Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
24/01/2024Cynnwys
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 Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd met in the Chamber and by video-conference at 13:30 with the Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) in the Chair.
Prynhawn da a chroeso i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Yr eitem gyntaf y prynhawn yma fydd y cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Cyllid a Llywodraeth Leol, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Samuel Kurtz.
Good afternoon and welcome to this Plenary meeting. The first item this afternoon is questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government, and the first question is from Samuel Kurtz.
1. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd ynghylch cymorth ariannol i gynghorau i hwyluso'r gwaith o gyflawni prosiectau adnewyddadwy yng Ngorllewin Caerfyrddin a De Sir Benfro? OQ60565
1. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Climate Change about financial support for councils to facilitate the delivery of renewable projects in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OQ60565
I have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the Welsh Government's budget, and we support local authorities to scale up renewables by supporting free ports, growth deals, investing in local area energy plans, and direct funding through initiatives such as the Welsh Government energy service.
Rwy’n cael trafodaethau rheolaidd gyda chyd-Weinidogion ar gyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru, ac rydym yn cynorthwyo awdurdodau lleol i gynyddu cynhyrchiant ynni adnewyddadwy drwy gefnogi porthladdoedd rhydd, bargeinion twf, buddsoddi mewn cynlluniau ynni ardaloedd lleol, a darparu cyllid uniongyrchol drwy fentrau megis gwasanaeth ynni Llywodraeth Cymru.
Thank you for that response, Minister. Just last week, I welcomed students from Pembrokeshire College's Destination Renewables course to the Senedd to chat with them about their course and the importance of local government working with the Welsh Government and the UK Government to deliver large-scale renewable projects. The visit highlighted for all of us the significance of policy and politics working in synergy with the industry to provide local opportunities for our young people in education and employment. To enable the supply chain to be in place, Minister, the Welsh Government needs to ensure that the necessary support is there for local authorities, which are on the ground and which wholly realise the needs of the local community so that they can, in turn, support our young people, such as those studying on the Destination Renewables course at Pembrokeshire College in pursuit of their educational and career goals. So, Minister, how is the Welsh Government, through you and the climate change Minister, supporting local authorities to enable them to provide these opportunities to our young people and to ensure that all tiers of government—local government, the Welsh Government and the UK Government—are working together to deliver these strategically important renewable projects?
Diolch am eich ymateb, Weinidog. Yr wythnos diwethaf, croesawais fyfyrwyr o gwrs Destination Renewables Coleg Sir Benfro i’r Senedd i sgwrsio gyda nhw am eu cwrs a pha mor bwysig yw hi fod llywodraeth leol yn gweithio gyda Llywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth y DU i gyflawni prosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy ar raddfa fawr. Dangosodd yr ymweliad i bob un ohonom pa mor bwysig yw hi fod polisi a gwleidyddiaeth yn gweithio mewn synergedd gyda’r diwydiant i ddarparu cyfleoedd lleol i’n pobl ifanc mewn addysg a chyflogaeth. Er mwyn sicrhau bod y gadwyn gyflenwi ar waith, Weinidog, mae angen i Lywodraeth Cymru sicrhau bod y cymorth angenrheidiol yno i awdurdodau lleol, sydd ar lawr gwlad ac sy’n gwireddu anghenion y gymuned leol yn llwyr fel y gallant, yn eu tro, gefnogi ein pobl ifanc, fel y rheini sy’n astudio ar gwrs Destination Renewables yng Ngholeg Sir Benfro, i gyflawni eu nodau addysgol a gyrfaol. Felly, Weinidog, sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru, drwoch chi a’r Gweinidog newid hinsawdd, yn cefnogi awdurdodau lleol i’w galluogi i ddarparu’r cyfleoedd hyn i’n pobl ifanc ac i sicrhau bod pob haen o lywodraeth—llywodraeth leol, Llywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth y DU—yn cydweithio i gyflawni’r prosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy strategol bwysig hyn?
I'm very grateful for the question and that recognition, which I share, that all tiers of government must work together to make the most of the renewable opportunities that we have here in Wales. I think that floating offshore is one particular area that would be of importance to the Member, to his constituents and to those young people who are studying the Destination Renewables course. I think that the work that we're doing with the industry, the Crown Estate and the UK Government to make floating offshore a reality is really important, and we're working very hard on that, and, particularly, the Welsh Government is supporting our ports in the process of securing funding from the UK Government's £160 million floating offshore wind manufacturing investment scheme. That won't be enough for what the sector needs, but it will be important. But, Pembrokeshire is absolutely at the heart of these opportunities and we have four test and demonstration projects under review by the Crown Estate in the Celtic sea at the moment. And, in addition, Blue Gem Wind has received a sea-bed licence from the Crown Estate to develop a floating offshore wind farm off the coast of Pembrokeshire too. So, Pembrokeshire absolutely is at the heart of these opportunities and it's wonderful to see those young people engaging, and, of course, we want to work very closely with local authorities to realise those benefits. And a further example, I think, of where we're working collaboratively in important ways is on the free ports agenda and also investment zones, which I know will also be of interest.
Rwy’n ddiolchgar iawn am eich cwestiwn a’r gydnabyddiaeth rwy'n ei rhannu fod yn rhaid i bob haen o lywodraeth weithio gyda’i gilydd i wneud y gorau o’r cyfleoedd adnewyddadwy sydd gennym yma yng Nghymru. Credaf fod ynni gwynt arnofiol ar y môr yn un maes penodol a fyddai’n bwysig i’r Aelod, i’w etholwyr ac i’r bobl ifanc sy’n astudio cwrs Destination Renewables. Credaf fod y gwaith a wnawn gyda’r diwydiant, Ystad y Goron a Llywodraeth y DU i wneud ffermydd gwynt arnofiol ar y môr yn realiti yn wirioneddol bwysig, ac rydym yn gweithio’n galed iawn ar hynny, ac yn arbennig, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi ein porthladdoedd yn y broses o sicrhau cyllid o gynllun buddsoddi £160 miliwn Llywodraeth y DU mewn gweithgynhyrchu ynni gwynt ar y môr. Ni fydd hynny’n ddigon ar gyfer yr hyn sydd ei angen ar y sector, ond fe fydd yn bwysig. Ond mae sir Benfro yn gwbl ganolog i’r cyfleoedd hyn ac mae gennym bedwar prosiect profi ac arddangos yn cael eu hadolygu gan Ystad y Goron yn y môr Celtaidd ar hyn o bryd. Ac yn ogystal â hynny, mae Blue Gem Wind wedi derbyn trwydded gwely'r môr gan Ystad y Goron i ddatblygu fferm wynt arnofiol ar y môr oddi ar arfordir sir Benfro hefyd. Felly, mae sir Benfro yn gwbl ganolog i'r cyfleoedd hyn ac mae'n wych gweld y bobl ifanc hynny'n cymryd rhan, ac wrth gwrs, rydym yn awyddus i weithio'n agos iawn gydag awdurdodau lleol i wireddu'r manteision hynny. Ac enghraifft arall o ble rydym yn gweithio ar y cyd mewn ffyrdd pwysig yw'r agenda porthladdoedd rhydd, a hefyd y parthau buddsoddi, y gwn y byddant o ddiddordeb hefyd.
2. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi diweddariad ar waith Llywodraeth Cymru ynghylch diwygio ardrethi busnes? OQ60566
2. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's work around reforming business rates? OQ60566
Yes, we're on track to deliver the programme of reforms that I set out for this Senedd term, with several initial improvements being made to coincide with the 2023 revaluation. The Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill has been introduced to deliver the range of specific proposals that we consulted on in 2022.
Rydym ar y trywydd iawn i gyflawni’r rhaglen o ddiwygiadau a bennais ar gyfer tymor y Senedd hon, gyda nifer o welliannau cychwynnol wedi'u gwneud i gyd-fynd ag ailbrisiad 2023. Mae Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) wedi’i gyflwyno i gyflawni’r ystod o gynigion penodol y gwnaethom ymgynghori arnynt yn 2022.
Diolch am yr ateb hynna, Weinidog.
Thank you for that response, Minister.
Discussions that both I and Plaid Cymru colleagues have had with the hospitality sector have been eye opening. UK Hospitality Cymru have told us that the average pub and restaurant business will be £6,800 a year worse off and a hotel at £100,000 rateable value around £20,000 worse off than counterparts in England. UK Hospitality Cymru have been campaigning for help with business rates reform for more than 10 years. The archaic rate structure stood still while the global and domestic commercial world has substantially changed around it. Now, the internet did not exist when non-domestic rates were constructed, and, every year, as the gap extends between bricks and clicks businesses, the injustice increases. We've heard, of course, about that reform, but when can businesses in Wales expect to see that reform put into practice?
Mae’r trafodaethau yr wyf i a chyd-aelodau o Blaid Cymru wedi'u cael gyda’r sector lletygarwch wedi bod yn agoriad llygad. Mae UK Hospitality Cymru wedi dweud wrthym y bydd busnes tafarn a bwyty cyffredin £6,800 y flwyddyn yn waeth ei fyd, a gwesty â gwerth ardrethol o £100,000 oddeutu £20,000 yn waeth ei fyd na busnesau tebyg yn Lloegr. Mae UK Hospitality Cymru wedi bod yn ymgyrchu am gymorth gyda diwygio ardrethi busnes ers dros 10 mlynedd. Mae'r strwythur ardrethi hynafol wedi aros yr un fath tra bo'r byd masnachol byd-eang a domestig o'i gwmpas wedi newid yn sylweddol. Nawr, nid oedd y rhyngrwyd yn bodoli pan grëwyd ardrethi annomestig, a bob blwyddyn, wrth i'r bwlch rhwng busnesau briciau a chliciau ymestyn, mae'r anghyfiawnder yn cynyddu. Rydym wedi clywed, wrth gwrs, am y diwygio hwnnw, ond pryd y gall busnesau yng Nghymru ddisgwyl gweld y diwygio hwnnw'n digwydd?
Well, reform is already happening, of course, because we had the revaluation come into force in March 2023. We recognised, of course, that that involved some transitional issues for businesses, which is why we put in place a really important transitional support scheme to help businesses with their bills there. And, of course, we'll be taking the legislation through the Senedd very shortly. It's now been introduced, moving through that scrutiny phase. And that really is about more frequent revaluations, responding specifically to the concerns that the sector's been raising with us, but also improved information flows between ratepayers and the Valuation Office Agency, reviewing the existing package of reliefs and exemptions, recognising that that has been in place for some time, and has evolved, and it's important to check that it is still fit for purpose and targeting the businesses that we need to target in the right way, and, also, the potential to vary the multiplier. You'll know that there were changes to the multiplier in the autumn statement in England. We made changes as well, but, actually, we only have limited ways in which we can change the multiplier here in Wales. What the legislation will do will allow us to change it, perhaps looking at other factors, such as geography or business type, for example, which we just simply can't do at the moment. We'll also be improving the accuracy of rating lists and addressing issues of fraud and avoidance through the legislation as well. I do think it is a matter of regret that the UK Government, following consultation, decided not to introduce an online sales tax. That was an idea that had been put forward by stakeholders in the context of NDR reform. I think the decision there, really, related to the concerns about increased complexity and the risk of creating unintended or distortive, unfair outcomes, between different types of business models. But I don't think it's an issue that can be ignored. We can't deal with online sales taxes in Wales with the powers that we have, but I just think that it's something that the UK Government does need to re-engage with in one way or another.
Wel, mae diwygio eisoes yn digwydd wrth gwrs, gan i'r ailbrisiad ddod i rym ym mis Mawrth 2023. Roeddem yn cydnabod bod hynny'n cynnwys rhai materion trosiannol i fusnesau, a dyna pam y rhoesom gynllun cymorth trosiannol pwysig iawn ar waith i helpu busnesau gyda'u biliau yn y cyswllt hwnnw. Ac wrth gwrs, byddwn yn mynd â'r ddeddfwriaeth drwy'r Senedd cyn bo hir. Mae bellach wedi’i gyflwyno, gan symud drwy’r cyfnod craffu. Ac mae hynny, mewn gwirionedd, yn golygu ailbrisiadau amlach, gan ymateb yn benodol i'r pryderon y mae'r sector wedi'u codi gyda ni, ond hefyd gwell llif gwybodaeth rhwng trethdalwyr ac Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio, gan adolygu'r pecyn presennol o ryddhadau ac esemptiadau, a chydnabod bod hynny wedi bod ar waith ers peth amser, ac wedi esblygu, ac mae'n bwysig gwirio ei fod yn dal yn addas at y diben ac yn targedu'r busnesau y mae angen inni eu targedu yn y ffordd gywir, yn ogystal â'r posibilrwydd o amrywio'r lluosydd. Fe fyddwch yn gwybod bod datganiad yr hydref yn Lloegr wedi cynnwys newidiadau i’r lluosydd. Fe wnaethom ninnau newidiadau, ond mewn gwirionedd, dim ond ffyrdd cyfyngedig sydd gennym o newid y lluosydd yma yng Nghymru. Bydd yr hyn y bydd y ddeddfwriaeth yn ei wneud yn caniatáu i ni ei newid, gan ystyried ffactorau eraill efallai, megis daearyddiaeth neu'r math o fusnes, er enghraifft, mewn ffordd na allwn ei wneud ar hyn o bryd. Byddwn hefyd yn gwella cywirdeb rhestrau ardrethu ac yn mynd i'r afael â materion sy'n ymwneud â thwyll ac osgoi talu drwy'r ddeddfwriaeth hefyd. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn ofidus fod Llywodraeth y DU, yn dilyn ymgynghoriad, wedi penderfynu peidio â chyflwyno treth gwerthu ar-lein. Roedd hwnnw’n syniad a gyflwynwyd gan randdeiliaid yng nghyd-destun diwygio ardrethi annomestig. Rwy'n credu bod y penderfyniad hwnnw'n ymwneud â'r pryderon ynghylch cynyddu cymhlethdod a'r risg o greu canlyniadau anfwriadol neu ganlyniadau ystumiedig ac annheg rhwng gwahanol fathau o fodelau busnes. Ond ni chredaf ei fod yn fater y gellir ei anwybyddu. Ni allwn ymdrin â threthi gwerthu ar-lein yng Nghymru gyda’r pwerau sydd gennym, ond rwy'n credu ei fod yn rhywbeth y mae angen i Lywodraeth y DU roi sylw iddo eto mewn rhyw ffordd neu’i gilydd.
Aberconwy, of course, is the honey-pot for tourism in Wales. Only last week, Betws-y-Coed was named best staycation in the UK. Tourism is vital to our Welsh economy, employing 12 per cent of our workforce, contributing around £2.4 billion to our gross domestic product, and attracting over a million, yearly, international travellers. The potential for Welsh tourism is significant. However, it is being besieged by Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, who are set against our tourism, our hospitality, and, indeed, our businesses. This will have a devastating effect on our high streets and our employment numbers. The slash to business rates relief by 35 per cent would punish Welsh pubs and restaurants by up to £7,000 more than their English equivalents. We've seen the figures each week—even this new year—of businesses closing. So, given this tragedy, will you reconsider this cut to the funding for our businesses? Will you seek to develop a coherent strategy on countering this spiral of self-destruction for Welsh hospitality and tourism? And, on the point you made there earlier about geography, I would like your guarantee that the majority of businesses in Wales, and particularly those in really good tourism locations, will not see an increase in rates as a result of your revaluation. Thank you.
Aberconwy, wrth gwrs, yw’r pot mêl ar gyfer twristiaeth yng Nghymru. Dim ond yr wythnos diwethaf, cafodd Betws-y-coed ei henwi yn gyrchfan orau'r DU ar gyfer gwyliau gartref. Mae twristiaeth yn hanfodol i economi Cymru, gan gyflogi 12 y cant o’n gweithlu, cyfrannu oddeutu £2.4 biliwn at ein cynnyrch domestig gros, a denu dros filiwn o deithwyr rhyngwladol bob blwyddyn. Mae'r potensial ar gyfer twristiaeth yng Nghymru yn sylweddol. Fodd bynnag, mae dan warchae gan Lafur Cymru a Phlaid Cymru, sy’n gwbl wrthwynebus i'n twristiaeth, ein lletygarwch, ac yn wir, ein busnesau. Bydd hyn yn cael effaith ddinistriol ar ein strydoedd mawr a’n niferoedd cyflogaeth. Byddai’r toriad o 35 y cant i ryddhad ardrethi busnes yn cosbi tafarndai a bwytai Cymru hyd at £7,000 yn fwy na busnesau cyfatebol yn Lloegr. Rydym wedi gweld y ffigurau bob wythnos—hyd yn oed yn y flwyddyn newydd hon—ar gyfer busnesau’n cau. Felly, o ystyried y drasiedi hon, a wnewch chi ailystyried y toriad hwn i’r cyllid ar gyfer ein busnesau? A wnewch chi geisio datblygu strategaeth gydlynol ar gyfer mynd i’r afael â’r cylch hunanddinistriol hwn i letygarwch a thwristiaeth yng Nghymru? Ac ar y pwynt a wnaethoch ynglŷn â daearyddiaeth, hoffwn sicrwydd gennych na fydd y rhan fwyaf o fusnesau yng Nghymru, ac yn enwedig y rheini mewn lleoliadau twristiaeth gwirioneddol dda, yn wynebu cynnydd mewn ardrethi o ganlyniad i'ch ailbrisiad. Diolch.
The revaluation came into force almost a year ago now, so we'll be moving into the second year. Some businesses in Wales did see an increase in their rates, but we did put transitional support in to support those businesses. And I think, actually, the revaluation was welcomed by businesses, because they recognised the importance of having an up-to-date way in which to gauge the bills that they should be paying. But the frequent revaluations have also been welcomed, and that was something that businesses themselves were actually calling for. I'm afraid it's just not possible for us to review the decision in relation to business rate support for next year. We'll still be providing around a third of £1 billion of rate relief to businesses across Wales. And the reality is that the autumn statement provided very little additional funding to meet the pressures that we're facing, and the Welsh Government did in the end decide that we had to prioritise our front-line core public services. You saw the additional £450 million going into the NHS in Wales. The NHS in Wales will receive a 4 per cent uplift in the budget next year, compared to less than 1 per cent across the border in England, and we protected local government services, as we said we would at the time of the spending review. So, those have been really difficult decisions, but, unfortunately, that is where we are because of the lack of funding that we have to meet all of the needs. I would also say that the funding was due to come to an end at the end of this financial year, so what we have done is actually provided an additional 40 per cent of support for a further year, rather than cutting a tax that should never be considered to be something of a permanent nature, because it was there to respond to extraordinary situations during the pandemic, but then extraordinary situations through the cost-of-living crisis as well.
Daeth yr ailbrisiad i rym bron i flwyddyn yn ôl bellach, felly byddwn yn symud i mewn i'r ail flwyddyn. Bu cynnydd yn ardrethi rhai busnesau yng Nghymru, ond fe wnaethom ddarparu cymorth trosiannol i gefnogi’r busnesau hynny. A chredaf, mewn gwirionedd, i'r ailbrisiad gael ei groesawu gan fusnesau, gan eu bod yn cydnabod pwysigrwydd cael ffordd nad yw wedi dyddio o fesur y biliau y dylent fod yn eu talu. Ond mae’r ailbrisiadau aml hefyd wedi’u croesawu, ac roedd hynny’n rhywbeth y gwnaeth y busnesau eu hunain alw amdano. Mae arnaf ofn nad oes modd inni adolygu'r penderfyniad mewn perthynas â chymorth ardrethi busnes ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf. Byddwn yn dal i ddarparu oddeutu traean o £1 biliwn o ryddhad ardrethi i fusnesau ledled Cymru. A'r gwir amdani yw mai ychydig iawn o arian ychwanegol a ddarparwyd yn natganiad yr hydref i ddiwallu'r pwysau sy'n ein hwynebu, a phenderfynodd Llywodraeth Cymru, yn y pen draw, fod yn rhaid inni flaenoriaethu ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus craidd rheng flaen. Gwelsoch y £450 miliwn ychwanegol i’r GIG yng Nghymru. Bydd y GIG yng Nghymru yn cael codiad o 4 y cant yn y gyllideb y flwyddyn nesaf, o gymharu â llai nag 1 y cant dros y ffin yn Lloegr, ac fe wnaethom ddiogelu gwasanaethau llywodraeth leol, fel y dywedasom y byddem yn ei wneud pan gynhaliwyd yr adolygiad o wariant. Felly, mae’r rheini wedi bod yn benderfyniadau anodd iawn, ond yn anffodus, dyna ble rydym arni oherwydd y diffyg cyllid sydd gennym i ddiwallu’r holl anghenion. Hoffwn ddweud hefyd fod y cyllid i fod i ddod i ben ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn ariannol hon, felly yr hyn a wnaethom mewn gwirionedd yw darparu 40 y cant yn ychwanegol o gymorth am flwyddyn arall, yn hytrach na thorri treth na ddylid byth ei hystyried yn rhywbeth parhaol, gan iddi gael ei chyflwyno mewn ymateb i sefyllfaoedd eithriadol yn ystod y pandemig, a sefyllfaoedd eithriadol wedyn drwy'r argyfwng costau byw hefyd.
Property taxes are very unpopular with the rich and powerful. The benefits of a property tax is that it's difficult to legally avoid, while taxes where it's easy to reduce payments, such as corporation tax and income tax, are not generally complained about. Does the Minister agree that any reform of business rates must be property related and based upon the turnover of businesses? And listening to Radio 4 this morning, we've seen rent increases of over 20 per cent for music venues in England and Wales. It's rents that are having a huge effect, and, if you give more rate relief, all it does is that the people who own these buildings are going to get more money.
Mae trethi eiddo yn amhoblogaidd iawn gyda'r cyfoethog a'r pwerus. Manteision treth eiddo yw ei bod yn anodd ei hosgoi yn gyfreithiol, tra nad yw pobl fel arfer yn cwyno am drethi lle mae'n hawdd lleihau'r taliadau, fel treth gorfforaeth a threth incwm. A yw’r Gweinidog yn cytuno bod yn rhaid i unrhyw ddiwygio ardrethi busnes fod yn gysylltiedig ag eiddo ac yn seiliedig ar drosiant busnesau? Ac wrth wrando ar Radio 4 y bore yma, clywais ein bod wedi gweld cynnydd mewn rhent o dros 20 y cant ar gyfer lleoliadau cerddoriaeth yng Nghymru a Lloegr. Rhenti sy'n cael effaith enfawr, ac os darparwch fwy o ryddhad ardrethi, y cyfan y mae hynny'n ei olygu yw bod y bobl sy'n berchen ar yr adeiladau hyn yn mynd i gael mwy o arian.
I'm very grateful for those comments, and both council tax and non-domestic rates—our two local taxes—of course, are based on that property footprint, and, as such, they are very stable taxes, which is a benefit to us, and, as Mike Hedges recognises, they are taxes that are then very hard to avoid. We are undergoing a programme of reform for both council tax and non-domestic rates, but, alongside that, we are considering how a land value tax might be a potential replacement for non-domestic rates, probably, in the first instance—in the longer term—but, as we undertake that scoping work, we have to recognise that any replacement system has to be demonstrably better than the one that we have at the moment. But there are definitely very, very good reasons to go with non-domestic rates and council tax as very stable taxes, and unavoidable ones, as they are at the moment.
Rwy’n ddiolchgar iawn am eich sylwadau, ac mae’r dreth gyngor ac ardrethi annomestig—ein dwy dreth leol—yn seiliedig, wrth gwrs, ar ôl troed yr eiddo, ac fel y cyfryw, maent yn drethi sefydlog iawn, sydd o fantais i ni, ac fel y mae Mike Hedges yn cydnabod, maent yn drethi sydd wedyn yn anodd iawn eu hosgoi. Rydym yn cynnal rhaglen ddiwygio ar gyfer y dreth gyngor ac ardrethi annomestig, ond ochr yn ochr â hynny, rydym yn ystyried sut y gellid cyflwyno treth gwerth tir yn lle ardrethi annomestig, yn ôl pob tebyg, yn y lle cyntaf—yn fwy hirdymor—ond wrth inni wneud y gwaith cwmpasu, mae’n rhaid inni gydnabod bod yn rhaid i unrhyw system newydd fod yn sylweddol well na’r un sydd gennym ar hyn o bryd. Ond yn bendant, mae rhesymau da iawn dros ddefnyddio ardrethi annomestig a’r dreth gyngor fel trethi sefydlog iawn, a rhai na ellir eu hosgoi, fel y maent ar hyn o bryd.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Peter Fox.
Questions now from party spokespeople. The Welsh Conservative spokesperson, Peter Fox.
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm going to be building on a little of what Luke has said, and Janet's already come forward. This is such an important issue for us, and all of our inboxes are demonstrating that at the moment. Minister, I appreciate how hard it's been for Governments across the world, having to make really difficult decisions when it comes to finances, but Welsh businesses in the hospitality sector, especially, are crying out for more support. I'm having letter after letter from people in my own community who are really, really concerned, really up against it. And figures do show that up to one pub a week is being lost. Over 63 pubs have already been forced to close down. And this is more than double the rate of pubs declining in England, and there's got to be a message in there somewhere. Pubs are not merely businesses, are they? They are a social hub for communities, particularly rural communities, where loneliness is particularly prevalent. And recognising those real concerns, Minister—and I know you do—what additional consideration is the Welsh Government giving to providing more financial support, or additional support, in whatever way, to this incredibly important sector, recognising the decline I've just outlined?
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n mynd adeiladu ar rywfaint o'r hyn a ddywedodd Luke, ac mae Janet eisoes wedi gwneud sylwadau. Mae hwn yn fater mor bwysig i ni, ac mae pob un o’n mewnflychau yn dangos hynny ar hyn o bryd. Weinidog, rwy’n deall pa mor anodd yw hi wedi bod i Lywodraethau ledled y byd, wrth iddynt orfod gwneud penderfyniadau anodd iawn ynghylch cyllid, ond mae busnesau Cymru yn y sector lletygarwch yn enwedig, yn erfyn am fwy o gymorth. Rwy'n cael llythyr ar ôl llythyr gan bobl yn fy nghymuned sy'n wirioneddol bryderus, yn gwrthwynebu'r peth. Ac mae ffigurau'n dangos bod hyd at un dafarn yr wythnos yn cau. Mae dros 63 o dafarndai eisoes wedi cael eu gorfodi i gau. Ac mae hyn yn fwy na dwbl y gyfradd o dafarndai sy'n cau yn Lloegr, ac mae'n rhaid bod neges yno yn rhywle. Nid busnesau yn unig yw tafarndai, nage? Maent yn ganolbwynt cymdeithasol i gymunedau, yn enwedig cymunedau gwledig, lle mae unigrwydd yn arbennig o gyffredin. A chan gydnabod y pryderon gwirioneddol hynny, Weinidog—a gwn eich bod yn eu cydnabod—pa ystyriaeth ychwanegol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei rhoi i ddarparu mwy o gymorth ariannol, neu gymorth ychwanegol ym mha ffordd bynnag, i'r sector hynod bwysig hwn, i gydnabod y dirywiad rwyf newydd ei amlinellu?
At the moment, with the funding available to us, we are providing the most generous package of support that we're able to do. And I don't want to not recognise, of course, the pressures that businesses are under, as the Member has described, and as we're hearing from our own post boxes, as he describes as well. That said, in Wales, only around 20 per cent of businesses actually pay their full non-domestic rates entitlement. A large proportion of those businesses are eligible for relief, and, actually, a large number pay no rates whatsoever in any case. So, I do think that the package of support that we have—almost a third of £1 billion—is very significant. It is there and it is available. But, as I say, we are going through a reform process, looking at that package of relief and exemptions, to make sure that it is targeted as we would wish it to be. And I'm open to discussions with colleagues and, of course, with the sector, on that.
Ar hyn o bryd, gyda'r cyllid sydd ar gael i ni, rydym yn darparu'r pecyn cymorth mwyaf hael y gallwn ei ddarparu. Ac nid wyf am beidio â chydnabod, wrth gwrs, y pwysau sydd ar fusnesau, fel y mae'r Aelod wedi'i ddisgrifio, ac fel rydym yn clywed o'n blychau post ein hunain, fel y mae'n ei ddisgrifio hefyd. Wedi dweud hynny, yng Nghymru, dim ond oddeutu 20 y cant o fusnesau mewn gwirionedd sy'n talu eu hawl ardrethi annomestig llawn. Mae cyfran fawr o’r busnesau hynny'n gymwys i gael rhyddhad, ac mewn gwirionedd, mae yna nifer fawr nad ydynt yn talu unrhyw ardrethi o gwbl beth bynnag. Felly, credaf fod y pecyn cymorth sydd gennym—bron i draean o £1 biliwn—yn sylweddol iawn. Mae yno, ac mae ar gael. Ond fel y dywedaf, rydym yn mynd drwy broses ddiwygio, gan edrych ar y pecyn o ryddhadau ac esemptiadau, i sicrhau ei fod wedi'i dargedu fel y byddem yn dymuno iddo fod. Ac rwy'n agored i gael trafodaethau gyda fy nghyd-Aelodau, ac wrth gwrs, gyda'r sector ynglŷn â hynny.
Thank you for that, Minister. I did a little bit of research, obviously, as I would have done, to see how generous our packages are. And whilst there is that discretionary relief fund for smaller businesses, when you look and analyse what's on offer in England and Scotland, both are more generous than we are here. And it's disappointing, then, that that 75 per cent support for that retail, leisure and hospitality sector will not continue, because I know how much it's been welcomed by businesses in England. Unfortunately, as a result of not extending that, we know that Welsh businesses will be paying almost 50 per cent more in business rates than in England as a result of that discrepancy. And, as Janet pointed out, that means a typical local pub will be more than £6,500— nearly £7,000—worse off than their counterparts in England, and this is devastating, especially if they're on the border. So, considering the Welsh Government received the full set of Barnett consequentials from the UK Conservative Government's decision to extend business rates to support the leisure, retail and hospitality sector in England, why has the Welsh Government not provided the same support here in Wales? And can the Minister tell me where that money has been directed to instead?
Diolch am hynny, Weinidog. Rwyf wedi gwneud rhywfaint o ymchwil, yn amlwg, fel y buaswn wedi'i wneud, i weld pa mor hael yw ein pecynnau. Ac er bod y gronfa rhyddhad dewisol ar gael i fusnesau llai, pan fyddwch yn edrych ac yn dadansoddi'r hyn sydd ar gael yn Lloegr a'r Alban, mae'n fwy hael yn y ddau le na'r hyn sydd gennym yma. Ac mae'n siomedig felly na fydd cymorth o 75 y cant i'r sector manwerthu, hamdden a lletygarwch yn parhau, gan fy mod yn gwybod cymaint o groeso a gafodd gan fusnesau yn Lloegr. Yn anffodus, o ganlyniad i beidio ag ymestyn hwnnw, gwyddom y bydd busnesau Cymru yn talu bron i 50 y cant yn fwy mewn ardrethi busnes nag yn Lloegr o ganlyniad i’r gwahaniaeth hwnnw. Ac fel y nododd Janet, golyga hynny y bydd tafarn leol gyffredin fwy na £6,500—bron i £7,000—yn waeth ei byd na busnes cyfatebol yn Lloegr, ac mae hyn yn ddinistriol, yn enwedig os ydynt ar y ffin. Felly, o ystyried bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi derbyn y swm llawn o gyllid canlyniadol Barnett yn sgil penderfyniad Llywodraeth Geidwadol y DU i ymestyn ardrethi busnes i gefnogi’r sector hamdden, manwerthu a lletygarwch yn Lloegr, pam nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi darparu’r un cymorth yma yng Nghymru? Ac a all y Gweinidog ddweud wrthyf at ble y cyfeiriwyd yr arian hwnnw yn lle hynny?
