwelliant canlynol: gwelliant 1 yn enw Rhun ap Iorwerth.

The following amendment has been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Sy'n dod â ni at eitem 10, sef y ddadl ar adroddiad blynyddol y comisiynydd plant 2017-18. Rydw i'n galw ar y Gweinidog Plant, Pobl Hŷn a Gofal Cymdeithasol, Huw Irranca-Davies.

That brings us to item 10, which is a debate on the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’s annual report 2017-18. I call on the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care, Huw Irranca-Davies.

17:55

Cynnig NDM6855 Julie James

Cynnig bod Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru:

Yn nodi Adroddiad Blynyddol Comisiynydd Plant Cymru 2017-18.

Motion NDM6855 Julie James

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

Notes the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’ Annual Report 2017-18.

Cynigiwyd y cynnig.

Motion moved.

Diolch, Lywydd. Hoffwn ddechrau fy nghyfraniad at y ddadl hon drwy ddiolch i'r comisiynydd plant, nid yn unig am ei hadroddiad blynyddol, ond hefyd am ei gwaith diflino ar ran plant a phobl ifanc Cymru drwy gydol y flwyddyn. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd yr Aelodau'n cytuno bod rhoi llais i blant ac eirioli ar eu rhan yn rôl hanfodol. Felly, rwy'n croesawu ei hadroddiad a'r gwaith gwerthfawr y bu hi yn ei wneud ac y bydd yn parhau i'w wneud.

Thank you, Llywydd. I would like to begin my contribution to this debate by thanking the children’s commissioner, not only for her annual report, but also for her tireless work on behalf of children and young people in Wales throughout the year. I'm sure that Members would agree that giving children a voice and advocating on their behalf is a crucially important role. Therefore, I welcome her report and the valuable work that she has done and will continue to do.

Wales has led the way in children's rights by enshrining them in law through the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011—the first UK nation to do so, and it's something that we in Wales should be very proud of. We are passionately committed to children's rights, and this is clearly demonstrated by us being the first UK nation to appoint a children's commissioner.

Children's rights are entitlements—they are not optional—and we as a country will work hard to ensure that children's rights are understood and are respected. Children's rights support our ambition for each and every child in Wales to have the very best possible start in life. They are the driving force behind key programmes and policies in Wales, programmes such as Flying Start, our work on tackling adverse childhood experiences, and, indeed, our parenting campaigns. In short, children's rights are part of our DNA—they're crucial to the way that we do things in Wales.

Of course, there are many areas of policy that impact on children's lives right across our programme for government, and I've written to my Cabinet and ministerial colleagues highlighting the importance of keeping children's rights at the very centre of the work that we do. And I know that children's rights are being taken seriously right across Welsh Government. Recent examples of good practice include the ministerial focus on children's mental health and well-being, and universal support for children through the Healthy Child Wales programme. And the children's commissioner plays a crucial role as an independent champion of children's rights in Wales. As part of this role the children's commissioner helps to hold the Government to account, and I can confirm to Assembly Members that she is certainly taking that part of her role very seriously indeed, and we welcome it.

Each year, the commissioner is required to publish an annual report setting out how her office has safeguarded and promoted the rights of children and young people in Wales. In this year's annual report the commissioner has made 15 recommendations to the Welsh Government across education and health, children's services and transport. Now, the First Minister will publish his full response on or before 30 November, which means that I won't be setting out the full detail of our response during today's debate, and I hope Members understand that.

But, returning to this year's report, I want to draw the attention of Members to some key themes that the commissioner makes. Now, in particular, I'm delighted to see that the report does recognise the progress that's been made on the proposed legislation to remove the defence of reasonable punishment and on advocacy for vulnerable children. The report also highlights the commissioner's achievements in the first and second year of her three-year strategic plan in terms of project and also core work. Some of that core work includes the commissioner assisting more than 550 individual children and young people through her investigation and advice service. This is hugely valuable work, supporting the needs of vulnerable children and young people.

The annual report also sets out how the commissioner has implemented the principles of her children's rights approach in her own work and that of other agencies. And I'm encouraged to see how her work has challenged and supported other public bodies in Wales to adopt a children's rights based approach. Examples within the report include the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust and the National Museum of Wales, amongst others.

The need to get services working more effectively together for our children and young people is a prominent theme in this year's report and I couldn't agree more that this needs to be done. This is also a major priority for the Welsh Government's reform programme. If we want to bring about real and sustainable change, we must work together to deliver services in a co-ordinated and integrated and a timely way. And we have to ensure that the rights of children and young people are embedded deeply in everything that we do. It's only when our programmes come together seamlessly that we will get the best value for parents and children from the limited resources that are available to us. So, we are committed to working across Welsh Government, with the public, with the third sector and with our own communities, including with children and young people.

The research, we know, is clear, childhood experiences are instrumental in shaping our lives, they impact our physical and mental health and they influence educational outcomes and economic prosperity lifelong. The research also makes clear that, with the right support, children can overcome and recover from childhood adversity. Our role is to help them build the resilience they need to be able to do so. To achieve this, we're committed to supporting that joined-up, responsive, early years system that puts the unique needs of each child and family right at its heart. This was a central commitment we made in 'Prosperity for All'.

It is important that we work together to maximize the opportunities to improve the outcomes for our children and our young people, to ensure that they all have the best possible start in life and go on to fulfil their potential. We do know that we only do that effectively when we listen and respond to the views and needs of children and young people themselves. Article 12 recognises they are right to have their voice heard and listened to and acted upon in decisions that affect them. We're committed to ensuring children and young people are full and active citizens in Wales, whose views are taken into account. They have clear views and a valuable contribution to make to the design of our services. I am clear, as Minister, that children's views will continue to be essential in the development and the delivery of our legislation, our policies and our programmes. We must ensure that they consistently have an active voice in the workings of Government.

For the only point today, I'll turn to Brexit. With Brexit currently dominating the news across the UK, it is imperative that we do not lose sight of those that it will impact the most. I've been taking the time to listen to the views of children on Brexit and other issues. They've talked to me with great passion about their concerns for future funding, their opportunities to study abroad, whether Brexit will lead to a reduction in environmental standards, and so on. We owe it to them to fight for the best outcome for Wales in the current negotiations. We will do everything in our power to ensure that their voices are heard and that our children's futures are not harmed. We want our children to grow up in a Wales they can be proud of. 

I note that the Member for Ynys Môn has put forward an amendment to the Government's motion. With regret, I say we won't be supporting the amendment. The rad, amber, green ratings referred to in the amendment are the commissioner's assessment of the Welsh Government's response to recommendations in her 2016-17 annual report, they do not form part of this year's annual report itself. So, I hope Members will understand why we won't be supporting those, useful as the RAG ratings are. 

As a Government, we have and will continue to work collaboratively with the commissioner and others for the benefit of children and young people. I will continue to focus on delivering for children and young people right across Wales, ensuring that their voices and their rights are at the forefront of everything that we as a nation hope to achieve. 

Mae Cymru wedi arwain y ffordd o ran hawliau plant trwy eu hymgorffori yn y gyfraith trwy Fesur Hawliau Plant a Phobl Ifanc (Cymru) 2011—y wlad gyntaf yn y DU i wneud hynny, ac mae'n rhywbeth y dylem ni yng Nghymru fod yn falch iawn ohono. Rydym ni wedi ymrwymo'n angerddol i hawliau plant, a gwelir hyn yn amlwg gan mai ni yw'r wlad gyntaf yn y DU i benodi comisiynydd plant.

Hawliau yw hawliau plant—nid ydyn nhw'n ddewisol—a byddwn ni fel gwlad yn gweithio'n galed i sicrhau bod hawliau plant yn cael eu deall a'u parchu. Mae hawliau plant yn cefnogi ein huchelgais i bob plentyn yng Nghymru gael y dechrau gorau posibl mewn bywyd. Maen nhw'n ysgogi polisïau a rhaglenni allweddol yng Nghymru, rhaglenni fel Dechrau'n Deg, ein gwaith o fynd i'r afael â phrofiadau andwyol yn ystod plentyndod, ac, yn wir, ein hymgyrchoedd magu plant. Yn fyr, mae hawliau plant yn rhan o'n DNA—maen nhw'n hollbwysig i'r ffordd yr ydym ni'n gwneud pethau yng Nghymru.

Wrth gwrs, ceir llawer o feysydd polisi sy'n effeithio ar fywydau plant ar draws ein rhaglen lywodraethu, ac rwyf i wedi ysgrifennu at fy nghyd-Aelodau yn y Cabinet a gweinidogol i dynnu sylw at bwysigrwydd cadw hawliau plant wrth wraidd y gwaith yr ydym ni'n ei wneud. A gwn fod hawliau plant yn ystyriaeth o ddifrif ar draws Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae enghreifftiau diweddar o arfer da yn cynnwys y pwyslais gweinidogol ar iechyd meddwl a lles plant, a chymorth cynhwysol i blant trwy'r rhaglen Plentyn Iach Cymru. Ac mae'r comisiynydd plant yn chwarae rhan hollbwysig fel hyrwyddwr annibynnol ar gyfer hawliau plant yng Nghymru. Yn rhan o'r swydd hon mae'r comisiynydd plant yn helpu i ddwyn y Llywodraeth i gyfrif, a gallaf gadarnhau i Aelodau'r Cynulliad ei bod yn sicr yn cymryd y swydd honno yn hollol o ddifrif, ac rydym yn croesawu hynny.

Bob blwyddyn, mae'n ofynnol i'r comisiynydd gyhoeddi adroddiad blynyddol sy'n nodi sut y mae ei swyddfa wedi diogelu a hybu hawliau plant a phobl ifanc yng Nghymru. Yn yr adroddiad blynyddol eleni mae'r comisiynydd wedi gwneud 15 o argymhellion i Lywodraeth Cymru ar draws addysg ac iechyd, gwasanaethau plant a thrafnidiaeth. Nawr, bydd y Prif Weinidog yn cyhoeddi ei ymateb llawn cyn neu ar 30 Tachwedd, sy'n golygu na fyddaf i'n nodi manylion llawn ein hymateb yn ystod y ddadl heddiw, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yr Aelodau yn deall hynny.

