Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
10/12/2025Cynnwys
Contents
Yn y fersiwn ddwyieithog, mae’r golofn chwith yn cynnwys yr iaith a lefarwyd yn y cyfarfod. Mae’r golofn dde yn cynnwys cyfieithiad o’r areithiau hynny.
In the bilingual version, the left-hand column includes the language used during the meeting. The right-hand column includes a translation of those speeches.
Cyfarfu'r Senedd yn y Siambr a thrwy gynhadledd fideo am 13:30 gyda'r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd met in the Chamber and by video-conference at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.
Prynhawn da a chroeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Y cwestiynau i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Lywodraeth Leol a Thai sydd gyntaf prynhawn yma. Mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Jenny Rathbone.
Good afternoon and welcome to today's Plenary meeting. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government are first this afternoon. The first question is from Jenny Rathbone.
1. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi diweddariad ar y rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio? OQ63579
1. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the optimised retrofit programme? OQ63579
Diolch, Jenny. In this financial year, the optimised retrofit programme will provide 45 social housing landlords over £107 million, enabling 11,500 energy efficiency measure installations. This includes the additional £14 million I announced recently, representing the largest ever investment to date, underlining this Government’s commitment to decarbonisation, reducing bills and increasing tenants' standard of living.
Diolch, Jenny. Yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon, bydd y rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio yn darparu dros £107 miliwn i 45 o landlordiaid tai cymdeithasol, gan alluogi 11,500 o osodiadau mesurau effeithlonrwydd ynni. Mae hyn yn cynnwys y £14 miliwn ychwanegol a gyhoeddais yn ddiweddar, a dyma'r buddsoddiad mwyaf erioed hyd yn hyn, gan danlinellu ymrwymiad y Llywodraeth hon i ddatgarboneiddio, lleihau biliau a chynyddu safon byw tenantiaid.
Well, the extra £14 million is very welcome, but the needs are huge, as we've got one in four households currently living in fuel poverty, and the target for 2035 is no more than 5 per cent of households living in fuel poverty and nobody in severe or persistent fuel poverty. There's clearly much more that we all need to do. I noticed that the two main criteria identified for the local growth fund are increasing productivity and reducing inequalities. So, I wonder what thought has been given to putting this forward for expanding the optimised retrofit programme much further. What is your ambitious target for the number of shivering households that will benefit from ORP to be living in properly insulated homes before next winter, because, obviously, it is too late now to be doing anything about those households this winter?
I notice that this is quite a considerable sum of money— £0.5 billion and more. But, in particular, the coldest homes in my constituency are not in social housing, which is obviously where we are doing lots of great work, but in the private rented sector. And the data provided by FRESH—an offshoot of the sector-leading work on net-zero homes by Cardiff University—identifies exactly where these homes are, mainly in Cathays and a small part in Adamsdown. I wonder what we can offer as an incentive to private landlords to get on and do the right thing by their tenants.
Wel, mae'r £14 miliwn ychwanegol i'w groesawu'n fawr, ond mae'r anghenion yn enfawr, gan fod gennym un o bob pedair aelwyd yn byw mewn tlodi tanwydd ar hyn o bryd, a'r targed ar gyfer 2035 yw dim mwy na 5 y cant o aelwydydd yn byw mewn tlodi tanwydd, a neb mewn tlodi tanwydd difrifol neu barhaus. Yn amlwg, mae llawer mwy y mae angen i bob un ohonom ei wneud. Sylwais mai'r ddau brif faen prawf a nodwyd ar gyfer y gronfa twf lleol yw cynyddu cynhyrchiant a lleihau anghydraddoldebau. Felly, tybed pa ystyriaeth a roddwyd i ddefnyddio'r cyllid hwn i ehangu'r rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio ymhellach. Beth yw eich targed uchelgeisiol ar gyfer nifer yr aelwydydd oer a fydd yn elwa o'r rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio i fod yn byw mewn cartrefi wedi'u hinswleiddio'n iawn cyn y gaeaf nesaf, oherwydd yn amlwg, mae'n rhy hwyr bellach i wneud unrhyw beth am y cartrefi hynny y gaeaf hwn?
Rwy'n sylwi bod hwn yn swm sylweddol o arian—£0.5 biliwn a mwy. Ond yn fwyaf arbennig, nid tai cymdeithasol, yr ydym yn amlwg yn gwneud llawer o waith gwych arnynt, yw'r cartrefi oeraf yn fy etholaeth, ond tai yn y sector rhentu preifat. Ac mae'r data a ddarparwyd gan FRESH—sy'n deillio o'r gwaith hollbwysig sy'n arwain y sector gan Brifysgol Caerdydd ar gartrefi sero net—yn nodi ble yn union y mae'r cartrefi hyn, yn bennaf yn Cathays, a rhywfaint yn Adamsdown. Tybed beth y gallwn ei gynnig fel cymhelliad i landlordiaid preifat wneud y peth iawn i'w tenantiaid.
Thank you, Jenny, for that important question. I was really pleased to be able to agree that additional £14 million for the optimise retrofit programme this year, as I said, bringing the total to over £100 million. The ORP funding has funded over £355 million since the start of the programme in 2020, and that provides around 31,000 energy efficiency installations to social homes across Wales. Subject to the Senedd's approval of next year's budget, we will commit a further £92 million to the programme, and that will provide around another 8,000 energy efficiency installations in 2026-27. That will bring the total investment through the programme to over £447 million, delivering close to 40,000 energy efficiency installations. And I think that does demonstrate our commitment to increasing the standard of living for social housing tenants. But you're right—the outputs and lessons that we learn from ORP will continue to inform our thinking of how best to decarbonise Welsh homes in the most efficient and effective way while also reducing bills.
Alongside that programme, our Warm Homes Nest scheme provides energy efficiency measures for all eligible privately owned households in Wales, and that includes private renters who are in fuel poverty. This year, we've invested over £13 million in Nest. Up to the end of March 2024, we invested more than £479 million to improve home energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty through Nest.
We've got our RSL development loan scheme, and that has continued to deliver at pace. And we are looking from all angles at how best to decarbonise our homes in Wales, prioritising fuel poverty as we do so. And that'll continue as we develop approaches for the future, seeking to maximise all possible investment opportunities, because, as you rightly say, this is something that is critically important. We have to be looking at this at this in our social homes, but also at how we can tackle that in wider programmes as well for other residents across our communities.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn pwysig, Jenny. Roeddwn yn falch iawn o allu cytuno ar y £14 miliwn ychwanegol hwnnw ar gyfer y rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio eleni, fel y dywedais, gan ddod â'r cyfanswm i dros £100 miliwn. Mae cyllid y rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio wedi ariannu dros £355 miliwn ers dechrau'r rhaglen yn 2020, ac wedi darparu oddeutu 31,000 o osodiadau effeithlonrwydd ynni i gartrefi cymdeithasol ledled Cymru. Yn amodol ar gymeradwyaeth y Senedd i gyllideb y flwyddyn nesaf, byddwn yn ymrwymo £92 miliwn pellach i'r rhaglen, a bydd hynny'n darparu oddeutu 8,000 o osodiadau effeithlonrwydd ynni eraill yn 2026-27. Bydd hynny'n dod â chyfanswm y buddsoddiad drwy'r rhaglen i dros £447 miliwn, gan ddarparu bron i 40,000 o osodiadau effeithlonrwydd ynni. A chredaf fod hynny'n dangos ein hymrwymiad i gynyddu safon byw tenantiaid tai cymdeithasol. Ond rydych chi'n llygad eich lle—bydd yr allbynnau a'r gwersi a ddysgwn o'r rhaglen ôl-osod er mwyn optimeiddio yn parhau i lywio ein syniadau ynglŷn â'r ffordd orau o ddatgarboneiddio cartrefi Cymru yn y ffordd fwyaf effeithlon ac effeithiol gan leihau biliau ar yr un pryd.
Ochr yn ochr â'r rhaglen honno, mae ein cynllun Nyth Cartrefi Clyd yn darparu mesurau effeithlonrwydd ynni ar gyfer pob aelwyd breifat gymwys yng Nghymru, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys rhentwyr preifat sy'n byw mewn tlodi tanwydd. Eleni, rydym wedi buddsoddi dros £13 miliwn yn Nyth. Hyd at ddiwedd mis Mawrth 2024, fe wnaethom fuddsoddi mwy na £479 miliwn i wella effeithlonrwydd ynni cartrefi a mynd i'r afael â thlodi tanwydd drwy Nyth.
Mae gennym ein cynllun benthyciadau datblygu ar gyfer landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig, ac mae hynny wedi parhau i gyflawni'n gyflym. Ac rydym yn edrych o bob cyfeiriad ar y ffordd orau o ddatgarboneiddio ein cartrefi yng Nghymru, gan flaenoriaethu tlodi tanwydd wrth inni wneud hynny. A bydd hynny'n parhau wrth inni ddatblygu dulliau ar gyfer y dyfodol, gan geisio manteisio i'r eithaf ar bob cyfle buddsoddi posib, oherwydd fel y dywedwch yn gywir ddigon, mae hyn yn hollbwysig. Rhaid inni edrych ar hyn yn ein cartrefi cymdeithasol, ond hefyd ar sut y gallwn fynd i'r afael â hynny mewn rhaglenni ehangach hefyd ar gyfer trigolion eraill ar draws ein cymunedau.
2. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i ddarparu tai fforddiadwy? OQ63562
2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to provide affordable housing? OQ63562
Diolch, Mark. This Government set the most ambitious social housing target since devolution and backed it with a record investment of over £2 billion. That ambition has driven transformational change. In 2024–25, 3,643 additional affordable homes were completed across Wales, a 12 per cent increase on the year before, and the highest total since records began in 2007.
Diolch, Mark. Mae'r Llywodraeth hon wedi gosod y targed tai cymdeithasol mwyaf uchelgeisiol ers datganoli a'i gefnogi gyda'r buddsoddiad mwyaf erioed o dros £2 biliwn. Mae'r uchelgais hwnnw wedi sbarduno newid trawsnewidiol. Yn 2024–25, cwblhawyd 3,643 o gartrefi fforddiadwy ychwanegol ledled Cymru, cynnydd o 12 y cant ar y flwyddyn flaenorol, a'r cyfanswm uchaf ers dechrau cadw cofnodion yn 2007.
Well, you inflated the claimed number of new low-carbon homes for social rent against your target by adding homes that are not new builds, not low carbon and not for social rent. At the recent meeting of the cross-party group on housing, Community Housing Cymru, CHC, stated that social landlords are building homes at the highest rate since 2008, which sounds great, but not when you consider that the 2012 UK housing review stated that, by 2009-10, the Welsh Government had by far the lowest proportional level of housing expenditure of any of the four UK countries. CHC also stated that the 2 per cent social housing grant increase in the Welsh Government's draft budget will not see a step change in the rate and scale of delivering more homes with a standstill budget. How, therefore, do you respond to their question, 'Given the scale of the housing crisis across Wales, how do we make the step change needed to address Wales's housing emergency?', and to their statement that, 'We need a 10-year road map to an additional 60,000 homes that increases capacity year on year'?
Wel, fe wnaethoch chi chwyddo'r nifer honedig o gartrefi rhent cymdeithasol carbon isel newydd yn erbyn eich targed drwy ychwanegu cartrefi nad ydynt yn adeiladau newydd, cartrefi nad ydynt yn dai carbon isel a chartrefi nad ydynt yn gartrefi rhent cymdeithasol. Yng nghyfarfod diweddar y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar dai, dywedodd Cartrefi Cymunedol Cymru fod landlordiaid cymdeithasol yn adeiladu cartrefi ar y gyfradd uchaf ers 2008, sy'n swnio'n wych, ond nid pan ystyriwch fod adolygiad y DU o dai yn 2012 wedi nodi, erbyn 2009-10, fod gan Lywodraeth Cymru y lefel gyfrannol isaf o wariant ar dai o bell ffordd o unrhyw un o bedair gwlad y DU. Dywedodd Cartrefi Cymunedol Cymru hefyd na fydd y cynnydd o 2 y cant i'r grant tai cymdeithasol yng nghyllideb ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru’n arwain at newid sylweddol o ran cyfradd neu raddfa darparu mwy o gartrefi gyda chyllideb sefydlog. Sut, felly, rydych yn ymateb i'w cwestiwn, 'O ystyried maint yr argyfwng tai ledled Cymru, sut rydym yn gwneud y newid sylweddol sydd ei angen i fynd i'r afael ag argyfwng tai Cymru?', ac i'w datganiad, 'Mae angen cynllun 10 mlynedd arnom i greu 60,000 o gartrefi ychwanegol sy'n cynyddu capasiti flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn'?
Diolch, Mark. The target that we have set is doing its job. It's driving the highest delivery we have seen in almost 20 years. In 2024-25, as I said, 3,643 additional affordable homes were completed across Wales, and that's a 12 per cent increase on the year before, and the highest total since records began, as I said. By May 2026, we are forecast to deliver over 18,600, and we are forecast to reach the target by November 2026 and deliver over 20,300 by the end of 2026. That is a remarkable achievement. As I said in the last question, this is something that we all need to remind ourselves is a real team Wales effort. There is so much effort by organisations, housebuilders and so many people that has gone into creating this record level and remarkable level of achievement. We were very clear from the outset, in a written statement back in June 2021 and subsequent statistical releases, that our 20,000 target focused exclusively on homes rented out by social landlords. We defined our target within the recognised TAN2 affordable housing definition, including social homes for rent, intermediate homes for rent and shared ownership schemes.
Diolch, Mark. Mae'r targed a osodwyd gennym yn gwneud ei waith. Mae'n sicrhau'r ddarpariaeth uchaf a welwyd gennym mewn bron i 20 mlynedd. Yn 2024-25, fel y dywedais, cwblhawyd 3,643 o gartrefi fforddiadwy ychwanegol ledled Cymru, ac mae hynny'n gynnydd o 12 y cant ar y flwyddyn flaenorol, a'r cyfanswm uchaf ers dechrau cadw cofnodion, fel y dywedais. Erbyn mis Mai 2026, rhagwelir y byddwn yn darparu dros 18,600, a rhagwelir y byddwn yn cyrraedd y targed erbyn mis Tachwedd 2026 ac yn cyflawni dros 20,300 erbyn diwedd 2026. Mae hynny'n gyflawniad rhyfeddol. Fel y dywedais yn y cwestiwn diwethaf, mae hyn yn rhywbeth y mae angen i bob un ohonom atgoffa ein hunain ei fod yn ymdrech tîm Cymru go iawn. Mae cymaint o ymdrech gan sefydliadau, adeiladwyr tai a chymaint o bobl eraill wedi creu'r lefel ddigynsail a nodedig hon o gyflawniad. Roeddem yn glir iawn o'r cychwyn cyntaf, mewn datganiad ysgrifenedig yn ôl ym mis Mehefin 2021 a datganiadau ystadegol dilynol, fod ein targed o 20,000 yn canolbwyntio'n gyfan gwbl ar dai sy'n cael eu gosod ar rent gan landlordiaid cymdeithasol. Fe wnaethom ddiffinio ein targed o fewn diffiniad cydnabyddedig tai fforddiadwy TAN2, gan gynnwys tai cymdeithasol i'w rhentu, tai canolraddol i'w rhentu a chynlluniau rhanberchnogaeth.
Private rents continue to outpace earnings in many areas across Wales, creating what the Resolution Foundation has called an 'affordability wedge'. Now, by their assessment, one of the worst places in Wales is Torfaen, where rents have increased by 40 per cent since May 2022, while earnings have only increased by 21 per cent. Had rents risen in line with earnings, private renters in Torfaen would be paying £1,300 less in rent a year. A similar trend is seen in neighbouring Rhondda Cynon Taf, and in the Cabinet Secretary's own constituency, as well as my own region. This is endemic across Wales. Now, this only proves that there is a need for a well-designed rent control system in Wales, but this has been shot down consistently several times by the Government, opting to tinker around the edges and protect landlords over renters. Sidestepping this is really, really disappointing. The Government hasn't given rent controls a fair look-in. To dismiss them on the basis of the Scottish experience is not a fair representation of what rent controls could look like in Wales. Now, you have said that, before you can entertain the idea of rent controls, the Government needs to improve rental data. So, where are we on this work, and has any thought been given to a publicly available spatial map of market rents in Wales?
Mae rhenti preifat yn parhau i godi'n gyflymach na chyflogau mewn sawl ardal ledled Cymru, gan greu'r hyn y mae Sefydliad Resolution wedi'i alw'n 'lletem fforddiadwyedd'. Nawr, yn ôl eu hasesiad, un o'r lleoedd gwaethaf yng Nghymru yw Torfaen, lle mae rhenti wedi cynyddu 40 y cant ers mis Mai 2022, tra bo enillion ond wedi cynyddu 21 y cant. Pe bai rhenti wedi codi yn unol ag enillion, byddai rhentwyr preifat yn Nhorfaen yn talu £1,300 yn llai y flwyddyn mewn rhent. Gwelir tuedd debyg yn y sir nesaf, Rhondda Cynon Taf, ac yn etholaeth Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yn ogystal â fy rhanbarth fy hun. Mae hyn yn endemig ledled Cymru. Nawr, mae hyn yn profi bod angen system reoli rhenti sydd wedi'i chynllunio'n dda yng Nghymru, ond mae'r Llywodraeth wedi diystyru hynny sawl gwaith, gan ddewis tincera ar yr ymylon ac amddiffyn landlordiaid ar draul tenantiaid. Mae osgoi gwneud hyn yn siomedig iawn. Nid yw'r Llywodraeth wedi rhoi ystyriaeth deg i fesurau rheoli rhenti. Nid yw eu diystyru ar sail profiad yr Alban yn gynrychiolaeth deg o sut y gallai mesurau rheoli rhenti edrych yng Nghymru. Nawr, rydych chi wedi dweud fod angen i'r Llywodraeth wella data ar renti cyn y gallwch ystyried y syniad o fesurau rheoli rhenti. Felly, ble rydym arni gyda'r gwaith hwn, ac a oes unrhyw ystyriaeth wedi'i rhoi i fap gofodol cyhoeddus o renti'r farchnad yng Nghymru?
Diolch, Luke. Again, thank you for that important question, because, as you say, this is something that concerns many of our residents across Wales and throughout different parts of Wales as well. As you’ll know, our White Paper on adequate housing, fair rents and affordability was published back in October last year, and that confirms that we do not intend to introduce rent control measures at this time, but we are seeking ways to obtain better data, better local data on rents. And the summary of responses—our next steps to the White Paper, which were published back in July of this year—sets out our intention to improve data collection on the private rented sector. So, we know this is an important issue, and this is something where, in addition to the £380 million cost-of-living support, we’ve provided an additional £6 million to local authorities for the homelessness prevention fund. And that can be used for both social and private tenants to prevent homelessness, including the payment of bills, rent arrears, providing rent guarantee, or assistance with household bills.
Diolch, Luke. Unwaith eto, diolch am eich cwestiwn pwysig, oherwydd fel y dywedwch, mae hyn yn rhywbeth sy'n peri pryder i lawer o'n trigolion ledled Cymru a ledled gwahanol rannau o Gymru hefyd. Fel y gwyddoch, cyhoeddwyd ein Papur Gwyn ar dai digonol, rhenti teg a fforddiadwyedd ym mis Hydref y llynedd, ac mae hynny'n cadarnhau nad ydym yn bwriadu cyflwyno mesurau rheoli rhenti ar hyn o bryd, ond rydym yn chwilio am ffyrdd o gael data gwell, data lleol gwell ar renti. Ac mae crynodeb yr ymatebion—ein camau nesaf yn dilyn y Papur Gwyn, a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Gorffennaf eleni—yn nodi ein bwriad i wella'r gwaith o gasglu data ar y sector rhentu preifat. Felly, gwyddom fod hwn yn fater pwysig, ac yn rhywbeth lle, yn ogystal â'r cymorth costau byw o £380 miliwn, rydym wedi darparu £6 miliwn ychwanegol i awdurdodau lleol ar gyfer y gronfa atal digartrefedd. A gellir defnyddio hwnnw ar gyfer tenantiaid cymdeithasol a phreifat i atal digartrefedd, gan gynnwys talu biliau, ôl-ddyledion rhent, darparu gwarant rhent, neu gymorth gyda biliau'r cartref.
Following the sell-off of council houses under Thatcher, and a lack of homes to rent, it has been great to see a return to building new council houses and registered social landlord social home developments across Wales. And I’ve been really pleased to visit some, with them having low-energy bills now because of good insulation, solar, battery storage, grey water recycling. I would like to see that repeated in all new homes—that would be great to see. And I’ve just come from a meeting with the UK climate change adaptation committee, who have spoken about buildings needing to be futureproofed against climate change. But we also need to consider the nature emergency. So, would you consider biodiversity elements, such as swift boxes and green spaces, on all these developments? And are the highways, drainage and lighting infrastructures up to highway standards, adoptable standards, by local authorities? Thank you.
Yn dilyn gwerthu tai cyngor o dan Thatcher, a phrinder tai i'w rhentu, mae wedi bod yn wych gweld dychweliad at adeiladu tai cyngor newydd a datblygiadau tai cymdeithasol landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig ledled Cymru. Ac rwyf wedi bod yn falch iawn o ymweld â rhai sydd â biliau ynni isel bellach oherwydd inswleiddio da, ynni solar, storio ynni batri, ailgylchu dŵr llwyd. Hoffwn weld hynny'n cael ei ailadrodd ym mhob cartref newydd—byddai'n wych gweld hynny. Ac rwyf newydd ddod o gyfarfod gyda phwyllgor addasu i newid hinsawdd y DU, sydd wedi siarad am yr angen i ddiogelu adeiladau rhag newid hinsawdd yn y dyfodol. Ond mae angen inni ystyried yr argyfwng natur hefyd. Felly, a fyddech yn ystyried elfennau bioamrywiaeth, fel blychau gwenoliaid duon a mannau gwyrdd, ar yr holl ddatblygiadau hyn? Ac a yw'r seilwaith goleuo, priffyrdd a draenio yn bodloni safonau priffyrdd, safonau mabwysiadwy, gan awdurdodau lleol? Diolch.
Diolch, Carolyn. I welcome your recognition of the delivery to date, and, again, that we’re forecast to deliver over 20,000 additional homes for rent across Wales since the start of this Senedd term by November 2026. And, again, this is indeed a remarkable achievement.
All social homes are required to meet high quality standards, including low carbon, which, crucially, leads to economic, social and environmental sustainability outcomes, as you’ve outlined. New-build homes and conversions of existing buildings in receipt of grants are required to meet relevant standards for their time—currently, the Welsh development quality requirements 2021—and that requires social landlords to meet the standard of energy performance certificate A, not to use fossil fuel-fired boilers to provide domestic hot water and space heating. So, there are many things that we are doing in terms of making sure that we are recognising that low carbon.
'Future Wales' and 'Planning Policy Wales' set out our approach to requiring a net benefit for biodiversity, and that approach is embedded in placemaking and focused on improved outcomes for biodiversity and ecosystem resilience, which reflects the context of places.
The provision of swift bricks, which I know you’re very keen on, hedgehog corridors and green spaces can be secured as part of demonstrating the achievement of a net benefit for biodiversity when proposing a development.
So, there's a lot going on there, a lot of good examples as well, particularly where local planning authorities are already producing guidance for small-scale schemes, which includes bird boxes, bat boxes and those swift bricks, for householder scale applications. And we’ve seen those examples across Wales, from Monmouthshire to Carmarthenshire, and to Conwy in your own region.
Diolch, Carolyn. Rwy'n croesawu eich cydnabyddiaeth o'r ddarpariaeth hyd yn hyn, ac unwaith eto, y ffaith ein bod yn rhagweld y byddwn wedi darparu dros 20,000 o gartrefi ychwanegol i'w rhentu ledled Cymru ers dechrau tymor y Senedd hon erbyn mis Tachwedd 2026. Ac unwaith eto, mae hwn yn bendant yn gyflawniad syfrdanol.
Mae'n ofynnol i bob cartref cymdeithasol fodloni safonau ansawdd uchel, gan gynnwys safonau carbon isel, sydd, yn hollbwysig, yn arwain at ganlyniadau cynaliadwyedd amgylcheddol, economaidd a chymdeithasol, fel rydych chi wedi'i amlinellu. Mae'n ofynnol i gartrefi newydd ac adeiladau presennol sy'n cael eu haddasu ac sy'n derbyn grantiau fodloni safonau perthnasol ar gyfer eu hamser—ar hyn o bryd, gofynion ansawdd datblygu Cymru 2021—ac mae'r rheini'n ei gwneud yn ofynnol i landlordiaid cymdeithasol fodloni safon tystysgrif perfformiad ynni A, i beidio â defnyddio boeleri tanwydd ffosil i ddarparu dŵr poeth domestig a gwresogi. Felly, mae llawer o bethau yr ydym yn eu gwneud i sicrhau ein bod yn cydnabod carbon isel.
Mae 'Cymru’r Dyfodol' a 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru' yn nodi ein dull o wneud budd net i fioamrywiaeth yn ofynnol, ac mae'r dull hwnnw wedi'i wreiddio mewn creu lleoedd ac yn canolbwyntio ar ganlyniadau gwell ar gyfer bioamrywiaeth a gwydnwch ecosystemau, sy'n adlewyrchu cyd-destun lleoedd.
Gellir sicrhau bod briciau gwenoliaid duon, y gwn eich bod yn hoff iawn ohonynt, coridorau draenogod a mannau gwyrdd yn cael eu darparu'n rhan o'r broses o ddangos bod budd net i fioamrywiaeth wedi'i gyflawni wrth gynnig datblygiad.
Felly, mae llawer yn digwydd yn hynny o beth, llawer o enghreifftiau da hefyd, yn enwedig lle mae awdurdodau cynllunio lleol eisoes yn cynhyrchu canllawiau ar gyfer cynlluniau ar raddfa fach, sy'n cynnwys blychau adar, blychau ystlumod a briciau gwenoliaid duon, ar gyfer gosodiadau ar raddfa deiliaid tai. Ac rydym wedi gweld yr enghreifftiau hynny ledled Cymru, o sir Fynwy i sir Gaerfyrddin, ac i Gonwy yn eich rhanbarth eich hun.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Joel James.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Welsh Conservative spokesperson, Joel James.
Thank you, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, with the elections almost upon us, as you are no doubt aware, a number of candidates already selected hold local government positions, and, in some cases, have cabinet portfolios. Indeed, Huw Thomas, the leader of Cardiff Council, has topped the list for the seat of Caerdydd Penarth. As you know, a great deal of work done here in the Senedd involves holding our local authorities to account for the services that they deliver, and I think that we can all agree here that this puts these councillors in a pretty clear conflict of interest. What assurances can you give us that political bias is kept firmly in check when Members of the Senedd are scrutinising, challenging and dealing with local authorities in their region?
Diolch, Lywydd. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, gyda'r etholiadau ar y gorwel, fel y gwyddoch heb os, mae gan nifer o ymgeiswyr sydd eisoes wedi'u dewis swyddi mewn llywodraeth leol, ac mewn rhai achosion, mae ganddynt bortffolios cabinet. Yn wir, mae Huw Thomas, arweinydd Cyngor Caerdydd, ar frig y rhestr ar gyfer sedd Caerdydd Penarth. Fel y gwyddoch, mae llawer iawn o waith a wneir yma yn y Senedd yn cynnwys dwyn ein hawdurdodau lleol i gyfrif am y gwasanaethau y maent yn eu darparu, ac rwy'n credu y gall pob un ohonom gytuno yma fod hynny'n creu gwrthdaro buddiannau eithaf clir i'r cynghorwyr hyn. Pa sicrwydd y gallwch ei roi i ni nad oes unrhyw ragfarn wleidyddol pan fydd Aelodau'r Senedd yn craffu, yn herio ac yn delio ag awdurdodau lleol yn eu rhanbarth?
Diolch, Joel, for that question. Yes, I am, as are all Members here, indeed aware that the election is fast approaching. Some of us may have even done a hustings already this week, ahead of those elections. So, I absolutely understand that and I'd like to congratulate those prospective Members who have been selected in those areas. They will bring a lot of experience, I'm sure, if they are elected, and we will look to see whether we will have more representatives here, from across Wales, who have experience of local government, which I think will help to bring forward some more value here in this place.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn, Joel. Ydw, rwyf i, fel pob Aelod yma, yn ymwybodol iawn fod yr etholiad yn prysur agosáu. Efallai fod rhai ohonom hyd yn oed wedi cynnal hustyngau yr wythnos hon yn barod, cyn yr etholiadau hynny. Felly, rwy'n deall hynny'n iawn, a hoffwn longyfarch y darpar Aelodau sydd wedi cael eu dewis yn yr ardaloedd hynny. Byddant yn dod â llawer o brofiad, rwy'n siŵr, os cânt eu hethol, a byddwn yn edrych i weld a fydd gennym fwy o gynrychiolwyr yma, o bob cwr o Gymru, sydd â phrofiad o lywodraeth leol, a fydd, yn fy marn i, yn helpu i ddod â mwy o werth yma i'r lle hwn.
Cabinet Secretary, in a healthy democracy, we all play by the same rules, but it's become plainly obvious that many of the candidates selected for next year's elections have a distinct unfair advantage. A large number of them support existing Senedd Members and who have access to the parliamentary estate in an outside capacity. Not only are they familiar with the work of the Senedd, they know the issues, and they meet with a whole host of organisations that can help raise their public profile, right here in this building. I won't name them here, but there are countless social media posts out there of candidates standing next year who have posed for campaign-related photos in order to boost their own credentials in areas of this building that are not open to the general public. Cabinet Secretary, is this something that you support, and what conversations have you had to ensure that these candidates that work for Members, or hold any position with the Senedd, are not using that inside track to gain an advantage for campaigning purposes?
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mewn democratiaeth iach, mae pob un ohonom yn chwarae yn ôl yr un rheolau, ond mae wedi dod yn gwbl amlwg fod gan lawer o'r ymgeiswyr a ddewiswyd ar gyfer etholiadau y flwyddyn nesaf fantais annheg amlwg. Mae nifer fawr ohonynt yn cefnogi Aelodau presennol o'r Senedd ac mae ganddynt fynediad at yr ystad seneddol yn rhinwedd swydd allanol. Nid yn unig eu bod yn gyfarwydd â gwaith y Senedd, maent yn gyfarwydd â'r materion sy'n codi, ac maent yn cyfarfod â llu o sefydliadau a all helpu i godi eu proffil cyhoeddus, yma yn yr adeilad hwn. Nid wyf am eu henwi yma, ond mae llu o luniau wedi'u postio ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol o ymgeiswyr sy'n sefyll y flwyddyn nesaf ac sydd wedi cael tynnu eu lluniau ar gyfer eu hymgyrch er mwyn hybu eu rhinweddau eu hunain mewn rhannau o'r adeilad hwn nad ydynt ar agor i'r cyhoedd. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a yw hyn yn rhywbeth yr ydych yn ei gefnogi, a pha sgyrsiau a gawsoch i sicrhau nad yw'r ymgeiswyr hyn sy'n gweithio i Aelodau, neu sydd ag unrhyw swydd gyda'r Senedd, yn defnyddio'r trywydd mewnol hwnnw i ennill mantais at ddibenion ymgyrchu?
I think the most important thing that you can ask all candidates to do is to speak to their electorate. That is where they are best served, and I think that is where they will see whether they get elected or not, by actually going to spend time in the proposed constituency that they're looking to seek to represent. So, that is the best advice that I can give prospective candidates where they're standing. I think that's where they do get that extra value, rather than perhaps the suggestion that you are making.
Credaf mai'r peth pwysicaf y gallwch ofyn i bob ymgeisydd ei wneud yw siarad â'u hetholwyr. Dyna ble cânt eu gwasanaethu orau, a chredaf mai dyna ble gwelant a fyddant yn cael eu hethol ai peidio, drwy dreulio amser yn yr etholaeth y maent yn gobeithio ei chynrychioli. Felly, dyna'r cyngor gorau y gallaf ei roi i ddarpar ymgeiswyr lle maent yn sefyll. Credaf mai dyna ble maent yn cael y gwerth ychwanegol hwnnw, yn hytrach na'r awgrym rydych chi'n ei wneud, o bosib.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Yes, I'm aware that candidates will spend time in their constituencies, but the issue I have, then, is when they spend time here in the Senedd, conducting political campaigning when we ourselves are not allowed to conduct political campaigning within these buildings.
But finally, Cabinet Secretary, I can't speak for your own experience, but when I've written to local authorities as a Member of the Senedd, I've often waited months—and I mean months—to sometimes only receive single-sentence responses. This is not only frustrating for me, to have to endlessly chase for a response from the local authority, but also to the constituents who have contacted me. But I must admit that what I find most galling is the contempt that this shows for the issues that have been raised and the residents who have raised them. No matter what political colour you are, I think we can all recognise that this is not right. I only hope that this is not another sign of political bias from our local authorities. The people we serve deserve equal treatment. They shouldn't find themselves at a disadvantage because they hold a different political view or because they've sought help from a representative who is not aligned with the politics of the local authority. That's not how public service works. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree with me that, ultimately, it is the residents we represent who are disadvantaged by local authorities' overt political bias, and what conversations has the Welsh Government had with local authorities to reinforce this message? Thank you.
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwy'n ymwybodol y bydd ymgeiswyr yn treulio amser yn eu hetholaethau, ond y broblem sydd gennyf, felly, yw pan fyddant yn treulio amser yma yn y Senedd, yn cynnal ymgyrchoedd gwleidyddol pan nad ydym ni ein hunain yn cael cynnal ymgyrchoedd gwleidyddol o fewn yr adeiladau hyn.
Ond yn olaf, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ni allaf siarad am eich profiad chi, ond pan wyf wedi ysgrifennu at awdurdodau lleol fel Aelod o'r Senedd, rwy'n aml wedi aros misoedd—ac rwy'n golygu misoedd—am ymatebion un frawddeg, weithiau. Mae gorfod mynd ar drywydd ymateb gan yr awdurdod lleol byth a hefyd nid yn unig yn gwneud i mi deimlo'n rhwystredig, mae'n gwneud hynny hefyd i'r etholwyr sydd wedi cysylltu â mi. Ond mae'n rhaid imi gyfaddef mai'r hyn sy'n fy nghythruddo fwyaf yw'r dirmyg y mae hyn yn ei ddangos at y materion a godwyd a'r trigolion sydd wedi'u codi. Beth bynnag yw eich lliw gwleidyddol, rwy'n credu y gall pob un ohonom gydnabod nad yw hyn yn iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio nad yw hyn yn arwydd arall o ragfarn wleidyddol gan ein hawdurdodau lleol. Mae'r bobl a wasanaethwn yn haeddu cael eu trin yn gyfartal. Ni ddylent fod o dan anfantais am fod ganddynt farn wleidyddol wahanol neu am eu bod wedi ceisio cymorth gan gynrychiolydd nad yw'n cytuno â gwleidyddiaeth yr awdurdod lleol. Nid dyna sut y mae gwasanaeth cyhoeddus yn gweithio. A yw Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cytuno â mi, yn y pen draw, mai'r trigolion a gynrychiolwn sydd o dan anfantais oherwydd rhagfarn wleidyddol amlwg awdurdodau lleol, a pha sgyrsiau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cael gydag awdurdodau lleol i atgyfnerthu'r neges hon? Diolch.
Thank you, Joel. Just to say, there will be rules, which will be obviously set up by the Llywydd, and others, in terms of political campaigning on the estate—rules we all have to follow as well. So, I'm sure that can be taken up in another forum.
You're right, nobody should be disadvantaged, whoever is being sought to help a constituent. None of us ask what political party anybody votes for. We will always seek to represent people, I'm sure, in the right way. So, I think that local authorities are best placed to respond in that way. They do, I'm sure, take very seriously their commitment to responding to elected members as well when they're representing their constituents, regardless of political parties.
Diolch, Joel. Dylwn ddweud y bydd rheolau, a fydd yn amlwg yn cael eu sefydlu gan y Llywydd, ac eraill, o ran ymgyrchu gwleidyddol ar yr ystad—rheolau y mae'n rhaid i bob un ohonom ni eu dilyn hefyd. Felly, rwy'n siŵr y gellir trafod hynny mewn fforwm arall.
Rydych chi'n llygad eich lle, ni ddylai unrhyw un fod o dan anfantais, pwy bynnag y gofynnir iddynt helpu etholwr. Nid oes yr un ohonom yn gofyn pa blaid wleidyddol y mae unrhyw un yn pleidleisio drosti. Byddwn bob amser yn ceisio cynrychioli pobl yn y ffordd gywir, rwy'n siŵr. Felly, rwy'n credu mai awdurdodau lleol sydd yn y sefyllfa orau i ymateb yn y ffordd honno. Rwy'n siŵr eu bod o ddifrif ynglŷn â'u hymrwymiad i ymateb i aelodau etholedig hefyd pan fyddant yn cynrychioli eu hetholwyr, beth bynnag am bleidiau gwleidyddol.
Just to follow up on the point made by the Minister, I have been trying to read between the lines of your questions, Joel. Just to reinforce that, if there are any complaints regarding the inappropriate use of Senedd resources, by any political party or individual, then please make those known to the appropriate place. And you will know where that is, and it's probably not this Minister.
I ddilyn y pwynt a wnaed gan y Gweinidog, rwyf wedi bod yn ceisio darllen rhwng llinellau eich cwestiynau, Joel. I atgyfnerthu hynny, os oes unrhyw gwynion ynghylch y defnydd amhriodol o adnoddau'r Senedd, gan unrhyw blaid wleidyddol neu unigolyn, nodwch hynny i'r man priodol. Ac fe fyddwch chi'n gwybod ble, ac nid y Gweinidog ydyw yn ôl pob tebyg.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarydd Plaid Cymru, Sioned Williams.
Questions now from the Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Sioned Williams.
Diolch, Llywydd. The Welsh Government's primary mechanism to tackle poverty is the Warm Homes programme, which sits in your brief. For 2026-27, the resource allocation for the programme remains unchanged at £3.73 million and the capital allocation is increasing by 2 per cent to £38.25 million. When the Equality and Social Justice Committee, who've concluded in more than one report that the Welsh Government's level of investment in the Warm Homes programme isn't anywhere near the level required, asked about commitments in the draft budget, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice said the committee should, and I quote,
'think about the Warm Homes programme in terms of the fact that it's not the only grant funding available for households...the GB-wide schemes, for example ECO Flex, are available to every local authority in Wales.'
However, it was announced in the Chancellor's budget that the ECO scheme will be stopped at the end of March. While the scheme has had its issues, it's provided £150 million-worth of funding each year into Wales via local authorities. So, did any consultation take place with the Welsh Government on the impact of scrapping the ECO scheme on the Warm Homes programme? And how do you think it will affect the effectiveness of this programme to ensure that the houses of people in Wales are warmer and more efficient?
Diolch, Lywydd. Prif fecanwaith Llywodraeth Cymru i drechu tlodi yw rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd, sy'n rhan o'ch briff. Ar gyfer 2026-27, mae'r dyraniad adnoddau ar gyfer y rhaglen yn parhau yr un fath ar £3.73 miliwn ac mae'r dyraniad cyfalaf yn cynyddu 2 y cant i £38.25 miliwn. Pan ofynnodd y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, sydd wedi dod i'r casgliad mewn mwy nag un adroddiad nad yw lefel buddsoddiad Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd yn agos at y lefel sydd ei hangen, ynglŷn ag ymrwymiadau yn y gyllideb ddrafft, dywedodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyfiawnder Cymdeithasol y dylai'r pwyllgor,
'feddwl am y rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd o ran y ffaith nad dyma'r unig gyllid grant sydd ar gael i aelwydydd... mae'r cynlluniau ar lefel Prydain Fawr, er enghraifft ECO Flex, ar gael i bob awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru.'
Fodd bynnag, cyhoeddwyd yng nghyllideb y Canghellor y byddai cynllun ECO yn dod i ben ddiwedd mis Mawrth. Er bod y cynllun wedi cael ei broblemau, mae wedi darparu cyllid gwerth £150 miliwn bob blwyddyn i Gymru drwy awdurdodau lleol. Felly, a gynhaliwyd unrhyw ymgynghoriad â Llywodraeth Cymru ar effaith cael gwared â chynllun ECO ar raglen Cartrefi Clyd? A sut y credwch y bydd hyn yn effeithio ar effeithiolrwydd y rhaglen hon i sicrhau bod tai pobl yng Nghymru yn gynhesach ac yn fwy effeithlon?
Diolch, Sioned. An absolutely important question and something that we've already heard raised this afternoon. As you rightly say, the UK Government in the budget announced a cut in energy bills, so, for consumers, removing that levy collected to fund the GB-wide energy companies' obligations, that ECO scheme, and some historic green levies. ECO provides energy efficiency measures for eligible customers on lower incomes to reduce the level of carbon used for heat and lower energy bills. While this cut in levy will lower the average bill by £150 a year, it does leave that gap at the moment. I was able to have a discussion following the budget with the Minister, Minister McCluskey. As I said last time, he has committed to being in touch with me on that. We are still in discussions following that conversation, and officials are working closely ahead of the UK Government's Warm Homes plan as well, which they are due to announce shortly, I believe.
Diolch, Sioned. Cwestiwn hollbwysig, a rhywbeth yr ydym eisoes wedi'i glywed yn cael ei godi y prynhawn yma. Fel rydych chi'n ei ddweud yn gywir ddigon, yn y gyllideb, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth y DU doriad mewn biliau ynni, felly, i ddefnyddwyr, cael gwared ar yr ardoll honno a gasglwyd i ariannu rhwymedigaethau cwmnïau ynni ledled Prydain, y cynllun ECO hwnnw, a rhai ardollau gwyrdd hanesyddol. Mae cynllun ECO yn darparu mesurau effeithlonrwydd ynni ar gyfer cwsmeriaid cymwys ar incwm is i leihau lefel y carbon a ddefnyddir ar gyfer gwresogi a lleihau biliau ynni. Er y bydd y toriad hwn yn yr ardoll yn lleihau'r bil cyfartalog £150 y flwyddyn, mae'n gadael y bwlch hwnnw ar hyn o bryd. Cefais drafodaeth yn dilyn y gyllideb gyda'r Gweinidog, y Gweinidog McCluskey. Fel y dywedais y tro diwethaf, mae wedi ymrwymo i gadw mewn cysylltiad â mi mewn perthynas â hynny. Rydym yn dal i drafod yn dilyn y sgwrs honno, ac mae swyddogion yn gweithio'n agos cyn cynllun Cartrefi Cynnes Llywodraeth y DU hefyd, y maent i fod i'w gyhoeddi cyn bo hir, rwy'n credu.
Thank you for that answer. The Warm Homes programme is, of course, central to the Welsh Government's tackling fuel poverty plan, published in 2021. The plan set 10 actions to be delivered by the Welsh Government in partnership with key stakeholders. The Warm Homes programme is an ongoing action, as you will know, in the plan. The update on the plan's progress was published by your colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice in June. Under new actions, it listed the need to develop and introduce energy efficiency-based interim targets, stating the revised fuel poverty estimates, which, of course, were published in October, would be used to develop these targets. So, what updates can you provide from conversations with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice as to when we can expect those targets, which are so crucial to drive the delivery of the Warm Homes programme?
Diolch am eich ateb. Mae rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd, wrth gwrs, yn hollbwysig i gynllun trechu tlodi tanwydd Llywodraeth Cymru, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2021. Nododd y cynllun 10 cam gweithredu i'w cyflawni gan Lywodraeth Cymru mewn partneriaeth â rhanddeiliaid allweddol. Mae rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd yn gam gweithredu parhaus yn y cynllun, fel y byddwch yn gwybod. Cyhoeddwyd y diweddariad ar gynnydd y cynllun gan eich cyd-Aelod, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, ym mis Mehefin. O dan gamau gweithredu newydd, rhestrodd yr angen i ddatblygu a chyflwyno targedau effeithlonrwydd ynni dros dro, gan nodi y byddai'r amcangyfrifon tlodi tanwydd diwygiedig, a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Hydref wrth gwrs, yn cael eu defnyddio i ddatblygu'r targedau hyn. Felly, pa ddiweddariadau y gallwch eu darparu o sgyrsiau gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyfiawnder Cymdeithasol ynghylch pryd y gallwn ddisgwyl y targedau hynny, sydd mor hanfodol i hybu cyflawniad y rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd?
Diolch, Sioned. I just want to say that the UK Government committed £13.2 billion to the delivery of their Warm Homes plan, which is, I understand, to be published before the end of the year. We are obviously very keen to see the content of that plan, and to understand its impact across Wales, and any consequential funding associated with it. In my engagement with Minister McCluskey, I've stressed the importance not only of the funded initiatives, but also the wider policy decisions within UK Government's competence, which will apply here in Wales.
In terms of our Warm Homes programme, I said we have invested more than £30 million this financial year through that Warm Homes Nest scheme. It also, as you know, takes a two-pronged approach through the advice service and through physically improving the homes of the fuel poor. Those discussions, as I say, with my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice continue to be had. I am very happy to write to you further following more discussions before the Warm Homes plan from the UK Government is announced.
Diolch, Sioned. Hoffwn ddweud bod Llywodraeth y DU wedi ymrwymo £13.2 biliwn i gyflawni eu cynllun Cartrefi Cynnes, a fydd, yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, yn cael ei gyhoeddi cyn diwedd y flwyddyn. Rydym yn amlwg yn awyddus iawn i weld cynnwys y cynllun hwnnw, ac i ddeall ei effaith ledled Cymru, ac unrhyw gyllid canlyniadol sy'n gysylltiedig ag ef. Wrth ymgysylltu â'r Gweinidog McCluskey, rwyf wedi pwysleisio pwysigrwydd nid yn unig y mentrau a ariennir, ond hefyd y penderfyniadau polisi ehangach o fewn cymhwysedd Llywodraeth y DU, a fydd yn berthnasol yma yng Nghymru.
Ar ein rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd, dywedais ein bod wedi buddsoddi mwy na £30 miliwn yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon drwy gynllun Nyth Cartrefi Clyd. Mae hefyd, fel y gwyddoch, yn ddull gweithredu deublyg drwy'r gwasanaeth cynghori a thrwy wneud gwelliannau i gartrefi pobl sy'n dlawd o ran tanwydd. Fel y dywedaf, mae'r trafodaethau hynny gyda fy nghyd-Aelod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yn parhau. Rwy'n fwy na pharod i ysgrifennu atoch ymhellach yn dilyn mwy o drafodaethau cyn i gynllun Cartrefi Cynnes Llywodraeth y DU gael ei gyhoeddi.
Thank you. It was targets on the Welsh Government's fuel poverty plan, of which, of course, the Warm Homes programme is such a vital part, wasn't it? We had expected those targets by now In June it was said that we were waiting for the revised fuel poverty estimates. Well, they've been published in October. So, I just wanted to get clarity on that.
The other thing I'd like to just raise, of course, in relation to all that I've discussed this afternoon, is that one of the recommendations in the Equality and Social Justice Committee's report looking at the effectiveness and delivery of the Warm Homes programme was that the Welsh Government should increase the scale of the Nest programme so that as many homes as possible were supported, and to do this by ensuring an increase in capacity and skills in the sector. It's been acknowledged that the scrapping of the ECO scheme will result in a shock for that sector and thousands of job losses, so what work has been done by the Welsh Government to assess the effect of scrapping the scheme on the supply chain, which is so vital to the delivery of the Warm Homes programme?
Diolch. Targedau ar gynllun tlodi tanwydd Llywodraeth Cymru oedd y rhain, ac mae rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd yn rhan mor hanfodol o'r cynllun hwnnw, onid yw? Roeddem wedi disgwyl y targedau hynny erbyn hyn. Ym mis Mehefin, dywedwyd ein bod yn aros am yr amcangyfrifon tlodi tanwydd diwygiedig. Wel, maent wedi cael eu cyhoeddi ym mis Hydref. Felly, roeddwn eisiau rhywfaint o eglurder ar hynny.
Y peth arall yr hoffwn ei godi, mewn perthynas â phopeth rwyf wedi'i drafod y prynhawn yma, yw mai un o'r argymhellion yn adroddiad y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol a fu'n edrych ar effeithiolrwydd a chyflawniad rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd oedd y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru gynyddu maint rhaglen Nyth fel bod cymaint o gartrefi â phosib yn cael eu cefnogi, ac i wneud hyn drwy sicrhau cynnydd mewn capasiti a sgiliau yn y sector. Cydnabuwyd y bydd dod â chynllun ECO i ben yn arwain at sioc i'r sector hwnnw a cholli miloedd o swyddi, felly pa waith a wnaed gan Lywodraeth Cymru i asesu effaith dod â'r cynllun i ben ar y gadwyn gyflenwi, sydd mor hanfodol i ddarparu rhaglen Cartrefi Clyd?
Thank you, Sioned. Absolutely, these are discussions that officials are having at the moment with UK Government officials following the decision to scrap that scheme. But, again, I'm very happy to keep this Senedd updated on those issues that will be discussed, such as the skills gap, as you say, which we rightly need to make sure we fill. So, I'm very happy to keep the Senedd up to date on that.
Diolch, Sioned. Yn sicr, dyma'r trafodaethau y mae swyddogion yn eu cael ar hyn o bryd gyda swyddogion Llywodraeth y DU yn dilyn y penderfyniad i ddod â'r cynllun i ben. Ond unwaith eto, rwy'n fwy na pharod i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Senedd hon am y materion hynny a fydd yn cael eu trafod, fel y bwlch sgiliau, fel y dywedwch, y mae angen inni sicrhau, yn gywir ddigon, ein bod yn ei lenwi. Felly, rwy'n fwy na pharod i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Senedd am hynny.
3. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda chynghorau i uwchraddio'r seilwaith allweddol sydd ei angen i ddarparu ar gyfer datblygiadau tai mewn cymunedau sy'n tyfu? OQ63572
3. How is the Welsh Government working with councils to upgrade key infrastructure required to accommodate housing developments in growing communities? OQ63572
Thank you, Sam. 'Future Wales: the National Plan 2040' identifies that housing, economic growth and digital and transport connectivity infrastructure should be co‑ordinated and planned on the basis of the whole region. The Welsh Government works with local authorities to ensure that key investment decisions support places in the national growth areas identified in 'Future Wales'.
Diolch, Sam. Mae 'Cymru’r Dyfodol: y cynllun cenedlaethol 2040' yn nodi y dylid cydgysylltu a chynllunio tai, twf economaidd a seilwaith cysylltedd trafnidiaeth a digidol ar sail y rhanbarth cyfan. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru’n gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol i sicrhau bod penderfyniadau buddsoddi allweddol yn cefnogi lleoedd yn yr ardaloedd twf cenedlaethol a nodwyd yn 'Cymru’r Dyfodol'.
Thank you for your response, Cabinet Secretary. You pointed to an important element of that consideration, which is transport infrastructure. Now, in my region of North Wales, at Wrexham Maelor Hospital, there is a particular issue with parking at the hospital, which has been exacerbated because of population growth, which is a welcome thing, but the infrastructure needs to be able to follow that growth as well.
Constituents, patients, visitors and staff report daily difficulties at the site. People arriving for appointments are arriving stressed, anxious and often late because they cannot find safe and available parking. Staff working long, demanding shifts are facing the same challenges. And this is not just a minor inconvenience, of course, it's a barrier to care, a risk to patient well-being and a strain on an already pressurised workforce. It strikes me that councils are well placed to support health boards with this, not just in terms of developing infrastructure to support these sites, but also perhaps in the management and perhaps enforcement at these sites as well, because councils are experiencing this day in, day out with their own car parks.
So, Cabinet Secretary, would you agree with me that councils and health boards should be working together to see how issues like this at Wrexham Maelor Hospital can be resolved, considering the expertise that sits within local authorities?
Diolch am eich ymateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Fe dynnoch chi sylw at elfen bwysig o'r ystyriaeth honno, sef seilwaith trafnidiaeth. Nawr, yn fy rhanbarth i yng Ngogledd Cymru, yn Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam, mae problem arbennig gyda pharcio yn yr ysbyty, sydd wedi gwaethygu oherwydd twf y boblogaeth, sydd i'w groesawu, ond mae angen i'r seilwaith allu dilyn y twf hwnnw hefyd.
Mae etholwyr, cleifion, ymwelwyr a staff yn nodi anawsterau dyddiol ar y safle. Mae pobl sy'n cyrraedd am apwyntiadau yn cyrraedd o dan straen, yn bryderus ac yn aml yn hwyr am na allant ddod o hyd i leoedd parcio diogel a hygyrch. Mae staff sy'n gweithio sifftiau hir a heriol yn wynebu'r un heriau. Ac nid anghyfleuster bach yn unig mohono, wrth gwrs, mae'n rhwystr i ofal, yn peryglu llesiant cleifion ac yn rhoi straen ar weithlu sydd eisoes o dan bwysau. Yn fy marn i, mae cynghorau mewn sefyllfa dda i gefnogi byrddau iechyd gyda hyn, nid yn unig o ran datblygu'r seilwaith i gefnogi'r safleoedd hyn, ond hefyd efallai o ran rheoli ac efallai gorfodi yn y safleoedd hyn hefyd, gan fod cynghorau'n wynebu'r sefyllfa hon o ddydd i ddydd gyda'u meysydd parcio eu hunain.
Felly, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a fyddech chi'n cytuno â mi y dylai cynghorau a byrddau iechyd gydweithio i weld sut y gellir datrys problemau fel hyn yn Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam, o ystyried yr arbenigedd sydd i'w gael mewn awdurdodau lleol?
Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Sam. Well, as outlined in 'Planning Policy Wales', adequate and efficient infrastructure, including in services such as education and health, is crucial for economic, social and environmental sustainability. And planning authorities should, in conjunction with key providers, take that strategic and long-term approach towards the provision of infrastructure as part of that plan making.
You'll know that the Welsh Government is committed to a plan-led approach to its developments across Wales and maintaining those up-to-date local development plans is essential. I think that, specifically around the point that you raise around Wrexham Maelor, I'd be happy if you'd like to write to me on that issue further. But you'll know that we have the north Wales regional transport plans as well, which include aspirations to address capacity at junctions 4 and 5 of the A483, and there are lots of other things that that north Wales regional transport plan will include. But I'd be very happy if you'd like to write to me on that specific issue.
Yn sicr. Diolch, Sam. Wel, fel yr amlinellwyd yn 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru', mae seilwaith digonol ac effeithlon, gan gynnwys mewn gwasanaethau fel addysg ac iechyd, yn hanfodol ar gyfer cynaliadwyedd economaidd, cymdeithasol ac amgylcheddol. A dylai awdurdodau cynllunio, ar y cyd â darparwyr allweddol, fabwysiadu'r dull gweithredu strategol a hirdymor hwnnw o ddarparu seilwaith fel rhan o'r broses o lunio cynlluniau.
Fe fyddwch yn gwybod bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i ddull sy'n dilyn cynllun ar gyfer ei datblygiadau ledled Cymru, ac mae cynnal y cynlluniau datblygu lleol cyfredol hynny'n hanfodol. Ar y pwynt a godwch ynghylch Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam, mae croeso ichi ysgrifennu ataf ymhellach ar y mater hwnnw. Ond fe fyddwch yn gwybod bod gennym gynlluniau trafnidiaeth rhanbarthol gogledd Cymru hefyd, sy'n cynnwys dyheadau i fynd i'r afael â chapasiti ar gyffordd 4 a 5 ar yr A483, ac mae llawer o bethau eraill y bydd cynllun trafnidiaeth rhanbarthol gogledd Cymru yn eu cynnwys. Ond hoffwn pe baech yn ysgrifennu ataf ar y mater penodol hwnnw.
4. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi diweddariad ar lywodraethiant Gwasanaeth Tân ac Achub De Cymru? OQ63575
4. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the governance of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service? OQ63575
Diolch, Andrew. The commissioners appointed to oversee the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service in February 2024 have made significant progress. We will be working with them in the coming months to arrange the transition back to local governance arrangements during 2026.
Diolch, Andrew. Mae'r comisiynwyr a benodwyd i oruchwylio Gwasanaeth Tân ac Achub De Cymru ym mis Chwefror 2024 wedi gwneud cynnydd sylweddol. Byddwn yn gweithio gyda nhw yn y misoedd nesaf i drefnu'r newid yn ôl i drefniadau llywodraethiant lleol yn ystod 2026.
I'm pleased to hear that local governance arrangements are in sight, Cabinet Secretary, but I draw your attention to the inspectorate report of May of this year, which looked at, obviously, working arrangements and policy documents within the service here in south Wales. It particularly highlighted the lack of a risk-based approach in the work of the fire service, in assessing risk, assessing what prevention measures could be put in place, and obviously working across the area to make that an effective tool to prevent fire and, obviously, injury and death within the service itself, but also within the community that it seeks to protect.
Could you give me a taste of what your officials have been advising you as to what the Welsh Government can do with the commissioners to make sure that this document is updated as a matter of urgency, so that the fire service in south Wales can get on the front foot when it comes to assessing risk and assessing prevention, because, actually, risk and prevention go hand in glove, and, if you can prevent a fire, surely that's better than having to manage a fire that has such devastating consequences?
Rwy'n falch o glywed bod trefniadau llywodraethiant lleol ar y gweill, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ond rwy'n tynnu eich sylw at adroddiad yr arolygiaeth ym mis Mai eleni, a fu'n edrych, yn amlwg, ar drefniadau gwaith a dogfennau polisi o fewn y gwasanaeth yma yn ne Cymru. Tynnodd sylw'n benodol at ddiffyg dull ar sail risg yng ngwaith y gwasanaeth tân, wrth asesu risg, asesu pa fesurau atal y gellid eu rhoi ar waith, ac yn amlwg, gweithio ar draws yr ardal i wneud hynny'n ddull gweithredu effeithiol i atal tân, ac yn amlwg, anafiadau a marwolaethau o fewn y gwasanaeth ei hun, ond hefyd o fewn y gymuned y mae'n ceisio ei diogelu.
A allech chi roi blas i mi o'r hyn y mae eich swyddogion wedi bod yn eich cynghori ynghylch yr hyn y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud gyda'r comisiynwyr i sicrhau bod y ddogfen hon yn cael ei diweddaru ar frys, fel y gall y gwasanaeth tân yn ne Cymru fod mewn sefyllfa well o ran asesu risg ac asesu mesurau atal, oherwydd mewn gwirionedd, mae risgiau ac atal yn dod law yn llaw, ac os gallwch atal tân, rhaid bod hynny'n well na gorfod rheoli tân sydd â chanlyniadau mor ddinistriol?
Yes, absolutely. Thank you for that question. Again, it's really important that the intervention in south Wales fire and rescue is brought to an end as soon as possible so that the service can be handed back to local control. That is very much in my mind. The commissioners continue to assess their progress to ensure that the necessary improvements are in place before the service returns to local governance arrangements. And as you mentioned, risk and prevention go hand in hand.
The commissioner has assessed that the service has made considerable improvements in its culture and broader performance, and that the foundations are in place for that to continue. And as I said, I expect the transition back to local governance arrangements to begin in 2026. I am therefore working very closely with them on that smooth transition. The transition from commissioners will begin once changes resulting from the consultation that we had recently of the fire and rescue authority governance arrangements have been introduced in 2026. So, we've had that consultation, and, again, in the Senedd last October and again in March, I committed to introducing changes to fire and rescue authority governance arrangements this Senedd term. That does remain my plan, and will form part of the transition from commissioners to the reformed fire and rescue authority. As I said, I intend to make a statement to the Senedd before Christmas on the next steps, and to make the necessary secondary legislation in March 2026.
Yn hollol. Diolch am y cwestiwn hwnnw. Unwaith eto, mae'n bwysig iawn fod yr ymyrraeth yng ngwasanaeth tân ac achub de Cymru yn dod i ben cyn gynted â phosib fel y gellir trosglwyddo'r gwasanaeth yn ôl i reolaeth leol. Mae hynny ar flaen fy meddwl. Mae'r comisiynwyr yn parhau i asesu eu cynnydd i sicrhau bod y gwelliannau angenrheidiol ar waith cyn i'r gwasanaeth ddychwelyd i drefniadau llywodraethiant lleol. Ac fel y sonioch chi, mae risg ac atal yn mynd law yn llaw.
Mae'r comisiynydd wedi asesu bod y gwasanaeth wedi gwneud gwelliannau sylweddol yn ei ddiwylliant a'i berfformiad ehangach, a bod y sylfeini yn eu lle i hynny barhau. Ac fel y dywedais, rwy'n disgwyl i'r newid yn ôl i drefniadau llywodraethiant lleol ddechrau yn 2026. Felly, rwy'n gweithio'n agos iawn gyda nhw ar gamau i drawsnewid yn llyfn. Bydd trawsnewid o gomisiynwyr yn dechrau pan fydd newidiadau sy'n deillio o'r ymgynghoriad a gawsom yn ddiweddar ar drefniadau llywodraethiant yr awdurdod tân ac achub wedi'u cyflwyno yn 2026. Felly, rydym wedi cael yr ymgynghoriad, ac unwaith eto, yn y Senedd fis Hydref diwethaf ac eto ym mis Mawrth, fe ymrwymais i gyflwyno newidiadau i drefniadau llywodraethiant yr awdurdod tân ac achub yn nhymor y Senedd hon. Dyna yw fy mwriad o hyd, a bydd yn rhan o'r broses o drawsnewid o gomisiynwyr i'r awdurdod tân ac achub diwygiedig. Fel y dywedais, rwy'n bwriadu gwneud datganiad i'r Senedd cyn y Nadolig ar y camau nesaf, ac i wneud yr is-ddeddfwriaeth angenrheidiol ym mis Mawrth 2026.
The Equality and Social Justice Committee, as you know, has investigated the problems at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and we've written—. As part of the consultation, we did write to you saying that we were recommending radical structural reform. So, simply handing it back to local governance in itself won't change anything. We absolutely appreciate that you're planning to reduce the membership and also give them some firm steers on the amount of training they need to do if they're going to take up these positions, but I'm not sure that I'm convinced that the levels of cultural change and the need to ensure that we're delivering value for money in keeping our communities safe is going to be delivered by this. So, where are you on tackling this, changing the culture, and that long-term structural reform that we were recommending that I don't see here?
Fel y gwyddoch, mae'r Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol wedi ymchwilio i'r problemau yng Ngwasanaeth Tân ac Achub De Cymru, ac rydym wedi ysgrifennu—. Fel rhan o'r ymgynghoriad, fe wnaethom ysgrifennu atoch i ddweud ein bod yn argymell diwygio strwythurol radical. Felly, ni fydd ei drosglwyddo'n ôl i lywodraethiant lleol ynddo'i hun yn newid unrhyw beth. Rydym yn gwerthfawrogi'n fawr eich bod chi'n bwriadu lleihau'r aelodaeth a rhoi cyfarwyddiadau cadarn iddynt ynghylch faint o hyfforddiant sydd angen iddynt ei wneud os ydynt yn mynd i gymryd y swyddi hyn, ond nid wyf yn siŵr fy mod yn argyhoeddedig fod hyn yn mynd i gyflawni'r lefelau o newid diwylliannol a'r angen i sicrhau ein bod yn darparu gwerth am arian wrth gadw ein cymunedau'n ddiogel. Felly, ble rydych chi arni ar fynd i'r afael â hyn, newid y diwylliant, a'r diwygiad strwythurol hirdymor yr oeddem yn ei argymell, ac nad wyf yn ei weld yma?
Thank you, Jenny. Yes, in terms of the culture aspect, I do continue to work very closely with the fire and rescue services to ensure, again, progress against the deeply concerning matters highlighted in those recent independent culture reviews are tackled. I meet regularly with the chairs, the south Wales commissioners, chief fire officers, trade unions and our social partnership forum to discuss all of those issues. We have a regular—. Well, every time we meet, culture change is on the agenda. I've committed funding in this financial year to support improvements in culture in all of the three fire and rescue services. Academi Wales have been working with the three services on their leadership development programmes, and services themselves have developed and are delivering both leadership and cultural change training to their staff. I've also funded training to improve the handling of disciplinary and grievance cases and a new training and development package for authority members is being developed with the Welsh Local Government Association.
As I said, I've been really struck by the responses to the consultation. We've taken the time to very much analyse those responses. I've said a statement will be made about the outcomes very shortly, and the reform of fire and rescue service governance will be complemented by a new national framework, strengthening performance and monitoring and reporting arrangements by fire and rescue services in Wales. And, as I said, there will be member training, making sure that people understand their roles and responsibilities. We know that we also will do this before the end of this Senedd term, as I committed. That is not to say that the use of primary legislation to make more radical governance reform won't be needed, but that will be a matter for the next Senedd.
Diolch, Jenny. Ar yr agwedd ddiwylliannol, rwy'n parhau i weithio'n agos iawn gyda'r gwasanaethau tân ac achub i sicrhau cynnydd, unwaith eto, yn erbyn y materion pryderus iawn a amlygwyd yn yr adolygiadau annibynnol o ddiwylliant yn ddiweddar. Rwy'n cyfarfod yn rheolaidd â'r cadeiryddion, comisiynwyr de Cymru, prif swyddogion tân, undebau llafur a'n fforwm partneriaeth gymdeithasol i drafod yr holl faterion hynny. Mae gennym—. Wel, bob tro y byddwn yn cyfarfod, mae newid diwylliant ar yr agenda. Rwyf wedi ymrwymo cyllid yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon i gefnogi gwelliannau i ddiwylliant ym mhob un o'r tri gwasanaeth tân ac achub. Mae Academi Cymru wedi bod yn gweithio gyda'r tri gwasanaeth ar eu rhaglenni datblygu arweinyddiaeth, ac mae'r gwasanaethau eu hunain wedi datblygu ac yn darparu hyfforddiant arweinyddiaeth a newid diwylliannol i'w staff. Rwyf hefyd wedi ariannu hyfforddiant i wella'r ffordd yr ymdrinnir ag achosion disgyblu a chwynion ac mae pecyn hyfforddi a datblygu newydd ar gyfer aelodau'r awdurdod yn cael ei ddatblygu gyda Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru.
Fel y dywedais, cefais fy nharo gan yr ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad. Rydym wedi rhoi amser i ddadansoddi'r ymatebion hynny. Rwyf wedi dweud y bydd datganiad yn cael ei wneud am y canlyniadau cyn bo hir iawn, a bydd diwygio llywodraethiant gwasanaethau tân ac achub yn cael ei ategu gan fframwaith cenedlaethol newydd, i gryfhau perfformiad a threfniadau monitro ac adrodd gan wasanaethau tân ac achub yng Nghymru. Ac fel y dywedais, bydd hyfforddiant i aelodau, i wneud yn siŵr fod pobl yn deall eu rolau a'u cyfrifoldebau. Gwyddom y byddwn hefyd yn gwneud hyn cyn diwedd tymor y Senedd hon, fel yr ymrwymais. Nid yw hynny'n golygu na fydd angen defnyddio deddfwriaeth sylfaenol i ddiwygio llywodraethiant yn fwy radical, ond mater i'r Senedd nesaf fydd hynny.
