National Assembly for Wales

Prynhawn da. Croeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Cyn i ni ddechrau, dwi angen nodi ychydig o bwyntiau. Cynhelir y cyfarfod hwn ar ffurf hybrid, gyda rhai Aelodau yn y Siambr ac eraill yn ymuno drwy gyswllt fideo. Bydd yr holl Aelodau sy'n cymryd rhan yn nhrafodion y Senedd, ble bynnag y bônt, yn cael eu trin yn gyfartal. Mae Cyfarfod Llawn a gynhelir drwy gynhadledd fideo, yn unol â Rheolau Sefydlog Senedd Cymru, yn gyfystyr â thrafodion y Senedd at ddibenion Deddf Llywodraeth Cymru 2006. Bydd rhai o ddarpariaethau Rheol Sefydlog 34 yn gymwys ar gyfer y Cyfarfod Llawn heddiw, ac mae'r rheini wedi'u nodi ar eich agenda.

Yr eitem gyntaf y prynhawn yma yw'r cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Janet Finch-Saunders.

Yes. 'Net Zero Wales' contains 123 policies to reduce emissions. Our modelling shows, by delivering this plan, we are on track to outperform carbon budget 2. We will continue to collaborate with and support others to achieve further carbon reduction and put us on a path to a cleaner and more equal Wales.  

Thank you, Minister. 'Net Zero Wales' of course—the plan you talk about—demands reduction and modal shift from the public, businesses, farmers and the public sector. Now, whilst the plan discusses fuel switching and transport charging, it does recognise also the importance of land use and the need for restoration works. Whilst the national peatland action programme has been a welcome development, I still remain concerned that the funding provided by the Welsh Government—around £5.75 million over five years—actually lacks ambition with targets of only 6 to 800 hectares per annum to be restored. My concern only intensifies when you compare this amount to England, where the UK Government is investing £640 million to restore 35,000 hectares by 2025.

Minister, in recognising that you travelled to COP26 to meet with other nations and regions, can you confirm to this Senedd what ideas you have brought back to improve carbon-reduction measures in Wales and whether this will include a review of the money and ambition of the national peatland action programme so that further efforts can be made to lock in this carbon? Thank you. Diolch.

Well, I will start, Janet, by saying that I do constantly admire the sheer brass neck that you have of constantly telling the Welsh Government that they're not spending enough money in the light of your Government's promise of 'not a penny less' than we were getting from the European Union and leaving the European Union whilst completely flying in the face of every single commitment that your Government and every politician in it, including you sitting there on those benches, made to Wales. So, I'll start by saying that I'm taking no lectures from you whatsoever about the amount of money the Welsh Government spends on anything until you put right the amount of money that is missing from the Welsh budget as a result of the perfidious actions of the Conservative Government in Westminster, collaborated with and by you on that bench. 

Having said that, COP26 was a really interesting event, especially given our ability to discuss with other sub-national Governments—sub-UN state Governments—from across the world what they were doing and to showcase some of the things we were doing. So, I had particularly interesting discussions with the people from Sao Paulo, which is a megacity, but, despite that, has an enormous number of synergies with Wales, including the need for a just transition. And I'm very proud to say that the Sao Paulo Government acknowledges the contribution of the 'Net Zero Wales' plan in its net-zero plan—on the front cover, indeed.

We also had very interesting discussions with the Québécois people—the Government of Quebec—about the way that forestry has completely changed in Canada, the way that you can increase both forest cover and the sustainable timber industry, and a series of very interesting discussions about hydro.

I had very interesting discussions with the Scottish Government about the way that they do heat exchange from water programmes, which I'm determined to bring back to Wales. And I think the most humbling thing of all was my discussions with indigenous peoples from the world about the plight that they find themselves in and the plea from those Governments to go further and faster. So, if Janet Finch-Saunders is truly concerned about this, perhaps she will take that message back to her Government and get them to actually put their money where their mouth is.

For a small country, Wales has always punched above its weight on the global stage, from our innovative industrial revolution to being climate trailblazers, and the first Parliament in the world to declare a climate emergency. When Wales speaks, the world sits up and listens. We wouldn't be where we are today without our Valleys. Rhondda was coal rich, but I really believe we have so much more to offer to reduce emissions as part of the green transformation. We have optimum settings for renewable energy, like the hydro at Clydach countryside park. We have a brand-new Green Valley store in Treorchy, sourcing local fruit and veg, which I hope will be replicated Rhondda- and Wales-wide. And the economy Minister spoke last week about unlocking the opportunity for jobs to make Wales a leader in industrial remediation, putting right our coal tips. Does the Minister believe that we can unleash our Valleys' potential to lead the green revolution, and, if so, what support can Welsh Government offer?

Diolch, Buffy. I'm absolutely determined that the transition, in the next industrial revolution to come, will not be the same as happened in the previous industrial revolution. She is right to say that Rhondda was coal rich, but what happened with that coal was that the benefit of the coal, and the wealth that came with it, did not go to the people of Rhondda; it went to a very small minority of capitalists. We must absolutely make sure that the green transition has the exact opposite effect, and is a just transition that brings benefit to the people of the Rhondda. Wales is blessed with a wealth of natural resources for the new green revolution as well. We have our beautiful seas, our lovely mountains, our beautiful valleys. All contribute to the chance for us to be a net exporter of renewables. But the benefits of that must come back to the people of the Valleys. She's also right in pointing out the ingenuity and sheer creativity of the people of the Welsh Valleys. I absolutely acknowledge that, and we are absolutely determined that we will make sure that we harness that creativity in our new skills and economic development plans.

Just to mention a couple of things, I absolutely acknowledge the examples that she raised, and particularly interesting is the economy in the Valleys around the repair and renew programmes, and I've had the privilege of visiting quite a few of those over the years and they've always been an inspiration. But just two I wanted to mention in particular. First of all is the Tech Valleys programme and the business support that goes with it. That demonstrates our investment in the Valleys to support the growth of the industries of the future. It's vital to creating the resilient and sustainable economy in the south Wales Valleys that we absolutely want. And the one that she mentioned as well, the Valleys regional park, was a key priority for the Valleys taskforce to explore that concept. We've committed £8 million for 12 discovery gateway sites and two co-working spaces so far. The discovery gateways will be exemplar flagship sites that showcase the Valleys, encourage greater interest in and knowledge of the Valleys' natural and cultural heritage, enhance sustainable tourism, and provide an economic boost.

I really think that one of the lessons from COP is the big growth in the world of the people who want sustainable, climate-conscious tourism. And Wales is in a very, very good place to provide that and we're in a very good place to be at the forefront of that industry. And so I'm very happy to acknowledge, with her, the work already done, and to say that the Welsh Government stands ready to support the communities, Valleys, as they come together to take advantage of the new industrial revolution.

Can I commend, genuinely, the leadership that's been shown by Welsh Government and all Ministers, not just now but in the run-up to COP as well? It has been fantastic to see. We've got a lot more to do—a lot more to do—but we hope that that same leadership is shown by the end of COP, in these last couple of days, in making good and making real the offers to small nation states and developing nations to tackle carbon reduction and carbon mitigation, but also in ratcheting up the ambition. This can't be the end of it—one set of talks.

But, Minister, one of those things that Welsh Government is doing is the optimised retrofit programme. We really welcome this, because we know the scale of work that needs to be done in actually making good and making warm, and efficient, and energy-efficient some of the homes that are already there throughout Wales, and particularly within my area. But in order to do that, we also need to make sure that, with previous schemes, we have confidence in them. We've had some difficulties in some schemes that have been funded by Welsh Government and UK Government in my own area, in Caerau, but I know it's not isolated to there; there have been others in Wales. You've been having discussions with Bridgend County Borough Council. I wonder if you can give me an update on how those are going, because we need to make sure that those residents actually have their homes made good after they had unsatisfactory installations.

Diolch, Huw. I'm very aware of the plight of some of your constituents in Caerau, and you're right that it's not isolated there, but it's a good example of a scheme that perhaps didn't have the benefit of an optimised approach to retrofit. So, it's a scheme where properties have been fitted with external wall insulation that is not at all the right thing to have done for those properties, and they are now suffering the consequences of that.

Disappointingly, it was a UK Government scheme that I know you're aware that your constituents took advantage of. It was supported with some Welsh Government money in order to make it possible. Unfortunately, there's been a series of unfortunate events—I sound like a script of a movie there—and you'll know that the original operators have gone bankrupt, there are no guarantees and performance bonds in place, and there are a number of other issues. Disappointingly, the UK Government is refusing to take any responsibility for the aftermath of its scheme, which I think is just disgraceful. We are very aware of the plight of the residents there, and I very much want to be able to help them. I'm just awaiting the formal advice on the plethora of legal issues that are at play. I'm expecting that in the next week or so, Huw, and I'm very happy to discuss it with you as soon as we've got it. 

Mae cwestiwn 2 [OQ57139]  wedi'i dynnu yn ôl. Felly, cwestiwn 3 sydd nesaf—Paul Davies.

Our recently launched 'Net Zero Wales' plan puts us on the path to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. We are working with local government, families, communities and businesses in Pembrokeshire on a wide range of projects to develop the green infrastructure to achieve this.

Minister, I'm grateful for that response. One of the aims of the electric vehicle charging strategy for Wales is to promote good-quality sustainable design that includes green infrastructure. That strategy confirms that the Welsh Government is identifying locations where renewable generation, coupled with energy storage, can assist in providing power for the charging network to the benefit of the people of Wales. And the strategy is right to say that this can benefit rural communities, public sector fleet and the integrated transport system where shared or co-located charging facilities will create synergies where different needs can be met. Therefore, can you tell us what discussions you've had with Pembrokeshire County Council about rural charging hubs that could be powered by community renewable projects, and could you outline what specific projects the Welsh Government is currently considering in Pembrokeshire?

Yes, thank you, Paul. Over the past five years, Pembrokeshire has received support from the Welsh Government energy service to develop a series of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, which do include a fleet review, capital grants to support their transition to ultra-low emission vehicles, a refit programme of works, street lighting and other LED upgrades for street works. And during that five-year period, the Welsh Government has made available £5.8 million in grants and a series of interest-free loans to Pembrokeshire County Council. 

Through our capital funding programme, Sustainable Landscapes, Sustainable Places, and through the COVID reserves, we are funding a number of innovative projects to the value of around £3.5 million over 2020-22. Those do include the network of EV charging points across the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, and new funding for communities to decarbonise. A further £14.9 million of European funding has been awarded to support the development of the marine energy industry in Pembrokeshire, crucial of course to EV charging points because you must have the energy in order to power them. And that's part of the Swansea bay city deal as well, which will place Pembrokeshire at the heart of the UK global zero-carbon marine and offshore energy innovation.

We've also awarded Pembrokeshire County Council £325,000-worth of Transforming Towns green infrastructure and biodiversity funding to deliver a scheme at Haverfordwest castle, in the gardens, which have been landscaped to increase planting and biodiversity. They also have a grant of £690,000 from the ultra-low emission transformation fund to facilitate the delivery of further charging infrastructure to at least 12 locations across the county serving tourism and urban locations in the hub structure that Paul Davies just referenced. 

So, there are a number of projects ongoing in Pembrokeshire. We have a very good relationship with Pembrokeshire council and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, who have been very keen to develop in this area, and I'm more than happy to continue our conversation with both them and the Member about what can be done in Pembrokeshire. 

Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau, a llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr yn gyntaf—Natasha Asghar. 

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Deputy Minister, you'll be aware that First Bus has withdrawn its X10 bus service between Cardiff and Swansea. One of the reasons given by First Bus for this service withdrawal is that, and I quote,

'It carries a disproportionate amount of concessions customers, and not commercial customers, which makes it impossible to sustain the costs.'

Senior citizens and people with disabilities who were able to use a bus pass to travel between Cardiff and Swansea with ease have now suffered a blow to their independence and their ability to live their life to the fullest. What representations have you made to First Bus about the withdrawal of this service? And do you agree that your policy of getting people out of their cars and onto public transport for the daily commute will be adversely impacted by this? Thank you. 

I've recently met both with First and with the trade unions to discuss the range of pressures that the bus industry is facing at the moment. The specific issue that Natasha Asghar raises, I'm afraid, is a direct consequence of the privatisation of the bus industry back in the mid 1980s by the Conservative Government, and we're still living with the consequences. The way that the companies are incentivised in order to run routes that maximise their revenues and not invest in socially necessary routes remains a perennial problem for us. It's one of the reasons why we are developing our bus strategy this year, with legislation coming before the Senedd, because we do need to regulate the bus industry through franchising. We can't allow commercial operators simply to cherry-pick those routes that they wish to. So, I'm afraid, this is the result of the free market economics that the Conservatives insist we follow. This shows that it's failing to help people to make the necessary transition from cars to public transport, and until we fix that we won't be able to do it. 

Thanks for that, Deputy Minister, but from my records, Labour has been in power for the last 22 years here in Wales, so let's just focus on that first. 

The second question from me is: the Welsh Government recently announced its plans to promote electric vehicles in Wales, which was overdue and lacking in detail. I know I've said this to you previously. But under your proposals, you state your intention to create just 80 electric charging points on Wales's main trunk roads in four years. Rural communities across Wales will be left behind with no announcement of funding to accompany the proposals for community hubs. There's sadly no mention whatsoever of how much this plan is going to cost. Not that long ago, you actually said that 4,000 rapid charging points were needed by 2030. However, there is no reference to this in the strategy. So, Deputy Minister, has the target been dropped? And is creating just 80 charging points in four years on Wales's main roads really that ambitious, especially as we need some 20,000 across the country at large? 