Ond, i ddychwelyd at adroddiad eleni, hoffwn i dynnu sylw'r Aelodau at rai o'r themâu allweddol y mae'r comisiynydd wedi'u gwneud. Nawr, yn arbennig, rwy'n falch iawn o weld bod yr adroddiad yn cydnabod y cynnydd sydd wedi'i wneud ar y ddeddfwriaeth arfaethedig i ddileu'r amddiffyniad o gosb resymol ac ar eiriolaeth ar gyfer plant sy'n agored i niwed. Mae'r adroddiad hefyd yn amlygu cyflawniadau'r comisiynydd ym mlwyddyn gyntaf ac ail flwyddyn ei chynllun strategol tair blynedd o ran gwaith prosiect a gwaith craidd. Mae peth o'r gwaith craidd hwnnw yn cynnwys y comisiynydd yn helpu mwy na 550 o blant a phobl ifanc unigol trwy ei gwasanaeth ymchwilio a chynghori. Mae hyn yn waith hynod o werthfawr, sy'n cefnogi anghenion plant a phobl ifanc sy'n agored i niwed.

Mae'r adroddiad blynyddol hefyd yn nodi sut y mae'r comisiynydd wedi gweithredu egwyddorion ei hymagwedd hawliau plant yn ei gwaith ei hun a gwaith asiantaethau eraill. Ac mae'n galonogol i mi weld sut y mae ei gwaith wedi herio a chefnogi cyrff cyhoeddus eraill yng Nghymru i fabwysiadu dull sy'n seiliedig ar hawliau plant. Mae enghreifftiau yn yr adroddiad yn cynnwys Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Gwasanaethau Ambiwlans Cymru ac Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Cymru, ymysg eraill.

Mae'r angen i gael gwasanaethau yn cydweithio'n fwy effeithiol ar gyfer ein plant a'n pobl ifanc yn thema amlwg yn adroddiad eleni ac rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr fod angen gwneud hyn. Mae hyn hefyd yn flaenoriaeth bwysig ar gyfer rhaglen ddiwygio Llywodraeth Cymru. Os ydym ni'n dymuno sicrhau newid gwirioneddol a chynaliadwy, mae'n rhaid inni gydweithio i ddarparu gwasanaethau cydgysylltiedig ac integredig mewn modd amserol. Ac mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau bod hawliau plant a phobl ifanc wedi eu hymwreiddio'n ddwfn ym mhob dim yr ydym ni'n ei wneud. Dim ond pan fydd ein rhaglenni'n dod at ei gilydd yn ddi-dor y cawn ni'r gwerth gorau ar gyfer rhieni a phlant o'r adnoddau prin sydd ar gael i ni. Felly, rydym ni wedi ymrwymo i weithio ar draws Llywodraeth Cymru, gyda'r cyhoedd, gyda'r trydydd sector a gyda'n cymunedau ein hunain, gan gynnwys gyda phlant a phobl ifanc.

Mae'r ymchwil, rydym yn gwybod, yn glir, mae profiadau yn ystod plentyndod yn rhan ganolog o lunio ein bywydau, maen nhw'n effeithio ar ein hiechyd corfforol a meddyliol ac yn dylanwadu ar ganlyniadau addysgol a ffyniant economaidd gydol oes. Mae'r ymchwil hefyd yn ei gwneud yn glir, gyda'r cymorth cywir, y gall plant oresgyn adfyd plentyndod a dod drosto. Ein gwaith ni yw eu helpu i feithrin y gwytnwch sydd ei angen arnyn nhw i allu gwneud hynny. I gyflawni hyn, rydym wedi ymrwymo i gefnogi'r system gydgysylltiedig, ymatebol, honno yn y blynyddoedd cynnar sy'n rhoi anghenion unigryw bob plentyn a'r teulu yn ganolog iddi. Roedd hyn yn ymrwymiad canolog a wnaethom yn 'Ffyniant i bawb'.

Mae'n bwysig ein bod yn gweithio gyda'n gilydd i gynyddu'r cyfleoedd i wella canlyniadau ein plant a'n pobl ifanc i sicrhau eu bod i gyd yn cael y dechrau gorau posibl mewn bywyd a'u bod yn symud ymlaen i gyflawni eu potensial. Rydym yn gwybod ein bod yn gwneud hynny'n effeithiol dim ond pan fyddwn yn gwrando ar safbwyntiau ac anghenion plant a phobl ifanc eu hunain ac yn ymateb iddyn nhw. Mae erthygl 12 yn cydnabod eu bod yn iawn i gael eu llais wedi ei glywed ac i bobl wrando ar eu llais a gweithredu arno wrth wneud penderfyniadau sy'n effeithio arnyn nhw. Rydym ni wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau bod plant a phobl ifanc yn ddinasyddion llawn a gweithgar yng Nghymru, sydd â barn a gaiff ei hystyried. Mae ganddyn nhw farn glir a chyfraniad gwerthfawr i'w wneud i gynllunio ein gwasanaethau. Rwyf i'n eglur, fel Gweinidog, y bydd barn y plant yn parhau i fod yn hanfodol wrth ddatblygu a chyflawni ein deddfwriaeth, ein polisïau a'n rhaglenni. Mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau bod ganddyn nhw lais gweithredol cyson yng ngweithrediadau'r Llywodraeth.

Am yr unig dro heddiw, fe hoffwn droi at Brexit. Wrth i Brexit ddominyddu'r newyddion ledled y DU ar hyn o bryd, mae'n hanfodol nad ydym yn colli golwg ar y rhai y bydd yn effeithio arnyn nhw fwyaf. Rwyf i wedi rhoi amser i wrando ar safbwyntiau plant ar Brexit a materion eraill. Maen nhw wedi siarad yn angerddol iawn am eu pryderon am gyllid yn y dyfodol, eu cyfleoedd i astudio dramor, pa un a fydd Brexit yn arwain at ddirywiad mewn safonau amgylcheddol, ac ati. Mae'n ddyletswydd arnom ni ar eu rhan nhw i frwydro dros y canlyniad gorau i Gymru yn y trafodaethau presennol. Byddwn yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu i sicrhau bod eu lleisiau'n cael eu clywed ac na chaiff dyfodol ein plant ei niweidio. Rydym ni eisiau i'n plant dyfu mewn Cymru y gallan nhw fod yn falch ohoni.

Rwy'n nodi bod yr Aelod dros Ynys Môn wedi cyflwyno gwelliant i gynnig y Llywodraeth. Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, ond rwyf i'n dweud na fyddwn yn cefnogi'r gwelliant. Y sgoriau coch, ambr a gwyrdd y cyfeirir atyn nhw yn y gwelliant yw asesiad y comisiynydd o ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i'r argymhellion yn ei hadroddiad blynyddol ar gyfer 2016-17, nid ydyn nhw'n ffurfio rhan o adroddiad blynyddol eleni. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yr Aelodau yn deall pam na fyddwn yn cefnogi'r rheini, er mor ddefnyddiol yw'r sgoriau RAG.

Fel Llywodraeth, rydym ni wedi gweithio ar y cyd â'r comisiynydd ac eraill er budd plant a phobl ifanc a byddwn yn parhau i wneud hynny. Rwyf i'n parhau i ganolbwyntio ar gyflawni ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc ledled Cymru, gan sicrhau bod eu lleisiau a'u hawliau ar flaen y gad ym mhob dim yr ydym ni fel cenedl yn gobeithio ei gyflawni.

Felly, edrychaf ymlaen at gael sgwrsio gyda'r comisiynydd plant, ymarferwyr sy'n gweithio gyda phlant, ac yn bwysicaf oll gyda phlant a phobl ifanc ynghylch sut y gwnawn ni hynny. Diolch.

Therefore, I look forward to having conversations with the children’s commissioner and practitioners who work with children, and, most importantly, with children and young people themselves about how we will do that. Thank you very much.

18:00

Rwyf wedi dethol y gwelliant i'r cynnig ac rydw i'n galw ar Siân Gwenllian i gynnig gwelliant 1, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Rhun ap Iorwerth.

I have selected the amendment to the motion, and I call on Siân Gwenllian to move amendment 1, tabled in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth.

Gwelliant 1—Rhun ap Iorwerth

Ychwanegu fel pwynt newydd ar ddiwedd y cynnig:

Yn nodi bod y Comisiynydd Plant wedi sgorio cynnydd Llywodraeth Cymru mewn perthynas â gwasanaethau elw mewn gofal, iaith arwyddion Prydain, eiriolaeth iechyd, gofal plant ac addysg yn y cartref dewisol fel coch, sy'n golygu na chafwyd unrhyw dystiolaeth o newidiadau polisi neu arfer ers y gwnaethpwyd yr argymhelliad a ni chafwyd unrhyw welliant o ran profiadau plant.

Amendment 1—Rhun ap Iorwerth

Add as new point at end of motion:

Notes that the Children’s Commissioner has rated the Welsh Government’s progress on the profit-in-care services, British Sign Language, health advocacy, childcare and elective home education as red, meaning that there has been no evidence of policy or practice changes since the recommendation was made and no improvement in children’s experiences.

Cynigiwyd gwelliant 1.

Amendment 1 moved.