Mae cwestiwn 5 [OQ63582] wedi'i dynnu'n ôl. Cwestiwn 6—Rhianon Passmore.
Question 5 [OQ63582] has been withdrawn. Question 6—Rhianon Passmore.
6. Beth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i helpu i ddiwallu anghenion tai yn Islwyn? OQ63578
6. What is the Welsh Government doing to help meet housing needs in Islwyn? OQ63578
Diolch, Rhianon. In Caerphilly County Borough Council alone, our social housing grant has totalled over £60 million as at 2024-25, and will deliver almost 500 new homes. Last week, I also confirmed the extension of the empty homes grant application window until September 2026. Furthermore, we will pilot the removal of the requirement for local authorities to provide a 10 per cent contribution to participate in the scheme next year. Tackling empty homes is essential in meeting housing needs and reducing reliance on temporary accommodation.
Diolch, Rhianon. Yng Nghyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili yn unig, roedd cyfanswm y grant tai cymdeithasol ar gyfer 2024-25 dros £60 miliwn, a bydd yn darparu bron i 500 o gartrefi newydd. Yr wythnos diwethaf, cadarnheais hefyd y bydd y cyfnod ymgeisio ar gyfer y grant cartrefi gwag yn aros ar agor tan fis Medi 2026. Ar ben hynny, byddwn yn treialu dileu'r gofyniad i awdurdodau lleol ddarparu cyfraniad o 10 y cant i gymryd rhan yn y cynllun y flwyddyn nesaf. Mae mynd i'r afael â chartrefi gwag yn hanfodol i ddiwallu anghenion tai a lleihau dibyniaeth ar lety dros dro.
Diolch. In February 2025, the Caerphilly Observer reported 6,420 people on Caerphilly County Borough Council's waiting list for housing at the end of 2024, with 3 per cent of the local authority's properties void, 346 council houses were then currently empty, and void properties empty on average for 218 days. The Welsh Government has said that it expects to reach 93 per cent of its commitment to build 20,000 new low-carbon homes for rent in this much-needed social sector by March 2026. So, what can the Welsh Government do to accelerate completion of these new homes now that we have a UK Labour Government that prioritises the need for house building? And, specifically in Islwyn, what financial support is the Welsh Government giving to Caerphilly County Borough Council to ensure that empty council houses are turned around faster and put back into housing people? And guidelines—. What does the Welsh Government set out for local authorities about the recommended time for converting void properties into occupied homes?
Diolch. Ym mis Chwefror 2025, adroddodd y Caerphilly Observer fod 6,420 o bobl ar restr aros Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili am dai ar ddiwedd 2024, gyda 3 y cant o eiddo'r awdurdod lleol yn wag, 346 o dai cyngor yn wag ar hyn o bryd, ac eiddo gwag yn wag ers 218 diwrnod ar gyfartaledd. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dweud ei bod yn disgwyl cyrraedd 93 y cant o'i hymrwymiad i adeiladu 20,000 o gartrefi carbon isel newydd i'w gosod ar rent yn y sector cymdeithasol mawr ei angen hwn erbyn mis Mawrth 2026. Felly, beth y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud i gyflymu cwblhau'r cartrefi newydd hyn gan fod gennym Lywodraeth Lafur yn y DU bellach sy'n blaenoriaethu'r angen i adeiladu tai? Ac yn benodol yn Islwyn, pa gymorth ariannol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei roi i Gyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili i sicrhau bod tai cyngor gwag yn cael eu troi o gwmpas yn gyflymach a'u rhoi'n ôl i gartrefu pobl? A chanllawiau—. Beth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i nodi i awdurdodau lleol ynglŷn â'r amser a argymhellir ar gyfer troi eiddo gwag yn gartrefi i fyw ynddynt?
Diolch, Rhianon. First of all, it's important to note that social housing waiting list figures are not measures of housing need. So, anyone can apply for social housing in multiple areas, including people who are currently living in secure housing. However, we have delivered the highest sustained delivery of social housing in Wales in nearly two decades, and I welcome the UK Government's ambition to boost social house building in England too, so that delivery partners have confidence in sustainable Government investment and policies across the sector in its tenures.
I'm really pleased to say that Caerphilly County Borough Council is already participating in the empty homes grant scheme, and it will be a beneficiary of the removal of the 10 per cent contribution that I mentioned. Tackling empty homes was part of the recent discussion at my local authority round-table in south-east Wales recently, and that included Caerphilly. I do welcome the work of the council's empty properties team, and was pleased to read that over 400 private long-term empty homes have been transformed back into use since 2021. And I'd just like to put on record my thanks to the local authority and to all those officers who are working so hard in the empty properties team to deliver that.
Diolch, Rhianon. Yn gyntaf oll, mae'n bwysig nodi nad yw ffigurau rhestrau aros am dai cymdeithasol yn fesur o angen tai. Gall unrhyw un wneud cais am dai cymdeithasol mewn sawl ardal, gan gynnwys pobl sy'n byw mewn tai sicr ar hyn o bryd. Fodd bynnag, rydym wedi cyflawni'r cyflenwad parhaus uchaf o dai cymdeithasol yng Nghymru ers bron i ddau ddegawd, ac rwy'n croesawu uchelgais Llywodraeth y DU i roi hwb i adeiladu tai cymdeithasol yn Lloegr hefyd, fel bod gan bartneriaid cyflenwi hyder ym muddsoddiad a pholisïau cynaliadwy y Llywodraeth ar draws y sector yn ei wahanol fathau o ddeiliadaeth.
Rwy'n falch iawn o ddweud bod Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili eisoes yn cymryd rhan yn y cynllun grant cartrefi gwag, a bydd yn elwa o gael gwared ar y cyfraniad o 10 y cant y soniais amdano. Roedd mynd i'r afael â chartrefi gwag yn rhan o'r drafodaeth ddiweddar ym mord gron fy awdurdod lleol yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru yn ddiweddar, ac roedd hynny'n cynnwys Caerffili. Rwy'n croesawu gwaith tîm eiddo gwag y cyngor, ac roeddwn yn falch o ddarllen bod dros 400 o gartrefi preifat gwag yn hirdymor wedi eu haddasu i'w hailddefnyddio ers 2021. A hoffwn gofnodi fy niolch i'r awdurdod lleol ac i'r holl swyddogion sy'n gweithio mor galed yn y tîm eiddo gwag i gyflawni hynny.
7. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddatganiad ar setliad arfaethedig Llywodraeth Cymru i lywodraeth leol? OQ63576
7. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's proposed local government settlement? OQ63576
Diolch, Natasha. I published the provisional local government settlement on 24 November. Yesterday, we announced the budget agreement with Plaid Cymru, allocating a further £112.8 million to local authorities. I expect to publish the final local government settlement on 20 January.
Diolch, Natasha. Cyhoeddais y setliad dros dro i lywodraeth leol ar 24 Tachwedd. Ddoe, fe wnaethom gyhoeddi cytundeb y gyllideb gyda Phlaid Cymru, gan ddyrannu £112.8 miliwn arall i awdurdodau lleol. Rwy'n disgwyl cyhoeddi'r setliad terfynol i lywodraeth leol ar 20 Ionawr.
Thanks for your response, Cabinet Secretary. Newport City Council is set to receive a bigger uplift in funding than any other local authority in Wales under the Government's draft settlement. The proposed 4.3 per cent rise in funding will provide the city council with an extra £14.3 million, taking the total financial package to some £350 million in total—although, now, that amount is expected to be even higher, with Plaid Cymru yet again jumping into bed with Labour to help pass the budget. We have seen similar rises in funding for Newport over the last few years, yet my constituents are still being hammered with excessive council tax rises. Bills jumped by 6.7 per cent last year and 8.5 per cent the year before, Cabinet Secretary, whilst at the same time services on offer to residents simultaneously decreased. Now, we know Labour politicians, whether that be in the Senedd, or indeed local authorities, have a penchant for wasting taxpayers' money. So, how is the Welsh Government going to ensure that this extra funding is pumped into those areas where it's most needed, like investing in front-line services, and not simply wasted or stashed away in council reserves for a rainy day? And do you, Cabinet Secretary, agree with me and the Welsh Conservatives that, if Newport City Council tries once again to significantly increase council tax, the authority should hold a local referendum to let the public decide, once and for all, what should actually happen? Thank you.
Diolch am eich ymateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Mae disgwyl i Gyngor Dinas Casnewydd dderbyn mwy o gynnydd i'w gyllid nag unrhyw awdurdod lleol arall yng Nghymru o dan setliad drafft y Llywodraeth. Bydd y cynnydd arfaethedig o 4.3 y cant mewn cyllid yn rhoi £14.3 miliwn ychwanegol i gyngor y ddinas, gan godi cyfanswm y pecyn ariannol i oddeutu £350 miliwn i gyd—er bod disgwyl i'r swm hwnnw fod hyd yn oed yn uwch nawr, gyda Phlaid Cymru unwaith eto'n neidio i'r gwely gyda Llafur i helpu i basio'r gyllideb. Rydym wedi gweld cynnydd tebyg mewn cyllid i Gasnewydd dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, ond mae fy etholwyr yn dal i gael eu taro gan gynnydd gormodol yn y dreth gyngor. Cododd y biliau 6.7 y cant y llynedd ac 8.5 y cant y flwyddyn cyn hynny, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ac ar yr un pryd crebachodd y gwasanaethau a gynigir i drigolion. Nawr, gwyddom fod gan wleidyddion Llafur, yn y Senedd, neu yn yr awdurdodau lleol, duedd i wastraffu arian trethdalwyr. Felly, sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd i sicrhau bod y cyllid ychwanegol hwn yn cael ei bwmpio i mewn i'r meysydd lle mae ei angen fwyaf, fel buddsoddi mewn gwasanaethau rheng flaen, ac nid cael ei wastraffu neu ei gelcio yng nghronfeydd wrth gefn y cyngor ar gyfer diwrnod glawog? Ac a ydych chi, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yn cytuno â mi a'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, os bydd Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd yn ceisio cynyddu'r dreth gyngor yn sylweddol unwaith eto, y dylai'r awdurdod gynnal refferendwm lleol i adael i'r cyhoedd benderfynu, unwaith ac am byth, beth ddylai ddigwydd mewn gwirionedd? Diolch.
Thank you, Natasha. No, I do not believe that local referendums of that kind are appropriate. I do think that, when we're talking about the budget deal that was done with Plaid Cymru and that was announced yesterday, it really is about finding common ground on shared priorities for Welsh public services. That was the message that the First Minister gave and the Cabinet Secretary for finance. We know what was at stake and that the door was open for discussions, and I think that finding those shared common grounds for shared priorities for Welsh public services is absolutely crucial, and that's what has been delivered through this agreement. And let's be clear that the winners here are the public services and citizens who rely on and use public services. This agreement provides stability and certainty for our public services and a way forward for a budget. So, I think that is something that needs to be recognised. All councils will receive increases above 4 per cent, and that's a substantial real-terms increase, which will help to protect public services across Wales. And I'd also like to say that there are things within the budget that were beneficial from last year's budget in our agreement with the Liberal Democrat leader, Jane Dodds—things that are ongoing commitments, such as £30 million to expand childcare for two-year-olds. So, that's really important as well.
I think, in terms of the funding allocation, you'll know that it is done on a funding formula. That is how the funding is allocated to local authorities. The biggest drivers of that are sparsity, deprivation and population, and there are a number of figures that go into that make-up. I think that local authorities work incredibly hard to deliver these public services that we see and that we rely on, and sometimes there are services that we don't see that are under huge pressure, such as social care and education, and I know, from this budget agreement, that that will help to provide local authorities that certainty. And I'm sure that you would want to also congratulate Newport City Council on the work that they do, and they're working so hard. We're seeing so many potholes being covered over and lots of roads being now fixed, because that's what people want to see. And I think the local authority and the leadership at Newport City Council are doing an incredible job.
Diolch, Natasha. Na, nid wyf yn credu bod refferenda lleol o'r math hwnnw'n briodol. Pan fyddwn yn siarad am gytundeb y gyllideb a wnaed gyda Phlaid Cymru ac a gyhoeddwyd ddoe, mae'n ymwneud â dod o hyd i dir cyffredin ar flaenoriaethau a rennir ar gyfer gwasanaethau cyhoeddus Cymru. Dyna oedd y neges a roddodd y Prif Weinidog ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid. Rydym yn gwybod beth oedd yn y fantol a bod y drws ar agor ar gyfer trafodaethau, ac rwy'n credu bod dod o hyd i'r seiliau cyffredin hynny i flaenoriaethau a rennir ar gyfer gwasanaethau cyhoeddus Cymru yn hollbwysig, a dyna a gyflawnwyd drwy'r cytundeb hwn. A gadewch inni fod yn glir mai'r enillwyr yma yw'r gwasanaethau cyhoeddus a'r dinasyddion sy'n dibynnu ar wasanaethau cyhoeddus ac yn eu defnyddio. Mae'r cytundeb hwn yn darparu sefydlogrwydd a sicrwydd i'n gwasanaethau cyhoeddus a ffordd ymlaen i gyllideb. Felly, rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth sydd angen ei gydnabod. Bydd pob cyngor yn derbyn cynnydd dros 4 y cant, ac mae hwnnw'n gynnydd sylweddol mewn termau real, a fydd yn helpu i ddiogelu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus ledled Cymru. A hoffwn ddweud hefyd fod yna bethau o fewn y gyllideb a oedd yn fuddiol o gyllideb y llynedd yn ein cytundeb ag arweinydd y Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol, Jane Dodds—pethau sy'n ymrwymiadau parhaus, fel £30 miliwn i ymestyn gofal plant i blant dwy oed. Felly, mae hynny'n bwysig iawn hefyd.
O ran y dyraniad cyllid, fe fyddwch chi'n gwybod ei fod yn cael ei wneud yn ôl fformiwla ariannu. Dyna sut y mae'r cyllid yn cael ei ddyrannu i awdurdodau lleol. Yr hyn sy'n gyrru hynny'n bennaf yw teneurwydd poblogaeth, amddifadedd a phoblogaeth, ac mae yna nifer o ffigurau sy'n mynd i mewn i hynny. Rwy'n credu bod awdurdodau lleol yn gweithio'n anhygoel o galed i ddarparu'r gwasanaethau cyhoeddus a welwn ac y dibynnwn arnynt, ac mae yna wasanaethau weithiau nad ydym yn eu gweld sydd o dan bwysau enfawr, fel gofal cymdeithasol ac addysg, ac rwy'n gwybod, o gytundeb y gyllideb, y bydd hynny'n helpu i ddarparu sicrwydd i awdurdodau lleol. Ac rwy'n siŵr y byddech chi hefyd eisiau llongyfarch Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd ar y gwaith a wnânt, ac maent yn gweithio mor galed. Rydym yn gweld cymaint o dyllau'n cael eu llenwi a llawer o ffyrdd yn cael eu trwsio nawr, am mai dyna beth y mae pobl eisiau ei weld. Ac rwy'n credu bod yr awdurdod lleol a'r arweinyddiaeth yng Nghyngor Dinas Casnewydd yn gwneud gwaith anhygoel.
8. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddatganiad am y cymorth ariannol a ddarperir gan Lywodraeth Cymru i Gyngor Sir Powys? OQ63574
8. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the financial support provided by the Welsh Government to Powys County Council? OQ63574
Thank you, Russell. The local government settlement for Powys County Council for the current year is £251 million. This increases to £268 million in the 2026-27 provisional settlement for 2026-27, on the basis of the budget agreement with Plaid Cymru yesterday—an increase of 4.2 per cent on a like-for-like basis.
Diolch, Russell. Y setliad llywodraeth leol i Gyngor Sir Powys ar gyfer y flwyddyn gyfredol yw £251 miliwn. Mae'n cynyddu i £268 miliwn yn setliad dros dro 2026-27 ar gyfer 2026-27, ar sail cytundeb y gyllideb gyda Phlaid Cymru ddoe— cynnydd o 4.2 y cant ar sail gyfatebol.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for confirming that. I just wanted to understand whether this additional funding as a result of the budget deal that you mentioned is a funding floor, because I've also noticed that, in the wording that's used, the additional funding is described as unhypothecated additional funding as opposed to a funding floor, which is language that would have been used in the past. Can you explain the difference and, if there is a change in language, what the differences are, please?
Diolch am gadarnhau hynny, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Roeddwn eisiau deall a yw'r cyllid ychwanegol hwn o ganlyniad i gytundeb y gyllideb y sonioch chi amdano yn gyllid gwaelodol, oherwydd rwyf i hefyd wedi sylwi yn y geiriad a ddefnyddir fod y cyllid ychwanegol yn cael ei ddisgrifio fel cyllid ychwanegol heb ei neilltuo yn hytrach na chyllid gwaelodol, sy'n iaith a fyddai wedi cael ei defnyddio yn y gorffennol. A allwch chi esbonio'r gwahaniaeth ac os oes newid yn yr iaith, beth yw'r gwahaniaethau os gwelwch yn dda?
Diolch, Russell. Again, we're very pleased that Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru have reached the agreement that will allow the budget for 2026-27 to pass, and secures almost £300 million of additional investment into Wales's public services, which is something that is really important and particularly puts a lot of people's concerns ahead of Christmas—it allays those fears. So, in terms of the impacted distribution across Wales and funding floors, the overall settlement uplift is now 4.5 per cent, with a range of 4.1 per cent to 6.1 per cent, and the difference between the Welsh average and the lowest increase is 0.4 percentage points. I'm very happy to write with further information if you would like me to do so, Russell.
Diolch, Russell. Unwaith eto, rydym yn falch iawn fod Llywodraeth Cymru a Phlaid Cymru wedi ymrwymo i gytundeb a fydd yn caniatáu i'r gyllideb ar gyfer 2026-27 basio, un sy'n sicrhau bron i £300 miliwn o fuddsoddiad ychwanegol i wasanaethau cyhoeddus Cymru, sy'n rhywbeth sy'n wirioneddol bwysig ac yn fwyaf arbennig, yn lleddfu pryderon llawer o bobl cyn y Nadolig. Felly, o ran y dosbarthiad yr effeithir arno ar draws Cymru a'r cyllid gwaelodol, mae'r cynnydd cyffredinol i setliadau bellach yn 4.5 y cant, gydag ystod o 4.1 y cant i 6.1 y cant, a'r gwahaniaeth rhwng cyfartaledd Cymru a'r cynnydd isaf yn 0.4 pwynt canran. Rwy'n hapus iawn i ysgrifennu gyda rhagor o wybodaeth os hoffech i mi wneud hynny, Russell.
Cwestiwn 9, yn olaf, Samuel Kurtz.
Finally, question 9, Samuel Kurtz.
9. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi adeiladu tai yng Ngorllewin Caerfyrddin a De Sir Benfro? OQ63568
9. How is the Welsh Government supporting housebuilding in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OQ63568
We have various schemes to support house building, including the Wales residential property fund, which is expected to invest over £0.75 billion in its lifetime. This scheme has already supported almost 200 developments, equating to over 2,100 homes since its inception. This includes £42.1 million for 285 homes in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.
Mae gennym gynlluniau amrywiol i gefnogi adeiladu tai, gan gynnwys cronfa eiddo preswyl Cymru, y disgwylir iddi fuddsoddi dros £0.75 biliwn yn ystod ei hoes. Mae'r cynllun hwn eisoes wedi cefnogi bron i 200 o ddatblygiadau, sy'n cyfateb i dros 2,100 o gartrefi ers ei sefydlu. Mae hyn yn cynnwys £42.1 miliwn ar gyfer 285 o gartrefi yn sir Gaerfyrddin a sir Benfro.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. The problem is that, for the last six months, there have been no homes built in the majority of Pembrokeshire because of guidance issued by Natural Resources Wales putting a moratorium on house building due to the marine special area of conservation in the sea around Pembrokeshire. I know of businesses, house-building firms, that are laying off staff, architects who are laying off staff, because they can't build properties in most of Pembrokeshire. Please, what on earth is going on? We've got a housing shortage in this country, yet this Government, through it's arm's-length agency, NRW, are saying that you can't build any houses in the majority of Pembrokeshire. How on earth is that going to help the housing crisis?
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Y broblem yw, dros y chwe mis diwethaf, nid oes unrhyw gartrefi wedi'u hadeiladu yn y rhan fwyaf o sir Benfro oherwydd canllawiau a gyhoeddwyd gan Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru yn rhoi moratoriwm ar adeiladu tai oherwydd yr ardal cadwraeth arbennig forol yn y môr o amgylch sir Benfro. Rwy'n gwybod am fusnesau, cwmnïau adeiladu tai, sy'n diswyddo staff, penseiri sy'n diswyddo staff, am na chânt adeiladu eiddo yn y rhan fwyaf o sir Benfro. Beth ar y ddaear sy'n digwydd? Mae gennym brinder tai yn y wlad hon, ond mae'r Llywodraeth hon, drwy ei hasiantaeth hyd braich, CNC, yn dweud na chewch chi adeiladu unrhyw dai yn y rhan fwyaf o sir Benfro. Sut ar y ddaear y mae hynny'n mynd i helpu'r argyfwng tai?
Diolch, Sam. Cabinet colleagues and I are giving this issue our utmost attention, the issue around nitrates. We are exploring all solutions with the greatest of urgency. We're providing additional support to affected areas, including over £500,000 to the west Wales nutrient management board, and funding of up to £1.5 million over three years to support local authorities to tackle nutrient issues. We've also expedited the delivery of essential tools and guidance, including the nutrient calculator, expert-led guidance and a handbook for local planning authorities. And, as an example, work is under way to assess the nutrient load for Maes Slade, as well as potential on and off-site mitigation options, to ensure that development can meet the nutrient neutrality requirements.
We do have a taskforce that was set up by the First Minister, and that is continuing to meet. We also have a meeting that I chair with Cabinet colleagues and local authorities who are all involved in that discussion around how we can take particular issues forward as quickly as possible. I very much appreciate that this is in the forefront of your mind, and it's in the forefront of mine as well. I want to see more houses built, and that's why we're committed to focusing on this issue, working with our partners to unlock some of these problems. It's not a simple solution, but we continue to focus on it.
Diolch, Sam. Mae cyd-aelodau Cabinet a minnau yn rhoi ein sylw mwyaf i'r mater hwn, y mater sy'n ymwneud â nitradau. Rydym yn archwilio'r holl atebion gyda'r brys mwyaf. Rydym yn darparu cymorth ychwanegol i'r ardaloedd yr effeithir arnynt, gan gynnwys dros £500,000 i fwrdd rheoli maethynnau gorllewin Cymru, a chyllid o hyd at £1.5 miliwn dros dair blynedd i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol i fynd i'r afael â phroblemau gyda maethynnau. Rydym hefyd wedi cyflymu'r broses o ddarparu offer a chanllawiau hanfodol, gan gynnwys yr adnodd cyfrifo maethynnau, canllawiau dan arweiniad arbenigwyr a llawlyfr ar gyfer awdurdodau cynllunio lleol. Ac er enghraifft, mae gwaith ar y gweill i asesu'r llwyth maethynnau ar gyfer Maes Slade, yn ogystal ag opsiynau lliniaru posib ar y safle ac oddi ar y safle, i sicrhau bod gwaith datblygu'n gallu bodloni'r gofynion niwtraliaeth maethynnau.
Mae gennym dasglu a sefydlwyd gan y Prif Weinidog, ac mae hwnnw'n parhau i gyfarfod. Mae gennym hefyd gyfarfod yr wyf yn ei gadeirio gyda chyd-aelodau Cabinet ac awdurdodau lleol sydd oll yn rhan o'r drafodaeth ynglŷn â sut y gallwn fynd i'r afael â materion penodol cyn gynted â phosib. Rwy'n sylweddoli bod hyn ar flaen eich meddwl, ac mae ar flaen fy meddwl innau hefyd. Rwyf am weld mwy o dai'n cael eu hadeiladu, a dyna pam ein bod wedi ymrwymo i ganolbwyntio ar y mater hwn, gan weithio gyda'n partneriaid i ddatrys rhai o'r problemau hyn. Nid yw'r ateb yn syml, ond rydym yn parhau i ganolbwyntio arno.
Diolch i'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet.
I thank the Cabinet Secretary.
Cwestiynau i'r Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg sydd nesaf, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf y prynhawn yma gan Mike Hedges.
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education are next, and the first question this afternoon is from Mike Hedges.
Sorry, I was waiting for her to get there.
Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, roeddwn i'n aros iddi gyrraedd yno.
1. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am y ddarpariaeth athrawon cyflenwi? OQ63551
1. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on the provision of supply teachers? OQ63551
Supply teachers are an essential part of the workforce. We are committed to developing a sustainable model for covering teacher absence and will outline our next steps as part of the strategic education workforce plan to ensure a considered and co-ordinated approach across workforce issues.
Mae athrawon cyflenwi yn rhan hanfodol o'r gweithlu. Rydym wedi ymrwymo i ddatblygu model cynaliadwy ar gyfer ymdopi ag absenoldeb athrawon a byddwn yn amlinellu ein camau nesaf fel rhan o'r cynllun gweithlu addysg strategol i sicrhau dull ystyriol a chydgysylltiedig o weithredu ar draws materion y gweithlu.
Can I thank you for that answer? I believe in the direct provision of services by public bodies such as councils. Most supply teachers in Wales are employed through agencies. Supply teachers provide vital continuity when a teacher is absent and should be rewarded in terms and conditions, including the teachers' pension scheme. They're working hard to teach children, often at very short notice and with minimum time to prepare, and often using notes that have been created by another teacher.
I was disappointed with the closing of the work by the Welsh Government on the national supply pool for Wales. Will the Welsh Government consider discussing with local government the provision of council-run teacher supply services as opposed to the agency model? The agency model may well work for councils, it may well work for supply agencies, but I can tell you now that it doesn't work for supply teachers.
Diolch i chi am eich ateb. Rwy'n credu y dylai cyrff cyhoeddus fel cynghorau ddarparu gwasanaethau'n uniongyrchol. Mae'r rhan fwyaf o athrawon cyflenwi yng Nghymru yn cael eu cyflogi drwy asiantaethau. Mae athrawon cyflenwi yn darparu parhad allweddol pan fydd athro'n absennol a dylid eu gwobrwyo mewn telerau ac amodau, gan gynnwys y cynllun pensiwn i athrawon. Maent yn gweithio'n galed i addysgu plant, yn aml ar fyr rybudd a heb fawr o amser i baratoi, ac yn aml yn defnyddio nodiadau sydd wedi'u creu gan athro arall.
Roeddwn i'n siomedig fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi'r gorau i waith ar y gronfa gyflenwi genedlaethol i Gymru. A wnaiff Llywodraeth Cymru ystyried trafod, gyda llywodraeth leol, darpariaeth o wasanaethau cyflenwi athrawon wedi'i rhedeg gan gynghorau yn hytrach na'r model asiantaeth? Efallai fod y model asiantaeth yn gweithio i gynghorau, efallai ei fod yn gweithio i asiantaethau cyflenwi, ond gallaf ddweud wrthych nawr nad yw'n gweithio i athrawon cyflenwi.
Thank you very much, Mike, and I know you have had a long-standing interest in standing up for supply teachers. As you've highlighted, we did try to create a national supply pool as an alternative method to engaging staff, but unfortunately the different approaches to sourcing supply staff across different local authorities did present significant challenges in adopting a national approach, and obviously they've got the freedom to source staff as they see fit, and it became clear that the supply pool would not deliver the intended benefits on a national basis.
There are additional administration costs to set up and run local supply pools, which many local authorities have told us they cannot afford. However, with local authorities currently spending approximately £160 million on supply staff to cover teacher absence, I think there should be opportunities to explore alternative models. So, we've been continuing to develop a set of actions on supply as part of our workforce plan. I think it's unlikely that one solution will work everywhere, but I want to make sure it's easier for schools and local authorities to follow the practice that is right for them.
In the past, Welsh Government has supported local authorities to pilot a supply cluster model and the evidence we had was that this was largely successful. However, again, it was not something local authorities continued beyond the pilot. We are intending to work with local authorities to build on the supply cluster pilot, and we're also taking a range of other steps to tackle these issues, to take account of the issues in different parts of Wales.
Diolch yn fawr, Mike, ac rwy'n gwybod eich bod chi wedi bod â diddordeb ers amser maith mewn cefnogi athrawon cyflenwi. Fel y nodoch chi, fe wnaethom geisio creu cronfa gyflenwi genedlaethol fel dull amgen i ymgysylltu â staff, ond yn anffodus roedd y gwahanol ddulliau o ddod o hyd i staff cyflenwi ar draws y gwahanol awdurdodau lleol yn creu heriau sylweddol i allu mabwysiadu dull cenedlaethol, ac yn amlwg mae rhyddid iddynt ddod o hyd i staff fel y gwelant yn dda, a daeth yn amlwg na fyddai'r gronfa gyflenwi yn darparu'r manteision a fwriadwyd ar sail genedlaethol.
Mae costau gweinyddol ychwanegol i sefydlu a rhedeg cronfeydd cyflenwi lleol, ac mae llawer o awdurdodau lleol wedi dweud wrthym na allant eu fforddio. Fodd bynnag, gydag awdurdodau lleol ar hyn o bryd yn gwario tua £160 miliwn ar staff cyflenwi i dalu am absenoldeb athrawon, credaf y dylai fod cyfleoedd i archwilio modelau amgen. Felly, rydym wedi bod yn parhau i ddatblygu set o gamau gweithredu ar gyflenwi fel rhan o'n cynllun ar gyfer y gweithlu. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn annhebygol y bydd un ateb yn gweithio ym mhobman, ond rwyf am wneud yn siŵr ei bod yn haws i ysgolion ac awdurdodau lleol wneud yr hyn sy'n iawn iddynt hwy.
Yn y gorffennol, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cefnogi awdurdodau lleol i dreialu model clwstwr ar gyfer cyflenwi a'r dystiolaeth oedd bod hyn yn llwyddiannus i raddau helaeth. Fodd bynnag, unwaith eto, nid oedd yn rhywbeth y parhaodd awdurdodau lleol i'w wneud y tu hwnt i'r cynllun peilot. Rydym yn bwriadu gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol i adeiladu ar gynllun peilot y clwstwr cyflenwi, ac rydym hefyd yn rhoi ystod o gamau eraill ar waith i fynd i'r afael â'r materion hyn, i ystyried y pethau sy'n codi mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru.
I will get there. I've taken an interest in the end of the meeting and lost sight of the current part of the meeting. Sam Rowlands.
Fe gyrhaeddaf yno. Rwyf wedi rhoi fy sylw ar ddiwedd y cyfarfod ac wedi colli golwg ar y rhan bresennol o'r cyfarfod. Sam Rowlands.
Diolch, Llywydd. Mike Hedges is absolutely right to raise this issue, Cabinet Secretary. As you pointed out, the cost to local authorities at the moment is about £160 million a year to pay for those supply teachers and teaching assistants. My understanding is that the agency element of that is over £100 million, directly to those agencies, but I also understand that the Welsh Government does not have a clear tracking mechanism for that cost and that spend. So, I'm interested to know, with your desire, rightfully, to seek value for money in this area, how you are going to track that improvement in value for money if Welsh Government do not have a regular reporting pattern for agency spend for supply teachers.
Diolch, Lywydd. Mae Mike Hedges yn gwbl gywir i godi'r mater hwn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Fel y nodoch chi, y gost i awdurdodau lleol ar hyn o bryd yw tua £160 miliwn y flwyddyn i dalu am athrawon cyflenwi a chynorthwywyr addysgu sy'n cyflenwi. Fy nealltwriaeth i yw bod yr elfen asiantaeth o hynny dros £100 miliwn, yn uniongyrchol i'r asiantaethau hynny, ond rwy'n deall hefyd nad oes gan Lywodraeth Cymru fecanwaith olrhain clir ar gyfer y gost honno a'r gwariant hwnnw. Felly, hoffwn wybod, gyda'ch dymuniad chi, yn briodol ddigon, i anelu am werth am arian yn y maes hwn, sut rydych chi'n mynd i olrhain y gwelliant mewn gwerth am arian os nad oes gan Lywodraeth Cymru batrwm adrodd rheolaidd ar gyfer gwariant ar athrawon cyflenwi o asiantaethau.
Thank you, Sam. Obviously, value for money is really important. I don't know where you have had that figure from, about £100 million of that £160 million being to agencies. My information is that it's around—and obviously it varies with different agencies—16 per cent goes to the agencies, so most of the money is going to pay for people who are teaching our children. Obviously, the agencies do also have costs that they have to cover as part of the work they're doing—checks and payroll and things like that.
I think it's also important to recognise that we have a supply work framework in Wales that is in line with our good work practices, and 98 per cent of supply staff in Wales are sourced through that framework. It is the case that we don't have enough detailed tracking information, and one of the things that we're doing as part of our work on recruitment and retention—. Because, obviously, ideally, we want to make sure that more of our permanent teachers are in classrooms, but one of the things we're doing is working with local authorities to get that more granular information. We're looking at things like exit interviews and things like that, so we definitely need to get better data. This is a priority area in the workforce plan, I'm aware it's also something the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee is looking at, and we're taking forward work as part of our pay partnership forum on it as well.
It is complicated, and I was really disappointed that we couldn't get the national supply pool to work. I was very grateful to Ynys Môn for the work that they did on that, but given that local authorities can exercise the choice under local management of schools as to how they source supply teachers, we couldn't actually ensure that they all engaged with it. So, we're trying now different approaches, and we've got a set of actions that we're taking forward.
Diolch, Sam. Yn amlwg, mae gwerth am arian yn bwysig iawn. Nid wyf yn gwybod o ble y cawsoch chi'r ffigur hwnnw, tua £100 miliwn o'r £160 miliwn i asiantaethau. Fy ngwybodaeth i yw ei fod o gwmpas—ac yn amlwg mae'n amrywio gyda gwahanol asiantaethau—mae 16 y cant yn mynd i'r asiantaethau, felly mae'r rhan fwyaf o'r arian yn mynd i dalu am bobl sy'n addysgu ein plant. Yn amlwg, mae gan yr asiantaethau hefyd gostau y mae'n rhaid iddynt eu talu yn rhan o'r gwaith a wnânt—gwiriadau a chyflogres a phethau felly.
Rwy'n credu ei bod hefyd yn bwysig cydnabod bod gennym fframwaith gwaith cyflenwi yng Nghymru sy'n cyd-fynd â'n harferion gwaith da, a deuir o hyd i 98 y cant o'r staff cyflenwi yng Nghymru drwy'r fframwaith hwnnw. Mae'n wir nad oes gennym ddigon o wybodaeth olrhain fanwl, ac un o'r pethau a wnawn yn rhan o'n gwaith ar recriwtio a chadw—. Oherwydd, yn amlwg, yn ddelfrydol, rydym eisiau gwneud yn siŵr fod mwy o'n hathrawon parhaol mewn ystafelloedd dosbarth, ond un o'r pethau a wnawn yw gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol i gael gwybodaeth fwy gronynnog. Rydym yn edrych ar bethau fel cyfweliadau ymadael a phethau o'r fath, felly'n sicr, mae angen inni gael data gwell. Mae hwn yn faes blaenoriaeth yng nghynllun y gweithlu, rwy'n ymwybodol ei fod hefyd yn rhywbeth y mae'r Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus a Gweinyddiaeth Gyhoeddus yn edrych arno, ac rydym yn bwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith yn rhan o'n fforwm partneriaeth cyflogau arno hefyd.
Mae'n gymhleth, ac roeddwn i'n siomedig iawn na allwn gael y gronfa gyflenwi genedlaethol i weithio. Roeddwn i'n ddiolchgar iawn i Ynys Môn am y gwaith a wnaethant arni, ond o ystyried y gall awdurdodau lleol arfer dewis o dan reolaeth leol ysgolion o ran y ffordd y dônt o hyd i athrawon cyflenwi, ni allem sicrhau y byddai gan bob un ddiddordeb mewn cronfa o'r fath. Felly, rydym yn rhoi cynnig ar wahanol ddulliau nawr, ac mae gennym set o gamau gweithredu yr ydym yn eu datblygu.
2. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i wella'r ffordd o addysgu ieithoedd modern mewn ysgolion? OQ63559
2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve the teaching of modern languages in schools? OQ63559
We've invested a further £1.6 million in international languages, and our Global Futures programme continues to support schools’ delivery of languages.
Rydym wedi buddsoddi £1.6 miliwn arall mewn ieithoedd rhyngwladol, ac mae ein rhaglen Dyfodol Byd-eang yn parhau i gefnogi ysgolion i gyflwyno ieithoedd.
Thank you. A recent report from the Higher Education Policy Institute has highlighted a big drop in formal language learning. This is a major concern, but one way this decline can be reversed is to teach modern languages that are appealing to the younger generation, such as Spanish and Mandarin. I recently visited All Saints Primary School in Gresford in my constituency, who are incredibly proud of their international offering. The school's outward-looking approach aims to equip pupils and staff with the skills, knowledge and cultural awareness necessary to thrive in an interconnected world, and, through collaboration, some of the school students are learning Mandarin. They linked up with pen pals and, after securing some Taith funding, a group of year 6 pupils were fortunate enough to travel to Singapore, where they were able to put their new Mandarin skills to the test. Cabinet Secretary, I would like to invite you to visit the school, I'm sure you'd be very impressed with everyone's efforts there, but, in the meantime, I wonder what could be done to ensure this best practice is shared right across Wales.
Diolch. Mae adroddiad diweddar gan y Sefydliad Polisi Addysg Uwch wedi tynnu sylw at ostyngiad mawr mewn dysgu ieithoedd ffurfiol. Mae hyn yn bryder mawr, ond un ffordd y gellir gwrthdroi'r dirywiad yw addysgu ieithoedd modern sy'n apelio at y genhedlaeth iau, fel Sbaeneg a Mandarin. Yn ddiweddar, ymwelais ag Ysgol Gynradd yr Holl Saint yng Ngresffordd yn fy etholaeth i, sy'n hynod falch o'u cynnig rhyngwladol. Nod dull eangfrydig yr ysgol o weithredu yw arfogi disgyblion a staff gyda'r sgiliau, yr wybodaeth a'r ymwybyddiaeth ddiwylliannol angenrheidiol i ffynnu mewn byd rhyng-gysylltiedig, a thrwy gydweithio, mae rhai o fyfyrwyr yr ysgol yn dysgu Mandarin. Fe wnaethant gysylltu â ffrindiau llythyru ac ar ôl sicrhau rhywfaint o gyllid Taith, roedd grŵp o ddisgyblion blwyddyn 6 yn ddigon ffodus i deithio i Singapore, lle gallent ymarfer eu sgiliau Mandarin newydd. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, hoffwn eich gwahodd i ymweld â'r ysgol, rwy'n siŵr y byddai ymdrechion pawb yno'n creu argraff arnoch, ond yn y cyfamser, tybed beth y gellid ei wneud i sicrhau bod yr arfer gorau hwn yn cael ei rannu ledled Cymru.
Thank you very much, Lesley. It's great that we're seeing this positive work in primary schools, including All Saints, and that's why we brought international languages into primary schools, and we're starting to see the benefits. I really commend All Saints' outward-looking approach and for introducing Mandarin. I actually met the head shortly before he went to Singapore with his year 6 pupils, and I just thought, 'What a phenomenal opportunity', because I'd never been abroad before I went to university, and these kids were going off to Singapore, so an amazing opportunity.
The Curriculum for Wales does place languages in a much more central role in primary, which is really important, and we've added to that, then, with our additional investment, as I said, of £1.6 million, including extra professional learning via the Stephen Spender Trust. But I will ask officials to look at how All Saints can help inform and inspire other schools, because it's really important that we share that good practice. I'd be very happy to visit the school to hear some of their Mandarin and also to hear how their trip to Singapore went.
Diolch yn fawr, Lesley. Mae'n wych ein bod ni'n gweld y gwaith cadarnhaol hwn mewn ysgolion cynradd, gan gynnwys yr Holl Saint, a dyna pam y gwnaethom ddod ag ieithoedd rhyngwladol i mewn i ysgolion cynradd, ac rydym yn dechrau gweld y manteision. Rwy'n canmol ymagwedd eangfrydig yr Holl Saint ac am gyflwyno Mandarin. Fe gyfarfûm â'r pennaeth ychydig cyn iddo fynd i Singapore gyda'i ddisgyblion blwyddyn 6, ac roeddwn i'n meddwl, 'Am gyfle ardderchog', gan nad oeddwn i erioed wedi bod dramor cyn i mi fynd i'r brifysgol, ac roedd y plant hyn yn mynd i Singapore, felly cyfle anhygoel.
Mae'r Cwricwlwm i Gymru yn rhoi rôl lawer mwy canolog i ieithoedd yn yr ysgol gynradd, sy'n bwysig iawn, ac rydym wedi ychwanegu at hynny gyda'n buddsoddiad ychwanegol o £1.6 miliwn, fel y dywedais, gan gynnwys dysgu proffesiynol ychwanegol drwy Ymddiriedolaeth Stephen Spender. Ond byddaf yn gofyn i swyddogion edrych ar sut y gall yr Holl Saint helpu i lywio ac ysbrydoli ysgolion eraill, oherwydd mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn rhannu'r arfer da hwnnw. Buaswn yn hapus iawn i ymweld â'r ysgol i glywed peth o'u Mandarin, a hefyd i glywed sut aeth eu taith i Singapore.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Natasha Asghar.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. Welsh Conservative spokesperson, Natasha Asghar.
Thank you so much, Presiding Officer. Minister, you recently provided us with a statement on the future of tertiary education in Wales, and I heard plenty of warm words about the Welsh Government's achievements, but a little less about immediate action. Instead, you've set up a ministerial advisory group, so I'm slightly at a loss here as to what decisions this group is actually going to make, and which will actually translate into decisive decisions, or even when, in fact. Also, Minister, we heard last week in evidence to the UK Parliament's education committee that 50 higher education providers are at risk of exiting the market in England within the next two to three years. This suggests that the situation is at crisis point.
So, Minister, have any institutions here in Wales been identified as being in a similar position, or have any institutions flagged concerns with the Welsh Government to date? Can we also have an update on the outcome of the first ministerial advisory group meeting of higher education institutions, specifically regarding this urgency around their financial stability? That would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Weinidog, yn ddiweddar fe wnaethoch chi roi datganiad i ni ar ddyfodol addysg drydyddol yng Nghymru, a chlywais lawer o eiriau cynnes am gyflawniadau Llywodraeth Cymru, ond ychydig llai am weithredu ar unwaith. Yn hytrach, rydych chi wedi sefydlu grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog, felly mae'n peri ychydig o benbleth i mi pa benderfyniadau y mae'r grŵp hwn yn mynd i'w gwneud mewn gwirionedd, a pha rai fydd yn troi'n benderfyniadau pendant, a phryd. Hefyd, Weinidog, fe glywsom yr wythnos diwethaf mewn tystiolaeth i bwyllgor addysg Senedd y DU fod 50 o ddarparwyr addysg uwch mewn perygl o adael y farchnad yn Lloegr o fewn y ddwy i dair blynedd nesaf. Mae hyn yn awgrymu bod y sefyllfa wedi cyrraedd pwynt o argyfwng.
Felly, Weinidog, a nodwyd bod unrhyw sefydliadau yma yng Nghymru mewn sefyllfa debyg, neu a oes unrhyw sefydliadau wedi tynnu sylw Llywodraeth Cymru at unrhyw bryderon hyd yma? A allwn ni hefyd gael diweddariad ar ganlyniad cyfarfod cyntaf grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog ar sefydliadau addysg uwch, yn benodol ynghylch eu sefydlogrwydd ariannol? Byddai hynny'n cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr. Diolch.
I'd like to thank Natasha Asghar for those questions. I'd be very pleased to provide more information about the ministerial advisory group. As you said, we recently had our first meeting. It was a very productive meeting. The group contained stakeholders from across the tertiary sector: higher education, further education, university unions—several trade unions, the students union as well, NUS Cymru. The objective of that group is to take a good, really hard look at the various challenges facing the sector, and to come up with some plans that we can implement in the medium and long term.
You'll be aware that we've opened a call for evidence, and that will be live shortly. That will inform the work that I undertake for the rest of this Government term. But also, crucially, I feel that there is a duty on any Minister at this point in a Government term to leave a blueprint for how that portfolio could be taken forward in the future. We know that there are huge changes facing the tertiary sector, and it's something that I would be proud to do—to leave that blueprint for whoever is the incoming Government.
You asked also there about the stability of the higher education sector here in Wales. You're right that it is a challenging time for universities across the UK. They are facing a range of issues, such as the impact of Brexit on our research budgets, the challenge in recruiting international students, and also inflationary pressures. I meet regularly with the vice-chancellors of institutions. I also meet regularly with Medr, which is responsible for monitoring financial risks in our universities and colleges. It reports to the Welsh Government regularly as part of its regular risk review process and monitoring of institutions. While we are fully aware of the challenges facing the sector, we don't believe that any Welsh institution is at immediate risk of failure. And as you'll be aware, I was able to allocate an additional £28.5 million to the sector over the course of the last financial year.
We have also taken the difficult decision to increase tuition fees, which is predicted to bring around an extra £20 million to the higher education sector here in Wales over the coming years. So, all of that will help, but it is important also, to go back to your initial question, that we continue to take that medium- and long-term look at financial sustainability through the work of the ministerial advisory group.
Hoffwn ddiolch i Natasha Asghar am ei chwestiynau. Rwy'n fwy na pharod i roi rhagor o wybodaeth am grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog. Fel y dywedoch chi, cawsom ein cyfarfod cyntaf yn ddiweddar. Roedd yn gyfarfod cynhyrchiol iawn. Roedd y grŵp yn cynnwys rhanddeiliaid o bob rhan o'r sector trydyddol: addysg uwch, addysg bellach, undebau prifysgolion—sawl undeb llafur, undeb y myfyrwyr hefyd, Undeb Cenedlaethol Myfyrwyr Cymru. Amcan y grŵp hwnnw yw edrych yn fanwl iawn ar yr heriau amrywiol sy'n wynebu'r sector, a llunio cynlluniau y gallwn eu rhoi ar waith yn y tymor canolig a'r tymor hir.
Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol ein bod wedi agor galwad am dystiolaeth, a bydd honno'n fyw cyn bo hir. Bydd hynny'n llywio'r gwaith a wnaf am weddill tymor y Llywodraeth hon. Ond hefyd, yn hollbwysig, rwy'n teimlo bod dyletswydd ar unrhyw Weinidog ar y pwynt hwn mewn tymor Llywodraeth i adael glasbrint ar gyfer sut y gellid bwrw ymlaen â'r portffolio hwnnw yn y dyfodol. Gwyddom fod newidiadau enfawr yn wynebu'r sector trydyddol, ac mae'n rhywbeth y buaswn yn falch o'i wneud—gadael y glasbrint hwnnw i bwy bynnag yw'r Llywodraeth newydd.
Fe ofynnoch chi hefyd ynglŷn â sefydlogrwydd y sector addysg uwch yma yng Nghymru. Rydych chi'n llygad eich lle ei bod yn gyfnod heriol i brifysgolion ledled y DU. Maent yn wynebu amrywiaeth o bethau, fel effaith Brexit ar ein cyllidebau ymchwil, yr her o recriwtio myfyrwyr rhyngwladol, a phwysau chwyddiant hefyd. Rwy'n cyfarfod yn rheolaidd ag is-gangellorion sefydliadau. Rwyf hefyd yn cyfarfod yn rheolaidd â Medr, sy'n gyfrifol am fonitro risgiau ariannol yn ein prifysgolion a'n colegau. Maent yn adrodd i Lywodraeth Cymru yn rheolaidd fel rhan o'u proses adolygu risg reolaidd a'u gwaith monitro sefydliadau. Er ein bod yn gwbl ymwybodol o'r heriau sy'n wynebu'r sector, nid ydym yn credu bod unrhyw sefydliad yng Nghymru mewn perygl uniongyrchol o fethu. Ac fel y byddwch yn gwybod, llwyddais i ddyrannu £28.5 miliwn ychwanegol i'r sector dros y flwyddyn ariannol ddiwethaf.
Rydym hefyd wedi gwneud y penderfyniad anodd i gynyddu ffioedd dysgu, a rhagwelir y bydd hyn yn dod â £20 miliwn ychwanegol i'r sector addysg uwch yma yng Nghymru dros y blynyddoedd nesaf. Felly, bydd hynny oll o gymorth, ond mae'n bwysig hefyd, i fynd yn ôl at eich cwestiwn gwreiddiol, ein bod yn parhau i edrych ar gynaliadwyedd ariannol yn y tymor canolig a'r tymor hir drwy waith grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog.
Thanks for your response, Minister. I'm really glad that you touched upon Medr, because I am coming to them now. Last week, you alluded to the fact that Medr will be taking on the areas of governance and risk management, but I fear that this is kicking the can down the road when it comes to investment decisions already being made by Welsh universities.
On a few occasions here in this Chamber, I have mentioned Cardiff University's decision to invest in a campus in Kazakhstan. For the benefit of everyone, this is the situation as it stands on the ground: for staff who went out there to teach, there was potentially an appalling lack of organisation between Cardiff University and the Astana campus, with staff outlining poor working conditions and a lack of payment for relocation expenses. Some have even gone home after less than a month of being there.
Public concerns about Cardiff University's investment in Kazakhstan's campus have been ongoing for more than a year. Minister, what conversations have you and Medr had specifically with Cardiff University over its financial stability and leadership?
Diolch am eich ymateb, Weinidog. Rwy'n falch iawn eich bod wedi crybwyll Medr, gan fy mod yn dod atynt nawr. Yr wythnos diwethaf, fe gyfeirioch chi at y ffaith y bydd Medr yn ymgymryd â meysydd llywodraethiant a rheoli risg, ond mae arnaf ofn nad yw hyn yn ddim mwy na gohirio penderfyniadau buddsoddi sydd eisoes yn cael eu gwneud gan brifysgolion Cymru.
Ar sawl achlysur yma yn y Siambr, rwyf wedi sôn am benderfyniad Prifysgol Caerdydd i fuddsoddi mewn campws yn Kazakhstan. Er budd pawb, dyma'r sefyllfa fel y mae ar lawr gwlad: i staff a aeth allan yno i addysgu, roedd perygl o ddiffyg trefniadaeth ofnadwy rhwng Prifysgol Caerdydd a champws Astana, gyda staff yn nodi amodau gwaith gwael a diffyg taliadau am dreuliau adleoli. Mae rhai hyd yn oed wedi mynd adref ar ôl bod yno am lai na mis.
Mae pryderon cyhoeddus ynghylch buddsoddiad Prifysgol Caerdydd yng nghampws Kazakhstan wedi parhau ers dros flwyddyn. Weinidog, pa sgyrsiau rydych chi a Medr wedi'u cael yn benodol gyda Phrifysgol Caerdydd ynghylch eu sefydlogrwydd ariannol a'u harweinyddiaeth?
Thank you, Natasha. I refer you to my previous answer: I do meet regularly with each vice-chancellor on a one-to-one basis. Finance is obviously a key topic of our conversations, and Medr are constantly undertaking that financial scrutiny that I alluded to there.
Turning to the points you raised about Cardiff University and their transnational education programmes, specifically Kazakhstan, I think the first key point to make is that universities are autonomous institutions, so they're responsible for their own business, including transnational education. However, as a Welsh Government, we do expect them to consider all aspects of education provision when making strategic decisions. It's important to recognise that, in the current climate, delivering HE programmes overseas is seen as a key part of universities' approach to internationalisation and global engagement. It does play an important role also in supporting the Welsh Government's economic development and soft-power ambitions.
Universities across Wales and across the UK provide this transnational education for a variety of reasons. Income generation and diversification is one of them, but also brand promotion, capacity building, knowledge sharing, and widening international access to high-quality tertiary education. I do think our aim should be to make strategic use of our universities' global reputation to facilitate our international ambitions, and to encourage the role that carefully executed transnational education can play in supporting global development. The concerns that you raised in particular there have not been brought to my attention. I recently met with both the trade unions covering the HE sector, but they know that my door is always open if there are any specific concerns that they wish to raise with me.
Diolch, Natasha. Cyfeiriaf at fy ateb blaenorol: rwy'n cyfarfod yn rheolaidd â phob is-ganghellor ar sail un i un. Mae cyllid yn amlwg yn bwnc allweddol yn ein sgyrsiau, ac mae Medr mynd ati'n gyson i ymgymryd â'r gwaith craffu ariannol y cyfeiriais ato.
Gan droi at y pwyntiau a godwyd gennych am Brifysgol Caerdydd a'u rhaglenni addysg drawswladol, a Kazakhstan yn benodol, credaf mai'r pwynt allweddol cyntaf i'w wneud yw bod prifysgolion yn sefydliadau ymreolaethol, felly maent yn gyfrifol am eu busnes eu hunain, gan gynnwys addysg drawswladol. Fodd bynnag, fel Llywodraeth Cymru, rydym yn disgwyl iddynt ystyried pob agwedd ar ddarpariaeth addysg wrth wneud penderfyniadau strategol. Mae'n bwysig cydnabod, yn yr hinsawdd bresennol, fod cyflwyno rhaglenni addysg uwch dramor yn cael ei ystyried yn rhan allweddol o ddull prifysgolion o ryngwladoli ac ymgysylltu'n fyd-eang. Mae'n chwarae rhan bwysig hefyd yn cefnogi datblygiad economaidd ac uchelgeisiau cymell tawel Llywodraeth Cymru.
Mae prifysgolion ledled Cymru a ledled y DU yn darparu'r addysg drawswladol hon am amryw o resymau. Mae cynhyrchu incwm ac arallgyfeirio yn un ohonynt, ond hefyd hyrwyddo brand, meithrin capasiti, rhannu gwybodaeth, ac ehangu mynediad rhyngwladol at addysg drydyddol o ansawdd uchel. Credaf y dylai fod yn nod gennym i wneud defnydd strategol o enw da byd-eang ein prifysgolion i hwyluso ein huchelgeisiau rhyngwladol, ac i annog y rôl y gall addysg drawswladol a ddarperir yn ofalus ei chwarae yn cefnogi datblygiad byd-eang. Nid yw'r pryderon a godwyd gennych yno wedi'u dwyn i fy sylw. Yn ddiweddar, cyfarfûm â'r ddau undeb llafur sy'n gwasanaethu'r sector addysg uwch, ond maent yn gwybod bod fy nrws bob amser ar agor os oes unrhyw bryderon penodol yr hoffent eu codi gyda mi.
Thanks for your response, Minister. I do take on board what you said. I appreciate that universities are independent institutions. However, we all are aware that Cardiff University has gone through a lot of struggles recently, and the Welsh Government has been involved in trying to help them and support them as much as they can. I'm sure you can appreciate that, at the same time redundancies at Cardiff University were being proposed, as well as threats to shut its nursing department as well as other departments too, the leadership was spending thousands on flights and accommodation to Kazakhstan. You will, therefore, I'm sure, understand why staff and students alike are frustrated about investments like this. For example, the vice-chancellor of Cardiff University spent more than £8,500 on air travel alone to Kazakhstan, and more than £1,750 on accommodation in Kazakhstan just between 2024 and 2025. Do you think that it's acceptable, Minister, at a time when our only Russell Group university in Wales was due to cut 400 jobs, that these costs were being beared? I would also like to know what specific interventions you and Medr are going to be now making in light of the precarious situations of our own universities here in Wales. Thank you.
Diolch am eich ymateb, Weinidog. Rwy'n derbyn yr hyn a ddywedoch. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi bod prifysgolion yn sefydliadau annibynnol. Fodd bynnag, mae pob un ohonom yn ymwybodol fod Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi wynebu llawer o drafferthion yn ddiweddar, ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn ceisio eu helpu a'u cefnogi cymaint ag y gallant. Rwy'n siŵr y gallwch ddeall, gyda sôn am ddileu swyddi ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd, yn ogystal â bygythiadau i gau ei hadran nyrsio yn ogystal ag adrannau eraill hefyd, fod yr arweinyddiaeth ar yr un pryd yn gwario miloedd ar hedfan ac ar lety yn Kazakhstan. Felly, rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn deall pam y mae staff a myfyrwyr fel ei gilydd yn teimlo'n rhwystredig ynghylch buddsoddiadau fel hyn. Er enghraifft, gwariodd is-ganghellor Prifysgol Caerdydd fwy na £8,500 ar hedfan i Kazakhstan yn unig, a mwy na £1,750 ar lety yn Kazakhstan rhwng 2024 a 2025. A ydych chi'n credu bod y costau hyn yn dderbyniol, Weinidog, ar adeg pan oedd ein hunig brifysgol Grŵp Russell yng Nghymru i fod i dorri 400 o swyddi? Hoffwn wybod hefyd pa ymyriadau penodol y byddwch chi a Medr yn eu gwneud nawr yng ngoleuni sefyllfaoedd ansicr ein prifysgolion ein hunain yma yng Nghymru. Diolch.
I thank Natasha for those follow-up questions. I think that the root of what you're talking about there is the concerns that staff have in all our universities about their own job security. We know that some Welsh universities will continue to make savings this academic year through planned restructuring. I want to say, as I've said here previously, that I fully recognise the ongoing anxiety that this will cause for many staff and students affected by those proposals. We know, as I said earlier, that universities in Wales and across the UK are facing a challenging period and are having to make difficult choices. It does put other decisions that that university may have made under the spotlight for more intense scrutiny. As a result, we do expect all institutions to work with the trade unions, staff and students to make sure that anyone affected by any restructuring proposals is fully supported. Just to reassure you also, in terms of governance, that is something that Medr has full oversight on and reports to me regularly on as well.
Diolch i Natasha am ei chwestiynau atodol. Credaf mai'r hyn sydd wrth wraidd yr hyn y soniwch chi amdano yw'r pryderon sydd gan staff ein holl brifysgolion ynghylch diogelwch eu swyddi. Gwyddom y bydd rhai prifysgolion yng Nghymru yn parhau i wneud arbedion yn y flwyddyn academaidd hon drwy ailstrwythuro arfaethedig. Hoffwn ddweud, fel y dywedais yma o'r blaen, fy mod yn llwyr gydnabod y pryder parhaus y bydd hyn yn ei achosi i lawer o staff a myfyrwyr yr effeithir arnynt gan y cynigion hynny. Fel y dywedais yn gynharach, gwyddom fod prifysgolion yng Nghymru a ledled y DU yn wynebu cyfnod heriol ac yn gorfod gwneud dewisiadau anodd. Mae'n rhoi penderfyniadau eraill y gallai'r brifysgol honno fod wedi'u gwneud o dan y chwyddwydr ac yn destun craffu dwysach. O ganlyniad, rydym yn disgwyl i bob sefydliad weithio gyda'r undebau llafur, staff a myfyrwyr i sicrhau bod unrhyw un yr effeithir arnynt gan unrhyw gynigion ailstrwythuro yn cael cefnogaeth lawn. I roi sicrwydd i chi hefyd, o ran llywodraethiant, mae hynny'n rhywbeth y mae gan Medr oruchwyliaeth lawn drosto, ac maent yn adrodd i mi arno'n rheolaidd hefyd.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru sydd nesaf. Cefin Campbell.
The Plaid Cymru spokesperson is next. Cefin Campbell.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, yn ystod ymgyrch yr etholiad cyffredinol y llynedd, addawodd Llafur fwy o athrawon i Gymru, ond mae targedau recriwtio athrawon yn parhau i gael eu methu. Addawodd Llafur hefyd mwy o fuddsoddiad mewn addysg, ond yn y gyllideb ddrafft wreiddiol ar gyfer 2026-27, roedd ysgolion yn wynebu toriadau wrth i gynghorau ddioddef gwasgfa ariannol ddwys. Fel mae Aelodau ar draws y Siambr bellach yn gwybod, fe gafodd Plaid Cymru drafodaethau adeiladol gyda'r Llywodraeth er mwyn sicrhau bod Cymru'n osgoi'r anhrefn o beidio â phasio cyllideb, gan sicrhau bron i £300 miliwn o gyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol, iechyd a gwasanaethau rheng flaen eraill. A allwch chi ddweud, felly, sut ydych chi'n bwriadu defnyddio'r cyllid ychwanegol a gafwyd drwy'r cytundeb i helpu cynghorau sir i gefnogi ysgolion yn uniongyrchol, i'w helpu nhw i wneud eu cyllidebau'n fwy sefydlog, a sichrau bod ymrwymiadau Llafur o safbwynt recriwtio mwy o athrawon a buddsoddi mewn addysg yn cael eu cyflawni?
Thank you very much, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, during the general election campaign last year, Labour pledged more teachers for Wales, but recruitment targets for teachers are continually being missed. Labour also pledged more investment in education, but, in the original draft budget for 2026-27, schools were facing cuts as councils suffered an intense financial squeeze. As Members across the Chamber will now know, Plaid Cymru had constructive negotiations with the Government in order to ensure that Wales could avoid the chaos of not passing a budget, ensuring almost £300 million in additional funding for local authorities, health and other front-line services. Can you tell us, therefore, how you intend to use the additional funding achieved through that agreement to help local authorities to support schools directly, to help them to make their budgets more stable, and to ensure that Labour commitments in terms of recruiting more teachers and investing in education are delivered?
Thank you very much, Cefin. You’re right, we did make a pledge on recruiting more teachers. The UK Labour Government also pledged to increase funding for education, and they have done that. As you are well aware, we received around £329 million additional for next year in our budget as consequentials from the UK Government. So, the UK Labour Government has delivered on that pledge.
I am pleased that there has been a deal with Plaid Cymru, and that that deal delivers additional funding for local government. You heard me say in the committee how often local government were raising concerns about pressures in education, particularly in additional learning needs. So, I am very pleased that there will be some additional money, but I think it’s important to recognise that that money will go out via the rate support grant. Local government will have the freedom to allocate that money. I have already made the point to the Cabinet Secretary for finance, and will be meeting with him to talk about how we can ensure that the maximum amount of that money goes to meet the pressures in education, which I have been very clear about in front of the committee.
Diolch yn fawr, Cefin. Rydych chi'n llygad eich lle, fe wnaethom addewid i recriwtio mwy o athrawon. Addawodd Llywodraeth Lafur y DU gynyddu cyllid ar gyfer addysg hefyd, ac maent wedi gwneud hynny. Fel y gwyddoch yn iawn, cawsom oddeutu £329 miliwn yn ychwanegol ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf yn ein cyllideb fel cyllid canlyniadol gan Lywodraeth y DU. Felly, mae Llywodraeth Lafur y DU wedi cyflawni'r addewid hwnnw.
Rwy'n falch fod cytundeb wedi'i wneud gyda Phlaid Cymru, a bod y cytundeb hwnnw'n darparu cyllid ychwanegol i lywodraeth leol. Fe wnaethoch fy nghlywed yn dweud yn y pwyllgor pa mor aml roedd llywodraeth leol yn codi pryderon ynghylch pwysau mewn addysg, yn enwedig o ran anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Felly, rwy'n falch iawn y bydd rhywfaint o arian ychwanegol, ond credaf ei bod yn bwysig cydnabod y bydd yr arian hwnnw'n cael ei ddarparu drwy'r grant cynnal ardrethi. Bydd rhyddid i lywodraeth leol ddyrannu'r arian hwnnw. Rwyf eisoes wedi gwneud y pwynt i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid, a byddaf yn cyfarfod ag ef i drafod sut y gallwn sicrhau bod cymaint â phosib o'r arian hwnnw'n mynd tuag at ddiwallu'r pwysau mewn addysg, rhywbeth rwyf wedi'i ddweud yn glir iawn wrth y pwyllgor.
I’m glad you mentioned the £329 million consequential funding, because I’m coming to that in my second question. But I’ll deal with the budget agreement first. We did secure an uplift for every local authority. You’re right—it’s in their gift to decide how much of that money goes to schools directly. But it does represent a significant improvement on the draft budget, recognising, hopefully, the growing pressures facing school budgets.
But even with this improved settlement, I recognise that schools still face serious challenges after years of underfunding. Schools remain deeply concerned about the inflationary pressures they face and the limited proportion of previous education consequentials that has reached classrooms. Meanwhile, the latest data shows that the number of schools in deficit has risen from 309 to 393 in a year, with total deficits growing from £40 million to £72 million, affecting around 25 per cent of schools.
Can you confirm, therefore, what steps you are taking to ensure that the consequential funding will reach classrooms? What steps will you be taking to convince local authorities to invest the additional funds they will receive into schools?
Rwy'n falch eich bod wedi sôn am y cyllid canlyniadol o £329 miliwn, gan fy mod yn dod at hynny yn fy ail gwestiwn. Ond rwyf am sôn am gytundeb y gyllideb yn gyntaf. Fe wnaethom sicrhau cynnydd i bob awdurdod lleol. Rydych chi'n llygad eich lle—eu penderfyniad nhw yw faint o'r arian hwnnw sy'n mynd yn uniongyrchol i ysgolion. Ond mae'n welliant sylweddol ar y gyllideb ddrafft, gan gydnabod, gobeithio, y pwysau cynyddol sy'n wynebu cyllidebau ysgolion.
Ond hyd yn oed gyda'r setliad gwell hwn, rwy'n cydnabod bod ysgolion yn dal i wynebu heriau difrifol ar ôl blynyddoedd o danariannu. Mae ysgolion yn parhau i fod yn bryderus iawn am y pwysau chwyddiant y maent yn ei wynebu a'r gyfran gyfyngedig o gyllid canlyniadol addysg sydd wedi cyrraedd ystafelloedd dosbarth yn y gorffennol. Yn y cyfamser, mae'r data diweddaraf yn dangos bod nifer yr ysgolion mewn diffyg wedi codi o 309 i 393 mewn blwyddyn, gyda chyfanswm y diffygion yn tyfu o £40 miliwn i £72 miliwn, gan effeithio ar oddeutu 25 y cant o ysgolion.
A allwch chi gadarnhau, felly, pa gamau rydych chi'n eu cymryd i sicrhau y bydd y cyllid canlyniadol yn cyrraedd ystafelloedd dosbarth? Pa gamau y byddwch yn eu cymryd i argyhoeddi awdurdodau lleol i fuddsoddi'r arian ychwanegol a gânt mewn ysgolion?
Thank you, Cefin. I’ve already welcomed the additional funding for local government. I think that will help with the pressures, but it won’t deal with all the pressures that we are facing in education. I will be meeting with the Cabinet Secretary for finance to ask that we take steps to make it clear to local government that it is vital that the pressures within education are met.