Let's be very clear that the powers over buses—the regulation of them—remain at the UK level. So, the fact that we've been in power in Wales is irrelevant, because we don't have the power to change the way the market is regulated. We think that, through franchising, we're able to address some of that, but this is a direct result of UK Government policy in the 1980s that's been kept in place. So, let's just be very clear about that. 

In terms of the electric charging points, at the moment, we have proportionately more charging points than there are electric cars in existence. So, we think that for the number of cars currently in circulation it is broadly fine. The challenge we have, to keep that proportion in place as the number of electric cars purchased increases dramatically, as all projections suggest, is to keep pace with that. But we think this, again, is primarily a job for the private sector; the Government doesn't provide petrol stations, nor will it be expected to primarily be the main provider of electric charging points. Where there is market failure, particularly in rural areas, we need to make sure that we pump prime investment, just as we have with broadband, which again is another market failure—another failure of the UK Government to regulate. We need to be able to step in.

We're specifically looking at the development of electric car clubs with the use of community energy to make sure that people don't have to own an electric car, because they are at the moment more expensive than an internal combustion engine car, and that will create a level of flexibility so that people can become less car dependent.  

Thank you, Deputy Minister. I know that you often like to use the central UK Government as a reason and justification for a lot of things, and I know, on many occasions, you don't like answering my questions, so sometimes I think to myself would you be happier going back to ITV Wales and actually working on answering the questions that I'm asking you, as opposed to diverting the answer elsewhere.

My final question is: passenger numbers using Cardiff Airport have dropped to the lowest level since the 1950s. Traveller numbers fell from 1.6 million to just 48,000, with the airport's chief executive saying that the drop is down to the Welsh Government urging people not to travel overseas. Last week, at the public accounts committee, officials from Cardiff Airport said that air passenger duty was a punitive tax that hinders the ability of airlines to add to their capacity. Cardiff Airport has been underperforming since it was taken into public ownership in 2013. This is a Welsh Government issue, Deputy Minister, and it appears that things are regularly going from bad to worse. So, Deputy Minister, will you join me in welcoming the announcement by the Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, from the UK Government, in the budget, that air passenger duty is to be halved for domestic flights? Do you agree that this is a positive move that will assist Cardiff Airport's recovery, or would you rather continue to bail out the airport with millions of pounds of taxpayers' money here from Wales?

Well, with respect, I do answer the Member's questions; she just doesn't like the answers. I don't think that subsidising and encouraging domestic air travel is in keeping with the challenge of climate change that we have and that the Prime Minister is trying to claim great international leadership on; I think it is a contradiction. The airport is a commercially run body, and its management makes decisions for the best way to run their own airport. That's as it should be. We have invested in the airport to make sure that Wales has an airport, but the Member will be aware that we have a pandemic, and there's been an international collapse in air traffic. That has had a significant impact on the finances of the airport, and we put a support package in place to support them through that.

Llefarydd Plaid Cymru nawr, Mabon ap Gwynfor.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd, a gobeithio bod y Gweinidog yn well ar ôl ei hannwyd wythnos diwethaf.

Yn dilyn yr etholiad, fe gyhoeddodd y Llywodraeth gynllun er mwyn mynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng ail gartrefi, a fydd yn cynnwys ardal beilot. Mae yna gymunedau ar hyd a lled y wlad yn teimlo effeithiau’r argyfwng eang a niweidiol yma. Fy mhryder i, ynghyd â chymunedau drwy Gymru benbaladr, ydy bod y peilot am fod yn llawer rhy gyfyng. Bydd yn cymryd llawer rhy hir i'w weithredu’n iawn, bydd yn cymryd hyd yn oed mwy o amser i’w effeithiau gael eu deall ac i unrhyw wersi fedru cael eu gweithredu a llywio polisi’r Llywodraeth. Tra bod y Llywodraeth yn oedi ar weithredu effeithiol go iawn, bydd cymunedau’n dioddef. Bydd tai yn aros allan o gyrraedd rhai sydd eu hangen, bydd prisiau’n codi, a chymunedau a’r iaith sy’n hollol greiddiol iddynt yn cael eu herydu. Gyda’r cynllun peilot yma mewn golwg, felly, a wnaiff y Gweinidog ymateb i’r pryder dilys fod cymunedau eraill, y rhai nad ydynt yn rhan o’r peilot, yn cael eu gadael ar ôl a’u hanwybyddu? Pa obaith gallwn ni ei gynnig i’r cymunedau yma sydd angen gweld camau brys yn cael eu cymryd ar fater ail gartrefi?

As the Member is well aware, we've been discussing this in the cross-party group, and amongst all the parties of the Senedd, attempting to find a cross-party way forward. So, it's a little disappointing to have it politicised in quite the way he's just done. We're running the pilot, as he well knows, in order to be able to ensure that we are going as fast as is humanly possible, given the range of very complex things that need to be done, whilst taking the communities with us. He will know as well as I do that this breaches a whole series of potential human rights, as well as other things, and that we need the people whose property rights and property investments are affected by this to be on board and happy about what is happening, otherwise the entire thing cannot work. The pilot scheme is in order for us to test that out, learn the lessons from it and then roll it out across Wales with the least problems possible, so that we can go at maximum speed. He is well aware of that, and, frankly, I'm very disappointed in his attempt to politicise it.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Weinidog, am yr ateb hwnnw i gwestiwn gwleidyddol mewn siambr wleidyddol.

Dwi am droi rŵan at fater pwerdai nwy. Er gwaethaf ymrwymiad ymddangosiadol Llywodraeth Cymru i ddatgarboneiddio, fel sy’n cael ei ymgorffori yn eich strategaeth sero net, mae wedi dod i’m sylw i ein bod ni yma yng Nghymru, neu yn hytrach fod Llywodraeth Cymru, yn dal i alluogi caniatâd cynllunio ar gyfer gosodiadau nwy newydd. Mae pwerdy yn Wrecsam yn cael ei adeiladu a fydd yn weithredol 2,500 awr y flwyddyn, mae pwerdy arfaethedig ym Mangor wedi cael caniatâd cynllunio, yn ogystal â phwerdy 5 MW arfaethedig ym Mhorthmadog, ymhlith llawer iawn mwy ar draws Cymru. Siawns nad yw hyn yn mynd yn groes i strategaeth Llywodraeth Cymru ei hun i ddatgarboneiddio economi Cymru a chyrraedd sero net erbyn 2050. Os ydych chi felly o ddifri ynghylch mynd i’r afael â newid hinsawdd, pam eich bod chi’n caniatáu i weithfeydd nwy newydd gael eu hadeiladau yng Nghymru? A fyddwch chi yn cymryd y camau angenrheidiol i reoli a newid rheolau cynllunio er mwyn galluogi peidio â datblygu rhagor o’r rhain yn ddiangen? Diolch.

Thank you for that question. This is a very complicated problem, because as we go as fast as we possibly can in the transition to renewable energy, one of the things we also need to do is to keep the lights on. At the moment, Wales is quite reliant on gas-fired power stations and gas-sourced energy in order to do just that. We obviously have to have a transition plan in place, and that transition plan has to work for everyone. It has to keep our industries running and our lights on. What we have to do is we have to ramp up the amount of renewables that we have coming on stream, at the same time as ramping down our reliance on fossil fuels of any sort. We've already removed coal-fired power stations from Wales early on. That was great that we did that and I'm very pleased that we did, but, obviously, it means that we've got some reliance on gas in order to have what's called baseload energy. That's energy that can be switched on at the drop of a—literally at the flick of a switch, when everybody goes to put their kettle on at 9 o'clock at night, for example. So, there are big energy surges in the country. We know when they are, but they can't be predicted to the point where we can turn renewables off and on. Sometimes, the sun does not shine and the wind does not blow.

One of the big programmes that we have running in Wales, alongside a number of Governments across the world, is the quest for baseload renewable energy, which is renewable energy that can be turned on at the flick of a switch. That is why we have a tidal lagoon challenge and a number of marine energy challenges going on in Wales, because it seems that, to everyone, marine energy possibly holds the key to baseload renewables. I very much hope that we will be able to capture for Wales the start of a global industry in renewable baseload. But, until that time, we absolutely have a duty to keep the lights on and our industry and businesses working with the energy supply that they have. I appreciate and have a lot of sympathy with the thrust of the Member's question to me, but, obviously, we are attempting to put one slider up while we slide the other one down, and we have to absolutely make sure that we do that in the right proportions.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Weinidog. Mi fuaswn i wrth fy modd yn gweld y transition plan yna, ac rwy'n croesawu'ch geiriau chi ar ynni y môr hefyd, achos dyna, wedi'r cyfan, yw'r ffordd ymlaen.

Dwi am droi yn olaf at fater taliadau tai dewisol—discretionary housing payments. Yn hyn o beth, dwi am ganolbwyntio ar ba mor effeithiol mae awdurdodau lleol yn defnyddio'r ychwanegiad yma o dros £4 miliwn ar gyfer taliadau tai dewisol. Fel rydyn ni'n ei wybod, diben y taliadau yma ydy er mwyn helpu'r rhai sydd ar fudd-daliadau ac yn cael trafferth talu rhent, yn benodol yn dilyn toriadau ciaidd y Llywodraeth Geidwadol yn San Steffan. Does dim amheuaeth bod yna broblemau wedi bod efo sicrhau bod pobl yn gwneud cais am y taliadau yma, ac wrth ystyried yr argyfwng tai a digartrefedd sy'n ein hwynebu ni yma, gyda nifer cynyddol o bobl yn cael eu dal mewn llety dros dro, dwi'n siŵr y bydd y Gweinidog yn cytuno y byddai'n syfrdanol pe na bai'r arian yma i gyd yn cael ei ddyrannu erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn ariannol hon. Ond mae wedi dod i fy sylw i fod yna broblemau o ran faint sydd, mewn gwirionedd, yn medru hawlio'r taliadau. Felly, hoffwn gael rhagor o fanylion gan y Gweinidog ar y mater, os gwelwch yn dda. A wnaiff y Gweinidog gadarnhau faint o aelwydydd digartref, ers mis Ebrill, sydd wedi eu galluogi i symud o lety dros dro i gartrefi parhaol drwy fanteisio ar y taliadau tai dewisol, gan gynnwys y £4 miliwn atodol a ddyrannwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru? Ac a yw Llywodraeth Cymru o'r farn bod angen canllawiau cryfach ar awdurdodau lleol ar sut i ddefnyddio'r £4 miliwn ychwanegol yma? Diolch.

Thank you, Mabon. One of the things that we're currently dealing with is that the flow of people who are presenting as homeless, as a result of the pandemic and a number of other economic issues, has not diminished in any way. So, our local authorities are still dealing with in excess of 1,000 people a month presenting as homeless across Wales. We currently have just upwards of 12,000 people in temporary accommodation, although many of them are still being moved into permanent. I don't have the figures with me, but I will check for you. I don't think we link particularly the discretionary housing payment with the move to permanent housing—you can have that for paying your rent in temporary housing, for example. I'm more than happy to share with all Members the chart of how many discretionary housing payments have been made and in what proportion.

There are two important things to say here. We do monitor all the time what the local authorities are able to do with the discretionary housing payments, and whether the eligibility criteria are sufficient for their purpose. We've changed that, during the course of the pandemic, on a number of occasions, as he will know, in order to make it more accessible to people. The idea is, obviously, to assist people to stay in their housing, whether that's temporary or permanent. I'm very happy to write to the Member, and, indeed, share it will all Members, with a grid of how many payments have been made.

The big issue that we have, as he correctly identified, is the problem with the welfare system. An under-the-radar change that the Conservative Government has done in their completely heartless way is to freeze the local housing allowance two years ago, so that already the value of a benefit to somebody who isn't in social housing is diminishing. These small changes make an enormous difference in people's lives, and the positive tsunami that's about to hit people on the lower income brackets this winter with the rise in national insurance payments, the removal of the £20 universal credit and the freezing of the local housing allowance is just appalling to contemplate. So, I'm very happy to work with any information he has about local authorities struggling to pay out the money. I absolutely agree with him that we want that money paid out to people who need it right across Wales in order to try and temper some of the most heartless cuts I've ever seen in the welfare state, in any Government in my lifetime, actually. It's quite eye watering, the appalling lack of sympathy that this Conservative Government is showing, and I'm more than happy to share with him and other Members where the payments are. I don't have that information to hand, but I'm more than happy to share it with him.

We recently published our all-Wales delivery plan, 'Net Zero Wales'. This sets out the actions we must all take across this Senedd term on our journey towards net zero. This includes our approach to energy efficiency, which marries investment, innovation, public engagement and supply chain stimulus.

En route to decarbonisation, the global energy price crisis has highlighted the current importance of gas as back-up when the energy contribution from intermittent wind and solar energy renewables is low. This fragile system faces further challenges with most of the UK's nuclear power plants, currently supplying around 20 per cent of our electricity, to close by the end of the decade. However, site proposals for new small modular nuclear reactors include north Wales, and the UK Nuclear Energy (Financing) Bill also offers potential for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey, with companies such as Bechtel and Rolls-Royce already keen to establish new nuclear power there.

Further to my recent meeting with the chief executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, how do you therefore respond to his evidence that all the modern nuclear power stations planned or under construction in the UK can load follow—adjusting their power output as demand for electricity fluctuates throughout the day—and that in networks where nuclear consists of a high amount of generation, such as France, nuclear power stations routinely load follow or provide back-up, and that in a future UK grid consisting mainly of renewables and nuclear, nuclear would therefore be capable of load following or providing that back-up?

Well, I'm sure he's right. I don't entirely understand what he's asking me, to be honest. I completely agree that nuclear has a role to play if we can get the right kinds of nuclear installation in Wales. He will know that we've got a cluster of scientists working on that in north-west Wales and that we're exploring the potential for Trawsfynydd. The problems of Wylfa are well known—whether we can get an investor for that scale of nuclear plant in Ynys Môn is just as much a responsibility of the UK Government as us, and we're working with them on that. If we can get that mix right, then I'm sure it does play a part in that.

