Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd
Plenary - Fifth Senedd
23/01/2018Cynnwys
Contents
Cyfarfu’r Cynulliad am 13:30 gyda’r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Assembly met at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.
Galw'r Aelodau i drefn.
I call Members to order.
Yr eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni'r prynhawn yma yw'r cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog. A'r cwestiwn cyntaf, Darren Millar.
The first item on our agenda this afternoon is questions to the First Minister. And the first question is from Darren Millar.
1. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog amlinellu pa ystyriaeth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i rhoi i wella'r seilwaith yng ngogledd Cymru? OAQ51601
1. Will the First Minister outline what consideration the Welsh Government has given to improving infrastructure in north Wales? OAQ51601
Our recently published national transport finance plan sets out an ambitious programme of road, rail, bus and active travel improvements as part of a balanced and sustainable plan for transport investment across Wales.
Mae ein cynllun cyllid trafnidiaeth cenedlaethol a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar yn nodi rhaglen uchelgeisiol o welliannau i ffyrdd, rheilffyrdd, bysiau a theithio llesol yn rhan o gynllun cytbwys a chynaliadwy ar gyfer buddsoddiad mewn trafnidiaeth ledled Cymru.
Thank you for that answer, First Minister. One thing that many people in north Wales crow about is the disparity between the investment in south Wales in the transport infrastructure and that in the north. You're spending £1.4 billion on an M4 relief road, £400 million more than you were anticipating not that long ago. You announced £180 million for the metro central project in Cardiff, and that's within, of course, a £2 billion package for the south Wales metro system. Now, I don't decry those investments, but when is north Wales going to get its fair share? We've got cripplingly bad infrastructure on the A55, which regularly is congested, we've got problems with our flood defences, and broadband access, particularly in rural communities, is completely unacceptable.
Diolch i chi am yr ateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Un peth y mae llawer o bobl yn y gogledd yn clochdar yn eu gylch yw'r gwahaniaeth rhwng y buddsoddiad yn y seilwaith trafnidiaeth yn y de a'r hyn a welir yn y gogledd. Rydych chi'n gwario £1.4 biliwn ar ffordd liniaru i'r M4, £400 miliwn yn fwy nag yr oeddech chi'n ei ddisgwyl ddim yn bell iawn yn ôl. Cyhoeddwyd £180 miliwn gennych ar gyfer y prosiect metro canolog yng Nghaerdydd, ac mae hwnnw o fewn, wrth gwrs, pecyn gwerth £2 biliwn ar gyfer system metro de Cymru. Nawr, nid wyf i'n bychanu'r buddsoddiadau hynny, ond pryd mae'r gogledd yn mynd i gael ei gyfran deg? Mae gennym ni seilwaith eithriadol o wael ar yr A55, lle ceir tagfeydd rheolaidd, mae gennym ni broblemau gyda'n hamddiffynfeydd rhag llifogydd, ac mae mynediad at fand eang, yn enwedig mewn cymunedau gwledig, yn gwbl annerbyniol.
Well, the A55 is of course a key strategic route in the north. Last year, we completed a £42 million programme to bring the tunnels of Conwy, Penmaenbach and Pen-y-clip up to current standards. We're also investing approximately £40 million to upgrade junctions 15 and 16, and another £200 million in the Deeside corridor. In addition, the Abergwyngregyn to Tai'r Meibion advanced drainage scheme was completed over the summer, and we published the draft orders and an environmental statement on the main A55 Abergwyngregyn to Tai'r Meibion improvement scheme. Now, other works in the north include the acceleration of the completion date for a third Menai crossing, which could now open in 2022, and progression of the proposed Caernarfon and Bontnewydd bypass, which represents further investment of over £125 million to the network—and that's just to the roads.
Wel, mae'r A55, wrth gwrs, yn llwybr strategol allweddol yn y gogledd. Y llynedd, cwblhawyd rhaglen £42 miliwn gennym i sicrhau bod twneli Conwy, Penmaen-bach a Phen-y-clip yn cyd-fynd â'r safonau presennol. Rydym ni hefyd yn buddsoddi tua £40 miliwn i uwchraddio cyffyrdd 15 a 16, a £200 miliwn yg nghoridor Glannau Dyfrdwy. Hefyd, cwblhawyd y cynllun draenio rhwng Abergwyngregyn â Thai'r Meibion dros yr haf, a chyhoeddwyd y gorchmynion drafft a datganiad amgylcheddol ar brif gynllun gwella Abergwyngregyn i Dai'r Meibion yr A55 gennym. Nawr, mae gwaith arall yn y gogledd yn cynnwys cyflymu'r dyddiad cwblhau ar gyfer trydydd croesfan dros afon Menai, a allai agor yn 2022 erbyn hyn, a datblygu ffordd osgoi arfaethedig Caernarfon a Bontnewydd, sy'n cynrychioli mwy o fuddsoddiad o dros £125 miliwn yn y rhwydwaith—ac i'r ffyrdd yn unig mae hynny.
Rwy'n edrych ar fap o fy mlaen i yn y fan hyn o'r pwyntiau gwefru ceir trydan ar draws Prydain. Ac rydym yn gweld ar draws gogledd Cymru mor dila ydy'r ddarpariaeth o fannau pwyntiau gwefru cyflym. Rydw i'n edrych ymlaen am y chwyldro mewn defnydd o geir trydan, ond nid ydy'r chwyldro yna am allu digwydd heb fod y Llywodraeth wirioneddol yn dangos uchelgais ac yn rhoi strategaeth mewn lle er mwyn gwneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n paratoi'r isadeiledd ar gyfer y chwyldro yna. Lle mae'r arwyddion gan y Llywodraeth eich bod chi'n cymryd hyn o ddifrif?
I’m looking at a map of the electric car charging points across Britain. We see, across north Wales, how poor the provision is in terms of swift charging. I look forward to the revolution in the use of electric vehicles, but that isn’t going to be able to happen unless the Government truly shows ambition and puts a strategy in place in order to ensure that we are preparing the infrastructure for that revolution. So, where are the signs from the Government you’re taking this seriously?
Wel, rydym ni yn, wrth gwrs, ac mae'n rhaid sicrhau bod y strwythur yna. Un o'r problemau yw'r ffaith bod siẁd amrywiaeth ynglŷn â'r gwahanol ffyrdd y mae ceir yn gallu cael eu tsiarjo. Mae yna o leiaf dri gwahanol soced y gallaf i feddwl amdanyn nhw, fel un sy'n dreifo hybrid fy hunan. Beth sydd ei eisiau yw i'r cynhyrchwyr ystyried ym mha ffordd y gallwn ni sicrhau taw dim ond un modd o tsiarjo sydd ar gael, a bydd hynny'n rhwyddach wedyn i Lywodraeth sicrhau ein bod ni'n gallu helpu i weld mwy o lefydd tsiarjo yn y pen draw. Ond mae'n wir i ddweud, wrth gwrs: beth sy'n dod yn gyntaf—ceir neu'r rhwydwaith? Rydym ni'n moyn sicrhau bod rhwydwaith ar draws Cymru, ac mae hwn yn rhywbeth sy'n cael ei ystyried gan y Gweinidog.
Well, of course we take it seriously, and we have to ensure that the structure is in place. One of the problems is there’s such a diversity as regards the way in which cars can be charged. There are at least three sockets that I can think of, as someone who drives a hybrid. What we need, of course, is for the manufacturers to consider how they could have one uniform charger, then it would be easier for the Government to ensure that we can facilitate having more charging points. And, of course, we can ask: what comes first—cars or the network? We want to ensure that we have a pan-Wales network, and this is something being considered by the Minister.
2. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am argaeledd signal ffonau symudol yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru? OAQ51634
2. Will the First Minister make a statement on mobile phone coverage in Mid and West Wales? OAQ51634
We recognise the ever-growing importance of mobile communications in rural areas. And our mobile action plan sets out how we plan to work with the industry and regulator to improve mobile connectivity across the country.
Rydym ni'n cydnabod pwysigrwydd cynyddol cyfathrebu symudol mewn ardaloedd gwledig. Ac mae ein cynllun gweithredu symudol yn nodi sut yr ydym ni'n bwriadu gweithio gyda'r diwydiant a'r rheoleiddiwr i wella cysylltedd symudol ledled y wlad.
I thank the First Minister for that reply, and I know the Government is giving a high priority to improving connectivity in the countryside. But I'm sure he'd agree with me that a lot more is yet to be done. There is a significant potential problem with lack of mobile phone coverage in regard to public transport. A constituent has written to me from Llan-non in Ceredigion, which has only four buses on a Sunday to Aberaeron, to say that he was waiting for the 11:27 bus recently, which didn't arrive. On the website, you're encouraged, of course, to check the website for timetable changes and delays, but he couldn't do that, because—
Diolchaf i'r Prif Weinidog am yr ateb yna, a gwn fod y Llywodraeth yn rhoi blaenoriaeth uchel i wella cysylltedd yng nghefn gwlad. Ond rwy'n siŵr y byddai'n cytuno â mi bod llawer mwy i'w wneud o hyd. Ceir problem sylweddol o bosib gyda diffyg signal ffôn symudol o ran trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Mae etholwr wedi ysgrifennu ataf i o Lan-non yng Ngheredigion, sydd â phedwar bws yn unig i Aberaeron ar ddydd Sul, i ddweud ei fod yn aros am y bws 11:27 yn ddiweddar, ac na chyrhaeddodd. Ar y wefan, rydych chi'n cael eich annog, wrth gwrs, i edrych ar y wefan i ganfod newidiadau i amserlenni ac oediadau, ond ni allai wneud hynny, oherwydd—
Much as I'm interested in bus times in Llan-non, this question is about mobile phone signal.
Gymaint ag y mae gen i ddiddordeb mewn amseroedd bysiau yn Llan-non, mae'r cwestiwn hwn am signal ffôn symudol.
Yes, correct. But people with mobile phones are encouraged to check the website for delays to the service, which couldn't be done in this particular instance because there was no mobile coverage at the bus stop at which he was waiting for the bus.
Ydy, cywir. Ond mae pobl â ffonau symudol yn cael eu hannog i edrych ar y wefan i ganfod oediadau i'r gwasanaeth, na ellid ei wneud yn yr achos penodol hwn gan nad oedd unrhyw signal ffôn symudol ar y safle bws lle'r oedd yn aros am y bws.
Well, no-one's going to pretend that mobile coverage is exactly universal, in many parts of Wales. I live in the middle of a town and I can't get mobile coverage in my house. So, we know that there is a challenge for the industry—this is not devolved of course—to make sure that it does extend coverage, as in other countries now. What are we doing as the Government? Well, the mobile action plan is well under way, with good progress being made. We are currently working to define eligibility for business rate support for new mast sites, and I know that the Cabinet Secretary has appointed Innovation Point to advise, stimulate and co-ordinate activity on 5G in Wales, including opportunities to secure funding from the UK Government testbed and trials challenge fund.
Wel, nid oes neb yn mynd i esgus bod signal ffôn symudol yn hollol gyffredinol, mewn llawer o rannau o Gymru. Rwy'n byw yng nghanol tref ac ni allaf gael signal ffôn symudol yn fy nhŷ i. Felly, rydym ni'n gwybod bod her i'r diwydiant—nid yw hyn wedi ei ddatganoli wrth gwrs—i wneud yn siŵr ei fod yn ymestyn cwmpas y signal, fel mewn gwledydd eraill erbyn hyn. Beth ydym ni'n ei wneud fel y Llywodraeth? Wel, mae'r cynllun gweithredu symudol wedi hen gychwyn, ac mae cynnydd da yn cael ei wneud. Rydym ni'n gweithio ar hyn o bryd i ddiffinio cymhwysedd ar gyfer cymorth ardrethi busnes ar gyfer safleoedd mastiau newydd, a gwn fod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi penodi Pwynt Arloesi i gynghori, ysgogi a chyd-drefnu gweithgarwch 5G yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys cyfleoedd i sicrhau cyllid o gronfa her profion a threialon Llywodraeth y DU.
Good afternoon, First Minister. You'll know that the Office of Communications report found that 12 per cent of the Welsh land mass is unable to get any mobile phone coverage, and given, for example, in the last six months, the appalling storm damage we've had and emergency situations, I wondered if your Government has spoken to, or would consider talking to some of the innovators—companies such as EE—about using drone technology or the helikite system, which works off a helium balloon, which will provide people with temporary mobile phone coverage during times of emergency. Of course, it would not only help to co-ordinate emergency services but let people know that they're in dire straits or that they need help.
Prynhawn da, Prif Weinidog. Byddwch yn gwybod bod adroddiad y Swyddfa Gyfathrebu wedi canfod na all 12 y cant o fas tir Cymru gael unrhyw signal ffôn symudol, ac o gofio, er enghraifft, yn y chwe mis diwethaf, y difrod storm ofnadwy yr ydym ni wedi ei gael a'r sefyllfaoedd brys, roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed a yw eich Llywodraeth wedi siarad â rhai o'r arloeswyr, neu a fyddai'n ystyried siarad â nhw—cwmnïau fel EE—am ddefnyddio technoleg drôn neu'r system helikite, sy'n gweithio oddi ar falŵn heliwm, a fydd yn cynnig signal ffôn symudol dros dro yn ystod cyfnodau brys. Wrth gwrs, nid yn unig y byddai'n helpu i gydgysylltu gwasanaethau brys ond yn gadael i bobl wybod eu bod nhw mewn sefyllfa enbyd neu eu bod nhw angen cymorth.
It's certainly an interesting idea. I'm informed that the Cabinet Secretary has met with industry representatives in order to discuss this. It's hugely important that, where we have emergencies, there is a sufficiently robust communications network in place in order to deal with those emergencies. As I say, a meeting has recently taken place to discuss that very point.
Mae'n sicr yn syniad diddorol. Fe'm hysbysir bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi cyfarfod â chynrychiolwyr y diwydiant er mwyn trafod hyn. Mae'n bwysig dros ben, lle mae gennym ni argyfyngau, bod rhwydwaith cyfathrebu digon cadarn ar waith er mwyn ymdrin â'r argyfyngau hynny. Fel rwy'n dweud, cynhaliwyd cyfarfod yn ddiweddar i drafod yr union bwynt hwnnw.
Er eich bod chi’n sôn am ba mor bwysig yw argaeledd ffonau symudol, dim ond newydd gyrraedd Pen Llŷn a Mynydd Rhiw y mae 4G, er enghraifft. Mae rhai ardaloedd ar ei hôl hi yn ddifrifol yng nghefn gwlad Cymru. Un o’r pethau sy’n cael ei anghofio amdano yn aml iawn yw pa mor bwysig fydd y ffôn symudol ar gyfer awtomeiddio ar ffermydd a robotics. Mae’n dod nawr eich bod chi’n gallu rheoli peirianwaith ar fferm, a phethau megis teilwra a phethau felly, drwy system ffôn a signal ffôn—nid y ffôn symudol ei hunan ond y signal ffôn yna. A ydych chi’n mynd i wneud yn siŵr, felly, fod hynny ar gael wrth inni adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd—bod y dechnoleg orau ar gael ym mhob rhan o Gymru, yn enwedig ar gyfer ein hamaethwyr ni?
Although you mention the importance of the availability of mobile phones, 4G has only just got to Mynydd Rhiw and the Llŷn peninsula. There are some areas that are gravely behind in rural Wales. One thing that's often forgotten is how important the mobile phone will be for automation on farms and robotics. It's coming to a point now that you can control farm machinery and other aspects through a telephone system and using the phone signal—not the phone itself but the signal. Will you ensure, therefore, that that's available as we leave the European Union—that that best technology is available in all parts of Wales, particularly for our farmers?
Mae’n rhaid i ni sicrhau hynny. Un o’r pethau yr wyf i jyst wedi sylwi, mewn gwledydd eraill—. Er enghraifft, roeddwn i yn Uganda dair blynedd yn ôl, ac roedd y rhwydwaith ffonau symudol yno lawer yn well nag yn y Deyrnas Unedig—llawer yn well. Roeddwn i mewn ardaloedd gwledig iawn a oedd yn anodd eu cyrraedd ar yr hewl, ond pan oeddech chi’n cyrraedd yno, roedd pump bar o 4G. Pam? Wel, wrth gwrs, nid oedd buddsoddiad o gwbl o ran llinellau tir, felly dyna’i gyd sydd gan bobl yw ffonau symudol, a dyna lle mae’r buddsoddiad wedi mynd. Ond, mae’n rhaid inni sicrhau nad yw hynny yn esgus—bod yna rwydwaith o linellau yno’n barod, sydd wedi bod yno ers blynyddoedd mawr—rhag peidio â symud ymlaen gyda rhwydwaith cryfach ar gyfer ffonau symudol. Rŷm ni'n moyn gweld sefyllfa lle mae yna lot mwy o lefydd yng Nghyrmu yn gallu cael signal. Ar hyn o bryd, wrth gwrs, mae’n wir, mewn ardaloedd gwledig, ei bod hi'n anodd, ond hefyd mewn rhai ardaloedd trefol. Er enghraifft, mae pobl yn cwyno wrthyf fi—nid wyf i'n gwybod, nid wyf i'n byw yno—am ardal Pontcanna, er enghraifft. Nid oes signal ffôn o gwbl yng nghanol dinas Caerdydd. Felly, mae lot o waith i’w wneud mewn ardaloedd gwledig a hefyd mewn ardaloedd trefol.
Yes, we have to ensure that. What I've noticed in other countries—. I was in Uganda three years ago, and the network there was much better than the United Kingdom's. I was in very rural areas that were very difficult to access by road, but when you got there, there were five bars of 4G available. Why? Well, there hadn't been any investment at all in landlines and so they only had mobiles. Therefore, that's where the investment had gone. But we must ensure that we don't pretend that there is a network of lines there already that have been there for many years, and use that as an excuse not to progress with a stronger mobile phone network. We want to see a situation where there are many more places in Wales that can get a signal. At the moment, it is true that it's difficult in rural areas, but the same is true of some urban areas as well. For example, people complain to me—I don't know as I don't live there—about the Pontcanna area. There is no mobile phone signal right in the centre of Cardiff. So, there is a lot of work to be done in rural areas as there is in urban areas.
Cwestiynau nawr gan arweinwyr y pleidiau. Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood.
Questions now from the party leaders. The Plaid Cymru leader, Leanne Wood.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, leaked documents suggest that the Hywel Dda Local Health Board is considering the future of hospitals in its area. Now, it's only been around three years since the last reconfiguration, which was meant to offer a long-term and sustainable solution, yet people now face more proposals, including closures. Was the health board being honest about its last reconfiguration?
Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, mae dogfennau a ddatgelwyd yn awgrymu bod Bwrdd Iechyd Lleol Hywel Dda yn ystyried dyfodol ysbytai yn ei ardal. Nawr, dim ond rhyw dair blynedd sydd ers yr ad-drefnu diwethaf, a oedd i fod i gynnig ateb hirdymor a chynaliadwy, ac eto mae pobl yn wynebu mwy o gynigion bellach, gan gynnwys cau ysbytai. A oedd y Bwrdd Iechyd yn bod yn onest am ei ad-drefnu diwethaf?
Well, the health board itself could answer that. I see no reason why they were not being honest. There are always challenges. The parliamentary review, which all parties that have signed up to, have said that there will be difficult decisions in the future. Now, as a Government, we have no view on this. This is not our policy. These are options that the health board has taken forward. What's hugely important is that whatever the health board considers is taken forward with full public consultation.
Wel, gallai'r Bwrdd Iechyd ei hun ateb hynny. Nid wyf yn gweld unrhyw reswm pam nad oedden nhw'n bod yn onest. Ceir heriau bob amser. Mae'r arolwg seneddol, y mae'r holl bleidiau wedi ymrwymo iddo, wedi dweud y bydd penderfyniadau anodd yn y dyfodol. Nawr, fel Llywodraeth, nid oes gennym ni unrhyw farn ar hyn. Nid dyma ein polisi. Mae'r rhain yn ddewisiadau y mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi bwrw ymlaen â nhw. Yr hyn sy'n hynod bwysig yw bod beth bynnag y mae'r bwrdd iechyd yn ei ystyried yn cael ei ddatblygu gydag ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus llawn.
Well, First Minister, you have to ultimately be responsible and accountable for health. Health is fully devolved and responsible to you. Now, the health board are indicating that they want people treated closer to their homes and in the community, but that's not what the proposals in the leaked document appear to be about. One aspect that could complement existing hospital services is the creation of community hubs with beds, or perhaps more accurately, 'I can't believe it's not a community hospital'. Shutting down community hospitals was once a Labour Government's policy, and it has led to a reduction in beds, and it has been a big mistake. Community services should not be used as an excuse to close district general hospitals. With bed occupancy across the NHS over the safe level of 85 per cent for the last seven years, do you accept that the NHS needs more beds in order to enable it to cope with the additional winter pressures?
Wel, Prif Weinidog, mae'n rhaid i chi fod yn gyfrifol ac yn atebol am iechyd yn y pen draw. Mae iechyd yn gwbl ddatganoledig ac yn gyfrifol i chi. Nawr, mae'r bwrdd iechyd yn dweud eu bod nhw eisiau i bobl gael eu trin yn agosach i'w cartrefi ac yn y gymuned, ond nid yw'n ymddangos mai dyna y mae'r cynigion yn y ddogfen a ddatgelwyd yn ymwneud ag ef. Un agwedd a allai ategu gwasanaethau ysbyty presennol yw creu canolfannau cymunedol â gwelyau, neu'n fwy cywir efallai, 'Ni allaf gredu nad yw'n ysbyty cymuned'. Roedd cau ysbytai cymuned yn bolisi Llywodraeth Lafur ar un adeg, ac mae wedi arwain at leihau nifer y gwelyau, ac mae wedi bod yn gamgymeriad mawr. Ni ddylid defnyddio gwasanaethau cymunedol fel esgus i gau ysbytai cyffredinol dosbarth. Gyda defnydd o welyau ar draws y GIG yn uwch na'r lefel ddiogel o 85 y cant am y saith mlynedd diwethaf, a ydych chi'n derbyn bod y GIG angen mwy o welyau i'w alluogi i ymdopi â phwysau ychwanegol y gaeaf?
I think we need to focus not just on the issue of beds, but on the issue of getting people out of hospital as quickly as possible. That means that, if you look at delayed transfers of care, our figures are greatly improved month on month, and greatly improved from last year. We don't want people staying in hospital for longer than they have to.
But, of course, the other point that we have to understand is that we need an NHS that's sustainable. All parties signed up to that as part of the parliamentary review. It's massively important that, yes, of course, we agree with the principle that people should be treated as close to home as possible, but we also need to make sure that services are sustainable in the future. Now, the proposals that have been put forward by Hywel Dda are for Hywel Dda to consider at this stage, to engage in full public consultation. It's true to say that there may come a point when there will need to be a decision by Government, but that point has not yet been reached.
Rwy'n credu bod angen i ni ganolbwyntio nid yn unig ar y mater o welyau, ond ar y mater o gael pobl allan o'r ysbyty cyn gynted â phosibl. Mae hynny'n golygu, os edrychwch chi ar oedi wrth drosglwyddo gofal, bod ein ffigurau yn llawer gwell o fis i fis, ac wedi gwella'n fawr ers y llynedd. Nid ydym ni eisiau pobl yn aros yn yr ysbyty am gyfnod hwy nag sydd angen iddyn nhw fod yno.
Ond, wrth gwrs, y pwynt arall y mae'n rhaid i ni ei ddeall yw ein bod ni angen GIG sy'n gynaliadwy. Ymrwymodd yr holl bleidiau i hynny yn rhan o'r adolygiad seneddol. Mae'n aruthrol o bwysig ein bod ni, wrth gwrs, yn cytuno â'r egwyddor y dylai pobl gael eu trin mor agos i gartref â phosibl, ond mae angen i ni wneud yn siŵr hefyd bod gwasanaethau yn gynaliadwy yn y dyfodol. Nawr, mae'r cynigion a wnaed gan Hywel Dda i Hywel Dda eu hystyried ar hyn o bryd, i gymryd rhan mewn ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus llawn. Mae'n wir dweud efallai y daw adeg pan fydd angen penderfyniad gan y Llywodraeth, ond nid yw'r adeg honno wedi cyrraedd eto.