I recognise what you’ve said about school deficits. That’s a matter of huge concern to me. You’ll be aware that the Welsh Local Government Association themselves forecast £137 million of pressures in schools. I haven’t got the figure in front of me for the agreement, but I think it was around £112 million for the local government settlement. From my point of view, it’s really important that we as clear as we can be with local government that the expectation is that that money will be used to support schools. As I told the committee, within the 2.2 per cent increase I’ve received for the MEG, I have done what I can to prioritise schools, with increases for the LAEG, which is the school improvement money. It’s money that goes direct to schools.
But I know that schools are still going to face significant pressures. We’ve discussed this in the committee, haven’t we? I hear this all the time from schools—the financial pressures they're under. One of my concerns is that, when schools are under pressure, the kind of staff that are first to go are the kind of staff that support with pastoral work, with helping, with behaviour. I'm very clear in the Government that schools are holding the baby on a lot of societal problems now—whether that's mental health, whether it's ALN, whether it's challenging behaviour. I think it's really important that that contribution schools are making is recognised and funded.
Diolch, Cefin. Rwyf eisoes wedi croesawu'r cyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer llywodraeth leol. Credaf y bydd hynny'n helpu gyda'r pwysau, ond ni fydd yn mynd i'r afael â'r holl bwysau a wynebwn ym maes addysg. Byddaf yn cyfarfod ag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros gyllid i ofyn a allwn gymryd camau i ddweud yn glir wrth lywodraeth leol ei bod yn hanfodol fod y pwysau o fewn addysg yn cael eu diwallu.
Rwy'n cydnabod yr hyn a ddywedoch chi am ddiffyg ariannol ysgolion. Mae hynny'n destun cryn bryder i mi. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru eu hunain wedi rhagweld pwysau o £137 miliwn mewn ysgolion. Nid oes gennyf y ffigur o'm blaen ar gyfer y cytundeb, ond credaf ei fod oddeutu £112 miliwn ar gyfer y setliad llywodraeth leol. O'm rhan i, mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn dweud mor glir â phosib wrth lywodraeth leol mai'r disgwyliad yw y bydd yr arian hwnnw'n cael ei ddefnyddio i gefnogi ysgolion. Fel y dywedais wrth y pwyllgor, o fewn y cynnydd o 2.2 y cant a gefais ar gyfer y prif grŵp gwariant, rwyf wedi gwneud yr hyn a allaf i flaenoriaethu ysgolion, gyda chynnydd ar gyfer y grant addysg awdurdod lleol, sef yr arian gwella ysgolion. Mae'n arian sy'n mynd yn uniongyrchol i ysgolion.
Ond gwn y bydd ysgolion yn dal i wynebu pwysau sylweddol. Rydym wedi trafod hyn yn y pwyllgor, onid ydym? Rwy'n clywed hyn drwy'r amser gan ysgolion—y pwysau ariannol sydd arnynt. Un o o fy mhryderon, pan fydd ysgolion dan bwysau, yw mai'r math cyntaf o staff i fynd yw'r math o staff sy'n cefnogi gyda gwaith bugeiliol, gyda chymorth, gydag ymddygiad. Rwy'n nodi'n glir iawn yn y Llywodraeth fod ysgolion yn ysgwyddo'r cyfrifoldeb am ddelio â llawer o broblemau cymdeithasol bellach—boed hynny'n iechyd meddwl, boed yn ADY, boed yn ymddygiad heriol. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig iawn fod y cyfraniad y mae ysgolion yn ei wneud yn cael ei gydnabod a'i ariannu.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Wel, o safbwynt gwella adeiladau ysgolion, mae hyn yn parhau i fod yn bryder, ac mae e'n rhan o'r un sgwrs, mewn gwirionedd. Fe ddatgelodd ymchwil gan Blaid Cymru fod yr ôl-groniad, y backlog, mewn gwirionedd, o ran y gost o gynnal a chadw mewn ysgolion yn fwy na £0.5 biliwn, a dyw'r ffigur hwnnw ddim yn cynnwys nifer o gynghorau oedd ddim wedi ymateb i'r ymchwil hwnnw. Er gwaethaf codi hyn dro ar ôl tro dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf yn y Siambr hon, mae'ch papur tystiolaeth chi ar y gyllideb i'r pwyllgor addysg yn dweud hyn:
'Nid oes unrhyw ddyraniadau refeniw ar gyfer gwaith adnewyddu a chynnal a chadw wedi'u gwneud ar gyfer 2025-26 nac wedi'u cynllunio ar gyfer 2026-27.'
A does dim cyfalaf wedi ei gadarnhau eto ar gyfer 2026-27. Felly, er bod tua £50 miliwn wedi'i ddyrannu ar gyfer eleni, dyw'r cyfan, yn ôl beth rŷn ni'n ei ddeall, ddim wedi cael ei wario. Felly, mae arian yn parhau i fod heb ei ddefnyddio eleni, does dim unrhyw swm wedi ei ddyrannu ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf, ac mae'r ôl-groniad yn £0.5 biliwn, a hwnnw'n tyfu. Felly, mae'n amlwg i fi na fydd y cyllid cyfyngedig sydd ar gael, ac sydd wedi cael ei gyhoeddi, yn dod yn agos at fynd i'r afael â'r angen. Felly, os ydych chi'n bwriadu cyhoeddi buddsoddiad newydd, os na wnewch chi wneud hyn, o leiaf a wnewch chi ymrwymo i arolwg cenedlaethol manwl fel ein bod ni'n deall hyd a lled y broblem? Diolch.
Thank you very much. Well, in terms of improving school buildings, this continues to be a concern, and it is part of the same conversation, if truth be told. Research by Plaid Cymru revealed that the backlog in terms of the cost for the maintenance of schools is more than £0.5 billion, and that figure does not include many councils that did not respond to that research. Despite raising this issue time and again over the past year in this Chamber, your evidence paper on the budget to the education committee says this:
'No revenue allocations for repairs and maintenance have been made for 2025-26 or planned for 2026-27.'
And no capital has yet been confirmed for 2026-27. So, although around £50 million has been allocated for this year, not all of it, as we understand, has been spent. So, funding remains unused this year, no figure has been allocated for next year, and the backlog is £0.5 billion and growing. So, it is clear to me that the limited funding available and that has been announced will not come close to addressing the needs. Therefore, if you intend to announce new investment, and if you will not do this, will you at least commit to a detailed national survey, so that we understand the length and breadth of the problem? Thank you.
Thank you, Cefin. We have invested significantly in revenue maintenance. We've invested £114 million of revenue maintenance through the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme, and, as you're aware, for this financial year, £50 million was allocated to support schools and colleges with capital repairs. We were only able to release £24 million of that to schools, and £6 million to colleges, early in the financial year. As I told the committee, the hope is that the remaining £16 million for schools and £4 million for colleges will be allocated later this year. As I told the committee, I was lucky to secure an extra £20 million for capital, which will be for repairs and maintenance. The bulk of that will go to schools, and some of that will go to colleges. It's not true that there hasn't been a capital allocation for next year. I told the committee that I was given a 2.2 per cent increase in capital. That enabled me to set aside £7.1 million for the Sustainable Communities for Learning programme. You can't spend what you haven't got, Cefin. Part of that deal with Plaid Cymru is £120 million for capital. I will be continuing to make the case for education in my discussions with the Government, ahead of the election.
Diolch, Cefin. Rydym wedi buddsoddi'n sylweddol mewn cynnal refeniw. Rydym wedi buddsoddi £114 miliwn i gynnal refeniw drwy raglen Cymunedau Dysgu Cynaliadwy, ac fel y gwyddoch, ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol hon, dyrannwyd £50 miliwn i gefnogi ysgolion a cholegau gydag atgyweiriadau cyfalaf. Dim ond £24 miliwn o hynny y bu modd i ni ei ryddhau i ysgolion, a £6 miliwn i golegau, yn gynnar yn y flwyddyn ariannol. Fel y dywedais wrth y pwyllgor, y gobaith yw y bydd y £16 miliwn sy'n weddill ar gyfer ysgolion a'r £4 miliwn ar gyfer colegau yn cael ei ddyrannu yn nes ymlaen eleni. Fel y dywedais wrth y pwyllgor, roeddwn yn ddigon ffodus i sicrhau £20 miliwn ychwanegol ar gyfer cyfalaf, a fydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer atgyweiriadau a chynnal a chadw. Bydd y rhan fwyaf ohono'n mynd i ysgolion, a bydd rhywfaint ohono'n mynd i golegau. Nid yw'n wir nad oes dyraniad cyfalaf wedi bod ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf. Dywedais wrth y pwyllgor fy mod wedi cael cynnydd o 2.2 y cant mewn cyfalaf. Fe wnaeth hynny fy ngalluogi i neilltuo £7.1 miliwn ar gyfer rhaglen Cymunedau Dysgu Cynaliadwy. Ni allwch wario'r hyn nad oes gennych, Cefin. Rhan o'r cytundeb gyda Phlaid Cymru yw £120 miliwn ar gyfer cyfalaf. Byddaf yn parhau i ddadlau'r achos dros addysg yn fy nhrafodaethau gyda'r Llywodraeth, cyn yr etholiad.
3. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddatganiad ar gyllid Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer ysgolion? OQ63569
3. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Welsh Government funding for schools? OQ63569
School funding levels are decided by each local authority as part of their budget setting. The 4.5 per cent provisional increase to the local government settlement for 2026-27 builds on previous increases of 9.4 per cent in 2022-23, 7.9 per cent in 2023-24, 3.3 per cent in 2024-25, and 4.5 per cent in 2025-26.
Mae lefelau cyllid ysgolion yn cael eu pennu gan bob awdurdod lleol wrth iddynt osod eu cyllidebau. Mae'r cynnydd dros dro o 4.5 y cant i'r setliad llywodraeth leol ar gyfer 2026-27 yn adeiladu ar gynnydd blaenorol o 9.4 y cant yn 2022-23, 7.9 y cant yn 2023-24, 3.3 y cant yn 2024-25, a 4.5 y cant yn 2025-26.
Diolch, Cabinet Secretary. Education, as we know, currently accounts for 40 per cent of council spending in Wales. Thirty two per cent of schools in Wales were expected to submit deficit budgets in March this year. Cymru NAHT have stated that, of the £339 million of education consequentials for education in Wales, only £39 million has been allocated for core funding in schools. The WLGA have also warned that the £169 million cash increase falls short of the £560 million shortfall that some councils are now expected to face. Cabinet Secretary, over the 14 years I've been here, I have been extremely concerned when local government settlements are done. We are penalised in north Wales, and certainly, you know, we're penalised in terms of the settlement that we get. I've got teachers and I've got headteachers who are thoroughly and utterly fed up with trying to provide good-quality education to our children without the sufficient means to do it. I know of teachers who don't know, going forward, whether they are going to be able to keep the staff workforce that they've currently got. Will you please take this seriously and ensure that schools, not just in Aberconwy but across Wales, have the right funding that they need and that the teachers need to do their jobs? Thanks.
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Addysg, fel y gwyddom, yw 40 y cant o wariant cynghorau yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd. Roedd disgwyl i 32 y cant o ysgolion yng Nghymru gyflwyno cyllidebau diffyg ym mis Mawrth eleni. Mae Cymdeithas Genedlaethol y Prifathrawon yng Nghymru wedi datgan, o'r £339 miliwn o gyllid canlyniadol addysg ar gyfer addysg yng Nghymru, mai dim ond £39 miliwn sydd wedi'i ddyrannu ar gyfer cyllid craidd mewn ysgolion. Mae Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru hefyd wedi rhybuddio bod y cynnydd o £169 miliwn mewn arian parod yn llai na'r diffyg o £560 miliwn y disgwylir i rai cynghorau ei wynebu nawr. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, dros y 14 mlynedd y bûm yma, rwyf wedi bod yn bryderus iawn pan fydd setliadau llywodraeth leol yn cael eu gwneud. Rydym yn cael ein cosbi yn y gogledd, ac yn sicr, rydym yn cael ein cosbi o ran y setliad a gawn. Mae gennyf athrawon ac mae gennyf benaethiaid sydd wedi hen flino ar geisio darparu addysg o ansawdd da i'n plant heb yr adnoddau digonol i wneud hynny. Gwn am athrawon nad ydynt yn gwybod, wrth symud ymlaen, a ydynt yn mynd i allu cadw'r gweithlu staff sydd ganddynt ar hyn o bryd. A wnewch chi fod o ddifrif ynglŷn â hyn os gwelwch yn dda, a sicrhau bod ysgolion, nid yn unig yn Aberconwy, ond ledled Cymru, yn cael y cyllid y maent hwy a'r athrawon ei angen i wneud eu gwaith? Diolch.
Thank you, Janet. Well, I couldn't take it more seriously than I'm doing. That's why, throughout this budget process, I have been making the strongest possible case for education. As I just indicated to Cefin, the additional money secured as part of the agreement with Plaid Cymru will help local authorities with some of those pressures, but I've also recognised that the pressures go beyond that funding.
In terms of the allocation to my MEG, I was allocated an additional £37.4 million for revenue and £7.5 million for capital for next year. That's part of the roll-over budget, which gives me an extra 2 per cent. Within that, I've had to take some difficult decisions, but I've tried always to prioritise schools, where we can make the biggest difference to children and young people. Obviously, we've had to meet our statutory commitments around things like pay, but, as part of that, I've been able to allocate an additional £9.1 million to ALN and an additional £16.4 million to the local authority education grant. But I've been very clear in my answers today that I know that these will not cover all the pressures that schools face and I will be continuing to make those arguments. I would also make the point, as I made to the committee, that we are very concerned about the numbers of young people—. Well, it's great that more young people are coming into FE, but we know that there are very significant funding pressures there as well.
Diolch, Janet. Wel, rwy'n gyfan gwbl o ddifrif yn ei gylch. Dyna pam, drwy gydol proses y gyllideb hon, fy mod wedi bod yn dadlau'r achos cryfaf posib dros addysg. Fel y dywedais wrth Cefin, bydd yr arian ychwanegol a sicrhawyd yn rhan o'r cytundeb â Phlaid Cymru yn helpu awdurdodau lleol gyda rhywfaint o'r pwysau hwnnw, ond rwyf hefyd wedi cydnabod bod y pwysau'n mynd y tu hwnt i'r cyllid hwnnw.
O ran y dyraniad i fy mhrif grŵp gwariant, cefais ddyraniad o £37.4 miliwn yn ychwanegol ar gyfer refeniw a £7.5 miliwn ar gyfer cyfalaf gogyfer â'r flwyddyn nesaf. Mae hynny'n rhan o'r gyllideb dreigl, sy'n rhoi 2 y cant ychwanegol i mi. O fewn hynny, bu'n rhaid imi wneud penderfyniadau anodd, ond rwyf wedi ceisio blaenoriaethu ysgolion bob amser, lle gallwn wneud y gwahaniaeth mwyaf i blant a phobl ifanc. Yn amlwg, rhaid inni gyflawni ein hymrwymiadau statudol gyda phethau fel cyflogau, ond yn rhan o hynny, rwyf wedi gallu dyrannu £9.1 miliwn ychwanegol i ADY a £16.4 miliwn ychwanegol i grant addysg awdurdod lleol. Ond rwyf wedi dweud yn glir iawn yn fy atebion heddiw fy mod yn gwybod na fydd y rhain yn diwallu'r holl bwysau y mae ysgolion yn ei wynebu, a byddaf yn parhau i wneud y dadleuon hynny. Hoffwn wneud y pwynt hefyd, fel y gwneuthum i'r pwyllgor, ein bod yn bryderus iawn am nifer y bobl ifanc—. Wel, mae'n wych fod mwy o bobl ifanc yn dod i mewn i addysg bellach, ond gwyddom fod pwysau ariannu sylweddol iawn yno hefyd.
4. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet roi diweddariad ar ei chyllideb adrannol? OQ63565
4. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on her departmental budget? OQ63565
The education main expenditure group received a £37.4 million revenue uplift and a £7.5 million capital uplift for next year as part of the 2026-27 draft budget. This has increased the overall education resource and capital budget to £2.5 billion for the next financial year.
Derbyniodd y prif grŵp gwariant addysg gynnydd o £37.4 miliwn mewn refeniw a chynnydd o £7.5 miliwn mewn cyfalaf ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf yn rhan o gyllideb ddrafft 2026-27. Mae hyn wedi cynyddu'r gyllideb adnoddau a chyfalaf addysg gyffredinol i £2.5 biliwn ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf.
I'm grateful for that response, Cabinet Secretary. But I, too, share the concerns of the headteacher union and, indeed, everybody else involved in the education sector about the very poor settlement that's has been secured for school budgets for next year. We already know that young people in our country have to contend with the worst educational outcomes in the United Kingdom, and that Wales is the only country that's in the bottom half of the international league tables that are produced and published by the Programme for International Student Assessment. It's a disgrace that we have young people and staff having to work in rotten classrooms, and the teaching workforce, of course, is demoralised because it's overstretched and under-resourced. We need to make sure that we invest in the next generation, the future of our country, and that's why we've got to make sure that more cash gets through to those schools on the front line. I've heard what you've said today. It doesn't give me any confidence that schools are going to have that cash that they need to deliver the high-quality education that our young people deserve. I've been there, as a chair of the finance committee at a secondary school, and seen how difficult it is to try to manage a school budget with the resources that the Welsh Government and local authorities are giving. We need to make these a priority. We're looking to you and the Welsh Government to make sure that our young people have a chance.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar am eich ymateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Ond rwyf innau hefyd yn rhannu pryderon undeb y penaethiaid, a phawb arall sy'n gysylltiedig â'r sector addysg yn wir ynghylch y setliad gwael iawn a sicrhawyd ar gyfer cyllidebau ysgolion gogyfer â'r flwyddyn nesaf. Rydym eisoes yn gwybod bod yn rhaid i bobl ifanc yn ein gwlad ymdopi â'r canlyniadau addysgol gwaethaf yn y Deyrnas Unedig, ac mai Cymru yw'r unig wlad sydd yn hanner isaf y tablau cynghrair rhyngwladol a gynhyrchir ac a gyhoeddir gan y Rhaglen Ryngwladol Asesu Myfyrwyr. Mae'n warthus fod gennym bobl ifanc a staff yn gorfod gweithio mewn ystafelloedd dosbarth gwael, ac mae'r gweithlu addysgu, wrth gwrs, yn brin o forâl am ei fod o dan ormod o bwysau a heb ddigon o adnoddau. Mae angen inni sicrhau ein bod yn buddsoddi yn y genhedlaeth nesaf, dyfodol ein gwlad, a dyna pam y mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau bod mwy o arian yn cyrraedd yr ysgolion ar y rheng flaen. Rwyf wedi clywed yr hyn rydych chi wedi'i ddweud heddiw. Nid yw'n rhoi unrhyw hyder i mi y bydd ysgolion yn cael yr arian sydd ei angen arnynt i ddarparu'r addysg o ansawdd uchel y mae ein pobl ifanc yn ei haeddu. Rwyf wedi bod yno, fel cadeirydd y pwyllgor cyllid mewn ysgol uwchradd, ac wedi gweld pa mor anodd yw ceisio rheoli cyllideb ysgol gyda'r adnoddau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru ac awdurdodau lleol yn eu darparu. Mae angen i ni flaenoriaethu'r rhain. Rydym yn dibynnu arnoch chi a Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod ein pobl ifanc yn cael cyfle.
Thank you, Darren. If I can just pick up on your capital point about children being taught in rotten classrooms and say that we have an impeccable record on investing in school buildings—a record-breaking record, even. There's been nothing similar over the border and I'm very proud of our record on capital investment.
I was very open when I gave evidence to the committee that I've been making the case constantly for more resources for education. I'm pleased that there's been some additional funding going to local government, and I will be doing my utmost to make sure that as much of that as possible reaches schools. Within the settlement I've had within the main expenditure group, which was a 2 per cent uplift, I've had to take difficult decisions. I have tried to prioritise, as I said, schools—so, additional funding for the LAEG, a lot of which goes directly to schools, and additional funding for additional learning needs. But I recognise that this is not going to cover all the pressures. I hear about it all the time from school leaders and I will be continuing to advocate, as loudly as I can, for more investment for our schools and colleges.
Diolch, Darren. Os caf sôn am eich pwynt ynglŷn â phlant yn cael eu haddysgu mewn ystafelloedd dosbarth gwael a dweud bod gennym hanes di-fai o fuddsoddi mewn adeiladau ysgolion—yr hanes gorau erioed, hyd yn oed. Nid oes dim byd yn debyg wedi digwydd dros y ffin, ac rwy'n falch iawn o'n cyflawniad o ran buddsoddiad cyfalaf.
Roeddwn yn agored iawn pan roddais dystiolaeth i'r pwyllgor fy mod wedi dadlau'n gyson dros fwy o adnoddau ar gyfer addysg. Rwy'n falch fod cyllid ychwanegol wedi mynd i lywodraeth leol, a byddaf yn gwneud fy ngorau glas i sicrhau bod cymaint o hynny â phosib yn cyrraedd ysgolion. O fewn y setliad a gefais o fewn y prif grŵp gwariant, sef cynnydd o 2 y cant, mae'n rhaid imi wneud penderfyniadau anodd. Rwyf wedi ceisio blaenoriaethu ysgolion, fel y dywedais—felly, cyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer y grant addysg awdurdod lleol, y mae llawer ohono'n mynd yn uniongyrchol i ysgolion, a chyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Ond rwy'n cydnabod nad yw hyn yn mynd i ddiwallu'r holl bwysau. Rwy'n clywed amdano drwy'r amser gan arweinwyr ysgolion a byddaf yn parhau i ddadlau, mor uchel ag y gallaf, dros fwy o fuddsoddiad ar gyfer ein hysgolion a'n colegau.
5. Beth y mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei wneud i gefnogi lefelau staffio hirdymor ysgolion yng Ngogledd Cymru? OQ63581
5. What is the Government doing to support the long-term staffing levels of schools in North Wales? OQ63581
Our strategic education workforce plan will set out our future priorities for supporting the workforce in schools across Wales. It will include actions to improve the recruitment and retention of teachers, leaders, teaching assistants and specialist and pastoral staff. I will be publishing the plan during the spring.
Bydd ein cynllun strategol ar gyfer y gweithlu addysg yn nodi ein blaenoriaethau yn y dyfodol ar gyfer cefnogi'r gweithlu mewn ysgolion ledled Cymru. Bydd yn cynnwys camau gweithredu i wella recriwtio a chadw athrawon, arweinwyr, cynorthwywyr addysgu a staff arbenigol a bugeiliol. Byddaf yn cyhoeddi'r cynllun yn y gwanwyn.
Thank you for that. But, of course, we know that the situation in schools is pretty serious, as we've been hearing this afternoon, and the warnings couldn't be clearer, could they? The NASUWT says that schools in Wales have been, and I quote, 'cut to the bone', and that redundancies are now inevitable unless budgets improve. National Education Union Cymru warns that funding pressures are, and I quote again, 'pushing schools to the brink', leading to unprecedented staffing cuts. And Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru has also highlighted that years of real-terms reductions have—and again, I quote—'hollowed out essential support roles', of classroom assistants, ALN support staff and the very people who keep many of these classrooms functioning, leaving schools with no room left to cut, except, of course, for the teaching posts themselves. Now, in north Wales, we're seeing compulsory redundancies becoming a grim reality. So, given that years of cumulative cuts have already removed much of the essential support workforce in north Wales schools, what guarantees can you give that further staffing losses, including teachers, won't undermine pupil support, ALN provision and school well-being even more deeply?
Diolch. Ond wrth gwrs, gwyddom fod y sefyllfa mewn ysgolion yn go ddifrifol, fel y clywsom y prynhawn yma, ac ni allai'r rhybuddion fod yn gliriach, oni allent? Mae Cymdeithas Genedlaethol yr Ysgolfeistri ac Undeb yr Athrawesau yn dweud bod ysgolion yng Nghymru wedi cael, 'eu torri i'r asgwrn', a bod diswyddiadau bellach yn anochel oni bai fod cyllidebau'n gwella. Mae Undeb Addysg Cenedlaethol Cymru yn rhybuddio bod pwysau ariannu, 'yn gwthio ysgolion i ymyl y dibyn', gan arwain at doriadau staffio digynsail. Ac mae Undeb Cenedlaethol Athrawon Cymru hefyd wedi tynnu sylw at y ffaith bod blynyddoedd o ostyngiadau mewn termau real 'wedi diberfeddu darpariaeth rolau cymorth hanfodol' cynorthwywyr dosbarth, staff cymorth ADY a'r union bobl sy'n cynnal llawer o'r ystafelloedd dosbarth hyn, gan adael ysgolion heb le ar ôl i dorri, ac eithrio, wrth gwrs, y swyddi addysgu eu hunain. Nawr, yn y gogledd, rydym yn gweld diswyddiadau gorfodol yn dod yn realiti llwm. Felly, o ystyried bod blynyddoedd o doriadau cronnol eisoes wedi cael gwared ar lawer o'r gweithlu cymorth hanfodol yn ysgolion y gogledd, pa warantau y gallwch eu rhoi na fydd colli rhagor o staff, yn cynnwys athrawon, yn tanseilio cymorth i ddisgyblion, darpariaeth ADY a llesiant ysgolion hyd yn oed ymhellach?
Thank you very much, Llyr. I really welcome Plaid Cymru's advocacy for funding for our schools. That's very good to hear.
I think it's important to recognise that we did provide a lot of additional money for schools in this financial year and last financial year. The two years combined had £262 million extra funding for the education sector, as well as a similar amount extra for local government. And we did make it clear to local government this year that we were announcing that additional funding in order to recognise the pressures in education, and in particular ALN.
I don't want to hear about staff being laid off. What you see then is an increase in the workload for other staff, and you see more stress and less well-being, and it becomes a cyclical thing. It's also more challenging when you're trying then to support children and young people with behaviour and complex needs. So, I will be doing everything I can to make sure that the maximum amount of that local government money reaches education. I have prioritised schools as part of the work that I am doing, and I will continue to make the case for more funding for education.
Diolch yn fawr, Llyr. Rwy'n croesawu cefnogaeth Plaid Cymru i gyllid i'n hysgolion yn fawr iawn. Mae hynny'n dda iawn i'w glywed.
Credaf ei bod yn bwysig cydnabod ein bod wedi darparu llawer o arian ychwanegol i ysgolion yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon a'r flwyddyn ariannol ddiwethaf. Yn y ddwy flynedd gyda'i gilydd, darparwyd £262 miliwn o gyllid ychwanegol i'r sector addysg, yn ogystal â swm tebyg ychwanegol i lywodraeth leol. A dywedasom yn glir wrth lywodraeth leol eleni ein bod yn cyhoeddi'r cyllid ychwanegol hwnnw er mwyn cydnabod y pwysau mewn addysg, ac ADY yn enwedig.
Nid wyf eisiau clywed am staff yn cael eu diswyddo. Yr hyn a welwch wedyn yw cynnydd yn y llwyth gwaith i aelodau eraill o staff, ac rydych chi'n gweld mwy o straen a llai o lesiant, ac mae'n dod yn rhywbeth cylchol. Mae hefyd yn fwy heriol pan fyddwch yn ceisio cefnogi plant a phobl ifanc ag anghenion ymddygiad ac anghenion cymhleth. Felly, byddaf yn gwneud popeth yn fy ngallu i sicrhau bod cymaint â phosib o'r arian i lywodraeth leol yn cyrraedd addysg. Rwyf wedi blaenoriaethu ysgolion yn rhan o'r gwaith a wnaf, a byddaf yn parhau i ddadlau'r achos dros fwy o gyllid ar gyfer addysg.
6. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddatganiad ar hygyrchedd addysg uwchradd cyfrwng Cymraeg yn ne Caerdydd? OQ63560
6. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the accessibility of Welsh-language secondary education in south Cardiff? OQ63560
Cardiff Council is delivering its Welsh in education strategic plan to ensure sufficient Welsh-medium secondary education in all areas of Cardiff. I understand the council is actively discussing options regarding a fourth Welsh-medium secondary school in south Cardiff.
Mae Cyngor Caerdydd yn cyflawni ei gynllun strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg i sicrhau digon o addysg uwchradd cyfrwng Cymraeg ym mhob ardal o Gaerdydd. Rwy'n deall bod y cyngor wrthi'n trafod opsiynau ynghylch pedwaredd ysgol uwchradd cyfrwng Cymraeg yn ne Caerdydd.
Dwi'n falch iawn i glywed hynny, oherwydd mae'n rhaid i addysg Gymraeg fod yn hygyrch i bawb. Dyw hynny ddim yn wir ar hyn o bryd. Dwi wedi codi gyda chi o'r blaen y ffigurau syfrdanol o blant lle nad y Gymraeg neu'r Saesneg yw'r iaith gyntaf yn y cartref, a chyn lleied o'r rheini sy'n mynd i addysg Gymraeg—2.5 y cant ledled Cymru. Ac mae'r ffigur yna'n mynd lawr i 1 y cant pan mae'n dod i Gaerdydd. Mae hynny'n golygu bod 99 y cant neu 12,150 o blant yn cael addysg cyfrwng Saesneg yn y brifddinas ac yn cael eu heithrio o addysg Gymraeg. Mewn gwirionedd, rŷn ni'n eithrio cymunedau cyfan o addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg ar hyn o bryd, a dyw hynny ddim yn syndod.
Mae'n rhaid gosod yr ysgolion yma yng nghanol cymunedau, a does dim ysgol yng nghanol cymuned amlethnig yng Nghaerdydd. Ar hyn o bryd, mae'n rhaid i deuluoedd deithio o dde Caerdydd i ogledd y ddinas i dderbyn addysg uwchradd Gymraeg. Dyw hynny ddim yn ddigon da. A wnewch chi barhau i gydweithio gyda Chyngor Caerdydd i sicrhau y bydd yna ysgol Gymraeg yn ne Caerdydd sy'n hygyrch i bawb? Diolch yn fawr.
I'm very pleased to hear that, because Welsh language education should be accessible to everyone, and that's not true at the moment. I've raised with you in the past the shocking figures of children where English or Welsh are not the family's first language—that so few of them attend Welsh-medium education. It's at 2.5 per cent across Wales, and this figure falls to 1 per cent in Cardiff. That means that 99 per cent or 12,150 children receive English-medium education in the capital city, with whole communities excluded from Welsh-medium education, and that's no surprise.
We need to locate these schools at the heart of communities, and there's no Welsh-medium school in the multi-ethnic communities of Cardiff. At the moment, families have to travel from the southern part of Cardiff to the northern part of the city to receive Welsh-medium secondary education. That's not good enough. Will you continue to work with Cardiff Council to ensure that there will be a new Welsh-medium school in south Cardiff that's accessible to all? Thank you.
Thank you very much for that supplementary and, of course, I'm very happy to continue to work with Cardiff. They've submitted their WESP. I know that there's a meeting coming up to discuss their WESP, and I also understand the concerns expressed by parents in the south of the city in particular. I know that the local authority is facing two separate matters. The falling birth rate is a challenge, and that one of the three Welsh-medium secondary schools has a number of surplus places, despite the very successful growth of Welsh-medium education in Cardiff. So, that's quite a challenging context.
But I know that Councillor Huw Thomas, Cardiff Council leader, publicly committed on Pawb a'i Farn that the council is looking at this, and I think it's important to recognise as well the good work that's going on in Cardiff in relation to their Welsh-medium provision. I was very pleased to visit their late immersion provision at the language centre in Ysgol Gynradd Groes-wen some time ago, and what was particularly exciting was how they were developing partnerships, such as with Oasis Cardiff, to encourage those links and the access to learners from minority ethnic backgrounds. So, there is good work going on. I recognise the issue of the school in the south is a challenge, and we will have further discussions with Cardiff.
Diolch yn fawr am y cwestiwn atodol ac wrth gwrs, rwy'n hapus iawn i barhau i weithio gyda Chaerdydd. Maent wedi cyflwyno eu cynllun strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg. Rwy'n gwybod bod cyfarfod ar y gweill i drafod eu cynllun strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg, ac rwy'n deall hefyd y pryderon a fynegwyd gan rieni yn ne'r ddinas yn enwedig. Rwy'n gwybod bod yr awdurdod lleol yn wynebu dau fater ar wahân. Mae'r gostyngiad yn y gyfradd enedigaethau'n her, a bod gan un o'r tair ysgol uwchradd cyfrwng Cymraeg nifer o leoedd dros ben, er y twf llwyddiannus iawn mewn addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg yng Nghaerdydd. Felly, mae hwnnw'n gyd-destun eithaf heriol.
Ond rwy'n gwybod bod y Cynghorydd Huw Thomas, arweinydd Cyngor Caerdydd, wedi ymrwymo'n gyhoeddus ar Pawb a'i Farn fod y cyngor yn edrych ar hyn, ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig cydnabod hefyd y gwaith da sy'n digwydd yng Nghaerdydd mewn perthynas â'u darpariaeth cyfrwng Cymraeg. Roeddwn yn falch iawn o ymweld â'u darpariaeth trochi hwyr yn y ganolfan iaith yn Ysgol Gynradd Groes-wen beth amser yn ôl, a'r hyn a oedd yn arbennig o gyffrous oedd y ffordd yr oeddent yn datblygu partneriaethau, megis gydag Oasis Caerdydd, i annog y cysylltiadau hynny a'r mynediad at ddysgwyr o gefndiroedd ethnig lleiafrifol. Felly, mae gwaith da yn mynd rhagddo. Rwy'n cydnabod bod mater yr ysgol yn y de yn her, a byddwn yn cael trafodaethau pellach gyda Chaerdydd.
7. A wnaiff Llywodraeth Cymru roi diweddarad ar y camau y mae'n eu cymryd i gefnogi iechyd meddwl a llesiant athrawon? OQ63566
7. Will the Welsh Government provide an update on the steps it is taking to support the mental health and well-being of teachers? OQ63566
Well-being will be at the heart of our forthcoming strategic education workforce plan. We are determined to ensure education staff have access to support to enhance their own well-being and their ability to support learners. This is integral to our whole-school approach to mental health and well-being.
Bydd llesiant wrth wraidd ein cynllun strategol ar gyfer y gweithlu addysg sydd ar y ffordd. Rydym yn benderfynol o sicrhau bod staff addysg yn cael mynediad at gymorth i wella eu llesiant eu hunain a'u gallu i gefnogi dysgwyr. Mae hyn yn rhan annatod o'n dull ysgol gyfan o weithredu ar iechyd meddwl a llesiant meddyliol.
Cabinet Secretary, let's consider what it really means to be a teacher today. Teachers are no longer just educators, and you alluded to this earlier on. They're carrying vast amounts of invisible labour, supporting pupils' mental health, managing complex social issues, dealing with poor behaviour, safeguarding and providing stability for children facing poverty, trauma and instability.
The additional burden put on teachers is highlighted by the stark increase in incidences of violence in schools. I'll just give you one statistic—I'm sure you are familiar with this: the NASUWT found that 35 per cent of teachers have experienced physical abuse or violence from learners, and 92 per cent have faced verbal abuse. So, the responsibility for dealing with these additional challenges simply shouldn't fall on teachers alone. Plaid Cymru have long outlined our desire to improve wraparound support in schools with a new approach that includes on-site mental health and counselling services.
So, given the immediacy of the situation, what concrete steps will you take to protect teacher well-being, and not a behavioural summit and a press release, but real support?
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, gadewch inni ystyried beth y mae'n ei olygu mewn gwirionedd i fod yn athro heddiw. Nid addysgwyr yn unig yw athrawon mwyach, ac fe wnaethoch chi gyfeirio at hyn yn gynharach. Maent yn gwneud llawer iawn o lafur anweledig, yn cefnogi iechyd meddwl disgyblion, yn rheoli materion cymdeithasol cymhleth, yn delio ag ymddygiad gwael, yn diogelu a darparu sefydlogrwydd i blant sy'n dioddef tlodi, trawma ac ansefydlogrwydd.
Mae'r baich ychwanegol a roddir ar athrawon yn cael ei amlygu gan y cynnydd sylweddol mewn achosion o drais mewn ysgolion. Fe roddaf un ystadegyn i chi—rwy'n siŵr eich bod yn gyfarwydd â hyn: gwelodd Cymdeithas Genedlaethol yr Ysgolfeistri ac Undeb yr Athrawesau fod 35 y cant o athrawon wedi dioddef cam-drin corfforol neu drais dan law dysgwyr, ac mae 92 y cant wedi dioddef cam-drin geiriol. Ni ddylai'r cyfrifoldeb am ddelio â'r heriau ychwanegol hyn syrthio ar athrawon yn unig. Mae Plaid Cymru wedi amlinellu ein dymuniad hirsefydlog i wella cymorth cofleidiol mewn ysgolion gyda dull newydd sy'n cynnwys gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl a chwnsela ar y safle.
Felly, o ystyried pa mor ddifrifol yr sefyllfa, pa gamau pendant y byddwch chi'n eu cymryd i ddiogelu lles athrawon, ac nid uwchgynhadledd ymddygiad a datganiad i'r wasg, ond cefnogaeth go iawn?
Well, we are providing real support, Cefin, and I do agree with the point you've made about what teachers are dealing with. I have had one teacher say to me, 'I'm a police officer, a psychologist, a social worker and I'm an educator.' So, they’re dealing with a whole variety of things, and I’m acutely aware that where they are dealing with children with really complex needs who may have experienced huge trauma, they are soaking that up themselves, and that is incredibly difficult for them.
We do provide well-being support for school staff. We fund education support to provide bespoke well-being support to education staff across Wales, and education support also to provide professional supervision to leaders across Wales, but I am looking at what more we can do in this space. I met with Neath Port Talbot school counselling service recently, and they provide supervision and support to all their pastoral staff. As someone who has done some counselling training myself, I know how important it is that, if you’re supporting others, you have somebody to support you as well. You can’t pour from an empty cup.
But if I can also say that we are already providing really strong well-being support for children and young people as well. When you talk about on-site provision, we have got school counselling provision for year 6 and above. That’s written into primary legislation, uniquely in the UK. I think what you’ll find is that some children don’t want to access that on-site because of the stigma that’s still there. We’ve also invested £5 million a year in rolling out child and adolescent mental health services in-reach right across Wales.
There’s always more that we can do in this space, which is why I've said to officials that well-being has to underpin all the actions in the workforce plan. We’re looking at what more we can do around supervision and support, not just for school leaders, but for other people in the school workforce, and that includes teaching assistants.
Wel, rydym yn darparu cefnogaeth go iawn, Cefin, ac rwy'n cytuno â'r pwynt rydych chi wedi'i wneud am yr hyn y mae athrawon yn delio ag ef. Rwyf wedi cael un athro yn dweud wrthyf, 'Rwy'n swyddog heddlu, seicolegydd, gweithiwr cymdeithasol ac rwy'n addysgwr.' Felly, maent yn delio ag ystod eang o bethau, a lle maent yn delio â phlant ag anghenion cymhleth iawn a allai fod wedi dioddef trawma enfawr, rwy'n ymwybodol iawn fod athrawon yn amsugno hynny eu hunain, ac mae hynny'n anhygoel o anodd iddynt.
Rydym yn darparu cymorth llesiant i staff ysgolion. Rydym yn ariannu cymorth addysg i ddarparu cymorth llesiant pwrpasol i staff addysg ledled Cymru, a chymorth addysg hefyd i ddarparu goruchwyliaeth broffesiynol i arweinwyr ledled Cymru, ond rwy'n edrych ar beth arall y gallwn ei wneud yn hyn o beth. Cyfarfûm â gwasanaeth cwnsela ysgol Castell-nedd Port Talbot yn ddiweddar, ac maent yn darparu goruchwyliaeth a chefnogaeth i'w holl staff bugeiliol. Fel rhywun sydd wedi gwneud rhywfaint o hyfforddiant cwnsela fy hun, rwy'n gwybod pa mor bwysig yw hi, os ydych chi'n cefnogi eraill, fod gennych rywun i'ch cefnogi chi hefyd. Ni allwch arllwys o gwpan gwag.
Ond os caf ddweud hefyd ein bod eisoes yn darparu cymorth lles cryf iawn i blant a phobl ifanc hefyd. Pan fyddwch chi'n siarad am ddarpariaeth ar y safle, mae gennym ddarpariaeth gwnsela ysgol ar gyfer blwyddyn 6 ac uwch. Mae hynny wedi ei gynnwys mewn deddfwriaeth sylfaenol, nad yw'n digwydd yn unman arall yn y DU. Rwy'n credu mai'r hyn a welwch yw nad yw rhai plant eisiau cael mynediad at hynny ar y safle oherwydd y stigma sy'n dal i fodoli. Rydym hefyd wedi buddsoddi £5 miliwn y flwyddyn i gyflwyno gwasanaethau mewngymorth iechyd meddwl plant a'r glasoed ledled Cymru.
Mae yna bob amser fwy y gallwn ei wneud yn hyn o beth, a dyna pam fy mod i wedi dweud wrth swyddogion fod yn rhaid i lesiant fod yn sail i'r holl gamau gweithredu yn y cynllun ar gyfer y gweithlu. Rydym yn edrych ar beth arall y gallwn ei wneud o safbwynt goruchwyliaeth a chefnogaeth, nid yn unig i arweinwyr ysgolion, ond i bobl eraill yn y gweithlu ysgol, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys cynorthwywyr addysgu.
Mae cwestiwn 8 [OQ63571] wedi'i dynnu nôl. Cwestiwn 9 yn olaf—Joel James.
Question 8 [OQ63571] has been withdrawn. Finally, question 9—Joel James.
9. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddatganiad ar gyllidebau ysgolion ar gyfer blwyddyn ariannol 2026-27? OQ63567
9. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on school budgets for the 2026-27 financial year? OQ63567
Decisions on the level of funding available to schools are made by each local authority as part of their overall budget setting. The 2026-27 provisional local government settlement provides £6.5 billion from the Welsh Government revenue support grant and non-domestic rates for local authorities to spend on delivering services.
Mae penderfyniadau ar lefel y cyllid sydd ar gael i ysgolion yn cael eu gwneud gan bob awdurdod lleol yn rhan o'u gwaith ar osod cyllideb gyffredinol. Mae'r setliad dros dro i lywodraeth leol yn 2026-27 yn darparu £6.5 biliwn o grant cynnal refeniw Llywodraeth Cymru ac ardrethi annomestig i awdurdodau lleol ei wario ar ddarparu gwasanaethau.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. As you will know, school budgets are under enormous strain. It has been reported that over a third of schools in Cardiff are projected to exceed their education budget by an alarming £4.4 million for the 2024-25 financial year, marking an increase from last year, when only 37 schools began their year in deficit. It will be extremely concerning for teachers and staff at these schools, who likely feel the sword of Damocles above them, where either they might lose their jobs through redundancies or see teaching roles go unfulfilled, adding to their own workload and the pressures that they’re under.
Schools in budget deficits are more prone to curriculum squeezes, cuts to programmes supporting the poorest pupils and less spending on school maintenance, which is, as we both know, a false economy, because it leads to even bigger bills later on. Cabinet Secretary, with this in mind, what action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that, of those schools in deficit, their education standards are maintained and teachers are not living in constant fear of their jobs? Thank you.
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Fel y gwyddoch, mae cyllidebau ysgolion o dan straen enfawr. Adroddwyd y rhagwelir y bydd dros draean yr ysgolion yng Nghaerdydd yn gwario £4.4 miliwn yn fwy na'u cyllideb addysg ar gyfer blwyddyn ariannol 2024-25, sy'n gynnydd ers y llynedd, pan ddechreuodd 37 o ysgolion yn unig eu blwyddyn mewn diffyg. Bydd yn bryderus iawn i athrawon a staff yn yr ysgolion hyn, sy'n debygol o deimlo cleddyf Damocles uwch eu pennau, lle gallent naill ai golli eu swyddi drwy ddiswyddiadau neu weld rolau addysgu'n mynd heb eu cyflawni, gan ychwanegu at eu llwyth gwaith eu hunain a'r pwysau arnynt.
Mae ysgolion mewn diffyg cyllidebol yn fwy agored i wasgfa ar y cwricwlwm, toriadau i raglenni sy'n cefnogi'r disgyblion tlotaf a llai o wariant ar gynnal a chadw ysgolion, sydd, fel y gwyddom, yn economi ffug, oherwydd mae'n arwain at filiau hyd yn oed yn fwy yn nes ymlaen. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, gyda hyn mewn golwg, pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod safonau addysg ysgolion mewn diffyg yn cael eu cynnal ac nad yw athrawon yn byw mewn ofn cyson y byddant yn colli eu swyddi? Diolch.
Thank you, Joel. We have seen a pattern in recent years of more schools falling into deficit. We had a period during the pandemic where they had record levels of reserves. Those have come down significantly, and currently we’ve got 27 per cent of schools with a deficit balance. Obviously, we discuss these issues with local government on an ongoing basis. I also have discussions with school leaders and others, also with our trade union partners. I’m committed to making sure that as much of the additional funding that's been made available to the local government settlement reaches our schools, and also to continue to prioritise schools as part of the allocations that I make.
Diolch, Joel. Rydym wedi gweld patrwm yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf o fwy o ysgolion yn syrthio i ddiffyg ariannol. Cawsom gyfnod yn ystod y pandemig pan oedd ganddynt lefelau uwch nag erioed o gronfeydd wrth gefn. Mae'r rheini wedi lleihau'n sylweddol, ac ar hyn o bryd mae 27 y cant o'n hysgolion mewn diffyg ariannol. Yn amlwg, rydym yn trafod y materion hyn gyda llywodraeth leol yn barhaus. Rwyf hefyd yn cael trafodaethau gydag arweinwyr ysgolion ac eraill, a'n partneriaid undebau llafur. Rwy'n ymrwymedig i wneud yn siŵr fod cymaint o'r cyllid ychwanegol sydd ar gael i'r setliad llywodraeth leol yn cyrraedd ein hysgolion, a hefyd i barhau i flaenoriaethu ysgolion yn rhan o'r dyraniadau a wnaf.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet.
Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary.
Eitem 3 sydd nesaf, y cwestiwn amserol. Y cwestiwn i'w ateb gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Drafnidiaeth a Gogledd Cymru heddiw, ac i'w ofyn gan Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Item 3 is next, the topical question. It's to be answered by the Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales this afternoon, and to be asked by Rhun ap Iorwerth.
1. A wnaiff yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ddatganiad ar gau Terminws 5 ym Mhorthladd Caergybi? TQ1414
1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the closure of Terminal 5 at Holyhead Port? TQ1414
Diolch. Last Friday, a vessel made contact with a berth at terminal 5. A topside inspection was carried out with no damage reported. Now, weather conditions, we're told, prevented an underwater assessment, so as a precaution, terminal 5 is closed until the structure has been thoroughly inspected. Holyhead port continues to facilitate the full sailing schedule via terminal 3.
Ddydd Gwener diwethaf, fe ddaeth llong i gysylltiad ag angorfa yn nherfynfa 5. Cynhaliwyd archwiliad o'r rhan uchaf ac ni chofnodwyd unrhyw ddifrod. Nawr, dywedir wrthym fod amodau tywydd wedi'u hatal rhag gwneud asesiad tanddwr, felly fel rhagofal, mae terfynfa 5 ar gau nes bod y strwythur wedi'i archwilio'n drylwyr. Mae porthladd Caergybi yn parhau i gyflawni'r amserlen hwylio lawn trwy derfynfa 3.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am yr ymateb yna. Diolch hefyd am y datganiad byr gafodd ei gyhoeddi ddoe, a'r cyswllt sydd wedi bod gan adran yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ers y digwyddiad hwnnw dros y penwythnos. Mi oedd yna, wrth gwrs, gryn deimlad o déjà vu yn Ynys Môn dros y penwythnos wrth i'r newyddion yna ddod drwodd bod y derfynell wedi gorfod cael ei chau, a hynny bron iawn union flwyddyn ers i'r porthladd gau dros Nadolig y llynedd, a hynny am gyfnod o wythnosau, ac mi achoswyd cryn broblemau yn sgil hynny.
Dwi'n falch bod y Llywodraeth a pherchnogion y porthladd yn hyderus nad oes yna ddifrod sylweddol y tro yma, ond dwi'n siŵr y gallai'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet faddau i fi a'r bobl dwi'n eu cynrychioli am fod yn wyliadwrus yn fan hyn, yn enwedig ar ôl yr holl darfu a fu y llynedd. A'r cwestiwn y mae pobl yn eu gofyn yn lleol yn fan hyn, p'un ai a ydyn nhw'n ymwneud â'r porthladd yn uniongyrchol neu'n anuniongyrchol, ydy: a oes yna broblem ddyfnach yma? Dwi'n falch hefyd fod gwasanaethau wedi gallu cael eu cynnal drwy ddefnyddio adnoddau eraill o fewn y porthladd dros y dyddiad diwethaf, ond allwn ni ddim parhau, dwi ddim yn meddwl, i fynd o gyfnod i gyfnod yn dibynnu ar allu rhoi trefniadau dros dro mewn lle.
Felly, ambell gwestiwn. Mi fyddwn i'n gwerthfawrogi unrhyw ddiweddariad sydd gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ynglŷn â pha bryd yn union fydd y porthladd yn ailagor yn llawn. Rŵan, dwi'n sylweddoli bod y storm yr wythnos yma wrth gwrs wedi gwaethygu'r sefyllfa ac wedi gwneud pethau'n fwy cymhleth. Ond mi fyddai'n dda hefyd ar y pwynt yma ddeall pa sicrwydd mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd i fod yn chwilio amdano fo o ran gwydnwch y porthladd, er mwyn sicrhau bod swyddogion y Llywodraeth yn deall yn union yr asesiadau sydd yn mynd ymlaen yn barhaus o fewn y porthladd yna, ac i wneud yn siŵr ei fod o mor wydn ag y gall o fod i ddelio efo stormydd sydd yn teimlo fel eu bod nhw'n digwydd yn fwy a mwy aml.
Un cwestiwn olaf. Mae hwn yn borthladd sydd yn bwysig i ni. Mae o hefyd yn borthladd sydd yn bwysig i Weriniaeth Iwerddon, a Gogledd Iwerddon o ran hynny. Mi fyddai'n dda clywed gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet pa gyswllt sydd wedi bod efo Llywodraeth y weriniaeth dros y dyddiau diwethaf, a beth ydy'r teimlad sydd wedi datblygu yn ddiweddar o ran y gydberchnogaeth sydd angen ei gael, mewn ffordd, dros sicrhau bod y porthladd yma yn wydn oherwydd ei bwysigrwydd o.
Thank you very much for that response. Thank you also for the short statement that was published yesterday, and the contact that there has been by the Cabinet Secretary's department since that event over the weekend. There was, of course, a strong feeling of déjà vu on Anglesey over the weekend as the news broke that the terminal had had to be closed, almost exactly a year following the closure of the port over the Christmas of last year for a period of weeks, and a great many problems were caused as a result of that.
I'm pleased that the Government and the port owners are confident that there isn't significant damage this time, but I'm sure that the Cabinet Secretary can forgive me and the people I represent for being watchful and concerned here, particularly after all the disruption last year. And the question being asked locally here, whether they relate to the port directly or indirectly, is whether there is a deeper problem here. I am also pleased that services have been maintained through using other resources within the port over the past few days, but we can't continue, I don't think, to go from period to period depending on having to put temporary arrangements in place.
So, a few questions. I would appreciate any update that the Cabinet Secretary has in terms of when exactly the port will reopen in full. Now, I realise that the storm this week of course has worsened the situation and has made the situation more complex. But it would be good too on this point to understand what assurance the Welsh Government will be seeking in terms of the resilience of the port, to ensure that Government officials know exactly the assessments that are under way in the port, and to ensure that it is as resilient as possible to deal with storms that feel as if they are happening more frequently.
And one final question. This is a port that's important to us. It's also a port that's important to the Republic of Ireland, and to Northern Ireland as well. It would be good to hear from the Cabinet Secretary what contact there has been with the Government of the republic over the past few days, and what sense has developed in terms of the joint ownership that is needed, in a way, to ensure that this port is resilient because of its importance.
Diolch. Can I thank Rhun ap Iorwerth for those further questions and for rightly flagging up just how important this facility is, not just to Wales and the United Kingdom, but also to Ireland? Following last year's event, I shared that same fear that this could have been a catastrophic event, but I'm very pleased that both lessons have been learned and swift action has been taken to maintain the operation of the port with full capacity, in terms of the sailings that are taking place. I'm also pleased to say that as a result of what happened last year, we set up the Irish sea taskforce. The taskforce was notified of both Friday's incident and also the weather warnings that resulted, of course, in storm Bram.
Now, I've spoken with the port operators on a number of occasions since the incident on Friday, including just now this afternoon. The port will shortly be issuing an update that will confirm that there is to be no reduction in capacity and no reduction in the number of sailings. Whilst divers examine berth 5, both ferry operators will be sharing the use of berth 3, and, as I say, they'll be sailing three ferry crossings every day.
Learning again from last year, I'm pleased to say that the port operator has brought in a tug on standby, just in case it's needed, and, once those full inspections have been conducted—underwater inspections have been conducted—further information will be provided by the port operators. I do think that, as a result of the Irish sea taskforce and the work that's taken place over the past 11 or so months, we're in a position to be able to ensure that, in the event of catastrophic events taking place, not just in Holyhead, but elsewhere, we are able, then, to redeploy support and make sure that the backlog that we've seen at Holyhead can be dealt with in a timely fashion. We know now that the backlog within the port has been cleared, and so attention is being given to any remaining lorries that are parked elsewhere. But we're in very regular contact with the port operator, and, as I say, stakeholders will be receiving an update this afternoon in a very short period of time.
Diolch. A gaf i ddiolch i Rhun ap Iorwerth am y cwestiynau pellach hynny ac am nodi'n gywir pa mor bwysig yw'r cyfleuster hwn, nid yn unig i Gymru a'r Deyrnas Unedig, ond hefyd i Iwerddon? Yn dilyn digwyddiad y llynedd, rhennais yr un ofn y gallai hwn fod wedi bod yn ddigwyddiad trychinebus, ond rwy'n falch iawn fod y ddwy wers wedi'u dysgu a bod camau cyflym wedi'u cymryd i gynnal gweithrediad y porthladd gyda chapasiti llawn, o ran yr hwylio sy'n digwydd. Rwy'n falch o ddweud hefyd, o ganlyniad i'r hyn a ddigwyddodd y llynedd, ein bod wedi sefydlu tasglu môr Iwerddon. Cafodd y tasglu wybod am y digwyddiad ddydd Gwener a hefyd am y rhybuddion tywydd a arweiniodd at storm Bram.
Nawr, rwyf wedi siarad â gweithredwyr y porthladd ar sawl achlysur ers y digwyddiad ddydd Gwener, gan gynnwys y prynhawn yma. Bydd y porthladd yn cyhoeddi diweddariad cyn bo hir a fydd yn cadarnhau na fydd unrhyw ostyngiad mewn capasiti a dim gostyngiad yn nifer y cychod sy'n hwylio. Tra bod deifwyr yn archwilio angorfa 5, bydd y ddau gwmni fferi yn rhannu'r defnydd o angorfa 3, ac fel y dywedaf, bydd tair fferi'n hwylio bob dydd.
Gan ddysgu eto o'r llynedd, rwy'n falch o ddweud bod gweithredwr y porthladd wedi darparu cwch tynnu wrth gefn, rhag ofn y bydd ei angen, a phan fydd yr arolygiadau llawn wedi'u cynnal—yr arolygiadau tanddwr—bydd rhagor o wybodaeth yn cael ei darparu gan weithredwyr y porthladd. O ganlyniad i dasglu môr Iwerddon a'r gwaith sydd wedi digwydd dros yr 11 mis diwethaf, rwy'n credu ein bod mewn sefyllfa i allu sicrhau, pe bai digwyddiadau trychinebus yn digwydd, nid yn unig yng Nghaergybi, ond mewn mannau eraill, y gallwn adleoli cymorth a gwneud yn siŵr y gellir delio â'r ôl-groniad a welsom yng Nghaergybi mewn modd amserol. Gwyddom nawr fod yr ôl-groniad yn y porthladd wedi'i glirio, ac felly mae sylw'n cael ei roi i unrhyw lorïau sy'n weddill sydd wedi'u parcio mewn mannau eraill. Ond rydym mewn cysylltiad rheolaidd iawn â gweithredwr y porthladd, ac fel y dywedaf, bydd rhanddeiliaid yn cael diweddariad y prynhawn yma mewn amser byr iawn.
I could feel, as well as hear, the frustration in the voice of the Member, Rhun ap Iorwerth. Of course, anything that happens on Anglesey does have the potential to affect the whole of north Wales, including my own constituency of Aberconwy. But I think the people on Ynys Môn have got to have patience as well, because we've had all the hoo-hah with the third Menai crossing, and yet this is the second incident that has been caused by severe weather conditions leading to the closure of terminal 5 at Holyhead port in Ynys Môn.
Whilst it's reassuring to hear that a full assessment will be carried out and the port will remain closed until inspections are complete, and that there will be a detailed structural engineering report—that is all really good stuff—I suppose, really, now, because of the frequency of these storms, I think all Members here serving in north Wales need to be reassured that there is sufficient recognition that these storms are going to be more frequent and that we could be seeing more problems over there.
The economic impact of the previous closure was £500 million in lost trade. Over 1.5 million people pass through this port every year. You've just mentioned, Cabinet Secretary, Ken—. It's good to see that you are currently in contact with both Irish Ferries and Stena Line regarding the closure. Some questions do need to be raised, though, about the wider impact of this event, and the need to call for a plan of preparedness for incidents such as berthing accidents and storm damage. This is essential to mitigate the efforts on our vital to and from Ireland.
Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update—a statement, perhaps—on the lessons learned from the previous incident, and outline how the Government is working with Stena Line and Irish Ferries to develop a robust plan of action for incidents of this nature? And I thank Rhun ap Iorwerth for tabling the topical question. Diolch.
Gallwn deimlo, yn ogystal â chlywed, y rhwystredigaeth yn llais yr Aelod, Rhun ap Iorwerth. Wrth gwrs, mae perygl y bydd unrhyw beth sy'n digwydd ar Ynys Môn yn effeithio ar ogledd Cymru gyfan, gan gynnwys fy etholaeth i yn Aberconwy. Ond rwy'n meddwl bod rhaid i'r bobl ar Ynys Môn gael amynedd hefyd, oherwydd rydym wedi cael yr holl sôn am drydedd bont Menai, ac eto dyma'r ail ddigwyddiad wedi'i achosi gan dywydd garw sydd wedi arwain at gau terfynfa 5 ym mhorthladd Caergybi ar Ynys Môn.
Er ei bod yn galonogol clywed y bydd asesiad llawn yn cael ei gynnal ac y bydd yr angorfa'n aros ar gau nes bod yr arolygiadau wedi'u cwblhau, ac y ceir adroddiad peirianneg strwythurol manwl—mae hynny i gyd yn dda iawn—oherwydd amlder y stormydd hyn nawr, rwy'n credu bod angen sicrwydd ar bob Aelod yma sy'n gwasanaethu yng ngogledd Cymru fod digon o gydnabyddiaeth i'r ffaith bod y stormydd hyn yn mynd i ddigwydd yn amlach ac y gallem weld mwy o broblemau yno.
Effaith economaidd y cau blaenorol oedd £500 miliwn mewn masnach a gollwyd. Mae dros 1.5 miliwn o bobl yn pasio drwy'r porthladd hwn bob blwyddyn. Rydych chi newydd sôn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, Ken—. Mae'n dda gweld eich bod chi ar hyn o bryd mewn cysylltiad ag Irish Ferries a Stena Line ynglŷn â'r cau. Mae angen gofyn cwestiynau, fodd bynnag, am effaith ehangach y digwyddiad hwn, a'r angen i alw am gynllun parodrwydd ar gyfer digwyddiadau fel damweiniau angori a difrod stormydd. Mae hyn yn hanfodol i liniaru'r effeithiau ar ein teithio hanfodol i ac o Iwerddon.
A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet roi diweddariad—datganiad, efallai—ar y gwersi a ddysgwyd o'r digwyddiad blaenorol, ac amlinellu sut y mae'r Llywodraeth yn gweithio gyda Stena Line ac Irish Ferries i ddatblygu cynllun gweithredu cadarn ar gyfer digwyddiadau o'r fath? A diolch i Rhun ap Iorwerth am gyflwyno'r cwestiwn amserol. Diolch.
Yes. Thank you, Janet. I do agree entirely that, when incidents of this nature happen at Holyhead, it does have implications for the whole of north Wales, because the A55 is such a key corridor. You will be aware that work has commenced on the resilience of the A55, including looking at its bridges and the tunnels, as well, at Conwy. We've also just approved funding to survey truck-stop facilities as a priority action in support of an integrated maritime ports, freight and logistics plan. And there's clearly a need to undertake that mapping of current roadside facilities and frequently used HGV parking locations in Wales. It's what the sector has demanded, and I'm pleased that we are commencing work on that.
In terms of a preparedness plan, we've been working not just with the ferry operators, but, as part of the Irish sea taskforce, we've been working also with the Irish Government, with the UK Government, with port operators elsewhere, with the freight and logistics sector and with many other stakeholders, to put together a comprehensive preparedness plan. And that's being based on the recommendations that emerged from the taskforce. I will be very pleased to be able to provide Members with an update on those recommendations and the time frame for implementation of what is very well presented, I believe, as part of that taskforce's work.
Diolch, Janet. Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr, pan fydd digwyddiadau o'r fath yn digwydd yng Nghaergybi, fod goblygiadau i ogledd Cymru gyfan, oherwydd mae'r A55 yn goridor mor allweddol. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod gwaith wedi dechrau ar wydnwch yr A55, gan gynnwys edrych ar ei phontydd a'r twneli yng Nghonwy hefyd. Rydym newydd gymeradwyo cyllid hefyd i arolygu cyfleusterau i lorïau fel camau blaenoriaethol i gefnogi cynllun integredig porthladdoedd morwrol, cludo nwyddau a logisteg. Ac mae'n amlwg fod angen gwneud gwaith ar fapio'r cyfleusterau presennol ar ochr ffyrdd a lleoliadau parcio cerbydau nwyddau trwm a ddefnyddir yn aml yng Nghymru. Dyna beth y mae'r sector wedi gofyn amdano, ac rwy'n falch ein bod yn dechrau gweithio ar hynny.
O ran cynllun parodrwydd, rydym wedi bod yn gweithio nid yn unig gyda'r cwmnïau fferi, ond fel rhan o dasglu môr Iwerddon, rydym wedi bod yn gweithio hefyd gyda Llywodraeth Iwerddon, gyda Llywodraeth y DU, gyda gweithredwyr porthladdoedd mewn mannau eraill, gyda'r sector cludo nwyddau a logisteg a llawer o randdeiliaid eraill, ar lunio cynllun parodrwydd cynhwysfawr. Ac mae hwnnw'n seiliedig ar yr argymhellion a ddaeth i'r amlwg o waith y tasglu. Byddaf yn falch iawn o allu rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Aelodau ar yr argymhellion hynny a'r amserlen ar gyfer gweithredu'r hyn y credaf ei fod wedi'i gyflwyno'n dda iawn yn rhan o waith y tasglu hwnnw.
Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his answers so far? I want to challenge him a little bit more on the word 'resilience' around Irish sea crossings. As he'll be aware, I've previously raised, when Holyhead shut their terminals earlier this year, the importance of the ports in Pembrokeshire—both Pembroke Dock, in my constituency, and Fishguard, in Paul Davies's constituency. Now, unfortunately, this weekend sailings have been cancelled from those two ports, leaving a reduced capacity of freight passage from the Republic of Ireland into Wales, and vice versa, in the busy Christmas period.
So, could the Cabinet Secretary provide a little bit more information on how the Irish sea taskforce, which he's mentioned, is helping support the resiliency not just at Anglesey and Holyhead, but also in the really key strategic southern corridor ports in Pembrokeshire and supporting those players there as well? Because there are still hauliers unable to get goods from Rosslare back into Wales.
A gaf i ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei atebion hyd yn hyn? Rwyf am ei herio ychydig mwy ar y gair 'gwydnwch' mewn perthynas â chroesiadau môr Iwerddon. Fel y bydd yn gwybod, pan gaeodd Caergybi eu terfynfeydd yn gynharach eleni, nodais yn flaenorol pa mor bwysig yw'r porthladdoedd yn sir Benfro—Doc Penfro, yn fy etholaeth i, ac Abergwaun, yn etholaeth Paul Davies. Nawr, yn anffodus, mae'r croesiadau wedi'u canslo y penwythnos hwn o'r ddau borthladd hynny, gan adael llai o gapasiti cludo nwyddau o Weriniaeth Iwerddon i Gymru, a'r ffordd arall, yng nghyfnod prysur y Nadolig.
Felly, a allai Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet roi ychydig mwy o wybodaeth ynglŷn â sut y mae tasglu môr Iwerddon, y soniodd amdano, yn helpu i gefnogi'r gwydnwch nid yn unig yn Ynys Môn a Chaergybi, ond hefyd ym mhorthladdoedd y coridor deheuol strategol allweddol yn sir Benfro ac yn cefnogi'r rheini yno hefyd? Oherwydd mae cludwyr nwyddau'n dal i fethu cael nwyddau o Rosslare yn ôl i mewn i Gymru.
Yes, of course, I'm happy to respond to Sam Kurtz's questions. And, actually, I'll just refer back to the very important point that Janet Finch-Saunders made, which was that, increasingly, severe climatic events are becoming the new norm. We are seeing them in increased frequency and I'm afraid they're also becoming more severe in their nature. And so the taskforce work has looked at the resilience of the Irish sea as a whole. Obviously, because of what happened last December, the focus has rightly been on Holyhead, but we've been working with port operators and with ferry operators to look at how we can maximise opportunities for resilience across the Irish sea and to and from all ports. But we must—must—recognise that the challenge is going to be pretty significant, given that the frequency of these climatic events is becoming more regular.
Wrth gwrs, rwy'n hapus i ymateb i gwestiynau Sam Kurtz. Ac mewn gwirionedd, fe gyfeiriaf yn ôl at y pwynt pwysig a wnaeth Janet Finch-Saunders, sef bod digwyddiadau hinsoddol difrifol a chynyddol yn dod yn normal newydd. Rydym yn eu gweld yn fwy aml ac mae arnaf ofn eu bod hefyd yn dod yn fwyfwy difrifol eu natur. Ac felly mae gwaith y tasglu wedi edrych ar wydnwch môr Iwerddon yn ei gyfanrwydd. Yn amlwg, oherwydd yr hyn a ddigwyddodd fis Rhagfyr diwethaf, mae'r ffocws wedi bod ar Gaergybi, ac yn briodol felly, ond rydym wedi bod yn gweithio gyda gweithredwyr porthladdoedd a chwmnïau fferi i edrych ar sut y gallwn wneud y mwyaf o gyfleoedd ar gyfer gwydnwch ar draws môr Iwerddon ac i ac o bob porthladd. Ond mae'n rhaid inni gydnabod bod yr her yn mynd i fod yn eithaf sylweddol, o ystyried bod y digwyddiadau hinsoddol hyn yn digwydd yn amlach.