In the meantime, we're not relying on that in Wales. As I say, we are in a quest for baseload renewables, which is what he's talking about. If we can get that out of marine renewables without any of the difficulties that the nuclear industry has famously had over the years, then I would be in favour of doing so. But, I have no problem with discussing the potential for a nuclear solution in some parts of Wales if the technology is available and if we can make the project wash its face in affordability terms.

My colleague the Minister for Economy has been working with a public sector owned company in order to exploit some of these materials, and I'm more than happy to—well, I've been working with my colleague the Minister for Economy on it, and I'm more than happy to keep the Senedd informed as those developments unfold.

Devolving control over the Crown Estate would give us greater flexibility in choosing how far and fast we deploy renewables, particularly in Welsh waters. We intend for the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales to consider the Crown Estate within the context of a comprehensive assessment of the powers Wales needs.

Diolch yn fawr am eich ateb, Weinidog. Ar ymweliad ddoe â phorthladd Caerdydd, fe wnaethom ni drafod y posibiliadau anhygoel sydd gan Gymru ym maes ynni adnewyddadwy, ac aeth y sgwrs ymlaen ynglŷn â datganoli Ystâd y Goron i Gymru fel mae wedi digwydd i'r Alban yn barod. Fel gwnaeth y Prif Weinidog ddweud yn ddiweddar ac fel rŷch chi wedi awgrymu heddiw, roedd rheolwyr y porthladd hefyd yn credu, yn grediniol iawn, y byddai datganoli Ystâd y Goron yn beth da i Gymru ac yn creu potensial enfawr ym maes ynni adnewyddadwy. Y consýrn mawr gyda nhw a'r consýrn mawr gyda fi yw ein bod ni'n mynd i golli cyfle anhygoel fan hyn yng Nghymru a bod gwledydd eraill yn mynd i fynd ar flaen y gad gyda ni fan hyn. Felly, wrth gofio sylwadau'r Prif Weinidog, wrth gofio beth rŷch chi newydd ei ddweud ac o ystyried potensial amlwg datganoli Ystâd y Goron i Gymru, pam felly wnaethoch chi fel Llywodraeth, fel Llafur yma yn y Senedd, bleidleisio gyda'r blaid Dorïaidd yn erbyn mesur Plaid Cymru i ddatganoli Ystâd y Goron i Gymru fis diwethaf?

Well, the short answer to that is because you combined it with a number of other things that we didn't like. So, turning to the Crown Estate issues, though, they have a significant impact, as he rightly said, in terms of renewables deployment, particularly in relation to sea bed leases, and they have a substantially strategic landholding for Wales. The timing of their leasing land certainly dictates the ability of Welsh-based projects to compete on a level playing field, I completely agree.

I've had a really good meeting, actually, with the Crown Estate, as has my colleague Lee Waters, to set out our priorities for renewable energy in Wales. We were both extremely robust in expressing our view that the Crown Estate has got to be an enabler in Wales, and we sought assurance that their ambition and timescales have not disadvantaged Wales in developing our marine and offshore renewables industry. But also, and perhaps much more importantly, in terms of our just transition plans, we agreed that local economic benefits need to be a material consideration in granting sea bed rights and contracts.

My colleague Lee Waters is, as I'm sure you're aware, conducting a deep dive into renewables to look at how we energise and mobilise a coalition for change across the public and private sectors to add pace to our development of renewables, and that includes ensuring that the Crown Estate behaves as an enabling partner, whilst they continue not to be devolved to Wales. We'll meet with the Crown Estate again following the deep-dive exercise to ensure its future engagement with Wales.

But the short answer to the Member's question is that if he wants us to agree to his proposals, he needs to make sure that they don't include things with which we don't agree.

Minister, before I go on to my question, every time you mention the Deputy Minister taking a deep dive, I do imagine him physically taking a deep dive from time to time. [Laughter.] But thanks to the Member for submitting this really important question regarding the potential impact of devolving control of the Crown Estate in Wales on renewable energy. I'm sure you'll be aware, Minister, that over the last 10 years, the Crown Estate has contributed a huge £3 billion to the public purse, and aside from help and support for vital public services, good management of these important assets by the Crown Estate has led to great benefits for the people of Wales, including continued work on renewable energy, which you mentioned a moment ago, supporting hundreds of jobs, reducing those carbon emissions and maximising the potential for taxpayers by those contributions back to the Treasury. So, Minister, would you agree with me that we should be spending our time and energy propagating opportunities to work with the Crown Estate in a spirit of unity, working together to benefit the people of Wales, rather than sowing seeds of conflict and division? Diolch yn fawr iawn.

I do absolutely agree that we need to manage our relationship with the Crown Estate, which is a very good one, in order to make sure that we do unlock the potential for renewables, as I've just said. However, the UK Government did devolve the Crown Estate to Scotland back in 2016, they have control of the Crown Estate in Scotland and, as a result, are able to do a number of things, including bidding rounds for renewables under their own control, that we are not able to do, and that is, necessarily, a disadvantage.

There's also an issue around the funding, so I'm not disagreeing with Sam Rowlands that we need to get on with the Crown Estate well and we need to make sure that we work happily with them, given the current state of play, but the Crown Estate are tasked specifically with generating a profit for the UK Treasury in England and Wales at the moment. That profit has totalled £3 billion over the last 10 years, and total net profits were £269.3 million in 2020-21, so I cannot pretend that I wouldn't much prefer to have a proportion of that coming direct to the Welsh Treasury instead of via the UK Government, who have been singularly unhelpful in making sure that we get a proper Barnettised formula. So, whilst I agree with the general thrust of his argument, there is undoubtedly a financial benefit, as is very obvious in Scotland, of having the Crown Estate devolved.

Cwestiwn 6 nesaf, i'w ateb gan y Dirprwy Weinidog ac i'w ofyn gan Delyth Jewell. 

Yes. The future of public transport in South Wales East is promising. Work is well under way on transforming the core Valleys lines, taking forward the recommendations of Lord Burns around Newport, and we are starting to see the new trains being delivered that will run across the region.

Diolch, Gweinidog. There is currently a strike going on in my region, with Stagecoach staff based at the depots in Cwmbran, Brynmawr and Blackwood in their third week at the picket line. It is regrettable it's come to this, Minister, when you consider how little the drivers are asking for, which is only a £1 increase in pay to £10.50 an hour. That's only £1 above the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation, and is actually less than trainee drivers receive over the border in England, according to research by Nation.Cymru. Now, Minister, I understand Stagecoach pulled out of a meeting with Unite with just 45 minutes' notice on Monday, and one of their managers apparently described the union's call for a £1 pay rise as 'a fantasy pay demand as part of a wider political agenda'. I do worry about the attitude that prompted them to say that. So, Minister, will you give your support, please, to the strikers and urge Stagecoach to get around the table to negotiate properly so that a deal can be struck and they can resume their job of providing public transport?

Yes. Naturally, we're in contact with both Stagecoach and the trade unions about this, and I'm very concerned that the dispute hasn't yet been brought to a successful resolution. I would certainly urge that to happen as soon as possible, because people are now beginning to suffer as services are not there for them when they need them. I did meet Unite yesterday, and I was very concerned by their suggestion that part of the motivation was that the company wanted to remain as low cost and competitive as possible so that when the bus emergency scheme ends in July, they're able to put in tenders at the lowest possible price to secure future routes. We need to make sure as we move to franchising that workers' conditions are safeguarded and the desire for a quick commercial profit is not put ahead of the rights and needs of a well-paid and qualified workforce to serve the needs of passengers. 

[Inaudible.]—this Chamber, Members from all sides have agreed with the need to shift towards multimodal transport systems to reduce our reliance on cars, to make services more accessible and to meet our climate change commitment. Of course, meeting this challenge is particularly important in more rural areas of Wales, such as in my own constituency of Monmouth, where there is an over-reliance on car ownership, and the availability of public transport services can be at best erratic. In fairness, your recent transport strategy, 'Llwybr Newydd', does recognise some of these issues through the rural cross-cutting delivery pathway, and I know that regional transport plans are also seen as one of tailoring transport services to local needs. These plans are well-meaning, but of course if they're going to be realised, then they need to be met with real long-term action. Therefore, what additional measures is the Welsh Government exploring to best support councils to design and deliver local transport solutions that meet the needs of local communities, particularly those in rural Wales that face a number of practical challenges? Thank you. 

Well, I join the Senedd today from COP26 in Glasgow, where today is transport day, and we have signed a declaration with a number of leading countries to work towards all sales of new cars and vans being zero emissions globally by 2040 and no later than 2035 in leading markets, which will be an important contribution to achieving net zero. I welcome what Peter Fox said about the support for a shift towards sustainable transport, but of course when we take decisions that give effect to that and release money from road schemes to invest in sustainable transport, like the M4 in Newport and in Llanbedr in Gwynedd, we see consistent opposition to the necessary steps to give effect to that principle. That's something I think opposition parties do need to reflect on. It's all very well agreeing with the principle, but you've got to actually agree with the consequences of the principle, too. 

Peter Fox is right to say that, in rural areas, there are a different set of challenges. They're not insurmountable, but they do require a different approach. I'm glad he recognises that, in 'Llwybr Newydd' there is a recognition of that, and we will be fleshing that out in the months to come, and I'm hoping to publish a short paper that sets out what we think, drawing on international examples of rural areas that we can learn from in Wales. He is also right to point out that the delivery capability of local authorities is going to be crucial to this, and we know, because of 10 years of austerity, that there are real strains in capacity in local authorities to be able to do that. That's one of the reasons why our corporate joint committees are being put in place to regionalise those skills and to collaborate and co-operate to give effect to those plans, and that is something we are working on with local authorities as we speak, and I'd be very keen to have further conversations with colleagues from across the Senedd to make sure we get the detail of this right to deliver for our communities.

Yes. Any new woodland creation in Wales must comply with environmental impact assessment regulations. The woodland carbon code is the voluntary offsetting standard for UK woodland creation and it provides assurance about the carbon savings of sustainably managed woodlands. Companies, of course, should always prioritise the reduction of carbon emissions before offsetting.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Dirprwy Weinidog. Fel rŷch chi'n gwybod, dwi wedi mynegi pryderon sawl gwaith yn y Siambr hon am ffermydd yn cael eu prynu gan gwmnïau y tu allan i Gymru ar gyfer gwrthbwyso allyriadau carbon, a bron bob wythnos nawr rŷn ni'n clywed am enghreifftiau o hyn yn digwydd. Ac o ganlyniad, rŷn ni'n colli ffermydd teuluol a cholli tir amaeth da, ac rŷn ni'n gweld coed yn disodli pobl, gydag effaith negyddol honno ar natur ein cymunedau gwledig. Yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf, dwi wedi cael cyfle i gwrdd â thrigolion yng Nghwrt-y-cadno yng ngogledd sir Gaerfyrddin a Hermon yn sir Benfro, sy'n poeni'n fawr iawn am y datblygiadau arfaethedig hyn, ac rôn nhw'n teimlo'n hollol ddi-rym ac yn gofyn i fi godi'u pryderon nhw gyda chi fel Gweinidogion.

Nawr, pan godais i'r mater yma gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd y mis diwethaf, fe wnaeth hi gydnabod bod hon yn broblem, ac, fel y dywedoch chi, yr unig asesiad sy'n cael ei wneud ar hyn o bryd yw asesiad effaith amgylcheddol. Rwy'n bendant o'r farn bod yn rhaid inni ddefnyddio'r system gynllunio i reoli'r math hwn o ddatblygiadau er mwyn i drigolion lleol gael mwy o reolaeth ar ddyfodol eu cymunedau a siapo defnydd tir yn eu hardaloedd. Ydych chi'n cytuno?

While I fully recognise the concerns, I think it's really important that we tackle this problem in a responsible way, and that we work together to find solutions. I do not support greenwashing by companies using tree planting as a way to justify their polluting methods. Now, we do have a requirement, if we are going to hit net zero by 2050—and I know he and his party think we should be reaching net zero before that—to dramatically increase our tree-planting activities: a fifteenfold increase in tree planting by the end of this decade. Now, we want Welsh farmers and Welsh landowners, to lead that. We don't want investors from outside of communities doing that, we'd much prefer that be done within our communities, and, in fairness, as soon as I began my initial exercise in the early summer on tree planting, I spotted this being a problem immediately, and have set up a group that is doing good work to look at alternative financing models to be able to keep the control and ownership locally, not disrupt local land ownership patterns, but get the finance in so that the tree-planting targets can be met. I was very pleased to see that Cefin Campbell had visited the Stump Up for Trees project in Abergavenny and was impressed by the work that they're doing. I think it's an excellent model, because it does not displace food production—it plants on unproductive land—and it's controlled and owned locally, and we are now working with them to see if that model can be scaled and replicated across the country. But there does remain, obviously, a danger that, through the power of capitalism, people able to pay more are able to outbid locals to purchase land for significant tree planting.

I've asked planning officials to look at how the planning system can enable tree planting, and whether or not we need to look at measures when there are significantly large changes in land ownership. My slight hesitation is the purpose of the tree planting exercise was to remove barriers, because farmers complain it's too difficult currently to plant trees, and I wouldn't want to unwittingly make it even more difficult. So, I think that balance does need to be struck, but I've been listening to his concerns and the concerns of others. I had a very good meeting here in Glasgow yesterday with the National Farmers Union on the subject, and I'm committed to working on a cross-party basis to see how we can work with communities to both achieve our tree-planting targets, but do it in a way that brings the communities with us.

Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 8, Sioned Williams. 

Yes, the maps we published last month illustrate the scale of our ambitions, including new stations, routes and services. Travellers will see improvements to their network from next year through new trains, and we're working hard with local authorities to deliver new public transport services and active travel routes across the south-west. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Weinidog. Pythefnos yn ôl, gan ddatgan bod yr argyfwng hinsawdd yn golygu bod yn rhaid inni newid y ffordd rŷn ni'n teithio, fe gyhoeddoch chi ddiweddariad ar gyfer cynllun metro bae Abertawe a gorllewin Cymru, a hynny gan nodi bod 17 y cant o allyriadau carbon Cymru yn dod o drafnidiaeth, a bod angen felly i gael pobl i newid i fathau mwy cynaliadwy o drafnidiaeth. Fel rhan o'r adroddiad a gyhoeddwyd, mae'r mapiau o gynlluniau arfaethedig i'w gweld, ac mae bylchau mawr yn y mapiau hynny o ran datblygiadau trafnidiaeth i wasanaethu cwm Tawe a chwm Afan yn enwedig. Mae Plaid Cymru wedi dadlau ers tro dros fetro yn ne-orllewin Cymru, a rŷn ni'n credu bod yn rhaid i gynllun metro gynnwys gwasanaethau rheilffordd neu reilffordd ysgafn i gysylltu cymunedau'r Cymoedd gorllewinol. Mae'r bylchau hyn yn y cynlluniau felly yn siomedig o ystyried y buddiannau economaidd, gwyrdd a chymdeithasol posibl, ac felly a wnaiff y Dirprwy Weinidog esbonio pam nad oes yna fwriad, o beth welaf i, hyd yn oed yn yr hirdymor, i ddatblygu a chryfhau cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth cwm Tawe ac Afan a helpu trigolion i gael mynediad hawdd i drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn unol â'r nod gwaelodol strategaeth drafnidiaeth y Llywodraeth? Diolch. 

Thank you. I agree with that analysis. I absolutely share her desire to see a south-west Wales metro. I think the truth of it is that the Swansea bay metro, as we call it in shorthand, has been the least developed of the three metro schemes, and that's partly because the Swansea bay city deal has not had a focus on transport in the way that the other city deals, city regions, have had. Some work was begun by the local authorities, which we've now asked Transport for Wales to take in-house to accelerate, and there is work going on about doing long-term planning and mapping of where the metro could be developed, and there is progress being made, and I can assure her that I've been chasing that since taking up the role. That is something that we need to accelerate as we see the corporate joint committees empowered from next year. It's vital that they work with us and Transport for Wales to do more to fill those gaps on the map, because, if we are going to achieve the ambition of 'Llwybr Newydd' and if we are going to meet our climate change objectives, we absolutely have to see in south-west Wales what we are now seeing in Cardiff and the Valleys through the development of the metro, both in public transport, bus and rail, but also integration with active travel. So, there's much more that we need to do in the south-west. 

Diolch i'r Dirprwy Weinidog ac i'r Gweinidog hefyd.

Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i Weinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Jayne Bryant. 

It is vital that education equips young people to understand and respect their own and each other’s histories and cultures. We are not only adding learning about the diversity of communities into the curriculum, we are also investing in professional learning to support practitioners and working to diversify the workforce.

Thank you, Minister. The history we teach must capture the many experiences and perspectives of those who have called Wales their home. Large and significant events cannot be ignored just because they're uncomfortable or difficult. The 1919 south Wales race riots have largely been forgotten. The George Street riots started in Newport and involved 5,000 people before spreading to Cardiff and other parts of Wales and the UK. The brilliant Historic Dock Project and Bigger Picture linked with local primary schools in Newport to mark the centenary, but more must be done to ensure that this part of our Welsh history is not forgotten. What steps will the Minister take to ensure that significant moments in our history like the south Wales race riots are included in the teaching of black history in Wales?

Well, we are leading the way in Wales by becoming the first part of the UK to make it mandatory to teach black, Asian and minority ethnic histories and experiences in the curriculum, and this will reinforce the importance of teaching past and present experiences and the contributions of our ethnic minority communities as part of the story of Wales across the curriculum. And in spring of next year, we are due to have a national network conversation, focused on the subject of diversity, for the development of resources and supporting materials on Welsh history and local context. And she will be aware of the work that we are doing to increase the diversity of our teaching workforce by encouraging individuals from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to become teachers.

She will also be aware that, last month, Estyn published a thematic report on the teaching of Welsh history, including black, Asian and minority ethnic history, identity and culture, and I'm considering how we respond to that. But one of the things that is clear from the Estyn report is how important it is for our young people to have a clear understanding of Welsh history, including the many and varied diverse aspects of it, including Wales's role in the slave trade and the race riots. These are important parts of the history of Wales and must never be forgotten.

Minister, in principle, I have absolutely no objection to children in Wales learning about black, Asian and minority ethnic history in Welsh schools. Nearly 35,000 people signed a petition calling for this to be made compulsory, thereby recognising the legacy of colonialism and slavery in the communities across Wales. I do have one concern, however. There is a danger that focusing on colonialism and slavery could exacerbate racial tensions in the classroom and that not enough attention may be given to the positive contribution made by people of colour to our shared history, such as people—mainly Mary Seacole and Mary Prince. So, how will you ensure that the teaching of ethnic minority history in schools across Wales will have the desired effect of enhancing cohesion and understanding between communities in Wales and not widening them? And just a sub question: what key performance indicators will you be putting in place—I know you mentioned that there'll be plenty of materials and support for teachers, but what KPIs will you put in place to monitor this and ensure that it has the desired effect? Thank you.

Well, I think the Member makes an important point. I visited the Mount Stuart Primary School down the road from here to launch the Betty Campbell award for teachers who'd demonstrated particular commitment to diversity in the curriculum and in the classroom, and was talking to the young people there about their role models in their community. They had done a project where they were celebrating the positive contributions of black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to their community and to Wales and, indeed, to the world. So, I think the diversity needs to be, in fact, diverse—it needs to reflect the entire experience both in history but also in today's modern Wales, and I'm confident that, learning the lessons that Professor Charlotte Williams and her group have helped us with, and the work that Estyn is helping us with, we will be able to provide that rich curriculum that makes sure that all our children in all parts of Wales understand the full diversity of Welsh history and modern Wales. 

Diolch yn fawr i chi, Weinidog, am eich atebion hyd yn hyn. Fel rŷch chi'n gwybod, mae 20 y cant o bobl Caerdydd yn dod o gefndiroedd BAME, ac, fel rŷch chi wedi sôn yn barod, mae'n hollbwysig bod plant y cymunedau yma yn cael eu gweld, eu bod nhw'n cael eu cynrychioli yn y cwricwlwm ac o fewn y sector addysg. Mae hynny'n dangos pwysigrwydd pethau fel gwobr Betty Campbell. Ar 13 Rhagfyr, dwi'n noddi digwyddiad yma yn y Senedd, pan fydd yr awdur du o Gaerdydd Jessica Dunrod, gyda'r Mudiad Meithrin, yn arddangos llyfrau gan awduron du, gyda chymeriadau o wahanol gefndiroedd ynddyn nhw, sydd wedi cael eu cyfieithu i'r Gymraeg. A wnewch chi bob ymdrech i ddod i'r digwyddiad yna, Weinidog, ond, yn bwysicach na hynny, a wnewch chi bob ymdrech i hyrwyddo deunyddiau sy'n gynhwysol yn y byd addysg? Diolch yn fawr.  

Diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn pwysig hwnnw. Rŷn ni yn buddsoddi'n sylweddol iawn er mwyn sicrhau cefnogaeth i awduron a phobl sy'n darparu adnoddau er mwyn sicrhau bod gan ein hathrawon ni'r deunyddiau sydd eu hangen er mwyn delifro'r cwricwlwm yn y ffordd gynhwysol mae'r Aelod yn sôn amdano fe. Os ydw i'n rhydd ar y diwrnod hwnnw, byddaf i'n hapus iawn i ddod i'r achlysur. Os wyf i ddim yn digwydd bod yn rhydd, buaswn i'n hapus iawn trefnu achlysur arall i gwrdd gyda hi. 

Our children and young people are amongst the most passionate advocates for an ambitious approach to tackling the climate emergency and so, the education sector has a fundamental role in supporting the Welsh Government's response to the climate emergency. That is why I have mandated net-zero carbon requirements under the new banner of sustainable communities for learning for our twenty-first century schools and colleges programme from 1 January next year.

Thank you, Minister, for that answer, and I do welcome the Welsh Government's commitment to putting sustainability at the forefront of education policies and their commitment to closely involving pupils in designing their learning environment. I had the honour of seeing first hand how engaged pupils become when they are involved in projects that directly impact their learning environment, when I visited Stebonheath Primary School in Llanelli several years ago. They were the first school to benefit from the RainScape project by Welsh Water to reduce flooding in their playground. A number of sustainable features were used in the design to help alleviate the issue and the children were very much involved in the design. Workshops were held so that they could submit and discuss their ideas with the engineers. It was a great example of how pupil engagement has a positive outcome for both the learning environment as well as the children.

In your statement last week, you announced that you would be making a sustainable schools challenge fund available for primary schools. Are you able to tell us when we can expect more details about that particular project?

Well, I thank Joyce Watson for that question. As she knows, from 1 January next year, all new-build, major refurbishment and extension projects requesting funding through the sustainable communities for learning programme, as it will be then, will need to demonstrate net-zero carbon requirements, but will also need to have ambitious plans for biodiversity, for active travel and for electric vehicle charging points. But, as she says, alongside that, I want to take advantage of exactly the sort of example you were giving there. I visited Nottage Primary School in Sarah Murphy's constituency a few weeks ago and saw how young people engaged in the design of their learning environment was both beneficial in terms of the design, but also beneficial in terms of the curriculum. And it provides a very rich teaching opportunity and resource in order to enable all our young people to become the ethical, informed citizens that we want them to be.

I will be bringing forward further information, as she says, in relation to the sustainable schools challenge fund shortly and that will provide, I think, more information of the sort that she is looking for, but I think it's a very exciting opportunity for local authorities to work with their schools and with their young people to look for innovative models, using sustainable materials and involving pupils and staff in the design of those environments.

Can I ask what action the Welsh Government is taking on home-to-school transport? Obviously, one way in order to get towards a net-zero situation is to promote public transport as a means of getting people to and from school, but too many people are obviously using their cars to ferry children to and from school at the moment. And yet, the current home-to-school transport arrangements don't appear to be giving sufficient numbers of people access to bus transport. Is there anything that the Welsh Government can do to review its policy on home-to-school transport with a view to making more pupils eligible for free transport on buses?

He makes a very important point about the contribution that transport to school makes to our broader ambitions to become a net-zero Wales. You will have heard me say a moment ago that the specification for the relaunch, if you like, of the sustainable communities for learning programme will require ambitious active travel plans and we're working with the active travel board to establish a baseline requirement for those projects. But the Member's question is broader than that of course, and I recognise the challenge that he sets out. It's really important that we do everything we can to encourage active travel solutions, but also to make sure that, where that isn't possible—and it obviously isn't possible everywhere to the extent that we would wish—that we look at the other modes of transport. There is a review under way at the moment of home-to-school transport within the climate change department, and I'm sure colleagues in that department will bring forward a statement in due course in relation to that very point.

Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Laura Jones.

Diolch, Llywydd. Afternoon, Minister. It almost seems like old news now, it's been so long since I've had the chance to question you at spokespersons' questions in the Chamber, but it comes of great concern to education providers and myself that the new curriculum will see the separation of GCSE, the separate sciences, and also the separation of English and English—. Sorry, it will see the separate sciences at GCSE merged, and English and English literature also merged. We have always realised in this Chamber the importance of science and the importance of encouraging people into science, as well as, obviously, highlighting the importance of people going into science for our future economy, for future jobs.

So, I was quite baffled when I heard this announcement, and, for me, it flies in the face of one of the four purposes of the new curriculum. The issue of conflating subjects is nothing less than to disregard the best of what's been thought and said over centuries. Biology is not chemistry, and English is not English literature. Minister, England will be keeping separate subjects, appreciating their value and importance. So, Minister, do you not see that this will inevitably now cause a brain drain of students who want to study medicine at Oxbridge, who will, obviously, need triple science GCSEs to maximise their chance of success? Is this really what we want to see happening? It's hard enough to recruit into the education sector without staff feeling that their subject is being dissolved or amalgamated.

I would love to hear your comments, Minister, on what impact you think that this move will have on the children of Wales—a move that's not supported by the majority of the education sector, including the union the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru, who highlighted that only 30 per cent of those involved in the original consultation exercise thought that this was a laudable or workable idea, but somehow it made it into the final report. So, Minister, why is it that the unions, professors at Swansea University and the Royal Society of Chemistry are wrong about the disastrous impact of this decision, and yet you and Qualifications Wales are right?

Well, I think it's important to approach this topic with a degree of moderation in some of the descriptions that we give, because it's a very important area for our learners. If the Member has had an opportunity to look at the Qualifications Wales report, 'Qualified for the Future', she will have seen there the case that Qualifications Wales makes for the reforms that they propose in both those areas, which, as she acknowledges, were both the subject of previous consultation. She will find in relation, for example, to the proposal to bring English literature and English language together that, if you look at the current entry figures in relation to English literature, the proposal could in fact, and is intended to, enable more learners to participate in English literature for longer in the curriculum. So, the argument that is made by Qualifications Wales is that that will extend the opportunity to more pupils than are currently having the opportunity to study English literature.