The point is, First Minister, that people need an integrated health system and community services that complement district general hospitals, not replace them. People in the west are still going to need emergency treatment. They will still need operations, they will still need overnight stays and accident and emergency within a reasonable distance of their homes. Now, a Plaid Cymru government will keep these essential services for our rural communities. That means A&E for Bronglais and Glangwili, and keeping Withybush open.
Now, Plaid Cymru has been warning you for a number of years now about the need to train more doctors. Will you work with Swansea medical school on its proposals to expand the number of doctors in the Hywel Dda health board area? Can you assure people out there, and Members here today, that you will not sign off any decision to remove A&E from Bronglais or Glangwili? Will you also confirm that the Labour Government will not sign off any decision to close Withybush or to remove A&E services from that hospital?
Y pwynt yw, Prif Weinidog, bod pobl angen system iechyd integredig a gwasanaethau cymunedol sy'n ategu ysbytai cyffredinol dosbarth, nid eu disodli. Mae pobl yn y gorllewin yn dal yn mynd i fod angen triniaeth frys. Bydd dal i fod angen llawdriniaeth arnynt, byddant yn dal i fod angen aros dros nos ac adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys o fewn pellter rhesymol i'w cartrefi. Nawr, bydd llywodraeth Plaid Cymru yn cadw'r gwasanaethau hanfodol hyn ar gyfer ein cymunedau gwledig. Mae hynny'n golygu adran damweiniau ac achosion brys i Fronglais a Glangwili, a chadw Llwynhelyg ar agor.
Nawr, mae Plaid Cymru wedi bod yn eich rhybuddio chi ers nifer o flynyddoedd erbyn hyn am yr angen i hyfforddi mwy o feddygon. A wnewch chi weithio gydag ysgol feddygol Abertawe ar ei chynigion i gynyddu nifer y meddygon yn ardal bwrdd iechyd Hywel Dda? A allwch chi sicrhau pobl allan yna, a'r Aelodau yma heddiw, na fyddwch chi'n cadarnhau unrhyw benderfyniad i gael gwared ar adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys o Bronglais na Glangwili? A wnewch chi hefyd gadarnhau na fydd Llywodraeth Lafur yn cymeradwyo unrhyw benderfyniad i gau ysbyty Llwynhelyg na chael gwared ar wasanaethau damweiniau ac achosion brys o'r ysbyty hwnnw?
It seems to me that it's pointless having any kind of consultation. Now, we have no view on this at this stage, and there are reasons for that. [Interruption.] Simon Thomas knows this full well: the reason why we cannot take a view at this stage is because there's an open consultation. We can't shut down the consultation at this stage. There are legal issues surrounding that, for a start.
It's true to say there will come a point, or there may come a point, where Ministers have to take a decision, and that is the point at which Ministers no doubt will be questioned as to why that decision was taken. But you cannot on the one hand say, 'We've signed up to a parliamentary review looking at creating an NHS that's sustainable' and then say, 'Options are going to be—' [Interruption.] No, no, no. And then say, 'There are some options that will always be ruled out completely'. That is not the way these things operate. Last week, the parliamentary review was being supported by all parties in this Chamber. The question is: are those parties now running away from that review? That is a question that I think needs to be answered.
Mae'n ymddangos i mi ei bod hi'n ddibwrpas cael unrhyw fath o ymgynghoriad. Nawr, nid oes gennym ni unrhyw farn ar hyn ar hyn o bryd, ac mae rhesymau dros hynny. [Torri ar draws.] Mae Simon Thomas yn gwybod hyn yn iawn: y rheswm pam na allwn ni gynnig barn ar hyn o bryd yw oherwydd bod ymgynghoriad agored yn digwydd. Ni allwn ni ddod â'r ymgynghoriad i ben ar hyn o bryd. Ceir materion cyfreithiol sy'n gysylltiedig â hynny, i ddechrau.
Mae'n wir i ddweud y daw adeg, neu efallai y daw adeg, pan fydd yn rhaid i Weinidogion wneud penderfyniad, a dyna'r adeg, heb os, y bydd Gweinidogion yn cael eu holi ynghylch pam y gwnaed y penderfyniad hwnnw. Ond ni allwch chi ar y naill llaw ddweud, 'Rydym ni wedi ymrwymo i adolygiad seneddol sy'n ystyried creu GIG sy'n gynaliadwy' ac yna dweud, 'Dyma fydd y dewisiadau—' [Torri ar draws.] Na, na, na. Ac yna dweud, 'Ceir rhai dewisiadau a fydd yn cael eu diystyru'n llwyr bob amser'. Nid dyna'r ffordd y mae'r pethau hyn yn gweithio. Yr wythnos diwethaf, roedd yr adolygiad seneddol yn cael ei gefnogi gan bob plaid yn y Siambr hon. Y cwestiwn yw: a yw'r pleidiau hynny'n cefnu ar yr adolygiad hwnnw nawr? Mae hwnnw'n gwestiwn y credaf bod angen ei ateb.
Arweinydd yr wrthblaid, Andrew R.T. Davies.
The leader of the opposition, Andrew R.T. Davies.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, do you still believe that the Welsh Government's preferred black route option for the M4 will come in nowhere near £1 billion and will be way below the figure that you prophesised back in 2015?
Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, a ydych chi'n dal i gredu na fydd y dewis du a ffefrir gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer yr M4 yn costio unrhyw swm yn agos i £1 biliwn ac y bydd yn llawer is na'r ffigur a ragwelwyd gennych chi yn ôl yn 2015?
Well, the figure has certainly risen because there's been more of a delay than expected. But we intend to make sure that the issue of congestion on the M4 is dealt with. I wonder what his party's view is.
Wel, mae'r ffigur yn sicr wedi codi gan y bu mwy o oedi na'r disgwyl. Ond rydym ni'n bwriadu gwneud yn siŵr yr ymdrinnir â'r mater o dagfeydd ar yr M4. Tybed beth yw barn ei blaid ef.
First Minister, this is First Minister's questions, and that's why we ask you questions and we look for answers from you. We don't seem to get many answers on a week-by-week basis.
But, last week, in the Economy, Infrastructure and Skills Committee, the senior civil servant who was dealing with this in the Cabinet Secretary's department indicated that the project cost was somewhere near £1.4 billion to £1.5 billion. The actual figures that have been lodged with the inquiry are £1.3 billion to £1.4 billion. They're actually lodged with the inquiry, those figures are. Only two years ago, you were stating that it was going to be nowhere near £1 billion and would be considerably less than that figure. One hundred and sixty civil servants at that time, as given to us by the Minister, were tied up with this particular project. I ask you again: what has gone wrong? This is the key infrastructure project that the Welsh Government is challenging to deliver. The project costs, if your estimations at that time were to be believed, have nearly doubled, by the civil service's own figures that they put to the inquiry and also identified by the Cabinet Secretary in that committee.
Prif Weinidog, cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog yw'r sesiwn hon, a dyna pam mai ni sy'n gofyn cwestiynau i chi ac yn chwilio am atebion gennych chi. Nid yw'n ymddangos ein bod ni'n cael llawer o atebion o wythnos i wythnos.
Ond, yr wythnos diwethaf, ym Mhwyllgor yr Economi, Seilwaith a Sgiliau, nododd yr uwch was sifil a oedd yn ymdrin â hyn yn adran Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet fod cost y prosiect oddeutu £1.4 biliwn i £1.5 biliwn. Ond £1.3 biliwn i £1.4 biliwn yw'r ffigurau gwirioneddol a gyflwynwyd i'r ymchwiliad. Mae'r ffigurau hynny wedi eu cyflwyno i'r ymchwiliad, y ffigurau hynny. Dim ond dwy flynedd yn ôl, roeddech chi'n datgan nad oedd yn mynd i fod unrhyw beth yn agos at £1 biliwn ac y byddai gryn dipyn yn llai na'r ffigur hwnnw. Roedd cant a thrigain o weision sifil ar yr adeg honno, fel y dywedwyd wrthym gan y Gweinidog, ynghlwm i'r prosiect penodol hwn. Gofynnaf ichi eto: beth sydd wedi mynd o'i le? Mae hwn yn brosiect seilwaith allweddol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn herio i'w gyflawni. Mae costau'r prosiect, os oedd eich amcangyfrifon ar yr adeg honno i'w credu, wedi dyblu bron, ar sail ffigurau'r gwasanaeth sifil ei hun a gyflwynwyd ganddo i'r ymchwiliad ac a nodwyd hefyd gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn y pwyllgor hwnnw.
Well, first of all, inflation—that makes a difference to the figures; and, secondly, the UK Government is charging VAT. The UK Government is charging VAT. Here's a challenge for him: why doesn't he go back to his party and say, 'Don't charge VAT for this project'? That would save us hundreds of millions of pounds.
Wel, yn gyntaf oll, chwyddiant—mae hynny'n gwneud gwahaniaeth i'r ffigurau; ac, yn ail, mae Llywodraeth y DU yn codi TAW. Mae Llywodraeth y DU yn codi TAW. Dyma her iddo: pam na wnaiff ef fynd yn ôl at ei blaid a dweud, 'Peidiwch â chodi TAW ar y prosiect hwn'? Byddai hynny'n arbed cannoedd o filiynau o bunnoedd i ni.
That is awful, First Minister. This is your biggest infrastructure project. The negotiations around VAT are still ongoing. Without VAT—and these are the words of your own civil servant in that committee—the costs of this project are in the region of £1.3 billion to £1.4 billion. Only two years ago, you were trying to convince people that this project was going to come in at £800 million. I asked you to let us see that information so we could have confidence that you were building a project on sound finances. All this has been undone. Can you commit now today that there is an upper limit where this project is viable, and if there isn't that upper limit, will you be whipping your backbenchers and having Cabinet responsibility to vote this project through, whatever the cost?
Mae hynna'n ofnadwy, Prif Weinidog. Hwn yw eich prosiect seilwaith mwyaf. Mae'r trafodaethau ynghylch TAW yn parhau. Heb TAW—a geiriau eich gwas sifil eich hun yn y pwyllgor hwnnw yw'r rhain—mae costau'r prosiect hwn oddeutu £1.3 biliwn i £1.4 biliwn. Dim ond dwy flynedd yn ôl, roeddech chi'n ceisio argyhoeddi pobl bod y prosiect hwn yn mynd i gostio £800 miliwn. Gofynnais i chi am gael gweld yr wybodaeth honno fel y gallem ni fod yn hyderus eich bod chi'n adeiladu prosiect ar sail cyllid cadarn. Mae hyn i gyd wedi ei ddadwneud. A allwch chi ymrwymo heddiw bod terfyn uchaf lle mae'r prosiect hwn yn ddichonadwy, ac os nad oes y terfyn uchaf hwnnw, a fyddwch chi'n chwipio aelodau eich meinciau cefn ac yn cael cyfrifoldeb Cabinet i bleidleisio dros y prosiect hwn, beth bynnag fo'r gost?
He didn't know about the VAT, did he? That was one of the issues that's blind-sided him.
Doedd e ddim yn gwybod am y TAW, oedd e? Roedd hwnnw'n un o'r materion sy'n newyddion iddo.
Those discussions are ongoing.
Mae'r trafodaethau hynny'n parhau.
I'm surprised that the leader of the opposition isn't aware of the VAT issue, and has not said anything publicly to support the Welsh Government and the Welsh taxpayer. It's one thing to say that negotiations are ongoing, but why isn't he standing up and saying to the Conservative Party—a Conservative Party that took funding away from electrification of the railways to spend outside of Wales; a Conservative Party that is trying to increase the price of the M4 project; a Conservative Party that claimed it was reducing the tolls on the Severn bridge when all it was doing was removing VAT that it wasn't legally able to charge in the first place. I mean, we talk about spinning, but what we have here is a whirling dervish. We will deliver transport projects for the people of Wales in the teeth of opposition from the Conservatives.
Rwy'n synnu nad yw arweinydd yr Wrthblaid yn ymwybodol o'r mater TAW, ac nad yw wedi dweud dim yn gyhoeddus i gefnogi Llywodraeth Cymru a threthdalwyr Cymru. Un peth yw dweud bod trafodaethau yn parhau, ond pam nad yw e'n sefyll ar ei draed ac yn dweud wrth y Blaid Geidwadol—Plaid Geidwadol a gymerodd gyllid oddi wrth trydaneiddio'r rheilffyrdd i'w wario y tu allan i Gymru; Plaid Geidwadol sy'n ceisio cynyddu pris prosiect yr M4; Plaid Geidwadol a honnodd ei bod yn lleihau'r tollau ar bont Hafren pan mai'r cwbl yr oedd yn ei wneud oedd cael gwared ar TAW nad oedd yn gallu ei godi'n gyfreithlon yn y lle cyntaf. Hynny yw, rydym ni'n sôn am sbinio, ond mae gennym ni dderfis chwyrlïol yma. Byddwn yn darparu prosiectau trafnidiaeth ar gyfer pobl Cymru yn nannedd gwrthwynebiad gan y Ceidwadwyr.
Arweinydd grŵp UKIP, Neil Hamilton.
Leader of the UKIP group, Neil Hamilton.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Emergency hospital consultants in Wales have recently written to the First Minister claiming that safety is being compromised to an unacceptable degree. The Royal College of Emergency Medicines has described accident and emergency units as battlefields. Dr Tim Rogerson, a consultant in emergency medicine at the Royal Gwent Hospital has said about the picture across Wales,
'We're on our knees as far as emergency care [is concerned]. We have patients coming into emergency departments that are already full.'
The consultants have asked the First Minister to review as a matter of urgency the number of beds available for acute care, and for a significant increase in funding for social care. Is he going to accede to that request?
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Mae meddygon ymgynghorol ysbyty brys yng Nghymru wedi ysgrifennu at y Prif Weinidog yn ddiweddar yn honni bod diogelwch yn cael ei beryglu i raddau annerbyniol. Mae Coleg Brenhinol meddygaeth frys wedi disgrifio unedau damweiniau ac achosion brys fel meysydd cad. Mae Dr Tim Rogerson, meddyg ymgynghorol ym maes meddygaeth frys yn Ysbyty Brenhinol Gwent, wedi dweud am y darlun ledled Cymru,
Rydym ni ar ein gliniau cyn belled ag y mae gofal brys [yn y cwestiwn]. Mae gennym ni gleifion sy'n dod i adrannau achosion brys sydd eisoes yn llawn.
Mae'r meddygon ymgynghorol wedi gofyn i'r Prif Weinidog adolygu fel mater o frys nifer y gwelyau sydd ar gael ar gyfer gofal acíwt, ac am gynnydd sylweddol i gyllid ar gyfer gofal cymdeithasol. A yw e'n mynd i gytuno i'r cais hwnnw?
First of all, I'm aware of the pressures there have been on emergency staff, and I thank them for what they have done. It has been very difficult, given intense spikes in demand—unpredicatble spikes in demand at certain days in the course of the holiday period. We would be delighted—delighted—to spend more on health and social care if the brakes were taken off by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance only last week outlined that we could be up to £4 billion better off if previous trends had been followed. That is a significant investment we could make in the health service.
So, yes, we agree with the consultants that we want to spend more money on health and social care. Where are we going to take it from? Schools? Because that's the only place we can go. Put the council tax up? Because that's what will happen if we take money away from local government. We need to make sure the UK Government—. Boris Johnson today, saying there should be £100 million a week available for the NHS in England. That would mean £300 million more available in Wales. On that, if nothing else, I support Boris Johnson.
Yn gyntaf oll, rwy'n ymwybodol o'r pwysau a fu ar staff brys, ac rwy'n diolch iddyn nhw am yr hyn y maen nhw wedi ei wneud. Mae wedi bod yn anodd iawn, o ystyried achosion o gynnydd sydyn i alw—cynnydd sydyn i alw na ellid ei ragweld ar ddiwrnodau penodol yn ystod cyfnod y gwyliau. Byddem ni wrth ein boddau—wrth ein boddau—gwario mwy ar iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol pe byddai Canghellor y Trysorlys yn gollwng y brêcs. Amlinellodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid dim ond yr wythnos diwethaf y gallem ni fod hyd at £4 biliwn yn well ein byd pe byddai tueddiadau blaenorol wedi cael eu dilyn. Mae hynny'n fuddsoddiad sylweddol y gallem ni ei wneud yn y gwasanaeth iechyd.
Felly, ydym, rydym ni'n cytuno â'r meddygon ymgynghorol ein bod ni eisiau gwario mwy o arian ar iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol. O ble'r ydym ni'n mynd i'w gymryd? Ysgolion? Oherwydd dyna'r unig le y gallwn ni fynd. Cynyddu'r dreth gyngor? Oherwydd dyna fydd yn digwydd os byddwn ni'n cymryd arian oddi ar lywodraeth leol. Mae angen i ni wneud yn siŵr bod Llywodraeth y DU—. Boris Johnson heddiw, yn dweud bod £100 miliwn yr wythnos ar gael ar gyfer y GIG yn Lloegr. Byddai hynny'n golygu £300 miliwn yn fwy ar gael yng Nghymru. Ar hynny, os dim byd arall, rwy'n cefnogi Boris Johnson.
I'm delighted to hear that, because as a result of leaving the European Union there will be more money to spend on the health service. [Interruption.] In answer to the leader of Plaid Cymru—. It's the way you tell them. In answer to the leader of Plaid Cymru earlier on, he said that beds don't really matter; it's how quickly you move people out of them. But the truth of the matter is there's been a very substantial cut in the number of beds available in hospitals throughout Wales in the last seven years—roughly 20 per cent to 25 per cent depending on the health board—but the occupancy rate of those beds has barely moved, and it is higher and has been, as the leader of Plaid Cymru pointed out, above the safe level of 85 per cent now for seven years. Surely, within the priorities of the health service for which the First Minister is responsible, not Boris Johnson, there should be some kind of change to ensure that hospital safety is actually taken very seriously by this Government.
Rwy'n falch iawn o glywed hynny, oherwydd o ganlyniad i adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, bydd mwy o arian i'w wario ar y gwasanaeth iechyd. [Torri ar draws.] Wrth ateb arweinydd Plaid Cymru—. Yr amseru sy'n bwysig. Wrth ateb arweinydd Plaid Cymru yn gynharach, dywedodd nad yw gwelyau'n bwysig mewn gwirionedd; pa mor gyflym yr ydych chi'n symud pobl allan ohonyn nhw sy'n bwysig. Ond y gwir amdani yw bu gostyngiad sylweddol iawn i nifer y gwelyau sydd ar gael mewn ysbytai ledled Cymru yn ystod y saith mlynedd diwethaf—tua 20 y cant i 25 y cant yn dibynnu ar y bwrdd iechyd—ond prin y mae cyfradd defnydd y gwelyau hynny wedi newid, ac mae'n uwch nag y bu, fel y nododd arweinydd Plaid Cymru, uwchlaw'r lefel ddiogel o 85 y cant ers saith mlynedd erbyn hyn. Yn sicr, o fewn y blaenoriaethau'r gwasanaeth iechyd y mae'r Prif Weinidog yn gyfrifol amdanynt, nid Boris Johnson, dylai fod rhyw fath o newid i sicrhau bod diogelwch mewn ysbytai yn cael ei gymryd o ddifrif gan y Llywodraeth hon.
It's a matter for health boards to ensure they have sufficient beds available. It's not right to say that I said beds weren't important: I said they were only part of the picture. If you look, for example, in England, where spending on social care has been hammered, England is now reaping what it has sown. We have made sure through, for example, the integrated care fund, that more people can leave hospital when they are ready. We're seeing delayed transfers of care dropping, whereas in England, of course, social care is on the verge of collapse. If you don't believe me, listen to council leaders—Conservative council leaders—in England, who are saying just that.
Mater i fyrddau iechyd yw sicrhau bod ganddyn nhw ddigon o welyau ar gael. Nid yw'n iawn i ddweud fy mod i wedi dweud nad oedd gwelyau'n bwysig: dywedais mai dim ond rhan o'r darlun ydyn nhw. Os edrychwch chi, er enghraifft, yn Lloegr, lle mae gwariant ar ofal cymdeithasol wedi cael ei daro'n galed, mae Lloegr yn medi'r hyn a heuodd erbyn hyn. Rydym ni wedi sicrhau drwy, er enghraifft, y gronfa gofal integredig, y gall mwy o bobl adael yr ysbyty pan fyddan nhw'n barod. Rydym ni'n gweld achosion o oedi wrth drosglwyddo gofal yn gostwng, tra bod gofal cymdeithasol yn Lloegr, wrth gwrs, ar fin chwalu. Os nad ydych chi'n fy nghredu i, gwrandewch ar arweinwyr cynghorau—arweinwyr cynghorau Ceidwadol—yn Lloegr, sy'n dweud yn union hynny.
Sorry, I wasn't aware that the First Minister had finished as there was so much noise coming from other parts of the Chamber. The whole point of my question was not about social care, but about beds in hospitals and hospital care. The consultants who wrote to the First Minister last week said that emergency departments in Wales were, in some ways, worse than in England. Staff are arriving for work to find patients in the emergency department who were there the previous day, and multiple staff are in tears because they feel they cannot deliver the care that patients need. The consultants also claim that the four-hour target figures for best performing hospitals in Wales were similar to some of the worst performing hospitals in England. Surely, that is an indictment of 20 years of Labour Government in Wales.
Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, nid oeddwn i'n ymwybodol bod y Prif Weinidog wedi gorffen gan fod cymaint o sŵn yn dod o rannau eraill y Siambr. Nid oedd holl bwynt fy nghwestiwn yn ymwneud â gofal cymdeithasol, ond â gwelyau mewn ysbytai a gofal ysbyty. Dywedodd y meddygon ymgynghorol a ysgrifennodd at y Prif Weinidog yr wythnos diwethaf bod adrannau achosion brys yng Nghymru, mewn rhai ffyrdd, yn waeth nag yn Lloegr. Mae staff yn cyrraedd y gwaith i ganfod cleifion yn yr adran achosion brys a oedd yno y diwrnod cynt, ac mae sawl aelod o staff mewn dagrau gan eu bod yn teimlo na allant ddarparu'r gofal sydd ei angen ar gleifion. Mae'r meddygon ymgynghorol hefyd yn honni bod y ffigurau targed o bedair awr ar gyfer yr ysbytai sy'n perfformio orau yng Nghymru yn debyg i rai o'r ysbytai sy'n perfformio waethaf yn Lloegr. Yn sicr, mae hynny'n gondemniad o 20 mlynedd o Lywodraeth Lafur yng Nghymru.
There are question marks over England's figures for a start. That doesn't diminish, of course, the pressures there have been on emergency services in Wales and I certainly don't seek to belittle that in any way, shape or form. But the question is this: should you divorce the issue of health and social care, as he's trying to do with his third question? The answer is, 'No, you cannot.' The two are integrated, the two are the same, they're integrated in terms of the service they seek to deliver to people and we have put money into that through the integrated care fund, making sure that people are able to leave hospital when they are able.
What England did was to try to spend money on health and starve social care of money, effectively taking away from social care and putting into health, and now England is reaping the whirlwind of that. We always took the view that health and social care had to be seen in the round and that one was strongly linked to the other.
If we look, for example, just beyond that to the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill; that looks at bringing together education and health provision for young people as well. So, we've made sure, when it comes to spending, that spending in Wales is higher per head than in England on health and on social care to make sure that we don't let our people down just like the Government has done in England.
Ceir marciau cwestiwn ynghylch ffigurau Lloegr i ddechrau. Nid yw hynny'n lleihau, wrth gwrs, y pwysau sydd wedi bod ar wasanaethau brys yng Nghymru, ac yn sicr nid wyf yn ceisio bychanu hynny mewn unrhyw ffordd o gwbl. Ond y cwestiwn yw hwn: a ddylech chi wahanu'r mater o iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, fel y mae e'n ceisio ei wneud gyda'i drydydd cwestiwn? Yr ateb yw, 'Na, allwch chi ddim.' Mae'r ddau wedi eu hintegreiddio, mae'r ddau yr un fath, maen nhw'n integredig o ran y gwasanaeth y maen nhw'n ceisio ei ddarparu i bobl ac rydym ni wedi cyfrannu arian at hynny drwy'r gronfa gofal integredig, gan wneud yn siŵr y gall pobl adael yr ysbyty pan eu bod yn gallu.