Cabinet Secretary, your response today lacks credibility. Because the incident that happened last Christmas had nothing to do with the weather, as the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee proved in its report, and you submitted evidence to that and were taken as a witness in that committee report. It was more to do with poor seamanship. And so to blame the weather is a wrong assertion to make.
And the point that you make in your response to Members this afternoon about lorry stops—the freight strategy that your Government is supposed to have brought forward is two years out of date. And that was meant to be bringing forward that strategy so that these freight stops and truck stops could be implemented.
So, instead of promising jam tomorrow, get your department to live in the real world, address the facts and actually start building those freight stops so that lorry drivers can have the rest that they deserve in a secure environment, but also acknowledge that it wasn't weather related, it was poor seamanship that caused the problems last Christmas and it's important we understand what has caused the problems this time around.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae eich ymateb heddiw yn brin o hygrededd. Oherwydd nid oedd gan y digwyddiad y Nadolig diwethaf unrhyw beth i'w wneud â'r tywydd, fel y profodd y Pwyllgor Economi, Masnach a Materion Gwledig yn ei adroddiad, ac fe wnaethoch chi gyflwyno tystiolaeth iddo a chael eich cyfrif yn dyst yn adroddiad y pwyllgor hwnnw. Roedd yn ymwneud mwy â morwriaeth wael. Ac felly mae'n anghywir beio'r tywydd.
Ac mae'r pwynt a wnewch yn eich ymateb i'r Aelodau y prynhawn yma ynglŷn â mannau aros i lorïau—mae'r strategaeth cludo nwyddau y mae eich Llywodraeth i fod wedi'i chyflwyno ddwy flynedd ar ei hôl hi. Ac roedd y strategaeth i fod i gael ei chyflwyno fel y gellid gweithredu'r arosfannau hyn i lorïau a chludwyr nwyddau.
Felly, yn hytrach nag addo jam yfory, dywedwch wrth eich adran am fyw yn y byd go iawn, mynd i'r afael â'r ffeithiau a dechrau adeiladu'r arosfannau cludo nwyddau hynny fel y gall gyrwyr lorïau gael cyfle i orffwys fel y maent yn ei haeddu mewn amgylchedd diogel, ond gan gydnabod hefyd nad y tywydd, ond morwriaeth wael a achosodd y problemau y Nadolig diwethaf ac mae'n bwysig ein bod yn deall beth a achosodd y problemau y tro hwn.
That's a pretty serious accusation to make, and I think the question that is raised has more to do with the Member's climate change denial than the resilience and the need for greater resilience across the Irish sea. The fact of the matter is that storm Bram was responsible for closing the ports over the past few days; that is a fact. And it is going to become an increasing problem, because storms of this nature are becoming more frequent. That is something that everybody in the sector—right across the freight and logistics sector—acknowledges is happening because of climate change. And we are working very closely with them, as I say, to develop that maritime ports, freight and logistics plan, and I've made a significant sum of money available to examine where we need those truck-stop facilities across north Wales and indeed across the whole of Wales.
Mae hwnnw'n gyhuddiad eithaf difrifol i'w wneud, ac rwy'n credu bod y cwestiwn a ofynnwyd yn ymwneud mwy â'r ffordd y mae'r Aelod yn gwadu newid hinsawdd nag â gwydnwch a'r angen am fwy o wydnwch ar draws môr Iwerddon. Y gwir amdani yw mai storm Bram sy'n gyfrifol am gau'r porthladdoedd dros y dyddiau diwethaf; mae hynny'n ffaith. Ac mae'n mynd i ddod yn broblem gynyddol, oherwydd mae stormydd o'r fath yn digwydd yn amlach. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth y mae pawb yn y sector—ar draws y sector cludo nwyddau a logisteg— yn cydnabod ei fod yn digwydd oherwydd newid hinsawdd. Ac rydym yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda nhw, fel y dywedaf, ar ddatblygu'r cynllun porthladdoedd morwrol, cludo nwyddau a logisteg, ac rwyf wedi sicrhau bod swm sylweddol o arian ar gael i archwilio lle mae angen y cyfleusterau aros i lorïau ar draws gogledd Cymru, ac ar draws Cymru gyfan yn wir.
Diolch i'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary.
Yr eitem nesaf fydd y datganiadau 90 eiliad, y cyntaf gan Mark Isherwood.
The next item will be the 90-second statements, the first from Mark Isherwood.
Diolch, Llywydd. Research by the Stroke Association reveals the emotional and practical challenges stroke survivors face during Christmas. Almost half feel negatively about the festive season and 30 per cent feel like a burden to loved ones. Amongst those who've experienced a post-stroke Christmas, 66 per cent report frustration at being unable to do what they once could.
There are over 85,000 people surviving a stroke annually in the UK, but recovery is long and gruelling. Mums, dads, grandparents, young people, even children—anyone can have a stroke, and its impact is traumatic. Brain damage caused by a stroke can leave survivors unable to move, see, speak or even swallow. A survey of 1,000 stroke survivors highlights the impact on festive traditions: 28 per cent could not cook Christmas dinner; 26 per cent could not visit friends or leave the house; 23 per cent could not decorate the tree; 19 per cent could not play with children or grandchildren.
Ruth from Conwy describes the shock of her stroke at 36, lack of support afterwards, and the emotional and financial pressure of her first Christmas post stroke. Four years on, she feels more able to embrace the festivities with a new perspective. This Christmas Day, around 240 people in the UK will wake up to the life-changing impact of a stroke, which can cause paralysis, vision and speech problems, difficulty swallowing, personality changes and depression. So, let us spare a thought for them and all stroke survivors on this Christmas Day.
Diolch, Lywydd. Mae ymchwil gan y Gymdeithas Strôc yn datgelu'r heriau emosiynol ac ymarferol y mae goroeswyr strôc yn eu hwynebu dros gyfnod y Nadolig. Mae bron i hanner yn teimlo'n negyddol am dymor yr ŵyl a 30 y cant yn teimlo fel baich i anwyliaid. Ymhlith y rhai sydd wedi profi Nadolig ar ôl strôc, mae 66 y cant yn adrodd eu bod yn teimlo'n rhwystredig am na allant wneud yr hyn yr arferent allu ei wneud.
Mae dros 85,000 o bobl yn goroesi strôc bob blwyddyn yn y DU, ond mae'r adferiad yn hir ac yn anodd. Mamau, tadau, neiniau a theidiau, pobl ifanc, plant hyd yn oed—gall unrhyw un gael strôc, ac mae ei effaith yn drawmatig. Gall niwed i'r ymennydd a achosir gan strôc adael goroeswyr yn methu symud, gweld, siarad neu hyd yn oed lyncu. Mae arolwg o 1,000 o oroeswyr strôc yn tynnu sylw at yr effaith ar draddodiadau Nadoligaidd: ni allai 28 y cant goginio cinio Nadolig; ni allai 26 y cant ymweld â ffrindiau na gadael y tŷ; ni allai 23 y cant addurno'r goeden; ni allai 19 y cant chwarae gyda phlant neu wyrion.
Mae Ruth o Gonwy yn disgrifio sioc ei strôc yn 36 oed, y diffyg cefnogaeth wedyn, a phwysau emosiynol ac ariannol ei Nadolig cyntaf ar ôl y strôc. Bedair blynedd yn ddiweddarach, mae hi'n teimlo'n fwy abl i gofleidio'r dathliadau gyda phersbectif newydd. Y dydd Nadolig hwn, bydd tua 240 o bobl yn y DU yn deffro i effaith strôc sy'n newid bywydau, a all achosi parlys, problemau gyda'r golwg a lleferydd, anhawster llyncu, newidiadau i'w personoliaeth ac iselder. Felly, gadewch inni roi eiliad i feddwl amdanynt hwy a'r holl oroeswyr strôc y dydd Nadolig hwn.
Yn gynharach yr wythnos hon, fe gollodd Cymru un o leisiau mwyaf adnabyddus a hoffus darlledu yn y Gymraeg ers dros hanner canrif. Crwt o Gaerfyrddin oedd Sulwyn Thomas. Cychwynnodd ei yrfa gyda'r Evening Post yn Abertawe cyn ymuno wedyn â chwmni teledu TWW fel gohebydd ar raglen Y Dydd. Aeth ymlaen i gael gyrfa ddisglair mewn teledu a radio, o Y Dydd i Heddiw, Y Sioe Fach a Ffermio, ond mi fyddai'r rhan fwyaf ohonom ni, wrth gwrs, yn ei gofio fe am ei raglen Stondin Sulwyn ar Radio Cymru. Cyn bod sôn am y cyfryngau cymdeithasol, Stondin Sulwyn oedd Facebook ei oes: lle i gael gwybod pob dim ac i rannu pob dim; llwyfan i bobl gyffredin leisio barn, gael ambell ffrae gofiadwy, ond helpu ei gilydd hefyd, yn arbennig, wrth gwrs, yn ystod yr eira mawr yn 1982, pan oedd y rhaglen yn achubiaeth i lawer iawn, dwi'n gwybod.
Ond mi oedd Sulwyn hefyd yn un o sylfaenwyr Radio Glangwili, a hefyd Papur Llafar y Deillion. Mi fuodd ef a Glenys yn rhedeg aelwyd yr Urdd yng Nghaerfyrddin am flynyddoedd, ac mi fuodd e'n un o hoelion wyth Capel y Priordy ers yn ifanc iawn. Ac fel un o blant y Priordy fy hun, mae fy nyled i'n fawr iddo fe am arwain yr ysgol Sul yno am flynyddoedd lawer.
Nawr, cryfder mawr Sulwyn oedd ei fod e'n deall ei bobl, ac yn rhoi pobl wrth galon ei newyddiaduraeth, a hynny'n amlach na pheidio gyda chynhesrwydd, gyda hiwmor, a gyda chwerthin heintus. Mi fydd yna fwlch mawr, a dwi'n siŵr rhyw dawelwch chwithig, ar ei ôl ef. Ond, ar ran Senedd Cymru, diolch i ti, Sulwyn, am fywyd o wasanaeth i dy gymuned a dy genedl, a phob cariad a chydymdeimlad at Glenys a'r teulu oll.
Earlier this week, Wales lost one of its most recognisable and beloved voices from the world of Welsh broadcasting in the last half a century. Sulwyn Thomas was a lad from Carmarthen. He started his career with the Evening Post in Swansea, before joining TWW television company as a correspondent for the Y Dydd programme. He went on to enjoy a glittering career in television and radio, from Y Dydd to Heddiw, Y Sioe Fach and Ffermio, but most of us will remember him for his programme, Stondin Sulwyn, on Radio Cymru. Before the advent of social media, Stondin Sulwyn was the Facebook of its era: a place to find out everything and to share everything; a platform for people to have their say, to have a few memorable quarrels, but also to help each other, particularly so, of course, during the heavy snows of 1982, when the programme was a lifeline for many, I know.
But Sulwyn was also one of those who established Radio Glangwili, and the Papur Llafar y Deillion talking newspaper service. He and Glenys ran the aelwyd yr Urdd in Carmarthen for years, and he was one of the lynchpins of Capel y Priordy since a very young age. As one of the children of y Priordy myself, I'm indebted to him for leading the Sunday school there for many years.
Now, Sulwyn's great strength was that he understood his people, and placed people at the heart of his journalism, and did so more often than not with warmth, with humour, and with contagious laughter. He leaves big shoes to fill, as well as a strange silence. But, on behalf of Senedd Cymru, thank you, Sulwyn, for a lifetime of service to your community and your nation, and our love and sympathies go to Glenys and the family.
Yr eitem nesaf bydd y cynnig i ethol Aelod i bwyllgor. Dwi'n galw ar Heledd Fychan i wneud y cynnig yma.
The next item is a motion to elect a Member to a committee. I call on Heledd Fychan to move the motion.
Cynnig NDM9088 Elin Jones
Cynnig bod y Senedd, yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 17.14, yn ethol Lindsay Whittle (Plaid Cymru) yn lle Luke Fletcher (Plaid Cymru) yn aelod o’r Pwyllgor Deisebau.
Motion NDM9088 Elin Jones
To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 17.14, elects Lindsay Whittle (Plaid Cymru) in place of Luke Fletcher (Plaid Cymru) as a member of the Petitions Committee.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Yn ffurfiol, Llywydd.
Formally, Llywydd.
Y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid derbyn y cynnig? A oes unrhyw wrthwynebiad? Nac oes. Felly, mae'r cynnig yna wedi'i dderbyn.
The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? No. The motion is therefore agreed.
Derbyniwyd y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Detholwyd y gwelliant canlynol: gwelliant 1 yn enw Adam Price.
The following amendment has been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Adam Price.
Eitem 5 bydd nesaf, felly—y ddadl Aelodau yw hon. Y ddadl heddiw gan Adam Price, ar ME. Felly, Adam Price i gynnig.
Item 5 is next, the Member debate. Today's debate is to be led by Adam Price, on ME. Adam Price to move the motion.
Cynnig NDM8884 Adam Price
Cefnogwyd gan Altaf Hussain, Cefin Campbell, Heledd Fychan, Jane Dodds, Joel James, John Griffiths, Julie Morgan, Llyr Gruffydd, Luke Fletcher, Mabon ap Gwynfor, Mark Isherwood, Mike Hedges, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Rhys ab Owen, Siân Gwenllian, Sioned Williams
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
1. Yn nodi bod enseffalomyelitis myalgig (ME) yn salwch cronig sy’n anablu ar bob lefel o ddifrifoldeb.
2. Yn nodi bod 25 y cant o’r rhai sy'n dioddef o ME yn cael eu categoreiddio gan NICE fel ‘difrifol: yn bennaf yn gaeth i’r gwely neu’r tŷ’, a ‘difrifol iawn: gyfan gwbl gaeth i’r gwely’, sy'n gofyn am ofal llawn amser ac, yn yr achosion mwyaf difrifol, gofal lliniarol a bwydo drwy diwb.
3. Yn gresynu mai’r rhai sydd yn aml â'r lefelau uchaf o ddifrifoldeb ME sy'n cael y lleiaf o ofal a thriniaeth briodol.
4. Yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i:
a) ymateb i'r pryderon a godir yn Adroddiad y Crwner yn Lloegr, Prevention of Future Deaths, ac esbonio pa gamau ymarferol y bydd yn eu cymryd i sicrhau na fydd unrhyw glaf yng Nghymru fyth yn cael ei roi mewn amgylchiadau mor drasig â'r rhai a ddisgrifir yn yr adroddiad;
b) sicrhau bod gwasanaethau ME a ariennir gan Adferiad yn gwneud darpariaeth sy’n briodol i anghenion cleifion sydd ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn;
c) dwyn ynghyd grŵp arbenigol o weithwyr iechyd proffesiynol a phobl sydd â phrofiad byw, ar lefel genedlaethol, i ddatblygu canllawiau a safonau ansawdd Cymru Gyfan ar ME, gan gynnwys ar gyfer y rhai yr effeithir arnynt yn fwyaf difrifol;
d) gwneud penodi ymgynghorydd arbenigol Cymru gyfan ar gyfer cyflyrau cronig ôl-heintus—gan gynnwys ME a Covid hir—yn flaenoriaeth;
e) gwella'r hyfforddiant ar ME ar gyfer gweithwyr proffesiynol, yn gyntaf yn y GIG, ond hefyd mewn gwasanaethau cymdeithasol ac ysgolion: yn benodol, codi ymwybyddiaeth o anghenion gofal oedolion a phlant sydd ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn; ac
f) sicrhau bod byrddau iechyd yn wirioneddol gyd-gynhyrchu eu gwasanaethau Adferiad ME a Covid hir, gan ystyried profiadau byw y rhai sy'n dioddef ar y lefelau mwyaf difrifol a'r rhai sy'n gofalu amdanynt.
Motion NDM8884 Adam Price
Supported by Altaf Hussain, Cefin Campbell, Heledd Fychan, Jane Dodds, Joel James, John Griffiths, Julie Morgan, Llyr Gruffydd, Luke Fletcher, Mabon ap Gwynfor, Mark Isherwood, Mike Hedges, Rhun ap Iorwerth, Rhys ab Owen, Siân Gwenllian, Sioned Williams
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes that myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a chronic and disabling illness at all levels of severity.
2. Notes that, of those suffering from ME, 25 per cent are categorised by NICE as 'severe: mainly bed bound or housebound', and 'very severe: fully bedbound', requiring full-time care and, in the severest cases, palliative care and tube feeding.
3. Regrets that it is often those with the greatest severity levels of ME who are provided with the least amount of appropriate care and treatment.
4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) respond to the concerns raised in the Coroner in England’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report, and explain what practical steps they will take to ensure that no patient in Wales will ever be placed in such tragic circumstances as those described in the report;
b) ensure that the Adferiad-funded ME services are making provision appropriate to the needs of patients with severe and very severe ME;
c) bring together an expert group of health professionals and people with lived experience, at a national level, to develop all-Wales guidance and quality standards on ME, including for the most severely affected;
d) make the appointment of an all-Wales specialist consultant for post-infectious chronic conditions—including ME and long COVID—a priority;
e) improve the training on ME for professionals, firstly in the NHS, but also in social services and schools: in particular, raising awareness of the care needs of adults and children with severe and very severe ME; and
f) ensure that health boards truly co-produce their ME and long COVID Adferiad services, taking into account the lived experiences of those suffering at the severest levels and of those caring for them.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Gwelliant 1—Adam Price
Ychwanegu is-bwynt newydd ar ddiwedd pwynt 4:
datblygu dull strategol o ymchwil drwy gefnogi Cymru i gynnal un o'r pum canolfan arfaethedig yn y DU ar gyfer ymchwil drosiadol gydweithredol i fecanweithiau patholegol sy'n achosi ME, COVID hir a chyflyrau heintiau ôl-acíwt cysylltiedig.
Amendment 1—Adam Price
Add as new sub-point at end of point 4:
develop a strategic approach to research by supporting Wales to host one of the five proposed UK hubs for collaborative translational research into pathological mechanisms that cause ME, long COVID and related post-acute infection conditions.
Cynigiwyd gwelliant 1.
Amendment 1 moved.
Diolch, Llywydd. I move the motion and the amendment in my name, but also in the name of thousands of people in Wales who we never see, not because their illness is mild, but because they must live in darkness: behind blackout blinds, away from noise, unable to bear light, sound or even touch. They are people with severe and very severe myalgic encephalomyelitis, ME, and they are at the heart of this debate.
One of them is my constituent, Cerith. Diagnosed with ME at 11, now 33, he has needed tube feeding and palliative care, and is unable to speak or turn his body. For four years, he has lived in a hospital bed in a darkened room in Carmarthenshire. He cannot be here today, but he is part of the team that made this debate possible.
Around 63,000 people in Wales live with ME or ME-like illness. A quarter—some 15,000—are severely or very severely affected: house bound or bed bound, reliant on others for the simplest acts of daily life. This is not about tiredness. The hallmark of ME is post-exertional malaise—the delayed crash after even minor effort. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recognises that those with severe ME need special consideration because their symptoms are so often neglected or misunderstood. NHS e-learning compares severe ME to late-stage multiple sclerosis or advanced cancer, yet it receives only a fraction of the research funding. Even conservative studies put the UK cost of ME in the billions each year. Wales’s share runs into hundreds of millions. Behind those numbers are lives on hold, jobs given up, degrees abandoned, parents turned full-time carers.
Diolch, Lywydd. Rwy'n gwneud y cynnig a'r gwelliant yn fy enw i, ond hefyd yn enw miloedd o bobl yng Nghymru nad ydym byth yn eu gweld, nid am fod eu salwch yn ysgafn, ond am fod yn rhaid iddynt fyw yn y tywyllwch: y tu ôl i fleindiau blacowt, rhag unrhyw sŵn, yn methu dioddef golau, sŵn na chyffyrddiad hyd yn oed. Mae'r bobl hyn yn dioddef o enseffalomyelitis myalgig, ME, difrifol a difrifol iawn, ac mae'r ddadl hon amdanynt hwy.
Un ohonynt yw fy etholwr, Cerith. Cafodd ddiagnosis o ME yn 11 oed. Yn 33 oed erbyn hyn, mae wedi bod angen ei fwydo drwy diwb, a chael gofal lliniarol, ac nid yw'n gallu siarad na throi ei gorff. Ers pedair blynedd, mae wedi byw mewn gwely ysbyty mewn ystafell dywyll yn sir Gaerfyrddin. Ni all fod yma heddiw, ond mae'n rhan o'r tîm a wnaeth y ddadl hon yn bosib.
Mae tua 63,000 o bobl yng Nghymru yn byw gyda ME neu salwch tebyg i ME. Mae eu chwarter—tua 15,000—wedi'u heffeithio'n ddifrifol neu'n ddifrifol iawn: yn gaeth i'r tŷ neu i'r gwely, yn dibynnu ar eraill ar gyfer y gweithredoedd symlaf mewn bywyd bob dydd. Nid ymwneud â blinder y mae hyn. Prif nodwedd ME yw anghysur ôl-ymdrech—y cwymp wedi'i ohirio wedi'r ymdrech leiaf. Mae'r Sefydliad Cenedlaethol dros Ragoriaeth Iechyd a Gofal yn cydnabod bod angen ystyriaeth arbennig ar y rhai sydd ag ME difrifol oherwydd bod eu symptomau'n cael eu hesgeuluso neu eu camddeall mor aml. Mae e-ddysgu y GIG yn cymharu ME difrifol â sglerosis ymledol cam diweddar neu ganser datblygedig, ond dim ond rhan fach iawn o'r cyllid ymchwil y mae'n ei ddenu. Mae hyd yn oed astudiaethau ceidwadol yn rhoi cost ME i'r DU yn y biliynau bob blwyddyn. Mae cyfran Cymru yn y cannoedd o filiynau. Y tu ôl i'r niferoedd hynny, mae bywydau ar stop, swyddi wedi'u gadael, graddau heb eu gorffen, rhieni wedi troi'n ofalwyr llawn amser.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.
In England, the tragedy of Maeve Boothby O’Neill, who died aged 27, exposed the worst that can happen when systems fail: no specialist services, poor training on nutrition and tube feeding, and a health service unsure how to respond. That report was about England, but every concern it raised could apply in Wales. If a patient here deteriorates to that point, there is still no protocol guaranteeing a safe, consistent response. We must ensure that what happened to Maeve never happens here.
To be fair, the Welsh Government has taken important steps. In 2021, it created the Adferiad recovery programme for long COVID. In 2023, that funding rose to over £8 million a year and was widened to include people with ME, fibromyalgia and related post-infectious diseases. Wales was the first part of the UK to expand long COVID services in this way, and that deserves recognition.
But the funding is not ring-fenced, and in Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board, over £1.1 million, intended for post-infection illness, has been absorbed into other areas, leaving patients largely with a website. Wales has money, but, you could say, has no consistent map at the moment. England has a map—the new ME delivery plan—but little money. We have funding without a plan, without national standards, and without a framework for the most severely affected.
Each health board is doing things differently. In Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, the Living Well service recognises post-exertional malaise, is genuinely co-produced, can diagnose ME, prescribe for co-morbid symptoms, and make home visits. Elsewhere, support has been absorbed into generic symptom-management courses—useful for some, but inaccessible or harmful for severe ME. That's the definition, isn't it, of a postcode lottery—the phrase that we often use—and those with the highest needs often will lose the most in those circumstances.
So, building on what Government has done already, and recognising that, I ask today for five concrete commitments—a coherent, affordable programme that could transform lives. Firstly, a Welsh ME and post-infection illness delivery plan within Adferiad. We already expect in Wales compliance with NICE national guideline 206 on ME; now we need a plan that delivers on those expectations. It should be co-produced with patients and carers and set out how services will: recognise post-exertional malaise and avoid harmful, outdated rehabilitation approaches; support children and young people; provide for those with severe and very severe ME at home and in hospital; and ensure GPs and front-line clinicians can recognise, diagnose and correctly code ME, so that reliable data drives service planning. It should also include a Welsh response to the coroner’s report on Maeve Boothby O’Neill, ensuring the same failures never occur here.
Secondly, establish a national expert working group, bringing together clinicians and people with lived experience to drive consistency across Wales. Adferiad leads already meet informally as a community of practice, but without a clear mandate, effectively. A formal national group, uniting primary and secondary care, Adferiad teams, researchers, patients and carers, could design the national framework, shape training and data, share good practice, and oversee progress over time.
Thirdly, appoint an all-Wales clinical lead for post-infection associated chronic illness, including ME and long COVID. At present there is no home, if you like, home specialty for ME. GPs often have nowhere to refer, and families end up educating professionals themselves. Other complex conditions already have consultant-led national services. With tens of thousands affected, goodwill alone is not enough. A clinical lead could support complex cases, advise Adferiad teams, guide training, and keep Wales in step with biomedical research, with a clear ambition of evolving this role into a full consultant post as expertise grows.
Fourthly, Wales should play a strategic role in research. The DecodeME study has identified genetic signals linked to immune and nervous-system dysfunction, and the UK is developing a network of translational research hubs, linking clinics, patients and laboratories. Wales is well placed to host one. We have world-leading research in Cardiff on long COVID, Adferiad teams connected to European research groups, and a motivated patient community eager to partner in studies. I ask the Cabinet Secretary to work with Professor David Price, Severe ME Difrifol Cymru, WAMES, Action for ME, the ME Association, long COVID support groups and others to develop a Welsh bid to host one of these hubs and make our services research ready, so people in Wales can be among the first to benefit from new treatments.
Finally, we need a safety and equity guarantee for people with severe and very severe ME. NICE devotes an entire section to this group and instructs clinicians to risk assess every interaction to prevent harm. NHS England now provides a dedicated e-learning module. The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, learning from Maeve’s case, has developed guidance for local hospital admission and nutritional support for very severe ME cases. So, I ask three particular things of the Cabinet Secretary. In this regard, will the Government respond formally to the prevention of future deaths report and state what will change in Wales? Will it require every Adferiad-funded service to show how it supports those with severe and very severe ME, through home care, equipment, respite and safe hospital pathways? And will it explore adapting the Royal Devon guidance as an all-Wales protocol for hospital admission, drawing on best practice worldwide?
None of these asks will, on their own, cure ME. But, together, they would ensure that those whose lives have been most diminished by this illness are no longer left to navigate it alone; that we end the postcode lottery before it hardens further; and that Wales plays its full part in the global effort to understand and treat these devastating post-infectious conditions. Through Adferiad, we have already accepted that post-infection illness deserves dedicated, funded services. The question now is whether we are prepared to move from positive words and actions to clear standards and guarantees, especially for those with the highest needs.
The people with severe ME cannot be here to ask for that themselves. Many will be following this debate on a phone screen, for as long as symptoms allow, from a bed or a sofa. They should not have to wait any longer for the system to see them, understand them, and protect them. For their sake, I urge Members to support this motion, and I ask the Government to match it with concrete commitments, as I've set out today. Thank you.
Yn Lloegr, datgelodd trychineb Maeve Boothby O'Neill, a fu farw yn 27 oed, y gwaethaf a all ddigwydd pan fydd systemau'n methu: dim gwasanaethau arbenigol, hyfforddiant gwael ar faethiad a bwydo drwy diwbiau, a gwasanaeth iechyd yn ansicr sut i ymateb. Roedd yr adroddiad hwnnw'n berthnasol i Loegr, ond gallai pob pryder a godwyd ganddo fod yn berthnasol yng Nghymru. Os bydd claf yma'n dirywio i'r pwynt hwnnw, nid oes protocol o hyd sy'n gwarantu ymateb diogel a chyson. Rhaid inni sicrhau nad yw'r hyn a ddigwyddodd i Maeve byth yn digwydd yma.
A bod yn deg, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi camau pwysig ar waith. Yn 2021, creodd raglen Adferiad ar gyfer COVID hir. Yn 2023, cododd y cyllid hwnnw i dros £8 miliwn y flwyddyn a chafodd ei ehangu i gynnwys pobl ag ME, ffibromyalgia a chlefydau ôl-heintus cysylltiedig. Cymru oedd y rhan gyntaf o'r DU i ehangu gwasanaethau COVID hir yn y ffordd hon, ac mae hynny'n haeddu cydnabyddiaeth.
Ond nid yw'r cyllid wedi'i glustnodi, ac ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Cwm Taf Morgannwg, mae dros £1.1 miliwn, a fwriadwyd ar gyfer salwch ôl-haint, wedi'i amsugno i feysydd eraill, gan adael cleifion â dim ond gwefan i raddau helaeth. Mae gan Gymru arian, ond gallech ddweud nad oes ganddi gynllun cyson ar hyn o bryd. Mae gan Loegr gynllun—y cynllun cyflawni newydd ar gyfer ME—ond ychydig iawn o arian. Mae gennym gyllid heb gynllun, heb safonau cenedlaethol, a heb fframwaith ar gyfer y rhai yr effeithir arnynt yn fwyaf difrifol.
Mae pob bwrdd iechyd yn gwneud pethau'n wahanol. Ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr, mae gwasanaeth Byw'n Dda yn cydnabod anghysur ôl-ymdrech, ac yn wasanaeth sydd wedi'i gydgynhyrchu yng ngwir ystyr y term, sy'n gallu gwneud diagnosis o ME, rhoi presgripsiwn ar gyfer symptomau cydafiachedd, a gwneud ymweliadau cartref. Mewn mannau eraill, mae cymorth wedi'i amsugno i gyrsiau rheoli symptomau generig—defnyddiol i rai, ond yn anhygyrch neu'n niweidiol ar gyfer ME difrifol. Dyna'r diffiniad o loteri cod post—yr ymadrodd a ddefnyddiwn yn aml—a'r rhai sydd â'r anghenion mwyaf a fydd fwyaf ar eu colled yn yr amgylchiadau hynny.
Felly, gan adeiladu ar yr hyn y mae'r Llywodraeth eisoes wedi'i wneud, a chan gydnabod hynny, gofynnaf heddiw am bum ymrwymiad pendant—rhaglen gydlynol, fforddiadwy a allai drawsnewid bywydau. Yn gyntaf, cynllun cyflawni yng Nghymru ar gyfer ME a salwch ôl-haint o fewn Adferiad. Rydym eisoes yn disgwyl cydymffurfiaeth yng Nghymru â chanllaw cenedlaethol 206 NICE ar ME; nawr, mae angen cynllun arnom sy'n cyflawni'r disgwyliadau hynny. Dylai gael ei gydgynhyrchu gyda chleifion a gofalwyr a dylai nodi sut y bydd gwasanaethau: yn nodi anghysur ôl-ymdrech ac osgoi dulliau adsefydlu niweidiol a hen ffasiwn; cefnogi plant a phobl ifanc; darparu ar gyfer y rhai sydd ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn gartref ac yn yr ysbyty; a sicrhau y gall meddygon teulu a chlinigwyr ar y rheng flaen nodi, gwneud diagnosis o ME, a'i godio'n gywir, fel bod data dibynadwy'n llywio'r gwaith o gynllunio gwasanaethau. Dylai hefyd gynnwys ymateb Cymreig i adroddiad y crwner ar Maeve Boothby O'Neill, gan sicrhau nad yw'r un methiannau byth yn digwydd yma.
Yn ail, sefydlu gweithgor arbenigol cenedlaethol, gan ddod â chlinigwyr a phobl â phrofiad bywyd ynghyd i hybu cysondeb ledled Cymru. Mae arweinwyr Adferiad eisoes yn cyfarfod yn anffurfiol fel cymuned ymarfer ond heb fandad clir i bob pwrpas. Gallai grŵp cenedlaethol ffurfiol, gan uno gofal sylfaenol ac eilaidd, timau Adferiad, ymchwilwyr, cleifion a gofalwyr, lunio'r fframwaith cenedlaethol, siapio hyfforddiant a data, rhannu arferion da, a goruchwylio cynnydd dros amser.
Yn drydydd, penodi arweinydd clinigol Cymru gyfan ar gyfer cyflyrau cronig ôl-haint, gan gynnwys ME a COVID hir. Ar hyn o bryd, nid oes cartref, os mynnwch, i arbenigedd ar ME. Yn aml, nid oes gan feddygon teulu unman i gyfeirio ato, ac mae teuluoedd yn gorfod addysgu gweithwyr proffesiynol eu hunain. Eisoes, mae gan gyflyrau cymhleth eraill wasanaethau cenedlaethol dan arweiniad meddygon ymgynghorol. Gyda degau o filoedd wedi'u heffeithio, nid yw ewyllys da yn unig yn ddigon. Gallai arweinydd clinigol gefnogi achosion cymhleth, cynghori timau Adferiad, arwain hyfforddiant, a chadw Cymru ar y trywydd iawn gydag ymchwil fiofeddygol, gydag uchelgais glir i esblygu'r rôl hon yn swydd lawn i feddyg ymgynghorol wrth i arbenigedd dyfu.
Yn bedwerydd, dylai Cymru chwarae rhan strategol mewn ymchwil. Mae astudiaeth DecodeME wedi nodi signalau genetig sy'n gysylltiedig â chamweithrediad y system imiwnedd a'r system nerfol, ac mae'r DU yn datblygu rhwydwaith o ganolfannau ymchwil drosiadol, gan gysylltu clinigau, cleifion a labordai. Mae Cymru mewn sefyllfa dda i agor un. Mae gennym ymchwil o'r radd flaenaf yng Nghaerdydd ar COVID hir, timau Adferiad sy'n cysylltu â grwpiau ymchwil Ewropeaidd, a chymuned o gleifion brwdfrydig sy'n awyddus i bartneru mewn astudiaethau. Gofynnaf i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet weithio gyda'r Athro David Price, Severe ME Difrifol Cymru, WAMES, Action for ME, y Gymdeithas ME, grwpiau cymorth COVID hir ac eraill i ddatblygu cais i agor un o'r canolfannau hyn yng Nghymru a gwneud ein gwasanaethau'n barod ar gyfer ymchwil, fel y gall pobl yng Nghymru fod ymhlith y cyntaf i elwa o driniaethau newydd.
Yn olaf, mae arnom angen gwarant ddiogelwch a thegwch i bobl ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn. Mae NICE yn neilltuo adran gyfan i'r grŵp hwn ac yn cyfarwyddo clinigwyr i gynnal asesiad risg o bob rhyngweithiad i atal niwed. Mae GIG Lloegr bellach yn darparu modiwl e-ddysgu pwrpasol. Mae Ymddiriedolaeth Sefydledig y GIG Gofal Iechyd Prifysgol Royal Devon, gan ddysgu o achos Maeve, wedi datblygu canllawiau ar gyfer derbyniadau i'r ysbyty lleol a chymorth maethol ar gyfer achosion o ME difrifol iawn. Felly, gofynnaf dri pheth penodol i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Yn hyn o beth, a wnaiff y Llywodraeth ymateb yn ffurfiol i'r adroddiad ar atal marwolaethau yn y dyfodol a datgan beth fydd yn newid yng Nghymru? A fydd yn ei gwneud yn ofynnol i bob gwasanaeth a ariennir gan Adferiad ddangos sut y mae'n cefnogi pobl ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn, drwy ofal cartref, offer, seibiant a llwybrau ysbyty diogel? Ac a fydd yn archwilio'r syniad o addasu canllawiau Royal Devon fel protocol Cymru gyfan ar gyfer derbyniadau i'r ysbyty, gan efelychu arferion gorau ledled y byd?
Ni fydd yr un o'r galwadau hyn, ar eu pen eu hunain, yn gwella ME. Ond gyda'i gilydd, byddent yn sicrhau nad yw'r rhai y mae eu bywydau wedi'u heffeithio fwyaf gan y salwch hwn yn cael eu gadael i ymdopi ag ef ar eu pen eu hunain mwyach; ein bod yn dod â'r loteri cod post i ben cyn iddi waethygu ymhellach; a bod Cymru'n chwarae ei rhan lawn yn yr ymdrech fyd-eang i ddeall a thrin y cyflyrau ôl-heintus dinistriol hyn. Drwy Adferiad, rydym eisoes wedi derbyn bod salwch ôl-haint yn haeddu gwasanaethau pwrpasol, wedi'u hariannu. Y cwestiwn nawr yw a ydym yn barod i gamu ymlaen o eiriau cadarnhaol a gweithredoedd i safonau a gwarantau clir, yn enwedig i'r rhai sydd â'r anghenion mwyaf.
Ni all y bobl sydd ag ME difrifol fod yma i ofyn am hynny eu hunain. Bydd llawer yn dilyn y ddadl hon ar sgrin ffôn, cyhyd ag y bydd eu symptomau'n caniatáu, o wely neu soffa. Ni ddylent orfod aros yn hirach i'r system eu gweld, eu deall, a'u diogelu. Er eu mwyn nhw, rwy'n annog yr Aelodau i gefnogi'r cynnig hwn, ac rwy'n gofyn i'r Llywodraeth ymateb iddo gyda'r ymrwymiadau pendant a nodais heddiw. Diolch.
As we've heard, myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, ME/CFS, is a common, profoundly debilitating, chronic illness that affects multiple systems within the body. Action for ME estimates that 1.35 million in the UK, including over 62,000 in Wales, live with ME or ME-like symptoms. A core feature of the condition is post-exertional malaise, a hallmark symptom that severely limits daily functioning. It affects more females than males and, in most cases, starts after an infection.
Despite its prevalence, ME remains significantly under-recognised. Inconsistent data, under-diagnosis and the absence of comprehensive research into its societal and economic impacts mean that the full scale of the illness is still not well understood. It has long contributed to a lack of co-ordinated support and inadequate services for those affected.
Given the increasing relevance of ME within wider public health and post-viral illness policy, today provides an opportunity to raise awareness, scrutinise current provision, and consider how Wales can lead the way in improved outcomes for people with ME. Action for ME are campaigning for—and Adam has referred to much of this—a strategic approach to research, the appointment of an all-Wales clinical lead for ME, ensuring that NICE guidelines for ME are followed in Wales, and for a Wales-specific delivery plan for ME.
Following the release of new NICE guidelines in 2022, Wales should have moved ahead with a clear care pathway for people living with ME. Back then, campaigners in Wales told me that there might be a service for ME within some health boards, but, if there was, they didn't know where these services were, who they were run by, and what treatments they were using. However, they had the assistance of the medical adviser for the ME Association, who was willing both to work with them to enable people with ME across Wales to obtain the correct medical understanding and support for their condition, and they were willing to attend a meeting with the Welsh Government. They added that it was currently very unclear where or how people with ME could obtain treatment for ME in Wales, and that it was pot luck if one were to find a GP who had a good understanding and training regarding the condition, and they had nowhere to send patients on to. I raised this with the Welsh Government then.
Moving forward, a north Wales constituent contacted me before today’s debate to tell me their story. They once lived an active, independent life, working as an embedded systems engineer, enjoying sports and holidays. Six years ago, a virus changed everything. They developed ME, now severe for three years. Their life is now unrecognisable. They are housebound, dependent on family, unable to work or maintain relationships, with all their care privately funded. ME has stripped away their independence and hope, yet funding, research and support remain minimal.
It is now 18 months since my written question to the then health Minister showed a lack of training provision regarding ME/CFS since the change in NICE guidelines in 2022. The Severe ME Difrifol Cymru group—an informal group of people with severe and very severe ME, and their carers—therefore asked what NHS-funded training on severe and very severe ME, specifically including input from patients and carers, has been received by professionals in Welsh Government-funded Adferiad services, and in primary care, and what further measures the Minister proposes to ensure sufficient awareness of the condition across health and social services. Perhaps you’ll answer this.
The motion today calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that health boards truly co-produce their ME and long COVID Adferiad services, taking into account the lived experiences of those suffering at the severest levels, and of those caring for them. In August, I met a north Wales representative of Severe ME Difrifol Cymru. I was told that there are currently no designated NHS services for severe and very severe ME, housebound and bedbound, and that the majority of NHS provision does not use the new NICE guidelines. Little is known about the biological mechanisms that cause ME/CFS, despite many attempts to uncover them, and it has no effective treatments.
However, this year has seen some long-awaited breakthroughs in ME research. The DecodeME study, led by the University of Edinburgh, uncovered significant genetic differences in people with ME, providing powerful validation and opening the door to groundbreaking discoveries. As the motion states today that it is often those with the greatest severity levels of ME who are provided with the least amount of appropriate care and treatment—
Fel y clywsom, mae enseffalomyelitis myalgig neu syndrom lludded cronig, yn salwch cronig cyffredin, hynod wanychol sy'n effeithio ar sawl system o fewn y corff. Mae Action for ME yn amcangyfrif bod 1.35 miliwn o bobl yn y DU, gan gynnwys dros 62,000 yng Nghymru, yn byw gydag ME neu symptomau tebyg i ME. Un o nodweddion craidd y cyflwr yw anghysur ôl-ymdrech, symptom nodweddiadol sy'n cyfyngu'n ddifrifol ar weithrediad o ddydd i ddydd. Mae'n effeithio ar fwy o fenywod na dynion, ac yn y rhan fwyaf o achosion, mae'n dechrau ar ôl haint.
Er gwaethaf ei gyffredinolrwydd, mae ME yn parhau i gael ei dangydnabod. Mae data anghyson, lefelau isel o ddiagnosis a diffyg ymchwil gynhwysfawr i'w effeithiau cymdeithasol ac economaidd yn golygu nad yw graddfa lawn y salwch wedi'i deall yn dda o hyd. Mae hynny wedi cyfrannu ers tro at ddiffyg cymorth cydgysylltiedig a gwasanaethau annigonol i'r rhai yr effeithir arnynt.
O ystyried perthnasedd cynyddol ME o fewn polisi iechyd cyhoeddus ehangach a salwch ôl-feirysol, mae heddiw'n gyfle i godi ymwybyddiaeth, craffu ar y ddarpariaeth bresennol, ac ystyried sut y gall Cymru arwain y ffordd o ran gwella canlyniadau i bobl ag ME. Mae Action for ME yn ymgyrchu dros—ac mae Adam wedi cyfeirio at lawer o hyn—ymagwedd strategol at ymchwil, penodi arweinydd clinigol Cymru gyfan ar gyfer ME, sicrhau bod canllawiau NICE ar gyfer ME yn cael eu dilyn yng Nghymru a chynllun cyflawni penodol i Gymru ar gyfer ME.
Yn dilyn rhyddhau canllawiau newydd NICE yn 2022, dylai Cymru fod wedi symud ymlaen gyda llwybr gofal clir i bobl sy'n byw gydag ME. Bryd hynny, dywedodd ymgyrchwyr yng Nghymru wrthyf y gallai fod gwasanaeth ar gyfer ME mewn rhai byrddau iechyd, ond os oedd, nid oeddent yn gwybod ble roedd y gwasanaethau hyn, pwy oedd yn eu rhedeg, a pha driniaethau a ddefnyddient. Fodd bynnag, cawsant gymorth y cynghorydd meddygol ar gyfer y Gymdeithas ME, a oedd yn fodlon gweithio gyda nhw i alluogi pobl ag ME ledled Cymru i gael y ddealltwriaeth a'r cymorth meddygol cywir ar gyfer eu cyflwr, ac roeddent yn fodlon mynychu cyfarfod â Llywodraeth Cymru. Fe wnaethant ychwanegu ei bod yn aneglur iawn ar hyn o bryd ble neu sut y gallai pobl ag ME gael triniaeth ar gyfer ME yng Nghymru, ac mai mater o lwc oedd dod o hyd i feddyg teulu a oedd â dealltwriaeth dda ac wedi cael hyfforddiant ar y cyflwr, ac nad oedd ganddynt unman i anfon cleifion ymlaen iddo. Codais hyn gyda Llywodraeth Cymru bryd hynny.
Gan symud ymlaen, cysylltodd etholwr o ogledd Cymru â mi cyn y ddadl heddiw i ddweud eu stori wrthyf. Ar un adeg, roeddent yn byw bywyd egnïol ac annibynnol, yn gweithio fel peiriannydd systemau corfforedig, ac yn mwynhau chwaraeon a gwyliau. Chwe blynedd yn ôl, newidiodd feirws bopeth. Fe wnaethant ddatblygu ME, sydd bellach yn ddifrifol ers tair blynedd. Mae eu bywyd bellach wedi newid yn llwyr. Maent yn gaeth i'w cartref, yn ddibynnol ar eu teulu, yn methu gweithio na chynnal perthynas, gyda'u holl ofal wedi'i ariannu'n breifat. Mae ME wedi mynd â'u hannibyniaeth a'u gobaith, ond mae cyllid, ymchwil a chymorth yn parhau i fod yn brin iawn.
Mae 18 mis wedi bod bellach ers i fy nghwestiwn ysgrifenedig i'r Gweinidog iechyd ar y pryd ddangos diffyg darpariaeth hyfforddiant ynghylch ME a syndrom lludded cronig ers y newid yng nghanllawiau NICE yn 2022. Felly, gofynnodd grŵp Severe ME Difrifol Cymru—grŵp anffurfiol o bobl ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn, a'u gofalwyr—pa hyfforddiant a ariennir gan y GIG ar ME difrifol a difrifol iawn, yn benodol, hyfforddiant sy'n cynnwys mewnbwn gan gleifion a gofalwyr, y mae gweithwyr proffesiynol yng ngwasanaethau Adferiad, a ariennir gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ac mewn gofal sylfaenol, wedi'i gael, a pha fesurau pellach y mae'r Gweinidog yn eu cynnig i sicrhau ymwybyddiaeth ddigonol o'r cyflwr ar draws iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol. Efallai y gallwch ateb hyn.
Mae'r cynnig heddiw'n galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod byrddau iechyd yn mynd ati o ddifrif i gydgynhyrchu eu gwasanaethau ME ac Adferiad COVID hir, gan ystyried profiad bywyd y rhai sy'n dioddef ar y lefelau mwyaf difrifol, a'r rhai sy'n gofalu amdanynt. Ym mis Awst, cyfarfûm â chynrychiolydd Severe ME Difrifol Cymru ar gyfer gogledd Cymru. Dywedwyd wrthyf nad oes unrhyw wasanaethau GIG dynodedig ar hyn o bryd ar gyfer ME difrifol a difrifol iawn, i bobl sy'n gaeth i'r tŷ ac yn gaeth i'r gwely, ac nad yw'r rhan fwyaf o ddarpariaeth y GIG yn defnyddio canllawiau newydd NICE. Ychydig a wyddys am y mecanweithiau biolegol sy'n achosi ME a syndrom lludded cronig, er gwaethaf llawer o ymdrechion i'w canfod, ac ni cheir triniaethau effeithiol ar gyfer y cyflwr.
Fodd bynnag, eleni, gwelwyd rhywfaint o ddatblygiadau hirddisgwyliedig mewn ymchwil i ME. Datgelodd astudiaeth DecodeME, dan arweiniad Prifysgol Caeredin, wahaniaethau genetig arwyddocaol mewn pobl ag ME, gan ddarparu dilysiad pwerus ac agor y drws i ddarganfyddiadau arloesol. Fel y mae'r cynnig yn ei nodi heddiw, yn aml, y rhai sydd â'r lefelau mwyaf difrifol o ME sy'n cael y lleiaf o ofal a thriniaeth briodol—
You need to conclude now, please, Mark.
Mae angen ichi ddirwyn i ben, os gwelwch yn dda, Mark.
—we therefore call on the Welsh Government to support this motion.
—felly rydym yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi'r cynnig hwn.
Dirprwy Lywydd, a constituent of mine is a disability campaigner and advocate living with ME, and she regularly shares experiences with me: the constant barriers that result from widespread misunderstandings and outdated perceptions of ME, at both societal and medical levels; the way that it’s frequently mischaracterised as chronic fatigue, trivialising the condition and failing to reflect its complexity; debilitating fatigue, sleep problems and cognitive dysfunction—the latter itself often trivialised as brain fog; and the way that it affects the ability to work, enjoy hobbies, and pursue activities and, indeed, to live independently with dignity.
My constituent has experienced harmful assumptions about her physical and mental capacity from healthcare professionals, who often fail to realise the fluctuating nature of the condition—that ME symptoms can vary in form and intensity, from day to day and week to week. She has also experienced what she characterises as medical misogyny, which she believes leads some medical professionals to look at ME, a condition that disproportionately affects women, as a condition that is more easily dismissed. That very often leads to misdiagnosis, and that, in turn, results in delays to care or inappropriate care pathways, and the revolving door syndrome, where people suffering ME see various medical professionals before it's diagnosed and dealt with.
Another pressing concern that she believes should be highlighted is the denial of COVID booster vaccinations to people with ME. She gives the example that, in 2021, she caught a cold, from which she has never fully recovered. As Mark Isherwood mentioned, she strongly believes that the DecodeME study at the University of Edinburgh should be very carefully considered and acknowledged by GPs and medical professionals—that they should engage with it and its findings. In that way, there might be the shift that she believes is necessary in how ME is understood, diagnosed and treated, both in policy and practice.
Finally, Dirprwy Lywydd, my constituent I think rightly points to the social model of disability as very relevant to ME, as it is to many other disabling conditions—that she faces barriers not because of her condition alone but because of the way society and systems fail to accommodate her needs. From inaccessible healthcare to inflexible support structures, the current approach does not reflect the principles of dignity, independence and inclusion that the social model promotes. Diolch yn fawr.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae un o fy etholwyr yn ymgyrchydd anabledd ac yn eiriolwr sy'n byw gydag ME, ac mae'n rhannu ei phrofiadau gyda mi yn rheolaidd: y rhwystrau cyson sy'n deillio o gamddealltwriaeth eang a chanfyddiadau hen ffasiwn o ME, ar lefelau cymdeithasol a meddygol; y ffordd y caiff ei gamddiffinio'n aml fel lludded cronig, term sy'n bychanu effaith y cyflwr ac nad yw'n adlewyrchu ei gymhlethdod; lludded gwanychol, problemau cysgu a chamweithrediad gwybyddol—symptom sy'n aml yn cael ei fychanu wrth ei alw'n feddwl pŵl; a'r ffordd y mae'n effeithio ar y gallu i weithio, mwynhau hobïau, gwneud gweithgareddau, ac yn wir, i fyw'n annibynnol gydag urddas.
Mae fy etholwr wedi profi rhagdybiaethau niweidiol am ei gallu corfforol a meddyliol gan weithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol, nad ydynt yn ymwybodol yn aml o natur amrywiol y cyflwr—y gall symptomau ME amrywio o ran ffurf a dwyster, o ddydd i ddydd ac o wythnos i wythnos. Mae hefyd wedi profi'r hyn y mae'n ei alw'n fisogynedd meddygol, sydd yn ei barn hi'n arwain rhai gweithwyr proffesiynol meddygol i ystyried ME, cyflwr sy'n effeithio'n anghymesur ar fenywod, fel cyflwr sy'n haws ei ddiystyru. Yn aml iawn, mae hynny'n arwain at gamddiagnosis, ac mae hynny, yn ei dro, yn arwain at oedi gofal neu lwybrau gofal amhriodol, a syndrom y drysau troi, lle mae pobl sy'n dioddef o ME yn gweld amrywiol weithwyr proffesiynol meddygol cyn y gwneir diagnosis o'r cyflwr a chyn iddo gael ei drin.
Pryder dybryd arall y mae'n credu y dylid ei amlygu yw gwrthod pigiadau atgyfnerthu COVID i bobl ag ME. Mae'n rhoi'r enghraifft iddi ddal annwyd yn 2021 nad yw hi erioed wedi gwella'n llwyr ohono. Fel y soniodd Mark Isherwood, mae'n credu'n gryf y dylai meddygon teulu a gweithwyr proffesiynol meddygol ystyried a chydnabod astudiaeth DecodeME ym Mhrifysgol Caeredin yn ofalus iawn—y dylent ystyried yr astudiaeth a'i chanfyddiadau. Yn y ffordd honno, efallai y gwelwn y newid y mae'n credu bod ei angen yn y ffordd y caiff ME ei ddeall, ei ddiagnosio a'i drin, mewn polisi ac yn ymarfer.
Yn olaf, Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae fy etholwr yn tynnu sylw, yn gywir ddigon yn fy marn i, at y model cymdeithasol o anabledd fel rhywbeth sy'n berthnasol iawn i ME, fel y mae i lawer o gyflyrau eraill sy'n anablu—ei bod yn wynebu rhwystrau nid yn unig oherwydd ei chyflwr ond oherwydd y ffordd y mae cymdeithas a systemau'n methu diwallu ei hanghenion. O ofal iechyd anhygyrch i strwythurau cymorth anhyblyg, nid yw'r dull gweithredu presennol yn adlewyrchu egwyddorion urddas, annibyniaeth a chynhwysiant y mae'r model cymdeithasol yn eu hyrwyddo. Diolch yn fawr.
Mae ME yn un o'r cyflyrau yma sydd yn cario stigma. Fe gofiwch chi bobl yn cyfeirio ato fel 'yuppie flu' nôl yn y 1990au. Dwi'n cofio mam i un o'm ffrindiau pennaf yn yr ysgol yn dioddef ohono, a hithau'n cael ei dilorni a'i bychanu oherwydd cyflwr nad oedd ganddi hi reolaeth arno. Mae'r stigma yma yn brifo'r dioddefwyr a'r anwyliaid, mae'n bychanu'r cyflwr, mae'n bychanu eu dioddefaint nhw, ac yn gwbl anystyriol o effaith go iawn cyflwr sydd yn llethu llawer iawn gormod o bobl. Yn anffodus, mae'r stigma yna yn parhau heddiw. Diolch, felly, i Adam am sicrhau'r ddadl yma heddiw. Gadewch i'r ddadl yma fod yn gam cadarnhaol tuag at ddiosg y stigma, gwella dealltwriaeth, a gweld mwy o weithredu.
Dwi'n siŵr eich bod chi, fel fi, wedi derbyn gohebiaeth gan nifer fawr o etholwyr yn arwain at y ddadl yma. Fe ges i un etholwraig yn dod i fy nghymhorthfa yng Nghorris, ac yn esbonio sut y mae'r cyflwr yma wedi llethu ei chymar yn llwyr. Roedd ei chymar hi'n arfer bod yn bêl-droedwraig nodedig, yn berson heini, a oedd yn byw ei bywyd yn yr awyr iach, yn weithwraig gydwybodol, ac yn cyfrannu'n werthfawr at ei chymdeithas. Bellach, mae hi'n gaeth i'w hystafell wely, ac wedi bod ers sawl blwyddyn, gyda hyd yn oed golau yn sugno ei hegni.
Er bod y Llywodraeth wedi cynyddu cyllid i'r rhaglen Adferiad i £8.3 miliwn ers 2023, ac wedi ymestyn gwasanaethau i gynnwys cyflyrau hirdymor eraill, mae diffyg strategaeth genedlaethol glir yn parhau i rwystro mynediad dioddefwyr at ofal priodol. Heb strategaeth, mi rydyn ni'n wynebu perygl go iawn o ofal anghyson a loteri cod post. Mae hyn felly yn dangos diffyg ymrwymiad gan y Llywodraeth i sicrhau cysondeb a safonau teg ledled Cymru.
Ddwy flynedd yn ôl, fe ddywedodd y Gweinidog iechyd bryd hynny, mewn ymateb i gwestiwn ysgrifenedig gen i, fod disgwyl i fyrddau iechyd gydgynhyrchu modelau gwasanaeth gyda phobl â phrofiad byw, gan gynnwys WAMES. Ond, yn un peth, nid ydy'r disgwyliad yma yn ddigonol. Heb atebolrwydd a chynllun cyflawni wedi ei seilio ar ganllawiau NICE, ni fydd y system yn gweithio. Ond, yn ail, ddwy flynedd yn ddiweddarach, mae'n ymddangos nad oes yna unrhyw gynnydd go iawn wedi bod yn hyn o beth. Mae WAMES wedi cyflwyno cynnig clir, ond ymddengys fod y Llywodraeth heb weithredu o hyd ar y cynnig hwnnw, o leiaf hyd yma.
Mae'r blaenoriaethau'n glir ac yn amlwg: mae angen hyfforddiant gwell i weithwyr iechyd proffesiynol ar ddiagnosis a rheoli ME; llwybrau gofal safonol ar gyfer pob oedran a phob difrifoldeb, yn unol â chanllawiau NICE; cofnodi diagnosis yn gyson er mwyn sicrhau data cywir; cydgynhyrchu gwirioneddol gyda chleifion, gofalwyr a'r trydydd sector; a diogelu cleifion wrth iddyn nhw gael mynediad at wasanaethau nad ydynt yn benodol yn ymwneud ag ME. Heb y camau yma, mi fydd gwasanaethau yn parhau i fod yn anghyson ac yn annigonol. Mae pobl sydd yn dioddef o ME wedi bod yn aros yn llawer rhy hir. Mae angen cynllun clir, strategaeth gadarn a chydgynhyrchu ystyrlon. Dim ond wedyn y gallwn ni sicrhau bod gwasanaethau yng Nghymru yn deg, yn gyson ac yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth.
ME is one of those conditions that carries a stigma. You will recall people referring to it as 'yuppie flu' back in the 1990s. I remember the mother of one of my best friends at school suffering, and she was belittled because of a condition that she had no control over. This stigma hurts those suffering and their loved ones, it belittles their suffering and belittles the condition, and takes no account of the real impact of a condition that impacts far too many people. Unfortunately, that stigma continues today. Thanks, therefore, to Adam for securing this debate today. Let this debate be a positive step towards doing away with that stigma, increasing understanding, and seeing more action in this area.
I'm sure that you, like myself, will have received correspondence from many constituents leading up to this debate. I had one constituent coming to my surgery in Corris, and she explained to me how this condition has had such an impact on her partner. Her partner used to be a notable footballer, a healthy person, who lived her life in the outdoors, a conscientious worker, who contributed fully to her society. Now, she is confined to her bedroom, and has been for many years, with even light sucking the energy out of her.
Although the Government has increased funding to the Adferiad programme to £8.3 million since 2023, and extended services to include other long-term conditions, a lack of a clear national strategy continues to hinder access for sufferers to appropriate care. Without a strategy, we face a real risk of inconsistent care and a postcode lottery. This therefore shows a lack of commitment from the Government in ensuring consistency and fair standards across Wales.
Two years ago, the Minister for health at the time said, in response to a written question from me, that health boards are expected to co-produce service models with people with lived experience, including WAMES. But this expectation is not enough. Without accountability and a delivery programme based on NICE guidelines, the system simply won't work. But secondly, two years later, it appears that there has been no real progress made in this regard. WAMES has presented a clear ask, but it appears that the Government still hasn't acted on that, at least to date.
The priorities are clear and obvious: we need better training for healthcare professionals on diagnosis and management of ME; standardised care pathways for every age group and every level of gravity; recording of diagnosis consistently in order to ensure proper data; real co-production with patients, carers and the third sector; and safeguarding patients as they access services that don't specifically relate to ME. Without these steps, services will continue to be inconsistent and inadequate. People suffering from ME have been waiting for far too long. We need a clear plan, a robust strategy and meaningful co-production. Only then can we ensure that services in Wales are fair, consistent and based on evidence.
Can I thank Adam Price for submitting this? I'm very pleased to be able to be one of the co-submitters.
I will raise the issues raised with me on the effect of ME on a constituent of mine. My constituent tells me that the NICE guidelines on people with ME state that patients should be referred to a specialist ME/CFS team. A specialist team is defined as a range of healthcare professionals with training and experience in accessing, diagnosing, treating and managing ME/CFS. I think that's something that we would all like to see. My constituent, however, found that this specialist team is not available in south Wales—not just in the area where I live and where he lives, but not at all throughout south Wales.
For his son, it took three years, mostly using resources in the private sector, to get a diagnosis of ME. He was lucky that he could afford this. Many cannot. It's absolutely wrong that people who need it have to pay in order to get something that should be readily available. Eventually, he was referred to a specialist team in Bristol by the health authority. By the time this happened, his condition had deteriorated significantly to very severe, and remote access to these facilities was totally ineffective.
I am asking the Welsh Government to commit to following the NICE guidelines, specifically the guidelines on severe and very severe ME in section 117 of the guidance. Will the Welsh Government ensure that health authorities develop or have access to the specialist teams required by the guidelines? It's too late for my constituent, who has progressed, but I would want it to be there available for anyone else.
A gaf i ddiolch i Adam Price am gyflwyno'r cynnig hwn? Rwy'n falch iawn o allu bod yn un o'r cydgyflwynwyr.
Rwyf am godi'r materion a godwyd gyda mi ynghylch effaith ME ar un o fy etholwyr. Mae fy etholwr yn dweud wrthyf fod canllawiau NICE ar bobl ag ME yn nodi y dylid atgyfeirio cleifion at dîm ME a syndrom lludded cronig arbenigol. Diffinnir tîm arbenigol fel ystod o weithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol sydd wedi cael hyfforddiant a phrofiad o fynediad at, diagnosio, trin a rheoli ME a syndrom lludded cronig. Credaf fod hynny'n rhywbeth y byddai pob un ohonom yn hoffi ei weld. Fodd bynnag, canfu fy etholwr nad yw'r tîm arbenigol hwn ar gael yn ne Cymru—nid yn unig yn yr ardal lle rwy'n byw a lle mae yntau'n byw, ond nid yw ar gael yn unman yn ne Cymru.
I'w fab, cymerodd dair blynedd, yn bennaf gan ddefnyddio adnoddau yn y sector preifat, i gael diagnosis o ME. Roedd yn lwcus ei fod yn gallu fforddio hyn. Mae llawer o bobl yn methu ei fforddio. Mae'n warthus fod pobl sydd ei angen yn gorfod talu er mwyn cael rhywbeth a ddylai fod ar gael yn rhwydd. Yn y pen draw, cafodd ei atgyfeirio at dîm arbenigol ym Mryste gan yr awdurdod iechyd. Erbyn i hyn ddigwydd, roedd ei gyflwr wedi dirywio'n sylweddol i fod yn ddifrifol iawn, ac roedd mynediad o bell at y cyfleusterau hyn yn gwbl aneffeithiol.
Rwy'n gofyn i Lywodraeth Cymru ymrwymo i ddilyn canllawiau NICE, yn benodol y canllawiau ar ME difrifol a difrifol iawn yn adran 117 o'r canllawiau. A wnaiff Llywodraeth Cymru sicrhau bod awdurdodau iechyd yn datblygu neu'n cael mynediad at y timau arbenigol sy'n ofynnol yn ôl y canllawiau? Mae'n rhy hwyr i fy etholwr bellach, ond buaswn eisiau iddo fod ar gael i unrhyw un arall.
Hoffwn i ddiolch i Adam Price am ddod a'r ddadl bwysig yma ger bron ac i'r holl ymgyrchwyr a theuluoedd sydd wedi bod yn pwyso am weithredu.
I would like to thank Adam Price for bringing forward this debate and all of the campaigners and families who have been urging action.
Severe and very severe ME has a devastating impact on individuals and families. Just over five years ago, a constituent of mine was healthy, active, studying at university, enjoying sports and music. In just the space of a few years, their life has been completely transformed. They've gone from independence and an active social life to being bedbound, unable to interact with friends and family, and becoming reliant on care for every aspect of their daily living.
Just getting a diagnosis took several years. Imagine the strain, the pressure placed on the individuals and their families when they have to wait years to get a diagnosis. No wonder many families describe feeling powerless, watching their loved ones deteriorate while struggling to get acknowledgement, let alone access to support. As for my constituent, when they were referred to an expert group in Bristol, they were too ill to benefit.
The illness, invisible to many, affects people physically, mentally, economically, emotionally and socially. Those living with severe or very severe ME cannot speak out for themselves. As we've heard, approximately 60,000 people in Wales live with ME, and about 15,000 are thought to have severe or very severe ME. This is a large group of people. It can be as disabling as late-stage multiple sclerosis or advanced cancer, but, as we've heard, doesn't get a fraction of the acknowledgement, understanding or funding.
Despite some progress through Adferiad services and plans for a community health pathway, which should be welcomed, we know that these services are still not reaching many of those who need it the most. There are many reasons for this, and one of these is that people with ME can sometimes just be too ill to visit the GP surgery or attend outpatient appointments. We cannot allow these people, like my constituent and the many thousands across Wales, to remain invisible.
There is still no dedicated expert group in Wales for ME. We need to bring together health professionals and people with lived experience at a national level to co-produce all-Wales guidance, quality standards and a delivery plan that covers all severity levels, including those most severely affected. I think the calls laid out in this motion are clear, as clear as they are crucial. Now is the time for people with ME, like my constituent, to be seen, to be heard and to be supported. Diolch.
Mae ME difrifol a difrifol iawn yn cael effaith ddinistriol ar unigolion a theuluoedd. Ychydig dros bum mlynedd yn ôl, roedd un o fy etholwyr yn iach, yn egnïol, yn astudio yn y brifysgol, yn mwynhau chwaraeon a cherddoriaeth. Mewn ychydig flynyddoedd, mae eu bywyd wedi'i drawsnewid yn llwyr. Maent wedi mynd o annibyniaeth a bywyd cymdeithasol bywiog i fod yn gaeth i'r gwely, yn methu rhyngweithio â ffrindiau a theulu, ac yn ddibynnol ar ofal ar gyfer pob agwedd ar eu bywyd bob dydd.
Cymerodd sawl blwyddyn i gael diagnosis. Dychmygwch y straen, y pwysau ar yr unigolion a'u teuluoedd pan fydd yn rhaid iddynt aros blynyddoedd i gael diagnosis. Nid oes ryfedd fod llawer o deuluoedd yn dweud eu bod yn teimlo'n ddiymadferth, gan wylio eu hanwyliaid yn dirywio wrth frwydro i gael cydnabyddiaeth, heb sôn am gymorth. Yn achos fy etholwr, pan gawsant eu hatgyfeirio at grŵp arbenigol ym Mryste, roeddent yn rhy sâl i allu manteisio arno.
Mae'r salwch, sy'n anweledig i lawer, yn effeithio ar bobl yn gorfforol, yn feddyliol, yn economaidd, yn emosiynol ac yn gymdeithasol. Ni all pobl sy'n byw gydag ME difrifol neu ddifrifol iawn siarad drostynt eu hunain. Fel y clywsom, mae oddeutu 60,000 o bobl yng Nghymru yn byw gydag ME, a chredir bod gan oddeutu 15,000 ohonynt ME difrifol neu ddifrifol iawn. Mae hwn yn grŵp mawr o bobl. Gall anablu i'r un graddau â chamau hwyr sglerosis ymledol neu ganser datblygedig, ond fel y clywsom, nid yw'n cael ffracsiwn o'r gydnabyddiaeth, y ddealltwriaeth na'r cyllid.