In relation to science and technology, I know that she supports the principle in the curriculum of making sure that our learners have a breadth of experience. And the intention, which again is laid out in the Qualifications Wales report, is to provide scope at GCSE for learners to study, to be qualified in a broader range of qualifications. And indeed, she'll know that the proposal in relation to a science award is for that to be, effectively, the value of two GCSEs, and to enable the links to be made in the way that we understand is important between the various sciences. She probably also knows that, currently, the most entries for science at GCSE is in fact the double science that currently exists. There is, however, clearly a range of opinions in relation to this, so I would encourage her and others to contribute to the consultation that is currently open; it's important that we hear those perspectives as well.

Many thanks, Minister. The majority of people I've spoken to, it's quite the opposite that I'm getting.

A damning new report last night, which was released by the National Association of Head Teachers Cymru—another union, Minister—has highlighted the impact of the chronic underfunding of Welsh schools. 'A Failure to Invest: the state of Welsh school funding in 2021' provides troubling examples of the ways teachers have been forced to cut expenditure to balance budgets in the face of Labour cuts. More than three quarters of school leaders said that they do not have sufficient capital funding to maintain their buildings; almost 92 per cent reported funding for pupils with special educational needs in their school is insufficient; and 94 per cent reported that the additional learning needs funding they receive is not sufficient to meet the needs of the new ALN legislation, introduced by this Government. Nearly four fifths of school leaders said that the cuts they are being forced to make will have a negative or strongly negative impact on the quality of school provision for Welsh pupils. This obviously damning report from this union poses many questions, Minister. The fact remains that pupils in Wales receive £1,000 less than those in England. So, when will this Welsh Government ensure equality of funding between pupils in England and pupils in Wales, and when will you invest in our children's future and perhaps even fund schools directly to ensure that the pupils and the schools get the money that they deserve?

The Member will know that she gives a very partial view of the situation in relation to funding for schools in Wales. She will know that, on any number of measures, the volume of funding invested in the Welsh education system is significantly in excess of that which is invested in schools in England, which she herself chooses as the comparator for the question. I am aware of the report and I know of its content, and I have discussed these matters with the NAHT several times. She took the example of ALN funding—just to take one of the examples that she's given. We absolutely recognise that there is a cost to transitioning from the system that we currently have to the new legislation. We've provided significant funding to the system to enable that transition cost to be borne. There are other pressures that have arisen as a consequence of responding to COVID whilst also moving over into the new system, and we've provided significant funding to enable that to happen. I have had discussions with local authorities, and I have said that if they have evidence of significant additional costs into the long term, then I'm very open to receiving the evidence in relation to that.

Thank you, Minister. Also, the attainment gap figures recently released paint a very worrying picture. They have been exacerbated by the inequality between the better off and the poorest in Welsh society. Top GCSE results show a gap now of 11.5 per cent in 2021. Minister, how are you planning to tackle this attainment gap and ensure that young people in Wales are afforded the best start in life, regardless of their background, as this Welsh Labour Government seems to be letting down the poorest in our communities? It was bad before the pandemic, Minister, but now worse, as the move to centre-assessed grades seems to have exacerbated the situation. Do you not agree with me that the return to exams is now more crucial than ever? I know that you've said now that that is what you want to do. But, in this Chamber, can you now say that that is what your intention is, to bring back that move to exams? And what are you doing, Minister, to ensure that those children off school with COVID or due to COVID-related regulations are receiving the education that they need and that they deserve—because it's a significant amount of time that children are having off school at the moment—to ensure that this gap doesn't widen in the future?

I appreciate the Member’s interest in closing the attainment gap and she will absolutely know, from the previous discussions that we’ve had in this Chamber, that this is a very important priority for me and for this Government generally. I share with her the concern in relation to the results that we saw this summer, which did in fact show a widening of the attainment gap. That has been something that we feared might happen and, as I know that she’s aware, the renew and reform programme of investment that we’ve provided to schools and the education system to respond to the challenges of the last year is significantly weighted towards supporting learners, disadvantaged learners or those who need particularly additional support in order to continue with their learning. We’ve provided, during the pandemic, almost £180 million in relation to the recruit, recover, raise standards programme. That itself has been weighted towards providing more intensive support for our more disadvantaged learners and that has allowed opportunities for additional coaching, for mentoring and so on. But there is more that needs to be done and the funding in the system is designed to deliver that.

The question of the attainment gap is a broader set of challenges than can be achieved and addressed simply within the school environment. Many of our programme for government commitments are designed to close the attainment gap, so whether that’s around extending free school meal eligibility, whether it’s around reform of the school day and the school year, whether it’s around community-focused schools, all of these interventions are designed to contribute to that, and I look forward to working further with the Member in relation to those if she’s happy to do that.

Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Cefin Campbell.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. A fyddai’r Gweinidog yn cytuno â fi mai un o’r pethau pwysicaf sydd angen digwydd er mwyn sicrhau bod mwy o blant yn elwa ar addysg Gymraeg yw sicrhau bod athrawon dwyieithog cymwys ar gael i’w dysgu nhw? Nawr, tra ein bod ni’n cydnabod bod rhywfaint o gynnydd wedi bod ers cyfnod y pandemig o ran y nifer sy'n dewis hyfforddi fel athrawon, ar y cyfan mae'r sefyllfa o ran niferoedd yr athrawon Cymraeg yn parhau i fod yn un argyfyngus. Wrth ystyried pwysigrwydd sicrhau cyflenwad digonol o athrawon i'r strategaeth 2050, gyda'r nod o greu miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg, mae'r prinder o dros 300 o athrawon cyfrwng Cymraeg yn y sector cynradd a 500 yn y sector uwchradd yn destun pryder mawr. Ac, mor bell ag yr wyf i'n gallu gweld, does yna ddim strategaeth i fynd i'r afael â hyn. Nawr, rŷch chi a'r Gweinidog addysg blaenorol wedi cyfeirio sawl gwaith at gynllun 10 mlynedd. Felly, a oes modd cael diweddariad ac amserlen i'r cynllun hwn? A'r cwestiwn amlwg i ofyn, wrth gwrs, yw beth yn benodol rŷch chi fel Llywodraeth yn bwriadu gwneud er mwyn denu siaradwyr dwyieithog i'r proffesiwn, neu i ddarparu hyfforddiant iaith digonol i siaradwyr di-Gymraeg er mwyn rhoi'r sgiliau a'r hyder iddyn nhw gyfrannu i'r sector addysg Gymraeg.

Wel, diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn, ac os ydy'r cyfrifoldebau yma yn gyfrifoldebau parhaol newydd, rwy'n ei groesawu fe iddyn nhw hefyd. Mae'r cwestiwn hwn yn un dilys iawn. Er mwyn inni allu ymestyn mynediad pobl i addysg Gymraeg ym mhob rhan o Gymru, mae'n rhaid sicrhau ein bod ni'n cyrraedd ac yn mynd yn bellach na'r targedau sydd gyda ni ar hyn o bryd o ran recriwtio, a dŷn ni ddim eto wedi gwneud hynny.

Roedd y rhaglen waith gwnes i ei chyhoeddi rai wythnosau yn ôl yn sôn am y cynllun sydd gennym ni ar gyfer strategaeth newydd. Dyw'r atebion ddim yn atebion syml; mae pawb, wrth gwrs, yn cydnabod hynny. Ac mae'n rhaid sicrhau ein bod ni'n gweithio mewn partneriaeth gyda'n rhanddeiliaid ehangach er mwyn gwneud cynnydd yn y maes hwn. Felly, rydym ni ar fin cyhoeddi dogfen ddrafft i drafod gyda'n rhanddeiliaid ni. Rydym ni wedi bod yn trafod eisoes gyda Chyngor y Gweithlu Addysg, Cymdeithas Ysgolion Dros Addysg Gymraeg, y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, gyda'r comisiynydd, ond mae eraill hefyd y bydd angen iddyn nhw fod yn rhan o'r sgwrs honno. 

Mae amryw o bethau y gellid eu gwneud er mwyn annog pobl i hyfforddi fel athrawon—ei gwneud hi'n haws iddyn nhw wneud hynny, rhoi anogaeth ariannol i bobl wneud hynny. Felly, mae mwy nag un ffordd o fynd i'r afael â hyn. Ond rwy'n credu bod angen edrych ar y gweithlu ehangach hefyd. Rwyf wedi cael trafodaethau diweddar ynglŷn â'r prinder cynorthwywyr dosbarth sy'n gallu siarad Cymraeg, ac mae'n rhaid inni hefyd wneud cynnydd yn y maes hwnnw, a gweld y gweithlu cyfan, fel petai. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Wel, rwy'n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at weld y strategaeth ddrafft honno. Jest i ddilyn ymlaen, rwyf wedi bod yn cyfeirio'n benodol at y sector statudol. Mae amcanion Cymraeg 2050, wrth gwrs, yn cydnabod rôl bwysig y sector ôl-16 ac addysg uwch i wireddu'r weledigaeth o greu miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg. Ac mae dyletswydd gyda chi fel Llywodraeth i sicrhau bod gan ddysgwyr a myfyrwyr gyfleoedd i barhau â'u haddysg yn y Gymraeg ar ôl iddyn nhw adael ysgol. Felly, beth yw cynlluniau'r Llywodraeth i sicrhau bod mwy o gyfleoedd ar gael ac, yn benodol, fod mwy o staff ar gael i addysgu'n pobl ifanc ni mewn sefydliadau colegau addysg bellach ac addysg uwch, ac yn benodol hefyd i ddilyn prentisiaethau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, achos y dysgwyr sydd yn mynd i addysg bellach a dilyn prentisiaethau yw'r rhai sy'n fwyaf tebygol o aros yn eu hardaloedd ac i allu darparu gwasanaethau pwysig yn eu cymunedau lleol? 

Wel, diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn hwnnw hefyd. Rydym ni wedi bod yn trafod hyn gyda'r Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol ac wedi darparu mwy o gyllideb iddyn nhw eleni er mwyn gwneud mwy o waith gyda ni yn y maes hwn. Ond mae'n iawn i sôn mai un o'r sialensau yn y maes hwn hefyd yw'r gweithlu sydd yn gallu darparu addysg yn y Gymraeg, a hefyd argaeledd cymwysterau yn  Gymraeg. Rydym ni wedi bod yn trafod rheini gyda Cymwysterau Cymru hefyd. Bydd gan y comisiwn newydd, a fydd yn dod yn sgil y ddeddfwriaeth rydym ni'n gobeithio'i phasio yma yn y Senedd, ddyletswydd benodol i sicrhau ffyniant addysg ôl-16 yn y Gymraeg, ac, felly, rwy'n credu bod hynny'n gyfle pwysig inni allu ymestyn y ddarpariaeth. Un o'r pethau sydd angen edrych yn fwy arno, rwy'n credu, yw'r berthynas rhwng addysg ôl-16 ac ysgolion, yn enwedig yng nghyd-destun rhan ddiwetha'r cwestiwn, sef darpariaeth prentisiaethau ac addysg ôl-16 yn y Gymraeg, fel ein bod ni'n cynefino pobl yn ystod eu cyfnod ysgol â'r opsiynau sydd gyda nhw er mwyn gwneud cymwysterau galwedigaethol yn y Gymraeg wedi gadael ysgol. 

Iawn, diolch yn fawr iawn. Mae'r cwestiwn olaf yn debyg iawn i'r cwestiwn gan Laura Anne Jones, ond dwi'n mynd i ddod ato fe o ongl ychydig bach yn wahanol, sef y bwlch cyrhaeddiad yn y data a gyhoeddwyd gan Cymwysterau Cymru yr wythnos hon, a oedd yn dangos bod llai o raddau uchel A* ac A mewn arholiadau gan blant sydd yn derbyn prydau bwyd am ddim o gymharu â'r dysgwyr hynny sydd yn fwy breintiedig. Nawr, rŷch chi wedi esbonio sut rŷch chi'n bwriadu mynd i'r afael â hyn, sef y cwestiwn gwreiddiol oedd gyda fi, ond wrth edrych yn ôl ar y cyfnod yn ystod y pandemig, mae'n amlwg bod yna ddiffyg cefnogaeth wedi bod i'r dysgwyr yma, oherwydd bod y bwlch wedi mynd yn fwy. Felly, ydych chi yn gallu dweud wrthym ni beth yw'r gwersi rŷch chi wedi eu dysgu, fel Llywodraeth, o edrych yn ôl ar y cyfnod hwnnw? Ac, yn bwysicach, ydych chi'n gallu cadarnhau fel mae cyfleoedd i'r dysgwyr hynny ddal i fyny gyda'r cyfleoedd sydd wedi cael eu colli? A beth ŷch chi'n teimlo ydy'r prif resymau bod y bwlch yna wedi mynd yn fwy?

Wel, rwy'n credu bod pobl o gefndiroedd sy'n fwy difreintiedig wedi cario baich COVID mewn amryw o ffyrdd, gan gynnwys ym mywyd ysgol, ond yn llawer ehangach na hynny yn ein cymdeithas ni ac yn ein heconomi ni. Roeddem ni'n rhagdybio y byddai hynny'n risg, o beth roeddem ni'n gweld yn datblygu yn ystod COVID, ac felly dyna pam y gwnaethom ni ddarparu ymyraethau a ffynonellau ariannu a oedd yn rhoi pwyslais penodol ar gefnogi dysgwyr yn y cohorts hynny. Dwi ddim yn credu bod unrhyw swm o arian neu fuddsoddiad yn gallu gwneud y gwahaniaeth y mae angen i ni ei wneud fel ymateb i hynny, ond mae'n rhaid cario ymlaen gyda'r ymyraethau sydd gyda ni. Rŷm ni hefyd yn mynd i fod yn sicrhau ein bod ni'n cadw golwg ar lwybr addysgiadol pobl sydd wedi cael eu heffeithio gan COVID fel ein bod ni'n deall, ar gyfer polisïau yn y dyfodol, dros y blynyddoedd nesaf, achos mae hon yn sialens fydd gyd ni nawr am flynyddoedd, beth gallwn ni ei wneud.