Yr hyn a wnaeth Lloegr oedd ceisio gwario'r arian ar iechyd ac amddifadu gofal cymdeithasol o arian, gan gymryd oddi wrth gofal cymdeithasol a rhoi i iechyd i bob pwrpas, ac mae Lloegr yn dioddef effeithiau hynny erbyn hyn. Roeddem ni o'r farn erioed bod yn rhaid i iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol gael eu hystyried fel un a bod y naill wedi ei gysylltu'n gryf â'r llall.
Os edrychwn ni, er enghraifft, ychydig y tu hwnt i hynny at y Bil Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol a'r Tribiwnlys Addysg (Cymru); mae hwnnw'n ystyried dod â'r ddarpariaeth addysg ac iechyd ar gyfer pobl ifanc ynghyd hefyd. Felly, rydym ni wedi sicrhau, pan ddaw i wariant, bod gwariant yng Nghymru yn uwch fesul pen nag yn Lloegr ar iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol i wneud yn siŵr nad ydym yn siomi ein pobl fel y mae'r Llywodraeth wedi ei wneud yn Lloegr.
3. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am weithredu systemau talu heb arian parod ar gyfer prydau ysgol? OAQ51615
3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the operation of cashless payment systems for school meals? OAQ51615
There are many benefits to schools using cashless systems: helping schools meet the requirement to protect the identity of learners, for example, who receive free school meals, and preventing the situation arising of children losing their lunch money.
Ceir llawer o fanteision i ysgolion sy'n defnyddio systemau talu heb ddefnyddio arian parod: helpu ysgolion i fodloni'r gofyniad i ddiogelu manylion adnabod dysgwyr, er enghraifft, sy'n derbyn prydau ysgol am ddim, ac atal y sefyllfa o blant yn colli eu harian cinio rhag codi.
There is, of course, evidence of a link between cashless payment systems and better take-up of free school meals, and that's why I've supported and campaigned for their introduction in every school in Wales. Powys has done that and I think that's absolutely fantastic, but we now have a situation whereby children whose parents pay for lunch and who haven't topped up their cards will no longer be able to get any food. I understand the council's position in this, but it can't be right, in my view, that a child will go hungry in school because someone, somewhere along the line, has forgotten or cannot afford to pay for the dinner money that particular week.
I'm particularly concerned that this is sorted out before the introduction of universal credit, which is going to happen in Powys in June. We all know about the delays in people getting their money and I'm really, really concerned that, in this system, that could cause an absolute failure for those people expecting that money to be in place and their children to be fed, which will not happen. I therefore respectfully ask you, First Minister, if you could have a word with your two Cabinet Secretaries to try and sort this out. There's an urgency that it's done before June.
Ceir tystiolaeth, wrth gwrs, bod cysylltiad rhwng systemau talu heb ddefnyddio arian parod a niferoedd uwch yn manteisio ar brydau ysgol am ddim, a dyna pam yr wyf i wedi cefnogi ac ymgyrchu dros eu cyflwyno ym mhob ysgol yng Nghymru. Mae Powys wedi gwneud hynny, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n gwbl wych, ond mae gennym ni sefyllfa nawr lle na fydd plant y mae eu rhieni yn talu am ginio ac nad ydynt wedi ychwanegu arian at eu cardiau yn gallu cael unrhyw fwyd mwyach. Rwy'n deall safbwynt y Cyngor yn hyn o beth, ond ni all fod yn iawn, yn fy marn i, bod plentyn yn llwgu yn yr ysgol oherwydd bod rhywun, rywbryd wedi anghofio neu ddim yn gallu fforddio talu am yr arian cinio yr wythnos benodol honno.
Rwy'n arbennig o awyddus i hyn gael ei ddatrys cyn cyflwyno credyd cynhwysol, sy'n mynd i ddigwydd ym Mhowys ym mis Mehefin. Rydym ni i gyd yn gwybod am yr oedi y mae pobl yn ei ddioddef cyn cael eu harian ac rwy'n bryderus dros ben y gallai olygu, yn y system hon, methiant llwyr i'r bobl hynny sy'n disgwyl i'r arian hwnnw fod ar gael ac i'w plant gael eu bwydo, ac na fydd yn digwydd. Gofynnaf gyda pharch i chi felly, Prif Weinidog, a allech chi gael gair gyda'ch dau Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i geisio datrys hyn. Mae brys iddo gael ei wneud cyn mis Mehefin.
Yes. I'm more than happy to pursue that. My own son's school introduced cashless payments this term, which I have to say, saved on scrambling around for pound coins every week, which is what tended to happen in our house. The important point is this: I don't think it would be right that if there's no credit in a child's account, as it were, that that child should not have a meal as a result of that. There should be a system in place where parents are reminded in a timely fashion as to what the balance is on that account and not find out about it when the account has nothing in it. Certainly, I'll ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education to take this up and to reply to my friend and colleague in further detail.FootnoteLink
Gallaf. Rwy'n fwy na pharod i fynd ar drywydd hynny. Cyflwynodd ysgol fy mab fy hun daliadau heb ddefnyddio arian parod y tymor hwn, ac mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud bod hynny wedi osgoi gorfod chwilota am ddarnau punt bob wythnos, sef yr hyn a oedd yn tueddu i ddigwydd yn ein tŷ ni. Y pwynt pwysig yw hwn: nid wyf i'n credu y byddai'n iawn, os nad oes unrhyw gredyd yng nghyfrif plentyn, fel petai, na ddylai'r plentyn hwnnw gael pryd o fwyd o ganlyniad i hynny. Dylai fod system ar waith lle mae rhieni yn cael eu hatgoffa yn brydlon o'r balans ar y cyfrif hwnnw ac nid dod i wybod amdano pan na fydd unrhyw beth yn y cyfrif. Yn sicr, byddaf yn gofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg fynd i'r afael â hyn ac ateb fy ffrind a'm cydweithiwr yn fwy manwl.FootnoteLink
As I understand it, First Minister, different local authorities across Wales use different payment methods, which does sometimes cause a problem when children move schools. I wonder if you believe that there is rationale in standardising payment methods across Wales.
O'r hyn a ddeallaf, Prif Weinidog, mae gwahanol awdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru yn defnyddio gwahanol ddulliau talu, sydd weithiau'n achosi problem pan fo plant yn newid ysgol. Tybed a ydych chi'n credu bod sail resymegol i safoni dulliau talu ar draws Cymru.
I think there is rationale in that. First of all, of course, it makes sense for there to be a standard system across a local education authority area. Of course, we have local management of schools, but it would seem strange to parents that, if a child moved schools somehow there would then be a problem with having a different account with a different balance in it or not having a cashless system. I think it's fair to say that we should move towards a standardised system in future.
Rwy'n credu bod sail resymegol i hynny. Yn gyntaf oll, wrth gwrs, mae'n gwneud synnwyr cael system safonol ar draws ardal awdurdod addysg lleol. Wrth gwrs, mae gennym ni reolaeth leol o ysgolion, ond byddai'n ymddangos yn rhyfedd i rieni, pe byddai plentyn yn symud ysgolion rywsut y byddai problem wedyn gyda chael gwahanol gyfrif â gwahanol falans ynddo neu beidio â chael system heb arian parod. Rwy'n meddwl ei bod hi'n deg dweud y dylem ni symud tuag at system safonol yn y dyfodol.
4. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am gynlluniau i ddisodli Canllawiau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer Gofal Parhaus i Blant a Phobl Ifanc a gyhoeddwyd yn 2012? OAQ51636
4. Will the First Minister make a statement on plans for the replacement of the Welsh Government's Children and Young People's Continuing Care Guidance 2012? OAQ51636
Yes. We are setting up a multi-agency task and finish group that will consult upon and produce revised continuing care guidance for children and young people by the spring of next year.
Gwnaf. Rydym ni'n sefydlu grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen amlasiantaeth a fydd yn ymgynghori ar ganllawiau gofal parhaus diwygiedig ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc, ac yn eu cynhyrchu, erbyn y gwanwyn y flwyddyn nesaf.
I'm really pleased that the task and finish group has been set up. This is the document. Constituency AMs, and I'm sure regional AMs, get many people who are concerned about the transition from childhood to adulthood for those children needing continuing healthcare. This document is responsible for guidance for children. This document, a separate document, is responsible for guidance for adulthood. The children's document says that eligibility for adult CHC at the age of 17 should be determined by multidisciplinary, multi-agency teams, whereas this document says that the same thing should be approved by local health boards. So, there are clear anomalies between the two documents, and that's not the only one. I think it's really important that not only is this guidance reviewed, but also this guidance, in tandem, and that other stakeholders beyond health boards are involved, including the children's commissioner.
Rwy'n falch iawn bod y grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen wedi cael ei sefydlu. Dyma'r ddogfen. Mae Aelodau Cynulliad etholaethol, ac Aelodau Cynulliad rhanbarthol rwy'n siŵr, yn cael llawer o bobl sy'n pryderu am y cyfnod pontio o fod yn blentyn i fod yn oedolyn i'r plant hynny sydd angen gofal iechyd parhaus. Mae'r ddogfen hon yn gyfrifol am ganllawiau i blant. Mae'r ddogfen hon, dogfen ar wahân, yn gyfrifol am ganllawiau ar fod yn oedolyn. Mae'r ddogfen i blant yn dweud y dylai cymhwysedd ar gyfer GIP oedolion yn 17 oed gael ei benderfynu gan dimau amlasiantaeth, amlddisgyblaeth, tra bod y ddogfen hon yn dweud y dylai'r un peth gael ei gymeradwyo gan fyrddau iechyd lleol. Felly, ceir anghysondebau amlwg rhwng y ddwy ddogfen, ac nid dyna'r unig un. Rwy'n meddwl ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn nid yn unig bod y canllawiau hyn yn cael eu hadolygu, ond hefyd y canllawiau hyn, ar y cyd, a bod rhanddeiliaid eraill y tu hwnt i'r byrddau iechyd yn cymryd rhan, gan gynnwys y comisiynydd plant.
Yes, I agree. My understanding is that adult CHC services—the transition to those services has to commence when an individual is aged 14. LHBs have the responsibility to draw up a robust local transition policy with partner agencies. That includes local authorities. There will be some issues that will be outside the scope of the local health board—for example, the responsibility for meeting any ongoing educational needs. The Member is right to say that, as we look to revise the guidance for young people, it's massively important that, as that guidance is revised, there is then a seamless transition to adulthood, so that that kind of problem, where people can't access services in the same way or there's a barrier they can't get over, so those barriers are eliminated.
Ie, rwy'n cytuno. Fy nealltwriaeth i yw bod gwasanaethau cynghorau iechyd cymunedol i oedolion—mae'n rhaid i'r cyfnod pontio i'r gwasanaethau hynny ddechrau pan fydd unigolyn yn 14 oed. Mae gan fyrddau iechyd lleol gyfrifoldeb i lunio polisi pontio lleol cadarn gydag asiantaethau partner. Mae hynny'n cynnwys awdurdodau lleol. Bydd rhai materion a fydd y tua allan i gwmpas y bwrdd iechyd lleol—er enghraifft, y cyfrifoldeb am ddiwallu unrhyw anghenion addysgol parhaus. Mae'r Aelod yn iawn i ddweud, wrth i ni geisio diwygio'r canllawiau ar gyfer pobl ifanc, ei bod hi'n aruthrol o bwysig, wrth i'r canllawiau hynny gael eu diwygio, yna bod cyfnod pontio di-dor i fod yn oedolyn, fel bod y math honno o broblem, pan na all pobl gael mynediad at wasanaethau yn yr un ffordd neu fod rhwystr na allant ei oresgyn, fel bod y rhwystrau hynny'n cael eu dileu.
5. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am y gwasanaethau a ddarperir i bobl Powys gan Shropdoc? OAQ51594
5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the services provided to the people of Powys by Shropdoc? OAQ51594
Powys Teaching Local Health Board currently commission Shropdoc to provide GP out-of-hours services to the people of Powys.
Mae Bwrdd Iechyd Lleol Addysgu Powys yn comisiynu Shropdoc ar hyn o bryd i ddarparu gwasanaethau meddygon teulu y tu allan i oriau i bobl Powys.
Thank you, First Minister. You'll be aware, of course, that Powys doesn't have a district general hospital, which makes it all the more important to my constituents that there is an excellent out-of-hours GP service. The current out-of-hours service is run by Shropdoc, and the health board has said that they want to end that service and the contract with Shropdoc and replace it with the 111 out-of-hours service by this spring. I have no doubt in my own mind that neither the health board nor any other organisation can currently provide the same level of support as Shropdoc provides. Shropdoc also provide services to GP practices, and I think there's a real significant risk here that some GP practices could fold if those services are no longer available. It seems that the health board hasn't properly consulted on these proposals or consulted GPs correctly.
So, can I ask: has the Welsh Government exerted any influence over the health board in changing to a 111 model? Can you give any assurance to my constituents that any change would not be detrimental to them? And, if you can't give that assurance, will you examine this situation in Powys?
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Byddwch yn ymwybodol, wrth gwrs, nad oes gan Bowys ysbyty cyffredinol dosbarth, sy'n ei gwneud yn bwysicach fyth i'm hetholwyr bod gwasanaeth meddygon teulu y tu allan i oriau rhagorol. Caiff y gwasanaeth y tu allan i oriau presennol ei redeg gan Shropdoc, ac mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi dweud ei fod eisiau rhoi terfyn ar y gwasanaeth hwnnw a'r contract gyda Shropdoc a'i ddisodli gyda'r gwasanaeth y tu allan i oriau 111 erbyn y gwanwyn hwn. Nid oes gennyf unrhyw amheuaeth yn fy meddwl fy hun na all y bwrdd iechyd nac unrhyw sefydliad arall ddarparu'r un lefel o gymorth y mae Shropdoc yn ei darparu ar hyn o bryd. Mae Shropdoc hefyd yn darparu gwasanaethau i feddygfeydd teulu, ac rwy'n credu bod risg sylweddol gwirioneddol yma y gallai rhai meddygfeydd teulu fynd i'r wal os nad yw'r gwasanaethau hynny ar gael mwyach. Mae'n ymddangos nad yw'r bwrdd iechyd wedi ymgynghori'n briodol ar y cynigion hyn nac wedi ymgynghori â meddygon teulu yn briodol.
Felly, a gaf i ofyn: a yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi arfer unrhyw ddylanwad dros y bwrdd iechyd i newid i fodel 111? A allwch chi roi unrhyw sicrwydd i'm hetholwyr na fyddai unrhyw newid yn niweidiol iddyn nhw? Ac, os na allwch chi roi'r sicrwydd hwnnw, a wnewch chi ymchwilio i'r sefyllfa hon ym Mhowys?
Well, the situation has arisen because Shropdoc itself has faced financial challenges during 2017. Those challenges do remain. As a result, the health board have been working with Shropdoc and the English clinical commissioning groups to support them while they address those challenges. I understand that the health board did establish a taskforce to assess and deliver potential alternative solutions for the provision of out-of-hours services in Powys. That taskforce has developed short- and medium-term plans. The current contract with Shropdoc does end, I understand, in the spring, so there is an opportunity there now to work on new models and to work with Shropdoc itself. This is a situation that's not been chosen by the health board, but there have been challenges that have been placed before them as a result of Shropdoc's own financial situation, which we hope can be resolved.
Wel, mae'r sefyllfa wedi codi gan fod Shropdoc ei hun wedi wynebu heriau ariannol yn ystod 2017. Mae'r heriau hynny yn parhau. O ganlyniad, mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi bod yn gweithio gyda Shropdoc a grwpiau comisiynu clinigol Lloegr i'w cynorthwyo tra eu bod yn mynd i'r afael â'r heriau hynny. Rwy'n deall bod y bwrdd iechyd wedi sefydlu tasglu i asesu a darparu atebion amgen posibl ar gyfer y ddarpariaeth o wasanaethau y tu allan i oriau ym Mhowys. Mae'r tasglu hwnnw wedi datblygu cynlluniau tymor byr a chanolig. Mae'r contract presennol gyda Shropdoc yn dod i ben, rwy'n deall, yn y gwanwyn, felly ceir cyfle nawr i weithio ar fodelau newydd a gweithio gyda Shropdoc ei hun. Mae hon yn sefyllfa na ddewisiwyd gan y bwrdd iechyd, ond bu heriau a roddwyd o'u blaenau o ganlyniad i sefyllfa ariannol Shropdoc ei hun, yr ydym yn gobeithio y gellir eu datrys.
Fel sydd newydd gael ei grybwyll, mae llawer o drigolion Powys yn ddibynnol ar wasanaethau sydd naill ai’n cael eu darparu o Loegr neu sydd wedi’u lleoli yn Lloegr. Gyda’r newyddion rwy’n clywed bod gohirio ynglŷn â phenderfyniad ar leoliad a newydd-deb yr ysbyty cyffredinol ar gyfer gorllewin swydd Shropshire, lle bynnag y mae honno'n mynd i fod ac i gael ei lleoli—mae'r ddadl rhwng Telford a'r Amwythig ei hun, wrth gwrs, yn parhau ac nid oes arian gan Lywodraeth San Steffan eto i fuddsoddi yn hynny—pa drafodaethau a ydych chi yn eu cael fel Llywodraeth—achos mae e tu hwnt i'r bwrdd iechyd, i fod yn onest—gyda'r Llywodraeth yn Lloegr i wneud yn siŵr bod y gwasanaethau hynny'n parhau ac nad oes bwlch yn y gwasanaethau sy'n cael eu darparu ym Mhowys?
As has just been mentioned, many of the residents of Powys are reliant on services that are either provided from England or are located in England. Given the news that I'm hearing that there is a delay in terms of a decision on the location of the general hospital for the west of Shropshire, wherever that is to be located—it’s an argument between Telford and Shrewsbury itself, which is ongoing, and there has been no money from the Westminster Government yet to invest in that—what discussions are you having as Government—because it’s beyond the health board, to be honest—with the Government in England to ensure that those services continue to be available and there is no gap in the services provided in Powys?
Wel, mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi bod yn siarad gyda sir Amwythig a hefyd Telford a Wrekin er mwyn gweithio gyda nhw i ddatblygu gwasanaethau newydd, os taw hynny sydd yn gorfod digwydd, ac i weithio gyda nhw i weld ym mha ffordd y gallan nhw gefnogi Shropdoc i fod yn gynaliadwy yn y pendraw. So, mae'r trafodaethau hynny wedi cymryd lle rhwng y bwrdd iechyd a hefyd y cyrff yn Lloegr.
Well, the health board have been in discussion with Shropshire and also Telford and Wrekin in order to work with them to develop new services, if that’s the path they choose to take, and to see in what way they can support Shropdoc to be sustainable in the long term. So, those discussions have taken place between the health board and also the organisations in England.
First Minister, Shropdoc has provided out-of-hours GP services to Powys for 22 years, but, like every part of the NHS, they've also felt financial pressures. The decision not to renew the contract is extremely disappointing, as Shropdoc have provided one of the best out-of-hours services in the country and provided a first-class service to the people of Powys. First Minister, can you assure this Chamber that the decision to end the Shropdoc contract was not financially motivated and can you assure the people of Powys that the replacement service will be as good, if not better, than the out-of-hours service provided by Shropdoc?
Prif Weinidog, mae Shropdoc wedi darparu gwasanaethau meddygon teulu y tu allan i oriau i Bowys ers 22 mlynedd, ond, fel pob rhan o'r GIG, maen nhw hefyd wedi wynebu pwysau ariannol. Mae'r penderfyniad i beidio ag adnewyddu'r contract yn hynod siomedig, gan fod Shropdoc wedi darparu un o'r gwasanaethau y tu allan i oriau gorau yn y wlad gan ddarparu gwasanaeth o'r radd flaenaf i bobl Powys. Prif Weinidog, a allwch chi sicrhau'r Siambr hon nad oedd cymhelliad ariannol yn sail i'r penderfyniad i roi terfyn ar gontract Shropdoc ac a allwch chi sicrhau pobl Powys y bydd y gwasanaeth newydd gystal, os nad yn well, na'r gwasanaeth y tu allan i oriau a ddarparwyd gan Shropdoc?
That's what we want to do, but Shropdoc, remember, has financial problems of its own and that's the reason why this situation has arisen. One of the concerns as well is that the two English clinical commissioning groups that currently commission Shropdoc will re-tender during 2018 and, of course, it's important that both sides of the border work together in order to commission a new service. But this is not a situation where the health board have chosen to be in a position where they want to offload Shropdoc, if I can put it that way. It's because of Shropdoc's financial challenges that the situation has arisen. But everybody wants to get to a situation where the service is at least as good as the service that currently exists.
Dyna rydym ni eisiau ei wneud, ond mae gan Shropdoc, cofiwch, ei broblemau ariannol ei hun, a dyna'r rheswm pam mae'r sefyllfa hon wedi codi. Un o'r pryderon hefyd yw y bydd y ddau grŵp comisiynu clinigol o Loegr sy'n comisiynu Shropdoc ar hyn o bryd yn aildendro yn ystod 2018 ac, wrth gwrs, mae'n bwysig bod y ddwy ochr i'r ffin yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd er mwyn comisiynu gwasanaethau newydd. Ond nid yw hon yn sefyllfa lle mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi dewis bod mewn sefyllfa lle maen nhw eisiau cael gwared ar Shropdoc, os gallaf ei roi felly. Oherwydd heriau ariannol Shropdoc y mae'r sefyllfa wedi codi. Ond mae pawb eisiau bod mewn sefyllfa lle mae'r gwasanaeth o leiaf gystal â'r gwasanaeth sy'n bodoli ar hyn o bryd.
6. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog sefydlu uned i archwilio i sut y gall Cymru wneud defnydd o ddeallusrwydd artiffisial ac awtomeiddio? OAQ51639
6. Will the First Minister establish a unit to explore how Wales can harness artificial intelligence and automation? OAQ51639
Well, automation, innovation and digitalisation form one of the cornerstones of the economic action plan, and we're focusing our investment to support businesses to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow and futureproofing our economy and workforce.
Wel, mae awtomeiddio, arloesi a digideiddio yn un o gonglfeini'r cynllun gweithredu economaidd, ac rydym ni'n canolbwyntio ein buddsoddiad i gynorthwyo busnesau i baratoi ar gyfer heriau yfory a diogelu ein heconomi a'n gweithlu ar gyfer y dyfodol.
Thank you, First Minister. I welcome the fact that the new economic action plan includes, as one of the criteria for supporting new businesses, adapting to automation, but the implications of automation go way beyond that. It's estimated that some 700,000 jobs are at risk, and they hit upon every single portfolio. So, would you now look at how you can co-ordinate efforts by establishing a unit to explore opportunities so we can support the people who are going to be impacted by automation and also explore the opportunities for Wales?
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith bod y cynllun gweithredu economaidd newydd yn cynnwys, fel un o'r meini prawf ar gyfer cynorthwyo busnesau newydd, addasu i awtomeiddio, ond mae goblygiadau awtomeiddio yn mynd ymhell y tu hwnt i hynny. Amcangyfrifir bod tua 700,000 o swyddi mewn perygl, ac maen nhw'n taro ar bob un portffolio. Felly, a wnewch chi ystyried nawr sut y gallwch chi gydgysylltu ymdrechion trwy sefydlu uned i archwilio cyfleoedd fel y gallwn ni gynorthwyo'r bobl sy'n mynd i gael eu heffeithio gan awtomeiddio ac i archwilio'r cyfleoedd i Gymru hefyd?