Er gwaethaf rhywfaint o gynnydd drwy wasanaethau Adferiad a chynlluniau ar gyfer llwybr iechyd cymunedol, y dylid eu croesawu, gwyddom nad yw'r gwasanaethau hyn yn cyrraedd llawer o'r rhai sydd eu hangen fwyaf o hyd. Mae llawer o resymau dros hynny, ac un o'r rhain yw y gall pobl ag ME fod yn rhy sâl weithiau i ymweld â'r feddygfa neu fynychu apwyntiadau cleifion allanol. Ni allwn ganiatáu i'r bobl hyn, fel fy etholwr a'r miloedd lawer ledled Cymru, barhau i fod yn anweledig.
Nid oes grŵp arbenigol pwrpasol yng Nghymru ar gyfer ME o hyd. Mae angen inni ddod â gweithwyr iechyd proffesiynol a phobl â phrofiad bywyd ynghyd ar lefel genedlaethol i gydgynhyrchu canllawiau, safonau ansawdd a chynllun cyflawni ar gyfer Cymru gyfan sy'n cwmpasu pob lefel o ddifrifoldeb, gan gynnwys y rhai yr effeithir arnynt yn fwyaf difrifol. Credaf fod y galwadau a nodir yn y cynnig hwn yn glir, ac yn allweddol. Nawr yw'r amser i bobl ag ME, fel fy etholwr, gael eu gweld, eu clywed a'u cefnogi. Diolch.
I'm very pleased to speak in this debate, and thanks to Adam for bringing it forward. I'm very supportive of the issues that he has raised and I'm supportive of the proposals that he has put forward.
Since I've been the representative for Cardiff North, for many years now, ME has consistently come up as an issue with constituents. I want to pay tribute to those constituents and to all those who campaign and have tried to make ME much more visible to people, because I think it is an illness that, in many cases, is not recognised. There is stigma. It's already been said that many people do not recognise it as an illness, and that causes a constant problem.
I wanted to raise particularly the issue of the effect on not just the ME sufferer, but the family and the unpaid carers. We often pay tribute to them, and there are many carers who spend their lives supporting people who are suffering from ME. There are also problems with access to benefits, access to medication, and lack of specialist medical knowledge. I hope that this debate will highlight these issues and result in greater knowledge and an improved service for ME sufferers.
I know that there have been great efforts made to highlight these issues before, such as standing on the steps of the Senedd with rows of empty shoes—I'm sure many of us here have done that—in recognition of the missing millions, those people who have the illness but who are missing. They're missing from their jobs, they're missing from being able to go out with their families, they're missing from holidays, and missing school in the case of young people. That is all due to the really debilitating effect of ME.
I'm very pleased that members of MESiG are here today—ME sufferers in Glamorgan. I had a long contact with this group and have attended their support meetings. It is only really through the campaigning of groups like this that we do actually know about how difficult having ME can be. And, of course, Action for ME brings all this to our attention.
These are just some of the symptoms that one of my constituents has experienced: constant severe widespread muscle and joint pain and weakness, which affects legs, feet and spine as well as neck, shoulders and arms; mental fatigue; tendency to collapse and faint with any stress; poor balance; falls on uneven surfaces; clumsiness; shortness of breath; gasping for breath; stress intolerance; blurred vision; swimmer's ear; fermenting gut; night sweats; fevers and nightmares—and it goes on. That is one of my constituents who has suffered all those symptoms.
One of my constituents, who can walk a very short distance and has to rest and has to go in a wheelchair pushed by her mother for the very infrequent times she leaves the house, has had great difficulty accessing the benefits that she feels that she is entitled to. Again, this is a constant theme: the difficulty of accessing benefits because of the lack of recognition of the disease. And so I've had many people coming to me about that difficulty, about accessing benefits. And then it's already been referred to—the fact that there is, in many cases, no service in Wales.
The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board confirmed in a letter to another constituent, only at the end of October, just a month ago, who'd been refused a drug that she'd been taking for several years—. The letter said, 'There are currently no ME services available within this health board'. And that, of course, covers Cardiff and the Vale, which is so depressing for that constituent to read. She's not having the drug that she wants and feels she needs, and then she is told that there is no service available in the health board. And then looking back at all the correspondence I've had over the years, in 2021 another constituent wrote to me then, saying that there is no service in Cardiff and Vale health board, and I know that this is repeated all over Wales. So, I think we have got to do something about it, and I think today is really raising those issues. I do applaud the progress that's been made with Adferiad, and I hope that it will continue to progress. Thank you.
Rwy'n falch iawn o siarad yn y ddadl hon, a diolch i Adam am ei chyflwyno. Rwy'n gefnogol iawn i'r materion y mae wedi'u codi ac rwy'n cefnogi'r cynigion y mae wedi'u cyflwyno.
Ers imi fod yn gynrychiolydd Gogledd Caerdydd, ers blynyddoedd lawer bellach, mae ME wedi codi'n gyson fel mater gydag etholwyr. Hoffwn dalu teyrnged i’r etholwyr hynny ac i bawb sy’n ymgyrchu ac sydd wedi ceisio gwneud ME yn llawer mwy gweladwy i bobl, gan y credaf ei fod yn salwch nad yw, mewn llawer o achosion, yn cael ei gydnabod. Mae stigma yn ei gylch. Dywedwyd eisoes fod yna lawer o bobl nad ydynt yn ei gydnabod fel salwch, ac mae hynny’n broblem gyson.
Roeddwn eisiau sôn yn benodol am yr effaith nid yn unig ar y dioddefwr ME, ond ar y teulu a’r gofalwyr di-dâl. Rydym yn aml yn talu teyrnged iddynt, ac mae llawer o ofalwyr sy’n treulio eu bywydau'n cefnogi pobl sy’n dioddef o ME. Mae problemau hefyd gyda mynediad at fudd-daliadau, mynediad at feddyginiaeth, a diffyg gwybodaeth feddygol arbenigol. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y ddadl hon yn tynnu sylw at y materion hyn ac yn arwain at fwy o wybodaeth a gwasanaeth gwell i ddioddefwyr ME.
Gwn fod ymdrechion mawr eisoes wedi'u gwneud i dynnu sylw at y materion hyn, fel sefyll ar risiau'r Senedd gyda rhesi o esgidiau gwag—rwy'n siŵr fod llawer ohonom yma wedi gwneud hynny—i gydnabod y miliynau coll, y bobl hynny sydd â'r salwch ond sydd ar goll. Maent ar goll o'u swyddi, maent ar goll o allu mynd allan gyda'u teuluoedd, maent ar goll o wyliau, ac yn colli ysgol yn achos pobl ifanc. Mae hyn oll oherwydd effaith wirioneddol wanychol ME.
Rwy'n falch iawn fod aelodau MESiG yma heddiw—dioddefwyr ME ym Morgannwg. Rwyf wedi bod mewn cysylltiad â'r grŵp hwn ers amser ac rwyf wedi mynychu eu cyfarfodydd cefnogaeth. Dim ond drwy waith ymgyrchu grwpiau fel hyn y gwyddom pa mor anodd y gall byw ag ME fod. Ac wrth gwrs, mae Action for ME yn dwyn hyn oll i'n sylw.
Dyma rai o'r symptomau y mae un o fy etholwyr wedi'u profi: poen a gwendid difrifol cyson yn y cyhyrau a'r cymalau, sy'n effeithio ar y coesau, y traed a'r asgwrn cefn yn ogystal â'r gwar, yr ysgwyddau a'r breichiau; lludded meddyliol; tueddiad i gwympo a llewygu gydag unrhyw straen; cydbwysedd gwael; cwympo ar arwynebau anwastad; trwsgleiddiwch; diffyg anadl; ymladd am anadl; anoddefiad i straen; golwg aneglur; clust nofiwr; treuliad gwael; chwysu gyda'r nos; twymynau a hunllefau—ac mae'r rhestr yn parhau. Mae fy etholwr wedi dioddef yr holl symptomau hynny.
Mae un o fy etholwyr, sydd ond yn gallu cerdded pellter byr iawn ac sy'n gorfod gorffwys a mynd mewn cadair olwyn sy'n cael ei gwthio gan ei mam ar y troeon anfynych y mae'n gadael y tŷ, wedi'i chael hi'n anodd iawn cael y budd-daliadau y mae hi'n teimlo bod ganddi hawl iddynt. Unwaith eto, mae hon yn thema gyson: anhawster cael budd-daliadau oherwydd diffyg cydnabyddiaeth i'r afiechyd. Ac mae llawer o bobl wedi cysylltu â mi mewn perthynas â'r anhawster i gael budd-daliadau. Ac yna, cyfeiriwyd eisoes at hyn—y ffaith nad oes, mewn llawer o achosion, unrhyw wasanaeth yng Nghymru.
Cadarnhaodd Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro mewn llythyr at etholwr arall, ddiwedd mis Hydref, gwta fis yn ôl, y gwrthodwyd cyffur iddi y bu'n ei gymryd ers sawl blwyddyn—. Roedd y llythyr yn dweud, 'Ar hyn o bryd, nid oes unrhyw wasanaethau ME ar gael o fewn y bwrdd iechyd hwn'. Ac mae'r bwrdd hwnnw, wrth gwrs, yn gwasanaethu Caerdydd a'r Fro, sydd mor ddigalon i'r etholwr ei ddarllen. Nid yw'n cael y cyffur y mae hi ei eisiau ac y mae'n teimlo bod ei angen arni, ac yna dywedir wrthi nad oes gwasanaeth ar gael yn y bwrdd iechyd. Ac yna wrth edrych yn ôl ar yr holl ohebiaeth a gefais dros y blynyddoedd, yn 2021, ysgrifennodd etholwr arall ataf bryd hynny, gan ddweud nad oes gwasanaeth ym mwrdd iechyd Caerdydd a'r Fro, a gwn fod hyn yn cael ei ailadrodd ledled Cymru. Felly, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid inni wneud rhywbeth yn ei gylch, ac mae heddiw'n codi'r materion hynny. Rwy'n cymeradwyo'r cynnydd a wnaed gydag Adferiad, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yn parhau i wneud cynnydd. Diolch.
Diolch o galon i Adam. Mae'n fraint i fod yn gefnogwr i'r ddadl bwysig yma. Mae'n amlwg o'r gefnogaeth yn y Siambr, ac o'r gefnogaeth yn y galeri, pa mor bwysig yw'r mater yma i bobl.
Thank you very much to Adam. It's a privilege to support this important debate. It's clear that there is a great deal of support in the gallery and in the Chamber, which is a testament to how important it is.
Adam mentioned the coroner's prevention of future deaths report. I read with heartbreak and disappointment that report about Maeve Boothby O'Neill—heartbreak at the loss of a young life, and disappointment because we know this is the lived experience of many families behind us here today, who are seeking help, treatment and support with minimal services available. Four hundred and four thousand people are living with ME, or chronic fatigue syndrome, in the UK. I'm going to talk about three today.
Firstly, a constituent, a 41-year-old who was diagnosed in 1994 when she was 10 years of age. She had been struggling for two years beforehand. She didn't have a formal education after the diagnosis, but through real determination managed to pass a few GCSEs with grades A and B. She received some treatment from a community paediatrician, but when they sought a second opinion, and that medic suggested a different approach, that triggered a child protection referral, and that family, who were already suffering, had to battle that worry and stress for many years. As an adult, she hasn't had a consultant looking after her. She's been housebound since 1999, and since 2009, 95 per cent bed-bound. Her mother is her sole carer. Neighbours are not even aware of her existence. She's one of the missing millions Julie Morgan mentioned. Just to quote this lady's mother, 'She has received 30 plus years of neglect, abuse and being ignored, just because professionals will not leave their personal beliefs at the front door', which Mabon ap Gwynfor mentioned earlier. They don't see her as an individual with needs, who needs help, care and support.
Now, I've been aware of the terrible impact of ME for many years. It has cruelly hit the Messenger family, behind me. Before they had the good fortune of being Adam Price's constituents, they lived down the road from me in Cardiff. I remember Cerith and Eleri as being bubbling younger siblings to my very dear friend, one of my oldest friends. I visited the house. We played together. Cerith went from a bright, sporty and lively child to being diagnosed with ME at the age of 11. At the age of 18, he was placed in palliative care and was subsequently tube-fed, as Adam said, at home. He's now 33 years of age, confined to bed in a dark and silent room, needing help with personal care and struggling to communicate. But in my mind's eye, I still see that sporty young boy. Eleri, who is here with us in the Senedd today, was diagnosed later at the age of 15, unable to bear weight, unable to speak, feed herself and living in pain. Thankfully, Eleri has made incredible progress. She's married, she runs a fantastic business from home and sells her produce across Wales and beyond. Now, we've just celebrated Small Business Saturday, haven't we? So, I encourage you to look up Eleri Haf Designs, but, of course, Dirprwy Lywydd, other designers are available too.
My constituent mentioned that the illness made her family invisible. The impact on the family, on the Messengers, has been incredible. Menna had to become a full-time carer, Rob took redundancy, changed jobs, reduced hours, just to be able to manage, to keep things going. For the Messengers and others, this is a life-changing illness. In Rob's words, ME means you've got to re-evaluate everything in your life. Your future is very different from what you thought it was going to be. Cabinet Secretary, it cannot be right that families have the pressure of full-time care of a complex medical illness with the absence of specialist support.
Now, in August 2014 the Welsh Government published their own task and finish group into ME and fibromyalgia. The group made 11 recommendations. Many of those recommendations are included in the motion today. Why have we delayed in implementing those recommendations, Cabinet Secretary? Because that delay has meant that we're letting families like the Messengers down. Diolch yn fawr.
Soniodd Adam am adroddiad y crwner ar atal marwolaethau yn y dyfodol. Roedd yn dorcalonnus ac yn siomedig darllen yr adroddiad am Maeve Boothby O'Neill—yn dorcalonnus am fod bywyd ifanc wedi'i golli, ac yn siomedig am ein bod yn gwybod mai dyma brofiad bywyd llawer o'r teuluoedd y tu ôl i ni yma heddiw, sydd eisiau help, triniaeth a chefnogaeth gydag ond ychydig iawn o wasanaethau ar gael. Mae 404,000 o bobl yn byw gyda ME, neu syndrom lludded cronig, yn y DU. Rwy'n mynd i siarad am dri heddiw.
Yn gyntaf, etholwr 41 oed a gafodd ddiagnosis yn 1994 pan oedd hi'n 10 oed. Roedd hi wedi bod yn ei chael hi'n anodd ers dwy flynedd cyn hynny. Ni chafodd addysg ffurfiol ar ôl y diagnosis, ond oherwydd ei natur benderfynol, llwyddodd i basio ychydig o arholiadau TGAU gyda graddau A a B. Cafodd rywfaint o driniaeth gan bediatregydd cymunedol, ond pan wnaethant ofyn am ail farn, a'r meddyg hwnnw'n awgrymu dull gwahanol o weithredu, fe wnaeth hynny sbarduno atgyfeiriad amddiffyn plant, a bu'n rhaid i'r teulu hwnnw, a oedd eisoes yn dioddef, frwydro yn erbyn y pryder a'r straen hwnnw am flynyddoedd lawer. Fel oedolyn, nid yw wedi cael meddyg ymgynghorol i ofalu amdani. Mae hi wedi bod yn gaeth i'r tŷ ers 1999, ac ers 2009, yn gaeth i'w gwely am 95 y cant o'r amser. Ei mam yw ei hunig ofalwr. Mae ganddi gymdogion nad ydynt yn ymwybodol o'i bodolaeth hyd yn oed. Mae hi'n un o'r miliynau coll y soniodd Julie Morgan amdanynt. Os caf ddyfynnu mam y wraig hon, 'Mae hi wedi cael 30 mlynedd a mwy o'i hesgeuluso, ei cham-drin a'i hanwybyddu, a hynny'n unig am na wnaiff gweithwyr proffesiynol adael eu credoau personol wrth y drws ffrynt', fel y crybwyllodd Mabon ap Gwynfor yn gynharach. Nid ydynt yn ei gweld fel unigolyn ag anghenion sydd angen help, gofal a chefnogaeth.
Nawr, rwyf wedi bod yn ymwybodol o effaith ofnadwy ME ers blynyddoedd lawer. Mae wedi taro'r teulu Messenger, y tu ôl i mi, yn greulon iawn. Cyn iddynt fod mor ffodus â bod yn etholwyr i Adam Price, roeddent yn byw i lawr y ffordd oddi wrthyf i yng Nghaerdydd. Rwy'n cofio Cerith ac Eleri fel brawd a chwaer iau i fy ffrind annwyl iawn, un o fy ffrindiau cynharaf. Arferwn ymweld â'r tŷ. Fe wnaethom chwarae gyda'n gilydd. Aeth Cerith o fod yn blentyn disglair, bywiog, hoff o chwaraeon i gael diagnosis o ME yn 11 oed. Yn 18 oed, cafodd ei roi mewn gofal lliniarol ac wedi hynny câi ei fwydo â thiwb gartref, fel y dywedodd Adam. Mae bellach yn 33 oed, wedi'i gaethiwo i'r gwely mewn ystafell dywyll a distaw, ac angen help gyda gofal personol ac yn cael trafferth cyfathrebu. Ond yn llygad fy meddwl, rwy'n dal i weld y bachgen ifanc a oedd yn hoff o chwaraeon. Cafodd Eleri, sydd yma gyda ni yn y Senedd heddiw, ddiagnosis yn ddiweddarach yn 15 oed, pan na allai gynnal pwysau, siarad, bwydo ei hun ac yn byw mewn poen. Diolch byth, mae Eleri wedi gwneud cynnydd anhygoel. Mae hi'n briod, mae'n rhedeg busnes gwych o'i chartref ac yn gwerthu ei chynnyrch ledled Cymru a thu hwnt. Nawr, rydym newydd ddathlu Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach, onid ydym? Felly, rwy'n eich annog i chwilio am Eleri Haf Designs, ond wrth gwrs, Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae dylunwyr eraill ar gael hefyd.
Soniodd fy etholwr fod y salwch wedi gwneud ei theulu yn anweledig. Mae'r effaith ar y teulu Messenger, wedi bod yn anhygoel. Bu'n rhaid i Menna ddod yn ofalwr llawn amser, cymerodd Rob ddiswyddiad, newidiodd ei swydd i weithio llai o oriau, er mwyn gallu ymdopi, dal i fynd. I'r teulu Messenger ac eraill, mae hwn yn salwch sy'n newid bywyd. Yng ngeiriau Rob, mae ME yn golygu bod yn rhaid i chi ailwerthuso popeth yn eich bywyd. Mae eich dyfodol yn wahanol iawn i'r hyn yr oeddech chi'n meddwl y byddai. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ni all fod yn iawn fod teuluoedd yn dioddef pwysau gofal amser llawn am rywun â salwch meddygol cymhleth heb unrhyw gymorth arbenigol.
Nawr, ym mis Awst 2014, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru eu grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen eu hunain ar ME a ffibromyalgia. Gwnaeth y grŵp 11 argymhelliad. Mae llawer o'r argymhellion hynny wedi'u cynnwys yn y cynnig heddiw. Pam ein bod ni wedi oedi cyn gweithredu'r argymhellion hynny, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet? Oherwydd mae'r oedi hwnnw wedi golygu ein bod ni'n gwneud cam â theuluoedd fel y teulu Messenger. Diolch yn fawr.
I'm grateful for the opportunity to have co-sponsored this motion submitted by Adam. Unknown to me, there were friends of my family with experience of ME. We've heard from multiple Members—Sioned, Rhys—about how this is a condition that can take someone who is incredibly fit, active, full of life, and within a short space of time, make them bed-bound. That's an incredibly painful condition, not just for those people living with it, but for their families, their friends. But it's still also widely an unknown condition. I'll admit openly, before this motion was tabled, I had no idea about ME, despite that connection through family, despite the fact that I have multiple constituents that have contacted me over the last couple of months to talk about the condition.
Now, I wanted to focus in on research briefly and echo the fifth ask that Adam outlined, that is for Wales to lead in research, because here lies a massive blind spot in the fight against ME. Adam highlighted this. Despite its recognition by NICE, research is massively underfunded. Now, Welsh Government has rightly focused on life sciences as a key driver for economic growth during this Senedd term, but with research into ME specifically, we've dropped the ball, not just in Wales but UK-wide. In the last 10 years, we've spent just over £8 million on research. Now, compare that to the amount they're spending on the continent. For example, in Germany, €500 million. There's a lot of ground for us to make up.
Now, in Wales, we can play our part in making up that underspend. Not only will that then lead to world-class research being conducted in Wales, where there is already a pedigree, as Adam, again, has rightly highlighted, but it will also lead then to the benefits that research would bring to those living with ME, to those families and friends of those people. It would also then, of course, benefit all of us. It would allow Welsh Government to meet some of its targets, not just within the health portfolio but across other portfolios, like the economy, from increasing spend on its research. So, I'd like to understand whether or not the Government has made an assessment of how it could improve research spend on ME, how it can go about doing that, what the timelines would be on that.
As is the case in a number of other areas of concern, warm words will only get us so far. Rhys rightly pointed to the task and finish group. Those recommendations still haven't been implemented. In the case of those living with ME, they don't want to hear it anymore. They don't want just warm words. What they want is action. They want the Government to get on with it.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar am y cyfle i gefnogi'r cynnig a gyflwynwyd gan Adam. Yn ddiarwybod i mi, roedd ffrindiau i fy nheulu wedi cael profiad o ME. Rydym wedi clywed gan sawl Aelod—Sioned, Rhys—sut y mae hwn yn gyflwr sy'n gallu effeithio ar rywun sy'n anhygoel o heini, egnïol, a llawn bywyd, ac o fewn cyfnod byr o amser, yn eu gwneud yn gaeth i'r gwely. Mae hynny'n anhygoel o boenus, nid yn unig i'r bobl sy'n byw gyda'r cyflwr, ond i'w teuluoedd, eu ffrindiau. Ond mae'n dal i fod yn gyflwr nad oes llawer yn hysbys amdano. Rwy'n cyfaddef yn agored, cyn i'r cynnig hwn gael ei gyflwyno, nid oedd gennyf unrhyw syniad am ME, er y cysylltiad teuluol hwnnw, ac er bod gennyf nifer o etholwyr sydd wedi cysylltu â mi dros y misoedd diwethaf i siarad am y cyflwr.
Nawr, roeddwn eisiau canolbwyntio'n fyr ar ymchwil ac adleisio'r pumed peth y gofynnodd Adam amdano, sef i Gymru arwain gydag ymchwil, oherwydd mae man dall enfawr yma yn y frwydr yn erbyn ME. Tynnodd Adam sylw at hyn. Er bod NICE yn ei gydnabod, mae ymchwil yn cael ei danariannu'n enfawr. Nawr, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi canolbwyntio'n briodol ar wyddorau bywyd fel sbardun allweddol ar gyfer twf economaidd yn ystod tymor y Senedd hon, ond gydag ymchwil ME yn benodol, rydym wedi colli cyfle, nid yn unig yng Nghymru ond ledled y DU. Dros y 10 mlynedd diwethaf, rydym wedi gwario ychydig dros £8 miliwn ar ymchwil. Nawr, cymharwch hynny â'r swm y maent yn ei wario ar y cyfandir. Er enghraifft, yn yr Almaen, €500 miliwn. Mae gennym lawer o waith dal i fyny.
Nawr, yng Nghymru, gallwn chwarae ein rhan yn gwneud iawn am y tanwariant hwnnw. Nid yn unig y bydd hynny'n arwain at gyflawni ymchwil o'r radd flaenaf yng Nghymru, lle mae hanes o gyflawniad eisoes, fel y nododd Adam, ond bydd hefyd yn arwain wedyn at y manteision y byddai ymchwil yn eu cynnig i'r rhai sy'n byw gyda ME, i deuluoedd a ffrindiau'r bobl hynny. Byddai o fudd i bob un ohonom wedyn wrth gwrs. Byddai'n caniatáu i Lywodraeth Cymru gyrraedd rhai o'i thargedau, nid yn unig o fewn y portffolio iechyd ond ar draws portffolios eraill, fel yr economi, o gynyddu gwariant ar ei hymchwil. Felly, hoffwn ddeall a yw'r Llywodraeth wedi gwneud asesiad o sut y gallai wella gwariant ymchwil ar ME, sut y gall fwrw ati i wneud hynny, beth fyddai'r amserlenni ar hynny.
Fel sy'n digwydd mewn nifer o feysydd eraill sy'n peri pryder, nid yw geiriau cynnes yn mynd i fynd â ni'n bell iawn. Tynnodd Rhys sylw at y grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen. Nid yw'r argymhellion hynny wedi'u gweithredu eto. Yn achos y rhai sy'n byw gyda ME, nid ydynt eisiau ei glywed mwyach. Maent eisiau mwy na geiriau cynnes yn unig. Maent eisiau gweld gweithredu'n digwydd. Maent eisiau i'r Llywodraeth fwrw ymlaen i wneud y gwaith
Thank you very much for this debate, Adam. I have a family member who has had ME for about 40 years. So, I've known about it for a very long time, but happily they haven't had the severity of some of the people we have heard about today. But it did mean that she had to give up a full-time job, a promising parliamentary career, and has been able to live a normal enough social life, but certainly not fulfil the aspirations that she had at the start of her life. Some medical conditions have well-funded, powerful lobbies behind them, and ME, unfortunately, is not one of them, so it's very important that we are having this debate, because, clearly, the medical profession hasn't caught up with how widespread it is.
I was astonished to learn that before the pandemic, we had just under about 1,800 people diagnosed with ME and that post pandemic, this has more than doubled. So, there's clearly a link here between the viral infection of COVID and this particular viral infection, and we can't go on with medical professions sort of trying to deny that people have got the issue, simply because they don't understand it. We have to have continuity of care so that people haven't got to repeat their story and a bit more imagination that isn't just down to medication.
So, for example, one constituent told me that diet and exercise and lifestyle advice has really helped them manage it. I've previously employed somebody with ME, which was absolutely fine, as long as you make reasonable adjustments, understanding that occasionally this person isn't going to be able to work. The rest of the time, this person was fully able to get on with doing their work and manage perfectly adequately to a very high standard.
And we know that this is an issue in relation to other aspects of our discussions, and we really do need to be alive to this as we are listening to the debate about curtailing the benefits of some people who don't fit into boxes. I think that this is a very dangerous path, and we need to give everybody the possibility of the dignity of work—it may not be full-time work and it may not be every single day that they've been signed up for. But we really do need to change the way that we deal with these people, and have a more responsive and thoughtful medical service, because simply denying people have got a problem—. You have to listen to people. If they say, 'We've got a problem', we know that it has devastating impacts on families, as we've heard today, and we need to ensure that their carers are also getting the support they need.
Diolch yn fawr am y ddadl hon, Adam. Mae gennyf aelod o'r teulu sydd wedi bod yn dioddef o ME ers tua 40 mlynedd. Felly, rwy'n gwybod amdano ers amser hir iawn, ond yn ffodus nid yw mor ddifrifol â'r hyn y mae rhai o'r bobl y clywsom amdanynt heddiw wedi'i gael. Ond fe olygodd ei bod wedi gorfod rhoi'r gorau i swydd amser llawn, gyrfa seneddol addawol, ac mae wedi gallu byw bywyd cymdeithasol digon normal, ond yn sicr ni allodd gyflawni'r dyheadau a oedd ganddi ar ddechrau ei bywyd. Mae gan rai cyflyrau meddygol lobïau pwerus wedi'u hariannu'n dda y tu ôl iddynt, ac yn anffodus, nid yw ME yn un ohonynt, felly mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn cael y ddadl hon, oherwydd, yn amlwg, nid yw'r proffesiwn meddygol wedi dal i fyny â chymaint o achosion o'r cyflwr sydd i'w cael.
Roeddwn i'n synnu clywed bod gennym ychydig o dan tua 1,800 o bobl wedi cael diagnosis o ME cyn y pandemig, ac ar ôl y pandemig, mae'r nifer wedi mwy na dyblu. Felly, mae'n amlwg fod cysylltiad yma rhwng haint feirysol COVID a'r haint feirysol penodol hwn, ac ni allwn barhau i weld proffesiynau meddygol yn ceisio gwadu bod pobl wedi'i gael, ddim ond am nad ydynt yn ei ddeall. Rhaid inni gael dilyniant mewn gofal fel nad oes rhaid i bobl ailadrodd eu stori ac ychydig mwy o ddychymyg y tu hwnt i feddyginiaeth yn unig.
Felly, er enghraifft, dywedodd un etholwr wrthyf fod cyngor diet ac ymarfer corff a ffordd o fyw wedi eu helpu i'w reoli. Rwyf wedi cyflogi rhywun gyda ME, a oedd yn hollol iawn, cyn belled â'ch bod chi'n gwneud addasiadau rhesymol, gan ddeall nad yw'r unigolyn dan sylw'n mynd i allu gweithio o bryd i'w gilydd. Am y gweddill o'r amser, roeddent yn gallu bwrw ymlaen â'u gwaith ac ymdopi'n berffaith ddigonol i safon uchel iawn.
Ac fe wyddom fod hyn yn broblem mewn perthynas ag agweddau eraill ar ein trafodaethau, ac mae angen inni fod yn effro i hyn wrth inni wrando ar y ddadl am gyfyngu ar fudd-daliadau rhai pobl nad ydynt yn ffitio i focsys. Rwy'n credu bod hwn yn llwybr peryglus iawn, ac mae angen inni roi posibilrwydd o urddas gwaith i bawb—efallai na fydd yn waith amser llawn ac efallai na fyddant yn gallu ymrwymo iddo bob dydd. Ond mae gwir angen inni newid y ffordd yr ydym yn trin y bobl hyn, a chael gwasanaeth meddygol mwy ymatebol a meddylgar, oherwydd mae gwadu bod gan bobl broblem—. Rhaid i chi wrando ar bobl. Os ydynt yn dweud, 'Mae gennym broblem', fe wyddom ei fod yn cael effaith ddinistriol ar deuluoedd, fel y clywsom heddiw, ac mae angen inni sicrhau bod eu gofalwyr hefyd yn cael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt.
Diolch i Adam am gynnal y ddadl eithriadol o bwysig hon.
I thank Adam for holding this exceptionally important debate.
I want to raise the prevalence of ME amongst people suffering with long COVID, many of whom feel either gaslit or ignored by decision makers and, I'm afraid, by some clinicians as well. I was contacted by a constituent who asked me to raise these issues, and I've spoken to other constituents who have ME symptoms or ME-like symptoms either brought on through long COVID, or injuries suffered from COVID, or, they suspect, from COVID vaccines. They deserve to be heard.
Now, we don't know how prevalent long COVID is, because of different symptoms, self-reporting. It seems most prevalent—or at least, more reported, by women, and those between the ages of 50 and 70. There seem to be similarities between long COVID and ME, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and other post-viral fatigue syndromes, especially through fatigue that is not relieved by rest, malaise, cognitive dysfunction, headaches, poor temperature regulation and paresthesia, which are sensations similar to pins and needles or shooting pains. Now, surely the same support should be provided to all patients who present with these types of symptoms. That is regrettably not always the case, because whilst ME and chronic fatigue syndrome have long been recognised as post-viral fatigue syndrome and neurological conditions by the World Health Organization and the NHS, long COVID still has not. There is thus no standard model of care for long COVID, nor indeed is there secured funding in every health board for services to treat it in the same way. Many patients are languishing without specialised care.
Now, Dirprwy Lywydd, I want to pay tribute to those constituents who have raised this with me. More than one of them has explained to me how they were going to suffer—they knew how they were going to suffer after our meetings, and that they would have to rest even after having a short Teams or Zoom call. That is the price they are having to pay for advocating for themselves. Others should be speaking not for them, but with them, and so thank you so much to Adam for having this debate this afternoon.
Rwyf am godi nifer yr achosion o ME ymhlith pobl sy'n dioddef o COVID hir, ac mae llawer ohonynt yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu dibwyllo neu eu hanwybyddu gan y rhai sy'n gwneud penderfyniadau, a chan rai clinigwyr hefyd, mae arnaf ofn. Cysylltodd etholwr â mi i ofyn i mi godi'r materion hyn, ac rwyf wedi siarad ag etholwyr eraill sydd â symptomau ME neu symptomau tebyg i ME naill ai wedi datblygu trwy COVID hir, neu anafiadau a ddioddefwyd yn sgil COVID, neu, maent yn amau, o frechlynnau COVID. Maent yn haeddu cael eu clywed.
Nawr, nid ydym yn gwybod pa mor gyffredin yw COVID hir, oherwydd gwahanol symptomau, hunan-adrodd. Mae'n ymddangos yn fwyaf cyffredin—neu o leiaf, caiff ei gofnodi'n fwy cyffredin, mewn fenywod, a rhai rhwng 50 a 70 oed. Mae'n ymddangos bod tebygrwydd rhwng COVID hir a ME, syndrom lludded cronig, ffibromyalgia a syndromau lludded ôl-feirysol eraill, yn enwedig lludded na chaiff ei leddfu gan orffwys, anghysur, camweithrediad gwybyddol, cur pen, rheoleiddio tymheredd gwael a pharesthesia, sef teimladau tebyg i binnau bach neu wayw. Nawr, yn sicr dylid darparu'r un gefnogaeth i bob claf sy'n dioddef y mathau hyn o symptomau. Yn anffodus, nid yw hynny'n wir bob amser, oherwydd er bod ME a syndrom lludded cronig wedi cael eu cydnabod ers amser maith fel syndrom lludded ôl-feirysol a chyflyrau niwrolegol gan Sefydliad Iechyd y Byd a'r GIG, mae COVID hir yn dal i fod heb ei gydnabod. Felly, nid oes unrhyw fodel safonol o ofal ar gyfer COVID hir, ac yn wir nid oes cyllid sicr ym mhob bwrdd iechyd ar gyfer gwasanaethau i'w drin yn yr un modd. Mae llawer o gleifion yn dihoeni heb ofal arbenigol.
Nawr, Ddirprwy Lywydd, rwyf am dalu teyrnged i'r etholwyr sydd wedi dwyn hyn i fy sylw. Mae mwy nag un ohonynt wedi esbonio i mi sut y byddent yn dioddef—roeddent yn gwybod sut y byddent yn dioddef ar ôl ein cyfarfodydd, ac y byddai'n rhaid iddynt orffwys hyd yn oed ar ôl cael galwad fer ar Teams neu Zoom. Dyna'r pris y maent yn gorfod ei dalu am eirioli drostynt eu hunain. Dylai eraill fod yn siarad, nid ar eu rhan, ond gyda nhw, ac felly diolch yn fawr iawn i Adam am gyflwyno'r ddadl hon y prynhawn yma.
Mae gwir angen cefnogaeth ar y rhai sy'n dioddef gyda'r cyflyrau hyn. Dylen ni gredu pobl pan fo hi'n dod i'w cyrff nhw, a chlywed eu lleisiau. Maen nhw yn haeddu gwell.
There is a genuine need for support for those who suffer from these conditions. We should believe people when it comes to their own bodies, and listen to their voices. They deserve better.
A nawr galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol, Jeremy Miles.
And I now call on the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Jeremy Miles.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'd like to thank Adam Price and all the Members across the Senedd who have supported the motion for bringing this debate forward and for highlighting an often overlooked and sometimes ignored condition. ME is a complex, multisystem disease that can be profoundly disabling, and, as many Members have already reflected in the debate, people affected by it have felt invisible for years. It's important, therefore, that we are acknowledging this here today, helping to dispel myths and misunderstandings about this condition.
The recent publication of the DecodeME research that has been referred to, led by the University of Edinburgh, has brought much-needed affirmation for those living with ME. ME shares many similar and overlapping features with other post-infection conditions and illnesses, including, as we've heard, long COVID. We have developed a service that supports people experiencing these symptoms, which is our Adferiad service, which many Members have referred to in the debate. It was initially established to support people with long COVID, but, recognising the similarities with ME, we've led the way in widening access to Adferiad services for people with other post-infection associated chronic conditions. We've done this by increasing funding for Adferiad to £8 million every year.
Most of the Adferiad-funded services did not exist before the pandemic. So, we now have something in Wales to build on, and we've come a long way in a short time, but there is further to go. Some of our services have won awards, and, indeed, some have been referred to in the debate—the service provided in north Wales, the community complex condition service. This won a delivering multiprofessional care award at the UK Advancing Healthcare awards earlier this year, and shows how investment can make a difference to the lives of people who've previously struggled to get support.
But I want to acknowledge that there is more to do to support people with post-infection associated illness, especially for those with the most serious symptoms and forms of illness, those with severe and very severe ME. We have made a commitment and investment to support the continuation and expansion of services, something acknowledged by the ME Association and by Members today. We know that our Adferiad services meet the needs of people who are accessing and using them, but there is more that can be done to ensure equitable support, and we've heard the importance of that in the debate today. We need to understand the role that Adferiad-funded services can further play in supporting those people with severe and very severe ME and the multidisciplinary care that they need.
We must also ensure the important role they already play in keeping people with a milder or a moderate level of illness well or recovering. This kind of early intervention and support is crucial to prevent deterioration, and we've heard about that in the debate today as well. We must also ensure that Adferiad-funded services remain focused on the range of people with conditions under the umbrella term of post-infection associated chronic conditions, which, of course, includes ME.
Adam Price and others importantly referred to the significance of research, and I agree with him and with others who have referred to it. I've asked my officials to reach out to our research partners in the UK to better understand what the specific proposals are for funding and establishing the UK hubs that have been referred to. This will enable us to engage with our research community to explore and take advantage of those potential opportunities, and a meeting between my officials and Professor David Price is scheduled in the coming weeks. My officials have already met with some of the other representatives referred to by Adam in his debate.
Dirprwy Lywydd, I want to say that I have heard clearly the calls made today for an all-Wales specialist, the establishment of an expert group, and the development of national standards and approaches in a range of ways. I do think these proposals are absolutely worthy of proper consideration and I've asked my officials to provide me with further advice in relation to those steps. I will consider that carefully and we will review the implications for Wales of the future deaths report and explore what parts of the Royal Devon guidance might be useful learning for us in Wales, and I will bring forward a further statement to update Members in relation to those steps. We will continue to be guided by evidence, to listen to those with lived experience and to ensure that no-one living with ME or other post-infection associated illnesses is left behind.
Dirprwy Lywydd, as this is a Member's debate, Members will be aware that the Government's convention for Ministers is to abstain on the motion itself, but I hope that those moving the motion will have heard the specific commitments made in the debate today.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Hoffwn ddiolch i Adam Price a'r holl Aelodau ar draws y Senedd sydd wedi cefnogi'r cynnig, am gyflwyno'r ddadl hon ac am dynnu sylw at gyflwr sy'n aml yn cael ei ddiystyru ac weithiau'n cael ei anwybyddu. Mae ME yn glefyd cymhleth, aml-system a all anablu'n fawr, ac fel y mae llawer o Aelodau eisoes wedi nodi yn y ddadl, mae pobl y mae'n effeithio arnynt wedi teimlo'n anweledig ers blynyddoedd. Mae'n bwysig, felly, ein bod yn cydnabod hyn yma heddiw, gan helpu i chwalu mythau a chamddealltwriaeth am y cyflwr hwn.
Mae cyhoeddi ymchwil DecodeME y cyfeiriwyd ato, dan arweiniad Prifysgol Caeredin, wedi dod â chadarnhad mawr ei angen i'r rhai sy'n byw gyda ME. Mae ME yn rhannu llawer o nodweddion tebyg sy'n gorgyffwrdd â chyflyrau a salwch ôl-haint eraill, gan gynnwys COVID hir, fel y clywsom. Rydym wedi datblygu gwasanaeth sy'n cefnogi pobl sy'n profi'r symptomau hyn, sef ein gwasanaeth Adferiad, y mae llawer o Aelodau wedi cyfeirio ato yn y ddadl. Fe'i sefydlwyd yn wreiddiol i gefnogi pobl â COVID hir, ond i gydnabod ei debygrwydd i ME, rydym wedi arwain y ffordd drwy ehangu mynediad at wasanaethau Adferiad i bobl â chyflyrau cronig eraill sy'n gysylltiedig ag ôl-haint. Rydym wedi gwneud hyn drwy gynyddu cyllid ar gyfer Adferiad i £8 miliwn bob blwyddyn.
Nid oedd y rhan fwyaf o'r gwasanaethau a ariennir gan Adferiad yn bodoli cyn y pandemig. Felly, mae gennym rywbeth yng Nghymru i adeiladu arno, ac rydym wedi dod yn bell mewn amser byr, ond mae ffordd bellach i fynd. Mae rhai o'n gwasanaethau wedi ennill gwobrau, ac yn wir, cyfeiriwyd at rai yn y ddadl—y gwasanaeth a ddarperir yng ngogledd Cymru, y gwasanaeth cyflyrau cymhleth yn y gymuned. Enillodd hwn wobr darparu gofal amlbroffesiynol yng ngwobrau UK Advancing Healthcare yn gynharach eleni, ac mae'n dangos sut y gall buddsoddiad wneud gwahaniaeth i fywydau pobl sydd wedi cael anhawster i gael cymorth o'r blaen.
Ond rwyf am gydnabod bod mwy i'w wneud i gefnogi pobl â salwch sy'n gysylltiedig ag ôl-haint, yn enwedig i'r rhai sydd â'r symptomau a'r mathau mwyaf difrifol o salwch, y rhai sydd â ME difrifol a difrifol iawn. Rydym wedi gwneud ymrwymiad a rhoi buddsoddiad i gefnogi parhad ac ehangu gwasanaethau, rhywbeth a gydnabuwyd gan y Gymdeithas ME a chan yr Aelodau heddiw. Rydym yn gwybod bod ein gwasanaethau Adferiad yn diwallu anghenion pobl sy'n eu defnyddio, ond mae mwy y gellir ei wneud i sicrhau cefnogaeth gyfartal, ac rydym wedi clywed am bwysigrwydd hynny yn y ddadl heddiw. Mae angen inni ddeall y rôl bellach y gall gwasanaethau a ariennir gan Adferiad ei chwarae yn cefnogi pobl sydd ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn a'r gofal amlddisgyblaethol sydd ei angen arnynt.
Rhaid inni hefyd sicrhau bod y rôl bwysig y maent eisoes yn ei chwarae yn cadw pobl â lefel ysgafn neu gymedrol o salwch yn iach neu'n gwella. Mae'r math hwn o ymyrraeth a chefnogaeth gynnar yn hanfodol i atal dirywiad, ac fe glywsom am hynny yn y ddadl heddiw hefyd. Rhaid inni sicrhau yn ogystal fod gwasanaethau a ariennir gan Adferiad yn parhau i ganolbwyntio ar yr ystod o bobl sydd â chyflyrau o dan derm ymbarél cyflyrau cronig sy'n gysylltiedig ag ôl-haint, yn cynnwys ME wrth gwrs.
Cyfeiriodd Adam Price ac eraill at arwyddocâd ymchwil, sy'n bwysig, ac rwy'n cytuno ag ef ac eraill a gyfeiriodd at hynny. Gofynnais i fy swyddogion gysylltu â'n partneriaid ymchwil yn y DU i ddeall yn well beth yw'r cynigion penodol ar gyfer ariannu a sefydlu'r hybiau y cyfeiriwyd atynt yn y DU. Bydd hyn yn ein galluogi i ymgysylltu â'n cymuned ymchwil i archwilio a manteisio ar y cyfleoedd posib hynny, ac mae cyfarfod rhwng fy swyddogion a'r Athro David Price wedi'i drefnu yn yr wythnosau nesaf. Mae fy swyddogion eisoes wedi cyfarfod â rhai o'r cynrychiolwyr eraill y cyfeiriodd Adam atynt yn ei ddadl.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, rwyf wedi clywed yn glir y galwadau a wnaed heddiw am arbenigwr Cymru gyfan, sefydlu grŵp arbenigol, a datblygu safonau a dulliau gweithredu cenedlaethol mewn amrywiaeth o ffyrdd. Rwy'n credu bod y cynigion hyn yn bendant yn werth eu hystyried yn briodol ac rwyf wedi gofyn i fy swyddogion roi cyngor pellach i mi mewn perthynas â'r camau hynny. Byddaf yn ystyried hynny'n ofalus a byddwn yn adolygu goblygiadau'r adroddiad marwolaethau yn y dyfodol i Gymru ac yn archwilio pa rannau o ganllawiau'r Royal Devon a allai fod yn ddefnyddiol i ni yng Nghymru, a byddaf yn cyflwyno datganiad pellach yn ddiweddariad i'r Aelodau mewn perthynas â'r camau hynny. Byddwn yn parhau i gael ein harwain gan dystiolaeth, i wrando ar y rhai sydd â phrofiad bywyd ac i sicrhau nad oes unrhyw un sy'n byw gyda ME neu fathau eraill o salwch sy'n gysylltiedig ag ôl-haint yn cael ei adael ar ôl.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, gan mai dadl Aelod yw hon, bydd yr Aelodau'n ymwybodol mai confensiwn y Llywodraeth ar gyfer Gweinidogion yw ymatal ar y cynnig ei hun, ond gobeithio y bydd y rhai sy'n gwneud y cynnig wedi clywed yr ymrwymiadau penodol a wnaed yn y ddadl heddiw.
Adam Price i ymateb i'r ddadl.
Adam Price to reply to the debate.
Can I start by thanking every Member who has contributed to this debate and everyone watching from home and, indeed, those campaigners who've joined us in the public gallery here today, whose courage and persistence have brought us to this point?
Today, I think, in the Senedd, we've done something important; we have brought into the light, if you like, an issue and a group of citizens who have been unrecognised and unseen for too long. We've heard, I think, powerful testimonies on behalf of many of our constituents. We've heard about people who've lost work, who've lost education, friendships, their independence, about lives lived in one room. We've heard from Julie Morgan and Rhys ab Owen about the effect that this has on families and carers—parents becoming full-time nurses, effectively; partners giving up work; children becoming young carers far too early in life, in many instances.
We've heard about the way in which ME cuts across everything in people's lives, doesn't it? As Sioned said, it's physical, it's mental, it's social, it's economic. It is the very opposite of a niche issue, to use that term. It's a mainstream issue of health justice for so many of our citizens. We heard—. That's a point that John Griffiths made on behalf of his constituent. We heard from Mark Isherwood about the importance of culture and training, and Delyth Jewell and others referred to the importance of raising awareness amongst practitioners, where ME has, for too long, been dismissed or misunderstood in the past, and the difference, then, that it makes when GPs and front-line clinicians recognise severe and very severe ME for what it is, and we then move from—. Many Members referred to the postcode lottery; the opposite of that is a situation where teams understand post-exertional malaise, when clinicians are willing to learn, when families feel believed, and then the whole atmosphere shifts from abandonment to one of shared effort. And Luke Fletcher said the same. That's the opportunity for us in Wales, isn't it? There have been important and positive steps, and I really welcome the commitments given by the Cabinet Secretary and the spirit in which they were given as well.
We can build, now, upon some progress that has been made. But I think the tenor of the debate is that the status quo is not good enough, isn't it? These citizens and their families deserve better. So, I welcome the commitments that were made to explore the expert working group and the creation of an all-Wales consultant, and the commitment to make a statement in response to the prevention of future deaths report and the exploration of adopting and adapting the guidance of the Royal Devon. Can I urge the Cabinet Secretary to make sure that those steps are made as quickly as possible, and welcome the fact that a meeting has already been arranged with Professor David Price to explore this opportunity of Wales becoming a research hub?
If our politics is to mean anything, if this place is to mean anything, it's surely that those with the least power, at times in their lives the least energy, sometimes the least ability to speak for themselves, that we recognise them and their needs, and their need for us to care for them collectively as a society. I think that's been expressed by all parties represented here. It's an aspiration that I feel is shared across the Chamber. Can I thank Members for the seriousness and the sincerity with which they've engaged with this issue today, and ask that this doesn't end here, it starts here, and that shared commitment is delivered upon in a sustained cross-party effort, so we build the plan that we've talked about, we show the leadership and the research capacity that people with ME deserve? And, above all, I hope then, when Cerith and all the other families, and all those following this debate from darkened rooms, look back on today, they will be able to say, 'That was when Wales began to see us, to understand us and to act.' Thank you.
A gaf i ddechrau trwy ddiolch i bob Aelod sydd wedi cyfrannu at y ddadl hon a phawb sy'n gwylio gartref, ac yn wir, i'r ymgyrchwyr sydd wedi ymuno â ni yn yr oriel gyhoeddus yma heddiw, pobl y mae eu dewrder a'u dyfalbarhad wedi dod â ni i'r pwynt hwn?
Heddiw, yn y Senedd, rydym wedi gwneud rhywbeth pwysig; rydym wedi dod â mater a grŵp o ddinasyddion sydd wedi bod yn anhysbys ac yn anweledig ers gormod o amser i'r golau. Fe glywsom dystiolaeth bwerus ar ran llawer o'n hetholwyr. Clywsom am bobl sydd wedi colli gwaith, wedi colli addysg, cyfeillgarwch, eu hannibyniaeth, am fywydau yn cael eu byw mewn un ystafell. Rydym wedi clywed gan Julie Morgan a Rhys ab Owen am yr effaith y mae hyn yn ei chael ar deuluoedd a gofalwyr—rhieni'n dod yn nyrsys amser llawn i bob pwrpas; partneriaid yn rhoi'r gorau i waith; plant yn dod yn ofalwyr ifanc yn llawer rhy gynnar mewn bywyd, mewn llawer o achosion.
Clywsom am y ffordd y mae ME yn torri ar draws popeth ym mywydau pobl. Fel y dywedodd Sioned, mae'n gorfforol, mae'n feddyliol, mae'n gymdeithasol, mae'n economaidd. Mae'n wrthwyneb llwyr i fater 'niche', os caf ddefnyddio'r term hwnnw. Mae'n fater prif ffrwd o gyfiawnder iechyd i gymaint o'n dinasyddion. Clywsom—. Dyna bwynt a wnaeth John Griffiths ar ran ei etholwr. Clywsom gan Mark Isherwood am bwysigrwydd diwylliant a hyfforddiant, a chyfeiriodd Delyth Jewell ac eraill at bwysigrwydd codi ymwybyddiaeth ymhlith ymarferwyr, lle mae ME, ers gormod o amser, wedi cael ei ddiystyru neu ei gamddeall yn y gorffennol, a'r gwahaniaeth, felly, y mae'n ei wneud pan fo meddygon teulu a chlinigwyr rheng flaen yn cydnabod ME difrifol a difrifol iawn am yr hyn ydyw, ac yna rydym yn symud o—. Cyfeiriodd llawer o Aelodau at y loteri cod post; y gwrthwyneb i hynny yw sefyllfa lle mae timau'n deall anghysur ôl-ymdrech, pan fydd clinigwyr yn barod i ddysgu, pan fydd teuluoedd yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu credu, ac yna mae'r awyrgylch cyfan yn symud o un o anwybyddu i un o gydymdrech. A dywedodd Luke Fletcher yr un peth. Dyna'r cyfle i ni yng Nghymru, onid e? Cafwyd camau pwysig a chadarnhaol, ac rwy'n croesawu'r ymrwymiadau a wnaed gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet a'r ysbryd y cawsant eu gwneud ynddo hefyd.
Gallwn adeiladu, nawr, ar rywfaint o gynnydd sydd wedi'i wneud. Ond rwy'n meddwl mai neges y ddadl yw nad yw'r status quo yn ddigon da. Mae'r dinasyddion hyn a'u teuluoedd yn haeddu gwell. Felly, rwy'n croesawu'r ymrwymiadau a wnaed i archwilio'r gweithgor arbenigol a chreu meddyg ymgynghorol ar gyfer Cymru gyfan, a'r ymrwymiad i wneud datganiad mewn ymateb i'r adroddiad ar atal marwolaethau yn y dyfodol ac archwilio mabwysiadu ac addasu canllawiau'r Royal Devon. A gaf i annog Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i wneud yn siŵr fod y camau hynny'n cael eu gwneud cyn gynted â phosib, a chroesawu'r ffaith bod cyfarfod eisoes wedi'i drefnu gyda'r Athro David Price i archwilio'r cyfle i Gymru ddod yn ganolfan ymchwil?
Os yw ein gwleidyddiaeth i olygu unrhyw beth, os yw'r lle hwn i olygu unrhyw beth, rhaid inni gydnabod y rheini sydd â'r lleiaf o bŵer, a hynny ar adegau yn eu bywydau pan fydd ganddynt leiaf o egni, a'r gallu lleiaf i siarad drostynt eu hunain weithiau, rhaid inni eu cydnabod nhw a'u hanghenion, a'u hangen i ni ofalu amdanynt yn gyfunol fel cymdeithas. Rwy'n credu bod hynny wedi'i fynegi gan yr holl bleidiau a gynrychiolir yma. Mae'n uchelgais y teimlaf ein bod yn ei rannu ar draws y Siambr. A gaf i ddiolch i'r Aelodau am drin y mater heddiw yn ddifrifol ac yn ddidwyll, a gofyn am beidio â gadael iddo ddod i ben yma, ei fod yn dechrau yma, a bod ymrwymiad a rennir yn cael ei gyflawni mewn ymdrech drawsbleidiol barhaus, fel ein bod yn adeiladu'r cynllun y gwnaethom siarad amdano, ein bod yn dangos yr arweinyddiaeth a'r capasiti ymchwil y mae pobl â ME yn ei haeddu? Ac yn anad dim wedyn, pan fydd Cerith a'r holl deuluoedd eraill, a phawb sy'n dilyn y ddadl hon o ystafelloedd tywyll, yn edrych nôl ar heddiw, rwy'n gobeithio y byddant yn gallu dweud, 'Dyna pryd y dechreuodd Cymru ein gweld, ein deall, a gweithredu.' Diolch.
Daeth y Llywydd i’r Gadair.
The Llywydd took the Chair.
Y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid derbyn y gwelliant? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? [Gwrthwynebiad.] Oes, mae yna wrthwynebiad. Fe wnawn ni ohirio'r holl bleidleisiau ar yr eitem yma tan y cyfnod pleidleisio.
The proposal is to agree the amendment. Does any Member object? [Objection.] There is objection. Therefore, I'll defer all of the votes under this item until voting time.
Gohiriwyd y pleidleisio tan y cyfnod pleidleisio.
Voting deferred until voting time.
Y ddadl ar y ddeiseb sydd nesaf, 'Rhoi diwedd ar ofal mewn coridorau yng Nghymru'. Dwi'n gofyn i Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor Deisebau wneud y cynnig—Carolyn Thomas.
The debate on the petition is next, 'End Corridor Care in Wales'. I call on the Chair of the Petitions Committee to move the motion—Carolyn Thomas.
Cynnig NDM9076 Carolyn Thomas
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
Yn nodi’r ddeiseb P-06-1534, 'Rhoi diwedd ar ofal mewn coridorau yng Nghymru', a gasglodd 10,536 o lofnodion.
Motion NDM9076 Carolyn Thomas
To propose that the Senedd:
Notes the petition P-06-1534, 'End corridor care in Wales', which received 10,536 signatures.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Diolch, Llywydd. On behalf of the Petitions Committee, thank you for the opportunity to introduce this debate today. This petition was submitted by the Royal College of Nursing Wales and BMA Cymru Wales, having collected a total of 10,536 signatures. It is part of a wider campaign to raise awareness of the reality and dangers of treatment taking place in unsuitable locations—in corridors, in car parks and in other places—where they argue that safe care simply isn't possible. The text of the petition reads:
'End corridor care in Wales.
'In Wales, patients are currently receiving care on trolleys or chairs for hours on end, often days, in pain and suffering. Doctors, nurses, and health care staff are forced to treat and care for patients in corridors, car parks, and other places where safe, dignified care isn't possible and where they lack access to life-saving equipment.
'The Royal College of Nursing Wales and the BMA Cymru Wales are jointly raising the alarm on patient safety for Welsh Government to eradicate corridor care.'
The petition makes four calls to action. It calls on the Welsh Government and NHS trusts to:
'1. Begin recording and reporting on corridor care in Wales, starting by making it a "never event" for patients to receive care in chairs for more than 24 hours.
'2. Pause reductions in NHS Wales hospital beds. Nationally review capacity and deliver a clear, costed workforce plan to ensure hospitals and wider care settings can meet future demand.
'3. Invest in community-based care by
'increasing the number of District Nurses (and nurses with a community nursing master’s degree) back to, and above, 2010 levels to meet demand.
'restoring the proportion of NHS Wales funding in general practice to historic levels, with aspirations to increase, so that we train, recruit and retain enough GPs to move toward the OECD average number of GPs per 1000 people.
'4. Prioritise prevention and early intervention. Sustainable emergency care needs a strong focus on population health and early diagnosis to reduce avoidable crises.'
The petitioner told us increases in district nursing numbers do not reflect the scale of investment needed and highlighted issues with underemployment, staff burnout and unsustainable workloads. The RCN and BMA say they were encouraged by the Cabinet Secretary confirming that national escalation processes were under active review, and called for today's debate as an opportunity to hear about progress with implementing Welsh Government's six goals for urgent and emergency care. The debate will give Members on all sides of this Chamber an opportunity to speak about the campaign.
The Cabinet Secretary was very clear in his initial response to this petition that the Welsh Government does not endorse the routine delivery of care in non-clinical or unsuitable environments. He has set out some of the steps already being taken by the Welsh Government to improve patient flow and ensure that the issues that result in corridor care being given are being tackled at source. The petitioners argue that, contrary to what the Welsh Government claims, it is not the case that corridor care only occurs in exceptional circumstances. RCN and BMA members are clear that corridor care is a daily, year-round occurrence, and a systemic national crisis that has become normalised across Wales.
The committee wrote to the Cabinet Secretary again in advance of today's debate to ask for clarity on how the Welsh Government defines ‘corridor care’, and to ask for the data available. He has noted that such information may be noted locally to inform immediate action, but there is none held nationally.
In the committee, we discussed whether we would wait for this debate until after the full details are available on winter pressures on the NHS over the Christmas period. However, petitioners were given the choice and decided they wanted their petition to be debated before Christmas if possible. So, I’m grateful to the Business Committee for agreeing to today's debate before recess, and I look forward to Members' contributions today.
Diolch, Lywydd. Ar ran y Pwyllgor Deisebau, diolch am y cyfle i gyflwyno'r ddadl hon heddiw. Cyflwynwyd y ddeiseb hon gan Goleg Nyrsio Brenhinol Cymru a BMA Cymru Wales, ar ôl casglu cyfanswm o 10,536 o lofnodion. Mae'n rhan o ymgyrch ehangach i godi ymwybyddiaeth o realiti a pheryglon triniaeth sy'n digwydd mewn lleoliadau anaddas—mewn coridorau, mewn meysydd parcio ac mewn mannau eraill—lle maent yn dadlau nad yw gofal diogel yn bosib. Mae testun y ddeiseb yn dweud:
'Rhoi diwedd ar ofal mewn coridorau yng Nghymru.
'Yng Nghymru, mae cleifion ar hyn o bryd yn cael gofal ar drolïau neu mewn cadeiriau am oriau maith, yn aml am ddyddiau, mewn poen a dioddefaint. Mae meddygon, nyrsys a staff gofal iechyd yn cael eu gorfodi i drin a gofalu am gleifion mewn coridorau, meysydd parcio, a mannau eraill lle nad yw gofal diogel ac urddasol yn bosibl a lle nad oes ganddynt offer achub bywyd wrth law.
'Mae Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol Cymru a BMA Cymru ar y cyd yn canu larwm am ddiogelwch cleifion er mwyn i Lywodraeth Cymru roi diwedd ar ofal mewn coridorau.'
Mae'r ddeiseb yn gwneud pedair galwad i weithredu. Mae'n galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru ac ymddiriedolaethau'r GIG i:
'1. Dechrau cofnodi ac adrodd ar ofal mewn coridorau yng Nghymru, gan ddechrau drwy ei wneud yn 'ddigwyddiad byth' i gleifion gael gofal mewn cadeiriau am fwy na 24 awr.
'2. Rhoi saib ar leihau nifer y gwelyau yn ysbytai GIG Cymru. Adolygu capasiti yn genedlaethol a darparu cynllun gweithlu clir, wedi’i gostio, i sicrhau bod ysbytai a lleoliadau gofal ehangach yn gallu bodloni’r galw yn y dyfodol.
'3. Buddsoddi mewn gofal yn y gymuned drwy:
'gynyddu nifer y nyrsys ardal (a nyrsys â gradd meistr mewn nyrsio cymunedol) yn ôl i lefelau 2010, a’r tu hwnt i’r rheini, i fodloni'r galw.
'adfer cyfran cyllid GIG Cymru mewn practisau cyffredinol i lefelau hanesyddol, gydag uchelgais i’w chynyddu, fel ein bod yn hyfforddi, yn recriwtio ac yn cadw digon o feddygon teulu i symud tuag at nifer cyfartalog yr OECD o feddygon teulu fesul 1000 o bobl.
'4. Rhoi blaenoriaeth i ymyrraeth gynnar ac atal afiechyd. Mae angen i ofal brys ofal brys cynaliadwy gael ffocws cryf ar iechyd y boblogaeth a diagnosis cynnar er mwyn lleihau argyfyngau y gellir eu hosgoi.'
Dywedodd y deisebydd wrthym nad yw cynnydd yn niferoedd nyrsys ardal yn adlewyrchu graddfa'r buddsoddiad sydd ei angen ac amlygodd broblemau gyda thangyflogaeth, diffygiad staff a llwythi gwaith anghynaladwy. Mae'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol (RCN) a'r BMA yn dweud eu bod wedi cael eu calonogi gan gadarnhad Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet fod prosesau uwchgyfeirio cenedlaethol wrthi'n cael eu hadolygu, a galwodd am y ddadl heddiw fel cyfle i glywed am y cynnydd ar weithredu chwe nod Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer gofal brys a gofal mewn argyfwng. Bydd y ddadl yn rhoi cyfle i Aelodau ar bob ochr i'r Siambr siarad am yr ymgyrch.
Roedd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn glir iawn yn ei ymateb cychwynnol i'r ddeiseb nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn cymeradwyo darparu gofal rheolaidd mewn amgylcheddau anghlinigol neu anaddas. Mae wedi nodi rhai o'r camau sydd eisoes yn cael eu cymryd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i wella llif cleifion a sicrhau bod y problemau sy'n arwain at ofal mewn coridorau yn cael eu datrys yn y ffynhonnell. Mae'r deisebwyr yn dadlau, yn groes i'r hyn y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn honni, nad yw'n wir fod gofal mewn coridorau ond yn digwydd mewn amgylchiadau eithriadol yn unig. Mae aelodau'r RCN a'r BMA yn glir fod gofal mewn coridorau'n ddigwyddiad dyddiol, drwy gydol y flwyddyn, ac yn argyfwng cenedlaethol systemig sydd wedi cael ei normaleiddio ledled Cymru.
Ysgrifennodd y pwyllgor at Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet eto cyn y ddadl heddiw i ofyn am eglurder ynghylch sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn diffinio 'gofal mewn coridorau', ac i ofyn am y data sydd ar gael. Mae wedi nodi y gellir nodi gwybodaeth o'r fath yn lleol i lywio gweithredu ar unwaith, ond ni chedwir unrhyw wybodaeth yn genedlaethol.
Yn y pwyllgor, fe wnaethom drafod a fyddem yn aros tan ar ôl i'r manylion llawn ddod i law ar bwysau'r gaeaf ar y GIG dros gyfnod y Nadolig cyn cynnal y ddadl hon. Fodd bynnag, rhoddwyd dewis i'r deisebwyr ac fe wnaethant benderfynu eu bod am i'w deiseb gael ei thrafod cyn y Nadolig os yn bosib. Felly, rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Pwyllgor Busnes am gytuno i'r ddadl heddiw cyn y toriad, ac edrychaf ymlaen at gyfraniadau'r Aelodau heddiw.
Nineteen years ago, I launched CHANT Cymru at the request of campaigners throughout Wales fighting for local beds at local community hospitals. Typically, the Welsh Government dismissed the campaign's warnings that even if the proportion of people needing hospital beds fell, age and complexity meant that the absolute number would not. Answering me three weeks ago, the current First Minister again recycled their argument that
'People generally...would rather be looked after in their own homes...that is the shift that we would like to see. So, supporting people in their own communities, in their own homes, is actually a very deliberate approach by this Government.'
Her predecessors were saying the same thing two decades ago, yet here we now are, living with the avoidable consequences.
Between 2009 and 2019, the number of community hospital beds fell from one bed per 233 people to one per 315, with further reductions since. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, BCUHB, has the highest delayed discharge figures in Wales—patients who are medically fit to leave hospital but cannot do so because the necessary support is unavailable. This blocks beds for acutely ill patients, leaving ambulances queuing outside and patients waiting in corridors, sometimes for more than 24 hours. According to the Royal College of Nursing, this should be a never event.
BCUHB has received the highest number of coroner preventable death reports in Wales. These statistics represent real lives and families. The health board states that improving urgent and emergency care is its top operational priority. Although the health Secretary has recently deployed a performance management team, their room for manoeuvre on admissions will be very limited without available beds.
As we've already seen, the new drop-and-go ambulance policy will merely worsen the congestion impact at A&E departments. A group of retired north Wales clinicians have now warned of a winter crisis in our accident and emergency departments. Their practical cost-effective beds campaign proposes to bring back community beds, end corridor tragedies, decrease mortality and locate senior medics at the front door. I urge the Welsh Government again to meet with them.
The petition also calls for the proportion of NHS Wales funding in general practice to be restored to historical levels. As NHS staff and GPs have told me, extra investment in our local community hospitals and NHS community beds would take pressure off our general hospitals, add to the breadth of things that GPs can do, help tackle the A&E crisis, and enable the health board to use its resources more efficiently. This petition therefore rightly calls for the Welsh Government to immediately pause reductions in NHS Wales hospital beds, nationally review capacity and deliver a clear, costed workforce plan to ensure hospitals and wider care settings can meet future demand. Diolch yn fawr.
Bedair mlynedd ar bymtheg yn ôl, lansiais CHANT Cymru ar gais ymgyrchwyr ledled Cymru a oedd yn brwydro dros welyau lleol mewn ysbytai cymunedol lleol. Yn nodweddiadol, fe wrthododd Llywodraeth Cymru rybuddion yr ymgyrch, hyd yn oed pe bai cyfran y bobl a oedd angen gwelyau ysbyty yn gostwng, fod oedran a chymhlethdod yn golygu na fyddai'r nifer absoliwt yn gostwng. Wrth fy ateb dair wythnos yn ôl, ailgylchodd y Prif Weinidog presennol eu dadl eto
'Byddai'n well gan bobl yn gyffredinol...dderbyn gofal yn eu cartrefi eu hunain...dyna'r newid yr hoffem ni ei weld. Felly, mae cynorthwyo pobl yn eu cymunedau eu hunain, yn eu cartrefi eu hunain, yn ddull bwriadol iawn gan y Llywodraeth hon mewn gwirionedd.'
Roedd ei rhagflaenwyr yn dweud yr un peth ddau ddegawd yn ôl, ond dyma ni nawr, yn byw gyda'r canlyniadau y gellid bod wedi eu hosgoi.
