Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
14/03/2023Cynnwys
Contents
Yn y fersiwn ddwyieithog, mae’r golofn chwith yn cynnwys yr iaith a lefarwyd yn y cyfarfod. Mae’r golofn dde yn cynnwys cyfieithiad o’r areithiau hynny.
In the bilingual version, the left-hand column includes the language used during the meeting. The right-hand column includes a translation of those speeches.
Cyfarfu'r Senedd yn y Siambr a thrwy gynhadledd fideo am 13:30 gyda'r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd met in the Chamber and by video-conference at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.
Prynhawn da a chroeso i'r Cyfarfod Llawn o'r Senedd. Yr eitem gyntaf y prynhawn yma yw'r cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Laura Anne Jones.
Good afternoon and welcome to this Plenary meeting. The first item this afternoon is questions to the First Minister, and the first question is from Laura Anne Jones.
1. Pa ystyriaeth roddodd Llywodraeth Cymru i Fil diwygio cydnabod rhywedd yr Alban wrth greu'r 'Cynllun Gweithredu LHDTC+ Cymru'? OQ59239
1. What consideration did the Welsh Government give to the Scottish gender recognition reform Bill when creating the 'LGBTQ+ Action Plan for Wales'? OQ59239
Llywydd, I thank the Member for that question. The commitment to seek devolved powers related to gender recognition, and to support our trans communities, was included in our programme for government and is part of the co-operation agreement. The LGBTQ+ action plan has included this commitment since its first draft. These are policies made in Wales, not in Scotland.
Llywydd, diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn yna. Roedd yr ymrwymiad i geisio pwerau datganoledig sy'n ymwneud â chydnabod rhywedd, ac i gefnogi ein cymunedau traws, wedi'i gynnwys yn ein rhaglen lywodraethu ac mae'n rhan o'r cytundeb cydweithio. Mae'r cynllun gweithredu LHDTC+ wedi cynnwys yr ymrwymiad hwn ers ei ddrafft cyntaf. Mae'r rhain yn bolisïau a wnaed yng Nghymru, nid yn yr Alban.
First Minister, last month, you stated your intention to copy the Scottish self-ID Bill with the release of your LGBTQ+ action plan, which intends to make it easier for biological males to enter women-only spaces, push gender ideology in schools, and unfairness in sport. First Minister, there was outrage in Scotland at the gender recognition reform Bill, with polling consistently showing that the Scottish public did not agree with the move. And it's clear from public opinion across Wales and the UK that people see the importance of protecting women and girls, and why such a Bill would put that in jeopardy. Yet, you still push ahead with your plans. Did you learn nothing from the debacle in Scotland? This move to copy Scotland would only serve to deny biological fact and appease a small minority in your party. Men and women up and down the country are genuinely concerned with your blinkered vision on this, and are also concerned by the shadow Secretary of State's sharing images directly from your Welsh Labour conference inciting hate against those standing up for women and girls. First Minister, do you condone their behaviour, and do you finally understand the genuine concern at your plan and your intention to copy the Scottish self-ID Bill?
Prif Weinidog, fis diwethaf, fe wnaethoch chi ddatgan eich bwriad i gopïo Bil hunanddiffinio yr Alban wrth ryddhau eich cynllun gweithredu LHDTC+, sy'n bwriadu ei gwneud hi'n haws i ddynion biolegol fynd i mewn i fannau ar gyfer menywod yn unig, gwthio ideoleg rhywedd mewn ysgolion, ac annhegwch mewn chwaraeon. Prif Weinidog, roedd dicter mawr yn yr Alban ynghylch y Bil diwygio cydnabod rhywedd, gyda phleidleisio yn dangos yn gyson nad oedd y cyhoedd yn yr Alban yn cytuno â'r cam. Ac mae'n amlwg o'r farn gyhoeddus ar draws Cymru a'r DU fod pobl yn gweld pwysigrwydd gwarchod menywod a merched, a pham y byddai Bil o'r fath yn peryglu hynny. Ond eto, rydych chi'n dal i fwrw ymlaen â'ch cynlluniau. Wnaethoch chi ddysgu dim byd o'r llanast yn yr Alban? Byddai'r cam hwn i gopïo'r Alban dim ond yn gwadu ffaith fiolegol a thawelu lleiafrif bach yn eich plaid. Mae dynion a menywod ar hyd a lled y wlad yn wirioneddol bryderus ynghylch eich gweledigaeth unllygeidiog, ac maen nhw hefyd yn pryderu oherwydd i Ysgrifennydd Gwladol yr wrthblaid rannu delweddau yn uniongyrchol o'ch cynhadledd Llafur Cymru gan annog casineb yn erbyn y rhai sy'n sefyll dros fenywod a merched. Prif Weinidog, a ydych chi'n esgusodi eu hymddygiad, ac ydych chi o'r diwedd yn deall y pryder gwirioneddol ynghylch eich cynllun a'ch bwriad i gopïo Bil hunanddiffinio yr Alban?
Llywydd, transgender people who are going through the process to change their legal sex deserve our respect, support and understanding. That is what the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland said on the floor of the House of Commons when introducing the Government's proposal to block the gender recognition Act in Scotland. I think the Member could do very well to take what the Secretary of State for Scotland said to heart, and think about what she has said on the floor of the Senedd this afternoon through that lens.
There is nothing in what this Government intends to do that would merit the description that the Member has offered us here this afternoon. We will pursue, as I said in my original answer, Llywydd, not policies developed elsewhere, but policies that we will develop here in Wales—policies that were in our manifesto, on which we were elected, policies that have been there in our programme for government since the start of this Senedd term, and policies that are set out in more detail in the LGBTQ+ action plan, with its 46 different policy proposals. Those are based on that sense of respect, support and understanding, and if this debate was more characterised by those qualities, it would be a lot better for it.
Llywydd, mae pobl trawsryweddol sy'n mynd trwy'r broses o newid eu rhyw cyfreithiol yn haeddu ein parch, ein cefnogaeth a'n dealltwriaeth. Dyna ddywedodd Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Ceidwadol yr Alban ar lawr Tŷ'r Cyffredin wrth gyflwyno cynnig y Llywodraeth i rwystro'r Ddeddf Cydnabod Rhywedd yn Yr Alban. Rwy'n credu y byddai'n fuddiol i'r Aelod gymryd yr hyn a ddywedodd Ysgrifennydd Gwladol yr Alban o ddifrif, a meddwl am yr hyn y mae hi wedi'i ddweud ar lawr y Senedd y prynhawn yma drwy'r lens honno.
Does dim byd yn yr hyn y mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn bwriadu ei wneud a fyddai'n haeddu'r disgrifiad y mae'r Aelod wedi'i gynnig i ni yma y prynhawn yma. Byddwn ni'n dilyn, fel y dywedais i yn fy ateb gwreiddiol, Llywydd, nid polisïau a ddatblygwyd mewn mannau eraill, ond polisïau y byddwn yn eu datblygu yma yng Nghymru—polisïau a oedd yn ein maniffesto, y cawsom ein hethol arnyn nhw, polisïau sydd wedi bod yno yn ein rhaglen lywodraethu ers dechrau tymor y Senedd hon, a pholisïau sydd wedi'u nodi'n fanylach yn y cynllun gweithredu LHDTC+, gyda'i 46 o gynigion polisi gwahanol. Mae'r rheini'n seiliedig ar yr ymdeimlad hwnnw o barch, cefnogaeth a dealltwriaeth, a phe byddai'r ddadl hon yn cael ei nodweddu'n fwy gan y rhinweddau hynny, byddai'n elwa o'r herwydd.
2. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am ymateb y Llywodraeth i’r adolygiad ffyrdd? OQ59264
2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the Government's response to the roads review? OQ59264
Diolch i Rhun ap Iorwerth, Llywydd. Cafodd ymateb y Llywodraeth ei roi gan y Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd mewn datganiad i'r Senedd ar 14 Chwefror.
I thank Rhun ap Iorwerth. The Government’s response was set out by the Deputy Minister for Climate Change in a statement to the Senedd on 14 February.
Yn syml iawn, be dwi'n gofyn i'r Prif Weinidog i'w wneud heddiw ydy cynnal adolygiad go iawn o'r penderfyniad i beidio bwrw ymlaen efo'r cynllun ar gyfer croesiad y Fenai. Dwi'n nodi bod comisiwn Burns wedi cael cais i edrych ar y gwahanol opsiynau. Dwi wedi cyflwyno dadl i'r comisiwn hwnnw dros atgyfodi'r cynllun. Wrth gwrs, yr adolygiad ffyrdd yn canolbwyntio ar yr amgylchedd yn bennaf oedd sail y cyhoeddiad, ond mae gen i gopi yn fan hyn o'r ymgynghoriad ar yr opsiynau ar gyfer pa fath a pha lwybr o bont i'w chodi, ac mae o'n dangos mai Llywodraeth Cymru ei hun wnaeth ddewis y cynllun a fyddai'n fwyaf niweidiol o ran effaith ar fioamrywiaeth a'r amgylchedd, ac a fyddai'n creu y mwyaf o gynnydd mewn traffig. Ac mae o'n dangos hefyd y byddai cynlluniau llai yn fwy cost-effeithiol, o bosib. Rhaid dweud mai rhywbeth symlach rôn i wedi ei ragweld—deuoli'r Britannia, i bob pwrpas, efo llwybrau teithio llesol.
Felly, dwi am i'r Prif Weinidog edrych eto ar yr anghenion craidd gwreiddiol am y croesiad a sut i'w delifro nhw, yr angen i wella diogelwch, gwella cyfleon teithio llesol, a'r hwb economaidd sy'n dod o gael croesiad mwy gwydn—ar gyfer delifro ar y porthladd rhydd, er enghraifft. Mae'r adolygiad ffyrdd ei hun yn dangos y byddai pont newydd yn delifro pob un o'r rhain. A rhan o'r gwaith, Llywydd, sydd eisiau ei wneud ar frys rŵan, ydy edrych eto ar sut y gellid delifro hynny yn y ffordd sy'n cael yr effaith leiaf negyddol ar yr amgylchedd. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog gytuno i wneud hynny?
Simply put, what I'm asking the First Minister to do today is to hold a genuine review of the decision not to proceed with the scheme for the Menai crossing. I note that the Burns commission has received a request to look at different options. I have put forward an argument to that commission for reviving this scheme. Of course, the roads review's focus on the environment was mainly the basis for the announcement. But I have a copy here of the consultation on the options for what kind of bridge to construct and what route to follow, and it shows that the Welsh Government itself selected the scheme that would be most damaging in terms of the impact on biodiversity and the environment, and would create the biggest increase in traffic. And it shows too that smaller schemes would be more cost-effective, potentially. I have to say that I had foreseen something simpler—the dualling of the Britannia, to all intents and purposes, with active travel routes.
So, I want the First Minister to look again at the original needs for the crossing and how to deliver them, and at the need to improve safety, opportunities for active travel, and the economic boost that comes from having a more resilient crossing—for delivering on the free port, for example. The roads review itself shows that a new bridge would deliver all of those benefits. And part of the work, Llywydd, which needs to be done urgently, is to look again at how we can deliver that in a way that has the least negative impact on the environment. Will the First Minister agree to do that?
Wel, Llywydd, dwi'n cofio'r cyd-destun pan fu'r Prif Weinidog ar y pryd yn dweud ein bod ni'n mynd i fwrw ymlaen â'r drydedd bont dros y Fenai, achos fi oedd y Gweinidog dros gyllid ar y pryd, a'r cyd-destun oedd Wylfa B. A dwi'n cofio popeth roeddem ni'n ei drafod ar y pryd gyda'r cwmni a oedd yn gyfrifol am gynllun Wylfa B—a fyddai hi'n bosib tynnu arian i mewn at y drydedd bont, achos byddai lot mwy o geir yn mynd lan a lawr i Ynys Môn. Dwi'n cofio'r trafodaethau gyda'r National Grid hefyd, a'r awgrym gwreiddiol gan y National Grid oedd i greu twnnel dan y môr, ac roeddem ni'n trafod gyda nhw a fyddai hi'n bosib rhoi'r arian yna i helpu gyda chostau pont. So, mae'r cyd-destun wedi newid yn sylfaenol, onid yw e, achos dyw popeth oedd ar y bwrdd gydag Wylfa B ddim yna yn bresennol.
Ond beth allaf i ei ddweud heddiw wrth yr Aelod yw beth sydd yn y cynllun sydd gyda ni. Rŷn ni'n dweud ein bod ni eisiau gweld opsiynau am bontydd dros y Fenai mewn ffordd sy'n ein helpu ni yn yr ymdrech i greu sifft yn y ffordd y mae pobl yn teithio ar hyn o bryd. Rŷn ni wedi gofyn i'r Arglwydd Burns a'r comisiwn sy'n edrych i mewn i drafnidiaeth yng ngogledd Cymru i weld sut y gallwn ni wneud hynny ac i roi argymhellion i'r Llywodraeth. A hwnna yw'r ffordd rŷn ni eisiau bwrw ymlaen. Rŷn ni'n agored i beth bynnag y bydd yr Arglwydd Burns yn ei awgrymu, ac mae popeth a oedd yn yr adroddiad y mae Rhun ap Iorwerth wedi cyfeirio ato y prynhawn yma ar gael i'r Arglwydd Burns a'r comisiwn y mae e'n ei arwain.
Well, Llywydd, I recall the context at the time when the then First Minister said that we would be continuing with the third crossing across the Menai strait, because I was Minister for finance at that time, and the context was that of Wylfa B. And I remember everything that we discussed at that time with the company responsible for the Wylfa B project—whether it was possible to draw funding in for a third crossing, because there would be far more traffic flowing to Anglesey and off Anglesey. I also recall the discussions with the National Grid, and the original suggestion from the National Grid was to create a tunnel under the strait, and we were discussing with them whether it would be possible to use that funding to help with the cost of a bridge. So, the context has fundamentally changed, hasn’t it, because everything that was on the table with Wylfa B isn’t there now.
But what I can tell the Member today is what is set out in our plan. We say that we want to see options for a crossing of the Menai in a way that helps us in our effort to create a shift in the way in which people currently travel. We’ve asked Lord Burns and the commission looking into transport in north Wales to look at how we can do that and to make recommendations to Government on that basis. And that’s how we want to proceed. We are open to whatever Lord Burns recommends, and everything that was contained within the report that Rhun ap Iorwerth has referred to this afternoon is available to Lord Burns and the commission that he leads.
The national road traffic projections 2022 study, published by the UK Department for Transport in January, shows that road traffic in Wales and England could grow by as much as 54 per cent between 2025 and 2060, with a 22 per cent rise under the core scenario, and the most modest estimate being an 8 per cent increase. Despite this, under all the projections, emissions are projected to fall by as much as 98 per cent as motorists move towards greener vehicles. However, following publication of the Welsh roads review, your Government stopped or scrapped all but 17 of 55 road projects, including all but one of 16 projects in north Wales. Whilst I've long opposed the red route in Flintshire, many of these projects were badly needed, from work on the Menai crossing referred to, to the scrapping of plans to upgrade the A483 around Wrexham. And only yesterday, their council leader told me this was a broken promise, which had already cost them hundreds of thousands of pounds, and the Welsh Government millions. What, if any, action will you therefore now take to ensure the well-being of future generations by planning ahead to meet the needs identified in the 2022 road traffic projections study?
Mae'r astudiaeth o ragamcaniadau traffig ffyrdd cenedlaethol 2022, a gyhoeddwyd gan Adran Drafnidiaeth y DU ym mis Ionawr, yn dangos y gallai traffig ffyrdd yng Nghymru a Lloegr gynyddu cymaint â 54 y cant rhwng 2025 a 2060, gyda chynnydd o 22 y cant o dan y senario graidd, a'r amcangyfrif mwyaf cymedrol yw cynnydd o 8 y cant. Er gwaethaf hyn, o dan yr holl ragamcaniadau, rhagamcanir y bydd allyriadau'n gostwng cymaint â 98 y cant wrth i fodurwyr symud tuag at gerbydau gwyrddach. Ond yn dilyn cyhoeddi adolygiad ffyrdd Cymru, fe wnaeth eich Llywodraeth stopio neu ddileu pob un ond 17 o 55 o brosiectau ffordd, gan gynnwys pob un ond un o 16 prosiect yn y gogledd. Er fy mod wedi gwrthwynebu'r llwybr coch yn sir y Fflint ers tro, roedd dirfawr angen nifer o'r prosiectau hyn, o'r gwaith ar groesfan y Fenai y cyfeiriwyd ato, i ddileu cynlluniau i uwchraddio'r A483 o amgylch Wrecsam. A dim ond ddoe, dywedodd arweinydd eu cyngor wrthyf fod hwn yn addewid oedd wedi ei dorri, a oedd eisoes wedi costio cannoedd o filoedd o bunnau iddyn nhw, a miliynau o bunnau i Lywodraeth Cymru. Pa gamau, os o gwbl, y byddwch chi felly yn eu cymryd nawr i sicrhau llesiant cenedlaethau'r dyfodol drwy gynllunio ymlaen llaw i ddiwallu'r anghenion a nodwyd yn yr astudiaeth o ragamcaniadau traffig ffyrdd 2022?
Well, Llywydd, there are some basic things that the Member needs to take into account, particularly when he refers to the needs of future generations. The crisis of our time is a crisis of climate change, and it is those future generations, if we do not act now, which will be left with the consequences of our refusal to face up to that challenge. The roads review is the first root-and-branch review of road building in Wales for many generations. It challenges received wisdom on road building, but it needs to challenge that received wisdom because it is that received wisdom that has got us into the position we are in today. We have to reduce our carbon emissions. Transport makes up 15 per cent of our total emissions in Wales and it has been the most stubborn sector in reducing those emissions. That's why we have to face up to that fact and take the action that will leave those future generations in a better place than they would be. If we simply accepted those very challenging figures that Mark Isherwood set out in the opening of his supplementary question, are we prepared simply to see a future in which traffic goes on growing in that way and emissions go on growing alongside it? Well, this Government is not. That is why we have the roads review, and that is why, when it comes to schemes such as the Menai and such as Wrexham, we're not saying there isn't a problem, we're not saying there isn't something that needs to be done; we're simply saying that the plans of the future have to be based on our responsibilities to tackle that climate emergency, and simply carrying on with the solutions of the past is guaranteed to make that problem worse and not better.
Wel, Llywydd, mae rhai pethau sylfaenol y mae angen i'r Aelod eu hystyried, yn enwedig pan fo'n cyfeirio at anghenion cenedlaethau'r dyfodol. Argyfwng ein hamser ni yw argyfwng newid hinsawdd, a chenedlaethau'r dyfodol hynny, os na weithredwn nawr, a fydd yn dioddef canlyniadau ein gweithredoedd pe baem ni'n gwrthod wynebu'r her honno. Yr adolygiad ffyrdd yw'r adolygiad o’r bôn i’r brig cyntaf o adeiladu ffyrdd Cymru ers sawl cenhedlaeth. Mae'n herio'r farn gyffredin ynghylch adeiladu ffyrdd, ond mae angen herio'r farn gyffredin honno oherwydd y farn gyffredin honno sydd wedi ein rhoi ni yn y sefyllfa yr ydym ni ynddi heddiw. Mae'n rhaid i ni leihau ein hallyriadau carbon. Trafnidiaeth sy'n gyfrifol am 15% o gyfanswm ein hallyriadau yng Nghymru a dyma'r sector mwyaf ystyfnig o ran lleihau'r allyriadau hynny. Dyna pam mae'n rhaid i ni wynebu'r ffaith honno a chymryd y camau a fydd yn gadael y cenedlaethau hynny sydd i ddod mewn lle gwell nag y bydden nhw. Pe baem ni dim ond yn derbyn y ffigurau heriol iawn hynny a osododd Mark Isherwood wrth agor ei gwestiwn atodol, a ydym yn barod i weld dyfodol lle mae traffig yn parhau i dyfu yn y ffordd honno ac allyriadau yn parhau i dyfu ar yr un pryd? Wel, nid yw'r Llywodraeth hon yn barod i wneud hynny. Dyna pam y mae'r adolygiad ffyrdd gennym ni, a dyna pam, pan ddaw hi i gynlluniau fel y Fenai a Wrecsam, nid ydym yn dweud nad oes problem, nid ydym yn dweud nad oes angen i ni wneud rhywbeth; yn syml, rydyn ni'n dweud bod yn rhaid i gynlluniau'r dyfodol fod yn seiliedig ar ein cyfrifoldebau i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng hinsawdd hwnnw, ac yn syml mae parhau ag atebion y gorffennol yn sicr o wneud y broblem honno'n waeth ac nid yn well.
Fist Minister, you will, of course, be aware that for any projects that weren't given the green light by the roads review, the advice to local authorities has been to go back to the drawing board and to consider, in accordance with WelTAG 1, alternative measures to mitigate, for example, local problems of road safety. What specific help can Welsh Government provide to local authorities around this? And, most importantly, are there any plans to revise the criteria for the Welsh Government's road safety grant, for which evidence must be provided to show serious or fatal road traffic incidents before a local authority is able to gain financial assistance?
Prif Weinidog, byddwch chi, wrth gwrs, yn ymwybodol o'r ffaith, ar gyfer unrhyw brosiectau na chawsant y golau gwyrdd gan yr adolygiad ffyrdd, y cyngor i awdurdodau lleol fu ewch yn ôl i'r bwrdd darlunio ac ystyried, yn unol â WelTAG 1, fesurau amgen i liniaru, er enghraifft, problemau diogelwch ar y ffyrdd lleol. Pa gymorth penodol gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei ddarparu i awdurdodau lleol ynghylch hyn? Ac, yn bwysicaf oll, a oes yna unrhyw gynlluniau i ddiwygio'r meini prawf ar gyfer grant diogelwch ar y ffyrdd Llywodraeth Cymru, y mae'n rhaid darparu tystiolaeth ar ei gyfer i ddangos digwyddiadau traffig ffyrdd difrifol neu angheuol cyn y gall awdurdod lleol gael cymorth ariannol?
Well, can I thank Vikki Howells for what is a very timely question. Llywydd, the road safety framework for Wales dates back as far as 2013, and, although there was a midway review of it in 2018, now is the time when we need to bring forward a new road safety strategy, one that will align with 'Llwybr Newydd' and the national transport delivery plan. And because the roads review is about reprioritising the investment we make on roads, it means that money that might have been spent on new roads can be reprioritised into improving existing road infrastructure, and, of course, that does include safety as well. When the Minister brings forward the new road safety document, then reviewing grant criteria will be developed alongside that new strategy, and I know that the Minister's officials are very happy to discuss specific schemes with local authorities in that context.
Wel, a gaf i ddiolch i Vikki Howells am gwestiwn amserol iawn. Llywydd, mae fframwaith diogelwch ar y ffyrdd ar gyfer Cymru yn dyddio yn ôl mor bell â 2013, ac er bu adolygiad hanner ffordd ohono yn 2018, nawr yw'r adeg pan fydd angen i ni gyflwyno strategaeth ddiogelwch ar y ffyrdd newydd, un a fydd yn alinio â 'Llwybr Newydd' a'r cynllun cyflawni cenedlaethol ar gyfer trafnidiaeth. Ac oherwydd bod yr adolygiad ffyrdd yn ymwneud ag ail-flaenoriaethu'r buddsoddiad yr ydyn ni'n ei wneud ar ffyrdd, mae'n golygu y gall arian a allai fod wedi'i wario ar ffyrdd newydd gael ei ailflaenoriaethu i wella seilwaith ffyrdd presennol, ac, wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n cynnwys diogelwch hefyd. Pan fydd y Gweinidog yn cyflwyno'r ddogfen diogelwch ar y ffyrdd newydd, yna bydd adolygu meini prawf grant yn cael eu datblygu ochr yn ochr â'r strategaeth newydd honno, ac rwy'n gwybod bod swyddogion y Gweinidog yn hapus iawn i drafod cynlluniau penodol gydag awdurdodau lleol yn y cyd-destun hwnnw.
Cwestiynau nawr gan arweinwyr y pleidiau. Arweinydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Andrew R.T. Davies.
Questions now from party leaders. The leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew R.T. Davies.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. With your permission, Presiding Officer, I'd like to put on the record that our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the man who was killed yesterday in the tragedy in Swansea, and, also, I'm pleased to hear that two of the three people who went into hospital have now been discharged, and thank the emergency services and first responders at what must have been an apocalyptic scene when they arrived there to deal with the fallout from whatever the report into it will determine caused that devastating scene that we saw in the news reels last night and in the papers today.
First Minister, last week, one of your Ministers called the Royal College of Nursing an 'extremely militant' organisation. He also said they were
'determined to have a fight',
and aren't seriously willing to negotiate. That's a direct quote. Is that your take on the RCN and the dispute that they're engaged with with your Government over nurses' pay?
Diolch Llywydd. Gyda'ch caniatâd chi Llywydd, hoffwn gofnodi bod ein meddyliau a'n gweddïau gyda theulu'r dyn a gafodd ei ladd ddoe yn y drasiedi yn Abertawe, ac, hefyd, rwy'n falch o glywed bod dau o'r tri pherson a aeth i'r ysbyty bellach wedi cael eu rhyddhau, a diolch i'r gwasanaethau brys a'r ymatebwyr cyntaf a oedd yng nghanol yr hyn a oedd heb os yn olygfa apocalyptaidd pan gyrhaeddon nhw yno i ymdrin â chanlyniadau beth bynnag y bydd yr adroddiad yn penderfynu oedd yn gyfrifol am yr olygfa ddinistriol honno a welsom ar y newyddion neithiwr ac yn y papurau heddiw.
Prif Weinidog, yr wythnos diwethaf, fe alwodd un o'ch Gweinidogion y Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol yn sefydliad 'hynod filwriaethus'. Dywedodd hefyd eu bod,
'yn benderfynol o gael brwydr',
a dydyn nhw ddim yn barod i drafod o ddifrif. Dyna ddyfyniad uniongyrchol. Ai dyna'ch argraff chi o'r RCN a'r anghydfod y maen nhw yn ei ganol gyda'ch Llywodraeth dros gyflog nyrsys?
Well, Llywydd, can I begin by agreeing with what the leader of the opposition said about events in Swansea yesterday? It must have been a hugely frightening experience for others who live in that locality. And the leader of the opposition is right, isn't he—we expect our emergency services to run towards sources of danger that other people will be running away from, and they are immensely brave, and the response they mounted yesterday was, thankfully, effective. Of course, our thoughts are with the family of the particular individual who lost their life, while we are glad to see the recovery of others caught up in that very frightening incident.
As far as the second part of the leader of the opposition's question, I'm First Minister, not a commentator on what other people say. What I can do is to be clear about the Welsh Government's position: we approach all industrial matters as a Government on the basis of social partnership. The RCN is a long-standing and valued member of the social partnership arrangements we have in health, and they are there today in the room discussing with employers and the Welsh Government ways in which we can continue to improve the performance of our national health service and the way in which those workers who we rely upon within it can be properly rewarded for the work that they do.
Wel, Llywydd, a gaf i ddechrau drwy gytuno gyda'r hyn ddywedodd arweinydd yr wrthblaid am ddigwyddiadau yn Abertawe ddoe? Mae'n rhaid ei fod wedi bod yn brofiad hynod frawychus i eraill sy'n byw yn y cyffiniau. Ac mae arweinydd yr wrthblaid yn iawn, on'd yw e—rydyn ni'n disgwyl i'n gwasanaethau brys redeg tuag at leoedd sy'n llawn perygl y bydd pobl eraill yn dianc rhagddyn nhw, ac maen nhw'n hynod ddewr, ac roedd eu hymateb ddoe, diolch byth, yn effeithiol. Wrth gwrs, mae ein meddyliau gyda theulu'r unigolyn a gollodd ei fywyd, ac rydym yn falch o weld adferiad eraill a gafodd eu dal yn y digwyddiad brawychus hwnnw.
Cyn belled ag ail ran cwestiwn arweinydd yr wrthblaid, Prif Weinidog Cymru ydw i, nid sylwebydd ar yr hyn mae pobl eraill yn ei ddweud. Yr hyn y gallaf ei wneud yw bod yn glir ynghylch safbwynt Llywodraeth Cymru: rydym yn ymdrin â phob mater diwydiannol fel Llywodraeth ar sail partneriaeth gymdeithasol. Mae'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol yn aelod hirsefydlog a gwerthfawr o'r trefniadau partneriaeth gymdeithasol sydd gennym ym maes iechyd, ac maen nhw yno heddiw yn yr ystafell yn trafod gyda chyflogwyr a Llywodraeth Cymru y ffyrdd o barhau i wella perfformiad ein gwasanaeth iechyd cenedlaethol a'r ffordd y gall y gweithwyr hynny yr ydym yn dibynnu arnyn nhw ynddo gael eu gwobrwyo'n briodol am y gwaith y maen nhw'n ei wneud.
I'm pleased that you clarified what the Government's view is on what the RCN stands for—it is a view that I have—and also I declare an interest in having family members who are members of the Royal College of Nursing, a dedicated professional body of people who look after us in our time of need in hospitals and community settings. But do you not think it would be appropriate for a Minister, Deputy Minister, to actually apologise for those remarks that have caused upset to nurses within the profession, who do not want to be on strike, who are not a militant organisation and aren't up for the fight? They just want to get on with the job of looking after the patients who they care so passionately about.
Rwy'n falch eich bod wedi egluro beth yw barn y Llywodraeth ar yr hyn y mae'r RCN yn ei gynrychioli—dyna fy marn i—a hefyd rwy'n datgan buddiant gan fod gennyf aelodau o'r teulu sy'n aelodau o'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol, corff proffesiynol ymroddedig o bobl sy'n gofalu amdanom ni pan fyddwn mewn angen mewn ysbytai a lleoliadau cymunedol. Ond onid ydych chi'n credu y byddai'n briodol i Weinidog, Dirprwy Weinidog, ymddiheuro mewn gwirionedd am y sylwadau hynny sydd wedi peri loes i nyrsys o fewn y proffesiwn, nad ydynt eisiau bod ar streic, nad ydynt yn sefydliad milwriaethus ac nad ydynt eisiau brwydr? Maen nhw eisiau bwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith o edrych ar ôl y cleifion gyda gofal angerddol, dyna'r cwbl.
I've never known any public sector workers who want to be on strike. Llywydd, the truth of the matter is that members of the RCN have been to driven to express their reaction to a decade of austerity, followed by galloping inflation on the money that they have to manage with every week. And you will never find a Welsh Government Minister who would say that public sector workers driven to that way of doing things don't deserve to be respected, and they are respected here in Wales, and they are included, as I say, within the social partnership arrangements. We'll have an opportunity tomorrow to vote on the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill. I look forward to the support of the leader of the opposition and his members in that—. Oh, it's today, I beg your pardon—later today. So, I look forward to his support then.
Many people say, in the heat of the moment, things. I've been reading what was being said between the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Education when they competed with one another to criticise teachers during the COVID outbreak. I think those things are better put on one side. I've set out the position of the Government, and unambiguously that is one of inclusion, respect and joint approaches to problem solving.
Dydw i erioed wedi bod yn ymwybodol o unrhyw weithwyr yn y sector cyhoeddus sydd eisiau bod ar streic. Llywydd, y gwir amdani yw bod aelodau'r RCN wedi cael eu gwthio i fynegi eu hymateb i ddegawd o gyni, ac yna chwyddiant ar garlam o ran yr arian y mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw fyw arno bob wythnos. Ac ni fyddwch byth yn dod o hyd i Weinidog Llywodraeth Cymru a fyddai'n dweud nad yw gweithwyr y sector cyhoeddus sy'n cael eu gwthio i weithredu fel yna yn haeddu cael eu parchu, ac maen nhw yn cael eu parchu yma yng Nghymru, ac maen nhw'n cael eu cynnwys, fel yr wyf i'n dweud, o fewn y trefniadau partneriaeth gymdeithasol. Bydd gennym gyfle yfory i bleidleisio ar y Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru). Edrychaf ymlaen at gefnogaeth arweinydd yr wrthblaid a'i aelodau i hwnnw—. O, heddiw, mae'n ddrwg gennyf—yn nes ymlaen heddiw. Felly, rwy'n edrych ymlaen at ei gefnogaeth adeg hynny.
Mae llawer o bobl yn dweud pethau yng ngwres y foment. Rydw i wedi bod yn darllen yr hyn oedd yn cael ei ddweud rhwng yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Iechyd a'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Addysg pan wnaethon nhw gystadlu â'i gilydd i feirniadu athrawon yn ystod cyfnod COVID. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn well rhoi pethau felly o'r neilltu. Rwyf wedi nodi safbwynt y Llywodraeth, sydd yn ddiamwys yn un o gynhwysiant, parch a dulliau ar y cyd o ddatrys problemau.
First Minister, you said that a Government Minister has not said that and doesn't support it. I gave you a direct quote of what the Deputy Minister said. That is a matter of fact. It is a matter of record, and people will see what the Minister said in the context of the Royal College of Nursing. Last week, you voted with the Conservatives—which was very pleasing, thank you very much for voting with us on our motion about the roads review—about the lack of consultation, the lack of the ability for the roads review panel to speak to communities, public representatives, businesses, the third sector. There was no ambiguity in what you were voting on, yet you clearly believe that there has been a lack of engagement in formulating this important policy that the Government has brought forward. If you believe there's a lack of engagement and constructive dialogue to formulate this policy, how can people have confidence that this policy stands the test of scrutiny and will deliver on your aspirations when you vote against the policy, as you did last week?
Prif Weinidog, fe ddywedoch chi nad oedd un o Weinidogion y Llywodraeth wedi dweud hynny ac nad yw'n ei gefnogi. Rhoddais ddyfyniad uniongyrchol i chi o'r hyn a ddywedodd y Dirprwy Weinidog. Mae hynny'n fater o ffaith. Mae'n fater o gofnod, a bydd pobl yn gweld beth ddywedodd y Gweinidog yng nghyd-destun y Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol. Yr wythnos diwethaf, fe wnaethoch chi bleidleisio gyda'r Ceidwadwyr—oedd yn braf iawn, diolch yn fawr iawn am bleidleisio gyda ni ar ein cynnig ynghylch yr adolygiad ffyrdd—am y diffyg ymgynghori, diffyg gallu'r panel adolygu ffyrdd i siarad â chymunedau, cynrychiolwyr cyhoeddus, busnesau, y trydydd sector. Doedd dim amwysedd yn yr hyn yr oeddech chi'n pleidleisio arno, ond eto rydych chi'n amlwg yn credu bod diffyg ymgysylltu wedi bod wrth lunio'r polisi pwysig hwn y mae'r Llywodraeth wedi ei gyflwyno. Os ydych chi'n credu bod diffyg ymgysylltu a deialog adeiladol i lunio'r polisi hwn, sut all pobl fod yn ffyddiog fod y polisi hwn yn bodloni gofynion craffu ac y bydd yn cyflawni eich dyheadau pan fyddwch yn pleidleisio yn erbyn y polisi, fel y gwnaethoch chi'r wythnos diwethaf?
Well, Llywydd, I imagine that any party who puts a motion down in front of the Senedd does so in the hope that they will persuade other people to support it. I'm puzzled that the leader of the opposition wants to take issue with the fact that we supported the motion that he put down. Now, I know that the—[Interruption.] He can't take 'yes' for an answer, indeed. So, the person who led the roads review has written to all Senedd Members today, Llywydd—maybe the leader of the opposition hasn't had a chance to catch up with that yet—setting out the engagement that the roads review panel undertook, and it is extensive, but also making the distinction—which the Minister made, I know, in answering the debate—that there was engagement of the sort that was appropriate to the roads review panel. And then there will be further opportunities for public consultation and engagement when particular schemes come forward for their implementation. That's a different sort of engagement. It doesn't mean that there wasn't engagement by the roads review panel, as the chair has set out, and there will be, in the case of the different aspects of the roads review, further opportunities, often statutory opportunities, for people to have their voices heard, their views known, and so to help shape policy, no doubt in the way that the leader of the opposition hoped he was doing last week when he put down his motion for debate.
Wel, Llywydd, rwy'n dychmygu bod unrhyw blaid sy'n rhoi cynnig ger bron y Senedd yn gwneud hynny gan obeithio y byddan nhw'n perswadio pobl eraill i'w gefnogi. Mae'n peri penbleth i mi fod arweinydd yr wrthblaid eisiau mynd i ddadl â rhywun am y ffaith ein bod ni wedi cefnogi'r cynnig a gyflwynodd. Nawr, gwn fod y—[Torri ar draws.] All e ddim cymryd 'ie' fel ateb, yn wir. Felly, mae'r sawl a arweiniodd yr adolygiad ffyrdd wedi ysgrifennu at holl Aelodau'r Senedd heddiw, Llywydd—efallai nad yw arweinydd yr wrthblaid wedi cael cyfle i ddal i fyny o ran hynny eto—yn nodi'r ymgysylltiad a gyflawnodd y panel adolygu ffyrdd, ac mae'n helaeth, ond hefyd gwahaniaethu—a wnaeth y Gweinidog, am wn i, wrth ateb y ddadl—gan nodi bod ymgysylltu â'r fath oedd yn briodol i'r panel adolygu ffyrdd. Ac yna bydd cyfleoedd pellach ar gyfer ymgynghori ac ymgysylltu â'r cyhoedd pan fydd cynlluniau penodol yn cael eu cyflwyno ar gyfer eu gweithredu. Mae hwnna'n fath gwahanol o ymgysylltu. Nid yw'n golygu nad oedd ymgysylltu ar ran y panel adolygu ffyrdd, fel y mae'r cadeirydd wedi nodi, a bydd, yn achos gwahanol agweddau'r adolygiad ffyrdd, cyfleoedd pellach, cyfleoedd statudol yn aml, i leisiau pobl gael eu clywed, i'w barn gael ei mynegi, ac felly i helpu i lunio polisi, mae'n siŵr yn y ffordd yr oedd arweinydd yr wrthblaid yn gobeithio ei fod yn ei wneud yr wythnos diwethaf pan gyflwynodd ei gynnig ar gyfer trafodaeth.
Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.
Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Gaf innau, ar ran Plaid Cymru, hefyd ategu bod ein meddyliau ni i gyd, wrth gwrs, gyda'r teulu yn Nhreforys sydd wedi colli anwylyd yn y damwain erchyll ddoe, a hefyd gyda phawb arall sydd wedi'u heffeithio.
Thank you very much. May I, on behalf of Plaid Cymru, echo that our thoughts are all with the family in Morriston who lost a loved one in the terrible accident yesterday, and everyone else who was affected by it.
First Minister, the UK Government has again and again refused to reclassify HS2 as an England-only project, robbing Wales of £5 billion in Barnett consequentials that could be transformative of our public transport infrastructure. That's even though the UK Government's own analysis shows that it's more likely to damage Wales than to provide any benefit. Will you be calling on any future Labour administration to rectify that mistake?
Prif Weinidog, unwaith eto, mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi gwrthod ailddosbarthu HS2 fel prosiect i Loegr yn unig, gan ddwyn £5 biliwn mewn cyllid canlyniadol Barnett oddi wrth Gymru a allai fod yn drawsnewidiol i'n seilwaith trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Mae hynny er bod dadansoddiad Llywodraeth y DU eu hunain yn dangos ei fod yn fwy tebygol o niweidio Cymru na darparu unrhyw fudd. A fyddwch chi'n galw ar unrhyw weinyddiaeth Lafur yn y dyfodol i unioni'r cam hwnnw?
Llywydd, I believe it's common ground across all parties on the floor of the Senedd that HS2 has been wrongly classified by the UK Government, that it should be classified on the basis, as in Scotland, that there are Barnett consequentials. That is the policy of this Government. I've articulated it many times here.
Llywydd, rwy'n credu ei bod yn dir cyffredin ar draws pob plaid ar lawr y Senedd bod HS2 wedi'i ddosbarthu yn anghywir gan Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig, ac y dylid ei ddosbarthu, fel yn yr Alban, ar y sail bod yna gyllid canlyniadol Barnett. Dyna bolisi'r Llywodraeth hon. rwyf wedi mynegi'r peth sawl gwaith yma.
Just on the specific, First Minister—because this is quite important, isn't it—will that remain your position in the event of a Labour administration in Westminster? Will you be making that point very forcefully to a future Labour administration, not just to give Wales its share of any future expenditure, but also to give us the £1 billion that we've lost already through the £20 billion phase 1 expenditure there's already been? Now, it was welcome to hear the leader of the UK Labour Party commit to the repatriation to Wales of powers over structural funds, but can you say whether you expect any future Labour administration as well to honour the commitment that Wales would not receive a penny less than it would have received under the 2020 to 2027 programming period for European funds? So, between 2024 and 2027, that would mean an additional £1 billion in funding to Wales on top of, of course, the £1 billion that you have pointed out as a Government we have lost between 2021 and 2025.
Dim ond ar y pwynt penodol, Prif Weinidog—oherwydd bod hyn yn eithaf pwysig, on'd yw e—ai hynny fydd eich safbwynt wedyn pe bai gweinyddiaeth Lafur yn San Steffan? A fyddwch chi'n gwneud y pwynt hwnnw'n rymus iawn i weinyddiaeth Lafur yn y dyfodol, nid yn unig i roi ei siâr i Gymru o unrhyw wariant yn y dyfodol, ond hefyd i roi'r £1 biliwn rydyn ni wedi'i golli'n barod drwy'r gwariant cam 1 gwerth £20 biliwn a ddigwyddodd eisoes? Nawr, roedd yn braf clywed arweinydd Plaid Lafur y DU yn ymrwymo i ddychwelyd pwerau dros gronfeydd strwythurol yn ôl i Gymru, ond a allwch chi ddweud a ydych yn disgwyl unrhyw weinyddiaeth Lafur yn y dyfodol hefyd i anrhydeddu'r ymrwymiad na fyddai Cymru yn derbyn ceiniog yn llai nag y byddai wedi'i dderbyn o dan y cyfnod rhaglennu 2020 i 2027 ar gyfer cronfeydd Ewrop? Felly, rhwng 2024 a 2027, byddai hynny'n golygu £1 biliwn yn ychwanegol o gyllid i Gymru ar ben hynny, wrth gwrs, y £1 biliwn rydych chi wedi'i nodi fel Llywodraeth yr ydym wedi'i golli rhwng 2021 a 2025.
Llywydd, it was a very welcome announcement indeed that Sir Keir Starmer made at the weekend, that, should there be a Labour Government after the next general election, the powers and the funding that have been taken away from Wales will be restored to Wales, so that the decisions on those really important regional economic development decisions will be taken here in this Senedd. I look forward very much to working as hard as I can to make sure that we have that opportunity here in Wales.
An incoming Labour Government inevitably will have to make difficult spending decisions, given the economic circumstances that it will inherit. We will be there, of course, working alongside our Labour colleagues, were they to be in that position, to maximise the draw-down of funds to Wales.
Llywydd, roedd y cyhoeddiad a wnaeth Syr Keir Starmer dros y penwythnos yn un i'w groesawu'n fawr, sef pe bai Llywodraeth Lafur mewn grym ar ôl yr etholiad cyffredinol nesaf, bydd y pwerau a'r cyllid a dynnwyd i ffwrdd o Gymru yn cael eu hadfer i Gymru, fel y bydd penderfyniadau ar y penderfyniadau datblygu economaidd rhanbarthol pwysig iawn hynny yn cael eu gwneud yma yn y Senedd hon. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at weithio mor galed ag y gallaf i wneud yn siŵr ein bod yn cael y cyfle hwnnw yma yng Nghymru.
Mae'n anochel y bydd yn rhaid i Lywodraeth Lafur wrth ddod i rym wneud penderfyniadau gwario anodd, o ystyried yr amgylchiadau economaidd y bydd yn eu hetifeddu. Byddwn ni yno, wrth gwrs, yn gweithio ochr yn ochr â'n cyd-Aelodau Llafur, pe baen nhw yn y sefyllfa honno, i fanteisio i'r eithaf ar yr arian sydd i'w dynnu i lawr ar gyfer Cymru.
So, if I understand the First Minister correctly, you're not able to say that a future Labour administration would commit to the same level of funding that we would have had under European funds, and you're not able to say that we will get the Barnett consequential.
In relation to the devolution of powers, the leader of the Labour Party said that he will await the publication of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales. Now, given its pivotal status, based on that statement in the formation of Labour Party policy for the next election, can you say whether you will be specifying in your further submissions to the commission the powers that you as a Labour Government here in Wales are seeking to have devolved? Will they still include areas like policing and justice, or indeed gender recognition, where senior Labour Party figures at Westminster have expressed opposition or scepticism, and they weren't included in the Brown commission report? Who will have the final say? Will the decision be made in Wales, to quote you from earlier, or will it be made in Westminster, and, if it's the latter, aren't you devolving the rulebook while leaving the power where it has always been?
Felly, os ydw i'n deall y Prif Weinidog yn iawn, dydych chi ddim yn gallu dweud y byddai gweinyddiaeth Lafur yn y dyfodol yn ymrwymo i'r un lefel o gyllid ag y byddem ni wedi'i gael o dan gronfeydd Ewropeaidd, a dydych chi ddim yn gallu dweud y byddwn ni'n cael cyllid canlyniadol Barnett.
Mewn cysylltiad â datganoli pwerau, dywedodd arweinydd y Blaid Lafur y bydd yn aros am gyhoeddi'r Comisiwn Annibynnol ar Ddyfodol Cyfansoddiadol Cymru. Nawr, o ystyried ei statws allweddol, yn seiliedig ar y datganiad hwnnw wrth ffurfio polisi'r Blaid Lafur ar gyfer yr etholiad nesaf, a allwch chi ddweud a fyddwch yn nodi yn eich cyflwyniadau pellach i'r comisiwn y pwerau yr ydych chi fel Llywodraeth Lafur yma yng Nghymru yn ceisio eu datganoli? A fyddan nhw'n dal i gynnwys meysydd fel plismona a chyfiawnder, neu yn wir gydnabyddiaeth rhywedd, pan fo uwch-ffigyrau'r Blaid Lafur yn San Steffan wedi mynegi gwrthwynebiad neu amheuaeth, ac ni chawsant eu cynnwys yn adroddiad comisiwn Brown? Pwy fydd â'r gair olaf? A fydd y penderfyniad yn cael ei wneud yng Nghymru, i'ch dyfynnu o gyfnod cynharach, neu a fydd yn cael ei wneud yn San Steffan, ac, os yr ail sydd wir, onid ydych chi'n datganoli'r llyfr rheolau gan adael y pŵer lle bu erioed?
Llywydd, I was able to discuss with Keir Starmer the work of the McAllister-Williams review. He referred to it specifically in the speech that he made to the Labour Party conference, and I was very heartened by the fact that he is determined to show proper respect to the work of that Welsh commission, and to await its recommendations before taking decisions on policies that will enter the Labour manifesto. That's very good news for Wales, particularly given the calibre of the work that the Williams-McAllister commission is undertaking.
The policies of the Welsh Labour Government are unchanged in relation both to justice and gender recognition. We believe that the Thomas review concluded, in any sensible sense, the argument in favour of devolution of justice to Wales. The authoritative nature of its analysis and recommendations we believe mean that that case is made, and we'll continue to advocate for that.
Implementation of that policy has to start somewhere, and the Gordon Brown report suggests that it should start with youth justice and with probation, and those would be very, very important first steps. First steps are often the most difficult steps of all on a journey, and, in relation to gender recognition, we continue to pursue now, with the current UK Government, the devolution of those powers here to Wales. There is no reason why powers that we seek under one set of circumstances would not be powers that we would continue to seek in others.
The way that decisions are finally made in a Labour Party manifesto, which covers the whole of the United Kingdom and will have many, many competing priorities for an incoming first-term Labour Government, are well known. There will be Welsh voices in the room when that manifesto process is being undertaken, and they will be arguing for the sorts of policies that the leader of Plaid Cymru has rehearsed this afternoon.
Llywydd, cefais gyfle i drafod gwaith adolygiad McAllister-Williams gyda Keir Starmer. Cyfeiriodd ato'n benodol yn yr araith a wnaeth i gynhadledd y Blaid Lafur, ac fe'm calonogwyd yn fawr gan y ffaith ei fod yn benderfynol o ddangos parch priodol tuag at waith y comisiwn Cymreig hwnnw, gan aros am ei argymhellion cyn penderfynu ar bolisïau a fydd yn mynd i mewn i faniffesto'r Blaid Lafur. Mae hynny'n newyddion da iawn i Gymru, yn enwedig o gofio safon y gwaith y mae comisiwn Williams-McAllister yn ei wneud.
Nid yw polisïau Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru wedi newid o ran cyfiawnder a chydnabod rhywedd. Credwn i adolygiad Thomas ddod i'r casgliad, mewn unrhyw ystyr synhwyrol, bod dadl o blaid datganoli cyfiawnder i Gymru. Credwn fod natur awdurdodol ei ddadansoddiad a'i argymhellion yn golygu bod yr achos hwnnw'n cael ei wneud, a byddwn yn parhau i ddadlau dros hwnnw.
Mae'n rhaid i weithredu'r polisi hwnnw ddechrau yn rhywle, ac mae adroddiad Gordon Brown yn awgrymu y dylai ddechrau gyda chyfiawnder ieuenctid a gyda'r gwasanaeth prawf, a byddai'r rheiny'n gamau cyntaf pwysig iawn, iawn. Y camau cyntaf yn aml yw'r camau anoddaf oll ar daith, ac, o ran cydnabod rhywedd, rydym yn parhau i gydgeisio nawr, gyda Llywodraeth bresennol y DU, ddatganoli'r pwerau hynny yma i Gymru. Does dim rheswm pam na fyddai pwerau yr ydym yn eu ceisio o dan un set o amgylchiadau yn bwerau y byddem yn parhau i'w ceisio o dan rai eraill.
Mae'r ffordd y mae penderfyniadau'n cael eu gwneud o'r diwedd mewn maniffesto gan y Blaid Lafur, sy'n cwmpasu'r Deyrnas Unedig gyfan ac a fydd â llawer, llawer o flaenoriaethau sy'n cystadlu â'i gilydd ar gyfer Llywodraeth Lafur tymor cyntaf yn dod i rym, yn adnabyddus. Bydd lleisiau o Gymru yn yr ystafell pan ymgymerir â phroses y maniffesto hwnnw, a byddan nhw'n dadlau dros y mathau o bolisïau y mae arweinydd Plaid Cymru wedi'u hailadrodd y prynhawn yma.
3. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n ei wneud i ddarparu cyfleusterau chwaraeon modern ym Mrycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed? OQ59252
3. What is the Welsh Government doing to deliver modern sporting facilities in Brecon and Radnorshire? OQ59252
Llywydd, using funding provided by the Welsh Government, Sport Wales will support 20 projects across Powys in the current financial year through the Be Active Wales fund. This is in addition to capital projects such as the new pump track near Talybont-on-Usk and resurfacing the athletics track at Brecon Leisure Centre.
Llywydd, gan ddefnyddio cyllid a ddarperir gan Lywodraeth Cymru, bydd Chwaraeon Cymru yn cefnogi 20 o brosiectau ledled Powys yn y flwyddyn ariannol bresennol drwy Gronfa Cymru Actif. Mae hyn yn ychwanegol at brosiectau cyfalaf megis y trac pwmp newydd ger Tal-y-bont ar Wysg a rhoi wyneb newydd ar y trac athletau yng Nghanolfan Hamdden Aberhonddu.
I'd like to thank you, First Minister, for your answer. Earlier this year, the UK Government announced £12.6 million investment in grass-roots facilities in Wales, with individual projects of investment directed by the Football Association of Wales. I'm here today to bang the drum for more investment in Brecon and Radnorshire. Mid Wales has missed out on much-needed cash in Welsh Government funding streams for sporting facilities. Powys ranked in the bottom half of all Welsh local authorities, and mostly that is due to population numbers. But I am not just here to criticise, because I do have a solution where that money could potentially be spent. Rhayader in my constituency is in much need of a facility upgrade, to give them that high-quality pitch that can produce the Wales sports stars of the future. So, First Minister, I know that you don't have any direct influence over that money, but your presence—. If you would say on the record that the FAW should look seriously at Rhayader's proposals, I'm very sure that your influence would go a long way in making sure that we can get that much-needed investment in Brecon and Radnorshire.
Hoffwn ddiolch i chi, Prif Weinidog, am eich ateb. Yn gynharach eleni, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth y DU fuddsoddiad o £12.6 miliwn mewn cyfleusterau ar lawr gwlad yng Nghymru, gyda phrosiectau unigol o fuddsoddi wedi'u cyfarwyddo gan Gymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru. Rwyf yma heddiw i gefnogi'r alwad am fwy o fuddsoddiad ym Mrycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed. Mae'r canolbarth ar ei cholled o ran arian parod y mae mawr ei angen yn ffrydiau cyllido Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer cyfleusterau chwaraeon. Roedd Powys yn hanner isaf holl awdurdodau lleol Cymru, ac yn bennaf mae hynny oherwydd nifer y boblogaeth. Ond nid wyf yma i feirniadu yn unig, oherwydd mae gennyf i ateb ar gyfer ble gellid gwario'r arian hwnnw o bosib. Mae angen uwchraddio cyfleusterau yn Rhaeadr yn fy etholaeth i yn daer, er mwyn rhoi cae o safon uchel iddyn nhw a all gynhyrchu sêr chwaraeon Cymru'r dyfodol. Felly, Prif Weinidog, rwy'n gwybod nad oes gennych chi unrhyw ddylanwad uniongyrchol dros yr arian hwnnw, ond eich presenoldeb—. Os byddech chi'n dweud ar gof a chadw y dylai Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru edrych o ddifri ar gynigion Rhaeadr, rwy'n hollol siŵr y byddai eich dylanwad yn mynd yn bell i wneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n gallu cael y buddsoddiad yna sydd ei angen yn amlwg ym Mrycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed.
Well, the very best way, Llywydd, would be if the UK Government had not used the internal market Act powers directly to fund the FAW. That is money that should be here in Wales, being decided here in Wales. Then, I would be able to help the Member a lot more directly.
You will remember the debates in the House of Commons—and particularly in the House of Lords—when UK Government Ministers were put up to explain that the internal market Act powers were necessary only to intervene in the most serious matters, where there were profoundly important economic decisions at stake, and that was why they were being taken. Well, within a few months, they were being used not only to fund the FAW to deal with football pitches in Wales, but the UK Government has taken into its own hands the future of the Welsh tennis court as well. Now, there's a matter of profound economic significance. What it tells you is that the internal market Act was never intended in the way that those Ministers were put up to suggest. It was always designed for the UK Government to be able to act in that pet-project-type way, taking decisions and funding away from Wales.
Two pieces of good news, though, for James Evans: first of all, the Be Active Wales fund will be open again in April, and given that 20 different projects are being funded in the Member's constituency in the current financial year, I think that will be good news, I hope, for those projects in Powys. And as to the particular scheme that the Member has mentioned this afternoon, I'm quite certain it will be taken seriously by the FAW and that, provided it can bring itself within the criteria of the scheme, and I'm sure people will work hard to do that, I'm quite certain the FAW will give it proper and serious consideration.
Wel, y ffordd orau un, Llywydd, fyddai pe na bai Llywodraeth y DU wedi defnyddio pwerau Deddf y farchnad fewnol yn uniongyrchol i ariannu Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru. Dyna arian a ddylai fod yma yng Nghymru, gyda phenderfyniadau yn ei gylch yn cael eu gwneud yma yng Nghymru. Yna, byddwn i'n gallu helpu'r Aelod yn llawer mwy uniongyrchol.
Byddwch yn cofio'r dadleuon yn Nhŷ'r Cyffredin—ac yn enwedig yn Nhŷ'r Arglwyddi—pan oedd yn rhaid i Weinidogion Llywodraeth y DU esbonio bod pwerau Deddf y farchnad fewnol yn angenrheidiol dim ond i ymyrryd yn y materion mwyaf difrifol, pan oedd penderfyniadau economaidd hynod bwysig yn y fantol, a dyna pam roedden nhw'n cael eu gwneud. Wel, o fewn ychydig fisoedd, roedden nhw'n cael eu defnyddio nid yn unig i ariannu Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru i ymdrin â chaeau pêl-droed yng Nghymru, ond mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi cymryd dyfodol cyrtiau tenis Cymru hefyd i'w dwylo eu hunain. Nawr, mae yna fater o arwyddocâd economaidd dwys. Yr hyn y mae'n ei ddweud wrthych yw na fwriadwyd erioed i Ddeddf y farchnad fewnol gael ei defnyddio yn y ffordd yr awgrymodd y Gweinidogion hynny. Fe'i cynlluniwyd bob amser er mwyn i Lywodraeth y DU allu gweithredu eu hoff brosiectau, gan gymryd penderfyniadau a chyllid oddi ar Gymru.
Dau ddarn o newyddion da, serch hynny, i James Evans: yn gyntaf oll, bydd Cronfa Cymru Actif ar agor eto ym mis Ebrill, ac o gofio bod 20 o brosiectau gwahanol yn cael eu hariannu yn etholaeth yr Aelod yn y flwyddyn ariannol bresennol, rwy'n credu y bydd hynny'n newyddion da, gobeithio, i'r prosiectau hynny ym Mhowys. Ac o ran y cynllun penodol y mae'r Aelod wedi'i grybwyll y prynhawn yma, rwy'n eithaf sicr y bydd yn cael ei gymryd o ddifrif gan Gymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru a hynny ar yr amod y gall roi ei hun o fewn meini prawf y cynllun, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd pobl yn gweithio'n galed i wneud hynny, rwy'n eithaf sicr y bydd Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru yn rhoi ystyriaeth briodol a difrifol iddo.
Good afternoon, First Minister. I just really wanted to follow on from James Evans's question around sporting facilities and concentrate on swimming pools. Many of us, I'm sure, learnt to swim in swimming pools, literally giving us a life-saving skill, and we know that swimming pools are essential for mental health, physical health and particularly for people with disabilities. At this stage, we understand there's no action from the UK Conservative Government to help with bills for non-residential properties, so I just wondered what the Welsh Government could do to help local authorities who are really struggling with bills to heat our swimming pools, potentially picking up from I think it's Devon County Council and their innovation around a digital boiler, whether there are options there for us to consider innovative ways of ensuring that our swimming pools, particularly in rural areas like Powys, remain open. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Prynhawn da, Prif Weinidog. Gan gadw at thema cwestiwn James Evans ynghylch cyfleusterau chwaraeon roeddwn eisiau canolbwyntio ar byllau nofio. Mae llawer ohonom, rwy'n siŵr, wedi dysgu nofio mewn pyllau nofio, yn llythrennol yn rhoi sgiliau achub bywyd i ni, ac rydym yn gwybod bod pyllau nofio yn hanfodol ar gyfer iechyd meddwl, iechyd corfforol ac yn enwedig ar gyfer pobl ag anableddau. Ar hyn o bryd, rydym yn deall nad oes unrhyw gamau gan Lywodraeth Geidwadol y DU i helpu gyda biliau ar gyfer eiddo amhreswyl, felly tybed beth allai Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud i helpu awdurdodau lleol sy'n ei chael hi'n anodd iawn gyda biliau i gynhesu ein pyllau nofio, drwy edrych, rwy'n credu, ar Gyngor Sir Dyfnaint a'u harloesedd gyda boeler digidol. Tybed a oes opsiynau i ni ystyried ffyrdd arloesol o sicrhau bod ein pyllau nofio, yn enwedig mewn ardaloedd gwledig fel Powys, yn aros ar agor. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
I thank Jane Dodds for that. I know that the leisure sector, not just in Wales, but across the border as well, is disappointed that swimming pools have been excluded for help under the UK Government's new energy bill discount scheme. If you're running a museum, you will get help from that scheme, but if you're running an energy-intensive place like a leisure centre, and particularly a swimming pool, then you won't be getting any help at all. That seems perverse, doesn't it, given that we know that the most expensive part of any leisure centre is the swimming pool itself. So, we will hope to see in tomorrow's spring statement some sensible change in that direction, so that leisure centres and the local authorities who support them will be able to cover those costs in that way.
The Devon example is an interesting one, isn't it, because it solves the problem in a different way. It doesn't just seek to pay the higher bills, it seeks to find new sources of energy that can be used. There are many, many examples here in Wales where you have industries that create a great deal of heat, where that heat is simply dispersed into the air, and where, if the geographical proximity was good enough, you could try to reuse that heat in a way that provides not just for swimming pools, but in district heating schemes and so on. A great deal of thought is being given in many parts of Wales to exactly that sort of innovative and experimental way of finding better ways of being able to heat those very important local facilities into the future.
Diolch i Jane Dodds am hynna. Rwy'n gwybod bod y sector hamdden, nid dim ond yng Nghymru, ond dros y ffin hefyd, yn siomedig fod pyllau nofio wedi cael eu heithrio o ran cymorth o dan gynllun disgownt newydd Bil Ynni Llywodraeth y DU. Os ydych chi'n rhedeg amgueddfa, byddwch chi'n cael cymorth gan y cynllun hwnnw, ond os ydych chi'n rhedeg lle sy'n ynni-ddwys fel canolfan hamdden, ac yn enwedig pwll nofio, yna ni fyddwch yn cael unrhyw gymorth o gwbl. Mae hynny'n ymddangos yn wrthnysig, on'd yw e, o ystyried ein bod yn gwybod mai'r rhan ddrutaf o unrhyw ganolfan hamdden yw'r pwll nofio ei hun. Felly, byddwn yn gobeithio gweld yn natganiad y gwanwyn yfory ryw newid synhwyrol i'r cyfeiriad hwnnw, fel y bydd canolfannau hamdden a'r awdurdodau lleol sy'n eu cefnogi yn gallu talu'r costau hynny yn y ffordd honno.
Mae enghraifft Dyfnaint yn un ddiddorol, onid yw, oherwydd mae'n datrys y broblem mewn ffordd wahanol. Nid yw'n ceisio talu'r biliau uwch yn unig, mae'n ceisio dod o hyd i ffynonellau ynni newydd y gellir eu defnyddio. Mae llawer iawn o enghreifftiau yma yng Nghymru lle mae gennych chi ddiwydiannau sy'n creu llawer iawn o wres, lle mae'r gwres hwnnw yn syml wedi'i wasgaru i'r awyr, a lle, pe byddai'r agosatrwydd daearyddol yn ddigon addas, gallech geisio ailddefnyddio'r gwres hwnnw mewn ffordd sy'n darparu nid yn unig ar gyfer pyllau nofio, ond mewn cynlluniau gwresogi ardal ac ati. Mae llawer o feddwl yn cael ei roi, mewn sawl rhan o Gymru, i'r ffordd honno o arloesi ac arbrofi i ddod o hyd i ffyrdd gwell o gynhesu'r cyfleusterau lleol pwysig iawn hynny i'r dyfodol.
4. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n cefnogi'r diwydiant ynni adnewyddadwy? OQ59277
4. How is the Welsh Government supporting the renewable energy industry? OQ59277
I thank Sam Kurtz for that. Supporting the supply chain, co-ordinating investment in grids and ports infrastructure and setting up a publicly owned renewable developer are some of the actions we are taking to support the renewable energy industry in Wales.
Diolch i Sam Kurtz am hynna. Mae cefnogi'r gadwyn gyflenwi, cydlynu buddsoddiad mewn gridiau a seilwaith porthladdoedd, a sefydlu datblygwr adnewyddadwy dan berchnogaeth gyhoeddus yn rhai o'r camau yr ydym yn eu cymryd i gefnogi'r diwydiant ynni adnewyddadwy yng Nghymru.
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of attending a round-table with the south Wales industrial cluster as they launched their decarbonisation plan. While at the meeting, I was delighted to be shown a tweet from your Twitter account, First Minister, celebrating consent being given for Blue Gem Wind's Erebus project off the south Pembrokeshire coast. Floating offshore wind, this joint venture between Total and Simply Blue Energy, will firmly set Wales on a path to net zero.
At the same round-table discussion, it was said that a Celtic free port would turbocharge the industry's journey to net zero while also securing and generating thousands of extra jobs. But with an announcement due imminently, I do wish to pivot and focus slightly elsewhere.
So, to achieve our net-zero ambition, industry must deploy the use of blue hydrogen in a limited and short-term manner. It is through optimising blue hydrogen creation that we can provide the industry with a critical stepping stone towards net zero, and without it, we risk failure. So, given this, what assurances can the Welsh Government give stakeholders that blue hydrogen as a transition is a route to net zero that this Government is willing to support? Diolch.
Ddoe, cefais y pleser o fod yn bresennol mewn cyfarfod bord gron gyda chlwstwr diwydiannol De Cymru wrth iddynt lansio eu cynllun datgarboneiddio. Tra oeddwn yn y cyfarfod, roeddwn yn falch iawn o gael dangos trydariad o'ch cyfrif Twitter, Prif Weinidog, yn dathlu rhoi caniatâd ar gyfer prosiect Erebus Blue Gem Wind oddi ar arfordir de sir Benfro. Bydd gwynt arnofiol ar y môr, y fenter ar y cyd rhwng Total a Simply Blue Energy, yn gosod Cymru yn gadarn ar lwybr i sero net.
Yn yr un drafodaeth ford gron, dywedwyd y byddai porthladd rhydd Celtaidd yn rhoi hwb anferth i daith y diwydiant at sero net gan hefyd sicrhau a chreu miloedd o swyddi ychwanegol. Ond gyda chyhoeddiad ar fin digwydd, rwy'n dymuno troi a chanolbwyntio ychydig ar rywbeth arall.
Felly, er mwyn cyflawni ein huchelgais sero net, mae'n rhaid i'r diwydiant ddefnyddio hydrogen glas mewn modd cyfyngedig a thymor byr. Trwy optimeiddio creu hydrogen glas y gallwn ddarparu carreg sarn hanfodol i'r diwydiant tuag at sero net, a hebddo, mae perygl i ni fethu. Felly, o ystyried hyn, pa sicrwydd y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei roi i randdeiliaid bod hydrogen glas, fel rhywbeth i bontio, yn llwybr i sero net y mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn fodlon ei gefnogi? Diolch.
Well, Llywydd, I thank Sam Kurtz for those further questions. I thank him for drawing attention to the fact that the Erebus windfarm application has been approved now through all the processes here in Wales. It's a very important development and one that demonstrates that we have been able to use the streamlined and effective application process we now have in Wales to reach that outcome, while at the same time making sure that there are proper and robust protections for that very fragile environment that is the sea that surrounds us.
I won’t say anything on the free port; the Member was quite right about that, Llywydd.
As far as blue hydrogen and green hydrogen are concerned, we want to get a position where green hydrogen is deployable here in Wales on the scale we will need it for the future. Do we see any part for blue hydrogen in that transition way? Well, we do. But we want it to be as limited as it can be, and very clearly in the stepping-stone way that Sam Kurtz has set out this afternoon. It does have a part to play, but it’s not the destination we need to be at.
Wel, Llywydd, diolch i Sam Kurtz am y cwestiynau ychwanegol yna. Diolch iddo am dynnu sylw at y ffaith bod cais fferm wynt Erebus wedi'i gymeradwyo nawr drwy'r holl brosesau yma yng Nghymru. Mae'n ddatblygiad pwysig iawn ac yn un sy'n dangos ein bod wedi gallu defnyddio'r broses ymgeisio symlach ac effeithiol sydd gennym nawr yng Nghymru i gyrraedd y canlyniad hwnnw, gan, ar yr un pryd sicrhau bod amddiffyniadau priodol a chadarn i'r amgylchedd bregus iawn hwnnw sef y môr sy'n ein hamgylchynu.
Ni wnaf ddweud dim byd ynghylch y porthladd rhydd; roedd yr Aelod yn hollol iawn ynghylch hynny, Llywydd.