Yes, it's a tricky one isn't it? Does there come a point where automation is so comprehensive that there aren't enough people with money in their pockets to buy what the robots make? When does that point come? Nobody knows; we've not been in the situation before. But he asks an important question: how do we look to cope and deal with and to prosper from the changes that will come in the future? Well, we are already examining the impact of technology and data on public service delivery—for example, the digital and data group provides a forum for sharing best practice on that. It's part of the economic action plan and we do engage regularly with businesses and stakeholders to discuss the potential impact and opportunities of digital technologies. If we look at innovative tech, well, of course, we're already considering the opportunities of artificial intelligence: M7 Managed Services, in partnership with IBM, opened an artificial intelligence centre of competence last December and, of course, the centre of excellence in mobile and emerging technologies at the University of South Wales is working with businesses to see how businesses can benefit from the challenges of the future, meet those challenges, and, of course, continue to provide jobs for people.
Ie, mae'n un anodd onid yw e? A fydd adeg yn dod pan fo awtomeiddio mor gynhwysfawr nad oes digon o bobl ag arian yn eu pocedi i brynu'r hyn y mae'r robotiaid yn ei wneud? Pryd mae'r adeg honno'n dod? Ni wyr neb; nid ydym ni wedi bod yn y sefyllfa o'r blaen. Ond mae'n gofyn cwestiwn pwysig: sut ydym ni'n ceisio ymdopi ac ymdrin â'r newidiadau a fydd yn dod yn y dyfodol a ffynnu yn eu sgil? Wel, rydym ni eisoes yn archwilio effaith technoleg a data ar ddarparu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus—er enghraifft, mae grŵp digidol a data yn cynnig fforwm ar gyfer rhannu arfer gorau yn hynny o beth. Mae'n rhan o'r cynllun gweithredu economaidd ac rydym ni'n ymgysylltu'n rheolaidd â busnesau a rhanddeiliaid i drafod effaith a chyfleoedd posibl technolegau digidol. Os edrychwn ni ar dechnoleg arloesol, wel, wrth gwrs, rydym ni eisoes yn ystyried cyfleoedd deallusrwydd artiffisial: agorodd M7 Managed Services, mewn partneriaeth â IBM, ganolfan cymhwysedd deallusrwydd artiffisial fis Rhagfyr diwethaf ac, wrth gwrs, mae'r ganolfan rhagoriaeth technoleg symudol a newydd ym Mhrifysgol De Cymru yn gweithio gyda busnesau i weld sut y gall busnesau elwa o heriau'r dyfodol, ymateb i'r heriau hynny, ac, wrth gwrs, parhau i ddarparu swyddi i bobl.
First Minister, I think Lee Waters made a very good point, and I agree with most of your answer there. Yesterday, I attended the Severn growth summit at the Celtic Manor. The summit looked at ways of developing the economy of south-east Wales, particularly now in the light of, first, the reduction in, and then the decision to abolish, the Severn bridge tolls later in the year. First Minister, there's a tremendous mood of optimism surrounding some of these imminent changes and there's also a real desire to use it as a stimulus to develop a high-tech economy in south-east Wales from the border along to Cardiff, and, hopefully, further. In terms of the unit that Lee Waters mentioned, would you look at potentially siting that within that area so that, when these changes happen to the road network and changes to the Severn bridge, for instance, there is a real—that this is used as an impetus to make sure that the economy is developed in the future in a way that is developing the high-tech sector and the areas that Lee Waters mentioned?
Prif Weinidog, rwy'n credu i Lee Waters wneud pwynt da iawn, ac rwy'n cytuno gyda'r rhan fwyaf o'ch ateb yno. Ddoe, bûm yn uwchgynhadledd twf Hafren yn y Celtic Manor. Ystyriodd yr uwchgynhadledd ffyrdd o ddatblygu economi'r de-ddwyrain, yn enwedig nawr yng ngoleuni'r gostyngiad cyntaf i dollau Pont Hafren, a'r penderfyniad i ddiddymu'r tollau yn ddiweddarach yn y flwyddyn. Prif Weinidog, ceir teimlad aruthrol o optimistiaeth ynghylch rhai o'r newidiadau hyn sydd ar fin digwydd a cheir awydd gwirioneddol hefyd i'w ddefnyddio fel sbardun i ddatblygu economi uwch-dechnoleg yn y de-ddwyrain o'r ffin i Gaerdydd, a, gobeithio, ymhellach. O ran yr uned honno y cyfeiriwyd ati gan Lee Waters, a wnewch chi ystyried lleoli honno yn yr ardal honno o bosibl er mwyn sicrhau, pan fydd y newidiadau hyn yn digwydd i'r rhwydwaith ffyrdd a newidiadau i bont Hafren, er enghraifft, bod gwir—bod hyn yn cael ei ddefnyddio fel sbardun i wneud yn siŵr bod yr economi yn cael ei datblygu yn y dyfodol mewn ffordd sy'n datblygu'r sector uwch-dechnoleg a'r ardaloedd y cyfeiriodd Lee Waters atynt?
Well, I've already mentioned two examples there of centres that have been put in place in order to deal with and meet the challenges of the future, and, of course, much of this will be driven by the higher education sector, so, many of these centres, in the future, will be run by them. But there's no doubt at all that we want to encourage cross-border economic working. It happens everywhere else in the world, so why wouldn't it happen between Wales and England? If that leads to joint prosperity between the south-east of Wales and the south-west of England then so be it. One of the problems, of course, is that the south-west of England doesn't have a body that we can talk to in the same way as we can talk to Scotland or Northern Ireland. Certainly, that's an issue that will need to be resolved in the future.
Wel, rydw i eisoes wedi crybwyll dwy enghraifft yn y fan yna o ganolfannau sydd wedi cael eu sefydlu i ymateb i heriau'r dyfodol a'u datrys, ac, wrth gwrs, bydd llawer o hyn yn cael ei lywio gan y sector addysg uwch, felly, bydd llawer o'r canolfannau hyn, yn y dyfodol, yn cael eu rhedeg ganddyn nhw. Ond nid oes unrhyw amheuaeth o gwbl ein bod ni eisiau annog gweithio economaidd trawsffiniol. Mae'n digwydd ym mhobman arall yn y byd, felly pam na fyddai'n digwydd rhwng Cymru a Lloegr? Os bydd hynny'n arwain at ffyniant ar y cyd rhwng de-ddwyrain Cymru a de-orllewin Lloegr, yna da iawn. Un o'r problemau, wrth gwrs, yw nad oes gan dde-orllewin Lloegr gorff y gallwn siarad ag ef yn yr un modd ag y gallwn siarad â'r Alban neu Ogledd Iwerddon. Yn sicr, mae hwnnw'n fater y bydd angen ei ddatrys yn y dyfodol.
Yes, it's good that this issue is being addressed at a governmental level. However, there is recent evidence that companies like Tesco are now losing a lot more money from shoplifting since bringing in automation in the form of self-scanning machines. Is there now a case for the Welsh Government to work with those companies in trying to move away from unnecessary automation and go back towards hiring real people to do jobs?
Ydy, mae'n dda bod y mater hwn yn cael sylw ar lefel lywodraethol. Fodd bynnag, ceir tystiolaeth ddiweddar bod cwmnïau fel Tesco yn colli llawer mwy o arian o ddwyn o siopau ers cyflwyno awtomeiddio ar ffurf peiriannau hunan-sganio. A oes achos nawr i Lywodraeth Cymru weithio gyda'r cwmnïau hynny i geisio symud oddi wrth awtomeiddio diangen a mynd yn ôl tuag at gyflogi pobl go iawn i wneud swyddi?
Well, I mean—. In reality, shoplifting increased when self-service was introduced, probably about 17 years ago, into supermarkets. They accept it as part of—. I mean, they obviously look to catch shoplifters, but they accept it as part of their business models. I think a variety of options should be available for people. For some people, they want to physically go through a checkout, for others, they want to checkout automatically at the end, for others, they want to go around with a scanner. Having those choices is important for people, especially at busy times when the automated services take a lot of pressure off the services that people are using when they physically go through a checkout.
Wel, hynny yw—. Mewn gwirionedd, cynyddodd achosion o ddwyn o siopau pan gyflwynwyd hunanwasanaeth i archfarchnadoedd tua 17 mlynedd yn ôl, mae'n debyg. Maen nhw'n ei dderbyn yn rhan o—. Hynny yw, maen nhw'n amlwg yn ceisio dal lladron, ond maen nhw'n ei dderbyn yn rhan o'u modelau busnes. Rwy'n credu y dylai amrywiaeth o ddewisiadau fod ar gael i bobl. I rai pobl, maen nhw eisiau mynd drwy'r lôn dalu yn gorfforol, i eraill, maen nhw eisiau talu'n awtomatig ar y diwedd, i eraill, maen nhw eisiau mynd o gwmpas gyda sganiwr. Mae cael y dewisiadau hynny'n bwysig i bobl, yn enwedig ar adegau prysur pan fo gwasanaethau awtomatig yn cymryd llawer o bwysau oddi ar y gwasanaethau y mae pobl yn eu defnyddio pan fyddan nhw'n mynd drwy'r lôn dalu yn gorfforol.
7. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am effaith cyflwyno credyd cynhwysol yng Nghymru? OAQ51608
7. Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact of the roll-out of universal credit in Wales? OAQ51608
I'm extremely concerned about the severe issues with universal credit, such as the impact of the changes to payment of housing support, and the impact they're having on rent arrears. We have expressed our concerns to the UK Government, calling for a halt to the roll-out of universal credit.
Rwy'n bryderus iawn am y problemau difrifol gyda chredyd cynhwysol, fel effaith y newidiadau ar dalu cymhorthdal tai, a'r effaith y maen nhw'n ei chael ar ôl-ddyledion rhent. Rydym ni wedi mynegi ein pryderon i Lywodraeth y DU, gan alw am atal y broses o gyflwyno credyd cynhwysol.
Thank you for that answer, First Minister. Disabled people and single parents and women have been amongst the biggest losers under seven years of austerity, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, standing to lose around 10 per cent of their income by 2022 due to tax and benefit changes since 2010. The roll-out of the flawed universal credit, with its unacceptable payment delays, as you've said, has pushed many people into debt, rent arrears and eviction. Of course, the Member for Torfaen, Lynne Neagle, has fed back on the Torfaen experience. Also, young people aged 18 to 21 have also lost out under universal credit, with housing benefit withdrawn. I don't know if Members are aware that the Children's Society has highlighted the UK Government's proposals to introduce an earnings threshold for eligibility to free school meals under universal credit, restricting free school meals to families with net earnings under £7,400 per year. With universal credit expected to be fully rolled out this year in the Vale of Glamorgan and other parts of Wales, what support is the Welsh Government giving to our advice services, such as Cardiff and Vale Citizens Advice, which will be bearing the brunt of supporting people adversely affected by universal credit?
Diolch am yr ateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Mae pobl anabl a rhieni sengl a menywod wedi bod ymhlith y rheini sydd fwyaf ar eu colled o dan saith mlynedd o gynni cyllidol, yn ôl y Comisiwn Cydraddoldeb a Hawliau Dynol, gan sefyll i golli tua 10 y cant o'u hincwm erbyn 2022 oherwydd newidiadau i drethi a budd-daliadau ers 2010. Mae cyflwyno'r credyd cynhwysol diffygiol, gyda'i oediadau talu annerbyniol, fel yr ydych chi wedi dweud, wedi gwthio llawer o bobl i ddyled, ôl-ddyledion rhent ac i gael eu troi allan. Wrth gwrs, mae'r Aelod dros Torfaen, Lynne Neagle, wedi bwydo yn ôl ar brofiad Torfaen. Hefyd, mae pobl ifanc rhwng 18 a 21 oed ar eu colled hefyd yn sgil credyd cynhwysol, wrth i fudd-dal tai gael ei ddiddymu. Nid wyf i'n gwybod a yw'r Aelodau'n ymwybodol bod Cymdeithas y Plant wedi tynnu sylw at gynigion Llywodraeth y DU i gyflwyno trothwy enillion ar gyfer cymhwysedd ar gyfer prydau ysgol am ddim o dan gredyd cynhwysol, gan gyfyngu prydau ysgol am ddim i deuluoedd ag enillion net o lai na £7,400 y flwyddyn. Gyda'r credyd cynhwysol yn debygol o gael ei gyflwyno'n llawn eleni ym Mro Morgannwg a rhannau eraill o Gymru, pa gymorth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei roi i'n gwasanaethau cyngor, fel Cyngor ar Bopeth Caerdydd a'r Fro, a fydd yn ysgwyddo'r baich o gynorthwyo pobl sy'n cael eu heffeithio'n andwyol gan gredyd cynhwysol?
We have provided £5.97 million of grant funding for this year. That funding will continue in the next financial year. It's for three projects: front-line advice services, Better Advice, Better Lives, and Communities First shared outcomes projects. They ensure access to free and independent social welfare advice across Wales and, as I said, that will continue into the next financial year.
Rydym ni wedi darparu £5.97 miliwn o gyllid grant ar gyfer eleni. Bydd y cyllid hwnnw'n parhau yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf. Mae ar gyfer tri phrosiect: gwasanaethau cyngor rheng flaen, Cyngor Da, Byw'n Dda, a phrosiectau rhannu canlyniadau Cymunedau yn Gyntaf. Maen nhw'n sicrhau mynediad am ddim ac annibynnol at gyngor lles cymdeithasol ledled Cymru ac, fel y dywedais, bydd hynny'n parhau i'r flwyddyn ariannol nesaf.
In his budget last November, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced changes to the universal credit system. These include the removal of the seven waiting days before a claimant can apply for universal credit, significant improvement to the advanced payment system, including increasing the amount available, and changes to support people with their rent payments when moving from housing benefit. Does the First Minister agree with the chief executive of the Citizens Advice bureaux who said that these changes are a very welcome step and will make significant differences to people claiming universal credit in Wales?
Yn ei gyllideb fis Tachwedd diwethaf, cyhoeddodd Canghellor y Trysorlys newidiadau i'r system credyd cynhwysol. Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys cael gwared ar y saith niwrnod aros cyn y gall hawlydd wneud cais am gredyd cynhwysol, gwelliant sylweddol i'r system taliadau ymlaen llaw, gan gynnwys cynyddu'r swm sydd ar gael, a newidiadau i gynorthwyo pobl â'u taliadau rhent wrth symud o fudd-dal tai. A yw'r Prif Weinidog yn cytuno â phrif weithredwr y canolfannau Cyngor ar Bopeth a ddywedodd bod y newidiadau hyn yn gam i'w groesawu ac y byddan nhw'n gwneud gwahaniaeth sylweddol i bobl sy'n hawlio credyd cynhwysol yng Nghymru?
Well, it shouldn't have been messed up in the first place, should it? That's an admission that what was put in place at the very beginning wasn't thought through properly and ended up with a lot of people in debt. We still have evidence from housing associations to Citizens Advice that shows that rent arrears are still a problem for people on universal credit. There are other issues as well that surround the implementation of universal credit, such a lack of awareness concerning alternative payment arrangements and access to advance payments. So, those problems still remain.
Wel, ni ddylid bod wedi gwneud smonach ohono yn y lle cyntaf, na ddylai? Dyna gyfaddefiad nad oedd yr hyn a roddwyd ar waith i gychwyn wedi ei ystyried yn ddigonol ac arweiniodd hynny at roi llawer o bobl mewn dyled. Mae gennym ni dystiolaeth gan gymdeithasau tai i Cyngor ar Bopeth sy'n dangos bod ôl-ddyledion rhent yn dal i fod yn broblem i bobl ar gredyd cynhwysol. Ceir materion eraill hefyd sy'n gysylltiedig â gweithredu credyd cynhwysol, fel diffyg ymwybyddiaeth ynghylch trefniadau talu amgen a mynediad at daliadau ymlaen llaw. Felly, mae'r problemau hynny yn parhau.
First Minister, the Scottish Government, as part of the Smith Commission, will see yet again more powers over welfare being devolved to their Government. In the past, your Government has said that you don't want to have powers over welfare because of the cost implications, but, as we've rehearsed time and time again in debates here in the National Assembly for Wales, we have been led to understand that the fiscal framework for those powers will be transferred to the Scottish Government, and therefore the cost of administrating those welfare benefits will be transferred, alongside the powers. Will you therefore change your mind on this? We can stand here and moan about how welfare will affect our citizens, and I agree with you on that, but can we take responsibility here in Wales for those welfare powers if we are better at doing it than Westminster?
Prif Weinidog, bydd Llywodraeth yr Alban, yn rhan o Gomisiwn Smith, yn gweld mwy o bwerau eto dros les yn cael eu datganoli i'w Llywodraeth. Yn y gorffennol, mae eich Llywodraeth wedi dweud nad ydych chi eisiau cael pwerau dros les oherwydd y goblygiadau cost, ond, fel rydym ni wedi wedi ei ailadrodd dro ar ôl tro mewn dadleuon yma yng Nghynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, fe'n harweiniwyd i ddeall y bydd y fframwaith cyllidol ar gyfer y pwerau hynny yn cael ei drosglwyddo i Lywodraeth yr Alban, ac felly bydd y gost o weinyddu'r budd-daliadau lles hynny gael ei throsglwyddo, ochr yn ochr â'r pwerau. A wnewch chi newid eich meddwl ynghylch hyn felly? Gallwn sefyll yma a chwyno am sut y bydd lles yn effeithio ar ein dinasyddion, ac rwy'n cytuno â chi am hynny, ond allwn ni gymryd cyfrifoldeb yma yng Nghymru am y pwerau lles hynny os ydym ni'n well am ei wneud na San Steffan?
Well, the answer to the question lies in the election of a Labour Government in Westminster that is committed to fairness, to social justice and to opportunity. We must be very careful in divorcing ourselves from the welfare system that exists across GB. Why? Because we’re net beneficiaries. At the end of the day, if we end up in the situation where we have to finance our own welfare system, we will be worse off in terms of the money that’s available.
Wel, yr ateb i'r cwestiwn yw ethol Llywodraeth Lafur yn San Steffan sydd wedi ymrwymo i degwch, i gyfiawnder cymdeithasol ac i gyfleoedd. Mae'n rhaid i ni fod yn ofalus iawn o ran gwahanu ein hunain oddi wrth y system les sy'n bodoli ar draws Prydain Fawr. Pam? Gan ein bod ni'n fuddiolwyr net. Yn y pen draw, os ydym ni'n cael ein hunain mewn sefyllfa lle mae'n rhaid i ni ariannu ein system les ein hunain, byddwn yn waeth ein byd o ran yr arian sydd ar gael.
I didn’t say that though.
Ond nid dyna ddywedais i.
So, we have to be careful not to move along that path and be in a position where we end up taking on powers that we then don’t have the money to finance. That’s the issue for us. We know that the UK Government has a record of agreeing to the transfer of powers without the transfer of the finances, and that’s the question we need to answer.
Felly, mae'n rhaid i ni fod yn ofalus peidio â symud ar hyd y llwybr hwnnw a bod mewn sefyllfa lle'r ydym ni'n cymryd cyfrifoldeb am bwerau nad yw'r arian gennym ni i'w hariannu wedyn. Mater i ni yw hynny. Rydym ni'n gwybod bod gan Lywodraeth y DU hanes o gytuno i drosglwyddo pwerau heb drosglwyddo'r cyllid, a dyna'r cwestiwn y mae angen i ni ei ateb.
8. Pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o gynaliadwyedd gwasanaethau bysiau presennol yng Nghymru? OAQ51635
8. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the sustainability of current bus services in Wales? OAQ51635
We are working with the industry and others to develop long-term sustainability by developing integrated networks such as the metro in north and south Wales. We will look, when the powers are devolved, at a better and more sustainable structure for bus services in Wales.
Rydym ni'n gweithio gyda'r diwydiant ac eraill i ddatblygu cynaliadwyedd hirdymor trwy ddatblygu rhwydweithiau integredig fel y metro yn y gogledd a'r de. Byddwn yn edrych, pan gaiff y pwerau eu datganoli, ar strwythur gwell a mwy cynaliadwy ar gyfer gwasanaethau bysiau yng Nghymru.
My constituents are looking forward to the trams and the light rail systems that the metro will bring, but in the meantime people rely on buses to get themselves to work and to school. Cardiff Bus is the municipal bus service and they are being subjected to aggressive assaults by private companies that are simply cherry-picking the routes that are the most profitable. The Transport Act 1985 does not allow the cross-subsidy of one route by revenue from another, and I just wondered what the Government’s plans are for ensuring the sustainability of a network of sustainable services for all our citizens, particularly those who don’t have a car, and what model of delivery we need and what legislation we might need.
Mae fy etholwyr yn edrych ymlaen at y tramiau a systemau rheilffyrdd ysgafn a ddaw yn sgil y metro, ond yn y cyfamser mae pobl yn dibynnu ar fysiau i gael eu hunain i'r gwaith ac i'r ysgol. Bws Caerdydd yw'r gwasanaeth bws trefol ac mae'n nhw'n destun ymosodiadau bygythiol gan gwmnïau preifat sy'n dewis y llwybrau mwyaf proffidiol. Nid yw Deddf Trafnidiaeth 1985 yn caniatáu darparu croes-gymhorthdal i un llwybr o refeniw un arall, ac roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed beth yw cynlluniau'r Llywodraeth ar gyfer sicrhau cynaliadwyedd rhwydwaith o wasanaethau cynaliadwy ar gyfer ein holl ddinasyddion, yn enwedig y rheini nad oes ganddynt gar, a pha fodel darparu sydd ei angen arnom a pha ddeddfwriaeth y gallai fod ei hangen arnom.
We cannot continue with a system where, unless services are subsidised, they can be altered or removed almost at the drop of a hat. I remember, not so long ago, in Ceredigion, where Arriva pulled out of the provision of bus services there at very short notice, and then it was left to other private operators to step in and fill the gap. That is not a sustainable way of running bus services. Nor is it right that, in many parts of Wales, there is only one provider, and that provider is a private provider that can charge, effectively, what it wants. This is another one of the myths that was peddled by the Tories in the 1980s and beyond: that, in transport, there can be competition. Well, for many people in Wales there is no competition when it comes to buses. There's certainly no competition when it comes to trains. People are paying over the odds for private monopolies. That situation cannot continue, and the Cabinet Secretary and I and the Government will be looking at ways of ensuring that, in the future, we have a bus network that is publicly supported both financially and by the people of Wales, and not one that is fragmented and overpriced.
Ni allwn barhau gyda system lle, oni bai fod cymhorthdal ar gyfer gwasanaethau, y gellir eu newid neu gael gwared arnynt yn ddirybudd bron. Rwy'n cofio, nid mor hir yn ôl, yng Ngheredigion, pan roddodd Arriva y gorau i ddarparu gwasanaethau bws yno yn fyr-rybudd iawn, ac yna fe'i gadawyd i weithredwyr preifat eraill gamu i mewn a llenwi'r bwlch. Nid yw honno'n ffordd gynaliadwy o redeg gwasanaethau bysiau. Ac nid yw'n iawn chwaith, mewn sawl rhan o Gymru, bod un darparwr yn unig, a bod y darparwr hwnnw'n ddarparwr preifat sy'n gallu codi yr hyn y mae'n dymuno, i bob bwrpas. Mae hwn yn un arall o'r anwireddau hynny a hysbysebwyd gan y Toraid yn y 1980au a thu hwnt: y gellir cael cystadleuaeth ym maes trafnidiaeth. Wel, i lawer o bobl yng Nghymru nid oes unrhyw gystadleuaeth pan ddaw i fysiau. Yn sicr nid oes cystadleuaeth pan ddaw i drenau. Mae pobl yn talu mwy nag y dylent am fonopolïau preifat. Ni all y sefyllfa honno barhau, a bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet a minnau a'r Llywodraeth yn edrych ar ffyrdd o sicrhau, yn y dyfodol, bod gennym ni rwydwaith bysiau a gefnogir yn gyhoeddus, yn ariannol a chan bobl Cymru, ac nid un sy'n dameidiog lle mae'r prisiau'n rhy uchel.