Rhwng 2009 a 2019, gostyngodd nifer y gwelyau ysbyty cymunedol o un gwely i bob 233 o bobl i un i bob 315, gyda gostyngiadau pellach ers hynny. Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr sydd â'r ffigurau oedi wrth ryddhau uchaf yng Nghymru—cleifion sy'n ffit yn feddygol i adael yr ysbyty ond na allant wneud hynny am nad yw'r cymorth angenrheidiol ar gael. Mae hyn yn blocio gwelyau ar gyfer cleifion sy'n ddifrifol wael, gan adael ambiwlansys yn ciwio y tu allan a chleifion yn aros mewn coridorau, weithiau am fwy na 24 awr. Yn ôl y Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol, dylai hyn fod yn ddigwyddiad 'byth'.
Bwrdd iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr sydd wedi cael y nifer uchaf yng Nghymru o adroddiadau crwner am farwolaethau y gellir bod wedi eu hatal. Mae'r ystadegau hyn yn cynrychioli bywydau a theuluoedd go iawn. Mae'r bwrdd iechyd yn nodi mai gwella gofal brys a gofal mewn argyfwng yw ei brif flaenoriaeth weithredol. Er bod yr Ysgrifennydd Iechyd wedi defnyddio tîm rheoli perfformiad yn ddiweddar, bydd unrhyw hyblygrwydd mewn perthynas â derbyniadau yn gyfyngedig iawn heb fod gwelyau ar gael.
Fel y gwelsom eisoes, bydd y polisi ambiwlans 'gollwng a mynd' newydd yn gwaethygu effaith tagfeydd mewn adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys. Mae grŵp o glinigwyr wedi ymddeol yng ngogledd Cymru bellach wedi rhybuddio am argyfwng y gaeaf yn ein hadrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys. Mae eu hymgyrch gwelyau costeffeithiol ymarferol yn argymell dod â gwelyau cymunedol yn ôl, rhoi diwedd ar drasiedïau mewn coridorau, lleihau marwolaethau a lleoli uwch feddygon wrth y drws blaen. Rwy'n annog Llywodraeth Cymru eto i gyfarfod â nhw.
Mae'r ddeiseb hefyd yn galw am adfer y gyfran o gyllid GIG Cymru mewn ymarfer cyffredinol i lefelau hanesyddol. Fel y mae staff y GIG a meddygon teulu wedi dweud wrthyf, byddai buddsoddiad ychwanegol yn ein hysbytai cymunedol lleol a gwelyau GIG cymunedol yn tynnu pwysau oddi ar ein hysbytai cyffredinol, yn ychwanegu at nifer y pethau y gall meddygon teulu eu gwneud, yn helpu i fynd i'r afael ag argyfwng adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys, ac yn galluogi'r bwrdd iechyd i ddefnyddio ei adnoddau yn fwy effeithlon. Felly, mae'r ddeiseb hon yn galw'n briodol ar Lywodraeth Cymru i oedi gostyngiadau i niferoedd gwelyau ysbyty GIG Cymru ar unwaith, i adolygu capasiti yn genedlaethol a chyflwyno cynllun clir wedi ei gostio ar gyfer y gweithlu, i sicrhau bod ysbytai a lleoliadau gofal ehangach yn gallu bodloni'r galw yn y dyfodol. Diolch yn fawr.
Isn't it telling that the professional bodies feel that they must resort to drafting a public petition calling for an end to a practice that isn't only demeaning, but also dangerous? Yet, unfortunately, corridor care has become an almost inescapable part of hospital care. What should be the exception has now been normalised, with people receiving treatment in chairs, in staff rooms or even on the floor. Some health boards are even advertising for corridor care nurses. This is, if nothing else, a damning symbol of Labour's mismanagement over a quarter of a century, and it also reflects a wider systemic failure to ensure proper co-ordination and meaningful integration between different parts of the health system.
Corridor care is a symptom of a broader policy failure. Take Tywyn in my own constituency. Dyfi ward in Tywyn Hospital, with its 16 beds, has been closed for three years. The consequence is that patients from the Dysynni valley must travel to Bronglais Hospital, yet I've had constituents contact me to say that they've spent days on end on a bed or a chair in the corridor in Bronglais, because no other beds were available. Those beds aren't available because patients in Bronglais can't be discharged due to a lack of community care packages, even while 16 beds lie empty in Tywyn.
The chronic underfunding of social care, combined with a lack of investment in primary care, has led to a situation where secondary care is buckling and nurses and doctors are becoming increasingly disillusioned.
Onid yw'n dweud llawer fod y cyrff proffesiynol yn teimlo bod yn rhaid iddynt ddrafftio deiseb gyhoeddus sy'n galw am ddiwedd ar arfer sydd nid yn unig yn ddiraddiol, ond hefyd yn beryglus? Ac eto, yn anffodus, mae gofal mewn coridorau wedi dod yn rhan bron yn anorfod o ofal ysbyty. Mae'r hyn a ddylai fod yn eithriad bellach wedi'i normaleiddio, gyda phobl yn cael triniaeth mewn cadeiriau, mewn ystafelloedd staff neu hyd yn oed ar y llawr. Mae rhai byrddau iechyd hyd yn oed yn hysbysebu am nyrsys gofal coridorau. Os nad yw'n ddim byd arall, mae hyn yn symbol damniol o gamreolaeth Lafur dros chwarter canrif, ac mae hefyd yn adlewyrchu methiant systemig ehangach i sicrhau cydgysylltu priodol ac integreiddio ystyrlon rhwng gwahanol rannau o'r system iechyd.
Mae gofal mewn coridorau yn symptom o fethiant polisi ehangach. Cymerwch Tywyn yn fy etholaeth i. Mae ward Dyfi yn Ysbyty Tywyn, gyda'i 16 gwely, wedi bod ar gau ers tair blynedd. Y canlyniad yw bod yn rhaid i gleifion o ddyffryn Dysynni deithio i Ysbyty Bronglais, ond rwyf wedi cael etholwyr yn cysylltu â mi i ddweud eu bod wedi treulio dyddiau bwy'i gilydd ar wely neu gadair yn y coridor ym Mronglais, am nad oedd gwelyau eraill ar gael. Nid yw'r gwelyau hynny ar gael am nad oes modd rhyddhau cleifion ym Mronglais oherwydd diffyg pecynnau gofal cymunedol, tra bod 16 o welyau yn wag yn Nhywyn.
Mae tanariannu cronig mewn gofal cymdeithasol, ynghyd â diffyg buddsoddiad mewn gofal sylfaenol, wedi arwain at sefyllfa lle mae gofal eilaidd yn gwegian a nyrsys a meddygon yn digalonni fwy a mwy.
Nid mater o ddiweddu gofal coridor trwy symud adnoddau o amgylch yr ysbyty yn unig ydy hyn. Mae'n rhaid ailedrych ar y gwasanaeth iechyd a gofal yn ei gyfanrwydd, gan edrych ar sut mae cryfhau'r sector cynradd a'r sector gofal, er mwyn rhyddhau'r pwysau yn yr ysbytai ac atal gofal yn y coridor. Mae'n rhaid, felly, cael strategaeth hirdymor. Felly, dyma'r camau y byddem ni ym Mhlaid Cymru yn eu cymryd pe bai gennym ni y fraint o arwain y Llywodraeth nesaf.
Yn gyntaf, mi fyddwn ni'n edrych i ddatblygu cynllun gweithlu cynhwysfawr newydd ar gyfer y gwasanaeth iechyd. Bydd y cynllun hwn yn sicrhau dosbarthiad llawer mwy effeithiol o adnoddau a chapasiti ledled Cymru, ac yn gwella tryloywder ynghylch bylchau yn y gweithlu. Rhan annatod o hyn fydd sefydlu byrddau partneriaeth rhanbarthol ar sail statudol i gryfhau cydweithio rhwng byrddau iechyd ac awdurdodau lleol, ynghyd ag apwyntio cyfarwyddydd cenedlaethol ar gyfer gofal y tu hwnt i'r ysbyty er mwyn rhyddhau capasiti eilaidd yn gyflymach. Byddwn hefyd yn sicrhau bod arferion da mewn adrannau brys, fel y trefniadau brys arbennig ym mae Abertawe, yn cael eu hymgorffori'n gyson ar draws Cymru.
Yn ail, fel rhan o'r gwaith ehangach ar ddiwygio llywodraethiant, mi fyddwn yn cynnal adolygiad o dargedau'r system iechyd. Ein nod fydd symleiddio'r targedau hyn, eu halinio'n well â chapasiti ac, yn bwysicach na dim, sicrhau mai canlyniadau clinigol yw'r prif fesur o lwyddiant. Fel y soniais yn y datganiad ddoe, dwi'n croesawu'n fawr y symudiad o fewn gwasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru tuag at fesur perfformiad trwy ganlyniadau clinigol yn hytrach nag amserlenni unffurf, ond mae angen gweld newidiadau tebyg ar draws gweddill y system.
Yn drydydd, mae'n rhaid mynd i'r afael â'r dirywiad aruthrol yng nghapasiti gwelyau dros y ddegawd ddiwethaf, fel y nodir gan y ddeiseb. Bydd ein cynllun i ddileu rhestrau aros Llafur yn cynnwys elfen glir o fuddsoddi i ehangu capasiti gwelyau, gan alluogi llif cleifion mwy effeithiol drwy'r gwasanaeth eilaidd.
Ac yn olaf, ac efallai'n bwysicach na dim, mae'n rhaid cydnabod na fydd datrys y broblem hon yn barhaol ond trwy fabwysiadu dull system gyfan. Mae hynny'n cynnwys mynd i'r afael â phrinder capasiti ac adnoddau mewn gofal cynradd a gofal cymunedol. Dyna pam fod gan Blaid Cymru gynlluniau pendant i ailgychwyn ac ehangu'r rhaglen i sefydlu gwasanaeth gofal cenedlaethol i Gymru, rhaglen a lansiwyd drwy'r cytundeb cydweithio, ond sydd wedi'i harafu'n sylweddol oherwydd diffyg gallu Llywodraeth Lafur i flaenoriaethu'n strategol. Bydd Llywodraeth Plaid Cymru hefyd yn bencampwr mwyaf o ofal cynradd yn hanes datganoli. Rydyn ni'n benderfynol o gynyddu cyfran y gyllideb iechyd sy'n cefnogi meddygaeth gyffredinol, gyda'r nod hirdymor o gynyddu nifer y meddygon teulu i gyrraedd cyfartaledd yr OECD.
Trwy'r camau clir a blaengar hyn, ein huchelgais yw sicrhau bod y gwarth o orfod darparu gofal mewn coridorau yn perthyn yn ddiwrthdro i dudalennau hanes. Diolch.
This is not a matter of ending corridor care by just moving resources around hospitals. We need to look again at the health and care service in its entirety, looking at how we strengthen the primary care sector and the care sector, so that we can alleviate the pressure on the hospitals and prevent corridor care. We have to have a long-term strategy, therefore. So, these are the steps that we in Plaid Cymru would take if we had the privilege of leading the next Government.
First of all, we would be looking to develop a comprehensive new workforce plan for the health service. This plan will ensure a far more effective allocation of resources and capacity across Wales, and would improve transparency in terms of gaps in the workforce. An intrinsic part of that would be to develop regional partnership boards on a statutory footing to strengthen collaboration between local authorities and health boards, as well as the appointment of a national director for care outside of hospital to release secondary capacity more quickly. We would also ensure that good practice in emergency departments, such as the practices in Swansea bay, are incorporated across Wales on a more consistent basis.
Secondly, as part of the wider work on reforming governance, we would review the targets for the health service. Our aim would be to simplify these targets, to align them better with capacity and, most importantly, to ensure that clinical outcomes were the main measure of success. As I mentioned in the statement yesterday, I welcome very much the movement within the ambulance service in Wales towards performance measurement through clinical outcomes rather than uniform timescales, but we need to see similar changes across the remainder of the system.
Third, we have to tackle the significant decline in bed capacity over the past decade, as noted in the petition. Our plan to eradicate Labour waiting lists would include a clear element of investment to expand bed capacity, enabling a more effective flow of patients through the secondary service.
And finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need to acknowledge that solving this problem permanently will only be done through adopting a whole-system approach. That includes tackling the lack of capacity and resources in terms of primary care and community care. That's why Plaid Cymru has specific plans to restart and expand the programme to establish a national care service for Wales, a programme that was launched through the co-operation agreement, but has slowed down significantly in terms of its progress because of the Labour Government's inability to prioritise strategically. A Plaid Cymru Government would also be the greatest champion of primary care in the history of devolution. We are determined to increase the proportion of the budget that supports general medicine, with a long-term aim to increase the number of GPs to reach the OECD average.
Through these clear, progressive steps, our ambition is to ensure that corridor care in Wales, that appalling practice, is consigned to history. Thank you.
What we are witnessing in Wales today is something we all need to be worried about. Crisis in full view in our hospital corridors isn't just a strain on our system, it is a warning to us all. What used to be only carried out in an emergency, a rare moment of extraordinary pressure, has become an everyday reality. Last year alone, nearly 119,000 people in Wales waited 12 hours or more in A&E, 10,000 more than the year before. Thousands of patients are now being treated on trolleys in corridors, in ambulances, in store cupboards and in places not meant for care, and this is putting life at risk. They are being treated without proper facilities.
In February this year, almost 58,000 people came through the doors of our major A&E departments. Only half were seen in four hours, nearly 9,000 waited over 12 hours, and by October, we hit a record: more than 10,000 patients waited more than 12 hours in a single month. This is not progress, this is a system failing. And, Llywydd, here is something astounding: NHS Wales doesn't even collect data on who is being treated in a corridor. That frankly should surprise no-one, as Welsh Labour's philosophy has always been, if you don't measure it, then there is no evidence to pin you down on it.
A snapshot from March 2025, taken by the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, showed that more than one in 10 patients were lying on trolleys in corridors, and another one in 10 were receiving care in places never meant to be treatment areas. Almost half of all delays came down to one simple fact: no beds available. Emergency cubicles were filled to 176 per cent occupancy, an impossible figure that tells you everything about the strain hospitals and staff are under.
And the consequences are serious. We know that waiting more than 12 hours in A&E doubles a patient's chance of dying within 30 days. That should trouble every one of us. But this isn't just about numbers, it's about dignity. It's about the patients, often elderly, and getting a diagnosis, even personal care, in full public view. Nurses report scenes of people being treated, fed, washed, and even dying without privacy. Let's not forget the toll on staff: moral injury, burnout, and depression are all widely reported. They are carrying a burden no-one should have to shoulder.
Corridor care isn't an act of nature, it's the result of choices: choices not to provide enough beds, not to repair our social care system, and not to strengthen community-based care. Patients ready to go home can't leave because there's no support available. GP appointments have become so hard to access that people turn to A&E as their only option. That's why I fully support this petition. We need to act. We need an NHS that doesn't see treatment in corridors as the norm. We need to begin recording and reporting on when patients are treated in a corridor, so capacity can be created and a workforce employed to manage patient numbers. This isn't about politics, it is ultimately about people. Thank you.
Mae'r hyn a welwn yng Nghymru heddiw yn rhywbeth y mae angen i bawb ohonom boeni amdano. Mae argyfwng sy'n amlwg i bawb yn ein coridorau ysbyty yn fwy na straen ar ein system yn unig, mae'n rhybudd i bawb ohonom. Mae'r hyn a arferai gael ei gyflawni mewn argyfwng yn unig, adeg brin o bwysau eithriadol, wedi dod yn realiti bob dydd. Y llynedd yn unig, fe wnaeth bron i 119,000 o bobl yng Nghymru aros 12 awr neu fwy mewn adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys, 10,000 yn fwy na'r flwyddyn flaenorol. Mae miloedd o gleifion bellach yn cael eu trin ar drolïau mewn coridorau, mewn ambiwlansys, mewn cypyrddau storio ac mewn mannau nad ydynt wedi'u bwriadu ar gyfer gofal, ac mae hyn yn peryglu bywydau. Maent yn cael eu trin heb gyfleusterau priodol.
Ym mis Chwefror eleni, daeth bron i 58,000 o bobl trwy ddrysau ein prif adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys. Dim ond eu hanner a welwyd o fewn pedair awr, arhosodd bron i 9,000 am dros 12 awr, ac erbyn mis Hydref, fe wnaethom gyrraedd lefelau uwch nag erioed: mwy na 10,000 o gleifion yn aros mwy na 12 awr mewn un mis. Nid cynnydd yw hyn, ond system sy'n methu. Lywydd, dyma rywbeth syfrdanol: nid yw GIG Cymru yn casglu data am bwy sy'n cael ei drin mewn coridor. A dweud y gwir, ni ddylai hynny synnu neb, gan mai athroniaeth Llafur Cymru erioed yw, os nad ydych chi'n ei fesur, nid oes tystiolaeth i'ch dwyn i gyfrif yn ei gylch.
Dangosodd ciplun o fis Mawrth 2025, a gymerwyd gan y Coleg Brenhinol Meddygaeth Argyfwng, fod mwy nag un o bob 10 claf yn gorwedd ar drolïau mewn coridorau, ac roedd un arall o bob 10 yn cael gofal mewn mannau nad oeddent erioed wedi'u bwriadu i fod yn ardaloedd triniaeth. Roedd bron i hanner yr holl achosion o oedi yn deillio o un ffaith syml: nid oedd gwelyau ar gael. Cafodd ciwbiclau brys eu llenwi i lefel o 176 y cant o ddefnydd, ffigur amhosib sy'n dweud popeth am y straen sydd ar ysbytai a staff.
Ac mae'r canlyniadau'n ddifrifol. Fe wyddom fod aros mwy na 12 awr mewn adran damweiniau ac achosion brys yn dyblu'r perygl y bydd claf yn marw o fewn 30 diwrnod. Dylai hynny beri gofid i bob un ohonom. Ond nid ymwneud â rhifau'n unig y mae hyn, mae'n ymwneud ag urddas. Mae'n ymwneud â chleifion, sy'n aml yn oedrannus, a chael diagnosis, hyd yn oed gofal personol, yng ngolwg pawb. Mae nyrsys yn adrodd am bobl yn cael eu trin, eu bwydo, eu golchi, a hyd yn oed yn marw heb breifatrwydd. Gadewch inni beidio ag anghofio'r straen ar staff: mae anaf moesol, diffygiad, ac iselder i gyd yn bethau sy'n cael eu cofnodi'n eang. Maent yn cario baich na ddylai neb orfod ei ysgwyddo.
Nid yw gofal mewn coridorau yn weithred naturiol, mae'n ganlyniad i ddewisiadau: dewisiadau i beidio â darparu digon o welyau, peidio ag atgyweirio ein system gofal cymdeithasol, a pheidio â chryfhau gofal cymunedol. Nid yw cleifion sy'n barod i fynd adref yn gallu gadael am nad oes cymorth ar gael. Mae apwyntiadau meddygon teulu mor anodd eu cael erbyn hyn fel bod pobl yn troi at adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys fel eu hunig opsiwn. Dyna pam rwy'n cefnogi'r ddeiseb hon yn llawn. Mae angen inni weithredu. Mae angen GIG arnom nad yw'n gweld triniaeth mewn coridorau fel y norm. Mae angen inni ddechrau cofnodi'r achosion o gleifion yn cael eu trin mewn coridorau, fel y gellir creu capasiti a chyflogi gweithlu i reoli niferoedd cleifion. Nid oes a wnelo hyn â gwleidyddiaeth, mae a wnelo â phobl. Diolch.
The RCN is the largest professional body and trade union for nursing in Wales, representing over 29,500 members, including nurses, midwives, healthcare support workers and nursing students. Similarly, BMA Cymru Wales represents over 7,500 members from every branch of the medical profession. As indicated by Mabon ap Gwynfor, when both of these highly respected bodies have chosen to jointly raise the alarm about patient safety and corridor care, that should make the Welsh Government not only listen, but take action.
Just consider for a moment what corridor care actually means. It's patients waiting for treatment, assessment or care, or being treated, assessed or cared for, in inappropriate areas such as corridors, but also car parks, break rooms and even toilets. In Cardiff and Vale, a nurse spoke of having an 18-year-old for two nights in the out-patient bay on a trolley. In Betsi Cadwaladr, a member of the public reported—and again I quote:
'Community hospitals in Betsi used...dining area for patient care—these areas have no piped oxygen or suction.'
And listen to the following resident's experience from Cwm Taf Morgannwg:
'After experiencing a heart attack, I found myself in A&E, a place meant to be a haven of care and recovery but quickly becoming a trial of endurance. For three long days, I sat in a chair, hooked up to a heart monitor, confined to a corridor with no privacy or proper space.'
Three days. If you have any doubt as to whether such care is unsafe, listen to the RCN, who have found that, for example,
'life-saving equipment may be inaccessible or absent.'
The situation is getting worse, as we've heard others already say—Joel, for example. The Royal College of Emergency Medicine published data in March this year revealing that all 12 accident and emergency departments in Wales had patients being treated in corridors. [Interruption.] Altaf, of course.
Yr RCN yw'r corff proffesiynol a'r undeb llafur mwyaf ar gyfer nyrsys yng Nghymru, ac mae'n cynrychioli dros 29,500 o aelodau, gan gynnwys nyrsys, bydwragedd, gweithwyr cymorth gofal iechyd a myfyrwyr nyrsio. Yn yr un modd, mae BMA Cymru yn cynrychioli dros 7,500 o aelodau o bob cangen o'r proffesiwn meddygol. Fel y nododd Mabon ap Gwynfor, pan fo'r ddau gorff uchel eu parch hyn wedi dewis seinio'r larwm ar y cyd am ddiogelwch cleifion a gofal mewn coridorau, dylai hynny wneud i Lywodraeth Cymru wrando a gweithredu.
Ystyriwch am eiliad beth y mae gofal mewn coridorau yn ei olygu mewn gwirionedd. Mae'n golygu cleifion yn aros am driniaeth, asesiad neu ofal, neu sy'n cael eu trin, eu hasesu neu'n cael gofal, mewn mannau amhriodol fel coridorau, ond hefyd mewn meysydd parcio, ystafelloedd egwyl a hyd yn oed mewn toiledau. Yng Nghaerdydd a'r Fro, soniodd nyrs am fachgen 18 oed yn treulio dwy noson yn y bae cleifion allanol ar droli. Yn Betsi Cadwaladr, adroddodd aelod o'r cyhoedd fel hyn:
'Roedd ysbytai cymunedol yn Betsi yn defnyddio...ardal fwyta ar gyfer gofal cleifion—nid oes gan y mannau hyn unrhyw gyflenwad ocsigen nac offer sugnedd.'
A gwrandewch ar brofiad y preswylydd canlynol o Gwm Taf Morgannwg:
'Ar ôl cael trawiad ar y galon, roeddwn mewn adran damweiniau ac achosion brys, lle sydd i fod yn hafan o ofal ac adferiad ond sy'n cyflym ddod yn brawf ar wydnwch. Am dri diwrnod hir, eisteddais mewn cadair, wedi fy nghysylltu wrth fonitor calon, yn gaeth mewn coridor heb breifatrwydd na gofod priodol.'
Tridiau. Os oes gennych unrhyw amheuaeth a yw gofal o'r fath yn anniogel, gwrandewch ar yr RCN, sydd wedi canfod, er enghraifft, fod
'offer achub bywyd yn gallu bod yn anhygyrch neu heb fod ar gael.'
Mae'r sefyllfa'n gwaethygu, fel y clywsom eraill yn dweud eisoes—Joel, er enghraifft. Cyhoeddodd y Coleg Brenhinol Meddygaeth Argyfwng ddata ym mis Mawrth eleni yn datgelu bod gan bob un o'r 12 adran damweiniau ac achosion brys yng Nghymru gleifion yn cael eu trin mewn coridorau. [Torri ar draws.] Altaf, wrth gwrs.
Rhys, thank you very much. Knowing your background, don't you think it is negligence? And if it is negligence, there should be litigation. Can the Cabinet Secretary tell us how many patients have taken him for litigation so far?
Rhys, diolch yn fawr. Gan wybod am eich cefndir, onid ydych chi'n meddwl ei fod yn esgeulustod? Ac os yw'n esgeulustod, dylid mynd i gyfraith. A all Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddweud wrthym faint o gleifion sydd wedi mynd ag ef i gyfraith hyd yn hyn?
It's maybe a matter that the Cabinet Secretary can address, but I agree, it potentially can be negligence.
Every A&E cubicle was full in this report, with average cubicle occupancy being at 176 per cent. The highest was 278 per cent. The daily average number of hospital beds in Wales that are available for surgical acute patients has dropped by 12.3 per cent in the last 10 years. The University Hospital of Wales here in Cardiff saw only 59.2 per cent of patients at A&E within the four-hour target in August—that's down from over 80 per cent in August 2015. The pattern is the same across Wales. This has to stop.
As part of the non-pay element of the 2022-23 nursing pay award, the Welsh Government pledged—and again, I quote—that
'onboarding...or corridor care will only be enacted in exceptional circumstances through the named responsible executive.'
That's not happening. It's not exceptional circumstances at the moment, Cabinet Secretary. That commitment has yet to be materialised and corridor care remains the norm across NHS Wales, compromising patient safety.
So, what do we do about it? What are the answers? Thankfully, over 10,500 petitioners have come forward with a plan of action, and I agree with their calls. I think we could also add another call to reduce the pressure on our major A&Es and the risk of corridor care, and that is to fully utilise our nation's minor injury units. As Mabon mentioned, they are not being utilised as much as they could be right now. They're recording amazing statistics, as the Cabinet Secretary will know. As many as 100 per cent of patients are seen within the four-hour target.
But there's a major flaw with these units. Despite these fantastic statistics, the unit in Barry, down the road, is only open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cabinet Secretary, will you look at the opening hours again and at whether the responsibilities can be extended as part of a greater plan to tackle this massive issue, which downgrades the greatest ever achievement of this nation, the NHS?
As RCEM vice-president for Wales, Dr Rob Perry, said, addressing corridor care and its causes must be a political priority and the Welsh Government must act now. Diolch yn fawr.
Efallai ei fod yn fater y gall Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet fynd i'r afael ag ef, ond rwy'n cytuno, gallai fod yn esgeulustod.
Roedd pob ciwbicl damweiniau ac achosion brys yn llawn yn yr adroddiad hwn, gyda defnydd ciwbiclau ar gyfartaledd yn 176 y cant. Yr uchaf oedd 278 y cant. Mae nifer cyfartalog dyddiol y gwelyau ysbyty yng Nghymru sydd ar gael ar gyfer cleifion acíwt llawfeddygol wedi gostwng 12.3 y cant yn ystod y 10 mlynedd diwethaf. Dim ond 59.2 y cant o gleifion mewn adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys yng Nghaerdydd a welwyd gan Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru o fewn y targed o bedair awr ym mis Awst—i lawr o dros 80 y cant ym mis Awst 2015. Mae'r patrwm yr un fath ledled Cymru. Rhaid i hyn ddod i ben.
Yn rhan o'r elfen ddi-dâl o ddyfarniad cyflogau nyrsio 2022-23, addawodd Llywodraeth Cymru
'ni fydd gofal mewn coridorau ond yn digwydd mewn amgylchiadau eithriadol drwy'r swyddog gweithredol cyfrifol a enwir.'
Nid yw hynny'n digwydd. Nid yw'n amgylchiadau eithriadol ar hyn o bryd, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Nid yw'r ymrwymiad hwnnw wedi'i wireddu eto ac mae gofal mewn coridorau'n parhau i fod yn norm ar draws GIG Cymru, gan beryglu diogelwch cleifion.
Felly, beth a wnawn yn ei gylch? Beth yw'r atebion? Diolch byth, mae dros 10,500 o ddeisebwyr wedi cyflwyno cynllun gweithredu, ac rwy'n cytuno â'u galwadau. Rwy'n credu y gallem ychwanegu galwad arall er mwyn lleihau'r pwysau ar ein prif adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys a'r risg o ofal mewn coridorau, sef gwneud defnydd llawn o unedau mân anafiadau ein gwlad. Fel y soniodd Mabon, nid ydynt yn cael eu defnyddio cymaint ag y gallent fod ar hyn o bryd. Maent yn cofnodi ystadegau anhygoel, fel y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn gwybod. Mae cymaint â 100 y cant o gleifion yn cael eu gweld o fewn y targed pedair awr.
Ond mae un diffyg mawr gyda'r unedau hyn. Er gwaethaf yr ystadegau gwych, mae'r uned yn y Barri, i lawr y ffordd, ar agor o ddydd Llun i ddydd Gwener yn unig, 9 a.m. i 3 p.m. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a wnewch chi edrych ar yr oriau agor eto a gweld a ellir ymestyn y cyfrifoldebau yn rhan o gynllun mwy i fynd i'r afael â'r broblem enfawr hon, sy'n israddio cyflawniad mwyaf erioed y genedl hon, y GIG?
Fel y dywedodd is-lywydd y Coleg Brenhinol Meddygaeth Argyfwng yng Nghymru, Dr Rob Perry, rhaid mynd i'r afael â gofal mewn coridorau a'i achosion fel blaenoriaeth wleidyddol a rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru weithredu nawr. Diolch yn fawr.
First of all, I'd like to welcome people in the public gallery. Also, it was good to welcome them from the campaign—the BEDS campaign—today, outside. As has been mentioned, a petition has been submitted by the Royal College of Nursing and the British Medical Association, collecting over 10,536 signatures. I would like to thank them for bringing this important petition before the Senedd. I would also like to thank Jonathan Osborne, the retired consultant leading the 'BEDS—End corridor care in A&E' campaign, for raising greater awareness of the impacts of this shocking care that's allowed to happen day in, day out.
I have continuously raised my concerns about the impacts of long waits for treatment in A&E departments, as well as the shocking and upsetting number of deaths occurring in A&E while waiting for treatment. As the petition rightly highlights, it is unfortunately becoming an all-too-familiar sight in Wales rather than a never event to see patients waiting and receiving care—or not receiving care—on trolleys, chairs, sometimes in a cupboard, the back of ambulances.
I even know of situations where a paramedic will leave a patient in an ambulance with a new paramedic coming on. When that paramedic comes back on the next shift, the same patient is still in that ambulance. How can that be morally right? Actually, it's inhumane, it's cruel, and it's certainly unacceptable. Our hospitals should be places where people know that they are going to receive a diagnosis, treatment and care at their first point of entry, for many. They should not be places of waiting, fear and pain.
We know there is a massive shortage of beds. I know the current Cabinet Secretary denies that, and the previous First Minister said that we need fewer beds. So, it is really concerning. They do say, 'Out of the mouths of babes come words of wisdom.' Well, I can tell you, part of that campaign today were two little children, a little boy and a little girl, and he had said to his parents, 'Why is there this debate needed? Surely, it should be simple.' Well, he's right: it should be simple, and it should not be happening.
Doctors, nurses and healthcare staff, whom we all value immensely, don't feel valued when they're working, having to squeeze past beds in corridors or people in chairs. Safe and dignified care is not possible in these places other than in a bed on an A&E ward.
The petition is a joint call from the Royal College of Nursing and British Medical Association for the Welsh Government. As has already been said, we need numbers recorded. I put in an FOI the other day on how many people over the last two years have died whilst in an A&E department, and between Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Ysbyty Gwynedd and Wrexham Maelor, the figure is 1,027. That is a scandal. It's a scourge on your name as a Welsh Labour Government.
We need to pause reductions in NHS Wales hospital beds. I liked what Rhys ab Owen said. I'm living proof that the minor injuries unit in Llandudno district general hospital is absolutely fantastic. But I'm very concerned, Cabinet Secretary—and I raised it only recently with you—to learn that, because now there's no doctor-led care and things like that, they're now turning people away who think they can go to an MIU for a minor injury and are being sent to the bigger hospitals. That is pure madness.
I agree with prioritising prevention and early intervention, but addressing the lack of available beds is vital. I join the BEDS campaign in calling for more community beds to be reopened so that people can be moved out of A&E and onto a ward. We need to prioritise the ease of transfer after treatment. A senior nurse has told the BEDS campaign that in Glan Clwyd A&E, a senior medical director found that at the time there were 90 patients in Glan Clwyd who should not even have been there. They should have been at home or in cottage hospitals, or could have gone to an MIU.
Mabon, it was well put together what you said, and the experiences that you're having, but I must remind you, when you mentioned a quarter of a century of failing by this Welsh Labour Government, that for many years your own party, Plaid Cymru, were part of the Government. You've had co-operation agreements, coalitions—you name it, you've had them—but you've never prioritised that. So, let's just remember this: the Welsh Conservatives are fully committed to ensuring the end of corridor care. And I tell you now, if there's a Welsh Conservative Government after the next election, there will be no corridor care. We will ensure that our patients, our residents, our constituents receive the absolute care they need and deserve. Diolch.
Yn gyntaf oll, hoffwn groesawu pobl yn yr oriel gyhoeddus. Hefyd, roedd yn dda eu croesawu o'r ymgyrch—ymgyrch BEDS—heddiw, y tu allan. Fel y soniwyd, cyflwynwyd deiseb gan y Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol a Chymdeithas Feddygol Prydain a gasglodd dros 10,536 o lofnodion. Hoffwn ddiolch iddynt am ddod â'r ddeiseb bwysig hon gerbron y Senedd. Hoffwn ddiolch hefyd i Jonathan Osborne, y meddyg ymgynghorol wedi ymddeol sy'n arwain ymgyrch BEDS i roi diwedd ar ofal mewn coridorau mewn adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys, am godi mwy o ymwybyddiaeth o effeithiau'r gofal brawychus y caniateir iddo ddigwydd o un dydd i'r llall.
Rwyf wedi codi fy mhryderon yn barhaus am effeithiau amseroedd aros hir am driniaeth mewn adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys, yn ogystal â'r nifer brawychus a diflas o farwolaethau sy'n digwydd mewn adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys wrth aros am driniaeth. Fel y mae'r ddeiseb yn nodi'n gywir, mae gweld cleifion yn aros ac yn cael gofal—neu ddim yn cael gofal—ar drolïau, cadeiriau, weithiau mewn cwpwrdd, cefn ambiwlansys, yn dod yn ddigwyddiadau rhy gyfarwydd yng Nghymru yn hytrach na digwyddiadau 'byth'.
Rwy'n gwybod am sefyllfaoedd hyd yn oed lle bydd parafeddyg yn gadael claf mewn ambiwlans gyda pharafeddyg newydd yn dod ar ddyletswydd. Pan fydd y parafeddyg hwnnw'n dychwelyd ar y shifft nesaf, mae'r un claf yn dal i fod yn yr ambiwlans hwnnw. Sut y gall hynny fod yn foesol gywir? Mewn gwirionedd, mae'n annynol, mae'n greulon, ac mae'n sicr yn annerbyniol. Dylai ein hysbytai fod yn lleoedd lle mae pobl yn gwybod eu bod yn mynd i gael diagnosis, triniaeth a gofal ar eu pwynt mynediad cyntaf, i lawer. Ni ddylent fod yn llefydd o aros, ofn a phoen.
Gwyddom fod prinder enfawr o welyau. Rwy'n gwybod bod yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet presennol yn gwadu hynny, a dywedodd y Prif Weinidog blaenorol fod angen llai o welyau arnom. Felly, mae'n bryderus iawn. Maent yn dweud, 'O enau plant bychain y daw gwirionedd.' Wel, gallaf ddweud wrthych, yn rhan o'r ymgyrch honno heddiw roedd dau blentyn bach, bachgen bach a merch fach, ac roedd y bachgen wedi dweud wrth ei rieni, 'Pam mae angen y ddadl hon? Dylai fod yn syml.' Wel, mae'n llygad ei le: fe ddylai fod yn syml, ac ni ddylai ddigwydd.
Nid yw meddygon, nyrsys a staff gofal iechyd, pobl yr ydym i gyd yn eu gwerthfawrogi'n fawr, yn teimlo eu bod yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi pan fyddant yn gweithio, yn gorfod gwasgu heibio i welyau mewn coridorau neu bobl mewn cadeiriau. Nid yw gofal diogel ac urddasol yn bosib yn y lleoedd hyn heblaw mewn gwely ar ward damweiniau ac achosion brys.
Mae'r ddeiseb yn alwad ar y cyd gan y Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol a Chymdeithas Feddygol Prydain ar Lywodraeth Cymru. Fel y dywedwyd eisoes, mae angen cofnodi niferoedd. Cyflwynais gais rhyddid gwybodaeth y diwrnod o'r blaen ar faint o bobl dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf sydd wedi marw tra'u bod mewn adran damweiniau ac achosion brys, a rhwng Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Ysbyty Gwynedd ac Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam, mae'r ffigur yn 1,027. Mae hynny'n sgandal. Mae'n falltod ar eich enw chi fel Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru.
Mae angen inni oedi gostyngiadau i nifer gwelyau ysbyty GIG Cymru. Roeddwn i'n hoffi'r hyn a ddywedodd Rhys ab Owen. Rwy'n brawf byw fod yr uned mân anafiadau yn ysbyty cyffredinol dosbarth Llandudno yn hollol wych. Ond roedd hi'n bryderus iawn clywed, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet—ac fe'i codais gyda chi yn ddiweddar—am nad oes gofal dan arweiniad meddyg a phethau felly, eu bod yn gwrthod trin pobl sy'n meddwl y gallant fynd i uned mân anafiadau am fân anaf, ac yn eu hanfon i'r ysbytai mwy. Gwallgofrwydd pur yw hynny.
Rwy'n cytuno â blaenoriaethu atal ac ymyrraeth gynnar, ond mae mynd i'r afael â'r prinder gwelyau yn hanfodol. Rwy'n ymuno ag ymgyrch BEDS i alw am ailagor mwy o welyau cymunedol fel y gall pobl gael eu symud allan o adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys ac i ward. Mae angen inni flaenoriaethu trosglwyddo rhwydd ar ôl triniaeth. Mae uwch nyrs wedi dweud wrth ymgyrch BEDS fod uwch gyfarwyddwr meddygol yn adran damweiniau ac achosion brys Glan Clwyd wedi canfod bod 90 o gleifion yng Nglan Clwyd ar y pryd na ddylent fod wedi bod yno hyd yn oed. Dylent fod wedi bod gartref neu mewn ysbytai bwthyn, neu gallent fod wedi mynd i uned mân anafiadau.
Mabon, roedd yr hyn a ddywedoch chi wedi ei roi at ei gilydd yn dda, a'r profiadau rydych chi'n eu cael, ond rhaid imi eich atgoffa, pan sonioch chi am chwarter canrif o fethiant gan y Llywodraeth Lafur hon yng Nghymru, fod eich plaid chi'ch hun, Plaid Cymru, yn rhan o'r Llywodraeth am flynyddoedd lawer. Rydych chi wedi cael cytundebau cydweithio, clymbleidiau—llawer o bethau—ond nid ydych chi erioed wedi blaenoriaethu hynny. Felly, gadewch inni gofio hyn: mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig wedi ymrwymo'n llwyr i roi diwedd ar ofal mewn coridorau. Ac rwy'n dweud wrthych nawr, os ceir Llywodraeth Geidwadol yng Nghymru ar ôl yr etholiad nesaf, ni fydd unrhyw ofal mewn coridorau. Byddwn yn sicrhau bod ein cleifion, ein trigolion, ein hetholwyr yn cael y gofal llwyr sydd ei angen arnynt ac y maent yn ei haeddu. Diolch.
Corridor care is obviously one of the clearest signs of a health service that has been allowed to fall into crisis. Patients left for hours on trolleys and chairs, as we've heard; staff forced to deliver care in places that are unsafe and undignified. This is not the fault of our nurses or our doctors. This is a direct result, as has been said, of 26 years of Labour running the NHS into the ground.
This should indeed never happen. Questions absolutely have to be asked: how did our NHS get to this point? And let's be absolutely clear, it is the Royal College of Nursing Wales and the British Medical Association who are raising this alarm, jointly. They are the voices of our front-line nurses and our front-line doctors. When they say patient safety is at risk and that corridor care must be eradicated, we should all listen and act.
What they're calling for is entirely reasonable: recording corridor care, stopping bed cuts, a real costed workforce plan, and investment in community care so we have enough district nurses and enough GPs to meet demand. These are basic foundations of a safe health system, not optional extras—
Mae gofal mewn coridorau yn amlwg yn un o'r arwyddion cliriaf o wasanaeth iechyd sydd wedi cael ei adael i syrthio i argyfwng. Cleifion wedi'u gadael am oriau ar drolïau a chadeiriau, fel y clywsom; staff wedi'u gorfodi i ddarparu gofal mewn lleoedd sy'n anniogel ac anurddasol. Nid bai ein nyrsys na'n meddygon yw hyn. Mae'n ganlyniad uniongyrchol, fel y dywedwyd, i 26 mlynedd o Lafur yn camreoli'r GIG.
Ni ddylai hyn byth ddigwydd. Rhaid gofyn cwestiynau: sut y gwnaeth ein GIG gyrraedd y pwynt hwn? A gadewch inni fod yn hollol glir, Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol Cymru a Chymdeithas Feddygol Prydain sy'n seinio’r larwm ar y cyd. Nhw yw lleisiau ein nyrsys rheng flaen a'n meddygon rheng flaen. Pan fyddant hwy'n dweud bod diogelwch cleifion mewn perygl a bod yn rhaid dileu gofal mewn coridorau, dylai pob un ohonom wrando a gweithredu.
Mae'r hyn y maent yn galw amdano yn gwbl rhesymol: cofnodi gofal mewn coridorau, rhoi diwedd ar dorri gwelyau, cynllun gweithlu go iawn wedi'i gostio, a buddsoddi mewn gofal cymunedol fel bod gennym ddigon o nyrsys ardal a digon o feddygon teulu i ateb y galw. Sylfeini sylfaenol i system iechyd ddiogel yw'r rhain, nid ychwanegiadau dewisol—
Are you taking an intervention from the Chamber, from Gareth Davies, Laura Anne?
A ydych chi'n derbyn ymyriad o'r Siambr, gan Gareth Davies, Laura Anne?
I won't, actually, if that's all right.
I would like to share my own experience with the Chamber. I was placed, myself, on a broken bed in a corridor for two nights before a room became available. I was in too much pain to care at the time, but those caring for me said how completely inappropriate it was and kept apologising for it. Obviously, I told them it wasn't their fault and it's not them who should be apologising, but the bed was broken at a crazy angle. More concerningly, I could hear private conversations between consultants, doctors and nurses about other patients. And I was right against a curtainless window. And I wasn't alone in this experience. I saw others in the same predicament in corridors around the hospital. I was okay, but for those who were older particularly, there was no dignity, no privacy, and that's just not okay.
The staff were incredible and I'll forever be grateful to them, but we must ask how Wales has reached a point where this is considered normal. Corridor care is not okay. It is not safe, it is not acceptable, and this petition before us is a warning: Wales cannot continue with a shrinking capacity, a broken workforce plan, and no real grip from this Government on patient flow. Corridor care must end and it must end now. It is becoming the norm and that's not okay. Wales deserves a health system that is safe, dignified, and worthy of its people that it serves. It shouldn't have to take a new Government, a Reform Government, to get to grips with this, but I believe now that's what it's going to take.
I thank the unions for establishing this petition, signed by 10,000 plus people, and I'm glad it's reached the Senedd for debate. This is a disgraceful state of affairs. I look forward to hearing the Cabinet Secretary's response. I urge him to take immediate action, because those patients, having to suffer like this in inhumane ways between now and a change of Government, matter. Diolch.
Na wnaf, os yw hynny'n iawn.
Hoffwn rannu fy mhrofiad fy hun gyda'r Siambr. Cefais fy rhoi ar wely wedi torri mewn coridor am ddwy noson cyn i ystafell ddod ar gael. Roeddwn mewn gormod o boen i falio ar y pryd, ond dywedodd y rhai a oedd yn gofalu amdanaf pa mor gwbl amhriodol oedd hynny ac roeddent yn dal ati i ymddiheuro yn ei gylch. Yn amlwg, dywedais wrthynt nad eu bai nhw ydoedd ac nid nhw ddylai fod yn ymddiheuro, ond roedd y gwely wedi torri ar ongl wallgof. Yn fwy pryderus, gallwn glywed sgyrsiau preifat rhwng meddygon ymgynghorol, meddygon a nyrsys am gleifion eraill. Ac roeddwn i'n erbyn ffenestr ddi-len. Ac nid oeddwn ar fy mhen fy hun yn y profiad hwn. Gwelais eraill yn yr un sefyllfa mewn coridorau o amgylch yr ysbyty. Roeddwn i'n iawn, ond i'r rhai a oedd yn hŷn yn enwedig, nid oedd unrhyw urddas, dim preifatrwydd, ac nid yw hynny'n iawn o gwbl.
Roedd y staff yn anhygoel a byddaf yn ddiolchgar iddynt am byth, ond rhaid inni ofyn sut y mae Cymru wedi cyrraedd pwynt lle mae hyn yn cael ei ystyried yn normal. Nid yw gofal mewn coridorau'n iawn. Nid yw'n ddiogel, nid yw'n dderbyniol, ac mae'r ddeiseb hon sydd ger ein bron yn rhybudd: ni all Cymru barhau gyda chapasiti sy'n crebachu, cynllun gweithlu sydd wedi torri, a dim gafael go iawn gan y Llywodraeth hon ar lif cleifion. Rhaid i ofal mewn coridorau ddod i ben a rhaid iddo ddod i ben nawr. Mae'n dod yn norm ac nid yw hynny'n iawn. Mae Cymru'n haeddu system iechyd sy'n ddiogel, yn rhoi gofal gydag urddas ac sy'n deilwng o'r bobl y mae'n eu gwasanaethu. Ni ddylai fod angen Llywodraeth newydd, Llywodraeth Reform, i fynd i'r afael â hyn, ond rwy'n credu nawr mai dyna beth y mae'n mynd i'w gymryd.
Diolch i'r undebau am sefydlu'r ddeiseb hon, wedi'i llofnodi gan fwy na 10,000 o bobl, ac rwy'n falch ei bod wedi cyrraedd y Senedd i'w thrafod. Mae hon yn sefyllfa warthus. Edrychaf ymlaen at glywed ymateb Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwy'n ei annog i weithredu ar unwaith, oherwydd mae'r cleifion sy'n gorfod dioddef fel hyn mewn ffyrdd annynol rhwng nawr a newid Llywodraeth, yn bwysig. Diolch.
I'd like to thank the petitioners and the Royal College of Nursing Wales and BMA Cymru for bringing forward this important petition. They have spoken with total clarity. Corridor care is not safe, it is not dignified, and it must not continue. Patients in Wales are being treated on trolleys, in chairs and on corridors for hours and sometimes days at a time.
Nurses and doctors are forced to provide emergency care without adequate space, privacy or equipment. This isn't world-class care, it's not even acceptable care, and it's certainly not the care people in Wales pay their taxes for and deserve. The BMA and RCN are absolutely right to call for the recording and reporting of corridor care, and for care in a chair lasting more than 24 hours to be treated as a never event.
But that's just a start. We all know that part of the problem lies with delayed discharges and a social care system under immense strain. We also need acknowledgement from the Welsh Government that the erosion in the provision of community beds has a huge impact, and, in fact, it's been catastrophic. Over the past 25 years, north Wales alone has lost around 20 per cent of its hospital beds, most of them community beds, despite demand on those NHS services having risen in those 25 years. Those beds are the pressure valve of the system so that people who no longer need acute care can leave hospital safely, freeing up space in our main hospitals. That bridge between hospital and home has been partly demolished, and we are living with the consequences today.
That is why I support the work of BEDS. Their message is simple but crucial: bring back community beds, end tragedies in A&E corridors, decrease patient deaths by reducing ambulance and corridor waits, and senior medics at the door of A&E.
As I've raised many times before, north Wales and my constituency in the Vale of Clwyd desperately need the new Royal Alexandra community hospital in Rhyl built without further delay and with the full number of beds originally promised back in 2013. Anything less will fail to address the scale of need created by years of lost capacity, and I'd like to hear an update on its construction specifically from the Cabinet Secretary in his response to the debate.
The UK Government has set a target to eradicate corridor care in England by 2029. Time will tell whether they succeed, but at least there is a clear ambition, a deadline and a plan on the table. So, I ask the Welsh Government directly: will you commit to a target to end corridor care in Wales, set a target and outline exactly how you intend to achieve it?
Llywydd, corridor care is not inevitable. It is the result of political decisions, and it can be ended by political will. So, I urge Members to support this petition. Let's work towards ensuring that never again a patient is left languishing in a chair or in a corridor. And I must just say, as a footnote to the debate, that I am quite flabbergasted by the hypocrisy of Reform UK, especially when Nigel Farage has previously said that he would want to privatise the NHS, because if it was up to a Reform government, we wouldn't even have a health system that could project the ambitions of this petition in a way that would be digestible for the people of Wales. Thank you very much.
Hoffwn ddiolch i'r deisebwyr a Choleg Nyrsio Brenhinol Cymru a BMA Cymru am gyflwyno'r ddeiseb bwysig hon. Maent wedi siarad yn gwbl glir. Nid yw gofal mewn coridorau'n ddiogel, nid yw'n ofal gydag urddas, ac ni ddylai barhau. Mae cleifion yng Nghymru yn cael eu trin ar drolïau, mewn cadeiriau ac mewn coridorau am oriau, a dyddiau weithiau, ar y tro.
Mae nyrsys a meddygon yn cael eu gorfodi i ddarparu gofal brys heb le digonol, preifatrwydd nac offer. Nid gofal o'r radd flaenaf yw hwn, nid yw hyd yn oed yn ofal derbyniol, ac yn sicr nid dyma'r gofal y mae pobl yng Nghymru yn talu eu trethi amdano ac yn ei haeddu. Mae'r BMA a'r RCN yn hollol gywir i alw am gofnodi ac adrodd ar ofal mewn coridorau, ac i ofal mewn cadair sy'n para mwy na 24 awr gael ei drin fel digwyddiad 'byth'.
Ond dim ond dechrau yw hynny. Rydym i gyd yn gwybod mai rhan o'r broblem yw oedi wrth ryddhau a system gofal cymdeithasol o dan straen enfawr. Mae angen cydnabyddiaeth hefyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru fod erydu'r ddarpariaeth o welyau cymunedol yn cael effaith enfawr, ac mae wedi bod yn drychinebus mewn gwirionedd. Dros y 25 mlynedd diwethaf, mae gogledd Cymru yn unig wedi colli tua 20 y cant o'u gwelyau ysbyty, y rhan fwyaf ohonynt yn welyau cymunedol, er bod y galw am y gwasanaethau GIG hynny wedi cynyddu dros y 25 mlynedd. Y gwelyau hynny yw falf gwasgedd y system fel y gall pobl nad oes angen gofal acíwt arnynt mwyach adael yr ysbyty yn ddiogel, gan ryddhau lle yn ein prif ysbytai. Mae'r bont honno rhwng yr ysbyty a'r cartref wedi'i dymchwel yn rhannol, ac rydym yn byw gyda'r canlyniadau heddiw.
Dyna pam rwy'n cefnogi gwaith BEDS. Mae eu neges yn syml ond yn allweddol: dod â gwelyau cymunedol yn ôl, rhoi diwedd ar drasiedïau yng nghoridorau adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys, lleihau niferoedd marwolaethau cleifion drwy leihau hyd arosiadau mewn ambiwlansys a choridorau, ac uwch feddygon wrth ddrws adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys.
Fel y nodais sawl gwaith o'r blaen, mae gogledd Cymru a fy etholaeth i yn Nyffryn Clwyd angen i ysbyty cymunedol newydd y Royal Alexandra yn y Rhyl gael ei adeiladu heb oedi pellach a chyda'r nifer llawn o welyau a addawyd yn wreiddiol yn ôl yn 2013. Bydd unrhyw beth llai na hynny'n fethiant i fynd i'r afael â graddfa'r angen a grëwyd gan flynyddoedd o gapasiti a gollwyd, a hoffwn glywed diweddariad penodol ar ei adeiladu gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn ei ymateb i'r ddadl.
Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi gosod targed i ddileu gofal mewn coridorau yn Lloegr erbyn 2029. Cawn weld a fyddant yn llwyddo, ond o leiaf mae yna uchelgais clir, dyddiad ar gyfer cyflawni hynny a chynllun ar y bwrdd. Felly, gofynnaf i Lywodraeth Cymru yn uniongyrchol: a wnewch chi ymrwymo i darged i roi diwedd ar ofal mewn coridorau yng Nghymru, gosod targed a nodi'n union sut y bwriadwch gyflawni hynny?
Lywydd, nid yw gofal mewn coridorau'n anochel. Mae'n ganlyniad i benderfyniadau gwleidyddol, a gellir rhoi diwedd arno drwy ewyllys gwleidyddol. Felly, rwy'n annog yr Aelodau i gefnogi'r ddeiseb hon. Gadewch inni weithio tuag at sicrhau na fydd cleifion byth eto'n cael eu gadael i ddihoeni mewn cadair neu mewn coridor. Ac fel troednodyn i'r ddadl, rhaid imi ddweud fy mod wedi fy syfrdanu gan ragrith Reform UK, yn enwedig pan fo Nigel Farage wedi dweud yn flaenorol y byddai eisiau preifateiddio'r GIG, oherwydd pe bai'n fater i lywodraeth Reform, ni fyddai gennym system iechyd a allai gyflwyno uchelgeisiau'r ddeiseb hon mewn ffordd a fyddai'n dreuliadwy i bobl Cymru. Diolch yn fawr.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol nawr i gyfrannu—Jeremy Miles.
The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care to contribute to the debate—Jeremy Miles.
Diolch, Llywydd. I want to begin by acknowledging all the people who signed this petition and thanking the Royal College of Nursing and British Medical Association for raising an important issue. Care in undesignated or non-clinical environments is not acceptable. It compromises patient dignity, safety and staff well-being, and I share the determination in this petition to eliminate it.
We know that when people are treated in waiting areas, in corridors, or in makeshift spaces in hospitals, this is a symptom of wider pressures across the health and care system. We are focused on working with the NHS, with local government and the social care sector to alleviate these pressures and to develop alternative services, so people who do not need hospital care are not admitted or transported to hospital.
Llywydd, some people will always need to go to hospital for enhanced diagnostics, specialist treatments and direct oversight from clinical teams. When this happens, they should expect to have a seamless journey from calling 999 to the point that they're discharged home. Assessments should be robust and timely. There should be no ambulance delays outside hospitals, and care should be managed in a joined-up way. For this to happen, health boards must ensure there is a consistent and efficient flow through and out of hospitals. This is achieved through strong clinical leadership, streamlined hospital processes, heightened operational grip and a fundamental shift of focus to returning people to their own homes and to their own beds as soon as it is safe to do so.
I turn now to some of the solutions proposed by the RCN and BMA, and questions raised by colleagues today. I've heard the calls for categorising care delivered in chairs for over 24 hours as a never event. I think it's important to be clear, Llywydd, that there is a very strict definition around never events in the NHS. It is not the same meaning as something that should never happen. They are classified as serious medical errors with the potential to cause serious harm or death and that are wholly preventable. This relies on the causes of the event being well understood, with ways to address it in place. The delivery of care in undesignated or non-clinical environments doesn't meet the criteria due to the complexity of underlying causes, which has been reflected in the debate today. This does not, however, mean that I do not take the delivery of care in this way very seriously.
Understanding the prevalence of this issue is a health board operational responsibility, as many members have indicated in the debate. We are supporting the NHS to improve the robustness and consistency of daily reporting by health boards, including trialling new approaches to data capture and reporting over the coming weeks. This will enable health boards to better understand when and where care is taking place in non-clinical areas, and to take immediate action, aligned to local and national escalation frameworks so the risk of harm is reduced.
Llywydd, the number of staff working in NHS Wales is at a record high. Nearly 115,000 dedicated individuals are delivering care and support. Considerable investment has been made in community-based care. For example, we've strengthened neighbourhood-based district nursing and expanded the workforce to provide a robust seven-day service. The number of district nurses has increased by 20 per cent since we started collecting this data in 2018. We've strengthened GP services across Wales, changing the general medical services contract to prioritise continuity of care and supporting practices to manage pressures. Our focus now is on prioritising prevention and early intervention, which Members have referred to today. Work is already happening. As an example, the diabetes prevention programme offers targeted support to people who are at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, with the aim of preventing the development of this condition. This way of working must become our norm and, as such, I have asked our chief medical officer to lead—[Interruption.]
Diolch, Lywydd. Rwyf am ddechrau trwy gydnabod yr holl bobl a lofnododd y ddeiseb hon a diolch i'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol a Chymdeithas Feddygol Prydain am godi mater pwysig. Nid yw gofal mewn amgylcheddau heb eu dynodi neu anghlinigol yn dderbyniol. Mae'n peryglu urddas cleifion, diogelwch a lles staff, ac rwy'n rhannu'r penderfyniad yn y ddeiseb hon i'w ddileu.
Pan fydd pobl yn cael eu trin mewn mannau aros, mewn coridorau, neu mewn mannau dros dro mewn ysbytai, fe wyddom ei fod yn symptom o bwysau ehangach ar draws y system iechyd a gofal. Rydym yn canolbwyntio ar weithio gyda'r GIG, gyda llywodraeth leol a'r sector gofal cymdeithasol i leddfu pwysau o'r fath ac i ddatblygu gwasanaethau amgen, fel nad yw pobl nad oes angen gofal ysbyty arnynt yn cael eu derbyn na'u cludo i'r ysbyty.
Lywydd, bydd angen bob amser i rai pobl fynd i'r ysbyty i gael diagnosteg uwch, triniaethau arbenigol a goruchwyliaeth uniongyrchol gan dimau clinigol. Pan fydd hyn yn digwydd, dylent ddisgwyl cael taith ddi-dor o ffonio 999 i'r pwynt lle byddant yn cael eu rhyddhau adref. Dylai asesiadau fod yn gadarn ac yn amserol. Ni ddylai fod unrhyw oedi gan ambiwlansys y tu allan i ysbytai, a dylid rheoli gofal mewn ffordd gydgysylltiedig. Er mwyn i hyn ddigwydd, rhaid i fyrddau iechyd sicrhau bod llif cyson ac effeithlon drwy ac allan o ysbytai. Cyflawnir hyn trwy arweinyddiaeth glinigol gref, prosesau ysbyty symlach, rheolaeth weithredol well a newid ffocws yn sylfaenol tuag at ddychwelyd pobl i'w cartrefi eu hunain ac i'w gwelyau eu hunain cyn gynted ag y bydd yn ddiogel i wneud hynny.
Rwy'n troi nawr at rai o'r atebion a gynigiwyd gan yr RCN a'r BMA, a chwestiynau a godwyd gan gyd-Aelodau heddiw. Clywais y galwadau am gategoreiddio gofal a ddarperir mewn cadeiriau am fwy na 24 awr fel digwyddiad 'byth'. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig inni fod yn glir, Lywydd, fod diffiniad llym iawn o ddigwyddiadau 'byth' yn y GIG. Nid yw'n golygu yr un peth â rhywbeth na ddylai byth ddigwydd. Maent yn cael eu dosbarthu fel camgymeriadau meddygol difrifol gyda'r gallu i achosi niwed difrifol neu farwolaeth ac y gellir eu hatal yn llwyr. Mae hyn yn dibynnu ar ddeall achosion y digwyddiad yn dda, gyda ffyrdd o fynd i'r afael â nhw ar waith. Nid yw darparu gofal mewn amgylcheddau anghlinigol neu heb eu dynodi yn bodloni'r meini prawf oherwydd cymhlethdod yr achosion sylfaenol, ac adlewyrchwyd hynny yn y ddadl heddiw. Nid yw hyn yn golygu, fodd bynnag, nad wyf o ddifrif ynghylch darparu gofal yn y modd hwn.
Mae deall pa mor gyffredin yw'r broblem yn gyfrifoldeb gweithredol i fwrdd iechyd, fel y mae llawer o Aelodau wedi nodi yn y ddadl. Rydym yn cefnogi'r GIG i wella cadernid a chysondeb adrodd dyddiol gan fyrddau iechyd, yn cynnwys treialu dulliau newydd o gasglu ac adrodd data dros yr wythnosau nesaf. Bydd hyn yn galluogi byrddau iechyd i ddeall yn well pryd a ble mae gofal yn digwydd mewn mannau anghlinigol, ac i roi camau ar waith ar unwaith, i gyd-fynd â fframweithiau uwchgyfeirio lleol a chenedlaethol fel bod y risg o niwed yn cael ei leihau.
Lywydd, mae nifer y staff sy'n gweithio yn GIG Cymru ar y lefel uchaf erioed. Mae bron i 115,000 o unigolion ymroddedig yn darparu gofal a chymorth. Mae buddsoddiad sylweddol wedi'i wneud mewn gofal cymunedol. Er enghraifft, rydym wedi cryfhau'r ddarpariaeth o nyrsys ardal yn y gymdogaeth ac wedi ehangu'r gweithlu i ddarparu gwasanaeth saith diwrnod cadarn. Mae nifer y nyrsys ardal wedi cynyddu 20 y cant ers inni ddechrau casglu'r data hwn yn 2018. Rydym wedi cryfhau gwasanaethau meddygon teulu ledled Cymru, gan newid y contract gwasanaethau meddygol cyffredinol i flaenoriaethu dilyniant mewn gofal a chefnogi practisau i reoli pwysau. Ein ffocws nawr yw blaenoriaethu atal ac ymyrraeth gynnar, fel y nododd yr Aelodau heddiw. Mae gwaith eisoes yn digwydd. Er enghraifft, mae'r rhaglen atal diabetes yn cynnig cymorth wedi'i dargedu i bobl sydd â mwy o risg o ddiabetes math 2, gyda'r nod o atal datblygiad y cyflwr hwn. Rhaid i'r ffordd hon o weithio ddod yn norm i ni ac o'r herwydd, rwyf wedi gofyn i'n prif swyddog meddygol arwain—[Torri ar draws.]
Gwnaf.
Yes, I will.
Roeddech chi'n cyfeirio fanna at nyrsys cymunedol a'r angen i sifftio adnoddau i'r gymuned, ac wrth gwrs mae hwnna i'w groesawu, a dyna sydd eisiau ei weld. Roeddem ni'n clywed neithiwr o'r cohort o nyrsys sy'n ymarfer yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd, o'r 1,000 o fyfyrwyr sydd gennym ni yn nyrsio, dim ond tua 60 ohonyn nhw sydd yn hyfforddi i fod yn nyrsys cymunedol. Ydych chi'n meddwl bod hwnna'n ddigonol i ateb y galw, a beth ydych chi felly yn mynd i'w wneud er mwyn sicrhau bod mwy o nyrsys yn ymarfer i fod yn nyrsys cymunedol er mwyn byw i fyny i'ch uchelgais chi?
You referred there to community nurses and the need to shift resources into the community, and of course that's to be welcomed, and that's what we need to see happening. We heard last night from the cohort of nurses practising in Wales at the moment that, of the 1,000 students we have in Wales, only around 60 of them are training to be community nurses. Do you think that that is sufficient to meet demand, and what will you do in order to ensure that there are more nurses training to become community nurses in order to live up to your ambitions?
Wel, fel rwyf wedi sôn, mae nifer y nyrsys cymunedol wedi cynyddu dros 20 y cant yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, sydd yn gynnydd sylweddol iawn. Rŷn ni eisiau gweld mwy yn gwneud hynny, wrth gwrs, ac rŷn ni'n comisiynu, felly, trwy HEIW, fel bydd yr Aelod yn deall.
Well, as I've mentioned, the numbers of community nurses have increased over 20 per cent in the past few years, which is a significant increase. We want to see more doing that, and training, of course, so we are commissioning through Health Education and Improvement Wales, as the Member will understand.
There is another intervention from the back, from Altaf Hussain. Are you accepting it?
Mae ymyriad arall o'r cefn gan Altaf Hussain. A ydych chi'n ei dderbyn?
Yes.
Ydw.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. A pressure sore developing within 24 hours of being in a chair is widely considered a never event. Thank you.
Diolch, Lywydd. Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Mae briw pwyso sy'n datblygu o fewn 24 awr o fod mewn cadair yn cael ei ystyried yn ddigwyddiad 'byth'. Diolch.
This way of working must become our norm and, as such, I have asked our chief medical officer to lead a transformational community-by-design programme, which will focus on prevention and population health and move care from hospitals into our communities.
Llywydd, I want to close by repeating that we do not endorse routine care in non-clinical environments. Our goal is to eliminate this practice through system-wide reform. Eradicating care in undesignated or non-clinical environments will not be a simple quick fix. It requires co-ordinated action across health and social care. We are committed to working with the NHS, local government and social care to ensure that people receive the right care, in the right place and at the right time.
Rhaid i'r ffordd hon o weithio ddod yn norm i ni ac o'r herwydd, rwyf wedi gofyn i'n prif swyddog meddygol arwain rhaglen gymunedol drawsnewidiol, a fydd yn canolbwyntio ar atal ac iechyd y boblogaeth a symud gofal o ysbytai i mewn i'n cymunedau.
Lywydd, rwyf am gloi drwy ailadrodd nad ydym yn cymeradwyo gofal rheolaidd mewn amgylcheddau anghlinigol. Ein nod yw dileu'r arfer hwn trwy ddiwygio system gyfan. Ni fydd ateb cyflym syml i ddileu gofal mewn amgylcheddau anghlinigol neu heb eu dynodi. Mae'n galw am weithredu cydgysylltiedig ar draws iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol. Rydym wedi ymrwymo i weithio gyda'r GIG, llywodraeth leol a gofal cymdeithasol i sicrhau bod pobl yn cael y gofal cywir, yn y lle iawn ac ar yr adeg iawn.
Cadeirydd y pwyllgor i ymateb nawr—Carolyn Thomas.
The Chair of the committee to reply—Carolyn Thomas.
I’d like to thank all Members for their contributions today. There’s always a lot of talk about beds, whether community hospitals should be reopened, beds in the right place et cetera, but we hear very often that people like to be cared for in their own home as well. Reablement facilities have been invested in. I know we’ve got a new care facility being built in Flint, but we also have a hospital in Tywyn, which was also the subject of a petition recently, which has empty beds, but we haven't got the staff. The response is that we haven't got the staff to look after the patients in those beds, which I think leads me on to that question about proposed reductions in NHS hospital beds, but a national review of capacity and to deliver a clear, costed workforce plan. So, we need to look at the capacity as a whole and make sure there is a workforce plan to look after those patients in those beds as well, whether they are in hospital beds or at home.
On the number of district nurses and nurses with a community nursing Master's degree, we need to increase them back to and above 2010 levels. And I'd just like to say to Laura Anne and to some of the Conservatives that that's when austerity started, and we need to continue funding the NHS according to need, UK-wide—as a UK-wide ask.
Rhys highlighted the use of minor injury units, and I'm aware that that has happened in the past when that's needed to happen, and I think that's something that's really useful to be taken forward.