Roedd yr Aelod yn sôn am beth gallwn ni ei wneud i sicrhau bod pobl yn dal i fyny. Dwi'n ceisio peidio sôn am 'ddal i fyny', achos dwi ddim yn credu bod hynny'n ffordd sydd yn debygol o ysgogi ymrwymiad ac ymroddiad gan ein dysgwyr ni, ond o ran yr holl ymyraethau sydd gyda ni, o ran y three Rs, a'r renew and reform, dyna eu bwriad nhw—sicrhau bod capasiti pellach yn ein hysgolion ni ac yn ein colegau ni, i gael ei ddefnyddio'n bwrpasol i gefnogi un wrth un, neu i ddarparu mewn grwpiau bychan y math o gefnogaeth bellach sydd ei hangen ar y bobl sydd wedi colli allan fwyaf.

The Vale of Clwyd region has benefited from a total investment of £80 million during the first wave of funding of the twenty-first century schools and colleges programme. A further £46 million investment is planned for the second wave of funding, which began in 2019.

I'm very grateful for that response, Minister. However, the benefit of the twenty-first century schools programme is very much dependent on where you live—a postcode lottery, essentially. Pupils in Rhyl have benefited from the building of two excellent, modern schools, in Rhyl High School and the Christ the Word Catholic School, both in the same town, whereas the neighbouring town of Prestatyn hasn't had the same level of investment. And although it provides an excellent education for children, it relies on temporary buildings that were constructed over 50 years ago, which were hardly fit for the last century, let alone this century. So, Minister, when will pupils in Prestatyn, and Denbigh High School, as well, see modern school buildings with infrastructure fit to meet the challenges of tomorrow's workplaces?

I thank the Member for that question. As he probably knows, proposals for funding from this programme are put forward by local authorities, and so we are in the hands of local authorities making proposals in relation to particular schools. It isn't for us as a Government to designate the individual schools. They are brought forward for investment by the Welsh Government from our colleagues in local government, and we apply the same criteria in whichever part of Wales a proposal is put forward.

Mae'r galw am addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg yn Nwyrain De Cymru yn parhau i fod yn uchel. Mae dros £26 miliwn o gyllid cyfalaf yn cael ei fuddsoddi yn y rhanbarth, gyda phump o ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg newydd, yn ogystal â darpariaeth gofal plant. Mae pecyn arall o £30 miliwn o gyfalaf a £2.2 miliwn o gyllid grant i gefnogi cynlluniau trochi yn y Gymraeg ar gael ar draws Cymru.

Diolch, Weinidog. Mae Plaid Cymru yn croesawu, wrth gwrs, y ffaith y bydd ysgol gynradd Gymraeg newydd yn agor ym Merthyr fis Medi nesaf. Rydyn ni hefyd yn cefnogi'r cynlluniau sydd ar y gweill i agor ysgol gynradd Gymraeg yn Nhredegar yn 2023. Hoffwn ddiolch i Rhieni dros Addysg Gymraeg a'r awdurdodau lleol am eu gwaith yn symud hyn ymlaen ac, wrth gwrs, i'r Llywodraeth am ddarparu'r adnoddau.

Mae llawer o gymunedau eraill sydd angen ysgol gynradd, Weinidog, ond cwestiwn ynglŷn ag ysgol uwchradd sydd gen i heddiw. Mae'n destun tristwch ac annhegwch cymdeithasol a ieithyddol nad oes unrhyw ddarpariaeth uwchradd addysg Gymraeg yn siroedd Merthyr, Blaenau Gwent a Mynwy. Mae hyn yn golygu dim darpariaeth ysgol uwchradd Gymraeg yn 50 y cant o'r siroedd sydd yn fy rhanbarth i. I ble mae'r plant fydd yn derbyn yr addysg gynradd Gymraeg fod i fynd wedyn, Weinidog, i ddatblygu'u sgiliau iaith ymhellach ac i allu parhau i fwynhau ei siarad? A wnewch chi heddiw wneud ymrwymiad y byddwch yn gwneud popeth o fewn eich pŵer i sicrhau y bydd cynlluniau wedi'u cytuno ar addysg uwchradd cyfrwng Cymraeg yn siroedd Merthyr, Blaenau Gwent a Mynwy yn ystod eich tymor fel Gweinidog addysg, os gwelwch yn dda?

Diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn hwnnw. Fel gwnes i ddweud wrth ateb Gareth Davies yn fwy diweddar, rŷn ni'n ddibynnol ar gynigion sy'n dod o awdurdodau lleol yn y maes penodol hwn, fel rwy'n gwybod bod yr Aelod yn deall. Ond rŷn ni hefyd yn disgwyl gweld cynlluniau strategol uchelgeisiol gan bob awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru.

Mae pob un o'r awdurdodau lleol yn ei rhanbarth hi wrthi ar hyn o bryd yn ymgynghori ar eu cynlluniau nhw. O fewn y cynlluniau hynny, rwy'n gwybod bod ystyriaeth i ysgol uwchradd addysg Gymraeg ar y cyd, ac felly byddwn i'n cefnogi gweld hynny'n digwydd, wrth gwrs, er mwyn darparu ar draws y rhanbarth y ddarpariaeth addysg Gymraeg uwchradd sydd ei hangen ar bobl ifanc yn y rhan honno o Gymru.

Weinidog, mae'r cwricwlwm newydd yn gosod disgwyliad ar athrawon i allu addysgu rhywfaint drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Er budd y disgybl, mae angen athrawon o safon uchel yma yng Nghymru gydag ystod eang o brofiadau a chefndiroedd yn addysgu yn ein hysgolion. Mewn ardaloedd megis de-ddwyrain Cymru, lle mae staff yn aml yn cael eu recriwtio neu hyd yn oed yn cymudo o dros y ffin yn Lloegr, gallai'r angen am sgiliau Cymraeg fod yn rhwystr i recriwtio. A allwch amlinellu pa gefnogaeth y bydd y Llywodraeth hon yn ei darparu i unrhyw athro sydd am addysgu yng Nghymru i ddysgu'r sgiliau iaith angenrheidiol er mwyn sicrhau nad oes rhwystr i ymgeiswyr wneud cais?

Wel, nid yw pob un athro yn gorfod bod yn gallu dysgu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Rwyf newydd gael sgwrs gyda Cefin Campbell am y galw o ran recriwtio mwy o athrawon cyfrwng Cymraeg. Ond mae hefyd angen darparu cefnogaeth, fel rŷn ni drwy waith y ganolfan ddysgu ac ati, i oedolion allu dysgu Cymraeg ar gyfer ymestyn defnydd y Gymraeg yn ein cymunedau ni'n gyffredinol. Felly, mae amryw o ymyraethau o'r math yna ar gael.

Mae'n rhaid hefyd sicrhau, rwy'n credu, ein bod ni'n cefnogi, fel rhan o'r strategaeth roeddwn i'n sôn amdani'n gynharach, nid yn unig y cwestiwn o recriwtio, ond ein gallu i gefnogi pobl i ddysgu'r Gymraeg, a hefyd gefnogi arweinwyr ysgol er mwyn iddyn nhw allu cynllunio’n fwy strategol, efallai, a chael y sgiliau a'r gefnogaeth i wneud hynny er mwyn darparu addysg Gymraeg ehangach yn ein hysgolion ni.

Brexit and COVID-19 have intensified the challenges to the socioeconomic infrastructure of Welsh-speaking communities. Tackling these challenges is central to the implementation of Cymraeg 2050. Our work programme focuses on limiting the impact and ensuring the sustainability and prosperity of our Welsh-speaking communities, and I will be announcing our plans imminently.

Thank you. Last month, you informed the Senedd that meeting woodland creation targets should not affect communities, nor, indeed, change the type of landowners. You also stated that you would take action if evidence developed that there is a problem. Now, the Farmers Union of Wales receive almost weekly reports of whole farms, of parcels of land, being bought up by individuals and businesses from outside of Wales for the purpose of tree planting. One such investment is a large farm here in Wales that has now been taken over by British Aerospace. For someone who believes in a free market, I believe it wrong to be seeing our farms and agricultural land in our strong Welsh-speaking communities simply being bought up in huge investments for companies and people from over the border. NFU Cymru have calculated that an additional 180,000 hectares of trees would require the complete afforestation of 3,750 Welsh family farms. So, do you share my concerns, Minister, and will you work with the Minister for Climate Change so as to establish a just transition commission to ensure the burden of decarbonisation does not unequally fall on our rural communities and continue to have a negative impact on the historically thriving Welsh language in rural Wales? Thank you. Diolch.

I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for that question. I can assure her, perhaps reassure her, that I'm already having discussions with the Minister and Deputy Minister for Climate Change in relation to this matter. It has been raised and discussed in this Chamber a number of times, including by Cefin Campbell earlier today. I think I will echo the point that the Deputy Minister made in relation to the point raised by Cefin Campbell: we'll be working very closely together in relation to that particular point. 

Weinidog, mae cwm Tawe yn ardal o bwysigrwydd ieithyddol. Yn gynt eleni, mewn ymateb i bryderon gan ymgyrchwyr ac arbenigwyr iaith, fe wnaethoch chi gydnabod bod Cyngor Castell-nedd Port Talbot heb ystyried yn iawn effaith eu cynlluniau i godi ysgol enfawr cyfrwng Saesneg newydd yng nghanol y cwm ym Mhontardawe ar y Gymraeg drwy gomisiynu adroddiad ac oedi y broses gyllido ar gyfer y cynllun. Mae casgliad yr adroddiad yn ddiamwys, er nad yw wedi'i gyhoeddi'n llawn, a dwi'n dyfynnu:

'dylid ei danlinellu'n glir, o ran yr egwyddorion a'r prosesau cynllunio iaith a nodwyd...na fydd unrhyw gamau lliniaru yng nghyd-destun dyfodol yr iaith Gymraeg yng Nghwm Tawe yn gwneud yn iawn am barhau gyda'r cynnig hwn fel y mae'.

Mae hefyd yn nodi:

'Mewn cymunedau dwyieithog, gwelwyd fwyfwy bod ieithoedd yn dod yn fater o ddewis. Er mwyn cefnogi dwyieithrwydd yn y cymunedau hyn, rhaid i ddwyieithrwydd fod yn ddewis hawdd. Mae’r cynnig hwn yn dileu’r dewis hawdd hwnnw.'

Ydych chi'n cytuno bod angen i'r Llywodraeth ymyrryd pan fo'n bosib er mwyn gwarchod cymunedau Cymraeg a pheidio â chaniatáu i awdurdodau lleol gael rhwydd hynt i weithredu cynlluniau a fydd yn bygwth dyfodol y Gymraeg ac yn atal dwyieithrwydd? Diolch.

Mae'r Aelod a minnau wedi trafod y materion hyn droeon, yn cynnwys cyn yr etholiad diwethaf, wrth gwrs. Rwy'n gwybod bod yr Aelod yn gwybod bod cyfyngiad ar yr hyn y gallaf ei ddweud am y penderfyniad penodol hwnnw, oherwydd fy mod i'n Aelod lleol ynghyd â bod yn Weinidog. Ond, wrth gwrs, pan yw'r Llywodraeth yn dodi gofynion o ran sicrhau ffyniant y Gymraeg mewn cymunedau, mae disgwyl i awdurdodau lleol gydweithio gyda'r Llywodraeth er mwyn sicrhau hynny.

The Minister for Economy and I are both committed to promoting apprenticeships in north Wales. We will continue to focus promotion on growth sectors, such as those in the green economy, and encouraging more employers to recruit young people through our apprenticeship incentive scheme.

Thank you, Minister, for your response there. As I'm sure you would acknowledge also, apprenticeships do have a huge benefit and can often be the start of extremely successful career paths for many people across my region in north Wales and indeed across Wales generally, often seeing more progression and skills development perhaps than those who may go through an alternative route through university. Indeed, I was one of those who, following sixth form, chose not to go to university, despite the strong encouragement from my school. 

Following the pandemic, many industries are now seeing a huge skills shortage, including sectors such as the hospitality and tourism sector, which were badly hit during the pandemic. Indeed, I've noted the recent words of Arwyn Watkins, who's the president of the Culinary Association of Wales and has highlighted the challenge. He said, 'For more than a decade, the work-based learning sector in Wales has been campaigning for apprenticeships to have parity of esteem with degrees, but our words have fallen on deaf ears.' So, Minister, what work will you do in conjunction with the Minister for Economy to ensure that students in schools are made aware of the huge opportunities and benefits that come with apprenticeships?

The Member makes a very important point. The legislation that was introduced to the Senedd last week, in my mind, is the parity of esteem legislation, and that contains within it the levers that are required in order to make a reality of the priority that Members in all parts of this Chamber have attached to that question of parity of esteem for a very, very long time. I think one of the interesting opportunities that arise in the context of that legislation is the fact that sixth forms are brought within the compass of the work of the new commission. I think that will change the relationship between schools and post-16 providers in a way that makes a reality of that sense of continuum of education. It will provide opportunities, I think, just in the way I responded to Cefin Campbell earlier, for learners at all parts of their journey to have in mind throughout the equal weight that they should be giving to vocational routes post 16. He will also be aware that some of the proposals in the 'Qualified for the future' consultation, which Qualifications Wales announced a few weeks ago, are around providing a range of GCSE qualifications that have a more vocational focus. One, for example, is in the space of engineering and manufacturing. So, I think there are a range of ways in which we can move this agenda forward, and I look forward to working with him in relation to that legislation if he’s happy to do that.