Brif Weinidog, rydw i wedi derbyn sylwadau gan weithredwr bysiau lleol yn sir Benfro sydd wedi ehangu ei weithrediadau yn dilyn cau cwmni bysus arall yn y sir, ond, yn anffodus, mae’n ei chael hi’n anodd i uwchraddio ei seilwaith. Wrth gwrs, rydw i’n derbyn bod cyllidebau awdurdodau lleol yn dynn, ond, o ystyried y gwasanaeth pwysig y mae mwy a mwy o gwmnïau bysiau yn eu cynnig ar draws Cymru, a’r ffaith eu bod yn darparu swyddi yn lleol hefyd, pa gymorth y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei gynnig i gwmnïau bysiau fel hyn i ddiogelu eu hyfywedd yn y dyfodol ac, felly, sicrhau cynaliadwyedd gwasanaethau bysiau, yn enwedig mewn ardaloedd gwledig?
First Minister, I’ve received comments from a local bus operator in Pembrokeshire who has expanded his business following the closure of another bus company in the county, but unfortunately the operator is having difficulty in upgrading his infrastructure. Of course, I accept that local authority budgets are tight, but given the important service that more and more bus companies are providing across Wales and the fact that they provide jobs locally, what assistance can the Welsh Government offer bus companies such as this one to safeguard their viability for the future and therefore secure the sustainability of bus services, particularly in rural areas?
Faint o gwmnïau ŷm ni wedi'u gweld dros y blynyddoedd sydd yn cwympo drosodd? Sawl un. Sawl un. Mae'n rhaid i ni ailystyried y strwythur o wasanaethau bysiau. Mae hynny'n meddwl, er enghraifft, a oes yna fodd i gael system o franchises—nid yw e'n gweithio ar lefel awdurdodau lleol; maen nhw'n rhy fach, yn fy marn i, i hynny ddigwydd—er mwyn sicrhau bod cwmni yn gorfod sicrhau gwasanaeth ar y pris sydd wedi cael ei gytuno, a sicrhau bod y gwasanaeth hwnnw yn parhau dros y blynyddoedd. Mae'n rhaid i ni symud bant o'r strwythur sydd gyda ni ar hyn o bryd, sef un lle, i'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yng Nghymru, mae un cwmni yn rhedeg gwasanaethau, ac mae hi lan iddyn nhw i redeg y gwasanaethau y maen nhw'n credu sy'n mynd i weithio, heb unrhyw fath o input na chaniatâd gan bobl leol. Mae'n rhaid i hynny newid. Mae'n rhaid i ni ystyried nad oes cystadleuaeth o gwbl yn y rhan fwyaf o Gymru ynglŷn â bysiau, a symud i system, felly, sy'n llawer mwy cynaliadwy, a system sy'n sicrhau nad ydym ni'n gweld gwasanaethau jest yn cwympo wrth ei gilydd, yn aml iawn, fel rydym ni wedi gweld dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf.
How many companies have we seen over the years go to the wall? We’ve seen many. We must reconsider the structure of bus services. That means, for example, whether it's possible to have a system of franchises—it won’t work on a local government level; I think that would be too small—to ensure that the companies have to deliver the service at the price that was agreed and that that’s sustainable for years to come. We’ve got to move away from the system we have at present where, for the majority of the people of Wales, one company runs the services and they decide on which ones will work without any kind of input or permission from local people. That has to change. We must consider that there’s no competition in most parts of Wales. We’ll have to move to a kind of system that is much more sustainable and will ensure that we don’t see services just falling apart, very often, as we have seen over the past years.
Does the First Minister think that it's acceptable that there are no rush-hour buses from Wrexham industrial estate—one of the largest industrial estates in Europe—into Wrexham town centre? Thousands of workers are being left high and dry by a non-existent transport service. You either have to clock off early, or you have to hang around for an hour to catch the bus home. Now, you can talk as much as you like about your occasional bus summits. You can show us fancy maps about a so-called north Wales metro transport system, or, of course, you can tell us that you're serious about this. Is this acceptable? Because people are telling me it's not. I'm sure everybody here would believe it's not. Why is Wrexham suffering from sub-standard services in this respect? And why doesn't the largest industrial estate, or one of the largest industrial estates in Europe, not have what is a basic service?
A yw'r Prif Weinidog yn credu ei bod yn dderbyniol nad oes unrhyw fysiau yn ystod yr oriau prysur, o ystad ddiwydiannol Wrecsam—un o'r ystadau diwydiannol mwyaf yn Ewrop—i ganol tref Wrecsam? Mae miloedd o weithwyr mewn sefyllfa lle nad oes ganddyn nhw unrhyw wasanaeth trafnidiaeth. Mae'n rhaid ichi naill ai gadael y gwaith yn gynnar, neu mae'n rhaid i chi aros am awr i ddal y bws adref. Nawr, gallwch chi sôn cymaint ag y mynnoch am eich uwchgynadleddau bysiau achlysurol. Gallwch chi ddangos mapiau ffansi i ni o system drafnidiaeth metro gogledd Cymru, fel y'i gelwir, neu, wrth gwrs, gallwch chi ddweud wrthym eich bod o ddifrif am hyn. A yw hyn yn dderbyniol? Oherwydd mae pobl yn dweud wrthyf i nad yw'n dderbyniol. Rwy'n siŵr y byddai pawb yma yn credu nad yw'n dderbyniol. Pam mae Wrecsam yn dioddef gwasanaethau sy'n is na'r safon yn hyn o beth? A pham nad oes gan yr ystad ddiwydiannol fwyaf, neu un o'r ystadau diwydiannol mwyaf yn Ewrop, yr hyn sy'n wasanaeth sylfaenol?
Why doesn't he take it up with the councils? The councils are responsible for subsidising bus services. And he is right; do I think it's acceptable? [Interruption.] Do I think it's acceptable? No, I don't; I think he's right. But the reality is, as he knows full well, we don't have control over the buses yet. Now, there's no point pretending—[Interruption.] Not even the leader of the opposition knows that, apparently, based on the comment he's just given—that we don't have responsibility over the buses yet. I want to see, for the people of Wrexham and those who are commuting to Wrexham industrial estate, a proper, integrated, sustainable transport service, via the north-east Wales metro, using trains, using buses, to ensure that the situation that he's described—which is not acceptable—does not continue in the future as it has done, after 30 years of Tory transport misrule.
Pam nad yw e'n codi'r mater gyda'r cynghorau? Y cynghorau sy'n gyfrifol am roi cymorthdal i wasanaethau bysiau. Ac mae e'n iawn; a ydw i'n credu bod hyn yn dderbyniol? [Torri ar draws.] A ydw i'n credu bod hyn yn dderbyniol? Nac ydw, dydw i ddim; rwy'n credu ei fod ef yn iawn. Ond y gwir yw, fel y gŵyr ef yn iawn, nid oes gennym reolaeth dros y bysiau eto. Nawr, does dim diben esgus—[Torri ar draws.] Nid yw arweinydd yr wrthblaid hyd yn oed yn gwybod, mae'n debyg, ar sail y sylw y mae ef newydd ei roi—nad oes gennym gyfrifoldeb dros y bysiau eto. Rwyf i eisiau gweld, ar gyfer pobl Wrecsam a'r rhai hynny sy'n cymudo i ystad ddiwydiannol Wrecsam, wasanaeth trafnidiaeth priodol, integredig, cynaliadwy, drwy fetro y gogledd-ddwyrain, gan ddefnyddio trenau, gan ddefnyddio bysiau, i sicrhau na fydd y sefyllfa y mae ef wedi ei disgrifio—nad yw'n dderbyniol—yn parhau yn y dyfodol fel sydd wedi digwydd, ar ôl 30 mlynedd o gamreoli trafnidiaeth gan y Torïaid.
Diolch i'r Prif Weinidog.
Thank you, First Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, ac rydw i'n galw ar arweinydd y tŷ, Julie James.
The next item is the business statement and announcement, and I call on the leader of the house, Julie James.
Diolch, Llywydd. There are no changes to this week's business. Business for the next three weeks is shown in the business statement and announcement found amongst the meeting papers, which are available to Members electronically.
Diolch, Llywydd. Nid oes unrhyw newidiadau i fusnes yr wythnos hon. Dangosir busnes y tair wythnos nesaf yn y datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes sydd i'w cael ymhlith papurau'r cyfarfod, sydd ar gael i Aelodau yn electronig.
Leader of the house, Chwarae Teg has highlighted that Iceland has become the first country in the world to legally enforce equal pay between men and women. Will the leader of the house update on how the Welsh Government will use legislation to help tackle the shocking gap in gender pay, which has widened by 23 per cent in the past five years according to a report this week, as well as how the Welsh Government is supporting Chwarae Teg's FairPlay Employer initiative?
Arweinydd y tŷ, mae Chwarae Teg wedi amlygu mai Gwlad yr Iâ yw'r wlad gyntaf yn y byd i orfodi'n gyfreithlon gyflog cyfartal i ddynion a menywod. A wnaiff arweinydd y tŷ roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn defnyddio deddfwriaeth i helpu i fynd i'r afael â'r bwlch cyflog syfrdanol rhwng y rhywiau, sydd wedi ymestyn 23 y cant yn ystod y pum mlynedd ddiwethaf yn ôl adroddiad yr wythnos hon, yn ogystal â sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi menter 'FairPlay Employer' Chwarae Teg?
Thank you for that. It's absolutely splendid to see that Iceland has indeed legislated to get equal pay. Of course, we've had an equal pay Act in the United Kingdom for quite some time, and we know that that hasn't led to the equality of pay that we'd like to have seen. In Wales, we've introduced legislation to help address the gender pay gap in the public sector. Of course, unfortunately, we don't have the power to do that in the private sector. The UK Government has introduced regulations on gender pay gap reporting for large employers in the private and voluntary sectors across Great Britain—250 employees or above, I understand—and we are actually exploring ways in which we can get a voluntary agreement here, in social partnership with our businesses, to see if we can extend that lower down the structures in Wales, because a large number of the companies in Wales are, of course, SMEs. Myself and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance have been looking at ways to do that using our procurement powers as well, for quite some time.
Chwarae Teg's initiative is indeed a very interesting one. I chair the fair work board, and we are looking at ways in which we can introduce such examples. We will be shortly making recommendations about a fair work commission in Wales, and I know that Chwarae Teg's proposals will be looked at very seriously there as a way of extending the service. I'd also like to recommend programmes like the Agile Nation 2 project, which Chwarae Teg runs. I've been, myself, to see the effect on the women who undertake those programmes. I believe the average pay rise for the women who've gone through that programme is about £3,000, which is amazing, and it shows you what you can do when you increase people's powers to understand what their rights can be in the workplace. But there's no doubt that it's a continuing problem. It's a very important thing that we're doing to make sure that the public sector here in Wales leads the way, both by example and by our spending power, to see what else we can do in Wales while the UK Government fails to act.
Diolch ichi am hynny. Mae'n hollol wych gweld bod Gwlad yr Iâ yn wir wedi deddfu i sicrhau cyflog cyfartal. Wrth gwrs, mae Deddf cyflog cyfartal wedi bod ar waith yn y Deyrnas Unedig ers cryn amser, a gwyddom nad yw hynny wedi arwain at y cydraddoldeb cyflog yr hoffem ni ei weld. Yng Nghymru, rydym ni wedi cyflwyno deddfwriaeth i helpu i fynd i'r afael â'r bwlch cyflog rhwng y rhywiau yn y sector cyhoeddus. Wrth gwrs, yn anffodus, nid oes gennym y pŵer i wneud hynny yn y sector preifat. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi cyflwyno rheoliadau ar lunio adroddiadau ar y bwlch cyflog rhwng y rhywiau ar gyfer cyflogwyr mawr yn y sectorau preifat a gwirfoddol ledled Prydain Fawr—sydd â 250 o weithwyr neu fwy, rwy'n deall—ac mewn gwirionedd, rydym yn archwilio ffyrdd y gallwn ni gael cytundeb gwirfoddol yma, mewn partneriaeth gymdeithasol â'n busnesau, i weld os gallwn ni ymestyn hynny yn is i lawr y strwythurau yng Nghymru, oherwydd mae nifer fawr o'r cwmnïau yng Nghymru yn fusnesau bach a chanolig, wrth gwrs. Rwyf i ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid wedi bod yn archwilio ffyrdd o wneud hynny gan ddefnyddio ein pwerau caffael hefyd, ers cryn amser.
Mae menter Chwarae Teg yn un diddorol iawn mewn gwirionedd. Rwy'n gadeirydd y bwrdd gwaith teg, ac rydym ni'n chwilio am ffyrdd o gyflwyno enghreifftiau tebyg. Byddwn yn gwneud argymhellion cyn hir ynghylch comisiwn gwaith teg yng Nghymru, a gwn y caiff cynigion Chwarae Teg eu hystyried yn ddifrifol iawn yno fel ffordd o ymestyn y gwasanaeth. Hoffwn i hefyd argymell rhaglenni megis y prosiect Cenedl Hyblyg 2, a gynhelir gan Chwarae Teg. Rwyf i'n bersonol wedi bod i weld yr effaith ar fenywod sy'n cymryd rhan yn y rhaglenni hynny. Rwy'n credu mai tua £3,000 yw'r codiad cyflog cyfartalog ar gyfer y menywod sydd wedi cwblhau'r rhaglen honno, sy'n wych, ac mae'n dangos yr hyn y gallwch chi ei gyflawni pan fyddwch chi'n cynyddu pwerau pobl i ddeall beth yw eu hawliau yn y gweithle. Ond does dim amheuaeth bod hynny'n broblem barhaus. Mae'r gwaith yr ydym yn ei wneud i sicrhau bod y sector cyhoeddus yma yng Nghymru yn arwain y ffordd, trwy esiampl a thrwy ein pŵer gwario, yn waith pwysig iawn, i weld beth arall y gallwn ni ei gyflawni yng Nghymru tra bod Llywodraeth y DU yn methu â gweithredu.
Leader of the house, I'd be grateful if you could please ask the Cabinet Secretary for health to bring forward two statements, please. The first statement is in relation to Hywel Dda health board's new service change proposals, which have already been raised in this Chamber this afternoon. Now, some of these proposals could result in services being further centralised away from Pembrokeshire, and some of these proposals could even result in Withybush hospital being completely shut down in the future. Members will know that I have consistently raised this issue in the past, highlighting the effects of centralising services on other departments, which, in turn, make those more vulnerable in the future. Indeed, I've often been accused of scaremongering, and it seems that's going on here again today when raising the knock-on effect of centralising services on hospitals in west Wales. It seems as though those concerns are quickly becoming a reality, given that some of the options considered by Hywel Dda health board would see Withybush hospital removed in its entirety. Now, the option of closing the hospital, in my opinion, should not even be considered, and this will be totally unacceptable to the people that I represent. It's now important that we hear from the Welsh Government on what its position is regarding this very serious matter.
I listened carefully to the First Minister's answers earlier, which suggested that the Welsh Government does not have a view at all. Surely the Welsh Government is responsible for health services in Wales, and I'm very concerned that the Government is washing its hands when it comes to health services in west Wales. During the last Assembly election, it wasn't the governing party's policy to close Withybush hospital. So, it's only reasonable that the Government now tells the people that I represent what its view is regarding the future of Withybush hospital. Therefore, can you please encourage the Cabinet Secretary for health to bring forward an urgent statement regarding the future delivery of health services in west Wales, and in particular Pembrokeshire, as soon as possible? Because the Welsh Government should put on record its position on this serious issue.
Secondly, can I also ask the Cabinet Secretary for health for a statement on the Welsh Government's recruitment strategy for medical professionals in west Wales? St Clement's surgery in Neyland, in my constituency, has submitted an application for closure to the local health board due, in part, to staffing shortages, highlighting once again why more action needs to be taken to attract medical professionals to posts in west Wales. This is a very serious issue for the people that I represent, given that we've seen other problems with recruiting GPs in Goodwick, in the north of my constituency. Therefore, can you please impress upon the Cabinet Secretary for health to bring forward a statement outlining the Welsh Government's recruitment strategy for the area—[Interruption.]—so that closures like this, as a result of staff shortages, do not continue to occur in the future?
Llywydd, I can hear some Labour Members laughing at these very serious matters. [Interruption.] They should be ashamed of themselves.
Arweinydd y tŷ, byddem yn ddiolchgar pe gallech chi ofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd gyflwyno dau ddatganiad, os gwelwch yn dda. Mae'r datganiad cyntaf yn ymwneud â chynigion newid gwasanaeth newydd Bwrdd Iechyd Hywel Dda, sydd wedi codi eisoes yn y Siambr hon y prynhawn yma. Nawr, gallai rhai o'r cynigion hyn achosi i wasanaethau gael eu canoli ymhellach i ffwrdd o sir Benfro, a gallai rhai o'r cynigion hyn hyd yn oed arwain at gau Ysbyty Llwynhelyg yn gyfan gwbl yn y dyfodol. Bydd Aelodau'n gwybod fy mod i wedi codi'r mater hwn yn gyson yn y gorffennol, gan dynnu sylw at effeithiau canoli gwasanaethau ar adrannau eraill, sydd, yn eu tro, yn eu rhoi nhw mewn sefyllfa waeth yn y dyfodol. Yn wir, rwyf wedi cael fy nghyhuddo'n aml o godi bwganod, ac mae'n ymddangos mai dyna sy'n digwydd yma heddiw eto wrth godi sgil-effeithiau canoli gwasanaethau ar ysbytai yn y gorllewin. Mae'n ymddangos bod y pryderon hynny yn gyflym ddod yn realiti, gan gofio bod rhai o'r dewisiadau a ystyriwyd gan Fwrdd Iechyd Hywel Dda yn golygu y byddai ysbyty Llwynhelyg yn cael ei gau yn gyfan gwbl. Nawr, ni ddylid hyd yn oed ystyried cau'r ysbyty, yn fy marn i, a bydd gwneud hynny yn gwbl annerbyniol i'r bobl yr wyf i'n eu cynrychioli. Mae'n bwysig nawr inni glywed gan Lywodraeth Cymru beth yw ei safbwynt ar y mater difrifol hwn.
Gwrandewais yn ofalus ar atebion y Prif Weinidog yn gynharach, a oedd yn awgrymu nad oes gan Lywodraeth Cymru farn o gwbl. Llywodraeth Cymru, yn sicr, sy'n gyfrifol am wasanaethau iechyd yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n bryderus iawn bod y Llywodraeth yn gwrthod ymateb i wasanaethau iechyd yn y gorllewin. Yn ystod etholiad diwethaf y Cynulliad, nid oedd cau ysbyty Llwynhelyg yn rhan o bolisi'r blaid sy'n llywodraethu. Felly, mae ond yn rhesymol bod y Llywodraeth bellach yn dweud wrth y bobl yr wyf i'n eu cynrychioli beth yw ei barn ar ddyfodol ysbyty Llwynhelyg. Felly, a wnewch chi annog Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd i gyflwyno datganiad brys ynglŷn â dyfodol darpariaeth gwasanaethau iechyd yn y gorllewin, ac yn arbennig yn sir Benfro, cyn gynted ag y bo modd? Oherwydd dylai Llywodraeth Cymru nodi ei safbwynt ar y mater difrifol hwn.
Yn ail, a gaf i hefyd ofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd am ddatganiad ar strategaeth recriwtio Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer gweithwyr meddygol proffesiynol yn y gorllewin? Mae Meddygfa St Clement yn Neyland, yn fy etholaeth i, wedi cyflwyno cais i'r bwrdd iechyd lleol i gau'r feddygfa, yn rhannol, yn sgil prinder staff, gan amlygu unwaith eto pam mae angen gwneud mwy i ddenu gweithwyr meddygol proffesiynol i swyddi yn y gorllewin. Mae hwn yn fater difrifol iawn i'r bobl yr wyf i'n eu cynrychioli, gan gofio ein bod wedi gweld problemau eraill wrth recriwtio meddygon teulu yn Wdig, yng ngogledd fy etholaeth. Felly, a wnewch chi bwyso ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd i gyflwyno datganiad yn amlinellu strategaeth recriwtio Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer yr ardal os gwelwch yn dda—[Torri ar draws.]—fel nad yw meddygfeydd eraill fel hyn yn cau, o ganlyniad i brinder staff, yn y dyfodol?
Llywydd, gallaf glywed rhai Aelodau Llafur yn chwerthin am y materion ddifrifol iawn hyn. [Torri ar draws.] Dylai fod cywilydd arnyn nhw.
Thank you for those two questions, both of which were more like speeches. I think that's what the Labour Members were commenting on. [Interruption.] In terms of the first one, you asked a question of the First Minister, and the Cabinet Secretary for health is here to hear your statement or question again to me, but there is obviously a due process to go through with the consultation. I'm surprised the Member thinks that we should have an opinion on a consultation that is extant before the end of the consultation. We take consultations extremely seriously. Once the consultation is finished and we've had a proper process to look at the results of the consultation, I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will come forward with the results of the consultation and the Government's response to that consultation at that time.
On the second point, you made the point earlier and you've made it again now. I don't really think it was a question. The Cabinet Secretary heard the points you made, as did everybody else.
Diolch i chi am y ddau gwestiwn yna, a oedd yn debycach i areithiau. Rwy'n credu mai dyna oedd yr Aelodau Llafur yn gwneud sylwadau yn ei gylch. [Torri ar draws.] O ran yr un cyntaf, fe wnaethoch chi ofyn cwestiwn i'r Prif Weinidog, ac mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd yma i glywed eich datganiad neu gwestiwn eto i mi, ond mae'n amlwg bod proses briodol ar gyfer bwrw ymlaen â'r ymgynghoriad. Rwy'n synnu bod yr Aelod yn credu y dylwn ni fod â barn ar yr ymgynghoriad ar hyn o bryd, cyn diwedd yr ymgynghoriad. Rydym yn ystyried ymgynghoriadau yn hynod ddifrifol. Ar ôl i'r ymgynghoriad ddod i ben a'n bod wedi dilyn proses briodol i edrych ar ganlyniadau'r ymgynghoriad, rwy'n siŵr y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cyflwyno canlyniadau'r ymgynghoriad ac ymateb y Llywodraeth i'r ymgynghoriad hwnnw ar yr adeg honno.
O ran eich ail bwynt, fe wnaethoch chi sôn am hynny yn gynharach ac rydych chi wedi sôn amdano eto nawr. Dydw i ddim yn credu mai cwestiwn oedd ef mewn gwirionedd. Clywodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet y pwyntiau a wnaethoch chi, fel y gwnaeth pawb arall.
A gaf i ddechrau gan ofyn am ddiweddariad ar ddiogelwch ffyrdd, yn benodol ar yr A487? Efallai bod arweinydd y tŷ yn cofio, tua phythefnos yn ôl, roedd damwain angheuol rhwng Gellilydan a Maentwrog, pan fu farw baban a'i modryb mewn car. Mae cydymdeimladau gen i tuag at y teulu a'r gymuned leol, sydd yn galaru dros y ddamwain honno. Ond yn benodol, o edrych ar y ffigyrau, mae yna 26 o ddamweiniau wedi bod ar yr un darn o hewl, sef, i'r rhai sy'n ei nabod e, y troadau yn mynd lawr y bryn rhwng Gellilydan a Maentwrog. Mae 26 wedi bod mewn blwyddyn yn unig—yn y flwyddyn lawn ddiweddaraf. Felly, er mwyn osgoi'r posibiliadau, neu o leiaf lleihau'r posibiliadau, o ddamweiniau difrifol ar y darn yna o'r hewl, rydw i'n gofyn am ddatganiad gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ar edrych i mewn i ddiogelwch y ffordd. Yn benodol, mae'r bobl leol yn gofyn am ostwng y cyflymder dros dro tra eu bod nhw'n edrych i mewn i ffordd arall o wneud y ffordd yn fwy diogel. Mae'n werth cofio bod rhannau eraill o'r ffordd yma rhwng de a gogledd Cymru wedi'u gwneud yn fwy saff yn ddiweddar drwy fuddsoddiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ond mae'r darn yma yn aros fel roedd e yn nyddiau'r goetsh, a dweud y gwir, ac mae angen edrych, yn sicr, ar ddiogelwch y ffordd yna.