I'd like to—[Interruption.] I will.
Hoffwn ddiolch i'r holl Aelodau am eu cyfraniadau heddiw. Mae yna bob amser lawer o sôn am welyau, a ddylid ailagor ysbytai cymunedol, gwelyau yn y lle iawn ac ati, ond rydym yn clywed yn aml iawn fod pobl yn hoffi cael gofal yn eu cartrefi eu hunain hefyd. Buddsoddwyd mewn cyfleusterau ailalluogi. Rwy'n gwybod bod gennym gyfleuster gofal newydd yn cael ei adeiladu yn y Fflint, ond mae gennym ysbyty yn Nhywyn, a oedd hefyd yn destun deiseb yn ddiweddar, sydd â gwelyau gwag, ond nid oes gennym y staff. Yr ymateb yw nad oes gennym y staff i ofalu am y cleifion yn y gwelyau hynny, sy'n fy arwain at y cwestiwn am ostyngiadau arfaethedig i niferoedd gwelyau ysbyty'r GIG, ond adolygiad cenedlaethol o gapasiti a chyflwyno cynllun gweithlu clir wedi'i gostio. Felly, mae angen inni edrych ar y capasiti yn ei gyfanrwydd a gwneud yn siŵr fod yna gynllun gweithlu ar gyfer gofalu am y cleifion yn y gwelyau hynny hefyd, mewn gwelyau ysbyty neu gartref.
Ar nifer y nyrsys ardal a nyrsys sydd â gradd Meistr mewn nyrsio cymunedol, mae angen inni eu codi yn ôl i lefelau 2010 ac uwchlaw hynny. A hoffwn ddweud wrth Laura Anne ac wrth rai o'r Ceidwadwyr mai dyna pryd y dechreuodd cyni, ac mae angen inni barhau i ariannu'r GIG yn ôl yr angen, ledled y DU—gofynnwn am hynny ledled y DU.
Tynnodd Rhys sylw at y defnydd o unedau mân anafiadau, ac rwy'n ymwybodol fod hynny wedi digwydd yn y gorffennol pan oedd angen i hynny ddigwydd, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth sy'n ddefnyddiol iawn i'w ddatblygu.
Hoffwn—[Torri ar draws.] Gwnaf.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.
I'd like to comment on dates. The campaign I referred to, which I was asked to take forward by campaigners across north Wales and the whole of Wales, started in 2005 when the bed closures were first proposed. They were delayed when Plaid Cymru were in coalition with Labour and they went ahead when Labour formed a new Government in 2011 without Plaid Cymru.
Hoffwn wneud sylw am ddyddiadau. Dechreuodd yr ymgyrch y cyfeiriais ati, y gofynnwyd i mi fwrw ymlaen â hi gan ymgyrchwyr ledled gogledd Cymru a Chymru gyfan, yn 2005 pan argymhellwyd am y tro cyntaf y dylid cau'r gwelyau. Cafodd hynny ei ohirio pan oedd Plaid Cymru mewn clymblaid gyda Llafur ac fe gawsant eu cau pan ffurfiodd Llafur Lywodraeth newydd yn 2011 heb Blaid Cymru.
I actually campaigned about a downgrading of our hospital in Mold, and that has been kept and the opening hours have extended. But I'd like to say that Flint Community Hospital closed, but it's been replaced by a three-storey, 56-bed facility, which is a state-of-the-art modern facility. So, that's my response to you.
I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for his full response and I'd like to thank campaigners for their efforts in highlighting this issue. The debate has highlighted the passion in all parts of Wales to ensure that corridor care is not and never becomes a routine part of our health service.
I have been dealing with casework of people, myself, that have been having treatment in the corridor, and he was in and out of a corridor and back into the waiting room of A&E, where he spent time on the floor with his quilt and a pillow that he bought from home, which was awful. So, I know myself it's an issue.
The campaign has also underscored the value that all of us place on the work done by nurses, doctors and everyone in the healthcare community dealing with these issues, and I'd just like to thank you all, and thank you for coming along today.
Fe wneuthum ymgyrchu ynglŷn ag israddio ein hysbyty yn yr Wyddgrug mewn gwirionedd, ac mae hwnnw wedi'i gadw a'r oriau agor wedi ymestyn. Fe gaeodd Ysbyty Cymunedol y Fflint, ond cafwyd cyfleuster tri llawr yn ei le, cyfleuster 56 gwely modern o'r radd flaenaf. Felly, dyna fy ymateb i chi.
Hoffwn ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei ymateb llawn a hoffwn ddiolch i'r ymgyrchwyr am eu hymdrechion i dynnu sylw at y mater hwn. Mae'r ddadl wedi tynnu sylw at yr angerdd ym mhob rhan o Gymru i sicrhau nad yw gofal mewn coridorau'n rhan reolaidd o'n gwasanaeth iechyd ac na fydd byth yn dod yn rhan reolaidd o'n gwasanaeth iechyd.
Rwyf wedi bod yn delio'n bersonol â gwaith achos rhywun a gafodd driniaeth mewn coridorau, ac roedd i mewn ac allan o goridor ac yn ôl i ystafell aros adran damweiniau ac achosion brys, lle treuliodd amser ar y llawr gyda'i gwilt a'i obennydd ei hun, a oedd yn ofnadwy. Felly, rwy'n gwybod fy hun ei bod yn broblem.
Mae'r ymgyrch hefyd wedi tanlinellu pa mor bwysig i bob un ohonom yw'r gwaith a wneir gan nyrsys, meddygon a phawb yn y gymuned gofal iechyd sy'n delio â'r materion hyn, a hoffwn ddiolch i chi i gyd, a diolch i chi am ddod draw heddiw.
A cwestiwn yw: a ddylid nodi'r ddeiseb? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? Nac oes. Felly, derbynnir y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
The proposal is to note the petition. Does any Member object? There is no objection. Therefore, the motion is agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Derbyniwyd y cynnig yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 12.36.
Amendment agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.
Detholwyd y gwelliannau canlynol: gwelliant 1 yn enw Jane Hutt, a gwelliant 2 yn enw Heledd Fychan. Os derbynnir gwelliant 1, caiff gwelliant 2 ei ddad-dethol.
The following amendments have been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Jane Hutt, and amendment 2 in the name of Heledd Fychan. If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be deselected.
Eitem 7 heddiw yw dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig: busnesau bach. A galwaf ar Samuel Kurtz i wneud y cynnig.
Item 7 today is the Welsh Conservatives' debate on small businesses. I call on Samuel Kurtz to move the motion.
Cynnig NDM9078 Paul Davies
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
1. Yn nodi Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach ar 6 Rhagfyr 2025.
2. Yn cydnabod y cyfraniad hanfodol y mae busnesau bach yn ei chwarae wrth greu swyddi, cefnogi cymunedau a rhoi hwb i economïau lleol ledled Cymru.
3. Yn credu y bydd cyllideb hydref Llywodraeth Lafur y DU yn arwain at gostau ychwanegol i fusnesau a cholli swyddi.
4. Yn gresynu bod busnesau o dan Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru, yn cael eu taro gan y cyfraddau busnes lleiaf cystadleuol ym Mhrydain, diweithdra yw'r uchaf yn y Deyrnas Unedig a'r cyflog isaf.
5. Yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i:
a) dileu ardrethi busnes ar gyfer pob busnes bach;
b) gwrthdroi newidiadau arfaethedig i'r dreth etifeddiant mewn perthynas â rhyddhad eiddo busnes;
c) darparu rhagor o barcio am ddim yng nghanol trefi;
d) dileu'r dreth dwristiaeth cyn iddi ddod i rym; ac
e) galw ar Lywodraeth y DU i wrthdroi'r cynnydd mewn yswiriant gwladol cyflogwr ac ad-dalu Cymru am fethu ag ariannu costau llawn y rhain hyd yma.
Motion NDM9078 Paul Davies
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes Small Business Saturday on 6 December 2025.
2. Recognises the crucial contribution that small businesses play in creating jobs, supporting communities and boosting local economies across Wales.
3. Believes that the UK Labour Government’s autumn budget will lead to additional costs and job losses for businesses.
4. Regrets that under the Welsh Labour Government, businesses are hit with the least competitive business rates in Great Britain, unemployment is the highest in the United Kingdom and take-home pay is the lowest.
5. Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) eliminate business rates for all small businesses;
b) reverse planned changes to inheritance tax in relation to business property relief;
c) provide more free parking in town centres;
d) axe the tourism tax before it comes into force; and
e) call on the UK Government to reverse the increase in employer's national insurance and reimburse Wales for failing to fund the full costs of these to date.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I am pleased to open this debate today in the week following Small Business Saturday, an annual moment in which we recognise and celebrate the nearly 5.5 million small enterprises across the United Kingdom.
Behind every shop window and cafe counter is someone taking a risk, creating jobs and sustaining our high streets. They are quite simply the foundations of our communities. Like many Members, I'm sure I was out this past weekend championing those small businesses. This year in Pembroke, a fantastic lunch at Cafe Rose, some Christmas shopping at Pattina's That's Nice Home Accessory and Gift Boutique, and at John's Wood and Crafts at 36, before heading into speciality delicatessen Wisebuys, where I picked up a bottle of premium bubbly, award-winning Velfrey Vineyard sparkling white wine—the Cabinet Secretary knows it's very good, and it was produced in my own constituency. And a quick mention of John at Wisebuys—he is one of the three wise men who founded the Pembrokeshire Cider Company, purveyors of some of the very best ciders.
Yet, while we rightly celebrate these businesses, they deserve more than recognition alone. We must also confront the realities they face; challenges that for many are deepening rather than easing. In the first quarter of 2025, 2,718 businesses closed across the United Kingdom, the highest first quarter total since the pandemic. And I ask, given recent decisions both here and in Westminster, is this outcome really surprising? The UK Labour Government's £40 billion package of tax rises last year, including a £25 billion increase in employers' national insurance, has placed considerable strain on family-run firms and weakened business confidence.
The reaction from the business community has been unequivocal. The Federation of Small Businesses described the autumn budget as a, quote, 'tax-raising budget' that reinforces a, quote, 'economic doom loop'.
According to the Institute of Directors, 80 per cent—80 per cent—of business leaders responded negatively. Enterprise Nation, representing more than 150,000 entrepreneurs, called it a, quote,
'high tax, low growth Budget for small firms.'
Delivered despite the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, insisting that growth is her first priority. It is difficult to reconcile that claim with the budget's real-world impact.
These are not isolated criticisms; they represent a collective alarm for those who create jobs and prosperity. And SMEs, the backbone of our economy, now face yet another substantial challenge, the rise in the national living wage to £12.71 an hour next April. We want fair pay, but we must also confront economic reality. In the hospitality sector alone, 11 businesses close every day across the United Kingdom. For firms already on the brink, this rise, added to frozen thresholds, higher dividend taxation and last year's national insurance increase may represent an unsustainable financial shock.
But while small businesses are being squeezed by decisions taken at Westminster, they are being further burdened by policies originating here in Wales. Under the Welsh Labour Government, Wales endures the least competitive business rates in Great Britain, the highest unemployment of any UK nation and the lowest take-home pay. That is not the framework of a thriving economy.
Hospitality businesses in Wales, long disadvantaged by an inequitable rates system, are calling for parity with England. UKHospitality Cymru have been clear: without deeper reform and a permanently lower multiplier, thousands of Welsh businesses will continue to face unsustainable costs, with high streets hollowed out and communities left poorer. And in the face of these pressures, the Welsh Government's tourism tax is yet another tax on a struggling sector.
If that were not enough, the recent revaluation of rateable value has, for many businesses, been the final blow. Instead of receiving support, countless small firms have seen their valuations double, triple or even quadruple. One business owner told me recently that her monthly bill will rise by £8,000—eight grand. For a small business, that's completely unsustainable and untenable.
Dirprwy Lywydd, we on these benches believe in backing small businesses that sustain our towns and villages. That is why today's motion calls on the Welsh Government to take meaningful, practical action. First, abolish business rates for the smallest businesses, giving them the breathing space needed to survive, invest and grow. Second, we call for the scrapping of the inheritance tax changes, the family firms and family farms tax. Third, expand free parking in town centres to boost footfall and support our high streets. Fourth, just scrap the tourism tax, and, fifth, press the UK Government, your partnership in power, to reverse the increase in employers' national insurance, a rise that is costing jobs and must be undone.
Small Business Saturday is a celebration, and rightly so. The resilience and entrepreneurial spirit of Welsh small businesses deserves recognition every week of the year, not just in the run-up to Christmas. But celebration without action is hollow. Families who pour their hearts and souls into shops, cafes, farms, workshops and start-ups do not need warm words; they need a Government that removes barriers rather than builds them ever taller. That is why, beyond today's motion, a Welsh Conservative Government next year will cut the basic rate of income tax by 1p, implement a planning system that supports, not obstructs, our high streets, and deliver dedicated support funds for both seaside towns and market towns, enabling them to rejuvenate and prosper.
Today is an opportunity for this Senedd to send a clear message that you, small businesses, we value you, that we understand the pressures that you face, and that we are prepared to act decisively in your support. I urge Members across the Chamber to back the motion before us here today. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n falch o agor y ddadl hon heddiw yn yr wythnos ar ôl Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach, moment flynyddol lle rydym yn cydnabod ac yn dathlu'r bron i 5.5 miliwn o fentrau bach ledled y Deyrnas Unedig.
Y tu ôl i bob ffenest siop a chownter caffi mae rhywun sy'n cymryd risg, yn creu swyddi ac yn cynnal ein strydoedd mawr. Nhw, yn syml iawn, yw sylfaen ein cymunedau. Fel llawer o Aelodau rwy'n siŵr, roeddwn allan y penwythnos diwethaf yn hyrwyddo'r busnesau bach hynny. Eleni ym Mhenfro, cinio gwych yn Cafe Rose, ychydig o siopa Nadolig yn Pattina's That's Nice Home Accessory and Gift Boutique, ac yn John's Wood and Crafts at 36, cyn mynd i siop delicatessen arbenigol Wisebuys, lle prynais botel o win gwyn pefriog gorau Velfrey Vineyard sydd wedi ennill gwobrau—mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn gwybod ei fod yn dda iawn, ac fe'i cynhyrchwyd yn fy etholaeth i. A gair sydyn am John yn Wisebuys—mae'n un o'r tri dyn doeth a sefydlodd y Pembrokeshire Cider Company, gwerthwyr rhai o'r seidrau gorau oll.
Eto i gyd, er ein bod yn dathlu'r busnesau hyn, maent yn haeddu mwy na chydnabyddiaeth yn unig. Rhaid inni hefyd fynd i'r afael â'r realiti y maent yn ei hwynebu; heriau sy'n dyfnhau yn hytrach na lleddfu i lawer o bobl. Yn chwarter cyntaf 2025, caeodd 2,718 o fusnesau ledled y Deyrnas Unedig, y cyfanswm chwarter cyntaf uchaf ers y pandemig. Ac o ystyried penderfyniadau diweddar yma ac yn San Steffan, rwy'n gofyn a yw'r canlyniad hwn yn syndod mewn gwirionedd? Mae pecyn £40 biliwn Llywodraeth Lafur y DU o godiadau treth y llynedd, gan gynnwys cynnydd o £25 biliwn mewn yswiriant gwladol cyflogwyr, wedi rhoi straen sylweddol ar gwmnïau teuluol ac wedi gwanhau hyder busnesau.
Mae'r ymateb gan y gymuned fusnes wedi bod yn ddiamwys. Disgrifiodd y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach gyllideb yr hydref fel, 'cyllideb codi trethi' sy'n atgyfnerthu 'cylch dieflig economaidd'.
Yn ôl Sefydliad y Cyfarwyddwyr, ymatebodd 80 y cant—80 y cant—o arweinwyr busnes yn negyddol. Cafodd ei galw gan Enterprise Nation, sy'n cynrychioli mwy na 150,000 o entrepreneuriaid, yn
'Gyllideb treth uchel, twf isel i gwmnïau bach.'
Cafodd ei chyflwyno er bod y Canghellor, Rachel Reeves, yn mynnu mai twf yw ei blaenoriaeth gyntaf. Mae'n anodd cysoni'r honiad hwnnw ag effaith y gyllideb yn y byd go iawn.
Nid beirniadaethau ynysig yw'r rhain; gyda'i gilydd maent yn canu larymau i'r rhai sy'n creu swyddi a ffyniant. Ac mae busnesau bach a chanolig, asgwrn cefn ein heconomi, bellach yn wynebu her sylweddol arall, y cynnydd yn y cyflog byw cenedlaethol i £12.71 yr awr fis Ebrill nesaf. Rydym eisiau cyflog teg, ond rhaid inni wynebu realiti economaidd hefyd. Yn y sector lletygarwch yn unig, mae 11 busnes yn cau bob dydd ledled y Deyrnas Unedig. I gwmnïau sydd eisoes ar ymyl y dibyn, gall y cynnydd hwn, yn ogystal â rhewi trothwyon, trethi uwch ar ddifidendau a chynnydd i yswiriant gwladol y llynedd fod yn sioc ariannol anghynaladwy.
Ond tra bod busnesau bach yn cael eu gwasgu gan benderfyniadau a wnaed yn San Steffan, cânt eu gwasgu ymhellach gan bolisïau sy'n tarddu yma yng Nghymru. O dan y Llywodraeth Lafur, Cymru sy'n dioddef yr ardrethi busnes lleiaf cystadleuol ym Mhrydain, y diweithdra uchaf yn unrhyw un o wledydd y DU a'r cyflogau isaf. Nid dyna'r fframwaith i economi ffyniannus.
Mae busnesau lletygarwch yng Nghymru, sydd dan anfantais ers amser maith oherwydd system ardrethi annheg, yn galw am gydraddoldeb â Lloegr. Mae UKHospitality Cymru wedi bod yn glir: heb ddiwygio dyfnach a lluosydd is yn barhaol, bydd miloedd o fusnesau Cymru yn parhau i wynebu costau anghynaladwy, gan arwain at strydoedd mawr gwag a chymunedau tlotach. Ac yn wyneb y pwysau hwn, mae treth dwristiaeth Llywodraeth Cymru yn dreth arall ar sector sy'n ei chael hi'n anodd.
Fel pe na bai hynny'n ddigon, mae ailbrisio gwerth ardrethol yn ddiweddar wedi bod yn ergyd olaf i lawer o fusnesau. Yn hytrach na chael cefnogaeth, mae cwmnïau bach dirifedi wedi gweld eu prisiadau'n dyblu, yn treblu neu'n cynyddu bedair gwaith drosodd hyd yn oed. Dywedodd un perchennog busnes wrthyf yn ddiweddar y bydd ei bil misol yn codi £8,000—wyth mil. I fusnes bach, mae'n gwbl anghynaliadwy.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, rydym ni ar y meinciau hyn yn credu mewn cefnogi'r busnesau bach sy'n cynnal ein trefi a'n pentrefi. Dyna pam y mae'r cynnig heddiw yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i gymryd camau ystyrlon, ymarferol. Yn gyntaf, diddymwch ardrethi busnes ar gyfer y busnesau lleiaf, gan roi'r lle i anadlu y maent ei angen i allu goroesi, buddsoddi a thyfu. Yn ail, galwn am ddileu'r newidiadau i dreth etifeddiant, y dreth ar gwmnïau teuluol a ffermydd teuluol. Yn drydydd, ehangwch barcio am ddim yng nghanol trefi i roi hwb i nifer yr ymwelwyr a chefnogi ein strydoedd mawr. Yn bedwerydd, rhowch y gorau i'r dreth dwristiaeth, ac yn bumed, pwyswch ar Lywodraeth y DU, eich partneriaid mewn grym, i wrthdroi'r cynnydd i yswiriant gwladol cyflogwyr, cynnydd sy'n costio mewn swyddi ac sy'n rhaid ei ddad-wneud.
Mae Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach yn ddathliad, ac yn briodol felly. Mae gwydnwch ac ysbryd entrepreneuraidd busnesau bach Cymru yn haeddu cydnabyddiaeth bob wythnos o'r flwyddyn, nid yn y cyfnod cyn y Nadolig yn unig. Ond mae dathlu heb weithredu'n wag. Nid geiriau cynnes sydd eu hangen ar deuluoedd sy'n arllwys eu calonnau a'u heneidiau i mewn i siopau, caffis, ffermydd, gweithdai a busnesau newydd; maent angen Llywodraeth sy'n dileu rhwystrau yn hytrach nag ychwanegu atynt o hyd. Dyna pam, y tu hwnt i'r cynnig heddiw, y bydd Llywodraeth Geidwadol yng Nghymru y flwyddyn nesaf yn torri 1 geiniog oddi ar gyfradd sylfaenol y dreth incwm, yn gweithredu system gynllunio sy'n cefnogi, nid yn rhwystro, ein strydoedd mawr, ac yn darparu arian cymorth pwrpasol i drefi glan môr a threfi marchnad, gan eu galluogi i adfywio a ffynnu.
Mae heddiw'n gyfle i'r Senedd hon anfon neges glir ein bod yn eich gwerthfawrogi chi, fusnesau bach, ein bod yn deall y pwysau sy'n eich wynebu, a'n bod yn barod i weithredu'n bendant o'ch plaid. Rwy'n annog yr Aelodau ar draws y Siambr i gefnogi'r cynnig sydd o'n blaenau yma heddiw. Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd.
Rwyf wedi dethol y gwelliannau i'r cynnig. Os derbynnir gwelliant 1, caiff gwelliant 2 ei ddad-ddethol. Galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio i gynnig gwelliant 1 yn enw Jane Hutt.
I have selected the amendments to the motion. If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be deselected. I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning to move amendment 1, tabled in the name of Jane Hutt.
Gwelliant 1—Jane Hutt
Dileu popeth ar ôl pwynt 2 a rhoi yn ei le:
Yn cydnabod ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi busnesau bach yng Nghymru trwy:
a) Busnes Cymru, sydd wedi cefnogi dros 33,200 o fusnesau ac entrepreneuriaid ers dechrau tymor y Senedd hon;
b) Micro-fenthyciadau a phecynnau cyllid twf gan Fanc Datblygu Cymru, sydd wedi cefnogi dros 950 o fusnesau gyda £21.7 miliwn o fenthyciadau yn nhymor y Senedd hon; ac
c) £140 miliwn ar ffurf rhyddhad ardrethi i fusnesau bach i dros 70,000 eiddo yn 2025-26.
Amendment 1—Jane Hutt
Delete all after point 2 and replace with:
Recognises the Welsh Government’s commitment to supporting small businesses in Wales through:
a) Business Wales, which has supported over 33,200 businesses and entrepreneurs since the start of this Senedd term;
b) Development Bank of Wales tailored micro loans and growth finance packages, which have supported over 950 businesses with £21.7 million of loans in this Senedd term; and
c) £140 million in small business rates relief to over 70,000 properties in 2025-26.
Cynigiwyd gwelliant 1.
Amendment 1 moved.
Yes, moved.
Cynigiwyd.
A galwaf ar Luke Fletcher i gynnig gwelliant 2, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Heledd Fychan.
And I call on Luke Fletcher to move amendment 2, tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan.
Gwelliant 2—Heledd Fychan
Dileu pwynt 5 a rhoi yn ei le:
Yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i:
a) ymestyn y lluosydd cyfradd is ar gyfer safle manwerthu bach a chanolig i gynnwys busnesau lletygarwch a hamdden, gan nodi bod amcangyfrif y byddai peidio gwneud hynny yn gadael y dafarn stryd fawr gyffredin gyda £6,800 yn ychwanegol o drethi busnes y flwyddyn;
b) sicrhau na fydd unrhyw gymorth i fusnesau a ddaw o uwchgynhadledd fuddsoddi ddiweddar Llywodraeth Cymru yn digwydd ar draul ymdrechion i feithrin sylfaen gystadleuol a gwydn busnesau domestig;
c) darparu pecyn cymorth busnes cryfach ac wedi’i gydgysylltu'n fwy effeithiol, gan gynnwys cynorthwyo cynlluniau olyniaeth i fusnesau bach a chanolig Cymru; a
d) hyrwyddo ehangiad mentrau cydweithredol a chyd-fuddiannol o fewn economi Cymru drwy roi’r modelau hyn ar sail deg gyda ffurfiau mwy traddodiadol o fenter a busnes.
Amendment 2—Heledd Fychan
Delete point 5 and replace with:
Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) extend the lower rate multiplier for small and medium-sized retail premises to include hospitality and leisure businesses, noting that failure to do so is estimated to leave the typical high-street pub facing an additional £6,800 per year in business rates;
b) ensure that any support for businesses from the Welsh Government’s recent investment summit does not come at the expense of efforts to nurture a resilient and competitive base of domestic businesses;
c) deliver an enhanced and more coherent package of business support, including strengthened succession-planning assistance for Welsh SMEs; and
d) promote the expansion of co-operatives and mutuals within the Welsh economy by placing these models on an equitable footing with more conventional forms of enterprise.
Cynigiwyd gwelliant 2.
Amendment 2 moved.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I move the amendment tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan. I'm going to use my once-a-year 'thank you' to the Welsh Conservatives—savour it, savour it—for putting forward this motion, an opportunity for us to discuss the importance of small businesses that often make up the fabric of our communities, important employers, as Sam Kurtz rightly highlighted. It'd be remiss of me not to mention some within my own patch. You all know The Sandwich Co—I talk about it every year; it contributes to my waistline ever expanding. You all know about Beat bakehouse—Tom will know—located where Suzy Davies's old office used to be; the coffee has gotten a lot better there, I can tell you that. And actually, a new addition, Forage, down your way, Andrew; Forage farm shop has been particularly helpful, as a new father, firstly because of the cracking ready meals that they make and sell on site, and also because it's a perfect distance between Pencoed and Cowbridge to get the baby to sleep. So, I'm getting bang for my buck there—a sleeping baby and some nutritious food.
But Sam is right to highlight that this is a difficult period for small businesses in our communities. I want to start with a positive and that positive is actually the multiplier, and the use of that multiplier by Welsh Government is something that I, as well as Members of Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives and Welsh Labour, have called to be used to help smaller businesses in our communities. I would make the case for hospitality. Sam already pointed to the number of closures we are seeing within that sector at the moment. To not include hospitality in the recent use of that multiplier I think was a massive misstep by Government. We know, for example, that local authorities are using the hospitality industry to regenerate our high streets—it gives people a reason to get back to that high street—and when we're seeing the number of closures happening within the hospitality sector, I think if we do not do more to support them, if we do not use the multiplier to support them, we are going to be taking a massive step backwards.
It's all about getting that balance right, I think. If we want to support our smaller businesses then that multiplier would allow us to shift the burden a bit, move it to the supermarkets, move it to the out-of-town shopping centres, both of which you can peg the decline of Bridgend high street to, but also to address that gap between those bricks-and-mortar shops and those digital online platforms that massively undercut our smaller businesses here in Wales. Of course, the tax system is just one way, one tool that we can use for smaller businesses.
The Conservatives have set out a number of things that they would scrap. I think we also need to think about what are the things that we would do better to support smaller businesses. Business support is complex. We hear it time and time again; businesses are unsure as to who they need to go to to get the support they need, whether that's financial support, whether that's guidance to get through the planning system, or access to education. So, it is very welcome, actually, that the Government did that internal review into business support. What I would—[Interruption.] Yes, of course.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd, ac rwy'n cynnig y gwelliant a gyflwynwyd yn enw Heledd Fychan. Rwy'n mynd i ddefnyddio fy 'niolch' unwaith y flwyddyn ar y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig—mwynhewch—am gyflwyno'r cynnig hwn, cyfle inni drafod pwysigrwydd busnesau bach sy'n aml yn ffurfio ffabrig ein cymunedau, cyflogwyr pwysig, fel y nododd Sam Kurtz yn gywir. Buaswn ar fai yn peidio â sôn am rai yn fy ardal fy hun. Rydych chi i gyd yn gwybod am The Sandwich Co—rwy'n siarad amdano bob blwyddyn; mae'n cyfrannu at y cynnydd ym maint fy mola. Rydych chi i gyd yn gwybod am bopty Beat—bydd Tom yn gwybod—sydd wedi'i leoli lle'r arferai swyddfa Suzy Davies fod; mae'r coffi wedi gwella llawer yno, gallaf ddweud hynny wrthych. Ac ychwanegiad newydd, Forage, yn eich ardal chi, Andrew; mae siop fferm Forage wedi bod yn arbennig o ddefnyddiol, fel tad newydd, yn gyntaf oherwydd y prydau parod bendigedig y maent yn eu gwneud ac yn eu gwerthu ar y safle, a hefyd am ei fod yn bellter perffaith rhwng Pencoed a'r Bont-faen i gael y babi i gysgu. Felly, rwy'n lladd dau aderyn ar yr un pryd—cael y babi i gysgu a bwyd maethlon.
Ond mae Sam yn iawn i dynnu sylw at y ffaith bod hwn yn gyfnod anodd i fusnesau bach yn ein cymunedau. Rwyf am ddechrau gyda rhywbeth cadarnhaol, sef y lluosydd, ac mae'r defnydd o'r lluosydd hwnnw gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn rhywbeth yr wyf i, yn ogystal ag Aelodau Plaid Cymru a'r Ceidwadwyr a Llafur Cymru, wedi galw am ei ddefnyddio i helpu busnesau llai yn ein cymunedau. Hoffwn wneud yr achos dros letygarwch. Mae Sam eisoes wedi tynnu sylw at nifer y busnesau sy'n cau yn y sector hwnnw ar hyn o bryd. Roedd peidio â chynnwys lletygarwch yn y defnydd diweddar o'r lluosydd yn gamgymeriad enfawr ar ran y Llywodraeth yn fy marn i. Rydym yn gwybod, er enghraifft, fod awdurdodau lleol yn defnyddio'r diwydiant lletygarwch i adfywio ein strydoedd mawr—mae'n rhoi rheswm i bobl droi'n ôl at y stryd fawr—a phan fyddwn yn gweld nifer y busnesau sy'n cau yn y sector lletygarwch, os na wnawn fwy i'w cefnogi, os na ddefnyddiwn y lluosydd i'w cefnogi, rwy'n credu y byddwn yn cymryd cam enfawr yn ôl.
Mae'n ymwneud â chael y cydbwysedd yn iawn. Os ydym am gefnogi ein busnesau llai, byddai'r lluosydd yn caniatáu inni symud y baich ychydig, ei symud i'r archfarchnadoedd, ei symud i'r canolfannau siopa y tu allan i'r dref, y gallwch chi eu cysylltu â dirywiad y stryd fawr ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr, ond hefyd i fynd i'r afael â'r bwlch rhwng y siopau brics a morter a'r platfformau digidol ar-lein sy'n tanseilio ein busnesau llai yma yng Nghymru yn enfawr. Wrth gwrs, dim ond un ffordd yw'r system dreth, un offeryn y gallwn ei ddefnyddio ar gyfer busnesau llai.
Mae'r Ceidwadwyr wedi nodi nifer o bethau y byddent yn eu dileu. Rwy'n credu bod angen inni feddwl hefyd am y pethau y byddem yn eu gwneud yn well i gefnogi busnesau llai. Mae cymorth busnes yn gymhleth. Rydym yn ei glywed dro ar ôl tro; mae busnesau'n ansicr at bwy y dylent fynd i gael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt, boed hwnnw'n gymorth ariannol, yn ganllawiau ar gyfer mynd drwy'r system gynllunio, neu'n fynediad at addysg. Felly, mae'r ffaith bod y Llywodraeth wedi gwneud yr adolygiad mewnol i gymorth busnes i'w groesawu'n fawr mewn gwirionedd. Yr hyn y buaswn i—[Torri ar draws.] Wrth gwrs.
I'm glad you've talked about finance for small businesses, because what we've seen is a lot of the big banks on the high street disappearing from the high street and their lending decisions taken more remotely from where businesses are located, and it's that much more difficult for businesses to attract that finance. So, isn't it vital that Welsh Government works with the financial services sector to make more decisions here in Wales so that access to finance is easily available to small businesses?
Rwy'n falch eich bod wedi siarad am gyllid i fusnesau bach, oherwydd yr hyn a welsom yw bod llawer o'r banciau mawr ar y stryd fawr yn diflannu o'r stryd fawr a'u penderfyniadau benthyca'n cael eu gwneud ymhellach o ble mae busnesau wedi'u lleoli, ac mae'n llawer anos i fusnesau ddenu'r cyllid hwnnw. Felly, onid yw'n hanfodol fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda'r sector gwasanaethau ariannol i wneud mwy o benderfyniadau yma yng Nghymru fel bod mynediad at gyllid ar gael yn hawdd i fusnesau bach?
I would agree with that point entirely, and I think that's why we need to see the actions set out in that internal business review put in place by the Government. Access to finance is an incredibly important point and, right now, that landscape on our local high streets is being decimated. We need to go back to a system where people know who to go to, and they know, for example, their local bank manager, have that relationship to get that understanding of that business to then be able to provide that financial support, which is a system that we have moved far from.
That also speaks as well to that high street element, that better town-centre planning. We know that we need to bring services back into town centres. Hospitality is one way of encouraging people into town centres. Well, putting in the services they require is going to be another way of doing that. And by bringing in that footfall, we are supporting our smaller businesses. A successful high street is incredibly key. I've talked in the past of the need to change the commercial properties that are empty, especially those places above shops, into residential, again, increasing that footfall. Using the analogy of Friends, yet again—. I'm sure many of you are going to be very fed up with me using that analogy, but the fact is that group, they live above the coffee shop they use, and that gives them the in-built footfall, as well as the passing trade that makes that coffee shop sustainable. So, if we can do that to our high streets, we thereby support our smaller businesses with things that are relatively straightforward for Government to do.
I'll end just by saying, Dirprwy Lywydd, that there's also a massive missed opportunity when it comes to encouraging entrepreneurialism within our communities. Not everybody has the confidence and the ability to set up their own businesses, and that's why we've included within our amendment the need to support other alternative models of business, such as co-operatives and social enterprises. If you could turn around to people and say, 'How about you consider setting up a business with your mates?', that is a way, I think, in which we can encourage greater entrepreneurialism within our communities.
So, on this Small Business Saturday, let's make sure we all go out and support our small businesses, but let's not forget it's an incredibly difficult time for those small businesses, and I would look to the Cabinet Secretary's response to see how the Government will be supporting them further.
Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â'r pwynt hwnnw, ac rwy'n credu mai dyna pam y mae angen inni weld y camau gweithredu a nodir yn yr adolygiad busnes mewnol yn cael eu rhoi ar waith gan y Llywodraeth. Mae mynediad at gyllid yn bwynt hynod bwysig ac ar hyn o bryd, mae'r dirwedd honno ar ein strydoedd mawr lleol yn cael ei dinistrio. Mae angen inni ddychwelyd at system lle mae pobl yn gwybod at bwy i fynd, a lle maent yn adnabod eu rheolwr banc lleol, er enghraifft, a chael y berthynas honno i gael dealltwriaeth o'r busnes i allu darparu cymorth ariannol, system yr ydym wedi symud yn bell oddi wrthi.
Mae hynny hefyd yn ymwneud â'r elfen stryd fawr, cynllunio canol trefi'n well. Rydym yn gwybod bod angen inni ddod â gwasanaethau yn ôl i ganol trefi. Mae lletygarwch yn un ffordd o annog pobl i mewn i ganol y dref. Wel, mae cynnwys y gwasanaethau sydd eu hangen arnynt yn mynd i fod yn ffordd arall o wneud hynny. A thrwy ddod â'r niferoedd i mewn, rydym yn cefnogi ein busnesau llai. Mae stryd fawr lwyddiannus yn anhygoel o allweddol. Rwyf wedi siarad yn y gorffennol am yr angen i newid yr eiddo masnachol sy'n wag, yn enwedig y mannau uwchben siopau, yn eiddo preswyl, a chynyddu'r niferoedd. Gan ddefnyddio Friends fel enghraifft unwaith eto—. Rwy'n siŵr fod llawer ohonoch yn mynd i fod wedi cael llond bol arnaf yn defnyddio'r gymhariaeth honno, ond y gwir amdani yw bod y grŵp hwnnw'n byw uwchben y siop goffi y maent yn ei defnyddio, a thrwy hynny'n darparu cwsmeriaid parod iddynt, yn ogystal â'r bobl sy'n mynd heibio, gan wneud y siop goffi honno'n gynaliadwy. Felly, os gallwn wneud hynny i'n strydoedd mawr, rydym yn cefnogi ein busnesau llai gyda phethau sy'n gymharol syml i'r Llywodraeth eu gwneud.
Fe ddof i ben, Ddirprwy Lywydd, drwy ddweud bod yna gyfle enfawr wedi'i golli i annog entrepreneuriaeth yn ein cymunedau. Nid oes gan bawb hyder a gallu i sefydlu eu busnesau eu hunain, a dyna pam ein bod wedi cynnwys yn ein gwelliant yr angen i gefnogi modelau busnes amgen eraill, fel cwmnïau cydweithredol a mentrau cymdeithasol. Os gallwch chi droi at bobl a dweud, 'Beth am i chi ystyried sefydlu busnes gyda'ch ffrindiau?', mae honno'n ffordd o annog mwy o entrepreneuriaeth yn ein cymunedau.
Felly, ar Ddydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach, gadewch inni wneud yn siŵr ein bod yn gwneud ein gorau glas i gefnogi ein busnesau bach, ond gadewch inni beidio ag anghofio ei bod yn amser anhygoel o anodd i'r busnesau bach hynny, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at ymateb Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i weld sut y bydd y Llywodraeth yn eu cefnogi ymhellach.
I think we can all agree here what a fantastic initiative Small Business Saturday is, and it's one that we all fully support. It encourages people to think about where they spend their money, it encourages people to spend it locally, often with small family businesses, and it encourages everyone to get back onto our high streets, instead of just buying online.
This debate is very timely just ahead of Christmas, and, hopefully, it reminds people of what we lose when these small businesses in our community are unable to keep their doors open. This year, however, it's not just about celebrating local shops and entrepreneurs; we are recognising their fight for survival. Under the Welsh Labour Government, businesses in Wales are hit with the least competitive business rates in Great Britain, coupled with the highest levels of unemployment and the lowest levels of take-home pay. Businesses here have the toughest climate in which to operate. The Labour Party has, of course, been absolutely true to form. Since getting into Government in Westminster, they have punished aspiration with tax rises, they've punished businesses with tax rises, they've punished hard-working households with tax rises, and they have done so to ensure that whatever entrepreneurial spirit that is left is slowly expunged from this country.
The motion laid down today by the Welsh Conservatives is one that backs businesses. We support the elimination of business rates for all small businesses. As one of the largest fixed costs for small businesses, removing the rates would immediately cut overheads and help to improve cash flow. Not only will it free up money for investment, it will bring confidence to businesses to hire staff, upgrade equipment and level the playing field with online-only businesses, who often pay less in property based taxes.
We also support the reversal of the planned changes to inheritance tax on business property relief. We all know how much Welsh Labour hate farming, the farming community and farmers themselves. We can see this in every rural policy they produce. The truth is that most farms are small businesses and they will not survive the tax bills now being asked of them.
Dirprwy Lywydd, our high streets are also in a perilous state, and the Welsh Conservatives recognise that we need to help businesses by supporting customers. This means that we need to increase the amount of free car parking, not restrict it, as we have seen recently, for example, with Cardiff Council's anti-motorist policies. We need to tackle our outdated planning policies towards the high street and we need to provide more public toilets. Indeed, I have often spoken in this Chamber about that particular issue. It seemingly falls on deaf ears, but the truth is: how can you expect people to spend several hours away from home without these facilities? Our high streets need more than just barber shops and vape shops. They need a large variety of different businesses to make them appealing to customers, and we should be doing everything we can to help make visiting our high streets an attractive and enjoyable option.
The Welsh Conservatives also believe that the tourist tax is going to deter people from visiting Wales, rather than encouraging them. Admittedly, in the grand scheme of things, it may be a small amount, but the reality is that it continues to give the impression that all this Government can do to solve our problems is tax and continuously rinse us for our money. Small businesses, especially those in rural communities, are heavily reliant on summer business and often operate at slim profit margins. Anything that deters visitors is unwelcome. We should be strengthening the competitiveness of the Welsh tourist industry rather than inhibiting it with yet another tax.
Finally, I would like to address the UK Labour Government's increase in employers' national insurance. This is, quite frankly, killing businesses. It is de-incentivising them to employ people, especially those people most in need of jobs: school leavers, graduates who need experience and those with disabilities. It is another way in which small businesses lose their resilience. It also means that if they have a lower-than-expected summer or Christmas trading period, which often makes up the majority of their sales, they have no headroom to absorb the lower profits. The NI increase is a fixed cost for them and so translates into fewer employees, which ends up being bad for everyone.
I believe that we owe a duty of care to our small businesses. They have been punished by Welsh Labour in Cardiff and they're being punished by Labour in Westminster. The Welsh Conservatives recognise their value, and this is why it is important to support this motion. Thank you.
Rwy'n credu y gallwn i gyd gytuno yma menter mor wych yw Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach, ac mae'n un yr ydym i gyd yn ei chefnogi'n llwyr. Mae'n annog pobl i feddwl ble maent yn gwario'u harian, mae'n annog pobl i'w wario'n lleol, yn aml gyda busnesau teuluol bach, ac mae'n annog pawb i ddychwelyd i'n strydoedd mawr, yn hytrach na dim ond prynu ar-lein.
Mae'r ddadl hon yn amserol iawn ychydig cyn y Nadolig, a gobeithio ei bod hi'n atgoffa pobl o'r hyn a gollir pan nad yw'r busnesau bach hyn yn ein cymuned yn gallu cadw eu drysau ar agor. Eleni, fodd bynnag, mae'n ymwneud â mwy na dathlu siopau ac entrepreneuriaid lleol yn unig; rydym yn cydnabod eu brwydr i oroesi. O dan Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru, mae busnesau yng Nghymru yn cael eu taro â'r ardrethi busnes lleiaf cystadleuol ym Mhrydain, ynghyd â'r lefelau uchaf o ddiweithdra a'r cyflogau isaf. Busnesau yma sydd â'r hinsawdd anoddaf i weithredu ynddi. Mae'r Blaid Lafur wedi gweithredu yn ôl ei harfer, wrth gwrs. Ers dod yn Llywodraeth yn San Steffan, maent wedi cosbi dyhead drwy godi trethi, wedi cosbi busnesau drwy godi trethi, wedi cosbi aelwydydd gweithgar drwy godi trethi, ac maent wedi gwneud hynny i sicrhau bod unrhyw ysbryd entrepreneuraidd sy'n weddill yn cael ei ddileu'n araf o'r wlad hon.
Mae'r cynnig a gyflwynwyd heddiw gan y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn un sy'n cefnogi busnesau. Rydym yn cefnogi dileu ardrethi busnes i bob busnes bach. Fel un o'r costau sefydlog mwyaf i fusnes bach, byddai dileu'r ardrethi yn torri gorbenion ar unwaith ac yn helpu i wella llif arian. Nid yn unig y bydd yn rhyddhau arian ar gyfer buddsoddi, bydd yn dod â hyder i fusnesau allu llogi staff, uwchraddio offer a sicrhau eu bod yn gallu cystadlu'n gyfartal â busnesau sydd ond yn gweithredu ar-lein, ac sy'n aml yn talu llai mewn trethi eiddo.
Rydym hefyd yn cefnogi gwrthdroi'r newidiadau arfaethedig i dreth etifeddiant ar ryddhad eiddo busnes. Rydym i gyd yn gwybod cymaint y mae Llafur Cymru yn casáu ffermio, y gymuned ffermio a ffermwyr eu hunain. Gallwn weld hyn ym mhob polisi gwledig a gynhyrchant. Y gwir amdani yw bod y rhan fwyaf o ffermydd yn fusnesau bach ac ni fyddant yn goroesi'r biliau treth y mae disgwyl iddynt eu talu.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae ein strydoedd mawr hefyd mewn cyflwr peryglus, ac mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn cydnabod bod angen inni helpu busnesau drwy gefnogi cwsmeriaid. Golyga hyn fod angen inni gynyddu'r ddarpariaeth parcio am ddim, nid ei gyfyngu, fel y gwelsom yn ddiweddar, er enghraifft, gyda pholisïau gwrth-fodurwyr Cyngor Caerdydd. Mae angen inni fynd i'r afael â'n polisïau cynllunio ar gyfer y stryd fawr, polisïau sydd wedi dyddio, ac mae angen inni ddarparu mwy o doiledau cyhoeddus. Yn wir, rwyf wedi siarad ar y mater hwnnw yn y Siambr ar sawl achlysur. Mae'n ymddangos ei fod yn syrthio ar glustiau byddar, ond y gwir amdani yw: sut y gallwch chi ddisgwyl i bobl dreulio sawl awr oddi cartref heb y cyfleusterau hyn? Mae angen mwy na siopau barbwr a siopau fêps ar ein strydoedd mawr. Mae angen amrywiaeth fawr o wahanol fusnesau arnynt i'w gwneud yn apelgar i gwsmeriaid, a dylem wneud popeth yn ein gallu i helpu i wneud ymweld â'n strydoedd mawr yn opsiwn deniadol a phleserus.
Mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig hefyd yn credu bod y dreth dwristiaeth yn mynd i atal pobl rhag ymweld â Chymru, yn hytrach na'u hannog. Mae'n wir mai swm bach ydyw yn y darlun mawr, ond y gwir amdani yw ei fod yn parhau i roi'r argraff mai'r cyfan y gall y Llywodraeth hon ei wneud i ddatrys ein problemau yw trethu a mynnu arian gennym yn barhaus. Mae busnesau bach, yn enwedig mewn cymunedau gwledig, yn dibynnu'n fawr ar fusnes yr haf ac yn aml yn gweithredu ar elw main. Nid oes croeso i unrhyw beth sy'n atal ymwelwyr. Dylem fod yn cryfhau cystadleurwydd diwydiant twristiaeth Cymru yn hytrach na'i lesteirio â threth arall eto fyth.
Yn olaf, hoffwn roi sylw i gynnydd Llywodraeth Lafur y DU i yswiriant gwladol cyflogwyr. Yn hollol onest, mae hyn yn lladd busnesau. Mae'n eu datgymell rhag cyflogi pobl, yn enwedig y bobl sydd fwyaf o angen swyddi: pobl sy'n gadael ysgol, graddedigion sydd angen profiad a phobl ag anableddau. Mae'n ffordd arall y mae busnesau bach yn colli eu gwydnwch. Mae hefyd yn golygu, os ydynt yn cael cyfnod masnachu yn yr haf neu dros y Nadolig sy'n is na'r disgwyl, y cyfnodau hynny lle mae disgwyl y gwerthiannau mwyaf, nid oes ganddynt unrhyw hyblygrwydd i amsugno'r elw is. Mae'r cynnydd i yswiriant gwladol yn gost sefydlog iddynt ac felly'n arwain at lai o weithwyr, sy'n wael i bawb.
Rwy'n credu bod dyletswydd o ofal arnom i'n busnesau bach. Maent wedi cael eu cosbi gan Lafur Cymru yng Nghaerdydd ac maent yn cael eu cosbi gan Lafur yn San Steffan. Mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn cydnabod eu gwerth, a dyma pam ei bod hi'n bwysig cefnogi'r cynnig hwn. Diolch.
Diolch yn fawr i'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig am y ddadl yma. Dwi’n cytuno â Samuel Kurtz heno yma, dwi'n cytuno ag e. Busnesau bach yw asgwrn cefn ein gwlad ni. Mae'r ffigurau'n dangos hynny, onid ydyn nhw? Naw deg naw y cant o fusnesau Cymru â llai na 50 o weithwyr.
Ar ôl y ddadl yma, gyfeillion, ewch allan, ewch i'r bae, ewch i ganol y ddinas a phrofi rhai o'r busnesau bach, annibynnol yma sydd o gwmpas ein prifddinas. Bwytai Giovanni’s—mae Giovanni’s wedi bod yng Nghaerdydd ers dros 40 o flynyddoedd, a beth dyw llawer o bobl ddim yn gwybod yw, bob prynhawn dydd Mercher, heddiw, a bob dydd Sul, mae Giovanni’s yn rhoi pryd cynnes o fwyd i bron i 50 o bobl ddigartref yn ein dinas ni. Cefnogwch fusnesau fel yna.
Cefnogwch Canna Deli, sydd wedi bod trwy lawer yn ddiweddar, gyda phobl yn difrodi'r adeilad yn y nos. Cefnogwch bobl fel Canna Deli, sydd yn gweithredu bron a bod yn hollol trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, ac yn gwerthu cynnyrch Cymreig arbennig. Ewch i brynu llyfrau a cherddoriaeth Cymraeg: Caban, siop llyfrau Cymraeg ym Mhontcanna a enillodd wobr siop llyfrau annibynnol gorau Cymru y llynedd; ac yna Spillers Records, wedi’i lleoli'n ddwfn yn un o arcêds arbennig ein prif ddinas. Dyna yw record shop hynaf y byd, a gafodd ei sefydlu yn ôl yn 1894.
Neu dewch gyda fi yn nes ymlaen heddiw i Cowbridge Road. Mae modd profi'r byd i gyd ar y Cowbridge Road. Roedd Luke Fletcher yn sôn am ei waistline gynnau; wel, mae'r Cowbridge Road yn profi'n demtasiwn i’ch waistline chi. Sawl Indian, Japanese, Thai, Greek, Korean, French, Turkish—mae popeth ar Cowbridge Road. Mae gennym ni hefyd y Canton Cobbler, mae gennym ni ddau greengrocer ac, oes, mae gennym ni'n candlestick maker hefyd ar Cowbridge Road. Mae popeth yno.
Ac os ydych chi eisiau caffeine fix a ddim eisiau mynd i Ben-y-bont gyda Luke Fletcher, dewch gyda fi i Hard Lines neu Ffloc neu Bloc ar Cowbridge Road. Ac wrth gwrs, mae gennym ni dafarndai o fri, y Canton Cross Vaults, tafarn teuluol sydd yn gwneud pub lunch arbennig o resymol mewn awyrgylch cyfeillgar. Ac yna'r Queens Vaults, gyfeillion, sydd newydd ennill gwobr arbennig gyda Guinness. Nhw sy'n syrfo'r aur du gorau yng Nghymru, yn ôl Guinness.
Ond er y llwyddiannau—ac mae modd cael hwyl mewn dadleuon fel hyn, onid oes—er y llwyddiannau, mae'r problemau yn amlwg iawn. Tra bod nifer y busnesau preifat yn cynyddu yn Lloegr, yng Ngogledd Iwerddon ac yn yr Alban, gostwng maen nhw fan hyn yng Nghymru. Lleihad o 26,000 yng Nghymru. Yn waeth fyth, dyw'r lleihad y llynedd ddim yn eithriad. Ers 2020, y wlad sydd â’r canran mwyaf o fusnesau bach yn cau ydy Cymru. Ac wrth gwrs, tu ôl i'r ffigurau mae pobl a theuluoedd sydd wedi gweld breuddwydion yn chwalu, dyledion yn cynyddu, a bywoliaeth yn diflannu.
Yn amlwg, roedd y Prif Weinidog yn iawn pan ddywedodd hi yn yr uwchgynhadledd fod angen twf gyda phwrpas. Ond y gwir yw, does dim twf o gwbl gyda ni ar hyn o bryd. Dyna mor ddigalon, wedi chwarter canrif o'r lle yma, ein bod ni'n gallu dweud rhywbeth felly. Mae angen i ni edrych eto ar yswiriant cenedlaethol. Mae angen i ni edrych unwaith eto ar dreth etifeddiaeth. Ac rwy’n credu bod yn rhaid i ni edrych eto ar dreth ar werth. Mae'r Ceidwadwyr yn mynd ymlaen ac ymlaen am dreth twristiaeth, ond treth ar werth sy'n bygwth ac sy'n effeithio cwmnïau bach. Prif ofyn UKHospitality yw cael lleihad yn y dreth ar werth. Byddai hwnna'n anrheg Nadolig arbennig i fusnesau Cymru.
Rŷn ni i gyd, onid ŷn ni, yn ymwybodol iawn o botensial busnesau Cymru a chynnyrch Cymreig, ond dyw’r potensial yna ddim yn cael ei wireddu. Dylai fod yn flaenoriaeth i Lywodraeth Cymru hybu ein busnesau bach, a thrwy hybu ein busnesau bach ni, rŷn ni'n tyfu ein heconomi, a thrwy dyfu ein heconomi gan ddefnyddio ein busnesau bach, byddem ni'n lleddfu cymaint o’r problemau sydd yn llethu'r lle hwn o wythnos i wythnos, a phobl ein gwlad ni. Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you very much to the Welsh Conservatives for this debate. I agree with Samuel Kurtz this evening, I agree with him. Small businesses are the backbone of our nation. The figures demonstrate that, don't they? Ninety-nine per cent of Wales's businesses have fewer than 50 employees.
After this debate, colleagues, go out, go for a walk around the bay, go into the city centre and experience some of these small, independent businesses that are in our capital city. Giovanni's restaurants—Giovanni's has been in Cardiff for over 40 years, and what many people don't know is that every Wednesday afternoon, today, and every Sunday, Giovanni's provides a warm meal to almost 50 homeless people in our city. Support businesses like that.
Support Canna Deli, which has been through a great deal recently, with people damaging the building overnight. Support businesses like Canna Deli, a business that's run more or less entirely through the medium of Welsh, and that sells wonderful produce from Wales. Go and buy books and music from Wales: Caban, a Welsh bookshop in Pontcanna that won the award for Wales's best independent bookshop last year; and then Spillers Records, located deep within one of our city centre's special arcades. That's the world's oldest record shop, which was established back in 1894.
Or come with me later on today to Cowbridge Road. You can experience the whole world on the Cowbridge Road. Luke Fletcher mentioned his waistline earlier; well, Cowbridge Road is a bit of a temptation for the waistline. Several Indian restaurants, Japanese, Thai, Greek, Korean, French, Turkish—everything is available on Cowbridge Road. We also have the Canton Cobbler, we have two greengrocers and, yes, we even have a candlestick maker too on Cowbridge Road. Everything is there.
If you want a caffeine fix and you don't want to go to Bridgend with Luke Fletcher, come with me to Hard Lines or Ffloc or Bloc on Cowbridge Road. And of course, we have a host of excellent pubs, the Canton Cross Vaults, a family pub that serves a wonderful pub lunch for a very reasonable price in a friendly atmosphere. And then the Queens Vaults, colleagues, which has just won special recognition from Guinness. They serve the best pint of black gold in Wales, according to Guinness.
But despite these successes—and we can have a bit of fun in these debates, can't we—despite these successes, there are also very clear problems. While the number of private businesses is increasing in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the number is decreasing here in Wales. A decrease of 26,000 in Wales. Worse still, last year's decline is not an exception. Since 2020, the country with the highest percentage of small businesses closing is Wales. And of course, behind these figures are people and families who have seen dreams shattered, debts mounting, and a livelihood disappearing.
Clearly, the First Minister was right in saying at the summit that growth with purpose is needed. But the truth is that we have no growth at all at the moment. That's how disappointing it is, after a quarter of a century of this place's existence, that we can say something like that. We need to look again at national insurance. We need to look again at inheritance tax. And I think we need to look again at value added tax. The Conservatives go on and on about the tourism tax, but VAT is what threatens and impacts small businesses. UKHospitality's main ask is a reduction in VAT. That would be a very special Christmas present for Wales's businesses.
We are all, aren't we, very well aware of the potential of Welsh businesses and Welsh produce, but that potential is not being realised. It should be a priority for the Welsh Government to promote our small businesses, and through promoting our small businesses, we'll grow our economy, and in growing our economy through those small businesses, we'll alleviate so many of the problems that face this place on a weekly basis, and face the people of our country. Thank you.
I'm pleased to take part in this debate this afternoon, and it was a pleasure to celebrate Small Business Saturday last week. To celebrate, I visited a smorgasbord of small businesses across north Wales, discussing with owners how business is going and encouraging people to shop local and support their local community. It's a fantastic campaign, reaching millions of people, and has encouraged billions of spending across Britain's 5.5 million small businesses.
But sadly, amongst the array of businesses I visited, none of them described an economic environment that they were positive about. The first quarter of 2025 saw a dramatic surge in business closures across the UK, with over 2,700 companies winding up between January and March. This followed the Labour Government's £40 billion tax hike, including the £35 billion increase in employer national insurance contributions.
In furtherance, we've seen this autumn budget raise taxes by another £26 billion, breaking manifesto pledges based on what appears to be deception, or an outright lie about a black hole that the Office for Budget Responsibility denies even exists. These tax rises harm working people in order to fund a vast increase in welfare spending, keeping people in a cycle of dependency rather than investing in people's local economy.
And how will the local economy fare after this budget, I may ask. As it stands, after a quarter of a century of Labour devolved administration, Wales has the highest unemployment in the United Kingdom and the lowest take-home pay. The policy chair at the Federation of Small Businesses reacted to the autumn budget, describing it as a tax-raising budget that shows the peril of a continuing economic doom loop, adding that the tax burden, with a record high, is the cost of failure to get growth and trim spending, with 80 per cent of business leaders, as Samuel Kurtz has already highlighted, feeling negative about the budget according to the Institute of Directors.
The OECD said this week that UK taxes on personal income and capital gains is equivalent to more than 10 per cent of gross domestic product, meaning that Brits are paying more income tax than the French, Germans or Americans. The tax burden is having an impact on everyone, and many Welsh people rely on small businesses for their income.
A sector I'm deeply concerned about is the hospitality sector, with a higher rate of closures between the first COVID lockdown and today than any other UK nation. UKHospitality has revealed that, compared to what is currently being paid, this sector's business rates will rise by 23 per cent in 2026-27, 51 per cent the following year, and by 80 per cent the year after that. We are already seeing a pub close every day, much to my disappointment, and at this rate what I worry about is that the hospitality sector we rely so heavily on in north Wales will be completely decimated. The chair of UKHospitality said that the Government is balancing the books disproportionately on the backs of the high street, and that the only way to cut the cost of living is to reduce the cost of doing business.
Small businesses are being suffocated in Wales by punishing policies at both ends of the M4. Ideological policies have held Wales back, but the UK Government has now demonstrated its willingness to also place ideology over pragmatism, raising taxes for no purpose other than to further redistribute significant amounts of money from net contributors to net recipients. And, in Wales, the number of net contributors is being squeezed. Between July and September this year, Welsh unemployment increased by 1.4 per cent on the previous quarter, so we can see the squeezes leading to more job losses and more state dependency.
Another policy that has inflicted enormous anxiety and damage on businesses is, of course, the so-called tourism tax. This tax is aggressively opposed by the sector, with tourism being one of Wales's greatest economic assets, particularly in north Wales, where visitor spend supports thousands of jobs and underpins entire communities. Yet instead of nurturing this vital industry, the Welsh Government thinks it's appropriate to punish it. The Professional Association of Self-Caterers have been unequivocal, warning that the visitor levy represents a direct threat to the viability of Welsh tourism businesses, noting that the sector is already reeling from higher regulatory burdens.
Deputy Llywydd, we must axe this toxic tax before it further destroys Wales's reputation and its small businesses in the visitor economy. That's why the Welsh Conservatives are calling to eliminate business rates for all small businesses, giving them the lifeline that they desperately need. Axe the tourism tax. Finally, we call on the Welsh Government to stand up for Wales and demand the UK Government reverse the devastating national insurance rises.
To conclude, Wales's small businesses are resilient, innovative and full of potential, but the more businesses I speak to in my constituency, it feels like a tipping point. If the right environment for them to flourish isn't created soon, we will lose not just the businesses, but the very communities and livelihoods that depend on them.
Rwy'n falch o gymryd rhan yn y ddadl hon y prynhawn yma, ac roedd yn bleser dathlu Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach yr wythnos diwethaf. I ddathlu, ymwelais â smorgasbord o fusnesau bach ledled gogledd Cymru, gan drafod sut y mae busnes gyda pherchnogion ac annog pobl i siopa'n lleol a chefnogi eu cymuned leol. Mae'n ymgyrch wych, sy'n cyrraedd miliynau o bobl, ac wedi annog gwerth biliynau o wariant ar draws 5.5 miliwn o fusnesau bach Prydain.
Ond yn anffodus, ymhlith yr amrywiaeth o fusnesau yr ymwelais â nhw, ni ddisgrifiodd yr un ohonynt amgylchedd economaidd yr oeddent yn teimlo'n gadarnhaol yn ei gylch. Bu cynnydd dramatig yn nifer y busnesau a gaeodd ledled y DU yn chwarter cyntaf 2025, gyda dros 2,700 o gwmnïau'n dod i ben rhwng mis Ionawr a mis Mawrth. Dilynodd hyn gynnydd treth o £40 biliwn gan y Llywodraeth Lafur, yn cynnwys y cynnydd o £35 biliwn yng nghyfraniadau yswiriant gwladol cyflogwyr.
Yn ogystal, rydym wedi gweld cyllideb yr hydref yn codi £26 biliwn arall o drethi, gan dorri addewidion maniffesto yn seiliedig ar yr hyn sy'n ymddangos fel twyll, neu gelwydd noeth am dwll du y mae'r Swyddfa Cyfrifoldeb Cyllidebol yn gwadu ei fod hyd yn oed yn bodoli. Mae'r codiadau treth hyn yn niweidio pobl sy'n gweithio er mwyn ariannu cynnydd enfawr mewn gwariant ar les, gan gadw pobl mewn cylch o ddibyniaeth yn hytrach na buddsoddi yn economi leol pobl.
A hoffwn ofyn sut y bydd yr economi leol yn elwa ar ôl y gyllideb hon. Fel y saif pethau, ar ôl chwarter canrif o weinyddiaeth ddatganoledig Llafur, Cymru sydd â'r lefel ddiweithdra uchaf yn y Deyrnas Unedig a'r cyflog net isaf. Ymatebodd cadeirydd polisi'r Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach i gyllideb yr hydref, gan ei disgrifio fel cyllideb codi trethi sy'n dangos perygl cylch dieflig economaidd parhaus, gan ychwanegu mai'r baich treth, sydd ar ei lefel uchaf erioed, yw cost methiant i sicrhau twf a thorri gwariant, gydag 80 y cant o arweinwyr busnes, fel y mae Samuel Kurtz eisoes wedi nodi, yn teimlo'n negyddol am y gyllideb yn ôl Sefydliad y Cyfarwyddwyr.
Dywedodd y Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd yr wythnos hon fod trethi’r DU ar incwm personol ac enillion cyfalaf yn cyfateb i fwy na 10 y cant o'n cynnyrch domestig gros, sy’n golygu bod Prydeinwyr yn talu mwy o dreth incwm na’r Ffrancwyr, yr Almaenwyr neu’r Americanwyr. Mae’r baich treth yn cael effaith ar bawb, ac mae llawer o bobl Cymru’n dibynnu ar fusnesau bach am eu hincwm.
Un sector rwy'n pryderu'n fawr amdano yw'r sector lletygarwch, gyda chyfradd uwch nag unrhyw wlad arall yn y DU o fusnesau'n cau rhwng y cyfyngiadau symud COVID cyntaf a heddiw. Mae UKHospitality wedi datgelu, o gymharu â'r hyn sy'n cael ei dalu ar hyn o bryd, y bydd ardrethi busnes y sector yn codi 23 y cant yn 2026-27, 51 y cant yn y flwyddyn ganlynol, ac 80 y cant yn y flwyddyn ar ôl hynny. Rydym eisoes yn gweld tafarn yn cau bob dydd, er mawr siom i mi, ac ar y gyfradd hon, yr hyn rwy'n poeni amdano yw y bydd y sector lletygarwch y dibynnwn gymaint arno yng ngogledd Cymru yn cael ei ddinistrio'n llwyr. Dywedodd cadeirydd UKHospitality fod y Llywodraeth yn mantoli'r cyfrifon yn anghymesur ar draul y stryd fawr, ac mai'r unig ffordd i dorri costau byw yw lleihau cost gwneud busnes.
Mae busnesau bach yn cael eu mygu yng Nghymru gan bolisïau llym ar ddau ben yr M4. Mae polisïau ideolegol wedi dal Cymru’n ôl, ond mae Llywodraeth y DU hefyd bellach wedi dangos ei pharodrwydd i flaenoriaethu ideoleg dros bragmatiaeth, gan godi trethi heb unrhyw ddiben heblaw ailddosbarthu symiau sylweddol o arian ymhellach o gyfranwyr net i dderbynwyr net. Ac yng Nghymru, mae nifer y cyfranwyr net yn cael ei wasgu. Rhwng mis Gorffennaf a mis Medi eleni, cynyddodd lefel ddiweithdra Cymru 1.4 y cant o gymharu â'r chwarter blaenorol, felly gallwn weld y wasgfa'n arwain at golli mwy o swyddi a mwy o ddibyniaeth ar y wladwriaeth.
Polisi arall sydd wedi achosi cryn bryder a niwed i fusnesau yw'r dreth dwristiaeth, fel y'i gelwir. Mae'r sector yn gwrthwynebu'r dreth hon yn llwyr, gyda thwristiaeth yn un o asedau economaidd mwyaf Cymru, yn enwedig yn y gogledd, lle mae gwariant ymwelwyr yn cynnal miloedd o swyddi ac yn sail i gymunedau cyfan. Serch hynny, yn hytrach na meithrin y diwydiant hanfodol hwn, mae Llywodraeth Cymru o'r farn ei bod yn briodol ei gosbi. Mae Cymdeithas Broffesiynol Hunanddarparwyr y DU wedi rhybuddio'n ddiamwys fod yr ardoll ymwelwyr yn fygythiad uniongyrchol i hyfywedd busnesau twristiaeth Cymru, gan nodi bod y sector eisoes yn dioddef o feichiau rheoleiddiol uwch.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, rhaid inni gael gwared ar y dreth wenwynig hon cyn iddi ddinistrio enw da Cymru a'i busnesau bach ymhellach yn yr economi ymwelwyr. Dyna pam y mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn galw am ddileu ardrethi busnes ar gyfer pob busnes bach, gan roi'r rhaff achub y maent ei hangen yn daer iddynt. Dylid cael gwared ar y dreth dwristiaeth. Yn olaf, galwn ar Lywodraeth Cymru i sefyll dros Gymru a mynnu bod Llywodraeth y DU yn gwrthdroi'r codiadau yswiriant gwladol dinistriol.
I gloi, mae busnesau bach Cymru’n wydn, yn arloesol ac yn llawn potensial, ond po fwyaf o fusnesau y siaradaf â nhw yn fy etholaeth, y mwyaf tyngedfennol y mae'n teimlo. Os na fydd yr amgylchedd cywir iddynt ffynnu'n cael ei greu'n fuan, byddwn yn colli nid yn unig y busnesau, ond y cymunedau a'r fywoliaeth y mae'r busnesau hynny'n ei chynnig i bobl.
Galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi, Ynni a Chynllunio, Rebecca Evans.
I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, Rebecca Evans.
Diolch. Small Business Saturday provides a moment to celebrate our small businesses, but, of course, we want to celebrate their contributions and support them all year round. Creating jobs, supporting communities and driving economic development locally across Wales, our small businesses play a critical role in the social and economic fabric of our country. Small Business Saturday is more than a date on the calendar; it's a powerful reminder of the resilience, determination and ingenuity that small business owners demonstrate every day.
Across Wales, micro, small and independent businesses create opportunities, foster innovation and support local communities. In 2023, there were over 244,000 micro and small enterprises in Wales, accounting for 98.4 per cent of all businesses. Collectively, these businesses employed more than 0.5 million people—nearly half of our total workforce—generating close to £36 billion in turnover. And these numbers tell the story of thousands of entrepreneurs who are investing, creating and building futures right here in Wales.
The Welsh Government remains committed to helping small businesses to thrive. We understand the challenges they face from adapting to changing economic conditions and the shifting sands of global trade, to keeping pace with new technologies and consumer expectations. And that's why we're investing in a comprehensive suite of support measures designed to help them succeed.
We're backing small businesses through Business Wales, our flagship business support service, providing expert advice, mentoring and practical guidance. Since the beginning of this Senedd term, Business Wales has played a pivotal role in supporting our small businesses and entrepreneurs. The service has provided direct support to over 33,200 businesses and entrepreneurs, and it's contributed to the creation of more than 4,500 new businesses. Business Wales has supported over 21,200 jobs, with 26 per cent of those roles being filled by people who were previously unemployed, demonstrating our commitment to inclusive economic growth and opportunity for everyone. Highlighting its importance as a resource for the Welsh business community, our Business Wales website has also seen nearly 13 million page views and 3.6 million unique visitors. Notably, the survival rates over four years of businesses supported by Business Wales are more than double those of non-supported businesses, underlining the effectiveness of our support and the resilience that it fosters in small businesses.
Through Visit Wales, we're working to showcase the best of Welsh enterprise to the world, boosting tourism and driving footfall to local businesses, from shops and cafes to guest houses and attractions. The Development Bank of Wales continues to play a vital role in supporting business growth, offering loans and equity finance to help small businesses invest, create jobs and drive forward green initiatives. Over this Senedd term, the development bank's tailored microloans and growth finance packages have supported over 950 businesses, with £21.7 million of loans, with microfinance this year on track to reach £2 million from the bank. And this has helped businesses in every region of Wales to seize new growth opportunities.
Crucially, we recognise the importance of reducing the burdens on our small business community. Our ongoing non-domestic rates relief package is providing vital assistance to thousands of small enterprises. Our small business rates relief scheme provides over £140 million of relief annually to around 70,000 properties across Wales, with over 50,000 of these receiving 100 per cent relief and paying nothing at all.
In recent years, the economy in Wales has faced significant challenges, including Brexit and COVID, but despite this, the overall economic environment continues to improve. The Office for Budget Responsibility has upgraded its growth forecast for this year and inflation is lower than would have been expected for next year, due to Government policies. These will help to improve the economic environment in which small businesses operate in Wales. [Interruption.] Of course.
Mae Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach yn gyfle i ddathlu ein busnesau bach, ond wrth gwrs, rydym am ddathlu eu cyfraniadau a'u cefnogi drwy gydol y flwyddyn. Drwy greu swyddi, cefnogi cymunedau a hybu datblygiad economaidd ar lefel leol ledled Cymru, mae ein busnesau bach yn chwarae rhan hanfodol yng ngwead cymdeithasol ac economaidd ein gwlad. Mae Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach yn fwy na dyddiad ar y calendr; mae'n atgof pwerus o'r gwydnwch, y penderfynoldeb a'r dyfeisgarwch y mae perchnogion busnesau bach yn eu dangos bob dydd.
Ledled Cymru, mae busnesau micro, bach ac annibynnol yn creu cyfleoedd, yn meithrin arloesedd ac yn cefnogi cymunedau lleol. Yn 2023, roedd dros 244,000 o fentrau micro a bach yng Nghymru, sef 98.4 y cant o'r holl fusnesau. Gyda'i gilydd, roedd y busnesau hyn yn cyflogi mwy na 0.5 miliwn o bobl—bron i hanner ein gweithlu cyfan—gan gynhyrchu bron i £36 biliwn mewn trosiant. Ac mae'r ffigurau hyn yn adrodd hanes miloedd o entrepreneuriaid sy'n buddsoddi, yn creu ac yn adeiladu dyfodol yma yng Nghymru.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru’n parhau i fod wedi ymrwymo i helpu busnesau bach i ffynnu. Rydym yn deall yr heriau y maent yn eu hwynebu, o addasu i amodau economaidd sy'n newid a'r newidiadau mewn masnach fyd-eang, i ddal i fyny â thechnolegau newydd a disgwyliadau defnyddwyr. A dyna pam ein bod yn buddsoddi mewn cyfres gynhwysfawr o fesurau cymorth a gynlluniwyd i'w helpu i lwyddo.
Rydym yn cefnogi busnesau bach drwy Busnes Cymru, ein gwasanaeth cymorth i fusnesau blaenllaw, gan ddarparu cyngor arbenigol, mentora ac arweiniad ymarferol. Ers dechrau tymor y Senedd hon, mae Busnes Cymru wedi chwarae rhan ganolog yn cefnogi ein busnesau bach a'n hentrepreneuriaid. Mae'r gwasanaeth wedi darparu cymorth uniongyrchol i dros 33,200 o fusnesau ac entrepreneuriaid, ac wedi cyfrannu at greu mwy na 4,500 o fusnesau newydd. Mae Busnes Cymru wedi cefnogi dros 21,200 o swyddi, gyda 26 y cant o'r rolau hynny'n cael eu llenwi gan bobl a oedd yn ddi-waith cyn hynny, gan ddangos ein hymrwymiad i dwf economaidd cynhwysol a chyfle i bawb. I dynnu sylw at ei bwysigrwydd fel adnodd i gymuned fusnes Cymru, mae ein gwefan Busnes Cymru hefyd wedi cael bron i 13 miliwn o ymweliadau â'i thudalennau a 3.6 miliwn o ymwelwyr gwahanol. Yn nodedig, mae cyfraddau goroesi dros bedair blynedd busnesau a gefnogir gan Busnes Cymru yn fwy na dwbl cyfraddau goroesi busnesau nad ydynt yn cael eu cefnogi, gan danlinellu effeithiolrwydd ein cymorth a'r gwydnwch y mae'n ei feithrin mewn busnesau bach.
Drwy Croeso Cymru, rydym yn gweithio i arddangos y gorau o fentergarwch Cymru i'r byd, gan hybu twristiaeth a denu ymwelwyr i fusnesau lleol, o siopau a chaffis i westai ac atyniadau. Mae Banc Datblygu Cymru yn parhau i chwarae rhan hanfodol yn cefnogi twf busnesau, gan gynnig benthyciadau ac ecwiti i helpu busnesau bach i fuddsoddi, creu swyddi a hybu mentrau gwyrdd. Dros dymor y Senedd hon, mae microfenthyciadau wedi'u teilwra gan y banc datblygu a phecynnau cyllid twf wedi cefnogi dros 950 o fusnesau, gyda gwerth £21.7 miliwn o fenthyciadau, gyda chyllid micro eleni ar y trywydd iawn i gyrraedd £2 filiwn gan y banc. Ac mae hyn wedi helpu busnesau ym mhob rhanbarth o Gymru i fanteisio ar gyfleoedd twf newydd.
Yn hollbwysig, rydym yn cydnabod pwysigrwydd lleihau'r beichiau ar gymuned ein busnesau bach. Mae ein pecyn rhyddhad ardrethi annomestig parhaus yn darparu cymorth hanfodol i filoedd o fentrau bach. Mae ein cynllun rhyddhad ardrethi busnesau bach yn darparu dros £140 miliwn o ryddhad bob blwyddyn i oddeutu 70,000 eiddo ledled Cymru, gyda dros 50,000 o'r rhain yn derbyn rhyddhad o 100 y cant a heb fod yn talu unrhyw beth o gwbl.
Yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, mae economi Cymru wedi wynebu heriau sylweddol, gan gynnwys Brexit a COVID, ond er hynny, mae'r amgylchedd economaidd cyffredinol yn parhau i wella. Mae'r Swyddfa Cyfrifoldeb Cyllidebol wedi uwchraddio ei rhagolygon twf ar gyfer eleni ac mae chwyddiant yn is na'r disgwyl ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf, oherwydd polisïau'r Llywodraeth. Bydd y rhain yn helpu i wella'r amgylchedd economaidd y mae busnesau bach yn gweithredu ynddo yng Nghymru. [Torri ar draws.] Wrth gwrs.
Would you recognise that inflation has indeed gone up—nearly doubled—since Labour won the UK general election?
A fyddech chi'n cydnabod bod chwyddiant wedi codi mewn gwirionedd—bron â dyblu—ers i Lafur ennill etholiad cyffredinol y DU?
Clearly, inflation has been a challenge for many years. We've seen the cost-of-living crisis, and businesses themselves have seen the cost-of-doing-business crisis as part of that. Inflation has been a problem over a number of years now following the pandemic. But I do really welcome these new figures from the OBR, which, I think, set out a brighter picture for the next year.
Entrepreneurship, innovation and productivity are central missions for Wales. Small businesses will continue to play a crucial role in the Welsh economy, and they will be at the forefront of developing and exploiting new technologies with the full support of the Welsh Government.
Our commitment as a Government remains that we will continue to listen, invest and create the right environment for small businesses to flourish. As we celebrate the achievements of our entrepreneurs, we look forward to a future where Welsh enterprise continues to go from strength to strength. Together, we can build on our shared successes and ensure that small businesses remain at the very heart of our economy and our communities.
Yn amlwg, mae chwyddiant wedi bod yn her ers blynyddoedd lawer. Rydym wedi gweld yr argyfwng costau byw, ac mae busnesau eu hunain wedi gweld yr argyfwng costau gwneud busnes fel rhan o hynny. Mae chwyddiant wedi bod yn broblem ers nifer o flynyddoedd bellach yn dilyn y pandemig. Ond rwy'n croesawu'r ffigurau newydd hyn gan y Swyddfa Cyfrifoldeb Cyllidebol yn fawr iawn, gan eu bod, yn fy marn i, yn rhoi darlun mwy disglair ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf.
Mae entrepreneuriaeth, arloesedd a chynhyrchiant yn genadaethau hollbwysig i Gymru. Bydd busnesau bach yn parhau i chwarae rhan hanfodol yn economi Cymru, a byddant ar flaen y gad o ran datblygu a manteisio ar dechnolegau newydd gyda chefnogaeth lawn Llywodraeth Cymru.
Rydym yn parhau i fod wedi ymrwymo fel Llywodraeth i barhau i wrando, buddsoddi a chreu'r amgylchedd cywir i fusnesau bach ffynnu. Wrth inni ddathlu cyflawniadau ein hentrepreneuriaid, edrychwn ymlaen at ddyfodol lle mae mentrau Cymru’n parhau i fynd o nerth i nerth. Gyda'n gilydd, gallwn adeiladu ar ein llwyddiannau cyffredin a sicrhau bod busnesau bach yn parhau i fod wrth wraidd ein heconomi a'n cymunedau.
Galwaf ar Sam Rowlands i ymateb i'r ddadl.
I call on Sam Rowlands to reply to the debate.
Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you to everyone who has contributed in today's debate. Of course, this does come off the back of Small Business Saturday, which, as the Cabinet Secretary just outlined, is more than just a single day in a year, it's a year-round national movement that celebrates those 5.5 million small businesses across the UK, and, as Joel James urged us to do, encourages millions of people to shop small and invest in our local economies.
I have some experience of this, as chair of the cross-party group on tourism, seeing first-hand the vital role that small businesses play in sustaining our local economies, creating jobs and supporting our communities. And on the point of hospitality, I was intrigued to hear that many contributions from Members focused on food as an essential part of business here in Wales—and drink also being an important factor for Members of this place.
In particular, Luke Fletcher highlighted the important role that hospitality plays on our high streets, attracting people to come to our high streets, but also the opportunity for those vacant sites, often above those shops, to enable our high streets to thrive.
Rhys ab Owen regaled us with his culinary experience here in Wrexham, and they were all deeply—[Interruption.] Sorry, we're not in Wrexham just yet, are we? The capital will be Wrexham one day, I'm sure. He regaled us of his experiences here in Cardiff, which were deeply fascinating.
What we heard from Members across the Chamber was that despite the energy, creativity and dedication of these businesses, they continue to face challenges that put their future at risk. All Members have recognised that there are far too many barriers to growth for businesses in Wales due to the anti-business, anti-growth agenda being pursued by both Labour Governments, including the recent UK Labour Government's autumn budget, introducing additional costs for businesses—and it certainly risks job losses.
Sam Kurtz highlighted the fact that here in Wales, the situation is compounded by the Welsh Labour Government. Despite the Cabinet Secretary's best efforts to allay us of those fears, Wales continues to have the least competitive business rates in Great Britain. Unemployment is the highest in the United Kingdom, and Members reminded us again that take-home pay is the lowest.
Hospitality businesses, as we hear time and time again, are facing particularly stark challenges, with rateable value increases of 76 per cent for accommodation, 30 per cent for pubs and 14 per cent for restaurants and cafes, placing those jobs, investment and local economies at risk.
We heard from Gareth Davies of his time spent with businesses recently. Those businesses do not trust Labour and Plaid Cymru with the economy. They've seen what Labour and Plaid Cymru have done for the last 26 years here in Wales. Those businesses tell us that those parties do not understand the needs of business or the economy and simply fail to realise that sustainable, long-term prosperity comes from businesses that invest, expand and provide employment.
This is where we have some fundamental philosophical and political differences as to why business exists. We hear far too often in this place from our friends on the left that they frame business as merely a public-utility-in-waiting. The left use language such as 'people, not profit' as if those two things are mutually exclusive. They argue for 'production for use'—language that sounds noble, but in practice replaces the dynamism of the entrepreneur with the stagnation of bureaucracy. They view profit with suspicion, as if it were a subtraction from the public good.
We have seen, of course, where that road leads, and some Members in this place will remember well the winter of discontent. We know that when the state tries to steer industry, we end up with inefficiency, shortages and the grey dullness of decline. Our view is radically different. We believe that business is a vehicle for liberty and aspiration. When a shopkeeper opens their shutters on the high street, or a small tech start-up launches, they're acting on their own initiative to create value.
In our language, 'profit' is not a dirty word. It is a signal; it is the honest metric that tells a business it has successfully served its neighbour. You cannot force a consumer to part with their hard-earned pounds; you must persuade them with better service, better products and better prices. It's this invisible hand that ensures that by pursuing their own interests, the business owner promotes the interests of society more effectively than if they really intended to promote it.
Let us be clear: we cannot have a strong society without a strong economy and thriving small businesses at its heart. The schools we cherish, the roads we drive on, and, of course, our national health service—none of these can be funded by good intentions alone; they're funded by the tax receipts generated by profitable, thriving private enterprises.
Let us not apologise in this place for the profit that small businesses make. Let us celebrate it, because when these Welsh businesses succeed, Wales succeeds. We are, and should remain, a proud nation of shopkeepers, innovators and wealth creators. The Welsh Conservatives understand business. We understand what it takes to get our economy moving and growing. We've laid out some of those in our motion here today. With a Welsh Conservative Government, businesses across Wales would finally have the support and championing that they need to thrive. I urge all Members to support our motion here today.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd, a diolch i bawb sydd wedi cyfrannu at y ddadl heddiw. Wrth gwrs, daw hyn yn sgil Dydd Sadwrn y Busnesau Bach, sydd, fel yr amlinellodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yn fwy na dim ond un diwrnod mewn blwyddyn, mae'n fudiad cenedlaethol sy'n digwydd drwy gydol y flwyddyn i ddathlu'r 5.5 miliwn o fusnesau bach ledled y DU, ac fel y gwnaeth Joel James ein hannog ni i'w wneud, mae'n annog miliynau o bobl i siopa'n fach a buddsoddi yn ein heconomïau lleol.
Mae gennyf rywfaint o brofiad o hyn, fel cadeirydd y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar dwristiaeth, a gweld â fy llygaid fy hun y rôl hanfodol y mae busnesau bach yn ei chwarae yn cynnal ein heconomïau lleol, yn creu swyddi ac yn cefnogi ein cymunedau. Ac ar bwynt lletygarwch, roedd yn ddiddorol clywed llawer o gyfraniadau gan Aelodau yn canolbwyntio ar fwyd fel rhan hanfodol o fusnes yma yng Nghymru—a bod diod hefyd yn ffactor pwysig i Aelodau'r lle hwn.
Yn fwyaf arbennig, tynnodd Luke Fletcher sylw at y rôl bwysig y mae lletygarwch yn ei chwarae ar ein stryd fawr, gan ddenu pobl i ddod i'r stryd fawr, ond hefyd y cyfle i safleoedd gwag, a geir uwchben y siopau'n aml, alluogi ein stryd fawr i ffynnu.
Fe wnaeth Rhys ab Owen ein difyrru gyda'i brofiad o goginio yma yn Wrecsam, ac roedd pob un ohonynt yn—[Torri ar draws.] Mae’n ddrwg gennyf, nid ydym yn Wrecsam eto. Wrecsam fydd y brifddinas un diwrnod, rwy'n siŵr. Fe wnaeth ein difyrru am ei brofiadau yma yng Nghaerdydd, a oedd yn hynod ddiddorol.
Yr hyn a glywsom gan Aelodau ar draws y Siambr oedd, er gwaethaf egni, creadigrwydd ac ymroddiad y busnesau hyn, eu bod yn parhau i wynebu heriau sy'n peryglu eu dyfodol. Mae pob Aelod wedi cydnabod bod gormod o rwystrau i dwf busnesau yng Nghymru oherwydd agenda wrth-fusnes, wrth-dwf y ddwy Lywodraeth Lafur, gan gynnwys cyllideb hydref Llywodraeth Lafur y DU yn ddiweddar, sy'n cyflwyno costau ychwanegol i fusnesau—ac mae'n sicr yn creu risg o golli swyddi.
Tynnodd Sam Kurtz sylw at y ffaith bod y sefyllfa yma yng Nghymru wedi'i gwaethygu gan Lywodraeth Lafur Cymru. Er gwaethaf ymdrechion gorau Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i dawelu'r ofnau hynny, Cymru sydd â'r ardrethi busnes lleiaf cystadleuol ym Mhrydain o hyd. Yma y mae'r lefel uchaf o ddiweithdra yn y Deyrnas Unedig, a chawsom ein hatgoffa eto gan yr Aelodau mai yma y mae'r cyflogau net isaf.
Mae busnesau lletygarwch, fel y clywn dro ar ôl tro, yn wynebu heriau arbennig o lwm, gyda chynnydd mewn gwerth ardrethol o 76 y cant ar gyfer darpariaethau llety, 30 y cant ar gyfer tafarndai a 14 y cant ar gyfer bwytai a chaffis, sy'n peryglu swyddi, buddsoddiad ac economïau lleol.
Clywsom gan Gareth Davies am yr amser a dreuliodd gyda busnesau yn ddiweddar. Nid yw'r busnesau hynny'n ymddiried yn Llafur a Phlaid Cymru gyda'r economi. Maent wedi gweld yr hyn y mae Llafur a Phlaid Cymru wedi'i wneud am y 26 mlynedd diwethaf yma yng Nghymru. Mae'r busnesau hynny'n dweud wrthym nad yw'r pleidiau hynny'n deall anghenion busnes na'r economi ac nad ydynt yn sylweddoli o gwbl fod ffyniant cynaliadwy, hirdymor yn dod o fusnesau sy'n buddsoddi, yn ehangu ac yn darparu cyflogaeth.
Dyma ble mae gennym rai gwahaniaethau athronyddol a gwleidyddol sylfaenol ynghylch pam fod busnes yn bodoli. Rydym yn clywed yn rhy aml yn y lle hwn gan ein ffrindiau ar y chwith eu bod yn ystyried busnesau'n bethau a fydd yn gyfleustodau cyhoeddus maes o law. Mae'r chwith yn defnyddio ieithwedd fel 'pobl, nid elw' fel pe bai'r ddau beth yn annibynnol ar ei gilydd. Maent yn dadlau dros 'gynhyrchu ar gyfer defnyddio'—ieithwedd sy'n swnio'n uchelfrydig, ond yn ymarferol, mae'n cynnig marweidd-dra biwrocratiaeth yn lle natur ddynamig yr entrepreneur. Maent yn ddrwgdybus o elw, fel pe bai'n tynnu oddi wrth les y cyhoedd.
Rydym wedi gweld i ble mae'r ffordd honno'n arwain wrth gwrs, a bydd rhai Aelodau yn y lle hwn yn cofio'r gaeaf o anniddigrwydd yn iawn. Pan fydd y wladwriaeth yn ceisio llywio diwydiant, fe wyddom mai'r hyn a gawn yw aneffeithlonrwydd, prinder a diflastod llwyd dirywiad. Mae ein barn ni yn gwbl wahanol. Credwn fod busnes yn gyfrwng ar gyfer rhyddid a dyhead. Pan fydd siopwr yn agor ei siop ar y stryd fawr, neu pan fydd cwmni technoleg bach yn lansio, maent yn gweithredu ar eu menter eu hunain i greu gwerth.
Yn ein hiaith ni, nid yw 'elw' yn air budr. Mae'n arwydd; dyma'r metrig gonest sy'n dweud wrth fusnes ei fod wedi gwasanaethu ei gymydog yn llwyddiannus. Ni allwch orfodi defnyddwyr i wario eu punnoedd a enillwyd drwy waith caled; rhaid i chi eu perswadio gyda gwell gwasanaeth, gwell cynhyrchion a gwell prisiau. Y llaw anweledig hon sy'n sicrhau, drwy fynd ar drywydd eu buddiannau eu hunain, fod perchennog busnes yn hyrwyddo buddiannau cymdeithas yn fwy effeithiol nag y byddai pe bai wedi bwriadu ei hyrwyddo mewn gwirionedd.
Gadewch inni ddweud yn glir: ni allwn gael cymdeithas gref heb economi gref gyda busnesau bach ffyniannus yn ganolog iddi. Yr ysgolion a drysorwn, y ffyrdd rydym yn gyrru arnynt, ac wrth gwrs, ein gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol—ni ellir ariannu'r un o'r rhain drwy fwriadau da yn unig; cânt eu hariannu gan y derbyniadau treth a gynhyrchir gan fentrau preifat proffidiol, ffyniannus.
Gadewch inni beidio ag ymddiheuro yn y lle hwn am yr elw y mae busnesau bach yn ei wneud. Gadewch i ni ei ddathlu, oherwydd pan fydd y busnesau Cymreig hyn yn llwyddo, mae Cymru'n llwyddo. Rydym yn genedl falch o siopwyr, arloeswyr a chrewyr cyfoeth, a dylem barhau i fod felly. Mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn deall busnes. Rydym yn deall y camau sydd angen eu cymryd i wneud i'n heconomi symud a thyfu. Rydym wedi nodi rhywfaint ohonynt yn ein cynnig yma heddiw. Gyda Llywodraeth Geidwadol yng Nghymru, o'r diwedd byddai gan fusnesau ledled Cymru y cymorth a'r gefnogaeth y maent eu hangen i ffynnu. Rwy'n annog pob Aelod i gefnogi ein cynnig yma heddiw.
Y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid derbyn y cynnig heb ei ddiwygio? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? [Gwrthwynebiad.] Oes. Felly, gohiriaf y bleidlais o dan yr eitem hon tan y cyfnod pleidleisio.
The proposal is to agree the motion without amendment. Does any Member object? [Objection.] There are objections. We will therefore defer voting under this item until voting time.
Gohiriwyd y pleidleisio tan y cyfnod pleidleisio.
Voting deferred until voting time.
Dyma ni'n cyrraedd y cyfnod pleidleisio. Oni bai fod tri Aelod yn dymuno i mi ganu'r gloch, symudaf yn syth i'r cyfnod pleidleisio.
That brings us to voting time. Unless three Members wish for the bell to be rung, I will move immediately to the votes.
Mae'r bleidlais gyntaf ar eitem 5, dadl Aelodau o dan Reol Sefydlog 11.21. Mae'r bleidlais gyntaf ar welliant 1, yn enw Adam Price. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 32, 15 yn ymatal, neb yn erbyn. Felly, mae'r gwelliant wedi ei dderbyn.
The first vote this evening is on item 5, Member debate under Standing Order 11.21. The first vote is on amendment 1, tabled in the name of Adam Price. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 32, 15 abstentions, none against. Therefore, amendment 1 is agreed.
Eitem 5. Dadl Aelod o dan Reol Sefydlog 11.21(iv): Adam Price MS - Enseffalomyelitis Myalgig (ME). Gwelliant 1, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Adam Price.: O blaid: 32, Yn erbyn: 0, Ymatal: 15
Derbyniwyd y gwelliant
Item 5. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Adam Price MS - Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Amendment 1, tabled in the name of Adam Price.: For: 32, Against: 0, Abstain: 15
Amendment has been agreed
Galwaf nawr am bleidlais ar y cynnig wedi ei ddiwygio.
I now call for a vote on the motion as amended.
Cynnig NDM8884 fel y'i diwygiwyd:
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
1. Yn nodi bod enseffalomyelitis myalgig (ME) yn salwch cronig sy’n anablu ar bob lefel o ddifrifoldeb.
2. Yn nodi bod 25%, o’r rhai sy'n dioddef o ME, yn cael eu categoreiddio gan NICE fel ‘difrifol: yn bennaf yn gaeth i’r gwely neu’r tŷ’, a ‘difrifol iawn: gyfan gwbl gaeth i’r gwely’, sy'n gofyn am ofal llawn amser ac, yn yr achosion mwyaf difrifol, gofal lliniarol a bwydo drwy diwb.
3.Yn gresynu mai’r rhai sydd yn aml â'r lefelau uchaf o ddifrifoldeb ME sy'n cael y lleiaf o ofal a thriniaeth briodol.
4. Yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i:
a) ymateb i'r pryderon a godir yn Adroddiad y Crwner yn Lloegr, Prevention of Future Deaths, ac esbonio pa gamau ymarferol y bydd yn eu cymryd i sicrhau na fydd unrhyw glaf yng Nghymru fyth yn cael ei roi mewn amgylchiadau mor drasig â'r rhai a ddisgrifir yn yr adroddiad;
b) sicrhau bod gwasanaethau ME a ariennir gan Adferiad yn gwneud darpariaeth sy’n briodol i anghenion cleifion sydd ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn;
c) dwyn ynghyd grŵp arbenigol o weithwyr iechyd proffesiynol a phobl sydd â phrofiad byw, ar lefel genedlaethol, i ddatblygu canllawiau a safonau ansawdd Cymru Gyfan ar ME, gan gynnwys ar gyfer y rhai yr effeithir arnynt yn fwyaf difrifol;
d) gwneud penodi ymgynghorydd arbenigol Cymru gyfan ar gyfer cyflyrau cronig ôl-heintus - gan gynnwys ME a Covid hir - yn flaenoriaeth;
e) gwella'r hyfforddiant ar ME ar gyfer gweithwyr proffesiynol, yn gyntaf yn y GIG, ond hefyd mewn gwasanaethau cymdeithasol ac ysgolion: yn benodol, codi ymwybyddiaeth o anghenion gofal oedolion a phlant sydd ag ME difrifol a difrifol iawn; ac
f) sicrhau bod byrddau iechyd yn wirioneddol gyd-gynhyrchu eu gwasanaethau Adferiad ME a Covid hir, gan ystyried profiadau byw y rhai sy'n dioddef ar y lefelau mwyaf difrifol a'r rhai sy'n gofalu amdanynt.
g) datblygu dull strategol o ymchwil drwy gefnogi Cymru i gynnal un o'r pum canolfan arfaethedig yn y DU ar gyfer ymchwil drosiadol gydweithredol i fecanweithiau patholegol sy'n achosi ME, COVID hir a chyflyrau heintiau ôl-acíwt cysylltiedig.
Motion NNDM8884 as amended:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Notes that myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is a chronic and disabling illness at all levels of severity.
2. Notes that of those suffering from ME, 25 per cent are categorised by NICE as 'severe: mainly bed bound or housebound', and 'very severe: fully bedbound', requiring full-time care and, in the severest cases, palliative care and tube feeding.
3. Regrets that it is often those with the greatest severity levels of ME who are provided with the least amount of appropriate care and treatment.
4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) respond to the concerns raised in the Coroner in England’s Prevention of Future Deaths Report, and explain what practical steps they will take to ensure that no patient in Wales will ever be placed in such tragic circumstances as those described in the report;
b) ensure that the Adferiad-funded ME services are making provision appropriate to the needs of patients with severe and very severe ME;
c) bring together an expert group of health professionals and people with lived experience, at a national level, to develop all-Wales guidance and quality standards on ME, including for the most severely affected;
d) make the appointment of an all-Wales specialist consultant for post-infectious chronic conditions - including ME and long COVID - a priority;
e) improve the training on ME for professionals, firstly in the NHS, but also in social services and schools: in particular, raising awareness of the care needs of adults and children with severe and very severe ME; and
f) ensure that health boards truly co-produce their ME and long COVID Adferiad services, taking into account the lived experiences of those suffering at the severest levels and of those caring for them.
g) develop a strategic approach to research by supporting Wales to host one of the five proposed UK hubs for collaborative translational research into pathological mechanisms that cause ME, long COVID and related post-acute infection conditions.
Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 32, 15 yn ymatal, neb yn erbyn. Felly, mae'r cynnig wedi ei ddiwygio wedi ei dderbyn.
Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 32, 15 abstentions, none against. Therefore, the motion as amended is agreed.
Eitem 5. Dadl Aelod o dan Reol Sefydlog 11.21(iv): Adam Price MS - Enseffalomyelitis Myalgig (ME). Cynnig (wedi'i ddiwygio).: O blaid: 32, Yn erbyn: 0, Ymatal: 15
Derbyniwyd y cynnig fel y'i diwygiwyd
Item 5. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Adam Price MS - Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Motion (as amended).: For: 32, Against: 0, Abstain: 15
Motion as amended has been agreed
Mae'r bleidlais nesaf ar eitem 7, dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig ar fusnesau bach. Galwaf am bleidlais ar y cynnig yn enw Paul Davies. Os gwrthodir y cynnig, byddwn yn pleidleisio ar y gwelliannau a gyflwynwyd i'r cynnig. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 12, 1 yn ymatal, 34 yn erbyn. Felly, mae'r cynnig wedi ei wrthod.
The next vote is on item 7, the Welsh Conservatives debate on small businesses. I call for a vote on the motion tabled in the name of Paul Davies. If the proposal is not agreed, we will vote on the amendment tabled to the motion. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 12, 1 abstention, 34 against. Therefore, the motion is not agreed.
Eitem 7. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig - Busnesau bach. Cynnig heb ei ddiwygio. : O blaid: 12, Yn erbyn: 34, Ymatal: 1
Gwrthodwyd y cynnig
Item 7. Welsh Conservatives Debate - Small businesses. Motion without amendment. : For: 12, Against: 34, Abstain: 1
Motion has been rejected
Galwaf nawr am bleidlais ar welliant 1 yn enw Jane Hutt. Os derbynnir gwelliant 1, bydd gwelliant 2 yn cael yn ddad-ddethol. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 23, neb yn ymatal, 24 yn erbyn. Felly mae gwelliant 1 wedi ei wrthod.
I now call for a vote on amendment 1 tabled in the name of Jane Hutt. If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be deselected. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 23, no abstentions, 24 against. Therefore, amendment 1 is not agreed.
Eitem 7. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig - Busnesau bach. Gwelliant 1, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Jane Hutt.: O blaid: 23, Yn erbyn: 24, Ymatal: 0
Gwrthodwyd y gwelliant
Item 7. Welsh Conservatives Debate - Small businesses. Amendment 1, tabled in the name of Jane Hutt.: For: 23, Against: 24, Abstain: 0
Amendment has been rejected
Galwaf am bleidlais ar welliant 2, yn enw Heledd Fychan. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 11, neb yn ymatal, 36 yn erbyn. Felly, mae gwelliant 2 wedi ei wrthod.
I call for a vote on amendment 2, tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 11, no abstentions, 36 against. Therefore, amendment 2 is not agreed.
Eitem 7. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig - Busnesau bach. Gwelliant 2, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Heledd Fychan.: O blaid: 11, Yn erbyn: 36, Ymatal: 0
Gwrthodwyd y gwelliant
Item 7. Welsh Conservatives Debate - Small businesses. Amendment 2, tabled in the name of Heledd Fychan.: For: 11, Against: 36, Abstain: 0
Amendment has been rejected
Felly, mae gwelliannau a'r cynnig wedi cwympo, a dim byd wedi ei dderbyn. A dyna ddiwedd y pleidleisio.
Therefore, the motion and the amendments have all fallen and nothing is agreed. And that concludes voting for this evening.
Felly, yr eitem nesaf o fusnes yw'r ddadl fer, a galwaf ar Carolyn Thomas i siarad.
Therefore, the next item of business is the short debate, and I call on Carolyn Thomas to speak to the topic she has chosen.
Diolch. I would like to start this debate by thanking Dr Linda Joyce-Jones, who continues to work tirelessly to raise this issue of the corporate takeover of veterinary practices here in the Senedd through her petition, and across the UK. Linda is in the gallery today to watch this short debate.
Since 1999, non-veterinary ownership of veterinary practices has been permitted. This has led to a feeding frenzy of over 1,000 corporate acquisitions of UK practices by six large companies—just six large companies—which now own 60 per cent of the veterinary sector. A decade ago, that figure stood at just 10 per cent. Some of these are themselves owned by private equity, which seeks to buy companies, drive down costs, including wages, drive up fees, and leverage debt to expand through acquisitions, before selling on the companies for massive profits. These companies are monopolising the industry, to the detriment of pets and their owners.
The Competition and Markets Authority has been looking into the veterinary services market since 2023. An interim report was published in October, identifying key issues in the industry that undermine owner choice and put animals at risk. These include the fact that prices are rarely publicised and estimates not given before a course of treatment begins. They're often overcharged, well above the market rate for prescribed medicines, and have no effective means of complaining when things go wrong.
One of the companies being looked into is IVC Evidensia, the largest provider of vet services in the UK, owning over 1,000 practices. It is owned in part by Nestlé, who also manufacture pet food. How can owners be confident of the quality of the food or the nutrition advice from their vet when the two have such a conflict of interest? At the same time, bills for pet owners have increased by more than 60 per cent—double the rate of inflation and increase in vet salaries. This shift has gone hand in hand with the prioritisation of profit before the welfare of pets, their owners and veterinary staff. Private equity shareholder companies are required by law to make a profit for their investors, in stark contrast to independent veterinary practices.
The cost-of-living crisis has put a significant financial burden on pet owners. Many have been priced out of pet insurance, with premiums based on postcode. If an area has a large corporate presence, premiums are higher, but, without insurance, sudden huge vet bills can be impossible to pay. And in researching for this debate, I read about pet owners skipping meals to cover costs, having to hand over their pets to rescue, or, in some cases, very sadly being forced to euthanise their pet.
We know that this has led to increasing pressure on rescue centres, with the RSPCA reporting a 25 per cent increase in the number of pet abandonments in England and Wales this year, with seven in 10 pet owners worried about the cost of caring for their animals. Pets are a much-loved part of the family, and it can be incredibly worrying for owners and have a significant mental health impact when their animal becomes unwell. It's even more stressful and expensive when this happens outside of normal practice hours, and many of the large companies taking over local practices do not cover out-of-hours emergency care. This has led to the dire situation where, in Ynys Môn, there are now no out-of-hours vet services on the island, and it's a constant source of concern for local pet owners. The corporate takeover is having a severe negative impact on those working in the sector as well, which is plagued by support staff experiencing poverty pay, falling real-terms pay for clinical staff, poor sick and maternity pay, and large gender pay gaps.
These were the issues at the centre of the Valley Vets and the British Veterinary Union in Unite trade dispute. Staff went on strike when the vet partners did not engage in good faith and, during a sham bargaining performance, presented the union with a final offer. This offer represented no improvement in conditions, ongoing poverty pay for support staff and yet another year of a real-terms wage cut for vets and nurses. Vet partners argued that downward transaction trends and market uncertainty meant that they could not move beyond this offer. However, Unite forensic accounting revealed that vet partners' turnover has been increasing year on year, resulting in a 176 per cent increase in the five-year period since 2019. In 2019, group turnover was £261 million, and it had risen to over £723 million. A resolution was never found, with the corporate giant choosing to close practices and make staff redundant or laying them off, rather than stepping up to provide fair wages and decent working conditions.
As the big six endlessly pursue profit, staff face strict deadlines and targets. A survey of 275 veterinary staff carried out by the British Veterinary Union in Unite for the Competition and Markets Authority last year indicated that monitoring and targets had an impact on the decisions of almost 40 per cent of nurses and just over 17 per cent of vets. One vet explained that he felt pressured to upsell to pet owners, with the company demanding to know why he hadn't carried out enough sales of the most expensive procedures. He said that he felt that your worth is only how much income you bring in. Another vet working for the out-of-hours service told the BBC that its call centre regularly booked emergency appointments with her for animals with non-urgent symptoms, costing pet owners more than £300. 'I'd say that 30-50 per cent of cases could wait to be seen in the morning', she said. At the same time, non-compete clauses are being used to stop vets from leaving a practice that has been taken over by a large corporation, banning them from working for another practice for a year after leaving.
The situation is clearly unsustainable. It's costing the lives of pets, it's traumatising and unaffordable for pet owners, and has created an unacceptable work environment for vets and support staff. France has taken legal steps against the corporate ownership of clinics, and Ireland is considering the same. I believe that the UK needs to take action now, before it's too late. Thank you.
Diolch. Hoffwn ddechrau'r ddadl hon drwy ddiolch i Dr Linda Joyce-Jones, sy'n parhau i weithio'n ddiflino i godi mater meddiannu practisau milfeddygol yn gorfforaethol yma yn y Senedd drwy ei deiseb, ac ar draws y DU. Mae Linda yn yr oriel heddiw i wylio'r ddadl fer hon.
Ers 1999, caniateir perchnogaeth nad yw'n filfeddygol ar bractisau milfeddygol. Mae hyn wedi arwain at dros 1,000 o gaffaeliadau corfforaethol ar bractisau yn y DU gan chwe chwmni mawr—dim ond chwe chwmni mawr—sydd bellach yn berchen ar 60 y cant o'r sector milfeddygol. Ddegawd yn ôl, dim ond 10 y cant oedd y ffigur hwnnw. Mae rhai o'r rhain eu hunain yn eiddo i ecwiti preifat, sy'n prynu cwmnïau, yn gwthio costau i lawr, gan gynnwys cyflogau, yn codi ffioedd, ac yn ysgogi dyled i ehangu drwy gaffaeliadau, cyn gwerthu'r cwmnïau ymlaen am elw enfawr. Mae'r cwmnïau hyn yn monopoleiddio'r diwydiant, er anfantais i anifeiliaid anwes a'u perchnogion.
Mae'r Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd wedi bod yn edrych ar y farchnad gwasanaethau milfeddygol ers 2023. Cyhoeddwyd adroddiad interim ym mis Hydref a nodai broblemau allweddol yn y diwydiant sy'n tanseilio dewis perchnogion ac yn rhoi anifeiliaid mewn perygl. Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys y ffaith mai anaml y caiff prisiau eu cyhoeddi ac na roddir amcangyfrifon cyn i gwrs triniaeth ddechrau. Maent yn aml yn codi gormod, ymhell uwchlaw cyfradd y farchnad ar gyfer meddyginiaethau ar bresgripsiwn, ac nid oes ganddynt unrhyw ffordd effeithiol o gwyno pan fydd pethau'n mynd o'i le.
Un o'r cwmnïau yr edrychir arno yw IVC Evidensia, y darparwr gwasanaethau milfeddygol mwyaf yn y DU, sy'n berchen ar dros 1,000 o bractisau. Mae'n eiddo i Nestlé, sydd hefyd yn cynhyrchu bwyd anifeiliaid anwes. Sut y gall perchnogion fod yn hyderus o ansawdd y bwyd neu'r cyngor maeth gan eu milfeddyg pan geir gwrthdaro buddiannau o'r fath? Ar yr un pryd, mae biliau i berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes wedi cynyddu mwy na 60 y cant—dwbl y gyfradd chwyddiant a'r cynnydd i gyflogau milfeddygon. Mae'r newid hwn wedi cydredeg â rhoi blaenoriaeth i elw uwchlaw lles anifeiliaid anwes, eu perchnogion a staff milfeddygol. Mae'n ofynnol yn ôl y gyfraith i gwmnïau cyfranddalwyr ecwiti preifat wneud elw i'w buddsoddwyr, yn wahanol iawn i bractisau milfeddygol annibynnol.
Mae'r argyfwng costau byw wedi rhoi baich ariannol sylweddol ar berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes. Mae llawer wedi cael eu prisio allan o yswiriant anifeiliaid anwes, gyda phremiymau'n seiliedig ar god post. Os oes gan ardal bresenoldeb corfforaethol mawr, mae premiymau'n uwch, ond heb yswiriant, gall biliau milfeddygol enfawr sydyn fod yn amhosib eu talu. Ac wrth ymchwilio ar gyfer y ddadl hon, darllenais am berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes yn mynd heb brydau bwyd i dalu costau, yn gorfod rhoi eu hanifeiliaid anwes i ganolfannau achub, neu mewn rhai achosion, yn cael eu gorfodi i ewthaneiddio eu hanifeiliaid anwes.
Gwyddom fod hyn wedi arwain at bwysau cynyddol ar ganolfannau achub, gyda'r RSPCA yn adrodd cynnydd o 25 y cant yn nifer yr anifeiliaid anwes a gafodd eu gadael yng Nghymru a Lloegr eleni, gyda saith o bob 10 perchennog anifail anwes yn poeni am y gost o ofalu am eu hanifeiliaid. Mae anifeiliaid anwes yn rhan annwyl iawn o'r teulu, ac mae'n gallu bod yn hynod ofidus i berchnogion ac effeithio'n sylweddol ar eu hiechyd meddwl pan fydd eu hanifail yn mynd yn sâl. Mae hyd yn oed yn fwy o straen ac yn ddrytach pan fydd hyn yn digwydd y tu allan i oriau arferol y practis, ac mae llawer o'r cwmnïau mawr sy'n berchen ar bractisau lleol heb fod yn cynnig gofal brys y tu allan i oriau. Mae hyn wedi arwain at y sefyllfa enbyd lle nad oes gwasanaethau milfeddygol y tu allan i oriau ar Ynys Môn erbyn hyn, ac mae'n destun pryder cyson i berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes lleol. Mae meddiannu corfforaethol yn cael effaith negyddol ddifrifol ar y rhai sy'n gweithio yn y sector hefyd, sector lle mae gormod o staff cymorth yn cael tâl tlodi, tâl i staff clinigol sy'n gostwng mewn termau real, tâl salwch a thâl mamolaeth gwael, a bylchau cyflog mawr rhwng y rhywiau.
Dyma'r problemau wrth wraidd yr anghydfod masnach rhwng Valley Vets ac Undeb Milfeddygol Prydain yn undeb Unite. Aeth staff ar streic pan na wnaeth y partneriaid milfeddygol ymgysylltu'n ddidwyll, ac mewn perfformiad bargeinio ffug, fe gyflwynodd gynnig terfynol i'r undeb. Nid oedd yn cynnig unrhyw welliant i amodau, roedd yn parhau â thâl tlodi i staff cymorth a blwyddyn arall o doriad i gyflogau mewn termau real i filfeddygon a nyrsys. Dadleuai'r partneriaid milfeddygol fod tueddiadau gostyngol trafodiadau ac ansicrwydd y farchnad yn golygu na allent symud y tu hwnt i'r cynnig hwn. Fodd bynnag, datgelodd cyfrifyddu fforensig Unite fod trosiant y partneriaid milfeddygol wedi bod yn cynyddu flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn, gan arwain at gynnydd o 176 y cant yn y cyfnod o bum mlynedd ers 2019. Yn 2019, trosiant y grŵp oedd £261 miliwn, ac roedd wedi codi i dros £723 miliwn. Ni chafwyd unrhyw ddatrysiad, gyda'r cawr corfforaethol yn dewis cau practisau a diswyddo staff yn hytrach na darparu cyflogau teg ac amodau gwaith gweddus.
Wrth i'r chwe chwmni mawr fynd ar drywydd elw yn ddiddiwedd, mae staff yn wynebu terfynau amser a thargedau llym. Dangosodd arolwg o 275 o staff milfeddygol a gynhaliwyd gan Undeb Milfeddygol Prydain yn undeb Unite ar gyfer yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd y llynedd fod monitro a thargedau wedi cael effaith ar benderfyniadau bron i 40 y cant o nyrsys ac ychydig dros 17 y cant o filfeddygon. Esboniodd un milfeddyg ei fod yn teimlo dan bwysau i uwchwerthu i berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes, gyda'r cwmni'n mynnu gwybod pam nad oedd wedi gwerthu digon o'r triniaethau drutaf. Dywedodd ei fod yn teimlo nad yw eich gwerth yn ddim mwy na faint o incwm a gynhyrchwch. Dywedodd milfeddyg arall sy'n gweithio i'r gwasanaeth y tu allan i oriau wrth y BBC fod ei ganolfan alwadau yn trefnu apwyntiadau brys gyda hi'n rheolaidd ar gyfer anifeiliaid heb symptomau a oedd yn galw am sylw ar frys, gan gostio mwy na £300 i berchnogion yr anifeiliaid anwes hynny. 'Buaswn i'n dweud y gallai 30-50 y cant o achosion aros i gael eu gweld yn y bore', meddai. Ar yr un pryd, mae cymalau 'dim cystadlu' yn cael eu defnyddio i atal milfeddygon rhag gadael practis a feddiannwyd gan gorfforaeth fawr, gan eu gwahardd rhag gweithio i bractis arall am flwyddyn ar ôl gadael.
Mae'r sefyllfa'n amlwg yn anghynaladwy. Mae'n costio bywydau anifeiliaid anwes, mae'n drawmatig ac yn anfforddiadwy i berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes, ac mae wedi creu amgylchedd gwaith annerbyniol i filfeddygon a staff cymorth. Mae Ffrainc wedi rhoi camau cyfreithiol ar waith yn erbyn perchnogaeth gorfforaethol ar glinigau, ac mae Iwerddon yn ystyried gwneud yr un peth. Rwy'n credu bod angen i'r DU weithredu nawr, cyn ei bod hi'n rhy hwyr. Diolch.
I declare that I'm an honorary associate member of the British Veterinary Association, or BVA, which represents around 19,000 individual vets across the UK, working in all areas of the profession, including both corporate and small independent practices. Your letter as Petitions Committee Chair on this matter to the Chair of the Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee notes that the BVA is a main party in the CMA market investigation into veterinary services for household pets in the UK. They welcomed the CMA's proposals on increased information about practice ownership, standardised price lists, written estimates and itemised bills. They also welcomed the CMA's support for reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and the need for practice regulation for which they have long campaigned. However, some of the CMA's proposals relating to veterinary medicines have caused concern because of their potential to be anti-competitive, unlikely to reduce vet bills for consumers, and impact more, paradoxically, on the continuing viability of small practices.
Rwy'n datgan fy mod yn aelod cyswllt anrhydeddus o Gymdeithas Milfeddygon Prydain sy'n cynrychioli tua 19,000 o filfeddygon unigol ledled y DU, ac sy'n gweithio ym mhob maes o'r proffesiwn, gan gynnwys practisau corfforaethol a phractisau annibynnol bach. Mae eich llythyr fel Cadeirydd y Pwyllgor Deisebau ar y mater hwn at Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor Economi, Masnach a Materion Gwledig yn nodi bod Cymdeithas Milfeddygon Prydain yn brif barti yn ymchwiliad marchnad yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd i wasanaethau milfeddygol ar gyfer anifeiliaid anwes yn y DU. Hefyd, fe wnaethant groesawu argymhellion yr awdurdod ynghylch mwy o wybodaeth am berchnogaeth practisau, rhestrau prisiau safonedig, amcangyfrifon ysgrifenedig a biliau wedi'u heitemeiddio. Fe wnaethant hefyd groesawu cefnogaeth yr awdurdod i ddiwygio Deddf Milfeddygon 1966 a'r angen i reoleiddio practisau, rhywbeth y maent wedi bod yn ymgyrchu drosto ers amser maith. Fodd bynnag, mae rhai o gynigion yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd sy'n ymwneud â meddyginiaethau milfeddygol wedi achosi pryder oherwydd y perygl y gallent fod yn wrth-gystadleuol, yn annhebygol o leihau biliau milfeddygol i ddefnyddwyr, ac yn effeithio mwy, yn baradocsaidd, ar hyfywedd parhaus practisau bach.
Thank you to Carolyn for giving me a minute in this debate. Can I just say I agree with everything you have just said? The structure of the veterinary sector has changed over the last 50 years. In urban areas, there used to be a large number of relatively small veterinary practices, the vets often living in the local community and providing unpaid advice to animal owners, with domestic animals such as dogs, cats and rabbits providing the vast bulk of the animals being treated. Many were small companies, with the vets owning the practice, almost like a co-operative. There then followed a series of amalgamations, producing larger veterinary practices, with a few employing vets and a larger number of employed vets. This has been followed by the ownership of the larger veterinary practices becoming owned by a large company. This is not working for vets or for pet owners.
Diolch i Carolyn am roi munud i mi yn y ddadl hon. A gaf i ddweud fy mod yn cytuno â phopeth rydych chi newydd ei ddweud? Mae strwythur y sector milfeddygol wedi newid dros y 50 mlynedd diwethaf. Mewn ardaloedd trefol, arferai fod nifer fawr o bractisau milfeddygol cymharol fach, gyda'r milfeddygon yn aml yn byw yn y gymuned leol ac yn darparu cyngor di-dâl i berchnogion anifeiliaid, gyda'r mwyafrif helaeth o'r anifeiliaid a gâi eu trin yn anifeiliaid domestig fel cŵn, cathod a chwningod. Roedd llawer ohonynt yn gwmnïau bach, gyda'r milfeddygon yn berchen ar y practis, bron fel cwmni cydweithredol. Yna dilynodd cyfres o uniadau, gan gynhyrchu practisau milfeddygol mwy o faint, gydag ychydig yn cyflogi milfeddygon a nifer uwch o filfeddygon cyflogedig. Dilynwyd hyn gan bractisau milfeddygol mwy o faint yn cael eu perchnogi gan gwmni mawr. Nid yw hyn yn gweithio i filfeddygon nac i berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes.
Can I thank Carolyn for bringing this important debate to the floor this evening? As someone from the agricultural community—and I declare an interest—who obviously depends on the veterinary fraternity to provide animal health products and animal health services to large animals, there is a complete distinction between the two—large and small pets—and, ultimately, the small pet side is where the venture capitalists are big on and want to get into that market. And it is frightening to hear the evidence that Carolyn's put before us, and I think it is important, when the Minister does respond tonight, that he does address some of those concerns head on.
To hear of an area of Wales such as Ynys Môn having no out-of-hours provision at all—. Pets are part and parcel of the family, they are, for many people, and to be left in that vulnerable position must be an unmitigated disaster for many people. There's a piece of work to be done here. I appreciate the pressure of Senedd time is pressing now, with the election come May, but certainly my committee, which has animal health as its responsibility, will do all it can to try and look into this matter and try and form some conclusions towards the end of next term.
A gaf i ddiolch i Carolyn am ddod â'r ddadl bwysig hon i'r llawr heno? Fel rhywun o'r gymuned amaethyddol—ac rwy'n datgan diddordeb—sy'n amlwg yn dibynnu ar y frawdoliaeth filfeddygol i ddarparu cynhyrchion iechyd anifeiliaid a gwasanaethau iechyd anifeiliaid i anifeiliaid mawr, mae gwahaniaeth llwyr rhwng y ddau— anifeiliaid mawr ac anifeiliaid anwes bach—ac yn y pen draw, yr ochr anifeiliaid anwes bach yw lle mae'r cyfalafwyr menter yn awyddus i fynd i mewn i'r farchnad. Ac mae'n frawychus clywed y dystiolaeth y mae Carolyn wedi'i rhoi ger ein bron, ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig, pan fydd y Gweinidog yn ymateb heno, ei fod yn mynd i'r afael â rhai o'r pryderon hyn yn uniongyrchol.
Mae clywed bod ardal o Gymru fel Ynys Môn heb ddarpariaeth y tu allan i oriau o gwbl—. Mae anifeiliaid anwes yn rhan annatod o'r teulu i lawer o bobl, a rhaid bod cael eu gadael yn y sefyllfa fregus honno'n drychineb i lawer o bobl. Mae yna waith i'w wneud yma. Rwy'n deall bod pwysau amser ar y Senedd nawr, gyda'r etholiad ym mis Mai, ond yn sicr bydd fy mhwyllgor, sydd â chyfrifoldeb am iechyd anifeiliaid, yn gwneud popeth yn ei allu i edrych ar y mater hwn a cheisio llunio casgliadau tuag at ddiwedd y tymor nesaf.
A galwaf ar y Dirprwy Brif Weinidog ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet y Cabinet dros Newid Hinsawdd a Materion Gwledig i ymateb i'r ddadl—Huw Irranca-Davies.
I call on the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs to reply to the debate—Huw Irranca-Davies.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Lywydd, a diolch i chi i gyd, a diolch i Carolyn am gyflwyno'r ddadl hon hefyd—dadl bwysig iawn. Rwy'n gwybod bod hwn yn fater sy'n atseinio'n ddwfn gyda pherchnogion anifeiliaid anwes, gweithwyr proffesiynol milfeddygol, ac, yn wir, bawb sy'n gofalu am iechyd a lles anifeiliaid yn ein cymunedau.
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you very much to all of you, and thank you in particular to Carolyn for presenting this evening's short debate. It's a very important debate. I know that this is a matter that has deep resonance with the owners of pets as well as professionals in veterinary practices, and, indeed, everyone who cares for the health and well-being of animals in our communities.
I should declare also my interest, as Mark has done, as a long-standing honorary member of the British Veterinary Association, and also my thanks to the other contributors to this debate as well, to Mike and Andrew. Thank you as well, in tabling this debate, Carolyn, and in your introductory remarks for raising the importance for pet owners, companion animals as well, for access to a local and affordable and high standard of veterinary care for their pets and companion animals. That's the important thing about the focus we have on this debate today.
From our perspective, my priority is to ensure that Wales has exemplar standards of animal health and welfare, and a thriving veterinary sector is essential to achieving those goals, and the veterinary profession is pivotal in providing the expertise and the partnership needed to safeguard animal health, to uphold welfare and deliver those very high standards of care across Wales. But, as you've highlighted, the landscape of private veterinary practice has been changing in recent years. The growing trend of corporate consolidation of veterinary practices has raised some really critical questions, and pet owners themselves, I have to say, have very clearly voiced their concerns directly to the Competition and Markets Authority, some of which have been reflected in the remarks that you've made about rising costs, unclear pricing, limited choice, lack of local choice and availability as well. These are really important issues, and they are being actively considered now across the veterinary profession and other organisations right now.
Now, I've been closely following the investigation that's been carried out by the Competition and Markets Authority into veterinary services for household pets and also, separately, but it's associated with this matter, the call by the veterinary profession to modernise the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966. So, the publication of the Competition and Markets Authority's provisional decision on 15 October, as you said, set out some core recommendations, and they are interesting and pertinent. So, they include transparency of pricing and costs to ensure that we have fair pricing and that essential care remains affordable. They also deal with the issue of transparency of ownership for pet owners to know who owns their vet practice, and also safeguards that protect professional integrity so that clinical decisions are based on animal welfare and not profit targets.
Now, this is a very complex area, it's going to be important to ensure that recommendations on the way forward are balanced, properly considered and their impacts really understood, because the recommendations could signal the start of what could be significant change. So, we've got to give careful consideration to the potential implementation, and this is also, by the way, very important for the smaller independent veterinary practices who could also be affected, so we need proper consideration of how we take recommendations forward.
So, the public consultation on the CMA provisional decision closed on 14 November. We're expecting a final decision around March 2026, and we're awaiting the final outcome with great interest—we'll be studying that and looking forward to acting on the recommendations as needed. But in the interim, I also want to highlight a very important point about regulation. So, the regulation of veterinary surgeons remains a reserved matter, so it means that any amendments to the Veterinary Surgeons Act is for the UK Government to take forward.
But I want to give Members a bit of an update on where we are with this. In the budget statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the UK Government's intention to publish a consultation on potential reforms to the Veterinary Surgeons Act. Now, accordingly, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Ministers have already written to me and to my counterparts in Scotland and Northern Ireland to seek agreement from us to proceed with a DEFRA-led public consultation on behalf of all four UK administrations. I've responded to welcome this opportunity, because I believe reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act is very timely, not only to underpin the high standards of animal health and welfare, but also, I've got to say, to support a thriving and diverse economy, to break down barriers to opportunity and to recognise the contributions of the entire veterinary team.
In turn, this may also address related issues that have been raised by the Competition and Markets Authority as well. So, our continued engagement as Welsh Government in this consultation process is essential so that we can make sure that the different needs, different perspectives are fully considered. So, for example, the point raised by Andrew about rural communities is very, very important. This could be a way to seek to address some of those.
Also, bilingual service provision is very important here within Wales. Andrew, I know you will understand this as well. The need for vets to actually be communicating with people in the language of their choice is very important, particularly when there are sensitive and difficult decisions being made about their pets and their animals.
So, I've asked for the feedback on the DEFRA-led joint consultation to be shared with Welsh Government in a very timely manner so that we can engage effectively. This will then enable our teams to work very efficiently and effectively through the next stages of this important piece of reform. So, I'm looking forward now to continued collaborative work with the UK Government and other devolved Governments on this very important area.
But, Carolyn, you and others have raised the importance of that access to local, affordable choice within provision as well. It's a critical matter, and with the highest animal welfare standards and veterinary standards as well.
Dylwn innau hefyd ddatgan buddiant, fel y mae Mark wedi'i wneud, fel aelod anrhydeddus hirsefydlog o Gymdeithas Milfeddygon Prydain, a fy niolch hefyd i'r cyfranwyr eraill yn y ddadl hon hefyd, i Mike ac Andrew. Diolch i Carolyn am gyflwyno'r ddadl hon, ac yn eich sylwadau agoriadol, am godi pa mor bwysig i berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes yw mynediad at ofal milfeddygol lleol a fforddiadwy o safon uchel i'w hanifeiliaid anwes. Dyna'r peth pwysig am y ffocws sydd gennym ar y ddadl hon heddiw.
O'n safbwynt ni, fy mlaenoriaeth yw sicrhau bod gan Gymru safonau iechyd a lles anifeiliaid uchel, ac mae sector milfeddygol ffyniannus yn hanfodol i gyflawni'r nodau hynny, ac mae'r proffesiwn milfeddygol yn hollbwysig wrth ddarparu'r arbenigedd a'r bartneriaeth sydd eu hangen i ddiogelu iechyd anifeiliaid, cynnal lles a darparu safonau gofal uchel iawn ledled Cymru. Ond fel y nodoch chi, mae tirwedd practisau milfeddygol preifat wedi bod yn newid yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Mae'r duedd gynyddol i gydgrynhoi practisau milfeddygol gan gorfforaethau wedi codi cwestiynau allweddol iawn, a rhaid dweud, mae perchnogion anifeiliaid anwes eu hunain wedi lleisio'u pryderon y glir iawn yn uniongyrchol i'r Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd, ac mae peth o hynny wedi'i adlewyrchu yn y sylwadau a wnaethoch chi am gostau cynyddol, prisiau aneglur, dewis cyfyngedig, diffyg dewis ac argaeledd lleol. Mae'r rhain yn faterion pwysig iawn, ac maent yn destun ystyriaeth nawr ar draws y proffesiwn milfeddygol a sefydliadau eraill ar hyn o bryd.
Nawr, fe ddilynais yr ymchwiliad a gynhaliwyd gan yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd i wasanaethau milfeddygol ar gyfer anifeiliaid anwes a hefyd, ar wahân, ond yn gysylltiedig â'r mater hwn, yr alwad gan y proffesiwn milfeddygol i foderneiddio Deddf Milfeddygon 1966. Felly, mae cyhoeddi penderfyniad amodol yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd ar 15 Hydref, fel y dywedoch chi, wedi nodi rhai argymhellion craidd, ac maent yn ddiddorol ac yn berthnasol. Maent yn cynnwys tryloywder prisio a chostau i sicrhau bod gennym brisio teg a bod gofal hanfodol yn parhau i fod yn fforddiadwy. Maent hefyd yn delio â mater tryloywder perchnogaeth i berchnogion anifeiliaid anwes wybod pwy sy'n berchen ar eu practis milfeddygol, a hefyd mesurau diogelu sy'n gwarchod uniondeb proffesiynol fel bod penderfyniadau clinigol yn seiliedig ar les anifeiliaid ac nid targedau elw.
Nawr, mae hwn yn faes cymhleth iawn, mae'n mynd i fod yn bwysig sicrhau bod argymhellion ar y ffordd ymlaen yn cael eu hystyried yn gytbwys a phriodol a'u heffeithiau'n cael eu deall yn iawn, oherwydd gallai'r argymhellion fod yn arwydd o ddechrau'r hyn a allai fod yn newid arwyddocaol. Felly, rhaid inni ystyried y gweithrediad posib yn ofalus, ac mae hyn hefyd, gyda llaw, yn bwysig iawn i'r practisau milfeddygol annibynnol llai a allai gael eu heffeithio hefyd, felly mae angen inni ystyried yn briodol sut yr awn ati i ddatblygu argymhellion.
Daeth yr ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus ar benderfyniad amodol yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd i ben ar 14 Tachwedd. Rydym yn disgwyl penderfyniad terfynol tua mis Mawrth 2026, ac rydym yn aros am y canlyniad terfynol gyda diddordeb mawr—byddwn yn ei astudio ac yn edrych ymlaen at weithredu'r argymhellion yn ôl yr angen. Ond yn y cyfamser, rwyf eisiau tynnu sylw hefyd at bwynt pwysig iawn ynglŷn â rheoleiddio. Mae rheoleiddio milfeddygon yn parhau i fod yn fater a gadwyd yn ôl, felly mae'n golygu mai mater i Lywodraeth y DU yw bwrw ymlaen ag unrhyw ddiwygiadau i'r Ddeddf Milfeddygon.
Ond rwyf am roi diweddariad i'r Aelodau ar ble rydym ni arni gyda hyn. Yn natganiad y gyllideb, cyhoeddodd Canghellor y Trysorlys fwriad Llywodraeth y DU i gyhoeddi ymgynghoriad ar ddiwygiadau posib i'r Ddeddf Milfeddygon. Nawr, yn unol â hynny, mae Gweinidogion Adran yr Amgylchedd, Bwyd a Materion Gwledig eisoes wedi ysgrifennu ataf ac at fy swyddogion cyfatebol yn yr Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon i geisio cytundeb gennym i fwrw ymlaen ag ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus dan arweiniad DEFRA ar ran pob un o'r pedair gweinyddiaeth yn y DU. Rwyf wedi ymateb i groesawu'r cyfle hwn, oherwydd rwy'n credu bod diwygio'r Ddeddf Milfeddygon yn amserol iawn, nid yn unig i ategu safonau uchel ym maes iechyd a lles anifeiliaid, ond hefyd, rhaid dweud, i gefnogi economi ffyniannus ac amrywiol, i chwalu rhwystrau i gyfleoedd ac i gydnabod cyfraniadau'r tîm milfeddygol cyfan.
Yn ei dro, gall hyn hefyd fynd i'r afael â materion cysylltiedig sydd wedi'u codi gan yr Awdurdod Cystadleuaeth a Marchnadoedd. Felly, mae ein hymgysylltiad parhaus fel Llywodraeth Cymru yn y broses ymgynghori hon yn allweddol fel y gallwn sicrhau bod y gwahanol anghenion, a safbwyntiau gwahanol yn cael eu hystyried yn llawn. Er enghraifft, mae'r pwynt a godwyd gan Andrew am gymunedau gwledig yn bwysig iawn. Gallai hyn fod yn ffordd o geisio mynd i'r afael â rhai o'r pethau hynny.
Hefyd, mae darparu gwasanaeth dwyieithog yn bwysig iawn yma yng Nghymru. Andrew, rwy'n gwybod y byddwch chi'n deall hyn hefyd. Mae'r angen i filfeddygon gyfathrebu â phobl yn eu dewis iaith yn hynod bwysig, yn enwedig pan fo penderfyniadau sensitif ac anodd yn cael eu gwneud am eu hanifeiliaid anwes a'u hanifeiliaid.
Felly, rwyf wedi gofyn i'r adborth ar yr ymgynghoriad ar y cyd dan arweiniad DEFRA gael ei rannu â Llywodraeth Cymru mewn modd amserol iawn fel y gallwn ymgysylltu'n effeithiol. Bydd hyn wedyn yn galluogi ein timau i weithio'n effeithlon ac yn effeithiol iawn trwy gamau nesaf y diwygiadau pwysig hyn. Felly, rwy'n edrych ymlaen nawr at barhau i weithio ar y cyd gyda Llywodraeth y DU a Llywodraethau datganoledig eraill ar y maes pwysig hwn.
Ond Carolyn, rydych chi ac eraill wedi codi pwysigrwydd mynediad at ddewis lleol, fforddiadwy o fewn y ddarpariaeth hefyd. Mae'n fater allweddol, a chyda'r safonau lles anifeiliaid uchaf a safonau milfeddygol hefyd.
Felly, i gloi, mae ein hymrwymiad yn parhau'n gadarn i Gymru gael safonau enghreifftiol o ran iechyd a lles anifeiliaid, ac rwy'n cydnabod rôl hanfodol perchnogion a cheidwaid anifeiliaid ar y naill law, a milfeddygon a thimau ymarfer milfeddygol ar y llaw arall wrth chwarae eu rhan hanfodol o ddydd i ddydd i wneud hyn. Diolch yn fawr iawn, Carolyn, ac eraill hefyd.
So, to conclude, our commitment continues to be strong for Wales to have exemplary standards when it comes to the health and welfare of animals, and I acknowledge the crucial role of owners and carers of animals on the one hand, and veterinary surgeons and veterinary practitioners on the other in playing their vital part on a daily basis to ensure that this is so. Thank you very much, Carolyn, and to others who've contributed as well.
Diolch i bawb. A daw hynny â thrafodion heddiw i ben. Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you very much. And that brings today's proceedings to a close. Thank you, all.
Daeth y cyfarfod i ben am 18:19.
The meeting ended at 18:19.