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Er gwaethaf honiadau'r Gweinidog, mae'n destun pryder fod nifer o benderfyniadau diweddar Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u gwneud heb roi ystyriaeth lawn i hawliau plant. Yn ei thystiolaeth ysgrifenedig yn yr ymgynghoriad craffu ar gyllideb ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru, mae'r comisiynydd plant, mewn adroddiad sy'n eithaf damniol o Lywodraeth Cymru, yn dweud hyn:

Thank you very much. Despite the claims made by the Minister, it’s a cause of concern that many recent decisions taken by the Welsh Government have been taken without giving full consideration to the rights of children. In her written evidence to the scrutiny of the draft Welsh Government budget, the children’s commissioner, in a report that is quite damning of the Welsh Government, says this:

'children’s rights appear to be an "add-on" within this budget...

'There does not appear to have been progress around the prominence of children and children’s rights within the budget considerations;

'There is a lack of analytical evidence in the form of Children’s Rights Impact Assessments to show whether children are better or worse off as a result of the budget decisions'.

Mae'n ymddangos bod hawliau plant yn 'ychwanegiad' o fewn y gyllideb hon...

Nid yw'n ymddangos bod cynnydd wedi bod o ran amlygrwydd hawliau plant a phlant o fewn ystyriaethau'r gyllideb;

Mae diffyg tystiolaeth ddadansoddol ar ffurf asesiadau effaith ar hawliau plant i ddangos a yw plant yn well neu'n waeth eu byd o ganlyniad i'r penderfyniadau cyllidebol.

Nid oedd yna asesiad effaith ar hawliau plant wedi ei baratoi ar gyfer cynigion y gyllideb, nid hyd yn oed ar gyfer tri maes pwysig sydd wedi bod yn destun toriadau cyllidebol, sef y grant gwisg ysgol, y grant cyflawniad lleiafrifoedd ethnig a'r rhaglen gyswllt ar ysgolion Cymru gyfan.

Mae adroddiad y comisiynydd, a fydd yn cael ei drafod ddydd Iau, yn codi cwestiynau mawr, ac rydw i'n edrych ymlaen at glywed y Llywodraeth yn ymrwymo i gymryd camau penodol i wella ei pherfformiad yn sylweddol. 

Rydw i'n troi yn benodol, felly, at adroddiad blynyddol y comisiynydd ar gyfer 2017-18, ac yn cyfeirio'n benodol at y dull goleuadau traffig o fonitro cynnydd Llywodraeth Cymru ar weithredu ar ei hargymhellion sydd yn system ardderchog ar gyfer craffu—ac, ie, craffu ar waith oedd yn deillio o adroddiad blynyddol 2016-17 mae'r comisiynydd, ond mae hi'n rhoi diweddariadau byw ar y wefan, ac rydym ni''n dyfynnu yn ein gwelliant ni o adroddiad Medi 2018, sydd yn dangos diffyg cynnydd, yn anffodus. Dim ond pedwar o'r argymhellion a wnaed sydd wedi eu categoreiddio'n wyrdd, efo pump wedi eu categoreiddio'n goch. Mae hyn yn codi cwestiynau mawr ynglŷn ag ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i hawliau plant. 

Mae'r argymhellion coch yn cynnwys gofal plant, efo'r comisiynydd yn dweud:

'Trwy'r cynllun gofal plant peilot ac unrhyw gynllun dilynol, dylai Llywodraeth Cymru sicrhau nad yw plant rhieni nad ydynt yn gweithio yn colli allan ar y cynnydd o ran gofal plant sy'n cael ei gynnig i blant rhieni sy'n gweithio.'

Mae'n mynd ymlaen i ddweud y byddai'r cynnig cyfredol yn golygu bod y plant a fyddai'n elwa fwyaf o ofal plant yn colli cyfle i ddatblygu sgiliau bywyd allweddol yn ifanc. Gyda'r plant mwyaf difreintiedig yn cychwyn yr ysgol 10 mis y tu ôl i blant o deuluoedd sydd efo mwy o arian, mae Plaid Cymru yn rhannu pryderon y comisiynydd. 

Mater arall sy'n cael golau coch gan y comisiynydd yw diffygion y Llywodraeth o safbwynt addysg ddewisol yn y cartref. Eto, rwy'n dyfynu'r comisiynydd. Mae 

'angen i Lywodraeth Cymru ddiwygio'r canllawiau cyfredol er mwyn rhoi iddynt rym statudol, yn ogystal â chynnwys cofrestr orfodol ar gyfer pob plentyn a addysgir yn y cartref, a hynny er mwyn sicrhau nad yw'r plant hynny yn disgyn “o dan y radar”, hyd yn oed o ran y gwasanaethau cyffredinol.'

Mae gan bob plentyn yr hawl i addysg, ac mae gan awdurdodau lleol gyfrifoldeb i sicrhau eu bod yn derbyn addysg. Mae angen galluogi awdurdodau lleol i wneud y gwaith hwn. 

Yn ôl y comisiynydd plant,

'Ers i'r argymhelliad hwn gael ei wneud, cyhoeddodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddatganiad yn y Senedd ym mis Ionawr 2018, yn amlinellu'r bwriad i ymgynghori ynghylch newidiadau i is-ddeddfwriaeth i gryfhau pwerau presennol yr awdurdodau lleol. 

'Hyd yma, ni chyflwynwyd unrhyw ymgynghoriad, a'r amserlen ddisgwyliedig ar gyfer hyn yw gwanwyn 2019.'

Geiriau'r comisiynydd.

Tra bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn llusgo'i thraed, mae peryg bod nifer o blant yn methu allan ar eu hawl i addysg ac mae peryg bod yna blant yn disgyn o dan y radar o ran derbyn gwasanaethau sylfaenol. 

Yn fyr, mater arall nad ydy Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gweithredu arno fo yw Iaith Arwyddo Prydain. Yn ôl Cymdeithas Plant Byddar Cymru, flwyddyn ddiwethaf, roedd disgyblion byddar 26 y cant yn llai tebygol o dderbyn graddau A* i C yn y pynciau craidd na'u cyd-ddisgyblion sydd yn clywed. Mae'r bwlch yma'n bodoli oherwydd y rhwystrau y mae dysgwyr byddar yn eu hwynebu. Mae hwn hefyd yn cael y golau coch gan y comisiynydd. 

Nid oes yna amser i fynd ar ôl y ddau faes arall, ond mae angen i Weinidogion roi sylw buan i'r materion yma—i'r rhai sydd wedi cael eu nodi'n goch gan y comisiynydd, ond hefyd y rhai sydd yn ambr. Mae angen i'r Llywodraeth ddod ag amserlen gerbron i'n hargyhoeddi y bydd pethau'n wahanol, y bydd pethau'n well pan ddown ni nôl i fan hyn flwyddyn nesaf. 

There was no children's rights impact assessment prepared for the budget proposals, not even for the three important areas that have been subject to budgetary cuts, which are the school uniform grant, the minority ethnic attainment grant and the all-Wales schools contact programme.

The commissioner’s report, which will be discussed on Thursday, raises major questions, and I do look forward to hearing the Government committing to taking specific steps to increase and improve its performance significantly.

I turn specifically, therefore, to the commissioner’s annual report for 2017-18, and refer specifically to the traffic-light system of monitoring the progress of the Welsh Government in terms of taking action on recommendations, which is an excellent system for scrutiny. Yes, this is scrutinising work emerging from the 2016-17 annual report—that’s what the commissioner is doing, but she also provides live updates on her website. In our amendment, we quote from a report from September 2018, which shows a lack of progress, unfortunately, with only four of the recommendations categorised as green and five categorised as red. This does raise major questions about the Welsh Government’s commitment to the rights of the child.

The red recommendations include childcare, with the commissioner stating that

'The Welsh Government should ensure through the childcare offer pilot and any subsequent scheme that the children of non-working parents do not miss out on the increased childcare being offered to children of working parents.'

She goes on to say that the current proposal would mean that the children who would benefit most from childcare would miss that opportunity to develop key life skills at an early stage. With the most disadvantaged children starting school 10 months behind those from wealthier backgrounds, Plaid Cymru shares the commissioner’s concern.

Another issue that’s flagged up as being red by the commissioner is Government deficiencies in terms of elective home education. Again, I quote the commissioner

'the Welsh Government needs to amend the current guidance to give it statutory force and include a compulsory register for all home educated children to ensure they do not end up “off the radar” from even universal services.'

Every child has a right to an education, and local authorities have a responsibility to ensure that they receive an education. We must enable local authorities to do this work.

According to the children’s commissioner,

'Since this recommendation was made, the Cabinet Secretary made a statement in the Senedd in January 2018 outlining the intention to consult on changes to secondary legislation to strengthen the existing powers of local authorities.

'To date no consultation has been introduced and the anticipated timeline for this is spring 2019.' 

Again, those are the words of the commissioner.

Whilst the Welsh Government is dragging its feet, there is a risk that many children will miss out on their right to an education, and there is a risk that there are children who are going under the radar, in terms of the receipt of basic services.

Briefly, another issue that the Welsh Government has failed to take action on is British Sign Language. According to the National Deaf Children’s Society Wales, last year deaf pupils were 26 per cent less likely to receive A*-C grades in the core subjects, as compared to their peers who don’t have a hearing impairment. This gap exists because of the barriers that those with hearing impairments suffer, and this, again, is flagged up with a red light by the commissioner.

There’s no time to pursue the other two areas, but Ministers do need to address these issues as a matter of urgency—those that have been flagged as red by the commissioner, but also those that are amber. The Government must publish a timetable in order to convince us that things will be different—that things will improve—when we come back to this place next year.

18:05

I offer my thanks to the children's commissioner, and her office as well. We will be supporting the Plaid Cymru amendment to the motion because it sums up pretty well, I think, some of the current concerns, which are, as Siân Gwenllian pointed out, still live red risks, as the audit risk and assurance committee of the commissioner's office has identified. And they're five policy areas that have a direct, material effect on young people, their families, the life chances of both, where we see the frustration of those who want to provide services, and the frustration of the commissioner herself, who has been unable to force change. What is also rather worrying, I think, is that this is not dominating the headlines to help us hold Welsh Government to account, and help the people we serve better understand what we do in this place, and how we represent them on their priorities. I really hope that the media will scrutinise Welsh Government's response to this report—or, as we've just heard, lack of response to this report—because I suspect action on the failures addressed within it matter more to our constituents than smoking in town centres and Powys's festive pizza mess-up, I have to say.