I thank Mr Rowlands for bringing this very important question forward today. Minister, I learnt on the tools for my engineering apprenticeship things that were just not covered in school nor college, and nor were they covered in my part-time degree when I studied at Glyndŵr University. These are skills that stand anyone in good stead for life. And in the words of Michael Halliday, my colleague who I served my apprenticeship alongside, 'An apprenticeship is the foundation and grounding to build on which you just don’t get through the traditional route.' Mike Halliday is now the head of DRB Group in Deeside at the age of just 26—an excellent example of what a good-quality apprenticeship can offer.

Minister, we know that we need to engineer and manufacture the next generation of sustainable products and technology in Wales. To do this, we do need people to become skilled engineers and skilled manufactures through the apprenticeship route once they do leave school. Will you commit to working closely with the economy Minister, education providers, apprenticeship providers, employers and, importantly, trade unions to make sure this happens?

I thank Jack Sargeant for that question, and for his commitment, from the moment he got elected, to this agenda. I know how very passionately he feels about it, not least having his own first-hand experience of that. The Welsh Government has a clear commitment to deliver 125,000 all-age apprenticeships during the current term. They will be delivered in line with the priorities of the economy in exactly the way that he is describing. We can only make progress in this area if we work in partnership with further education providers, employers and, importantly, trade unions, as he says.

Mae Cymwysterau Cymru wedi cyhoeddi ei fod yn bwriadu cynnal cyfres arholiadau yn ystod haf 2022, gyda chyfyngiadau ar gynnwys cyrsiau ac addasiadau eraill i adlewyrchu'r amharu a fu ar y dysgu. Rydym ni hefyd wedi gosod cyfres o adnoddau yn eu lle, gyda CBAC, i gefnogi'r dysgu a helpu pobl ifanc i baratoi. 

Diolch yn fawr am yr ateb yna. Mae’r Llywodraeth yn paratoi am nifer o senarios COVID wrth edrych tuag at haf nesaf, a dwi’n deall pam hynny. Ond, wrth gwrs, mae o’n creu ansicrwydd mawr i ddisgyblion TGAU a lefel A. O ran lefel A yn benodol, dwi’n datgan bod gennyf ddiddordeb arbennig yn hyn—nid yn unig mae gen i fab fy hun sydd yn sefyll ei lefel A eleni, ond dyma’r oed, digwydd bod, bues i’n dysgu rygbi iddyn nhw am flynyddoedd, felly dwi eisiau gwneud yn siŵr eu bod nhw i gyd yn gallu cyrraedd eu potensial. O ystyried nad ydyn nhw ddim wedi sefyll arholiadau AS allanol y llynedd oherwydd COVID, ddim wedi sefyll arholiadau TGAU y flwyddyn cynt oherwydd COVID, maen nhw yn bryderus iawn am y broses asesu o’u blaenau nhw. Ac o feddwl bod sefyll arholiad allanol byth yn beth braf iawn, hyd yn oed os ydych chi wedi cael blynyddoedd o ymarfer, mae’n waeth fyth sefyll arholiad fydd yn dylanwadu ar eich dewisiadau mewn bywyd pan dydych chi erioed wedi cael y profiad yna. Felly, i ba raddau fydd hynny’n cael ei ystyried wrth asesu? Achos tra bydd rhai yn naturals, o bosib, mi fydd rhai sydd heb sefyll arholiad mewn peryg o golli allan.

Dwi wedi cael sgyrsiau gyda dysgwyr yn ddiweddar, yn cynnwys gyda phanel o ddysgwyr a wnaeth y comisiynydd plant ddwyn ynghyd, er mwyn trafod y cwestiwn hwn. Felly, ces i gyfle i drafod yn uniongyrchol rhai o'r gofidiau a'r amheuon sydd gan unigolion a disgyblion, fel y byddwn i'n disgwyl ac fel mae'r Aelod yn sôn. Un o'r pethau pwysig, dwi'n credu, yw sylweddoli pa mor wahanol fydd arholiadau'n edrych o ran eu cynnwys yn sgil y gwaith mae Cymwysterau Cymru a'r cyd-bwyllgor wedi bod yn ei wneud. Hynny yw, maen nhw'n llawer llai o ran eu cwmpas oherwydd bod pobl wedi colli cyfle i ddysgu yn yr ystafell ddosbarth. Gyda llaw, dyw hynny ddim wedi digwydd, er enghraifft, yn Lloegr, felly mae'r math o ymyraethau rŷn ni wedi'u gwneud yma yng Nghymru yn llawer mwy pwrpasol, dwi'n credu, o ran yr arholiad ei hunan. Ond hefyd, yn rhannol gyda'r ffynhonnell o arian rwyf wedi bod yn sôn amdano eisoes—ac rwyf ar fin datgan cronfa arall er mwyn cefnogi dysgwyr lefel A, TGAU, AS i gael cyfle i gael llawer mwy o gefnogaeth uniongyrchol ar gyfer paratoi, ond hefyd ar gyfer rhoi sicrwydd a hyder i bobl eu bod nhw ar y llwybr cywir. Felly, bydd mwy o ddarpariaeth yn dod yn sgil hynny hefyd. Ond rwy'n credu y bydd rhaid edrych ar y ddwy elfen: newidiadau i'r arholiadau—fyddan nhw ddim yn edrych, o ran cynnwys, o ran cwmpas, fel roedd yr arholiadau cyn hynny—ond hefyd y gefnogaeth i sicrhau bod gan ein dysgwyr ni yr hyder i'w sefyll nhw.

Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 8, Vikki Howells.

The twenty-first century schools and colleges programme has invested £1 billion in our educational estate to date. As I recently announced, we will continue to build on this success, not only meeting local learning demand but to support our climate emergency commitments and ensure we deliver sustainable communities for learning.

Minister, it was a pleasure to join you for the official opening of the new £10.2 million Hirwaun Primary School last Thursday, which was 65 per cent funded by the Welsh Government. This is just the latest in a series of new schools for the Cynon valley, all jointly funded by Rhondda Cynon Taf council and the Welsh Government, and really investing in local young people. The Hirwaun school also includes an early years Flying Start facility, so what discussions has your department had about how similar facilities can be incorporated into future school projects built through sustainable communities for learning funding?

[Inaudible.]—as I know the Member was, by the opportunities that have arisen in that school by co-locating the Flying Start provision with the school itself. And we heard, I think, from a range of staff about how successful that had been in supporting children on their learning journey.

The twenty-first century schools and colleges programme, and the sustainable communities for learning programme, as it will become next year, is delivered in partnership with other Welsh Government funding streams, such as the childcare grant, the community hub grant and others. So, that means the childcare provision is embedded very much as part of the evaluation process of proposals, as they come forward, and they're reviewed by early years policy officials in the Welsh Government to ensure the best use can be made of the facilities in the way that she is suggesting. We work very closely with local authorities to fund Flying Start capital schemes to support the continued delivery of the flagship programme, and we look for every practical opportunity to align those objectives wherever we possibly can.

Diolch i'r Gweinidog. 

Yr eitem nesaf fyddai wedi bod eitem 3, ond does yna ddim cwestiynau amserol wedi'u derbyn heddiw.

Eitem 4, felly, yw'r datganiadau 90 eiliad. Mae'r datganiad cyntaf gan Peredur Owen Griffiths.

Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. It gives me great pleasure to stand here in the Senedd today to speak about an important milestone for Blaenau Gwent.

In 1971, in the home of Joyce Morgan of Six Bells, Abertillery town band was founded. Now, 50 years on, the band is celebrating their half century with a special concert this Saturday at the Met in Abertillery town centre, featuring guest artist Dan Thomas, who is the principal euphonium player for the internationally acclaimed Black Dyke Band. I will be there, and I cannot wait to hear the band playing live once again.

Over the last five decades, much has changed for the people of Blaenau Gwent, but Abertillery town band has been a familiar and reassuring constant throughout those years. They have been an outlet for aspiring musicians, drawn from all over the county borough and beyond. They have taken absolute beginners, and with hard work, practice and dedication, made fantastic players out of them.

During this Saturday's concert, there will be the inaugural performance of a special composition, dedicated to the mining heritage of the valley, which will also remember the Six Bells mining disaster of 1960 that killed 45 miners. This concert encapsulates what institutions like Abertillery town band do best: they bring together communities, they keep alive our traditions whilst remembering our heritage, and they also keep one eye firmly on the future. With that in mind, I wish them all the very best for this weekend's concert, and I wish them all the best for the next 50 years. Diolch yn fawr.

Llywydd, this year marks the fortieth anniversary of Seren Books, based in my constituency of Bridgend. Seren is Wales's leading, independent literary publisher, specialising in writings from across our nation. With publications spanning from poetry, fiction and non-fiction, I am proud of the award-winning work that the team has brought to us and the international stage. To quote them in their own words:

'Our aim is not simply to reflect what is going on in the culture...but to drive that culture forward, to engage with the world, and to bring Welsh literature, art and politics before a wider audience.'

On this special anniversary, I want to pay special tributes to Cary Archard, the founder of Seren, the first employee, Mick Felton, who remains the current manager, non-fiction editor and fiction editor, and lastly, Seren's poetry editor, Amy Wack, who is stepping down this month after more than 30 years. Your team's dedication to the art of literature is what drives the success of Seren forward. And let me also mention our very own Seren-published writers from Bridgend and Porthcawl: Rhian Edwards, whose collections includes Clueless Dogs and The Estate Agent's Daughter; Robert Minhinnick, a poet, novelist, essayist and local environmental campaigner, and Kristian Evans, a writer, who has edited a collection of poems, along with Zoё, called 100 Poems to Save the Earth, which I think is very apt during COP26.

So, as we celebrate 40 years, I know we can look forward to many more talented and dedicated individuals and their work brought to us through Seren Books.

At 5.13 p.m. on Thursday 8 November 2001, many people across Wales would have been having their tea. However, in Port Talbot, it was a moment in time that rocked the steelworks and the communities around it, as an explosion occurred in Blast Furnace No. 5. The explosion was so powerful that it bodily lifted the furnace, weighing approximately 5,000 tonnes, over 0.75 metres into the air, before returning to its position. On that evening, three steelworkers lost their lives, 12 workers were severely injured and several others suffered minor injuries. The three men who died—Andrew Hutin, aged 20, Stephen Galsworthy, aged 25 and Len Radford, aged 53—like all of the steelworkers, went into work that day expecting to be going home at the end of their shifts, but this tragic event meant that they never went home. Their loss reminded us of the dangers facing steelworkers every day.

The Health and Safety Executive reported that while

'the outcome of the explosion was unprecedented in the steel-making industry'—

it—

'was the result of many failings in safety management...over an extended period.'

Twenty years on, we must never forget these three steelworkers nor the cause of their deaths. It is our duty as politicians to do everything we can to ensure that safety at work is not simply a watchword, but a right and an expectation of every worker, whether that be in steelworks, a factory or any other setting. This tragic event will live not only with steelworkers and the people of Port Talbot, but must live with all of us. Today, our thoughts go to the families and friends of Andrew, Stephen and Len, and I call for you all not to forget them.

Diolch yn fawr i chi i gyd. Byddwn ni nawr yn cymryd egwyl fer ar gyfer paratoi newidiadau yn y Siambr, a byddwn ni'n canu'r gloch dwy funud cyn inni ailgychwyn.

Croeso nôl. Yr eitem nesaf yw dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig: sbeicio. Galwaf ar Tom Giffard i wneud y cynnig. 

Diolch ichi, Dirprwy Lywydd. I’m pleased to open this Senedd debate today on the growing concern around the shocking increase of drink spiking in nightclubs in Wales and across the UK. I'm sure many of us in this Chamber will have heard some horrific stories, whether in our inboxes as Senedd Members or through our friends and family, that this is an issue that affects every part of Wales. It saddens me to say that many women have told me that they are now too afraid to go out and enjoy themselves in our nightclubs for fear of their own safety. And to make matters worse, we’re not even talking just about spiking drinks any more. In recent weeks and months, reports have been rife of women being spiked by injections in our nightclubs, too. Something has to change. And change quickly. 

Some will ask why I, as a man, am opening this debate today, on an issue that disproportionately affects women. And whilst I don’t seek to speak today to minimise or mansplain any of the issues at play here or the stories that our women tell, the reason I wanted to speak today is clear: that we, as men, stand alongside our sisters, partners, colleagues and friends, and even women we don’t know, to get the message to other men that this behaviour is totally abhorrent, unacceptable and has no place in our society. Everyone should be able to go out and have a good time with friends or family in our nightclubs without fear of being spiked by these sick and depraved individuals. But I’m afraid to say that it's an issue that’s on the rise. In 2019, there were 1,020 reported cases of drink spiking within England and Wales. However, in September and October alone this year, there were 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking, alongside 24 reports of injection. And cases involving under-18s have more than doubled, from 32 in 2015 to 71 in 2018. And between January and September 2019, 68 cases had been recorded. But even that data is of limited value, because we also know that most of these incidents simply aren't reported. A study by StopTopps showed that around 98 per cent of victims—98 per cent—did not report these incidents to the police, and many felt that they would not be believed.

In addition, those who get spiked don't always realise they have been spiked, or write it off as nothing, or, worryingly, perhaps don't even realise it's a crime in the first place. That's another reason we've tabled this debate today—to raise awareness of this issue and to encourage people who do get spiked to report it to the police, not only because it's a crime, but because it would give us a clearer idea of the scale of the problem, and for police to identify potential hotspots for this kind of activity so it can be tackled and the criminals who do this can get caught so they can't harm anyone else in the future.