So, as I described in my answer to a previous question, the Welsh Government is facing a pressure on our budget of £1.3 billion, in the sense of our budget being worth that much less than at the time it was originally set. The challenge there, then, is to identify a set of priorities and we identified the national health service and local government services as our top areas of priority for additional funding. So, that funding, which we had from the consequentials in the autumn statement, went alongside the work that we did right across Government to reprioritise funding. So, that comes back to the centre, then that's allocated. And the key allocations you will have seen at the budget that I tabled before Christmas were the £400 million additional for the national health service here in Wales. That has been our key area of additional funding, and that does, I think, reflect the priorities that people tell us. They tell us that they want us to invest more in the NHS, that they value their local services. That's not to say that we don't recognise the pressures on businesses, but there just simply isn't enough money to recognise all of the pressures that there are.
Fel y nodais yn fy ateb i gwestiwn blaenorol, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn wynebu pwysau ar ein cyllideb o £1.3 biliwn, yn yr ystyr fod ein cyllideb yn werth cymaint â hynny’n llai na phan y’i gosodwyd gyntaf. Yr her yn hynny o beth, felly, yw nodi cyfres o flaenoriaethau, ac fe wnaethom nodi'r gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol a gwasanaethau llywodraeth leol fel ein prif feysydd blaenoriaeth ar gyfer cyllid ychwanegol. Felly, roedd y cyllid hwnnw, a gawsom o’r cyllid canlyniadol yn natganiad yr hydref, yn ychwanegol at y gwaith a wnaethom ar draws y Llywodraeth i ailflaenoriaethu cyllid. Felly, daw'r cyllid hwnnw yn ôl i'r canol, ac yna caiff ei ddyrannu. A’r dyraniadau allweddol y byddwch wedi’u gweld yn y gyllideb a gyflwynais cyn y Nadolig oedd y £400 miliwn ychwanegol ar gyfer y gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol yma yng Nghymru. Dyna fu ein maes allweddol o gyllid ychwanegol, a chredaf fod hynny'n adlewyrchu’r blaenoriaethau y mae pobl yn dweud wrthym amdanynt. Dywedant wrthym eu bod am inni fuddsoddi mwy yn y GIG, eu bod yn gwerthfawrogi eu gwasanaethau lleol. Nid yw hynny'n golygu nad ydym yn cydnabod y pwysau ar fusnesau, ond yn syml iawn, nid oes digon o arian i gydnabod yr holl bwysau sydd arnynt.
I recognise it's about choices, and I would hope that the Government would recognise the real importance of the economy as a fundamental part of what we should be prioritising. Because thriving businesses create tax, tax that funds local businesses, and this short-sightedness just doesn't make sense to those of us who understand how this system works. Sadly, small businesses here will continue to be burdened by the highest rates of business rates in Great Britain. I know the Local Government Finance (Wales) Bill gives you the ability to now apply a split multiplier—a welcome tool—but I know in this budget you are freezing the multiplier currently as it is, at 53.5p, I believe. Minister, when will you start thinking about applying the multiplier opportunity you've got to reduce the burden on small businesses, so they don't pay as much as larger businesses do, and to give them some opportunity to be more competitive, especially on the borders, with their English counterparts?
Rwy’n cydnabod bod hyn yn ymwneud â dewisiadau, a buaswn yn gobeithio y byddai’r Llywodraeth yn cydnabod gwir bwysigrwydd yr economi fel rhan sylfaenol o’r hyn y dylem fod yn ei flaenoriaethu. Oherwydd mae busnesau llewyrchus yn creu treth, treth sy'n ariannu busnesau lleol, ac nid yw'r diffyg dealltwriaeth hwn yn gwneud synnwyr i'r rhai ohonom sy'n deall sut mae'r system yn gweithio. Yn anffodus, bydd busnesau bach yma'n parhau i orfod ysgwyddo'r cyfraddau uchaf o ardrethi busnes ym Mhrydain. Gwn fod Bil Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) yn rhoi gallu ichi ddefnyddio lluosydd hollt bellach—offeryn i’w groesawu—ond yn y gyllideb hon, gwn eich bod yn rhewi’r lluosydd fel y saif ar hyn o bryd, ar 53.5c, rwy’n credu. Weinidog, pryd y gwnewch chi ddechrau meddwl am ddefnyddio'r lluosydd sydd gennych gyda'r cyfle i leihau’r baich ar fusnesau bach, fel nad ydynt yn talu cymaint â busnesau mwy, ac i roi cyfle iddynt fod yn fwy cystadleuol, yn enwedig ar y gororau, gyda'u busnesau cyfatebol yn Lloegr?
So, the legislation, which we've just introduced, would allow us to take a different approach in future. In Wales, at the moment, as things stand, we only have the one multiplier set in law, so we can only make changes to the whole multiplier across the whole of the tax base in terms of business. So, that does limit our opportunities and our options, but what the legislation will do is allow Ministers in future to perhaps have differential rates, based on the size of the business or potentially the type of business or location of business. It will give us more options in future to be more targeted in terms of the support we can provide in terms of capping the multiplier or setting the multiplier.
This year, of course, we've taken the decision to cap the increase to the multiplier to 5 per cent, and that's at a recurring annual cost to the Welsh budget of £18 million. That's lower than the 6.7 per cent increase that would otherwise apply from the default inflation of the multiplier in line with the consumer price index. So, that is an ongoing cost forever, if you like, to the Welsh Government, having done that. And we did use all of the consequential funding in relation to the multiplier choices that have been made in England to do that.
And then, just to reflect as well that you can't always read across from England to Wales, because, of course, the tax base is different here in any case. Small businesses here account for a much higher proportion of the total rates revenue in Wales compared to England—more than double, in fact. So, the cost of small business rates relief here in Wales is fully funded by the Welsh Government, and it does make up around 10 per cent of total rates revenue compared to just 4 per cent in England. So, the choices that we make in Wales when we do support small businesses often cost us more to do in Wales, just because we have so many more or such a larger proportion of small businesses here.
Felly, byddai'r ddeddfwriaeth rydym newydd ei chyflwyno yn caniatáu inni ddefnyddio dull gweithredu gwahanol yn y dyfodol. Yng Nghymru, ar hyn o bryd, fel y saif pethau, dim ond yr un lluosydd sydd gennym mewn cyfraith, felly ni allwn ond gwneud newidiadau i’r lluosydd cyfan ar draws y sylfaen drethu gyfan o ran busnes. Felly, mae hynny'n cyfyngu ar ein cyfleoedd a'n hopsiynau, ond yr hyn y bydd y ddeddfwriaeth yn ei wneud yw caniatáu i Weinidogion yn y dyfodol gael cyfraddau gwahaniaethol o bosibl, yn seiliedig ar faint y busnes, neu'r math o fusnes neu leoliad y busnes. Bydd yn rhoi mwy o opsiynau i ni yn y dyfodol i allu targedu’r cymorth y gallwn ei ddarparu yn well o ran capio neu osod y lluosydd.
Eleni, wrth gwrs, rydym wedi gwneud y penderfyniad i gapio’r cynnydd i’r lluosydd ar 5 y cant, a hynny ar gost flynyddol gylchol o £18 miliwn i gyllideb Cymru. Mae hynny'n is na'r cynnydd o 6.7 y cant y byddem yn ei weld fel arall o chwyddiant diofyn y lluosydd yn unol â'r mynegai prisiau defnyddwyr. Felly, mae honno’n gost barhaus am byth, os mynnwch, i Lywodraeth Cymru, yn sgil gwneud hynny. Ac fe wnaethom ddefnyddio'r holl gyllid canlyniadol yn sgil y dewisiadau a wnaed mewn perthynas â'r lluosydd yn Lloegr i wneud hynny.
Ac yna, dylid cofio hefyd na allwch bob amser wneud cysylltiad rhwng yr hyn sy'n digwydd yn Lloegr â'r hyn sy'n digwydd yng Nghymru, oherwydd bod y sylfaen drethu'n wahanol yma beth bynnag wrth gwrs. Mae busnesau bach yma'n talu cyfran uwch o lawer o gyfanswm y refeniw ardrethi yng Nghymru o gymharu â Lloegr—mwy na dwbl, a dweud y gwir. Felly, caiff cost rhyddhad ardrethi busnesau bach yma yng Nghymru ei hariannu’n llawn gan Lywodraeth Cymru, a dyna yw oddeutu 10 y cant o gyfanswm y refeniw ardrethi, o gymharu â 4 y cant yn unig yn Lloegr. Felly, mae'r dewisiadau a wnawn yng Nghymru pan fyddwn yn cefnogi busnesau bach yn aml yn costio mwy i ni yng Nghymru, gan fod gennym gymaint yn fwy, neu gyfran gymaint yn fwy, o fusnesau bach yma.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Peredur Owen Griffiths.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson Peredur Owen Griffiths.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm glad that you've reminded us that a priority area of this Government is to look at local services and local government. As I’ve mentioned many times in this Chamber, local government finances in Wales are currently on an unsustainable trajectory, and I welcome the opportunity to discuss that in greater detail in the debate later.
The erosion of local government spending power as a result of 14 years of Tory-driven austerity, combined with the continued fallout from the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, means that councils across Wales have to make very difficult and painful decisions over the coming months on the provision of local services and related council tax rates. I welcome the fact that the Welsh Government’s provisional local government settlement for 2024-25 provides an average uplift of 3.1 per cent in central funding, but it’s also worth remembering that this does not create a natural minimum floor across the board, with the likes of Gwynedd and Conwy due to receive a 2 per cent uplift compared to a 4.7 per cent uplift for Newport. Obviously, that would be lower for Conwy and Gwynedd if the floor wasn’t in place.
Whilst I completely appreciate that funding need for each council area will always vary from year to year, the fact that some are having to contend with an uplift that is significantly less than the 3.1 per cent average is causing understandable concern. Having made some rough calculations based on the breakdown of the provisional settlement, there is an estimated total additional cost of approximately £14.5 million to provide a minimum uplift of 3 per cent for local authorities. Could you confirm whether my calculations are correct, and could you also talk about the reasons why the floor was set at 2 per cent and not higher?
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n falch eich bod wedi ein hatgoffa mai un o feysydd blaenoriaeth y Llywodraeth hon yw edrych ar wasanaethau lleol a llywodraeth leol. Fel y dywedais droeon yn y Siambr hon, mae cyllid llywodraeth leol yng Nghymru ar drywydd anghynaliadwy ar hyn o bryd, ac rwy'n croesawu'r cyfle i drafod hynny mewn mwy o fanylder yn y ddadl yn nes ymlaen.
Mae erydu grym gwario llywodraeth leol o ganlyniad i 14 mlynedd o gyni dan arweiniad y Torïaid, ynghyd â chanlyniadau parhaus y pandemig a’r argyfwng costau byw, yn golygu bod yn rhaid i gynghorau ledled Cymru wneud penderfyniadau anodd a phoenus iawn dros y misoedd nesaf ynglŷn â darparu gwasanaethau lleol a chyfraddau cysylltiedig y dreth gyngor. Rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith bod setliad llywodraeth leol dros dro Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer 2024-25 yn darparu cynnydd o 3.1 y cant ar gyfartaledd mewn cyllid canolog, ond mae’n werth cofio hefyd nad yw hyn yn creu cyllid gwaelodol naturiol cyffredinol, gyda chynghorau fel Gwynedd a Chonwy i gael codiad o 2 y cant o gymharu â 4.7 y cant ar gyfer Casnewydd. Yn amlwg, byddai hynny'n is i Gonwy a Gwynedd pe na bai'r cyllid gwaelodol ar waith.
Er fy mod yn derbyn yn llwyr y bydd anghenion cyllid pob ardal cyngor bob amser yn amrywio o flwyddyn i flwyddyn, mae’r ffaith bod rhai yn gorfod ymdopi â chodiad sy’n sylweddol is na’r cyfartaledd o 3.1 y cant yn peri pryder dealladwy. Ar ôl gwneud rhywfaint o gyfrifiadau bras yn seiliedig ar ddadansoddiad o'r setliad dros dro, amcangyfrifir bod cyfanswm cost ychwanegol o oddeutu £14.5 miliwn i ddarparu codiad o 3 y cant fan lleiaf i awdurdodau lleol. A allwch gadarnhau bod fy nghyfrifiadau’n gywir, ac a allech chi sôn hefyd am y rhesymau pam y gosodwyd y cyllid gwaelodol ar 2 y cant, ac nid yn uwch?
So, without the benefit of a calculator at the fingertips, what you say sounds about right, certainly, but I can confirm that outside the Chamber. But I think this is simply a matter of what’s affordable. So, when we saw the figures that arose then from the calculations in relation to setting the local government settlement for each individual authority, we looked at the figures and less than 2 per cent, I thought, was just asking councils to do too much in terms of reprioritising their own budgets and meeting those pressures, and it didn’t feel right. You could have picked any figure. We picked a figure that was affordable to Welsh Government, so we had to provide additional funding over and above the revenue support grant for that.
Now, there are other ways in which we could do that. We could top-slice money from the RSG and redistribute that funding so that there is a higher floor; that’s something that local authorities could request us to do, but I don’t think that that would be a popular request at a time when all local authorities, I think, are going to be struggling. So, this is quite an unusual; I think it’s the first time we’ve ever done this, applied a floor to protect local authorities at a time when budgets are actually rising. Normally you apply a floor below which no authority would fall, but actually we thought that 2 per cent is the least that we could provide to local authorities. It’s just affordability. If there was greater funding available then obviously local government is there as a priority. But I think we’ve gone as far as we can in this case.
Felly, heb gyfrifiannell i wirio, mae’r hyn a ddywedwch yn swnio’n gywir, yn sicr, ond gallaf gadarnhau hynny y tu allan i’r Siambr. Ond yn syml iawn, rwy'n credu mai mater o'r hyn sy'n fforddiadwy yw hyn. Felly, pan welsom y ffigurau a gododd o’r cyfrifiadau mewn perthynas â phennu'r setliad llywodraeth leol ar gyfer pob awdurdod unigol, fe wnaethom edrych ar y ffigurau, ac roedd llai na 2 y cant yn gofyn gormod gan gynghorau o ran ailflaenoriaethu eu cyllidebau eu hunain ac ymdopi â'r pwysau hynny, ac nid oedd yn teimlo’n iawn. Gallech fod wedi dewis unrhyw ffigur. Fe wnaethom ddewis ffigur a oedd yn fforddiadwy i Lywodraeth Cymru, felly bu’n rhaid inni ddarparu cyllid ychwanegol y tu hwnt i’r grant cynnal refeniw ar gyfer hynny.
Nawr, mae ffyrdd eraill y gallem wneud hynny. Gallem frigdorri arian o’r grant cynnal refeniw ac ailddosbarthu’r cyllid hwnnw fel bod y cyllid gwaelodol yn uwch; mae hynny’n rhywbeth y gallai awdurdodau lleol ofyn i ni ei wneud, ond ni chredaf y byddai hwnnw’n gais poblogaidd ar adeg pan fydd pob awdurdod lleol yn ei chael hi’n anodd. Felly, mae hyn yn eithaf anarferol; credaf mai dyma’r tro cyntaf erioed inni wneud hyn, gosod cyllid gwaelodol i ddiogelu awdurdodau lleol ar adeg pan fo cyllidebau’n codi. Fel arfer, rydych yn gosod cyllid gwaelodol na fyddai unrhyw awdurdod yn disgyn oddi tano, ond mewn gwirionedd, roeddem yn credu mai 2 y cant yw’r swm lleiaf y gallem ei ddarparu i awdurdodau lleol. Mae'n ymwneud â fforddiadwyedd. Pe bai mwy o arian ar gael, yna yn amlwg, byddai llywodraeth leol yn flaenoriaeth. Ond credaf ein bod wedi mynd mor bell ag y gallwn yn yr achos hwn.
Every chunk of additional money that can be spared for local authorities can make a huge difference to their ability to mitigate cuts in services and limit council tax hikes as far as possible. While £14.5 million is by no means an unsubstantial sum of money, it does pale in comparison with the £110 million in additional funding that's been allocated to Transport for Wales over the coming financial year, on top of the £125 million they received in October as part of the in-year rebudgeting exercise. I'm sure council leaders, struggling with extremely limited resources at their disposal, will rightly be casting an envious glance at the vast outlay of public money for rail operators that have been consistently ranked among the worst performing in the UK over recent years.
Furthermore, the contrast between TfW and ScotRail, which is also a publicly managed franchise, is quite stark in this respect. Despite having to contend with a proportionally larger hit to their rail passenger numbers, the Scottish Government have nevertheless been able to make an 11 per cent saving on its spending on ScotRail for 2024-25, as well as introducing a peak fares removal pilot for good measure.
At a time when every penny of public money must be used as effectively as possible, surely there is a clear case for giving a bit more to our overstretched local authorities, even if it's in the form of a one-off payment, rather than throwing so much money into a budgetary hole that is partly of the Welsh Government's own making. In reallocating some of the additional money for TfW—
Gall pob ceiniog o arian ychwanegol y gellir ei arbed i awdurdodau lleol wneud gwahaniaeth enfawr i’w gallu i liniaru toriadau mewn gwasanaethau a lleihau codiadau yn y dreth gyngor cyn belled ag y bo modd. Er nad yw £14.5 miliwn yn swm ansylweddol o arian o bell ffordd, mae’n llawer llai nai'r £110 miliwn mewn cyllid ychwanegol a ddyrannwyd i Trafnidiaeth Cymru dros y flwyddyn ariannol sydd i ddod, yn ychwanegol at y £125 miliwn a gawsant ym mis Hydref fel rhan o'r ymarfer ailgyllidebu yn ystod y flwyddyn. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd arweinwyr cynghorau, sy'n ei chael hi'n anodd ymdopi gyda'r adnoddau cyfyngedig iawn sydd ar gael iddynt, yn briodol eiddigeddus o'r swm helaeth o arian cyhoeddus sy'n cael ei wario ar gefnogi gweithredwyr trenau sydd yn gyson ymhlith y rhai sy'n perfformio waethaf yn y DU dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf.
Yn ogystal, mae’r cyferbyniad rhwng Trafnidiaeth Cymru a ScotRail, sydd hefyd yn fasnachfraint a reolir yn gyhoeddus, yn eithaf amlwg yn hyn o beth. Er eu bod wedi gorfod ymdopi ag ergyd gyfrannol uwch i nifer eu teithwyr ar y rheilffyrdd, mae Llywodraeth yr Alban, serch hynny, wedi gallu gwneud arbediad o 11 y cant ar ei gwariant ar ScotRail ar gyfer 2024-25, yn ogystal â chyflwyno cynllun peilot dileu tocynnau adegau prysur.
Ar adeg pan fo’n rhaid defnyddio pob ceiniog o arian cyhoeddus mor effeithiol â phosibl, mae achos clir dros roi ychydig yn rhagor i’n hawdurdodau lleol sydd o dan bwysau, hyd yn oed os yw hynny ar ffurf taliad untro, yn hytrach na thaflu cymaint o arian i mewn i dwll cyllidebol a grëwyd yn rhannol gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Wrth ailddyrannu rhywfaint o’r arian ychwanegol i Trafnidiaeth Cymru—
You need to get to your question, Peredur, please.
Mae angen ichi ofyn eich cwestiwn, Peredur, os gwelwch yn dda.
Yes. Is reallocating some of the additional money for TfW to support local authorities something that the Welsh Government might consider?
Iawn. A yw ailddyrannu rhywfaint o’r arian ychwanegol i Trafnidiaeth Cymru i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol yn rhywbeth y byddai Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei ystyried?
So, the funding that we have provided to Transport for Wales is what we understand through the climate change Minister and the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to be the minimum, really, that Transport for Wales need in order to continue running the rail service as we move through that transformation programme.
I think that what you described—. I do welcome ideas where colleagues put forward areas where they would like to see additional funding, and then come up with areas where they would like that funding to be moved from. I think that is really helpful, so, of course, we will consider all colleagues' suggestions as we move towards the final budget.
But, in reality, I just don't think that reducing the budget that we've provided to Transport for Wales would give us the kinds of results that we want. So, we want a functioning rail service that people can rely on; we want to improve the service and we need to invest to do that. So, I think that the discussion that we're having really speaks to just the tough choices that we have to make to set the budget in this year. And I know that this kind of discussion is going on through our committee sessions as well. But, of course, I welcome these kinds of suggestions.
Y cyllid a ddarparwyd gennym i Trafnidiaeth Cymru yw’r hyn y deallwn drwy’r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd a’r Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd yw'r lleiafswm, mewn gwirionedd, sydd ei angen ar Trafnidiaeth Cymru er mwyn parhau i redeg y gwasanaeth rheilffyrdd wrth inni symud drwy’r rhaglen trawsnewid.
Credaf fod yr hyn a ddisgrifiwyd gennych—. Rwy'n croesawu syniadau lle mae cyd-Aelodau'n nodi meysydd lle hoffent weld cyllid ychwanegol, ac yna'n meddwl am feysydd yr hoffent symud y cyllid hwnnw oddi wrthynt. Credaf fod hynny’n ddefnyddiol iawn, felly, wrth gwrs, fe wnawn ystyried awgrymiadau'r holl gyd-Aelodau wrth inni symud tuag at y gyllideb derfynol.
Ond mewn gwirionedd, ni chredaf y byddai lleihau'r gyllideb a ddarparwyd gennym i Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn arwain at y mathau o ganlyniadau yr hoffem eu gweld. Hoffem gael gwasanaeth trenau sy'n gweithio ac y gall pobl ddibynnu arno; hoffem wella’r gwasanaeth, ac mae angen inni fuddsoddi er mwyn gwneud hynny. Felly, credaf fod y drafodaeth hon yn amlygu'n glir y dewisiadau anodd y mae'n rhaid i ni eu gwneud wrth osod y gyllideb eleni. A gwn fod trafodaeth o'r fath yn mynd rhagddi yn ein sesiynau pwyllgor hefyd. Ond wrth gwrs, rwy'n croesawu'r mathau hyn o awgrymiadau.
3. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi llyfrgelloedd cyhoeddus yn Nwyrain Casnewydd? OQ60577
3. How is Welsh Government supporting public libraries in Newport East? OQ60577
The provision of public libraries is the responsibility of local authorities. The Welsh Government provides funding to enable the development of library services, including revenue support for the national digital library service, and a capital transformation grant fund to improve library buildings and facilities. Newport libraries benefit from this support.
Cyfrifoldeb awdurdodau lleol yw darpariaeth llyfrgelloedd cyhoeddus. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn darparu cyllid i allu datblygu gwasanaethau llyfrgell, gan gynnwys cymorth refeniw ar gyfer y gwasanaeth llyfrgell digidol cenedlaethol, a chronfa grant cyfalaf trawsnewid i wella adeiladau a chyfleusterau llyfrgelloedd. Mae llyfrgelloedd Casnewydd yn elwa ar y cymorth hwn.
Minister, community-run libraries can be a catalyst for wider community development. In my constituency of Newport East we have Llyfrgell Maindee Library, which operates in a very multicultural area, and has been the catalyst for much community development—a community cafe, a performance space, the greening of the local area, amongst other initiatives.
Next month, Maindee library will be hosting the launch of a new recipe book provided by Greening Maindee, with funding from Welsh Government and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The recipe book is bilingual and will be a celebration of multiculturalism and community, featuring recipes written by residents of Maindee, many of whom are from different countries and make up this wonderfully diverse area. It will be illustrated by children from Maindee Primary School and local artists and photographers, and have favourite recipes from different cultures, also containing stories of the lives of Maindee residents.
Minister, would you agree with me that this is a very important and worthwhile set of community initiatives? And will Welsh Government continue to support community-run libraries, such as Maindee library in Newport East, to take forward these sorts of initiatives, particularly with that multicultural dimension?
Weinidog, gall llyfrgelloedd a redir gan y gymuned fod yn gatalydd ar gyfer datblygu cymunedol ehangach. Yn fy etholaeth i, Dwyrain Casnewydd, mae gennym lyfrgell Maendy, sy’n gweithredu mewn ardal amlddiwylliannol iawn, ac sydd wedi bod yn gatalydd ar gyfer llawer o ddatblygu cymunedol—caffi cymunedol, man perfformio, gwyrddu’r ardal leol, ymhlith mentrau eraill.
Fis nesaf, bydd llyfrgell Maendy yn cynnal lansiad llyfr ryseitiau newydd a ddarparwyd gan Gwyrddu Maendy, gyda chyllid gan Lywodraeth Cymru a Chronfa Treftadaeth y Loteri. Mae’r llyfr ryseitiau’n ddwyieithog, a bydd yn ddathliad o amlddiwylliannaeth a chymuned, ac yn cynnwys ryseitiau gan drigolion Maendy, y mae llawer ohonynt yn dod o wahanol wledydd ac sy'n byw yn yr ardal hynod amrywiol hon. Bydd yn cynnwys lluniau gan blant o Ysgol Gynradd Maendy ac artistiaid a ffotograffwyr lleol, hoff ryseitiau o wahanol ddiwylliannau, yn ogystal â straeon am fywydau trigolion Maendy.
Weinidog, a fyddech yn cytuno â mi fod hon yn gyfres bwysig a gwerth chweil o fentrau cymunedol? Ac a wnaiff Llywodraeth Cymru barhau i gefnogi llyfrgelloedd sy'n cael eu rhedeg gan y gymuned, fel llyfrgell Maendy yn Nwyrain Casnewydd, i fwrw ymlaen â'r mathau hyn o fentrau, yn enwedig gyda'r dimensiwn amlddiwylliannol hwnnw?
Yes, I'm really thankful to John Griffiths for raising that example in the Chamber this afternoon. The recipe book sounds wonderful and I think it really shows an example of what libraries can do, which is about so much more than simply books, if you like, because it is does give communities the opportunity to come together, to share their knowledge and to share their talents and so on. So, it sounds like an absolutely wonderful example.
And I know that Maindee library is a community-led library. It's not part of the statutory service provided by Newport. Actually, it's something that goes on over and above those services, which is quite exciting in and of itself. Welsh Government did provide Maindee library with £18,000 as part of the cost-of-living grants to independent museums and libraries programme, and I hope that that's been helpful to the library as it continues to do its important work.
Ie, rwy’n wirioneddol ddiolchgar i John Griffiths am godi’r enghraifft honno yn y Siambr y prynhawn yma. Mae’r llyfr ryseitiau’n swnio’n fendigedig, a chredaf ei bod yn enghraifft wirioneddol o’r hyn y gall llyfrgelloedd ei wneud, sy’n ymwneud â llawer mwy na llyfrau, os mynnwch, gan eu bod yn rhoi cyfle i gymunedau ddod at ei gilydd, i rannu eu gwybodaeth a rhannu eu doniau ac ati. Felly, mae'n swnio fel enghraifft hollol wych.
A gwn fod llyfrgell Maendy yn llyfrgell a arweinir gan y gymuned. Nid yw’n rhan o’r gwasanaeth statudol a ddarperir gan Gasnewydd. A dweud y gwir, mae'n rhywbeth sy'n digwydd yn ychwanegol at y gwasanaethau hynny, sy'n eithaf cyffrous ynddo'i hun. Rhoddodd Llywodraeth Cymru £18,000 i lyfrgell Maendy fel rhan o raglen y grantiau costau byw i lyfrgelloedd ac amgueddfeydd annibynnol, ac rwy'n gobeithio bod hynny wedi bod o gymorth i’r llyfrgell wrth iddi barhau i wneud ei gwaith pwysig.
Minister, I cannot agree with you more that the importance of libraries really cannot be underestimated. They are vital venues for so many of my constituents across south-east Wales and the impact of losing libraries poses a real threat to the health and well-being of our communities according to Community Leisure UK.
Council chiefs in Newport are drawing up a raft of measures in a bid to generate extra cash, including squeezing more money out of residents by hiking up council tax by a staggering 8.5 per cent. But not only that, the local authority is looking at closing two of the city's libraries, one in Pill—also known as Pillgwenlly—and the other in St. Julian's, with the possibility of selling off those buildings. So, residents in Newport are being forced to pay more council tax, while seeing the services available to them fall as a consequence. So, Minister, will you join me in calling on the council to go through the cost-saving proposals again with a fine-tooth comb, to ensure that residents aren't going to be short-changed, especially in light of the news that Newport council will receive the biggest percentage funding increase of any Welsh council next year?
Weinidog, ni allaf gytuno mwy â chi na ellir gorbwysleisio pwysigrwydd llyfrgelloedd. Maent yn lleoliadau hanfodol i gynifer o fy etholwyr ar draws de-ddwyrain Cymru, ac mae effaith colli llyfrgelloedd yn fygythiad gwirioneddol i iechyd a lles ein cymunedau yn ôl Community Leisure UK.
Mae penaethiaid cynghorau yng Nghasnewydd yn llunio llu o fesurau mewn ymgais i gynhyrchu rhagor o arian, gan gynnwys gwasgu mwy o arian gan drigolion drwy godi'r dreth gyngor 8.5 y cant, sy'n syfrdanol. Nid yn unig hynny, ond mae'r awdurdod lleol yn ystyried cau dwy o lyfrgelloedd y ddinas, un ym Mhilgwenlli a'r llall yn Sain Silian, gyda'r posibilrwydd o werthu'r adeiladau hynny. Felly, mae trigolion Casnewydd yn cael eu gorfodi i dalu mwy o dreth gyngor, gyda llai o wasanaethau ar gael iddynt ar yr un pryd o ganlyniad. Felly, Weinidog, a wnewch chi ymuno â mi i alw ar y cyngor i fynd drwy'r cynigion arbed costau'n fanwl eto, i sicrhau na fydd y trigolion ar eu colled, yn enwedig yn wyneb y newyddion mai cyngor Casnewydd fydd yn cael y cynnydd canrannol mwyaf i unrhyw gyngor yng Nghymru y flwyddyn nesaf?
I know that councils will be very carefully considering their proposals as they consult with local authorities on their plans for their budgets, and also how they consider council tax, for example. Caerphilly council will absolutely be listening carefully to the representations made by their communities as they go about making difficult choices. Despite where they are on the settlement table, they will, nonetheless, have to make some tough choices too.
I, for one, would agree with the dozens of Conservative Members of Parliament and former Conservative Ministers who have written to the UK Government, calling for additional funding for local authorities. We would hope then that that would mean consequential funding for us in Wales, so that we can continue to invest in public services.
Gwn y bydd cynghorau'n ystyried eu cynigion yn ofalus iawn wrth iddynt ymgynghori ag awdurdodau lleol ar eu cynlluniau ar gyfer eu cyllidebau, a hefyd sut maent yn ystyried y dreth gyngor, er enghraifft. Bydd cyngor Caerffili yn gwrando'n astud ar y sylwadau a wnaed gan eu cymunedau wrth iddynt fynd ati i wneud dewisiadau anodd. Ni waeth lle maent yn eistedd yn y tabl setliadau, bydd yn rhaid iddynt wneud dewisiadau anodd hefyd.