Because some of the criticism contained in this report should anger us every bit as much as the findings that, in all fairness, were covered by the BBC today about the number of young people who self-harm when they are in jail, because the issues are connected. The mental health of these young people should be far more urgently important to them and to us as a society than the distraction of whether they've got the vote or not, because those of us who do have a vote need to keep asking why we're failing to keep our very young out of prison. Despite the commissioner's welcome work with health boards and Parc prison in my own region—where they have a very good record of working with families to maintain a healthy parental relationship, but were on the wrong end of this self-harm report—and despite the work with local councils, it seems that our aspirations for better health advocacy, and a reduction in the incidence and effects of bullying at an early age, are broadly unmet. 

Of course, this echoes the concerns articulated in the 'Mind over matter' report, which I won't go into again today. But if the commissioner is recommending giving statutory force to a national approach to statutory advocacy in order to improve the offer in health and even education, Welsh Government must tell us if and when they intend to do this.

We talk about early intervention in this place all the time, and advocacy is part of that. It can be highly effective at community level, preventing escalating issues that allow our young people to become damaged adults. While there may have been some progress, it's neither geographically consistent—for example, with looked-after children, the take-up of the advocacy offer was just 2 per cent in Gwynedd, but 88 per cent in Caerphilly—nor does it capture health and education as fully as it might. So, I hope the recommendation relating to the regional partnership boards is something against which we'll see clear progress by next year. 

Having said that, I would also hope to be able to follow the spend on that progress. As we've said before, particularly in our committee, integrated budgets make the connection between expenditure and outcomes for children and young people unnecessarily difficult to trace.

Now, turning to education directly, I've seen first hand how the right way has made a difference. Craigcefnparc Primary School in my own region is a really good example of how everyone's understanding of children's rights has contributed to the whole-school ethos, and the application of that has now turned the fortunes of that school around and made it exactly the kind of school we would all want to see. How sad it is, then, to hear that, despite the work of Welsh Conservative Mawr councillor Brigitte Rowlands and the families in that community, that Swansea city cabinet members are refusing to visit the school to see it for themselves, which is very disappointing considering that they will be making the decision whether or not that school closes.

I hope the commissioner is alive to those occasions where commitment and lip service appear interchangeable, because I remain unconvinced that the due regard that we and Welsh Government must all give to children's rights in policy and legislation is replicated in the delivery of those policies and legislation by public bodies. I don't think, Minister, it is in the DNA yet, so do we need to legislate?

Briefly, then, a three-point finish. The commissioner's recommendation on revisions to Welsh Government's current transport offer, we heard a bit more about that on the back of the budget, but Welsh Conservatives have a recommendation of their own—a more generous offer of a green card giving free bus travel up to the age of 24, acknowledging that young people may still need help to get to work, especially if that is a low-paying first job, as they quite often are. 

Secondly, I reiterate what Siân Gwenllian said regarding British Sign Language, and I note the regretful tone of the National Deaf Children's Society Cymru's view on the commissioner's findings. 

Hoffwn ddiolch i'r comisiynydd plant, a'i swyddfa hefyd. Byddwn yn cefnogi gwelliant Plaid Cymru i'r cynnig oherwydd ei fod yn crynhoi yn eithaf da, yn fy marn i, rai o'r pryderon presennol, sydd, fel y nododd Siân Gwenllian, yn risgiau coch o hyd, fel y mae pwyllgor archwilio risg a sicrwydd swyddfa'r comisiynydd wedi'i nodi. Ac maen nhw'n bum maes polisi sy'n cael effaith uniongyrchol, sylweddol ar bobl ifanc, eu teuluoedd, cyfleoedd bywyd y ddau, lle'r ydym yn gweld rhwystredigaeth y rhai sy'n dymuno darparu gwasanaethau, a rhwystredigaeth y comisiynydd ei hun, sydd wedi methu â gorfodi newid. Rhywbeth arall sy'n peri pryder braidd, yn fy marn i, yw nad yw hyn yn dominyddu'r penawdau i'n helpu ni i ddwyn Llywodraeth Cymru i gyfrif, a helpu'r bobl yr ydym yn eu gwasanaethu i gael gwell dealltwriaeth o'r hyn yr ydym yn ei wneud yn y lle hwn, a sut yr ydym yn eu cynrychioli nhw a'u blaenoriaethau. Rwy'n gobeithio'n fawr y bydd y cyfryngau yn craffu ar ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i'r adroddiad hwn—neu, fel yr ydym ni newydd ei glywed, diffyg ymateb i'r adroddiad hwn—oherwydd fy mod i'n amau bod y camau gweithredu i fynd i'r afael â'r methiannau a nodir ynddo o fwy o bwys i'n hetholwyr nag ysmygu yng nghanol trefi a'r llanast pitsa Nadolig ym Mhowys, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud.

Oherwydd y dylai peth o'r feirniadaeth a geir yn yr adroddiad hwn beri cymaint fyth o ddicter â'r canfyddiadau hynny a gafodd sylw, a bod yn deg, gan y BBC heddiw ynghylch nifer y bobl ifanc sy'n hunan-niweidio pan fyddan nhw yn y carchar, oherwydd bod y materion i gyd yn gysylltiedig. Dylai iechyd meddwl y bobl ifanc hyn fod yn llawer mwy o bwys brys iddyn nhw ac i ninnau fel cymdeithas, na'r pwnc sy'n tynnu sylw, sef a oes ganddyn nhw bleidlais ai peidio, oherwydd bod angen i'r rhai ohonom ni sydd â phleidlais ofyn pam yr ydym yn methu â chadw ein pob ifanc iawn allan o'r carchar. Er gwaethaf gwaith da y comisiynydd gyda byrddau iechyd a charchar y Parc yn fy rhanbarth i—lle mae ganddyn nhw hanes da iawn o weithio gyda theuluoedd i gynnal perthynas iach â rhieni, ond a oedd ar ben anghywir yr adroddiad hunan-niwedio—ac er gwaethaf gwaith gyda chynghorau lleol, mae'n ymddangos nad yw ein dyheadau am well eiriolaeth iechyd, a gostyngiad yn nifer yr achosion o fwlio ac effeithiau bwlio ar oedran cynnar, wedi'u gwireddu ar y cyfan.

Wrth gwrs, mae hyn yn adleisio'r pryderon a fynegwyd yn yr adroddiad 'Cadernid Meddwl', na fyddaf yn sôn amdano eto heddiw. Ond os yw'r comisiynydd yn argymell rhoi grym statudol i'r dull cenedlaethol o eiriolaeth statudol er mwyn gwella'r hyn a gynigir mewn iechyd ac addysg hyd yn oed, mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru ddweud wrthym a yw'n bwriadu gwneud hyn a pha bryd.

Rydym yn sôn am ymyrraeth gynnar yn y lle hwn drwy'r amser, ac mae eiriolaeth yn rhan o hynny. Gall fod yn hynod o effeithiol ar lefel y gymuned, gan atal materion cynyddol sy'n caniatáu i'n pobl ifanc ddatblygu i fod yn oedolion sydd wedi'u niweidio. Er efallai y bu rhywfaint o gynnydd, nid yw'n ddaearyddol gyson—er enghraifft, o ran plant sy'n derbyn gofal, dim ond 2 y cant a fanteisiodd ar y cynnig o eiriolaeth yng Ngwynedd, ond gwnaeth 88 y cant hynny yng Nghaerffili—ac nid yw ychwaith yn cofnodi iechyd ac addysg mewn modd mor gyflawn ag y gallai. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y byddwn yn gweld cynnydd clir erbyn y flwyddyn nesaf ar yr argymhelliad sy'n ymwneud â'r byrddau partneriaeth rhanbarthol.

Wedi dweud hynny, byddwn i hefyd yn gobeithio gallu dilyn y gwariant ar y cynnydd hwnnw. Fel yr ydym ni wedi'i ddweud o'r blaen, yn arbennig yn ein pwyllgor ni, mae cyllidebau integredig yn ei gwneud yn anodd nodi'r cysylltiad rhwng gwariant a chanlyniadau ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc, a hynny heb fod angen.

Nawr, gan droi at addysg yn uniongyrchol, rwyf i wedi gweld drosof i fy hun sut y mae'r ffordd gywir wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth. Mae Ysgol Gynradd Craigcefnparc yn fy rhanbarth i fy hun yn enghraifft dda iawn o sut y mae dealltwriaeth pawb o hawliau plant wedi cyfrannu at ethos yr ysgol gyfan, ac mae cymhwyso hynny wedi dwyn ffrwyth yn yr ysgol honno erbyn hyn, trwy ei gwneud yr union fath o ysgol yr hoffem ni i gyd ei gweld. Mor drist wedyn yw clywed, er gwaethaf gwaith cynghorydd Mawr y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig Brigitte Rowlands a'r teuluoedd yn y gymuned honno, fod aelodau cabinet dinas Abertawe yn gwrthod ymweld â'r ysgol i'w gweld drostynt eu hunain, sy'n siomedig iawn o ystyried y byddan nhw'n penderfynu cau'r ysgol honno neu beidio.

Rwy'n gobeithio bod y comisiynydd yn ymwybodol o'r adegau hynny pan fo ymrwymiad ac esgus cefnogi yn ymddangos yn gyfnewidiol, oherwydd nid wyf i wedi fy argyhoeddi o hyd bod y sylw dyledus y mae'n rhaid i ni a Llywodraeth Cymru ei roi i hawliau plant mewn polisi a deddfwriaeth wedi'i efelychu yng nghyflawniad y polisïau a'r ddeddfwriaeth hynny gan gyrff cyhoeddus. Nid wyf i'n credu, Gweinidog, ei fod yn y DNA eto, felly a oes angen deddfu?