May I start by asking for an update on road safety, specifically on the A487? The leader of the house may recall that, around a fortnight ago, there was a fatal accident between Gellilydan and Maentwrog when a baby and her aunt died in a car. I extend my sympathies to the family and the local community, who are grieving because of that accident. But specifically, in looking at the figures, there have been 26 accidents on that one stretch of road. For those who are familiar with it, it's the bends going down the hill between Gellilydan and Maentwrog. There have been 26 accidents in just a year—that is, in the last full year. So, just to reduce the possibility of further serious accidents on this stretch of road, I would ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary looking into road safety. Local people, specifically, are asking for a temporary reduction in the speed limit whilst they look at other means of making the road safer. It's worth bearing in mind that other stretches of this road between north and south Wales have been made safer recently through Welsh Government investment, but this stretch has remained as it was in the days of the stagecoach, in fact, and we certainly need to look at the safety of that road.
The second point I'd like to raise is just to put on record my thanks to many who worked over the weekend. We had floods, again, in many parts of west Wales. Ceredigion was particularly affected. I certainly couldn't complete a journey on Sunday myself because I was turned back by the police, and I know that in Tenby, as well, there were some serious flood problems on the eastern road out of Tenby. These things do happen. We do have bad surface water problems in Wales, but sometimes they can be addressed by better engineering and some better appreciation of how you do some soft engineering as well around how we deal with floods. So, in thanking people for their hard work—council staff and officials and the police as well—it would be good, I think, perhaps not immediately, but within the next few weeks, to have a chance to reflect as an Assembly, either through a statement or through a debate, on what we're doing to deal with flooding, and mitigating some of the effects of climate change as part of that, and what specifically the Welsh Government has planned for helping some communities to identify problems and seek to try and address them.
Yr ail bwynt yr hoffwn ei wneud yw diolch ar goedd i'r llawer o bobl a wnaeth weithio yn ystod y penwythnos. Cawsom lifogydd, unwaith eto, yn llawer o rannau o orllewin Cymru. Cafodd Ceredigion yn arbennig ei effeithio'n wael. Yn sicr nid oedd modd i mi fy hunan gwblhau taith ddydd Sul, oherwydd cefais fy nhroi'n ôl gan yr heddlu, a gwn fod problemau llifogydd difrifol yn Ninbych y Pysgod, hefyd, ar y ffordd ddwyreiniol allan o'r dref. Mae'r pethau hyn yn digwydd. Mae gennym broblemau mawr â dŵr wyneb yng Nghymru, ond weithiau gellir ymdrin â'r problemau hyn drwy well peirianneg a gwell dealltwriaeth o sut i wneud ychydig o beirianneg meddal wrth i ni ymdopi â llifogydd. Felly, wrth i ni ddiolch i bobl am eu gwaith caled—staff a swyddogion y cyngor a'r heddlu hefyd—byddai'n dda, yn fy marn i, efallai nid ar unwaith, ond o fewn yr ychydig wythnosau nesaf, i gael cyfle i fyfyrio fel Cynulliad, naill ai drwy ddatganiad neu drwy ddadl, ar yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud i ddelio â llifogydd, ac atal rhai o effeithiau'r newid yn yr hinsawdd yn rhan o hynny, a beth yn benodol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i cynllunio ar gyfer helpu rhai cymunedau i nodi problemau a cheisio mynd i'r afael â nhw.
On the A487, I also want to extend our sympathies to the family. Our thoughts are very much with all of those affected by what was an appalling traffic incident. I know the Cabinet Secretary feels very strongly about his commitment to improving road safety and reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads. I haven't had the opportunity to discuss a reduction in speed limits with him. I'd be very grateful if the Member would write to the Cabinet Secretary suggesting that in particular. I'm sure he'll take that very seriously, as I know he has expressed his sympathies to the families of those affected. It was a very serious incident.
In terms of the flooding, absolutely there were floods. It was torrential rain, I'm sure we'd all agree, on Sunday, and there were floods absolutely everywhere. I also had a journey interrupted by flooding. Again, I think the Cabinet Secretary for the environment and the Cabinet Secretary for transport are taking that very seriously, and we will be considering a way of bringing that onto the floor of the Assembly, because it's a very serious issue for a large number of us in Wales.
O ran yr A487, hoffwn hefyd estyn ein cydymdeimladau i'r teulu. Cydymdeimlwn yn fawr â phob un a gafodd eu heffeithio gan y digwyddiad traffig ofnadwy hwn. Gwn fod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn teimlo'n gryf iawn am ei ymrwymiad i wella diogelwch ar y ffyrdd ac i leihau nifer y bobl sy'n cael eu lladd neu eu hanafu'n ddifrifol ar ffyrdd Cymru. Nid wyf wedi cael cyfle eto i drafod ag ef ynghylch gostwng y terfynau cyflymder. Byddem yn ddiolchgar iawn pe byddai'r Aelod yn ysgrifennu at Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn awgrymu hynny yn benodol. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn cymryd hynny o ddifri, gan fy mod i'n gwybod ei fod wedi cydymdeimlo â theuluoedd y rhai y mae'r digwyddiad hwn wedi effeithio arnynt. Roedd yn ddigwyddiad difrifol iawn.
O ran llifogydd, yn wir roedd yna lifogydd. Roedd yn arllwys y glaw, rwy'n siŵr y byddem oll yn cytuno, ddydd Sul, ac roedd llifogydd ym mhobman. Torrodd y llifogydd ar draws fy nhaith i hefyd. Unwaith eto, rwy'n credu bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr amgylchedd ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros drafnidiaeth yn ystyried hynny'n ddifrifol iawn, a byddwn ni'n ystyried ffordd o ddod â hynny i lawr y Cynulliad, oherwydd mae'n fater difrifol iawn i nifer fawr ohonom yng Nghymru.
Leader of the house, we've heard that the First Minister is very keen to ensure that we have a sustainable, publicly supported bus service in Wales, but we've also heard that, in many parts of Wales, including in Cardiff, we are seeing an increasingly deteriorating current bus system. It was back in May that the Government completed its bus consultation. I appreciate that you're waiting for the UK Government to transfer the powers that we need to Transport for Wales to commission services, but in the meantime is it possible to have a debate about the possible models of a future bus system, whether it's by franchising whole communities or whether it's through publicly supported or community-supported systems of bus service delivery?
Arweinydd y tŷ, rydym wedi clywed bod y Prif Weinidog yn awyddus iawn i sicrhau bod gennym wasanaeth bysiau cynaliadwy, a gefnogir gan y cyhoedd yng Nghymru, ond rydym wedi clywed hefyd, mewn nifer o rannau o Gymru, gan gynnwys Caerdydd, fod y system bysiau bresennol yn dirywio'n gynyddol. Cwblhaodd y Llywodraeth ei hymgynghoriad bysiau yn ôl ym mis Mai. Rwy'n sylweddoli eich bod chi'n aros i Lywodraeth y DU drosglwyddo'r pwerau sydd eu hangen arnom ni i gomisiynu gwasanaethau trafnidiaeth yng Nghymru, ond yn y cyfamser, a yw'n bosibl cael dadl ynghylch modelau posibl ar gyfer y system bysiau yn y dyfodol, boed hynny drwy greu masnachfraint ar gyfer cymunedau cyfan neu drwy systemau o ddarparu gwasanaethau bysiau a gefnogir yn gyhoeddus neu'n gymunedol?
The Member is quite right; our consultation ended on 31 May last year. That had a number of outline proposals to improve the planning and delivery of local bus services. Seventy-five per cent of respondents to that consultation expressed a preference that our reforms should enable local authorities to introduce some kind of bus franchising in their area to be more responsive to local need. The Cabinet Secretary is going to hold another public consultation, this time on the detailed proposals that came out of the first consultation, along with some others, including some of the things that the Member just raised. And I think his intention is to announce that public consultation in the Chamber at that time. So, I'm sure that will be being brought forward.
It is worth reminding ourselves, as the First Minister touched on this earlier as well, that local authorities already have a range of powers available to exert more influence over bus services. For example, they can make a ticketing scheme; in my own local authority, through-ticketing has been a big issue, and that's been successful in parts of Swansea and in Gower. There are also voluntary agreements that can be made with bus operators to co-ordinate investment in different schemes, and to make statutory enforceable bus quality partnership schemes. So, we're not without any powers at the local authority level, but we will be consulting on further powers, as they transfer to us in due course.
Mae'r Aelod yn hollol iawn; daeth ein hymgynghoriad i ben ar 31 Mai y llynedd. Roedd yn hwnnw nifer o gynigion amlinellol i wella sut y caiff gwasanaethau bysiau lleol eu cynllunio a'u darparu. Roedd saith deg pump y cant o'r ymatebwyr i'r ymgynghoriad hwnnw yn dweud eu bod nhw'n hoffi i'n diwygiadau alluogi awdurdodau lleol i gyflwyno rhyw fath o fasnachfreintiau bysiau yn eu hardaloedd er mwyn diwallu anghenion lleol yn well. Mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn mynd i gynnal ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus arall, y tro hwn ar y cynigion manwl a ddaeth yn sgil yr ymgynghoriad cyntaf, ynghyd â rhai eraill, gan gynnwys rhai o'r pethau y mae'r Aelod newydd eu codi. A chredaf mai ei fwriad yw cyhoeddi'r ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus hwnnw yn y Siambr bryd hynny. Felly, rwy'n siŵr y bydd hynny'n cael ei gyflwyno.
Mae'n werth atgoffa ein hunain, fel y nododd y Prif Weinidog yn gynharach hefyd, fod gan awdurdodau lleol amryw o bwerau eisoes i gael mwy o ddylanwad ar y gwasanaethau bysiau. Er enghraifft, gallant greu cynlluniau tocynnau; yn fy awdurdod lleol, mae tocynnau o-un-pen-i'r-llall wedi bod yn broblem fawr, ac mae hynny wedi bod yn llwyddiannus mewn rhannau o Abertawe a'r Gŵyr. Hefyd, mae cytundebau gwirfoddol y gellir eu gwneud â gweithredwyr bysiau i gydgysylltu buddsoddiad mewn cynlluniau gwahanol, ac i lunio cynlluniau partneriaeth ansawdd bysiau y gellir eu gorfodi'n statudol. Felly, nid ydym ni heb unrhyw bwerau ar lefel yr awdurdod lleol, ond fe fyddwn ni'n ymgynghori ar bwerau ychwanegol, wrth iddyn nhw gael eu trosglwyddo i ni maes o law.
Leader of the house, may I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport on what he is doing to deliver closer links between south-east Wales and Bristol and the west country? Yesterday, the Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns, held a Severn growth summit in Newport on how we can develop economic links, building on the reduction of tolls on the Severn crossing prior to their abolition. Can I ask for a statement from the Cabinet Secretary confirming that the Welsh Government will work with the UK Government in developing links to improve living standards and job prospects in south-east Wales?
And my second statement, from the same Minister, I'll be grateful if you ask—Transport Wales have made some plans, but one very important organisation called Bus Users Cymru was not even consulted. That organisation actually have views, they have concerns, they have strategies, and they have technical matters to talk about. And last year they put more than 430 complaints, and they were all taken care of—most of them. So, their input is very vital for our bus users, especially for our senior citizens, and not very able people. So, I'd be very grateful if you ask the Minister to make a statement on Bus Users Cymru Wales in this Chamber, please.
Arweinydd y tŷ, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi a Thrafnidiaeth ar yr hyn y mae'n ei wneud i sicrhau cysylltiadau agosach rhwng de-ddwyrain Cymru a Bryste a gorllewin Lloegr? Ddoe, cynhaliodd Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru, Alun Cairns, uwchgynhadledd twf Hafren yng Nghasnewydd ar sut y gallwn ni ddatblygu cysylltiadau economaidd, gan adeiladu ar ostwng y tollau ar bont Hafren, cyn iddyn nhw gael eu diddymu. A gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet yn cadarnhau y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i ddatblygu cysylltiadau er mwyn gwella safonau byw a'r rhagolygon am swyddi yn y de-ddwyrain?
Ac mae'r cais am ail ddatganiad, gan yr un Gweinidog, byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe byddech yn gofyn—mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru wedi gwneud rhai cynlluniau, ond roedd un sefydliad pwysig iawn o'r enw Defnyddwyr Bysiau Cymru nad oedd wedi'i gynnwys yn yr ymgynghoriad hyd yn oed. Mae gan y sefydliad hwnnw safbwyntiau mewn gwirionedd, mae ganddo bryderon, mae ganddo strategaethau, ac mae ganddo faterion technegol i'w trafod. A llynedd, fe wnaethon nhw gyflwyno mwy na 430 o gwynion, ac maen nhw i gyd wedi cael sylw—y rhan fwyaf ohonynt. Felly, mae eu cyfraniad yn hanfodol iawn ar gyfer ein defnyddwyr bysiau, yn enwedig ar gyfer ein dinasyddion hŷn, a phobl anabl. Felly, byddem yn ddiolchgar iawn pe byddech yn gofyn i'r Gweinidog wneud datganiad ar Ddefnyddwyr Bysiau Cymru yn y Siambr hon, os gwelwch yn dda.
Well, the Cabinet Secretary has been having an extensive set of meetings around the Severn area, and the abolition of the tolls and so on. I know that he has a large number of issues going on in that particular area. I wasn't aware of the Bus Users Cymru consultation point. I do suggest the Member writes to the Cabinet Secretary and highlights that issue. I don't think it's an issue for a statement in the house, but I'm sure that the Cabinet Secretary will respond to a query as to, if they have been left out of a consultation, why that happened and so on. I'm afraid I don't know the specific answer to that.
As I said in response to Jenny Rathbone, there will be a further consultation about the whole bus situation, and that will be part of an integrated transport network, and, obviously, it does impact on the integrated transport network as well. And I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will be taking that into account as he brings forward the consultation on the specifics of the bus network.
Wel, mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi cael cyfres helaeth o gyfarfodydd ynghylch ardal Hafren, a diddymu'r tollau ac ati. Gwn fod ganddo nifer fawr o faterion yn mynd rhagddynt yr ardal benodol honno. Nid oeddwn yn ymwybodol o'r pwynt am ymgynghori â Defnyddwyr Bysiau Cymru. Rwyf yn awgrymu i'r Aelod ysgrifennu at Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet gan dynnu sylw at y mater hwnnw. Nid wyf yn credu ei fod yn fater ar gyfer datganiad yn y Tŷ, ond rwy'n siŵr y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn ymateb i ymholiad ynghylch, os ydynt wedi eu hepgor o'r ymgynghoriad, pam y digwyddodd hynny ac ati. Yn anffodus, nid wyf yn gwybod yr ateb penodol i hynny.
Fel y dywedais mewn ymateb i Jenny Rathbone, bydd ymgynghori ymhellach ynghylch y sefyllfa o ran bysiau, a bydd hynny'n rhan o'r rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth integredig, ac, yn amlwg, mae yn effeithio ar y rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth integredig hefyd. Ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn rhoi ystyriaeth i hynny wrth iddo gyflwyno ymgynghoriad ar agweddau penodol o'r rhwydwaith bysiau.
We've had a written statement in the last few days on steel procurement, which I do welcome. But I was wondering whether we could have an oral or a written statement on the other elements of the agreement with Plaid Cymru that we made with regard to the steel industry, specifically on the funding for a power plant? I'm just curious as to where we stand on this. We've seen in the last week issues with regard to problems with pension advice, and I wanted to be assured, and to make the workers assured, that the changes to their pensions have not been in vain. And so, an update on the power plant, and also an update on research and development, would be welcomed.
And my second request would be to also have an update on the response of the Welsh Government to the Equality, Local Government and Communities Committee's report on asylum seekers and refugees. Tomorrow, I'm hosting an event in the Senedd regarding Wales as a sanctuary for asylum seekers and refugees, and in that report we did recommend that Wales becomes a nation of sanctuary. So, I was wondering ifwe could have an update on progress of that report, considering that there is a lot of interest in this from that sector, and a lot of enthusiasm, actually, from asylum seekers and refugees across Wales.
Cawsom ddatganiad ysgrifenedig yn ystod yr ychydig ddiwrnodau diwethaf ar gaffael dur, ac rwy'n croesawu hynny. Ond roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed a allem ni gael datganiad ysgrifenedig neu lafar ar elfennau eraill y cytundeb â Phlaid Cymru a wnaethom o ran y diwydiant dur, yn benodol ar gyllid ar gyfer gwaith pŵer? Rwy'n awyddus i wybod beth yw'r sefyllfa ynglŷn â hyn. Yn ystod yr wythnos diwethaf, rydym wedi gweld materion o ran problemau â chyngor pensiwn, ac roeddwn i am fod yn sicr, a sicrhau bod y gweithwyr yn sicr, nad yw'r newidiadau yn eu pensiynau yn ofer. Ac felly, diweddariad ar y gwaith pŵer, a chroesawir hefyd yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ymchwil a datblygu.
Fy ail gais yw gofyn am ddiweddariad ar ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i adroddiad y Pwyllgor Cymunedau, Cydraddoldeb a Llywodraeth Leol ar geiswyr lloches a ffoaduriaid. Yfory, rwy'n cynnal digwyddiad yn y Senedd ar bwnc Cymru fel noddfa i geiswyr lloches a ffoaduriaid, ac yn yr adroddiad hwnnw fe wnaethom ni argymell bod Cymru'n dod yn genedl noddfa. Felly, roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed a allem ni gael yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ar gynnydd yr adroddiad hwnnw, gan ystyried bod llawer o ddiddordeb yn hyn gan y sector hwnnw, a llawer o frwdfrydedd, mewn gwirionedd, gan geiswyr lloches a ffoaduriaid ledled Cymru.
Answering those in reverse, that one is part of my portfolio responsibility. I did recently meet with several of the groups involved in that report. I am hoping to pop into your event tomorrow, and we are very favourably looking at that, and I will be very shortly reporting on our response to that report. We had a really good meeting with a large number of the groups, umbrella organisations and so on. So, I will be bringing forward a response on that very shortly. I am popping into Julie Morgan's Holocaust memorial event on the steps of the Senedd for Gypsy/Travellers tomorrow as well, but I hope to get to both of them. It's great to see two such great events in the Senedd tomorrow.
In terms of the steel research and the development of that, that is under discussion. I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will be bringing forward—and, to be honest, I don't know if it's a statement or a debate—but we will be bringing forward something very shortly to update Members on that and where we are, and the importance of it to the workers. Certainly, David Rees is always on my case about where we're going with that, and the Member also is, so we will be doing that very shortly as well.
Rwyf am ateb y cwestiynau gan ddechrau â'r olaf yn gyntaf, gan fod yr un hwnnw yn rhan o'm cyfrifoldeb portffolio. Fe wnes i gyfarfod â nifer o'r grwpiau dan sylw yn yr adroddiad hwnnw yn ddiweddar. Rwy'n gobeithio picio i mewn i'ch digwyddiad yfory, ac rydym yn edrych yn ffafriol iawn ar hynny, a byddaf yn adrodd yn fuan ar ein hymateb i'r adroddiad hwnnw. Cawsom gyfarfod da iawn â nifer fawr o'r grwpiau, sefydliadau ymbarél ac ati. Felly, byddaf yn cyflwyno ymateb ar hynny cyn bo hir. Byddaf yn galw heibio i weld digwyddiad coffa Holocost Julie Morgan ar risiau'r Senedd ar gyfer Sipsiwn a Theithwyr yfory hefyd, ond rwy'n gobeithio mynd i'r ddau ddigwyddiad. Mae'n wych gweld dau ddigwyddiad mawr o'r fath yn y Senedd yfory.
O ran y gwaith ymchwil a datblygu dur, ma'r trafodaethau hynny ar y gweill. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cyflwyno—a bod yn onest, dwi ddim yn siŵr os bydd yn ddatganiad neu'n ddadl—ond byddwn yn cyflwyno rhywbeth cyn bo hir i ddiweddaru Aelodau ar hynny a beth yw ein sefyllfa, a phwysigrwydd hynny i'r gweithwyr. Yn sicr, mae David Rees bob amser yn fy holi i ynghylch pa gyfeiriad yr ydym yn mynd â hynny, a'r Aelod hefyd, felly byddwn yn gwneud hynny'n fuan iawn hefyd.
Leader of the house, Brexit, as you'll probably be aware, is entering a particularly acute phase. We have had Nigel Farage calling for a second referendum. We've even had the leader of UKIP in the Assembly, Neil Hamilton, saying on the radio that if facts change, you have to vote again, although I think he was referring to the UKIP leadership. But bearing in mind the phase that we're actually entering now, would it be appropriate for the Welsh Government to have, say, fortnightly statements on the current state of Brexit? It's very important that we are kept up to date and that there is an ongoing debate as things are moving very, very quickly, and these are matters of fundamental importance to this Assembly and to the UK as a whole.
Fel y byddwch yn ymwybodol, arweinydd y tŷ, mae Brexit ar ddechrau cyfnod arbennig o ddwys. Mae Nigel Farage wedi bod yn galw am ail refferendwm. Mae arweinydd UKIP yn y Cynulliad, hyd yn oed, wedi dweud ar y radio os bydd y ffeithiau'n newid, y bydd yn rhaid i chi bleidleisio eto, er rwy'n credu yr oedd yn cyfeirio at arweinyddiaeth UKIP. Ond o gofio'r cyfnod yr ydym ar fin mynd iddo nawr, a fyddai'n briodol i Lywodraeth Cymru gael, er enghraifft, datganiadau bob pythefnos ar gyflwr presennol Brexit? Mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn cael y wybodaeth ddiweddaraf a bod trafodaeth barhaus yn cael ei chynnal gan fod pethau'n datblygu'n gyflym iawn, iawn, ac mae'r materion hyn yn hanfodol bwysig i'r Cynulliad hwn ac i'r DU yn ei chyfanrwydd.
Yes, the Member is absolutely right—it is extremely important. I find myself in the uncomfortable position of slightly agreeing with Nigel Farage, but there we are—that's not a place you would very often want to be. The Welsh Government is extremely eager to build on I think our excellent record of keeping the Assembly informed of the latest Brexit developments. Since the referendum result, we've been proactively updating the Assembly, for example, through written and oral statements, following Joint Ministerial Committee meetings, and significant events or developments. For example, we had three written statements during the last sitting week in December on different aspects of the European Union negotiations and policy—on the phase 1 agreement, on the JMC meeting on 12 December and the launch of our regional policy document. Also, both the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance have been regularly reporting back on progress to the Assembly's committee system.
As we move forward into the next phase of the negotiations, we'll continue to build on these established ways of updating the Assembly. However, the Member will know that we need to see really concrete proposals from the UK Government on the Welsh Government's level of engagement during the second phase of negotiations before we can outline in detail how we can ensure there is a fit-for-purpose set of arrangements in which the latest developments and actions taken by the Welsh Government can be reported at both levels. And we've made the case to the UK Government that the model for the second phase should follow the structure by which the UK conducts current EU business, underpinned by the principle that the UK Government will fully involve the devolved administrations in developing UK policy positions on EU issues, so that we can keep the Senedd informed appropriately.
Ie, mae'r Aelod yn llygad ei le—mae'n eithriadol o bwysig. Rwyf i fy hun mewn sefyllfa braidd yn anghyfforddus gan fy mod i'n cytuno â Nigel Farage, ond dyna ni—nid yw hynny'n sefyllfa y byddwch chi'n dymuno bod ynddi yn aml. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eithriadol o awyddus i adeiladu ar ein gwaith ardderchog, yn fy marn i, o ran rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Cynulliad am ddatblygiadau diweddaraf Brexit. Ers canlyniad y refferendwm, rydym wedi rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf yn rhagweithiol i'r Cynulliad, er enghraifft, drwy ddatganiadau ysgrifenedig a llafar, yn dilyn cyfarfodydd y Cyd-bwyllgor y Gweinidogion, a digwyddiadau arwyddocaol neu ddatblygiadau. Er enghraifft, cawsom dri datganiad ysgrifenedig yn ystod yr wythnos cyfarfod diwethaf ym mis Rhagfyr ar wahanol agweddau ar bolisi a thrafodiadau'r Undeb Ewropeaidd—ar y cytundeb cam 1, ar gyfarfod y Cyd-bwyllgor Gweinidogion ar 12 Rhagfyr ac ar lansio ein dogfen bolisi ranbarthol. Hefyd, mae'r Prif Weinidog ac Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid wedi bod yn adrodd yn ôl yn rheolaidd ar y cynnydd, i system bwyllgor y Cynulliad.