O ran hydrogen glas a hydrogen gwyrdd, rydym eisiau cael safle lle mae hydrogen gwyrdd yn cael ei ddefnyddio yma yng Nghymru ar y raddfa y bydd ei angen arnom ar gyfer y dyfodol. Ydyn ni'n gweld unrhyw ran ar gyfer hydrogen glas yn y ffordd bontio honno? Wel, ydym. Ond rydym eisiau iddo fod mor gyfyngedig ag y gall fod, ac yn amlwg iawn yn y dull carreg sarn y mae Sam Kurtz wedi'i nodi y prynhawn yma. Mae ganddo ran i'w chwarae, ond nid dyma'r gyrchfan ar ein cyfer ni.
Brif Weinidog, petai yna awdurdod lleol sydd â’u cronfeydd pensiwn wedi'u buddsoddi mewn cwmni datblygu ynni penodol yn derbyn cais gan y cwmni hwnnw i wneud datblygiad yn eu hardal nhw, a ydych chi'n teimlo y byddai yna wrthdaro buddiannau mewn sefyllfa fel yna? Oherwydd yn amlwg, petai cynllun, prosiect neu isadeiledd lle mae’r awdurdod lleol yn rhan o’r penderfyniad yn cael mynd yn ei flaen, mi fyddai hynny’n dod â budd i gronfeydd pensiwn yr awdurdod lleol yna. Oes yna risg ynglŷn â pha mor ddiduedd fyddai'r broses yna yn eich barn chi?
First Minister, if a local authority who have their pensions funds invested in a particular energy generation company were to receive a request from that company for a development in their area, do you feel that there would be a conflict of interest in such a scenario? Because clearly, if there were a proposal, a project or infrastructure where the local authority is part of the decision for that to go ahead, that would bring benefit to the pension funds of that local authority. Is there a risk to the impartiality of that process in your view?
Wel, dwi ddim wedi cael cyfle i ddeall y pwynt penodol y mae Llyr Gruffydd wedi’i wneud, Llywydd, so byddai’n well i fi ystyried beth fydd ar y Record y prynhawn yma. Rŷn ni eisiau—. Dwi wedi cael cyfarfod gyda Jack Sargeant jest wythnosau yn ôl i weld sut allwn ni alluogi awdurdodau lleol gyda'r cronfa bensiwn i fuddsoddi mewn pethau sy’n mynd i fod yn rhan o’r tymor hir yma yng Nghymru.
So, yn gyffredinol, dwi'n meddwl ei fod yn rhywbeth pwysig i dynnu’r arian yna mewn i’r seilwaith a phethau eraill, fel yn y maes egni cynaliadwy. Ond, ar y pwynt penodol, well i fi ystyried beth mae'r Aelod wedi'i ddweud a dod nôl ato fe.
Well, I haven’t had an opportunity to grasp that specific point that Llyr Gruffydd has made, Llywydd, so I’d better look at what is in the Record this afternoon. We do want to—. I’ve had a meeting with Jack Sargeant just a few weeks ago to look at how we can enable local authorities with their pension funds to invest in those things that are going to be part of the long-term response here in Wales.
So, in general, I think that it is something important to draw those funds into the infrastructure and other things, such as renewable energy. But, on the specific point, I’d better look again at what the Member said and come back to him.
I too was at the south Wales industrial cluster meeting that was held in the Millennium Stadium in my constituency, and a really interesting meeting it was, with lots of really important people there.
However, I want to just ask about a slightly different route to achieving net zero, which is the increasing demand for renewable energy in our homes. Forty per cent of houses in Wales are owned outright, with no mortgage, either by the people who live in them or by landlords who rent them out. So, what strategy is the Government using to appeal to them to invest in renewables now, to do the right thing for the climate, fix the holes in their pockets, and increase the value of their properties? What’s not to like as a way of kick starting demand for retrofitting measures in the private housing sector?
Roeddwn innau hefyd yng nghyfarfod clwstwr diwydiannol y de a gynhaliwyd yn Stadiwm y Mileniwm yn fy etholaeth, ac roedd yn gyfarfod diddorol iawn gyda llawer o bobl hynod bwysig yno.
Fodd bynnag, rwyf eisiau gofyn am lwybr ychydig yn wahanol i gyflawni sero net, sef y galw cynyddol am ynni adnewyddadwy yn ein cartrefi. Mae 40% o dai yng Nghymru dan berchnogaeth lwyr, heb forgais, naill ai'r bobl sy'n byw ynddyn nhw neu'r landlordiaid sy'n eu rhentu. Felly, pa strategaeth mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei defnyddio i apelio atynt i fuddsoddi mewn ynni adnewyddadwy nawr, i wneud y peth iawn ar gyfer yr hinsawdd, trwsio'r tyllau yn eu pocedi, a chynyddu gwerth eu heiddo? Does dim byd gwell i roi hwb i'r galw am fesurau ôl-osod yn y sector tai preifat?
Well, Llywydd, I certainly agree with the general point that Jenny Rathbone is making. She will know that it is a confusing picture that faces the individual householder in this area, because there is an ongoing and sometimes a rather polarised debate on what the future of domestic heating should be. On the one hand, there are experiments going on and we’re working with the UK Government on that, about the role that hydrogen might play in that, and yet there is also evidence that suggests that hydrogen won’t have a widespread use in domestic heating, and that debate is holding up some decisions on the gas grid and on electrification. What I think is clear is that we will need—and we are funding, indeed, as a Government—local area energy plans that will go down to an assessment at a street by street level, so that there will be better information for householders on which heat solutions will work best for them.
There'll be areas where heat pumps are the answer, and some areas in which it may—and I think it's definitely a question mark, but may—be that hybrid solutions closest to sources of hydrogen may also have a part to play. The Minister intends to publish the consultation on a heat strategy, which will draw on all of this and seek to help resolve some of those debates so that, when the individual consumer has a clearer idea of what they can do in the most effective way in their particular property, they will have a less confused policy background to draw on and then can get on and make the investments to which Jenny Rathbone has referred.
Wel, Llywydd, rwy'n sicr yn cytuno gyda'r pwynt cyffredinol y mae Jenny Rathbone yn ei wneud. Bydd hi'n gwybod ei fod yn ddarlun dryslyd y mae deiliad tŷ unigol yn ei wynebu yn yr ardal hon, oherwydd bod dadl barhaus ac weithiau braidd yn begynol ynghylch yr hyn y dylai dyfodol gwresogi domestig fod. Ar y naill law, mae yna arbrofion yn digwydd ac rydym yn gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar hynny, am y rhan y gallai hydrogen ei chwarae yn hynny, ac eto mae tystiolaeth hefyd sy'n awgrymu na fydd gan hydrogen ddefnydd eang mewn gwresogi domestig, a bod y ddadl honno yn oedi rhai penderfyniadau ynghylch y grid nwy ac ynghylch trydaneiddio. Yr hyn rwy'n credu sy'n glir yw y bydd ei angen arnom ni—ac rydyn ni'n ariannu, yn wir, fel Llywodraeth—gynlluniau ynni ardal leol a fydd yn mynd i lawr i asesiad lefel stryd fesul stryd, fel y bydd gwell gwybodaeth i ddeiliaid tai ynghylch pa atebion gwresogi fydd yn gweithio orau iddyn nhw.
Bydd ardaloedd lle bydd pympiau gwres yn cynnig ateb, a rhai ardaloedd lle y efallai—ac rwy'n credu ei fod yn bendant yn farc cwestiwn, ond efallai—bydd atebion hybrid sydd agosaf at ffynonellau hydrogen hefyd â rhan i'w chwarae. Bwriad y Gweinidog yw cyhoeddi'r ymgynghoriad ar strategaeth wres, a fydd yn tynnu ar hyn i gyd ac yn ceisio helpu i ddatrys rhai o'r dadleuon hynny fel y bydd gan y defnyddiwr unigol syniad cliriach o'r hyn y gallant ei wneud yn y ffordd fwyaf effeithiol yn eu heiddo penodol, bydd ganddynt gefndir polisi llai dryslyd i dynnu arno ac yna gallant fwrw ymlaen a gwneud y buddsoddiadau y mae Jenny Rathbone wedi cyfeirio atyn nhw.
5. Beth mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei wneud i gyfyngu ar faint o amser y mae ambiwlansys yn cael eu gorfodi i aros mewn ciwiau y tu allan i ysbytai? OQ59276
5. What is the Government doing to limit the time that ambulances are forced to wait in queues outside hospitals? OQ59276
Llywydd, we've provided additional funding, established a national improvement programme and increased staffing in the Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust. Where health boards take concerted, whole-system action, clear results are already being seen in reducing ambulance waiting times outside hospitals.
Llywydd, rydym wedi darparu cyllid ychwanegol, wedi sefydlu rhaglen wella genedlaethol a mwy o staffio yn Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Gwasanaethau Ambiwlans Cymru. Pan fo byrddau iechyd yn cymryd camau system gyfan ar y cyd, mae canlyniadau clir eisoes yn cael eu gweld o ran lleihau amseroedd aros ambiwlansys y tu allan i ysbytai.
Diolch am hwnna.
Thank you for that.
After waiting for an ambulance for hours, when people get to hospital, there are often no spare beds, leaving them waiting outside for more hours. One constituent of mine's elderly mother was recently held in an ambulance for 15 hours after she suffered a fall. I am concerned that ambulances are effectively being used as waiting rooms. I want to ask you specifically, though, about the impact that so many ambulances waiting with their engines running is having on air pollution levels outside our hospitals, areas where people are already desperately poorly and are now breathing in polluted air.
Last month, I know the health Minister announced that there would be charging points outside each emergency department. BMA Cymru have welcomed that scheme, but there isn't much detail yet about where the funding will come from and when, and also on upgrading ambulances to electric vehicles. Could you give more detail on that, please, and could you also say how the Government will monitor air quality outside hospitals in the meantime, because if ambulances are being used as waiting rooms, we shouldn't be keeping patients waiting in environments that will make them more unwell?
Ar ôl aros am ambiwlans am oriau, pan fo pobl yn cyrraedd yr ysbyty, yn aml does dim gwelyau sbâr, felly maen nhw'n gorfod aros y tu allan am fwy o oriau. Yn ddiweddar, cafodd mam oedrannus un o fy etholwyr ei chadw mewn ambiwlans am 15 awr ar ôl iddi ddioddef cwymp. Rwy'n pryderu bod ambiwlansys yn cael eu defnyddio i bob pwrpas fel ystafelloedd aros. Er hynny, rwyf eisiau gofyn i chi'n benodol, am yr effaith y mae cymaint o ambiwlansys sy'n aros heb ddiffodd yr injan yn ei chael ar lefelau llygredd aer y tu allan i'n hysbytai, ardaloedd lle mae pobl eisoes yn wael iawn ac maen nhw bellach yn anadlu aer llygredig.
Fis diwethaf, rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog iechyd wedi cyhoeddi y byddai pwyntiau gwefru y tu allan i bob adran frys. Mae BMA Cymru wedi croesawu'r cynllun hwnnw, ond does dim llawer o fanylion eto ynghylch o ble fydd yr arian yn dod a phryd, a hefyd ar uwchraddio ambiwlansys i gerbydau trydan. Allech chi roi mwy o fanylion am hynny, os gwelwch yn dda, ac a allech chi hefyd ddweud sut y bydd y Llywodraeth yn monitro ansawdd aer y tu allan i ysbytai yn y cyfamser, oherwydd os yw ambiwlansys yn cael eu defnyddio fel ystafelloedd aros, ni ddylem fod yn cadw cleifion sy'n aros mewn amgylcheddau a fydd yn eu gwneud yn salach?
Well, Llywydd, the fundamental answer is not to have ambulances waiting in that way, and while the position in the health service continues to be very challenging, there is some good news in this area. By taking the whole-system approach to which I referred in my original answer, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, working with the ambulance service, achieved a 50 per cent reduction in the number of ambulance hours lost to handover at the University Hospital of Wales between January of this year and January of last year. And the lessons that are there to learn from that successful experiment are now being spread to other parts of Wales. So, Delyth Jewell will be, I know, interested in what happens in south-east Wales and, since the start of this month, a new safe-flow model has been in place at the Grange University Hospital, drawing very much on the work that has proved successful at UHW.
The way to improve air quality is not to have ambulances waiting to the extent that they have been. Where they do have to wait, they should be electric vehicles, not petrol vehicles, and that's why the Minister announced that we will be improving the infrastructure at the hospital front door, so that it is easier for ambulances to operate in that way. There is already very significant investment by the Welsh Government in improving the Welsh ambulance service fleet in that way. The money for the charging points will come from the Minister's own budget, and she has identified that, and I'm sure that there will be further information that she will be able to share with Members as that plan develops.
Wel, Llywydd, yr ateb sylfaenol yw peidio â chael ambiwlansys yn aros fel yna, ac er bod y sefyllfa yn y gwasanaeth iechyd yn parhau i fod yn heriol iawn, mae rhywfaint o newyddion da yn y maes hwn. Drwy gymryd agwedd system gyfan y cyfeiriais ato yn fy ateb gwreiddiol, llwyddodd Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro, drwy weithio gyda'r gwasanaeth ambiwlans, i sicrhau gostyngiad o 50 y cant yn nifer yr oriau ambiwlans a gollwyd wrth drosglwyddo yn Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru rhwng Ionawr eleni ac Ionawr y llynedd. Ac mae'r gwersi sydd yno i'w dysgu o'r arbrawf llwyddiannus hwnnw yn cael eu lledaenu i rannau eraill o Gymru bellach. Felly, mi fydd Delyth Jewell, rwy'n gwybod, â diddordeb yn yr hyn sy'n digwydd yn y de-ddwyrain ac ers dechrau'r mis hwn, mae model llif diogel newydd ar waith yn Ysbyty Athrofaol y Faenor, gan dynnu ar y gwaith sydd wedi bod yn llwyddiannus yn Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru.
Y ffordd i wella ansawdd aer yw peidio â chael ambiwlansys yn aros i'r graddau y buon nhw. Pan fo rhaid iddyn nhw aros, fe ddylen nhw fod yn gerbydau trydan, nid cerbydau petrol, a dyna pam y cyhoeddodd y Gweinidog y byddwn ni'n gwella'r seilwaith wrth ddrws ffrynt yr ysbyty, fel ei bod hi'n haws i ambiwlansys weithredu yn y ffordd honno. Mae buddsoddiad sylweddol iawn eisoes gan Lywodraeth Cymru i wella fflyd gwasanaethau ambiwlans Cymru yn y ffordd honno. Fe ddaw'r arian ar gyfer y pwyntiau gwefru o gyllideb y Gweinidog ei hun, ac mae hi wedi nodi hynny, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd gwybodaeth bellach y bydd hi'n gallu ei rhannu gydag Aelodau wrth i'r cynllun hwnnw ddatblygu.
I notice that England and Wales had very similar ambulance response times to the most serious emergencies in January. But I noted that ambulances in England are 20 minutes faster at reaching their category 2 patients than those in Wales are at reaching amber patient calls. I listened to your answer to Delyth Jewell, and it's quite right to learn lessons from certain part of Wales where there is good experience and replicate that in other parts of Wales, looking for where best practice is. But I wonder what best practice the Welsh Government is planning to lift from NHS England to reach those patients faster, particularly in relation to the delayed transfers of care, of course.
Rwy'n sylwi bod Cymru a Lloegr wedi bod ag amseroedd ymateb ambiwlansys tebyg iawn o ran yr argyfyngau mwyaf difrifol ym mis Ionawr. Ond fe nodais fod ambiwlansys yn Lloegr 20 munud yn gynt yn cyrraedd eu cleifion categori 2 na'r rhai yng Nghymru o ran cyrraedd galwadau oren cleifion. Fe wrandawais ar eich ateb chi i Delyth Jewell, ac mae'n hollol iawn i ddysgu gwersi o rai rhannau o Gymru lle ceir profiad da ac efelychu hynny mewn rhannau eraill o Gymru, gan chwilio ble mae'r arfer gorau. Ond tybed pa arfer gorau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n bwriadu ei fabwysiadu o GIG Lloegr i gyrraedd y cleifion hynny'n gynt, yn enwedig mewn cysylltiad ag oedi wrth drosglwyddo gofal, wrth gwrs.
My starting point, Llywydd, is always that where there are lessons to be learnt, inside or outside Wales, then of course we would want to learn them. From my long experience of these sorts of discussions—and I don't have this in front of me—what I would suspect would be that there will be different definitions of what is captured by a category 2 response, so we're counting different things, and of course we're counting them on a different geography as well, because a higher a proportion of Wales will be classified as rural areas, with the challenges that come, compared to across the border.
But I can assure the Member that the people who work in our ambulance services are always in contact with people who run ambulance services in England, partly because it is a porous border. The Minister herself is committed to doing that, and the learning is in both directions. We were the first part of the United Kingdom to agree on the current way in which ambulance service performance is measured. That was then subsequently adopted in England. And that's because there is a dialogue, always, between professional workers and officials hoping to see where there are things that can be learnt from one another.
Fy man cychwyn, Llywydd, yw bob amser, lle ceir gwersi i'w dysgu, tu mewn neu y tu allan i Gymru, yna wrth gwrs byddem eisiau eu dysgu. O fy mhrofiad hir o'r mathau hyn o drafodaethau—a does gennyf i ddim byd o fy mlaen i—yr hyn y byddwn i'n tybio yw y bydd diffiniadau gwahanol o'r hyn sy'n cael ei nodi gan ymateb categori 2, felly rydyn ni'n cyfri pethau gwahanol, ac wrth gwrs rydyn ni'n eu cyfrif mewn daearyddiaeth wahanol hefyd, oherwydd bod cyfran uwch o Gymru yn cael ei ddosbarthu fel ardaloedd gwledig, gyda'r heriau a ddaw yn sgil hynny, o'u cymharu â rhai dros y ffin.
Ond gallaf sicrhau'r Aelod bod y bobl sy'n gweithio yn ein gwasanaethau ambiwlans bob amser mewn cysylltiad â phobl sy'n rhedeg gwasanaethau ambiwlans yn Lloegr, yn rhannol oherwydd ei bod yn ffin fân-dyllog. Mae'r Gweinidog ei hun wedi ymrwymo i wneud hynny, a cheir dysgu i'r ddau gyfeiriad. Ni oedd y rhan gyntaf o'r Deyrnas Unedig i gytuno ar y ffordd bresennol y mae perfformiad y gwasanaeth ambiwlans yn cael ei fesur. Mabwysiadwyd honno wedyn yn Lloegr. A hynny oherwydd bod deialog, bob amser, rhwng gweithwyr proffesiynol a swyddogion yn gobeithio gweld lle mae yna bethau y gellir eu dysgu oddi wrth ei gilydd.
6. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf o ran cyflwyno'r siarter gofalwyr di-dâl? OQ59273
6. Will the First Minister provide an update on the delivery of the unpaid carers charter? OQ59273
The first annual report on implementation of the unpaid carers strategy, including the charter, is published today. It covers a range of practical actions—the short breaks scheme and the carers support grant, for example—to support unpaid carers.
Mae'r adroddiad blynyddol cyntaf ar weithredu'r strategaeth ar gyfer gofalwyr di-dâl, gan gynnwys y siarter, yn cael ei gyhoeddi heddiw. Mae'n cynnwys ystod o gamau ymarferol—y cynllun seibiant byr a'r grant cymorth gofalwyr, er enghraifft—i gefnogi gofalwyr di-dâl.
Thank you, First Minister, for that. The right of an assessment for unpaid carers to find out what support they need, if any, is a key principle of the charter of unpaid carers. Research from the Motor Neurone Disease Association has now shown that one in four MND carers across Wales had either received a carers assessment or were in the process of having one. These assessments are absolutely crucial for assessing a range of support, and it goes without saying that our unpaid MND carers, and indeed all carers, are absolutely doing an incredible job. I just wondered, First Minister, what steps is the Government taking to ensure that all unpaid carers have access to those assessments?
Diolch yn fawr, Prif Weinidog, am hynna. Mae hawl i ofalwyr di-dâl gael asesiad i ganfod pa gymorth sydd ei angen arnynt, os o gwbl, yn un o brif egwyddorion siarter gofalwyr di-dâl. Mae gwaith ymchwil gan y Gymdeithas Clefyd Niwronau Motor yn dangos bellach fod un o bob pedwar gofalwr clefyd niwronau motor ledled Cymru naill ai wedi cael asesiad gofalwyr neu yn y broses o gael un. Mae'r asesiadau hyn yn gwbl hanfodol ar gyfer asesu amrywiaeth o gymorth, a does dim rhaid dweud bod ein gofalwyr clefyd niwronau motor di-dâl, ac yn wir bob gofalwr, yn gwneud gwaith anhygoel. Tybed, Prif Weinidog, pa gamau mae'r Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod pob gofalwr di-dâl yn cael mynediad i'r asesiadau hynny?
I agree with Peter Fox that the right established in the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 that unpaid carers are entitled to an assessment—it's a legal right that they have and it's not something that is a grace and favour of anybody else—is a really important right that was established in this Senedd. The strategy and the funding that lies behind it is there to make sure that that right can be a reality. There are a number of different ways in which we can advance that agenda. The unpaid carers register, to which we are committed, will make sure that, in future, we have a more direct way of informing unpaid carers in Wales of the rights that they have, to give them advice as to how they can make those rights a reality. There is work going on at the moment to see how we can use some existing sources of data to populate an unpaid carers register. But the real key to it will be when we are able to have self-registration. We're not quite there yet, but we are hopeful that some of the technical problems that have to be solved before people will be able to put their own names on the register and then get that information flow and make those rights a reality—. Our hope is that we will be able to achieve that during the next calendar year.
Rwy'n cytuno â Peter Fox fod yr hawl a sefydlwyd yn Neddf Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a Llesiant (Cymru) 2014 bod gan ofalwyr di-dâl hawl i asesiad—mae'n hawl cyfreithiol sydd ganddyn nhw ac nad yw'n rhywbeth sy'n gras a ffafr gan unrhyw un arall—yn hawl bwysig iawn a sefydlwyd yn y Senedd hon. Mae'r strategaeth a'r cyllid sydd y tu ôl iddi yno i wneud yn siŵr bod yr hawl yna'n gallu bod yn realiti. Mae nifer o wahanol ffyrdd y gallwn ddatblygu'r agenda honno. Bydd cofrestr gofalwyr di-dâl, yr ydym wedi ymrwymo iddi, yn gwneud yn siŵr bod gennym ffordd fwy uniongyrchol o hysbysu gofalwyr di-dâl yng Nghymru am eu hawliau, i roi cyngor iddynt ynghylch sut y gallant wneud yr hawliau hynny yn realiti. Mae gwaith yn digwydd ar hyn o bryd i weld sut y gallwn ddefnyddio rhai ffynonellau data presennol i boblogi cofrestr gofalwyr di-dâl. Ond yr allwedd go iawn iddo fydd pan fyddwn yn gallu cael hunan-gofrestru. Dydyn ni ddim yno'n llwyr eto, ond rydyn ni'n obeithiol y bydd rhai o'r problemau technegol y mae'n rhaid eu datrys cyn y bydd pobl yn gallu rhoi eu henwau eu hunain ar y gofrestr ac yna cael y llif gwybodaeth hwnnw a gwneud yr hawliau hynny yn realiti—. Ein gobaith yw y byddwn yn gallu cyflawni hynny yn ystod y flwyddyn galendr nesaf.
7. Sut mae'r Llywodraeth yn sicrhau bod gweithwyr meddygol proffesiynol yn deall yr anawsterau y mae llawer o gleifion yn eu hwynebu yn dilyn defnyddio rhwyll mewn llawdriniaethau? OQ59241
7. How is the Government ensuring medical professionals understand the difficulties many patients face following the use of mesh in operations? OQ59241
Health boards must use National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance on the use of mesh to provide suitable treatment options for patients. Care plans should reflect informed choices, co-produced between clinicians and patients.
Rhaid i fyrddau iechyd ddefnyddio canllawiau'r Sefydliad Cenedlaethol dros Ragoriaeth mewn Iechyd a Gofal ar ddefnyddio rhwyll er mwyn rhoi dewisiadau triniaeth addas i gleifion. Dylai cynlluniau gofal adlewyrchu dewisiadau ar sail gwybodaeth, wedi'u cyd-gynhyrchu rhwng clinigwyr a chleifion.
Can I thank the First Minister for his answer? I've been contacted by the inspirational campaigner and constituent of mine Maxine Cooper, who lives in Connah's Quay. Maxine's story is that she was left disabled following surgical mesh being implanted, and since then she has worked tirelessly to raise the profile of people who have suffered, and also to support others. First Minister, I fully support Maxine in her work to empower those who have suffered with mesh to have their voices heard, and this includes training for front-line medical professionals. Can I ask the First Minister what thought the Welsh Government has given to people like Maxine being able to inform these professionals through their training processes?
A gaf i ddiolch i'r Prif Weinidog am ei ateb? Mae'r ymgyrchydd ysbrydoledig ac yn un o fy etholwyr, Maxine Cooper, sy'n byw yng Nghei Connah wedi cysylltu â mi. Stori Maxine yw iddi gael ei gadael yn anabl yn dilyn mewnblaniad rhwyll lawfeddygol, ac ers hynny mae wedi gweithio'n ddiflino i godi proffil pobl sydd wedi dioddef, a hefyd i gefnogi eraill. Prif Weinidog, rwy'n llwyr gefnogi Maxine yn ei gwaith i rymuso'r rhai sydd wedi dioddef gyda rhwyll i sicrhau bod eu lleisiau yn cael eu clywed, ac mae hyn yn cynnwys hyfforddiant ar gyfer gweithwyr meddygol rheng flaen. A gaf i ofyn i'r Prif Weinidog pa ystyriaeth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei rhoi i gyfle i bobl fel Maxine allu hysbysu'r gweithwyr proffesiynol hyn trwy eu prosesau hyfforddi?
I thank Jack Sargeant for his continuing interest in this topic. I know that he has previously referred to the work of his constituent and the campaigning work that she has undertaken, and that he received assurances from the then health Minister that we expect, and indeed have seen, a significant reduction in the number of vaginal mesh procedures being carried out in Wales. While there is not a total ban on it, those procedures only proceed when there is a clear and properly informed choice being made by the patient. That's where the points that Jack Sargeant has made this afternoon are so important, Llywydd—that we have to be as clear as we can be with our clinicians that these decisions have to be joint decisions driven by the informed choices that women themselves make.
In order to bring that about, we've been doing two things since Jack asked his previous questions on these matters. First is to make sure that there are new training opportunities for those with the necessary clinical expertise, and to make sure as well that there is a properly multidisciplinary team approach to implementing those NICE guidelines. So, we're making sure that the clinical community is better informed, and we have been working closely with service users and patient representatives, which includes the Welsh Mesh Survivors group and Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales. The Minister plans to publish a women's health strategy for Wales, and that strategy will capture, on a broader basis, those very important principles of making sure that the voice of the patient, informed and authoritative, drives the decisions that are being made alongside them.
Diolch i Jack Sargeant am ei ddiddordeb parhaus yn y pwnc hwn. Gwn ei fod wedi cyfeirio o'r blaen at waith ei etholwr a'r gwaith ymgyrchu y mae hi wedi'i wneud, a'i fod wedi cael sicrwydd gan y Gweinidog Iechyd ar y pryd ein bod yn disgwyl, ac yn wir wedi gweld, gostyngiad sylweddol yn nifer y gweithdrefnau rhwyll y wain sy'n cael eu cyflawni yng Nghymru. Er nad oes gwaharddiad llwyr arnyn nhw, dim ond pan fo dewis clir yn seiliedig ar wybodaeth yn cael ei wneud gan y claf y mae'r gweithdrefnau hynny'n mynd rhagddynt. Dyna pam y mae'r pwyntiau y mae Jack Sargeant wedi'u gwneud y prynhawn yma mor bwysig, Llywydd—mae'n rhaid inni fod mor glir ag y gallwn fod wrth ein clinigwyr bod rhaid i'r penderfyniadau hyn fod yn benderfyniadau ar y cyd sy'n cael eu hysgogi gan y dewisiadau yn seiliedig ar wybodaeth y mae menywod eu hunain yn eu gwneud.
Er mwyn i hynny ddigwydd, rydyn ni wedi bod yn gwneud dau beth ers i Jack ofyn ei gwestiynau blaenorol ar y materion hyn. Yn gyntaf yw sicrhau bod cyfleoedd hyfforddi newydd i'r rhai sydd â'r arbenigedd clinigol angenrheidiol, a sicrhau hefyd bod dull tîm amlddisgyblaethol iawn o weithredu'r canllawiau NICE hynny. Felly, rydyn ni'n gwneud yn siŵr bod y gymuned glinigol yn fwy hyddysg, ac rydyn ni wedi bod yn gweithio'n agos gyda defnyddwyr gwasanaethau a chynrychiolwyr cleifion, sy'n cynnwys grŵp Goroeswyr Rhwyll Cymru a Thriniaeth Deg i Fenywod Cymru. Mae'r Gweinidog yn bwriadu cyhoeddi strategaeth iechyd menywod i Gymru, a bydd y strategaeth honno'n cyfleu, yn ehangach, yr egwyddorion pwysig iawn hynny o sicrhau bod llais y claf, yn seiliedig ar wybodaeth ac yn awdurdodol, yn ysgogi'r penderfyniadau sy'n cael eu gwneud ochr yn ochr â nhw.
8. Pa gamau mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i wella'r modd o gael gafael ar ddeintyddiaeth y GIG yng Ngorllewin Clwyd? OQ59250
8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in Clwyd West? OQ59250
I thank Darren Millar for that, Llywydd. Contract reform, financial incentives, additional investment and diversification of the profession are amongst the actions being taken to improve access for the Member's constituents.
Diolch i Darren Millar am hynna, Llywydd. Mae diwygio contractau, cymhellion ariannol, buddsoddiad ychwanegol ac arallgyfeirio'r proffesiwn ymhlith y camau sy'n cael eu cymryd i wella mynediad i etholwyr yr Aelod.
I appreciate that answer. I know there's a statement on this matter later on, but 16 years ago when I first became a Member of the Senedd, people were able to access two NHS check-ups a year, and most people in my constituency were able top register with a local NHS dentist without any issues. Sixteen years on, NHS dentistry, particularly in north Wales, appears to be falling off a cliff. I hear the same sorts of concerns raised by other people in this Chamber too. We've now gone down to a system whereby most people can only access a check-up every 12 months and, in addition to that, when people move home, they're not able to register with a local NHS dentist. I have constituents having to go to Scotland in order to receive their NHS dental treatment because they cannot register in my constituency. There's one single practice in my constituency that allows people to add their names to a list to register for NHS dentistry, and you will be waiting for two years in order to get off that list and into that dental practice. I appreciate that you're trying to take action, but I'm afraid it's not quick enough, and it's clearly not having the impact that people need it to have. So, can I ask you, on behalf of my constituents in Conwy and Denbighshire, when will they be able to get the sort of NHS care from a dentist that they need?
Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi'r ateb yna. Rwy'n gwybod bod yna ddatganiad ar y mater hwn yn ddiweddarach, ond 16 mlynedd yn ôl pan ddes i'n Aelod o'r Senedd am y tro cyntaf, roedd pobl yn gallu cael mynediad at ddau archwiliad GIG y flwyddyn, ac roedd y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn fy etholaeth yn gallu cofrestru gyda deintydd y GIG lleol heb unrhyw broblemau. Un mlynedd ar bymtheg yn ddiweddarach mae'n ymddangos bod deintyddiaeth y GIG, yn enwedig yn y gogledd, yn disgyn dros glogwyn. Rwy'n clywed yr un math o bryderon yn cael eu codi gan bobl eraill yn y Siambr hon hefyd. Rydym bellach wedi mynd i lawr i system lle nad yw'r rhan fwyaf o bobl ond yn cael archwiliad bob 12 mis ac, yn ogystal â hynny, pan fydd pobl yn newid cartref, nid ydynt yn gallu cofrestru gyda deintydd GIG lleol. Mae gennyf i etholwyr sy'n gorfod mynd i'r Alban er mwyn derbyn eu triniaeth ddeintyddol GIG am nad ydyn nhw'n gallu cofrestru yn fy etholaeth. Mae un practis unigol yn fy etholaeth sy'n caniatáu i bobl ychwanegu eu henwau at restr i gofrestru ar gyfer deintyddiaeth y GIG, a byddwch yn aros am ddwy flynedd er mwyn dod oddi ar y rhestr honno ac i mewn i'r practis deintyddol hwnnw. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi eich bod chi'n ceisio gweithredu, ond mae gennyf i ofn nad yw'n ddigon cyflym, ac yn amlwg nid yw'n cael yr effaith y mae pobl yn disgwyl ei gweld. Felly, a gaf i ofyn i chi, ar ran fy etholwyr yng Nghonwy a Sir Ddinbych, pryd fyddan nhw'n gallu cael y math o ofal GIG gan ddeintydd sydd ei angen arnyn nhw?
One of the ways in which constituents in the Member's constituency will get that service is when dentists in a thoroughgoing way deliver NICE guidance. The NICE requirement since 2004 is that people should never be called back twice a year for a check-up when there's no clinical reason for doing so. NICE guidelines said all the way back then that a two-year call-back was sufficient for very many patients.
What the new contract does is it substitutes the calling back of people for routine check-ups when there's no clinical case for doing so with services for new patients. While I appreciate that it's still challenging in some parts of Wales for patients to be able to register, actually, Betsi Cadwaladr has the highest number of new patients seen in the last 10 months of any health board in Wales. Across the health board, in the first 10 months of the new contract, over 26,600 new patients have been seen in the Betsi Cadwaladr health board. That is partly assisted, of course, by the new dental academy at Bangor, which, by this autumn, when it is fully operating, will be offering appointments to up to 15,000 new patients in that part of Wales.
What we need to do is recognise the very hard work that our dental contractors do in all parts of Wales. We need to work alongside them to implement the new contract, to make sure that the metrics we're using draw on the experience of the first year to get those metrics right, but that the metrics are properly focused not on handle-turning work, which is the way the old units of dental activity contract drove people to carry out their practice, but properly clinically stratified work. People who need to be seen more regularly should be seen more regularly; those people who do not need to be seen every six months certainly should not be being called back on that basis. That will free up more time for new patients to be seen. We're seeing that happen already. There's more we can do in that way, and that will help residents of the Member's constituency.
Un o'r ffyrdd y bydd etholwyr yn etholaeth yr Aelod yn cael y gwasanaeth hwnnw yw pan fydd deintyddion mewn ffordd drylwyr yn cyflawni canllawiau NICE. Gofyniad NICE ers 2004 yw na ddylai pobl fyth gael eu galw'n ôl ddwywaith y flwyddyn am archwiliad pan nad oes rheswm clinigol dros wneud hynny. Dywedodd canllawiau NICE amser maith yn ôl bod galw nôl bob dwy flynedd yn ddigonol i lawer iawn o gleifion.
Yr hyn y mae'r contract newydd yn ei wneud yw cyfnewid achosion o alw pobl yn ôl am archwiliadau rheolaidd pan nad oes achos clinigol dros wneud hynny am wasanaethau i gleifion newydd. Er fy mod yn gwerthfawrogi ei bod yn dal yn heriol mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru i gleifion allu cofrestru, mewn gwirionedd, mae gan Betsi Cadwaladr y nifer uchaf o gleifion newydd a welwyd yn y 10 mis diwethaf o gymharu ag unrhyw fwrdd iechyd yng Nghymru. Ar draws y bwrdd iechyd, yn ystod 10 mis cyntaf y cytundeb newydd, mae dros 26,600 o gleifion newydd wedi eu gweld ym mwrdd iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr. Cynorthwyir hynny'n rhannol, wrth gwrs, gan academi ddeintyddol newydd Bangor, a fydd, erbyn yr hydref hwn, pan fydd yn gweithredu'n llawn, yn cynnig apwyntiadau i hyd at 15,000 o gleifion newydd yn y rhan honno o Gymru.
Yr hyn y mae angen i ni ei wneud yw cydnabod y gwaith caled iawn y mae ein contractwyr deintyddol yn ei wneud ym mhob rhan o Gymru. Mae angen i ni weithio ochr yn ochr â nhw i weithredu'r contract newydd, i wneud yn siŵr bod y metrigau yr ydym yn eu defnyddio yn tynnu ar brofiad y flwyddyn gyntaf i gael y metrigau hynny'n iawn, ond bod y metrigau'n canolbwyntio'n iawn nid ar waith troi dolen, sef y ffordd yr oedd yr hen unedau o gontract gweithgaredd deintyddol yn annog pobl i gyflawni eu hymarfer, ond gwaith wedi'i haenu'n glinigol briodol. Dylai pobl sydd angen cael eu gweld yn fwy rheolaidd gael eu gweld yn fwy rheolaidd; yn sicr ni ddylai'r bobl hynny nad ydynt angen cael eu gweld bob chwe mis gael eu galw'n ôl ar y sail honno. Bydd hynny'n rhyddhau mwy o amser i gleifion newydd gael eu gweld. Rydyn ni'n gweld hynny'n digwydd yn barod. Mae mwy y gallwn ei wneud yn y ffordd honno, a bydd hynny'n helpu trigolion etholaeth yr Aelod.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i'r Prif Weinidog.
Thank you very much to the First Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf fydd y datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, a dwi'n galw ar y Trefnydd i wneud y datganiad hwnnw—Lesley Griffiths.
The next item will be the business statement and announcement. I call on the Trefnydd to make that statement—Lesley Griffiths.
Diolch, Llywydd. There are two changes to this week's business. The legislative consent debate on the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill has been postponed until next week. Similarly, the debate on the Packaging Waste (Data Collection and Reporting) (Wales) Regulations 2023 has also been postponed. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Diolch, Llywydd. Mae dau newid i'r busnes yr wythnos hon. Mae'r ddadl cydsyniad deddfwriaethol ar Fil Cyfraith yr UE a Ddargedwir (Dirymu a Diwygio) wedi'i gohirio tan yr wythnos nesaf. Yn yr un modd, mae'r drafodaeth ar Reoliadau Gwastraff Deunydd Pacio (Casglu a Chofnodi Data) (Cymru) 2023 hefyd wedi'i gohirio. Mae busnes drafft ar gyfer y tair wythnos nesaf wedi'i nodi ar y datganiad busnes a'r cyhoeddiad, sydd i'w weld ymhlith papurau'r cyfarfod sydd ar gael i'r Aelodau yn electronig.
Can I ask you, Trefnydd, for a statement from yourself in your capacity as rural affairs Minister in relation to squirrelpox? There are huge problems with squirrelpox; it's affecting many red squirrels, our native squirrels, in Scotland, and I'm very concerned that we must do everything we can in order to prevent outbreaks here. There was an outbreak, of course, on Ynys Môn just a few years ago in 2020 and 2021, and 70 per cent to 80 per cent of the red squirrel population was wiped out. There is currently a petition that has been laid before the Petitions Committee in the Senedd. Some 8,000 people have signed that petition calling for the Welsh Government to release some resources to be able to invest in the development of a squirrelpox vaccine. We know that we have some excellent researchers here in Wales who could help to achieve that aim, which would be a huge move forward for our native red squirrels. So, can I ask you, as the red squirrel champion in this Senedd, will the Welsh Government take some action on that front, and will a statement be forthcoming soon?
A gaf i ofyn i chi, Trefnydd, am ddatganiad gennych chi'ch hun yn rhinwedd eich swydd yn Weinidog materion gwledig ynghylch brech y gwiwerod? Mae problemau enfawr gyda brech y gwiwerod; mae'n effeithio ar lawer o wiwerod coch, ein gwiwerod brodorol, yn Yr Alban, ac rwy'n pryderu'n fawr bod yn rhaid i ni wneud popeth o fewn ein gallu er mwyn atal achosion yn y fan yma. Bu achosion, wrth gwrs, ar Ynys Môn ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl yn 2020 a 2021, ac fe gafodd 70 y cant i 80 y cant o boblogaeth y gwiwerod coch ei ddileu. Ar hyn o bryd mae deiseb wedi ei gosod gerbron y Pwyllgor Deisebau yn y Senedd. Mae tua 8,000 o bobl wedi llofnodi'r ddeiseb honno yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ryddhau rhai adnoddau er mwyn gallu buddsoddi yn natblygiad brechlyn ar gyfer brech y gwiwerod. Rydyn ni'n gwybod bod gennym ymchwilwyr rhagorol yma yng Nghymru a allai helpu i gyflawni'r nod hwnnw, a fyddai'n gam enfawr ymlaen i'n gwiwerod coch brodorol. Felly, a gaf i ofyn i chi, gan mai fi yw hyrwyddwr y wiwer goch yn y Senedd hon, a wnaiff Llywodraeth Cymru gymryd rhai camau yn y maes hwn, ac a fydd datganiad yn dod yn fuan?
We will certainly be taking action, and we've continued to take action since the outbreak on Ynys Môn that you referred to. I think at that time we did put forward a small pot of money to see what could be learnt from it. Obviously, I'll await the outcome of the petition—clearly, a significant number of people have signed it—and whether that will come forward for a debate. But it's also on the list of—. You'll be aware that the new chief veterinary officer, Richard Irvine, started yesterday. I met him briefly, but we're going to have a look at a lot of specific issues. Obviously, he's bringing different expertise to the role as well, but it is certainly something we'll look at.
Yn sicr byddwn ni'n cymryd camau, ac rydyn ni wedi parhau i gymryd camau ers dechrau'r achosion ar Ynys Môn y cyfeirioch chi atyn nhw. Rwy'n credu, bryd hynny, gwnaethom ni gynnig pot bach o arian i weld beth y gellid ei ddysgu o hynny. Yn amlwg, byddaf yn aros am ganlyniad y ddeiseb—yn amlwg, mae nifer sylweddol o bobl wedi ei llofnodi—a pha un a fydd honno'n dod ymlaen ar gyfer dadl. Ond mae hefyd ar y rhestr o—. Byddwch chi'n ymwybodol bod y prif swyddog milfeddygol newydd, Richard Irvine, wedi dechrau ddoe. Fe wnes i ei gyfarfod am gyfnod byr, ond rydyn ni'n mynd i gael golwg ar lawer o faterion penodol. Yn amlwg, mae'n dod ag arbenigedd gwahanol i'r rôl hefyd, ond mae'n sicr yn rhywbeth y byddwn ni'n edrych arno.
I'd like to call for a statement, please, from the Government recommitting Wales's stance on welcoming refugees. The ugly and dangerous rhetoric that's been used in Westminster about stopping the routes that desperate people are being forced into using because boats across the channel are the only option available to them when all of the legal routes available have been removed—they've been cut off—is damaging Wales's international reputation by association. I would put on record my disappointment that some Conservative MPs, and some Labour MPs as well, have shared posts online with language that treats refugees as a problem to be solved rather than people to be helped.
Now, we in Wales, we are proud of being a nation of sanctuary. Could a statement please set out what the Government here can do to counteract the damage being done to our standing on the international stage? Because, surely, isn't it time that we stop letting Wales be tarnished by association with the cruelty and the callousness that's coming out of the Home Office.
Hoffwn alw am ddatganiad, os gwelwch yn dda, gan y Llywodraeth yn ailymrwymo safbwynt Cymru ar groesawu ffoaduriaid. Mae'r rhethreg hyll a pheryglus sydd wedi'i defnyddio yn San Steffan am atal y llwybrau y mae pobl sy'n anobeithio yn cael eu gorfodi i'w defnyddio oherwydd mai cychod ar draws y sianel yw'r unig opsiwn sydd ar gael iddyn nhw pan fydd yr holl lwybrau cyfreithiol sydd ar gael wedi'u dileu—maen nhw wedi eu torri i ffwrdd—mae'n niweidio enw da Cymru yn rhyngwladol drwy fod wedi ein cysylltu â hyn. Byddwn yn cofnodi fy siom bod rhai ASau Ceidwadol, a rhai ASau Llafur hefyd, wedi rhannu postiadau ar-lein gydag iaith sy'n trin ffoaduriaid fel problem i'w datrys yn hytrach na phobl i'w cynorthwyo.
Nawr, rydyn ni yng Nghymru, rydyn ni'n falch o fod yn genedl noddfa. A allai datganiad nodi beth all y Llywodraeth hon ei wneud i wrthsefyll y difrod sy'n cael ei wneud i'n henw da ar y llwyfan rhyngwladol? Oherwydd, does bosib, nad yw'n bryd i ni atal caniatáu i Gymru gael ei baeddu drwy gysylltiad â'r creulondeb a'r dideimladrwydd sy'n dod o'r Swyddfa Gartref.
Thank you. Well, we're very proud to be a nation of sanctuary, and, as you're aware, the Minister for Social Justice has written to the Minister for immigration to state unequivocally that we oppose the legal migration Bill, and that, of course, a legislative consent memorandum is likely to be required. And the Minister also noted the UN Refugees Agency's assessment that the Bill would breach the refugee convention, and, of course, the Home Secretary herself could not assure anyone that it was compliant with the human rights convention.
So, the Minister for Social Justice is working very closely on this issue. I think we all have to be very careful, don't we, about the language that we use, and, again, you will have heard UK Ministers claim that they've tried everything else, so this Bill is now necessary. We believe that simply to be untrue.
Diolch. Wel, rydyn ni'n falch iawn o fod yn genedl noddfa, ac, fel y gwyddoch chi, mae'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol wedi ysgrifennu at y Gweinidog mewnfudo i ddatgan yn ddigamsyniol ein bod yn gwrthwynebu'r Bil mudo cyfreithiol, a bod memorandwm cydsyniad deddfwriaethol yn debygol o fod yn ofynnol, wrth gwrs. A nododd y Gweinidog hefyd asesiad Asiantaeth Ffoaduriaid y Cenhedloedd Unedig y byddai'r Bil yn torri confensiwn y ffoaduriaid, ac, wrth gwrs, ni allai'r Ysgrifennydd Cartref ei hun sicrhau unrhyw un ei fod yn cydymffurfio â'r confensiwn hawliau dynol.
Felly, mae'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yn gweithio'n agos iawn ar y mater hwn. Rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i ni i gyd fod yn ofalus iawn, on'd oes, o'r iaith yr ydyn ni'n ei defnyddio, ac, unwaith eto, byddwch chi wedi clywed Gweinidogion y DU yn honni eu bod wedi rhoi cynnig ar bopeth arall, felly mae'r Bil hwn bellach yn angenrheidiol. Rydyn ni yn credu bod hynny'n anwiredd.
I would like to ask for a Government statement on co-operative housing. Co-operative housing is popular in places as diverse as Scandinavia and New York, but has failed to become a standard form of accommodation in Wales. It's not accommodation only for poor people; John Lennon lived in the Dakota building, which was co-operative housing. The development agency, Cwmpas, the country's co-op, and the community-led housing sector were supported in 2022 to increase the number of housing co-operative properties in Wales. Can I request an update on progress?
I would also like to ask for a statement on cladding issues to include support for developments where the developer no longer exists, a date when the pact is expected to be signed, and when remediation to properties such as Altamar are expected to start.
Hoffwn ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Llywodraeth ar dai cydweithredol. Mae tai cydweithredol yn boblogaidd mewn mannau mor amrywiol â Sgandinafia ac Efrog Newydd, ond mae wedi methu â dod yn ffurf safonol o lety yng Nghymru. Nid llety i bobl dlawd yn unig mohono; roedd John Lennon yn byw yn adeilad Dakota, oedd yn llety cydweithredol. Cafodd yr asiantaeth ddatblygu, Cwmpas, co-op y wlad, a'r sector tai dan arweiniad y gymuned eu cefnogi yn 2022 i gynyddu nifer yr eiddo tai cydweithredol yng Nghymru. A gaf i ofyn am ddiweddariad ar y cynnydd?
Hoffwn ofyn hefyd am ddatganiad ar faterion cladin i gynnwys cefnogaeth i ddatblygiadau lle nad yw'r datblygwr yn bodoli mwyach, dyddiad pan ddisgwylir i'r cytundeb gael ei lofnodi, a phryd disgwylir i'r gwaith adfer i eiddo fel Altamar ddechrau.
Thank you. On your second question regarding cladding, the Minister for Climate Change will certainly be making an announcement in the very near future regarding that, and the date that the pact will be signed.
I think you make a very important point about co-operative housing. Co-operative housing itself is very important, and I didn't know that about John Lennon, so that's something I've learnt today. We do know that one of the best ways to increase provision is to provide support to those who are interested in co-operative or community-led housing. And we have funding through Cwmpas—you referred to Cwmpas, which was, obviously, formerly the Wales Co-operative Centre. That is absolutely designed to deliver that support, and I'm very pleased that the Welsh Government is providing £180,000 this year, and for the next two years, to support community-led housing groups in Wales.
Diolch. Ar eich ail gwestiwn ynglŷn â chladin, bydd y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd yn sicr yn gwneud cyhoeddiad yn y dyfodol agos iawn ynglŷn â hynny, a'r dyddiad y bydd y cytundeb yn cael ei arwyddo.
Rwy'n credu eich bod yn gwneud pwynt pwysig iawn am dai cydweithredol. Mae tai cydweithredol ei hun yn bwysig iawn, a doeddwn i ddim yn gwybod hynny am John Lennon, felly mae hynny'n rhywbeth rwyf wedi'i ddysgu heddiw. Rydyn ni'n gwybod mai un o'r ffyrdd gorau o gynyddu'r ddarpariaeth yw rhoi cymorth i'r rhai hynny sydd â diddordeb mewn tai cydweithredol neu dai dan arweiniad y gymuned. Ac mae gennym gyllid drwy Cwmpas—fe gyfeirioch chi at Cwmpas, a oedd, yn amlwg, yn flaenorol yn Ganolfan Cydweithredol Cymru. Bwriad hwnnw yn sicr yw darparu'r gefnogaeth honno, ac rwy'n falch iawn bod Llywodraeth Cymru'n darparu £180,000 eleni, ac am y ddwy flynedd nesaf, i gefnogi grwpiau tai sy'n cael eu harwain gan y gymuned yng Nghymru.
I'm asking for a statement from the Minister for finance about changes to council tax premiums from 1 April, and, specifically, the exemptions to the proposed 300 per cent council tax levy on empty properties and second homes. While councils will have a wide discretionary power to decide whether to charge a premium, the consultation that the Welsh Government carried out on this issue showed that the majority of respondents wanted to have more exemptions than listed. In particular, this included an exemption for registered charities that provide respite for carers. Respondents didn't want this to be a discretionary power for local authorities.
Now, despite discussions with the Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport to consider exemptions in these cases, there's been very little movement in this area. As outlined by the finance Minister in a written statement on the consultation, the only change made to the draft legislation was to ensure that properties that don't have a period of time specified in their holiday let planning condition are exempted from paying the premium.
Trefnydd, this is perhaps a matter that may have been overlooked by the finance Minister, but these providers support a valuable and vital service. So, what discussions has the finance Minister had with other Welsh Government Ministers and stakeholders about these exemptions? What reasoning lays behind her decision not to extend them? Has the finance Minister been reassured by local authorities that they will not use their discretionary powers to tax those who provide respite care at a 300 per cent premium? And, most importantly, what analysis has been carried out to reach this decision? An update to the Chamber, and the opportunity to discuss and debate these issues further would be appreciated.
Rwy'n gofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Cyllid am newidiadau i'r premiymau treth gyngor o 1 Ebrill, ac, yn benodol, yr eithriadau i'r ardoll arfaethedig o 300 y cant o'r dreth gyngor ar eiddo gwag ac ail gartrefi. Er y bydd gan gynghorau bŵer dewisol eang i benderfynu a ddylid codi premiwm, dangosodd yr ymgynghoriad a gynhaliwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar y mater hwn fod y mwyafrif o'r ymatebwyr eisiau bod â mwy o eithriadau na'r rheini a restrwyd. Yn benodol, roedd hyn yn cynnwys eithriad ar gyfer elusennau cofrestredig sy'n darparu gofal seibiant i ofalwyr. Doedd ymatebwyr ddim eisiau i hyn fod yn bŵer dewisol i awdurdodau lleol.
Nawr, er gwaethaf trafodaethau gyda Dirprwy Weinidog y Celfyddydau a Chwaraeon i ystyried eithriadau yn yr achosion hyn, ychydig iawn o symud sydd wedi bod yn y maes hwn. Fel yr amlinellwyd gan y Gweinidog cyllid mewn datganiad ysgrifenedig ar yr ymgynghoriad, yr unig newid a wnaed i'r ddeddfwriaeth ddrafft oedd sicrhau bod eiddo nad oes ganddynt gyfnod o amser a bennir yn eu hamodau cynllunio llety gwyliau wedi'u heithrio rhag talu'r premiwm.
Trefnydd, efallai fod hwn yn fater a allai fod wedi ei fethu gan y Gweinidog cyllid, ond mae'r darparwyr hyn yn cefnogi gwasanaeth gwerthfawr a hanfodol. Felly, pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog cyllid wedi'u cael gyda Gweinidogion a rhanddeiliaid eraill Llywodraeth Cymru ynghylch yr eithriadau hyn? Pa resymau sydd y tu ôl i'w phenderfyniad i beidio â'u hymestyn? A yw'r Gweinidog cyllid wedi cael sicrwydd gan awdurdodau lleol na fyddan nhw'n defnyddio eu pwerau dewisol i drethu'r rhai hynny sy'n darparu gofal seibiant ar bremiwm o 300 y cant? Ac, yn bwysicaf oll, pa ddadansoddiad sydd wedi'i wneud i ddod i'r penderfyniad hwn? Byddai diweddariad i'r Siambr, a'r cyfle i drafod a chael dadl ar y materion hyn ymhellach yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi.
Well, I think, with respect, you're asking the wrong Minister those questions. I think it would be best for you to write to the Minister for finance. I hear what you say about a statement, but you asked a series of questions there that I, obviously, can't possibly answer. I'm aware that the Minister did update us—I think, in an oral statement, but it might have been a written statement—if there is anything outside of that statement that hasn't been answered, I will ask her to bring forward a written statement.
Wel, rwy'n credu, gyda pharch, eich bod chi'n gofyn y cwestiynau hynny i'r Gweinidog anghywir. Rwy'n credu mai'r peth gorau fyddai i chi ysgrifennu at y Gweinidog cyllid. Rwy'n clywed yr hyn rydych chi'n ei ddweud am ddatganiad, ond fe wnaethoch chi ofyn cyfres o gwestiynau yn y fan yna na allaf i, yn amlwg, eu hateb o gwbl. Rwy'n ymwybodol bod y Gweinidog wedi ein diweddaru ni—rwy'n meddwl, mewn datganiad llafar, ond efallai mai datganiad ysgrifenedig y byddai wedi bod—os oes unrhyw beth y tu hwnt i'r datganiad hwnnw nad yw wedi cael ei ateb, fe ofynnaf iddi gyflwyno datganiad ysgrifenedig.
Trefnydd, I'd like to request two statements, please. Firstly, I'd like to request a statement from the Minister for health, responding to the recently published report by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales and their review of patients being discharged from mental health wards in Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. Significant risks were highlighted, and they are ongoing, and I'd like to seek assurances from the Minister that she and her officials are monitoring the situation and supporting the health board to put in place the improvements needed.
Secondly, as you will be aware, the discharge of human waste into our rivers and seas is a major issue. And last week in Pontypridd, we saw huge amounts of raw sewage pumping into the river Taf, after a pipe broke. Many Members have raised issues about this matter in the Senedd, and, as we remember, the Minister for Climate Change gave a statement about water quality to the Senedd last November. I'd like to request a statement from the Minister, updating the Senedd on any discussions that have subsequently taken place with water companies regarding this issue, as she stated that another summit on river pollution was due to be held in February 2023.
Trefnydd, hoffwn ofyn am ddau ddatganiad, os gwelwch yn dda. Yn gyntaf, hoffwn ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd, yn ymateb i'r adroddiad a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar gan Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru a'u hadolygiad o gleifion yn cael eu rhyddhau o wardiau iechyd meddwl ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Cwm Taf Morgannwg. Amlygwyd risgiau sylweddol, ac maen nhw'n parhau, a hoffwn ofyn am sicrwydd gan y Gweinidog ei bod hi a'i swyddogion yn monitro'r sefyllfa ac yn cefnogi'r bwrdd iechyd i roi ar waith y gwelliannau sydd eu hangen.
Yn ail, fel y byddwch chi'n ymwybodol, mae rhyddhau gwastraff dynol i'n hafonydd a'n moroedd yn broblem fawr. A'r wythnos diwethaf ym Mhontypridd, fe welsom ni lwyth o garthion heb eu trin yn pwmpio i mewn i afon Taf, ar ôl i bibell dorri. Mae llawer o Aelodau wedi codi materion ynghylch hyn yn y Senedd, ac, fel y cofiwn ni, rhoddodd y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd ddatganiad am ansawdd dŵr i'r Senedd fis Tachwedd diwethaf. Hoffwn ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog, yn diweddaru'r Senedd ar unrhyw drafodaethau sydd wedi digwydd wedi hynny gyda chwmnïau dŵr ynglŷn â'r mater hwn, gan y dywedodd bod uwchgynhadledd arall ar lygredd afonydd i fod i gael ei chynnal ym mis Chwefror 2023.
Thank you. In relation to the HIW review of the quality of discharge arrangements from adult in-patient mental health units in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area, I can assure you that the NHS delivery unit is providing support to the health board, and the Minister for Health and Social Services's officials are monitoring progress through our targeted intervention arrangements with the health board. And of course, the Minister expects the health board to prioritise a plan of work to implement the recommendations from the report you've referred to in response to the findings of the review.
Regarding your second issue, I am aware that the pipe has now been repaired. The Minister for Climate Change meets regularly with the water companies for a variety of discussions. The second phosphate summit was actually held last Wednesday—it was delayed from February. It was chaired by the First Minister, and myself and the Minister for Climate Change were there, and, obviously, the health boards were represented too—sorry, the water boards, sorry, the water companies were represented too. I'm showing my age. [Laughter.]
Diolch. O ran adolygiad AGIC o ansawdd trefniadau rhyddhau o unedau cleifion mewnol iechyd meddwl oedolion yn ardal Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Cwm Taf Morgannwg, gallaf eich sicrhau bod uned gyflawni'r GIG yn darparu cymorth i'r bwrdd iechyd, ac mae swyddogion y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol yn monitro'r cynnydd trwy ein trefniadau ymyrraeth wedi ei thargedu gyda'r bwrdd iechyd. Ac wrth gwrs, mae'r Gweinidog yn disgwyl i'r bwrdd iechyd flaenoriaethu cynllun o waith i weithredu'r argymhellion o'r adroddiad yr ydych wedi cyfeirio ato mewn ymateb i ganfyddiadau'r adolygiad.
O ran eich ail fater, rwy'n ymwybodol bod y bibell bellach wedi cael ei thrwsio. Mae'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd yn cyfarfod yn rheolaidd gyda'r cwmnïau dŵr am amrywiaeth o drafodaethau. Mewn gwirionedd, cynhaliwyd yr ail uwchgynhadledd ffosffad ddydd Mercher diwethaf—roedd wedi'i gohirio o fis Chwefror. Cadeiriwyd hi gan y Prif Weinidog, ac roeddwn i a'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd yno, ac, yn amlwg, cynrychiolwyd y byrddau iechyd hefyd—mae'n ddrwg gen i, y byrddau dŵr, mae'n ddrwg gen i, cynrychiolwyd y cwmnïau dŵr hefyd. Rwy'n dangos fy oedran. [Chwerthin.]
I'd just like to associate myself with the concerns expressed by Heledd Fychan. Because I read today that sewage is being discharged into the river Taf, and who wants to have a toilet being developed just outside our building? So, this is a really serious concern, which we need to pursue elsewhere.
Trefnydd, I wonder if we can have an update on the discussions that supermarket bosses were due to have with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minister, Mark Spencer, which you mentioned last week, on how we improve the shortage of vegetable and fruit supplies to feed our nation. What, if anything, did you learn from the inter-ministerial meeting I think you were hosting last week? In particular, I want to explore how it is possible that Kent growers of fruit are having to grub up their orchards, as we speak, because the supermarkets are refusing to pay them enough to even cover their costs, never mind make a profit to keep the business sustainable. And in your role as Minister for rural affairs, how are we going to use the Agriculture (Wales) Bill to make sure that this sort of open robbery is not happening in our country?
Hoffwn gysylltu fy hun â'r pryderon a fynegwyd gan Heledd Fychan. Oherwydd darllenais heddiw fod carthion yn cael eu rhyddhau i afon Taf, a phwy sydd eisiau bod â thoiled yn datblygu y tu allan i'n hadeilad? Felly, mae hyn yn bryder difrifol iawn, y mae angen i ni fynd ar ei drywydd mewn mannau eraill.
Trefnydd, tybed a allwn ni gael diweddariad ar y trafodaethau yr oedd penaethiaid archfarchnadoedd i fod i gael gyda Gweinidog Adran yr Amgylchedd, Bwyd a Materion Gwledig, Mark Spencer, a grybwyllwyd gennych yr wythnos diwethaf, ar sut rydym yn gwella'r prinder cyflenwadau llysiau a ffrwythau i fwydo ein cenedl. Beth, os rhywbeth, wnaethoch chi ddysgu o'r cyfarfod rhyng-weinidogol yr oeddech yn ei gynnal yr wythnos diwethaf, rwy'n credu? Yn benodol, rwyf eisiau archwilio sut mae'n bosibl bod tyfwyr ffrwythau yng Nghaint yn gorfod tynnu'r coed o'r ddaear yn eu perllannau, fel rydyn ni'n siarad, oherwydd bod yr archfarchnadoedd yn gwrthod talu digon iddyn nhw i hyd yn oed dalu eu costau, heb sôn am wneud elw i gadw'r busnes yn gynaliadwy. Ac yn eich rôl chi fel Gweinidog Materion Gwledig, sut ydyn ni'n mynd i ddefnyddio Bil Amaethyddiaeth (Cymru) i wneud yn siŵr nad yw'r math yma o ladrad agored yn digwydd yn ein gwlad ni?
Thank you. Well, I can't remember where I was when I referred to this, but I certainly did refer to the meeting that the Minister for food and farming in the UK Government held with supermarkets. I obviously meet with retailers, with processors and with farmers around food supply, but the Minister in the UK Government held a sort of supermarket summit, which, unfortunately, he didn't invite devolved administration Ministers to, which I think was a shame. So I raised this with him at the inter-ministerial group, as you say, and he basically said that supermarkets weren't to blame. I tried to explain about the contracts, because I think that point is very important. Now, I don't know what's going on in Kent, but I think you do raise a very important point—that we need to make sure that those contracts are absolutely fair. And it was very interesting at the time, when we were seeing shortages of fruit and vegetables in our supermarkets that we weren't seeing that in the greengrocers.
In relation to your question around the agriculture Bill, obviously, that sets sustainable land management as a framework for our future agricultural policy, and we're obviously approaching Stage 2 of the agriculture Bill next week. And what we can do to help is, obviously, any future farming policy and support will reward farmers for, obviously, not just addressing the climate and nature emergencies, but also for that sustainable food production.
Diolch. Wel, fedra i ddim cofio ble roeddwn i pan gyfeiriais i at hyn, ond yn sicr cyfeiriais at y cyfarfod a gynhaliwyd gan y Gweinidog bwyd a ffermio yn Llywodraeth y DU gydag archfarchnadoedd. Yn amlwg, rwy'n cwrdd gyda manwerthwyr, gyda phroseswyr a gyda ffermwyr ynghylch cyflenwad bwyd, ond gwnaeth y Gweinidog yn Llywodraeth y DU gynnal math o uwchgynhadledd archfarchnadoedd, na wnaeth, yn anffodus, wahodd Gweinidogion y gweinyddiaethau datganoledig iddi, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n drueni. Felly codais hyn gydag ef yn y grŵp rhyng-weinidogol, fel y dywedwch chi, ac yn y bôn dywedodd nad yr archfarchnadoedd sydd ar fai. Fe wnes i geisio egluro am y contractau, oherwydd rwy'n credu bod y pwynt yna'n bwysig iawn. Nawr, dydw i ddim yn gwybod beth sy'n digwydd yng Nghaint, ond rwy'n credu eich bod chi'n codi pwynt pwysig iawn—bod angen i ni sicrhau bod y contractau hynny'n gwbl deg. Ac roedd yn ddiddorol iawn ar y pryd, pan oedden ni'n gweld prinder ffrwythau a llysiau yn ein harchfarchnadoedd nad oedden ni'n gweld hynny yn y siopau ffrwythau a llysiau.
O ran eich cwestiwn ynghylch y Bil amaeth, yn amlwg, mae hynny'n gosod rheolaeth tir cynaliadwy fel fframwaith ar gyfer ein polisi amaethyddol yn y dyfodol, ac yn amlwg rydym yn agosáu at Gyfnod 2 y Bil amaeth yr wythnos nesaf. A'r hyn y gallwn ni ei wneud i helpu, yn amlwg, yw sicrhau y bydd unrhyw bolisi a chymorth i ffermio yn y dyfodol yn gwobrwyo ffermwyr, yn amlwg, nid dim ond mynd i'r afael â'r argyfyngau hinsawdd a natur, ond hefyd am gynhyrchu'r bwyd cynaliadwy hwnnw.
Minister, could I request a statement, please, from the Minister for Economy on what work the Welsh Government is doing to help our pubs during this extremely difficult time for them? I've had a number of pubs close in my constituency, which is a real great shame for those families who are involved in that. I know that a lot of the levers sit with the UK Government, but I think it would be very interesting to hear what the Welsh Government are doing to support our pubs and hospitality industry during the cost-of-living crisis.
Gweinidog, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad, os gwelwch yn dda, gan Weinidog yr Economi ar ba waith y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i helpu ein tafarndai yn ystod y cyfnod hynod anodd hwn iddyn nhw? Rwyf wedi gweld nifer o dafarndai yn cau yn fy etholaeth i, sydd yn drueni mawr i'r teuluoedd hynny sy'n ymwneud â hynny. Rwy'n gwybod bod llawer o'r ysgogiadau gan Lywodraeth y DU, ond rwy'n credu y byddai'n ddiddorol iawn clywed beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i gefnogi ein tafarndai a'n diwydiant lletygarwch yn ystod yr argyfwng costau byw.
The Minister for Economy and myself met with quite a few representatives from the pub industry, actually, at Brains brewery, not that long ago, probably about just before Christmas—a couple of months ago—to discuss what we could do as a Government to support. You'll be aware that we've got various schemes and levels of support as well. You are right: the UK Government do hold a lot of those levers, and I'm sure that the Minister for Economy is having discussions with his counterparts in the UK Government on this issue as well.
Gwnaeth Gweinidog yr Economi a minnau gwrdd â chryn dipyn o gynrychiolwyr o'r diwydiant tafarndai, mewn gwirionedd, ym mragdy Brains, heb fod mor hir â hynny yn ôl, ychydig cyn y Nadolig mae'n debyg—cwpl o fisoedd yn ôl—i drafod yr hyn y gallem ni ei wneud fel Llywodraeth i gefnogi. Byddwch yn ymwybodol bod gennym amryw o gynlluniau a lefelau o gymorth hefyd. Rydych chi'n iawn: Llywodraeth y DU sydd â llawer o'r ysgogiadau hynny, ac rwy'n siŵr bod Gweinidog yr Economi yn cael trafodaethau gyda'i swyddogion cyfatebol yn Llywodraeth y DU ar y mater hwn hefyd.
A gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog iechyd, os gwelwch yn dda, ynghylch sicrwydd tenantiaeth i bartneriaethau meddygon teulu? Mae hyn yn dod yn sgil cyhoeddiad bod landlord meddygfa Porthmadog wedi rhoi cais cynllunio ymlaen i droi'r adeilad yn fflatiau. Bydd hyn yn golygu y bydd yn rhaid i'r feddygfa, o bosibl, gau, gan nad oes yna unlle arall ar ei chyfer hi yn y dref ar hyn o bryd. Mae'n ymddangos yn rhyfedd i fi bod gwasanaeth mor bwysig â meddygfa deuluol yn medu cael ei lluchio allan heb unrhyw sicrwydd, gan achosi pryder anferthol i'r cleifion. Felly, buaswn i'n ddiolchgar i gael datganiad ynghylch y sefyllfa yma, os gwelwch yn dda.
Yn ail, a gaf i ddatganiad gennych chi fel y Gweinidog amgylcheddol—gwledig, mae'n flin gen i—ynghylch beth ddaeth allan o'r cyfarfod ffosffadau yr wythnos diwethaf? A gawn ni ddiweddariad brys a buan ynghylch hynny, os gwelwch yn dda?
May I ask for a statement from the Minister for health, please, with regard to tenancy assurance for partnerships of GPs? This follows the announcement that a Porthmadog landlord has put forward a planning application to turn the building into flats, which means that the surgery will have to possibly close, because there's nowhere else for it to be located in the town at the moment. It appears strange to me that such an important service as a GP surgery is going to be thrown out without any certainty, which will cause a great deal of concern to patients. I would be grateful to have a statement on this situation, please.
Secondly, may I have a statement from you as Minister for rural Wales with regard to the phosphates summit that you held? Can we have an update—an urgent update—on that, please?
The update on the phosphates summit will come via a written statement from the First Minister, and not from myself. In relation to your question regarding the GP surgery in your constituency, I would think, as it's such a specific issue, it would be best for you to write to the Minister for health directly.
Bydd y diweddariad ar yr uwchgynhadledd ffosffadau yn dod drwy ddatganiad ysgrifenedig gan y Prif Weinidog, ac nid gennyf fi. O ran eich cwestiwn ynglŷn â'r feddygfa yn eich etholaeth, byddwn i'n meddwl, gan ei fod yn fater mor benodol, y byddai'n well i chi ysgrifennu at y Gweinidog iechyd yn uniongyrchol.
I would like two statements, the first being on the Welsh Government's response to the National Police Chiefs' Council—NPCC—report released today, that said that nine out of 10 complaints about violence against women and girls by police officers in England and Wales were dropped over a six-month period. But, of the resolved cases, only 13 of those officers were sacked, according to the data from the National Police Chiefs' Council, and two thirds of the public complaints were categorised as use of force. In these cases, complaints from women were regarding the use of force when being handcuffed, and some of those were complaints of sexual assault. We clearly can't go on like this, Minister. Something has to be done.
The second statement from Welsh Government that I would like is about what discussions, if any, you've had with the UK Government regarding Boris Johnson nominating his father, Stanley Johnson, for a knighthood. It's alleged that Stanley Johnson punched his ex-wife, the late Charlotte Wahl, so hard during their first marriage that he broke her nose. It's reported that supporters have said that it was a 'one-off', as if that is okay. Charlotte Wahl, on the other hand, has said that he hit her many times and described their marriage as 'ghastly', 'terrible'. What concerns me and most people is the message that the proposed knighthood could give to other perpetrators of domestic abuse that it's okay to abuse your spouse, and to the victims and their families that what they are being subjected to is acceptable, perhaps even trivial. This risks setting the agenda backwards, while this Government and Members here are trying to move the agenda forward.
Hoffwn gael dau ddatganiad, y cyntaf ar ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i adroddiad Cyngor Cenedlaethol Penaethiaid yr Heddlu—NPCC—a ryddhawyd heddiw, a ddywedodd fod naw o bob 10 cwyn am drais yn erbyn menywod a merched gan swyddogion heddlu yng Nghymru a Lloegr wedi eu gollwng dros gyfnod o chwe mis. Ond, o'r achosion a ddatryswyd, dim ond 13 o'r swyddogion hynny gafodd eu diswyddo, yn ôl y data gan Gyngor Cenedlaethol Penaethiaid yr Heddlu, ac fe gafodd dwy ran o dair o'r cwynion cyhoeddus eu categoreiddio yn rhai defnydd o rym. Yn yr achosion hyn, roedd cwynion gan fenywod yn ymwneud â'r defnydd o rym wrth gael eu rhoi mewn cyffion, ac roedd rhai o'r rheiny'n gwynion o ymosod yn rhywiol. Mae'n amlwg na allwn ni fynd ymlaen fel hyn, Gweinidog. Mae'n rhaid gwneud rhywbeth.
Mae'r ail ddatganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru yr hoffwn yn ymwneud â pha drafodaethau, os o gwbl, rydych chi wedi eu cael gyda Llywodraeth y DU ynglŷn â Boris Johnson yn enwebu ei dad, Stanley Johnson, i gael ei urddo'n farchog. Honnir i Stanley Johnson ddyrnu ei gyn-wraig, y diweddar Charlotte Wahl, mor galed yn ystod eu priodas gyntaf nes iddo dorri ei thrwyn. Mae wedi dweud bod cefnogwyr wedi dweud ei fod yn ddigwyddiad 'untro', fel petai hynny'n iawn. Mae Charlotte Wahl, ar y llaw arall, wedi dweud iddo ei tharo droeon a disgrifiodd eu priodas fel un 'dychrynllyd', 'ofnadwy'. Yr hyn sy'n fy mhoeni i a'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yw'r neges y gallai'r marchog arfaethedig ei rhoi i gyflawnwyr eraill cam-drin domestig ei bod yn iawn i gam-drin eich cymar, ac i'r dioddefwyr a'u teuluoedd bod yr hyn y maen nhw'n ei ddioddef yn dderbyniol, efallai hyd yn oed yn ddibwys. Mae hyn yn peryglu troi'r agenda am yn ôl, tra bod y Llywodraeth hon a'r Aelodau yn y fan yma yn ceisio symud yr agenda yn ei blaen.
Thank you. I know that the Minister for Social Justice is very aware that the new data from the National Police Chiefs' Council does highlight what you stated, Joyce Watson—that nine in 10 complaints from members of the public led to no action being taken against police officers and staff who'd been accused of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence, and that data was based around March of 2022, and it was a period of around six months. Obviously, policing is a reserved issue and the responsibility of the UK Government, but, as you know, as a Government, and certainly the Minister for Social Justice, takes the issue of police conduct very seriously, especially as violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence is of course a devolved matter here and one where we work very closely with our police colleagues. The Minister for Social Justice chaired the Policing Partnership Board for Wales just before Christmas and, there, the issue of trust in policing was discussed, and it was actually agreed it's such an important matter that it would be a standing item on every agenda of that partnership board.
In relation to your second point, as you say, as a Government, we are very committed to taking action to tackle domestic abuse. We have the Live Fear Free helpline—that's available to anyone needing to talk to someone about violence against women, domestic abuse or sexual violence. I'm not aware of any specific discussions regarding the honour that you just referred to. Again, the whole honours policy and process is completely a reserved matter and the responsibility of the UK Cabinet Office, but, again, I'm sure the Minister for Social Justice, if she has had any discussions, will update the Member, but I'm not aware of any.
Diolch. Rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yn ymwybodol iawn bod y data newydd gan Gyngor Cenedlaethol Penaethiaid yr Heddlu yn tynnu sylw at yr hyn a ddywedoch chi, Joyce Watson—bod naw o bob 10 cwyn gan aelodau'r cyhoedd wedi arwain at beidio â chymryd camau yn erbyn swyddogion heddlu a staff a oedd wedi cael eu cyhuddo o drais yn erbyn menywod, cam-drin domestig a thrais rhywiol, ac roedd y data hwnnw wedi ei seilio ar fis Mawrth 2022, ac roedd yn gyfnod o tua chwe mis. Yn amlwg, mae plismona yn fater a gedwir yn ôl a chyfrifoldeb Llywodraeth y DU ydyw, ond, fel y gwyddoch chi, fel Llywodraeth, ac yn sicr mae'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, yn cymryd y mater o ymddygiad yr heddlu o ddifrif, yn enwedig gan fod trais yn erbyn menywod, cam-drin domestig a thrais rhywiol wrth gwrs yn fater sydd wedi'i ddatganoli yma ac yn un yr ydym yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda'n cydweithwyr yn yr heddlu arno. Cadeiriodd y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol Fwrdd Partneriaeth Plismona Cymru ychydig cyn y Nadolig ac, yno, trafodwyd y mater o ffydd mewn plismona, a chytunwyd mewn gwirionedd ei fod yn fater mor bwysig y byddai'n eitem sefydlog ar bob agenda'r bwrdd partneriaeth hwnnw.
O ran eich ail bwynt, fel y dywedwch chi, fel Llywodraeth, rydym ni wedi ymrwymo'n fawr i gymryd camau i fynd i'r afael â cham-drin domestig. Mae gennym linell gymorth Byw Heb Ofn—mae honno ar gael i unrhyw un sydd angen siarad â rhywun am drais yn erbyn menywod, cam-drin domestig neu drais rhywiol. Dydw i ddim yn ymwybodol o unrhyw drafodaethau penodol ynglŷn â'r anrhydedd y gwnaethoch chi gyfeirio ato. Unwaith eto, mae'r holl bolisi a'r broses anrhydeddau yn fater a gedwir yn ôl yn llwyr a chyfrifoldeb Swyddfa Cabinet y DU ydyw, ond, eto, rwy'n siŵr y bydd y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, os yw hi wedi cael unrhyw drafodaethau, yn diweddaru'r Aelod, ond dydw i ddim yn ymwybodol o unrhyw rai.
Two statements, please. I'd like to declare an interest on the first one, as this affects a relative, however, it's also affecting a large number of my constituents. So, I wish to request a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services on pre-operative assessments. Earlier this month, the Betsi board wrote to me, stating, 'Colleagues have confirmed that once a patient has passed the POAC, the health board aims to schedule them for surgery within 16 weeks of the date of the POAC.' Now, this has increased, to my knowledge—I think the Minister is almost agreeing there—because it used to be six weeks, whereas now, four months is considerably longer than it used to be. The Betsi board website has some information on pre-operative assessment, but I haven't been able to locate any public information on their timescales for such assessments, or, indeed, how the medical guidance influences these. The Centre for Perioperative Care published guidelines in June 2021 state that:
'All perioperative services should have a system for active clinical surveillance of patients on waiting lists, particularly those who have been on lists for longer than 3 months for P3 or P4 surgery.'
So, I am very concerned that the Betsi board has extended the timescales to up to 16 weeks at a time when there is no clear all-Wales standard. So, in the interest of patient safety, I would be grateful if a statement could be made.
Oh, and then—
Dau ddatganiad, os gwelwch yn dda. Hoffwn ddatgan buddiant ar yr un cyntaf, gan fod hyn yn effeithio ar berthynas, fodd bynnag, mae hefyd yn effeithio ar nifer fawr o fy etholwyr. Felly, hoffwn ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ar asesiadau cyn llawdriniaeth. Yn gynharach yn y mis, ysgrifennodd bwrdd Betsi ataf, gan ddweud, 'Mae cydweithwyr wedi cadarnhau unwaith y bydd claf wedi pasio'r POAC, nod y bwrdd iechyd yw trefnu llawdriniaeth ar ei gyfer o fewn 16 wythnos i ddyddiad y POAC.' Nawr, mae hyn wedi cynyddu, hyd y gwn i—rwy'n credu bod y Gweinidog bron â chytuno yn y fan yna—oherwydd roedd yn arfer bod yn chwe wythnos, ond erbyn hyn, mae pedwar mis yn sylweddol hirach nag yr oedd yn arfer bod. Mae gan wefan bwrdd Betsi rywfaint o wybodaeth am asesiadau cyn llawdriniaeth, ond nid wyf wedi gallu dod o hyd i unrhyw wybodaeth gyhoeddus am eu hamserlenni ar gyfer asesiadau o'r fath, nac, yn wir, sut mae'r canllawiau meddygol yn dylanwadu ar y rhain. Mae'r Ganolfan Gofal Amdriniaethol a gyhoeddwyd ym Mehefin 2021 yn nodi:
'Dylai'r holl wasanaethau amdriniaethol fod â system ar gyfer gwyliadwriaeth glinigol weithredol ar gyfer cleifion ar restrau aros, yn enwedig y rhai hynny sydd wedi bod ar restrau am fwy na 3 mis ar gyfer llawdriniaeth P3 neu P4.'
Felly, rwy'n bryderus iawn bod bwrdd Betsi wedi ymestyn yr amserlenni i hyd at 16 wythnos ar adeg pan nad oes safon clir ar gyfer Cymru gyfan. Felly, er budd diogelwch cleifion, byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe bai modd gwneud datganiad.
O, ac wedyn—
No, that's okay. You're already well over time, and I—
Na, mae'n iawn. Rydych chi eisoes ymhell dros amser, ac mae gen i—
The second one—
Yr ail un—
Yes. You can do that next week, Janet. You're well over time.
Ie. Gallwch chi wneud hwnnw yr wythnos nesaf, Janet. Rydych chi ymhell dros amser.
Thank you. I wasn't aware of the change from six weeks to 16 weeks and, as you say, I would've thought there would be an all-Wales standard. So, I will certainly ask the health Minister to look at what you've just come forward with, because I do think there would need to be an explanation if it had gone from six weeks to 16 weeks for pre-operative assessments, because, obviously, if somebody has a pre-operative assessment, then their health could change considerably in that length of time. I'm not aware if there is an all-Wales standard, but I would've thought there would be, so I will certainly ask the Minister for Health and Social Services to have a look at that.
Diolch. Doeddwn i ddim yn ymwybodol o'r newid o chwe wythnos i 16 wythnos, ac fel y dywedwch chi, byddwn i wedi meddwl y byddai yna safon Cymru gyfan. Felly, fe wnaf yn sicr ofyn i'r Gweinidog iechyd edrych ar yr hyn yr ydych chi newydd ei gyflwyno, oherwydd rwy'n credu y byddai angen esboniad pe byddai wedi mynd o chwe wythnos i 16 wythnos ar gyfer asesiadau cyn llawdriniaeth, oherwydd, yn amlwg, os bydd rhywun yn cael asesiad cyn llawdriniaeth, yna gallai ei iechyd newid yn sylweddol yn yr amser hwnnw. Dydw i ddim yn ymwybodol os oes safon i Gymru gyfan, ond byddwn i wedi meddwl y byddai yna, felly fe wnaf yn sicr ofyn i'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol gael golwg ar hynny.
I would like to ask for a statement from the economy Minister, giving clarification about the process that will be followed—imminently, hopefully—for announcing the granting of free-port status to a port or ports in Wales, a decision made jointly, of course, by UK and Welsh Governments. And I'd like to place on record, again, my gratitude to Anglesey council and Stena for putting together a very, very strong bid that has the interests of the people of Anglesey at its heart. And it hasn't been an easy process getting to this point—the fighting for equal funding status with England; £26 million for an English free port and £8 million for Wales didn't seem fair—but I'm grateful to Welsh Government for making that case to UK Government, and for asking for those assurances around workers' rights and environmental regulations. And there'll still need to be an awful lot of monitoring, but, with those assurances in place, we had the firm foundations on which a solid bid could be built. We can, hopefully, with the status, move forward to building on our status as a trading island. This is a community-made bid to help a community that has suffered blow after blow from the closure of Anglesey Aluminium and Rehau and the Brexit effect of recent years and, of course, the devastating recent announcement around the Two Sisters plant in Llangefni. So, clarity would be most welcome.
Hoffwn ofyn am ddatganiad gan Weinidog yr economi, yn rhoi eglurhad o'r broses a ddilynir—yn fuan, gobeithio—i gyhoeddi rhoi statws porthladd rhydd i borthladd neu borthladdoedd yng Nghymru, penderfyniad a wnaed ar y cyd, wrth gwrs, gan Lywodraethau'r DU a Chymru. A hoffwn roi ar y cofnod, unwaith eto, fy niolch i gyngor Môn a Stena am lunio cais cryf iawn, iawn sydd â buddiannau pobl Môn yn ganolog iddo. Ac nid yw wedi bod yn broses hawdd cyrraedd y pwynt hwn—yr ymladd am statws ariannu cyfartal gyda Lloegr; doedd £26 miliwn am borthladd rhydd yn Lloegr ac £8 miliwn i Gymru ddim yn ymddangos yn deg—ond rwy'n ddiolchgar i Lywodraeth Cymru am gyflwyno'r achos hwnnw i Lywodraeth y DU, ac am ofyn am y sicrwydd hynny ynghylch hawliau gweithwyr a rheoliadau amgylcheddol. A bydd angen llawer iawn o fonitro o hyd, ond, gyda'r sicrwydd ar waith, roedd gennym y sylfeini cadarn y gellid adeiladu cais cadarn arnynt. Gallwn, gobeithio, gyda'r statws, symud ymlaen at adeiladu ar ein statws fel ynys fasnachu. Cais cymunedol yw hwn i helpu cymuned sydd wedi dioddef ergyd ar ôl ergyd o gau Anglesey Aluminium a Rehau ac effaith Brexit y blynyddoedd diwethaf ac, wrth gwrs, y cyhoeddiad diweddaraf dinistriol ynghylch ffatri Two Sisters yn Llangefni. Felly, byddai eglurder i'w groesawu'n fawr.
Thank you. Obviously, this will be a decision for the Minister for Economy, who will update Senedd Members with a statement in due course.
Diolch i chi. Yn amlwg, penderfyniad i Weinidog yr Economi fydd hwn, a fydd yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i Aelodau'r Senedd gyda datganiad maes o law.
Diolch i'r Trefnydd.
I thank the Trefnydd.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Joyce Watson.
The next item, therefore, is questions to the Minister for Climate Change, and the first question is from Joyce Watson.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi diweddariad ar gamau gweithredu Llywodraeth Cymru i ddod â thai gwag yn ôl i ddefnydd? OQ59269
1. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government actions to bring empty homes back into use? OQ59269
We have a number of initiatives that provide both practical and financial support to bring empty homes back into use. In January, I announced a £50 million national empty homes grant scheme, which is now open for applications, to further add to these measures.
Mae gennym ni nifer o gynlluniau sy'n rhoi cymorth ymarferol ac ariannol ar gyfer dechrau defnyddio cartrefi gwag unwaith eto. Ym mis Ionawr, fe gyhoeddais i gynllun grant cenedlaethol cartrefi gwag o £50 miliwn, sy'n agored i geisiadau nawr, i ychwanegu eto at y mesurau hyn.
Thank you, Minister, and I'm delighted that all of the local authorities in my region will be taking part in this scheme, and Gwynedd already accepting applications. It's desperately needed. Can I ask, have you had an opportunity to read the latest report from the Bevan Foundation on the private rental market in Wales finding that only 32 properties advertised across Wales were available at local housing allowance rates, and 1.2 per cent of the rental market was available at local housing allowance rates, and 16 local authorities do not have a single property available at local housing allowance rates? So, this is clearly needed to bring those properties back into the market, and I suppose you're looking forward, as I am and others are, in tomorrow's budget that will match our investment into affordable housing so that we can deliver for those communities that we all serve?
Diolch i chi, Gweinidog, ac rwy'n hynod o falch y bydd pob un o'r awdurdodau lleol yn fy rhanbarth yn cymryd rhan yn y cynllun hwn, ac mae Gwynedd yn derbyn ceisiadau eisoes. Mae gwir angen amdano. Ac a gaf i ofyn, a ydych chi wedi cael cyfle i ddarllen adroddiad diweddaraf Sefydliad Bevan ynglŷn â'r farchnad rhentu preifat yng Nghymru a oedd yn canfod mai dim ond 32 eiddo a hysbysebwyd ledled Cymru a oedd ar gael ar gyfraddau lwfans tai lleol, ac mai 1.2 y cant o'r farchnad rhent a oedd ar gael ar gyfraddau lwfans tai lleol, ac nid oes gan 16 awdurdod lleol unrhyw eiddo o gwbl ar gael ar gyfraddau lwfans tai lleol? Felly, mae hi'n amlwg fod angen hwn i dynnu'r tai hynny yn ôl i'r farchnad, ac rwy'n tybio eich bod chi'n edrych ymlaen, fel minnau ac eraill, yng nghyllideb yfory a fydd yn cyd-fynd â'n buddsoddiad ni mewn tai fforddiadwy ar gyfer gallu cyflawni ar gyfer y cymunedau hyn sydd dan ofal pob un ohonom ni?
Yes. Thank you very much, Joyce Watson, for that very timely question. As I know you know, Joyce, empty homes are a complete blight and nuisance on our communities. They attract anti-social behaviour, they impose environmental health problems, they contribute to a general sense of decline in the neighbourhood, and a sense that, perhaps, nobody really cares about this particular street or this particular little neighbourhood. And that's very frustrating indeed when housing is in such short supply as well. It's a real shame and another symptom of our completely dysfunctional housing market that this is allowed to happen.
So, as I said, we have allocated £50 million over the next two years to bring up to 2,000 long-term empty properties across Wales back into use through our national empty homes grant scheme. And, just to say, although there are varying numbers—around 22,000, for example, of empty homes—it's actually quite difficult to distinguish between those homes that are, for example, being marketed for sale or empty for other reasons, people in long term—. You know, there's a variety of things. So, we've got a very specific grant for homes that are empty and require refurbishment to come back into beneficial use, and that complements our existing scheme, including Leasing Scheme Wales.
I am absolutely aware of the Bevan report that highlights a growing gap between LHA rates and market rents of private housing in Wales. As you know, the LHA isn't devolved—would that it were. I've repeatedly written to the UK Government calling for urgent and immediate action to address this, and just again saying to colleagues opposite, who I know are not heartless, this is now below—[Interruption.] This is below the poor law. This is below where the poor law was. It's just not acceptable that you cannot find a single property in 16 areas across Wales at local housing allowance rates. This really does need to be addressed. It's a really big problem. It's not a political point; it's a really big problem. And it doesn't make any economic sense. Because of the cost of homelessness to local authorities when people can't stay in the private rented sector because the LHA has been frozen in this unprecedented time of inflation and increasing rents, the amount of money going out of the public purse at local authority level is far more than the amount that would go in at local housing allowance level. So, it's baffling to me why the rate is frozen—it genuinely is baffling to me—and I really, really call on the UK Government to review that situation, because it's heartless and it's causing proper misery. It's also preventing us from helping really good landlords who want to do this scheme with us from coming into the scheme, because now the LHA rates are so low that it's becoming not worth their while to do.
So, just to explain what we do, the local housing allowance rate is what we pay to landlords who come into the scheme. It’s still worth while, and landlords should still look at it, because it guarantees that income every single week, every single month, and you don’t have to put up with voids and turnovers and a percentage going to management properties and so on. So, it’s still very much worth looking at, but the lower the LHA rate goes, the worse it is to try and market it on that point. We have made positive progress. A number of local authorities that have exceeded their initial targets for year 1. It’s positive news that Newport has just expressed an interest as the sixteenth local authority to join the scheme. But an increase in the LHA rate to the proper level would really help.
Ie. Diolch yn fawr i chi, Joyce Watson, am y cwestiwn amserol iawn yna. Fel y gwn y gwyddoch chwithau, Joyce, mae cartrefi gwag yn falltod llwyr ac yn achosi anhwylustod yn ein cymunedau ni. Maen nhw'n denu ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol, maen nhw'n achosi problemau iechyd amgylcheddol, maen nhw'n cyfrannu at ymdeimlad cyffredinol o ddirywiad yn y gymdogaeth, ac ymdeimlad nad oes neb yn poeni am y stryd arbennig honno mewn gwirionedd na'r gymdogaeth fechan arbennig honno chwaith. Ac mae hynny wir yn achosi rhwystredigaeth fawr pan fo'r cyflenwad tai mor wan hefyd. Mae hi'n drueni gwirioneddol a dyna symptom arall o'r farchnad dai gwbl gyfeiliornus sydd gennym ni sef bod hyn yn gallu digwydd.
Felly, fel dywedais i, rydyn ni wedi dyrannu £50 miliwn yn ystod y ddwy flynedd nesaf i sicrhau bod hyd at 2,000 o dai sydd wedi bod yn wag yn yr hirdymor ledled Cymru yn cael eu defnyddio unwaith eto trwy ein cynllun cenedlaethol o grantiau cartrefi gwag. A dim ond i ddweud, er bod y niferoedd yn amrywio—tua 22,000, er enghraifft, o gartrefi gwag—mae hi'n anodd iawn mewn gwirionedd gwahaniaethu rhwng y cartrefi hynny sydd, er enghraifft, yn cael eu marchnata ar werth neu'n wag am resymau eraill, pobl mewn—. Wyddoch chi, fe geir amrywiaeth o bethau. Felly mae gennym ni grant penodol iawn ar gyfer cartrefi sy'n wag ac y bydd yn rhaid gwneud gwaith i'w hadnewyddu nhw i'w defnyddio nhw unwaith eto mewn ffordd fuddiol, ac mae hwnnw'n ategu ein cynllun presennol ni, yn cynnwys Cynllun Prydlesu Cymru.
Rwy'n gwbl ymwybodol o adroddiad Bevan sy'n nodi bwlch cynyddol rhwng cyfraddau lwfansau tai lleol a rhenti tai preifat yng Nghymru. Fel gwyddoch chi, ni chafodd lwfansau tai lleol eu datganoli—oni fyddai hi felly. Rwyf i wedi ysgrifennu at Lywodraeth y DU dro ar ôl tro yn galw am weithredu ar fyrder ac ar unwaith i fynd i'r afael â hyn, a dim ond i ddweud wrth gyd-Aelodau gyferbyn â mi, yr wyf i'n gwybod nad ydyn nhw'n ddidostur, mae hyn bellach islaw—[Torri ar draws.] Mae hyn yn waeth na Deddf y Tlodion. Mae hyn yn waeth na'r sefyllfa dan Ddeddf y Tlodion. Nid yw hi'n dderbyniol na allwch chi ganfod un eiddo mewn 16 ardal ledled Cymru ar gyfraddau lwfans tai lleol. Mae angen dybryd i fynd i'r afael â hyn. Mae hi'n broblem fawr iawn. Nid pwynt gwleidyddol mohono; mae hi'n broblem wirioneddol fawr. Ac nid yw hi'n gwneud unrhyw synnwyr yn economaidd. Oherwydd y gost i awdurdodau lleol yn sgil digartrefedd pan na all pobl breswylio yn y sector rhentu preifat oherwydd bod y lwfans tai lleol wedi ei rewi yn yr amser digynsail hwn o chwyddiant a chynyddu rhenti, mae swm yr arian sy'n mynd allan o bwrs y wlad ar lefel yr awdurdodau lleol yn llawer mwy na'r swm a fyddai'n mynd i mewn ar lefel lwfans tai lleol. Felly, mae hi'n peri dryswch i mi fod y gyfradd wedi ei rhewi—mae wir yn peri dryswch i mi—ac rwy'n galw ar Lywodraeth y DU yn daer iawn i adolygu'r sefyllfa honno, oherwydd mae'n galongaled ac yn achosi dioddefaint gwirioneddol. Mae'n ein hatal ni hefyd rhag helpu landlordiaid da iawn sy'n awyddus i lunio'r cynllun hwn gyda ni rhag ymuno â'r cynllun, oherwydd mae'r cyfraddau lwfansau tai lleol mor isel nawr fel nad yw hi'n werth eu hamser nhw i wneud felly.
Felly, dim ond ar gyfer egluro'r hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud, cyfradd y lwfans tai lleol yw'r hyn yr ydym ni'n ei dalu i landlordiaid sy'n ymuno â'r cynllun. Mae'n hynny'n parhau i fod yn werthfawr, ac fe ddylai landlordiaid barhau i ystyried hynny, oherwydd mae honno'n gwarantu'r incwm bob wythnos, bob mis, ac nid oes raid i chi ddioddef lleoedd gwag a throsiant a chanran yn mynd i wasanaethau rheoli ac ati. Felly, mae hi'n dal i fod yn werth ystyried hyn, ond po isaf y bydd cyfradd lwfans tai lleol yn gostwng, yr anoddaf yw ceisio marchnata ar y pwynt hwnnw. Fe wnaethom ni gynnydd cadarnhaol. Mae nifer o awdurdodau lleol wedi mynd tu hwnt i'w nodau cychwynnol ar gyfer blwyddyn 1. Newyddion cadarnhaol yw bod Casnewydd newydd fynegi diddordeb i fod yn unfed awdurdod lleol ar bymtheg i ymuno â'r cynllun. Ond fe fyddai cynnydd yng nghyfradd lwfans tai lleol hyd at gyfradd briodol o wir gymorth.
Minister, we do have a heart over here, and we do hear what you say, but it is the job of the Welsh Government. Housing is a wholly devolved matter and, as my colleagues have said, 22,000 homes are empty across Wales. So, we think it’s about time that the Welsh Government had a new, refreshed strategy on how they’re going to bring those empty homes back into use. When I was a county councillor in Powys, the number of people waiting for homes was astronomical. We only built 5,000 homes across the whole of Wales last year. So, do you not agree with me, Minister, that it is about time that Welsh Government took some responsibility for bringing those empty homes back into use and building more homes so we can actually give those people in Wales who are waiting on housing waiting lists the homes that everybody deserves to have here in Wales?
Gweinidog, mae gennym ni galon draw yn y fan hon, ac rydym ni'n clywed yr hyn yr ydych chi'n ei ddweud, ond gwaith Llywodraeth Cymru yw hwn. Mae tai yn fater a ddatganolwyd yn gyfan gwbl, ac fel dywedodd fy nghyd-Aelodau, mae 22,000 o gartrefi ledled Cymru yn wag. Felly, rydyn ni o'r farn ei bod hi'n hen bryd i Lywodraeth Cymru fod â strategaeth newydd, ar ei newydd wedd o ran sut i ddefnyddio unwaith eto'r tai hynny'n sy'n wag. Pan oeddwn i'n gynghorydd sir ym Mhowys, roedd nifer y bobl a oedd yn aros am gartrefi yn ddirifedi. Dim ond 5,000 o dai a wnaethom ni eu hadeiladu'r llynedd drwy Gymru gyfan. Felly, onid ydych chi'n cytuno â mi, Gweinidog, ei bod hi'n hen bryd i Lywodraeth Cymru gymryd rhywfaint o gyfrifoldeb am ddefnyddio unwaith eto'r tai hyn sy'n wag ac adeiladu mwy o gartrefi er mwyn i ni allu rhoi cartrefi y mae pawb mewn gwirionedd yn haeddu eu cael yma yng Nghymru i'r bobl hynny yng Nghymru sydd ar restrau aros am dai?
Well, you know—‘sighs’, as they say at the beginning of the thing—it isn’t wholly devolved. Local housing allowance isn’t devolved.
Wel, wyddoch chi—'ochenaid', fel maen nhw'n dweud ar ddechrau'r peth—ni chafodd hyn ei ddatganoli yn gyfan gwbl. Ni chafodd y lwfans tai lleol ei ddatganoli.
Housing is devolved, Minister.
Fe ddatganolwyd tai, Gweinidog.
You started with a phrase that wasn’t accurate, because local housing allowance isn’t devolved—[Interruption.] It isn’t devolved. Whether you like it or not, it isn’t devolved. Therefore, we are hamstrung in what we can do, and that policy drives homelessness, because people cannot stay in their rented accommodation because they cannot afford it because the local housing allowance is not high enough. It's below where the poor laws were. You have to take some responsibility for this.
Now, we’ve done a lot of things. We’ve done a lot of things here in Wales, and, once the Tories had finally seen sense and taken the caps off housing revenue accounts, and taken the restrictions off HRAs, which is only a few years ago—and it took 40 years for you to actually wake up and smell the coffee—we have ramped it up since then. There’s no getting away from this history lesson. You don’t like it. You asked me the question, this is the answer. You don’t like it because you don’t like accuracy in answers. So, the answer is: we have done everything that’s been possible to do within our devolved powers, but we are, as always, hamstrung by a blinkered and quite heartless Tory Government.
Fe wnaethoch chi ddechrau gydag ymadrodd nad oedd yn gwbl gywir, oherwydd nid yw lwfans tai lleol wedi cael ei ddatganoli—[Torri ar draws.] Ni chafodd ei ddatganoli. Os ydych chi'n hoffi hynny neu beidio, ni chafodd ei ddatganoli. Felly, rydym ni wedi cael ein llyffetheirio o ran yr hyn y gallwn ni ei wneud, ac mae'r polisi hwnnw'n achosi digartrefedd, oherwydd ni all pobl aros mewn llety y maen nhw'n ei rentu oherwydd na allan nhw fforddio hynny oherwydd nid yw'r lwfans tai lleol yn ddigon hael. Mae'n llai na'r hyn a oedd ar gael gyda deddfau'r tlodion. Mae'n rhaid i chi dderbyn rhywfaint o gyfrifoldeb am hyn.
Nawr, fe wnaethom ni lawer o bethau. Rydym ni wedi gwneud llawer o bethau yma yng Nghymru ac ar ôl i'r Torïaid weld synnwyr o'r diwedd a thynnu'r capiau oddi ar gyfrifon refeniw tai, a diddymu'r cyfyngiadau ar gyfrifon refeniw tai, dim ond ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl—ac fe gymerodd hi 40 mlynedd i chi ddod yn effro i hynny mewn gwirionedd—rydym ni wedi cynyddu hyn fwyfwy ers hynny. Does dim dianc rhag y wers hanes hon. Nid ydych chi'n hoffi hyn. Fe wnaethoch chi ofyn y cwestiwn i mi, a dyma'r ateb. Nid ydych chi'n hoffi hyn am nid ydych chi'n hoff o gywirdeb mewn atebion. Felly, yr ateb yw: rydym ni wedi gwneud popeth sydd wedi bod yn bosibl ei wneud gyda'n pwerau datganoledig ni, ond rydym ni, fel bob amser, wedi cael ein llyffetheirio gan Lywodraeth Dorïaidd gibddall a chwbl ddidostur.
2. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi diweddariad ar effaith arllwysiad carthion ar ansawdd y dŵr yn Llyn Padarn? OQ59245
2. Will the Minister provide an update on the impact of sewage discharge on water quality in Llyn Padarn? OQ59245
Diolch, Siân Gwenllian. Llyn Padarn is Wales’s only designated inland bathing water and has consistently achieved the highest classification of 'excellent'. As a designated bathing water, Natural Resources Wales imposes tight regulatory controls on all discharges, including storm overflows, that are located nearby.
Diolch, Siân Gwenllian. Llyn Padarn yw unig ddŵr mewndirol a ddynodwyd ar gyfer ymdrochi ynddo yng Nghymru sydd wedi ennill ei le yn y dosbarthiad uchaf sef 'ardderchog' gyda chysondeb. Am iddo gael ei ddynodi yn ddŵr i ymdrochi ynddo, mae Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru yn gosod rheolaethau rheoleiddiol caeth ar bob gollyngiad, gan gynnwys gorlifoedd tywydd mawr, a leolir gerllaw.
Mae etholwyr wedi cysylltu efo fi yn bryderus am eu bod nhw wedi darganfod planhigyn ymledol yn tyfu yn Llyn Padarn yn Llanberis, ac maen nhw’n grediniol bod arllwysiad carthion i’r dŵr yn bwydo’r tyfiant. Mae yna arbenigwr wedi cadarnhau mai planhigyn o’r enw lagarosiphon sydd yn y llyn—rhywbeth sy’n enw newydd i mi, ond dyna mae’r arbenigwr yn dweud ydy o. Mae’r planhigion yma wedi creu problemau mewn llynnoedd yn Iwerddon, mae’n debyg. Hoffwn i sicrwydd bod eich Llywodraeth chi yn ymwybodol o’r broblem, a allai, wrth gwrs, gael effaith niweidiol ar fioamrywiaeth y llyn arbennig yma, a hoffwn sicrwydd eich bod chi’n gweithio'n agos efo asiantaethau er mwyn gweithredu’n briodol.
Constituents have contacted me expressing concerns because they’ve found an invasive plant growing in Llyn Padarn in Llanberis, and they are convinced that sewage discharge into the water is feeding its growth. A specialist has confirmed that it’s a plant called lagarosiphon that is in the lake—it’s a new one on me, but that’s what this specialist has identified. These plants have created problems in lakes in Ireland, apparently. I would like an assurance that your Government is aware of this issue, which of course could have a damaging impact on the biodiversity of this very special lake. I’d also like an assurance that you are working closely with agencies in order to take appropriate action.
Yes, absolutely, Siân, and I will certainly get NRW to check once more, because we are very proud of the fact that Llyn Padarn is designated in this way, and I absolutely will ask them to do that. We are aware—I can’t even say the name of it—of lagarosiphon, as I think it’s called. Curly water weed, anyway, in common parlance, is a very invasive non-native species categorised as a species of special concern. It’s a significant threat to native species, and you’re quite right that we need to check and make sure that it’s right, and I will make sure that that happens again.
Actually, the GB invasive species strategy was launched last month, and it provides a strategic framework for actions that we can take, alongside other Governments of the UK, statutory bodies and key stakeholders. So, it's pretty timely that the strategy is now in force, Siân, and I will absolutely make sure that NRW is aware of the concerns and does another inspection.
Siŵr iawn, Siân, ac fe fyddaf i'n sicr yn gofyn i CNC wirio unwaith eto, oherwydd rydym ni'n falch iawn o'r ffaith fod gan Lyn Padarn y dynodiad hwn, ac yn sicr fe fyddaf i'n gofyn iddyn nhw wneud felly. Rydym ni'n ymwybodol—nid wyf i'n gallu ynganu enw'r peth hyd yn oed—lagarosiphon, fel rwy'n credu y caiff ei alw. Ffugalaw crych, beth bynnag, ar lafar gwlad, sy'n rhywogaeth anfrodorol oresgynnol iawn sy'n cael ei chategoreiddio fel rhywogaeth o bryder arbennig. Mae hwn yn fygythiad sylweddol i rywogaethau brodorol, ac rydych chi'n hollol iawn bod angen i ni wirio a sicrhau bod hynny'n gywir, ac rwyf i am sicrhau na fydd hynny'n digwydd eto.
Mewn gwirionedd, fe lansiwyd strategaeth rhywogaethau goresgynnol Prydain Fawr fis diwethaf, ac mae honno'n rhoi fframwaith strategol ar gyfer camau y gallwn ni eu cymryd, ochr yn ochr â llywodraethau eraill y DU, cyrff statudol, a rhanddeiliaid allweddol. Felly, mae hi'n amserol iawn i'r strategaeth fod ar waith erbyn hyn, Siân, ac yn siŵr iawn fe fyddaf i'n sicrhau bod CNC yn ymwybodol o'r pryderon ac yn cynnal arolygiad arall.
Could I support the Member for submitting today's important question on the impact of sewage discharge on water quality at Llyn Padarn? But of course, Minister, this is only the tip of a very dirty iceberg. Because we know that, at the end of last year, figures that were uncovered by ourselves found that, of the 184 sewage pipes operated by Welsh Water without permits in Welsh riverways, only one application had been submitted to NRW, meaning that 183 sewage pipes in Wales were operating without permits, discharging waste into our waterways, which we know has happened tens of thousands of times, in terms of that discharge into our waterways. So, in light of this, Minister, what assurances can you give me and my residents that you are taking this issue of sewage discharge seriously, so that places like Llyn Padarn can be enjoyed by people for years to come?
A gaf i gefnogi'r Aelod am gyflwyno'r cwestiwn pwysig hwn heddiw ynglŷn ag effaith rhyddhau carthion ar ansawdd y dŵr yn Llyn Padarn? Ond wrth gwrs, Gweinidog, dim ond brig mynydd iâ budr iawn yw hwn. Oherwydd fe wyddom ni, ar ddiwedd y llynedd, roedd ffigurau a ddatgelwyd gennym ni'n canfod, o'r 184 o bibellau carthion a weithredir gan Dŵr Cymru heb drwydded ar gyrsiau'r afonydd yng Nghymru, mai dim ond un cais a gyflwynwyd i CNC, sy'n golygu bod 183 o bibellau carthion yng Nghymru yn gweithio heb eu trwyddedu, ac maen nhw'n gollwng gwastraff i'n dyfrffyrdd, fe wyddom ni fod hynny wedi digwydd ddegau o filoedd o droeon, o ran y gollyngiadau fel hyn i'n dyfrffyrdd ni. Felly, yng ngoleuni hyn, Gweinidog, pa sicrwydd a wnewch chi ei roi i mi a fy nhrigolion eich bod chi'n cymryd y mater hwn o ollwng carthion yn ddifrifol, fel bod pobl yn gallu mwynhau lleoedd fel Llyn Padarn am flynyddoedd i ddod?
Of course, we take them extremely seriously, and there are a number of threads running through your question, and, indeed, Siân's there, Sam Rowlands. At the risk of testing the Llywydd's patience, because that's quite a complicated answer, we're in the process of agreeing a set of criteria for the price review mechanism for the water authorities in Wales, because we need to ensure both that bills are affordable, but that the money is available to invest in the upgrade of the various systems across Wales, including combined sewer overflows and a large number of other assets that require to be upgraded, and so we need to get that mechanism right.
In the meantime, just specifically on Llyn Padarn, the assets locally comprise two pumping stations and a storm overflow. The Llanberis sewage treatment works discharges secondary treated final effluent into the Afon y Bala, which drains into Llyn Padarn. Chemical dosing and sand filtration at the sewage treatment works provide additional treatment, removing excess nutrients from the effluent prior to discharge.
We've invested over £5 million—sorry, Dŵr Cymru have invested over £5 million—to improve Llanberis works. The work included increasing the storm capacity and screening and tighter phosphorus limits. I'm sure you know that we want to begin the process of designating more inland waters for wild swimming, and I should declare my usual interest, because I'm very keen on that kind of thing. And so we want this system to work. We want the system that NRW uses to tightly control the quality there to work. Of course, that will allow inland bathing waters, but it will also drive up the quality of water generally in the rivers. My colleague, the Trefnydd, just outlined the process from the phosphate summit last week, and there will be a written statement in due course, setting out the actions coming out of the summit.
Wrth gwrs, rydyn ni'n eu cymryd nhw'n eithriadol o ddifrifol, ac mae nifer o edefynnau yn gwau trwy eich cwestiwn chi, ac, yn wir, yn un Siân draw fan acw, Sam Rowlands. Gyda'r perygl o brofi amynedd y Llywydd, oherwydd mae hwnnw'n ateb cymhleth iawn, rydyn ni yn y broses o gytuno ar gyfres o feini prawf ar gyfer mecanwaith i adolygu prisiau ar gyfer yr awdurdodau dŵr yng Nghymru, oherwydd mae angen i ni sicrhau bod y biliau yn fforddiadwy, ond bod yr arian ar gael hefyd ar gyfer buddsoddi i uwchraddio'r systemau amrywiol ledled Cymru, gan gynnwys gorlif carthffosydd cyfunol a nifer fawr o asedau eraill y mae angen eu huwchraddio nhw, ac felly mae angen i ni fod â'r mecanwaith priodol yn hyn o beth.
Yn y cyfamser, ynglŷn â Llyn Padarn yn benodol, mae'r asedau yn lleol yn cynnwys dwy orsaf bwmpio a gorlif storm. Mae gwaith trin carthion Llanberis yn gollwng elifion terfynol eilaidd wedi eu trin i Afon y Bala, sy'n llifo i Lyn Padarn. Mae dosio cemegol a hidlo tywod yn y gwaith trin carthion yn rhoi triniaeth ychwanegol, gan gael gwared ar faethynnau gormodol o'r elifion cyn eu gollwng nhw.
Rydyn ni wedi buddsoddi dros £5 miliwn—mae'n ddrwg gen i, mae Dŵr Cymru wedi buddsoddi dros £5 miliwn—i wella gwaith Llanberis. Roedd y gwaith yn cynnwys cynyddu'r gallu i ymdrin â stormydd a sgrinio a chyfyngiadau pellach o ran ffosfforws. Rwy'n siŵr y gwyddoch chi ein bod eisiau dechrau'r broses o ddynodi mwy o ddyfroedd mewndirol ar gyfer nofio gwyllt, ac fe ddylwn ddatgan fy niddordeb arferol, oherwydd rwyf i'n hoff iawn o bethau o'r fath. Ac felly rydyn ni'n awyddus i'r system hon weithio. Rydyn ni'n awyddus i'r system y mae CNC yn ei defnyddio i reoli'r ansawdd yno gyda gofal mawr fod yn gweithio. Wrth gwrs, fe fydd hynny'n caniatáu i bobl ymdrochi mewn dyfroedd mewndirol, ond fe fydd yn gwella ansawdd y dŵr hefyd yn gyffredinol yn yr afonydd. Fe wnaeth fy nghyd-Weinidog, y Trefnydd, amlinellu'r broses hon yn yr uwchgynhadledd ffosffad yr wythnos diwethaf, ac fe fydd yna ddatganiad ysgrifenedig maes o law, yn nodi'r camau a ddaeth yn dilyn yr uwchgynhadledd.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Questions now from party spokespeople. Conservative spokesperson, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Diolch, Llywydd. It is now five years and nine months that have passed since Grenfell. For 2,099 days, hundreds of Welsh residents have been living in fear regarding the integrity of their own properties and risk of fire. Between 2017-18 and 2021-22, there were 1,323 fires in purpose-built blocks of flats, and 514 fires in buildings that have been converted into flats.
Now, you must be aware of the Welsh Cladiators and their campaign for recognition of the immediacy of the need for help from this Welsh Government. Now, last week, we did hear, to be fair, that you will make a statement before the summer. However, Minister, this is of such serious consequences, the issues that these people are facing, that I would ask, in all sincerity, whether you would bring that forward.
We're also anxiously awaiting you bringing some legislation forward. We realise that this isn’t a Welsh Government fix only. A lot of this is purely down to the fact that some developers are just refusing to accept their own responsibility. So, I suppose, for me—. We had the meeting on 1 March; it was really well attended. Since then, I've received numerous concerns and really shocking examples of some of the issues facing those living in these properties. Every single day that remediation delays, it is just making the costs go up, in terms of insurance, management costs.
Somebody’s doing very nicely out of this, I have to admit, and that's at the expense of these victims. So, we are very keen to see these victims protected, and I've listened to you so many times on the complexities around the issue. What steps are you going to take for those developers who simply will not engage to face up to their responsibilities and sign the developers' pact that you have actually brought forward? Thank you.
Diolch, Llywydd. Bu pum mlynedd a naw mis ers Grenfell erbyn hyn. Am 2,099 o ddiwrnodau, mae cannoedd o drigolion Cymru wedi bod yn byw mewn ofn o ran diogelwch eu heiddo eu hunain, a pherygl o dân. Rhwng 2017-18 a 2021-22, cafwyd 1,323 o danau mewn blociau o fflatiau a adeiladwyd yn wreiddiol i'r diben hwnnw, a 514 o danau mewn adeiladau a gafodd eu haddasu i fod yn fflatiau.
Nawr, mae'n rhaid eich bod chi'n gwybod am y Welsh Cladiators a'u hymgyrch nhw i ennill cydnabyddiaeth i'r angen am gymorth ar unwaith gan y Llywodraeth hon yng Nghymru. Nawr, wythnos diwethaf, fe glywsom ni, i fod yn deg, y byddwch chi'n gwneud datganiad cyn yr haf. Er hynny, Gweinidog, mae canlyniadau hyn mor ddifrifol, a'r materion y mae'r bobl hyn yn eu hwynebu, felly rwy'n gofyn, gyda phob diffuantrwydd, a fyddech chi'n gwneud hynny'n gynt?
Rydyn ni'n disgwyl yn eiddgar i chi gyflwyno cyfran o ddeddfwriaeth gerbron. Rydyn ni'n sylweddoli nad Llywodraeth Cymru yn unig sy'n gyfrifol am y datrysiad hwn. Yn syml, mae llawer o hyn yn ymwneud â'r ffaith bod rhai datblygwyr yn gwrthod derbyn eu cyfrifoldebau eu hunain. Felly, mae'n debyg, i mi—. Fe gawsom ni'r cyfarfod ar 1 o fis Mawrth; roedd cynulleidfa niferus iawn. Ers hynny, rwyf i wedi clywed nifer o bryderon ac enghreifftiau brawychus iawn am rai o'r problemau y mae pobl sy'n byw yn yr anheddau hyn yn eu hwynebu. Bob dydd y caiff y gwaith adfer ei ddal yn ei ôl, mae hynny'n ychwanegu at y costau, o ran yswiriant, costau rheoli.
Mae rhywun yn gwneud arian fel mwg yn rhywle, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, a hynny ar draul y rhai hyn sy'n dioddef colledion. Felly, rydyn ni'n awyddus iawn i weld amddiffyniad i'r dioddefwyr hyn, ac rwyf i wedi gwrando arnoch chi'n siarad dro ar ôl tro am y cymhlethdodau ynglŷn â'r mater. Pa gamau a ydych chi am eu cymryd o ran y datblygwyr hynny nad ydyn nhw, yn syml, wedi dechrau ymrwymo a derbyn eu cyfrifoldebau a llofnodi, mewn gwirionedd, y cytundeb i ddatblygwyr y gwnaethoch chi ei gyflwyno? Diolch i chi.
So, Janet, we've rehearsed this a number of times, haven't we? The scale of the problem is very different in Wales, and we've approached it very differently. We identified 15 high-rise buildings with aluminium composite material cladding following Grenfell; three in the social sector and 12 in the private sector. The three social sector buildings were remediated immediately with £3 million support from the Welsh Government. The 12 private sector schemes were taken forward by the private sector. These have all either been completed or are being completed right now at developers' cost. That's through our intervention in the first place.
We're also aware, through our expression-of-interest process, of one further building above 11m in height that might have ACM cladding, and our consultants are currently undertaking additional tests to confirm whether this is the case as quickly as possible. If it is, of course, it will be put into the same process for remediation. So, we acted very swiftly on the cladding.
However, I've also been very clear that cladding isn't the only issue, and I know you're aware of that. So, unfortunately, a large number of these buildings have a large number of different problems, and each building has a different set of those problems. So, you can't do a one size fits all; each building has a different set of issues. Some of them have compartmentation problems, some of them have stuff-that-holds-the-cladding-on problems, some of them have firebreak problems. There's a whole myriad of different problems. So, as I've said a number of times before—I'm very happy to repeat it—we're in the process of having the inspections done. They're nearly completed; there are only a few left to go. The ones that are left to go are either because we've had a problem with the managing agent getting permission from the freeholder to do the invasive survey, or, in a couple of instances, we've had problems because we've had to shut a major traffic thoroughfare in order to get access to the building, and, obviously, that takes some time to put the traffic orders and so on in place. But, other than that, they're largely there.
I will be making an announcement about the so-called orphan buildings shortly. We have a plan to deal with those. I won't pre-announce that, but I'm hoping to be able to make that announcement very soon now, where we can start the remediation for those buildings, which, just to explain the phrase, are buildings where everyone who ought to do the work has either gone bankrupt or can't be found, or, for very complex reasons, there isn't someone that we can hold responsible for that.
In addition, we have 11 developers who've signed our pact, and we expect them to sign our legal documentation imminently. There are one or two who haven't signed the pact and come forward. I've been extremely clear with those that we will be taking draconic action against them. We will move the same way as England exactly to stop them taking beneficial use of a planning consent that they may have and to debar them from doing any work in the public sector, which will, effectively, mean they can't work unless they remediate the buildings they're responsible for.
The last piece of this, and this is—. My heart goes out to these people, but we have got a scheme that buys out the flat for somebody who is in a really difficult situation. A number of people have written to me saying that they're in that situation, so we've encouraged them to go through that process. We have a number of those going through now, and we really want to be sympathetic to people who want to move on with their lives. We've also been working really hard with insurance companies and with lenders to make sure that the ES1W—I always get that the wrong way round—forms don't mean that people can't sell. So, an enormous amount of work has gone on in this sector.
But it is different here in Wales, because of the different scale and the market is a different scale, so we don't have some of the levers that the UK Government has. Also, we've just taken a slightly different approach. So, I don't believe that the leaseholders themselves should have to take legal action, and I know they want me to implement the provisions that allow them to, but legal action is not some sort of panacea. Just because you're taking legal action doesn't mean you have a sudden and effective resolution, and there are buildings just local to here that are in a litigation situation, and it's quite clear that it isn't an effective solution.
Our documentation is set up slightly differently. When the developers sign the documentation with us, it's the Welsh Government that would take them to court. We will bear the legal risk and responsibility for that. I think that's right, because I don't think the leaseholders should bear the lottery, a little bit, of litigation, or the legal costs that go with it. So, I make no apology for having done it differently here in Wales. I absolutely appreciate the frustration of the people involved, but in the end I do think that our system will work for them. And the last piece is, of course, we've always done it for buildings over 11m, not 18m, here in Wales, and so more of them are caught in our system than would be the case if we followed the English view.
Felly, Janet, rydyn ni wedi ailadrodd hyn nifer o weithiau, onid ydym ni? Mae maint y broblem yn wahanol iawn yng Nghymru, ac mae ein hymagwedd yn wahanol iawn. Fe wnaethom ni nodi 15 adeilad uchel gyda chladin deunydd cyfansawdd alwminiwm yn dilyn Grenfell; tri yn y sector cymdeithasol a 12 yn y sector preifat. Cafodd y tri adeilad yn y sector cymdeithasol eu cyweirio ar unwaith a rhoddwyd cefnogaeth o £3 miliwn gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Ymdriniwyd â'r 12 cynllun yn y sector preifat gan y sector preifat. Mae'r rhain i gyd naill ai wedi cael eu cwblhau neu yn y broses o gael eu cwblhau ar hyn o bryd ar gost y datblygwyr. Mae hynny oherwydd ein hymyrraeth ni yn y lle cyntaf.
Rydyn ni'n ymwybodol hefyd, trwy ein proses mynegi diddordeb, o un adeilad arall sydd dros 11m o uchder a allai fod â chladin ACM, ac mae ein hymgynghorwyr ni'n cynnal profion ychwanegol ar hyn o bryd i gadarnhau a yw hynny'n wir cyn gynted â phosibl. Os felly, wrth gwrs, fe fydd yn cael ei ddodi yn yr un broses ar gyfer cyweirio. Felly, fe fuom ni'n gweithredu ar gyflymder mawr ynglŷn â'r cladin.
Fodd bynnag, rwyf i wedi bod yn eglur iawn hefyd nad cladin yw'r unig broblem, ac fe wn eich bod chi'n ymwybodol o hynny. Felly, yn anffodus, mae gan nifer fawr o'r adeiladau hyn nifer fawr o broblemau amrywiol, ac mae gan bob adeilad gyfres wahanol o'r problemau hynny. Felly, ni allwch chi gynnig yr un datrysiad i bawb; mae cyfres wahanol o faterion ynglŷn â phob adeilad. Mae gan rai ohonyn nhw broblemau gydag adrannu, mae gan rai ohonyn nhw broblemau gyda'r sylweddau sy'n dal y cladin yn ei le, mae gan rai ohonyn nhw broblemau gydag atal tân. Mae yna fyrdd o broblemau amrywiol. Felly, fel dywedais i sawl tro o'r blaen—rwy'n hapus iawn i ailadrodd hynny—rydyn ni yn y broses o gynnal yr arolygiadau. Maen nhw wedi gorffen bron iawn; dim ond rhyw ychydig sydd ar ôl eto. Mae'r rhai ar ôl naill ai oherwydd ein bod ni wedi cael problem gyda'r asiant rheoli o ran caniatâd gan y rhydd-ddeiliaid i gynnal yr arolwg ymwthiol, neu, mewn cwpl o achosion, rydym ni wedi cael problemau oherwydd ein bod ni wedi gorfod cau tramwyfa draffig fawr ar gyfer cael mynediad i'r adeilad, ac, yn amlwg, mae hi'n cymryd peth amser i roi'r gorchmynion traffig ar waith ac ati. Ond, heblaw am hynny, maen nhw yn eu lle i raddau helaeth.
Rwyf i am wneud cyhoeddiad ynglŷn â'r adeiladau a elwir yn amddifad cyn bo hir. Mae gennym ni gynllun i ymdrin â'r rhain. Nid wyf i am roi rhaghysbysiad o hynny, ond rwy'n gobeithio gallu gwneud y cyhoeddiad hwnnw'n fuan iawn nawr, er mwyn i ni allu dechrau ar y gwaith cyweirio yn yr adeiladau hynny, sydd, dim ond ar gyfer esbonio'r enw, yn adeiladau lle mae pawb a ddylai fod yn gwneud y gwaith naill ai wedi mynd yn fethdalwyr neu wedi mynd o'r golwg, neu, am resymau cymhleth iawn, nad oes unrhyw un y gallwn ni ei ddal yn gyfrifol am hynny.
Ar ben hynny, mae gennym ni 11 o ddatblygwyr sydd wedi llofnodi ein cytundeb, ac rydym ni'n disgwyl iddyn nhw lofnodi ein dogfennau cyfreithiol ni'n fuan iawn. Mae yna un neu ddau sydd heb lofnodi'r cytundeb nac wedi dod ymlaen. Rwyf wedi bod yn eglur iawn gyda'r rhain y byddwn ni'n gweithredu yn llym iawn yn eu herbyn nhw. Fe fyddwn ni'n gweithredu yn union yn yr un ffordd â Lloegr ar gyfer eu hatal nhw rhag unrhyw ddefnydd buddiol o ganiatâd cynllunio sydd yn eu meddiant nhw a'u rhwystro nhw rhag gwneud unrhyw waith yn y sector cyhoeddus, ac fe fydd hynny'n golygu, i bob pwrpas, na allan nhw weithio oni bai eu bod nhw'n dwyn yr adeiladau y maen nhw'n gyfrifol amdanyn nhw i'r cyflwr priodol.
Y darn olaf o hyn, a dyma—. Mae fy nghalon i'n gwaedu dros y bobl hyn, ond mae cynllun i'w gael gennym ni a wnaiff brynu fflat i rywun sydd mewn sefyllfa anodd iawn. Mae nifer o bobl wedi ysgrifennu ataf yn dweud eu bod nhw mewn sefyllfa o'r fath, felly rydym ni wedi eu hannog nhw i fynd drwy'r broses honno. Mae nifer o'r rhain yn mynd drwodd gennym ni nawr, ac rydym ni'n awyddus iawn i fod yn dosturiol â phobl sy'n dymuno symud ymlaen gyda'u bywydau. Rydym ni wedi bod yn gweithio'n galed iawn hefyd gyda chwmnïau yswiriant a chyda benthycwyr i sicrhau nad yw'r ffurflenni ES1W—rwy'n drysu'r drefn bob amser—yn golygu na all pobl werthu. Felly, mae yna lawer iawn o waith wedi mynd ymlaen yn y maes hwn.
Ond mae hi'n wahanol yma yng Nghymru, oherwydd y raddfa wahanol a bod y farchnad ar raddfa wahanol, felly nid oes gennym rai o'r ysgogiadau sydd gan Lywodraeth y DU. Hefyd, rydym ni wedi ymagweddu ychydig bach yn wahanol. Felly, nid wyf i'n credu y dylai'r lesddeiliaid eu hunain orfod cymryd camau cyfreithiol, ac rwy'n gwybod eu bod nhw'n awyddus i mi weithredu'r darpariaethau sy'n caniatáu iddyn nhw wneud felly, ond nid yw camau cyfreithiol yn foddion at bob clwyf. Nid yw'r ffaith eich bod chi'n cymryd camau cyfreithiol yn golygu y bydd gennych chi ddatrysiad sydyn ac effeithiol, ac mae yna adeiladau cyfagos fan hyn sydd mewn sefyllfa o ymgyfreitha, ac mae hi'n hollol amlwg nad yw hwnnw'n ddatrysiad effeithiol.
Lluniwyd ein dogfennau ni mewn dull ychydig yn wahanol. Pan fydd y datblygwyr yn llofnodi'r dogfennau gyda ni, Llywodraeth Cymru fyddai'n mynd â nhw i'r llys. Ni fydd yn ysgwyddo'r baich a'r cyfrifoldeb cyfreithiol am hynny. Rwy'n credu mai hynny sy'n iawn, oherwydd nid wyf i'n credu y dylai'r lesddeiliaid chwarae loteri, i ryw raddau, ymgyfreitha, na'r costau cyfreithiol sy'n mynd gyda hynny. Felly, nid wyf i'n ymddiheuro am i hynny gael ei wneud yn wahanol yma yng Nghymru. Rwy'n llwyr ddeall y rhwystredigaeth sydd gan y bobl dan sylw, ond yn y diwedd rwy'n credu y bydd ein system ni'n gweithio iddyn nhw. A'r peth olaf, wrth gwrs, rydyn ni wedi gwneud hyn bob amser ar gyfer adeiladau dros 11m, ac nid 18m, yma yng Nghymru, ac felly mae mwy ohonyn nhw'n cael eu dal yn ein system ni nag a fyddai'r achos pe byddem ni'n dilyn safbwynt Lloegr.
Thank you. I think that’s probably the largest amount of information we’ve heard so far going forward of what has been done so far and what more needs to be done.
One of the issues that arose at the meeting I held was the cost of these surveys. There was one lady—and she had no reason to mislead us in any way—who made it clear she had two of these properties, and she actually was waiting for £75,000 reimbursement from the Welsh Government, and had been waiting for it for quite some time; nearly a year, I think she meant. And I was really shocked, because it’s a lot of money to put out for a survey to have been promised she’d have it reimbursed by the Welsh Government. If you want me to bring these to you on an individual basis, I’m happy to.
But one thing that did strike me—that 17 applications for reimbursement of survey fees have been submitted to you since October. Offer letters have only been issued to five responsible persons or management agencies. So, again, those victims are out of pocket until they have those payments.
Another issue that’s been raised with me is that you have received from the UK Government £375 million. Can you tell the Chamber here today—? I mean, that’s—. How you’ve had it in—. But that’s the figure; you’ve even used that figure yourself.
Diolch i chi. Rwy'n credu mai dyna'r swm mwyaf o wybodaeth a glywsom ni hyd yma o ran yr hyn sydd wedi cael ei wneud a'r hyn y mae angen ei wneud eto.
Un o'r materion a gododd yn y cyfarfod a gynhaliais i oedd cost yr arolygon hyn. Roedd un wraig—ac nid oedd ganddi hi unrhyw reswm o gwbl i'n camarwain ni—yn egluro bod ganddi hi ddau eiddo fel hyn, ac roedd hi'n aros am ad-daliad o £75,000 gan Lywodraeth Cymru, mewn gwirionedd, ac wedi bod yn aros amdano ers cryn amser; bron i flwyddyn, rwy'n meddwl iddi hi ddweud. Ac fe ges i sioc ofnadwy, achos mae hynny'n arian mawr i'w dalu allan am arolwg yr oedd hi wedi cael addewid y byddai hi'n cael ad-daliad gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Pe byddech chi'n dymuno i mi gyflwyno'r rhain yn unigol i chi, rwy'n hapus i wneud felly.
Ond un peth a wnaeth fy nharo i—y cyflwynwyd 17 cais am ad-daliad ffioedd arolwg i chi ers mis Hydref. Dim ond pump o unigolion cyfrifol neu asiantaethau rheoli cyfrifol sydd wedi cael llythyrau cynnig. Felly, unwaith eto, mae rhai yn dioddef colledion ariannol ar hyn o bryd nes bydd y taliadau hyn yn eu pocedi nhw.
Mater arall a godwyd gyda mi yw eich bod wedi cael £375 miliwn gan Lywodraeth y DU. A wnewch chi ddweud wrth y Siambr hon heddiw—? Hynny yw, dyna—. Sut y cawsoch chi hwnnw—. Ond dyna'r ffigur; rydych chi wedi defnyddio'r ffigur hwnnw eich hun hyd yn oed.
Yes. [Inaudible.]
Do. [Anghlywadwy.]
Yes, so tell us how you’re spending it, how much of that £375 million is left, and will you honour these surveys that these victims actually then—? They’re trying to sort this issue out themselves. Thank you.
Ie, felly dywedwch wrthym ni sut rydych chi'n ei wario, faint o'r £375 miliwn hwnnw sydd ar ôl, ac a fyddwch chi'n anrhydeddu'r arolygon hynny fel bydd y dioddefwyr hyn mewn gwirionedd—? Maen nhw'n ceisio datrys y mater hwn eu hunain. Diolch i chi.
Right. The £375 million is the amount of money the Welsh Government has put into the building safety pot. It is not a consequential and it is not direct from the UK Government; so, just to be really clear about that. If we were relying on consequentials from the UK Government, we would have nothing like that sum of money—nothing like it.
In terms of reimbursement, we are looking to reimburse surveys where the surveys have been done correctly—they've been correctly tendered for; they haven't been done by a relative or a friend; they have all of the right components in them that we can rely on that survey work and it's not wasted money. I make no apology for the delay, Janet. This is public money we're talking about; we have to go through the process of making sure that, in reimbursing that money, the survey that's been carried out is something we can rely on and make use of, and I'm afraid that does take a little time. But I'm very keen indeed that people who have done the right thing and acted are not disadvantaged by that.
We're also looking at other expenditure that's been incurred by the leaseholders to see if there's anything we can do to reimburse it. I can't promise that, because it has to comply with all of the standards for the spending of public money, and you'd expect me to comply with those standards, but, if we can find a way to reimburse people who are out of pocket, we will. I can't promise that we will be able to reimburse all of it, and this is a situation not-of-the-public purse-making either. So, it's very important that we do that.
If you want to write to me with individual examples, please do, and I can look into them for you. I obviously can't comment on individual examples on the floor of the Senedd, but, again, this is a process that must be gone through in order to comply with our own fiduciary duties. [Interruption.] Sorry. My watch is now getting involved in the act. [Laughter.] My watch does not understand the phrase 'fiduciary duty', I think that's quite clear. [Laughter.] So, Janet, it does take some time, and I know that's frustrating, but I'm sure we'll get there in the end.
Iawn. Y £375 miliwn yw'r arian mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei roi yn y gronfa diogelwch adeiladau. Nid yw'n gyllid canlyniadol ac nid yw'n uniongyrchol oddi wrth Lywodraeth y DU; felly, dim ond i fod yn eglur iawn am hynny. Pe byddem ni'n dibynnu ar arian canlyniadol oddi wrth Lywodraeth y DU, ni fyddai gennym ni unrhyw beth tebyg i'r swm hwnnw o arian—dim byd tebyg iddo.
O ran ad-dalu, rydym ni'n golygu rhoi ad-daliadau am arolygon pan fo'r arolygon wedi cael eu gwneud yn briodol—eu bod nhw wedi cael eu tendro yn briodol; ac nad ydyn nhw wedi cael eu gwneud gan berthynas teuluol na ffrind; a bod yr holl gydrannau cywir ynddyn nhw ac y gallwn ni ddibynnu ar y gwaith arolygu hwnnw ac nid gwastraff arian mohono. Nid wyf i'n ymddiheuro am yr oedi, Janet. Arian cyhoeddus yw'r hyn yr ydym ni'n siarad amdano; mae'n rhaid i ni fynd drwy'r broses o wneud yn siŵr, wrth ad-dalu'r arian hwnnw, fod yr arolwg sydd wedi cael ei gynnal yn rhywbeth y gallwn ni ddibynnu arno a gwneud defnydd ohono, ac mae arnaf i ofn bod hynny'n cymryd rhywfaint o amser. Ond rwy'n awyddus iawn wir nad yw pobl sydd wedi gwneud y peth iawn yn cael eu rhoi o dan anfantais am wneud hynny.