Yn fyr, felly, terfyn tri phwynt. Argymhelliad y comisiynydd ar ddiwygio cynnig trafnidiaeth presennol Llywodraeth Cymru, rydym wedi clywed ychydig mwy am hynny ar gefn y gyllideb, ond mae gan y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig eu hargymhelliad eu hunain—cynnig mwy hael o gerdyn gwyrdd a fydd yn rhoi cludiant bws am ddim hyd at 24 oed, gan gydnabod efallai fod angen cymorth ar bobl ifanc o hyd i gyrraedd eu gwaith, yn enwedig os yw'n swydd gyntaf â chyflog isel, fel sy'n wir yn aml.

Yn ail, rwy'n ategu'r hyn a ddywedodd Siân Gwenllian ynglŷn ag Iaith Arwyddion Prydain, ac yn nodi naws gofidus barn Cymdeithas Genedlaethol Plant Byddar Cymru ar ganfyddiadau'r Comisiynydd.

Ac, i orffen—y Gymraeg. Hoffwn weld mewn adroddiadau yn y pen draw fwy o fanylion am sut mae hawliau plant sy'n byw yn y Gymraeg yn cael eu cyflawni ac, efallai, tipyn o gydweithio gyda Chomisiynydd y Gymraeg ar hynny. Diolch. 

To conclude—the Welsh language. I would like to see more details in reports on how children’s rights to live through the medium of Welsh are being delivered, and, perhaps, some co-operation with the Welsh Language Commissioner on that issue. Thank you.

18:10

I'd like to start by paying tribute to Sally Holland and her staff for all the different issues they've taken up during this year, and also for the way she's worked so closely with us Assembly Members and with the Children, Young People and Education Committee, where she has appeared frequently and has really influenced, I think, the way that we've made decisions. And of course, most importantly of all, working directly with children and giving children a voice in Wales.

Hoffwn ddechrau trwy dalu teyrnged i Sally Holland a'i staff am yr holl faterion gwahanol maen nhw wedi gweithredu arnyn nhw yn ystod y flwyddyn hon, ac am y ffordd y mae hi wedi gweithio mor agos gyda ni, Aelodau'r Cynulliad a gyda'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg, trwy fod yn bresennol yn aml a chael dylanwad mawr, yn fy marn i, ar y ffordd yr ydym ni wedi gwneud penderfyniadau. Ac wrth gwrs, yn bwysicaf oll, yn gweithio gyda phlant yn uniongyrchol gan roi llais i blant yng Nghymru.

I'd like to thank her for her commitment—her long-standing commitment—to getting rid of the defence of reasonable punishment. I note in her annual report that this is her top recommendation to the Government, and she says that this legislation should take place as soon as possible. I know that she has actually campaigned on this for many years. In fact, this has been a recommendation of all children's commissioners since the office was created: Peter Clarke, Keith Towler and now Sally Holland.

So, I think that their persistence and commitment to getting rid of the defence of reasonable punishment is finally reaching a conclusion and I'm very pleased that the Minister has concluded and has confirmed that we will be having legislation next year. More and more research is actually reinforcing the importance of the Welsh Government taking this action, because a report published in BMJ Open in October, looking at 88 countries, found that in countries that had outlawed smacking or hitting children there was much less likelihood of violence and fighting between young people. Fighting was less common among 13-year-old boys and girls in countries with a total ban on corporal punishment compared with those without, with 31 per cent less fighting for boys and 58 per cent less for girls.

There's also been a lot of research recently from the American Academy of Pediatrics, which provides guidance for doctors and child healthcare providers. It has published a new policy statement that recommends that adults caring for children use healthy forms of discipline, such as positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviours, setting limits and setting expectations, and not using spanking, hitting, slapping, threatening, insulting, humiliating or shaming. So, the research is certainly reinforcing the decision that the Welsh Government has taken to go ahead with this legislation. And Sally Holland, in her annual report, actually quotes children and young people's views about this legislation, and I think it shows really what children do think. It says,   

'Children should be protected not smacked'.

'Smacking can always go too far, where do you draw the line?'

'Some people think you have to smack children for them to learn how to behave. I disagree, it is completely unnecessary'.

'You should talk and explain so that they don’t do the same thing again.'

'Instead of smacking you can ban TV or the iPad; anything is better than smacking'.

So, Sally Holland has been taking direct evidence from children about their views on smacking. So, it's absolutely great that the Welsh Government is taking this action and will be soon joining the many countries around the world who have already done this. 

Finally, I would just like to refer to an issue that the children's commissioner raised last week when she drew attention to inequalities in school sport. I'm sure many of you did see the stuff on the television about the frustration that young women feel about not having equal access to sport. It can't be right that more and more girls, for example, are wanting to play football, but a 13-year-old girl says she's been criticised and called a man or a lesbian for playing a boy's sport. She was told by her teachers that she can't play football in school as hockey and netball are the sports for girls.

Sally Holland quite rightly says that it's depressing to hear about gender stereotyping in schools in this day and age, and she described the sex segregation of school sport as 'surprising' in 2018. So, I think this is a very important point that has been brought up by Sally Holland, because we want our young people—girls and boys—to stay as active as possible and school sport is obviously one of the key ways to do that. So, I'd like to ask the Cabinet Secretary to comment on that when he does respond, because I think we really do have to find out the number of schools, especially secondary schools, that still offer only segregated sport for boys and girls, and whether there is any guidance for schools on this.

Hoffwn ddiolch iddi am ei hymrwymiad—ei hymrwymiad ers llawer dydd—i gael gwared ar yr amddiffyniad o gosb resymol. Nodaf, yn ei hadroddiad blynyddol mai dyma yw ei phrif argymhelliad i'r Llywodraeth, a dywed y dylai'r ddeddfwriaeth hon ddigwydd cyn gynted â phosibl. Rwy'n gwybod ei bod hi mewn gwirionedd wedi ymgyrchu dros hyn ers blynyddoedd lawer. Mewn gwirionedd, dyma argymhelliad pob comisiynydd plant ers sefydlu'r swydd: Peter Clarke, Keith Towler a nawr Sally Holland.

Felly, rwy'n credu bod eu dyfalbarhad a'u hymrwymiad i gael gwared ar yr amddiffyniad o gosb resymol, o'r diwedd yn dod i ddiweddglo, ac rwy'n falch iawn bod y Gweinidog wedi dod i'r casgliad ac wedi cadarnhau y byddwn yn cael deddfwriaeth y flwyddyn nesaf. Mae mwy a mwy o ymchwil mewn gwirionedd yn atgyfnerthu'r pwysigrwydd i Lywodraeth Cymru gymryd y camau hyn, oherwydd canfu adroddiad a gyhoeddwyd yn y BMJ Open ym mis Hydref, a oedd yn edrych ar 88 o wledydd, yn y gwledydd hynny sydd wedi gwahardd smacio neu daro plant, roedd trais ac ymladd rhwng pobl ifanc yn llawer llai tebygol. Roedd ymladd yn llai cyffredin ymhlith bechgyn a merched 13 oed mewn gwledydd lle ceir gwaharddiad llwyr ar gosbi corfforol o'i gymharu â'r rhai heb waharddiad, gyda 31 y cant yn llai o ymladd ymhlith bechgyn a 58 y cant yn llai ymhlith merched.

Cafwyd llawer o ymchwil yn ddiweddar gan Academi Pediatreg America, sy'n darparu canllawiau ar gyfer meddygon a darparwyr gofal iechyd plant. Mae wedi cyhoeddi datganiad polisi newydd sy'n argymell bod oedolion sy'n gofalu am blant yn defnyddio ffurfiau disgyblu iach, megis atgyfnerthu ymddygiad priodol yn gadarnhaol, pennu terfynau a gosod disgwyliadau, a pheidio â rhoi chwip-din, peidio â tharo, slapio, bygwth, sarhau, bychanu na chodi cywilydd. Felly, yn sicr mae'r ymchwil yn atgyfnerthu'r penderfyniad a gymerwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i fwrw ymlaen â'r ddeddfwriaeth hon. Ac mae Sally Holland, yn ei hadroddiad blynyddol, yn dyfynnu barnau plant a phobl ifanc ynghylch y ddeddfwriaeth hon, ac rwy'n credu ei fod yn dangos mewn gwirionedd beth yw barn plant. Mae'n dweud,

'Dylai plant gael eu gwarchod yn hytrach na chael eu smacio.'

'Gall smacio bob amser fynd yn rhy bell, ble ydych chi'n tynnu'r llinell?'

'Mae rhai pobl yn credu bod angen smacio plant i'w dysgu sut i ymddwyn. Rwy'n anghytuno, mae'n gwbl ddiangen.'

'Dylech chi siarad ac egluro er mwyn sicrhau na fyddan nhw'n gwneud yr un peth eto.'

'Yn hytrach na smacio gallwch wahardd y teledu neu'r iPad; mae unrhyw beth yn well na smacio.'

Felly, mae Sally Holland wedi bod yn casglu tystiolaeth uniongyrchol gan y plant am eu barn ar smacio plant. Felly, mae'n hollol iawn bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn cymryd y camau hyn, a hefyd, yn fuan bydd yn ymuno â nifer o wledydd ledled y byd sydd wedi gwneud hyn eisoes.