Yn bersonol, rwy'n cytuno â'r dwsinau o Aelodau Seneddol Ceidwadol a chyn-Weinidogion Ceidwadol sydd wedi ysgrifennu at Lywodraeth y DU, yn galw am gyllid ychwanegol i awdurdodau lleol. Byddem yn gobeithio wedyn y byddai hynny'n golygu cyllid canlyniadol i ni yng Nghymru, fel y gallwn barhau i fuddsoddi mewn gwasanaethau cyhoeddus.
Mae cwestiwn 4 [OQ60548] wedi'i dynnu yn ôl.
Question 4 [OQ60548] has been withdrawn.
5. Sut mae'r Gweinidog yn defnyddio data amser real wrth fonitro cyllidebau Llywodraeth Cymru? OQ60554
5. How does the Minister use real-time data when monitoring Welsh Government budgets? OQ60554
Welsh Ministers use of a range of evidence in monitoring budgets, with our finance system operating on a real-time basis. The robustness of information also needs to be considered. Real time doesn’t always mean more accurate. Real-time data from a small sample may not be as representative as other data.
Mae Gweinidogion Cymru yn defnyddio ystod o dystiolaeth wrth fonitro cyllidebau, gyda'n system gyllid yn gweithredu ar sail amser real. Mae angen ystyried cadernid gwybodaeth hefyd. Nid yw amser real bob amser yn golygu mwy cywir. Efallai na fydd data amser real o sampl fach mor gynrychioliadol â data arall.
One of the most repeated lines in this Chamber, when we are talking about the budget, when myself or party colleagues discuss cuts, is, 'Where will you cut instead?' As we discussed in Finance Committee, granular-level monitoring data is not available to opposition parties, and it's disingenuous to ask us to suggest alternative cuts without access to that line-by-line budget of the Government, and access to the officials who help to analyse that data.
There is an argument for greater sharing of information with opposition parties so that we can perform scrutiny, and possibly come up with potential solutions. I know that local authorities provide financial monitoring updates on a quarterly basis, and there is a compelling argument for the Welsh Government to at least match that. Would you be willing to work towards establishing a mechanism or Senedd budgetary office to share that information and strengthen our scrutiny function?
Un o'r pethau sy'n cael eu hailadrodd fwyaf yn y Siambr hon pan fyddwn yn siarad am y gyllideb, pan fyddaf i neu gyd-Aelodau o'm plaid yn trafod toriadau yw, 'Ble fyddwch chi'n gwneud toriadau yn lle hynny?' Fel y trafodwyd yn y Pwyllgor Cyllid, nid yw data monitro manwl ar gael i'r gwrthbleidiau, ac mae'n anonest gofyn i ni awgrymu toriadau amgen heb fynediad at gyllideb y Llywodraeth fesul llinell, a mynediad at y swyddogion sy'n helpu i ddadansoddi'r data hwnnw.
Mae yna ddadl dros rannu mwy o wybodaeth â'r gwrthbleidiau fel y gallwn ni wneud gwaith craffu, a chynnig atebion posibl. Rwy'n gwybod bod awdurdodau lleol yn darparu diweddariadau monitro ariannol ar sail chwarterol, ac mae yna ddadl gref i Lywodraeth Cymru wneud yr un peth, o leiaf. A fyddech chi'n barod i weithio tuag at sefydlu mecanwaith neu swyddfa gyllidebol yn y Senedd i rannu'r wybodaeth honno a chryfhau ein swyddogaeth graffu?
I would argue that the Welsh Government does provide an extraordinary amount of data to the Senedd. We actually have a number of points throughout the year where we provide that detailed information. We have our draft budget. We have the final budget. But then, alongside that, we have our first supplementary budget and our second supplementary budget, where that very detailed information is available to colleagues across the Senedd. So, I would argue that we provide an awful lot of information.
We did discuss in Finance Committee—and this would be a matter for the Senedd and not for the Welsh Government—in terms of further support for analysis of data, and whether the Senedd would want to explore that further. But, as I say, and as we said in committee, that would be a matter for the Senedd rather than the Welsh Government. But I would say that we do provide an extraordinary amount of information.
When asking colleagues to consider which areas they would cut otherwise, that's really the language of broad priorities, and the kind of areas of Government that you would want to see protected. So, when we talk about public services, we are talking about the NHS; we are talking about local government. But there are other areas as well, and you probably don't need the granular data for that, beyond what we provide in the supplementary budgets and the budget.
I would also say that we have to be careful about how useful it would be. In Finance Committee as well, we talked about how the budget is moving and changing constantly. So, the picture that you have on one day might not be reflective of how things are in a couple of weeks' time. So, I think that there is an argument as well for letting the Welsh Government get on with managing the budget but also providing detailed information through those supplementary budgets and the budgeting process.
Buaswn yn dadlau bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn darparu swm anhygoel o ddata i'r Senedd. Mae gennym nifer o bwyntiau drwy gydol y flwyddyn lle rydym yn darparu'r wybodaeth fanwl honno. Mae gennym ein cyllideb ddrafft. Mae gennym y gyllideb derfynol. Ond wedyn, ochr yn ochr â hynny, mae gennym ein cyllideb atodol gyntaf a'n hail gyllideb atodol, lle mae'r wybodaeth fanwl iawn honno ar gael i gyd-Aelodau ar draws y Senedd. Felly, buaswn yn dadlau ein bod yn darparu llawer iawn o wybodaeth.
Fe wnaethom drafod yn y Pwyllgor Cyllid—a mater i'r Senedd fyddai hwn ac nid i Lywodraeth Cymru—ynghylch cefnogaeth bellach i ddadansoddi data, ac a fyddai'r Senedd eisiau archwilio hynny ymhellach. Ond fel rwy'n dweud, ac fel y dywedasom yn y pwyllgor, mater i'r Senedd yn hytrach na Llywodraeth Cymru fyddai hwnnw. Ond buaswn yn dweud ein bod yn darparu llawer iawn o wybodaeth.
Wrth ofyn i gyd-Aelodau ystyried pa feysydd y byddent yn eu torri fel arall, iaith blaenoriaethau eang yw hynny mewn gwirionedd, a'r math o feysydd Llywodraeth y byddech eisiau eu gweld yn cael eu gwarchod. Felly, pan fyddwn yn siarad am wasanaethau cyhoeddus, rydym yn siarad am y GIG; rydym yn siarad am lywodraeth leol. Ond mae yna feysydd eraill hefyd, ac mae'n debyg nad oes angen y data manwl arnoch ar gyfer hynny, y tu hwnt i'r hyn a ddarparwn yn y cyllidebau atodol a'r gyllideb.
Buaswn yn dweud hefyd fod yn rhaid i ni fod yn ofalus ynghylch pa mor ddefnyddiol fyddai hynny. Yn y Pwyllgor Cyllid, buom yn siarad yn ogystal ynglŷn â sut mae'r gyllideb yn symud ac yn newid yn gyson. Felly, efallai na fydd y darlun a gewch un diwrnod yn adlewyrchu'r sefyllfa ymhen ychydig wythnosau. Felly, credaf fod yna ddadl hefyd dros adael i Lywodraeth Cymru fwrw iddi i reoli'r gyllideb yn ogystal â darparu gwybodaeth fanwl drwy'r cyllidebau atodol hynny a'r broses gyllidebol.
It's a fantastic question that Peredur raises this afternoon. It's important that the Welsh Government takes a balanced approach with regard to fiscal policy, embracing long-term thinking but also responding appropriately when spending cuts have more severe consequences than anticipated. We have expressed our opposition on these benches to some of the spending cuts that have been made in the 2024-25 budget, and have been particularly critical of the cuts to social services, leaving a funding gap of £646 million, and cuts to business rates relief. People in Wales are seeing their tax bills go up, with the Labour-run local authorities raising council tax on average 8.46 per cent across Wales, whilst the productive bit of our economy, small business, is seeing support being pulled out from under it and other vital services being cut too.
I appreciate that the Welsh Government needs to adopt remedial long-term economic plans post COVID-19. Despite my view that these are the wrong budgetary decisions being made, I think that a reactionary approach, where the Welsh Government chops and changes its budgetary decisions frequently in response to real-time data against prevailing trends, makes things far worse. With all of that in mind, if some of these cuts have severe adverse consequences within the next six months to a year, worse than the consequences forecast for small business productivity or the social care crisis, will the Minister respond appropriately and reassess the spending plans of this Government?
Mae Peredur yn codi cwestiwn gwych y prynhawn yma. Mae'n bwysig fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn mabwysiadu agwedd gytbwys at bolisi cyllidol, gan feddwl yn hirdymor ond gan ymateb yn briodol hefyd pan fo toriadau gwariant yn arwain at ganlyniadau mwy difrifol na'r disgwyl. Rydym wedi mynegi ein gwrthwynebiad ar y meinciau hyn i rai o'r toriadau gwariant a wnaed yng nghyllideb 2024-25, ac rydym wedi bod yn arbennig o feirniadol o'r toriadau i wasanaethau cymdeithasol, gan adael bwlch ariannu o £646 miliwn, a thoriadau i ryddhad ardrethi busnes. Mae pobl yng Nghymru yn gweld eu biliau treth yn codi, gyda'r awdurdodau lleol a arweinir gan Lafur yn cynyddu'r dreth gyngor 8.46 y cant ar gyfartaledd ledled Cymru, tra bo cefnogaeth yn cael ei thynnu oddi ar fusnesau bach, y rhan gynhyrchiol o'n heconomi, a gwasanaethau hanfodol eraill yn cael eu torri hefyd.
Rwy'n derbyn bod angen i Lywodraeth Cymru fabwysiadu cynlluniau economaidd hirdymor adferol ar ôl COVID-19. Er fy mod yn credu bod y rhain yn benderfyniadau cyllidebol anghywir, rwy'n credu bod dull adweithiol, lle mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn torri ac yn newid ei phenderfyniadau cyllidebol yn aml mewn ymateb i ddata amser real yn erbyn tueddiadau cyffredinol, yn gwneud pethau'n llawer gwaeth. Gyda hynny i gyd mewn golwg, os bydd rhai o'r toriadau hyn yn arwain at ganlyniadau niweidiol difrifol o fewn y chwe mis i flwyddyn nesaf, canlyniadau gwaeth na'r rhagolwg canlyniadau ar gyfer cynhyrchiant busnesau bach neu'r argyfwng gofal cymdeithasol, a wnaiff y Gweinidog ymateb yn briodol ac ailasesu cynlluniau gwariant y Llywodraeth hon?
I would say that you can't have a £1.3 billion pressure on the budget and for there just not to be any consequences anywhere. There will be consequences from the choices that we've made, but we've had to make those choices, because our budget is worth so much less as a result of inflation. We have prioritised public services. We've prioritised the NHS and local government, and I think that people will understand why we've done that. In terms of revisiting decisions or taking different decisions, I will say that, as we move towards the final budget, we, of course, are considering what our colleagues, through the scrutiny committees, are proposing, and it's right that we do that.
I would also say, of course, that the day after we vote on our final budget, we have the UK Government's spring statement, so, inevitably, I think there will be some changes as we move into the next financial year. I would expect those to be finalised or set out, at least to some degree, in the first supplementary budget for the next financial year. What that means we don't know; we could find ourselves having to make further cuts after we've already voted on our final budget, if our budget goes down in March. But then, equally, there could be opportunities for further allocations if it's improved. So, inevitably, this isn't going to be the final picture for next year.
Buaswn yn dweud na allwch chi gael pwysau o £1.3 biliwn ar y gyllideb a sicrhau na fydd unrhyw ganlyniadau o gwbl. Bydd y dewisiadau rydym wedi'u gwneud yn arwain at ganlyniadau, ond bu'n rhaid i ni wneud y dewisiadau hynny, oherwydd mae ein cyllideb yn werth cymaint llai o ganlyniad i chwyddiant. Rydym wedi blaenoriaethu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus. Rydym wedi blaenoriaethu'r GIG a llywodraeth leol, ac rwy'n credu y bydd pobl yn deall pam ein bod wedi gwneud hynny. O ran ailedrych ar benderfyniadau neu wneud penderfyniadau gwahanol, rwyf am ddweud, wrth i ni symud tuag at y gyllideb derfynol, ein bod yn ystyried yr hyn y mae ein cyd-Aelodau, drwy'r pwyllgorau craffu, yn ei gynnig, ac mae'n iawn ein bod yn gwneud hynny.
Buaswn yn dweud hefyd, wrth gwrs, y diwrnod ar ôl i ni bleidleisio ar ein cyllideb derfynol, bydd datganiad y gwanwyn Llywodraeth y DU yn cael ei gyhoeddi, felly, yn anochel, rwy'n credu y bydd rhai newidiadau wrth inni symud ymlaen i'r flwyddyn ariannol nesaf. Buaswn yn disgwyl i'r rheini gael eu cwblhau neu eu nodi, i ryw raddau o leiaf, yn y gyllideb atodol gyntaf ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf. Nid ydym yn gwybod beth mae hynny'n ei olygu; gallem weld ein bod yn gorfod gwneud toriadau pellach ar ôl i ni bleidleisio ar ein cyllideb derfynol, os bydd ein cyllideb yn gostwng ym mis Mawrth. Ond yn yr un modd, gallai fod cyfleoedd am ddyraniadau pellach os oes gwelliant. Felly, yn anochel, nid hwn fydd y darlun terfynol ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf.
6. Sut mae'r Gweinidog yn monitro effaith polisïau yn y portffolio Cyllid a Llywodraeth Leol ar fusnesau bach? OQ60545
6. How does the Minister monitor the impact of policies within the Finance and Local Government portfolio on small business? OQ60545
We continually monitor the impacts of our policies to ensure that we are providing the most appropriate support within our available funding. We engage with stakeholders and partners, including small businesses, to gain insight into the effectiveness of policies, which sits alongside any formal relevant monitoring.
Rydym yn monitro effeithiau ein polisïau yn barhaus i sicrhau ein bod yn darparu'r cymorth mwyaf priodol o fewn y cyllid sydd gennym. Rydym yn ymgysylltu â rhanddeiliaid a phartneriaid, gan gynnwys busnesau bach, i gael mewnwelediad i effeithiolrwydd polisïau, ochr yn ochr ag unrhyw fonitro perthnasol ffurfiol.
Diolch. Speaking here 22 months ago, I quoted legitimate local north Wales resident holiday let business owners, who stated that Welsh Government regulations allowing local authorities to charge a council tax premium of up to 300 per cent on second homes in Wales would destroy them. I asked you what impact assessments the Welsh Government has therefore carried out of the consequences for legitimate holiday let businesses with properties that are not used as second homes. I've since heard from north Wales constituents, not only of many such businesses closing in consequence, but also of the negative impact that this is having on a range of other local businesses. How are you therefore monitoring the impact of this now on people? A constituent recently wrote:
'I live on the Llŷn. I am another Furnished Holiday Let owner having to sell up. My home going with it. My Furnished Holiday Let is my only income. Then the reduced booking because of Welsh Government policies and the anti-incomer feelings fuelled by Welsh Government policies. I am ill with it, frightened, devastated and I'm heading towards debt. I'm 61 and I'm Welsh.'
Diolch. Wrth siarad yma 22 mis yn ôl, dyfynnais berchnogion busnesau llety gwyliau preswyl lleol cyfreithlon yng ngogledd Cymru, a ddywedodd y byddai rheoliadau Llywodraeth Cymru sy'n caniatáu i awdurdodau lleol godi premiwm treth gyngor o hyd at 300 y cant ar ail gartrefi yng Nghymru yn eu dinistrio. Gofynnais i chi pa asesiadau effaith y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cynnal o'r canlyniadau ar gyfer busnesau llety gwyliau cyfreithlon sydd ag eiddo nad yw'n cael ei ddefnyddio fel ail gartrefi. Ers hynny rwyf wedi clywed gan etholwyr yng ngogledd Cymru, nid yn unig mewn perthynas â'r ffaith bod llawer o fusnesau o'r fath yn cau o ganlyniad, ond hefyd mewn perthynas â'r effaith negyddol y mae hyn yn ei chael ar amrywiaeth o fusnesau lleol eraill. Sut ydych chi'n monitro effaith hyn ar bobl? Yn ddiweddar, ysgrifennodd etholwr:
'Rwy'n byw ym Mhen Llŷn. Rwy'n berchennog llety gwyliau wedi'i ddodrefnu arall sy'n gorfod gwerthu. Ac mae fy nghartref yn mynd gydag ef. Fy llety gwyliau wedi'i ddodrefnu yw fy unig incwm. Ac mae llai o bobl yn archebu oherwydd polisïau Llywodraeth Cymru a'r teimladau gwrth-ymwelwyr sy'n cael eu sbarduno gan bolisïau Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae'n fy ngwneud yn sâl, yn ofnus, wedi fy llorio ac rwy'n wynebu mynd i ddyled. Rwy'n 61 ac rwy'n Gymro.'
In terms of the particular point that the Member was making around the 300 per cent, which we've allowed local authorities to charge on second home properties or empty homes, it's only Pembrokeshire and Monmouthshire that have adopted the maximum council tax premium of 300 per cent for properties, and then only when they have been empty for more than four years and three years respectively. That does seem like a reasonable course of action if you do have empty properties.
The Welsh Government has tried to strike a balance in terms of creating sustainable communities and allowing people to access properties to live in within those communities whilst also supporting a vibrant tourism sector. That balance is a difficult balance to strike in terms of being sustainable. Of course, there are options for people who have second properties, whether they're second homes or holiday lets. Those options might include, for example, letting that property out as a full-time home to somebody in the local community. So, it's not for Welsh Government to be commenting on individual cases, but there are, of course, options available to people. We are making efforts to create those sustainable communities. We've got communities where 40 per cent of those properties are only occupied through part of the year. That's not going to be a sustainable community in the long term, so we have to make these choices to support those communities.
Ar y pwynt penodol a wnaeth yr Aelod am y premiwm 300 y cant yr ydym wedi caniatáu i awdurdodau lleol ei godi ar ail gartrefi neu gartrefi gwag, sir Benfro a sir Fynwy yn unig sydd wedi mabwysiadu'r premiwm treth gyngor uchaf o 300 y cant ar gyfer eiddo, ac hynny ond pan fyddant wedi bod yn wag am fwy na phedair blynedd a thair blynedd yn y drefn honno. Mae hynny'n ymddangos fel ffordd resymol o weithredu os oes gennych eiddo gwag.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ceisio sicrhau cydbwysedd o ran creu cymunedau cynaliadwy a chaniatáu i bobl gael mynediad at eiddo i fyw ynddynt yn y cymunedau hynny gan gefnogi sector twristiaeth bywiog a yr un pryd. Mae'r cydbwysedd hwnnw'n gydbwysedd anodd i'w daro o ran bod yn gynaliadwy. Wrth gwrs, mae yna opsiynau i bobl sydd ag ail eiddo, boed yn ail gartrefi neu'n llety gwyliau. Gallai'r opsiynau hynny gynnwys, er enghraifft, gosod yr eiddo hwnnw fel cartref llawnamser i rywun yn y gymuned leol. Felly, nid lle Llywodraeth Cymru yw gwneud sylwadau ar achosion unigol, ond wrth gwrs, mae yna opsiynau ar gael i bobl. Rydym yn ymdrechu i greu cymunedau cynaliadwy. Mae gennym gymunedau lle nad yw 40 y cant o'r eiddo ond yn cael eu meddiannu dros gyfran o'r flwyddyn. Ni fydd hynny'n creu cymuned gynaliadwy yn y tymor hir, felly mae'n rhaid i ni wneud y dewisiadau hyn i gefnogi'r cymunedau hynny.
7. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i sicrhau cyfrifoldeb cyllidol mewn llywodraeth leol? OQ60556
7. What action does the Welsh Government take to ensure fiscal responsibility in local government? OQ60556
There's a comprehensive framework of assurance and accountability for local authorities set out in legislation and guidance. Local scrutiny is an important part of this, and Audit Wales provides a consistent and valued process of assurance.
Mae yna fframwaith cynhwysfawr o sicrwydd ac atebolrwydd ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol wedi'i nodi mewn deddfwriaeth a chanllawiau. Mae craffu lleol yn rhan bwysig o hyn, ac mae Archwilio Cymru yn darparu proses sicrwydd gyson a gwerthfawr.
Thank you for that, Minister. Sadly, the lessons are not being learned. Thanks to work by Westminster's Public Accounts Committee and analysis by the BBC, we know the staggering levels of debt amassed by councils across the UK. Sadly, Swansea Council has a level of debt almost double the UK average. At almost £0.75 billion, the level of debt is equal to £2,917 for each person living in the city and county of Swansea. Minister, I am sure that you will agree that this level of debt is unsustainable, and with the current proposed local government settlement, it is likely to grow. We have seen the ultimate consequence of this across the border, where fiscally irresponsible councils have been forced to issue section 114 notices, declaring bankruptcy. Do you now agree that it is time for a thorough review of the funding model for local government?
Diolch am hynny, Weinidog. Yn anffodus, nid yw'r gwersi'n cael eu dysgu. Diolch i waith Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus San Steffan a dadansoddiad gan y BBC, rydym yn gwybod am y lefelau anhygoel o ddyled a gronnwyd gan gynghorau ledled y DU. Yn anffodus, mae gan Gyngor Abertawe ddyled sydd bron yn ddwbl cyfartaledd y DU. Ar bron i £0.75 biliwn, mae'r ddyled yn cyfateb i £2,917 am bob person sy'n byw yn ninas a sir Abertawe. Weinidog, rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn cytuno bod y lefel hon o ddyled yn anghynaladwy, a chyda'r setliad llywodraeth leol arfaethedig presennol, mae'n debygol o dyfu. Rydym wedi gweld canlyniad terfynol hyn dros y ffin, lle mae cynghorau sy'n gyllidol anghyfrifol wedi cael eu gorfodi i gyhoeddi hysbysiadau adran 114, gan ddatgan methdaliad. A ydych yn cytuno nawr ei bod yn bryd cynnal adolygiad trylwyr o'r model ariannu ar gyfer llywodraeth leol?
What I agree with, as I said to Natasha Asghar, is the large number of Conservative MPs and former Ministers who have written to the UK Government saying that local government needs to be better resourced. I absolutely agree with that. We haven't seen these section 114 notices being issued in Wales. We do have local authorities that are under huge pressure, but all of the section 114 notices have been issued in England, where English authorities have really suffered in recent years, because the UK Government has absolutely turned its back on local government. We haven't had the same situation here. We're keeping our promise of a 3.1 per cent increase in this financial year. Last year, authorities had a 7.3 per cent increase, and a 9.4 per cent increase the year before. Both of those were baseline. So, we have done absolutely everything that we can to give local authorities the best possible settlements, and we continue to do that again this year. As I say, those section 114 notices are a familiar sight now across the border in England, but we haven't had any here in Wales.
Yr hyn rwy'n cytuno ag ef, fel y dywedais wrth Natasha Asghar, yw'r nifer fawr o ASau Ceidwadol a chyn-Weinidogion sydd wedi ysgrifennu at Lywodraeth y DU yn dweud bod angen mwy o adnoddau ar lywodraeth leol. Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â hynny. Nid ydym wedi gweld yr hysbysiadau adran 114 hyn yn cael eu cyhoeddi yng Nghymru. Mae gennym awdurdodau lleol sydd dan bwysau aruthrol, ond mae pob un o'r hysbysiadau adran 114 wedi'u cyhoeddi yn Lloegr, lle mae awdurdodau Lloegr wedi dioddef yn ddirfawr yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, oherwydd bod Llywodraeth y DU wedi cefnu ar lywodraeth leol yn llwyr. Nid ydym wedi cael yr un sefyllfa yma. Rydym yn cadw ein haddewid o gynnydd o 3.1 y cant yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon. Y llynedd, cafodd awdurdodau gynnydd o 7.3 y cant, a chynnydd o 9.4 y cant y flwyddyn flaenorol. Cyllid sylfaenol oedd y ddau gynnydd. Felly, rydym wedi gwneud popeth yn ein gallu i roi'r setliadau gorau posibl i awdurdodau lleol, ac rydym yn parhau i wneud hynny eto eleni. Fel y dywedais, mae'r hysbysiadau adran 114 yn olygfa gyfarwydd bellach dros y ffin yn Lloegr, ond nid ydym wedi eu cael yma yng Nghymru.
8. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ynghylch ariannu ehangu Dechrau'n Deg yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru? OQ60569
8. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Health and Social Services about funding the expansion of Flying Start in Mid and West Wales? OQ60569
I meet regularly with ministerial colleagues on a range of matters, including these important programme for government and co-operation agreement commitments. This is the toughest financial situation Wales has faced since devolution, but I'm pleased that the funding for expansion of Flying Start in 2024-25 has been protected.
Rwy'n cyfarfod yn rheolaidd â chyd-Weinidogion ar ystod o faterion, gan gynnwys ymrwymiadau pwysig y rhaglen lywodraethu a'r cytundeb cydweithio. Dyma'r sefyllfa ariannol anoddaf y mae Cymru wedi'i hwynebu ers datganoli, ond rwy'n falch fod y cyllid ar gyfer ehangu Dechrau'n Deg yn 2024-25 wedi'i ddiogelu.
Diolch am yr ymateb.
Thank you for that response.
We all want to see good childcare across Wales, particularly for those vulnerable families, which is what Flying Start provides. Compared with the rest of the UK, I understand that Wales has the lowest funding hourly rate for three to four-year-olds, at around £5 per hour, and while the current Flying Start rate is higher than the general childcare offer, the mandated 1:4 staffing ratio is far more costly than the 1:8, which really increases expenses for providers. I am pleased to hear you say and to know that the offer is being protected in the next financial year, but providers are telling us that they're finding it really difficult to deliver that really high-quality childcare. So, with these funding pressures, I just wondered if you could outline what provision the Government is making to ensure fair funding across all providers to genuinely increase childcare access and parental choice. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Rydym i gyd eisiau gweld gofal plant da ledled Cymru, yn enwedig ar gyfer teuluoedd sy'n agored i niwed, sef yr hyn y mae Dechrau'n Deg yn ei ddarparu. O'i gymharu â gweddill y DU, deallaf mai Cymru sydd â'r gyfradd ariannu isaf fesul awr ar gyfer plant tair i bedair oed, sef tua £5 yr awr, ac er bod cyfradd gyfredol Dechrau'n Deg yn uwch na'r cynnig gofal plant cyffredinol, mae'r gymhareb staffio 1:4 gorfodol yn llawer mwy costus na'r gymhareb 1:8, ac mae hynny'n cynyddu costau i ddarparwyr. Rwy'n falch o'ch clywed yn dweud, ac yn falch o wybod, fod y cynnig yn cael ei ddiogelu ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf, ond mae darparwyr yn dweud wrthym eu bod yn ei chael hi'n anodd iawn darparu gofal plant o ansawdd uchel iawn. Felly, gyda'r pwysau ariannu hyn, tybed a allech chi amlinellu pa ddarpariaeth y mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei chynnig i sicrhau ariannu teg ar draws pob darparwr i weld cynnydd go iawn yn y mynediad at ofal plant a dewis rhieni. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Thank you. So, during 2023-24 and 2024-25, we’ll be investing £46 million in expanding Flying Start childcare to support the long-term positive impacts on the lives of those children and the families in Wales facing some of the greatest challenges, and the funding commitment, as I say, for the expansion of the scheme remains unchanged. Delivery of phase 2 began in April 2023, and in total, phase 2 of the expansion will allow 9,500 more two-year-olds to access childcare through Flying Start once the expansion is running at full capacity, including over 4,500 more children in 2023-24. So, work is going ahead at pace to improve the access to that scheme.
In terms of the funding of the hourly rate and the staffing ratio, that’s something I know the Deputy Minister is well aware of, and I do understand there’s a commitment to review the funding of the hourly rate at regular intervals, but perhaps I’ll speak to the Deputy Minister to gain some more information on that.
Diolch. Felly, yn ystod 2023-24 a 2024-25, byddwn yn buddsoddi £46 miliwn i ehangu gofal plant Dechrau'n Deg i gefnogi'r effeithiau cadarnhaol hirdymor ar fywydau'r plant hynny a'r teuluoedd yng Nghymru sy'n wynebu rhai o'r heriau mwyaf, ac mae'r ymrwymiad ariannu, fel y dywedaf, ar gyfer ehangu'r cynllun yn parhau heb ei newid. Dechreuodd y broses o ddarparu cam 2 ym mis Ebrill 2023, a bydd cam 2 yr ehangiad yn caniatáu i 9,500 yn fwy o blant dwy oed gael mynediad at ofal plant drwy Dechrau'n Deg pan fydd y cynnydd wedi'i weithredu'n llawn, gan gynnwys dros 4,500 yn fwy o blant yn 2023-24. Felly, mae gwaith yn mynd rhagddo'n gyflym i wella'r mynediad at y cynllun hwnnw.
Ar ariannu'r gyfradd fesul awr a'r gymhareb staffio, gwn fod y Dirprwy Weinidog yn ymwybodol iawn o hynny, ac rwy'n deall bod yna ymrwymiad i gynnal adolygiadau rheolaidd o ariannu'r gyfradd fesul awr, ond efallai y siaradaf â'r Dirprwy Weinidog i gael mwy o wybodaeth am hynny.
And my question is: Minister, I’ve been in correspondence with the Minister myself—the Deputy Minister for Social Services—with regard to Flying Start, and particularly in relation to two-year-old funding, as you’ve outlined just now. When I had a response from the Minister last month, the Minister said:
‘Ultimately, our ambition is for Flying Start childcare services to be available for all 2 year olds in Wales and we would ideally like to go further and faster in the rollout of services.’
So, I was pleased with that, but as I’ve understood it, if I've understood this rightly, Minister, the funding for two-year-olds is available for all children in England, wherever they are; in Wales, it’s just in those Flying Start areas. So, can I ask for some clarification in terms of when funding will be available to ensure that the roll-out takes place to all areas of Wales, including rural areas in Wales, which are often not classed as areas of deprivation?
A fy nghwestiwn yw: Weinidog, rwyf wedi bod mewn gohebiaeth â'r Gweinidog fy hun—y Dirprwy Weinidog Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol—ynghylch Dechrau'n Deg, ac yn enwedig mewn perthynas â chyllido plant dwy oed, fel rydych newydd ei amlinellu. Pan gefais ymateb gan y Gweinidog fis diwethaf, dywedodd y Gweinidog:
'Yn y pen draw, ein huchelgais yw sicrhau bod gwasanaethau gofal plant Dechrau'n Deg ar gael i bob plentyn 2 oed yng Nghymru ac, yn ddelfrydol, byddem yn hoffi mynd cam ymhellach a symud yn gyflymach wrth gyflwyno gwasanaethau.'