Rydyn ni'n edrych ar wariant arall a ysgwyddwyd gan y lesddeiliaid i weld a oes unrhyw beth y gallwn ei wneud i'w ad-dalu. Nid wyf i'n addo gwneud hynny, oherwydd mae'n rhaid i hynny gydymffurfio â'r safonau i gyd ar gyfer gwario arian cyhoeddus, ac fe fyddech chi'n disgwyl i mi gydymffurfio â'r safonau hynny, ond, os gallwn ni ddod o hyd i ffordd o ad-dalu pobl sydd ar eu colled yn ariannol, fe wnawn ni. Ni allaf addo y byddwn ni'n gallu ad-dalu'r cyfan, ac mae hon yn sefyllfa nad yw'n ymwneud â phwrs y wlad chwaith. Felly, mae hi'n bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n gwneud hynny.
Os ydych chi'n dymuno ysgrifennu ataf i gydag enghreifftiau unigol, gwnewch hynny ar bob cyfrif, ac fe allaf innau edrych i mewn iddyn nhw i chi. Yn amlwg, ni allaf i wneud sylw ar enghreifftiau unigol ar lawr y Senedd, ond, unwaith eto, mae hon yn broses y mae'n rhaid mynd drwyddi ar gyfer cydymffurfio â'n dyletswyddau ymddiriedol ein hunain. [Torri ar draws.] Mae'n ddrwg gen i. Mae fy oriawr i'n yn cymryd rhan yn y sioe nawr. [Chwerthin.] Nid yw fy oriawr i'n deall yr ymadrodd 'dyletswydd ymddiriedol', rwy'n meddwl bod hynny'n gwbl eglur. [Chwerthin.] Felly, Janet, mae hyn yn cymryd peth amser, ac fe wn i fod hynny'n achosi rhwystredigaeth, ond rwy'n siŵr y byddwn ni'n cyrraedd y fan yn y diwedd.
Thank you. And then, another issue that arose was the moneys that you have spent on registered social housing, so £8.7 million, and £1.9 million provided to Cardiff Community Housing Association. I understand there are two blocks in the bay here where the ones having the remediation are registered social landlords, and that private owners of property just have to stand by and see these works ongoing. Surely, there should be an equilibrium applied here, that this money isn’t just going into registered social landlords. These individuals, on an individual basis, all tot up to quite a lot of money, but I just feel that they are not being taken as seriously by the Welsh Government as registered social landlords. Will you be seeking to claw back any money from those RSLs that have benefited from your intervention? And how do you as a Minister actually prove to me and this Chamber that you will fairly apply any process, any initiative, so that those individual private property owners feel that they're being taken equally seriously? Thank you.
Diolch i chi. Ac yna, un mater arall a gododd oedd yr arian y gwnaethoch chi ei wario ar dai cymdeithasol cofrestredig, felly £8.7 miliwn, a £1.9 miliwn a roddwyd i Gymdeithas Tai Cymunedol Caerdydd. Rwy'n deall bod dau floc yn y bae fan yma lle mae'r rhai sy'n cael y gwaith cyweirio yn eiddo i landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig, a bod yn rhaid i'r perchnogion eiddo preifat sefyll a gweld y gwaith hwn yn mynd rhagddo. Siawns na ddylid bod â chydbwysedd yn hyn o beth, nad yw'r arian hwn yn mynd i landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig yn unig. Mae'r unigolion hyn i gyd, yn unigol, yn rhoi cyfanswm o gryn dipyn o arian, ond rwy'n teimlo nad ydyn nhw'n cael eu cyfrif mor bwysig gan Lywodraeth Cymru â landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig. A fyddwch chi'n ceisio adfachu unrhyw arian gan y landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig hynny sydd wedi elwa ar eich ymyrraeth? A sut ydych chi am brofi mewn gwirionedd i mi a'r Siambr hon y byddwch chi'r Gweinidog yn cymhwyso unrhyw broses, unrhyw fenter, gyda chyfiawnder fel bod y perchnogion eiddo preifat unigol hynny'n teimlo eu bod yn cael eu hystyried yr un mor bwysig? Diolch i chi.
So, Janet, quite clearly, there's a big difference between tenants in a social building and tenants in a privately owned building. There's a clear and obvious difference, not least that the people in a social building don't have any equity. It isn't an investment; it's not a private investment for them, it's merely a home and they rent it off a social landlord. Also, the complications of who exactly is responsible for that building don't exist where the social landlord is responsible. It's quite clear and obvious who is responsible for it, so it's just much more straightforward. Also, the Government has an overriding duty to social tenants. So, there is a clear and obvious difference between the two.
What we've been doing is trying to go as fast as possible whilst protecting the equity of the people in the building. I have a lot of sympathy with the people who have invested in those properties, but let's be clear, it is an investment, because the way that the housing market works in Britain is that property is often your home and also your biggest investment. That's the case for me and it's the case for large numbers of other families. So, I have a lot of sympathy with that. It's not a criticism, but it does make a very distinct difference between that and social housing tenants, who obviously don't have any equity in the property that they live in. They rely on their social landlord to keep them safe and adequately housed. So, it's a very different situation. And that is very clearly what is happening.
But, we are acting with pace to make sure that we can remediate all of the buildings that require it, working with the developers in order to make sure that the developers pay their full share of what they're responsible to do, but also going as fast as we can to make sure that the developers act, and act swiftly, and that we have work that's done to a high standard, which the Government is now overseeing to make sure that that high standard is there. And if the developers don't do what they're supposed to do this time, then the Welsh Government will be the contract holder and we will be the people who then take legal action against them and not the individual leaseholders, which will only lead to even more complex litigation and, I'm afraid, delays, as we've seen where litigation gets started.
Felly, Janet, yn amlwg iawn, mae yna wahaniaeth enfawr rhwng tenantiaid mewn adeilad cymdeithasol a thenantiaid mewn adeilad dan berchnogaeth breifat. Mae yna wahaniaeth eglur ac amlwg, yn enwedig oherwydd nad oes gan y bobl mewn adeilad cymdeithasol unrhyw ecwiti ynddo. Nid buddsoddiad yw hwn; nid yw'n fuddsoddiad preifat iddyn nhw, dim ond cartref ydyw ac maen nhw'n ei rentu oddi wrth landlord cymdeithasol. Yn ogystal â hynny, nid yw'r cymhlethdodau o ran pwy yn union sy'n gyfrifol am yr adeilad hwnnw yn bodoli pan fo'r landlord cymdeithasol â chyfrifoldeb. Mae hi'n eglur iawn ac yn amlwg pwy sy'n gyfrifol am y peth, felly mae hi'n llawer symlach. Hefyd, mae gan y Llywodraeth ddyletswydd bwysig iawn i denantiaid cymdeithasol. Felly, mae yna wahaniaeth eglur ac amlwg rhwng y ddwy sefyllfa.
Yr hyn yr ydym ni wedi bod yn ei wneud yw ceisio mynd mor gyflym â phosibl gan warchod ecwiti'r bobl yn yr adeilad. Mae gennyf i lawer o gydymdeimlad â'r bobl sydd wedi buddsoddi yn y fflatiau hyn, ond gadewch i ni fod yn eglur, buddsoddiad yw hwnnw, oherwydd y ffordd mae'r farchnad dai yn gweithio ym Mhrydain yw, yn aml iawn, eich eiddo yw eich cartref chi hefyd a'ch buddsoddiad mwyaf yn ogystal â hynny. Mae hynny'n wir i mi a'r un mor wir i nifer fawr o deuluoedd eraill. Felly, mae gen i lawer o gydymdeimlad â hynny. Nid beirniadaeth mo hon, ond mae'n golygu gwahaniaeth pendant iawn rhwng pobl sy'n buddsoddi mewn tai a thenantiaid tai cymdeithasol, sydd yn amlwg heb unrhyw ecwiti yn yr eiddo maen nhw'n byw ynddo. Maen nhw'n dibynnu ar eu landlord cymdeithasol i'w cadw nhw'n ddiogel mewn cartref sy'n weddus. Felly, mae hi'n sefyllfa wahanol iawn. A dyna, yn amlwg iawn, sy'n digwydd.
Ond, rydym ni'n gweithredu ar garlam i sicrhau y gallwn ni gyweirio'r holl adeiladau sydd ag angen hynny, gan weithio gyda'r datblygwyr i sicrhau bod y datblygwyr yn gwneud eu cyfran lawn o'r hyn y maen nhw'n gyfrifol amdano, ond gan fynd mor gyflym ag y gallwn ni hefyd i sicrhau bod y datblygwyr yn gweithredu, ac yn gweithredu ar fyrder, a bod y gwaith yn cael ei wneud i ni hyd at safon uchel, ac mae'r Llywodraeth yn goruchwylio'r gwaith erbyn hyn i wneud yn siŵr bod y safon uchel honno'n bresennol. Ac os nad yw'r datblygwyr yn gwneud yr hyn y dylen nhw'r tro hwn, yna Llywodraeth Cymru fydd deiliad y cytundeb a nyni fydd y rhai a fydd yn cymryd camau cyfreithiol yn eu herbyn nhw wedyn ac nid y lesddeiliaid unigol, a fyddai'n gwneud dim ond arwain at ymgyfreitha mwy cymhleth eto ac oedi, mae arnaf i ofn, fel gwelsom ni pan ddechreuwyd ymgyfreitha.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Delyth Jewell.
The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Delyth Jewell.
Our natural world is precious and in order for us to understand how important it is that we protect it, we have to first understand how under threat it actually is. There's been alarm about reports that the BBC won't be broadcasting an episode of Sir David Attenborough's new series on British wildlife, reportedly over a fear of a backlash. Coincidentally, last week, 300 organisations from across Wales wrote to the First Minister, calling for the urgent introduction of the environmental legislation promised when this Senedd declared a nature emergency. We know that so much of our natural beauty in Wales is on the brink of being lost. Now, Minister, I would argue that the reports of a programme not being broadcast do suggest the extent to which the vested interests of some people in power stand in the way of positive change. So, in that new, more urgent context, would you agree to provide us with a timetable for when that legislation could be introduced, please?
Mae ein byd naturiol ni'n werthfawr ac er mwyn i ni ddeall pa mor bwysig yw hi ein bod ni'n ei amddiffyn, mae'n rhaid i ni ddeall yn gyntaf pa mor fawr yw'r bygythiad iddo mewn gwirionedd. Mae cryn ofid wedi bod oherwydd yr adroddiadau na fydd y BBC yn darlledu pennod o gyfres newydd Syr David Attenborough ar fywyd gwyllt Prydain, oherwydd perygl o feirniadaeth, meddir. Trwy gyd-ddigwyddiad, wythnos diwethaf, fe ysgrifennodd 300 o sefydliadau o bob rhan o Gymru at y Prif Weinidog, yn galw am gyflwyno deddfwriaeth amgylcheddol a addawyd ar frys pan wnaeth y Senedd hon ddatgan argyfwng natur. Rydyn ni'n gwybod bod cymaint o'n harddwch naturiol ni yng Nghymru ar fin mynd ar ddifancoll. Nawr, Gweinidog, fe fyddwn i'n dadlau bod yr adroddiadau nad yw'r rhaglen am gael ei darlledu yn awgrymu i ba raddau y mae buddiannau breintiedig rhai pobl mewn grym yn rhwystro newid cadarnhaol. Felly, yn y cyd-destun newydd, mwy argyfyngus hwnnw, a fyddech chi'n cytuno i roi amserlen i ni o ran pryd y gellid cyflwyno'r ddeddfwriaeth honno, os gwelwch chi'n dda?
Yes, so, Delyth, I'm afraid I'm going to give you an answer you've had many times before. I didn't know about the BBC programme. If that's true, it's appalling, and the BBC really needs to think about what message it's giving, if that's what it's doing.
Ie, felly, Delyth, mae arnaf i ofn mod i am roi ateb i chi yr ydych wedi ei gael sawl gwaith o'r blaen. Nid oeddwn i'n gwybod am raglen y BBC. Os yw hynny'n wir, mae hynny'n warthus, ac mae gwir angen i'r BBC ystyried pa neges y mae'n ei chyhoeddi, os mai dyna'r hyn y mae'n ei wneud.
It's on iPlayer.
Mae hi ar iPlayer.
It's on iPlayer, is it? Good. Right.
Mae hi ar iPlayer, ydy hi? Da iawn. Reit.
Can I raise a point of order, Llywydd?
A gaf i godi pwynt o drefn, Llywydd?
No, I don't need a point of order in the middle of questions.
Na, nid oes angen pwynt o drefn arnaf i ar ganol cwestiynau.
It's not true. There's a BBC tweet saying that's untrue. That's all.
Nid yw hynny'n wir. Mae neges drydar gan y BBC yn dweud mai anwiredd yw hynny. Dyna i gyd.
Okay. I need to get everything back to order here. But, thank you for the clarification from both Sam and Huw.
Iawn. Mae angen i mi ddwyn popeth yn ôl i drefn yma. Ond, diolch am yr eglurhad gan Sam a Huw fel ei gilydd.
In answer to the substantive question, Llywydd, which is the timing of the environmental governance and biodiversity targets, we will bring those forward as soon as we can. I absolutely understand the urgency. But, just to be really clear, Delyth, we're not waiting for the legislation to be put in place and then taking action. I am absolutely signed up to the 30x30 goals. That gives us seven and a bit years to get to where we need to be. Clearly, if we waited for the legislation to go through we would be really struggling. So, we are already working at pace. We've done the biodiversity deep-dive, I've done a whole series of things this week, which the Llywydd will get very cross with me if I start to list, but trust me we are working at pace. We will bring that legislation forward. I want that legislation to be robust. I want the agency to have teeth to hold our feet, or any successive Governments' feet, to the fire, and I want the biodiversity goals to be meaningful and make real differences on the ground. So, we are working at pace to do all of that in advance of the legislation. I will be bringing it forward as soon as we possibly can, but we also need to get it right, and I want it to be robust and vigorous legislation, as I know you do too.
I ateb y cwestiwn gwirioneddol, Llywydd, sef o ran amseriad y nodau llywodraethu amgylcheddol a bioamrywiaeth, fe fyddwn ni'n cyflwyno'r rhain cyn gynted ag y gallwn ni. Rwy'n deall y brys yn llwyr. Ond, er mwyn bod yn hollol eglur, Delyth, nid ydym ni'n aros i'r ddeddfwriaeth fod ar waith cyn gwneud unrhyw beth. Rwyf i'n gwbl ymrwymedig i amcanion 30x30. Mae hynny'n rhoi saith mlynedd a thipyn i ni gyrraedd lle mae angen i ni fod. Yn amlwg, pe byddem ni'n aros i'r ddeddfwriaeth fynd drwodd fe fyddem ni'n ei chael hi'n anodd iawn. Felly, rydyn ni'n gweithio ar gyflymder eisoes. Rydyn ni wedi cynnal ymchwiliad a dadansoddiad trylwyr o ran bioamrywiaeth, rwyf i wedi gwneud nifer o bethau'r wythnos hon, ac fe fyddai'r Llywydd yn grac iawn gyda mi pe byddwn i'n dechrau eu rhestru nhw, ond coeliwch chi fi ein bod ni'n gweithio ar gyflymder. Fe fyddwn ni'n cyflwyno'r ddeddfwriaeth honno. Rwy'n awyddus i'r ddeddfwriaeth honno fod yn gadarn. Rwy'n awyddus i'r asiantaeth fod â digon o allu i'n dal ni, neu unrhyw Lywodraethau olynol, yn gyfrifol, ac rwy'n awyddus i'r nodau o ran bioamrywiaeth fod yn ystyrlon a gwneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol ar lawr gwlad. Felly, rydyn ni'n gweithio ar garlam i wneud hyn i gyd cyn y ddeddfwriaeth. Fe fyddaf i'n ei chyflwyno cyn gynted ag y gallwn, ond mae angen i ni wneud pethau yn y ffordd gywir hefyd, ac rwy'n dymuno, fel rydych chwithau, rwy'n gwybod, iddi fod yn ddeddfwriaeth gadarn ac egnïol.
Diolch i Sam am bwyntio hynna mas am rywbeth sydd wedi bod ar Twitter hefyd, ond fe wnaf i ddod yn ôl at hynna mewn munud.
Mae e'n galonogol fod y plymio dwfn neu'r deep-dive ar fioamrywiaeth yn ymrwymo i ddod â deddfwriaeth sy'n cynnwys targedau cyffredinol i adfer natur, a hefyd darpariaeth ar lywodraethiant amgylcheddol, ac i wneud hynny mor fuan ag sy'n bosibl yn y tymor yma o'r Senedd, ac rwy'n cymryd beth roeddech chi newydd ei ddweud. Mae hefyd yn ymrwymo, wrth gwrs, i gyfres o dargedau statudol mwy penodol ar adfer natur a fydd yn chwarae rhan mewn sicrhau bod Cymru yn chwarae rhan yn y fframwaith bioamrywiaeth byd-eang sydd yn bodoli.
Ydych chi'n cytuno, ac rwy'n cymryd mewn i ystyriaeth beth rydych chi newydd ei ddweud o ran eich bod chi'n methu rhoi timetable penodol i ni, ond ydych chi'n cytuno bod brys yn sgil efallai'r penderfyniad, efallai—? Ie, fel roedd Sam Kurtz newydd bwyntio mas, dim ots os oedd hwn yn benderfyniad a oedd wedi cael ei wneud yn barod gan ddarlledwr, mae yna rai pobl yn meddwl bod penderfyniad wedi cael ei wneud i beidio darlledu rhaglen oedd yn sôn am ba mor fregus a beth sydd ar fai am ba mor fregus ydy ein system naturiol ni yng Nghymru, a dim ots os oedd hynny achos pwysau gan y Llywodraeth—mae'n debyg nawr taw nid dyna oedd e—neu achos bod y cyhoedd efallai ddim mewn lle i eisiau clywed hynny yn yr un ffordd, dim ots beth yw'r pwynt pan oedd hynny wedi digwydd, ydych chi'n cytuno bod angen i ni fod yn gwneud cymaint mwy i fynd â'r cyhoedd gyda ni, i ni i gyd i ddeall pam? Dŷn ni'n sôn am climate emergency, nature emergency, ond rwy'n poeni weithiau ein bod ni'n colli'r syniad o ba mor fregus ydy'r sefyllfa yma. Dŷn ni wedi gweld beth oedd ar ein sgriniau ni dros y weekend. Bydd hynny'n cael ei golli, ac mae'n rhaid i'r cyhoedd ddeall hynny. Beth ydych chi'n meddwl mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gallu ei wneud i atgyfnerthu ba mor argyfyngus ydy ein sefyllfa ni ar gyfer y byd naturiol yng Nghymru?
Thank you to Sam for pointing that out, something that has been published on Twitter too, but I'll return to that in a moment.
It is encouraging that the biodiversity deep-dive commits to bringing forward legislation that sets general targets for nature restoration, and also provision regarding environmental governance, and to do so as early as possible in this Senedd term, and I take on board what you just said. It also commits, of course, to a series of statutory targets that are more specific on nature restoration, which will have a role to play in ensuring that Wales plays its part in the global framework on biodiversity that exists.
Do you agree, and I'm bearing in mind what you just said, that you can't give a specific timetable, do you agree that it's now a matter of some urgency, perhaps following the decision, perhaps—? Yes, as Sam Kurtz just pointed out, no matter if this was a decision that had already been made by the broadcaster, some people think that a decision was made to not broadcast a programme that talked about how fragile the natural systems are in Wales and what the reasons for that are, and no matter whether that was done because of Government pressure—it seems it was not—or because the public wasn't in a position to want to hear that, or to be open to hearing it, no matter at what point that happened, do you agree that we need to do so much more to bring the public with us, so that we can all understand? We talk, for example, about a climate emergency and a nature emergency, but I'm concerned sometimes that we are losing this idea of how fragile the situation is. Over the weekend, we saw it on our screens. We will lose that, and the public need to understand that. What do you think that the Welsh Government can do to reinforce how critical this situation is with regard to nature in Wales?
Yes. Delyth, I share your concern there. Actually, David Attenborough's programmes have done an enormous amount over the years, haven't they, to raise awareness of the fragility of the natural world. I've only seen the first episode of the one in question, but my goodness, it's emotive in the extreme, and very beautiful as well. It does make you realise, doesn't it, as I said when I came back from COP15, when you see the beauty of the natural world and then watch the species extinction that goes alongside it, it really makes you realise quite how fragile the planet we live on actually is.
That's why I was so determined to sign up to those goals, and that's why we're so determined to get it right. It does matter to get it right. We've also—. I'm going to say this rather controversially, but it's absolutely true. We know from other legislation that's gone through this place that actually just getting the legislation through is just the first bit. I want this to be implementable. I want the legislation to go through, and then I want us to be able to actually do it immediately. I don't want to spend five years implementing it, so we need to get it right. If that's a bit slower introduction because then we get it right, I make no excuse for that. I think that's a lesson we've learnt.
We're about to embark on a behaviour change programme, which will help people come along the net-zero and nature-positive pathways with us. We're out to consultation at the moment. We're going to be doing a lot of work—. My colleague here, Jeremy Miles, has been doing a lot of work in schools with the Eco-Schools project and so on, because our young people are very evangelical about this. But I agree with you. We need to take the public with us. We need to counter some of the disinformation that's out there, and we need to work at pace with all sectors of society or we just will not—. This is an existential crisis. We will not do it alone. We have to do it with everyone else.
Ie. Delyth, rwy'n rhannu eich pryder chi yn hyn o beth. Mewn gwirionedd, mae rhaglenni David Attenborough wedi gwneud llawer iawn dros y blynyddoedd, onid ydyn nhw, i godi ymwybyddiaeth o fregusrwydd y byd naturiol. Ni welais i ond pennod gyntaf y gyfres dan sylw, ond bobl bach, mae'n eithafol o ddirdynnol, ac yn brydferth iawn hefyd. Mae'n gwneud i chi sylweddoli, fel dywedais i pan ddes i nôl o COP15, pan welwch chi harddwch y byd naturiol ac ystyried faint o rywogaethau sy'n darfod ochr yn ochr â hynny, mae hynny wir yn gwneud i chi sylweddoli pa mor fregus yw'r blaned yr ydym ni'n byw arni mewn gwirionedd.
Dyna pam roeddwn i mor benderfynol o gyd-fynd â'r nodau hynny, a dyna pam rydyn ni mor benderfynol o wneud hyn yn iawn. Mae hi'n bwysig gwneud pethau yn iawn. Rydyn ni hefyd—. Rwyf i am ddweud rhywbeth sydd braidd yn ddadleuol, ond sy'n hollol wir. Rydyn ni'n gwybod oddi wrth ddeddfwriaeth arall sydd wedi mynd trwy'r lle hwn mai dim ond y cam cyntaf yw mynd â'r ddeddfwriaeth drwodd mewn gwirionedd. Rwyf eisiau i hyn fod yn weithredol. Rwyf eisiau i'r ddeddfwriaeth fynd drwodd, ac yna rwy'n awyddus i ni allu gwneud hyn ar unwaith mewn gwirionedd. Nid wyf i'n dymuno treulio pum mlynedd er mwyn ei gweithredu, felly mae angen i ni wneud pethau yn iawn. Os yw hynny'n golygu ychydig o arafu cyn ei chyflwyniad oherwydd ein bod ni'n ei chael hi'n iawn wedyn, nid wyf i'n ymesgusodi o gwbl am hynny. Rwy'n credu bod honno'n wers yr ydym ni wedi ei dysgu.
Rydyn ni ar fin cychwyn ar raglen newid ymddygiad, a fydd yn helpu pobl i ddilyn y llwybrau sero net a natur gadarnhaol gyda ni. Rydyn ni allan i ymgynghoriad ar hyn o bryd. Byddwn yn gwneud llawer o waith—. Mae fy nghyd-Weinidog yn y fan hon, Jeremy Miles, wedi bod yn gwneud llawer o waith mewn ysgolion gyda'r prosiect Eco-Ysgolion ac yn y blaen, oherwydd mae ein pobl ifanc ni'n genhadon gwirioneddol ar gyfer hyn. Ond rwy'n cytuno â chi. Mae angen i ni ddwyn y cyhoedd gyda ni. Mae angen i ni wrthsefyll peth o'r wybodaeth gamarweiniol sy'n bod, ac mae angen i ni weithio ar gyflymder gyda phob sector yn y gymdeithas neu ni fyddwn ni—. Mae hwn yn argyfwng dirfodol. Ni allwn ni wneud hyn ar ein pennau ein hunain. Mae'n rhaid i ni wneud hyn gyda phawb arall.
3. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi diweddariad ar fynediad at drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yng Ngorllewin Caerfyrddin a De Sir Benfro? OQ59268
3. Will the Minister provide an update on access to public transport in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OQ59268
Diolch. Rydym yn anelu at wella mynediad at drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn ne-orllewin Cymru. Yn ddiweddar, rydym wedi buddsoddi mewn addasu gwasanaeth T1 TrawsCymru fel ei fod yn defnyddio fflyd drydan, ac rydym yn gweithio ar gynllun peilot arloesol sy’n defnyddio hydrogen, a fydd yn cael ei weithredu yn y rhanbarth.
Thank you. We are working to improve access to public transport in south-west Wales. Recently, we've invested in converting the T1 TrawsCymru service to using an electric fleet, and we are working on a groundbreaking hydrogen pilot, which will be implemented in the region.
Diolch yn fawr am yr ymateb, Ddirprwy Weinidog.
Thank you very much for that response, Deputy Minister.
I'm sure, Deputy Minister, you will be aware of my enthusiasm for the new St Clears railway station in my constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire. This is a project that the community is incredibly invested in. However, there is concern from Carmarthenshire County Council about shortfalls in potential source funding. I wrote to you, Deputy Minister, on 20 January to raise these concerns. However, I'm yet to receive a reply. Deputy Minister, local people want to see improved access to public transport and the UK Government have committed £5 million to this project, yet there seems to be little progress on the ground. So, in lieu of no reply to my correspondence, what assurances can you give my constituents and to me that the Welsh Government still intends to deliver on a new train station in St Clears? And what timescale can they expect it to be delivered within? Diolch, Llywydd.
Rwy'n siŵr, Dirprwy Weinidog, eich bod chi'n ymwybodol o fy mrwdfrydedd dros orsaf reilffordd newydd Sanclêr yn fy etholaeth i yng Ngorllewin Caerfyrddin a De Sir Benfro. Mae'r gefnogaeth yn y gymuned i'r prosiect hwn yn anhygoel. Ond mae pryder gan Gyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin am ddiffygion o ran ffynonellau cyllido posibl. Fe ysgrifennais i atoch chi, Dirprwy Weinidog, ar 20 o fis Ionawr i godi'r pryderon hyn. Er hynny, ni chefais unrhyw ateb hyd yma. Dirprwy Weinidog, mae pobl leol yn dymuno gweld trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus sy'n fwy hygyrch ac mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi ymrwymo £5 miliwn i'r prosiect hwn, ond eto nid yw hi'n ymddangos bod llawer o gynnydd yn digwydd ar lawr gwlad. Felly, yn hytrach na diffyg ateb i fy ngohebiaeth, pa sicrwydd a rowch chi i'm hetholwyr a minnau fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i fwriadu cael gorsaf drenau newydd yn Sanclêr? A gyda pha amserlen y gallan nhw ddisgwyl iddi gael ei chyflawni? Diolch, Llywydd.
Thank you. Well, I do hope the letter wasn't lost in the post, but we did reply to a written question from you on this very same subject, and the letter's reply would have said exactly the same as the reply we submitted to you on the written question, which is that the work is due to be finalised soon and will provide an outline design and an expected construction cost, which will inform the next steps and the programme timescales for this new station. But as Sam Kurtz rightly pointed out, there has been an increase in cost, as there has been with every infrastructure project in the country. There is now a gap that has doubled, which obviously creates a challenge for us at a time when our capital budgets from the UK Government have fallen in real terms by 8 per cent. So, there are consequences to the cuts by the UK Government to the priorities the Member and we have. So, we're going to have to try and work that through.
We are conscious, obviously, that one of the sites that Hywel Dda health board are consulting on for a new west Wales hospital is in St Clears, and that is very much part of our thinking, so we'll be following that process closely. Fundamentally, of course, this is rail infrastructure, and rail infrastructure is not devolved. It should be for the UK Government to be fully funding rail infrastructure, and perhaps we can work together to make representations to them to help us fill any shortfall.
Diolch i chi. Wel, rwy'n gobeithio na chollwyd y llythyr yn y post, ond fe wnaethom ni ateb cwestiwn ysgrifenedig oddi wrthych chi ar yr union bwnc hwn, ac roedd yr ateb yn y llythyr hwnnw'n gyfan gwbl yr un fath â'r un a roddwyd i chi ynglŷn â'r cwestiwn ysgrifenedig, sef y dylai'r gwaith fod wedi ei gwblhau yn fuan ac fe fydd yn rhoi dyluniad amlinellol a chostau disgwyliedig yr adeiladu, ar gyfer llywio'r camau nesaf a'r amserlen i'r rhaglen o ran yr orsaf newydd hon. Ond fel nododd Sam Kurtz yn gywir felly, mae'r gost wedi cynyddu, fel sydd wedi digwydd gyda phob prosiect seilwaith yn y wlad. Erbyn hyn fe geir bwlch sydd wedi dyblu, sy'n amlwg yn rhoi her i ni mewn cyfnod o ostyngiad yn ein cyllidebau cyfalaf ni oddi wrth Lywodraeth y DU sydd yn 8 y cant mewn termau gwirioneddol. Felly, fe geir canlyniadau i'r toriadau gan Lywodraeth y DU i'r blaenoriaethau sydd gan yr Aelod ac sydd gennym ninnau. Felly, fe fydd hi'n rhaid i ni geisio gweithio drwy hynny.
Rydyn ni'n ymwybodol, yn amlwg, mai yn Sanclêr y mae un o'r safleoedd y mae bwrdd iechyd Hywel Dda yn ymgynghori yn eu cylch ar gyfer ysbyty newydd i'r gorllewin, ac mae hynny'n rhan annatod o'n meddylfryd ni, felly fe fyddwn ni'n gwylio'r broses honno'n ofalus iawn. Yn waelodol, wrth gwrs, seilwaith rheilffyrdd yw hwn, ac nid yw seilwaith rheilffyrdd yn fater a ddatganolwyd. Fe ddylai Llywodraeth y DU fod yn ariannu seilwaith rheilffyrdd yn llawn, ac efallai y gallwn ni weithio gyda'n gilydd i gyflwyno sylwadau iddyn nhw ar gyfer ein helpu ni gydag unrhyw brinder ariannol.
4. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau gostyngiad mewn sbwriel a thipio anghyfreithlon yng Nghanol De Cymru? OQ59255
4. How is the Welsh Government ensuring a reduction in littering and fly-tipping in South Wales Central? OQ59255
Duty bodies, including local authorities, have responsibility for managing litter and fly-tipping in their respective areas. Welsh Government currently funds Keep Wales Tidy and Fly-tipping Action Wales to support improvements in local environmental quality across Wales. This includes partner activities, enforcement work and the promotion of behaviour change.
Mae gan gyrff sydd â dyletswydd gan gynnwys awdurdodau lleol, gyfrifoldeb am reoli sbwriel a thipio anghyfreithlon yn eu hardaloedd arbennig nhw. Ar hyn o bryd mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ariannu Cadwch Gymru'n Daclus a Thaclo Tipio Cymru i gefnogi gwelliannau mewn ansawdd amgylcheddol lleol ledled Cymru. Mae hyn yn cynnwys gweithgareddau â phartneriaid, gwaith gorfodi a hyrwyddo newid ymddygiad.
Diolch, Weinidog. Fel byddwch yn ymwybodol, mae problem enbyd o ran ysbwriel a thipio anghyfreithlon, a gwyddom oll am yr effaith niweidiol mae hyn yn ei gael, nid yn unig ar harddwch ein cymunedau, ond hefyd o ran natur a bywyd gwyllt. Mae gennym ni oll, wrth gwrs, ran i’w chwarae a hoffwn ddiolch i’r miloedd o bobl ledled y wlad sydd yn mynd ati’n gyson i godi ysbwriel yn eu cymunedau fel gwirfoddolwyr, ym mhob tywydd, a chwarae eu rhan fel dinasyddion cydwybodol.
Ond mae yna rai mannau sydd rhy beryglus i wirfoddolwyr fynd ati i godi ysbwriel, megis wrth ochr lonydd prysur a hefyd traciau trên, ac eto mae problem ddifrifol o ran hyn mewn nifer o ardaloedd. Rwyf yn derbyn cwynion rheolaidd am ysbwriel gan bobl sy’n dal trên o’r Cymoedd i Gaerdydd, a rhai sy’n teithio ar ffyrdd yn fy rhanbarth, megis yr A470, yr M4 a’r A4232. Pryd gallwn ddisgwyl cyhoeddi cynllun terfynol y Llywodraeth i fynd i’r afael ag ysbwriel a thipio anghyfreithlon, a sut bydd hyn yn gwella’r broblem?
Thank you, Minister. As you'll be aware, there is a major issue with regard to litter and fly-tipping, and we're all aware of the damaging effect that this can have, not just on the beauty of our communities, but in terms of nature and wildlife. We all, of course, have a part to play, and I'd like to thank the thousands of people across the nation who regularly litter pick in their communities as volunteers, in all weathers, and they play their part as conscientious citizens by so doing.
But there are some areas that are too dangerous to allow volunteers to collect litter there, such as busy roadsides and railways, yet there's a major problem with litter in many of these areas. I receive regular complaints about litter from people who catch trains from the Valleys to Cardiff, and roads users in my region, who mention the A470, the M4 and the A4232 as examples. When can we expect the publication of the final version of the Government's plan to tackle litter and fly-tipping, and how will this plan remedy the situation?
Diolch, Heledd. I share your concern. I've actually, before I had your question in fact, raised with my own officials my own perception that the amount of litter along particular roads and train lines has increased in recent years, and I think there are a number of reasons for this, which we are looking at. So, I am very keen to strengthen the ability of local authorities to take action there, both, actually, retrospective action to pick the litter up, but actually some behaviour change and education programmes for people to understand the real impact of throwing a bottle out of your car window or whatever it is. There also is an issue with the way that some waste contractors pick up skips without the correct netting on the top and so on, and blow-off from that. So, I'd already independently—and I'm more than happy to renew that—asked for a review of how that system works, how we fund it, and what the relevant duties are. We have the responsibility for some of the trunk road network, but we delegate that to local authorities, and I've asked for a review of that as well.
So, I share your concern, and I'd already started the process, but I'm very happy to invigorate it again, of looking to see what else we can do. But I do think there is a big behaviour change issue here. People really do need to understand what happens when they litter, what happens to the plastic that they leave on the side of the road. It's not just that one bottle, and what happens as that leaches into the environment on a longer term basis. So, as I've said, we've been working with Jeremy Miles, with the Eco-Schools initiative, to really drive home to people the effect of their individual behaviour, and a lot of this will be as a societal push, won't it, to making such behaviour just completely unacceptable.
Diolch, Heledd. Mae'r un pryderon gennyf innau hefyd. Mewn gwirionedd, cyn i mi gael eich cwestiwn chi, fe godais i fy nghanfyddiad personol gyda fy swyddogion bod maint y sbwriel sydd ar hyd ffyrdd a'r rheilffyrdd wedi cynyddu yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, ac rwy'n credu bod nifer o resymau am hyn, ac rydyn ni'n eu hystyried. Felly, rwy'n awyddus iawn i rymuso gallu'r awdurdodau lleol i weithredu yn hynny o beth, y ddeubeth, mewn gwirionedd, sef y camau ôl-weithredol i godi sbwriel, ond mewn gwirionedd y rhaglenni newid ymddygiad ac addysg i bobl er mwyn deall gwir effaith taflu potel allan o ffenestr eich car neu beth bynnag arall y gallai fod. Ceir problem hefyd gyda'r ffordd y mae rhai contractwyr gwastraff yn casglu sgipiau heb rwyd briodol ar eu pennau nhw ac ati, a'r gwynt yn chwythu'r sbwriel i bobman wedyn. Felly, roeddwn i eisoes yn annibynnol—ac rwy'n fwy na pharod i adnewyddu hyn—wedi gofyn am adolygiad o sut mae'r system honno'n gweithio, sut rydym ni'n ei hariannu hi, a pha ddyletswyddau sy'n berthnasol. Ni sydd â'r cyfrifoldeb am rywfaint o'r rhwydwaith cefnffyrdd, ond rydyn ni'n dirprwyo hynny i awdurdodau lleol, ac rwyf i wedi gofyn am adolygiad o hynny hefyd.
Felly, rwy'n pryderu fel chithau, ac roeddwn i wedi dechrau'r broses eisoes, ond rwy'n hapus iawn i'w bywiogi hi unwaith eto, o ran ystyried beth arall y gallwn ni ei wneud. Ond rwy'n credu bod problem fawr o ran newid ymddygiad yn hyn o beth. Mae gwir angen i bobl ddeall beth sy'n digwydd pan fyddan nhw'n taflu sbwriel, beth sy'n digwydd i'r plastig y maen nhw'n ei adael ar ochr y ffordd. Nid yr un botel honno'n unigol, ond yr hyn sy'n digwydd wrth i honno drwytholchi i'r amgylchedd yn y tymor hwy. Felly, fel dywedais i, rydyn ni wedi bod yn gweithio gyda Jeremy Miles, gyda'r fenter Eco-Ysgolion, i argyhoeddi pobl o effaith eu hymddygiad personol, ac ystyr hyn i raddau helaeth iawn fydd gwthio cymdeithasol, onid e, er mwyn gwneud ymddygiad o'r fath yn gwbl annerbyniol.
I couldn't concur more with the sentiments expressed by you and the previous questioner about the amount of litter that's available to be witnessed on highways and railways, especially in South Wales Central. On the link road coming off Culverhouse Cross, there's a bed on the side of the road there that's been there for three weeks. There are also about 12 black bin bags in the nearest lay-by there, which have been there for at least 10 days. In the Vale of Glamorgan, at the Aubrey Arms pub, there's a load of black bin bags just on the kerb there, just left. I appreciate this isn't the Government's fault; I always try my best to blame the Government for most things, but in fairness, this isn't the Government's fault. It is a societal issue.
Education is one of the planks that we can use. Can you confirm whether local authorities have come through with ideas, with suggestions to your good self as Minister, to enable them to take people who do dump rubbish in our countryside, along our roadways and our railways—? Because the examples I just gave you, that is commercial dumping. That's not just the bottle going out of the window, which is repugnant in itself; that's someone consciously dumping a piece of either commercial waste or general household waste that amounts to a lot in an area that should be pristine, clean, and able to sell our great capital city of Cardiff, and, indeed, the great countryside of the Vale of Glamorgan.
Ni allwn i gytuno mwy â'r teimladau a fynegwyd gennych chi a'r holwr blaenorol am faint y sbwriel sydd i'w weld wrth briffyrdd a rheilffyrdd, yn arbennig yng Nghanol De Cymru. Ar y ffordd gyswllt sy'n cychwyn o Groes Cwrlwys, mae yna wely yno ar fin y ffordd sydd wedi bod yno ers tair wythnos. Mae tua 12 o fagiau bin du yn y gilfan agosaf yno hefyd, ac mae'r rheini wedi bod yno am o leiaf 10 diwrnod. Ym Mro Morgannwg, wrth dafarn yr Aubrey Arms, mae llwyth o fagiau bin du ar ymyl y palmant yno, sydd newydd eu gadael. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi nad ar y Llywodraeth y mae'r bai am hyn; rwy'n gwneud fy ngorau i weld bai ar y Llywodraeth am y rhan fwyaf o bethau, ond er tegwch, nid ar y Llywodraeth y mae'r bai am hyn. Mater cymdeithasol yw hwn.
Mae addysg yn un o'r ysgogiadau y gallwn ni eu defnyddio. A wnewch chi gadarnhau pa un a yw awdurdodau lleol wedi cyflwyno unrhyw syniadau, gydag awgrymiadau i chi, Gweinidog, i'w galluogi nhw i fynd â phobl sy'n gadael sbwriel yng nghefn gwlad, ac ar hyd ein ffyrdd a'n rheilffyrdd—? Oherwydd yr enghreifftiau yr wyf i newydd eu rhoi i chi, ysbwriel masnachol oedd y rheini. Nid taflu'r botel drwy'r ffenestr, sy'n beth atgas ynddo'i hun; oedd hynny ond rhywun yn fwriadol yn taflu sbwriel a oedd naill ai'n wastraff masnachol neu'n wastraff cartref cyffredinol sy'n effeithio llawer iawn ar ardal a ddylai fod yn ddihalog, yn lân, ac yn hysbyseb dda i'n prifddinas hyfryd ni, Caerdydd, ac, yn wir, i gefn gwlad hyfryd Bro Morgannwg.
Absolutely, Andrew. Obviously, it is a matter for the local authority, and I hope you've reported it to them. I actually have myself raised the slip road, as it's called, with Cardiff Council, in a recent meeting with the leader. We are doing a number of things. We've got Fly-tipping Action Wales, for example, working in partnership at the moment with Rhondda Cynon Taf to catch fly-tippers, using surveillance on Natural Resources Wales-managed land, and Keep Wales Tidy, through the Welsh Government-funded Caru Cymru project, works with local environment groups and the police to target litter hotspots caused by anti-social behaviour, and then to prosecute the people responsible.
I'm very keen to highlight the prosecutions, because I think there is a deterrent effect of that. If you open the black bags, we can often find those responsible, and trace it back through the litter. We've been encouraging local authorities to do that; we have an action plan to do that. As I say, we're doing the behaviour change thing. That behaviour change goes for businesses as well. It's not just the people who tip it, is it, it's the business who actually asked for their rubbish to be disposed of in that manner. So, there are behaviour change programmes for commercial waste and businesses as well.
That will ramp up as we bring in the new recycling targets for businesses and so on, because this is valuable recyclate; it's not just litter. This is valuable material that we can use as part of our circular economy effort, because we're beginning to attract really serious reprocessors here to Wales, because of the high-value recyclate we have. That material is, to my mind, not just unsightly litter; it's actually wasted raw material that can be used. We need to get that attitude out there into the public, but we also need to prosecute those people who do the things that you've just mentioned, because I couldn't agree more—it's both unsightly and environmentally hazardous, and we need to get that point across.
Yn hollol, Andrew. Yn amlwg, mater i'r awdurdod lleol yw hwn, ac rwy'n gobeithio eich bod chi wedi rhoi gwybod iddyn nhw am hyn. Mewn gwirionedd, rwyf fy hun wedi codi'r slipffordd, fel y'i gelwir, gyda Chyngor Caerdydd, mewn cyfarfod gyda'r arweinydd yn ddiweddar. Rydyn ni'n gwneud nifer o bethau. Mae gennym ni Taclo Tipio Cymru, er enghraifft, yn gweithio mewn partneriaeth ar hyn o bryd gyda Rhondda Cynon Taf i ddal tipwyr anghyfreithlon, gan ddefnyddio gwyliadwriaeth ar dir a reolir gan Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, a Cadwch Gymru'n Daclus, drwy'r prosiect Caru Cymru a ariennir gan Lywodraeth Cymru, yn gweithio gyda grwpiau amgylchedd lleol a'r heddlu i roi sylw arbennig i fannau lle mae problem gyda sbwriel a achosir gan ymddygiad gwrthgymdeithasol, ac erlyn y bobl gyfrifol wedyn.
Rwy'n awyddus iawn i dynnu sylw at yr erlyniadau, oherwydd rwy'n credu bod effaith ataliol i hynny. Os ydych chi'n agor y bagiau du, yn aml fe allwn ni ganfod pwy sy'n gyfrifol, a'u holrhain drwy'r sbwriel. Rydyn ni wedi bod yn annog awdurdodau lleol i wneud hynny; mae gennym ni gynllun gweithredu i wneud hynny. Fel rwy'n dweud, rydyn ni'n gwneud ymdrech o ran newid ymddygiad pobl. Mae newid ymddygiad fel hyn yn berthnasol i fusnesau hefyd. Nid y rhai sy'n tipio yn unig, ond, mewn gwirionedd y busnesau sydd wedi gofyn am daflu eu sbwriel yn y ffordd honno. Felly, fe geir rhaglenni ar gyfer newid ymddygiad o ran gwastraff masnachol a busnesau hefyd.
Fe fydd yna fwy o hynny wrth i ni gyflwyno'r nodau ailgylchu newydd i fusnesau ac ati, oherwydd mae hwnnw'n ailgylchu gwerthfawr; nid dim ond sbwriel mohono. Mae hwn yn ddeunydd gwerthfawr y gallwn ni ei ddefnyddio yn rhan o'n hymdrech ni o ran yr economi gylchol, am ein bod ni wedi dechrau denu ailbroseswyr gwirioneddol ddifrifol yma i Gymru, oherwydd y deunyddiau eildro gwerth uchel sydd gennym ni. Mae'r deunydd hwnnw, yn fy marn i, yn fwy na dim ond sbwriel hyll; mewn gwirionedd, mae'n ddeunydd crai sy'n mynd yn wastraff y gellir ei ddefnyddio eto. Mae angen i ni hysbysu'r cyhoedd am yr ymagwedd honno, ond mae angen hefyd i ni erlyn y bobl hynny sy'n gwneud y pethau yr ydych chi newydd sôn amdanyn nhw, oherwydd ni allwn i gytuno mwy—mae'n hyll ac yn amgylcheddol beryglus hefyd, ac mae angen i ni amlygu'r pwynt arbennig hwnnw.
5. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi diweddariad ar gymorth Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer morlyn llanw Bae Abertawe? OQ59237
5. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government support for the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon? OQ59237
Diolch, Mike Hedges. There are currently no ongoing public sector projects proposed to build a tidal lagoon in Swansea bay. The First Minister will be making an announcement on the tidal lagoon challenge at the Marine Energy Wales conference, which is in Swansea, on 22 March.
Diolch, Mike Hedges. Ar hyn o bryd ni chynigiwyd unrhyw brosiectau sector cyhoeddus i adeiladu morlyn llanw ym mae Abertawe. Bydd y Prif Weinidog yn gwneud cyhoeddiad ynglŷn â'r her o ran y morlyn llanw yng nghynhadledd Ynni Morol Cymru, a gynhelir yn Abertawe, ar 22 o fis Mawrth.
Can I welcome that answer? When the Swansea tidal lagoon was rejected by the Conservative Westminster Government, gas prices were low, and expected by the Government to remain low for ever. As we all know, they got that wrong. We know that tidal energy is reliable and capable of solving some of our energy needs. We also know that it does not involve expensive decommissioning or have a limited life. What action is the Welsh Government taking to convince Westminster that this safe, clean energy, that is now cost-competitive, should be commissioned, and should be commissioned immediately?
A gaf i groesawu'r ateb hwnnw? Pan wrthodwyd morlyn llanw Abertawe gan Lywodraeth Geidwadol San Steffan, roedd prisiau nwy yn isel, ac roedd y Llywodraeth yn disgwyl y bydden nhw'n aros yn isel am byth. Fel rydyn ni i gyd yn gwybod, roedden nhw'n anghywir yn hynny o beth. Fe wyddom ni fod ynni'r llanw yn ddibynadwy ac yn gallu diwallu rhai o'n hanghenion ynni ni. Fe wyddom ni hefyd nad yw'n golygu datgomisiynu costus ac nid yw ei oes yn fyr. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i argyhoeddi San Steffan y dylid comisiynu'r ynni glân, diogel hwn, sy'n gystadleuol o ran costau erbyn hyn, ac y dylid ei gomisiynu ar unwaith?
Thank you very much, Mike. I completely concur with the sentiments of your question there. I won't be tempted into pre-announcing the First Minister's announcement on 22 March, but the Welsh Government absolutely supports tidal energy as a means to achieve our net-zero goals, as well as providing socioeconomic benefits. As you said, it provides clean, reliable energy, and we've made a programme for government commitment to make Wales a world centre of emerging tidal technologies. The surging wholesale price of gas, exacerbated by Russia's war in Ukraine, has indeed brought into sharp focus the need for an accelerated transition to renewables. It has both affected the price of gas and the availability of gas too. Clearly, what we need is a source of clean, reliable and secure energy, and we have this in abundance around our shores.
Diolch yn fawr i chi, Mike. Rwy'n cytuno yn llwyr â'r farn yn eich cwestiwn chi. Nid wyf i am gael fy nhemtio i gyhoeddi cyhoeddiad y Prif Weinidog ar 22 o fis Mawrth o flaen llaw, ond mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi ynni llanw yn gyfan gwbl fel modd i gyflawni ein nodau sero net, yn ogystal â'i ddarpariaeth o fuddion economaidd a chymdeithasol. Fel roeddech chi'n dweud, mae'n darparu ynni glân a dibynadwy, ac rydym ni wedi gwneud rhaglen ar gyfer ymrwymiad y llywodraeth i wneud Cymru yn ganolfan fyd-eang ar gyfer y technolegau sy'n dod i'r amlwg ynglŷn ag ynni'r llanw. Mae pris cyfanwerthu nwy sy'n cynyddu fwyfwy, ac fe waethygwyd hynny gan ryfel Rwsia yn Wcráin, wedi hoelio sylw pobl at yr angen am bontio cyflym i ynni adnewyddadwy. Mae hynny wedi effeithio ar bris nwy a pha mor hawdd yw cael gafael arno hefyd. Yn amlwg, yr hyn sydd ei angen arnom ni yw ffynhonnell o ynni glân, dibynadwy a diogel, ac mae honno gennym hyn mewn llawnder ar hyd ein glannau ni.
Can I thank Mike Hedges for tabling this question, and also concur with him, not on his assessment of the UK Government, but on the benefits of tidal energy, particularly in Swansea bay? As the three of us, I think, proudly represent the city of Swansea—I think the best city on planet earth—we will know the benefits that the proposed lagoon, the Blue Eden project, could have for our city. But it's important to remember that it's not only a tidal lagoon: there's a high-tech battery plant as part of the Blue Eden project, a floating solar array, data storage, and waterfront homes for 5,000 people, as well as floating homes and a research centre. But considering the scale of the project and the excitement that it can generate for the city of Swansea, I haven't heard a lot from the Welsh Government. I appreciate that there's predominantly private sector investment, but I haven't heard a lot from the Welsh Government in terms of the practical support you've been providing. Can you just illustrate what concrete assistance your department is providing—to ensure planning obligations are met, for example, and adhered to—as well as whether any need for public funding at any point throughout the process has been discussed at all, so we can finally get that project off the ground?
A gaf i ddiolch i Mike Hedges am gyflwyno'r cwestiwn hwn, a chytuno ag ef hefyd, nid o ran ei asesiad ef o Lywodraeth y DU, ond ar fanteision ynni'r llanw, yn enwedig ym mae Abertawe? Gan fod y tri ohonom ni, rwy'n credu, yn falch o fod yn cynrychioli dinas Abertawe—y ddinas orau ar y ddaear yn fy marn i—rydyn ni'n gwybod am y manteision y gallai'r morlyn arfaethedig, prosiect Eden Las, eu cynnig i'n dinas. Ond mae hi'n bwysig cofio nad morlyn llanw yn unig mohono: fe geir ffatri batris uwch-dechnoleg yn rhan o brosiect Eden Las, ac arae solar arnofiol, storfa ddata, a chartrefi i 5,000 o bobl ar lan y môr, yn ogystal â chartrefi arnofiol a chanolfan ymchwil. Ond o ystyried maint y prosiect a'r cyffro y gall hynny ei ennyn yn ninas Abertawe, nid wyf i wedi clywed llawer oddi wrth Lywodraeth Cymru. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi mai o'r sector preifat y daw'r buddsoddiad yn bennaf, ond nid wyf i wedi clywed llawer oddi wrth Lywodraeth Cymru o ran y cymorth ymarferol yr ydych chi wedi bod yn ei roi. A wnewch chi ddarlunio pa gymorth pendant y mae eich adran chi'n ei roi—i sicrhau bod rhwymedigaethau cynllunio yn cael eu bodloni, er enghraifft, a chadw at—yn ogystal ag a oes unrhyw drafodaeth wedi bod o gwbl am anghenion o ran cyllid cyhoeddus ar unrhyw amser yn ystod y broses, er mwyn i ni fwrw'r maen i'r wal gyda'r prosiect hwnnw o'r diwedd?
The project hasn't asked for any support from the Government so far. We've made it plain to the project that, if they wanted to discuss any potential support with us, we're happy to do so. But as of this moment, they have not asked for that support. If they do want that support, then I'd be more than happy to discuss it with them. We have, of course, discussed with Swansea Council, and other affected councils—because it's not the only place in Wales that a tidal lagoon could go—many times what the planning obligations might be. I'm very pleased to see that the UK Government did allow, in round 4 of the last contract for difference, tidal energies to be included, and we're currently lobbying them hard to make sure that that stays, because that's a route to market for most emerging tidal technologies, including tidal lagoons. The UK Government, I think, really missed a trick—and I think your benches agree with us—when they didn't fund the last project in Swansea bay, so we've been urging them to make good that, and make sure that the contract for difference round includes tidal technologies of all sorts, so that those projects can be brought to market.
Nid yw'r prosiect wedi gofyn am unrhyw gefnogaeth gan y Llywodraeth hyd yma. Rydyn ni wedi ei gwneud hi'n glir i'r prosiect, pe bydden nhw eisiau trafod unrhyw gefnogaeth bosibl gyda ni, ein bod ni'n hapus i wneud hynny. Ond ar hyn o bryd, nid ydyn nhw wedi gofyn am y gefnogaeth honno. Os ydyn nhw eisiau'r gefnogaeth honno, yna byddwn i'n fwy na pharod i drafod y peth gyda nhw. Wrth gwrs, rydyn ni wedi trafod gyda Chyngor Abertawe, a chynghorau eraill yr effeithir arnyn nhw—oherwydd nid dyma'r unig le yng Nghymru y gallai morlyn llanw fynd—lawer gwaith, beth allai'r rhwymedigaethau cynllunio fod. Rwy'n falch iawn o weld bod Llywodraeth y DU wedi caniatáu, yn rownd 4 o'r contract ar gyfer gwahaniaeth diwethaf, ynni llanw i gael ei gynnwys, ac ar hyn o bryd rydyn ni'n eu lobïo nhw'n galed i sicrhau bod hynny'n aros, oherwydd mae hynny'n llwybr i'r farchnad ar gyfer y rhan fwyaf o dechnolegau llanw sy'n dod i'r amlwg, gan gynnwys morlynnoedd llanw. Mae Llywodraeth y DU, rwy'n credu, wir wedi colli cyfle—ac rwy'n credu bod eich meinciau chi'n cytuno â ni—pan na wnaethon nhw ariannu'r prosiect diwethaf ym mae Abertawe, felly rydyn ni wedi bod yn eu hannog nhw i wneud iawn am hynny, a sicrhau bod y rownd contract ar gyfer gwahaniaeth yn cynnwys technolegau llanw o bob math, fel y bydd modd dod â'r prosiectau hynny i'r farchnad.
6. Pa gamau mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n eu cymryd i helpu elusennau sy'n darparu gwasanaethau cymorth tai a digartrefedd? OQ59248
6. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to help charities that provide housing support and homelessness services? OQ59248
Thank you, Peter Fox. The Welsh Government continues to support local authorities and third sector providers to assist people in housing need. We have provided over £207 million for housing support and homelessness services this financial year alone, supporting local authorities and third sector providers to deliver front-line services to prevent and relieve homelessness.
Diolch, Peter Fox. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol a darparwyr trydydd sector i gynorthwyo pobl ag anghenion tai. Rydyn ni wedi darparu dros £207 miliwn ar gyfer gwasanaethau cymorth tai a digartrefedd yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon yn unig, gan gefnogi awdurdodau lleol a darparwyr trydydd sector i ddarparu gwasanaethau rheng flaen i atal a lleddfu digartrefedd.
Thank you, Minister. As you know, more than 60,000 people across Wales currently rely on the housing support grant, which provides much-needed aid for those facing societal problems. The decision of your Government in its final budget to deliver a real-terms cut to this grant has unsurprisingly brought huge concerns through the third sector. One of those concerned organisations is the charity Pobl. They previously warned the Welsh Government that it was crucial that the grant funding be increased because homelessness and housing support services are already facing a 10.1 per cent increase in costs this year. But because of the real-terms cut to the grant, they have told me that some essential housing services and homelessness services are now under threat. Minister, do you agree with me that it was a mistake not to increase funding for the grant, and what will your Government do now to ease the third sector's serious concerns?
Diolch. Fel y gwyddoch chi, mae mwy na 60,000 o bobl ledled Cymru yn dibynnu ar y grant cymorth tai ar hyn o bryd, sy'n darparu cymorth mawr ei angen i'r rhai sy'n wynebu problemau cymdeithasol. Nid yw'n syndod bod penderfyniad eich Llywodraeth chi yn ei chyllideb derfynol i dorri'r grant hwn mewn termau real wedi dod â phryderon enfawr drwy'r trydydd sector. Un o'r sefydliadau pryderus hynny yw elusen Pobl. Gwnaethon nhw rybuddio Llywodraeth Cymru yn flaenorol ei bod hi'n hanfodol bod yr arian grant yn cael ei gynyddu oherwydd bod digartrefedd a gwasanaethau cymorth tai eisoes yn wynebu cynnydd o 10.1 y cant mewn costau eleni. Ond oherwydd y toriad termau real i'r grant, maen nhw wedi dweud wrthyf i fod rhai gwasanaethau tai hanfodol a gwasanaethau digartrefedd bellach o dan fygythiad. Gweinidog, ydych chi'n cytuno â mi mai camgymeriad oedd peidio â chynyddu cyllid ar gyfer y grant, a beth fydd eich Llywodraeth yn ei wneud nawr i leddfu pryderon difrifol y trydydd sector?
Thank you, Peter. In support of our ambition to end homelessness, as I said, we're already investing over £207 million in homelessness and housing support services this financial year alone. Our main homelessness prevention grant is the housing support grant, which is provided to local authorities. In 2021-22, this was increased by £40 million, which is over a 30 per cent increase, to £166.763 million. For 2023-24, we've been able to maintain that increase in the housing support grant budget, so it remains at £166.763 million, despite the extraordinarily difficult budgetary position we currently face. We also uplifted funding for the vast majority of projects funded by the homelessness prevention grant by 6 per cent in 2023-24. We recognise the pressure on homelessness services, so the homelessness prevention budget also will increase by £15 million in 2023-24, which is an additional £10 million more than previously planned.
We face an unprecedented problem, don't we, with the inflation. The inflation is causing a real problem out there, but it's also causing a real problem in here. The money we have had goes less far, and the money they have goes less far. So we've been working with our local authorities to make sure that services can be maintained. We're currently running a recruitment campaign into housing advisory services. I really pay tribute to the staff, who have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic and really stepped up to the mark; I'm proud of what Wales has achieved. But the budget situation this year has been awful—it's the worst I've ever seen, and I've been a Minister here for a very long time now. It has not been possible to do everything we'd wanted to do. But we have managed to maintain an unprecedented increase in that budget, and we've put the homelessness prevention budget, as I say, up by £15 million already. I have a lot of sympathy with the sector, I pay tribute to the work that they do, but the budget situation this year has been very difficult.
Diolch, Peter. I gefnogi ein huchelgais i ddod â digartrefedd i ben, fel y dywedais i, rydyn ni eisoes yn buddsoddi dros £207 miliwn mewn gwasanaethau digartrefedd a chymorth tai yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon yn unig. Ein prif grant atal digartrefedd yw'r grant cymorth tai, sy'n cael ei ddarparu i awdurdodau lleol. Yn 2021-22, cafodd hwn ei gynyddu £40 miliwn, sy'n gynnydd o dros 30 y cant, i £166.763 miliwn. Ar gyfer 2023-24, rydyn ni wedi gallu cynnal y cynnydd hwnnw yng nghyllideb y grant cymorth tai, felly mae'n parhau i fod yn £166.763 miliwn, er gwaethaf y sefyllfa gyllidebol eithriadol o anodd rydyn ni'n ei hwynebu ar hyn o bryd. Rydyn ni hefyd wedi codi cyllid ar gyfer y mwyafrif helaeth o brosiectau sy'n cael eu hariannu gan y grant atal digartrefedd o 6 y cant yn 2023-24. Rydyn ni'n cydnabod y pwysau ar wasanaethau digartrefedd, felly bydd y gyllideb atal digartrefedd hefyd yn cynyddu £15 miliwn yn 2023-24, sy'n £10 miliwn yn fwy nag y cynlluniwyd yn flaenorol.
Rydyn ni'n wynebu problem ddigyffelyb, on'd ydyn ni, gyda'r chwyddiant. Mae'r chwyddiant yn achosi problem wirioneddol allan yna, ond mae hefyd yn achosi problem wirioneddol fan hyn. Mae'r arian yr ydyn ni wedi'i gael yn mynd yn llai pell, ac mae'r arian sydd ganddyn nhw yn mynd yn llai pell. Felly rydyn ni wedi bod yn gweithio gyda'n hawdurdodau lleol i wneud yn siŵr bod modd cynnal gwasanaethau. Rydyn ni ar hyn o bryd yn cynnal ymgyrch recriwtio i wasanaethau cynghori ar dai. Rydw i wir yn talu teyrnged i'r staff, sydd wedi gweithio'n ddiflino drwy gydol y pandemig ac wir wedi camu i'r adwy; rwy'n falch o'r hyn mae Cymru wedi ei gyflawni. Ond mae sefyllfa o ran y gyllideb eleni wedi bod yn ofnadwy—dyma'r waethaf i mi ei gweld erioed, ac rydw i wedi bod yn Weinidog yn y fan yma ers amser maith nawr. Nid yw hi wedi bod yn bosibl gwneud popeth yr oedden ni wedi bod eisiau'i wneud. Ond rydyn ni wedi llwyddo i gynnal cynnydd digynsail yn y gyllideb honno, ac rydyn ni wedi cynyddu'r gyllideb atal digartrefedd, fel y dywedais, i £15 miliwn yn barod. Rwy'n cydymdeimlo'n fawr â'r sector, rwy'n talu teyrnged i'r gwaith maen nhw'n ei wneud, ond mae'r sefyllfa o ran y gyllideb eleni wedi bod yn anodd iawn.
7. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n ei wneud i leihau lefelau digartrefedd yn Nwyrain De Cymru? OQ59271
7. What is the Welsh Government doing to reduce levels of homelessness in South Wales East? OQ59271
Diolch, Natasha Asghar. The Welsh Government is committed to ending homelessness across all regions of Wales and has invested over £207 million in homelessness and housing support services, as well as a record £300 million in social housing in this financial year alone. This includes over £67 million in social housing grant for authorities in South Wales East.
Diolch, Natasha Asghar. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i roi diwedd ar ddigartrefedd ar draws holl ranbarthau Cymru ac mae wedi buddsoddi dros £207 miliwn mewn gwasanaethau cymorth digartrefedd a thai, yn ogystal â'r lefel uchaf erioed sef £300 miliwn mewn tai cymdeithasol yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon yn unig. Mae hyn yn cynnwys dros £67 miliwn yn y grant tai cymdeithasol ar gyfer awdurdodau yn Nwyrain De Cymru.
Thank you for that answer, Minister. The number of people sleeping rough in Wales has grown to 116, and, concerningly, a large number of these—53, in fact—are in my region of South Wales East. Homelessness services are under immense pressure, as mentioned by my colleague Peter Fox, with 93 per cent saying that they are extremely or very concerned about their ability to continue delivering services if there is no increase to the housing support grant. Service providers and local authority commissioners are having to make tough decisions about making cuts and making staff redundant. Only last week, a number of people from my region with experience of homelessness visited the Senedd and spoke passionately about the need for high-quality services to help people ultimately out of homelessness. So, Minister, will you give me and the organisations working to reduce homelessness the assurance that the housing support grant will receive extra funding if there are consequentials for Wales as a result of the spring statement? Thank you.
Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Gweinidog. Mae nifer y bobl sy'n cysgu ar y stryd yng Nghymru wedi tyfu i 116, ac yn bryderus, mae nifer fawr o'r rhain—53, mewn gwirionedd—yn fy rhanbarth i yn Nwyrain De Cymru. Mae gwasanaethau digartrefedd o dan bwysau aruthrol, fel y soniodd fy nghydweithiwr Peter Fox, gyda 93 y cant yn dweud eu bod yn hynod bryderus neu'n bryderus iawn am eu gallu i barhau i ddarparu gwasanaethau os nad oes cynnydd i'r grant cymorth tai. Mae darparwyr gwasanaethau a chomisiynwyr awdurdodau lleol yn gorfod gwneud penderfyniadau anodd ynghylch gwneud toriadau a diswyddo staff. Dim ond yr wythnos diwethaf, gwnaeth nifer o bobl o fy rhanbarth i sydd â phrofiad o ddigartrefedd ymweld â'r Senedd gan siarad yn angerddol dros yr angen am wasanaethau o ansawdd uchel i helpu pobl allan o ddigartrefedd yn y pen draw. Felly, Gweinidog, a wnewch chi roi'r sicrwydd i mi a'r sefydliadau sy'n gweithio i leihau digartrefedd y bydd y grant cymorth tai yn cael arian ychwanegol os oes symiau canlyniadol i Gymru yn sgil datganiad y gwanwyn? Diolch.
Thank you, Natasha. I've just set out quite a lot of what we've already done in answer to Peter Fox, but, in addition to that, we've allocated over £67.496 million to local authorities in South Wales East via the social housing grant programme. We've also established the £89 million transitional accommodation capital programme to increase good-quality, longer term accommodation to support all those in housing need. In South Wales East, we've provided £14.925 million to local authorities to support 192 homes for temporary accommodation in those circumstances. We've also given an additional £10 million a year to local authorities in year to support the provision of temporary accommodation to top up the existing £10 million we'd already allocated, as we move towards a rapid rehousing approach.
But I will say, Natasha, I really do hope, of all the measures that we are hoping for in the budget, that an increase to the local housing allowance is in there, because this is driving a lot of the problem that we have. It's a big amount of money as a headline, but in terms of the money it saves, all of this money I'm setting out here it would save, because it would enable people to stay in the private rented sector homes that they actually have had quite long term in some cases. So, actually, if there is a single thing I'd be calling for in the budget, it is an uplift in the local housing allowance, as I've made very plain.
Diolch, Natasha. Rwyf newydd nodi cryn dipyn o'r hyn yr ydyn ni eisoes wedi'i wneud mewn ymateb i Peter Fox, ond, yn ogystal â hynny, rydyn ni wedi dyrannu dros £67.496 miliwn i awdurdodau lleol yn Nwyrain De Cymru drwy'r rhaglen grant tai cymdeithasol. Rydyn ni hefyd wedi sefydlu'r rhaglen gyfalaf llety trosiannol gwerth £89 miliwn i gynyddu llety tymor hir o ansawdd da i gefnogi pawb sydd angen tai. Yn Nwyrain De Cymru, rydyn ni wedi darparu £14.925 miliwn i awdurdodau lleol i gefnogi 192 o gartrefi ar gyfer llety dros dro o dan yr amgylchiadau hynny. Rydyn ni hefyd wedi rhoi £10 miliwn y flwyddyn yn ychwanegol i awdurdodau lleol yn ystod y flwyddyn i gefnogi darparu llety dros dro i ychwanegu at y £10 miliwn presennol yr oedden ni eisoes wedi'i ddyrannu, wrth i ni symud tuag at ddull gweithredu ailgartrefu cyflym.