Yn olaf, hoffwn gyfeirio at fater a godwyd gan y comisiynydd plant yr wythnos diwethaf pan dynnodd hi fy sylw at anghydraddoldebau mewn chwaraeon yn yr ysgol. Rwy'n siŵr bod llawer ohonoch chi wedi gweld y stwff ar y teledu am y rhwystredigaeth y mae menywod ifanc yn ei deimlo ynghylch peidio â chael cyfle cyfartal i gymryd rhan mewn chwaraeon. Ni all fod yn iawn pan fo mwy a mwy o ferched, er enghraifft, yn awyddus i chwarae pêl-droed, fe ddywed merch 13 oed iddi gael ei beirniadu a'i galw'n ddyn neu'n lesbiad am gymryd rhan mewn chwaraeon bechgyn. Dywedodd ei hathrawon wrthi na chaiff hi chwarae pêl-droed yn yr ysgol oherwydd mai hoci a phêl-rwyd yw'r chwaraeon ar gyfer merched.

Dywed Sally Holland yn gwbl briodol, ei bod hi'n dorcalonnus clywed am stereoteipio ar sail rhyw mewn ysgolion yn y dyddiau hyn, a disgrifiodd gwahanu chwaraeon yn yr ysgol ar sail rhyw fel 'syndod' yn 2018. Felly, rwy'n credu bod hwn yn bwynt pwysig iawn a godwyd gan Sally Holland, oherwydd ein bod eisiau i'n pobl ifanc—bechgyn a merched—aros mor egnïol â phosibl a chwaraeon ysgol yn amlwg yw un o'r ffyrdd allweddol o wneud hynny. Felly, fe hoffwn i ofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wneud sylwadau ar hynny pan fydd yn ymateb, oherwydd rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid inni ddarganfod nifer yr ysgolion, yn enwedig ysgolion uwchradd, sy'n dal i gynnig chwaraeon ar wahân yn unig ar gyfer bechgyn a merched, a pha un a oes unrhyw ganllawiau i ysgolion ynghylch hyn.

18:20

Can I thank the Minister for bringing forward this important debate and also put on record my thanks to the children's commissioner, Sally Holland, and her team for the excellent work that they do on behalf of children and young people here in Wales? I think it's a sad fact that, in 2018, many children and young people in our country don't enjoy the same safety and privileges that we in this Chamber were blessed to be growing up with. So, I welcome some of the key recommendations in Sally Holland's report, which of course were aimed at getting vulnerable young people and children access to the help and support that they need.

I did note the references that the commissioner made to the work of the Children, Young People and Education Committee on mental health, and I think it is important that we ensure that there is access, as Suzy Davies has quite rightly said, to ensure that people can get access to those services in a very timely manner. And I picked up of course on her references to bullying also and the need to ensure that that is tackled, quite rightly as has already been discussed this afternoon.

But, Presiding Officer, we've got much to do for our children and young people. The youngsters of today are the Assembly Members of tomorrow, and we must ask ourselves what legacy we are leaving to them. Will they be looking back in gratitude when they sit in this Chamber in the future or will they be wishing that we had done more? A key part of our advocacy will be making the right policy decisions. When there is so much to do it's vital that we do the right thing for our children and young people, and I have to say that one thing I'm disappointed about in the commissioner's report is the recommendation to remove the defence of reasonable chastisement. It seems to me to be the wrong course of action when you consider the actual harms that children are indeed facing. The report states that children in Wales do not have equal protection from assault in law compared to adults, but, of course, that is misleading and inaccurate. The law clearly protects young children and all children, indeed, from violence, but it also recognises that light physical discipline, such as a smack on the hand or the backside, should not be a criminal offence. And removing the defence of reasonable chastisement, I think, will destroy this distinction and leave many loving parents across Wales who smack their children at risk of arrest, conviction and even prosecution.

The report goes on to say, of course, that the Government has an obligation to take action where there's a potential risk of harm to children in Wales, and I agree with that absolutely. But there are people out there who do abuse children, and we should be empowering social services and the police to track them down and bring them to justice, not wasting the time of the police and social services by sending them after ordinary, hard-working mums and dads who choose to occasionally smack their children as a form of discipline. The evidence does not show that light smacking does any harm to children. The Government consultation on abolishing reasonable chastisement admits this. In fact, it stated, and I quote:

'there is unlikely to be any research evidence which specifically shows the effects of a light and infrequent smack as being harmful to children.'

And I would urge all of the Assembly Members present in this Chamber to read the work of Professor Robert Larzelere, one of the leading academics in this area of child discipline. His evidence to the Government's consultation on this matter is very compelling. So, will the Government also commit to following that evidence on this matter, rather than trying to take up what they believe is a fashionable thing? And I have to contend that it's not particularly fashionable either. We know that the results of a Welsh poll back in 2017 concluded that 76 per cent of the Welsh public don't think that smacking should be a criminal offence; 77 per cent are concerned that a smacking ban may well flood the police and social workers with trivial cases and make it more difficult for them to target their resources, their limited resources, to stop serious child abusers; and 77 per cent of the Welsh public also think that it should be the role of parents and guardians, not the state, to decide whether to smack their children.

So, I think it is absolutely vital that we do what we can to improve the lot of children and young people here in Wales and that we pursue measures that will genuinely help children, but this particular proposal, in terms of a smacking ban, is not the right way forward, and I would urge the Minister in his response to consider the weight of evidence, which is absolutely against the Government's plans.

Diolch i'r Gweinidog am gyflwyno'r ddadl bwysig hon, ac rwyf hefyd am ddiolch ar goedd i'r Comisiynydd Plant, Sally Holland, a'i thîm am y gwaith ardderchog y maen nhw'n ei wneud ar ran plant a phobl ifanc yma yng Nghymru? Rwy'n credu ei bod yn ffaith drist, yn 2018, bod llawer o blant a phobl ifanc yn ein gwlad nad ydynt yn mwynhau'r un diogelwch a breintiau a gawsom ni yn y Siambr hon wrth i ni dyfu'n oedolion. Felly, rwyf yn croesawu rhai o'r argymhellion allweddol yn adroddiad Sally Holland, a oedd wrth gwrs â'r nod o'i gwneud hi'n bosibl i bobl ifanc a phlant sy'n agored i niwed gael y cymorth a'r gefnogaeth sydd eu hangen arnynt.

Nodais y cyfeiriadau a wnaed gan y Comisiynydd i waith y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg ar iechyd meddwl, ac mae'n bwysig ein bod yn sicrhau bod mynediad, fel y dywedodd Suzy Davies yn hollol gywir, i sicrhau y gall pobl gael gafael ar y gwasanaethau hynny mewn modd prydlon iawn. Ac fe sylwais wrth gwrs ar ei chyfeiriadau at fwlio hefyd a'r angen i sicrhau ein bod yn mynd i'r afael â hynny, yn gwbl briodol fel y trafodwyd eisoes y prynhawn yma.

Ond, Llywydd, mae gennym ni lawer i'w wneud ar gyfer ein plant a'n pobl ifanc. Pobl ifanc heddiw yw Aelodau'r Cynulliad yfory, ac mae'n rhaid inni ofyn i ni'n hunain beth yw'r etifeddiaeth yr ydym yn ei adael iddyn nhw. A fyddan nhw'n edrych yn ôl gyda diolch pan fyddan nhw'n eistedd yn y Siambr hon yn y dyfodol neu a fyddan nhw'n dymuno i ni fod wedi gwneud mwy? Rhan allweddol o'n heiriolaeth fydd gwneud y penderfyniadau polisi cywir. Pan fo cymaint i'w wneud, y mae'n hanfodol inni wneud yr hyn sy'n iawn ar gyfer ein plant a'n pobl ifanc, ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud mai un peth sydd wedi fy siomi yn adroddiad y Comisiynydd yw'r argymhelliad i ddileu'r amddiffyniad o gosb resymol. I mi dyma'r camau gweithredu anghywir pan ystyriwch y niwed gwirioneddol sy'n wynebu plant. Dywed yr adroddiad nad yw plant yng Nghymru, o dan y gyfraith yn cael eu diogelu rhag ymosodiad yn yr un modd ag oedolion, ond, wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n anghywir ac yn gamarweiniol. Mae'r gyfraith yn amlwg yn diogelu plant ifanc a phob plentyn, mewn gwirionedd, rhag trais, ond y mae hefyd yn cydnabod na ddylid ystyried disgyblu corfforol ysgafn, megis slap ar y llaw neu chwip-din, yn drosedd. A bydd cael gwared ar yr amddiffyniad o gosb resymol, rwy'n credu, yn cymylu'r gwahaniaeth hwn a gadael llawer o rieni cariadus ledled Cymru sy'n smacio eu plant, mewn perygl o gael eu harestio, eu collfarnu a hyd yn oed eu herlyn.

Aiff yr adroddiad ymlaen i ddweud, wrth gwrs, bod gan y Llywodraeth ymrwymiad i gymryd camau pan fo perygl posibl o niwed i blant yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â hynny. Ond fe geir pobl sydd yn cam-drin plant, a dylem ni rymuso ein gwasanaethau cymdeithasol a'r heddlu i ddod o hyd iddyn nhw a'u dwyn i gyfraith, yn hytrach na gwastraffu amser yr heddlu a'r gwasanaethau cymdeithasol drwy eu hanfon ar ôl tadau a mamau cyffredin, sy'n gweithio'n galed ac yn dewis weithiau i smacio eu plant fel math o ddisgyblaeth. Nid yw'r dystiolaeth yn dangos bod smacio ysgafn yn gwneud unrhyw niwed i blant. Mae ymgynghoriad y Llywodraeth ar ddiddymu cosb resymol yn cyfaddef hyn. Yn wir, dywedodd, a dyfynnaf:

'mae'n annhebygol y ceir unrhyw dystiolaeth ymchwil sy'n benodol yn dangos bod effeithiau smac ysgafn ac anfynych yn niweidiol i blant.'