Felly, roeddwn yn falch o hynny, ond yn ôl yr hyn rwy'n ei ddeall, os wyf wedi deall hyn yn iawn, Weinidog, mae'r cyllid ar gyfer plant dwy oed ar gael i bob plentyn yn Lloegr, lle bynnag y maent yn byw; yng Nghymru, nid yw ond ar gael yn yr ardaloedd Dechrau'n Deg. Felly, a gaf fi ofyn am eglurhad ynghylch pryd y bydd cyllid ar gael i sicrhau ei fod yn cael ei gyflwyno i bob ardal yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys ardaloedd gwledig, sy'n aml heb eu categoreiddio fel ardaloedd o amddifadedd?
Perhaps I should ask the Deputy Minister to write to you again with some further clarification in terms of what she set out in her letter to you.FootnoteLink I understand that in England things are moving at a different rate, because I know that there are issues in terms of the sector itself and the capacity of the sector to be able to respond to what the UK Government is asking it to do. But I’m afraid I’m probably too far away from the detail of this to be able to provide a detailed answer.
Efallai y dylwn ofyn i'r Dirprwy Weinidog ysgrifennu atoch eto gydag ychydig o eglurhad pellach ynghylch yr hyn a nododd yn ei llythyr atoch.FootnoteLink Rwy'n deall bod pethau'n symud ar gyflymder gwahanol yn Lloegr, oherwydd rwy'n gwybod bod problemau gyda'r sector ei hun a chapasiti'r sector i allu ymateb i'r hyn y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn gofyn iddo ei wneud. Ond rwy'n ofni nad oes gennyf y manylion i allu darparu ateb manwl.
9. Pa ystyriaeth y mae'r Gweinidog yn ei rhoi i Ddeddf Cydraddoldeb 2010 wrth ddyrannu'r grant cynnal refeniw ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol? OQ60570
9. What consideration does the Minister give to the Equality Act 2010 when allocating the revenue support grant for local authorities? OQ60570
We consider the equality impacts of our spending decisions through our strategic integrated impact assessment. Local authorities are under the same obligations to understand the impact of their decisions in terms of equality legislation and under the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Rydym yn ystyried effeithiau cydraddoldeb ein penderfyniadau gwario drwy ein hasesiad effaith integredig strategol. Mae awdurdodau lleol yn ddarostyngedig i'r un rhwymedigaethau i ddeall effaith eu penderfyniadau mewn perthynas â deddfwriaeth cydraddoldeb ac o dan Ddeddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015.
Thank you, Minister. I also wanted to touch on the socioeconomic duty, which was brought in as a key mechanism in planning Wales’s recovery from the impacts of COVID, which seems a long time ago to some of us, but it really isn’t, and I think our communities are still feeling that. And the purpose of that was to enable us to move towards the reconstruction of a fairer and more prosperous Wales, and it requires specific public bodies to make those strategic decisions, deciding priorities and setting objectives to consider how fair their decisions are, including education, work, living standards. So, of course we all want a fairer Wales, and I was just wondering, Minister, if you could give us a bit of an update in terms of looking at things through that socioeconomic duty, and the conversations that you have with public bodies and local authorities in order to do this.
Diolch, Weinidog. Roeddwn eisiau cyffwrdd hefyd â'r ddyletswydd economaidd-gymdeithasol, a gyflwynwyd fel mecanwaith allweddol wrth gynllunio adferiad Cymru o effeithiau COVID, sy'n ymddangos yn bell yn ôl i rai ohonom, ond nid yw hynny'n wir mewn gwirionedd, ac rwy'n credu bod ein cymunedau'n dal i deimlo effeithiau hynny. A phwrpas hynny oedd ein galluogi i symud tuag at ailadeiladu Cymru decach a mwy llewyrchus, ac mae'n ei gwneud yn ofynnol i gyrff cyhoeddus penodol wneud y penderfyniadau strategol hynny, penderfynu blaenoriaethau a gosod amcanion i ystyried pa mor deg yw eu penderfyniadau, gan gynnwys addysg, gwaith, safonau byw. Felly, wrth gwrs, rydym i gyd eisiau Cymru decach, ac roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed a allech chi ddarparu'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i ni o ran edrych ar bethau drwy'r ddyletswydd economaidd-gymdeithasol honno, a'r sgyrsiau rydych chi'n eu cael gyda chyrff cyhoeddus ac awdurdodau lleol er mwyn gwneud hyn.
Yes, this is a really important part of our work in terms of developing our budget process and particularly so through the budget improvement plan that was published alongside the draft budget. It’s a rolling five-year programme, so every year we update that to set out the new actions that we’ll be undertaking. And I do think that it’s really important that local authorities, of course, undertake this work as well, and I’m really pleased when looking at Bridgend’s approach to consulting on its budget proposals, that its top priority in terms of the principles that it will be using to underpin the development of its budget is to safeguard and protect the most vulnerable people in our communities. I think that it’s really welcome to see that, and that really is what I want to see all local authorities having at the top of their list in terms of their priorities and at the heart of their decisions as they set their budgets, in what are extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
Mae hyn yn rhan bwysig iawn o'n gwaith ar ddatblygu ein proses gyllidebol ac yn arbennig felly drwy gynllun gwella'r gyllideb a gyhoeddwyd ochr yn ochr â'r gyllideb ddrafft. Mae'n rhaglen dreigl bum mlynedd, felly bob blwyddyn rydym yn ei diweddaru i nodi'r camau newydd y byddwn yn eu cymryd. Ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn fod awdurdodau lleol, wrth gwrs, yn gwneud y gwaith hwn hefyd, ac rwy'n falch iawn o weld, wrth edrych ar ddull Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr o ymgynghori ar eu cynigion cyllidebol, mai eu prif flaenoriaeth, o ran yr egwyddorion y byddant yn eu defnyddio i ategu datblygiad eu cyllideb, yw diogelu'r bobl fwyaf agored i niwed yn ein cymunedau. Rwy'n credu bod hynny i'w groesawu'n fawr, ac rwyf eisiau gweld pob awdurdod lleol yn rhoi hynny ar frig eu rhestr flaenoriaethau a sicrhau bod hynny wrth wraidd eu penderfyniadau wrth iddynt osod eu cyllidebau, mewn amgylchiadau eithriadol o anodd.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
I thank the Minister.
Y cwestiynau nesaf fydd y rhai i'r Gweinidog Materion Gwledig a Gogledd Cymru, a'r Trefnydd, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan James Evans.
The next set of questions will be to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, and the first question is from James Evans.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am gymorth Llywodraeth Cymru i newydd-ddyfodiaid ifanc i'r diwydiant amaethyddol? OQ60540
1. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government support for young entrants to the agricultural industry? OQ60540
The Welsh Government continues to support young entrants to the agricultural industry through programmes such as Farming Connect and Start to Farm. The sustainable farming scheme will be available to all types of farms and will support young farmers to develop in the industry and establish sustainable businesses.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i gefnogi newydd-ddyfodiaid ifanc i'r diwydiant amaethyddol drwy raglenni fel Cyswllt Ffermio a Dechrau Ffermio. Bydd y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy ar gael i bob math o ffermydd a bydd yn cefnogi ffermwyr ifanc i ddatblygu yn y diwydiant a sefydlu busnesau cynaliadwy.
I'd like to thank you for your answer, Minister. The future of our agricultural industry in Wales depends on the Welsh Government getting things right for our next generation of young farmers. In my role as the constituency Member for Brecon and Radnorshire, I meet many young entrants due to my connection to the industry and also the part I played in the young farmers movement. A young farmer called Scott e-mailed me late Monday night to raise concerns, and he asked me if I could put this question to you directly, so I am. He said:
'Can the Minister give me hope that there's any future for me and other young entrants across the agricultural industry in Wales? I farm cattle, but I'm currently afraid to farm them due to the fear of TB. My family is concerned about the payment rates for the sustainable farming scheme and potentially losing 20 per cent of our farm to trees and biodiversity targets from the Government. It also seems the Government is far too quiet and reluctant to support us from the barrage of abuse that we receive from tv personalities for fear of upsetting the environmental lobby.'
So, Minister, what can you say to me and that young farmer that there is a future for them here in Wales to keep farming, because without our next generation of young farmers, we might as well say that the Welsh agricultural industry is closed for business?
Hoffwn ddiolch i chi am eich ateb, Weinidog. Mae dyfodol ein diwydiant amaethyddol yng Nghymru yn dibynnu ar Lywodraeth Cymru yn cael pethau'n iawn i'n cenhedlaeth nesaf o ffermwyr ifanc. Yn fy rôl fel yr Aelod dros Frycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed, rwy'n cyfarfod â llawer o newydd-ddyfodiaid ifanc oherwydd fy nghysylltiad â'r diwydiant a hefyd y rhan a chwaraeais yn y mudiad ffermwyr ifanc. Fe wnaeth ffermwr ifanc o'r enw Scott anfon e-bost ataf yn hwyr nos Lun i fynegi pryderon, a gofynnodd i mi ofyn y cwestiwn hwn i chi'n uniongyrchol, felly dyma wneud. Dywedodd:
'A all y Gweinidog roi gobaith i mi fod yna unrhyw ddyfodol i mi a newydd-ddyfodiaid ifanc eraill ar draws y diwydiant amaethyddol yng Nghymru? Rwy'n ffermio gwartheg, ond ar hyn o bryd mae arnaf ofn eu ffermio oherwydd ofn TB. Mae fy nheulu'n poeni am y cyfraddau talu ar gyfer y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy a'r perygl o golli 20 y cant o'n fferm i goed a thargedau bioamrywiaeth gan y Llywodraeth. Mae'n ymddangos hefyd fod y Llywodraeth yn llawer rhy dawel ac amharod i'n cefnogi rhag y gamdriniaeth a gawn gan bersonoliaethau teledu rhag cynhyrfu'r lobi amgylcheddol.'
Felly, Weinidog, beth allwch chi ei ddweud wrthyf fi, a'r ffermwr ifanc hwnnw, i'w sicrhau bod dyfodol iddynt yma yng Nghymru i barhau i ffermio, oherwydd heb ein cenhedlaeth nesaf o ffermwyr ifanc, waeth i ni ddweud bod diwydiant amaethyddol Cymru ar gau i fusnes?
I certainly agree with that last point, and encouraging the next generation into agriculture is a very, very important part of maintaining a prosperous and dynamic industry. I've spoken to many young farmers, like the farmer you referred to, who tell me that access to land is a barrier, access to capital is a barrier, and we've worked very hard over the past few years. You'll probably remember Start to Farm in a different form—it was called Venture—and I think that has been incredibly positive in enabling individuals to participate with people who are at the other end of the scale and who want to ensure that we have that prosperous and dynamic industry. So, what I would say is, absolutely, we will continue to do all we can. I don't underestimate what an uncertain and unstable time it has been for all parts of our economic sector, and of course the agricultural industry is no different.
Yn sicr, rwy'n cytuno â'r pwynt olaf hwnnw, ac mae annog y genhedlaeth nesaf i fyd amaeth yn rhan bwysig iawn o gynnal diwydiant ffyniannus a deinamig. Rwyf wedi siarad â llawer o ffermwyr ifanc, fel y ffermwr y cyfeirioch chi ato, sy'n dweud wrthyf fod mynediad at dir yn rhwystr, fod mynediad at gyfalaf yn rhwystr, ac rydym wedi gweithio'n galed iawn dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Mae'n debyg y byddwch chi'n cofio Dechrau Ffermio ar ffurf wahanol—Mentro oedd ei enw—ac rwy'n credu bod hwnnw wedi bod yn hynod o bositif wrth alluogi unigolion i gymryd rhan gyda phobl sydd ar ben arall y raddfa ac sydd eisiau sicrhau bod gennym ddiwydiant llewyrchus a deinamig. Felly, yr hyn y buaswn yn ei ddweud yw, yn sicr, byddwn yn parhau i wneud popeth a allwn. Nid wyf yn tanbrisio pa mor ansicr ac ansefydlog y mae'r cyfnod hwn wedi bod i bob rhan o'n sector economaidd, ac wrth gwrs nid yw'r diwydiant amaethyddol yn wahanol.
2. Pa gamau y mae'r Gweinidog yn eu cymryd i hyrwyddo cynnyrch lleol Cymreig? OQ60549
2. What steps is the Minister taking to promote Welsh local produce? OQ60549
Welsh Government has supported food and drink businesses and their supply chains, achieving our food foundation sector turnover of £8.1 billion. Blas Cymru/Taste Wales, key buyer events such as the Royal Welsh Show and the trade development and export programmes were instrumental in achieving this success. Welsh food and drink continues to be promoted locally, nationally and internationally, and multichannel communication is projecting Wales as a food nation.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cefnogi busnesau bwyd a diod a'u cadwyni cyflenwi, gan gyflawni trosiant o £8.1 biliwn yn ein sector sylfaenol bwyd. Roedd Blas Cymru, digwyddiadau allweddol i brynwyr fel Sioe Frenhinol Cymru a'r rhaglenni datblygu masnach ac allforio yn allweddol wrth gyflawni'r llwyddiant hwn. Mae bwyd a diod o Gymru yn parhau i gael eu hyrwyddo'n lleol, yn genedlaethol ac yn rhyngwladol, ac mae cyfathrebu amlgyfrwng yn cyflwyno Cymru fel cenedl fwyd.
Thank you, Minister, and that is fantastic to hear, but I just believe we could be doing more. Now, the UK currently imports around 35 per cent of the beef and veal it consumes, or around 250,000 tonnes annually—2,700 tonnes from Uruguay, 14,800 from Poland, and 2,800 from Brazil. So, for me, it makes absolutely no sense that we are importing beef to eat from the other side of the world when we have 40,300 tonnes produced locally. Similarly, we are importing 600 tonnes of lamb from Spain, 9,100 from Australia, and 31,000 from New Zealand. That is despite 48,700 tonnes being produced in Wales annually. And I believe that Welsh lamb, pork and beef are the best in the world.
Now, the reality is, though, that when you go to a restaurant or cafe now, or a pub, you have no idea whether you're eating Welsh or foreign meat, and if it's foreign, it's got a high carbon footprint, and it's of a lesser quality standard than our meat.
Diolch, Weinidog, ac mae hynny'n wych i'w glywed, ond rwy'n credu y gallem wneud mwy. Nawr, mae'r DU ar hyn o bryd yn mewnforio tua 35 y cant o'r cig eidion a'r llysiau y mae'n eu bwyta, neu oddeutu 250,000 tunnell bob blwyddyn—2,700 tunnell o Uruguay, 14,800 o Wlad Pwyl, a 2,800 o Brasil. Felly, i mi, nid yw'n gwneud synnwyr o gwbl ein bod yn mewnforio cig eidion i'w fwyta o ben arall y byd pan fo gennym 40,300 tunnell yn cael ei gynhyrchu'n lleol. Yn yr un modd, rydym yn mewnforio 600 tunnell o gig oen o Sbaen, 9,100 o Awstralia, a 31,000 o Seland Newydd. Mae hynny er gwaethaf y ffaith bod 48,700 tunnell yn cael ei gynhyrchu yng Nghymru yn flynyddol. Ac rwy'n credu mai cig oen, porc a chig eidion Cymreig yw'r gorau yn y byd.
Nawr, pan fyddwch chi'n mynd i fwyty, caffi neu dafarn nawr, y gwir amdani yw nad oes gennych chi unrhyw syniad a ydych chi'n bwyta cig Cymreig neu gig tramor, ac os yw'n gig tramor, mae ganddo ôl troed carbon uchel, ac mae ei ansawdd yn is na'n cig ni.
You need to ask the question, Janet, please.
Mae angen i chi ofyn y cwestiwn, Janet, os gwelwch yn dda.
I am. I have previously asked whether you would consider introducing a scheme where hospitality businesses that are able and want to sell Welsh produce do so and that we do the 'scores on the doors' type of system. This would allow consumers to choose which establishment to eat in and whether they want to buy—and pay a little bit more if needs be—Welsh beautiful local produce, or, you know, are happy with not doing so. But the 'scores on the doors' system would be really effective in that regard. Diolch.
Rwy'n gwneud. Rwyf wedi gofyn yn y gorffennol a fyddech chi'n ystyried cyflwyno cynllun lle mae busnesau lletygarwch sy'n gallu ac sydd eisiau gwerthu cynnyrch o Gymru yn gwneud hynny a'n bod yn dilyn system o fath 'sgoriau ar y drysau'. Byddai hyn yn caniatáu i ddefnyddwyr ddewis pa sefydliad i fwyta ynddo ac a ydynt eisiau prynu—a thalu ychydig bach mwy os oes angen—cynnyrch Cymreig lleol blasus, neu a ydynt yn hapus i beidio â gwneud hynny. Ond byddai'r system 'sgoriau ar y drysau' yn effeithiol iawn yn hynny o beth. Diolch.
Thank you. I think the scheme to which you refer probably would be quite difficult to administer, but what I am keen to keep doing is promoting, as you say, our fantastic Welsh food and drink, and you specifically referred to Welsh lamb, beef and pork, and, obviously, we support Hybu Cig Cymru to make sure that the message of our fantastic red meat is taken around the world. We have many events overseas: we've got Gulfood coming up in Dubai next month, we have Anuga in Germany, we have Salon International de l’Alimentation in Paris, and HCC always have a presence there promoting our fantastic food and drink.
I have to say, you do see it more often now in restaurants that they are keen to show where their produce is from. I guess we can always ask, as consumers, and as people who use restaurants and hospitality venues, to make sure that they understand that people are asking more questions. I certainly think people are asking more questions about where their food and drink comes from.
Diolch. Rwy'n credu y byddai'r cynllun rydych chi'n cyfeirio ato yn eithaf anodd i'w weinyddu, ond rwy'n awyddus i hyrwyddo ein bwyd a'n diod gwych o Gymru, fel y dywedwch, ac roeddech chi'n cyfeirio'n benodol at gig oen, cig eidion a phorc o Gymru, ac yn amlwg, rydym yn cefnogi Hybu Cig Cymru i sicrhau bod y neges am ein cig coch gwych yn cael ei lledaenu ledled y byd. Mae gennym lawer o ddigwyddiadau dramor: bydd digwyddiad Gulfood yn cael ei gynnal yn Dubai fis nesaf, mae gennym ddigwyddiad Anuga yn yr Almaen, mae gennym ddigwyddiad Salon International de l'Alimentation ym Mharis, ac mae gan Hybu Cig Cymru bresenoldeb yno bob amser yn hyrwyddo ein bwyd a'n diod gwych.
Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, rydych chi'n ei weld yn amlach nawr mewn bwytai, eu bod yn awyddus i ddangos o ble y daw eu cynnyrch. Rwy'n credu y gallwn ofyn bob amser, fel defnyddwyr, ac fel pobl sy'n defnyddio bwytai a lleoliadau lletygarwch, i wneud yn siŵr eu bod yn deall bod pobl yn gofyn mwy o gwestiynau. Rwy'n sicr yn credu bod pobl yn gofyn mwy o gwestiynau ynglŷn ag o ble y daw eu bwyd a'u diod.
I've been approached by some egg producers in my region concerned at the impact on the sale of free-range eggs under avian influenza mandatory housing measures; I know you touched on this in committee last week. You'll know that the proposed changes in legislation in England and Scotland would remove the time limit for free-range hens to be housed in mandatory restrictions, and that change means that eggs produced by hens that are usually free range would still be marketed as such, even if they've been housed indoors for longer than 16 weeks, due, of course, to mandatory housing measures under avian influenza. Now, supermarkets have told producers in my region, apparently, that if the rules in Wales are different and that they can't still describe their eggs as free range, then they'll lose their contracts, and with it their livelihoods. So, will you consider adopting the same approach as England and Scotland to help protect the sector were there, of course, to be a significant outbreak of avian flu?
Mae rhai cynhyrchwyr wyau yn fy rhanbarth wedi cysylltu â mi oherwydd eu bod yn pryderu am yr effaith ar werthu wyau maes o dan fesurau gorfodol ar gyfer cadw adar dan do yn sgil ffliw adar; gwn eich bod wedi cyffwrdd â hyn yn y pwyllgor yr wythnos diwethaf. Fe fyddwch yn gwybod y byddai'r newidiadau arfaethedig yn y ddeddfwriaeth yn Lloegr a'r Alban yn diddymu'r terfyn amser ar gyfer cadw ieir maes mewn cyfyngiadau gorfodol, ac mae'r newid hwnnw'n golygu y byddai wyau a gynhyrchir gan ieir sydd fel arfer yn ieir maes yn parhau i gael eu marchnata felly, hyd yn oed os ydynt wedi cael eu cadw dan do am fwy nag 16 wythnos, oherwydd mesurau gorfodol ar gyfer cadw adar dan do yn sgil ffliw adar wrth gwrs. Nawr, mae archfarchnadoedd wedi dweud wrth gynhyrchwyr yn fy rhanbarth i, mae'n debyg, os yw'r rheolau yng Nghymru yn wahanol ac os na allant barhau i ddisgrifio eu hwyau fel wyau maes, byddant yn colli eu contractau, a'u bywoliaeth gyda nhw. Felly, a wnewch chi ystyried mabwysiadu'r un dull â Lloegr a'r Alban i helpu i ddiogelu'r sector pe bai yna achosion sylweddol o ffliw adar?
Thank you. Well, as you say, when a housing order is introduced, farmers may market eggs produced by housed hens as free range for the first 16 weeks of a housing order, and I think 16 weeks is a fair period of time for that to take place. I'm very aware that the European Union have decided to remove that 16-week derogation; that will obviously then apply to Northern Ireland. So, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Scottish Government have launched a joint consultation, which we are not taking part in. However, I'm very interested to see the outcomes of that consultation because I don't think either of those two Governments did enough work with consumers; it's far more towards business, if you like, than taking the consumers' views into consideration. But I have asked my officials to keep a very close eye on those consultations—I think it closes on something like 5 March; there's a little while to go yet—but I would be very interested to see that. But I think it's really important that we could have different policies within the UK. I absolutely recognise it could be more complicated, but I do think we have to take these decisions on balance, and that's what I've done.
Diolch. Wel, fel y dywedwch, pan fydd gorchymyn cadw adar dan do yn cael ei gyflwyno, gall ffermwyr farchnata wyau a gynhyrchir gan ieir sy'n cael eu cadw dan do fel ieir maes am 16 wythnos gyntaf y gorchymyn, ac rwy'n credu bod 16 wythnos yn gyfnod teg ar gyfer hynny. Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn fod yr Undeb Ewropeaidd wedi penderfynu dileu'r rhanddirymiad 16 wythnos hwnnw; yn amlwg, bydd hynny'n berthnasol i Ogledd Iwerddon. Felly, mae Adran yr Amgylchedd, Bwyd a Materion Gwledig a Llywodraeth yr Alban wedi lansio ymgynghoriad ar y cyd, nad ydym yn cymryd rhan ynddo. Fodd bynnag, mae gennyf ddiddordeb mawr mewn gweld canlyniadau'r ymgynghoriad hwnnw oherwydd nid wyf yn credu bod yr un o'r ddwy Lywodraeth wedi gwneud digon o waith gyda defnyddwyr; mae'n ymwneud llawer mwy â busnes, os mynnwch, nag ystyried safbwyntiau defnyddwyr. Ond rwyf wedi gofyn i fy swyddogion gadw llygad barcud ar yr ymgynghoriadau hynny—rwy'n credu ei fod yn cau o gwmpas 5 Mawrth; mae ychydig o amser i fynd eto—ond byddai gennyf ddiddordeb mawr mewn gweld hynny. Ond rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n gallu cael polisïau gwahanol o fewn y DU. Rwy'n cydnabod yn llwyr y gallai fod yn fwy cymhleth, ond rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i ni wneud y penderfyniadau hyn rhwng popeth, a dyna a wneuthum.
Minister, you'll be aware that I chair the cross-party group on beer and pubs here in this Senedd, and it's in that capacity, Minister, that I've visited many local breweries across Wales with elected Members and seen first-hand how important they are to our local economy and to their local communities as well. Local breweries like Wrexham Lager in your own constituency, Hafod Brewing in Mold, Tiny Rebel in Newport—they're all becoming famous across the globe for being high-quality Welsh products. I was reminded of this in a conversation I had with Ministers from the Japanese embassy this afternoon, where we have used, in the past, major international events to showcase our Welsh projects, such as Wrexham Lager, and in particular, where we did that at the Rugby World Cup, to some success, in Japan. Minister, can I ask you whether you will commit to continuing to use international events, such as the Rugby World Cup and others, to promote Welsh brewing?
Weinidog, fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fy mod yn cadeirio'r grŵp trawsbleidiol ar gwrw a thafarndai yma yn y Senedd hon, ac yn rhinwedd y rôl honno, Weinidog, rwyf wedi ymweld â llawer o fragdai lleol ledled Cymru gydag Aelodau etholedig ac wedi gweld drosof fy hun pa mor bwysig ydynt i'n heconomi leol ac i'w cymunedau lleol nhw hefyd. Mae bragdai lleol fel Wrexham Lager yn eich etholaeth chi, Hafod Brewing yn yr Wyddgrug, Tiny Rebel yng Nghasnewydd—maent i gyd yn enwog ar draws y byd am fod yn gynnyrch Cymreig o ansawdd uchel. Cefais fy atgoffa o hyn mewn sgwrs gyda Gweinidogion o lysgenhadaeth Japan y prynhawn yma, lle rydym, yn y gorffennol, wedi defnyddio digwyddiadau rhyngwladol mawr i arddangos ein prosiectau Cymreig, fel Wrexham Lager, ac yn arbennig, pan wnaethom hynny yng Nghwpan Rygbi'r Byd, gyda rhywfaint o lwyddiant, yn Japan. Weinidog, a gaf fi ofyn i chi a wnewch chi ymrwymo i barhau i ddefnyddio digwyddiadau rhyngwladol, fel Cwpan Rygbi'r Byd a digwyddiadau eraill, i hyrwyddo bragwyr Cymreig?
Thank you. Yes, I'm very keen to use every opportunity we have to support all parts of the Welsh food and drink industry, but, as you say, you're referring to Welsh beer. We have a drinks cluster that the Welsh Government supports, and I think it's next week that I will be launching—I think it's the Welsh beer and the Welsh spirits strategies; again, another part of a fantastic range of drink produce that we have here in Wales. The strategies will really show how the sector intends to drive the industry in parallel with the Welsh Government’s strategic vision for the food and drink industry. I think events like you referred to in Japan, when the world cup was held in Japan—the Rugby World Cup—that really has a focus. You had this massive global focus that you really just can’t buy, as a Minister with responsibility for food and drink. But I think it is also important that we do things closer to home as well. I mentioned in an earlier answer about Blas Cymru, and it was great to see the number of new food and drink producers there. And, in fact, I think, the drink producers, we had the biggest number of new products than we’ve had at any other Blas Cymru.
Diolch. Ydw, rwy'n awyddus iawn i fanteisio ar bob cyfle a gawn i gefnogi pob rhan o ddiwydiant bwyd a diod Cymru, ond fel y dywedwch, rydych chi'n cyfeirio at gwrw Cymreig. Mae gennym glwstwr diodydd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei gefnogi, a byddaf yn lansio, yr wythnos nesaf rwy'n credu—strategaethau cwrw a gwirodydd Cymreig; unwaith eto, rhan arall o amrywiaeth wych o gynnyrch diod sydd gennym yma yng Nghymru. Bydd y strategaethau'n dangos sut mae'r sector yn bwriadu llywio'r diwydiant ochr yn ochr â gweledigaeth strategol Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer y diwydiant bwyd a diod. Rwy'n credu bod digwyddiadau fel y nodwyd gennych yn Japan, pan gynhaliwyd cwpan y byd yn Japan—Cwpan Rygbi'r Byd—mae gan hwnnw ffocws gwirioneddol. Roedd gennych ffocws byd-eang enfawr na allwch ei brynu, fel Gweinidog â chyfrifoldeb am fwyd a diod. Ond rwy'n credu ei bod hefyd yn bwysig ein bod yn gwneud pethau'n nes at adref hefyd. Soniais mewn ymateb cynharach am Blas Cymru, ac roedd yn wych gweld nifer y cynhyrchwyr bwyd a diod newydd yno. Ac mewn gwirionedd, rwy'n credu bod gennym nifer fwy o gynnyrch newydd nag a welwyd erioed mewn digwyddiad Blas Cymru gan y cynhyrchwyr diodydd.
Well, the Minister will be aware of the benefits of game meat. We know that game meat is full of protein, it’s sustainable, it has low food miles, whether it’s pheasant or deer or rabbit or any other type of game meat, and it’s all very local and locally produced. But, unfortunately, we can't see, or we haven’t seen, game meat on menus in schools and hospitals and elsewhere. What thoughts have you given to ensuring that game meat is on the menu in our hospitals and in our schools so that we support local game meat producers and we ensure that game meat, with its low food miles, contributes to the diet here in Wales?
Wel, bydd y Gweinidog yn ymwybodol o fanteision cig hela. Rydym yn gwybod bod cig hela yn llawn protein, mae'n gynaliadwy, mae ei filltiroedd bwyd yn isel, boed yn ffesant neu'n garw neu'n gwningen neu unrhyw fath arall o gig hela, ac mae'r cyfan wedi'i gynhyrchu'n lleol iawn. Ond yn anffodus, ni allwn weld, neu nid ydym wedi gweld, cig hela ar fwydlenni mewn ysgolion ac ysbytai ac mewn mannau eraill. A ydych chi wedi ystyried sicrhau bod cig hela ar y fwydlen yn ein hysbytai ac yn ein hysgolion fel ein bod yn cefnogi cynhyrchwyr cig hela lleol ac yn sicrhau bod cig hela, gyda'i filltiroedd bwyd isel, yn cyfrannu at y deiet yma yng Nghymru?
I haven’t done anything specifically with public services around ensuring that game meat is on the menu. I would guess that the cost might be a barrier, but it’s certainly something that I would be very happy to speak with the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language about to see if it is something that is being considered.
Nid wyf wedi gwneud unrhyw beth penodol gyda gwasanaethau cyhoeddus ynglŷn â sicrhau bod cig hela ar y fwydlen. Buaswn yn dyfalu y gallai'r gost fod yn rhwystr, ond mae'n sicr yn rhywbeth y buaswn yn hapus iawn i siarad â Gweinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg yn ei gylch i weld a yw'n rhywbeth sy'n cael ei ystyried.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Samuel Kurtz.
Questions now from party spokespeople. The Welsh Conservatives' spokesperson, Samuel Kurtz.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. A £1 million hit to one of Wales’s premier events—that’s the damning analysis by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society on this Welsh Government’s proposal to change the school year. Now, we all know that the Royal Welsh Show is the pinnacle of the agricultural calendar—Europe’s largest agricultural event, with 250,000 people enjoying the show. Yet this Welsh Government, and your preferred First Minister candidate, would happily see it sacrificed in the name of school-year reform that not even the teachers want to see.
So, given the economic, social and cultural importance of the Royal Welsh Show, what conversations have you, as Minister, had with the education Minister about scrapping these proposals, about supporting the Royal Welsh Show and making sure that the agricultural industry is considered in decisions taken by this Welsh Government?