The rising cases of spiking have led many to take action over this issue. Most notable, perhaps, is the recent Girls Night In boycott that occurred over a fortnight ago. They organised a co-ordinated boycott of night-time establishments across the UK to encourage the night-time industry to take the issue seriously, as well as the safety of young women. It's important though, I think, that we don't tar the entire night-time industry with the same brush. Some venues have taken this seriously, and should be praised for it—nightclubs such as Swansea's Sin City in my region, which I confess I've spent a little bit of time in over the years. It has been one of those venues. They've acted proactively, ordering 12,500 StopTopps—a type of anti-spiking lid—as well as their standing policy to replace any drinks in the venue that people suspect have been spiked.

But I know that that won’t be the experience in every nightclub in every town and every city in Wales, and those that can do more should do more. However, we all know it can’t be down to these business owners alone. Whilst some in the night-time industry have taken action, the onus cannot wholly be on the nightclubs here, particularly in an industry that has suffered through immense financial difficulty over the last 18 months due to COVID restrictions.

But there's always more that can be done by Government in this area, which is why I welcome, for example, the £30 million UK-wide investment to help tackle this issue. That includes £5 million on the safety of women at night fund, in addition to the £25 million given to the safer streets fund. This financial investment by the UK Government is vital in supporting schemes such as Ask for Angela, which is a system that helps people feel safe from sexual assault by using a codeword to identify when they're in danger or in an uncomfortable situation.

We’ve also called on the Welsh Government to consider a range of practical ideas in our motion today to secure the safety of women in nightclubs. The enhancement of CCTV within venues, for example, will help give greater evidence when prosecuting these crimes, and can provide people with the confidence to report them, particularly those I mentioned earlier who were afraid that they wouldn't be believed. And increased provision of bottle stoppers and drinks covers at venues would also help tackle this problem too, and make drink spiking almost impossible. And helping staff identify earlier the signs that someone has been spiked can also help them treat these issues when they do happen.

That’s why the Welsh Government's amendments today are disappointing, because it's the Welsh Government that needs to step in and work with stakeholders to ensure the safety of those going out at night. Instead of shirking their responsibility, the Welsh Government should be supporting our motion, which is an important step in cracking down on spiking and making venues a safer environment for everyone to enjoy. And the current situation demands action, as now it's not only drinks that are being spiked, but there is a concerning trend of people being injected with needles. It has added another cruel element of danger to what is already an extremely important issue.

Since September—September—there have been 218 incidents of this type reported in the UK, and we know many more will have been unreported. And we ought to be taking that much more seriously, the problem of spiking people by injection. It is part of an escalation of abuse directed overwhelmingly towards women. It's among the most grievous crimes that anyone could conceive. Let’s make no bones about it—an action like that is undertaken because of an intention to rape women, and it must be treated with the gravity that those implications deserve. But the key question is this: what will change once the media interest in this story has died down? What will change after this motion has been debated and voted on today? Will we leave this Chamber having done all we can to safeguard and protect women? And that’s why I call on everyone to support our motion today.

Rwyf wedi dethol y tri gwelliant i'r cynnig, a galwaf ar Sioned Williams i gynnig gwelliannau 1 a 3, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Siân Gwenllian.

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm glad also to speak in this important debate, because this is an issue that quite literally keeps me awake at night because I've got a 19-year-old daughter. She tells me that every time she goes out to a bar or a club, or to another student's house party, she's aware, sadly aware, that she has to try and protect herself and her friends from being spiked by drinks or by being injected, things that could ultimately lead to sexual violence. I lie awake waiting for that text to say that she's home safe. 

A mother of a young woman or not, this issue must concern us all as we, representatives of Welsh society, must do more to address the problem of misogyny, sexual harassment and sexual violence that is at the heart of today's debate and Plaid Cymru's amendments to the motion. This is not a new problem, and, although this is not exclusively a crime against women, the vast majority of spiking victims are female, and I'm sure every woman in this Chamber and beyond has, at one time or another, felt that same nagging worry in the back of their minds as they enjoy a night out. But the problem is getting worse, and we as a society are not addressing the cause of this problem. And women who are victims of spiking and sexual assault and violence are not being listened to or served well by the criminal justice system. We need only to look at the shameful statistics regarding the fall in rape, sexual and domestic violence prosecutions and convictions to see that this is the case. 

In the last two months, UK police forces, as Tom Giffard said, reported 198 confirmed reports of drink spiking, and 56 incidents with victims reporting they feared they'd been spiked through injection. And this is only the tip of the iceberg, because research conducted by Stamp Out Spiking UK found that 98 per cent of spiking victims did not report it, as they did not believe in the justice process or thought the police would not believe them. We simply don't know the scale of this crime, so how are we then properly to address it? And because we know so many cases are going unreported, we therefore do know that we are not listening to or supporting those who are suffering this crime's nightmarish consequences. 

While the introduction of proposals such as drink covers and bottle stoppers, improved security and CCTV may allow people to feel safer from spiking when going out in some settings, such as clubs and bars, though not, of course, in house parties, these measures won't change the cultural attitudes that drive sexual violence in the first place. Because if we're serious about preventing spiking, we must engage with and tackle the root of the issue that leads to this crime. And let's be clear: the misogynistic behaviours that can lead to spiking can be seen in a huge number of other settings throughout our society. There is a high level of sexual violence and harassment, an epidemic in fact, according to Welsh Women's Aid, beyond spiking and the night-time economy. The attitudes that drive sexual harassment and violence and abuse must be deemed as absolutely unacceptable in all settings, including the home, in schools and colleges and in the workplace. To help achieve this, we must invest and sustainably fund initiatives that aim to prevent violence against women, and support for all survivors uniformly throughout Wales. 

Education, of course, is key to prevention, and Tom Giffard mentioned the Big Night In campaign in colleges and universities, which has raised awareness of the spiking phenomenon and has made a series of practical demands stemming from women's own experience, which include an emphasis on training for bar and club staff, as well as for all freshers, on how to respond to such incidents. The Welsh Government should commit to working with partner organisations to enact these demands, and help look at prevention, victim welfare and support by providing a comprehensive and specific strategy on this for Wales's night-time economy. 

And there is a clear need for the Welsh Government to push for the improvement of the reporting mechanisms, processes and legislation around spiking, sexual assault and harassment, to ensure women in Wales feel able to report these crimes and see justice served. Currently, the act of spiking itself is not categorised specifically in law; it is instead listed as an offence under other pieces of legislation, which also capture many other types of crime. This interferes with data collection, and means we don't have an accurate picture of the problem. It also fails to account for the undeniable gendered element that is present in the majority of cases of spiking. The Welsh Government should call on the Home Office to review the way that spiking is classified and recorded to allow the nightlife sector and relevant authorities to have a benchmark from which to be able to explore regional differences and come up with solutions from a position of increased understanding.

In the meantime, police forces in Wales should be encouraged and supported to note when crimes are motivated by a hatred for sex or gender, so that Wales-only data capture on the issue can be improved. And the Welsh Government should also seek clarity from the UK Government as to their plans to make misogyny a hate crime, a change that has been recommended by the current Law Commission review. Crimes such as spiking happen to women because they are women. Until society understands this, until this is enshrined in law and accounted for by police and by courts, women who experience spiking will never be fully believed, protected and supported, and, until that happens, these crimes will continue. We must make the Wales we want to see; we must foster the gender equal nation—

The Member must conclude now. 

—we want our daughters to grow up in without fear. Mitigating risks isn't all that's needed here; policy to eradicate those risks altogether must be the aim. Diolch. 

Galwaf ar y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, Jane Hutt, i gynnig yn ffurfiol welliant 2, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Lesley Griffiths.  

Yn ffurfiol. 

Let's be clear: it is only men who are involved in spiking. It's only men who are raping and abusing women after rendering them unconscious; it is a men problem, not a women problem. Yet we are now in a situation where women are being told how they can make themselves safe, where nightclubs and bars and police and support groups offer measures to help women keep themselves safe. Now, these measures and this advice may be sadly necessary right now, because of the danger. But let's be crystal clear: the danger is from men, not from women, and it's men that need to call out the culture that has made this happen, where some men think it's acceptable to view women not just as commodities, but as something to exploit and to abuse. The horrifying growth in spiking linked to rape and abuse is just one extreme symptom of these attitudes and we need to call it out.  

A BBC investigation in 2019 uncovered over 2,500 reports of drink spiking to police in England and Wales over the previous four years—over 2,500. Police across the UK have rising reports of spiking incidents, many involving something sharp, and student unions nationwide routinely now report accounts of suspected drink tampering. One woman journalist writes:

'A stranger’s hand unceremoniously shoved up your skirt on a night out has become almost routine for young women. Street harassment—not just catcalling but crude propositioning and being followed by men who may get aggressive if rejected—is normalised.'

She continues:

'Young women are sick of being told to stick together, or to watch their drinks, when the problem is male violence, not female vigilance.'

Now, there have been some great initiatives challenging this recently, including the student unions during freshers' week organising the Big Night In nightclub boycotts to raise awareness not just of the risks, but also the need for men to take a stand. And, indeed, Swansea University men's rugby team joined the boycott, with one of the team members saying:

'There’s this stigma of toxic masculinity associated with rugby boys.... We wanted to be one of the first clubs to do something about it, because everyone knows someone that this has happened to and we want to change that.'

Welsh Women's Aid directed me to the That Guy campaign, run by Police Scotland, subtitled, by the way, 'Better Ways to be a Man', which has personal endorsements from well-known figures such as the Line of Duty actor Mark Bonnar, and The A Word actor Greg McHugh, Scottish sport stars and others talking about their roles as husbands and fathers to daughters, and about the importance of talking to your mates, saying not just, 'Don't be that guy', as the campaign says, but, 'Don't let your boys be that guy neither.' And the campaign has been picked up by youth organisations as a way to open a conversation with young men over male sexual entitlement and inappropriate behaviour and where this can lead. As Mark Bonnar says:

'We have to examine our behaviour as men and challenge that of our peers.' 

So, in closing, can I ask the Minister what work we are doing in Welsh Government with police and community safety partnerships in Wales, but also others, including local authorities, youth services, third sector organisations, as well as nightclubs and bars and entertainment venues, and with organisations like Welsh Women's Aid, to not only raise awareness of the problem and understand the scale of the problem, but to tackle the underlying issue of toxic masculinity, male sexual entitlement and misogyny? We need to tackle the root of the problem, not just the symptoms.

This is such an important and timely discussion that urgently needs to take place, and I thank my colleague Darren Millar MS for proposing it. As a community leader, a woman and a mother, spiking is a modern phenomenon that strikes at the very core of concerns about safeguarding the well-being of our loved ones and other young women when they are out and enjoying our hospitality venues. With the aim to incapacitate someone enough to rob or assault them, with victims disorientated to the point of nausea, hallucinations, amnesia and unconsciousness, this is a diabolical and such a cowardly act by a minority of individuals that is now threatening the safety of our young people and the viability of our excellent night-time industry operators.

Research from StopTopps conducted earlier this year reveals that 38 per cent of respondents have been a victim of drink spiking at least once, of which 98 per cent did not report the crime to police. We also know that reports and convictions for spiking are generally low, often due to the concerns from the victims that they won't be believed, or in fact that the police will not take action. North Wales Police have received 22 reports of spiking so far this year, but this has only led to one arrest. In 2020, there were 18 reports; no arrests. This disconnect between the numbers reporting these incidents and the arrests made is concerning and must be addressed.

The police have considerable powers to take action where they think there is a problem. They can call for a review of a premises licence and they can also work with the management and the licensing authority. So, I wonder—and it echoes what you have said, Huw—whether the Welsh Government can outline what conversations our Counsel General has undertaken with law officers in the UK Government to ensure that our forces have appropriate training to understand and utilise these powers.

Another shockingly scary activity, mentioned by Tom Giffard, is that of injections used on others. The National Police Chiefs Council said there have been 24 reports of injections in just September and October, introducing a new element of danger for our youngsters. Whilst the data suggests that drink spiking is far more prevalent than spiking with a needle, the compounding of spiking concerns with those regarding the spread of hepatitis B and C has led many young women now to have to take to wearing denim jackets as a means of preventing or slowing the effects of an injection. But it does remain difficult to assess whether spiking by needle is becoming a national trend, and this is due to the lack of actionable data available. So, again I urge the Welsh Government to undertake a rapid and stakeholder-led review to find out the true number of needle spikings that have taken place in Wales, and explore ways that venues can take more preventative measures. We also need confirmation that such discussions are now going to be used to update the 'Substance Misuse Delivery Plan 2019-2022'. Whilst this was updated last January, surprisingly, it holds no mention of spiking, or indeed these injections.

I wish to conclude by paying tribute to the proactive work undertaken by some industry professionals and those prepared to step up more admission searches. More steps need to be taken, including enhancing CCTV to assist with evidence collection and assistance in the training of staff on how to spot and deal with spiking incidents. This will also assist with other related incidents, and I have to mention it here today, and that is the increase in knife crime, which I'm currently working with stakeholders to confront in my own constituency. With North Wales Police recording 277 offences involving a knife or sharp weapon in 2019-20, this also needs to be tackled. I'm actually dealing with a constituent who innocently went out for an evening and ended up with 62 stitches. His question to me is, 'What possessed someone to carry a cut-throat razor knife? What possessed that person to suddenly lunge at someone and inflict wounds that needed 62 stitches?' So, we need the Welsh Government to follow the lead of our Home Secretary, the Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, and proactively work with stakeholders to take on these problems so as to make our venues safe for people to enjoy. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office, Rachel Maclean MP, has also met with the Security Industry Authority to ensure that qualifications for door supervisors and security guards include specific content relating to violence against women and girls. I implore the Minister and the Siambr today to establish cross-party consensus so that effective change can be introduced, and quickly. Diolch.