Ac fe fyddwn i'n annog holl Aelodau'r Cynulliad sy'n bresennol yn y Siambr hon i ddarllen gwaith yr Athro Robert Larzelere, un o'r academyddion blaenllaw yn y maes hwn o ddisgyblu plant. Mae ei dystiolaeth i ymgynghoriad y Llywodraeth ar y mater hwn yn rymus iawn. Felly, a wnaiff y Llywodraeth hefyd ymrwymo i ddilyn y dystiolaeth honno ar y mater hwn, yn hytrach nag ymgymryd â'r hyn sydd yn ei barn hi yn rhywbeth ffasiynol? Ac mae'n rhaid imi ddadlau hefyd nad yw'n arbennig o ffasiynol ychwaith. Rydym ni'n gwybod bod canlyniadau pôl yng Nghymru yn ôl yn 2017 wedi dangos nad yw 76 y cant o'r cyhoedd yng Nghymru yn credu y dylid gwneud smacio yn drosedd; mae 77 y cant yn pryderu y gallai gwahardd smacio orlwytho heddlu a gweithwyr cymdeithasol ag achosion dibwys a'i gwneud yn fwy anodd iddyn nhw dargedu eu hadnoddau, eu hadnoddau prin, i atal y camdrinwyr plant mwyaf difrifol; ac mae 77 y cant o bobl Cymru yn credu hefyd mai swyddogaeth rhieni a gwarcheidwaid, nid y wladwriaeth, yw penderfynu smacio eu plant neu beidio.

Rwy'n credu felly, ei bod yn gwbl hanfodol inni wneud ein gorau glas i wella byd plant a phobl ifanc yma yng Nghymru a'n bod yn mynd ar drywydd mesurau sydd o ddifrif yn helpu plant, ond nid y cynnig penodol hwn, o ran gwahardd smacio plant, yw'r ffordd iawn ymlaen, ac fe fyddwn i'n annog y Gweinidog, yn ei ymateb, i ystyried yr holl dystiolaeth, sy'n bendant yn erbyn cynlluniau'r Llywodraeth.

Galwaf ar y Gweinidog Plant, Pobl Hŷn a Gofal Cymdeithasol i ymateb i'r ddadl. Huw Irranca-Davies.

I call the Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care to reply to the debate. Huw Irranca-Davies. 

Diolch, Llywydd. I don't think, in the time remaining, I'll be able to answer every single point in the full detail I normally give, but I will do my very best. Can I just, first of all, say to Siân and to others who have challenged us on what we're doing? We do not—we recognise—embed a rights agenda overnight and we welcome the challenge, both from the children's commissioner and from others, but it is fair to say as well that the children's commissioner, who we work with diligently on a wide range of policy areas that have been referred to this afternoon, she also recognises where we are achieving as well as putting the challenges down to us about where we need to do more, and we do know that we need to do more, not just as Welsh Government, but all partners across Wales, to embed the children's rights agenda. We can agree on that.

The RAG ratings issue: I entirely agree, we need to equally respond to those. I did say at the outset of my remarks that we wouldn't be responding in detail because the First Minister will also—. Sorry. I can't respond in detail to every single point there, but it is important that we recognise that within the report the children's commissioner has recognised how far we have advanced. That does include in terms of the legislation. Whilst we won't agree with every detail on every minutiae with the children's commissioner, we welcome the challenge.

Darren, it's interesting that you've just expressed an area where you disagree fundamentally with the children's commissioner, but also many other people out there now, who see that it is actually time to follow in our own way in Wales what 53 other countries have done, and not in a question, by the way, of interfering in children's rights, but also balancing those rights that we talked about of the child to a safe, secure home, wrapped up with the work that we've done over many years now with positive parenting, which is bearing dividends as well there.

And we have committed, Julie, I have to say, to bring forward—. The First Minister made clear that we would bring forward legislation in year three of this Assembly, which is the year now in front of us, and we look forward to doing that. We will work through the detail with all parties, by the way, and we will listen to the views of stakeholders, but we've made clear that we're bringing forward this legislation because we think it is actually in line with the work that we've done on positive parenting. It is the right thing, as well, for a modern and progressive country like Wales to do, that believes in the children's rights agenda.

Diolch, Llywydd. Nid wyf yn credu, yn yr amser sydd ar ôl, y gallaf ateb pob pwynt gyda'r manylder yr wyf fel arfer yn ei gynnig, ond fe wnaf fy ngorau glas. A gaf i ddweud yn gyntaf oll, wrth Siân ac eraill sydd wedi ein herio ni ynglŷn â'r hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud? Nid ydym ni—rydym ni'n cydnabod—yn ymwreiddio agenda hawliau dros nos ac rydym yn croesawu'r her, gan y Comisiynydd Plant a chan eraill, ond mae'n deg i ddweud hefyd bod y Comisiynydd Plant, yr ydym yn gweithio'n ddiwyd gyda hi ar amrywiaeth eang o feysydd polisi y cyfeiriwyd atyn nhw y prynhawn yma, y mae hi hefyd yn cydnabod lle yr ydym ni'n cyflawni yn ogystal â rhoi heriau i ni ynghylch yr angen inni wneud mwy, ac rydym ni'n gwybod bod angen inni wneud mwy, nid yn unig Llywodraeth Cymru, ond yr holl bartneriaid ar draws Cymru, i ymwreiddio'r agenda hawliau plant. Gallwn gytuno ar hynny.

Mater y statws coch melyn gwyrdd: rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr bod angen i ni ymateb i'r rheini yn yr un modd. Fe ddywedais i ar ddechrau fy sylwadau na fyddem ni'n ymateb yn fanwl oherwydd bydd y Prif Weinidog hefyd—. Mae'n ddrwg gennyf fi. Ni allaf ymateb yn fanwl i bob un pwynt, ond mae'n bwysig ein bod ni'n cydnabod bod y comisiynydd plant yn yr adroddiad wedi cydnabod pa mor bell yr ydym ni wedi symud ymlaen. Mae hynny'n cynnwys o safbwynt y ddeddfwriaeth. Er na fyddwn ni'n cytuno â phob manylyn ynghylch manion gyda'r comisiynydd plant, rydym ni'n croesawu'r her.

Darren, mae'n ddiddorol eich bod chi newydd grybwyll maes lle'r rydych chi'n anghytuno'n sylfaenol gyda'r comisiynydd plant, ond hefyd llawer o bobl eraill hefyd yn awr, sydd yn gweld ei bod yn amser mewn gwirionedd i ddilyn yn ein ffordd ein hunain yng Nghymru yr hyn y mae 53 o wledydd eraill wedi ei wneud, ac nid mewn cwestiwn gyda llaw, o ymyrryd â hawliau plant, ond hefyd i gydbwyso'r hawliau hynny y buom yn sôn amdanynt, sef hawliau'r plentyn i gael cartref diogel, ynghyd â'r gwaith a wnaethom dros nifer o flynyddoedd bellach ynglŷn â rhianta cadarnhaol, sy'n dwyn ffrwyth hefyd.

Ac rydym ni wedi ymrwymo, Julie, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, i ddwyn ymlaen—. Fe wnaeth y Prif Weinidog ei gwneud hi'n glir y byddem ni'n cyflwyno deddfwriaeth ym mlwyddyn tri y Cynulliad hwn, sef y flwyddyn sydd o'n blaenau nawr, ac rydym yn edrych ymlaen at wneud hynny. Fe fyddwn ni'n gweithio drwy'r manylion gyda'r holl bartïon, gyda llaw, a byddwn yn gwrando ar farn rhanddeiliaid, ond rydym ni wedi ei gwneud hi'n glir ein bod ni'n cyflwyno'r ddeddfwriaeth hon oherwydd ei bod ni'n credu, mewn gwirionedd ei bod yn unol â'r gwaith yr ydym wedi ei wneud ar rianta cadarnhaol. Dyma'r peth iawn i'w wneud, hefyd, i wlad fodern a blaengar fel Cymru, sydd yn credu yn yr agenda hawliau plant.

18:25

Will you take an intervention?

A wnewch chi dderbyn ymyriad?

I don't think I have time, Darren, unfortunately.

Nid wyf yn credu bod gennyf amser, Darren, yn anffodus.

It was just on the positive parenting point.

Roedd yn ymwneud â'r pwynt am rianta cadarnhaol.

And the issue of Parc prison, can I say it is important that we look upon those youngsters in Parc prison as young people first and foremost and make sure that the support is there available for them, so that the worrying stories we've heard about self-harm are addressed? I believe that Parc prison has responded in some way by saying that the data that has been brought forward might not reflect the most recent data, where I think they suggest that they've had a significant decline in it, but I think we do need to take an interest within that.

Julie's point in terms of segregation in school sports: this is very interesting and I'm happy to write and to confirm what the guidance is on this. I've actually had it within my own—. Very good local schools there, I've had it brought to me by parents myself saying, 'Why are girls and boys split for sessions when they're actually playing together outside of the school within a sports team and, yet, within the school, somehow, they're being split within sessions or even within playtime?' So, I'll happily write on that matter.

If I could turn to the issue of sign language in the very short time available to me, obviously, people will know that the Welsh Government formally recognised British Sign Language as a language in its own right in January 2004 and, since then, there have been iterations of supported training to increase the number of qualified interpreters in Wales to ensure that legislation, policies and programmes are in place across Government that recognise the importance of accessible communications. But, we do acknowledge there are still a number of issues currently being faced by members of the deaf community in Wales in relation to BSL, including a shortage of BSL interpreters. So, the Welsh Government recently responded to the Auditor General for Wales's 'Speak my language' report. It contained recommendations on how public bodies, particularly those on front-line services, provide interpretation and translation services for BSL and other languages, and the Welsh Government accepted all three recommendations and indicated that we will be reviewing current provision of BSL to ensure that our approach meets the needs of individuals and their families. We'll continue to progress work on these actions over the coming month, and we're also considering recommendations made in a report by the Petitions Committee to improve access to education and services in British Sign Language.

Now, I want to thank all the Members—.