Wrth inni symud ymlaen at gam nesaf y trafodaethau, byddwn yn parhau i adeiladu ar y dulliau sefydledig hyn o ddiweddaru'r Cynulliad. Fodd bynnag, bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod bod angen inni weld cynigion pendant mewn gwirionedd gan Lywodraeth y DU ar lefel ymgysylltiad Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystod yr ail gam o drafodaethau cyn i ni allu amlinellu yn fanwl sut y gallwn sicrhau bod cyfres o drefniadau sy'n addas at eu diben ar waith, lle gellir adrodd y datblygiadau diweddaraf a'r camau a gymerwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar y ddwy lefel. Ac rydym wedi gwneud yr achos i Lywodraeth y DU y dylai'r model ar gyfer yr ail gam ddilyn y strwythur sydd gan y DU eisoes wrth gyflawni busnes yr UE ar hyn o bryd, yn seiliedig ar yr egwyddor y bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn cynnwys y gweinyddiaethau datganoledig yn llawn wrth ddatblygu safbwyntiau polisi y DU ar faterion yr UE, fel y gallwn sicrhau bod y Senedd yn cael yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf yn briodol.
Leader of the house, I mentioned in First Minister's questions that I attended the packed Severn growth summit at the Celtic Manor Resort, which is looking at ways of building on changes such as the abolition of the Severn bridge tolls later in the year. Would it be possible to have a statement from the Welsh Government on how you also intend as a Government to work to develop the economy of south-east Wales in the light of these changes, and also look at the cross-border issues that the First Minister mentioned as well? It is important, I think, that we do as much as we can in the light of these changes to develop the economy of this part of Wales moving across the border.
Secondly, I'm currently sponsoring an exhibition of commemorative first world war quilts in the Pierhead building; some of you might have seen them already. There are two of them; they're stunning. They've been created, sewn and embroidered by schoolchildren from five schools in my constituency, and they really are worth a look. They've been made to commemorate the 100 years since the end of the first world war, and we are now—it doesn't seem that long since we were commemorating the start of the great war—we are now commemorating the end of it. So, I make a plea to Assembly Members if they haven't yet, for the rest of this week to go and have a look at those quilts, but also if the Welsh Government could clarify exactly how you intend for us to commemorate the end of the great war. It clearly was a very significant and important part of history and one in which many people from Wales lost their lives in, and I think it's important that we have some guidance on where we're going in terms of commemorating the end of that conflict.
Arweinydd y tŷ, soniais yn y cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog fy mod i wedi mynd i uwchgynhadledd twf Hafren yn y Celtic Manor, sy'n edrych ar ffyrdd o adeiladu ar newidiadau megis diddymu tollau Pont Hafren yn ddiweddarach yn y flwyddyn. A fyddai'n bosibl cael datganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar sut yr ydych chi hefyd yn bwriadu, fel Llywodraeth, i weithio i ddatblygu economi'r de-ddwyrain yng ngoleuni'r newidiadau hyn, a hefyd edrych ar y materion trawsffiniol a grybwyllodd y Prif Weinidog? Mae'n bwysig, yn fy marn i, ein bod yn gwneud cymaint ag y gallwn yng ngoleuni'r newidiadau hyn i ddatblygu economi'r rhan hon o Gymru sy'n symud i ochr arall y ffin.
Yn ail, ar hyn o bryd rwyf yn noddi arddangosfa o gwiltiau coffa'r Rhyfel Byd cyntaf yn adeilad y Pierhead; efallai bod rhai ohonoch chi wedi'u gweld nhw eisoes. Mae yna ddau ohonynt; maen nhw'n anhygoel. Cawson nhw eu creu, eu gwnïo a'u brodio gan blant ysgol o bum ysgol yn fy etholaeth, ac maen nhw wir yn werth eu gweld. Cawson nhw eu creu i ddathlu 100 mlynedd ers diwedd y rhyfel byd cyntaf, ac yr ydym bellach—nid yw'n teimlo fel amser maith ers inni goffáu dechrau'r rhyfel mawr—bellach rydym yn coffáu y diwedd. Felly, rwy'n apelio ar yr Aelodau Cynulliad, os nad ydyn nhw wedi bod eto, i fynd i weld rhai o'r cwiltiau hyn am weddill yr wythnos hon, ond hefyd os gallai Llywodraeth Cymru egluro'n union sut yr ydych chi am i ni ddathlu diwedd y rhyfel mawr. Yn amlwg, roedd yn rhan sylweddol a phwysig iawn o'n hanes ac yn rhyfel lle gollodd llawer o bobl Cymru eu bywydau, ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig inni gael rhywfaint o arweiniad o ran pa gyfeiriad yr ydym ni'n ei ddilyn ar gyfer dathlu diwedd y rhyfel hwnnw.
Yes, two very important points. In terms of the Severn growth area, as I said to Mohammad Asghar earlier, there are a number of meetings around this—a very important point. The Cabinet Secretary I know has a number of issues outstanding there, and he is in discussion. He will be updating the Assembly as he goes along with those discussions. If the Member has anything very specific that came out of the conference that he was able to attend it would be really useful to know what those specific points are in order to be able to address them.
In terms of the commemorative quilts, I am hoping to get across to that as well. I think that's such a brilliant initiative and I commend the Member on having sponsored it. I haven't been able to get over there yet but I really hope to. It's a really good way of doing it. We will be bringing forward some commemorative events and so on in due course, because the Member is absolutely right—a large number of people from Wales fought bravely and some lost their lives, of course, in the great war. It's very important that we commemorate those people but also that we teach our youngsters about the effects of such a global war and the ramifications, both at home and abroad, of such things. I'm very grateful to the Member for having raised such an important issue.
Ie, dau bwynt pwysig iawn. O ran ardal twf Hafren, fel y dywedais wrth Mohammad Asghar yn gynharach, ceir nifer o gyfarfodydd ynghylch hyn—mae'n bwynt pwysig iawn. Gwn fod gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet nifer o faterion heb eu datrys yno, a'i bod mewn trafodaethau ar hyn o bryd. Bydd yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Cynulliad wrth i'r trafodaethau hynny fynd rhagddynt. Os oes gan yr Aelod unrhyw beth penodol iawn a ddaeth yn sgil y gynhadledd yr aeth iddi, byddai'n ddefnyddiol iawn i wybod beth yw'r pwyntiau penodol hynny er mwyn gallu ymdrin â nhw.
O ran y cwiltiau coffa, rwy'n gobeithio mynd i'w gweld nhw hefyd. Credaf fod hynny'n fenter wych iawn, ac rwy'n canmol yr Aelod am ei noddi. Nid wyf wedi gallu mynd draw i'w gweld eto ond rwyf wir yn gobeithio y caf y cyfle i fynd. Mae'n ffordd dda iawn o wneud hynny. Byddwn yn cyflwyno rhai digwyddiadau coffa ac ati maes o law, oherwydd mae'r Aelod yn llygad ei le—bu llawer iawn o Gymry yn ymladd yn ddewr, a rhai wedi aberthu eu bywydau, wrth gwrs, yn y rhyfel mawr. Mae'n bwysig iawn inni goffáu'r bobl hynny, ond hefyd ein bod yn addysgu ein pobl ifanc am effeithiau rhyfel byd-eang o'r fath a'r goblygiadau, gartref a thramor, o'r fath bethau. Rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i'r Aelod am godi'r mater pwysig yna.
Leader of the house, I'd like to request an update from the Welsh Government on the financial inclusion strategy for Wales. I've recently received a very useful report from my local citizens advice bureau on the effects of the closure of the last bank in town on the community of Mountain Ash. As Aberdare has also been affected by closures with three large banks closing in the last year—including the Co-operative Bank, which announced its closure just last week—I think this is a timely opportunity for us to reflect on the strategy, as many other communities, I know, are experiencing exactly the same. But it also allows us to consider the most appropriate interventions to ensure all members of our community can access those banking services formerly available on local high streets.
Arweinydd y tŷ, a gaf i ofyn am yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar y strategaeth cynhwysiant ariannol i Gymru? Cefais adroddiad defnyddiol iawn yn ddiweddar gan fy nghanolfan Cyngor ar Bopeth leol am yr effeithiau ar gymuned Aberpennar yn sgil cau banc olaf y dref. Gan fod Aberdâr hefyd wedi gweld yr effaith gyda thri banc mawr yn cau yn ystod y flwyddyn ddiwethaf—gan gynnwys y Banc Cydweithredol, a gyhoeddodd yr wythnos diwethaf y bydd yn cau—credaf fod hwn yn gyfle da inni fyfyrio ar y strategaeth, gan fod llawer o gymunedau eraill, fe wn, yn gweld yn union yr un peth yn digwydd. Ond mae hefyd yn caniatáu inni ystyried yr ymyriadau sy'n fwyaf priodol i sicrhau y gall holl aelodau ein cymuned ddefnyddio'r gwasanaethau bancio hynny a oedd yn arfer bod ar gael iddynt ar y stryd fawr leol.
The Member raises an extremely important point. We are promoting financial inclusion and it's very much a key priority of the Welsh Government, and, of course, Bethan Jenkins was very instrumental in bringing that issue forward as well. We're working very hard with partner organisations though the financial inclusion steering group to take forward the wide range of actions in the delivery plan and we will be reporting back on progress in the next few months.
In terms of bank closures, the Member's absolutely right. We've all been discussing bank closures in our own constituency areas and regions, and a large number of us have raised issues with local bank managers when banks have been earmarked for closure. It's really disappointing, some of the responses that you get about the affected communities and so on. It's worth pointing out that Post Office Counters does provide banking services in some areas, so certainly in my own constituency and in the other two, Gower and Swansea East constituencies, we've had some meetings that have been very useful, together, about how to deal with that. But we continue to be very disappointed about it.
One of the things that we're also doing is trying to make sure that our digital inclusion plan includes banking online, especially for older people who might be excluded from the online services that are being used largely to replace the high-street services. I don't suggest for one single minute that they are a proper replacement and I know the Member's been pushing hard to keep some of the banks open in her area, as we all have. But it is important that, where the services are being reduced, people can actually properly be enabled in the technology that allows them to continue to bank at home when that's what the issue is, although it doesn't help the small businesses who want to be able to bank cash and so on, which is a huge issue.
There's also an issue about automated teller machine closures, which I don't know if the Member knows. There's an issue about the amount of money people are paid to run an ATM and how that might be situated, so we are having a look at that to see if there's anything we can do to assist in that regard as well, in terms of ATM availability. There are plenty of places across Wales where you're now having to travel quite a long way just to get cash as well, which is a big problem.
So, I thank the Member very much for highlighting that important point. We are in some discussion about how we can ameliorate some of the effects of those closures.
Mae'r Aelod yn codi pwynt hynod bwysig. Rydym yn hyrwyddo cynhwysiant ariannol ac mae'n flaenoriaeth allweddol i raddau helaeth iawn gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ac, wrth gwrs, roedd gan Bethan Jenkins ran fawr wrth gyflwyno'r mater hwnnw hefyd. Rydym yn gweithio'n galed iawn gyda sefydliadau partner drwy gyfrwng y grŵp llywio cynhwysiant ariannol i ddatblygu ystod eang o gamau gweithredu yn y cynllun cyflawni a byddwn yn adrodd yn ôl ar gynnydd yn ystod y misoedd nesaf.
O ran cau banciau, mae'r Aelod yn llygad ei lle. Rydym i gyd wedi bod yn trafod cau banciau yn ein hetholaethau a'n rhanbarthau etholaethol ein hunain, ac mae nifer mawr ohonom wedi codi'r problemau gyda rheolwyr banc lleol pan fo banciau wedi'u clustnodi i'w cau. Mae rhai o'r ymatebion a gewch am y cymunedau yr effeithir arnyn nhw ac ati yn wirioneddol siomedig. Mae'n werth nodi bod gwasanaeth cownteri Swyddfa'r Post yn darparu gwasanaethau bancio mewn rhai ardaloedd, mae hynny'n sicr yn wir yn fy etholaeth i fy hun ac yn y ddwy arall, etholaethau Dwyrain Abertawe a Gŵyr, ac rydym wedi cael rhai cyfarfodydd sydd wedi bod yn ddefnyddiol iawn ynghylch sut i ymdrin â hynny. Ond rydym yn parhau i fod yn siomedig iawn ynglŷn â'r mater.
Un o'r pethau yr ydym yn eu gwneud hefyd yw ceisio sicrhau bod ein cynllun cynhwysiant digidol yn cynnwys bancio ar-lein, yn enwedig ar gyfer pobl hŷn a allai fod wedi eu heithrio o'r gwasanaethau ar-lein sydd yn cael eu defnyddio i gymryd lle gwasanaethau'r stryd fawr i raddau helaeth. Nid wyf i'n awgrymu am funud bod hwn yn newid cywir, a gwn fod yr Aelod wedi pwyso'n galed i gadw rhai o'r banciau yn agored yn ei hardal, fel yr ydym ni i gyd wedi gwneud. Ond mae'n bwysig, lle mae cwtogi ar y gwasanaethau, fod pobl yn cael eu hyfforddi i ddefnyddio'r dechnoleg sy'n caniatáu iddyn nhw barhau i fancio o'u cartrefi, os mai dyna'r broblem, er nad yw hynny'n helpu busnesau bach sy'n awyddus i allu bancio arian parod ac ati, sy'n broblem enfawr.
Mae problem hefyd o ran gwneud i ffwrdd â pheiriannau ATM. Nid wyf yn gwybod a yw'r Aelod yn ymwybodol ohoni. Mae problem yn codi o ran faint o arian a delir i bobl i gynnal peiriant ATM a sut mae'n cael ei leoli. Felly mae'n rhaid inni edrych ar hynny hefyd i weld a allwn ni wneud unrhyw beth i helpu, o ran y darpariaeth o beiriannau ATM. Mae yna nifer o fannau ledled Cymru erbyn hyn lle mae'n rhaid ichi deithio'n bell er mwyn cael arian parod, a phroblem fawr yw honno.
Felly, rwy'n diolch i'r Aelod am dynnu sylw at y pwynt pwysig hwnnw. Rydym ni'n cael trafodaeth ar sut y gallwn leddfu rhai o effeithiau cau'r banciau.
Can I call for two statements from the leader of the house, the first from the Cabinet Secretary for health on emergency department performance across Wales? The latest figures, of course, are very, very poor indeed. Unfortunately, yet again, the health board that is currently being run by the Welsh Government is the worst performing of all of the health boards in Wales against the four-hour target. In fact, you've just got a four in 10 chance of being in and out of that department in over the four-hour target, which is clearly unacceptable for the many hundreds of patients in my constituency and in others in north Wales who are having to endure those overlong periods in very busy emergency departments. So, I think it is necessary that we have a statement on emergency department performance, particularly given the situation, the crisis, that appears to be developing ins some of our hospitals.
Can I also call for a statement, probably from you, actually, as the Minister responsible for faith communities? I heard, obviously, your comments regarding Holocaust Memorial Day. I had the privilege of attending a Holocaust memorial event in Llandudno over the weekend and listened to Dr Martin Stern, a Holocaust survivor. He shared a very powerful and moving story and gave an account of his experiences during the Holocaust and those of his family. Obviously, Holocaust survivors are becoming fewer and fewer in number. I'm particularly interested, Cabinet Secretary, in what work the Welsh Government is doing to expose as many young people as possible to those first-hand accounts from Holocaust survivors while we still have people with us who are able to share first-hand stories. I know that the Welsh Government's done some good work on this in the past in terms of supporting young people to visit places like Auschwitz and to take part in Holocaust memorial events, but there's nothing like meeting a Holocaust survivor and hearing their first-hand account to actually transform people's thinking on the Holocaust and to tackle the growing problem that we have across the world with Holocaust denial.
A gaf i alw am ddau ddatganiad gan arweinydd y tŷ, y cyntaf gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros iechyd ar berfformiad adrannau achosion brys ledled Cymru? Mae'r ffigurau diweddaraf, wrth gwrs, yn sobor o wael, yn wir ichi. Yn anffodus, unwaith yn rhagor, y bwrdd iechyd a gaiff ei redeg ar hyn o bryd gan Lywodraeth Cymru sy'n perfformio waethaf o'r holl fyrddau iechyd yng Nghymru yn erbyn y targed pedair awr. Mewn gwirionedd, dim ond pedair siawns o bob 10 sydd gennych o fynd i mewn ac allan o'r adran honno dros y targed pedair awr. Yn amlwg, mae hyn yn annerbyniol i'r cannoedd o gleifion yn fy etholaeth i ac mewn mannau eraill o'r gogledd sy'n gorfod dioddef y cyfnodau hirfaith hynny mewn adrannau achosion brys prysur iawn. Felly, rwy'n credu ei bod yn angenrheidiol inni gael datganiad ar berfformiad adrannau achosion brys, yn arbennig o ystyried y sefyllfa, yr argyfwng, sy'n amlwg yn datblygu mewn rhai o'n hysbytai.
A gaf i hefyd alw am ddatganiad, gennych chi, mae'n debyg, fel y Gweinidog sy'n gyfrifol am gymunedau ffydd? Yn amlwg, clywais eich sylwadau ynglŷn â Diwrnod Cofio'r Holocost. Cefais y fraint o fod yn bresennol mewn digwyddiad yn Llandudno i goffáu'r Holocost dros y penwythnos a gwrando ar Dr Martin Stern, un a wnaeth oroesi'r Holocost. Roedd ganddo stori rymus ac ysgytiol iawn i'w rhannu wrth iddo draddodi ei brofiadau yn ystod yr Holocost a phrofiadau rhai o blith ei deulu. Yn amlwg, mae goroeswyr yr Holocost yn lleihau yn eu nifer. Rwy'n arbennig o awyddus i wybod, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pa waith y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i hysbysu cymaint o bobl ifanc â phosibl am yr hanesion uniongyrchol hynny gan oroeswyr yr Holocost tra bod gennym bobl gyda ni o hyd sydd yn gallu dweud eu hanesion yn uniongyrchol wrthym. Gwn fod y Llywodraeth wedi gwneud gwaith da ar hyn yn y gorffennol ac wedi cefnogi pobl ifanc i ymweld â mannau fel Auschwitz a chymryd rhan mewn digwyddiadau i goffáu'r Holocost. Ond nid oes dim byd yn debyg i gyfarfod â rhywun sydd wedi goroesi'r Holocost a gwrando ar ei hanesion yn uniongyrchol i drawsnewid ffordd o feddwl pobl am yr Holocost ac i ymdrin â'r broblem gynyddol sydd gennym drwy'r byd gyda'r rhai sy'n gwadu'r Holocost.
In terms of the health statement, the Cabinet Secretary is going to bring forward a statement on the NHS over the winter period, and I'm sure it will encompass some of the issues that you've raised. He's nodding at me that it will, so he'll be doing that in the next few weeks.
In terms of faith communities and the Holocaust memorial issue, I completely agree with the Member that there's nothing like the first-hand account, but actually sometimes, in my own constituency for example, the daughter of one of the Holocaust survivors—who has herself given on many occasions powerful testimony but who has subsequently sadly passed on—is a very powerful advocate, if you like, for what her mother went through and has clearly been brought up in that knowledge. So, there are ways of passing the knowledge on. But I completely agree with you that it's essential that we make sure that everybody understands what happened and why it happened and how we must make sure that it never happens again.
I haven't considered bringing a statement forward, but I will consider what we can do to make sure that we hold that in the forefront of our minds. There are a number of activities planned, and I'd be very happy to update the Senedd, either by a statement or in some other fashion, when we've got those set out.
O ran y datganiad iechyd, bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cyflwyno datganiad ar y GIG dros gyfnod y gaeaf, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn cynnwys rhai o'r materion yr ydych chi wedi eu codi. Mae'n nodio ei ben i ddangos y bydd yn gwneud hynny, felly bydd yn gwneud hynny yn yr ychydig wythnosau nesaf.
O ran cymunedau ffydd a mater coffáu'r Holocost, rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr gyda'r Aelod nad oes dim byd tebyg i gael yr hanes yn uniongyrchol, ond mewn gwirionedd weithiau, yn fy etholaeth i fy hunan, er enghraifft, mae merch un o'r rhai a wnaeth oroesi'r Holocost—a roddodd dystiolaeth rymus ei hunan lawer tro, ond yn drist iawn sydd wedi ymadael â ni oddi ar hynny—yn ddadleuwraig daer iawn, os hoffech, dros yr hyn yr aeth ei mam drwyddo ac wedi ei magu, yn amlwg iawn, gyda'r wybodaeth honno. Felly, mae ffyrdd ar gael o drosglwyddo'r wybodaeth. Ond cytunaf yn llwyr â chi ei bod yn hanfodol inni wneud yn siŵr fod pawb yn deall yr hyn a ddigwyddodd a pham y digwyddodd hynny a sut y mae'n rhaid inni wneud yn siŵr na fydd hynny'n digwydd byth eto.
Nid wyf i wedi ystyried cyflwyno datganiad, ond fe wnaf i ystyried yr hyn y gallwn ni ei wneud i sicrhau ein bod yn myfyrio'n wastadol ar hynny. Mae yna nifer o weithgareddau yn yr arfaeth, a byddwn yn hapus iawn i ddiweddaru'r Senedd, naill ai drwy ddatganiad neu ddull arall, pan fyddwn ni wedi cael trefn arnyn nhw.
Leader of the house, I had two issues I wanted to raise. Last week, I helped launch a comic book aimed at five- and six-year-olds to encourage more of them, particularly girls—a subject I know is close to the Cabinet Secretary's heart—to study science, called Ada's Adventures in Science. This idea came from my constituent, Dr Edward Gomez, who is a lecturer at Cardiff University. Would it be possible to have a statement about what more can be done to plug the gap that Wales has in terms of the numbers of young people going on to study STEM subjects, particularly at A-level, as there is a big drop-off after GCSEs, and taking up science-based careers?
That was the first one. The second one is that, on Saturday, I held an event in my constituency to encourage people to take up cycling for everyday journeys, short journeys. We had an absolutely fantastic response from the community. Lots of issues came up, such as car-free cycle routes and places to shower when you get to your place of work. Of course, in Cardiff, we are having two big employers moving to the centre of Cardiff—HMRC and the BBC. Hopefully, many of those staff will cycle. So, could we have a statement about what the Welsh Government could do to encourage employers to promote cycling to work and provide facilities for cyclists, such as bike parking and showers?
Arweinydd y tŷ, dau fater oedd gennyf i i'w codi. Yr wythnos diwethaf, helpais i lansio comic o'r enw Anturiaethau Ada ym Myd Gwyddoniaeth i blant pump a chwe blwydd oed er mwyn annog mwy ohonyn nhw, yn enwedig merched, i astudio gwyddoniaeth—pwnc sy'n agos at galon Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mi wn. Daeth y syniad hwn gan un o'm hetholwyr, Dr Edward Gomez, sydd yn ddarlithydd ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. A fyddai'n bosibl inni gael datganiad am yr hyn y gellir ei wneud i lenwi'r bwlch a geir yng Nghymru o ran nifer y bobl ifanc sydd yn mynd ymlaen i astudio pynciau STEM, yn arbennig i lefel A, gan fod lleihad mawr yn digwydd ar ôl TGAU yn nifer y rhai sy'n dilyn gyrfaoedd sy'n seiliedig ar wyddoniaeth?
Dyna oedd y cyntaf. Yr ail yw hwn. Ddydd Sadwrn, cynhaliais ddigwyddiad yn fy etholaeth i annog pobl i ddechrau seiclo wrth fynd ar deithiau beunyddiol, teithiau byr. Cawsom ymateb hollol wych gan y gymuned. Daeth llawer o faterion i'r amlwg, fel llwybrau beicio di-gar a lle i gael cawod ar ôl cyrraedd y gwaith. Wrth gwrs, yng Nghaerdydd, mae gennym ni ddau gyflogwr mawr yn symud i ganol Caerdydd—Cyllid a Thollau EM a'r BBC. Gobeithio y bydd llawer o'u staff yn seiclo i'r gwaith. Gan hynnny, a gawn ni ddatganiad am yr hyn y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud i annog cyflogwyr i hybu seiclo i'r gwaith a darparu cyfleusterau ar gyfer beicwyr, fel lle i gadw beiciau a chael cawod?