Ond fe wnaf i ddweud, Natasha, rwy'n gobeithio'n fawr, o'r holl fesurau yr ydyn ni'n gobeithio amdanyn nhw yn y gyllideb, bod cynnydd i'r lwfans tai lleol yno, oherwydd dyna sy'n ysgogi llawer o'r broblem sydd gennym ni. Mae'n swm mawr o arian fel pennawd, ond o ran yr arian mae'n ei arbed, yr holl arian yma yr wyf i'n ei nodi yma byddai'n ei arbed, oherwydd byddai'n galluogi pobl i aros yn y cartrefi sector rhentu preifat y maen nhw wedi bod ynddyn nhw'n eithaf hir mewn rhai achosion. Felly, mewn gwirionedd, os oes un peth y byddwn i'n galw amdano yn y gyllideb, cynnydd yn y lwfans tai lleol fyddai hwnnw, fel yr wyf wedi'i wneud yn glir iawn.
Cwestiwn 8, yn olaf. Mark Isherwood.
Question 8, finally. Mark Isherwood.
8. Beth yw polisi Llywodraeth Cymru o ran ailstocio coedwigaeth a choetir? OQ59243
8. What is the Welsh Government's forestry and woodland restocking policy? OQ59243
Thank you, Mark Isherwood. We need to increase tree cover in Wales. Woodland that is felled is normally required to be replanted as a condition of the felling licence. Where there are good reasons not to do so, loss in tree cover is usually compensated for elsewhere.
Diolch, Mark Isherwood. Mae angen i ni gynyddu gorchudd coed yng Nghymru. Fel arfer mae'n rhaid ailblannu coetir sy'n cael ei dorri i lawr fel amod i'r drwydded dorri. Pan fo rhesymau da dros beidio â gwneud hynny, gwneir iawn am golli gorchudd coed yn rhywle arall fel arfer.
Thank you. There is widespread support for plans for a national forest for Wales, a vast network of woods and forests across the nation open for everyone to explore and enjoy. However, woodland continues to be seen as a public good even when it provides an ideal habitat for apex predators whose predation of nests and chicks is a primary cause of, for example, curlew breeding failure. What specific action, therefore, are you taking to ensure that the Welsh Government's target for woodland planting in Wales takes further account of this, which is central to nature recovery? Further, how are you addressing concerns raised with me by a Flintshire constituent that your My Tree, Our Forest scheme is seeing trees planted too close to each other with very little, if any, space for them to develop properly, and, finally, by the Country Land and Business Association Cymru that the planting of new trees should be accompanied by a tree health strategy to support those who manage woodland in removing diseased specimens promptly and replacing them, in order to reduce the spread of disease, when we have a crisis in ash and larch and emerging issues in oak? Diolch yn fawr.
Diolch. Mae cefnogaeth eang i gynlluniau ar gyfer coedwig genedlaethol i Gymru, sef rhwydwaith enfawr o goed a choedwigoedd ar draws y genedl sy'n agored i bawb gael eu harchwilio a'u mwynhau. Fodd bynnag, mae coetiroedd yn parhau i gael eu gweld fel nwydd cyhoeddus hyd yn oed pan fydd yn darparu cynefin delfrydol i brif ysglyfaethwyr sy'n ysglyfaethu nythod a chywion, sef y prif beth sy'n achosi, er enghraifft, methiant y gylfinir i fridio. Pa gamau penodol, felly, ydych chi'n eu cymryd i sicrhau bod targed Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer plannu coetiroedd yng Nghymru yn ystyried hyn ymhellach, sy'n ganolog i adferiad natur? Hefyd, sut ydych chi'n mynd i ymdrin â phryderon a godwyd gyda mi gan etholwr o sir y Fflint fod eich cynllun Fy Nghoeden, Ein Coedwig yn gweld coed yn cael eu plannu'n rhy agos at ei gilydd gydag ychydig iawn, os o gwbl, o le iddyn nhw ddatblygu'n iawn, ac, yn olaf, gan Gymdeithas Tir a Busnes Cymru y dylai plannu coed newydd fod ar y cyd â strategaeth iechyd coed i gefnogi'r rhai hynny sy'n rheoli coetiroedd wrth gael gwared yn brydlon ar goed sydd wedi'u heintio a phlannu rhai newydd yn eu lle, er mwyn lleihau lledaeniad yr afiechyd, pan fo gennym ni argyfwng o ran ynn a llarwydd a phroblemau yn dod i'r amlwg o ran derw? Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you, Mark. I pay tribute to your efforts on behalf of the curlew. You know that I've come along to the meetings of the curlew protection programme. I'm really pleased to see that we're working alongside them. I'll just say, and I said this at the weekend to a number of groups I spoke with, that we use the tree as an iconic symbol of what we're trying to do in both carbon capture and in nature-positive work, in the same way as the World Wildlife Fund uses the panda. Nobody thinks that the World Wildlife Fund, therefore, thinks that pandas should be absolutely everywhere on the planet, and we don't think that trees should be absolutely everywhere in the countryside. It's an iconic symbol. You know as well as I do that we are restoring an enormous amount of natural peatland. Clearly, that should not be forest. Species-rich open meadows should not be forests. Where there should be forests, though, we are woefully behind, so we do need to restock, and we need to restock quickly, but the right tree in the right place.
In terms of the My Tree, Our Forest initiative, each tree comes with a programme to help you understand how and where to plant it and what it should look like at various stages; a wealth of expertise is available via Coed Cymru to help people and, of course, we will also plant your tree somewhere else for you if you're not lucky enough to have a garden capable of having it. It's been a very popular programme.
I've also planted trees through the National Trust initiative in schools in my area, and I'd encourage all of you to get involved in that. They're blossom trees, and they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the children who are very excited to do that—very interested in my talk to them on a future career in forestry. So, we're doing a lot of the right things here.
I don't want to put people off planting trees in their garden, but it does come with a plan for how to do that—it comes with instructions, so to speak. I do encourage people to go along to their hubs while they're open and pick up a tree and donate it to your local school, if you want to, because it's a really important part of reconnecting our population back to the natural environment, but it's very much the right tree in the right place. If you go along to one of the hubs, the people who are handing out the trees will have a long chat with you about where you want to put the tree and what kind of tree will be best suited to your piece of land or your garden.
Diolch, Mark. Rwy'n talu teyrnged i'ch ymdrechion ar ran y gylfinir. Rydych chi'n gwybod fy mod i wedi dod i gyfarfodydd rhaglen amddiffyn y gylfinir. Rwy'n falch iawn o weld ein bod ni'n gweithio ochr yn ochr â nhw. Gwnaf i ond dweud, a dywedais i hyn dros y penwythnos wrth nifer o grwpiau y siaradais i â nhw, ein bod ni'n defnyddio'r goeden fel symbol eiconig o'r hyn yr ydyn ni'n ceisio ei wneud wrth ddal carbon ac mewn gwaith cadarnhaol o ran natur, yn yr un ffordd ag y mae'r World Wildlife Fund yn defnyddio'r panda. Nid oes neb yn meddwl bod y World Wildlife Fund, felly, yn credu y dylai pandas fod ym mhob cwr o'r blaned, ac nid ydyn ni'n meddwl y dylai coed fod ymhob man yng nghefn gwlad. Mae'n symbol eiconig. Rydych chi'n gwybod cystal â mi ein bod ni'n adfer llawer iawn o fawndir naturiol. Yn amlwg, ni ddylai hynny fod yn goedwig. Ni ddylai dolydd agored sy'n llawn rhywogaethau fod yn goedwigoedd. Er hynny, lle y dylai coedwigoedd fod, rydyn ni ar ei hôl hi'n druenus, felly mae angen i ni ailgyflenwi, ac mae angen i ni ailgyflenwi'n gyflym, ond y goeden gywir yn y lle cywir.
O ran menter Fy Nghoeden, Ein Coedwig, mae pob coeden yn dod gyda rhaglen i'ch helpu chi i ddeall sut a ble i'w phlannu a sut olwg ddylai fod arni ar wahanol gamau; mae cyfoeth o arbenigedd ar gael trwy Coed Cymru i helpu pobl, ac wrth gwrs, byddwn ni hefyd yn plannu eich coeden rhywle arall ar eich rhan os nad ydych chi'n ddigon ffodus i fod â gardd sy'n addas i'w derbyn. Mae hi wedi bod yn rhaglen boblogaidd iawn.
Rydw i hefyd wedi plannu coed drwy fenter yr Ymddiriedolaeth Genedlaethol mewn ysgolion yn fy ardal i, a byddwn i'n annog pob un ohonoch chi i gymryd rhan yn hynny. Maen nhw'n goed blodau, ac maen nhw'n dod â chyfoeth o wybodaeth a phrofiad i'r plant sy'n llawn cyffro i wneud hynny—â diddordeb mawr yn fy sgwrs â nhw ynghylch gyrfa mewn coedwigaeth yn y dyfodol. Felly, rydyn ni'n gwneud llawer o'r pethau iawn yma.
Nid ydw i eisiau dwyn perswâd ar bobl i beidio â phlannu coed yn eu gerddi, ond mae'n dod gyda chynllun ar gyfer sut i wneud hynny—mae'n dod gyda chyfarwyddiadau, fel petai. Rwy'n annog pobl i fynd draw i'w hybiau tra'u bod nhw'n agored a chasglu coeden a'i rhoi i'ch ysgol leol, os ydych chi eisiau, oherwydd mae'n rhan bwysig iawn o ailgysylltu ein poblogaeth â'r amgylchedd naturiol, ond mae'n golygu'r goeden gywir yn y lle cywir. Os ewch chi draw i un o'r hybiau, bydd y bobl sy'n dosbarthu'r coed yn cael sgwrs hir â chi ynghylch ble'r ydych chi eisiau rhoi'r goeden a pha fath o goeden fydd yn fwyaf addas ar gyfer eich darn o dir neu'ch gardd chi.
I'd love a Wales full of pandas, I must say. You could be the champion of pandas at that point, then, Darren Millar, to bring us—[Laughter.] Okay, okay. Thank you to the Minister and the Deputy Minister.
Byddwn i wrth fy modd â Chymru'n llawn pandas, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud. Gallech chi fod yn hyrwyddwr pandas bryd hynny, Darren Millar, i ddod â ni—[Chwerthin.] Iawn, iawn. Diolch yn fawr i'r Gweinidog a'r Dirprwy Weinidog.
Awn ni ymlaen nawr at Weinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf i Jeremy Miles gan Heledd Fychan.
We'll move on now to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, and the first question to Jeremy Miles is from Heledd Fychan.
1. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n cefnogi dysgwyr yng Nghanol De Cymru gyda chost y diwrnod ysgol? OQ59256
1. How is the Welsh Government supporting learners in South Wales Central with the cost of the school day? OQ59256
Mae ein grant hanfodion ysgol wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth enfawr i nifer o deuluoedd incwm isel ar draws Cymru, gan helpu i leihau'r pryder ynghylch prynu gwisg ysgol ac offer, er enghraifft. Bydd cyllid o £13.6 miliwn ar gael yn 2023-24.
Our school essentials grant has made a huge difference to a number of low-income families across Wales, helping to reduce concerns about the purchase of uniform and kit, for example. Funding of £13.6 million will be available in 2023-24.
Diolch, Weinidog. Fel rydych chi wedi amlinellu, yn amlwg, mae yna nifer o bethau wedi helpu teuluoedd. Gwnaethoch chi sôn am leihau'r pryder, ond mae'r pryder hefyd yn parhau, oherwydd y gwir amdani ydy bod nifer o deuluoedd yn dal i gael trafferth fforddio'r hanfodion i ddysgwyr sydd ynghlwm â chost y diwrnod ysgol. Mi wnaethoch chi gyfeirio at wisg ysgol, ond er eich bod chi wedi newid y canllawiau ar y mater, mae nifer o ysgolion yn parhau i fynnu logo ar wisg ysgol a phethau megis blaser—pethau sydd yn ychwanegu'n sylweddol at gost gwisg ysgol. A gyda chostau hefyd yn cynyddu, rydyn ni yn gwybod gan deuluoedd bod y grant sydd ar gael ddim yn ddigonol, a hwythau gyda chymaint o gostau ychwanegol.
Mater arall, wrth gwrs, ydy cost tripiau ysgol neu'r pethau ychwanegol sydd yn cyfoethogi profiadau dysgwyr. Yn aml, mae hyn yn amrywio'n fawr o ysgol i ysgol, yn dibynnu os ydy rhieni yn gallu codi arian ac ati, gan olygu bod nifer o'n dysgwyr mwyaf bregus ni'n colli allan, efallai, ar brofiadau megis mynd ar drip i'r theatr ac ati os nad ydy'r ysgol yn gallu fforddio talu ar eu rhan. Felly, gaf i ofyn, felly, beth yn fwy mae'r Llywodraeth yn bwriadu gwneud i sicrhau nad oes unrhyw ddysgwr yn colli allan ar ddiwrnod o addysg neu weithgareddau sy'n cyfoethogi eu haddysg oherwydd sefyllfa economaidd eu haelwyd?
Thank you, Minister. So, you've outlined clearly that there are a number of things that have been put in place to assist families. You talked about reducing the concern, but the concern is obviously continuing, because the truth is that a number of families still find difficulty funding the essentials related to the school day. You referred to uniform, but although you've changed the guidance on the matter, a number of schools are continuing to demand a logo on school uniforms, and such things as a blazer, which add significantly to the cost of a school uniform. With costs increasing, we know that the grant available for families isn't adequate, particularly with regard to these additional costs.
Another matter, of course, is the cost of school trips—all those additional things that enrich the experiences of a learner. Often, these vary a great deal from school to school, depending on whether parents can raise the funds themselves, which means that a number of our most deprived learners are losing out on experiences such as theatre trips and so on if the school can't afford to pay on their behalf. So, may I ask what more the Government can do to ensure that no learner loses out on a day of learning or experiences that enrich their education because of the household's economic situation?
Wel, mae'r Aelod yn sôn am bethau pwysig iawn, wrth gwrs, ac mae'n gwybod ein bod ni'n cydweld gyda hi pa mor bwysig mae e i sicrhau bod yr ysgol yn hygyrch i blant o bob amgylchiadau. Mae'r grant hanfodion ysgol wedi gwneud cyfraniad sylweddol i hynny, ac ynghyd â hynny, rŷn ni wrthi'n lansio ymgyrch er mwyn marchnata argaeledd y cynllun hwnnw i sicrhau bod pob un person sy'n cymhwyso ar ei gyfer e yn cynnig am hynny. Wrth gwrs, un o'r heriau wrth ledaenu prydiau bwyd am ddim mewn ysgolion cynradd yw bod dim cynnig pryd am ddim bellach mewn ysgol gynradd. Felly, mae'n bwysig ein bod ni, ar yr un pryd, yn cyfathrebu argaeledd y cynllun arall, ac mae ymgyrch gyfathrebu wrthi'n gwneud hynny ar hyn o bryd ac yn dangos rhyw gynnydd.
Ynghyd â hynny, fel gwnaeth hi sôn, rŷn ni bod yn ymgynghori ar newid canllawiau o ran gwisg ysgol; dyw'r canllawiau newydd ddim, fel mae'n digwydd, wedi cael eu cyhoeddi eto, ond rwy'n bwriadu gwneud hynny yn yr wythnosau nesaf. Mae wir yn bwysig ein bod ni'n sicrhau bod pob corff llywodraethol yn edrych o ddifrif ar hyn. Mae'r rhan fwyaf yn gweld hyn yn flaenoriaeth bwysig, wrth gwrs, beth bynnag. Mae canllawiau pwysig ar gael i ysgolion gan Plant yng Nghymru sydd yn esbonio i brif athrawon ac i gyrff llywodraethol sut i fynd ati i sicrhau nad yw costau ysgol yn rhwystr i allu ymwneud gyda bywyd yr ysgol yn ehangach, ac yn argymell hynny i bob ysgol, i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n gwneud popeth y gallan nhw i gadw costau mor isel â phosib.
Well, Heledd Fychan raised some very important issues. She knows that I agree with her that schools should be accessible to children from all backgrounds, and the school essentials grant has made a significant contribution to that, and along with that, we are launching a campaign to market the availability of that grant in order to ensure that everyone who qualifies does apply for that funding. One of the challenges in spreading free school meals in all primary schools is that you don't have that free-school-meals data anymore, so it's important that we communicate this new programme, and a comms plan is in place at the moment and is showing some progress.
In addition to that, she mentioned that we have been consulting on changing guidance on school uniform. The new guidance hasn't yet been published, but I intend to do that in the next few weeks. It's very important that we do ensure that every governing body looks in earnest at this issue. Most do see this as an important priority already. There are important guidelines available to schools from Children in Wales, which does explain to headteachers and to governing bodies how they can ensure that the costs of schooling aren't a barrier to becoming involved with the school's life more widely, and I encourage all schools to do everything that they can to keep costs as low as possible.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.
You and I can debate the merits of the free-school-dinners policy that the Government have brought forward, but what is important is to understand how local authorities and schools in particular have been supported in rolling out this policy. The Vale of Glamorgan Council, which is the area that I come from, clearly has had to fund some of the capital expenditure themselves to the tune of £250,000—they replied to an FOI that I put in to them. What assessment has the department made about capital expenditure that local authorities have had to be making in the South Wales Central area to implement this policy? And, given the overrunning costs that some authorities are incurring with this, are the Government going to make up the shortfalls, in particular for the Vale of Glamorgan Council, which, as I said, is £250,000 capital money that they've had to use that could've been spent elsewhere?
Gallwch chi a fi drafod rhinweddau'r polisi cinio ysgol am ddim y mae'r Llywodraeth wedi'i gyflwyno, ond yr hyn sy'n bwysig yw deall sut mae awdurdodau lleol ac ysgolion yn arbennig wedi eu cefnogi wrth gyflwyno'r polisi hwn. Mae'n amlwg bod Cyngor Bro Morgannwg, sef yr ardal o ble rwy'n dod, wedi gorfod ariannu rhywfaint o'r gwariant cyfalaf o ryw £250,000 eu hunain—gwnaethon nhw ymateb i gais Rhyddid Gwybodaeth y gwnes i ei gyflwyno iddyn nhw. Pa asesiad y mae'r adran wedi'i wneud o ran gwariant cyfalaf y bu'n rhaid i awdurdodau lleol ei wneud yn ardal Canol De Cymru i weithredu'r polisi hwn? Ac, o ystyried y costau gorwario y mae rhai awdurdodau yn eu hwynebu gyda hyn, a yw'r Llywodraeth yn mynd i wneud yn iawn am y diffygion, yn arbennig i Gyngor Bro Morgannwg, sydd, fel y dywedais i, yn £250,000 o arian cyfalaf y maen nhw wedi gorfod ei ddefnyddio a allai fod wedi'i wario mewn mannau eraill?
The Member says that we can 'debate the merits' of it; let's be clear, he doesn't want us to be doing it. [Interruption.] He doesn't want us to be feeding every child in primary school, so that's absolutely the position that his party takes. So, there's no debate about the merits of it; it's pretty clear what his position is on it, so let's have that on the record.
There's a significant fund that has been invested in delivering this effectively. Part of that is capital—that's running at a £60 million budget at the moment—and part of it is revenue, running at around £260 million over the period. The work has been done with each local authority to identify their needs and has been allocated on that basis. I just want to pay tribute to the Vale of Glamorgan Council, and councils right across Wales, for the incredible speed, actually, at which they've been able to deploy that capital and roll out the scheme. When similar proposals were considered, for example, in Scotland, understandably, perhaps, the period between the policy being initiated and it being rolled out in schools was to the order of twice as long as we've been able to do it in Wales. That, in no small part, has been because of the commitment of local authorities right across Wales. And, actually, we've been looking carefully at how we roll out—and we'll be making some announcements again in coming weeks about the second year—and that does respond to the real challenges that there are in implementing some of the capital changes required on the ground—to adapt kitchens and so on. That picture varies right across Wales, of course, but the funding has been shared fairly in a way that reflects the needs of authorities, and I thank them for all their work.
Mae'r Aelod yn dweud y gallwn ni 'drafod rhinweddau' y peth; gadewch i ni fod yn glir, dydy e ddim eisiau i ni fod yn ei wneud. [Torri ar draws.] Dydy e ddim eisiau i ni fod yn bwydo pob plentyn yn yr ysgol gynradd, felly dyna'r safbwynt mae ei blaid yn ei gymryd yn sicr. Felly, nid oes dadl am rinweddau'r peth; mae'n eithaf clir beth yw ei safbwynt ef arno, felly gadewch i ni gael hynny ar y cofnod.
Mae cronfa sylweddol sydd wedi'i buddsoddi i gyflawni hyn yn effeithiol. Mae rhan o honno'n gyfalaf—mae'n gweithredu ar gyllideb gwerth £60 miliwn ar hyn o bryd—ac mae rhan ohoni'n refeniw, yn gweithredu ar ryw £260 miliwn dros y cyfnod. Mae'r gwaith wedi'i wneud gyda phob awdurdod lleol i nodi eu hanghenion ac mae wedi'i dyrannu ar y sail honno. Rydw i eisiau talu teyrnged i Gyngor Bro Morgannwg, a chynghorau ledled Cymru, am ba mor anhygoel o gyflym, mewn gwirionedd, maen nhw wedi gallu defnyddio'r cyfalaf hwnnw a chyflwyno'r cynllun. Pan gafodd cynigion tebyg eu hystyried, er enghraifft, yn yr Alban, yn ddealladwy, efallai, roedd y cyfnod rhwng cychwyn y polisi a'i gyflwyno mewn ysgolion tua dwywaith y cyfnod y bu modd i ni ei wneud yng Nghymru. Mae hynny, i raddau helaeth, wedi digwydd oherwydd ymrwymiad awdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru. Ac, mewn gwirionedd, rydyn ni wedi bod yn ystyried yn ofalus sut yr ydyn ni'n cyflwyno—a byddwn ni'n gwneud rhai cyhoeddiadau eto yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf ynghylch yr ail flwyddyn—ac mae hynny'n ymateb i'r heriau gwirioneddol sydd wrth roi ar waith rhai o'r newidiadau cyfalaf sydd eu hangen ar lawr gwlad—i addasu ceginau ac yn y blaen. Mae'r darlun hwnnw'n amrywio'n ledled Cymru, wrth gwrs, ond mae'r cyllid wedi cael ei rannu yn deg mewn ffordd sy'n adlewyrchu anghenion awdurdodau, a diolch iddyn nhw am eu holl waith.
2. Pa asesiad mae'r Gweinidog wedi ei wneud o'r effaith y mae costau byw cynyddol yn ei gael ar gynlluniau ar gyfer ysgolion yr 21ain ganrif? OQ59244
2. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact the increased cost of living is having on plans for 21st century schools? OQ59244
We recognise that schools and colleges play a vital role in supporting our local communities. It's essential that investment in our education estate through our sustainable communities for learning programme drives energy efficiencies, reduces revenue pressures, and improves access to these important facilities.
Rydyn ni'n cydnabod bod ysgolion a cholegau'n chwarae rhan allweddol wrth gefnogi ein cymunedau lleol. Mae'n hanfodol bod buddsoddi yn ein hystad addysg drwy ein rhaglen cymunedau cynaliadwy ar gyfer dysgu yn ysgogi arbed ynni, yn lleihau pwysau refeniw, ac yn gwella mynediad at y cyfleusterau pwysig hyn.
Thank you, Minister. The benefits that the twenty-first century schools bring to our pupils and our teachers are enormous. We are fortunate in Rhondda to have three twenty-first century schools planned: one for Llyn y Forwyn, which will be completed over the next two years; one for Penrhys primary school; and one for Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda. Now, Minister, I know that you visited Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda and understand the challenges that the school faces at the current site. The school community there is desperate for new facilities. But I also understand that, due to the chaos at Westminster, the financial situation that we face since the initial twenty-first century schools announcement, is extremely different. Minister, what assurances can you give, if any, that future twenty-first century schools plans will begin and be completed at the very same pace as previous twenty-first century schools projects?
Diolch. Mae'r manteision y mae ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain yn eu rhoi i'n disgyblion a'n hathrawon yn enfawr. Rydyn ni'n ffodus yn y Rhondda bod gennym ni dair ysgol yr unfed ganrif ar hugain wedi'u cynllunio: un ar gyfer Llyn y Forwyn, a fydd yn cael ei chwblhau yn ystod y ddwy flynedd nesaf; un ar gyfer ysgol gynradd Penrhys; ac un ar gyfer Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda. Nawr, Gweinidog, rwy'n gwybod eich bod chi wedi ymweld ag Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda a'ch bod chi'n deall yr heriau sy'n wynebu'r ysgol ar y safle presennol. Mae cymuned yr ysgol yno yn ysu am gyfleusterau newydd. Ond rwy'n deall hefyd, oherwydd yr anrhefn yn San Steffan, fod y sefyllfa ariannol sy'n ein hwynebu ni ers cyhoeddiad cychwynnol ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain, yn dra gwahanol. Gweinidog, pa sicrwydd y gallwch chi ei roi, os o gwbl, y bydd cynlluniau ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain yn y dyfodol yn dechrau ac yn cael eu cwblhau yr un mor gyflym â phrosiectau ysgolion blaenorol yr unfed ganrif ar hugain?
I thank Buffy Williams—and that's a very important question—and I thank her as well for inviting me to visit Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda, and I thank Mr Spanswick and the staff for the very warm welcome that they gave me when I was able to visit, and I saw, of course, the facilities in the school there and the important work that they do at first-hand. The sustainable communities for learning programme of course is subject to the same pressures—inflationary pressures, construction cost increases, labour cost increases, as any other aspect of Government investment or, indeed, local government investment. In order to try and do our part to compensate for that, and to make sure that projects aren't unduly held up in the way that Buffy Williams is mentioning in her question, that budget has been increased by 33 per cent over the next two financial years, partly to support our new rolling mechanism for delivery—so it's a much nimble and flexible programme than it has been in the past—to respond to the ability of some authorities to move faster and for others to be able to adjust their plans. But that funding will also support additional cost pressures within the construction industry. And she will, I know, have seen the announcement that I made at the end of last week of a further £60 million—£50 million for schools and £10 million for colleges—to support capital maintenance, but prioritising energy efficiency works across our school and college estate in Wales, which is obviously a very important part of our Net Zero Wales plan as well.
Diolch i Buffy Williams—ac mae hwnnw'n gwestiwn pwysig iawn—ac rwy'n diolch iddi hefyd am fy ngwahodd i ymweld ag Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhondda, a diolch i Mr Spanswick a'r staff am y croeso cynnes iawn y rhoddon nhw i mi pan fu modd i mi ymweld, ac fe welais i, wrth gwrs, drosof fy hun, y cyfleusterau yn yr ysgol yn y fan yna a'r gwaith pwysig y maen nhw'n ei wneud. Mae'r rhaglen cymunedau cynaliadwy ar gyfer dysgu wrth gwrs yn wynebu'r un pwysau—pwysau chwyddiant, cynnydd mewn costau adeiladu, cynnydd mewn costau llafur, fel unrhyw agwedd arall ar fuddsoddiad y Llywodraeth neu, yn wir, buddsoddiad llywodraeth leol. Er mwyn ceisio gwneud ein rhan ni i wneud iawn am hynny, ac i wneud yn siŵr nad yw prosiectau'n cael eu hoedi'n ormodol yn y ffordd y mae Buffy Williams yn dweud yn ei chwestiwn, mae'r gyllideb honno wedi cael ei chynyddu 33 y cant yn ystod y ddwy flynedd ariannol nesaf, yn rhannol i gefnogi ein system dreigl newydd ar gyfer cyflawni—felly mae'n rhaglen llawer mwy ystwyth a hyblyg nag y bu yn y gorffennol—i ymateb i allu rhai awdurdodau i symud yn gynt ac i eraill allu addasu eu cynlluniau. Ond bydd yr arian hwnnw hefyd yn cefnogi pwysau costau ychwanegol yn y diwydiant adeiladu. A bydd hi, am wn i, wedi gweld y cyhoeddiad y gwnes i ddiwedd wythnos diwethaf o £60 miliwn arall—£50 miliwn i ysgolion a £10 miliwn i golegau—i gefnogi cynnal a chadw cyfalaf, ond gan flaenoriaethu gwaith effeithlonrwydd ynni ar draws ein hystad ysgolion a cholegau yng Nghymru, sy'n amlwg yn rhan bwysig iawn o'n cynllun Cymru Sero Net hefyd.
Minister, I've said in this Chamber on a number of occasions that I want to see brand new Welsh-medium schools right across Wales, and I'd especially like to see them in Brecon and Radnorshire. I'd like to know what assessment the Welsh Government has done on the cost-of-living crisis and the rise of costs of everything that is associated with building these schools, and what impact that is going to have on the delivery of having more Welsh speakers right across Wales, especially in rural communities like mine in Brecon and Radnor.
Gweinidog, rydw i wedi dweud yn y Siambr hon droeon fy mod i eisiau gweld ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg newydd sbon ledled Cymru, ac yn arbennig, hoffwn i eu gweld ym Mrycheiniog a Maesyfed. Hoffwn i wybod pa asesiad mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud ar yr argyfwng costau byw a'r cynnydd yng nghost popeth sy'n gysylltiedig ag adeiladu'r ysgolion hyn, a pha effaith mae hynny'n mynd i'w chael ar gyflawni bod â mwy o siaradwyr Cymraeg ledled Cymru, yn enwedig mewn cymunedau gwledig fel fy un i ym Mrycheiniog a Maesyfed.
Over the course of the 10-year period of the Welsh in education strategic plans programme right across Wales, there will be, roughly speaking, 50 new schools, either through the construction of new schools or increased Welsh language provision in existing schools, partly by taking those schools along the Welsh language continuum. And so, the plan isn't all dependent on actually physically building new schools; it's a mix of the two, and that's true in Brecon and Radnor as it is in Powys at large and across Wales, and that's really important. We've wanted to work with authorities to design plans that best reflect their needs, but it's a 10-year programme, and so, we are factoring in the cost implications of that, but we are confident that those plans can be met.
Dros gyfnod 10 mlynedd y rhaglen cynlluniau strategol y Gymraeg mewn addysg ledled Cymru, bydd, yn fras, 50 o ysgolion newydd, naill ai drwy adeiladu ysgolion newydd neu gynyddu'r ddarpariaeth Gymraeg mewn ysgolion presennol, yn rhannol trwy gymryd yr ysgolion hynny ar hyd y continwwm Cymraeg. Ac felly, nid yw'r cynllun yn llwyr ddibynnol ar adeiladu ysgolion newydd yn ffisegol mewn gwirionedd; mae'n gymysgedd o'r ddau, ac mae hynny'n wir ym Mrycheiniog a Maesyfed fel y mae ym Mhowys yn gyffredinol ac ar draws Cymru, ac mae hynny'n bwysig iawn. Rydyn ni wedi bod eisiau gweithio gydag awdurdodau i ddylunio cynlluniau sy'n adlewyrchu eu hanghenion orau, ond mae'n rhaglen 10 mlynedd, ac felly, rydyn ni'n cynnwys y goblygiadau hynny o ran cost, ond rydyn ni'n hyderus fod modd cyflawni'r cynlluniau hynny.
Galwaf nawr ar lefarwyr y pleidiau i holi'r Gweinidog, ac yn gyntaf, llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Laura Anne Jones.
I now call on the party spokespeople to question the Minister, and first of all, we turn to the Conservative spokesperson, Laura Anne Jones.
Diolch, Deputy Presiding Officer. Minister, since having my education shadow portfolio, I've undertaken a tour of schools across Wales, and resoundingly, the No. 1 concern that they raise with me is ALN, additional learning needs. Reform was needed and no-one disagrees with that, but there are significant concerns about the reality of what is now happening in schools on the ground. Transferring those already diagnosed or identified onto the new ALN has been relatively straightforward, but all those, particularly younger aged children and young people who need to be identified for the first time, are taking worryingly long to be identified or diagnosed, and the waiting time for these children to get that support that they desperately need is astronomically long and extremely concerning to parents, teachers and, of course, heads.
This is not only detrimentally affecting the child or young person in question, as they cannot receive that vital one-to-one support or support that they need, but it equates to them missing out on an education that they need and deserve. It will also mean that a teacher in a class has to focus on the needs of that child who is struggling, which will, of course, have a detrimental effect on the rest of the class as their learning time will be cut short. This isn't just a problem—it's a huge problem, Minister, and differs massively between the 22 local authorities. You're currently failing children across Wales and it can't go on. Heads of these schools are crying out to this Welsh Government for a national solution to this. So, what are you doing as a Government to urgently sort out this problem and ensure that no child misses out on the education that they deserve?
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Gweinidog, ers cael fy mhortffolio cysgodol dros addysg, rydw i wedi mynd ar daith o amgylch ysgolion ledled Cymru, ac yn ysgubol, y prif bryder y maen nhw’n ei godi gyda mi yw ADY, anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Roedd angen diwygio ac nid oes neb yn anghytuno â hynny, ond mae pryderon sylweddol am wirionedd yr hyn sydd nawr yn digwydd mewn ysgolion ar lawr gwlad. Mae trosglwyddo'r rhai sydd eisoes wedi cael diagnosis neu wedi'i nodi i'r rhestr ADY newydd wedi bod yn gymharol syml, ond mae pawb, yn enwedig plant a phobl ifanc iau y mae angen eu nodi am y tro cyntaf, yn cymryd amser pryderus o hir i gael eu nodi neu i gael diagnosis, ac mae'r amser aros i'r plant hyn gael y gefnogaeth honno y mae dirfawr ei hangen arnyn nhw yn anhygoel o hir ac yn hynod bryderus i rieni, athrawon ac, wrth gwrs, penaethiaid.
Mae hyn nid yn unig yn effeithio'n niweidiol ar y plentyn neu'r person ifanc dan sylw, gan na allan nhw gael y gefnogaeth neu'r gefnogaeth unigol hanfodol honno sydd ei hangen arnyn nhw, ond mae'n cyfateb iddyn nhw'n colli addysg y mae ei hangen arnyn nhw ac yn ei haeddu. Bydd hefyd yn golygu bod yn rhaid i athro mewn dosbarth ganolbwyntio ar anghenion y plentyn hwnnw sy'n ei chael hi'n anodd, a fydd, wrth gwrs, yn cael effaith niweidiol ar weddill y dosbarth gan y bydd eu hamser dysgu yn cael ei gwtogi. Nid yw hyn ond yn broblem—mae'n broblem enfawr, Gweinidog, ac yn amrywio'n fawr rhwng y 22 awdurdod lleol. Rydych chi'n methu plant ledled Cymru ar hyn o bryd a ni all hyn barhau. Mae penaethiaid yr ysgolion hyn yn gweiddi ar y Llywodraeth Cymru hon am ateb cenedlaethol i hyn. Felly, beth ydych chi'n ei wneud fel Llywodraeth i ddatrys y broblem hon ar frys ac i sicrhau nad oes unrhyw blentyn yn colli'r addysg y maen nhw'n ei haeddu?
I thank the Member for the work that she's doing to improve her knowledge at first hand through speaking to schools right across Wales about the implications of the ALN reform. As she said, it's an important set of reforms and it's one that I know all parts of the Chamber are committed to. She says that transferring young people who are currently in the system onto the new system is straightforward—if she's hearing that, I'm very pleased. My experience of talking to teachers is that, actually, there are quite a lot of challenges in doing that, given the numbers involved and the timescales that they're working to. So, I don't think that we should underestimate that that is a challenge for schools as well.
We've invested over £76 million so far in preparing the sector for implementing the reforms for the next financial year. We've increased the annual budget by £4.5 million to £25.5 million, and in this financial year, we've invested £36.6 million to support implementation, which includes a significant investment in capital costs, but also in additional support for the teaching profession as well.
She will know, I think, that, in relation to a national approach, which I think was the focus of her question, we've identified transformation leads, which are looking at a Wales-wide approach. As she will know, we've adopted a regional approach to rolling out the early stages, but we've got to the point of transition, which requires, as she says in her question, a national approach. So, whether it's to do with Welsh language provision or a range of others, we've appointed transformation leads who will co-ordinate the picture on a national basis, and she will also, I hope, be reassured to know that the programme for workforce development, whilst also drawing, of course, on the work of local authorities and school improvement services, also benefits from a national professional learning programme aimed at ALNCOs, teachers and lecturers so they can develop on an equivalent basis right across Wales.
Diolch i'r Aelod am y gwaith y mae hi'n ei wneud i wella ei gwybodaeth yn uniongyrchol drwy siarad ag ysgolion ledled Cymru ynglŷn â goblygiadau'r diwygiad ADY. Fel y dywedodd hi, mae'n set bwysig o ddiwygiadau ac mae'n un rwy'n gwybod y mae pob rhan o'r Siambr wedi ymrwymo iddi. Mae hi'n dweud bod trosglwyddo pobl ifanc sydd yn y system i'r system newydd ar hyn o bryd yn syml—os yw hi'n clywed hynny, rwy'n falch iawn. Fy mhrofiad i o siarad ag athrawon yw bod tipyn o heriau, mewn gwirionedd, o ran gwneud hynny, o ystyried y niferoedd dan sylw a'r amserlenni maen nhw'n gweithio iddyn nhw. Felly, nid ydw i'n credu y dylen ni danbrisio bod hynny'n her i ysgolion hefyd.
Rydyn ni wedi buddsoddi dros £76 miliwn hyd yma yn paratoi'r sector ar gyfer gweithredu'r diwygiadau yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf. Rydyn ni wedi cynyddu'r gyllideb flynyddol o £4.5 miliwn i £25.5 miliwn, ac yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon, rydyn ni wedi buddsoddi £36.6 miliwn i gefnogi gweithredu, sy'n cynnwys buddsoddiad sylweddol mewn costau cyfalaf, ond hefyd mewn cefnogaeth ychwanegol i'r proffesiwn addysgu hefyd.
Bydd hi'n gwybod, rwy'n credu, o ran dull cenedlaethol, a oedd, sef pwyslais ei chwestiwn, rwy'n credu, ein bod ni wedi nodi arweinwyr trawsnewid, sy'n ystyried dull gweithredu ledled Cymru. Fel y bydd hi'n gwybod, rydyn ni wedi mabwysiadu dull rhanbarthol o gyflwyno'r camau cynnar, ond mae'n rhaid i ni gyrraedd y pwynt pontio, sy'n gofyn, fel y mae hi'n ei ddweud yn ei chwestiwn, am ddull cenedlaethol. Felly, p’un a yw hynny yn ymwneud â darpariaeth Cymraeg neu amrywiaeth o ddarpariaethau eraill, rydyn ni wedi penodi arweinwyr trawsnewid a fydd yn cydlynu'r darlun yn genedlaethol, a bydd hi hefyd, gobeithio, yn dawel ei meddwl o wybod bod y rhaglen ar gyfer datblygu'r gweithlu, gan hefyd, wrth gwrs, fanteisio ar waith awdurdodau lleol a gwasanaethau gwella ysgolion, yn elwa ar raglen ddysgu broffesiynol genedlaethol yn benodol ar gyfer staff CADY, athrawon a darlithwyr er mwyn iddyn nhw allu datblygu ar sail gyfatebol ledled Cymru.
Thank you, Minister. We welcome a national approach on this, as we need to absolutely ensure that school budgets have the money they need in the meantime, before this is sorted, to adapt to these extra pressures that are put upon them.
Minister, you'll be aware that the Welsh Government commissioned a resource for sex education in Wales. This ended up with AGENDA being created and used by teachers and schools across Wales on children as young as seven years old. I read through the 150-plus page document, and I have to say I find a lot of the content shocking, lacking in biological fact, and simply not age appropriate or appropriate for children. It states in your document that children as young as two or three know if they're trans, and it also mentions gender bending and sex switching. Minister, we both know that you cannot change your sex. Most concerningly, it talks about creating a secret language to talk about these issues, which of course could be used to exclude parents. Minister, are you happy for children as young as seven to be taught these things, and do you think that it's appropriate? And if you don't think it's appropriate or factually correct, why did this Government commission this work and hand it to every school in Wales?
Diolch. Rydyn ni'n croesawu dull cenedlaethol ar hyn, gan fod angen i ni sicrhau bod gan gyllidebau ysgolion yr arian sydd ei angen arnyn nhw yn y cyfamser, cyn i hyn gael ei ddatrys, i addasu i'r pwysau ychwanegol hyn sy'n cael eu rhoi arnyn nhw.
Gweinidog, byddwch chi'n ymwybodol bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi comisiynu adnodd ar gyfer addysg rhyw yng Nghymru. Daeth hyn i ben gydag AGENDA yn cael ei chreu a'i defnyddio gan athrawon ac ysgolion ledled Cymru ar blant mor ifanc â saith oed. Darllenais i drwy'r ddogfen 150 a mwy o dudalennau, ac mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud fy mod i'n gweld llawer o'r cynnwys yn frawychus, yn brin o ffeithiau biolegol, ac yn ei hanfod, nid yw'n briodol i oedran neu'n briodol i blant. Mae'n nodi yn eich dogfen fod plant mor ifanc â dwy neu dair oed yn gwybod os ydyn nhw'n draws, ac mae hefyd yn sôn am wyro rhywedd a newid rhyw. Gweinidog, mae'r ddau ohonon ni'n gwybod na allwch chi newid eich rhyw. Yn fwyaf pryderus, mae'n sôn am greu iaith gyfrinachol i siarad am y materion hyn, y byddai modd eu defnyddio wrth gwrs i eithrio rhieni. Gweinidog, ydych chi'n hapus i blant mor ifanc â saith oed gael eu haddysgu'r pethau hyn, ac ydych chi'n meddwl ei fod yn briodol? Ac os nad ydych chi'n credu ei fod yn briodol neu'n ffeithiol gywir, pam wnaeth y Llywodraeth hon gomisiynu'r gwaith hwn a'i roi i bob ysgol yng Nghymru?
Well, just for the Chamber to be aware, the letter that I wrote to the Member, the opposition spokesperson for education, now several months ago, I think, asking her to bring to my attention any documents of concern and evidence they're being used in schools in Wales remains unanswered. And the terms in which the Member brings the matters to the Chamber I'm afraid I think rather says it all. I don't think this is motivated principally by the well-being of young people in Wales.
But the substance—[Interruption.] The substance of her argument is this, if she will listen to the answer. The code that we have voted on as a Chamber is extremely clear about what young people in Wales should learn at which stages of development. There is no doubt about it. If she hasn't read it, she should do so. It is absolutely clear—. She will know, I think, if she has read the document to which she's referring, that it is not a document aimed at two and three-year-olds; it is a document that is for older children in the system.
The code is very clear. It makes a distinction, which I know she will welcome, between biological sex and gender. It is very clear that the purpose of the resource, and indeed that part of the curriculum, is partly to tackle bullying and discrimination. It is also about tackling gender stereotypes. We don't want to be in a situation where girls are taught that they should be nurses but not police officers, and boys are taught they should be police officers but not nurses. This is part of a rounded education for our young people.
The resource to which she refers is one that is aimed at teachers, not young people, and provides them with a set of tools to respond sensitively to things that young people are telling them. It isn't a prospectus for them to share proactively in school and it is, once again, just to be clear, to be used in a way that is age appropriate.
I saw last week the UK Government announcing they're reviewing curriculum resources. I'm sure people in England will welcome that. We've been doing that in Wales since the turn of the new year, and I hope that, by the summer, perhaps we'll have concluded that. And so I'll be really clear: I have an open invitation to the Member to raise with me any concerns that she has, backed up with evidence, in a way that enables them to be addressed. She persists in preferring to bring these matters to the Chamber. She's perfectly entitled to do that, but I think that's the context for her remarks.
Wel, dim ond i'r Siambr fod yn ymwybodol, mae'r llythyr yr ysgrifennais i at yr Aelod, llefarydd yr wrthblaid dros addysg, sawl mis yn ôl nawr, rwy'n credu, yn gofyn iddi ddwyn i fy sylw unrhyw ddogfennau o bryder a thystiolaeth sy'n cael eu defnyddio mewn ysgolion yng Nghymru, yn parhau i fod heb ei ateb. Ac mae'r ffordd y mae'r Aelod yn dod â'r materion i'r Siambr rwy'n ofni, yn dweud y cyfan. Dydw i ddim yn credu bod hyn wedi'i ysgogi'n bennaf gan les pobl ifanc Cymru.
Ond sylwedd—[Torri ar draws.] Sylwedd ei dadl yw hyn, os gwnaiff hi wrando ar yr ateb. Mae'r cod yr ydyn ni wedi pleidleisio drosto fel Siambr yn hynod o glir am yr hyn y dylai pobl ifanc Cymru gael eu haddysgu ar ba gamau datblygu. Does dim dwywaith amdani. Os nad yw hi wedi'i ddarllen, dylai hi wneud hynny. Mae'n hollol glir—. Bydd hi'n gwybod, rwy'n credu, os yw hi wedi darllen y ddogfen y mae'n cyfeirio ati, nad dogfen ar gyfer plant dwy a thair oed ydyw; mae'n ddogfen sydd ar gyfer plant hŷn yn y system.
Mae'r cod yn glir iawn. Mae'n gwahaniaethu, rwy'n gwybod y bydd hi'n ei groesawu, rhwng rhyw biolegol a rhywedd. Mae'n amlwg iawn mai pwrpas yr adnodd, ac yn wir y rhan honno o'r cwricwlwm, yw ymdrin â bwlio a gwahaniaethu. Mae hefyd yn ymwneud ag ymdrin â stereoteipiau rhyw. Nid ydyn ni eisiau bod mewn sefyllfa lle mae merched yn cael eu dysgu y dylen nhw fod yn nyrsys ond nid yn swyddogion yr heddlu, a bechgyn yn cael eu haddysgu y dylen nhw fod yn swyddogion yr heddlu ond nid yn nyrsys. Mae hyn yn rhan o addysg gyflawn i'n pobl ifanc.
Mae'r adnodd y mae hi'n cyfeirio ato yn un sydd ar gyfer athrawon yn benodol, nid pobl ifanc, ac yn rhoi set o offer iddyn nhw ymateb yn sensitif i bethau mae pobl ifanc yn eu dweud wrthyn nhw. Nid yw'n prospectws iddyn nhw ei rannu'n rhagweithiol yn yr ysgol ac mae, unwaith eto, dim ond i fod yn glir, i'w ddefnyddio mewn ffordd sy'n briodol o ran oedran.
Gwelais i'r wythnos ddiwethaf Lywodraeth y DU yn cyhoeddi eu bod yn adolygu adnoddau'r cwricwlwm. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd pobl yn Lloegr yn croesawu hynny. Rydyn ni wedi bod yn gwneud hynny yng Nghymru ers dechrau'r flwyddyn newydd, ac rwy'n gobeithio, erbyn yr haf, efallai y byddwn ni wedi gorffen hynny. Ac felly byddaf i'n glir iawn: mae gennyf i wahoddiad agored i'r Aelod i godi gyda mi unrhyw bryderon sydd ganddi, wedi'u cefnogi gan dystiolaeth, mewn ffordd sy'n eu galluogi i gael sylw. Mae hi'n parhau i ffafrio dod â'r materion hyn i'r Siambr. Mae ganddi berffaith hawl i wneud hynny, ond rwy'n credu mai dyna'r cyd-destun i'w sylwadau hi.
Minister, it's very easy—this AGENDA document, in black and white, has the Welsh Government logo on it and it was commissioned by yourself and your predecessor welcomed it. I've read out some of the things that were included, verbatim, in that document, which says sex switching, which we know to be factually incorrect. It says children as young as two or three know if they're trans. That is outrageous, quite frankly, as a parent. What you're forcing on young people is not based in law or biological facts, Minister. To make matters worse, every child is forced to consume this indoctrination of gender ideology, and you have taken away the parents’ right to opt out of those lessons, which I just don’t agree with. You state that, in most cases, parents’ concerns come from not knowing what’s going on. Information sharing is worryingly different between schools, across schools and across local authority areas. But many parents do know what’s going on, Minister, and still do not want their children learning these dangerous falsehoods. Minister, it’s time to scrap relationships and sexuality education, or, at the very least, give parents back the opt-out option. Would you agree with that today?
Gweinidog, mae'n hawdd iawn—mae gan y ddogfen AGENDA hon, mewn du a gwyn, logo Llywodraeth Cymru arni a chafodd ei chomisiynwyd gennych chi'ch hun a gwnaeth eich rhagflaenydd ei chroesawu. Rwyf i wedi darllen yn gyhoeddus rhai o'r pethau a gafodd eu cynnwys, air am air, yn y ddogfen honno, sy'n sôn am newid rhyw, yr ydyn ni'n gwybod eu bod yn ffeithiol anghywir. Mae'n dweud bod plant mor ifanc â dwy neu dair oed yn gwybod os ydyn nhw'n draws. Mae hynny'n warthus, a dweud y gwir, fel rhiant. Nid yw'r hyn yr ydych chi'n ei orfodi ar bobl ifanc wedi'i seilio mewn cyfraith na ffeithiau biolegol, Gweinidog. I wneud pethau'n waeth, mae pob plentyn yn cael ei orfodi i dderbyn yr egwyddori hwn o ideoleg rywedd, ac rydych chi wedi dileu hawl y rhieni i optio allan o'r gwersi hynny, ac nid wyf i'n cytuno â hynny. Rydych chi'n dweud, yn y rhan fwyaf o achosion, bod pryderon rhieni yn dod o beidio â gwybod beth sy'n digwydd. Mae rhannu gwybodaeth yn bryderus o wahanol rhwng ysgolion, ar draws ysgolion ac ar draws ardaloedd awdurdodau lleol. Ond mae llawer o rieni yn gwybod beth sy'n digwydd, Gweinidog, a dydyn nhw'n dal ddim eisiau i'w plant ddysgu'r anwireddau peryglus hyn. Gweinidog, mae'n bryd cael gwared ar addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb, neu, o leiaf, rhoi'r dewis yn ôl i rieni optio allan. A fyddech chi'n cytuno â hynny heddiw?
I have the advantage over her in being able to see the faces of her colleagues as she’s bringing these things to the Chamber, and it is a picture, because they are as embarrassed as we are all embarrassed. We are all engaged in this Chamber in making sure that there is a curriculum—[Interruption.] We are all engaged in this Chamber in making sure that there is a curriculum that addresses the needs of our young people in a complex and changing world. We want to make sure that they are healthy and safe and not subject to misinformation, and not subject to propaganda and ideological opposition. That is what has motivated most people in this Chamber in supporting the curriculum and the code, and there was a point in time at which she was among those people.
Mae gen i'r fantais drosti o allu gweld wynebau ei chyd-Aelodau wrth iddi ddod â'r pethau hyn i'r Siambr, ac mae'n bictiwr, oherwydd maen nhw'n teimlo mor chwithig â phob un ohonom ni. Rydyn ni i gyd yn cymryd rhan yn y Siambr hon wrth sicrhau bod gennym gwricwlwm—[Torri ar draws.] Rydyn ni i gyd yn cymryd rhan yn y Siambr hon wrth sicrhau bod gennym gwricwlwm sy'n diwallu anghenion ein pobl ifanc mewn byd cymhleth a newidiol. Rydyn ni eisiau gwneud yn siŵr eu bod yn iach ac yn ddiogel, ac nad ydyn nhw'n destun camwybodaeth, nac yn destun propaganda a gwrthwynebiad ideolegol. Dyna sydd wedi ysgogi'r rhan fwyaf o'r bobl yn y Siambr hon wrth gefnogi'r cwricwlwm a'r cod, ac roedd adeg pan yr oedd hi ymhlith y bobl hynny.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Sioned Williams.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Sioned Williams.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Yn sgil pasio'r Ddeddf Addysg Drydyddol ac Ymchwil (Cymru) y llynedd, mae’r broses o sefydlu’r comisiwn addysg drydyddol ac ymchwil eisoes wedi dechrau. Cyhoeddwyd enwau’r cadeirydd a’r dirprwy gadeirydd cyn y Nadolig, ac mae’r broses o hysbysebu am aelodau eraill y bwrdd bellach ar fynd hefyd. Fodd bynnag, does dim mwg gwyn hyd yma am ganlyniad y broses o benodi prif weithredwr y comisiwn, bedwar mis ers y dyddiad cau ar gyfer cyflwyno ceisiadau ar 15 Tachwedd y llynedd. All y Gweinidog gadarnhau felly beth yw’r rheswm dros yr oedi? A yw’r broses benodi hyd yma wedi adnabod ymgeisydd neu ymgeiswyr penodadwy? Os felly, pryd mae’n gobeithio gallu hysbysu’r Senedd am yr ymgeisydd llwyddiannus, ac a yw’n cytuno, o ystyried cefndir y cadeirydd a’r dirprwy gadeirydd, ei bod yn allweddol i’r prif weithredwr fod â phrofiad ymarferol a hygrededd ym maes addysg bellach a’r sectorau ôl-16 eraill? Diolch.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Following the passing of the Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act last year, the process of establishing the commission for tertiary education and research has already commenced. The names of the chair and vice chair were published before Christmas, and the process of advertising for other board members is now ongoing. However, there is no white smoke on the chief executive appointment for the commission, four months since the closing date for applications on 15 November last year. So, can the Minister confirm the reason for this delay? Has the appointment process identified a candidate or candidates that are appointable? If so, when does he hope to inform the Senedd of the successful candidate, and does he agree, given the background of the chair and vice chair, that it is crucial that the chief executive should have practical experience and credibility in further education and other post-16 sectors? Thank you.
Mae'n berffaith wir i ddweud nad yw'r comisiwn wedi bod mewn lle, hyd yn hyn, i ddweud 'Habemus papam' o ran yr apwyntiad, ond mae’r gwaith yn mynd rhagddo i edrych ar ymgeiswyr ac apwyntio’r person iawn. Mae wrth gwrs yn bwysig sicrhau, ymhlith y tîm arweinyddol a’r bwrdd yn ehangach, fod yr ystod o sgiliau a phrofiadau sydd eu hangen ar gyfer y comisiwn yn cael eu hadlewyrchu.
It's true to say that the commission hasn't been in a position, to date, to say 'Habemus papam' with regard to the appointment, but the work is ongoing to look at the candidates and to appoint the right person. Of course, it is important to ensure that, among the leadership team and the wider board, the range of skills and experiences needed for the commission is reflected.
Felly, does dim ateb gennych chi hyd yn hyn o ran pryd y gallwn ni ddisgwyl cyhoeddiad o ran yr ymgeisydd ar gyfer prif weithredwr. Achos mae’r oedi yma yn bryder, o ystyried, fel yr oeddech yn sôn, y rôl allweddol y byddai rhywun yn disgwyl i brif weithredwr ei chwarae wrth siapio a datblygu corff sydd yn driw i’r weledigaeth uchelgeisiol sydd yn sail i’r Ddeddf.
O ran y ffaith bod y penodiadau i arweinyddiaeth y comisiwn, sydd wedi’u cyhoeddi, fel yr oeddwn yn sôn, wedi’u gogwyddo efallai i gyfeiriad addysg uwch, mae’n hanfodol bod y rhai sydd yn mynd i fod yn rhan o ac yn arwain y corff newydd yma yn deall anghenion addysg bellach a’r cymunedau y bydd yr holl ddarparwyr a fydd yn dod o dan y comisiwn yn eu gwasanaethu.
Yn ystod y cyfnod pontio, felly, a fydd yn dod nawr rhwng Cyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru a’r comisiwn, mae’n hanfodol bod swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i ymgysylltu â sefydliadau’r trydydd sector, fel ColegauCymru, drwy ei fforwm penaethiaid. Wrth i’r is-ddeddfwriaeth gael ei gosod eleni, a wnaiff y Gweinidog felly egluro natur y berthynas rhwng y comisiwn a Llywodraeth Cymru, a sut y bydd unrhyw wahaniaethau barn posib yn cael eu datrys? Pwy fydd â’r gair olaf am siâp a strwythur y corff?
So, you can't tell us as to when we can expect an announcement in terms of the candidate for chief executive. Because this delay is a concern, given the crucial role that one would expect a chief executive to play in shaping and developing a body that adheres to the ambitious vision that is at the heart of the legislation.
Given that the appointments announced to the leadership of the commission have veered, perhaps, towards higher education, it is crucial that those who will be leading this new body do understand the needs of further education and the communities that all of the providers captured under the commission will serve.
During that transitional period that will happen between the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and the commission, it is crucial that Welsh Government officials continue to engage with third sector organisations such as CollegesWales through its fora. As the secondary legislation is laid this year, will the Minister therefore explain the nature of the relationship between the commission and Welsh Government, and how any difference of opinion will be resolved? Who will have the final word about the shape and structure of the body?
Diolch i'r Aelod am hynny. Mae’r cwestiwn y mae’n hi ei ofyn yn un pwysig iawn. Mae lot o ymgysylltu yn digwydd. Rwy’n cadeirio corff traws-sectoraidd sy’n edrych ar bethau strategol, ond hefyd elfennau gweithredol pan fyddan nhw’n bethau mae gan amryw o gyrff ddiddordeb ynddyn nhw. Hefyd, mae rhaglen waith fwy manwl yn digwydd rhwng swyddogion a chyda swyddogion y cyrff y mae hi’n sôn amdanyn nhw.
Mae’n bwysig iawn ein bod ni’n sicrhau, yn y cyfnod nesaf, nad oes gorgyffwrdd rhwng yr hyn rŷm ni’n ei ofyn gan y sector, fel Llywodraeth ar yr un llaw, gan HEFCW ar y llaw arall, a’r corff newydd wrth iddo gael ei sefydlu ac yn esblygu o hynny. Felly, mae gwaith yn digwydd i gydlynu, os hoffwch chi, y cyfathrebu, a bod yn glir gyda’r sector ynghylch pryd y mae’r ymgynghoriadau ar fin cychwyn, fel bod hynny’n digwydd mewn ffordd sydd yn streamlined o’u safbwynt nhw.
Mae'r Ddeddf yn gwbl glir beth yw cyfrifoldebau'r Llywodraeth a chyfrifoldebau'r comisiwn newydd, ac yn union pan fydd y comisiwn yn cael ei sefydlu bydd rhaglen wedyn o ddeddfwriaeth o'r Senedd yn trosglwyddo pwerau i'r corff newydd. Wrth fod hynny'n digwydd, y corff newydd fydd yn gyfrifol am hynny o beth. Mae rhaglen fanwl o waith wedi cael ei chreu, ac, wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n esblygu, ac rwyf i wedi ymrwymo i ysgrifennu at y pwyllgor i'w diweddaru nhw a bydd hynny, wrth gwrs, yn cael ei rannu gyda'r Senedd yn ehangach.
Thank you to the Member for that. The question that she asks is very important. A great deal of engagement takes place. I chair a cross-sectoral group that looks at the strategic issues, but also at the operational issues when they are issues that a number of bodies have an interest in. Of course, there is a programme of more detailed work that takes place between officials and the officials of the bodies that she mentions.
It's very important that we do ensure, in this coming period, that there isn't an overlap between what we are asking the sector to do as a Government on the one hand, HEFCW on the other hand, and this new body as it is established and as it evolves from that point. There is work happening to co-ordinate, if you like, communication, and to be clear with the sector on when the consultations are about to start, so that that happens in a streamlined way from their point of view.
The legislation is entirely clear what the responsibilities of the Government are and what the commission's responsibilities are, and when the commission is established there will be a programme of legislation emanating from the Senedd transferring powers to the new body. As that happens, it's the new body that will be responsible for that. There's a detailed programme of work that has been created and, of course, that is evolving, and I've committed to write to the committee to update them and that will be shared with the wider Senedd.
3. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am gymorth anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn sir Drefaldwyn? OQ59246
3. Will the Minister make a statement on additional learning needs support in Montgomeryshire? OQ59246
Through the ongoing implementation of the ALN reforms, children with additional learning needs in Montgomeryshire will be listened to and receive the support they need in their education.
Drwy weithredu'r diwygiadau ADY yn barhaus, bydd plant ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn sir Drefaldwyn yn cael rhywun yn gwrando arnyn nhw ac yn cael y gefnogaeth sydd ei hangen arnyn nhw yn eu haddysg.
Thank you for your answer, Minister, and, of course, I heard your answer to Laura Anne Jones on this earlier on as well. Through casework, an issue that I'm picking up is that there appear to be some children with potential additional learning needs when they relocate from England into Wales, and there are some difficulties in regard to delayed assessments, which, of course, are required in order for them to receive the support they need for their education. Clearly, that is detrimental to the child when that occurs. So, can I ask what the Welsh Government is doing to help and support local authorities to provide a smooth transition for ALN assessment to ensure that a child receives ALN support in a timely manner, but also that there's parity of funding as well? So, my particular issue is concern around when an assessment may start in England, and then a child in the middle of that process is moving into Wales, to ensure that there's support for local authorities in that process.
Diolch am eich ateb, Gweinidog, ac, wrth gwrs, clywais eich ateb i Laura Anne Jones ar hyn yn gynharach hefyd. Drwy waith achos, un mater rwy'n ymdrin ag ef yw'r ffaith yr ymddengys bod rhai plant ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol posibl pan fyddan nhw'n adleoli o Loegr i Gymru, ac mae rhai anawsterau o ran oedi asesiadau, sydd, wrth gwrs, yn ofynnol er mwyn iddyn nhw gael y gefnogaeth sydd ei hangen arnynt ar gyfer eu haddysg. Yn amlwg, mae hynny'n niweidiol i'r plentyn pan fydd hynny'n digwydd. Felly, a gaf i ofyn beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i helpu a chefnogi awdurdodau lleol i sicrhau cyfnod pontio didrafferth ar gyfer asesiad ADY i sicrhau bod plentyn yn cael cymorth ADY mewn modd amserol, ond hefyd bod cydraddoldeb cyllid hefyd? Felly, y broblem benodol sydd gennyf yw pryder ynghylch pan fydd asesiad efallai yn dechrau yn Lloegr, a bod plentyn wedyn yn symud i Gymru yng nghanol y broses honno, er mwyn sicrhau bod cefnogaeth i awdurdodau lleol yn y broses honno.
I thank Russell George for that question. It's an important question and he's—. It's a constructive issue to raise, so I thank him very much for that. We have issued guidance and continue to issue guidance that deals with some of the aspects that he's raised in his question, but I will speak to officials to make sure that we are clear that all the cross-border working that needs to be happening is taking place. He is making an important point about where an assessment begins, if you like, in one jurisdiction, but then is carried over into ours here. So, I'll write further to him in relation to the latest discussions on cross-border engagement.FootnoteLink
Diolch i Russell George am y cwestiwn yna. Mae'n gwestiwn pwysig ac mae e—. Mae'n fater adeiladol i'w godi, felly diolch yn fawr iddo am hynny. Rydym wedi cyhoeddi canllawiau ac rydym yn parhau i gyhoeddi canllawiau sy'n ymdrin â rhai o'r agweddau y mae ef wedi'u codi yn ei gwestiwn, ond byddaf yn siarad â swyddogion er mwyn sicrhau ein bod yn deall bod yr holl waith trawsffiniol sydd angen digwydd yn cael ei gyflawni. Mae'n gwneud pwynt pwysig ynglŷn â lle mae asesiad yn dechrau, os mynnwch, mewn un awdurdodaeth, ond yna mae'n cael ei drosglwyddo i'n un ni yma. Felly, fe wnaf ysgrifennu ato eto ynghylch y trafodaethau diweddaraf ar y gweithgarwch ymgysylltu trawsffiniol.FootnoteLink
4. Pa asesiad mae'r Gweinidog wedi ei wneud o rôl sgiliau adeiladu fel rhan o gwricwlwm amgen ar gyfer disgyblion ysgol? OQ59261
4. What assessment has the Minister made of the role of construction skills as part of an alternative curriculum for school pupils? OQ59261
'Curriculum for Wales' focuses on developing enterprising, creative learners, ready to play a full part in life and work. I strongly support the importance of skills as part of learning and the opportunity for schools and colleges to work together to meet the needs of young people.
Mae'r 'Cwricwlwm i Gymru' yn canolbwyntio ar ddatblygu dysgwyr mentrus, creadigol, yn barod i chwarae rhan lawn mewn bywyd a gwaith. Rwy'n cefnogi'n gryf bwysigrwydd sgiliau fel rhan o ddysgu a'r cyfle i ysgolion a cholegau gydweithio i ddiwallu anghenion pobl ifanc.
The Minister will know from his visits around Wales that some pupils don't engage with the traditional curriculum and with traditional education. But providing opportunities such as construction skills is a way in to a productive future career, and sometimes quite a lucrative career as well, with skills such as carpentry and bricklaying and plumbing and so on. So, will he join me in welcoming the work that's been done at places such as the Maesteg centre for construction excellence, which has linked with Maesteg comprehensive school to develop those opportunities for young people with level 1 qualifications that could then lead to junior apprenticeships or on to foundation courses in those areas? It's vitally important that we support these, not just in the Llynfi valley, but throughout Wales, because we will need these skills, we will need these young people constructively engaged as they go through school, and, if it isn't the traditional curriculum, then giving these opportunities is a really great way forward. So, how can he give more support to these non-traditional routes to engage with young people?
Bydd y Gweinidog yn gwybod o ymweld â gwahanol rannau o Gymru nad yw rhai disgyblion yn ymwneud â'r cwricwlwm traddodiadol a gydag addysg draddodiadol. Fodd bynnag, mae darparu cyfleoedd megis sgiliau adeiladu yn ffordd i yrfa gynhyrchiol yn y dyfodol, ac weithiau yrfa digon proffidiol hefyd, gyda sgiliau megis gwaith coed a gosod brics a phlymio, ac yn y blaen. Felly, a wnaiff e ymuno â mi i groesawu'r gwaith a wnaed mewn lleoedd fel canolfan rhagoriaeth adeiladu Maesteg, sydd wedi cysylltu ag ysgol gyfun Maesteg i ddatblygu'r cyfleoedd hynny i bobl ifanc gyda chymwysterau lefel 1 a allai wedyn arwain at brentisiaethau iau neu at gyrsiau sylfaen yn y meysydd hynny? Mae'n hollbwysig ein bod yn cefnogi'r rhain, nid yn unig yng Nghwm Llynfi, ond drwy Gymru gyfan, oherwydd bydd arnom angen y sgiliau hyn, bydd arnom angen i'r bobl ifanc hyn ymgysylltu'n adeiladol wrth iddyn nhw fynd drwy'r ysgol, ac, os nad dyna'r cwricwlwm traddodiadol, yna mae rhoi'r cyfleoedd hyn yn ffordd wirioneddol wych ymlaen. Felly, sut y gall roi mwy o gefnogaeth i'r llwybrau anhraddodiadol hyn i ymwneud â phobl ifanc?
Thank you, Huw Irranca-Davies, for that question. I very much welcome schools and institutions like Maesteg comprehensive and Neath Port Talbot College in that example, I think, working together to give that hands-on training in vocational areas like construction. There are other examples in the Swansea Bay City Deal skills and talent project and the Tech Valleys STEM project in Blaenau Gwent as well.
Last year, mindful of the fact that I think there is more that we can and should be doing in this area, I asked Hefin David to undertake a review of how education to employment, if you like, transitions, work in schools, and in colleges as well. Part of that is about learning how children and young people are supported, if you like, in their experience and understanding of the world of work and the kinds of skills that they need in the way that you're describing. So, I hope to be able to say a little bit more about that in the next few weeks, but congratulations to Maesteg and NPTC for the work that they're doing together.
Diolch, Huw Irranca-Davies, am y cwestiwn hwnnw. Rwy'n croesawu ysgolion a sefydliadau fel Ysgol Gyfun Maesteg a Choleg Castell-nedd Port Talbot yn fawr iawn yn yr enghraifft honno, rwy'n credu, gan gydweithio i roi'r hyfforddiant ymarferol hwnnw mewn meysydd galwedigaethol fel adeiladu. Mae enghreifftiau eraill ym mhrosiect sgiliau a thalent Bargen Ddinesig Bae Abertawe a phrosiect STEM y Cymoedd Technoleg ym Mlaenau Gwent hefyd.