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Ergyd o £1 filiwn i un o brif ddigwyddiadau Cymru—dyna'r dadansoddiad damniol gan Gymdeithas Amaethyddol Frenhinol Cymru ar gynnig Llywodraeth Cymru i newid y flwyddyn ysgol. Nawr, rydym i gyd yn gwybod mai Sioe Frenhinol Cymru yw uchafbwynt y calendr amaethyddol—digwyddiad amaethyddol mwyaf Ewrop, gyda 250,000 o bobl yn mwynhau'r sioe. Ac eto, byddai Llywodraeth Cymru, a'ch hoff ymgeisydd am y brif weinidogaeth, yn hapus iawn i'w gweld yn cael ei haberthu yn enw diwygio blwyddyn ysgol nad yw hyd yn oed yr athrawon eisiau ei weld.
Felly, o ystyried pwysigrwydd economaidd, cymdeithasol a diwylliannol Sioe Frenhinol Cymru, pa sgyrsiau rydych chi, fel Gweinidog, wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog addysg ynghylch dileu'r cynigion hyn, ynghylch cefnogi Sioe Frenhinol Cymru a sicrhau bod y diwydiant amaethyddol yn cael ei ystyried mewn penderfyniadau a wneir gan y Llywodraeth hon?
Daeth y Llywydd (Elin Jones) i’r Gadair.
The Llywydd (Elin Jones) took the Chair.
Well, both I and the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language have met with officers and the chief executive of the Royal Welsh Show. I don’t disagree with what you say about it being the pinnacle of our agricultural calendar. You will be aware, I'm sure, that this is currently out to consultation. The consultation has not closed, no decisions have been taken and those conversations will continue.
Wel, rwyf i a Gweinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg wedi cyfarfod â swyddogion a phrif weithredwr Sioe Frenhinol Cymru. Nid wyf yn anghytuno â'r hyn rydych chi'n ei ddweud amdani fel pinacl ein calendr amaethyddol. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol, rwy'n siŵr, fod hyn yn destun ymgynghori ar hyn o bryd. Nid yw'r ymgynghoriad wedi dod i ben, ni wnaed unrhyw benderfyniadau a bydd y sgyrsiau hynny'n parhau.
Thank you, Minister. It is disappointing that this was even considered, and the diary, the calendar, the event of the Royal Welsh Show is yearly—it's in there every year—and the fact that this has even come this far shows that the Welsh Government gives little consideration to rural Wales.
But, moving away from talking about a possible next First Minister to the current First Minister, he too caused real pain to the agricultural community in 2022 when speaking to BBC Wales, and he said that he needed to justify to Bangladeshi taxi drivers supporting farmers. Yet that justification has now come, thanks to the independent YouGov poll showing that 82 per cent of people support Welsh farming being financially supported to produce food, with 72 per cent thinking that supporting Welsh farmers is good use of public spending. Thankfully, some hard data that flies in the face of Mike Hedges's harmful and hurtful comments on subsidies.
I and the unions have welcomed the basic payment scheme being maintained at £238 million. But, when looking at this support by Welsh Government, it's important to note the context, that being that the Welsh Government maxed out the movement of money away from farmers in pillar 1 to pillar 2 prior to our departure from the European Union. This means that the £238 million, maintained within the draft budget via BPS, is the bare minimum that it could have been. It's completely reasonable, therefore, Minister, to suggest that this figure of £238 million should not be used as a benchmark or baseline for future support through the sustainable farming scheme. In reality, we should be looking at using the common agricultural policy total of £338 million as the absolute minimum figure. So, what figures are you using as a baseline when calculating the support available to farmers from 2025 onwards?
Diolch, Weinidog. Mae'n siomedig fod hyn yn cael ei ystyried hyd yn oed, ac mae'r dyddiadur, y calendr, digwyddiad Sioe Frenhinol Cymru yn flynyddol—mae yno bob blwyddyn—ac mae'r ffaith bod hyn hyd yn oed wedi dod cyn belled yn dangos nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi fawr o ystyriaeth i gefn gwlad Cymru.
Ond os caf symud o siarad am ddarpar Brif Weinidog posibl at y Prif Weinidog presennol, fe achosodd yntau boen go iawn i'r gymuned amaethyddol yn 2022 wrth siarad â BBC Cymru, pan ddywedodd fod angen iddo gyfiawnhau i yrwyr tacsi Bangladeshaidd pam ei fod yn cefnogi ffermwyr. Mae'r cyfiawnhad hwnnw bellach wedi dod, diolch i arolwg annibynnol YouGov sy'n dangos bod 82 y cant o bobl yn o blaid gweld ffermio yng Nghymru yn cael ei gefnogi'n ariannol i gynhyrchu bwyd, gyda 72 y cant o'r farn fod cefnogi ffermwyr Cymru yn ddefnydd da o wariant cyhoeddus. Diolch byth, data caled i wrthsefyll sylwadau niweidiol a siomedig Mike Hedges ar gymorthdaliadau.
Mae'r undebau a minnau wedi croesawu cynnal y cynllun taliad sylfaenol ar £238 miliwn. Ond wrth edrych ar y gefnogaeth hon gan Lywodraeth Cymru, mae'n bwysig nodi'r cyd-destun, sef bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi symud yr holl arian y gallent ei symud oddi wrth ffermwyr yng ngholofn 1 i golofn 2 cyn inni adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Mae hyn yn golygu fod yr £238 miliwn, a gedwir o fewn y gyllideb ddrafft drwy'r cynllun taliad sylfaenol mor isel ag y gallai fod wedi bod. Mae'n gwbl resymol felly, Weinidog, inni awgrymu na ddylid defnyddio'r ffigur hwn o £238 miliwn fel meincnod neu arian sylfaenol ar gyfer cymorth yn y dyfodol drwy'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy. Mewn gwirionedd, dylem ystyried defnyddio cyfanswm y polisi amaethyddol cyffredin sef £338 miliwn fel y ffigur isaf absoliwt. Felly, pa ffigurau rydych chi'n eu defnyddio fel swm sylfaenol wrth gyfrifo'r cymorth a fydd ar gael i ffermwyr o 2025 ymlaen?
Well, you asked me this question last week in committee, and what I said to you, and I will repeat that for all Members to hear, is that we wanted to protect the £238 million. When I brought forward the figure for the BPS of 2023 in December 2022, I maintained it at £238 million, and I said I wanted to carry that forward to 2024. It hasn't been easy, because of the difficult financial situation, but we've been able to do that. The YouGov poll didn't surprise me, and the way it was questioned, I think, was absolutely—you know, the data that we got from it, it didn't really surprise me, because of course people need to understand where their food comes from. What I will go back to saying is it's really important that we explain to the public where their money goes, and I don't think, ahead of leaving the European Union, that the public did understand the level of subsidy that our farmers got. But I think it is really important to be open and transparent, and that's what I've certainly always endeavoured to do. I have never, ever, said anything other than I cannot see a time, certainly in my lifetime, where we would not need to support our farmers, and that's exactly what I've done as Minister.
Wel, fe wnaethoch chi ofyn y cwestiwn hwn i mi yr wythnos diwethaf yn y pwyllgor, a'r hyn a ddywedais wrthych, ac fe wnaf ailadrodd hynny er mwyn i'r holl Aelodau glywed, yw ein bod am ddiogelu'r £238 miliwn. Pan gyflwynais y ffigur ar gyfer cynllun taliad sylfaenol 2023 ym mis Rhagfyr 2022, fe wneuthum ei gynnal ar £238 miliwn, a dywedais fy mod am gario hwnnw ymlaen at 2024. Nid yw wedi bod yn hawdd, oherwydd y sefyllfa ariannol anodd, ond rydym wedi gallu gwneud hynny. Nid oedd arolwg barn YouGov yn fy synnu, ac roedd y ffordd y cafodd y cwestiynau eu gosod yn hynod o—wyddoch chi, ni wnaeth y data a gawsom ohono fy synnu, oherwydd wrth gwrs fod angen i bobl ddeall o ble y daw eu bwyd. Rwy'n dweud eto ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod yn egluro i'r cyhoedd lle mae eu harian yn mynd, a chyn gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, nid wyf yn credu bod y cyhoedd yn deall lefel y cymhorthdal a gâi ein ffermwyr. Ond rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn inni fod yn agored a thryloyw, a dyna beth rwyf fi'n sicr wedi ymdrechu i'w wneud bob amser. Nid wyf erioed wedi dweud unrhyw beth heblaw na allaf weld amser, yn sicr yn ystod fy oes i, lle na fyddai angen inni gefnogi ein ffermwyr, a dyna'n union rwyf wedi'i wneud fel Gweinidog.
Thank you, Minister. You referred to your answer you gave at committee. Something else that I pressed you on was the need to lobby UK Government as to what figure you want to see for the sustainable farming scheme. Now, at that point in committee last week, you'd not made any individual representations to the Treasury as to what money you would like to see to deliver the sustainable farming scheme. So, hopefully, that letter is forthcoming.
Monday's episode of S4C's Ffermio demonstrated yet again the cruel reality of TB on Welsh farms. The horrific scenes of on-farm slaughter of cattle and in-calf cattle even carried a trigger warning for viewers as it was that distressing. My heart breaks for Wyn and Enid Davies, and for every farmer and their family who are suffering under the dark cloud of TB. The outpouring of support for the Davieses on social media was only matched by the anger and frustration felt towards their situation. I've long called—both in and outside of this Chamber—for your Welsh Government to change its policy regarding the on-farm slaughter of in-calf cows and heifers. There are accepted other ways of doing this that your Government, at the moment, aren't entertaining. You mentioned yesterday that, I quote:
'There is also going to be a technical advisory group'
looking into this policy. Yet we've been talking about this group for months and months, with minimal progress. So, that's just not good enough for these farmers and their families who are suffering. So, please, Minister, can you please stop delaying a decision and abdicating responsibility to a group that's not yet formed, and use the powers that you have as rural affairs Minister to change the policy around the way that in-calf cows and heifers are slaughtered on farm? Give the farmers some hope, please.
Diolch, Weinidog. Fe wnaethoch chi gyfeirio at yr ateb a roesoch yn y pwyllgor. Rhywbeth arall y soniais wrthych amdano oedd yr angen i lobïo Llywodraeth y DU ynghylch pa ffigur yr hoffech chi ei weld ar gyfer y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy. Nawr, ar y pwynt hwnnw yn y pwyllgor yr wythnos diwethaf, nid oeddech wedi cyflwyno unrhyw sylwadau unigol i'r Trysorlys ynghylch pa arian yr hoffech ei weld i gyflawni'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy. Felly, gobeithio bod y llythyr hwnnw ar y ffordd.
Roedd rhaglen nos Lun o Ffermio ar S4C yn dangos realiti creulon TB ar ffermydd Cymru unwaith eto. Roedd rhybudd i wylwyr ynghylch y golygfeydd erchyll o ladd gwartheg a gwartheg cyflo ar y fferm gan fod yr eitem mor ofidus. Mae fy nghalon yn torri dros Wyn ac Enid Davies, a thros bob ffermwr a'u teuluoedd sy'n dioddef dan gwmwl tywyll TB. Yn ogystal â'r gefnogaeth helaeth i'r teulu Davies ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol, gwelwyd y dicter a'r rhwystredigaeth a deimlid ynghylch eu sefyllfa. Rwyf wedi galw ers tro—yn y Siambr hon a'r tu hwnt iddi—ar eich Llywodraeth i newid ei pholisi ynghylch lladd gwartheg cyflo a heffrod ar y fferm. Mae yna ffyrdd eraill derbyniol o wneud hyn nad yw eich Llywodraeth chi'n eu hystyried ar hyn o bryd. Roeddech chi'n sôn ddoe, ac rwy'n dyfynnu:
'Bydd grŵp cynghori technegol hefyd'
yn edrych ar y polisi hwn. Ac eto rydym wedi bod yn siarad am y grŵp hwn ers misoedd lawer heb fawr o gynnydd. Felly, nid yw hynny'n ddigon da i'r ffermwyr hyn a'u teuluoedd sy'n dioddef. Felly, os gwelwch yn dda, Weinidog, a allwch chi roi'r gorau i oedi penderfyniad a throsglwyddo cyfrifoldeb i grŵp nad yw wedi'i ffurfio eto, a defnyddio'r pwerau sydd gennych chi fel Gweinidog materion gwledig i newid y polisi ynghylch y ffordd y mae gwartheg cyflo a heffrod yn cael eu lladd ar y fferm? Rhowch ychydig o obaith i'r ffermwyr, os gwelwch yn dda.
So, I absolutely understand the distress that the event that you referred to that was shown on Ffermio causes to a farmer and their family—absolutely understand that. And it's not just the technical advisory group; whilst I'm asking them to consider it again, we did look at this, prior to you coming to the Senedd. We did look at this with the agricultural sector, because I absolutely understand how horrendous it must be to see that on-farm slaughter. But, unfortunately, we didn't make much progress, and this is why I'm asking the technical advisory group to have a look at this as a matter of urgency. We're also seeking views from the farming unions—of course, the farming unions have discussed this with me—and other industry representatives, so that they can present to the technical advisory group exactly what they think is needed. In some cases, unfortunately, on-farm slaughter is unavoidable if cattle cannot be transported to an abattoir, or if they're unfit for human consumption. However, I think removing TB-infected cattle from the farm as soon as possible is obviously a key element of our TB eradication programme. And I go back to what I was saying about having to work in partnership—everyone together, not just Government alone—to ensure that we do get a TB-free Wales.
Rwy'n deall yn llwyr y trallod y mae'r digwyddiad y cyfeirioch chi ato a welwyd ar Ffermio yn ei achosi i ffermwyr a'u teuluoedd—rwy'n llwyr ddeall hynny. Ac nid y grŵp cynghori technegol yn unig ydyw; er fy mod yn gofyn iddyn nhw ei ystyried eto, fe wnaethom edrych ar hyn cyn i chi ddod i'r Senedd. Fe wnaethom edrych ar hyn gyda'r sector amaethyddol, oherwydd rwy'n deall yn iawn pa mor erchyll yw gweld lladd ar y fferm. Ond yn anffodus, ni wnaethom lawer o gynnydd, a dyna pam rwy'n gofyn i'r grŵp cynghori technegol edrych ar hyn ar frys. Rydym hefyd yn gofyn am farn gan yr undebau ffermio—wrth gwrs, mae'r undebau ffermio wedi trafod hyn gyda mi—a chynrychiolwyr eraill y diwydiant, fel y gallant gyflwyno i'r grŵp cynghori technegol beth yn union y credant fod ei angen. Mewn rhai achosion, yn anffodus, ni ellir osgoi lladd ar y fferm os na ellir cludo gwartheg i ladd-dy, neu os nad ydynt yn addas i'w bwyta gan bobl. Fodd bynnag, rwy'n credu bod cael gwared ar wartheg sydd wedi'u heintio â TB o'r fferm cyn gynted â phosibl yn amlwg yn elfen allweddol o'n rhaglen dileu TB. Ac rwy'n mynd yn ôl at yr hyn a ddywedais am orfod gweithio mewn partneriaeth—pawb gyda'n gilydd, nid Llywodraeth yn unig—er mwyn sicrhau ein bod ni'n cael Cymru sy'n rhydd o TB.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Llyr Gruffydd.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Llyr Gruffydd.
Diolch, Llywydd. Back in December, Minister, in scrutiny committee, I asked you in what way will the sustainable farming scheme recognise the potential devaluation of farmland caused by the requirement to plant trees on it. Because, obviously, there's a significant difference in value between good-quality, productive agricultural land and land that's been planted over with trees. Now, you couldn't answer my question then. You've had a bit of time to think about it; I wonder whether you could answer me today. Where in the proposed new system is that devaluation, or that loss of the value of farmland, recognised?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, yn ôl ym mis Rhagfyr yn y pwyllgor craffu, gofynnais i chi ym mha ffordd y bydd y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy yn cydnabod y perygl o ostwng gwerth tir fferm yn sgil y gofyniad i blannu coed arno. Oherwydd, yn amlwg, mae gwahaniaeth sylweddol rhwng gwerth tir amaethyddol cynhyrchiol o ansawdd da a gwerth tir lle cafodd coed eu plannu. Ni allech ateb fy nghwestiwn bryd hynny. Rydych wedi cael ychydig o amser i feddwl amdano; tybed a allwch chi ei ateb heddiw. Ble yn y system newydd arfaethedig y caiff dibrisio neu golli gwerth tir fferm ei gydnabod?
We are looking at all of the economic analysis of the sustainable farming scheme. We've started to prepare for that. We've had a great deal of analysis done. The analysis that we have done is not going to be reflected in the final scheme, once that comes in, in just over 12 months now. But the modelling that we've done is to provide us with evidence to inform the design of the scheme, and, obviously, we have to take things into consideration, like reduction in stocking, looking at land, as you say, looking at farm business income, looking at agricultural output, looking at what farm labour will be required. So, all that is part of the economic analysis.
Rydym yn edrych ar yr holl ddadansoddiad economaidd o'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy. Rydym wedi dechrau paratoi ar gyfer hynny. Rydym wedi cael llawer iawn o ymchwil wedi'i wneud. Ni fydd y dadansoddiad a wnaethom yn cael ei adlewyrchu yn y cynllun terfynol pan gaiff ei gyflwyno, mewn ychydig dros 12 mis bellach. Ond mae'r modelu a wnaethom yn mynd i ddarparu tystiolaeth i lywio'r modd y caiff y cynllun ei lunio, ac yn amlwg, mae'n rhaid inni ystyried pethau fel lleihau stoc, edrych ar dir, fel y dywedwch, edrych ar incwm busnes ffermydd, edrych ar allbwn amaethyddol, edrych ar ba lafur fferm fydd ei angen. Felly, mae hyn i gyd yn rhan o'r dadansoddiad economaidd.
But not necessarily reflected in the final scheme—is that what you're saying? Because, clearly, if you want people to sign up to the sustainable farming scheme—and it's something we all want to see, in terms of the outcomes for nature and climate and the wider public good—then they need to be encouraged to do so. Failure to recognise a devaluation in land value will be driving people away from the scheme. So, I think it's imperative on you as a Government to be able to explicitly answer that question when the time comes for you to be able to do so.
And we can debate and discuss, as we are doing, the proposal for 10 per cent tree cover, which—. Losing 10 per cent of your productive land invariably will have an impact on farm viability. We look at the nitrate vulnerable zones regulations—huge capital investment required for many farms, which they can ill afford. Many will have to de-stock, and that, again, will chip away at the viability of their farm. Bovine TB can have a paralysing effect on farm businesses, and, of course, can have huge consequences in terms of mental health, as we've so graphically seen broadcast this week.
Now, we can discuss these individual Government policies in their own right, but do you not accept that there's a cumulative impact at play here? Individually, they're chipping away at the industry, but, coming together, they could potentially be a hammer blow for people's livelihoods. So, can I ask: what assessment has the Government made of the situation in the round? How are you assessing the cumulative impact of all of your policies on the industry, which, understandably at the minute, feels under siege?
Ond nid o reidrwydd yn cael ei adlewyrchu yn y cynllun terfynol—ai dyna rydych chi'n ei ddweud? Oherwydd yn amlwg, os ydych chi am i bobl gofrestru ar gyfer y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy—ac mae'n rhywbeth rydym i gyd eisiau ei weld, o ran y canlyniadau i natur a'r hinsawdd a lles ehangach y cyhoedd—mae angen eu hannog i wneud hynny. Bydd methu cydnabod gostyngiad yng ngwerth tir yn gwneud i bobl droi eu cefnau ar y cynllun. Felly, rwy'n credu ei bod yn hanfodol eich bod chi fel Llywodraeth yn gallu ateb y cwestiwn hwnnw'n benodol pan ddaw'r amser i chi allu gwneud hynny.
A gallwn drafod a thrafod, fel y gwnawn, y cynnig ar gyfer gorchudd coed 10 y cant, sydd—. Bydd colli 10 y cant o'ch tir cynhyrchiol yn anochel yn cael effaith ar hyfywedd fferm. Edrychwn ar y rheoliadau parthau perygl nitradau—buddsoddiad cyfalaf enfawr sy'n ofynnol gan lawer o ffermydd, a rhywbeth y byddant yn ei chael hi'n anodd ei fforddio. Bydd yn rhaid i lawer ddad-stocio, a bydd hynny, unwaith eto, yn erydu hyfywedd eu fferm. Gall TB buchol gael effaith barlysol ar fusnesau fferm, ac wrth gwrs, gall arwain at ganlyniadau enfawr i iechyd meddwl, fel y gwelsom mor glir ar y rhaglen yr wythnos hon.
Nawr, gallwn drafod polisïau unigol y Llywodraeth ar eu pen eu hunain, ond onid ydych yn derbyn bod effaith gronnol ar waith yma? Yn unigol, maent yn erydu'r diwydiant, ond gyda'i gilydd, gallent fod yn ergyd drom i fywoliaeth pobl. Felly, a gaf fi ofyn: pa asesiad y mae'r Llywodraeth wedi'i wneud o'r sefyllfa yn gyffredinol? Sut ydych chi'n asesu effaith gronnol eich holl bolisïau ar y diwydiant, sydd, yn ddealladwy ar hyn o bryd, yn teimlo dan warchae?
Thank you. I think you make an important point—and I think you made it in committee—about the cumulative impact. And if we look at the cumulative impact of events that are outside our control—so, if you look at leaving the European Union, the COVID pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the cost of living, all that has had a cumulative impact on all of our economies, but, as you say, the agricultural sector as well. And, obviously, it is a time of great uncertainty and instability, and part of ensuring that the BPS payment was the same was to try and provide a bit of stability for our farmers.
But I do accept that, obviously, we're having to bring forward new policies, particularly around the sustainable farming scheme. You're probably aware that, at the moment, my officials are out there doing roadshows with farmers to make sure that the questions they have are answered face to face. I think that's really important, and we've seen really significant attendances. I think we've had three—I think today is the fourth workshop—and every one of them has exceeded the number of people that have been registered, which I think is really positive, and certainly the feedback I've had back.
So, as I say, we've done the modelling assessment around the economic analysis, which was on the pre-consultation, if you like. There will be a further one on the analysis that we have following the consultation responses, following the roadshows, ahead of that final design of the scheme. And it's really important that we take all that information into account.
You referred to agricultural pollution regulations, which I know you agree are very much needed, and it's really important that we work with the sector. And, again, I've been really fortunate to be able, within the cuts that I've had to my budget, to protect the money to help farmers, who, as you say, have to do significant work to ensure they meet the regulations. However, what I've always made clear is I will not put money towards people coming up to the baseline that they should have been at in the first place. But we are looking closely at the cumulative impact of the different policies, because it is a time of great change for our agricultural sector.
Diolch. Rwy'n credu eich bod chi'n gwneud pwynt pwysig—ac rwy'n meddwl eich bod chi wedi ei wneud yn y pwyllgor—am yr effaith gronnol. Ac os edrychwn ar effaith gronnol digwyddiadau sydd y tu hwnt i'n rheolaeth—felly, os edrychwch ar adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, pandemig COVID, y rhyfel yn Wcráin, costau byw, popeth sydd wedi cael effaith gronnol ar ein holl economïau, ond fel y dywedwch, y sector amaethyddol hefyd. Ac yn amlwg, mae'n gyfnod o ansicrwydd ac ansefydlogrwydd mawr, a rhan o sicrhau bod y taliad sylfaenol yr un fath oedd ceisio rhoi ychydig o sefydlogrwydd i'n ffermwyr.
Ond rwy'n derbyn ein bod, yn amlwg, yn gorfod cyflwyno polisïau newydd, yn enwedig mewn perthynas â'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy. Mae'n debyg eich bod yn ymwybodol fod fy swyddogion ar hyn o bryd allan yn cynnal sioeau teithiol gyda ffermwyr i sicrhau bod y cwestiynau sydd ganddynt yn cael eu hateb wyneb yn wyneb. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n bwysig iawn, ac rydym wedi gweld niferoedd mawr yn eu mynychu. Rwy'n meddwl ein bod wedi cael tri gweithdy—rwy'n meddwl mai heddiw yw'r pedwerydd—ac mae pob un ohonynt wedi gweld niferoedd mwy a mwy yn cofrestru, sy'n gadarnhaol iawn yn fy marn i, a dyna'n sicr yw'r adborth a gefais yn ôl.
Felly, fel y dywedaf, rydym wedi cynnal yr asesiad modelu o amgylch y dadansoddiad economaidd, a oedd ar y broses cyn ymgynghori, os mynnwch. Bydd un arall ar y dadansoddiad a gawn yn dilyn yr ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad, yn dilyn y sioeau teithiol, cyn llunio'r cynllun yn derfynol. Ac mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn ystyried yr holl wybodaeth honno.
Fe wnaethoch chi gyfeirio at reoliadau llygredd amaethyddol, a gwn eich bod yn cytuno bod eu hangen yn fawr, ac mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn gweithio gyda'r sector. Ac unwaith eto, rwyf wedi bod yn ffodus iawn o allu diogelu arian, o fewn y toriadau a gefais i fy nghyllideb, i helpu ffermwyr, sydd, fel y dywedwch, yn gorfod gwneud gwaith sylweddol i sicrhau eu bod yn bodloni'r rheoliadau. Fodd bynnag, rwyf bob amser wedi dweud yn glir na fyddaf yn rhoi arian i bobl gyrraedd y lefel sylfaenol y dylent fod arni yn y lle cyntaf. Ond rydym yn edrych yn ofalus ar effaith gronnol y gwahanol bolisïau, oherwydd mae'n gyfnod o newid mawr i'n sector amaethyddol.
3. Pa drafodaethau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cael gydag awdurdodau lleol ynghylch cynnal adolygiadau o fridio cŵn anghyfreithlon yn eu hardaloedd? OQ60552
3. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with local authorities regarding holding reviews of the breeding of illegal dogs in their areas? OQ60552
Our capacity to investigate and stop illegal breeding has increased significantly over recent years as a direct result of the Welsh Government-funded local authority enforcement project. Officials meet regularly with Animal Licensing Wales to discuss progress.
Mae ein gallu i ymchwilio ac atal bridio anghyfreithlon wedi cynyddu'n sylweddol dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf o ganlyniad uniongyrchol i'r prosiect gorfodi ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol a ariennir gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Mae swyddogion yn cyfarfod yn rheolaidd gyda Trwyddedu Anifeiliaid Cymru i drafod cynnydd.
Diolch am hwnna. Wel, i ddechrau, buaswn yn hoffi llongyfarch cyngor Caerfyrddin am y gwaith maen nhw wedi ei wneud gyda hyn. Cyhoeddwyd adolygiad o fridio cŵn anghyfreithlon yn yr ardal gan gabinet y cyngor, a nhw, rwy'n deall, ydy'r awdurdod lleol cyntaf yng Nghymru i wneud hyn, felly pob clod iddynt.
Thank you for that. Well, to begin with, I'd like to congratulate Carmarthenshire County Council for the work that they've done on this issue. They announced a review of the breeding of illegal dogs in the area by the council cabinet, and I understand that they are the first local authority in Wales to do this, so all praise is due to them.
Research from RSPCA Cymru shows that Caerphilly council received the third highest number of enquiries into dog breeding in 2022, and Carmarthenshire and Cardiff councils received yet more. Now, while the majority of investigations into these enquiries resulted in no further action, six resulted in formal action and two prosecutions were also undertaken. Caerphilly is the only local authority to have undertaken prosecutions relevant to illegal dog breeding, aside from Carmarthenshire, in 2022. I do commend them for the work that they've done. Of course, there have been a number of fatalities in recent years in the area. What do you think the Welsh Government can do, in terms of doing more to encourage councils across Wales to do more to tackle this issue, particularly in terms of conducting reviews into illegal dog breeding to prevent these appalling fatalities happening in the first place? Diolch.
Mae ymchwil gan RSPCA Cymru yn dangos mai cyngor Caerffili a gafodd y nifer uchaf ond dau o ymholiadau i fridio cŵn yn 2022, a bod cynghorau sir Gaerfyrddin a Chaerdydd wedi cael mwy na hynny. Nawr, er na wnaeth mwyafrif yr ymchwiliadau i'r ymholiadau hyn arwain at gamau pellach, arweiniodd chwech at gamau ffurfiol a chafwyd dau erlyniad hefyd. Caerffili yw'r unig awdurdod lleol i gael erlyniadau sy'n berthnasol i fridio cŵn yn anghyfreithlon yn 2022, ar wahân i sir Gaerfyrddin. Rwy'n eu canmol am y gwaith a wnaethant. Wrth gwrs, gwelwyd nifer o farwolaethau yn yr ardal yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Beth arall y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud yn eich barn chi i annog cynghorau ledled Cymru i wneud mwy i fynd i'r afael â'r mater hwn, yn enwedig mewn perthynas â chynnal adolygiadau i fridio cŵn anghyfreithlon er mwyn atal y marwolaethau echrydus hyn rhag digwydd yn y lle cyntaf? Diolch.
Thank you. Well, you do raise a very important point, and, as I say, we've had the local authority enforcement project, which I do think has led to best practice being shared, perhaps, in a way that it wasn't before. And I think it is really important that every local authority has the opportunity to undertake the inspections at dog breeding premises. And I think those visits, in particular, have led to a big change at the premises that have been visited. The teams led operations at ports across Wales, because I think that will really help with our local authorities as well. So, I am very keen that we continue the project. Obviously, I'm looking at what more we can do. You mentioned, sadly, the fatalities that we've seen in Caerphilly. You'll be aware I had the responsible dog ownership summit. I'm very keen to have a further one next year, because, whilst we haven't got all the levers, it's really important that we use the ones we do have in Wales.
Diolch. Wel, rydych chi'n codi pwynt pwysig iawn, ac fel y dywedais, rydym wedi cael prosiect gorfodi ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol, sydd, yn fy marn i, wedi arwain at rannu arferion gorau mewn ffordd nas gwelsom o'r blaen o bosibl. Ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn fod pob awdurdod lleol yn cael cyfle i gynnal yr arolygiadau mewn lleoliadau bridio cŵn. Ac rwy'n credu bod yr ymweliadau hynny, yn arbennig, wedi arwain at newid mawr yn y lleoliadau yr ymwelwyd â nhw. Arweiniodd y timau weithgarwch mewn porthladdoedd ledled Cymru, oherwydd rwy'n credu y bydd hynny'n help mawr gyda'n hawdurdodau lleol hefyd. Felly, rwy'n awyddus iawn i barhau â'r prosiect. Yn amlwg, rwy'n edrych ar beth arall y gallwn ei wneud. Roeddech chi'n sôn am y marwolaethau a welsom yng Nghaerffili. Fe fyddwch chi'n ymwybodol fy mod wedi cael uwchgynhadledd ar berchnogaeth gyfrifol ar gŵn. Rwy'n awyddus iawn i gael un arall y flwyddyn nesaf, oherwydd, er nad yw'r holl ysgogiadau ar gael at ein defnydd, mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn defnyddio'r rhai sydd gennym yng Nghymru.
Minister, illegal dog breeding is a major cause of concern for many across Wales and remains a prevalent animal welfare issue. This can be seen in the number of enquiries made to local authorities about illegal dog breeding, rising from 372 in 2021 to 465 in 2022. With Carmarthenshire County Council now launching a review into illegal dog breeding, I do sincerely hope that more local authorities will follow suit. Giving councillors the opportunity to accompany officers on searches of suspected illegal dog breeding premises will, hopefully, provide people with a better understanding of the issue. So, Minister, in light of Carmarthenshire council's decision, will you be encouraging other local authorities, including all of the ones in south-east Wales, to follow in their footsteps? And will the Welsh Government be making more funding available to local authorities to enforce the new rules on abandoned and stray American XL bullies? Thank you.