Sorry, I wanted to turn to the issue of elective home education as well in the couple of minutes that I have. Now, we're in agreement with the children's commissioner that all children in Wales should be accounted for. However, this isn't a matter just for education; it's also a matter of concern for all agencies with responsibility for children and young people and making them visible. So, we've instigated cross-departmental work to consider the strengthening of those multi-agency processes for those children not in routine contact with universal services. But in terms of education, we are clear that the primary policy intent behind the proposals that are developing is to ensure that home-educated children and young people in Wales receive that suitable education, and in so doing, parents also can be signposted to other services that are available to them. 

Now, I do acknowledge that the children's commissioner has been concerned about the timing of the consultation and the regulations, but we have to get this right. We have to bring forward both the regulations and the statutory guidance with due deliberation and to get it absolutely right. It requires considerable work to appropriately and informatively develop the policy, and we're taking that forward. It's not dissimilar in its complexity to that of primary legislation. 

Now, the report—both the First Minister and I have taken the opportunity to meet with the children's commissioner to discuss the report. The First Minister will publish the full Welsh Government written response by 30 November—I've turned red. Could I—?

A mater carchar y Parc, a allaf i ddweud ei bod hi'n bwysig inni edrych ar y bobl ifanc hynny yng ngharchar y Parc a'u hystyried yn bobl ifanc yn anad dim a sicrhau bod y cymorth ar gael iddyn nhw yno, er mwyn ymdrin â'r hanesion brawychus a glywsom ni am hunan-niwed? Rwy'n credu bod carchar y Parc wedi ymateb mewn rhyw ffordd drwy ddweud efallai nad yw'r data sydd wedi'i gyflwyno yn adlewyrchu'r data diweddaraf, pryd y maen nhw'n awgrymu y bu gostyngiad sylweddol, ond rwy'n credu y dylem ni gymryd diddordeb yn hynny.

Pwynt Julie ynghylch gwahanu mewn chwaraeon ysgol: Mae hyn yn ddiddorol iawn ac rwy'n hapus i ysgrifennu ac i gadarnhau beth yw'r canllawiau ynghylch hyn. Rwyf wedi cael hyn mewn gwirionedd yn fy—. Ysgolion lleol da iawn yno, mae rhieni wedi dweud wrthyf fi, 'pam mae merched a bechgyn wedi'u rhannu ar gyfer y sesiynau a hwythau'n chwarae gyda'i gilydd y tu allan i'r ysgol mewn tîm chwaraeon ac, eto, o fewn yr ysgol, rywsut, maen nhw'n cael eu rhannu o fewn y sesiynau, neu hyd yn oed yn ystod amser chwarae?' Felly, rwy'n hapus i ysgrifennu ar y mater hwnnw.

Os caf i droi at fater iaith arwyddion yn yr amser byr iawn sydd ar gael i mi, yn amlwg, bydd pobl yn gwybod bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cydnabod iaith arwyddion Prydain yn ffurfiol yn iaith yn ei rhinwedd ei hun ym mis Ionawr 2004, ac ers hynny, bu fersiynau o'r hyfforddiant i gynyddu nifer y cyfieithwyr cymwysedig yng Nghymru i sicrhau bod deddfwriaeth, polisïau a rhaglenni ar waith ar draws y Llywodraeth sy'n cydnabod pwysigrwydd cyfathrebu hygyrch. Ond, rydym ni yn cydnabod bod nifer o broblemau a wynebir o hyd gan aelodau'r gymuned fyddar yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd sy'n ymwneud ag iaith arwyddion Prydain, gan gynnwys prinder cyfieithwyr iaith arwyddion Prydain. Felly, ymatebodd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ddiweddar i'r adroddiad 'Siaradwch fy iaith' gan Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru. Roedd yn cynnwys argymhellion ynghylch sut y dylai cyrff cyhoeddus, yn enwedig y rhai sy'n ymwneud â gwasanaethau rheng flaen, ddarparu gwasanaethau dehongli a chyfieithu i iaith arwyddion Prydain ac ieithoedd eraill, a derbyniodd Llywodraeth Cymru y tri argymhelliad a nodi y byddwn yn adolygu'r ddarpariaeth bresennol o iaith arwyddion Prydain i sicrhau bod ein dull o weithredu yn bodloni anghenion unigolion a theuluoedd. Fe fyddwn yn parhau i ddatblygu'r gwaith ar y camau gweithredu hyn yn ystod y mis nesaf, ac rydym ni hefyd yn ystyried argymhellion a wnaed mewn adroddiad gan y Pwyllgor Deisebau i'w gwneud hi'n haws i gael addysg a gwasanaethau drwy gyfrwng Iaith Arwyddion Prydain.

Nawr rwyf eisiau diolch i'r holl Aelodau—.

Mae'n ddrwg gennyf i, yr oeddwn am droi at y mater o addysg ddewisol yn y cartref hefyd yn yr ychydig funudau sydd gennyf. Nawr, rydym ni'n cytuno â'r Comisiynydd Plant y dylai pob plentyn yng Nghymru gael ei ystyried. Fodd bynnag, nid yw hyn yn fater i addysg yn unig; mae hefyd yn fater o bryder i bob asiantaeth sydd â chyfrifoldeb dros blant a phobl ifanc sy'n eu gwneud nhw'n weladwy. Felly, rydym ni wedi dechrau gwaith traws-adrannol i ystyried cryfhau'r prosesau amlasiantaeth hynny ar gyfer y plant hynny nad ydyn nhw mewn cysylltiad rheolaidd â gwasanaethau cyffredinol. Ond o ran addysg, rydym ni'n glir mai bwriad y polisi sylfaenol sy'n sail i'r cynigion sy'n datblygu, yw sicrhau bod plant sy'n cael eu haddysgu gartref a phobl ifanc yng Nghymru yn cael yr addysg addas honno, ac wrth wneud hynny, gall rhieni gael eu cyfeirio at wasanaethau eraill sydd ar gael iddyn nhw.

Nawr, rwy'n cydnabod bod y Comisiynydd Plant wedi bod yn bryderus ynglŷn ag amseriad yr ymgynghoriad a'r rheoliadau, ond y mae'n rhaid inni gael hyn yn iawn. Mae'n rhaid inni ddwyn y rheoliadau a'r canllawiau statudol ymlaen gan roi sylw dyledus iddo a'i gael yn hollol gywir. Mae'n gofyn am gryn dipyn o waith i ddatblygu'r polisi'n briodol ac mewn modd llawn gwybodaeth, ac rydym ni'n bwrw ymlaen â hynny. Nid yw'n annhebyg yn ei gymhlethdod i ddeddfwriaeth sylfaenol.

Nawr, yr adroddiad—mae'r Prif Weinidog a minnau wedi manteisio ar y cyfle i gyfarfod â'r Comisiynydd Plant i drafod yr adroddiad. Bydd y Prif Weinidog yn cyhoeddi ymateb ysgrifenedig llawn Llywodraeth Cymru erbyn 30 Tachwedd—rwyf wedi troi'n goch. A gaf i—?

18:30

Diolch, Llywydd. Now, the discussion that we've had today will help shape our response, and I'll make sure that a response is available to Assembly Members. We'll respond to all of the 15 recommendations that the commissioner has made. We might not be able to agree with every single recommendation to the nth degree, but I can commit that we will continue to drive forward progress on children's rights and well-being. Diolch, Llywydd.

Diolch, Llywydd. Nawr, bydd y drafodaeth a gawsom ni heddiw, yn helpu i lunio ein hymateb, a byddaf yn sicrhau y bydd ymateb ar gael i Aelodau'r Cynulliad. Fe fyddwn ni'n ymateb i bob un o'r 15 o argymhellion a wnaed gan y Comisiynydd. Efallai na fyddwn yn gallu cytuno â phob argymhelliad i'r radd eithaf, ond gallaf ymrwymo y byddwn yn parhau i ysgogi cynnydd ynghylch hawliau a lles plant. Diolch, Llywydd.

Y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid derbyn gwelliant 1? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? [Gwrthwynebiad.] Gohiriaf y bleidlais tan y cyfnod pleidleisio. 

The proposal is to agree amendment 1. Does any Member object? [Objection.] I will defer voting under this item until voting time.

Gohiriwyd y pleidleisio tan y cyfnod pleidleisio.

Voting deferred until voting time.

11. Cyfnod Pleidleisio
11. Voting Time

Oni bai fod tri Aelod yn dymuno i fi ganu'r gloch, rydw i'n symud i'r bleidlais. Mae'r bleidlais honno ar y ddadl ar adroddiad y comisiynydd plant, ac felly pleidlais ar welliant 1, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Rhun ap Iorwerth. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 18, neb yn ymatal, 28 yn erbyn. Felly, gwrthodwyd gwelliant 1.

Unless three Members wish for the bell to be rung, I will proceed directly to voting time. The vote is on the debate on the Children’s Commissioner for Wales's annual report, and I call for a vote on amendment 1, tabled in the name of Rhun ap Iorwerth. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 18, no abstentions, 28 against. So, amendment 1 is not agreed.

NDM6855 - Gwelliant 1: O blaid: 18, Yn erbyn: 28, Ymatal: 0

Gwrthodwyd y gwelliant

NDM6855 - Amendment 1: For: 18, Against: 28, Abstain: 0

Amendment has been rejected

Galwaf am bleidlais, felly, ar y cynnig a gyflwynwyd yn enw Julie James. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 45, un yn ymatal, neb yn erbyn. Felly, mae'r cynnig wedi ei dderbyn.

I call, therefore, for a vote on the motion tabled in the name of Julie James. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 45, one abstention, none against. Therefore, the motion is agreed.

NDM6855 - Cynnig: O blaid: 45, Yn erbyn: 0, Ymatal: 1

Derbyniwyd y cynnig

NDM6855 - Motion: For: 45, Against: 0, Abstain: 1

Motion has been agreed

Dyna ddiwedd ar y trafodion am y dydd.

That brings today's proceedings to a close.

Daeth y cyfarfod i ben am 18:33.

The meeting ended at 18:33.