Y llynedd, gan gofio'r ffaith y gallwn ni ac y dylem ni wneud mwy yn y maes hwn, yn fy marn i, gofynnais i Hefin David gynnal adolygiad o sut y mae addysg i gyflogaeth, os mynnwch chi, pontio, yn gweithio mewn ysgolion, ac mewn colegau hefyd. Mae rhan o hynny'n ymwneud â dysgu sut mae plant a phobl ifanc yn cael eu cefnogi, os mynnwch chi, yn eu profiad a'u dealltwriaeth o'r byd gwaith a'r mathau o sgiliau sydd eu hangen arnyn nhw yn y ffordd rydych yn eu disgrifio. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio sôn ychydig bach mwy am hynny yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf, ond llongyfarchiadau i Faesteg a Choleg Castell-nedd Port Talbot am y gwaith y maen nhw wedi'i wneud gyda'i gilydd.
And to build on the point that Huw Irranca-Davies made there: obviously, the construction sector is an incredibly important sector for our economy and for our young people to engage with, as Huw Irranca-Davies correctly identified.
The Construction Industry Training Board have said that over 9,000 extra workers will be required just to meet construction demand in Wales by 2027, so that's quite a lot of people in quite a short space of time. Can I ask, Minister: do you agree with that assessment of those figures required, and what is the plan to get there, because it's a lot of people, as I say, in a very short amount of time? So, how are we going to get those construction workers for the future that we need today?
Ac i adeiladu ar y pwynt a wnaed gan Huw Irranca-Davies: yn amlwg, mae'r sector adeiladu yn sector bwysig iawn i'n heconomi ac i'n pobl ifanc ymgysylltu ag ef, fel y nododd Huw Irranca-Davies yn gywir.
Mae Bwrdd Hyfforddi'r Diwydiant Adeiladu wedi dweud y bydd angen dros 9,000 o weithwyr ychwanegol i ateb y galw am adeiladu yng Nghymru erbyn 2027, felly mae hynny'n llawer o bobl mewn cyfnod eithaf byr. A gaf i ofyn, Gweinidog: ydych chi'n cytuno â'r asesiad hwnnw o'r ffigyrau hynny sydd eu hangen, a beth yw'r cynllun i gyrraedd yno, oherwydd fel rwy'n dweud, mae hynny'n llawer o bobl mewn cyfnod byr iawn? Felly, sut ydym ni'n mynd i gael y gweithwyr adeiladu hynny ar gyfer y dyfodol sydd eu hangen arnom heddiw?
I work very closely with the Minister for Economy, and our portfolios come together in this particular area. A significant amount of that is to make sure that the vocational qualifications we are offering are able to support the young people to do the jobs of the future. So, whether that's in relation to the vocational qualifications review, which is currently under way, or the investment we've made into personal learning accounts, which can support those at a later point in their learning journey, that's very much the focus of those interventions. I think it's really critical that both through the work that further education colleges do with their local economy, as well as the work of things like the regional skills partnerships, we have a very clear understanding of what the pipeline of skills is that's required, and sometimes that requires us to work in very innovative and much more nimble ways than perhaps we've had to do in the past, and absolutely, that is our priority.
Rwy'n gweithio'n agos iawn gyda Gweinidog yr Economi, ac mae ein portffolios yn dod at ei gilydd yn y maes penodol hwn. Rhan sylweddol o hynny yw sicrhau bod y cymwysterau galwedigaethol rydyn ni'n eu cynnig yn gallu cefnogi'r bobl ifanc i wneud swyddi'r dyfodol. Felly, p'un a yw hynny mewn perthynas â'r adolygiad cymwysterau galwedigaethol, sydd wrthi'n mynd rhagddo, neu'r buddsoddiad yr ydym wedi'i wneud i gyfrifon dysgu personol, a all gefnogi'r rhai ar gam diweddarach yn eu taith ddysgu, mae hynny'n ganolbwynt i'r ymyriadau hynny yn sicr. Rwy’n credu ei bod yn hollbwysig, drwy’r gwaith y mae colegau addysg bellach yn ei wneud gyda’u heconomi leol, yn ogystal â gwaith pethau fel y partneriaethau sgiliau rhanbarthol, fod gennym ddealltwriaeth glir iawn o’r hyn sydd ei angen ar y llwybr sgiliau, ac weithiau mae hynny'n gofyn i ni weithio mewn ffyrdd arloesol iawn a llawer mwy ystwyth o'u cymharu â'r gorffennol o bosibl, a dyna ein blaenoriaeth yn glir.
Cwestiwn 5, Sioned Williams.
Question 5, Sioned Williams.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd, a hoffwn i ddatgan budd, bod fy ngŵr yn athro ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe ac yn aelod o’r Undeb Prifysgolion a Cholegau.
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I'd like to declare an interest, as my husband is a professor in Swansea University and is a member of the University and College Union.
5. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n ei wneud i hyrwyddo partneriaeth gymdeithasol yn y sector addysg uwch yng Ngorllewin De Cymru? OQ59263
5. What is the Welsh Government doing to promote social partnership in the higher education sector in South Wales West? OQ59263
The Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill fulfils a programme for government commitment to place social partnership on a statutory footing in Wales. As it is a significant employment sector, we are keen to ensure that higher education is represented on the statutory social partnership council, and the Bill provides for that.
Mae Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru) yn cyflawni rhaglen ar gyfer ymrwymiad y llywodraeth i osod partneriaeth gymdeithasol ar sail statudol yng Nghymru. Gan ei fod yn sector cyflogaeth sylweddol, rydym yn awyddus i sicrhau bod addysg uwch yn cael ei chynrychioli ar y cyngor partneriaeth gymdeithasol statudol, a bod y Bil yn darparu ar gyfer hynny.
Diolch. The recently published Welsh Government innovation strategy recognises how crucial universities are in driving research and development, but the University and College Union have warned that excessive workloads are impacting all levels of staff, with 60-hour weeks being common, and high numbers reporting strain, and these issues are especially affecting those on low-pay precarious contracts, such as postgraduate researchers. University staff have been left with no choice but to take industrial action, and Plaid Cymru stands in solidarity with UCU members on strike this week.
So, what conversations is the Welsh Government having with HE management to lobby them to bring a serious pay offer to the negotiations, resolve the recurring pensions dispute with a proposal for Wales, and to improve terms and conditions? Will you commit to collaborating with unions to tackle these issues causing staff to leave the sector—and often our country? And in particular, Swansea University UCU have called for a five-way meeting between the universities, the governing bodies, UCU, and the Welsh and Westminster Governments to seek urgent bridging funding for the research staff made redundant this month as a result of withdrawal of structural funds, and to plan ahead for a knowledge economy insulated from stop-start funding policies. So, what has been the Welsh Government's response to that initiative?
Diolch. Mae strategaeth arloesi Llywodraeth Cymru, a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar, yn cydnabod pa mor hanfodol yw prifysgolion wrth ysgogi ymchwil a datblygu, ond mae Undeb y Prifysgolion a Cholegau wedi rhybuddio bod llwythi gwaith eithafol yn effeithio ar staff ar bob lefel, ac wythnosau 60 awr yn gyffredin, a niferoedd uchel yn nodi straen, a bod y materion hyn yn effeithio'n benodol ar y rhai ar gontractau ansicr cyflog isel, megis ymchwilwyr ôl-raddedig. Nid oedd gan staff prifysgolion unrhyw ddewis ond gweithredu'n ddiwydiannol, ac mae Plaid Cymru yn sefyll mewn undod ag aelodau'r UCU sydd ar streic yr wythnos hon.
Felly, pa sgyrsiau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cael â rheolwyr AU i'w lobïo i ddod â chynnig cyflog difrifol i'r trafodaethau, datrys yr anghydfod cyson am bensiynau gyda chynnig i Gymru, ac i wella telerau ac amodau? A fyddwch chi'n ymrwymo i gydweithio ag undebau i fynd i'r afael â'r materion hyn gan achosi i staff adael y sector—ac yn aml ein gwlad? Ac yn benodol, mae Undeb Prifysgolion a Cholegau Prifysgol Abertawe wedi galw am gyfarfod pum ffordd rhwng y prifysgolion, cyrff llywodraethu, yr Undeb Prifysgolion a Cholegau, a Llywodraethau Cymru a San Steffan i geisio cyllid pontio ar frys ar gyfer y staff ymchwil a ddiswyddwyd y mis hwn o ganlyniad i dynnu arian strwythurol yn ôl, a chynllunio ymlaen llaw ar gyfer economi wybodaeth wedi'i hynysu rhag polisïau ariannu anghyson. Felly, beth fu ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i'r fenter honno?
Can I just say that the Member makes an important point in her question? I speak with UCU regularly in any event, but I was able to attend their conference, their congress, a couple of weeks ago, and to discuss with them at first-hand some of the concerns that they raised, and one of the points specifically that we touched on was, in fact, the innovation strategy.
She asks about my position. When I talk to vice-chancellors, I make it very clear I want there to be a negotiated settlement. I want to make sure that we're supporting staff and students to continue to make sure that Wales has the strong and successful HE sector that we have. I very much hope that they will be able to reach a successful negotiated outcome.
A gaf i ddweud bod yr Aelod yn gwneud pwynt pwysig yn ei chwestiwn? Rwy'n siarad ag Undeb Prifysgolion a Cholegau yn rheolaidd beth bynnag, ond llwyddais i fynychu eu cynhadledd, eu cyngres, ychydig wythnosau yn ôl, ac i drafod gyda nhw yn uniongyrchol rai o'r pryderon a godwyd ganddyn nhw, ac un o'r pwyntiau yn benodol y gwnaethom ymdrin ag ef oedd, fel mae'n digwydd, y strategaeth arloesi.
Mae hi'n gofyn am fy safbwynt i. Pan fyddaf yn siarad ag is-gangellorion, rwy'n ei gwneud yn glir iawn fy mod am gael setliad wedi'i negodi. Rwyf eisiau sicrhau ein bod yn cefnogi staff a myfyrwyr i barhau i wneud yn siŵr bod gan Gymru y sector AU cryf a llwyddiannus sydd gennym. Rwy'n mawr obeithio y byddan nhw'n gallu dod i ganlyniad llwyddiannus wedi'i negodi.
Minister, unlike the Welsh Government's narrow definition of social partnership, which is little more than giving voice to their trade union masters, true social partnership puts people and social inclusion at the heart of decision making. The social partnership network brings together higher education institutions who share common values related to lifelong learning and social mobility. It is a commitment to creating strategies and activities that contribute to a more diverse higher education system. Together, the networks show that collaboration with like-minded organisations is an effective way to reach new learners who might think that university-level study is not for them. Minister, will you be promoting this approach, rather than backing trade unions, which are about to embark on a series of strikes that will damage the education of students across South Wales West?
Gweinidog, yn wahanol i ddiffiniad cul Llywodraeth Cymru o bartneriaeth gymdeithasol, sydd fawr mwy na rhoi llais i'w meistri undebau llafur, mae gwir bartneriaeth gymdeithasol yn rhoi pobl a chynhwysiant cymdeithasol wrth wraidd y broses o wneud penderfyniadau. Mae'r rhwydwaith partneriaeth gymdeithasol yn dwyn ynghyd sefydliadau addysg uwch sy'n rhannu gwerthoedd cyffredin sy'n gysylltiedig â dysgu gydol oes a symudedd cymdeithasol. Mae'n ymrwymiad i greu strategaethau a gweithgareddau sy'n cyfrannu at system addysg uwch fwy amrywiol. Gyda'i gilydd, mae'r rhwydweithiau'n dangos bod cydweithio â sefydliadau tebyg yn ffordd effeithiol o gyrraedd dysgwyr newydd a allai feddwl nad yw astudio ar lefel prifysgol yn addas iddynt. Gweinidog, a fyddwch chi'n hyrwyddo'r dull hwn, yn hytrach na chefnogi undebau llafur, sydd ar fin cychwyn ar gyfres o streiciau a fydd yn niweidio addysg myfyrwyr ledled Gorllewin De Cymru?
Well, I reject the premise of the question, and I'm not going to take any lessons on social partnerships from a Conservative. If you want to look to see what Conservatives do when they are asked to try and resolve disputes with trade unions, you can just look over the border. The answer is: they don't do anything to try and resolve them. The approach that we've—
Wel, rwy'n gwrthod cynsail y cwestiwn, ac nid wyf am gymryd unrhyw wersi ar bartneriaethau cymdeithasol gan Geidwadwr. Os hoffech edrych i weld beth mae Ceidwadwyr yn ei wneud pan ofynnir iddynt geisio datrys anghydfod ag undebau llafur, gallwch edrych dros y ffin. Yr ateb yw: dydyn nhw ddim yn gwneud dim i geisio eu datrys. Mae'r dull rydym—
I'm asking about Wales.
Rwy'n holi am Gymru.
Yes, I know what you're asking and I'm describing to you the alternative universe in which a Conservative Government is asked to deal with these questions and fails. [Interruption.] In Wales, what we do is we work in social partnership, and I reject the description he gives of that. It is a respectful partnership; it is a transparent partnership. There are difficult issues to work through, and they can only successfully be worked through with an open, creative approach to negotiation. They can't be resolved by refusing to engage and, indeed, bringing forward legislation that undermines people's democratic rights to strike. If he has an opportunity to bring to bear his obvious passion for social partnership on his colleagues in Westminster, I would very much encourage him to do that.
Rwy'n gwybod am beth rydych yn ei ofyn ac rwy'n disgrifio sefyllfa amgen i chi lle gofynnir i Lywodraeth Geidwadol ymdrin â'r cwestiynau hyn ac mae'n methu. [Torri ar draws.] Yng Nghymru, rydym yn gweithio mewn partneriaeth gymdeithasol, ac rwy'n gwrthod y disgrifiad y mae'n ei roi o hynny. Mae'n bartneriaeth barchus; mae'n bartneriaeth dryloyw. Ceir problemau anodd i weithio drwyddyn nhw, a dim ond drwy drafod y gellir gweithio drwyddyn nhw yn llwyddiannus. Ni ellir eu datrys drwy wrthod ymgysylltu ac, yn wir, gan gyflwyno deddfwriaeth sy'n tanseilio hawliau democrataidd pobl i streicio. Os caiff gyfle i gyfleu ei angerdd amlwg dros bartneriaeth gymdeithasol i'w gydweithwyr yn San Steffan, byddwn yn ei annog yn gryf i wneud hynny.
6. Pa asesiad mae'r Gweinidog wedi'i wneud o effaith cyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru ar safonau addysgol? OQ59257
6. What assessment has the Minister made of the impact of the Welsh Government’s budget on educational standards? OQ59257
The Welsh Government's education budget sets out our continued commitment to implementing our programme of educational reform, ensuring that educational inequalities narrow and standards rise.
Mae cyllideb addysg Llywodraeth Cymru yn nodi ein hymrwymiad parhaus i weithredu ein rhaglen ddiwygio addysgol, gan sicrhau bod anghydraddoldebau addysgol yn lleihau a safonau'n codi.
Thank you for that response, Minister. Minister, as you know, our standards, sadly, in Wales are far below those in England and Scotland, with Wales sitting at the bottom of Britain's GCSE and Programme for International Student Assessment rankings. Welsh Government has chosen not to spend all of the money it could on education, even though our system is underperforming. Indeed, your budget this year cut the education and Welsh language budget in real terms, alongside an actual cut of £43 million in cash terms. I know the stock answer is to blame the UK Government for funding, but the fact remains that education is devolved and matters of your Government present choices for you to make. With this in mind, Minister, and noting the reduction in funding here, what practical steps are you taking to rectify the shortcomings in Wales in order to deliver the educational outcomes that children and young people deserve here?
Diolch am yr ymateb hwnnw, Gweinidog. Gweinidog, fel y gwyddoch chi, mae ein safonau, yn anffodus, yng Nghymru yn is o lawer o'u cymharu â'r rhai yn Lloegr a'r Alban, gyda Chymru'n eistedd ar waelod safleoedd TGAU a Rhaglen Ryngwladol Asesu Myfyrwyr Prydain. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dewis peidio gwario'r holl arian y gallai ar addysg, er bod ein system yn tanberfformio. Yn wir, torrodd eich cyllideb eleni gyllideb addysg a'r Gymraeg mewn termau real, ochr yn ochr â thoriad gwirioneddol o £43 miliwn mewn termau arian parod. Rwy'n gwybod mai'r ateb parod yw beio Llywodraeth y DU am gyllid, ond erys y ffaith bod addysg wedi'i datganoli a bod materion eich Llywodraeth chi yn cyflwyno dewisiadau i chi eu gwneud. Gyda hyn mewn golwg, Gweinidog, a chan nodi'r gostyngiad mewn cyllid yma, pa gamau ymarferol ydych chi'n eu cymryd i unioni'r diffygion yng Nghymru er mwyn cyflawni'r canlyniadau addysgol y mae plant a phobl ifanc yn eu haeddu yma?
Well, I think this is bold, coming from a member of the party that is the only party in Wales to campaign at an Assembly election to cut the education budget by 12 per cent. It's quite something. It is quite something, and it shows just how shallow their commitment to the facts is. Just to be— [Interruption.] You absolutely did, and it was defended by Andrew R.T. Davies subsequently. So, the facts are, Peter Fox—[Interruption.]
Wel, mae hyn yn feiddgar, yn fy marn i, gan aelod o'r unig blaid yng Nghymru i ymgyrchu yn etholiad y Cynulliad i dorri'r gyllideb addysg o 12 y cant. Mae'n dipyn o beth. Mae'n dipyn o beth, ac mae'n dangos pa mor arwynebol yw eu hymrwymiad i'r ffeithiau. I fod— [Torri ar draws.] Fe wnaethoch chi hynny, yn ddiamod, ac fe'i hamddiffynnwyd gan Andrew R.T. Davies wedi hynny. Felly, y ffeithiau yw, Peter Fox—[Torri ar draws.]
I would like to hear the answer from the Minister.
Hoffwn i glywed yr ateb gan y Gweinidog.
Peter Fox has asked for the facts. The facts are these: the funding that we received as a Barnett consequential from Westminster was passported fully on to local authorities, and not only that, it was increased through the education budget. So, in Wales, unlike what happens in Conservative England, where the budget for post-COVID intervention has completely disappeared, we have not only—[Interruption.] We have made choices, and I'm telling you what choices we've made. I'm proud of them. The choices are: to protect the funding that best supports our schools. So, as well as passporting on the consequential, we increased the funding to schools in my budget. So, whether that's the pupil development grant, whether it's the post-COVID funding, that funding has been protected or increased. So, those are the facts. They're inconvenient for him. But until we have a Government in Westminster that is as committed as we are to properly funding public services, the challenges to which he points in his questions, I'm afraid, are going to continue.
Mae Peter Fox wedi gofyn am y ffeithiau. Y ffeithiau yw'r rhain: cafodd yr arian a gawsom ni fel cyllid canlyniadol Barnett o San Steffan ei basportio'n llawn i awdurdodau lleol, ac nid yn unig hynny, fe'i cynyddwyd drwy'r gyllideb addysg. Felly, yng Nghymru, yn wahanol i'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn Lloegr Geidwadol, lle mae'r gyllideb ar gyfer ymyrraeth ar ôl COVID-19 wedi diflannu'n llwyr, nid yn unig—[Torri ar draws.] Rydym wedi gwneud dewisiadau, ac rwy'n dweud wrthych pa ddewisiadau rydym wedi'u gwneud. Rwy'n falch ohonyn nhw. Y dewisiadau yw: diogelu'r cyllid sy'n cefnogi ein hysgolion orau. Felly, yn ogystal â phasbortio'r cyllid canlyniadol, gwnaethom gynyddu'r cyllid i ysgolion yn fy nghyllideb. Felly, boed hynny'n grant datblygu disgyblion, boed hynny'n gyllid ar ôl COVID-19, mae'r cyllid hwnnw wedi'i warchod neu ei gynyddu. Felly, dyna'r ffeithiau. Maen nhw'n anghyfleus iddo fe. Ond, hyd nes y bydd gennym Lywodraeth yn San Steffan sydd mor ymroddedig â ni i ariannu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn iawn, mae'r heriau y mae'n tynnu sylw atyn nhw yn ei gwestiynau yn mynd i barhau, mae arnaf ofn.
7. Pa ystyriaeth mae'r Gweinidog wedi ei roi i gydnabod cyfraniad Eileen a Trefor Beasley i'r frwydr dros hawliau i wasanaethau drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg? OQ59262
7. What consideration has the Minister given to commemorating Eileen and Trefor Beasley's contribution to the battle over rights to services through the medium of Welsh? OQ59262
Bydd y pwyslais ar hanes Cymru o fewn y cwricwlwm newydd yn rhoi cyfle i bobl ifanc ddod i wybod mwy am hanes ein hiaith. Oherwydd bobl fel y Beasleys ac eraill, mae tirwedd ieithyddol Cymru wedi newid yn llwyr. Mae cannoedd o sefydliadau bellach yn darparu gwasanaethau Cymraeg.
The emphasis on the history of Wales in the new curriculum will give young people an opportunity to learn more about the history of our language. Due to the efforts of people like the Beasleys and others, the linguistic landscape of Wales has been transformed. Hundreds of organisations now provide Welsh-medium services.
Safiad y Beasleys, yn anad dim, oedd sbardun y mudiad iaith modern a'r hawliau rŷn ni'n gallu arddel heddiw o'i herwydd. Gwaetha'r modd, mae'r tŷ yn Llangennech a oedd yn ganolbwynt i hyn yn wag heddiw, fel oedd hi ar y bore hwnnw pan oedd y bailiffs yn cludo celfi'r Beasleys i ffwrdd, wrth gwrs, fel ymateb i'w gwrthodiad nhw o ran y dreth. Oes yna gyfle yn fan hyn i ni fod yn greadigol a chreu cofeb byw i'r Beasleys a'u rôl yn hanes ein hiaith ni, ond hefyd canolfan fyddai'n weithredol, yn trochi pobl ifanc ac oedolion yn yr iaith a hefyd yn niwylliant ehangach?
Ac yn edrych ar gynfas ehangach, Cymoedd y gorllewin, wrth gwrs, rŷn ni'n hanu ohonynt—a rŷn ni'n ddiolchgar iawn am yr arian ychwanegol sy'n mynd i mewn i dyfu'r iaith yn yr ardaloedd hynny—oes yna gyfle inni greu canolfan breswyl i'r Urdd yn yr ardal honno? Mae gennym ni ganolfannau preswyl yn y Gymru wledig a fan hyn yn y ddinas; oes yna gyfle inni ddathlu cyfraniad unigryw Cymoedd y gorllewin i stori a dyfodol yr iaith drwy greu canolfan yn fanna hefyd?
The stand taken by the Beasleys, more than anything, was the spark that began the modern language movement and provided the rights that we have today as a result. Unfortunately, the cottage in Llangennech, which was at the centre of all of this, stands empty today, as it was on that day when the bailiffs took the Beasleys' furniture away in response to their refusal to pay rates. Is there an opportunity here for us to be creative and to create a living memorial to the Beasleys and their role in the history of our language, but also a centre that would immerse young people and adults in the Welsh language and in the broader culture of Wales?
And looking at the bigger picture, the west Wales Valleys, where we are both from—and we're very grateful for the additional funding that's being invested in developing the language in this area—is there an opportunity to develop a residential Urdd centre in that area? We have a residential centre in rural Wales and here in the city; is there an opportunity for us to celebrate the unique contribution of the western Valleys to the story and the future of the Welsh language by creating a centre there too?
Diolch i Adam Price am y pwyntiau pwysig hynny. Rwy'n llwyr gydnabod, wrth gwrs, cyfraniad pwysig iawn ymgyrchwyr fel Eileen a Trefor Beasley yn hanes yr iaith, ac mae eu safiadau nhw wedi bod yn bwysig iawn yn yr hanes honno. Dwi'n deall, wrth gwrs, fod galwadau, yn cynnwys heddiw, i droi'r eiddo yn ganolfan ddiwylliannol o ryw fath. Mae'n werth hefyd ystyried opsiynau posib eraill ar gyfer yr eiddo er mwyn coffau cyfraniad y ddau. Os oes diddordeb yn y gymuned leol i ddatblygu'r eiddo, yna byddwn i'n awyddus iddyn nhw gysylltu â'm swyddogion i weld beth sydd yn bosib. Byddai'r cynllun hwn hefyd efallai'n gallu ffitio yn addas i waith 'Y Cynllun Tai Cymunedau Cymraeg', felly byddwn i'n argymell iddyn nhw gysylltu.
Thank you very much to Adam Price for those important points. I acknowledge, of course, the important contribution made by campaigners such as Eileen and Trefor Beasley to the story of the language, and their stance has been very important in that history. I understand that there are calls, including today, to turn the property into a cultural centre of some sort. It's worth also considering other options and possibilities for the property to commemorate the contribution made by those two individuals. If there's interest in the local community in developing the property, then I would be eager for them to contact my officials to see what is possible. This scheme could fit into the 'Welsh Language Communities Housing Plan' too, so I'd encourage them to get in touch.
8. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n ei wneud i helpu myfyrwyr gyda phwysau costau byw? OQ59270
8. What is the Welsh Government doing to help students with cost of living pressures? OQ59270
Living costs should never be a barrier to studying at university, which is why, despite continuing budget pressures, the Welsh Government has ensured that the value of support has increased significantly by 9.4 per cent in line with the national living wage—news that was welcomed by National Union of Students Wales on behalf of its student membership.
Ni ddylai costau byw fyth fod yn rhwystr i astudio yn y brifysgol, a dyna pam, er gwaethaf pwysau parhaus ar y gyllideb, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi sicrhau bod gwerth y cymorth wedi cynyddu'n sylweddol 9.4 y cant yn unol â'r cyflog byw cenedlaethol—newyddion a groesawyd gan Undeb Cenedlaethol Myfyrwyr Cymru ar ran ei haelodaeth o fyfyrwyr.
Thank you for that answer, Minister. I'm sure that, like me, you are concerned by the news over the weekend that one in five students at Russell Group universities have considered dropping out over the cost of living. I returned to education as an adult, and at the same time trying to raise a young family. It was difficult enough then. I haven't got a clue how people are going to cope now. You have mentioned, of course, the 9.4 per cent increase in student maintenance support compared with the paltry 2.8 per cent for students in England. Ahead of that in September, is there anything else that you have on the table that we can offer support to those students with?
Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Gweinidog. Rwy'n siŵr, fel fi, eich bod chi'n pryderu am y newyddion dros y penwythnos bod un o bob pum myfyriwr ym mhrifysgolion Grŵp Russell wedi ystyried rhoi'r gorau iddi oherwydd costau byw. Dychwelais i addysg fel oedolyn, gan geisio magu teulu ifanc ar yr un pryd. Roedd hi'n ddigon anodd bryd hynny. Does dim syniad gen i sut mae pobl yn mynd i ymdopi nawr. Rydych wedi sôn, wrth gwrs, am y cynnydd o 9.4 y cant mewn cymorth cynnal a chadw myfyrwyr o'i gymharu â'r 2.8 y cant gwael i fyfyrwyr yn Lloegr. Cyn hynny ym mis Medi, a oes unrhyw beth arall rydych yn ei ystyried er mwyn i ni allu cynnig cymorth i'r myfyrwyr hynny?
Well, I thank Joyce Watson for that important supplementary, and I recognise there's a particular challenge sometimes, as she was saying, for people going back to education perhaps later on in life. I know that she shares my pride in the fact that we are committed to making sure that, whether you're studying full time or part time, you have access to the same support pro rata, which I think has meant that many more students have been able to study part time and manage to balance the competing demands that she referred to in her question. I am in ongoing discussion with the sector to make sure that all options to support students impacted by the cost-of-living crisis are considered. I met on the weekend with the president of the NUS in Wales to discuss some further concerns that they were raising with me.
Joyce Watson will know that in addition to having the most supportive student finance regime in any part of the UK, perhaps a less well known aspect of that is that we make provision to cancel up to £1,500 of maintenance loan debt for each undergraduate student, so we always look at finding the most supportive and progressive way of spending the funding that we have. She will also know about the funding that we made available through the Higher Education Funding Council Wales to higher education institutions to fund some of the well-being pressures that have arisen in the context of the cost-of-living pressures. But we will continue to work with the sector to do all that we can together.
Wel, diolch Joyce Watson am y cwestiwn atodol pwysig hwnnw, ac rwy'n cydnabod bod her benodol weithiau, fel roedd hi'n ei ddweud, am bobl yn dychwelyd i addysg yn hwyrach ymlaen mewn bywyd o bosibl. Gwn ei bod hithau, fel minnau, yn falch o'r ffaith ein bod wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau, p'un a ydych yn astudio'n llawn amser neu'n rhan amser, bod yr un cymorth pro rata ar gael i chi, sydd, yn fy marn i, wedi golygu bod llawer mwy o fyfyrwyr wedi gallu astudio'n rhan amser ac yn llwyddo i gydbwyso'r gofynion sy'n cystadlu y cyfeiriodd ati yn ei chwestiwn. Rwy'n trafod yn barhaus gyda'r sector i sicrhau bod yr holl opsiynau i gefnogi myfyrwyr yr effeithiwyd arnynt gan yr argyfwng costau byw yn cael eu hystyried. Ces i gyfarfod ar y penwythnos gyda llywydd NUS Cymru i drafod rhai pryderon pellach roedd yn eu codi gyda mi.
Bydd Joyce Watson yn gwybod, yn ogystal â chael y drefn gyllid myfyrwyr fwyaf cefnogol mewn unrhyw ran o'r DU, efallai mai agwedd lai cyfarwydd ar hynny yw ein bod yn gwneud darpariaeth i ganslo hyd at £1,500 o ddyled benthyciad cynnal a chadw ar gyfer pob myfyriwr israddedig, felly rydym bob amser yn ystyried y ffordd fwyaf cefnogol a blaengar o wario'r cyllid sydd gennym. Bydd hefyd yn gwybod am y cyllid a oedd ar gael gennym drwy Gyngor Cyllido Addysg Uwch Cymru i sefydliadau addysg uwch i ariannu rhai o'r pwysau llesiant sydd wedi codi yng nghyd-destun y pwysau costau byw. Ond byddwn yn parhau i weithio gyda'r sector i wneud popeth o fewn ein gallu gyda'n gilydd.
9. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y cyfleoedd sydd ar gael i gael mynediad i addysg ôl-16 oed cyfrwng Cymraeg? OQ59265
9. Will the Minister make a statement on the opportunities available for entering Welsh-medium post-16 education? OQ59265
Mae cynyddu'r cyfleoedd i bobl barhau i ddysgu drwy'r Gymraeg yn hanfodol bwysig. Dyma pam rŷn ni'n buddsoddi cyllid ychwanegol er mwyn ehangu darpariaeth cyfrwng Cymraeg ôl-16. Rŷn ni'n gwneud hyn ar y cyd gyda Phlaid Cymru fel rhan o'r cytundeb cydweithio.
Increasing opportunities allowing people to continue to learn through Welsh is crucially important. That's why we're investing additional funding to expand post-16 Welsh-medium delivery. We're doing this jointly with Plaid Cymru as part of the co-operation agreement.
Dwi'n gwerthfawrogi yr ymateb, Gweinidog. Dŷn ni wedi, ers tro, sôn amboutu continwwm addysg Gymraeg yn yr ysgol, ond becso ydw i amboutu trosglwyddiad rhwng addysg yn yr ysgol ac wedyn y cyfnod ar ôl 16 yn y coleg addysg bellach, prifysgolion ac ati. Rôn i'n croesawu eich datganiad rai blynyddoedd yn ôl i gynnig rôl ychwanegol i'r coleg Cymraeg, i sicrhau mwy o fuddsoddiadau, os ydych chi'n licio, mewn addysg ôl-16. Ond beth yw eich cynlluniau chi i sicrhau bod yna continuity i'w gael, o'r ysgol ac wedyn ar ôl 16? Achos mae addysg drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg ar ôl 16 yn hanfodol bwysig os ydym ni am gyrraedd targed o filiwn o siaradwyr.
I appreciate the Minister's response. We have, for some time, talked about the Welsh-medium education continuum at school, but I'm concerned about the transition from education in school and then the post-16 period in FE college, universities and so on. I welcomed your statement a few years ago to offer an additional role for the coleg Cymraeg to secure additional investment, if you will, in post-16 education. But what are your plans to ensure that there is continuity available from school and then post 16? Because Welsh-medium education post 16 is vitally important if we are to reach the target of a million Welsh speakers.
Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr gyda hynny. Yn ardal yr Aelod ei hun, mae cynllun strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg cyngor Blaenau Gwent yn cynnwys targedau penodol ac eithaf heriol, dwi'n credu, yn y cyd-destun lleol, i gynyddu nifer y dysgwyr ôl-16 sy'n astudio'r Gymraeg fel pwnc a thrwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg mewn ystod ehangach o bynciau, yn cynnwys, fel rôn i jest yn cyfeirio'n ôl at y cwestiwn wrth Huw Irranca-Davies yn gynharach—ac mae hyn efallai'n fwy heriol—cymwysterau galwedigaethol. Mae'r track record yn y maes hwnnw yn llai clodwiw. Felly, mae hon yn elfen bwysig iawn.
Un o'r pethau rŷn ni'n ei wneud yw sicrhau ein bod ni'n deall sut mae dilyniant ieithyddol yn gweithio—felly cymwysterau yn yr ysgol gyda'r rheini sydd ar gael i oedolion ar ôl gadael addysg statudol a sicrhau ein bod ni'n deall beth yw’r cerrig milltir, os hoffwch chi, fel bod y llwybr i barhau i ddysgu'r iaith ar ôl gadael yr ysgol yn glir ac yn hawdd. Ond ynghyd â hynny, wrth gwrs, fel wnaeth yr Aelod sôn yn ei gwestiwn, y buddsoddiad i'r Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol sydd yn gwneud gwahaniaeth ar lawr gwlad o ran darpariaeth. Ond mae gweithlu yn dal i fod yn heriol—sicrhau bod gweithlu addas ar gael—felly mae hyn yn rhan o'r cynllun 10 mlynedd, fel mae'r Aelod yn gwybod. A hefyd, ymhen rhai wythnosau, bydd y cwmni adnoddau cwricwlwm newydd, Adnodd, yn dechrau ei waith. Ac fel rhan o waith y cwmni hwnnw, byddan nhw'n comisiynu adnoddau penodol i gefnogi'r sector ôl-16, ac rŷn ni'n gweithio gyda rhanddeiliaid ar hyn o bryd i adnabod yr angen sydd arnyn nhw.
I agree entirely with that. In the Member's own area, the Blaenau Gwent Welsh in education strategic plan includes specific targets and challenging targets, in the local context, to increase the number of post-16 learners studying Welsh as a subject and studying through the medium of Welsh in a wider range of subjects, including—and I'll just refer back to the question from Huw Irranca-Davies earlier, and this is perhaps more challenging—vocational qualifications. The track record in that area is less successful, perhaps. But this is hugely important.
One of the things that we are doing is ensuring that we understand how the language continuum works in terms of qualifications in schools and then what's available once statutory education is left, and we understand the milestones, so that the pathway to continue to learn the language is clearly set out and accessible. But in addition to that, as the Member mentioned in his question, there's the investment in the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, which is making a difference on the ground in terms of provision. But workforce issues are still a challenge, in terms of ensuring that we have a workforce available for this, and this is part of the 10-year plan, as the Member knows. And also, in a few weeks' time, the new curriculum resource company, Adnodd, will begin its work. As part of that company's mission, they will commission specific resources to support the post-16 sector, and we're working with stakeholders at the moment to identify the needs in that area.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 10, Luke Fletcher.
And finally, question 10, Luke Fletcher.
10. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i hwyluso trafodaethau rhwng awdurdodau lleol ac ysgolion yn ystod y cyfnod hwn o galedi ariannol difrifol? OQ59253
10. What is the Welsh Government doing to facilitate discussions between local authorities and schools during this period of severe financial hardship? OQ59253
Local authorities are required by law to have an established school forum, and the purpose of a school forum is to help develop informed and confident dialogue between local authorities and their schools, including, importantly, on budgetary issues.
Mae'n ofynnol yn ôl y gyfraith i awdurdodau lleol fod â fforwm ysgol sefydledig, a phwrpas fforwm ysgol yw helpu i ddatblygu deialog wybodus a hyderus rhwng awdurdodau lleol a'u hysgolion, gan gynnwys, yn bwysig iawn, ar faterion cyllidebol.
Diolch am yr ateb hynny, Weinidog.
Thank you for that response, Minister.
A few weeks ago, a £2.12 million cut to Bridgend council's school budget was announced, meaning an increased risk of redundancies. Worryingly, of course, Bridgend is a microcosm of what seems to be happening throughout Wales at the moment. In November, Heledd Fychan highlighted the National Association of Head Teachers survey, which said just 5 per cent of schools say they will be able to pay their costs in the next academic year without going into deficit. Minister, you mentioned, in response to Heledd Fychan about discussions with schools, about stretching reserves as far as they will go. So, could I ask if the Minister will update us on those discussions and whether the Minister has considered any mid to long-term solutions, perhaps in collaboration with local authorities, to the acute budgetary pressures facing schools?
Ychydig wythnosau yn ôl, cyhoeddwyd toriad o £2.12 miliwn i gyllideb ysgolion cyngor Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, sy'n golygu mwy o berygl o golli swyddi. Mae'n destun pryder, wrth gwrs, fod Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr yn ficrocosm o'r hyn sydd i'w weld yn digwydd ledled Cymru ar hyn o bryd. Ym mis Tachwedd, gwnaeth Heledd Fychan dynnu sylw at arolwg Cymdeithas Genedlaethol y Prifathrawon, a ddywedodd mai dim ond 5 y cant o ysgolion sy'n dweud y byddant yn gallu talu eu costau yn y flwyddyn academaidd nesaf heb fynd i ddiffyg ariannol. Gweinidog, sonioch chi, mewn ymateb i Heledd Fychan am drafodaethau ag ysgolion, ynghylch ymestyn cronfeydd wrth gefn mor bell â phosibl. Felly, a allwn ofyn a fydd y Gweinidog yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i ni am y trafodaethau hynny ac a yw'r Gweinidog wedi ystyried unrhyw atebion tymor canolig i dymor hir, o bosibl mewn cydweithrediad ag awdurdodau lleol, i'r pwysau cyllidebol difrifol sy'n wynebu ysgolion?
In the next financial year, the South Wales West region of the Member will receive £945 million in settlement funding, and Wales as a whole sees an increase of 7.9 per cent in settlement funding over last year on a like-for-like basis. These increases are higher than the vast majority of increases for local authorities over recent years, which shows the continuing priority that we as a Government attach to making sure that local authority budgets, and in my case, of course, the budgets available to schools, are as high as they can be, despite the very, very real pressures that I know the Member appreciates the Welsh Government's budget is also under. Obviously, how those budgets are allocated is a matter for local authorities, but he will also know that authorities have given assurances, in particular, for example, in the context of the recent discussions with teaching unions in relation to industrial action, and there has been a transparent process that has sought to provide as much information as possible about how schools will be funded.
He mentioned the point about reserves. It is an important part of the funding landscape in the short term. Typically, no Government would be encouraging authorities to explore the use of reserves, because they're there for particular purposes. I think, in the particular circumstances that we're in, which is that over the COVID period the profile of funding and expenditure in schools was very, very different, and that has built up a historically high level of reserves—. But I want to be very clear that I do not regard that as part of the long-term solution, because those funds, once used, are used. So, they are there to alleviate pressure in the short term rather than the long term, but they're still important in playing that role.
Yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf, bydd rhanbarth Gorllewin De Cymru yr Aelod yn cael £945 miliwn o gyllid setliad, ac mae Cymru gyfan yn gweld cynnydd o 7.9 y cant mewn cyllid setliad o'i gymharu â'r llynedd ar sail gyfatebol. Mae'r cynnydd hwn yn uwch na'r mwyafrif helaeth o gynnydd i awdurdodau lleol dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, sy'n dangos y flaenoriaeth barhaus rydym ni fel Llywodraeth yn ei roi i sicrhau bod cyllidebau awdurdodau lleol, ac yn fy achos i, wrth gwrs, y cyllidebau sydd ar gael i ysgolion, mor uchel â phosibl, er gwaethaf y pwysau real iawn, iawn, y gwn fod yr Aelod yn ei werthfawrogi, y mae cyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd oddi tano. Yn amlwg, mae'r ffordd y mae'r cyllidebau hynny'n cael eu dyrannu yn fater i awdurdodau lleol, ond bydd hefyd yn gwybod bod awdurdodau wedi rhoi sicrwydd, yn benodol, er enghraifft, yng nghyd-destun y trafodaethau diweddar gydag undebau athrawon mewn perthynas â gweithredu diwydiannol, a bu proses dryloyw sydd wedi ceisio darparu cymaint o wybodaeth â phosibl ynghylch sut y bydd ysgolion yn cael eu hariannu.
Soniodd am y pwynt am gronfeydd wrth gefn. Mae'n rhan bwysig o'r agwedd ariannu yn y tymor byr. Fel arfer, ni fyddai'r un Llywodraeth yn annog awdurdodau i archwilio'r defnydd o gronfeydd wrth gefn, oherwydd eu bod nhw yno at ddibenion penodol. Rwy'n credu, o dan yr amgylchiadau penodol sy'n ein hwynebu, sef bod proffil ariannu a gwariant mewn ysgolion dros gyfnod COVID-19 yn wahanol iawn, iawn, ac mae hynny wedi adeiladu lefel hanesyddol uchel o gronfeydd wrth gefn—. Ond rwyf am fod yn glir iawn nad wyf yn ystyried hynny fel rhan o'r ateb tymor hir, oherwydd pan gaiff y cronfeydd hynny eu defnyddio, dyna hi. Felly, maent yno i leddfu pwysau yn y tymor byr yn hytrach na'r tymor hir, ond maent yn dal yn bwysig wrth chwarae'r rôl honno.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
Thank you, Minister.
Nid oes unrhyw gwestiynau amserol wedi'u derbyn y prynhawn yma.
No topical questions were accepted this afternoon.
Symudwn ymlaen at eitem 6, datganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ar ddiwygio deintyddiaeth. Galwaf ar y Gweinidog i wneud y datganiad—Eluned Morgan.
We'll move on to item 6, a statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services on dental reform. I call on the Minister to make the statement—Eluned Morgan.
Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. The oral health response to 'A Healthier Wales' set out how oral health and dental services in Wales would continue to develop in line with the changing needs of the population. Our vision for dentistry builds on the philosophy of prudent healthcare and fully recognises that system change is required. Dentistry has been one of the more difficult services to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic and this explains, in part, why people experience difficulty accessing NHS dental care. But dental reform is progressing at pace, and I’d like to take the opportunity today to set out how this Government is increasing access to NHS dental care for those that most need it.
I turn first to access for people who have not been able to get a place at an NHS dental practice. I have heard statements recently saying that NHS dentistry is now a two- or three-tiered system. The fact is that there has always been a private dental system, available to those who choose to use it and can afford it. Private healthcare is an established alternative, and whilst we might aspire to provide NHS dental care for everyone, in reality some will prefer to go private, creating a divided market.
Access for people who have not regularly attended the dentist has always been a problem since registration was removed with the inception of the UDA contract in 2006. We have recognised that this is a problem, and have implemented a contract variation for this year, which has been adopted by 80 per cent of Welsh dental practices, with a requirement to give access to new patients. Around 140,000 new patients have now been seen since April 2022, significantly more than we had anticipated. So, we are not presiding over the creation of a tiered system. Instead, we are actively increasing access for the people that were excluded under the previous UDA contract model. We recognise there is more to do, and we will continue with this approach in the next financial year.
There are claims that this change has meant that people who have visited the dentist regularly are being disadvantaged as they can no longer get their twice-yearly check-ups. Members will be interested to know that the NICE guidelines published in 2004—18 years ago—recommended that people with healthy mouths could safely go as long as 24 months between check-ups. The unit of dental activity contract does nothing to enforce these guidelines, and effectively rewards dental practices for seeing patients more often than they need to. Again, this is being addressed through the variation offer, where practices are now remunerated for seeing patients based on a patient's individual risk and needs basis.
Fundamentally, we need to reimagine NHS dental services along that risk and needs-based approach, using our much-strained financial resource to provide care and treatment for those that need it most. And that's why we're doing a reform of the dental contract. It's a fundamental change for both patients and the dental profession, where we can, and will, do more to ensure that the change is acceptable and understood by all.
Another narrative circulating is that many, many dentists are handing back their contracts and turning to private dentistry only. There are some examples of this, but the reality is that there were 413 contracts in operation on 1 April 2022, and during this year, fewer than 20 have been handed back, for reasons such as retirement, practice sale or to go private. In monetary terms, this equates to around 3 per cent of annual expenditure on GDS. It’s important to remember that this funding is not lost but remains with the health board for it to consider how best to replace the services lost. I realise it can be disconcerting for patients when a practice closes or turns to private only, but I can assure them that those services will be replaced. But there will inevitably be a gap in provision during reprocurement. It's encouraging that the vast majority of contract handbacks, particularly the larger ones, are being successfully recommissioned, so this shows that there's an appetite for dentists to take on new NHS dental contracts.
Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Roedd yr ymateb iechyd y geg i 'Cymru Iachach' yn nodi sut y byddai gwasanaethau iechyd y geg a deintyddol yng Nghymru yn parhau i ddatblygu yn unol ag anghenion newidiol y boblogaeth. Mae ein gweledigaeth ar gyfer deintyddiaeth yn adeiladu ar athroniaeth gofal iechyd darbodus ac yn cydnabod yn llawn bod angen newid y system. Mae deintyddiaeth wedi bod yn un o'r gwasanaethau anoddach i'w adfer yn dilyn pandemig COVID-19 ac mae hyn yn esbonio, yn rhannol, pam mae pobl yn cael trafferth cael mynediad at ofal deintyddol y GIG. Ond, mae diwygio deintyddol yn mynd yn ei flaen yn gyflym, a hoffwn achub ar y cyfle heddiw i nodi sut mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn gwella mynediad at ofal deintyddol y GIG i'r rhai sydd ei angen fwyaf.
Yn gyntaf, rwy'n troi at fynediad i bobl nad ydynt wedi gallu cael lle mewn practis deintyddol y GIG. Rwyf wedi clywed datganiadau yn ddiweddar yn dweud bod deintyddiaeth y GIG yn system ddwy neu dair haen erbyn hyn. Y ffaith yw bod system ddeintyddol breifat wedi bod erioed, sydd ar gael i'r rhai sy'n dewis ei defnyddio ac sy'n gallu ei fforddio. Mae gofal iechyd preifat yn ddewis arall sefydledig, ac er y gallem anelu at ddarparu gofal deintyddol y GIG i bawb, mewn gwirionedd bydd yn well gan rai fynd yn breifat, gan greu marchnad ranedig.
Mae mynediad i bobl nad ydynt wedi bod at y deintydd yn rheolaidd wastad wedi bod yn broblem ers i gontract yr Unedau o Weithgaredd Deintyddol ddisodli’r broses gofrestru yn 2006. Rydym wedi cydnabod bod hyn yn broblem, ac wedi gweithredu amrywiad contract ar gyfer eleni, sydd wedi'i fabwysiadu gan 80 y cant o ddeintyddfeydd Cymru, gyda'r gofyniad i roi mynediad i gleifion newydd. Mae tua 140,000 o gleifion newydd bellach wedi cael eu gweld ers Ebrill 2022, a hynny'n sylweddol fwy nag yr oeddem wedi'i ragweld. Felly, nid ydym yn llywyddu dros greu system haenog. Yn hytrach, rydym yn mynd ati i gynyddu mynediad i'r bobl a gafodd eu heithrio o dan fodel contract blaenorol yr Unedau o Weithgaredd Deintyddol. Rydym yn cydnabod bod angen gwneud mwy o waith, a byddwn yn parhau gyda'r dull hwn yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf.
Mae honiadau bod y newid hwn wedi golygu bod pobl sydd wedi mynd at y deintydd yn rheolaidd dan anfantais, gan nad ydyn nhw'n gallu cael eu harchwiliadau ddwywaith y flwyddyn erbyn hyn. Bydd gan aelodau ddiddordeb gwybod bod canllawiau NICE a gyhoeddwyd yn 2004—18 mlynedd yn ôl—wedi argymell y gallai pobl â chegau iach fynd yn ddiogel cyhyd â 24 mis rhwng archwiliadau. Nid yw'r contract unedau o weithgaredd deintyddol yn gwneud dim i orfodi'r canllawiau hyn, ac yn gwobrwyo deintyddfeydd yn effeithiol am weld cleifion yn amlach nag sydd ei angen arnynt. Unwaith eto, mae hyn yn cael sylw drwy'r cynnig amrywiadau, lle mae practisau bellach yn cael eu talu am weld cleifion yn seiliedig ar sail risg ac anghenion unigol claf.
Yn y bôn, mae angen i ni ail-ddychmygu gwasanaethau deintyddol y GIG ar sail y dull risg ac anghenion hwnnw, gan ddefnyddio ein hadnodd ariannol sydd dan straen mawr i ddarparu gofal a thriniaeth i'r rhai sydd ei angen fwyaf. A dyna pam rydyn ni'n diwygio'r contract deintyddol. Mae'n newid sylfaenol i'r cleifion a'r proffesiwn deintyddol, lle gallwn ni, ac y byddwn ni, yn gwneud mwy i sicrhau bod y newid yn dderbyniol a bod pawb yn ei ddeall.
Naratif arall sy'n cylchredeg yw bod llawer iawn o ddeintyddion yn trosglwyddo eu contractau yn ôl ac yn troi at ddeintyddiaeth breifat yn unig. Mae rhai enghreifftiau o hyn, ond y gwir amdani yw bod 413 o gontractau yn weithredol ar 1 Ebrill 2022, ac yn ystod y flwyddyn hon mae llai nag 20 wedi'u trosglwyddo'n ôl, am resymau fel ymddeol, gwerthu practis neu fynd yn breifat. Mewn termau ariannol, mae hyn yn cyfateb i tua 3 y cant o wariant blynyddol ar Wasanaethau Deintyddol Cyffredinol. Mae'n bwysig cofio nad yw'r arian hwn cael ei golli ond mae'n aros gyda'r bwrdd iechyd er mwyn iddo ystyried y ffordd orau o gymryd lle'r gwasanaethau a gollwyd. Rwy'n sylweddoli y gall fod yn anesmwyth i gleifion pan fydd practis yn cau neu'n troi at fod yn breifat yn unig, ond gallaf eu sicrhau y bydd y gwasanaethau hynny'n cael eu disodli. Ond mae'n anochel y bydd bwlch yn y ddarpariaeth yn ystod y broses ail-gaffael. Mae'n galonogol bod y mwyafrif helaeth o anfanteision contract, yn enwedig y rhai mwy, yn cael eu hail-gomisiynu'n llwyddiannus, felly mae hyn yn dangos bod awydd i ddeintyddion ymgymryd â chontractau deintyddol newydd y GIG.
Dwi hefyd eisiau diweddaru Aelodau am ein gwaith ar her unigryw, sef i ddarparu gwasanaethau deintyddol mewn ardaloedd gwledig. Un problem yw'r gweithlu. Weithiau, mae'n anodd recriwtio pobl i ardaloedd gwledig. Rŷn ni'n gwybod bod pobl yn fwy tebygol o setlo i fyw lle maen nhw wedi gwneud eu hyfforddiant. Drwy'r ymgyrch 'Hyfforddi. Gweithio. Byw.' mae Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru wedi rhoi cynnig gwell at ei gilydd. Nod y cynnig yw annog deintyddion dan hyfforddiant i wneud eu blwyddyn sylfaen mewn practisau deintyddol yng nghefn gwlad Cymru yn lle trefi a dinasoedd. Bydd deintyddion sy'n derbyn y cynnig yn cael £5,000 ychwanegol ar ben eu cyflog arferol. Byddan nhw hefyd yn cael mwy o gymorth academaidd a lles drwy gydol y rhaglen, a thrwy hyn, bydd yn haws i bobl sy'n byw yng nghefn gwlad Cymru fanteisio ar ofal y gwasanaeth iechyd.
Yn olaf, o ran plant, dwi wedi ymrwymo i wneud yn siŵr eu bod yn gallu cael gwasanaethau deintyddol yn haws, yn arbennig mewn ardaloedd lle mae'n fwy anodd cael apwyntiad gyda deintydd NHS. Mae gyda ni y Cynllun Gwen ar gyfer plant hyd at saith oed, ac rŷn ni'n gwybod ei fod wedi cael effaith bositif iawn ers iddo ddechrau 13 mlynedd yn ôl. Mae'r rhaglen hon yn normaleiddio'r arfer o frwsio dannedd. Mae hefyd yn rhoi cyfle i blant gael farnais fflworid ar eu dannedd.
Dwi am ganolbwyntio ar blant oedran ysgol uwchradd nesaf. Dyma'r oedran ffurfiannol pan fydd plant yn dechrau dewis eu hunain beth maen nhw'n bwyta ac yfed. Yn ystod y gwanwyn, byddwn ni'n treialu uned ddeintyddol symudol yn Ysgol y Moelwyn ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog. Dros nifer o wythnosau, bydd pob plentyn yn yr ysgol yn cael cyfle i weld deintydd a chael unrhyw driniaeth sydd ei hangen i ofalu am eu hiechyd ceg. Dwi'n meddwl bod hwn yn gyffrous iawn. Os bydd hwn yn llwyddiannus, gall e fod yn ffordd gosteffeithiol o roi gofal deintyddol mewn ysgolion yn yr ardaloedd mwyaf difreintiedig. Bydd e hefyd yn lleihau'r galw ar y gwasanaethau deintyddol cyffredinol a chymunedol. Ond, yn bwysicach, byddai'n darparu gofal a thriniaeth mawr eu hangen heb effeithio ar waith ysgol y plant a heb orfodi eu rhieni i gymryd amser i ffwrdd o'r gwaith.
I gloi, ac i roi sicrwydd i Aelodau bod deintyddiaeth yn flaenoriaeth i ni, dwi eisiau datblygu gwasanaeth deintyddol yr NHS sy'n deg i ddeintyddion ac sy'n addas ar gyfer anghenion y boblogaeth, un sy'n seiliedig ar egwyddorion atal, ac yn rhoi cyfle i bawb gymryd diddordeb mewn eu hiechyd ceg ei hun. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd.
I'd also like to update Members on how we're working on the unique challenge that rurality creates for our dental services. One issue is the workforce. Sometimes, it's difficult to recruit people into rural areas, and we know that people are more likely to settle where they complete their training. Using the ‘Train. Work. Live.’ dental campaign this year, which is launching next week, HEIW have put together an enhanced offer that aims to encourage future dental trainees to complete their foundation year in dental practices in rural Wales rather than towns and cities. Dentists who accept this offer will receive a £5,000 salary uplift. They will also receive additional academic and well-being support for the duration of the programme. This will help to increase access to NHS care for local people in rural Wales.
Finally, in terms of children, I am committed to ensuring that they can access dental services, particularly in those areas where it's more difficult to access a dental appointment. We have the Designed to Smile scheme for children up to seven years of age, and we know that this has had a very positive effect since its inception 13 years ago. This programme normalises the habit of tooth brushing and provides direct fluoride application for children.
But the age group of children I really want to focus on next is secondary school age, because this is the formative age when children start to make more independent choices around what they eat and drink. During the spring, we will be trialling the use of a mobile dental unit on the site of Ysgol Y Moelwyn in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Over a number of weeks, all children at the school will have an opportunity to see a dentist and receive any treatment they may need to take care of their oral health. I think this is a really exciting development, and if it is successful, it could be a cost-effective way of delivering dental care directly into schools in our most deprived areas. It would also reduce demand on general dental services and community dental services. But, more importantly, it would provide much-needed care and treatment without impacting on children's schoolwork or requiring parents to take time off work.
In closing, and to reassure Members that dentistry is one of my top priorities, I want to develop an NHS dental service that is fair for dentists and that meets the needs of the population, one that is based on preventative principles, and provides everybody with an opportunity to take responsibility for their own oral health. Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd.
I thank the Minister for her statement today. Quite early on in your statement, Minister, you talked about the fact that you've heard some people saying that there is now a two or three-tiered system. Well, I'm one of those people who have made that comment, and we've made that comment in our report from the Health and Social Care Committee. I'm just wondering whether you've perhaps misunderstood, or what is behind that statement. And you also say that, in reality, some people will prefer to go private, creating a market divide. I would suggest—and I want to check if you think this is fair—that it's not so much that people prefer to go private, it's that people have to go private, because there's no other alternative for them because they can't access an NHS dentist.
So, perhaps just to gauge your assessment on that, but perhaps to explain the three-tiered system from my perspective. Some people can access an NHS dentist; some people will go private, but there'll be some people who can't afford an NHS dentist and they cannot also access an NHS dentist either. Therefore, there is a potential three-tiered system. So, I just want to ask: do you recognise what is meant by a potential three-tiered system?
I think, today, if you don't answer all my questions, answer this one: from a patient's perspective, when will we get to a position where every person in Wales, every resident in Wales, will be able to access an NHS dentist without having to make up to a three-hour round trip? Because that's what we once had; when I first got elected, that's what we had. But when will we get to that position? Give us a date when that will be achieved by, so I can answer constituents who raise these issues with me.
Now, the British Dental Association have warned that the very concept of NHS dentistry could cease to exist, and they have warned that dentists have described being on the brink of handing back NHS contracts due to stress and concerns about patients' aftercare. That's not me saying that—that's the British Dental Association. And they said in their—. The chair of the British Dental Association wrote to me shortly before the statement was originally scheduled, and what he said, quite frankly, startled me. What he said then was, or what they said, was that the messages have been deeply buried whenever Government answers are given to questions in the Senedd Plenary debates, and that the tone of the Government's replies have been growing noticeably colder towards dentists over the last year. So, I think my question is: why do you think, Minister, that you have alienated a key stakeholder and representative group like this? You no doubt disagree with what they say—perhaps you can tell us that—but tell me why you think that there's been such a divide with the BDA. How many times have you met with the BDA, it'd be interesting to know, since you've come into post? And, how do you respond to their claims, backed up by testimony as well—testimony that I've also heard myself—that the reforms make NHS dentistry a financial risk for professionals?
Now, it is, of course, totally understandable from my perspective, Minister, that you want to orientate policy towards widening access to patients—that's what we all want; I agree with that, of course. And, after all, we are in a position in Wales where we have the least accessible dentistry in the UK. But the BDA's recent survey of high-street dentists tells us that more than a third would reduce their NHS contracts this year, while 13 per cent said that they would hand back their contracts entirely. Now, to finish, I've heard what you've said, Minister; you've talked about it being a very different picture, and about relatively few contracts being handed back. And you’ve talked about there being an appetite for dentists to obtain new NHS contracts, but that doesn’t feel like reality to me, because in my own health board area—not only in my own constituency, but in the entirety of Powys—not one dentist offers entry for a new NHS patient. My colleague Sam Rowlands has done similar research in north Wales. So, what you’re saying in your statement today doesn’t match reality, and I want to try and understand why that is.
Finally, perhaps you could give us an initial assessment of some of the recommendations and the work and report from the Health and Social Care Committee as well. I’m hoping to extract some initial views on the work of our committee.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog am ei datganiad heddiw. Yn eithaf cynnar yn eich datganiad, Gweinidog, gwnaethoch chi sôn am y ffaith eich bod wedi clywed rhai pobl yn dweud bod system ddwy neu dair haen erbyn hyn. Wel, rydw i'n un o'r bobl hynny sydd wedi gwneud y sylw hwnnw, ac rydyn ni wedi gwneud y sylw hwnnw yn ein hadroddiad gan y Pwyllgor Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol. Meddwl ydw i a ydych chi wedi camddeall o bosibl, neu beth sydd y tu ôl i'r datganiad hwnnw. Ac rydych chi hefyd yn dweud, mewn gwirionedd, y bydd yn well gan rai pobl fynd yn breifat, gan greu rhaniad marchnad. Byddwn i'n awgrymu—a hoffwn gadarnhau a ydych chi'n meddwl bod hyn yn deg—nad yw'n gymaint bod yn well gan bobl fynd yn breifat, ond bod yn rhaid i bobl fynd yn breifat, gan nad oes dewis arall ganddynt oherwydd na allant gael mynediad at ddeintydd GIG.
Felly, efallai dim ond i gael eich asesiad o hynny, ond efallai i esbonio'r system tair haen o fy safbwynt i. Gall rhai pobl gael mynediad at ddeintydd y GIG; bydd rhai pobl yn mynd yn breifat, ond bydd rhai pobl sydd methu fforddio deintydd GIG ac ni allant gael gafael ar ddeintydd y GIG chwaith. Felly, mae potensial ar gyfer system tair haen. Felly, hoffwn ofyn: ydych chi'n cydnabod yr hyn a olygir gan botensial ar gyfer system tair haen?
Rwy'n credu, heddiw, os nad ydych chi'n ateb fy nghwestiynau i gyd, atebwch hwn: o safbwynt claf, pryd gawn ni sefyllfa lle bydd pob person yng Nghymru, pob preswylydd yng Nghymru, yn gallu cael mynediad at ddeintydd y GIG heb orfod cymryd tair awr i wneud y daith gyfan? Oherwydd dyna oedd y sefyllfa a oedd gennym ni unwaith; pan ges i fy ethol am y tro cyntaf, dyna oedd y sefyllfa. Ond pryd gawn ni'r sefyllfa honno? Rhowch ddyddiad i ni pryd y bydd hynny'n cael ei gyflawni, fel y gallaf ateb etholwyr sy'n codi'r materion hyn gyda mi.
Nawr, mae Cymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain wedi rhybuddio y gallai'r union gysyniad o ddeintyddiaeth y GIG ddod i ben, ac mae wedi rhybuddio bod deintyddion wedi nodi eu bod ar fin trosglwyddo cytundebau'r GIG yn ôl oherwydd straen a phryderon am ôl-ofal cleifion. Nid fi sy'n dweud hynny—ond Cymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain. A dywedon nhw yn eu—. Ysgrifennodd cadeirydd Cymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain ataf yn fuan cyn i'r datganiad gael ei drefnu'n wreiddiol, ac roedd yr hyn a ddywedodd, a dweud y gwir, wedi fy nychryn. Yr hyn a ddywedodd bryd hynny oedd, neu'r hyn a ddywedon nhw, oedd bod y negeseuon wedi cael eu claddu'n ddwfn pryd bynnag y rhoddir atebion y Llywodraeth i gwestiynau yn nadleuon Cyfarfod Llawn y Senedd, a bod tôn atebion y Llywodraeth wedi bod yn tyfu'n oerach o lawer tuag at ddeintyddion dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf. Felly, rwy'n credu mai fy nghwestiwn i yw: pam ydych chi'n meddwl, Gweinidog, eich bod wedi dieithrio grŵp rhanddeiliaid a chynrychiolydd allweddol fel hyn? Mae'n siŵr eich bod chi'n anghytuno â'r hyn maen nhw'n ei ddweud—efallai y gallwch chi ddweud hynny wrthym—ond dywedwch wrthyf pam eich bod yn meddwl y bu'r fath raniad gyda Chymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain. Byddai'n ddiddorol cael gwybod sawl gwaith ydych chi wedi cwrdd â Chymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain ers i chi ddechrau yn y swydd? A, sut ydych chi'n ymateb i'w honiadau, a ategir gan dystiolaeth hefyd—tystiolaeth rydw i hefyd wedi clywed fy hun—bod y diwygiadau yn gwneud deintyddiaeth y GIG yn risg ariannol i weithwyr proffesiynol?
Nawr, wrth gwrs, mae'n gwbl ddealladwy o fy safbwynt i, Gweinidog, eich bod chi am gyfeirio polisi tuag at ehangu mynediad i gleifion—dyna beth rydyn ni i gyd ei eisiau; rwy'n cytuno â hynny, wrth gwrs. Ac, wedi'r cyfan, rydyn ni mewn sefyllfa yng Nghymru lle mae gennym y gwasanaethau deintyddiaeth lleiaf hygyrch yn y DU. Ond mae arolwg diweddar Cymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain o ddeintyddion ar y stryd fawr yn dweud wrthym y byddai mwy na thraean yn lleihau eu cytundebau GIG eleni, tra bod 13 y cant yn dweud y bydden nhw'n trosglwyddo eu cytundebau yn ôl yn gyfan gwbl. Nawr, i orffen, rydw i wedi clywed beth rydych chi wedi'i ddweud, Gweinidog; rydych chi wedi sôn ei fod yn ddarlun gwahanol iawn, ac am nifer gymharol fach o gontractau sy'n cael eu rhoi yn ôl. Ac rydych chi wedi sôn bod awydd gan ddeintyddion gael contractau newydd y GIG, ond nid yw hynny'n teimlo fel realiti i mi, oherwydd yn ardal fy mwrdd iechyd fy hun—nid yn unig yn fy etholaeth fy hun, ond ym Mhowys yn gyfan gwbl—nid oes un deintydd yn cynnig mynediad i glaf GIG newydd. Mae fy nghyd-Aelod Sam Rowlands wedi gwneud gwaith ymchwil tebyg yn y gogledd. Felly, nid yw'r hyn rydych chi'n ei ddweud yn eich datganiad heddiw yn cyd-fynd â realiti, ac rwyf am geisio deall pam.
Yn olaf, efallai y gallech roi asesiad cychwynnol i ni o rai o'r argymhellion a'r gwaith ac adroddiad gan y Pwyllgor Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol hefyd. Rwy'n gobeithio tynnu barn gychwynnol ar waith ein pwyllgor.
Thanks very much, Russell. I think what I tried to make clear in my opening statement is that, actually, there is—we’ve acknowledged that there is—a multitier system. I mean, this is not something new. It has always been the case, that there has been an NHS system and there’s been a private system. So I absolutely recognise that; I wasn’t trying to deny that that’s the case. And whilst I accept that some people say that they can’t afford an NHS dentist, and I completely understand that, in reality, about 50 per cent of people in Wales are eligible for free dental care. That’s the situation as it is at the moment. [Interruption.] It’s 50 per cent of—
Diolch yn fawr, Russell. Rwy'n credu mai'r hyn wnes i geisio ei wneud yn glir yn fy natganiad agoriadol yw, mewn gwirionedd, bod yna—rydyn ni wedi cydnabod bod yna—system amlhaenog. Hynny yw, nid yw hyn yn rhywbeth newydd. Mae wedi bod yn wir erioed, bod system y GIG a system breifat wedi bodoli. Felly rwy'n cydnabod hynny'n llwyr; doeddwn i ddim yn ceisio gwadu bod hynny'n wir. Ac er fy mod i'n derbyn bod rhai pobl yn dweud nad ydyn nhw'n gallu fforddio deintydd y GIG, ac rwy'n deall yn llwyr fod tua 50 y cant o bobl yng Nghymru yn gymwys am ofal deintyddol am ddim, mewn gwirionedd. Dyna'r sefyllfa fel mae hi ar hyn o bryd. [Torri ar draws.] Mae 50 y cant o—
Let the Minister answer, because I have many people who wish to speak, and the longer people intervene—well, you can’t intervene, but the longer people speak from sedentary positions, someone’s not going to be able to ask their question.
Gadewch i'r Gweinidog ateb, oherwydd mae gen i lawer o bobl sy'n dymuno siarad, a pho hiraf y mae pobl yn ymyrryd—wel, allwch chi ddim ymyrryd, ond po hiraf y mae pobl yn siarad ar eu heistedd, bydd rhywun yn methu â gofyn ei gwestiwn.