Weinidog, mae bridio cŵn anghyfreithlon yn achos pryder mawr i lawer ledled Cymru ac mae'n parhau i fod yn fater lles anifeiliaid sy'n codi ei ben yn aml. Gellir gweld hyn yn nifer yr ymholiadau a wnaed i awdurdodau lleol am fridio cŵn yn anghyfreithlon, a gododd o 372 yn 2021 i 465 yn 2022. Gyda Chyngor Sir Caerfyrddin bellach yn lansio adolygiad i fridio cŵn anghyfreithlon, rwy'n mawr obeithio y bydd mwy o awdurdodau lleol yn dilyn eu hesiampl. Gobeithio y bydd rhoi cyfle i gynghorwyr fynd gyda swyddogion ar chwiliadau o safleoedd y tybir eu bod yn bridio cŵn yn anghyfreithlon yn rhoi gwell dealltwriaeth o'r broblem i bobl. Felly, Weinidog, yng ngoleuni penderfyniad Cyngor Sir Caerfyrddin, a wnewch chi annog awdurdodau lleol eraill, gan gynnwys pob un o'r rhai yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru, i ddilyn ôl eu traed? Ac a fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau bod mwy o gyllid ar gael i awdurdodau lleol orfodi'r rheolau newydd ar gŵn crwydr bully XL Americanaidd, a rhai a adawyd? Diolch.
Well, in relation to the last part of your question, the UK Government are funding that. We don't have to fund that; it was the UK Government. The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 is a reserved matter. It's a piece of UK Government legislation, so they are funding that. But I think the point you make around Carmarthenshire, which Delyth Jewell referred to as well, is really important, and we will certainly be doing all we can to share, as I say, that best practice across Wales. But I do think it's really important to remember that the public have a significant role to play here. If they want to purchase a dog, it's really important that they visit the premises, that they look at the mum of the dog, rather than looking online, for instance, or other areas where, unfortunately, we do see an increase in illegal dog breeding.
Wel, ar ran olaf eich cwestiwn, mae Llywodraeth y DU yn ariannu hynny. Nid oes rhaid i ni ariannu hynny; Llywodraeth y DU sy'n gwneud hynny. Mae Deddf Cŵn Peryglus 1991 yn fater a gadwyd yn ôl. Deddfwriaeth Llywodraeth y DU yw hi, felly nhw sy'n ariannu hynny. Ond rwy'n credu bod y pwynt a wnewch ynglŷn â sir Gaerfyrddin, y cyfeiriodd Delyth Jewell ato hefyd, yn bwysig iawn, a byddwn yn sicr yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu i rannu arferion gorau ledled Cymru, fel y dywedaf. Ond rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn cofio bod gan y cyhoedd rôl bwysig i'w chwarae yma. Os ydynt am brynu ci, mae'n bwysig iawn eu bod yn ymweld â'r lleoliad, eu bod yn edrych ar fam y ci, yn hytrach nag edrych ar-lein, er enghraifft, neu fannau eraill lle rydym yn gweld cynnydd mewn bridio cŵn anghyfreithlon, yn anffodus.
My concern is not only about the breeding of illegal dogs, but also all dog breeding on estates in accommodation that is unsuitable for dog breeding, which causes the effect of excessive noise in the neighbourhood. We also have badly trained dogs that may not be an illegal breed, but which cause great concern when they run wild in an area. What action does the Welsh Government recommend for dealing with this problem?
Rwy'n pryderu nid yn unig am fridio cŵn anghyfreithlon, ond hefyd am bob math o fridio cŵn ar ystadau mewn mannau sy'n anaddas ar gyfer bridio cŵn, sy'n achosi gormod o sŵn yn y gymdogaeth. Mae gennym gŵn hefyd nad ydynt yn fridiau anghyfreithlon o bosibl, ond sydd wedi'u hyfforddi'n wael ac sy'n achosi pryder mawr pan fyddant yn rhedeg yn wyllt mewn ardal. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu hargymell i fynd i'r afael â'r broblem hon?
Thank you. Well, I go back to what I was saying about the funding that we gave for the enforcement project to be able to allow more inspectors to visit premises, where they can assess the premises and see exactly where dog breeding is taking place. We have seen improvements in dog breeding premises in the way that you referred to.
Diolch. Wel, rwy'n mynd yn ôl at yr hyn a ddywedais am yr arian a roesom i'r prosiect gorfodi i allu caniatáu i fwy o arolygwyr ymweld ag adeiladau, lle gallant asesu'r safle a gweld yn union ble mae bridio cŵn yn digwydd. Rydym wedi gweld gwelliannau mewn safleoedd bridio cŵn yn y ffordd y gwnaethoch chi nodi.
Yes, I'm going to join everybody in welcoming Carmarthenshire council for their inquiry, and, as you said, Minister, the public have to play a part here. It's fairly unbelievable that people buy dogs online. I find that incredible, personally, I have to say, but they do. So, I think there's an area here about education and maybe some of that education could happen in the school, because children are very receptive to understanding buying things online and very receptive to taking those messages back home. And I think that there is perhaps a job for us to do there.
But there's another job, too, with the borders with Ireland and the illegal import of puppies. Goodness knows whether they've been bred illegally or not, but they certainly aren't being traded legally. So, those are the two areas that I would like to see some advance in.
Rwy'n mynd i ymuno â phawb i groesawu ymchwiliad Cyngor Sir Caerfyrddin, ac fel y nodoch chi, Weinidog, mae'n rhaid i'r cyhoedd chwarae eu rhan. Mae'n anghredadwy fod pobl yn prynu cŵn ar-lein. Yn bersonol, rwy'n gweld hynny'n anhygoel, mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, ond maent yn gwneud hynny. Felly, rwy'n credu bod rhywbeth yma ynglŷn ag addysg ac efallai y gallai rhywfaint o'r addysg honno ddigwydd yn yr ysgol, oherwydd mae plant yn barod iawn i ddeall prynu pethau ar-lein ac yn barod iawn i fynd â'r negeseuon hynny yn ôl adref. Ac rwy'n credu efallai fod yna waith i ni ei wneud yn hynny o beth.
Ond mae yna waith arall hefyd gyda'r ffiniau ag Iwerddon a mewnforio cŵn bach yn anghyfreithlon. Dyn a ŵyr a ydynt wedi cael eu bridio'n anghyfreithlon ai peidio, ond yn sicr nid ydynt yn cael eu masnachu'n gyfreithlon. Felly, dyna'r ddau faes yr hoffwn weld cynnydd ynddynt.
Thank you. I did have discussions with the previous Minister for education to see what more we could do in schools. I think you're quite right—it is children. If you think about recycling, it was my children, I remember, when they were in school, who came home telling me about recycling in a way that I had not heard, 25 years ago. So, I think you're right. It's a really good place to be able to start to have that conversation about responsible pet ownership—not just dog ownership.
You're absolutely right about people purchasing dogs online. I just don't understand why a new owner would not want to research the seller and make sure that, in buying a puppy, they saw it with its mother. I think that's a really important piece of research that everyone should do before they purchase a dog.
In relation to the ports, I said in my earlier answer to Delyth Jewell that the local authority enforcement project team have led operations at ports across Wales to ensure that we are right there at the fore, to make sure that we can stop as much illegal puppy smuggling as we can.
Diolch. Cefais drafodaethau gyda'r Gweinidog addysg blaenorol i weld beth arall y gallem ei wneud mewn ysgolion. Rwy'n credu eich bod chi'n iawn—plant yw'r ateb. Os meddyliwch am ailgylchu, rwy'n cofio mai fy mhlant, pan oeddent yn yr ysgol, a ddaeth adref a dweud wrthyf am ailgylchu mewn ffordd nad oeddwn wedi clywed amdani 25 mlynedd yn ôl. Felly, rwy'n credu eich bod chi'n iawn. Mae'n lle da iawn i allu dechrau cael y sgwrs honno am berchnogaeth gyfrifol ar anifeiliaid anwes—nid perchnogaeth ar gŵn yn unig.
Rydych chi'n iawn am bobl yn prynu cŵn ar-lein. Nid wyf yn deall pam na fyddai perchennog newydd eisiau ymchwilio i'r gwerthwr a sicrhau eu bod, wrth brynu ci bach, yn ei weld gyda'i fam. Rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n waith ymchwil y dylai pawb ei wneud cyn prynu ci.
Mewn perthynas â'r porthladdoedd, dywedais yn fy ateb cynharach i Delyth Jewell fod tîm prosiect gorfodi awdurdodau lleol wedi arwain gweithgarwch mewn porthladdoedd ledled Cymru i sicrhau ein bod ni yno yn y blaen, er mwyn sicrhau y gallwn atal cymaint o smyglo cŵn bach anghyfreithlon ag y gallwn.
4. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y cymorth sydd ar gael i ffermwyr sy'n dioddef iechyd meddwl gwael? OQ60561
4. Will the Minister make a statement on the support available for farmers suffering from poor mental health? OQ60561
Thank you. The Welsh Government supports several important activities to aid mental health in our rural communities. These include FarmWell Wales, an information hub on personal and business resilience for farmers and their families, in which I have invested £45,000, and also the farm support group, which brings together farming charities in Wales.
Diolch. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi nifer o weithgareddau pwysig i gynorthwyo iechyd meddwl yn ein cymunedau gwledig. Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys FarmWell Cymru, hyb gwybodaeth ar wytnwch personol a busnes i ffermwyr a'u teuluoedd, lle rwyf wedi buddsoddi £45,000, a hefyd y grŵp cymorth ffermydd, sy'n dod ag elusennau ffermio yng Nghymru ynghyd.
Thank you very much, Minister. I know that you are very passionate about this particular agenda, and there is a new cross-Government mental health strategy being formed, led by Lynne Neagle. I think it's important that the loneliness and isolation of people in the agriculture sector is a feature of that strategy, and would you agree that it's vitally important that those groups and organisations that provide opportunities for socialising are maintained? And would you be able to outline some of the support that the Welsh Government gives to farmers, and the entire agriculture sector, where there is a prevalence of poor mental health and, tragically, there is also a large incidence of suicide?
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Weinidog. Rwy'n gwybod eich bod yn angerddol iawn am yr agenda benodol hon, a bod strategaeth iechyd meddwl trawslywodraethol newydd yn cael ei ffurfio, dan arweiniad Lynne Neagle. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig fod unigrwydd ac ynysigrwydd pobl yn y sector amaeth yn nodwedd o'r strategaeth honno, ac a fyddech chi'n cytuno ei bod yn hanfodol bwysig fod y grwpiau a'r sefydliadau sy'n darparu cyfleoedd i gymdeithasu yn cael eu cynnal? Ac a fyddech chi'n gallu amlinellu peth o'r cymorth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei roi i ffermwyr, a'r sector amaeth gyfan, lle ceir llawer o iechyd meddwl gwael, a nifer fawr o hunanladdiadau hefyd, yn drasig iawn?
Thank you. I'm fully aware that farmers face many barriers, including uncertainty, isolation and loneliness, and that obviously has a detrimental impact on mental well-being. I mentioned some of the funding that I gave in my original answer to you. We do support a number of important activities to aid mental health in our rural communities, and one such activity is the Wales Farm Support Group, which brings together several farming charities under one umbrella. I try to meet with them as often as I can. I met with them at the winter fair last, and during the COVID pandemic I met with them monthly, because we saw a huge increase in the number of calls to all the charities. As you say, we are looking at a new mental health charity across the Welsh Government, and my officials, alongside the Deputy Minister for Mental Health's officials, are working together to ensure that any new strategy absolutely endeavours to support rural and farming communities.
Diolch. Rwy'n gwbl ymwybodol fod ffermwyr yn wynebu llawer o rwystrau, gan gynnwys ansicrwydd, ynysigrwydd ac unigrwydd, ac mae hynny'n amlwg yn cael effaith niweidiol ar les meddyliol. Soniais am rywfaint o'r arian a roddais yn fy ateb gwreiddiol i chi. Rydym yn cefnogi nifer o weithgareddau pwysig i gynorthwyo iechyd meddwl yn ein cymunedau gwledig, ac un gweithgaredd o'r fath yw Grŵp Cymorth Ffermydd Cymru, sy'n dod â nifer o elusennau ffermio ynghyd o dan un ymbarél. Rwy'n ceisio cyfarfod â nhw mor aml ag y gallaf. Fe wneuthum eu cyfarfod yn y ffair aeaf ddiwethaf, ac yn ystod pandemig COVID byddwn yn cyfarfod â nhw bob mis, oherwydd gwelsom gynnydd enfawr yn nifer y galwadau i'r holl elusennau. Fel y dywedwch, rydym yn edrych ar strategaeth iechyd meddwl newydd ar draws Llywodraeth Cymru, ac mae fy swyddogion, ochr yn ochr â swyddogion y Dirprwy Weinidog Iechyd Meddwl, yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd i sicrhau bod unrhyw strategaeth newydd yn sicr yn ymdrechu i gefnogi cymunedau gwledig a ffermio.
I'm grateful to Ken Skates for raising this important issue here today, and, as you've highlighted, Minister, there are several good charities doing some great work in this area already, and I point to the Farm Safety Foundation and the DPJ Foundation, who have the 24-hour confidential helpline as well, of course. The Welsh Government's support for groups like this is really important. When I speak to farmers and they highlight some of their mental health worries with me, they often point to Welsh Government policy decisions impacting on their mental health. Take the example of your current bovine tuberculosis policy, which really has had, and still continues to have, a terrifying impact on the well-being of many farmers across Wales. So, Minister, I would like to know a bit about—. When you are implementing policies that are impacting farmers, what impact assessment are you taking on the mental health of our farmers when you're looking at these policy decisions?
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i Ken Skates am godi'r mater pwysig hwn yma heddiw, ac fel y nodwyd gennych, Weinidog, mae sawl elusen dda yn gwneud gwaith gwych yn y maes hwn eisoes, ac rwy'n cyfeirio at y Sefydliad Diogelwch Fferm a Sefydliad DPJ, sydd â'r llinell gymorth gyfrinachol 24 awr hefyd wrth gwrs. Mae cefnogaeth Llywodraeth Cymru i grwpiau fel hyn yn bwysig iawn. Pan fyddaf yn siarad â ffermwyr ac yn clywed am rai o'u pryderon iechyd meddwl, maent yn aml yn nodi bod penderfyniadau polisi Llywodraeth Cymru'n effeithio ar eu hiechyd meddwl. Un enghraifft yw eich polisi twbercwlosis buchol presennol, sydd wedi cael, ac sy'n dal i gael effaith frawychus ar les llawer o ffermwyr ledled Cymru. Felly, Weinidog, hoffwn wybod ychydig am—. Pan fyddwch chi'n gweithredu polisïau sy'n effeithio ar ffermwyr, pa asesiad effaith ydych chi'n ei wneud o iechyd meddwl ein ffermwyr wrth edrych ar y penderfyniadau polisi hyn?
Thank you. Well, what I want to do is cause as little stress as possible, and I go back to what I was saying to Llyr Huws Gruffydd—it is really important that you look at the cumulative impact. A lot of the events are outside of my control or outside of the Welsh Government's control, and it has been a time of great uncertainty. Certainly since, I think, the referendum back in 2016, when I came into post—that's when I've watched it more closely—I have seen trade deals done that have caused more stress, and I have seen the impact of the Ukraine war, which has clearly had an impact on the cost of food, fuel, fertilizer. So, it is very important that, when you're looking at policies, you do look at that cumulative impact. But, unfortunately, several of them are outside of our control.
Diolch. Wel, yr hyn rwyf am ei wneud yw achosi cyn lleied o straen â phosibl, ac rwy'n mynd yn ôl at yr hyn roeddwn i'n ei ddweud wrth Llyr Huws Gruffydd—mae'n bwysig iawn eich bod chi'n edrych ar yr effaith gronnol. Mae llawer o'r digwyddiadau y tu hwnt i fy rheolaeth neu y tu hwnt i reolaeth Llywodraeth Cymru, ac mae wedi bod yn gyfnod o ansicrwydd mawr. Yn sicr ers y refferendwm yn ôl yn 2016, pan ddeuthum i'r swydd—pan wyf wedi bod yn ei wylio'n agosach—gwelais gytundebau masnach yn cael eu gwneud sydd wedi achosi mwy o straen, a gwelais effaith rhyfel Wcráin, sy'n amlwg wedi cael effaith ar gost bwyd, tanwydd, gwrtaith. Felly, pan fyddwch chi'n edrych ar bolisïau, mae'n bwysig iawn eich bod chi'n edrych ar yr effaith gronnol honno. Ond yn anffodus, mae rhai ohonynt y tu hwnt i'n rheolaeth ni.
Wrth sôn am unigrwydd, gyda llaw, mae'n werth pwyntio allan nad ydy o’n help fod tafarndai gwledig yn cau, y llefydd lle'r oedd nifer o ffermwyr yn mynd ac yn rhannu gofidiau, a bellach dyw’r canolfannau hynny ddim yno. Felly, mi fuasai fo’n dda o beth gweld mwy o gymorth yn mynd i fusnesau gwledig fel hynny.
Ta waeth, i bwynt fy nghwestiwn atodol, wrth gwrs, mae ffermio yn ffordd o fyw yma yng Nghymru, ond maen nhw hefyd yn fusnesau bach. Nid yn unig mae'n rhaid i'r ffermwr edrych ar ôl yr anifeiliaid a hefyd y tir, ond hefyd mae'n rhaid cael milfeddygon i ddod i mewn, mae'n rhaid cadw cyfrifon, mae'n rhaid cofrestru yr anifeiliaid yna, a'r holl bethau eraill—y gwaith papur sylweddol—sydd yn rhaid i ffermwyr ei wneud. A'r straen ychwanegol yna a’r rheoliadau newydd cyson yma sydd yn dod, o ran iechyd a diogelwch, o ran glendid ar y fferm, bob un ohonyn nhw, ar ei ben ei hun, yn gwbl rhesymol, ond yn eu cyfanrwydd yn rhoi pwysau aruthrol ar fusnes bach, sy'n golygu nad yw'r amser, yn aml iawn, neu’r adnoddau gan y ffermwyr i gyflawni'r cyfan ar ben eu hunain, gan roi pwysau meddwl enbyd arnyn nhw ac yn golygu bod nifer fawr yn gweld nad oes ffordd allan o'r boen meddwl yna. Felly, o ran y gwaith ychwanegol yna, y gwaith papur, cofrestru ac yn y blaen, pa gymorth ychwanegol yr ydych chi’n ei roi i ffermwyr yn y maes yna er mwyn tynnu’r baich ychwanegol yna oddi ar eu hysgwyddau a galluogi ffermwyr i ffermio?
Talking of loneliness, it's worth pointing out that it doesn't help that rural pubs are closing, those places where many farmers would go and share their concerns, and those centres are no longer available, very often. So, it would be good to see more support provided to rural businesses of those kinds.
But, to the point of my supplementary, of course, farming is a way of life here in Wales, but they're also small businesses. Not only does the farmer have to care for livestock and the land, but they also need vets, they need to keep accounts, they need to register those animals, along with all of those other things—that significant paperwork—that farmers have to undertake. And that additional stress, along with constant new regulations coming in, in terms of health and safety, farm hygiene, all of them entirely reasonable on their own, but, as a whole, putting huge pressures on a small business, it often means that the time or the resources aren't available to deliver all of that alone, which then causes great stress and means that many find that there is no way out of this anxiety. So, in terms of that additional work of registration and all the paperwork and so on, what additional support do you provide to farmers in order to remove that additional burden from their shoulders and to enable farmers to farm?
Well, everything we've done since we've left the European Union—. If you asked farmers why, in general, they voted to leave the European Union, one of the biggest answers was the bureaucracy. So, it was vitally important to me that any paperwork that we brought in we tried to streamline, we tried to make sure—because most farmers are online now, there are no two ways about it; I've seen a huge increase in the number of farms that have gone online in the past five years, for certain—that we make it easier for them. We're trying to use tested systems. Rural Payments Wales is very well known to our farmers, so with any new schemes that we bring in, we look to use a system that they are used to to try and reduce that stress.
Wel, popeth a wnaethom ers inni adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd—. Pe baech yn gofyn i ffermwyr yn gyffredinol pam y gwnaethant bleidleisio i adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, un o'r atebion mwyaf oedd y fiwrocratiaeth. Felly, roedd hi'n hanfodol bwysig i mi ein bod yn symleiddio unrhyw waith papur a gâi ei gyflwyno gennym, ac fe wnaethom geisio gwneud yn siŵr—gan fod y rhan fwyaf o ffermwyr ar-lein nawr, nid oes unrhyw amheuaeth am hynny; gwelais gynnydd enfawr yn nifer y ffermydd sydd wedi mynd ar-lein yn y pum mlynedd diwethaf yn sicr—ein bod yn ei wneud yn haws iddynt. Rydym yn ceisio defnyddio systemau sydd wedi'u profi. Mae Taliadau Gwledig Cymru yn gyfarwydd iawn i'n ffermwyr, felly gydag unrhyw gynlluniau newydd a gyflwynwn, rydym yn ceisio defnyddio system y maent wedi arfer â hi i geisio lleihau'r straen.
Good afternoon, Minister. I just really wanted to continue the discussion around the pressures on farmers, as has been mentioned by Mabon ap Gwynfor, in terms of the extra paperwork. I wouldn't disagree with you at all that a major stress has been the pressures on farmers in leaving the European Union, but there are also additional pressures around the paperwork that the Welsh Government has put on farmers. So, just in the last 12 to 18 months, we've seen the control of agricultural pollution, we've seen Habitat Wales regulations and the problems there with the mapping difficulties. Tuberculosis—the paperwork for testing is excessive. There's the sustainable farming scheme and the concern at the sustainability, particularly around the 10 per cent tree requirement. Also, I raised last week that paperwork is dropping into farmers' letterboxes around land valuation tax, which is again just putting an extra stress on them. And that's on top of what are everyday expectations around paperwork and bills that all of us have to cope with. In conversation with farmers, I know many of us have heard that these are real stresses for them. So, I do hope that the Welsh Government will do more to reassure farmers that any fresh red tape from the Welsh Government will not exacerbate the considerable mental health pressures that farmers are already facing. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Prynhawn da, Weinidog. Roeddwn eisiau parhau â'r drafodaeth ynghylch y pwysau ar ffermwyr, fel y crybwyllwyd gan Mabon ap Gwynfor, o ran y gwaith papur ychwanegol. Ni fuaswn yn anghytuno â chi o gwbl mai un o'r prif achosion straen yw'r pwysau ar ffermwyr wrth adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, ond mae pwysau ychwanegol hefyd gyda'r gwaith papur y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i greu i ffermwyr. Felly, yn ystod y 12 i 18 mis diwethaf yn unig, rydym wedi gweld rheoli llygredd amaethyddol, rydym wedi gweld rheoliadau Cynefin Cymru a'r problemau yno gyda'r anawsterau mapio. Twbercwlosis—mae'r gwaith papur ar gyfer profi yn ormodol. Mae'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy a'r pryder ynghylch cynaliadwyedd, yn enwedig ynghylch y gofyniad coed o 10 y cant. Hefyd, yr wythnos diwethaf soniais fod gwaith papur yn cyrraedd blychau llythyrau ffermwyr ynghylch treth gwerth tir, sydd unwaith eto'n rhoi straen ychwanegol arnynt. A hynny ar ben disgwyliadau bob dydd gyda gwaith papur a biliau y mae'n rhaid i bob un ohonom ymdopi â nhw. Wrth sgwrsio â ffermwyr, rwy'n gwybod bod llawer ohonom wedi clywed bod y rhain yn peri straen go iawn iddynt. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud mwy i sicrhau ffermwyr na fydd unrhyw fiwrocratiaeth newydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn gwaethygu'r pwysau iechyd meddwl sylweddol y mae ffermwyr eisoes yn ei ddioddef. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Thank you. Well, that's certainly been my aim. I remember saying to officials that if we increased the bureaucracy around what you've got for the basic payment scheme and if it was more for the sustainable farming scheme, that would not be a good thing at all. I think, in relation to your comments around Habitat Wales, there certainly were issues with mapping. But, in some ways, we can learn those lessons ahead of SFS, and perhaps it was better that it happened with a smaller scheme. It would have been better if it hadn't happened at all, but unfortunately it has happened. But it's really important that lessons have been learnt and I've certainly had assurance from officials that that is the case.
I do have to say, if you're in receipt of public money, we have to make sure that we can account for it. Opposition Members—well, any Member here—would be the first to criticise Ministers and the Government if we weren't able to account for that public money, so, unfortunately, when you are in receipt of public money, in whatever form of support or subsidy, it is really important that the paperwork is correct. And I absolutely understand, as someone who hates doing anything official—it just builds up and builds up—that it does cause a level of stress when—I think Mabon ap Gwynfor put it very clearly—you're looking after animals, you're running a business, you're looking after a home, you've got a family, et cetera, and it's just another worry. So, it is really important that we streamline it as much as we can.
Diolch. Yn sicr, dyna yw fy nod. Rwy'n cofio dweud wrth swyddogion, pe byddem yn cynyddu'r fiwrocratiaeth o amgylch yr hyn sydd gennych ar gyfer y cynllun taliadau sylfaenol a phe bai'n fwy ar gyfer y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy, ni fyddai hynny'n beth da o gwbl. Ar eich sylwadau ynghylch Cynefin Cymru, yn sicr roedd problemau gyda mapio. Ond mewn rhai ffyrdd, gallwn ddysgu'r gwersi hynny cyn y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy, ac efallai ei bod hi'n well ei fod wedi digwydd gyda chynllun llai. Byddai wedi bod yn well pe na bai wedi digwydd o gwbl, ond yn anffodus mae wedi digwydd. Ond mae'n bwysig iawn fod gwersi wedi'u dysgu ac rwy'n sicr wedi cael sicrwydd gan swyddogion fod hynny wedi digwydd.
Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, os ydych chi'n derbyn arian cyhoeddus, mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau y gallwn roi cyfrif amdano. Aelodau'r gwrthbleidiau—wel, unrhyw Aelod yma—fyddai'r cyntaf i feirniadu Gweinidogion a'r Llywodraeth pe na baem yn gallu rhoi cyfrif am yr arian cyhoeddus hwnnw, felly, yn anffodus, pan fyddwch yn derbyn arian cyhoeddus, ar ba bynnag ffurf o gymorth neu gymhorthdal, mae'n bwysig iawn fod y gwaith papur yn gywir. Ac rwy'n deall yn llwyr, fel rhywun sy'n casáu gwneud unrhyw beth swyddogol—mae'n cronni ac yn cronni—ei fod yn achosi lefel o straen—rwy'n meddwl bod Mabon ap Gwynfor wedi ei ddisgrifio'n glir iawn—pan fyddwch chi'n edrych ar ôl anifeiliaid, yn rhedeg busnes, yn edrych ar ôl cartref, pan fydd gennych deulu, ac yn y blaen, ac mae'n boen meddwl arall eto. Felly, mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn ei symleiddio cymaint ag y gallwn.
5. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio i hyrwyddo perchnogaeth gyfrifol ar gŵn? OQ60576
5. How is the Welsh Government working to promote responsible dog ownership? OQ60576
Diolch. I hosted a multi-agency summit in October to discuss responsible dog ownership and what can be done using the levers available to Wales. I issued a written statement on 6 December, setting out our next steps, both for the welfare of dogs and the safety of the public.
Diolch. Cynhaliais uwchgynhadledd amlasiantaethol ym mis Hydref i drafod perchnogaeth gyfrifol ar gŵn a’r hyn y gellir ei wneud gan ddefnyddio’r ysgogiadau sydd ar gael i Gymru. Cyhoeddais ddatganiad ysgrifenedig ar 6 Rhagfyr, yn nodi ein camau nesaf, er lles cŵn ac er diogelwch y cyhoedd.
Minister, last October in the St Julian's area of Newport East, there was an attack by an XL bully dog on a delivery driver, which left that driver in fear for his life. There are many examples, I know, across Wales, unfortunately. So, we obviously need to think about how we promote more responsible dog ownership. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have been calling on Welsh Government to consider the launch of a Wales-wide public awareness-raising campaign, and that would remind dog owners of their responsibilities and legal obligations whilst also signposting them to relevant advice and online resources, such as the code of practice for the welfare of dogs. That campaign could also advise the wider public on where to turn if they have concerns about dog behaviour, be that their own dog or somebody else's. So, I just wonder what your up-to-date position is, Minister, in terms of whether or not Welsh Government will be carrying out that public awareness-raising campaign, as the RSPCA suggest.
Weinidog, fis Hydref diwethaf yn ardal Sain Silian yn Nwyrain Casnewydd, ymosododd ci bully XL ar yrrwr danfon nwyddau, gan wneud i'r gyrrwr hwnnw ofni am ei fywyd. Gwn fod llawer o enghreifftiau o hyn ledled Cymru, yn anffodus. Felly, yn amlwg, mae angen inni feddwl sut rydym yn hyrwyddo perchnogaeth fwy cyfrifol ar gŵn. Mae’r Gymdeithas Frenhinol er Atal Creulondeb i Anifeiliaid (RSPCA) wedi bod yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ystyried lansio ymgyrch godi ymwybyddiaeth ymhlith y cyhoedd ledled Cymru, a fyddai’n atgoffa perchnogion cŵn am eu cyfrifoldebau a’u rhwymedigaethau cyfreithiol, gan eu cyfeirio ar yr un pryd at gyngor perthnasol ac adnoddau ar-lein, megis y cod ymarfer er lles cŵn. Gallai’r ymgyrch honno hefyd gynghori’r cyhoedd yn ehangach ble i droi pe bai ganddynt bryderon am ymddygiad cŵn, naill ai am eu ci eu hunain neu gi rhywun arall. Felly, tybed beth yw eich safbwynt diweddaraf, Weinidog, ynglŷn ag a fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn cynnal yr ymgyrch godi ymwybyddiaeth gyhoeddus honno ai peidio, fel y mae'r RSPCA yn ei awgrymu?
Thank you. Well, the RSPCA were part of the summit that we held back in October. As I mentioned earlier, I'm hoping to hold another summit, maybe not quite on the level we did in October, but I'm hoping to hold another one next month. There were some recommendations that came out of that summit for us, so, for instance, how police forces can reprioritise and report dog-related incidents. So, I've written to all the chief constables. I've also written to all local authorities, so that we can maintain a bit of momentum in this space; I think it's really important that we continue to do that.
You mentioned an attack by an XL bully. I think it's really important to remember that any dog can be dangerous, and responsible ownership is vital for all breeds of dog. My officials are continuing to work closely with third sector organisations, such as the RSPCA, and local authority colleagues to be able to continue to promote responsible dog ownership and to deliver the short, medium and long-term actions that are highlighted in the summit. We do do campaigns; we do our—I've forgotten what it's called now—Paws, Prevent, Protect campaign. We always do that in the run-up to Christmas. Sorry: we have a campaign in the run-up to Christmas, and then Paws, Prevent, Protect is used the rest of the year. So, we already have that. But it's really about reminding prospective purchasers of the need to research their puppy, going back to what I was saying before, to make sure that we are ensuring that owners are responsible. We saw a huge increase in the number of people owning pets during the COVID-19 pandemic and, unfortunately, as we've seen the cost-of-living crisis worsen, we've seen pressures on household budgets, which has brought forward other difficulties.
Diolch. Wel, roedd yr RSPCA yn rhan o’r uwchgynhadledd a gynhaliwyd gennym yn ôl ym mis Hydref. Fel y soniais yn gynharach, rwy'n gobeithio cynnal uwchgynhadledd arall, nid ar yr un lefel a'r un a gynhaliwyd gennym ym mis Hydref efallai, ond rwy'n gobeithio cynnal un arall fis nesaf. Cawsom argymhellion o’r uwchgynhadledd honno, felly, er enghraifft, sut y gall heddluoedd ailflaenoriaethu ac adrodd am ddigwyddiadau sy’n ymwneud â chŵn. Felly, rwyf wedi ysgrifennu at yr holl brif gwnstabliaid. Rwyf hefyd wedi ysgrifennu at bob awdurdod lleol, fel y gallwn gadw ychydig o fomentwm yn y cyswllt hwn; rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod yn parhau i wneud hynny.
Fe sonioch chi am ymosodiad gan gi bully XL. Credaf ei bod yn wirioneddol bwysig cofio y gall unrhyw gi fod yn beryglus, ac mae perchnogaeth gyfrifol yn hanfodol ar gyfer pob math o gi. Mae fy swyddogion yn parhau i weithio’n agos gyda sefydliadau’r trydydd sector, megis yr RSPCA, a chydweithwyr awdurdodau lleol i allu parhau i hyrwyddo perchnogaeth gyfrifol ar gŵn ac i gyflawni’r camau gweithredu tymor byr, canolig a hir a nodir yn yr uwchgynhadledd. Rydym yn cynnal ymgyrchoedd; rydym yn cynnal ein hymgyrch—rwyf wedi anghofio ei henw—Aros, Atal, Amddiffyn. Rydym bob amser yn gwneud hynny yn y cyfnod cyn y Nadolig. Mae'n ddrwg gennyf: mae gennym ymgyrch yn y cyfnod cyn y Nadolig, ac yna defnyddir Aros, Atal, Amddiffyn dros weddill y flwyddyn. Felly, mae hynny eisoes ar waith gennym. Ond mewn gwirionedd, mae'n ymwneud ag atgoffa darpar brynwyr o'r angen i wneud ymchwil mewn perthynas â'u ci bach, gan fynd yn ôl at yr hyn roeddwn yn ei ddweud ynghynt, a gwneud yn siŵr ein bod yn sicrhau bod perchnogion yn gyfrifol. Gwelsom gynnydd enfawr yn nifer y bobl a oedd yn berchen ar anifeiliaid anwes yn ystod pandemig COVID-19, ac yn anffodus, wrth inni weld yr argyfwng costau byw yn gwaethygu, rydym wedi gweld pwysau ar gyllidebau aelwydydd, sydd wedi arwain at broblemau eraill.
I'd like to commend the UK Conservative Government for ensuring that XL bully dogs must be kept on a lead and muzzled in public. From 1 February this year, it will be illegal to own one unless it has been neutered and microchipped. This was following a number of vicious and, sadly, fatal attacks involving the breed, both on other canines and indeed people. The Minister may be aware that I raised the issue of the XL bully dog breed last year in the Senedd Chamber. In 2023, 43 per cent of dog attacks have been caused by large bully breeds, with 11 confirmed human deaths caused by this breed since 2021. Given these frightening statistics, it is reassuring to see regulations introduced to mitigate this danger, something I called for last year.
However, I am sure the Minister is aware that XL bullies are not the only issue regarding dog ownership in Wales: cruelty to dogs in Wales has tragically increased by 10 per cent last year. In 2022, there were 3,379 reports made to the RSPCA in Wales about cruelty to dogs, compared to 3,065 in 2021, so an increase of around 300. We also saw 579 reports of intentional harm in 2022, with 45 abandonment reports. There was an example in my constituency, in Rhyl, when an underweight dog in an extremely poor condition was abandoned. These statistics paint a sad picture of animal welfare in Wales where, clearly, action is needed.
The cost-of-living crisis means that the cost of rescuing animals is at an all-time high and vital services are stretched to the limits. Given this fact, will the Minister therefore outline what financial support the Welsh Government is making available to animal welfare organisations in Wales, as well as outlining whether the Government will consider promoting community policing as a means of tackling animal abuse, such as dog abandonment—
Hoffwn ganmol Llywodraeth Geidwadol y DU am sicrhau bod yn rhaid i gŵn bully XL gael eu cadw ar dennyn a bod yn rhaid rhoi safnffrwyn arnynt yn gyhoeddus. O 1 Chwefror eleni, fe fydd yn anghyfreithlon i fod yn berchen ar un oni bai ei fod wedi'i niwtro a'i ficrosglodynnu. Daw hyn yn sgil nifer o ymosodiadau milain, ac angheuol yn anffodus, gan gŵn o'r brîd hwn, ar gŵn eraill, ac yn wir, ar bobl. Efallai fod y Gweinidog yn ymwybodol imi godi mater brîd cŵn bully XL y llynedd yn Siambr y Senedd. Yn 2023, mae 43 y cant o ymosodiadau gan gŵn wedi’u hachosi gan fridiau bully mawr, gydag 11 achos a gadarnhawyd o farwolaethau dynol a achoswyd gan y brîd hwn ers 2021. O ystyried yr ystadegau brawychus hyn, mae’n galonogol gweld rheoliadau’n cael eu cyflwyno i liniaru’r perygl hwn, rhywbeth y gelwais amdano'r llynedd.
Fodd bynnag, rwy'n siŵr fod y Gweinidog yn ymwybodol nad cŵn bully XL yw’r unig broblem mewn perthynas â pherchnogaeth ar gŵn yng Nghymru: yn drasig, fe wnaeth creulondeb i gŵn yng Nghymru gynyddu 10 y cant y llynedd. Yn 2022, gwnaed 3,379 o adroddiadau i’r RSPCA yng Nghymru am greulondeb i gŵn, o gymharu â 3,065 yn 2021, felly cynnydd o oddeutu 300. Gwelsom 579 o adroddiadau hefyd o niwed bwriadol yn 2022, gyda 45 o adroddiadau am gŵn wedi'u gadael. Roedd enghraifft yn fy etholaeth i, yn y Rhyl, pan gafodd ci a oedd dan bwysau ac mewn cyflwr eithriadol o wael ei adael. Mae’r ystadegau hyn yn rhoi darlun trist o les anifeiliaid yng Nghymru lle mae'n amlwg fod angen cymryd camau.
Mae'r argyfwng costau byw yn golygu bod cost achub anifeiliaid ar ei huchaf erioed, ac mae gwasanaethau hanfodol yn cael eu hymestyn i'r eithaf. O ystyried hyn, a wnaiff y Gweinidog amlinellu felly pa gymorth ariannol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei roi i sefydliadau lles anifeiliaid yng Nghymru, yn ogystal â nodi a fydd y Llywodraeth yn ystyried hyrwyddo plismona cymunedol fel ffordd o fynd i’r afael â cham-drin anifeiliaid, megis gadael cŵn—
That's enough. I've been very generous here. There were at least two questions there and a long preamble. Minister.
Dyna ddigon. Rwyf wedi bod yn hael iawn yma. Roedd o leiaf ddau gwestiwn yno, yn ogystal â rhagarweiniad hir. Weinidog.
Thank you. Well, unfortunately, we had seen a disproportionate number of attacks by XL bully dogs, and it took a long time for the UK Government to take some action. I had been in discussions with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs Minister on many occasions about ensuring that the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was fit for purpose, which it clearly wasn't, and I think even the DEFRA Secretary of State was taken by surprise by the announcement that the Prime Minister made, and I, too, welcomed it. However, I don't think they looked at the unintended consequences that unfortunately have now come to fruition and we are having to work with.
On your second point around animal cruelty, unfortunately, we do see people treating animals cruelly, and we do support a number of third sector organisations. I mentioned, in my earlier answer to John Griffiths, about the responsible dog ownership summit we had in October, and the number of recommendations that came out, and one of them is working with the police in a different way. I think I'm due to meet the chief constable of Gwent in the near future—it might not be the chief constable, but certainly a high-ranking officer—around what more can be done. It's really good that we've got Rob Taylor, the wildlife and rural crime co-ordinator, who does so much work with our police authorities here in Wales to highlight this issue.
Diolch. Wel, yn anffodus, roeddem wedi gweld nifer anghymesur o ymosodiadau gan gŵn bully XL, a chymerodd amser maith i Lywodraeth y DU gymryd camau. Roeddwn wedi cael sawl trafodaeth â Gweinidog Adran yr Amgylchedd, Bwyd a Materion Gwledig ynglŷn â sicrhau bod Deddf Cŵn Peryglus 1991 yn addas i’r diben, gan ei bod yn amlwg nad ydoedd, a chredaf fod hyd yn oed Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Adran yr Amgylchedd, Bwyd a Materion Gwledig wedi’i synnu gan y cyhoeddiad a wnaeth Prif Weinidog y DU, ac roeddwn innau hefyd yn ei groesawu. Fodd bynnag, ni chredaf eu bod wedi edrych ar y canlyniadau anfwriadol sydd bellach i'w gweld, yn anffodus, ac rydym yn gorfod gweithio gyda'r rheini.
Ar eich ail bwynt ynghylch creulondeb i anifeiliaid, yn anffodus, rydym yn gweld pobl yn trin anifeiliaid yn greulon, ac rydym yn cefnogi nifer o sefydliadau trydydd sector. Yn fy ateb cynharach i John Griffiths, soniais am yr uwchgynhadledd perchnogaeth ar gŵn a gawsom ym mis Hydref, a'r nifer o argymhellion a wnaed, ac un ohonynt oedd gweithio gyda’r heddlu mewn ffordd wahanol. Rwy'n credu fy mod i fod i gyfarfod â phrif gwnstabl Gwent yn y dyfodol agos—efallai nad y prif gwnstabl, ond yn sicr, swyddog uchel ei statws—ynglŷn â beth arall y gellir ei wneud. Mae'n dda iawn fod gennym Rob Taylor, y cydgysylltydd troseddau cefn gwlad a bywyd gwyllt, sy'n gwneud cymaint o waith gydag awdurdodau'r heddlu yma yng Nghymru i dynnu sylw at y mater hwn.
Mae cwestiwn 6 [OQ60572] wedi ei dynnu nôl. Cwestiwn 7, Samuel Kurtz.
Question 6 [OQ60572] is withdrawn. Question 7, Samuel Kurtz.
7. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi pysgodfeydd a dyframaethu? OQ60567
7. How is the Welsh Government supporting fisheries and aquaculture? OQ60567
Welsh Government has prioritised the delivery of our statutory obligations in collaboration with stakeholders, including the delivery of fisheries management plans. The first were for scallop and bass fisheries and were delivered at the end of last year, in line with the timelines set out in the joint fisheries statement.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi blaenoriaeth i gyflawni ein rhwymedigaethau statudol mewn cydweithrediad â rhanddeiliaid, gan gynnwys cyflwyno cynlluniau rheoli pysgodfeydd. Roedd y rhai cyntaf ar gyfer pysgodfeydd cregyn bylchog a draenogiaid môr, ac fe’u cyflwynwyd ddiwedd y llynedd, yn unol â’r amserlenni a nodir yn y cyd-ddatganiad pysgodfeydd.
Thank you, Minister. And you'll be aware that your rural affairs budget has taken a considerable hit in the Welsh Government's draft budget, announced last month, and whilst all responsibilities in your portfolio have been affected, one given quite little notice is the reduction of the fisheries budget by over £1.7 million in the forthcoming financial year. Whilst fisheries and aquaculture don't attract the same attention as other types of food production, they do make a valuable and worthwhile contribution to our Welsh economy. So, in light of these cuts, what support is being offered to the Welsh fishery and aquaculture industry, to enable it to compete with other UK and EU counterparts and to invest in growth?
Diolch, Weinidog. Ac fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod eich cyllideb materion gwledig wedi cael cryn ergyd yng nghyllideb ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru, a gyhoeddwyd y mis diwethaf, ac er bod holl gyfrifoldebau eich portffolio wedi’u heffeithio, un na chafodd lawer o sylw yw’r gostyngiad o dros £1.7 miliwn yn y gyllideb pysgodfeydd yn y flwyddyn ariannol sydd i ddod. Er nad yw pysgodfeydd a dyframaeth yn cael yr un sylw â mathau eraill o gynhyrchiant bwyd, maent yn gwneud cyfraniad gwerthfawr a gwerth chweil i economi Cymru. Felly, yng ngoleuni’r toriadau hyn, pa gymorth sy’n cael ei gynnig i ddiwydiant pysgodfeydd a dyframaeth Cymru, i’w alluogi i gystadlu â diwydiannau cyfatebol eraill yn y DU a’r UE ac i fuddsoddi mewn twf?
We've made £1.5 million available to the Welsh marine and fishery scheme for 2023-24. There have been three funding rounds and, unfortunately—obviously, it's a demand-led scheme—it has been disappointing, the take-up of that funding. That's why I was able to reallocate £0.5 million and, obviously, that has had an impact on the way we've looked at the budget for 2024 and 2025. Those proposals are currently in development. They will offer a broad range of funding activities for the sector, but I want to do it in collaboration with the sector and listen to what our stakeholders think is important to them.
Rydym wedi sicrhau bod £1.5 miliwn ar gael i gynllun môr a physgodfeydd Cymru ar gyfer 2023-24. Bu tri chylch ariannu, ac yn anffodus—yn amlwg, mae'n gynllun sy'n cael ei arwain gan alw—mae wedi bod yn siomedig, y nifer sydd wedi manteisio ar y cyllid hwnnw. Dyna pam y bu modd imi ailddyrannu £0.5 miliwn, ac yn amlwg, mae hynny wedi cael effaith ar y ffordd rydym wedi edrych ar y gyllideb ar gyfer 2024 a 2025. Mae’r cynigion hynny'n cael eu datblygu ar hyn o bryd. Byddant yn cynnig ystod eang o weithgareddau cyllido ar gyfer y sector, ond hoffwn wneud hyn ar y cyd â’r sector a gwrando ar yr hyn y mae ein rhanddeiliaid yn credu sy’n bwysig iddynt.
8. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i gefnogi'r diwydiant amaethyddol ym Mhreseli Sir Benfro? OQ60542
8. What is the Welsh Government doing to support the agricultural industry in Preseli Pembrokeshire? OQ60542
Farmers in Pembrokeshire have received almost £18 million of basic payment scheme payments since October, which is over 99.9 per cent of claimants. This support is in addition to our Farming Connect service, which continues to provide important help and advice to agriculture businesses in Pembrokeshire.
Mae ffermwyr yn sir Benfro wedi cael bron i £18 miliwn o daliadau drwy gynllun y taliad sylfaenol ers mis Hydref, sef dros 99.9 y cant o hawlwyr. Mae’r cymorth hwn yn ychwanegol at ein gwasanaeth Cyswllt Ffermio, sy’n parhau i ddarparu cymorth a chyngor pwysig i fusnesau amaethyddol yn sir Benfro.
Thank you for that response, Minister. One way of supporting the agricultural industry is to support its future by supporting young people who want to be involved with the industry in the future. And two weeks ago, representatives of the Wales Federation of Young Farmers Clubs launched their annual impact report here at the Senedd. That report shows just how valuable young farmers clubs are in supporting our agricultural industry, and indeed our rural communities, as well as preserving and promoting our culture and the Welsh language. There are plenty of examples of their incredible outreach work in my own constituency.
So, Minister, given the huge impact the movement has in rural communities in Pembrokeshire, and indeed across Wales, can you tell us what support the Welsh Government is providing to help the movement continue to play a vital role in our agricultural industries, and indeed in our rural communities, for years to come?
Diolch am eich ymateb, Weinidog. Un ffordd o gefnogi’r diwydiant amaethyddol yw cefnogi ei ddyfodol drwy gynorthwyo pobl ifanc sy'n dymuno bod yn rhan o’r diwydiant yn y dyfodol. A phythefnos yn ôl, lansiodd cynrychiolwyr Clybiau Ffermwyr Ifanc Cymru eu hadroddiad effaith blynyddol yma yn y Senedd. Mae’r adroddiad hwnnw’n dangos pa mor werthfawr yw clybiau ffermwyr ifanc yn cefnogi ein diwydiant amaethyddol, a'n cymunedau gwledig yn wir, yn ogystal â chadw a hyrwyddo ein diwylliant a’r Gymraeg. Mae digon o enghreifftiau o’u gwaith allgymorth anhygoel yn fy etholaeth.
Felly, Weinidog, o ystyried yr effaith enfawr y mae’r mudiad yn ei chael ar gymunedau gwledig yn sir Benfro, a ledled Cymru yn wir, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym pa gymorth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei ddarparu i helpu’r mudiad i barhau i chwarae rhan hanfodol yn ein diwydiannau amaethyddol, ac yn ein cymunedau gwledig yn wir, am flynyddoedd i ddod?
Thank you. Certainly, the young farmers clubs do, as you say, play a vital role, and I think in my last oral questions session you raised some excellent work—I can't remember if it was trainers or shoes—that was being done in one of your local young farmers clubs. So, we can see the huge impact they have, not just on themselves, but on the community. I also think that, as an organisation, they are excellent. The skills that they have take them through life. We haven't been able to fund them as much as we would want to. I always try to support their activities. I met with the—I was going to say the new chief exec, but she's probably been in post a little while now. I met with her last year to discuss what their asks are and what funding and support we were able to give them as a Government.
Diolch. Yn sicr, mae’r clybiau ffermwyr ifanc, fel y dywedwch, yn chwarae rôl hanfodol, a chredaf ichi grybwyll gwaith rhagorol yn fy sesiwn gwestiynau llafar ddiwethaf—ni allaf gofio ai esgidiau ymarfer neu esgidiau ydoedd—a oedd yn cael ei wneud yn un o'ch clybiau ffermwyr ifanc lleol. Felly, gallwn weld yr effaith enfawr a gânt, nid yn unig arnynt eu hunain, ond ar y gymuned. Rwy'n credu hefyd eu bod yn rhagorol fel sefydliad. Mae'r sgiliau a gânt yn aros gyda nhw drwy eu bywydau. Nid ydym wedi gallu eu hariannu i'r graddau y byddem wedi dymuno. Rwyf bob amser yn ceisio cefnogi eu gweithgareddau. Cyfarfûm â'r—roeddwn am ddweud y prif weithredwr newydd, ond mae'n debyg ei bod wedi bod yn y swydd ers tro bellach. Cyfarfûm â hi'r llynedd i drafod beth yw eu gofynion a pha gyllid a chymorth y gallem eu rhoi iddynt fel Llywodraeth.
Cwestiwn 9 yn olaf. Jack Sargeant.
Finally, question 9, Jack Sargeant.
9. Sut y mae'r Gweinidog yn gweithio gyda chydweithwyr ar draws y Llywodraeth i amddiffyn cymunedau yn Alun a Glannau Dyfrdwy rhag llifogydd? OQ60553
9. How is the Minister working with colleagues across Government to protect communities in Alyn and Deeside from flooding? OQ60553
Across Welsh Government, we work closely with our local authorities and Natural Resources Wales as lead flood risk management authorities. We encourage RMAs to put forward proposed schemes for funding under our flood and coastal erosion risk management programme.
Ar draws Llywodraeth Cymru, rydym yn gweithio’n agos gyda’n hawdurdodau lleol a Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru fel yr awdurdodau rheoli perygl llifogydd arweiniol. Rydym yn annog awdurdodau rheoli risg i gyflwyno cynlluniau arfaethedig ar gyfer cyllid o dan ein rhaglen rheoli perygl llifogydd ac erydu arfordirol.
I'm grateful to the Minister for her answer. Minister, I've been contacted by residents in Mancot and Broughton again in recent weeks, who were impacted by flooding from storm Babet late last year. They were concerned that the recent storms could once again impact their properties, and their concerns are absolutely understandable, as many of them have been flooded twice in the last few years. I raise this matter in the Senedd on a regular basis, and I'm seeking your support today, Minister, for Welsh Government officials to work with NRW and Flintshire County Council to assess whether the planned works and the funding bids from the local authority for the additional work to be carried out can be expedited in any way. Diolch.
Rwy’n ddiolchgar i’r Gweinidog am ei hateb. Weinidog, mae trigolion Mancot a Brychdyn wedi cysylltu â mi eto dros yr wythnosau diwethaf, trigolion yr effeithiwyd arnynt gan lifogydd o ganlyniad i storm Babet yn hwyr y llynedd. Roeddent yn pryderu y gallai’r stormydd diweddar effeithio ar eu heiddo unwaith eto, ac mae eu pryderon yn gwbl ddealladwy, gan fod llawer ohonynt wedi dioddef llifogydd ddwywaith yn yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf. Rwy'n codi'r mater hwn yn y Senedd yn rheolaidd, ac rwy’n gofyn am eich cefnogaeth heddiw, Weinidog, i swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru weithio gyda CNC a Chyngor Sir y Fflint i asesu a ellir cyflymu mewn unrhyw ffordd y gwaith arfaethedig a’r ceisiadau am gyllid gan yr awdurdod lleol ar gyfer cwblhau'r gwaith ychwanegol. Diolch.
Yes, certainly, I will speak to the Minister for Climate Change within whose portfolio this sits. I know her officials are currently reviewing all applications received from RMAs, and she will be publishing next year's programme in March. So, I will certainly ask, and I would encourage you to write to her as well on that point.
Wrth gwrs, yn sicr, fe siaradaf â’r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd gan fod hyn yn rhan o’i phortffolio. Gwn fod ei swyddogion wrthi'n adolygu'r holl geisiadau a ddaeth i law gan awdurdodau rheoli risg, a bydd yn cyhoeddi rhaglen y flwyddyn nesaf ym mis Mawrth. Felly, byddaf yn siŵr o ofyn, a goffwn eich annog i ysgrifennu ati hefyd ar y pwynt hwnnw.
Thank you very much.
Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
Thank you, Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, fydd y cwestiynau amserol. Y cwestiwn cyntaf i'w ateb gan Ddirprwy Weinidog y Celfyddydau, Chwaraeon a Thwristiaeth, ac mae'r cwestiwn i'w ofyn gan Heledd Fychan.
The next item is the topical questions, and the first question to be answered by the Deputy Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, and the question to be asked by Heledd Fychan.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am benderfyniad Llywodraeth y DU i wrthod cynnwys y rygbi chwe gwlad yn y categori sianeli di-dâl ar gyfer dibenion darlledu? TQ960
1. Will the Minister make a statement about the UK Government's decision not to include six nations rugby in the free-to-air category for broadcasting purposes? TQ960
Can I thank Heledd Fychan for that question? The decision not to include the six nations in group A of the listed events regime is disappointing, especially given the cultural and social importance of rugby in Wales. We have urged the UK Government to ensure that the competition remains free to air, and will continue to make the case.
A gaf fi ddiolch i Heledd Fychan am ei chwestiwn? Mae’r penderfyniad i beidio â chynnwys pencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad yng ngrŵp A yn y drefn digwyddiadau rhestredig yn siomedig, yn enwedig o ystyried pwysigrwydd diwylliannol a chymdeithasol rygbi yng Nghymru. Rydym wedi annog Llywodraeth y DU i sicrhau bod y gystadleuaeth yn parhau i gael ei darlledu'n rhad ac am ddim, a byddwn yn parhau i ddadlau'r achos.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Fyddwn i'n gobeithio bydd yna neb yn anghytuno efo chi na minnau o ran pwysigrwydd sicrhau bod chwaraeon ein timau cenedlaethol, yn ddynion a merched, ar gael yn rhad ac am ddim, oherwydd fel rydyn ni'n gwybod, mae dilyn a chefnogi ein timau cenedlaethol yn ysgogi pobl o bob oed i ymwneud efo chwaraeon, nid dim ond dilyn y chwaraeon hynny. Ac rydyn ni'n ymfalchïo fel cenedl pan fydd y tîm yn ennill a hefyd yn cydymdeimlo gyda'r chwaraewyr fel cenedl pan nad ydy pethau yn mynd o'n plaid.
O ran S4C, mi wn i—a dwi'n siŵr eich bod chithau yn nabod hefyd—nifer o bobl di-Gymraeg a siaradwyr newydd sydd yn gwylio chwaraeon ar y sianel, gan normaleiddio'r defnydd o'r Gymraeg fel iaith fyw sy'n perthyn i bawb, boed ichi fod yn ei siarad hi ai peidio. Pa asesiad felly mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog wedi'i wneud o effaith y penderfyniad hwn ar hawl pobl Cymru i wylio'r gemau trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, ac, yn ehangach, yr effaith y bydd hyn yn ei chael ar y targed o filiwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050 a chynyddu'r defnydd? Ac yn ail, rŵan ein bod ni wedi cael y penderfyniad hwn, fyddwch chi hefyd yn ysgrifennu eto i ofyn i Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig ailystyried, fel nad oes neb yng Nghymru yn cael eu hamddifadu o'r hawl i ddilyn a chefnogi hynt a helynt ein timau cenedlaethol?
Thank you very much. I would hope that nobody would disagree with you or me in terms of the importance of ensuring that our national sports teams, both men and women, are available to view free of charge, because as we know, supporting our national sides encourages people of all ages to become involved in sport, not just as fans. And we take pride as a nation when our team wins and also sympathise with players as a nation when things don't go in our favour.
In terms of S4C, I know—and I'm sure that you will also know—many non-Welsh speakers and new Welsh speakers who do view sport on S4C, normalising the use of the Welsh language as a living language that belongs to everyone, whether you speak it or not. What assessment has the Deputy Minister made, therefore, of the impact of this decision on the right of the people of Wales to view matches through the medium of Welsh, and, more broadly, the impact that this will have on the target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050 and increasing usage of Welsh? And secondly, now that we've had this decision, will you also be writing again to request that the UK Government reconsider this, so that nobody in Wales is deprived of the right to follow and support our national teams?
Diolch yn fawr, Heledd, for that supplementary question. She is absolutely right—of course you’re absolutely right. The cultural importance of sport in Wales and the popularity of rugby and football is well understood. Those benefits are not just felt by audiences; they support future sustainability, the growth of sport at community level, all the things that you’ve been talking about. And again, you are right; the fact that we saw international rugby and international football on S4C being commentated on in the Welsh language, and actually having English subtitles for those who can’t understand, but being able to listen to Welsh and incorporating that in our everyday lives, is very, very important, which is why we are determined that we will have a greater role in the appointments process on S4C as well. I discussed this earlier with your colleague Cefin Campbell. That is very important as part of the work that we’re doing on broadcasting in Wales. So, all of that is very important, because S4C and the Welsh language are synonymous, and it’s something that we want to support.
I think absolutely we see as well a lot of our sporting national governing bodies embracing the language. We’ve seen the fantastic work that the Football Association of Wales has done around that, and we’re seeing it with other governing bodies as well. The two things link very closely and absolutely we want to support that. I’ve made it very clear that I absolutely support Welsh rugby and football and all of our national sports being free to air to anybody who wants to do that.
You’ll be aware that the First Minister wrote to the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport about this, following a letter, actually, from Rhun, back in November or December of last year. Interestingly, he didn’t get a response to that letter, but we will continue to work closely with the UK Government on that, and I’m more than happy to follow that up with the Secretary of State, for however long she’s in her position. I’ll follow that up with the Secretary of State to follow up from the Welsh Affairs Committee report, which was clearly supporting free-to-air six nations rugby. Even Stephen Crabb was saying we really need to follow this through. So, I’m quite happy to do that. I’m quite happy to work with the Welsh Affairs Committee and the Senedd culture committee, who I know are also very keen on this. I think you had an evidence session from John Whittingdale, didn’t you, on this very point, and he was saying at that point that if the Senedd was to support free-to-air for the six nations rugby, he would be happy to consider it. Now, we know that they’ve considered it, and they’ve rejected it, so we’re going to have to go back to them and ask them to reconsider it.
Diolch yn fawr am eich cwestiwn atodol, Heledd. Mae'n llygad ei lle—wrth gwrs eich bod yn llygad eich lle. Mae pwysigrwydd diwylliannol chwaraeon yng Nghymru a phoblogrwydd rygbi a phêl-droed yn dra hysbys. Nid cynulleidfaoedd yn unig sy’n teimlo’r manteision hynny; maent yn cefnogi cynaliadwyedd yn y dyfodol, twf chwaraeon ar lefel gymunedol, yr holl bethau rydych wedi bod yn sôn amdanynt. Ac eto, rydych yn llygad eich lle; mae’r ffaith inni weld rygbi rhyngwladol a phêl-droed rhyngwladol ar S4C gyda sylwebaeth yn yr iaith Gymraeg ac is-deitlau Saesneg i bobl nad ydynt yn deall, ond mae gallu gwrando ar y Gymraeg ac ymgorffori hynny yn ein bywydau bob dydd yn bwysig tu hwnt, a dyna pam ein bod yn benderfynol o gael mwy o rôl yn y broses benodi ar gyfer S4C hefyd. Bûm yn trafod hyn yn gynharach gyda’ch cyd-Aelod Cefin Campbell. Mae hynny’n bwysig iawn fel rhan o’r gwaith a wnawn ar ddarlledu yng Nghymru. Felly, mae'r cyfan yn bwysig iawn, gan fod S4C a’r Gymraeg yn gydgysylltiedig, ac mae’n rhywbeth rydym yn awyddus i'w gefnogi.
Yn sicr, credaf ein bod hefyd yn gweld llawer o'n cyrff llywodraethu chwaraeon cenedlaethol yn cofleidio'r iaith. Rydym wedi gweld y gwaith gwych y mae Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru wedi’i wneud ar hynny, ac rydym yn gweld hyn gyda chyrff llywodraethu eraill hefyd. Mae cysylltiad agos iawn rhwng y ddau beth, ac rydym yn sicr yn awyddus i gefnogi hynny. Rwyf wedi dweud yn glir iawn fy mod yn llwyr gefnogi rygbi a phêl-droed Cymru ac y dylai ein holl chwaraeon cenedlaethol fod yn rhad ac am ddim i'w darlledu i unrhyw un sy'n dymuno gwneud hynny.
Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod y Prif Weinidog wedi ysgrifennu at yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Dechnoleg Ddigidol, Diwylliant, y Cyfryngau a Chwaraeon ynglŷn â hyn, yn dilyn llythyr gan Rhun mewn gwirionedd, yn ôl ym mis Tachwedd neu fis Rhagfyr y llynedd. Yn ddiddorol, ni chafodd ymateb i’r llythyr hwnnw, ond byddwn yn parhau i weithio’n agos gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar hynny, ac rwy’n fwy na pharod i fynd ar drywydd hynny gyda’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol, am ba mor hir bynnag y bydd yn ei swydd. Byddaf yn mynd ar drywydd hynny gyda’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol yn dilyn adroddiad y Pwyllgor Materion Cymreig, a oedd yn amlwg yn cefnogi darlledu pencampwriaeth rygbi’r chwe gwlad am ddim. Roedd hyd yn oed Stephen Crabb yn dweud bod gwir angen inni fwrw ymlaen â hyn. Felly, rwy’n fwy na pharod i wneud hynny. Rwy’n fwy na pharod i weithio gyda’r Pwyllgor Materion Cymreig a phwyllgor diwylliant y Senedd, y gwn eu bod yn awyddus iawn i wneud hyn hefyd. Credaf ichi gael sesiwn dystiolaeth gan John Whittingdale ar yr union bwynt hwn, oni wnaethoch, ac roedd yn dweud bryd hynny, pe bai’r Senedd yn cefnogi darlledu pencampwriaeth rygbi’r chwe gwlad am ddim, y byddai’n fwy na pharod i'w ystyried. Nawr, fe wyddom eu bod wedi ystyried y mater, ac maent wedi'i wrthod, felly rydym yn mynd i orfod mynd yn ôl atynt a gofyn iddynt ei ailystyried.
Wales is a rugby nation, and it is part of our national story. I think Welsh rugby is part of who we are as a Welsh nation. You'll know, and you made reference to it there in the answer to your previous question, that when John Whittingdale came to the culture committee he made the case that if the Welsh Parliament could put forward a compelling case for Wales games in the six nations to be included as a listed event to ensure that it is shown on free-to-air television here in Wales, the DCMS would consider it. I can tell you that the Welsh Conservatives have tabled a debate for next week to solidify that, so that we as a Welsh Parliament can come together, make that call on DCMS, and ensure that the case that the DCMS Minister at the time asked to be made is made here, by the Welsh Parliament. Can I confirm today whether the Government is willing to support that?
Mae Cymru yn genedl rygbi, ac mae’n rhan o’n stori genedlaethol. Credaf fod rygbi Cymru yn rhan o bwy ydym fel cenedl Gymreig. Fe fyddwch yn gwybod, ac fe gyfeirioch chi at hyn yn yr ateb i’ch cwestiwn blaenorol, fod John Whittingdale, pan ddaeth at y pwyllgor diwylliant, wedi dadlau'r achos, pe gallai Senedd Cymru gyflwyno achos cymhellol dros gynnwys gemau Cymru ym mhencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad fel digwyddiad rhestredig i sicrhau eu bod yn cael eu dangos ar sianeli di-dâl yma yng Nghymru, y byddai’r Adran dros Dechnoleg Ddigidol, Diwylliant, y Cyfryngau a Chwaraeon yn ystyried y peth. Gallaf ddweud wrthych fod y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig wedi cyflwyno dadl ar gyfer yr wythnos nesaf i gryfhau hynny, fel y gallwn ni fel Senedd Cymru ddod ynghyd, gwneud yr alwad honno ar yr Adran dros Dechnoleg Ddigidol, Diwylliant, y Cyfryngau a Chwaraeon, a sicrhau bod yr achos y gofynnodd y Gweinidog dros Dechnoleg Ddigidol, Diwylliant, y Cyfryngau a Chwaraeon ar y pryd iddo gael ei wneud yn cael ei wneud yma, gan Senedd Cymru. A gaf fi gadarnhau heddiw fod y Llywodraeth yn fodlon cefnogi hynny?
I think that's an excellent move, Tom. The point that we can make to the UK Government is that this has cross-party support in this Senedd. As we heard, Stephen Crabb was saying, and John Whittingdale was also saying, that if the Senedd supported this then they would be pressing the UK Government to reconsider. Obviously the UK Government have only just made this decision, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't, while the iron is hot, so to speak, strike again and say, 'We do need you to reconsider this in light of the will of the Welsh Parliament'. So, I very much welcome a debate along those lines. Is it next week? I look forward to it. That'll be two debates we'll have next week. Thank you.
Credaf fod hwnnw'n gam rhagorol, Tom. Y pwynt y gallwn ei wneud i Lywodraeth y DU yw bod gan hyn gefnogaeth drawsbleidiol yn y Senedd hon. Fel y clywsom, roedd Stephen Crabb yn dweud, ac roedd John Whittingdale hefyd yn dweud, pe bai’r Senedd yn cefnogi hyn, y byddent yn pwyso ar Lywodraeth y DU i ailystyried. Yn amlwg, dim ond newydd wneud y penderfyniad hwn y mae Llywodraeth y DU, ond nid yw hynny'n golygu na ddylem daro eto tra bo'r haearn yn boeth, fel petai, a dweud, 'Mae arnom angen ichi ailystyried hyn yng ngoleuni ewyllys Senedd Cymru'. Felly, rwy'n croesawu dadl i'r perwyl hwnnw'n fawr. A yw'n digwydd yr wythnos nesaf? Edrychaf ymlaen ati. Dyna ddwy ddadl y byddwn yn eu cael yr wythnos nesaf. Diolch.
Tom Giffard, I'll be supporting you as well. Can I suggest that you give serious thought to calling for a named vote on it, so that it actually shows everybody voting for it, rather than it going through without a vote? I'd ask you just to consider that.
We've seen what's happened with the loss of free-to-air sport, haven't we? Live premier division football has gone from free-to-air channels. Going to subscription sport providers will provide more financial support to the six nations competition, including the Welsh Rugby Union. As cricket found, however, it drastically reduced the number of young people watching the live matches.
How important is the six nations to us in Wales? I would come to the conclusion that it's very important to us. It is part of the thing that we do collectively. And watching television collectively is not something that happens a great deal now in a multichannel world. But this is one of the times when we do tend to watch it together.
I'm pleased the Minister accepts the importance of the six nations to Wales, and joins with those of us calling for six nations rugby to be in the free-to-air category for broadcasting. Has the Minister contacted the Labour shadow Cabinet member regarding this? Because I think that the Labour shadow Cabinet member could well become the Cabinet member before this year is out.
Tom Giffard, byddaf innau'n eich cefnogi hefyd. A gaf fi awgrymu eich bod yn meddwl o ddifrif am alw am bleidlais a enwir ar hyn, fel ei bod yn dangos pawb sy'n pleidleisio drosto, yn hytrach na’i fod yn cael ei dderbyn heb bleidlais? Carwn ofyn ichi ystyried hynny.
Rydym wedi gweld yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd gyda cholli chwaraeon sydd am ddim i'w darlledu, onid ydym? Mae pêl-droed byw'r uwch gynghrair wedi diflannu oddi ar sianeli di-dâl. Bydd symud i ddarparwyr chwaraeon tanysgrifiedig yn rhoi mwy o gymorth ariannol i bencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad, gan gynnwys Undeb Rygbi Cymru. Fel y canfu'r byd criced, fodd bynnag, gostyngodd nifer y bobl ifanc a oedd yn gwylio'r gemau byw yn sylweddol.
Pa mor bwysig yw pencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad i ni yng Nghymru? Buaswn o'r farn ei bod yn bwysig iawn i ni. Mae’n rhan o’r hyn a wnawn gyda'n gilydd. Ac nid yw gwylio teledu gyda'n gilydd yn rhywbeth sy'n digwydd mor aml bellach mewn byd amlsianel. Ond dyma un adeg pan ydym yn tueddu i wylio gyda'n gilydd.
Rwy’n falch fod y Gweinidog yn derbyn pwysigrwydd pencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad i Gymru, ac yn ymuno â’r rhai ohonom sy’n galw am i bencampwriaeth rygbi'r chwe gwlad fod yn y categori sianeli di-dâl ar gyfer darlledu. A yw’r Gweinidog wedi cysylltu ag aelod Cabinet yr wrthblaid Lafur ynglŷn â hyn? Oherwydd credaf y gallai aelod Cabinet yr wrthblaid Lafur yn hawdd ddod yn aelod Cabinet cyn diwedd y flwyddyn.
Can I thank Mike Hedges for that question? I've actually been in conversation with the Shadow Secretary of State for Wales and the Shadow Secretary of State for DCMS on a range of issues. Unfortunately, I haven't caught up with them yet on the free-to-air issue, but I will do, because I can guarantee you that they will hold a similar view to us on that particular point. Thank you.
A gaf fi ddiolch i Mike Hedges am ei gwestiwn? Mewn gwirionedd, rwyf wedi bod yn sgwrsio ag Ysgrifennydd Gwladol yr Wrthblaid dros Gymru ac Ysgrifennydd Gwladol yr Wrthblaid dros Dechnoleg Ddigidol, Diwylliant, y Cyfryngau a Chwaraeon ar ystod o faterion. Yn anffodus, nid wyf wedi siarad â nhw eto ynglŷn â mater darlledu am ddim, ond fe fyddaf yn gwneud hynny, gan y gallaf eich sicrhau y bydd ganddynt farn debyg i ni ar y pwynt penodol hwnnw. Diolch.
I agree with many Members in this Chamber. It is very disappointing that the UK Government did not add the six nations to the free-to-air category for our premier sporting events. As a proud rugby player myself, it's very important that we have rugby on the telly to encourage those future generations of players to don their boots, don the shirt and get out there on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon.
But one thing that is also very important to me, Deputy Minister, is our pubs and our clubs across Wales. If the six nations moves to pay-per-view channels, pubs can, on average, pay between £20,000 and £21,000 a year for BT subscriptions and Sky Sports subscriptions. So, I'd like to know what analysis the Welsh Government has done of what impact this could have on our pubs and our clubs across Wales. Because a lot of people do frequent them to watch these matches, and if people cannot watch them, this is yet another nail in the coffin of the hospitality sector in Wales.
Cytunaf â llawer o'r Aelodau yn y Siambr hon. Mae’n siomedig iawn na wnaeth Llywodraeth y DU ychwanegu pencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad at y categori di-dâl ar gyfer ein prif ddigwyddiadau chwaraeon. Fel chwaraewr rygbi balch fy hun, mae'n bwysig iawn fod gennym rygbi ar y teledu i annog cenedlaethau'r dyfodol i wisgo eu hesgidiau a'u crysau rygbi a mynd allan i chwarae ar brynhawn Sadwrn neu Sul.
Ond un peth sydd hefyd yn bwysig iawn i mi, Ddirprwy Weinidog, yw ein tafarndai a’n clybiau ledled Cymru. Os bydd y chwe gwlad yn symud i sianeli talu wrth wylio, gallai tafarndai, ar gyfartaledd, fod yn talu rhwng £20,000 a £21,000 y flwyddyn am danysgrifio i BT a Sky Sports. Felly, hoffwn wybod pa ddadansoddiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o'r effaith y gallai hyn ei chael ar ein tafarndai a'n clybiau ledled Cymru. Oherwydd mae llawer o bobl yn eu mynychu i wylio’r gemau hyn, ac os na all pobl eu gwylio, mae hon yn hoelen arall eto fyth yn arch y sector lletygarwch yng Nghymru.
I think James Evans is absolutely right on that. Lots of people do like that getting together in the pub, whether it's the pub or whether it's the local rugby club or the local football club—anywhere where they can gather as a crowd to sing and cheer on the national team is great. And, of course, if that isn't available then that is clearly going to impact on those organisations, those pubs and clubs that air those games. All of that adds to the case for why we should be pressing for the six nations and other major international sporting events to be held free to air. But I don't think we should underestimate the difficulty that this also presents to the nations themselves, and to the six nations and to other international sporting events.
When Nigel Walker, for instance, was the interim chief executive officer of the WRU, he gave evidence to the Welsh Affairs Committee inquiry last year, and he noted the importance of broadcasting revenues to sport, and stated that that accounted for something like 40 per cent of their income. He recognised that there was this tension between tournaments being free to air to audiences and the revenue that it then generated for the governing bodies of those sports. That's probably quite a difficult circle to square, but nevertheless, I think, first and foremost, the focus should be on the fans that support our sports. I very much hope that that review of listed events can be supported by this Parliament and we can make the case in a much stronger way to the UK Government.
Rwy'n credu bod James Evans yn llygad ei le ar hynny. Mae llawer o bobl yn hoffi dod at ei gilydd naill ai yn y dafarn neu yn y clwb rygbi lleol neu’r clwb pêl-droed lleol—mae unrhyw fan lle gallant ymgynnull fel torf i ganu a chefnogi'r tîm cenedlaethol yn wych. Ac wrth gwrs, os nad yw hynny ar gael, mae hynny'n amlwg yn mynd i effeithio ar y sefydliadau hynny, y tafarndai a'r clybiau sy'n darlledu'r gemau hyn. Mae'r cyfan yn ychwanegu at yr achos pam y dylem alw am i bencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad a digwyddiadau chwaraeon rhyngwladol mawr eraill gael eu darlledu am ddim. Ond ni chredaf y dylem danbrisio'r problemau y mae hyn hefyd yn eu hachosi i'r gwledydd eu hunain, ac i bencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad ac i ddigwyddiadau chwaraeon rhyngwladol eraill.
Pan oedd Nigel Walker, er enghraifft, yn brif swyddog gweithredol dros dro URC, rhoddodd dystiolaeth i ymchwiliad y Pwyllgor Materion Cymreig y llynedd, a nododd bwysigrwydd refeniw darlledu i chwaraeon, a dywedodd fod hynny’n darparu oddeutu 40 y cant o'u hincwm. Roedd yn cydnabod bod tensiwn rhwng darlledu twrnameintiau am ddim i gynulleidfaoedd a'r refeniw roedd hynny'n ei gynhyrchu wedyn i gyrff llywodraethu'r chwaraeon hynny. Mae'n debyg fod hwnnw'n gylch eithaf anodd ei sgwario, ond serch hynny, yn anad dim, rwy'n credu y dylai'r ffocws fod ar y cefnogwyr sy'n cefnogi ein chwaraeon. Rwy’n mawr obeithio y gall yr adolygiad o ddigwyddiadau rhestredig gael ei gefnogi gan y Senedd hon ac y gallwn ddadlau'r achos mewn ffordd lawer cryfach i Lywodraeth y DU.
Just like Mike Hedges was mentioning, live sport gives us those water-cooler moments, those iconic lines. The late, great Eddie Butler's line sticks in my mind: 'Shave away, Gavin, shave away', when he kicked the winning penalty in 2005 against England. That for me is what live sport is about—those memorable moments.
But I was just wondering, Deputy Minister, if you've given any consideration to how we could work potentially with the Scottish Parliament to lobby as well, and showing that there's a Celtic connection here as to why keeping the six nations free to view is really important, not just from a Welsh perspective, but from a Celtic perspective as well. I think that there could also be an opportunity there for us to work collaboratively with another devolved administration and Parliament in the United Kingdom.
Yn union fel y dywedodd Mike Hedges, mae chwaraeon byw yn rhoi'r testun trafod hwnnw i ni, y llinellau eiconig hynny. Rwy'n meddwl am y dyfyniad gan y diweddar Eddie Butler: 'Shave away, Gavin, shave away', pan giciodd y gic gosb fuddugol yn 2005 yn erbyn Lloegr. Dyna hanfod chwaraeon byw i mi—yr eiliadau cofiadwy hynny.
Ond Ddirprwy Weinidog, tybed a ydych wedi rhoi unrhyw ystyriaeth i sut y gallem weithio gyda Senedd yr Alban o bosibl i lobïo hefyd, a dangos bod cysylltiad Celtaidd yma i ddangos pam ei bod yn wirioneddol bwysig cadw pencampwriaeth y chwe gwlad yn rhad ac am ddim i'w gwylio, nid yn unig o safbwynt Cymreig, ond o safbwynt Celtaidd hefyd. Credaf y gallai fod cyfle yno hefyd inni weithio ar y cyd â gweinyddiaeth ddatganoledig arall a Senedd arall yn y Deyrnas Unedig.
I think that is again a very important and valid point. I'd be more than happy to speak to my counterparts in Scotland, Northern Ireland, hopefully, as well, once we get them, and the Irish Government. I was actually on a call with the sports Ministers of the four nations and Ireland this morning, on the Euros. These sporting connections between these islands are very significant, and I'm sure that Ireland and the other nations of the UK, apart from Wales, would be very keen in having those kinds of discussions as well. So, I am happy to do that.
Credaf fod hwnnw, unwaith eto, yn bwynt pwysig a dilys iawn. Buaswn yn fwy na pharod i siarad â fy swyddogion cyfatebol yn yr Alban, Gogledd Iwerddon, gobeithio, hefyd, ar ôl i ni eu cael, a Llywodraeth Iwerddon. Mewn gwirionedd, roeddwn ar alwad gyda Gweinidogion chwaraeon y pedair gwlad ac Iwerddon y bore yma, yn trafod pencampwriaeth yr Ewros. Mae’r cysylltiadau chwaraeon rhwng yr ynysoedd hyn yn arwyddocaol iawn, ac rwy’n siŵr y byddai Iwerddon a gwledydd eraill y DU, ar wahân i Gymru, yn awyddus iawn i gael y mathau hynny o drafodaethau hefyd. Felly, rwy’n fwy na pharod i wneud hynny.
Thank you to the Deputy Minister. I look forward to the much-trailed debate for next week. If I can confirm to Mike Hedges, if he objects to the motion next week, that will guarantee an individual vote by all Members in the Chamber. There are hidden tactics within the Standing Orders that can make these things happen.
Natasha Asghar now to ask the second topical question, to be answered by the Deputy Minister.
Diolch i’r Dirprwy Weinidog. Edrychaf ymlaen at y ddadl hirddisgwyliedig ar gyfer yr wythnos nesaf. Os caf gadarnhau i Mike Hedges, os bydd yn gwrthwynebu’r cynnig yr wythnos nesaf, y bydd hynny’n gwarantu pleidlais unigol gan bob Aelod yn y Siambr. Mae tactegau cudd o fewn y Rheolau Sefydlog a all wneud i’r pethau hyn ddigwydd.
Natasha Asghar nawr i ofyn yr ail gwestiwn amserol, i’w ateb gan y Dirprwy Weinidog.
2. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am yr adolygiad arfaethedig o derfynau cyflymder 20mya? TQ963
2. Will the Minister make a statement on the planned review of 20 mph speed limits? TQ963
Diolch, Lywydd. As I said two weeks ago in this Chamber, there was always going to be a bedding-in period, and built into the powers that councils have as local highway authorities is the ability to make changes. We know that local authorities are already collating lists of roads where 20 mph doesn't feel like the right speed. They understandably haven't wanted to act hastily, as people were getting used to the change, but they do want to review and revise their local speed limits. Nobody anticipates that this will involve wholesale changes, and it will focus on addressing anomalies.
The Welsh Government has appointed a small team to work with highway authorities, as I said two weeks ago, to consider the way that the policy has been implemented, and how the exceptions guidance has been applied. The review team includes Professor Peter Jones, professor of transport and sustainable development at University College London. Professor Jones has had no involvement in the 20 mph implementation or work, and will provide independent challenge to the process. The other two members of the panel are Kaarina Ruta, transport adviser at the Welsh Local Government Association, and Phil Jones, chair of the 20 mph taskforce group that made the initial recommendations. The team will work with Welsh Government officials, local authority officers, and other experts and partners.
A series of meetings have already been held with local councils to gain an understanding of the application of the guidance in different parts of Wales; to reflect on that application, and consider whether clarifications to guidance are needed to encourage greater consistency across Wales; to look at the approach taken to roads on the threshold between 20 mph and 30 mph; and to share initial findings with local authority officers. If people feel that the street that they live on is better suited to 30 mph, they should get in touch with their local council and let them know why. I expect an interim report next month, with a final report to be presented to the next First Minister.
Diolch, Lywydd. Fel y dywedais bythefnos yn ôl yn y Siambr hon, roedd yn anochel y byddai angen cyfnod sefydlu, ac mae'r gallu i wneud newidiadau wedi’i ymgorffori yn y pwerau sydd gan gynghorau fel yr awdurdodau priffyrdd lleol. Gwyddom fod awdurdodau lleol eisoes yn coladu rhestrau o ffyrdd lle nad yw 20 mya yn teimlo fel y cyflymder cywir. Yn ddealladwy, nid ydynt wedi dymuno gweithredu ar frys, wrth i bobl ddod i arfer â'r newid, ond maent yn awyddus i adolygu a diwygio eu terfynau cyflymder lleol. Nid oes unrhyw un yn rhagweld y bydd hyn yn golygu newidiadau mawr, a bydd yn canolbwyntio ar fynd i'r afael ag anghysondebau.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi penodi tîm bach i weithio gydag awdurdodau priffyrdd, fel y dywedais bythefnos yn ôl, i ystyried y ffordd y mae’r polisi wedi’i roi ar waith, a sut mae’r canllawiau eithrio wedi’u rhoi ar waith. Mae tîm yr adolygiad yn cynnwys yr Athro Peter Jones, athro trafnidiaeth a datblygu cynaliadwy yng Ngholeg Prifysgol Llundain. Nid yw’r Athro Jones wedi bod yn rhan o'r gwaith o lunio na gweithredu'r cynlluniau 20 mya, a bydd yn darparu her annibynnol i’r broses. Dau aelod arall y panel yw Kaarina Ruta, cynghorydd trafnidiaeth yng Nghymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, a Phil Jones, cadeirydd y grŵp tasglu 20 mya a wnaeth yr argymhellion cychwynnol. Bydd y tîm yn gweithio gyda swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru, swyddogion awdurdodau lleol, ac arbenigwyr a phartneriaid eraill.
Mae cyfres o gyfarfodydd eisoes wedi'u cynnal gyda chynghorau lleol i gael dealltwriaeth o'r modd y mae'r canllawiau wedi'u defnyddio mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru; i fyfyrio ar y defnydd ohonynt, ac i ystyried a oes angen eglurhad ar y canllawiau er mwyn annog mwy o gysondeb ledled Cymru; i edrych ar y dulliau gweithredu mewn perthynas â ffyrdd ar y trothwy rhwng 20 mya a 30 mya; ac i rannu canfyddiadau cychwynnol gyda swyddogion awdurdodau lleol. Os yw pobl yn teimlo bod y stryd y maent yn byw arni yn fwy addas ar 30 mya, dylent gysylltu â’u cyngor lleol a rhoi gwybod iddynt pam. Rwy'n disgwyl adroddiad interim fis nesaf, gydag adroddiad terfynol i’w gyflwyno i’r Prif Weinidog nesaf.
Thanks, Deputy Minister, but frankly, your response lacked lustre for me, and perhaps for all the residents, visitors and businesses across Wales who have been seriously affected by this change. The Welsh people don't want a review of 20 mph. They simply want it reversed. It's undeniable that your Labour Government's blanket 20 mph speed limit has caused confusion and controversy up and down Wales. With more than 468,000 people now signing a petition to have it removed, it's high time, Deputy Minister, that you park your ego and simply scrap your vanity project.
People in Wales already have very little faith in a review led by a man who recommended that the Welsh Government adopt this policy in the first place, alongside two other Welsh Government devotees. Let's be honest: it's hardly going to be fair, and it's hardly going to be impartial. While I don't doubt for a single second Professor Jones's credentials, his appointment as part of this review risks undermining the legitimacy and trustworthiness of it in its entirety. It also further risks the credibility of the potential candidates that you mentioned, who are going to be taking part in this review.
So, Deputy Minister, if we are destined to have this 20 mph review, can you confirm that the panel will indeed consist of individuals who are not linked to the Welsh Government and who have not previously been, or are currently, on the Welsh Labour Government's payroll? Thank you very much.
Diolch, Ddirprwy Weinidog, ond a dweud y gwir, roedd eich ymateb yn annigonol i mi, ac efallai i’r holl drigolion, ymwelwyr a busnesau ledled Cymru yr effeithiwyd arnynt yn ddifrifol gan y newid hwn. Nid oes eisiau adolygiad o'r terfyn 20 mya ar y Cymry. Yn syml, maent am iddo gael ei wrthdroi. Heb amheuaeth, mae terfyn cyflymder 20 mya cyffredinol eich Llywodraeth Lafur wedi peri dryswch a chynnen ledled Cymru. Gyda mwy na 468,000 o bobl bellach wedi llofnodi deiseb i'w ddileu, mae’n hen bryd, Ddirprwy Weinidog, i chi anghofio eich ego a diddymu eich prosiect porthi balchder.
Ychydig iawn o ffydd sydd gan bobl yng Nghymru eisoes mewn adolygiad a arweinir gan ddyn a argymhellodd fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn mabwysiadu’r polisi hwn yn y lle cyntaf, ochr yn ochr â dau o gefnogwyr eraill Llywodraeth Cymru. Gadewch inni fod yn onest: go brin y bydd yn deg, a go brin y bydd yn ddiduedd. Er nad wyf yn amau cymwysterau'r Athro Jones am eiliad, mae ei benodi'n rhan o'r adolygiad hwn yn mentro tanseilio dilysrwydd a dibynadwyedd yr adolygiad yn gyfan gwbl. Mae hefyd yn peryglu hygrededd y bobl a nodwyd gennych a allai fod yn cymryd rhan yn yr adolygiad hwn.
Felly, Ddirprwy Weinidog, os oes rhaid inni gael yr adolygiad o 20 mya, a allwch gadarnhau y bydd y panel yn cynnwys unigolion nad ydynt yn gysylltiedig â Llywodraeth Cymru ac nad ydynt wedi bod, neu ar hyn o bryd, ar gyflogres Llywodraeth Lafur Cymru? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Llywydd, I don't think that Natasha Asghar has any credibility to question the professional credentials of three highly respected individuals. As I've said all along, it was intended that the process would be reviewed as it went, to look at how it was being implemented. It's right that the chair of the initial task force, who has provided challenge to the Welsh Government throughout, is part of that process to judge against the recommendations his panel made and judge whether or not the Welsh Government has implemented them well and whether local government has implemented well. And I think it's right that that voice is part of the review team. It's also right that local authorities are represented on that panel to give first-hand experience. And we've introduced a new independent member also to provide independent challenge, and they are free to make any recommendations that they wish and those will be based on the feedback of the public and of local authorities.
Lywydd, ni chredaf fod gan Natasha Asghar unrhyw hygrededd i gwestiynu cymwysterau proffesiynol tri unigolyn uchel eu parch. Fel rwyf wedi'i ddweud o'r cychwyn cyntaf, y bwriad oedd adolygu'r broses wrth iddi fynd rhagddi, i edrych ar sut y câi ei rhoi ar waith. Mae’n iawn fod cadeirydd y tasglu gwreiddiol, sydd wedi darparu her i Lywodraeth Cymru drwy gydol y broses, yn rhan o’r broses honno i farnu yn erbyn yr argymhellion a wnaeth ei banel a barnu a yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u rhoi ar waith yn effeithiol ai peidio, ac a yw llywodraeth leol wedi'u rhoi ar waith yn effeithiol. A chredaf ei bod yn iawn fod y llais hwnnw’n rhan o’r tîm adolygu. Mae'n iawn hefyd fod awdurdodau lleol yn cael eu cynrychioli ar y panel hwnnw i gyfrannu eu profiadau uniongyrchol. Ac rydym wedi cyflwyno aelod annibynnol newydd hefyd i ddarparu her annibynnol, ac maent yn rhydd i wneud unrhyw argymhellion a ddymunant, a bydd y rheini'n seiliedig ar adborth y cyhoedd ac awdurdodau lleol.
Deputy Minister, we know that, at the moment, local councils are very challenged in terms of their budgets and budgets are tight with the Welsh Government as well. Could you set out for us, please, how you'll ensure that local authorities are properly resourced so that they can have that support and so that they can decide on which roads it makes sense to keep the 20 mph and on which roads it would be better to revert to 30 mph so that they can engage fully in that review process?
Of course, there was an amendment that Plaid Cymru put down for a review process to take place. The Government supported that. I still can't quite understand why the Conservatives chose not to support that amendment at the time.
Ddirprwy Weinidog, gwyddom fod cynghorau lleol yn wynebu her fawr ar hyn o bryd gyda'u cyllidebau ac mae cyllidebau'n dynn i Lywodraeth Cymru hefyd. A allwch chi ddweud wrthym, os gwelwch yn dda, sut y byddwch yn sicrhau bod gan awdurdodau lleol adnoddau priodol fel y gallant gael cefnogaeth ac fel y gallant benderfynu pa ffyrdd y mae'n gwneud synnwyr i'w cadw ar 20 mya a pha ffyrdd y byddai'n well eu newid yn ôl i 30 mya fel y gallant gymryd rhan lawn yn y broses adolygu?
Wrth gwrs, cyflwynodd Plaid Cymru welliant i broses adolygu allu digwydd. Fe wnaeth y Llywodraeth gefnogi hynny. Nid wyf yn deall yn iawn o hyd pam y dewisodd y Ceidwadwyr beidio â chefnogi'r gwelliant hwnnw ar y pryd.
Okay, thank you for the question. And, of course, we have said to local authorities that we will stand by them as they make the changes that they feel are right for their local authorities. It is important that the public are involved. I think one of the lessons from which I've certainly drawn—and indeed it was one of the lessons from the pilot projects in Flintshire—is that consultation with the public in advance of these changes is critical for them to be accepted by communities and for them to work well. There has been a variation of approaches by local authorities in advance of this in the level of consultation that they carried out. It's not too late to consult, and I hope that the people who live on those streets will be asked what they think and will provide reasons if they think there's a change. And in my experience, much of the feedback from local authorities has been about the policy in general, not about specific roads. That's why it would be helpful if residents gave specific examples of changes that they want to see. But, of course, there will always be people on those roads who want to keep the speed limit as it is and local authorities do have a very difficult balancing act to strike. And they have the powers to exercise that flexibility and they're in the best position to do that because they are local roads.
Iawn, diolch am y cwestiwn. Ac wrth gwrs, rydym wedi dweud wrth awdurdodau lleol y byddwn yn sefyll gyda nhw wrth iddynt wneud y newidiadau y teimlant eu bod yn iawn i'w hawdurdodau lleol. Mae'n bwysig fod y cyhoedd yn cymryd rhan. Rwy'n credu mai un o'r gwersi a ddysgais—ac yn wir roedd yn un o'r gwersi o'r prosiectau peilot yn sir y Fflint—yw bod ymgynghori â'r cyhoedd cyn y newidiadau hyn yn hanfodol iddynt gael eu derbyn gan gymunedau ac iddynt weithio'n dda. Cafwyd amrywiaeth o ddulliau gweithredu gan awdurdodau lleol cyn hyn o ran lefel yr ymgynghori a wnaethant. Nid yw'n rhy hwyr i ymgynghori, ac rwy'n gobeithio y gofynnir i'r bobl sy'n byw ar y strydoedd hynny beth yw eu barn nhw ac y byddant yn darparu rhesymau os credant fod angen newid. Ac yn fy mhrofiad i, mae llawer o'r adborth gan awdurdodau lleol wedi bod ynglŷn â'r polisi yn gyffredinol, nid am ffyrdd penodol. Dyna pam y byddai'n ddefnyddiol pe bai'r trigolion yn rhoi enghreifftiau penodol o newidiadau y maent am eu gweld. Ond wrth gwrs, bydd yna bobl ar y ffyrdd hynny bob amser sydd eisiau cadw'r terfyn cyflymder fel y mae ac mae gan awdurdodau lleol waith pwyso a mesur anodd iawn. Ac mae ganddynt bwerau i arfer hyblygrwydd a nhw sydd yn y sefyllfa orau i wneud hynny am eu bod yn ffyrdd lleol.