So, about 45 per cent of the patients who receive NHS dental treatment at the moment are exempt from patient charges as it is, and then, when patients are charged, if you look at how much they’re charged in Wales compared to England, on band 1, people are charged £14.70 in Wales while, in England, it’s £23.80; on band 2, it's £47 in Wales, £65.20 in England. So, we recognise that, actually, also, we do need to make sure that there’s an ability for those who are not eligible for free treatment, especially during a cost-of-living crisis, that we’ve frozen the amount that people have to pay.
I think dentists, we’ve got to understand, are private contractors. We can’t force them to work for the NHS. So, whilst I’d love to say to you, Russell, ‘Of course we want to offer this to everybody’, I simply don’t have the power to do that, because they have to decide whether they want to pick up this option or not. Now, what we have to do is to work with them to see how far we can go with this, and the reality is that, actually, certainly this year, 80 per cent of them have picked up that new contract. What we’ve found is that when we’ve put out those contracts, they have been returned, and actually there’s an appetite to take them up. So, it may be that it’ll be different next year, but our current experience is telling us that, actually, the appetite is there. And whilst they did suggest, for example, that they were a bit upset, that they needed more time to consider the contract, I think we’ve learnt from that last year, which is why the contract variation offer this year was issued before Christmas. So, they’ve had more time to do that.
Obviously, I’m meeting with the British Dental Association in the next couple of weeks, and let me tell you that in Powys, 3,392 new patients have been seen this year.
Felly, mae tua 45 y cant o'r cleifion sy'n cael triniaeth ddeintyddol y GIG ar hyn o bryd wedi'u heithrio rhag taliadau cleifion fel y mae, ac yna, pan godir tâl ar gleifion, os edrychwch ar faint maen nhw'n ei godi yng Nghymru o'i gymharu â Lloegr, ar fand 1, mae pobl yn gorfod talu £14.70 yng Nghymru tra, yn Lloegr, mae'n £23.80; ar fand 2, mae'n £47 yng Nghymru, £65.20 yn Lloegr. Felly, rydyn ni'n cydnabod, mewn gwirionedd, fod angen i ni sicrhau bod yna allu i'r rhai nad ydynt yn gymwys i gael triniaeth am ddim, yn enwedig yn ystod argyfwng costau byw, ein bod wedi rhewi'r swm y mae'n rhaid i bobl ei dalu.
Rwy'n credu bod deintyddion, mae'n rhaid i ni ddeall, yn gontractwyr preifat. Allwn ni ddim eu gorfodi i weithio i'r GIG. Felly, er y byddwn i wrth fy modd yn dweud wrthoch chi, Russell, 'Wrth gwrs rydyn ni eisiau cynnig hyn i bawb', yn syml, does gen i ddim y pŵer i wneud hynny, oherwydd mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw benderfynu a ydyn nhw am gynnig yr opsiwn hwn ai peidio. Nawr, yr hyn y mae'n rhaid i ni ei wneud yw gweithio gyda nhw i weld pa mor bell y gallwn fynd gyda hyn, a'r realiti yw, mewn gwirionedd, yn sicr eleni, bod 80 y cant ohonynt wedi codi'r contract newydd hwnnw. Yr hyn rydyn ni wedi'i ddarganfod yw, pan ydyn ni wedi rhoi'r contractau hynny allan, eu bod wedi cael eu dychwelyd, ac mewn gwirionedd mae awydd i'w cymryd. Felly, efallai y bydd hi'n wahanol y flwyddyn nesaf, ond mae ein profiad presennol yn dweud wrthym, mewn gwirionedd, fod yr awydd yno. Ac er iddyn nhw awgrymu, er enghraifft, eu bod nhw wedi cynhyrfu braidd, bod angen mwy o amser arnyn nhw i ystyried y contract, rwy'n meddwl ein bod ni wedi dysgu o hynny y llynedd, a dyna pam y cyhoeddwyd cynnig amrywiad y contract eleni cyn y Nadolig. Felly, maen nhw wedi cael mwy o amser i wneud hynny.
Yn amlwg, rwy'n cyfarfod â Chymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf, a gadewch i mi ddweud wrthych chi fod 3,392 o gleifion newydd wedi'u gweld eleni ym Mhowys.
Diolch am y datganiad ac am ei rannu efo ni ymlaen llaw. Ond mae’n rhaid dweud ei fod o’n ddatganiad rhyfeddol mewn sawl ffordd, ac mae gen i ofn nad ydy i’w weld yn adlewyrchu realiti’r gwasanaeth deintyddol, na phrofiadau cleifion ar unrhyw lefel, bron. Mae’n un arall o’r datganiadau yna sy’n rhoi’r argraff un ai bod popeth yn iawn neu fod problemau mewn llaw, pan fo’r holl dystiolaeth o’n blaenau ni yn dangos nad ydy hynny’n wir. Mi oedd yr arwyddion yn wael yn gynnar yn y datganiad pan dywedodd y Gweinidog:
Thank you for the statement and for giving us prior sight of it. But I have to say that it’s an astonishing statement in many ways, and I’m afraid that it doesn’t seem to reflect the reality of the dental service or patient experience at any level. It’s another one of these statements that gives the impression either that everything is fine or that there are problems, but those problems are in hand—when all of the evidence before us demonstrates that that isn’t the case. The signs were poor early on in the statement when the Minister said:
‘Dentistry has been one of the more difficult services to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic and explains, in part, why people experience difficulty accessing NHS dental care.’
'Mae deintyddiaeth wedi bod yn un o'r gwasanaethau anoddach i'w hadfer yn dilyn pandemig COVID-19 ac yn esbonio, yn rhannol, pam mae pobl yn cael trafferth cael mynediad at ofal deintyddol y GIG.'
Mae’n gwbl disingenuous, mae gen i ofn. Wrth gwrs bod COVID wedi dod â heriau anferth i ddeintyddiaeth, fel yr holl wasanaethau iechyd a gofal. Mi oedd y rhai mewn deintyddiaeth yn broblemau oedd yn rhai dwys iawn, iawn cyn i COVID daro. Ac mae pethau'n mynd yn waeth; dwi am ddyfynnu eto.
That’s completely disingenuous, I’m afraid. Of course COVID brought huge challenges to dentistry, as was the case with all health and care services. But the issues in dentistry were very serious indeed before COVID hit. And things are getting worse; I am going to quote once again.
I have heard statements recently saying that NHS dentistry is now a two or three-tiered system, and the fact is that there has always been a private dental system—an established alternative. I think that many people will find it staggering to hear a Labour Minister referring so casually to that very real divide between the haves and have-nots. The Minister refers there to just the two-tier system: the haves and have-nots. She can include me on that list of people who have been describing a three-tier system, which she chose not to address.
Perhaps I can explain what we mean by that third tier. It’s not around the affordability of NHS treatment. There are people who can afford to go private. There are people who can’t afford to go private and have NHS treatment. And then there are people who can’t access NHS treatment at all. That is the third tier. A lot of what is driving that lack of access is the growth that there has been in the private sector. People are going private and increasing that private sector precisely because they cannot get access to NHS dental care. This is a vicious cycle and it is getting worse.
When I hear dentists saying that there will not be an NHS dental service in Wales in a few years, do you know what? It’s not hard to believe when you look at the trajectory that we are currently on. We are not creating a tiered system, the Minister says. Well, this Government is presiding over a broken three-tiered system, and entrenching it day by day.
Rwyf wedi clywed datganiadau yn ddiweddar yn dweud bod deintyddiaeth y GIG bellach yn system ddwy neu dair haen, a'r ffaith yw bod system ddeintyddol breifat wedi bod erioed—dewis arall sefydledig. Rwy'n credu y bydd llawer o bobl yn ei chael hi'n syfrdanol clywed Gweinidog Llafur yn cyfeirio at y rhaniad real iawn hwnnw rhwng y bobl ffodus ac anffodus mewn ffordd mor ddidaro. Mae'r Gweinidog yn cyfeirio at y system ddwy haen yn unig: y bobl ffodus ac anffodus. Gall fy nghynnwys i ar y rhestr honno o bobl sydd wedi bod yn disgrifio system tair haen, y dewisodd hi beidio â mynd i'r afael â hi.
Efallai y gallaf egluro beth rydyn ni'n ei olygu wrth y drydedd haen honno. Nid yw'n ymwneud â fforddiadwyedd triniaeth y GIG. Mae yna bobl sy'n gallu fforddio mynd yn breifat. Mae yna bobl sy'n methu fforddio mynd yn breifat a sy'n cael triniaeth y GIG. Ac wedyn mae yna bobl sy'n methu cael triniaeth y GIG o gwbl. Dyna'r drydedd haen. Llawer o'r hyn sy'n ysgogi'r diffyg mynediad hwnnw yw'r twf sydd wedi bod yn y sector breifat. Mae pobl yn mynd yn breifat ac yn cynyddu'r sector preifat hwnnw'n union oherwydd nad ydyn nhw'n gallu cael mynediad at ofal deintyddol y GIG. Mae hwn yn gylch dieflig ac mae'n gwaethygu.
Pan fyddaf yn clywed deintyddion yn dweud na fydd gwasanaeth deintyddol gan y GIG yng Nghymru mewn ychydig flynyddoedd, wyddoch chi beth? Nid yw'n anodd credu hynny wrth edrych ar y trywydd rydym arno ar hyn o bryd. Nid ydym yn creu system haenog, meddai'r Gweinidog. Wel, mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn llywyddu dros system tair haen sydd wedi torri, ac yn ei gwreiddio dydd ar ôl dydd.
Nawr, mae'r Gweinidog yn cyfeirio at y newidiadau i gytundebau a’r bwriad o ehangu mynediad at wasanaethau NHS. Mae’n dweud bod 140,000 o gleifion newydd wedi cael eu gweld. Ar y wyneb, wrth gwrs, mae hynny’n swnio’n dda, ond mae’n gwbl blaen nad yw hyn yn gynaliadwy. Roeddwn i’n siarad ddoe efo deintydd sy’n gwbl ymrwymedig i’r NHS, a oedd wedi llwyddo i daro’r targed a chofrestru cannoedd o gleifion newydd. Ond roedd y broses wedi bod mor hunllefus—wedi rhoi cymaint o straen ar staff—ei bod hi dal ddim yn cynnig cymhelliad iddyn nhw weithio mewn ffordd ataliol, fel y buasent yn ei licio. Maen nhw wedi penderfynu rhoi un rhan o dair o’u cytundeb NHS yn ôl ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf, gan waethygu’r broblem.
Mae’r Gweinidog yn ddiweddarach yn dweud mai bach iawn, iawn yw’r cytundebau sy’n cael eu rhoi yn ôl i’r byrddau iechyd. Wel, dyna un nad ydy’r Gweinidog yn gwybod amdano eto. Mae fy etholaeth i wedi colli un o bob tri deintydd NHS mewn blwyddyn. Mae’r Gweinidog yn awgrymu, pan fo hynny’n digwydd, nad oes problem cael darparwyr newydd. Mi allaf i ddweud wrth y Gweinidog fod bwrdd iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr, ac mi wnaf i eu dyfynnu nhw—dydyn nhw ddim yn hyderus y byddwn nhw’n gallu dod o hyd i ddarparwr newydd.
Mi wnaf i ddefnyddio fy holl amser yn fan hyn. Mae gen i lawer y gallwn i fod yn ei ddweud. Mae’r Gweinidog yn ailadrodd yn gyson mai’r ateb ydy gweld pobl yn llai aml—awgrymu mai’r broblem sydd gennym ni yw bod pobl y gwrthwynebu hynny. Dydw i ddim yn gweld gwrthwynebiad i hynny. Rydw i’n gweld pobl sy’n hapus iawn i ddilyn y canllawiau a gweld cleifion yn llai aml. Y broblem sydd gennym ni yw diffyg cynaliadwyedd. Does prin sôn yma am hyfforddi mwy o ddeintyddion. Mae angen hynny er mwyn cynaliadwyedd. Mae angen cael mwy o ddeintyddion preifat i ddod yn ôl i’r NHS.
Now, the Minister refers to contractual changes, which were intended to enhance access to NHS services. She says that 140,000 new patients had been seen. On the face of it, of course, that sounds positive, but it's entirely clear that this is not sustainable. I was speaking yesterday to a dentist who is entirely committed to the NHS, who had succeeded in hitting that target and registered hundreds of new patients. But the process had been so onerous—and had placed so much strain on staff—and it still didn't provide them with the incentive to work in a preventative way, as they would want that they have decided to hand a third of their NHS contract back for next year, exacerbating the problem.
The Minister later says that few contracts have been handed back to the health service. That's one that the Minister isn't aware of. My constituency has lost one in three NHS dentists in a year. The Minister suggests, when that's happening, that there's no problem in having new providers, I can tell the Minister that Betsi Cadwaladr health board, and I will quote them—they are not confident that they can find new providers.
I will use all my time here. There is so much that I could be saying. The Minister constantly repeats that the answer is to see people less often, suggesting that the problem that we have is that people are opposing that. Now, I don't see any opposition to that. I see people who are more than happy to follow the new guidance and to see patients less often. The problem that we have is a lack of sustainability. There is hardly any talk here of training more dentists. We need that for sustainability. We need more private dentists to return to the NHS.
I am going to refer in my very last seconds, Deputy Presiding Officer, to the last statement from the Minister.
'In closing, to reassure Members that dentistry is one of my top priorities, I want to develop an NHS dental service in Wales that is fair for dentists'—
it clearly isn't; they are leaving in droves—
'delivers for the risk and needs of the population'—
clearly, it's not doing that—
'underpinned by prevention principles'—
dentists are screaming to be able to work in a preventative way—
'which will enable everyone to take responsibility for their own oral health.'
Well, I agree with the Minister on that, because that's all that people can do currently.
Rwy'n mynd i gyfeirio yn fy eiliadau olaf un, Dirprwy Lywydd, at y datganiad olaf gan y Gweinidog.
'I gloi, i roi sicrwydd i Aelodau mai deintyddiaeth yw un o fy mhrif flaenoriaethau, dwi eisiau datblygu gwasanaeth deintyddol y GIG yng Nghymru sy'n deg i ddeintyddion'—
mae'n amlwg nad yw hynny'n wir; maen nhw'n gadael yn eu heidiau—
'sy'n cyflawni ar gyfer risg ac anghenion y boblogaeth'—
yn amlwg, nid yw'n gwneud hynny—
'sy'n seiliedig ar egwyddorion atal'—
mae deintyddion yn ymbil yn daer i allu gweithio mewn ffordd ataliol—
'a fydd yn galluogi pawb i gymryd cyfrifoldeb dros eu hiechyd y geg eu hunain.'
Wel, rwy'n cytuno â'r Gweinidog ar hynny, achos dyna'r cyfan y gall pobl ei wneud ar hyn o bryd.
Look, I accept that everything is not perfect. I accept that there is a huge way to go in this very difficult area. But, as I reiterate, we do not employ these people directly. They are independent practitioners, and we have to convince them to come with us on the journey.
Now, it is true to say that COVID has impacted the work that they were able to do before. They're not back to what they were doing pre pandemic, and that's because they have to take account of the extra issues in relation to the potential for COVID to carry. So, there are more restrictions than there were pre pandemic.
Our contract does shift people from the haves to the have-nots. That's precisely what we're trying to do. There are people who haven't been able to see dentists for years on end, and now 140,000 of them have had access for the first time. So, that's not something that's happening in England. We've changed this contract, and England are looking at our model now to see what they can learn from us. But, of course, we need to go further.
So, I think it's important for us to understand that it's not just about supply as well, it's also about affordability and transport issues and all of these other things. One of the things that I am a bit concerned about is we are seeing pockets where we're seeing concentrations where dentists have handed back the contracts. That is something that concerns me. Certainly, in the area that I represent, that is a concern, which is why, for example, in rural areas, we've put this £5,000 additional funding on the table. In Betsi, we've got these 26,000 extra appointments that have been given, and, crucially, as the First Minister mentioned this morning, we're developing this new dental school in north Wales.
Key to what we're trying to do here is to broaden the dental skill mix. You asked me about training—well, we've got now 67 new dental trainees, we've got 50 dental care trainees, we've got new hygienists and new therapists. All of these people will, we hope, contribute to that dental mix, and, obviously, we're speaking to the UK Government to make sure that they change the rules so that some of these people can not just open a dental appointment, but close it as well. That's been part of the problem—legally, that's not been possible within the rules currently.
I would reject that they are leaving in droves. They are not leaving in droves. There is no evidence to suggest they're leaving in droves. We've got 80 per cent of people who've signed up to the new contracts. I gave you the figures: over 420 or so who we had pre pandemic, and only 20 have handed back. Those are the figures, those are the facts. You might not like the facts, you might—[Interruption.] Well, they haven't handed it back yet, and, as I'm saying, let's keep the conversation going, which is why I'm very keen to make sure that I have a real understanding of the concerns of the dental workforce and why I'm meeting them very soon.
Gwrandewch, rwy'n derbyn nad yw popeth yn berffaith. Rwy'n derbyn bod llawer iawn o waith i'w wneud yn y maes anodd iawn yma. Ond, fel rwy'n ei ailadrodd, nid ydyn ni'n cyflogi'r bobl hyn yn uniongyrchol. Maen nhw'n ymarferwyr annibynnol, ac mae'n rhaid i ni eu darbwyllo i ddod gyda ni ar y daith.
Nawr, mae'n wir dweud bod COVID-19 wedi cael effaith ar y gwaith roedden nhw'n gallu ei wneud o'r blaen. Dydyn nhw ddim wedi dychwelyd i'r hyn roedden nhw'n ei wneud cyn y pandemig, a hynny oherwydd bod yn rhaid iddyn nhw ystyried y materion ychwanegol mewn perthynas â'r potensial i COVID-19 ledaenu. Felly, mae rhagor o gyfyngiadau nag oedd cyn y pandemig.
Mae ein contract yn symud pobl o'r rhai ffodus i'r rhai anffodus. Dyna'n union beth rydyn ni'n ceisio ei wneud. Mae yna bobl sydd heb allu mynd at y deintydd ers blynyddoedd, ac erbyn hyn mae 140,000 ohonyn nhw wedi cael mynediad am y tro cyntaf. Felly, nid yw hynny'n rhywbeth sy'n digwydd yn Lloegr. Rydym wedi newid y contract hwn, ac mae Lloegr yn edrych ar ein model ni nawr i weld beth y gall ei ddysgu gennym ni. Ond, wrth gwrs, mae angen i ni fynd ymhellach.
Felly, rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig i ni ddeall nad yw'n ymwneud â chyflenwad yn unig, mae hefyd yn ymwneud â fforddiadwyedd a materion trafnidiaeth a'r holl bethau eraill hyn. Un o'r pethau rwy'n poeni ychydig amdano yw ein bod yn gweld pocedi lle rydyn ni'n gweld crynodiadau lle mae deintyddion wedi trosglwyddo'r cytundebau yn ôl. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth sy'n fy mhryderu i. Yn sicr, yn yr ardal rydw i'n ei chynrychioli, mae hynny'n bryder, a dyna pam, er enghraifft, mewn ardaloedd gwledig, rydym wedi sicrhau bod £5,000 o'r arian ychwanegol hwn ar gael. Yn Betsi, mae gennym ni'r 26,000 o apwyntiadau ychwanegol yma a roddwyd, ac, yn hollbwysig, fel y soniodd y Prif Weinidog y bore yma, rydyn ni'n datblygu'r ysgol ddeintyddol newydd hon yn y gogledd.
Mae ehangu'r gymysgedd o sgiliau deintyddol yn allweddol i'r hyn rydyn ni'n ceisio ei wneud yma. Gwnaethoch chi ofyn i mi am hyfforddiant—wel, erbyn hyn, mae gennym ni 67 o hyfforddeion deintyddol newydd, mae gennym ni 50 o hyfforddeion gofal deintyddol, mae gennym ni hylenwyr newydd a therapyddion newydd. Rydyn ni'n gobeithio y bydd yr holl bobl hyn yn cyfrannu at y gymysgedd ddeintyddol honno, ac, yn amlwg, rydyn ni'n siarad â Llywodraeth y DU i wneud yn siŵr ei bod yn newid y rheolau fel na all rhai o'r bobl hyn agor apwyntiad deintyddol yn unig, ond ei gau hefyd. Mae hynny wedi bod yn rhan o'r broblem—yn gyfreithiol, dyw hynny ddim wedi bod yn bosibl o fewn y rheolau ar hyn o bryd.
Byddwn i'n gwrthod eu bod nhw'n gadael yn eu heidiau. Dydyn nhw ddim yn gadael yn eu heidiau. Does dim tystiolaeth i awgrymu eu bod yn gadael yn eu heidiau. Mae gennym ni 80 y cant o bobl sydd wedi ymuno â'r cytundebau newydd. Rhoddais i'r ffigyrau i chi: rhyw 420 neu fwy a oedd gennym ni cyn y pandemig, a dim ond 20 sydd wedi trosglwyddo'n ôl. Dyna'r ffigyrau, dyna'r ffeithiau. Efallai nad ydych chi'n hoffi'r ffeithiau, efallai y byddwch chi—[Torri ar draws.] Wel, dydyn nhw ddim wedi ei drosglwyddo'n ôl eto, ac, fel rwy'n dweud, gadewch i ni barhau â'r sgwrs, a dyna pam rwy'n awyddus iawn i wneud yn siŵr bod gen i ddealltwriaeth wirioneddol o bryderon y gweithlu deintyddol a pham fy mod i'n cyfarfod â'r gweithlu yn fuan iawn.
I have many Members who wish to speak, understandably, on this issue, because it affects all of our constituencies, including mine. But if you please keep to your one minute, we can get everybody in to ask their question. John Griffiths.
Mae gen i lawer o Aelodau sy'n dymuno siarad, yn naturiol, am y mater hwn, oherwydd mae'n effeithio ar ein holl etholaethau, gan gynnwys fy un i. Ond os gallwch gadw at eich un munud, gallwn sicrhau bod pawb yn gofyn ei gwestiwn. John Griffiths.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, I wonder if you could address a situation that occurred in my constituency in Caldicot, where, in October last year, an NHS dentist wrote out to their 10,000 NHS patients telling them they were reducing the number to 2,500 effective from 1 January this year, and all of those 10,000 would have to reapply for an NHS place if they wanted one. So, that led to a situation of great concern amongst the local community, and the position now is that most of the people affected who haven't remained as NHS patients with that practice have to travel several miles to access NHS dentistry, or they have registered as private patients. Some will now have unmet dental need because they are not in a position, as vulnerable people, to travel the distance required for NHS treatment and, of course, they can't pay privately.
One other matter, Minister, which is that I have a 13-year-old girl who has been told she will have to wait three years to have braces fitted, and I wonder if you could say something about that situation. Thank you.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Gweinidog, tybed a allech chi fynd i'r afael â sefyllfa a ddigwyddodd yn fy etholaeth yng Nghil-y-coed, lle, ym mis Hydref y llynedd, ysgrifennodd deintydd o'r GIG at ei 10,000 o gleifion y GIG yn dweud wrthyn nhw ei fod yn lleihau'r nifer i 2,500 yn effeithiol o 1 Ionawr eleni, a byddai'n rhaid i bob un o'r 10,000 hynny ailymgeisio am le yn y GIG pe baen nhw eisiau lle. Felly, arweiniodd hynny at sefyllfa o bryder mawr ymysg y gymuned leol, a'r sefyllfa nawr yw bod y rhan fwyaf o'r bobl yr effeithiwyd arnyn nhw, nad ydynt wedi aros yn y practis hwnnw fel cleifion y GIG, yn gorfod teithio sawl milltir i gael mynediad at ddeintyddiaeth y GIG, neu maen nhw wedi cofrestru fel cleifion preifat. Erbyn hyn, bydd gan rai ohonyn nhw anghenion deintyddol heb eu diwallu am nad ydyn nhw, gan eu bod yn bobl agored i niwed, mewn sefyllfa i deithio'r pellter sydd ei angen ar gyfer triniaeth y GIG ac, wrth gwrs, dydyn nhw ddim yn gallu talu'n breifat.
Un mater arall, Gweinidog, sef bod gen i ferch 13 oed sydd wedi cael gwybod y bydd yn rhaid iddi aros tair blynedd i gael sythwr dannedd wedi'i osod, tybed a allech chi sôn rhywbeth am y sefyllfa honno. Diolch.
Thanks very much. I recognise that there are individual circumstances, and there are 20 of those that we have to consider, and that's why they've gone. But, as I say, what happens is that you don't lose the NHS dental appointments there; they are re-tendered, they go to somebody else. Now, what I recognise is that that may mean that people aren’t able to access what used to be in their community and they have to go further afield. And that creates another barrier to access, and I do think that is something that I’m particularly concerned with, and I’m particularly concerned around children—as you’ve mentioned; you’ve got that one case. But what I’m interested in now is to see, look, actually, can we think about creating a new kind of model here. In particular, let’s have a look at children.
So, through this pilot that we’re running in north Wales, a mobile unit goes into the school, sees every child in the school. We don’t necessarily need a dentist; we can use dental therapists to do this work. And I think it’ll be really interesting to see how that works out, and, if that does work out, I think that is a model that I’d like to seriously consider rolling out across the whole of Wales.
I do think—. Listen, it’s really difficult—orthodontic procedures, that’s always a challenge, and I think there are some real challenges around that in terms of the costs and all kinds of things. We all have to consider, I think, in future, where we’re going to be in terms of costs in future, because there are some real challenges ahead of us. There are massive restrictions on the budget coming down the line, and we need to consider very carefully what our priorities are going to be in future.
Diolch yn fawr. Rwy'n cydnabod bod amgylchiadau unigol, ac mae 20 o'r rheini y mae'n rhaid i ni eu hystyried, a dyna pam maen nhw wedi mynd. Ond, fel rwy'n dweud, beth sy'n digwydd yw nad ydych chi'n colli apwyntiadau deintyddol y GIG yno; maen nhw'n cael eu hail-dendro, maen nhw'n mynd at rywun arall. Nawr, yr hyn rwy'n ei gydnabod yw y gallai hynny olygu nad yw pobl yn gallu cael mynediad i'r hyn a arferai fod yn eu cymuned ac mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw fynd ymhellach i ffwrdd. Ac mae hynny'n creu rhwystr arall o ran cael mynediad, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth rwy'n pryderu'n fawr yn ei gylch, ac rwy'n bryderus iawn ynghylch plant—fel rydych chi wedi sôn; mae gennych chi'r un achos yna. Ond yr hyn sydd gen i ddiddordeb ynddo nawr yw gweld, ystyried, mewn gwirionedd, a allwn ni feddwl am greu math newydd o fodel yma. Yn benodol, gadewch i ni ystyried plant.
Felly drwy'r cynllun treialu hwn rydyn ni'n ei gynnal yn y gogledd, mae uned symudol yn mynd i mewn i'r ysgol, yn gweld pob plentyn yn yr ysgol. Nid oes o reidrwydd angen deintydd; gallwn ddefnyddio therapyddion deintyddol i wneud y gwaith hwn. Ac rwy'n credu y bydd yn ddiddorol iawn gweld canlyniadau hwnnw, ac, os yw'n gweithio, rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n fodel yr hoffwn i ystyried ei gyflwyno o ddifrif ledled Cymru.
Rwy'n meddwl—. Gwrandewch, mae'n anodd iawn—gweithdrefnau orthodontig, mae hynny wastad yn her, ac rwy'n credu bod rhai heriau gwirioneddol ynghylch hynny o ran y costau a phob math o bethau. Mae'n rhaid i bob un ohonom ni rwy'n credu, ystyried ein sefyllfa o ran costau yn y dyfodol, oherwydd mae yna rai heriau go iawn o'n blaenau ni. Mae cyfyngiadau enfawr ar y gyllideb yn dod, ac mae angen i ni ystyried yn ofalus iawn beth fydd ein blaenoriaethau yn y dyfodol.
I’m not going to go over what other people have said, Minister, but I want to pick something out of your statement that I think is very positive and I think it’s around children and the pilot that you’re doing in Blaenau Ffestiniog of bringing the mobile dentist unit actually into schools. What I’d like to know is some questions around that. How long is that trial going to last in Blaenau Ffestiniog? How long is the Welsh Government going to take to do the evaluation around that, and when can we see that being rolled out right across Wales? Because there are certain parts of my constituency where this is needed, and the sooner it can come, the better.
Dydw i ddim yn mynd i fynd dros yr hyn mae pobl eraill wedi'i ddweud, Gweinidog, ond rwyf am ddewis rhywbeth o'ch datganiad sy'n gadarnhaol iawn, yn fy marn i, ac rwy'n meddwl ei fod yn ymwneud â phlant a'r cynllun treialu rydych chi'n ei wneud ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog o ddod â'r uned deintydd symudol i mewn i ysgolion. Yr hyn hoffwn i wybod yw rhai cwestiynau ynghylch hynny. Am faint y mae'r cynllun treialu hwnnw'n mynd i bara ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog? Pa mor hir y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd i gymryd i wneud y gwerthusiad ynghylch hynny, a phryd y gallwn ni weld hynny'n cael ei gyflwyno'n iawn ledled Cymru? Oherwydd, mae rhai rhannau o fy etholaeth i lle mae angen hyn, a gorau po gyntaf y daw.
Thanks very much. Well, I’m on a mission with this, so I’m really keen to see this. This is something that I’ve very much tried to drive forward. What I’m keen to do is to make sure that we have at least a six-month roll-out of the programme and see how that goes, and then, obviously, we’ll have to look at the evaluation. But what was beneficial in Blaenau Ffestiniog is that, actually, we knew that Betsi had these mobile units that we could use, and also we’ve had to check that the school has access to the right power supplies and water supplies and all of those other things. So, there are some technical and practical things that we have to consider before we’re able to roll it out to every school in Wales. And obviously, there’ll be a price on this, but, actually, what, effectively, we will be doing is shifting resources into schools, rather than seeing people being seen in the community.
Diolch yn fawr. Wel, rydw i ar ymgyrch gyda hwn, felly rwy'n awyddus iawn i weld hyn. Dyma rywbeth rydw i wedi ceisio ei ysgogi'n fawr. Yr hyn rwy'n awyddus i'w wneud yw sicrhau bod gennym o leiaf chwe mis o gyflwyno'r rhaglen a gweld sut mae hynny'n mynd, ac yna, yn amlwg, bydd yn rhaid i ni edrych ar y gwerthusiad. Ond, yr hyn a oedd yn fuddiol ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog yw ein bod, mewn gwirionedd, yn gwybod bod gan Betsi yr unedau symudol hyn y gallem eu defnyddio, a hefyd rydym wedi gorfod sicrhau bod gan yr ysgol fynediad i'r cyflenwadau pŵer cywir a'r cyflenwadau dŵr a'r holl bethau eraill hynny. Felly, mae rhai pethau technegol ac ymarferol y mae'n rhaid i ni eu hystyried cyn i ni allu ei gyflwyno i bob ysgol yng Nghymru. Ac yn amlwg, bydd pris ar hyn, ond, mewn gwirionedd, yr hyn y byddwn yn ei wneud, i bob pwrpas, yw symud adnoddau i ysgolion, yn hytrach na gweld pobl yn cael eu gweld yn y gymuned.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Mae arnaf i ofn nad ydy cynnwys eich datganiad chi yn cyd-fynd yn y mymryn lleiaf efo’r hyn dwi yn ei glywed gan gleifion a deintyddion yn etholaeth Arfon. Yn ôl arolwg o ddeintyddion ar draws y gogledd, mae 88 y cant yn credu nad oes ganddyn nhw’r capasiti i weld y cleifion newydd sy'n ddisgwyliedig o dan y cytundeb newydd. Mae 96 y cant yn dweud bod y cleifion sydd efo nhw'n barod yn rhoi adborth negyddol ac yn cwyno am fethu â chael mynediad at ofal deintyddol. Mae’n ymddangos i mi fod deintyddion yn boddi o dan y llwyth gwaith newydd, a hynny yn sgil targedau nad oes modd eu cyflawni. Gaf fi ofyn ichi felly ydy'r cytundebau newydd yma yn gosod disgwyliadau llawer rhy uchel ar ddeintyddion? Ac rydych wedi dweud y byddwch chi yn cael trafodaethau ar gytundebau ar gyfer 2024-25 ac ymlaen o hynny, ond, yn sgil yr holl bryderon yr ydym ni yn eu clywed, wnewch chi roi ymrwymiad y prynhawn yma i adolygu'r cytundebau yn ddi-oed, os gwelwch yn dda?
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I’m afraid the content of your statement doesn’t correspond in the very least with what I hear from patients and dentists in the Arfon constituency. According to a survey of dentists across the north of Wales, 88 per cent believe that they don’t have the capacity to see the new patients expected under the new contract. Ninety-six per cent say that the patients that they already have give negative feedback and complain about the lack of access to dental care. It appears to me that dentists are drowning in the workload that they face as a result of targets that cannot be met. Can I ask you therefore whether the new contracts set far too high an ambition for dentists? And you say that you will be having discussions on contracts for 2024-25 and onwards from then, but, as a result of all of the concerns that we do hear about, will you make a commitment this afternoon to review these contracts without delay, please?
Diolch yn fawr. Wel, y ffaith yw bod y deintyddion yma wedi delifro i raddau helaeth yn barod. So, beth rôn i'n ei ofyn oedd eu bod nhw'n siffto; yn lle gweld pobl sydd gyda dannedd iach yn aml, fel rôn nhw'n ei gweld yn y gorffennol—. Mae tua 60 y cant o bobl gyda dannedd iach, a dŷn nhw ddim angen mynd, yn ôl NICE, yn fwy nag unwaith pob dwy flynedd. Nawr, rhain yw guidelines NICE—nid fy guidelines i, ond guidelines NICE. Ac felly, rŷn ni wedi gweithio ar y sail bod hyd yn oed os oedd 20 y cant o'r rheini yn gweld y deintydd yn llai aml, rŷch chi'n cyrraedd pwynt lle rŷch chi'n gallu agor y cyfle i bobl newydd weld deintyddion am y tro cyntaf. Felly, dwi'n meddwl ein bod ni yn mynd i'r cyfeiriad cywir, ac, wrth gwrs, yng ngogledd Cymru, beth fyddwn ni'n gweld gyda'r academi newydd, fydd yn agor am chwe diwrnod yr wythnos o'r hydref—mi fyddan nhw'n cael cyfle gweld 12,000 i 15,000 o gleifion yn flynyddol.
Thank you. Well, the fact is that these dentists have already delivered to a great extent. What I asked was that they shift from seeing people who have healthy mouths and seeing them regularly, as was the case in the past—. Around 60 per cent people have healthy teeth, and they, according to NICE, don’t need to see a dentist more than once every two years. Now, that's what the NICE guidelines say—they're not our guidelines. So, we've worked on the basis that, even if 20 per cent of those see a dentist less often, you do reach a point where you can provide opportunities for new people to see dentists for the first time. So, I do think that we're moving in the right direction, and, of course, in north Wales, what we will see with the new academy, which will open for six days a week from the autumn onwards—they will have an opportunity to see 12,000 to 15,000 patients annually.
I am guilty as charged; I am one of those who've used the phrase 'two-tier system', and let me tell you why, because I think it's really important. I do acknowledge that NICE guidelines have changed—I think we all do; we all hear that. I know there needs to be a skill mix in dentistry, and I think that's accepted. There have always been dental charges for adults in the past. I remember that a while ago. I know there has been a private health system in dentistry, just as there is in any health system. But what I don't understand is how that matches with what I am, and it seems others are, hearing day after day, time after time. And I think, Minister, part of that is that there just seems to be a resistance to seeing the reality. The reality is what we're hearing: it's people going to dentists, like the one that John Griffiths said, and them saying, 'I'm sorry, you have to de-register and then register again, in a queue'; the reality that families are told, 'I'm really sorry, but we're now a private healthcare practice.' I really think that one of the things that would be really valuable is that we look at how we can bring together everything across the board and not have that two-tier system. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Rwy'n euog o hynny; rydw i'n un o'r bobl hynny sydd wedi defnyddio'r ymadrodd 'system ddwy haen', a gadewch i mi ddweud wrthych chi pam, oherwydd rwy'n credu ei fod yn bwysig iawn. Rwy'n cydnabod bod canllawiau NICE wedi newid—rwy'n meddwl bod pob un ohonom yn cydnabod hynny; rydyn ni i gyd yn clywed hynny. Rwy'n gwybod bod angen cymysgedd o sgiliau mewn deintyddiaeth, ac rwy'n meddwl bod hynny'n cael ei dderbyn. Mae taliadau deintyddol wedi bod i oedolion yn y gorffennol erioed. Rwy'n cofio hynny sbel yn ôl. Rwy'n gwybod bod system iechyd breifat wedi bod ym maes deintyddiaeth, yn union fel sydd mewn unrhyw system iechyd. Ond yr hyn nad ydw i'n ei ddeall yw sut mae hynny'n cyd-fynd â'r hyn rydw i, ac eraill yn ôl pob golwg, yn ei glywed o un dydd i'r llall, dro ar ôl tro. Ac rwy'n credu, Gweinidog, rhan o hynny yw ei bod yn ymddangos bod gwrthwynebiad i weld y realiti. Y gwir yw'r hyn rydyn ni'n ei glywed: mae pobl yn mynd at ddeintyddion, fel yr un a ddywedodd John Griffiths, ac maen nhw'n dweud, 'Mae'n ddrwg gen i, mae'n rhaid i chi ddadgofrestru a chofrestru eto, mewn ciw'; y realiti y dywedir wrth deuluoedd, 'Mae'n ddrwg iawn gen i, ond rydym yn bractis gofal iechyd preifat erbyn hyn.' Rydw i wir yn meddwl mai un o'r pethau mwyaf gwerthfawr fyddai edrych ar sut y gallwn ni ddod â phopeth ei gilydd yn gyffredinol a pheidio â chael y system ddwy haen honno. Diolch. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Diolch yn fawr, Jane. I acknowledge there's a two-tier system. I've made that absolutely clear. There always has been. And in an ideal world, I would love it if we could get to a system where everybody was able to access an NHS dentist. But, actually, it's very difficult to find dentists. That's the first thing. We're about to start a new campaign to see if we can attract more dentists from abroad. But, actually, I think we've got to rethink the model. I think we've got to think about how we use the skill mix in a very different way. And I also think that some of the figures that I've stated today, that's the reality. I'm giving you facts. Now, there's a lot of noise—I get that there's a lot of noise—but we're talking about 20 out of 420 practices handing back contracts. Now, it may be that more of them will say, 'Well, we didn't like that, so we're moving next year', but, as it stands currently, which is why I think we do need those conversations with dentists to make sure that we are landing in the right place on this—. But, this year, the fact is, we had a target of 114,000 new NHS dental appointments, and we've got 140,000. So, we've gone way beyond what we had as an ambition.
I just want to pay tribute to Jane for the work that you are doing, constantly and tirelessly, on dentistry, and I know one of the things that you've been pushing for is a dental registry, a national dental registry, and I just want to make it clear that we do hope that that will be something that we will be able to deliver in future, subject, obviously, to money, which is going to be a constant restraint on us in future.
Diolch yn fawr, Jane. Rwy'n cydnabod bod system ddwy haen. Rwyf wedi gwneud hynny'n hollol glir. Bu system ddwy haen erioed. Ac mewn byd delfrydol, byddwn i wrth fy modd pe gallem fod â system lle roedd pawb yn gallu cael mynediad at ddeintydd y GIG. Ond, mewn gwirionedd, mae'n anodd iawn dod o hyd i ddeintyddion. Dyna'r peth cyntaf. Rydym ar fin dechrau ymgyrch newydd i weld a allwn ddenu mwy o ddeintyddion o dramor. Ond, mewn gwirionedd, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i ni ailfeddwl y model. Rwy'n meddwl bod rhaid i ni feddwl sut rydyn ni'n defnyddio'r gymysgedd sgiliau mewn ffordd wahanol iawn. Ac rwyf hefyd yn meddwl mai rhai o'r ffigyrau rwyf wedi eu nodi heddiw, dyna'r realiti. Rwy'n rhoi ffeithiau i chi. Nawr, mae yna lawer o sylw—rwy'n deall bod llawer o sylw—ond rydyn ni'n sôn am 20 allan o 420 o feddygfeydd yn trosglwyddo contractau yn ôl. Nawr, efallai y bydd mwy ohonyn nhw'n dweud, 'Wel, doedden ni ddim yn hoffi hynny, felly rydyn ni'n symud y flwyddyn nesa', ond, fel y mae pethau ar hyn o bryd, a dyna pam rwy'n meddwl bod angen i ni gael y sgyrsiau hynny gyda deintyddion i wneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n cyrraedd y lle iawn gyda hyn—. Ond, eleni, y gwir amdani yw, roedd gennym darged o 114,000 o apwyntiadau deintyddol newydd y GIG, ac mae gennym ni 140,000. Felly, rydyn ni wedi mynd ymhell tu hwnt i'n huchelgais.
Rwyf eisiau talu teyrnged i Jane am y gwaith rydych chi'n ei wneud, yn gyson ac yn ddiflino, ar ddeintyddiaeth, ac rwy'n gwybod mai un o'r pethau rydych chi wedi bod yn ymgyrchu amdano yw cofrestrfa ddeintyddol, cofrestrfa ddeintyddol genedlaethol, ac rydw i am ei gwneud yn glir ein bod yn gobeithio y bydd hynny'n rhywbeth y byddwn ni'n gallu ei gyflawni yn y dyfodol, yn amodol, yn amlwg, ar arian, sy'n mynd i fod yn rhwystr cyson arnom yn y dyfodol.
Minister, thank you for the statement, and I'm heartened that you state that dentistry is one of your top priorities. And even before COVID, it has had a long and chequered past since deregistration. I think we all realise that. For many of my constituents, NHS dentistry, though, still remains incomprehensible at times. I do welcome the many new initiatives in dentistry that you and Welsh Government have introduced, and those bearing fruit. That is welcomed, as are the new 140,000 patients now seen. I have, though, listened carefully to the concerns expressed by some dentists that, under the UDA model and the new model called 'metrics', the Government is still emphasising the number of different patients seen, and that there seems to be no credit for the specific course of treatment undertaken, i.e. no differentiation between either a complex bridge or a simple filling, and it's stated that the only credit given is that the individual patient was seen and has had a course of treatment. So, how would the Welsh Government respond to that observation, that this is still a rather crude form of analysis that does not concentrate the focus on the expertise of dentists and the skilled personalised work that they undertake? And what consultation, Minister, has been undertaken with the dentistry profession on this new and innovative model of working?
Gweinidog, diolch am y datganiad, ac rwyf wedi fy nghalonogi eich bod yn datgan bod deintyddiaeth yn un o'ch prif flaenoriaethau. A hyd yn oed cyn COVID-19, bu tipyn o hanes hir ac amrywiol ers dadgofrestru. Rwy'n credu ein bod ni i gyd yn sylweddoli hynny. Er hynny, i lawer o fy etholwyr, mae deintyddiaeth y GIG yn annealladwy o hyd ar adegau. Rwy'n croesawu'r llu o fentrau newydd ym maes deintyddiaeth rydych chi a Llywodraeth Cymru wedi eu cyflwyno, a'r rhai sy'n dwyn ffrwyth. Mae hynny'n cael ei groesawu, yn ogystal â'r 140,000 o gleifion newydd sydd bellach wedi'u gweld. Er hynny, rwyf wedi gwrando'n ofalus ar y pryderon a fynegwyd gan rai deintyddion sydd, o dan y model Unedau o Weithgaredd Deintyddol a'r model newydd o'r enw 'metrigau', mae'r Llywodraeth yn dal i bwysleisio nifer y gwahanol gleifion a welwyd, ac mae’n ymddangos nad oes unrhyw gredyd am y cwrs penodol o driniaeth a wnaed, h.y. dim gwahaniaethu rhwng pont gymhleth neu lenwad syml, a dywedir mai'r unig gredyd a roddir yw bod y claf unigol wedi ei weld a'i fod wedi cael cwrs o driniaeth. Felly, sut fyddai Llywodraeth Cymru'n ymateb i'r sylw hwnnw, bod hwn yn dal yn ffurf eithaf amrwd o ddadansoddi nad yw'n canolbwyntio'r pwyslais ar arbenigedd deintyddion a'r gwaith medrus y maen nhw'n ei gyflawni? A pha ymgynghoriad, Gweinidog, sydd wedi'i gynnal gyda'r proffesiwn deintyddiaeth ar y model newydd ac arloesol hwn o weithio?
Thanks very much. Well, you'll be aware that in Aneurin Bevan we've seen 24,500 new NHS patients being seen as a result of the new contract. The course of treatment undertaken, obviously, is something that I think we just need to make sure we've got that in the right place, and in terms of consultation, there has been very significant consultation. As I say, they've seen a copy of what is being proposed for next year before Christmas, so I hope that has given them enough time to consider it, and obviously we will be carrying on those conversations with the dental authorities.
Diolch yn fawr. Wel, byddwch yn ymwybodol ein bod ni wedi gweld 24,500 o gleifion newydd y GIG yn cael eu gweld o ganlyniad i'r cytundeb newydd. Mae'r cwrs triniaeth a roddir, yn amlwg, yn rhywbeth rwy'n credu bod angen i ni wneud yn siŵr bod gennym ni hynny yn iawn, ac o ran ymgynghori, mae ymgynghoriad sylweddol iawn wedi bod. Fel rwy'n dweud, maen nhw wedi gweld copi o'r hyn sy'n cael ei gynnig ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf cyn y Nadolig, felly rwy'n gobeithio bod hynny wedi rhoi digon o amser iddyn nhw ei ystyried, ac yn amlwg byddwn ni'n cynnal y sgyrsiau hynny gyda'r awdurdodau deintyddol.
Thank you, Minister, for bringing forward today's statement. As I highlighted to you last week, Minister, I recently contacted 69 NHS dentists in north Wales. I spoke to 57 of those practices last week, and it was just four who were taking on, but those four had huge waiting lists. What that highlighted to me is the significant challenge that my residents face in accessing an NHS dentist in north Wales.
Minister, I do welcome efforts being made to recruit more dentists. I certainly welcome those efforts being made, along with the trials of the use of the mobile dental units at schools, which, as my colleagues mentioned, could be cost-effective and certainly help reduce those waiting lists. But like others in the Chamber here today, I take particular exception to parts of your statement, and I quote, where you say,
'Private healthcare is an established and acceptable alternative,'
and you go on to say,
'in reality some will prefer to go private, creating a divided market.'
Just to be really clear from my side, and my residents, this is not something that most of my residents would prefer to do; it's something that they have to do because they cannot access those NHS dentists. What my residents would prefer is to be able to access NHS dentists, because they pay their national insurance, they pay their income tax, they pay their taxes, and they expect to get healthcare free at the point of service as a result of that. So, in light of this, Minister, and in light of your statement here today, do you think the measures you've highlighted here today will go far enough to address the concerns that my residents have in being able to access an NHS dentist?
Diolch, Gweinidog, am gyflwyno'r datganiad heddiw. Fel y gwnes i dynnu'ch sylw atoch yr wythnos diwethaf, fe gysylltais â 69 o ddeintyddion GIG yn y gogledd yn ddiweddar. Siaradais â 57 o'r deintyddfeydd hynny yr wythnos ddiwethaf, a dim ond pedwar oedd yn cymryd cleifion newydd, ond roedd gan y pedwar yna restrau aros enfawr. Yr hyn a amlygodd hynny i mi yw'r her sylweddol y mae fy nhrigolion yn ei hwynebu o ran gallu gweld deintydd GIG yn y gogledd.
Gweinidog, rwy'n croesawu ymdrechion sy'n cael eu gwneud i recriwtio mwy o ddeintyddion. Rwy'n sicr yn croesawu'r ymdrechion hynny sy'n cael eu gwneud, ynghyd â threialon defnyddio'r unedau deintyddol symudol mewn ysgolion, a allai, fel y soniodd fy nghyd-Aelodau, fod yn gost-effeithiol ac yn sicr yn helpu i leihau'r rhestrau aros hynny. Ond fel eraill yn y Siambr yma heddiw, rwy'n anghytuno'n benodol â rhannau o'ch datganiad, ac rwy'n dyfynnu, lle dywedwch,
'Mae gofal iechyd preifat yn ddewis arall sefydledig a derbyniol,'
ac ewch ymlaen i ddweud,
'mewn gwirionedd bydd yn well gan rai fynd yn breifat, gan greu marchnad ranedig.'
Dim ond i fod yn glir iawn o'm hochr i, a'm trigolion, nid yw hyn yn rhywbeth y byddai'n well gan y rhan fwyaf o'm trigolion ei wneud; mae'n rhywbeth y mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw ei wneud oherwydd nad ydyn nhw'n gallu gweld y deintyddion GIG hynny. Yr hyn fyddai'n well gan fy nhrigolion yw gallu gweld deintyddion y GIG, oherwydd eu bod yn talu eu hyswiriant cenedlaethol, maen nhw'n talu eu treth incwm, maen nhw'n talu eu trethi, ac maen nhw'n disgwyl cael gwasanaeth gofal iechyd am ddim o ganlyniad i hynny. Felly, yn sgil hyn, Gweinidog, ac yng ngoleuni eich datganiad yma heddiw, ydych chi'n meddwl y bydd y mesurau rydych chi wedi'u hamlygu yma heddiw yn mynd yn ddigon pell i fynd i'r afael â'r pryderon sydd gan fy nhrigolion o ran gallu gweld deintydd GIG?
Thanks very much. Well, we are making efforts to recruit new dentists, and to be honest, Brexit didn't help the situation, and certainly I know a lot of eastern European dentists went home, following Brexit.
Just in terms of the issue about paying for dental treatment, I think it's really important to note that there are exemptions for people who can't afford to pay, and I can set out what those exemptions are if you'd like, but the fact is that everybody—. If you're not exempt, you do pay these charges. I think it's really important that people understand. This is not free, and it's really important that people understand that there is an expectation, in Wales, in England, in Scotland, in Northern Ireland, that actually you do have to pay for treatment.
Diolch yn fawr. Wel, rydym ni'n ymdrechu i recriwtio deintyddion newydd, ac i fod yn onest, wnaeth Brexit ddim helpu'r sefyllfa, ac yn sicr rwy'n gwybod bod llawer o ddeintyddion dwyrain Ewrop wedi mynd adref, yn dilyn Brexit.
Dim ond o ran y mater am dalu am driniaeth ddeintyddol, rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn nodi bod eithriadau i bobl na all fforddio talu, a gallaf nodi beth yw'r eithriadau hynny os hoffech chi, ond y ffaith yw bod pawb—. Os nad ydych chi wedi'ch eithrio, rydych yn talu'r taliadau hyn. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn bod pobl yn deall. Nid yw hyn yn rhad ac am ddim, ac mae'n bwysig iawn bod pobl yn deall bod disgwyliad, yng Nghymru, yn Lloegr, yn yr Alban, yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, mewn gwirionedd bod yn rhaid i chi dalu am driniaeth.
Mewn ymateb i FOI gen i ychydig o wythnosau yn ôl, mae yna 11,000 o bobl yn y rhanbarth rŷn ni'n dau yn ei gynrychioli ar restr aros i gofrestru gyda deintydd NHS. Llynedd, fe wnaeth y BBC arolwg ar draws y Deyrnas Gyfunol, yn cynnwys ein rhanbarth ni, a oedd yn dangos nad oedd capasiti gan unrhyw ddeintydd NHS i gymryd unrhyw gleifion ychwanegol. Felly, beth bynnag mae'r datganiad yma'n dweud am gytundebau, mae yna anniddigrwydd mawr yn bodoli. Mae fy neintydd i yn Llandeilo—a dwi wedi bod gyda deintydd NHS ers blynyddoedd lawer—wedi ddweud wrthyf i rhyw dair wythnos yn ôl ei fod e’n rhoi ei gytundeb yn ôl a bod e bellach yn mynd yn breifat. Mi wnes i edrych i weld os oes yna unrhyw ffordd allwn i fynd at ddeintydd NHS arall. Yn sir Gâr mae 3,500 ar y rhestr aros. Does yna ddim gobaith gen i. Felly, ydy'r Gweinidog yn cytuno â fi, i deuluoedd ar incwm isel, ydy mynd yn breifat yn 'acceptable alternative'?
In response to an FOI that I submitted a few weeks ago, I was told that 11,000 people are waiting on a waiting list to register with an NHS dentist in the region that the two of us represent. Last year, the BBC conducted a survey across the UK, including our region, which showed that no NHS dentist had capacity to take on additional patients. So, whatever this statement might say about contracts, there is a great deal of discontent that exists. My dentist in Llandeilo—and I've been with an NHS dentist for several years—told me about three weeks ago that he is giving back his contract and he's going private. I looked to see whether there was any way that I could go to another NHS dentist. In Carmarthenshire there are over 3,500 on the waiting list. There's no hope for me. So, does the Minister agree with me, for families on a low income, is going private an 'acceptable alternative'?
Wel, un o'r pethau rŷn ni'n treial ei wneud, a bydd Cefin yn ymwybodol o ba mor anodd yw hi i recriwtio pobl i gefn gwlad Cymru o ran deintyddiaeth, ac mae hynny'n creu mwy o broblem yng nghefn gwlad nag yw hi, efallai, yn rhai o’n trefi ni, a dyna pam mae yna broblem ychwanegol, dwi'n meddwl, rŷn ni'n ei gweld yn ein rhanbarth ni. Yn sicr, dwi'n ymwybodol bod Llandeilo yn un o'r llefydd yna lle maen nhw wedi rhoi’r cytundeb yn ôl—un o'r 20. Mae rhai eraill wedi rhoi eu cytundebau yn ôl yn Hwlffordd, yn Aberteifi ac yn Abergwaun. Felly, mae yna glwstwr, mwy neu lai, sy'n agos at ei gilydd yn fanna, ac mae hynny yn creu trafferthion ychwanegol, a dyna pam rŷn ni wedi rhoi'r £5,000 ychwanegol yma i drio temtio pobl i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n gwneud eu hyfforddiant nhw yng nghefn gwlad Cymru.
Well, one of the things we're seeking to do, and Cefin will be aware of just how difficult it is to recruit people to rural Wales in the field of dentistry, and that does create greater issues in rural areas than it does in some of our more urban areas, perhaps, and that's why there are additional problems, I think, that we see in our region. I am certainly aware that Llandeilo is one of those places where they have handed the contract back—they're one of the 20. Others have done so in Haverfordwest, in Cardigan and in Fishguard. So, there is a cluster there, more or less, that are quite close together, and that does create additional difficulties, and that's why we've provided the additional £5,000 to try and tempt people to undertake their training in rural Wales.
Gaf i jest bwysleisio felly, rydyn ni'n sôn—? Yr etholwyr sy'n cysylltu efo ni, mae nifer yn gymwys am driniaeth am ddim, ond yn methu cael deintydd i wneud y gwaith. Dyna ydy'r categori rydym ni'n sôn amdano fo. A dwi ddim wedi gweld eglurder o ran hynny o gwbl.
Os dwi'n edrych, o ran Canol De Cymru, dyma rai o'r ffeithiau sydd wedi dod gan Gymdeithas Ddeintyddol Prydain: 18 y cant o ddeintyddion yn debygol o stopio darparu unrhyw wasanaethau’r gwasanaeth iechyd a mynd yn breifat yn unig; 39 y cant am leihau faint o waith maen nhw am ei wneud i'r gwasanaeth iechyd. Gaf i ofyn yn benodol, felly? Rydych chi wedi dweud efallai bod y data sydd gennych chi rŵan ddim yn adlewyrchu hynny, ond dyma rydyn ni'n ei glywed sydd am ddigwydd.
A fedrwch chi roi eglurder, os gwelwch yn dda, faint sydd wedi lleihau cytundeb—nid eu rhoi nhw'n ôl, ond faint sydd wedi lleihau? Dydyn ni ddim wedi cael eglurder ar hynny. Dwi'n clywed fwyfwy yn fy rhanbarth i am y cymhlethdodau mae deintyddion yn eu gweld oherwydd natur a dwyster y problemau. Ac mae yn ddeifiol iawn, rhai o sylwadau’r deintyddion. Mae yna fwy o amser maen nhw ei angen efo’r cleifion hyn, ac maen nhw yn poeni bod yr holl newidiadau sy'n mynd i fod yn mynd i ragfarnu yn erbyn ardaloedd gyda lefelau uchel o anghenion iechyd.
Gaf i ofyn hefyd ai eich neges heddiw i bobl Cymru ydy y dylai pawb sy'n medru fforddio mynd yn breifat ar gyfer deintyddiaeth wneud hynny? Oherwydd dyna dwi'n ei glywed.
May I just emphasise therefore, we're talking—? In terms of our constituents who contact us, many do qualify for free treatment, but they can't find a dentist to do the work. That's the category we're talking about. And I haven't seen any clarity on that at all.
If I look at South Wales Central, here are some of the facts that have been provided by the British Dental Association: 18 per cent of dentists are likely to cease providing NHS services and go private only; 39 per cent to reduce the amount of work that they do for the NHS. May I ask specifically, therefore? You said that the data you have now may not reflect that, but this is what we're hearing and this is what's likely to happen, apparently.
So, can you give us some clarity as to how many have reduced their contractual requirements—not handed them back, but reduced them? We haven't had any clarity on that. I'm hearing more and more in my region about the complexities that dentists see because of the nature and the density of the problems that they treat. And some of the comments made by dentists are very cutting indeed. They need more time with these patients, and they are concerned that all of these changes will be prejudiced against areas with high levels of health needs.
Can I also ask whether your message today to the people of Wales is that everyone who can afford to go private for dental treatment should do so? Because that's what I'm hearing.
Diolch, Heledd. Wel, dwi'n meddwl ei fod e’n glir bod y rheini sydd yn rhai o'r 140,000 sydd wedi cael cyfle i gael triniaeth am y tro cyntaf ers sbel, ac mae'r rheini ar gael—ni sy'n talu am y rheini. Felly, mae'r cytundeb yn gwneud yn siŵr bod yna gyfle iddyn nhw gael yr help sydd ei angen arnyn nhw. Felly, os ydyn nhw'n eligible ar gyfer deintyddiaeth am ddim, wedyn mi fyddan nhw'n cael deintyddiaeth am ddim.
Beth rŷn ni'n amlwg yn ei weld nawr yw sefyllfa lle mae deintyddion wedi bod yn trin pobl sydd angen jest check-up—60 y cant ohonyn nhw sydd angen check-up—ac mae hynny'n hawdd i'w wneud. Yn amlwg, os ŷch chi’n cael rhywun sydd heb fod i'r deintydd am sbel, ers blynyddoedd, wedyn rŷch chi'n bownd o weld mwy o gymhlethdodau, a dwi'n deall, felly, pam fyddai hynny yn creu mwy o anhawster ar gyfer y deintyddion, ac mae hyn yn strategaeth sy'n hollol glir gennym ni. Dyna beth rŷn ni eisiau ei weld. Rŷn ni eisiau gweld pobl sydd heb gael y cyfle i weld deintydd mewn sbel hir yn cael y cyfle, a'r rheini sydd ddim angen gweld deintydd, achos bod eu cegau nhw'n iach, eu bod nhw ddim yn gweld y deintydd mor aml ag oedden nhw, achos mae’r NICE guidelines yn dweud bod dim angen gwneud hynny.
Thank you, Heledd. Well, I think it is clear that those amongst the 140,000 who received an opportunity to have treatment for the first time in a long time, and those opportunities are available—we're paying for those. So, the contract ensures that there is an opportunity for them to receive the help that they need. So, if they are eligible for dentistry free of charge, then they will receive that service free of charge.
What we are seeing now is a situation where dentists have been treating people who need just a check-up—60 per cent of them need a check-up—and that's easy to do. Obviously, if you're seeing someone who hasn't been to the dentist for a while, for years, then you're bound to see more complications, and I understand, therefore, why that would create more difficulties for the dentists, and this is a strategy of ours that's quite clear. That's what we want to see. We want to see people who haven't had the opportunity to see a dentist in a long time get the chance, and those who don't need to see a dentist, because their mouths are healthy, that they don't see the dentist as often as they did, because the NICE guidelines say it's not necessary.
Ac yn olaf, Jenny Rathbone.
And finally, Jenny Rathbone.
Thank you very much. Congratulations on the work you're doing to increase the number of people who are actually getting to see a dentist. That's really good news. I just wanted to go back to the mobile dental unit as the way of ensuring that all children get seen by somebody who’s appropriately qualified, because we know that the number of missing, filled or decayed teeth is a really good indicator of deprivation. We used to have a mobile dental unit in Llanedeyrn on the site of what is now the well-being centre in the Maelfa, which I know the Minister is familiar with. I just wondered whether we have more dental units. I haven't seen it since the pandemic; does it still exist, and, if so, how is it being deployed? Can it therefore be used to offer services to people in super-output areas of deprivation, where we know there are likely to be more missed decayed teeth?
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Llongyfarchiadau ar y gwaith rydych chi'n ei wneud i gynyddu nifer y bobl sy'n cael gweld deintydd mewn gwirionedd. Mae hynny'n newyddion da iawn. Roeddwn i eisiau mynd yn ôl i'r uned ddeintyddol symudol fel y ffordd o sicrhau bod pob plentyn yn cael ei weld gan rywun sydd wedi cymhwyso'n briodol, oherwydd rydym ni'n gwybod bod nifer y dannedd sydd ar goll, wedi'u llenwi neu bydru yn ddangosydd da iawn o amddifadedd. Arferai fod gennym ni uned ddeintyddol symudol yn Llanedeyrn ar safle'r hyn yw'r ganolfan llesiant yn y Maelfa erbyn hyn, y mae'r Gweinidog yn gyfarwydd â hi. Meddwl oeddwn i tybed a oes gennym ni fwy o unedau deintyddol. Nid wyf wedi ei weld ers y pandemig; a yw'n dal i fodoli, ac os felly, sut mae'n cael ei ddefnyddio? A ellir ei ddefnyddio felly i gynnig gwasanaethau i bobl mewn ardaloedd cynnyrch ehangach o amddifadedd, lle rydym ni'n gwybod ei bod yn debygol y bydd mwy o ddannedd wedi pydru wedi'u colli?
Thanks, Jenny. Well, I'm really excited about this new approach. I think this is something that I hope will work in Blaenau Ffestiniog. If we find that it does work, then obviously what we'll try and do is to target those areas of deprivation as a priority, to make sure that those people, perhaps, who haven't been in a situation where they've been able to access dentistry for a long time, and to get children into that situation where they understand that, actually, you do need to take responsibility for your own oral health. So, what we'll do is to see how this pilot turns out in north Wales and in the meantime look around to see where these other mobile dental units exist. So, Betsi had more than one available. So, we're just trying to map out where they exist, and then obviously we will need some money to make this happen, and obviously the money will need to be spent on staff, and we need to make sure that the staff are available. But what we're talking about here, as I say, are not necessarily dentists, but dental therapists and dental technicians, and it's precisely that approach of dental mix. If there is a complication, then you refer up to the dentist rather than see the dentist refer down, so it's turning the model on its head.
Diolch, Jenny. Wel, rwy'n teimlo'n gyffrous iawn am y dull newydd hwn. Credaf fod hyn yn rhywbeth rwy'n gobeithio fydd yn gweithio ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog. Os ydym ni'n gweld ei fod yn gweithio, yna yn amlwg beth fyddwn ni'n ceisio ei wneud yw targedu'r meysydd amddifadedd hynny fel blaenoriaeth, i wneud yn siŵr bod y bobl hynny, efallai, sydd ddim wedi bod mewn sefyllfa lle maen nhw wedi gallu gweld deintydd ers amser maith, a chael plant i mewn i'r sefyllfa yna lle maen nhw'n deall, mewn gwirionedd, bod angen i chi gymryd cyfrifoldeb dros eich iechyd geneuol eich hun. Felly, beth fyddwn ni'n ei wneud yw gweld sut mae'r cynllun arbrofol hwn yn gweithio yn y gogledd ac yn y cyfamser edrych i weld ble mae'r unedau deintyddol symudol eraill hyn yn bodoli. Felly, roedd gan Betsi fwy nag un ar gael. Felly, dim ond ceisio gweld ydym ni lle maen nhw'n bodoli, ac wedyn yn amlwg bydd angen ychydig o arian i gyflawni hyn, ac yn amlwg bydd angen gwario'r arian ar staff, ac mae angen i ni sicrhau bod y staff ar gael. Ond nid ydym ni'n sôn yn fan yma, fel y dywedais i, o reidrwydd am ddeintyddion, ond therapyddion deintyddol a thechnegwyr deintyddol, ac mae ynglŷn â'r union gyfuniad deintyddol hwnnw. Os oes cymhlethdod, yna rydych chi'n cyfeirio i fyny at y deintydd yn hytrach na bod y deintydd yn cyfeirio i lawr, felly mae'n troi'r model ar ei ben.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
I thank the Minister.
Mae eitem 7 wedi'i thynnu yn ôl.
Item 7 has been withdrawn.
Mae eitem 8 wedi'i gohirio tan 21 Mawrth.
Item 8 has been postponed until 21 March.
Felly, eitem 9 sydd nesaf: dadl ar ail gyllideb atodol 2022-23. Galwaf ar y Gweinidog Cyllid a Llywodraeth Leol i wneud y cynnig. Rebecca Evans.
So, item 9 is next, and it's the debate on the second supplementary budget for 2022-23. I call on the Minister for Finance and Local Government to move the motion. Rebecca Evans.
Cynnig NDM8206 Lesley Griffiths
Cynnig bod y Senedd, yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 20.30, yn cymeradwyo'r Ail Gyllideb Atodol ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol 2022-23 a osodwyd yn y Swyddfa Gyflwyno ddydd Mawrth, 14 Chwefror 2023.
Motion NDM8206 Lesley Griffiths
To propose that the Senedd, in accordance with Standing Order 20.30, approves the Second Supplementary Budget for the financial year 2022-23 laid in the Table Office on Tuesday, 14 February 2023.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Diolch. This supplementary budget presents the Welsh Government's final spending plans for the current financial year. It increases the overall Welsh fiscal revenue and capital resources by £163 million, a 0.7 per cent increase on the position set out in the first supplementary budget, published in June 2022.
In the main, this small increase is driven by transfers from other Government departments for specific purposes, which includes the tariffs agreed to support those fleeing the conflict in Ukraine. We have also drawn down the maximum possible from the Wales reserve. By utilising all our unallocated reserves in this budget, our fiscal spending plans for revenue and capital have increased by a total of £412 million—a 2 per cent increase.
We have had to make hard choices given our competing priorities. In this budget, we have made allocations to the health and social services MEG and the education and Welsh language MEG of £120 million and £32 million respectively, to support pay settlements for NHS Wales staff and teachers.
Our NHS faces record demands and increased costs whilst still recovering from the pandemic. In recognition of this, we are allocating a package of £170 million; £21 million is being repurposed from other portfolios in order to support key front-line services and to protect the most vulnerable.
To support our ongoing humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine, we have allocated £92 million in addition to the £20 million provided in the first supplementary budget. Seventy-four million pounds of this has been received from the UK Government to support these costs.
I thank the committee for its consideration of this budget and the publication of its report, and I will provide a detailed response to its recommendations in due course. I ask Members to support the motion.
Diolch. Mae'r gyllideb atodol hon yn cyflwyno cynlluniau gwariant terfynol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol bresennol. Mae'n cynyddu adnoddau refeniw a chyfalaf cyllid cyffredinol Cymru o £163 miliwn, cynnydd o 0.7 y cant ar y sefyllfa a amlinellwyd yn y gyllideb atodol gyntaf, a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Mehefin 2022.
Ar y cyfan, mae'r cynnydd bach hwn oherwydd trosglwyddiadau o adrannau eraill y Llywodraeth at ddibenion penodol, sy'n cynnwys y tariffau y cytunwyd arnynt i gefnogi'r rhai sy'n ffoi rhag y gwrthdaro yn Wcráin. Rydym ni hefyd wedi defnyddio'r cyfanswm mwyaf posibl o gronfa wrth gefn Cymru. Drwy ddefnyddio ein holl gronfeydd wrth gefn heb eu dyrannu yn y gyllideb hon, mae ein cynlluniau gwariant cyllidol ar gyfer refeniw a chyfalaf wedi cynyddu wrth gyfanswm o £412 miliwn—cynnydd o 2 y cant.
Rydym ni wedi gorfod gwneud dewisiadau anodd o ystyried blaenoriaethau cystadleuol sydd gennym ni. Yn y gyllideb hon, rydym wedi gwneud dyraniadau i'r prif grŵp gwariant iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol a'r prif grŵp gwariant addysg a'r Gymraeg, sef £120 miliwn a £32 miliwn yn y drefn honno, i gefnogi setliadau cyflog ar gyfer staff ac athrawon GIG Cymru.
Mae ein GIG yn wynebu mwy o alwadau nag erioed a chynnydd mewn costau gan barhau i wella o'r pandemig. I gydnabod hyn, rydym yn dyrannu pecyn o £170 miliwn; mae £21 miliwn yn cael ei ail-bwrpasu o bortffolios eraill er mwyn cefnogi gwasanaethau rheng flaen allweddol a diogelu'r rhai mwyaf agored i niwed.
I gefnogi ein hymateb dyngarol parhaus i'r rhyfel yn Wcráin, rydym ni wedi dyrannu £92 miliwn yn ychwanegol at y £20 miliwn a ddarperir yn y gyllideb atodol gyntaf. Cafwyd 74 miliwn o bunnau o hyn gan Lywodraeth y DU i gefnogi'r costau hyn.
Diolch i'r pwyllgor am ystyried y gyllideb hon a chyhoeddi ei adroddiad, a byddaf yn darparu ymateb manwl i'w argymhellion maes o law. Gofynnaf i'r Aelodau gefnogi'r cynnig.
Galwaf ar Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor Cyllid, Peredur Owen Griffiths.
I call on the Chair of the Finance Committee, Peredur Owen Griffiths.
Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Dwi'n falch iawn o gael siarad yn y ddadl hon heddiw ar ran y Pwyllgor Cyllid.
Cynhaliodd y pwyllgor ei waith craffu ar yr ail gyllideb atodol ar 1 Mawrth, a diolch i'r Gweinidog am fod yno yn bresennol. Gosodwyd adroddiad y pwyllgor gerbron y Senedd ddoe, ac mae'r adroddiad yn gwneud saith argymhelliad ac yn nodi tri chasgliad. Ar y cyfan, mae'r pwyllgor yn croesawu'r meysydd a flaenoriaethwyd gan y Llywodraeth yn y gyllideb atodol hon, a'r dull a gymer y Gweinidog i reoli’r adnoddau sydd ar gael wrth inni nesáu at ddiwedd y flwyddyn ariannol. Rydym wedi nodi rhai meysydd, fodd bynnag, ble y gellir gwneud gwelliannau, ac rwy'n nodi'r rhain yn awr.
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm very pleased to speak in this debate today on behalf of the Finance Committee.
The committee scrutinised the second supplementary budget on 1 March, and I thank the Minister for her attendance at that meeting. The committee's report was laid before the Senedd yesterday, and the report makes seven recommendations and comes to three conclusions. On the whole, the committee welcomes the areas prioritised by the Welsh Government in this supplementary budget, and the approach taken by the Minister in managing the resources available as we near the end of the financial year. However, we have identified certain areas where improvements can be made, and I turn to these now.
I'd like to begin by recognising the budgetary uncertainties caused by the ongoing disputes relating to public sector pay. We all hope for a swift resolution to those discussions and, above all else, regret the impact it's having on the staff themselves. However, this situation is placing significant pressure on delivery partners across public services. Worryingly, it has the potential to place unnecessary burdens on those sectors, as they seek to understand their financial position from one year to the next. We therefore call on the Minister to put controls in place so that delivery partners have as much clarity as possible about their financial position at the end of the financial year, given the impact from key pay awards remaining unknown. Because of this situation, the committee fully recognises that last-minute changes to budget allocations may be required this year. Although these may be unavoidable, we believe the Minister should be upfront about how such costs are covered within existing budgets. As a result, we have recommended that the Minister provides additional details of any significant last-minute allocations made between now and the end of the financial year.
Supporting the NHS, then. Turning to the impact of inflation on our key public services, while we welcome the steps taken through the supplementary budget to address pressures in the NHS, we are concerned with the deficit forecast for all but one of the local health boards. Although the committee is assured that the Welsh Government will not need to bail out health boards that go beyond their allocated budgets this year, we believe further steps can be taken to ensure that overspends do not arise in the first place. We therefore recommend that the Minister continues to monitor this situation closely and take measures to ensure that each health board does not exceed its funding over the rolling three-year periods, as required by the National Health Service Finance (Wales) Act 2014. Furthermore, where health boards are overspending in a single year, these should be funded from within the existing health and social services departmental budget.
Dirprwy Lywydd, we are all aware of the humanitarian impact the war in Ukraine is having, and we are thankful to our local authorities for providing crucial support and much-needed sanctuary for those who need it. However, it is unclear whether local services are sufficiently resilient to deal with the pressures placed upon them. As a result, we recommend that the Welsh Government provides local authorities with appropriate levels of support, and that support is provided consistently across Wales. We are also mindful that the resources to support Ukrainian refugees is highly dependent on funding provided centrally by the Treasury. We are therefore fully supportive of the Minister's efforts to ensure the continuation of existing funding levels from the UK Government.
The committee also welcomes the information provided in the Welsh Government's outturn report for 2021-22 on the balance of the Wales reserve. We have long called for these figures to be provided and are pleased to see it's available publicly. However, we believe the Minister can go further by regularly providing the Wales reserve balance, so that it would be included in future budget documentation. This would go some way to aid transparency in the area of the budget that is often opaque and difficult to monitor.
Hoffwn ddechrau drwy gydnabod yr ansicrwydd cyllidebol a achosir gan yr anghydfodau parhaus sy'n ymwneud â thâl yn y sector cyhoeddus. Rydym ni i gyd yn gobeithio am ddatrysiad cyflym i'r trafodaethau hynny ac, yn anad dim arall, yn difaru'r effaith mae'n ei gael ar y staff eu hunain. Fodd bynnag, mae'r sefyllfa hon yn rhoi pwysau sylweddol ar bartneriaid cyflenwi ar draws gwasanaethau cyhoeddus. Yn bryderus, mae ganddo'r potensial i osod beichiau diangen ar y sectorau hynny, wrth iddynt geisio deall eu sefyllfa ariannol o un flwyddyn i'r llall. Felly, rydym yn galw ar y Gweinidog i roi rheolaethau ar waith fel bod gan bartneriaid cyflenwi gymaint o eglurder â phosibl am eu sefyllfa ariannol ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn ariannol, o ystyried effaith dyfarniadau cyflog allweddol sy'n parhau i fod yn anhysbys. Oherwydd y sefyllfa hon, mae'r pwyllgor yn cydnabod yn llawn y gallai fod angen newidiadau munud olaf i ddyraniadau cyllideb eleni. Er na ellir osgoi'r rhain, credwn y dylai'r Gweinidog fod yn glir ynghylch sut mae costau o'r fath yn cael eu cynnwys o fewn cyllidebau presennol. O ganlyniad, rydym wedi argymell bod y Gweinidog yn rhoi manylion ychwanegol am unrhyw ddyraniadau munud olaf sylweddol a wnaed rhwng nawr a diwedd y flwyddyn ariannol.
O ran cefnogi'r GIG, felly. Gan droi at effaith chwyddiant ar ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus allweddol, er ein bod yn croesawu'r camau a gymerwyd drwy'r gyllideb atodol i fynd i'r afael â phwysau yn y GIG, rydym yn pryderu am y rhagolygon diffygion ar gyfer pob un heblaw un o'r byrddau iechyd lleol. Er bod y pwyllgor yn sicr na fydd angen i Lywodraeth Cymru groesi dyled byrddau iechyd sy'n mynd y tu hwnt i'w cyllidebau a ddyrannwyd eleni, rydym yn credu y gellir cymryd camau pellach i sicrhau nad oes gorwario yn y lle cyntaf. Rydym yn argymell felly bod y Gweinidog yn parhau i fonitro'r sefyllfa hon yn fanwl ac yn sicrhau nad yw pob bwrdd iechyd yn gwario mwy na'i gyllid dynodedig dros y cyfnodau treigl tair blynedd, fel sy'n ofynnol gan Ddeddf Cyllid y Gwasanaeth Iechyd Gwladol (Cymru) 2014. Ar ben hynny, lle mae byrddau iechyd yn gorwario mewn un flwyddyn, dylid ariannu'r rhain o'r gyllideb adrannol iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol presennol.
Dirprwy Lywydd, rydym i gyd yn ymwybodol o'r effaith ddyngarol y mae'r rhyfel yn Wcráin yn ei chael, ac rydym yn ddiolchgar i'n hawdurdodau lleol am ddarparu cefnogaeth hanfodol a noddfa y mae mawr ei hangen ar gyfer y rhai sydd ei angen. Fodd bynnag, nid yw'n glir a yw gwasanaethau lleol yn ddigon cadarn i ymdopi â'r pwysau a roddir arnynt. O ganlyniad, rydym ni'n argymell bod Llywodraeth Cymru'n darparu lefelau priodol o gefnogaeth i awdurdodau lleol, a bod y cymorth yn cael ei ddarparu'n gyson ar draws Cymru. Rydym ni hefyd yn ymwybodol bod yr adnoddau i gefnogi ffoaduriaid Wcreinaidd yn ddibynnol iawn ar gyllid a ddarperir yn ganolog gan y Trysorlys. Felly, rydym yn gwbl gefnogol o ymdrechion y Gweinidog i sicrhau parhad y lefelau cyllido presennol gan Lywodraeth y DU.
Mae'r pwyllgor hefyd yn croesawu'r wybodaeth a ddarperir yn adroddiad alldro Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer 2021-22 ar falans cronfa wrth gefn Cymru. Rydym ni wedi galw ers tro am ddarparu'r ffigyrau hyn ac rydym yn falch o weld fod yr adroddiad ar gael yn gyhoeddus. Fodd bynnag, credwn y gall y Gweinidog fynd ymhellach drwy ddarparu'r ffigyrau sydd yng nghronfeydd wrth gefn Cymru yn rheolaidd, fel y byddai'n cael ei gynnwys yn nogfennau y gyllideb yn y dyfodol. Byddai hyn yn mynd rhywfaint o'r ffordd i gynorthwyo tryloywder ym maes y gyllideb sy'n aml yn aneglur ac yn anodd ei fonitro.
Yn olaf, roedd y pwyllgor yn falch o glywed am y cyfarfodydd cadarnhaol a gynhaliwyd rhwng y Gweinidog a Phrif Ysgrifennydd diweddaraf y Deyrnas Unedig i'r Trysorlys. Mae datganoli cyllidol yn gweithio'n fwyaf effeithiol pan fo cysylltiadau rhynglywodraethol cytûn yn bodoli, a gobeithiwn y bydd natur a naws y cyfarfodydd cychwynnol hyn yn parhau. Fel y bydd yr Aelodau'n gwybod, mae’r pwyllgor hwn yn cefnogi'r Gweinidog dro ar ôl tro yn ei hymdrechion gyda'r Trysorlys i gynyddu maint cronfa wrth gefn Cymru a'r terfynau benthyca, fel eu bod o leiaf yn unol â chwyddiant. Rydym yn cytuno yn bendant â’r Gweinidog fod y rheolau presennol yn eu hanfod yn annheg. Mae’n ymddangos i ni fod gan awdurdodau lleol fwy o ddisgresiwn na Llywodraeth Cymru i gario cyllid drosodd o un flwyddyn i’r llall. Nid yw hyn yn iawn, does bosib. Felly, mae'r pwyllgor yn ailadrodd ei alwadau ar i Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig gynyddu terfynau cyffredinol a therfynau blynyddol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer benthyca a chronfeydd wrth gefn, ac i'r terfynau hyn gael eu hadolygu’n rheolaidd. Diolch yn fawr.
Finally, the committee was pleased to hear about the positive meetings held between the Minister and the latest UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Fiscal devolution works most effectively when harmonious inter-governmental relations exist, and we hope that the nature and spirit of these initial meetings will continue. As Members will know, this committee has time and again supported the Minister in her efforts with the Treasury to increase the size of the Wales reserve and borrowing limits, so that they are at least in line with inflation. We strongly agree with the Minister that the current rules are inherently unfair. It seems to us that local authorities have more discretion than the Welsh Government to carry over funding from one year to the next, and this is surely not right. The committee therefore reiterates its calls for the UK Government to increase the Welsh Government's overall and annual limits for borrowing and reserves, and for these limits to be reviewed regularly. Thank you very much.
Thank you, Minister. I want to begin by highlighting a few points on health, and I'll touch on a few other areas as well. Firstly, I want to address the £120 million allocated to health and social services to support a pay settlement for NHS staff. While I and my Conservative colleagues welcome the increase in funding for the settlement, it is frustrating that the Welsh Government has had the money for this settlement all along. What is more frustrating is that the Welsh NHS spent approximately £260 million on agency and bank staff in 2021-22. If the Welsh Government had listened to our calls to establish a workforce plan years ago, there would be additional funding to support overworked NHS staff.
Under the second supplementary budget, the funding allocated towards mental health policies and legislation is £71.3 million, a reduction of £9.4 million compared to the first supplementary budget. We have consistently heard from Ministers that the supplementary budget focuses on priority areas, and so it is disheartening to see a reduction of funding to an area that covers mental health policy development and delivery, including CAMHS, suicide and self-harm prevention, funding for third-sector organisations and the healthcare needs of vulnerable groups, including support for veterans, sexual assault referral centres and asylum seekers and refugees. The cut in funding comes as a Time to Change Wales survey found that over half the respondents had either an experience of a mental health problem or knew someone who did in the 12 months up to the survey.
Turning to education, at a time when Labour Government Ministers have been telling us that raising school standards is an underlying objective of education reform, it is baffling that support for school standards has been cut by over £0.5 million. Additional learning needs has also experienced a cut in funding, despite the National Association of Head Teachers stating that 92 per cent of school leaders reported that funding for pupils with additional learning needs was insufficient. While I welcome pay rise offers to teachers, it is crucial that Labour Ministers do not lose sight of the fact that these strikes are occurring as a direct result of understaffing and overworked teachers. It is vital that more is done to resolve the workload pressures that many teachers are facing and increase the number of teachers in Welsh schools.
From an environmental perspective, again, it is concerning that Natural Resources Wales has had its funding decreased by almost £0.5 million, ignoring warnings that the organisation is underfunded and overworked, even though it's an area that we are expecting them to deliver so much for us on.
Going forward, Minister, it is vital that the Labour Government focuses on funding the priorities of the people of Wales, rather than sticking to empty rhetoric. Only through the Welsh Government's financial backing can we hope to reverse Wales's record of long NHS waiting times, poor educational outcomes and the disastrous housing crisis. Thank you.
Diolch, Gweinidog. Hoffwn ddechrau drwy dynnu sylw at ambell bwynt ar iechyd, ac fe wna i grybwyll ambell faes arall hefyd. Yn gyntaf, hoffwn fynd i'r afael â'r £120 miliwn sydd wedi'i ddyrannu i wasanaethau iechyd a chymdeithasol er mwyn cefnogi setliad cyflog i staff y GIG. Er fy mod i a'm cyd-Aelodau Ceidwadol yn croesawu'r cynnydd mewn cyllid i'r setliad, mae'n rhwystredig y bu gan Lywodraeth Cymru yr arian ar gyfer y setliad hwn erioed. Yr hyn sy'n fwy rhwystredig yw bod y GIG yng Nghymru wedi gwario tua £260 miliwn ar staff asiantaeth a staff cronfa yn 2021-22. Pe bai Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwrando ar ein galwadau i sefydlu cynllun gweithlu flynyddoedd yn ôl, byddai cyllid ychwanegol i gefnogi staff y GIG sydd wedi eu gorweithio.
O dan yr ail gyllideb atodol, mae'r cyllid sy'n cael ei neilltuo ar gyfer polisïau a deddfwriaeth iechyd meddwl yn £71.3 miliwn, gostyngiad o £9.4 miliwn o'i gymharu â'r gyllideb atodol gyntaf. Rydym ni wedi clywed yn gyson gan Weinidogion bod y gyllideb atodol yn canolbwyntio ar feysydd blaenoriaeth, ac felly mae'n ddigalon gweld gostyngiad cyllid i faes sy'n cwmpasu datblygu a chyflawni polisi iechyd meddwl, gan gynnwys CAMHS, hunanladdiad ac atal hunan-niweidio, cyllid ar gyfer sefydliadau trydydd sector ac anghenion gofal iechyd grwpiau bregus, gan gynnwys cefnogaeth i gyn-filwyr, canolfannau cyfeirio ymosodiadau rhywiol a cheiswyr lloches a ffoaduriaid. Daw'r toriad mewn cyllid wrth i arolwg Amser i Newid Cymru ganfod bod gan dros hanner yr ymatebwyr naill ai brofiad o broblem iechyd meddwl neu'n adnabod rhywun oedd â phroblem o'r fath yn y 12 mis hyd at yr arolwg.
Wrth droi at addysg, ar adeg pan fu Gweinidogion Llywodraeth Lafur yn dweud wrthym fod codi safonau ysgolion yn amcan sylfaenol o ddiwygio addysg, mae'n ddryslyd bod cefnogaeth i safonau ysgolion wedi'i thorri o dros £0.5 miliwn. Mae anghenion dysgu ychwanegol hefyd wedi gweld toriad mewn cyllid, er i Gymdeithas Genedlaethol Prifathrawon Cymru ddweud nad oedd 92 y cant o arweinwyr ysgolion yn dweud nad oedd y cyllid ar gyfer disgyblion ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn ddigonol. Er fy mod yn croesawu cynigion i roi codiad cyflog i athrawon, mae'n hanfodol nad yw Gweinidogion Llafur yn colli golwg ar y ffaith bod y streiciau hyn yn digwydd o ganlyniad uniongyrchol i ddiffyg staff ac athrawon yn gorweithio. Mae'n hanfodol bod mwy yn cael ei wneud i ddatrys y pwysau llwyth gwaith y mae llawer o athrawon yn ei wynebu a chynyddu nifer yr athrawon yn ysgolion Cymru.
O safbwynt amgylcheddol, unwaith eto, mae'n bryderus bod cyllid Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru wedi gostwng bron i £0.5 miliwn, gan anwybyddu rhybuddion bod y sefydliad yn cael ei danariannu a'i orweithio, er ei fod yn faes yr ydym yn disgwyl iddynt gyflawni cymaint i ni arno.
Yn y dyfodol, Gweinidog, mae'n hanfodol bod y Llywodraeth Lafur yn canolbwyntio ar ariannu blaenoriaethau pobl Cymru, yn hytrach na chadw at rethreg wag. Dim ond drwy gefnogaeth ariannol Llywodraeth Cymru y gallwn obeithio gwyrdroi record Cymru o amseroedd aros hir y GIG, canlyniadau addysgol gwael a'r argyfwng tai trychinebus. Diolch.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog am gyflwyno'r gyllideb atodol, a diolch hefyd i'r Pwyllgor Cyllid am y gwaith craffu maen nhw wedi ei wneud, sydd yn werthfawr, wrth gwrs, fel arfer. Cyllideb atodol y Llywodraeth yw hon, wrth gwrs, felly, dyw hi ddim, o reidrwydd, yn adlewyrchu'r blaenoriaethau y byddem ni am eu hyrwyddo ym mhob achos, ond dwi yn meddwl bod yna negeseuon ehangach, clir, yn cael eu hamlygu gan yr hyn rŷn ni'n ei weld yn y gyllideb atodol.
Yn y lle cyntaf, wrth gwrs, mae'n ein hatgoffa ni, onid yw, o'r diffyg hyblygrwydd sydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru pan fo'n dod i allu ymateb i'r heriau sy'n ein hwynebu ni—y cyfyngiadau, fel roeddem ni'n clywed gan Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor Cyllid, ar lefel y draw-down mae'r Llywodraeth yn cael ei wneud o'r Welsh reserve, y cyfyngiadau hefyd ar lefel y benthyca mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn medru ei wneud, a dim un o'r ddau yna, wrth gwrs, wedi cynyddu nac wedi newid i ymateb i'r chwyddiant rŷn ni wedi ei weld. Felly, nid yn unig bod yna ddiffyg hyblygrwydd, ond mae'r hyblygrwydd yna yn crebachu o flwyddyn i flwyddyn o dan y sefyllfa bresennol.
Mae yna ddiffyg arall wedi cael ei amlygu, ac, wrth gwrs, mae'n cael ei amlygu yn feunyddiol erbyn hyn, sef diffyg cyfiawnder cyllideb. Hynny yw, rŷn ni'n sôn am, er enghraifft, ddiffyg cyllido canlyniadol yn sgil HS2. Roedd hi'n dda clywed y rhestr o ofynion oedd gan lefarydd y Ceidwadwyr. Wel, mi fyddai'r arian yna yn gallu talu am hynny i gyd a mwy, oni fyddai? Ond mae'n rhaid i fi ddweud, dwi ddim yn cael fy nghalonogi gan ymateb y Blaid Lafur i hyn hefyd, wrth gwrs, a methiant arweinydd y Blaid Lafur Brydeinig i ymrwymo i gywiro'r cam yma, sydd, wrth gwrs, i'r gwrthwyneb â pholisi Llywodraeth Cymru. Felly, dwi'n siwr bydd y Gweinidog yn hapus iawn i fynegi ei siom hi hefyd na chafwyd yr addewid hwnnw gan arweinydd ei phlaid Brydeining.
Yn amlwg, mae datganiad y gwanwyn yn digwydd wythnos yma yn San Steffan. Rŷn ni, fel plaid, wedi ei gwneud hi'n glir bod blaenoriaethu tâl y sector cyhoeddus yn rhywbeth sydd yn bwysig i ni, ac fe fyddwn i'n hyderus os oes yna arian ychwanegol, y byddai fe'n cael ei ddefnyddio yn bennaf i'r perwyl hwnnw. Dwi eisiau atseinio'r neges a glywon ni gan Gadeirydd y Pwyllgor Cyllid hefyd ynglŷn â'r argymhelliad sydd yn yr adroddiad, argymhelliad 5 dwi'n meddwl yw e, ynglŷn â darparu mwy o sicrwydd a mwy o gysondeb ariannu i awdurdodau lleol i gefnogi'r rheini sydd yn dianc o'r drychineb yn Wcráin. Waeth pa newid sy'n digwydd i lefel ariannu Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig, mae angen y sicrwydd yna ar ein hawdurdodau lleol.
Fel cyn aelod o'r Pwyllgor Cyllid, dwi yn y gorffennol wedi cwyno pan oedd rhai o'r cyrff sy'n cael eu noddi yn dod aton ni yn gofyn am ragor o bres, felly dwi'n meddwl, er tegwch, mae yn werth nodi bod yna bres wedi cael ei ddychwelyd yn y gyllideb atodol yma gan yr ombwdsman gwasanaethau cyhoeddus a gan Gomisiwn y Senedd hefyd. Fel y pwyllgor, dwi'n disgwyl y bydd yr adleoli swyddfa gan Archwilio Cymru, sydd yn dod â chost, wrth gwrs, yn ei sgil e, yn dod ag arbedion dros amser. Felly, er mwyn cadw'r ddysgl yn wastad, dwi'n meddwl ei bod hi'n bwysig cydnabod hynny hefyd. Diolch.
Thank you to the Minister for presenting this supplementary budget, and thank you to the Finance Committee for the scrutiny work that they've done, which, of course, is valuable, as usual. Of course, this is the Government's supplementary budget, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the priorities we would want to promote in all cases, but I do think that there are broader messages, which are clearly highlighted in what we have seen in this supplementary budget.
In the first instance, it reminds us of the lack of flexibility for the Welsh Government, when it comes to responding to the challenges facing us—the restrictions, as we heard from the Chair of the Finance Committee, on the level of draw-down the Government can make from the Welsh reserve, the restrictions on borrowing levels, and none of those has increased or changed to respond to the inflation that we've seen. So not only is there a lack of flexibility, but that flexibility is shrinking year on year, given the current circumstances.
Another deficit that's been highlighted, and, of course, it is highlighted on a daily basis now, is the lack of budgetary justice. We are talking about a lack of consequentials as a result of HS2. It was good to hear the list of wants that the Conservative spokesperson had; that money would pay for that and more. But I have to say, I'm not encouraged by the response of the Labour Party to this, and the failure of the leader of the UK Labour Party to commit to put right that wrong, which, of course, is in contrast with the Welsh Government's own policy. So, I am sure that the Minister would be more than happy to express her disappointment that that pledge wasn't made by the leader of her party on a UK level.
Clearly, the spring statement will happen this week in Westminster. We, as a party, have made it clear that prioritising public sector pay is something that is important to us, and I would be confident that, if there is additional funding available, it would be used mainly to that end. I want to echo the message that we heard from the Chair of the Finance Committee in terms of the recommendation in the report, I think it's recommendation 5, on providing more financial certainty and consistency to local authorities to support those escaping the disaster in Ukraine. Whatever the changes at a UK Government level, we need some assurance in our local authorities.
For me, as a former member of the Finance Committee, I've complained when some of the sponsored bodies approached us and asked for more funding, so I think, in fairness, it is worth noting that funding has been returned in the supplementary budget by the public service ombudsman and by the Senedd Commission too. Like the committee, I do expect the Audit Wales relocation, which will have costs, will bring savings over a period of time. So, just to keep the balance, I think it's important that we recognise that. Thank you.
The second supplementary budget is a relatively minor movement of money, and completes the budget system for the year. I want to just make three very brief points.
I welcome the areas prioritised by the Welsh Government in this supplementary budget and the approach taken by the Minister in managing the resources available as we near the end of the financial year. I would like to agree with the Finance Committee that where money is allocated in Wales, it should be able to moved to reserves or from reserves to expenditure with no Westminster Treasury involvement. Last year, over £150 million was lost to Wales because the Government had not spent it and it was not allowed to be added to the reserve. We need to move away from the Welsh Government being treated as a Westminster department by the Treasury. That's the problem we've got, and I think it's one, as we talk about devolution, that we really do need to resolve. We're a Government and a Parliament, not just another department within Westminster. Can I again urge the Welsh Government to bring a debate to the Senedd supporting full control over reserves? All political parties have supported it in the Finance Committee, and it would make life a lot easier and make the argument a lot stronger for the Welsh Government if they could go and tell Westminster, 'This is the will of the whole of the Parliament.' The committee was assured by the Minister that no money would be returned this year.
Secondly, it is important that overspends by health boards are met from the health and social services budget, but if they cannot, then responsibility falls to the general reserve, because each health board's budget is part of the consolidated Welsh Government account. I think, sometimes, we talk about health boards as if they're something separate. If we were a business, they'd be wholly owned subsidiaries of the Welsh Government, and as such, the Welsh Government has responsibility for their financial position, and they have to ensure that, overall, they have enough money to pay their bills.
Finally, it is very important that the Welsh Government maximises the benefits of money spent, not just spending it.
Mae'r ail gyllideb atodol yn symudiad cymharol fân o arian, ac yn cwblhau'r system gyllidebol ar gyfer y flwyddyn. Hoffwn wneud tri phwynt byr iawn.
Rwy'n croesawu'r meysydd a flaenoriaethwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn y gyllideb atodol hon a'r ffordd y mae'r Gweinidog wedi mynd ati o ran rheoli'r adnoddau sydd ar gael wrth inni agosáu at ddiwedd y flwyddyn ariannol. Hoffwn gytuno â'r Pwyllgor Cyllid, lle mae arian yn cael ei ddyrannu yng Nghymru, y dylid gallu ei symud i gronfeydd wrth gefn neu o gronfeydd wrth gefn i wariant heb unrhyw ymyrraeth o Drysorlys San Steffan. Y llynedd, collwyd dros £150 miliwn i Gymru oherwydd nad oedd y Llywodraeth wedi'i wario ac ni chaniatawyd ychwanegu'r arian i'r cronfeydd wrth gefn. Mae angen i ni gefnu ar Lywodraeth Cymru yn cael ei thrin fel adran yn San Steffan gan y Trysorlys. Dyna'r broblem sydd gennym ni, a chredaf ei bod hi'n un, wrth i ni siarad am ddatganoli, bod wir angen i ni ddatrys. Llywodraeth a Senedd ydyn ni, nid dim ond adran arall o fewn San Steffan. A gaf i unwaith eto annog Llywodraeth Cymru i ddod â dadl i'r Senedd o blaid rheolaeth lawn dros gronfeydd wrth gefn? Mae pob plaid wleidyddol wedi cefnogi hynny yn y Pwyllgor Cyllid, ac fe fyddai'n gwneud bywyd yn llawer haws ac yn gwneud y ddadl yn llawer cryfach i Lywodraeth Cymru pe gallen nhw fynd i ddweud wrth San Steffan, 'Dyma ewyllys y Senedd gyfan.' Cafodd y pwyllgor sicrwydd gan y Gweinidog na fyddai unrhyw arian yn cael ei ddychwelyd eleni.
Yn ail, mae'n bwysig bod gorwario gan fyrddau iechyd yn dod o'r gyllideb iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, ond os na ellir gwneud hynny, yna mae'r cyfrifoldeb ar y gronfa wrth gefn, oherwydd bod cyllideb pob bwrdd iechyd yn rhan o gyfrif cyfunol Llywodraeth Cymru. Credaf, weithiau, ein bod ni'n siarad am fyrddau iechyd fel petaen nhw'n rhywbeth ar wahân. Pe byddem ni'n fusnes, byddent yn is-gwmnïau dan berchnogaeth lwyr Llywodraeth Cymru, ac o'r herwydd, Llywodraeth Cymru sydd â chyfrifoldeb am eu sefyllfa ariannol, ac mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw sicrhau bod ganddyn nhw, ar y cyfan, ddigon o arian i dalu eu biliau.
Yn olaf, mae'n bwysig iawn bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn manteisio i'r eithaf ar fuddion arian a wariwyd, nid dim ond ei wario.
Galwaf ar y Gweinidog i ymateb i'r ddadl.
I call on the Minister to reply to the debate.
Thank you. I'm grateful to colleagues for their contributions in the debate today. Of course, the second supplementary budget is an important part of our budget process. Its approval will authorise the revised spending plans of the Welsh Government and those bodies directly funded from the Welsh consolidated fund, and, of course, it sets the limits against which our final outturn position will be compared.
I'm very grateful to the Finance Committee and to colleagues for their continued support for the Welsh Government's efforts to gain greater fiscal flexibilities, and those discussions are ongoing with the UK Government at the moment. We did have a small step forward, I think, in terms of the end of this financial year, but we're certainly nowhere near where we need to be.
To address Mike Hedges's particular point about the 2020-21 issue, just to confirm again to colleagues—I know that I've circulated a letter to colleagues on this point previously—that, as a devolved Government, we did operate within the DEL budgetary controls set by HM Treasury, and we should have been allowed a reasonable level of flexibility in relation to the individual revenue and capital controls. There were numerous discussions with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of the time, asking them to allow that additional flexibility, bearing in mind, of course, that 2020-21 was an exceptional year in terms of there being a pandemic and the quite significant increase to the Welsh Government's budget as a result of that.
It is also worth, I think, putting on record once again that the total underspend in 2020-21 by all UK Government departments was £25 billion, and that represents almost 6 per cent of the total provision made available to those departments in that year. All underspends by UK departments were returned to HM Treasury, and the Department for Health and Social Care alone underspent by over 9 per cent, returning £18.6 billion to the Treasury. Our Barnett share of that would have been around £1 billion for Wales, so in contrast, our underspend represented only 1 per cent of the available resources, and as I said, it was well within our overall departmental expenditure limit anyway. And I really think that that just demonstrates the importance of those discussions going on regarding fiscal flexibilities, and the importance of this Senedd speaking with one voice in that regard.
I understand the points made by colleagues about the importance of certainty for partners. That's always something we intend to give as much as we possibly can, so we've done that through our three-year spending review process, which I think has given that level of certainty for the years going forward.
One of the Finance Committee's recommendations that I'll have to give more thought to is the one about giving more frequent updates on the levels of funding within reserves, because, of course, that changes all the time, almost by the nature of it, in terms of underspends emerging across departments, and by the time the information is published, it would be well out of date. So, I think that we'll have to give some further thought to that. But just reassuring colleagues that all of this is very tightly managed. I have meetings with the finance director and with officials on a monthly basis, and we get reports from right across Government. So, we are able to keep a very close watch on those figures, but I'm not sure how useful publishing it would be, bearing in mind that it is information that needs to be viewed on a very timely basis.
On the point about the additional funding for health, of course, this is in relation to the exceptional energy costs arising in 2022-23, and the COVID-19 measures that are ongoing in this financial year in respect of the health and social services main expenditure group. That's an important contribution that we're making to meeting those costs. So, I certainly won't be taking any lessons from the Conservatives on how we go about supporting our hard-working NHS staff. You'll see the quite extreme efforts that we've gone to to try and find funding to come to an arrangement with our health workers to ensure that they are paid appropriately. And those discussions, I know, are stalling across the border, and of course, you will see from what we're voting on today that we've taken down all of the funding that we were able to do so in this financial year to meet the costs of that. And I think that that is a really big and important step, but it just shows how far we are willing to go to support our NHS and education workers here in Wales.
In terms of Ukraine, I think that, again, important points were made in terms of trying to ensure that the UK Government provides the funding that is needed to support people coming from Ukraine. They've given no indication that there will be funding for people in their second and third years, in terms of the support that they're offered. There are many aspects with the support that is already offered, which are just not sufficient—for example, treating the family scheme differently to the Homes for Ukraine scheme in terms of the UK Government support in that space as well.
So, Welsh Government, as you'll see from the budget we're voting on today, is providing support well over and above the funding that we've received from UK Government, because we knew it was the right thing to do to provide that initial wraparound support, which was more generous than that which was available across the border. But it's been really important in terms of ensuring that people from Ukraine can avoid the perils of homelessness, and again, that's been something, I think, that has been quite contrasted with the experience across the border as well.
So, just to conclude, we have had to make difficult decisions this year to ensure that the funds available to us are directed to where they're needed most, and we are, of course, committed to supporting our public services, to providing resources for the humanitarian response to the war in Ukraine and delivering the Welsh Government's priorities. Diolch.
Diolch. Rwy'n ddiolchgar i gyd-Aelodau am eu cyfraniadau yn y ddadl heddiw. Wrth gwrs, mae'r ail gyllideb atodol yn rhan bwysig o'n proses gyllidebol. Bydd ei chymeradwyo yn awdurdodi cynlluniau gwariant diwygiedig Llywodraeth Cymru a'r cyrff hynny a ariennir yn uniongyrchol o gronfa gyfunol Cymru, ac, wrth gwrs, mae'n gosod y terfynau y cymharir ein safle alldro terfynol yn eu herbyn.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i'r Pwyllgor Cyllid ac i gyd-Aelodau am eu cefnogaeth barhaus i ymdrechion Llywodraeth Cymru i fagu mwy o hyblygrwydd cyllidol, ac mae'r trafodaethau hynny'n parhau gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar hyn o bryd. Fe gawson ni gam bach ymlaen, rwy'n credu, o ran diwedd y flwyddyn ariannol yma, ond yn sicr dydyn ni ddim yn agos at ble mae angen i ni fod.
Er mwyn mynd i'r afael â phwynt penodol Mike Hedges am fater 2020-21, dim ond i gadarnhau eto i gyd-Aelodau—rwy'n gwybod fy mod wedi dosbarthu llythyr at gyd-Aelodau ar y pwynt hwn o'r blaen—inni, fel Llywodraeth ddatganoledig, weithredu o fewn rheolaethau cyllidebol DEL a osodwyd gan Drysorlys Ei Fawrhydi, a dylem fod wedi cael lefel resymol o hyblygrwydd mewn perthynas â'r refeniw unigol a'r rheolaethau cyfalaf. Cafwyd trafodaethau niferus gyda Phrif Ysgrifennydd y Trysorlys ar y pryd, yn gofyn iddynt ganiatáu'r hyblygrwydd ychwanegol hwnnw, gan gofio, wrth gwrs, fod 2020-21 yn flwyddyn eithriadol o ran bod yna bandemig a'r cynnydd eithaf sylweddol i gyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru o ganlyniad i hynny.
Mae'n werth hefyd, rwy'n credu, rhoi ar y cofnod unwaith eto bod cyfanswm y tanwariant yn 2020-21 gan holl adrannau Llywodraeth y DU yn £25 biliwn, ac mae hynny'n cynrychioli bron i 6 y cant o gyfanswm y ddarpariaeth a wnaed ar gael i'r adrannau hynny yn y flwyddyn honno. Dychwelwyd yr holl danwariant gan adrannau'r DU i Drysorlys Ei Fawrhydi, ac roedd gan yr Adran Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol yn unig danwariant o dros 9 y cant, gan ddychwelyd £18.6 biliwn i'r Trysorlys. Byddai ein cyfran Barnett o hynny wedi bod tua £1 biliwn i Gymru, felly mewn cyferbyniad, nid yw ein tanwariant yn ddim ond 1 y cant o'r adnoddau sydd ar gael, ac fel y dywedais i, roedd ymhell o fewn ein terfyn gwariant adrannol cyffredinol beth bynnag. Ac rwy'n credu mewn gwirionedd bod hynny ond yn dangos pwysigrwydd y trafodaethau hynny sy'n digwydd ynghylch hyblygrwydd cyllidol, a phwysigrwydd y Senedd hon yn siarad ag un llais yn hynny o beth.
Rwy'n deall y pwyntiau a wnaed gan gyd-Aelodau am bwysigrwydd sicrwydd i bartneriaid. Mae hynny wastad yn rhywbeth rydym ni'n bwriadu gwneud ein gorau glas yn ei gylch, felly rydym ni wedi gwneud hynny drwy ein proses adolygu gwariant tair blynedd, sydd, yn fy marn i, wedi rhoi'r graddau hynny o sicrwydd am flynyddoedd y dyfodol.
Un o argymhellion y Pwyllgor Cyllid y bydd yn rhaid i mi roi mwy o ystyriaeth iddo yw'r un am roi diweddariadau amlach ar lefelau'r cyllid o fewn cronfeydd wrth gefn, oherwydd, wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n newid drwy'r amser, bron yn ôl natur hynny, o ran tanwario sy'n dod i'r amlwg ar draws adrannau, ac erbyn i'r wybodaeth gael ei chyhoeddi, byddai'n hen. Felly, credaf y bydd yn rhaid i ni roi rhywfaint o feddwl pellach i hynny. Ond dim ond i sicrhau cyd-Aelodau fod rheolaeth dynn iawn ar hyn. Mae gen i gyfarfodydd gyda'r cyfarwyddwr cyllid a gyda swyddogion yn fisol, ac rydyn ni'n cael adroddiadau o bob adran o'r Llywodraeth. Felly, rydym yn gallu cadw golwg fanwl iawn ar y ffigyrau hynny, ond dydw i ddim yn siŵr pa mor ddefnyddiol fyddai ei gyhoeddi, gan gofio mai gwybodaeth ydyw sydd angen ei gweld yn gyson iawn.
O ran y sylw ynghylch y cyllid ychwanegol i iechyd, wrth gwrs, mae hyn mewn perthynas â'r costau ynni eithriadol sy'n cynyddu yn 2022-23, a'r mesurau COVID-19 sy'n parhau yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon o ran y prif grŵp gwariant iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol. Mae hynny'n gyfraniad pwysig rydym ni'n ei wneud i dalu'r costau hynny. Felly, fydda i'n sicr ddim yn cymryd unrhyw wersi gan y Ceidwadwyr ar sut yr awn ni ati i gefnogi ein staff diwyd yn y GIG. Byddwch chi'n gweld yr ymdrechion eithaf eithafol yr ydym ni wedi eu gwneud i geisio canfod cyllid i ddod i drefniant gyda'n gweithwyr iechyd i sicrhau eu bod yn cael eu talu'n briodol. Ac mae'r trafodaethau hynny, rwy'n gwybod, yn diffygio dros y ffin, ac wrth gwrs, fe welwch chi o'r hyn rydym ni'n pleidleisio arno heddiw ein bod ni wedi defnyddio'r holl gyllid a allom ni yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon i dalu costau hynny. A chredaf fod hynny'n gam mawr a phwysig iawn, ond mae'n dangos pa mor bell rydym ni'n fodlon mynd i gefnogi ein GIG a'n gweithwyr addysg ni yma yng Nghymru.
O ran Wcráin, rwy'n credu, unwaith eto, y crybwyllwyd pwyntiau pwysig o ran ceisio sicrhau bod Llywodraeth y DU yn darparu'r cyllid sydd ei angen i gefnogi pobl sy'n dod o Wcráin. Dydyn nhw ddim wedi rhoi unrhyw arwydd y bydd yna gyllid i bobl yn eu hail a'u trydedd flwyddyn, o ran y gefnogaeth a gynigir iddyn nhw. Mae yna lawer o agweddau gyda'r gefnogaeth sydd eisoes yn cael ei gynnig, sydd yn syml ddim yn ddigonol—er enghraifft, trin y cynllun teuluol yn wahanol i gynllun Cartrefi i Wcráin o ran cefnogaeth Llywodraeth y DU yn hynny o beth hefyd.
Felly, mae Llywodraeth Cymru, fel y gwelwch chi o'r gyllideb rydym ni'n pleidleisio arni heddiw, yn rhoi cymorth llawer iawn mwy na'r cyllid rydyn ni wedi'i dderbyn gan Lywodraeth y DU, oherwydd roedden ni'n gwybod mai dyma'r peth iawn i'w wneud i ddarparu'r gefnogaeth gynhwysfawr gychwynnol honno, a oedd yn fwy hael na'r hyn oedd ar gael dros y ffin. Ond mae wedi bod yn bwysig iawn o ran sicrhau bod pobl o Wcráin yn gallu osgoi peryglon digartrefedd, ac eto, bu hynny'n rhywbeth, rwy'n credu, sydd wedi cael ei wrthgyferbynnu'n llwyr gyda'r profiad dros y ffin hefyd.
Felly, dim ond i ddod i gloi, rydym ni wedi gorfod gwneud penderfyniadau anodd eleni i sicrhau bod yr arian sydd ar gael i ni yn cael ei gyfeirio at ble mae ei hangen fwyaf, ac rydym ni, wrth gwrs, wedi ymrwymo i gefnogi ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus, i ddarparu adnoddau ar gyfer yr ymateb dyngarol i'r rhyfel yn Wcráin a chyflawni blaenoriaethau Llywodraeth Cymru. Diolch.
Y cwestiwn yw: a ddylid derbyn y cynnig? A oes unrhyw Aelod yn gwrthwynebu? [Gwrthwynebiad.] Oes, mae gwrthwynebiad, felly gohiriaf y bleidlais o dan yr eitem hon tan y cyfnod pleidleisio.
The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes, there is objection, therefore, I will defer voting under this item until voting time.
Eitem 10 heddiw yw'r ddadl ar Gyfnod 4 y Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru). Galwaf ar y Dirprwy Weinidog Partneriaeth Cymdeithasol i wneud y cynnig, Hannah Blythyn.
Item 10 today is the debate on Stage 4 of the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill. I call on the Deputy Minister for Social Partnership to move the motion, Hannah Blythyn.
Cynnig NDM8222 Hannah Blythyn
Cynnig bod y Senedd yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 26.47:
Yn cymeradwyo Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru).
Motion NDM8222 Hannah Blythyn
To propose that the Senedd in accordance with Standing Order 26.47:
Approves the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
I ddechrau, diolch i bawb am eu gwaith ar y Bil partneriaeth gymdeithasol—Aelodau'r Senedd a llawer o rai eraill. Diolch.
To begin with, thank you to everyone for their work on this Bill—Senedd Members and many others. Thank you.
The scrutiny process for this Bill has been rigorous and challenging, which is as it should be, but it has been conducted in a productive manner throughout. I appreciate that a Bill of this nature was unlikely to secure universal support across all parties, but you have sought to reach compromise where possible and to respectfully acknowledge differences where these cannot be overcome. We've worked closely with Plaid Cymru and engaged constructively with the Equality and Social Justice Committee. I believe that the amendments that have been made to the Bill as a result of the Senedd's scrutiny have improved it. I restate my commitment to non-government parties and, of course, Members of my own back benches who have taken an active interest in this Bill, that I will continue to engage with you in a meaningful way in the coming months as we develop the supporting guidance that will be so important in bringing this legislation to life.
A special word of thanks must go to the committee clerks, Senedd lawyers and other Commission staff for their professional and supportive approach throughout. The way in which this Bill has progressed through the scrutiny process and to the timetable agreed at the outset is a testimony to your hard work and dedication. I extend the same thanks to Welsh Government officials who have very much pulled out all the stops to get us to this point. In fact, I think they're sick of the sight of me. But, in all seriousness, I and my Cabinet colleagues recognise and appreciate your efforts.
Finally, a sincere thank you to all of our external stakeholders and partners, from those who have been on this journey from the outset and responded to our original consultation on the draft Bill, to all who contributed evidence and all who have leant us their expertise throughout the scrutiny process. I think it's fair to say that the spirit in which this legislation has been developed is in itself a model of social partnership working. We will continue to count on that support and experience in the coming months as we move on to the work needed to successfully put this legislation into practice. And there is much still to be done. There is subordinate legislation to be made, guidance and procedures to be developed, and training and support to be rolled out. I will, of course, keep Members and stakeholders updated on our implementation plan.
In closing, Dirprwy Lywydd, I thank Members and social partners once again for their co-operation, input and challenge. This is landmark legislation that puts our Welsh way of working on a more formal footing and one that'll make a real difference to the people of Wales. I urge all Members to support the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill. Diolch.
Bu'r broses graffu ar y Bil hwn yn drwyadl a heriol, sydd fel y dylai fod, ond mae wedi'i chynnal mewn modd cynhyrchiol drwyddi draw. Rwy'n sylweddoli nad oedd Bil o'r natur hon yn debygol o sicrhau cefnogaeth gyffredinol ar draws pob plaid, ond rydych chi wedi ceisio dod i gyfaddawd lle bo modd ac i gydnabod gwahaniaethau yn barchus lle na ellir goresgyn y rhain. Rydym ni wedi gweithio'n agos â Phlaid Cymru ac rydym ni wedi ymgysylltu'n adeiladol â'r Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol. Rwy'n credu bod y gwelliannau a wnaed i'r Bil yn sgil craffu'r Senedd wedi ei wella. Rwy'n ailddatgan fy ymrwymiad i bleidiau nad ydynt yn rhan o'r llywodraeth ac, wrth gwrs, Aelodau o'm meinciau cefn fy hun sydd wedi dangos diddordeb brwd yn y Bil hwn, y byddaf yn parhau i ymgysylltu â chi mewn ffordd ystyrlon yn y misoedd nesaf wrth i ni ddatblygu'r canllawiau ategol a fydd mor bwysig wrth weithredu'r ddeddfwriaeth hon.
Rhaid diolch yn arbennig i glerciaid y pwyllgor, cyfreithwyr y Senedd a staff eraill y Comisiwn am eu dull proffesiynol a chefnogol drwyddi draw. Mae'r ffordd y mae'r Bil hwn wedi symud drwy'r broses graffu ac i'r amserlen a gytunwyd ar y cychwyn yn dyst i'ch gwaith caled a'ch ymroddiad. Rwy'n estyn yr un diolch i swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru sydd wedi gwneud popeth posib i'n cael ni i'r pwynt hwn. A dweud y gwir, credaf eu bod nhw wedi cael llond bol o fy ngweld i. Ond, gyda phob difrifoldeb, rydw i a'm cyd-Aelodau yn y Cabinet yn cydnabod ac yn gwerthfawrogi eich ymdrechion.
Yn olaf, diolch yn ddiffuant i'n holl randdeiliaid a phartneriaid allanol, o'r rhai sydd wedi bod ar y daith hon o'r cychwyn cyntaf ac wedi ymateb i'n hymgynghoriad gwreiddiol ar y Bil drafft, i bawb a gyfrannodd dystiolaeth a phawb sydd wedi cyfrannu o'u harbenigedd drwy gydol y broses graffu. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n deg dweud bod yr ysbryd y datblygwyd y ddeddfwriaeth hon ynddi yn fodel ynddo'i hun o gydweithio cymdeithasol. Byddwn yn parhau i ddibynnu ar y gefnogaeth a'r profiad hwnnw yn ystod y misoedd nesaf wrth i ni symud ymlaen i'r gwaith sydd angen ei wneud i roi'r ddeddfwriaeth hon ar waith yn llwyddiannus. Ac mae llawer eto i'w wneud. Mae is-ddeddfwriaeth i'w gwneud, arweiniad a gweithdrefnau i'w datblygu, a hyfforddiant a chefnogaeth i'w cyflwyno. Byddaf, wrth gwrs, yn diweddaru Aelodau a rhanddeiliaid ar ein cynllun gweithredu.
Wrth gloi, Dirprwy Lywydd, diolch i'r Aelodau a'r partneriaid cymdeithasol unwaith eto am eu cydweithrediad, eu sylwadau a'u her. Dyma ddeddfwriaeth nodedig sy'n rhoi ein ffordd Gymreig o weithio ar sail fwy ffurfiol ac un fydd yn gwneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol i bobl Cymru. Rwy'n annog pob Aelod i gefnogi Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru). Diolch.
Can I first of all thank the Deputy Minister for her statement? I know that she's worked very hard on getting the Bill to this point. I must also acknowledge that I'm speaking today on behalf of my group, as Joel James normally would, and I know how disappointed he is that he can't be here for the Stage 4 part of the Bill today. But I know that he wants to thank everybody who has worked really hard in getting the Bill to this point, and in particular the assistance he's received from those who have helped him scrutinise the Bill and get it to this point as well.
He's left me a lot of notes in terms of the problems, which I'm pleased to tell the Senedd that I won't go through in detail. [Laughter.] But in a nutshell, I'm afraid we can't support this Bill today, because social partnerships are a good thing—let me just start by saying that—if they happen organically to solve a problem. However, legislating for them doesn't necessarily mean that social partnerships are going to be successful and, unfortunately, we're still at a loss in terms of the problem that the Welsh Government is trying to solve and how the legislation we see today achieves it.
A key recommendation, for example, that the Equality and Social Justice Committee mentioned was to agree headline outcomes and the key metrics that you're using to achieve them, but this is still absent from the final Bill. We've also put in amendments to the Bill that asked for a role for businesses—small, medium and large—when two thirds of employees in Wales are working for the private sector. Unfortunately, they were turned down as well, so, that is disappointing. In our minds, this Bill offers little to no improvement for the economic health of Wales and, at worst, wastes £30 million of taxpayers' money that has come from other Welsh Government budgets and will cause considerable red tape for SMEs and public bodies who just want to get on with doing the job. And so, Dirprwy Lywydd, we won't be supporting the Bill. Diolch yn fawr.
A gaf i ddiolch yn gyntaf i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am ei datganiad? Rwy'n gwybod ei bod hi wedi gweithio'n galed iawn ar gael y Bil i'r pwynt yma. Rhaid i mi gydnabod hefyd fy mod yn siarad heddiw ar ran fy ngrŵp, gan mai Joel James fyddai'n gwneud fel arfer, ac rwy'n gwybod pa mor siomedig yw e na all fod yma ar gyfer rhan Cyfnod 4 o'r Bil heddiw. Ond rwy'n gwybod yr hoffai ddiolch i bawb sydd wedi gweithio'n galed iawn i gael y Bil i'r pwynt hwn, ac yn arbennig y cymorth a gafodd gan y rhai sydd wedi ei helpu i graffu ar y Bil a'i gael i'r pwynt hwn hefyd.
Mae e wedi gadael pentwr o nodiadau i mi o ran y problemau, ac rwy'n falch o ddweud wrth y Senedd na fydda i'n mynd drwyddyn nhw'n fanwl. [Chwerthin.] Ond yn gryno, mae gen i ofn na allwn ni gefnogi'r Bil hwn heddiw, oherwydd mae partneriaethau cymdeithasol yn beth da—gadewch i mi ddechrau drwy ddweud hynny—os ydyn nhw'n digwydd yn organig i ddatrys problem. Fodd bynnag, nid yw deddfu drostyn nhw o reidrwydd yn golygu bod partneriaethau cymdeithasol yn mynd i fod yn llwyddiannus ac, yn anffodus, dydym ni'n dal ddim callach o ran y broblem y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ceisio ei datrys a sut mae'r ddeddfwriaeth a welwn heddiw yn ei chyflawni.
Argymhelliad allweddol, er enghraifft, y soniodd y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol amdano oedd cytuno ar ganlyniadau pennawd a'r metrigau allweddol rydych chi'n eu defnyddio i'w cyflawni, ond mae hyn yn dal yn absennol o'r Bil terfynol. Rydym ni hefyd wedi cyflwyno gwelliannau i'r Bil a ofynnodd am ran i fusnesau—bach, canolig a mawr—pan fo dwy ran o dair o weithwyr yng Nghymru yn gweithio i'r sector preifat. Yn anffodus, cawson nhw eu gwrthod hefyd, felly, mae hynny'n siomedig. Yn ein meddyliau ni, nid yw'r Bil hwn yn cynnig fawr ddim gwelliant i iechyd economaidd Cymru ac, ar y gwaethaf, mae'n gwastraffu £30 miliwn o arian trethdalwyr sydd wedi dod o gyllidebau eraill Llywodraeth Cymru ac a fydd yn achosi rhwystrau sylweddol i fusnesau bach a chanolig a chyrff cyhoeddus sydd ond eisiau bwrw ati i wneud y gwaith. Ac felly, Dirprwy Lywydd, ni fyddwn yn cefnogi'r Bil. Diolch yn fawr.
I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has worked on this Bill—everyone from the fantastic team at Plaid Cymru to committee staff, to Senedd lawyers, and not forgetting the Deputy Minister and her officials. Everyone has pulled out the stops to get this to this point in a relatively short space of time.
I would have preferred the Bill to have included a stronger provision for increasing public procurement to boost the Welsh economy and, dare I say it, targets, but politics is often about the art of a compromise. Compromise and concessions were made to arrive at where we are today. Through collaborative work, Plaid Cymru has managed to gain concessions that strengthen this Bill and futureproof it for years to come.
We amended section 9 of the Bill to add a requirement for Welsh Ministers to produce guidance to which the social partnership council must have regard to ensure that its membership is representative of the various sectors that will be impacted by the procurement duties. The amendments to section 27 adds additional protected characteristics to the face of the Bill. Our futureproofing amendment allows this Government, or indeed any future Government, to amend the Bill, subject to the affirmative vote in the Senedd. Also, an amendment to section 42 will ensure that we have, for the first time, a consistent standard baseline of data on the impacts of public procurement on the well-being of Wales in the widest sense. I'm also pleased that this Bill is now stronger on the matter of the Welsh language and the role that public procurement has in promoting and facilitating the use of the language by businesses and organisations across Wales.
This Bill not only shows what can be done with teamwork but also shows that Wales is on a path that is distinct from the path chosen by Westminster. Where they seek to marginalise, to suppress and to condemn, here in Wales, we will continue to work collaboratively with people and organisations to seek positive resolutions to the problems our communities face. Long may those differences continue. Diolch yn fawr.
Hoffwn achub ar y cyfle hwn i ddiolch i bawb sydd wedi gweithio ar y Bil hwn—pawb o'r tîm gwych ym Mhlaid Cymru i staff pwyllgorau, i gyfreithwyr y Senedd, a pheidio ag anghofio'r Dirprwy Weinidog a'i swyddogion. Mae pawb wedi gwneud eu gorau glas i gael hyn i'r pwynt hwn mewn cyfnod cymharol fyr.
Buasai'n well gen i pe bai'r Bil wedi cynnwys darpariaeth gryfach ar gyfer cynyddu caffael cyhoeddus i hybu economi Cymru ac, os caf i feiddio dweud hynny, targedau, ond mae gwleidyddiaeth yn aml yn ymwneud â chyfaddawdu. Cyfaddawdwyd a gwnaed consesiynau i gyrraedd lle rydym ni heddiw. Trwy waith cydweithredol, mae Plaid Cymru wedi llwyddo i ennill consesiynau sy'n cryfhau'r Bil hwn ac yn ei ddiogelu at y dyfodol am flynyddoedd i ddod.
Diwygiwyd adran 9 o'r Bil gennym ni er mwyn ychwanegu gofyniad i Weinidogion Cymru lunio canllawiau y mae'n rhaid i'r cyngor partneriaeth gymdeithasol roi sylw iddynt er mwyn sicrhau bod ei aelodaeth yn cynrychioli'r gwahanol sectorau a gaiff eu heffeithio gan y dyletswyddau caffael. Mae'r diwygiadau i adran 27 yn ychwanegu nodweddion gwarchodedig ychwanegol at wyneb y Bil. Mae ein gwelliant o ran diogelu at y dyfodol yn caniatáu i'r Llywodraeth hon, neu yn wir unrhyw Lywodraeth yn y dyfodol, ddiwygio'r Bil, yn amodol ar bleidlais gadarnhaol yn y Senedd. Hefyd, bydd gwelliant i adran 42 yn sicrhau bod gennym ni, am y tro cyntaf, waelodlin safonol gyson o ddata ar effeithiau caffael cyhoeddus ar les Cymru yn yr ystyr ehangaf. Rwy'n falch hefyd bod y Bil hwn bellach yn gryfach ar fater y Gymraeg a'r rhan sydd gan gaffael cyhoeddus wrth hyrwyddo a hwyluso defnyddio'r iaith gan fusnesau a sefydliadau ledled Cymru.
Mae'r Bil hwn nid yn unig yn dangos beth y gellir ei wneud gyda gwaith tîm ond hefyd yn dangos bod Cymru ar lwybr sy'n wahanol i'r llwybr a ddewiswyd gan San Steffan. Lle maen nhw'n ceisio gwahanu, atal a chondemnio, yma yng Nghymru, byddwn yn parhau i weithio ar y cyd â phobl a sefydliadau i geisio datrysiadau cadarnhaol i'r problemau y mae ein cymunedau'n eu hwynebu. Bydded i'r gwahaniaethau hynny barhau yn hir. Diolch yn fawr.
Galwaf ar y Dirprwy Weinidog i ymateb i'r ddadl.
I call on the Deputy Minister to reply to the debate.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. At the risk of getting a little like the Oscars, I want to once again thank everyone for their contributions today but also throughout the process. Many of us in this Chamber and outside it will know that this is legislation that has been a long time in the making, and we've got here with a healthy dose of perseverance but also a lot of partnership working as well. It has been a real privilege to lead this legislation through the Senedd, and I would ask Members once again today to support the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Wrth fentro mynd ychydig fel yr Oscars, hoffwn ddiolch i bawb unwaith eto am eu cyfraniadau heddiw ond hefyd drwy gydol y broses. Bydd llawer ohonom ni yn y Siambr hon a'r tu allan iddi yn gwybod mai deddfwriaeth yw hon sydd wedi cymryd cryn amser i'w llunio, ac rydym ni wedi cyrraedd y sefyllfa yma gyda dogn iach o ddyfalbarhad ond hefyd llawer o gydweithio hefyd. Mae wedi bod yn fraint wirioneddol cael arwain y ddeddfwriaeth hon drwy'r Senedd, a byddwn yn gofyn i'r Aelodau unwaith eto heddiw gefnogi Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru).
Yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 26.50C, rhaid cynnal pleidlais wedi ei chofnodi ar gynigion Cyfnod 4. Felly, gohiriaf y bleidlais ar y cynnig hwn tan y cyfnod pleidleisio, sef yr eitem nesaf.
In accordance with Standing Order 26.50C, a recorded vote must be taken on Stage 4 motions. So, I defer voting on this motion until voting time, which is our next item.
Gohiriwyd y pleidleisio tan y cyfnod pleidleisio.
Voting deferred until voting time.
Oni bai bod tri Aelod yn dymuno i mi ganu'r gloch, symudaf yn syth i'r cyfnod pleidleisio. Na. Ocê.
Unless three Members wish for the bell to be rung, I will proceed directly to voting time. No. Okay.
Mae'r bleidlais gyntaf y prynhawn yma ar eitem 9, yr ail gyllideb atodol 2022-23. Galwaf am bleidlais ar y cynnig, a gyflwynwyd yn enw Lesley Griffiths. Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 27, roedd 24 wedi ymatal, neb yn erbyn. Mae'r cynnig wedi ei dderbyn.
The first vote this afternoon is on item 9, the second supplementary budget 2022-23. I call for a vote on the motion, tabled in the name of Lesley Griffiths. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 27, 24 abstentions, none against. The motion is therefore agreed.
Eitem 9: Yr Ail Gyllideb Atodol 2022-23: O blaid: 27, Yn erbyn: 0, Ymatal: 24
Derbyniwyd y cynnig
Item 9.: The Second Supplementary Budget 2022-23: For: 27, Against: 0, Abstain: 24
Motion has been agreed
Mae'r bleidlais nesaf ar Gyfnod 4 y Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru). Galwaf am bleidlais ar y cynnig i gymeradwyo'r Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru). Agor y bleidlais. Cau'r bleidlais. O blaid 38, neb yn ymatal, 14 yn erbyn. Felly, mae'r cynnig wedi ei dderbyn.
The next vote is on Stage 4 of the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill, and I call for a vote on the motion to approve the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill. Open the vote. Close the vote. In favour 38, no abstentions, 14 against. Therefore, the motion is agreed.
Eitem 10: Cyfnod 4 Y Bil Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru): O blaid: 38, Yn erbyn: 14, Ymatal: 0
Derbyniwyd y cynnig
Item 10: Stage 4 of The Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill: For: 38, Against: 14, Abstain: 0
Motion has been agreed
Daw hynny â thrafodion heddiw i ben.
And that brings today's proceedings to a close.
Daeth y cyfarfod i ben am 17:59.
The meeting ended at 17:59.
Roedd Diwrnod y Gymanwlad yn achlysur o falchder arbennig i fy annwyl Fam, y diweddar Frenhines—cyfle i’w drysori i ddathlu teulu ein Cymanwlad, y gwasanaethodd hi gydol ei bywyd hir a hynod.
Wrth olynu Ei Mawrhydi fel Pennaeth y Gymanwlad, rwy’n cael cryn gryfder o’r esiampl y gosododd hi, ynghyd â phopeth yr wyf wedi’i ddysgu gan y bobl eithriadol yr wyf wedi cwrdd â nhw ym mhob rhan o’r Gymanwlad dros gynifer o flynyddoedd.
Mae’r Gymanwlad wedi bod yn rhywbeth digyfnewid yn fy mywyd i, ac eto mae ei hamrywiaeth yn fy syfrdanu a fy ysbrydoli o hyd. Mae ei photensial di-derfyn bron i fod yn rym er daioni yn y byd yn mynnu ein huchelgais mwyaf; mae ei maint yn ein herio ni i uno a bod yn feiddgar.
Yr wythnos hon yw deng mlynedd ers llofnodi Siarter y Gymanwlad, sy’n rhoi mynegiant i’r gwerthoedd sy’n ein diffinio—heddwch a chyfiawnder; goddefgarwch, parch ac undod; gofal i’n hamgylchedd ac i’r mwyaf agored i niwed yn ein plith.
Nid delfrydau yn unig yw’r rhain. Yn rhan o bob un mae cymhelliant i weithredu, a gwneud gwahaniaeth ymarferol ym mywydau’r 2.6 biliwn o bobl y mae’r Gymanwlad yn gartref iddynt.
P’un ai ym maes newid hinsawdd a cholli bioamrywiaeth, cyfleoedd ac addysg i bobl ifanc, iechyd byd-eang, neu gydweithrediad economaidd, gall y Gymanwlad chwarae rôl anhepgor ym materion pwysicaf ein hoes. Yn ogystal â bod yn gymdeithas sy’n rhannu gwerthoedd, rydym hefyd yn rhannu diben a gweithredoedd.
Yn hyn o beth, bendith yw cael dyfeisgarwch a dychmyg traean o boblogaeth y byd, gan gynnwys biliwn a hanner o bobl dan ddeg ar hugain oed. Mae ein dynoliaeth yn cynnwys y fath amrywiaeth werthfawr o ran syniadau, diwylliant, traddodiad a phrofiad. Drwy wrando ar ein gilydd, byddwn yn dod o hyd i gynifer o’r atebion rydym yn eu ceisio.
Mae’r potensial eithriadol hwn sydd gennym yn gyffredin yn fwy na chyfartal â’r heriau rydym yn eu hwynebu. Mae’n cynnig cryfder digyffelyb i wynebu’r dyfodol, ond hefyd i’w adeiladu. Yma, mae gan y Gymanwlad gyfle anhygoel, a chyfrifoldeb, i greu dyfodol gwirioneddol gadarn—dyfodol sy’n cynnig y math o lewyrch sy’n gydnaws â natur ac a fydd hefyd yn diogelu ein planed unigryw am ddegawdau i ddod.
Mae’r myrdd o gysylltiadau rhwng ein cenhedloedd wedi’n cynnal a’n cyfoethogi am fwy na saith degawd. Bydd ein hymrwymiad i heddwch, cynnydd a chyfleoedd yn ein cynnal am lawer mwy.
Boed i ni fod yn Gymanwlad sy’n sefyll gyda’n gilydd, ond hefyd yn ymdrechu gyda’n gilydd, ar drywydd diflino ac ymarferol at ddaioni i bawb yn y byd.
Commonwealth Day was an occasion of particular pride for my beloved Mother, The late Queen—a treasured opportunity to celebrate our Commonwealth family, to whose service she dedicated her long and remarkable life.
In succeeding Her Majesty as Head of the Commonwealth, I draw great strength from her example, together with all that I have learnt from the extraordinary people I have met, throughout the Commonwealth, over so many years.
The Commonwealth has been a constant in my own life, and yet its diversity continues to amaze and inspire me. Its near-boundless potential as a force for good in the world demands our highest ambition; its sheer scale challenges us to unite and be bold.
This week marks the tenth anniversary of the Charter of the Commonwealth, which gives expression to our defining values—peace and justice; tolerance, respect and solidarity; care for our environment and for the most vulnerable among us.
These are not simply ideals. In each lies an imperative to act, and to make a practical difference in the lives of the 2.6 billion people who call the Commonwealth home.
Whether on climate change and biodiversity loss, youth opportunity and education, global health, or economic co-operation, the Commonwealth can play an indispensable role in the most pressing issues of our time. Ours is an association not just of shared values, but of common purpose and joint action.
In this we are blessed with the ingenuity and imagination of a third of the world's population, including one and a half billion people under the age of thirty. Our shared humanity contains such precious diversity of thought, culture, tradition and experience. By listening to each other, we will find so many of the solutions that we seek.
This extraordinary potential, which we hold in common, is more than equal to the challenges we face. It offers us unparalleled strength not merely to face the future, but to build it. Here, the Commonwealth has an incredible opportunity, and responsibility, to create a genuinely durable future—one that offers the kind of prosperity that is in harmony with nature and that will also secure our unique and only planet for generations to come.
The myriad connections between our nations have sustained and enriched us for more than seven decades. Our commitment to peace, progress and opportunity will sustain us for many more.
Let ours be a Commonwealth that not only stands together, but strives together, in restless and practical pursuit of the global common good.