In terms of the first question that Julie Morgan asked, I've met with Dr Edward Gomez as well, and he's a very enthusiastic astrophysicist. The comic books are fantastic, and I will be discussing with the Cabinet Secretary for Education how we can make better use of such facilities, either in person or through Hwb, which is now out to about 70 per cent of Welsh schools. I had a very enthusiastic meeting with him about how we might take that forward, and they are indeed a brilliant resource.
The Member's absolutely right: we've got to find a way of getting more children interested in that kind of science career, especially girls. We have a range of things in place, but Dr Gomez is particularly great at enthusing younger children and making a really complex subject completely transparent and really interesting. So, I thought his approach to it was really excellent and I certainly will be taking that forward with the Cabinet Secretary for Education.
I'm still chairing the women in STEM board for the Welsh Government, as well, so we will be looking at it there in terms of how we might enthuse girls in some of the more theoretical science subjects as well. He is a very interesting person for those of you who may not have met him; he's well worth a conversation.
In terms of the active travel stuff, that's actually really important. The whole issue about cycling as a means of transport as opposed to recreational use is extremely important. The Member raises really good points about the preparedness of larger organisations in terms of facilities to park bikes securely and also to change and so on and be ready for work. We're working very hard with local authorities across Wales to improve active travel through capital investment funding. The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport will be making an announcement in due course about the outcome of some of those conversations and that investment, with exactly the point that the Member raises in mind. This is not about cycling because it's fun; it's about cycling as a means of getting from one place to the other in a healthy and sustainable way, and it's particularly important in our big cities that we encourage that, in terms of the air quality debate that we've been having recently as well.
I just wanted to raise one other point, which is that there's a real issue around disability for cycling as well. I have a marvellous organisation in my own constituency, if the Llywydd will indulge me, called BikeAbility. It's a really excellent facility for people with physical disabilities who can also get active on their bicycles, and it's important that employers take that into account as well when they're designing these schemes.
O ran y cwestiwn cyntaf a ofynnodd Julie Morgan, rwyf innau hefyd wedi cyfarfod â Dr Edward Gomez, ac mae e'n astroffisegwr brwdfrydig iawn. Mae'r llyfrau comic yn rhagorol a byddaf yn trafod gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg sut y gallwn wneud defnydd gwell o gyfleusterau o'r fath, naill ai yn bersonol neu drwy Hwb, sydd bellach yn ymestyn allan i tua 70 y cant o ysgolion Cymru. Cefais gyfarfod brwdfrydig iawn gydag ef ynghylch sut y gallem ddatblygu hynny, ac maen nhw'n adnoddau gwych yn wir.
Mae'r Aelod yn llygad ei lle: mae'n rhaid inni gael ffordd o ddenu mwy o blant i gael diddordeb mewn gyrfa o'r fath ym myd gwyddoniaeth, yn enwedig merched. Mae gennym amrywiaeth o bethau ar waith, ond mae gan Dr Gomez y gallu arbennig i danio brwdfrydedd plant iau a gwneud pwnc cymhleth iawn yn gwbl dryloyw ac yn wirioneddol ddiddorol. Felly, roeddwn i o'r farn fod ei ddull ef o wneud hynny'n wirioneddol ardderchog a bydd yn sicr yn dwyn hynny'n ei flaen gydag Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg.
Rwy'n dal i gadeirio Bwrdd menywod yn STEM ar gyfer Llywodraeth Cymru, felly byddaf yn edrych ar y mater yno o ran sut mae modd ennyn diddordeb merched mewn rhai o'r pynciau gwyddoniaeth sy'n fwy damcaniaethol hefyd. Mae e'n ddyn diddorol iawn i'r rhai ohonoch chi sydd efallai heb gwrdd ag ef; mae ganddo sgwrs ddiddorol.
O ran y teithio llesol, mae hynny'n bwysig iawn mewn gwirionedd. Mae'r holl fater ynghylch seiclo yn fodd o deithio yn hytrach na defnydd hamdden yn eithriadol o bwysig. Mae'r Aelod yn codi pwyntiau da iawn am barodrwydd y sefydliadau mwy o faint hynny o ran cyfleusterau i gadw beiciau yn ddiogel a hefyd gyfleusterau newid ac ati a bod yn barod i'r gwaith. Rydym yn gweithio'n galed iawn gydag awdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru i wella teithio llesol drwy gyllid buddsoddi cyfalaf. Bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi a Thrafnidiaeth yn gwneud cyhoeddiad maes o law am ganlyniad rhai o'r trafodaethau hynny a'r buddsoddiad hwnnw, gyda'r union bwynt y mae'r Aelod yn ei godi dan sylw. Nid oes a wnelo hyn â seiclo am hwyl; mae'n ymwneud â beicio fel modd o deithio o un lle i'r llall mewn ffordd iach a chynaliadwy. Ac mae'n arbennig o bwysig yn ein dinasoedd mawr ein bod yn annog hynny o ran y ddadl ansawdd aer yr ydym wedi bod yn ei chael yn ddiweddar hefyd.
Roeddwn am godi un pwynt arall, sef bod problem wirioneddol ynghylch anabledd ar gyfer beicio hefyd. Mae sefydliad gwych yn fy etholaeth i fy hunan, os gwnaiff y Llywydd faddau i mi, o'r enw BikeAbility. Mae'n gyfleuster ardderchog iawn ar gyfer pobl ag anableddau corfforol a fydd hefyd yn gallu bod yn egnïol ar eu beiciau, ac mae'n bwysig fod cyflogwyr yn rhoi ystyriaeth i hyn hefyd wrth ddylunio'r cynlluniau hyn.
Leader of the house, you probably picked up some of the media coverage today about the Older People's Commissioner for Wales's concerns about the experience of people living in care homes, some years after her original recommendations. And, while she was making some very positive remarks about the legislation that has been brought in since then and also the parliamentary review into health and social care, she did say that some very basic things like continence management and—I can't remember what else it was, now—falls prevention were being missed. I'm wondering if we could have an update on progress from the Government against all the recommendations, but with specific focus on the ones that are being missed. Thank you.
Arweinydd y tŷ, byddwch fwy na thebyg wedi clywed rhai o'r sylwadau yn y cyfryngau heddiw am bryderon Comisiynydd Pobl Hŷn Cymru am brofiad pobl sy'n byw mewn cartrefi gofal, rai blynyddoedd wedi iddi wneud ei hargymhellion gwreiddiol. Er ei bod hi'n gwneud rhai sylwadau cadarnhaol iawn am y ddeddfwriaeth a gyflwynwyd ers hynny, yn ogystal â'r arolwg seneddol ar iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, roedd hi'n dweud bod rhai pethau sylfaenol iawn fel rheoli ymataliaeth ac—ni allaf gofio beth arall oedd ganddi, erbyn hyn—atal codymau, yn mynd ar goll. Tybed a oes modd inni gael diweddariad ar gynnydd gan y Llywodraeth yn erbyn yr argymhellion, gan ganolbwyntio'n benodol ar y pethau sy'n mynd ar goll. Diolch.
The Minister is here to hear that. I heard him on Radio Wales this morning alongside the Older People's Commissioner for Wales—they had quite a good debate on the subject. He's indicating to me that, within 28 days, we'll be bringing something forward in response.
Mae'r Gweinidog yn bresennol i glywed hyn. Fe'i clywais ar Radio Wales y bore yma gyda Chomisiynydd Pobl Hŷn Cymru—fe gawson nhw ddadl dda ar y pwnc. Mae'n rhoi arwydd i mi y byddwn ni'n cyflwyno rhywbeth i ymateb i hynny o fewn 28 diwrnod.
Leader of the Chamber, on 22 March 2016, after the terrible terrorist attack in Brussels, the First Minister stated that he would like to express his sympathy and solidarity with the Belgian people. He went on to say that the scourge of terrorism must be opposed everywhere and we must resist the threat to our way of life.
I raised that statement today because it clearly shows a precedent for this Government addressing foreign affairs. I'd like a statement from the Government on the brutal attack against the Kurds and others in Afrin in northern Syria. The Kurds have done all they can to fight the threat of terrorism that they face in Syria, and they've shown, time and time again, that they're Wales's allies in the middle east, and in over their hundreds, people were outside the Assembly today. The Kurds have a right to live in peace and this Assembly is the elected voice of the people of Wales. Will he make a statement from the Government to condemn the Turkish state terrorism in Syria and Kurdistan, and will you urge the UK Government to do everything it can diplomatically to put an end to the violence?
Arweinydd y Siambr, ar 22 Mawrth 2016, ar ôl yr ymosodiad terfysgol erchyll ym Mrwsel, dywedodd y Prif Weinidog y byddai'n hoffi mynegi ei gydymdeimlad a'i gydsafiad â phobl Gwlad Belg. Aeth yn ei flaen i ddweud ei bod yn rhaid gwrthwynebu pla terfysgaeth ym mhobman a'i bod yn rhaid inni wrthsefyll y bygythiad i'n ffordd o fyw.
Rwy'n codi'r datganiad hwnnw heddiw oherwydd ei fod yn dangos yn eglur gynsail i'r Llywodraeth wrth fynd i'r afael â materion tramor. Hoffwn gael datganiad gan y Llywodraeth ar yr ymosodiad ciaidd yn erbyn y Cwrdiaid ac eraill yn Afrin yng ngogledd Syria. Mae'r Cwrdiaid wedi gwneud popeth o fewn eu gallu i ymladd yn erbyn y bygythiad o derfysgaeth y maen nhw'n ei wynebu yn Syria, ac maen nhw wedi dangos, dro ar ôl tro, eu bod yn gynghreiriad i Gymru yn y dwyrain canol, ac yn eu cannoedd, roeddent y tu allan i'r Cynulliad heddiw. Mae gan y Cwrdiaid hawl i fyw mewn heddwch a'r Cynulliad hwn yw llais etholedig pobl Cymru. A wnaiff ef ddatganiad gan y Llywodraeth i gondemnio terfysgaeth gwladwriaeth Twrci yn Syria a Cwrdistan, ac a fyddwch chi'n pwyso ar Lywodraeth y DU i wneud popeth o fewn ei gallu i roi terfyn ar y trais yn ddiplomataidd?
The Member raises a very important point, but he's very well aware that we don't have foreign affairs devolved to us. The First Minister made a sympathy statement for the people of Belgium and I'm sure he would do something similar for everybody across the world who is affected by terrorism. The Member has made his point very eloquently and I'm sure that the Assembly's heard it.
Mae'r Aelod yn codi pwynt pwysig iawn, ond mae'n ymwybodol iawn nad yw materion tramor wedi cael eu datganoli i ni. Gwnaeth y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad o'i gydymdeimlad â phobl gwlad Belg ac rwy'n siŵr y buasai'n gwneud rhywbeth tebyg i bob un drwy'r byd yr effeithir arno gan derfysgaeth. Mae'r Aelod wedi gwneud ei bwynt yn huawdl iawn, ac rwy'n siŵr fod y Cynulliad wedi'i glywed.
Leader of the house, last week, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance gave a response to the urgent question regarding the collapse of Carillion. Many Members in this Chamber would echo the passionate way in which the Cabinet Secretary highlighted the weakness in the UK Government procurement policy that has contributed to the current mess that the public sector now, largely, has to deal with. Can I ask the leader of the house if the Cabinet Secretary for Finance would bring forward a more detailed statement on the lessons to be learned from the insolvency of Carillion, especially the lessons that we can learn here in Wales about how we procure services, and the scope that may exist for restoring some democratic control via direct labour organisations or by co-operative models of working?
Can I also ask that the failure of Carillion is examined to teach us more about the risks of such large-scale procurement activities and how it could lead us to reflect on the procurement work that we currently undertake? I think the whole Assembly would benefit from debating such a statement, and perhaps build a renewed consensus on the way forward so that we can benefit both Welsh businesses and Welsh taxpayers.
Arweinydd y tŷ, yr wythnos diwethaf, ymatebodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid i'r cwestiwn brys ynghylch cwymp Carillion. Byddai llawer o'r Aelodau yn y Siambr hon yn adleisio'r ffordd angerddol y pwysleisiodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet y gwendid ym mholisi caffael Llywodraeth y DU sydd wedi cyfrannu at y llanastr presennol y bydd yn rhaid i'r sector cyhoeddus erbyn hyn, i raddau helaeth, ymdrin ag ef. A gaf i ofyn i arweinydd y tŷ a fyddai modd i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid wneud datganiad manylach ar y gwersi sydd i'w dysgu o ansolfedd Carillion, yn enwedig y gwersi y gallwn eu dysgu yma yng Nghymru ynglŷn â'r modd yr ydym yn caffael gwasanaethau, a'r cyfleoedd a allai fodoli ar gyfer adfer rhywfaint o reolaeth ddemocrataidd drwy gyfrwng sefydliadau llafur uniongyrchol neu drwy fodelau cydweithredol o weithio?
A gaf i hefyd ofyn y bydd methiant Carillion yn cael ei archwilio er mwyn inni ddysgu mwy am risgiau gweithgareddau caffael ar raddfa mor fawr a sut y gallai hynny ein harwain i fyfyrio ar y gwaith caffael yr ydym yn ymgymryd ag ef ar hyn o bryd? Credaf y byddai'r Cynulliad cyfan yn elwa ar drafod datganiad o'r fath, ac efallai y byddai hynny'n arwain at gonsensws newydd ar y ffordd ymlaen fel y gall busnesau Cymru a threthdalwyr Cymru elwa fel ei gilydd.
Well, thank you for that very important point. The Cabinet Secretary did, indeed, make his points very passionately about the reason why we don't outsource public services and the effect of outsourcing into the private sector—the unintended effects that that can bring. Fortunately, here in Wales, we have not had the exposure to Carillion that has happened elsewhere in public services. The Cabinet Secretary is undertaking a review of procurement processes throughout the Welsh Government at the moment, and I'm sure he'll be reporting that back to the Assembly and taking these matters into account as part of that when he does so.
Wel, diolch ichi am y pwynt pwysig iawn hwnnw. Yn wir, fe wnaeth Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ei bwyntiau yn angerddol iawn am y rheswm pam nad ydym yn rhoi gwaith y gwasanaethau cyhoeddus allan i gwmnïau eraill ac effaith rhoi contractau allanol i'r sector preifat—yr effeithiau anfwriadol all ddod yn sgil hynny. Yn ffodus, yma yng Nghymru, nid effeithiwyd arnom ni gan Carillion fel sydd wedi digwydd mewn mannau eraill yn y gwasanaethau cyhoeddus. Mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cynnal adolygiad o brosesau caffael ledled Llywodraeth Cymru ar hyn o bryd, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn adrodd hynny'n ôl i'r Cynulliad ac yn dwyn y materion hyn i gyfrif yn rhan o hynny.
Leader of the house, about 12 months ago, the then Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children actually indicated that he was withdrawing Communities First funding from NSA Afan due to an audit report that he'd received. He went on to say that further financial investigation would be undertaken. We've yet to hear anything since that date, and I understand that it's now been transferred to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance. Could I have a statement from the Welsh Government indicating where the progress is in relation to that investigation, because NSA Afan, obviously, has many activities going on in my constituency and they operate many community centres that would struggle if NSA Afan had difficulties?
On a second point, it's been raised before in this Chamber—about the situation of the flood zone on the site where the Baglan prison will be built. This weekend, as Simon Thomas has pointed out, heavy rain has come. We have seen floods all over the place, including on that particular site. Now, it's not just due to heavy rain on one day; it shows that the water levels and that the water table are high and, as such, they need to be addressed. Now, we understand the flood zone was moved from C2 to C1 because of a scheduled NRW reassessment—I understand that—but, based upon the events of the weekend, it's clear that another assessment needs to take place. It's been called for before. Can we have a statement from the Minister for Environment to say how reassessments are done and when they can be redone based upon circumstances?
Arweinydd y Tŷ, tua 12 mis yn ôl, dywedodd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gymunedau a Phlant ar y pryd ei fod mewn gwirionedd yn tynnu cyllid Cymunedau yn Gyntaf oddi wrth NSA Afan oherwydd adroddiad archwilio yr oedd wedi ei dderbyn. Aeth ymlaen i ddweud y byddai ymchwiliad ariannol pellach yn cael ei gynnal. Nid ydym hyd yma wedi clywed unrhyw beth ers y dyddiad hwnnw, ac rwy'n deall bod hynny bellach wedi cael ei drosglwyddo i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Gyllid. A gawn ni ddatganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn nodi pa gynnydd a wnaed o ran yr ymchwiliad hwnnw, oherwydd mae gan NSA Afan, yn amlwg, lawer o weithgareddau yn digwydd yn fy etholaeth i a llawer o ganolfannau cymunedol a fyddai'n cael trafferth pe byddai anawsterau gan NSA Afan?
A'r ail bwynt, fe'i codwyd yn y Siambr hon o'r blaen—am gyflwr y parth llifogydd ar y safle lle bydd carchar Baglan yn cael ei adeiladu. Y penwythnos hwn, fel y nododd Simon Thomas, cafwyd glaw trwm. Rydym wedi gweld llifogydd ym mhob cwr, gan gynnwys ar y safle arbennig hwnnw. Nawr, nid yw hynny'n unig oherwydd y glaw trwm a gafwyd ar un diwrnod; mae'n dangos bod y lefelau dŵr a bod y lefel trwythiad yn uchel, ac, fel y cyfryw, mae angen mynd i'r afael â nhw. Nawr, rydym yn deall bod y parth llifogydd wedi ei symud o C2 i C1 oherwydd ailasesiad gan Gyfoeth Naturiol Cymru—rwy'n deall hynny—ond, yn seiliedig ar ddigwyddiadau'r penwythnos, mae'n amlwg fod angen asesiad arall. Galwyd am hynny o'r blaen. A gawn ni ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog dros yr Amgylchedd i ddweud sut y mae ailasesiadau yn cael eu gwneud a phryd y cânt eu hailwneud oherwydd amgylchiadau?
In terms of the first point, I understand that that's now with the police, and so we won't be commenting further on that. I think the Member's taking it up shortly in his own constituency. I'm sure he'll be able to keep us informed as to how that meeting goes, and we can make sure that the matter progresses.
In terms of the floods and the assessment of that, the Cabinet Secretary was fortunately here to hear your point on that, and I'm sure she'll take it into account in her discussions about reassessment on flood risk. Floods have been raised a number of times in this Chamber today, and it's a matter close to our hearts, so I'm sure she'll be considering that over the next few weeks.
O ran y pwynt cyntaf, rwy'n deall bod hynny bellach gerbron yr heddlu, ac felly ni fyddwn ni'n gwneud sylwadau pellach ar hynny. Credaf fod yr Aelod yn ymgymryd â hynny cyn hir yn ei etholaeth ei hunan. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn gallu ein hysbysu am hynt y cyfarfod hwnnw, a byddwn yn gallu gwneud yn siŵr bod y mater yn gwneud cynnydd.
O ran y llifogydd a'r asesiad o hynny, yn ffodus roedd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn bresennol i glywed eich pwynt ar hynny, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn rhoi rhoi ystyriaeth iddo yn ei thrafodaethau ynghylch ailasesiad o berygl llifogydd. Mae llifogydd wedi codi sawl gwaith yn y Siambr hon heddiw, ac mae'n fater sy'n agos at ein calonnau, felly rwy'n sicr y bydd yn ystyried hynny dros yr ychydig wythnosau nesaf.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (Ann Jones) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.
Thank you very much.
Diolch yn fawr iawn ichi.
Item 3 on the agenda this afternoon is the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services: progress on the new treatment fund. I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services to introduce the statement—Vaughan Gething.
Eitem 3 ar yr agenda y prynhawn yma yw'r datganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol: cynnydd ar y gronfa driniaeth newydd. Galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol i gyflwyno'r datganiad—Vaughan Gething.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Last year, I launched the Welsh Government's £80 million new treatment fund. This was, of course, a key pledge to the people of Wales at the last Assembly election. My statement today highlights how the new treatment fund has delivered faster, more consistent access to new medicines. It marks a highly successful first full operational year of the fund.
The substantial, new investment in NHS Wales demonstrates the Welsh Government's commitment to ensuring that patients receive the latest recommended treatments quickly, no matter where they live in Wales. The underpinning principle of the new treatment fund is that all medicines recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, or NICE, and the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group, or the AWMSG, must be made available to patients, where clinically appropriate, no later than two months from the publication of the recommendation. This represents a one third reduction in the required implementation timescale.
A positive recommendation by NICE or the AWMSG is a confirmation that the medicine has passed the rigorous test of both clinical and cost-effectiveness: the clinical benefits of the medicine are in balance with the cost that the manufacturer will charge to the NHS. This ensures good value for money for the public and, of course, our NHS.
The new treatment fund is providing health boards in Wales with £16 million a year to support that faster and more consistent access. To date, £28 million has been provided to health boards and Velindre NHS Trust to support the faster introduction of over 80 new medicines.
Diolch ichi, Dirprwy Lywydd. Y llynedd, lansiais gronfa driniaeth newydd Llywodraeth Cymru sy'n werth £80 miliwn. Roedd hyn, wrth gwrs, yn un o'r addewidion allweddol i bobl Cymru yn ystod etholiad diwethaf y Cynulliad. Mae fy natganiad heddiw yn tynnu sylw at sut mae'r gronfa driniaeth newydd wedi sicrhau bod meddyginiaethau newydd ar gael yn gyflymach ac yn fwy cyson. Mae hyn yn dynodi blwyddyn weithredol lawn gyntaf cronfa lwyddiannus iawn.
Mae'r buddsoddiad newydd sylweddol hwn yn GIG Cymru yn dangos ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod cleifion yn cael y triniaethau diweddaraf a argymhellir yn gyflym, ni waeth ym mhle y maen nhw'n byw yng Nghymru. Egwyddor sylfaenol y gronfa driniaeth newydd yw fod yn rhaid i'r holl feddyginiaethau a argymhellir gan y Sefydliad Cenedlaethol dros Iechyd a Rhagoriaeth Gofal, neu NICE, a Grŵp Strategaeth Feddyginiaethau Cymru gyfan, neu AWMSG, fod ar gael i gleifion, lle y bo'n glinigol briodol, heb fod yn hwyrach na deufis o gyhoeddiad yr argymhelliad. Mae hyn yn cynrychioli gostyngiad o draean i amserlen ofynnol y gweithrediad.
Mae argymhelliad cadarnhaol gan NICE neu AWMSG yn cadarnhau bod y feddyginiaeth wedi pasio prawf trylwyr clinigol a chost-effeithiolrwydd fel ei gilydd: mae manteision clinigol y feddyginiaeth yn cydbwyso â'r gost y bydd y gwneuthurwr yn ei godi ar y GIG. Mae hyn yn sicrhau gwerth da am arian i'r cyhoedd ac, wrth gwrs, i'n GIG.
Mae'r gronfa driniaeth newydd yn rhoi £16 miliwn y flwyddyn i fyrddau iechyd yng Nghymru er mwyn cefnogi'r ddarpariaeth gyflymach a mwy cyson honno. Hyd yma, rhoddwyd £28 miliwn i fyrddau iechyd ac i Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Felindre i gefnogi'r gwaith o gyflwyno dros 80 o feddyginiaethau newydd.
These medicines have, of course, been approved by NICE or the AWMSG to treat a wide range of diseases. The list and scope of the therapeutic areas covered are too long for me to list here, but it includes medicines for a wide variety of treatment including arthritis, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, asthma and rare conditions like Fabry disease.
Just over 40 per cent of the medicines recommended are for the treatment of various cancers. Thirty of the recommended medicines were identified at appraisal as offering patients a new, more effective treatment option or addressing an unmet clinical need. These included new treatments for cancer, a serious sight-threatening disease, life-threatening genetic disorders and chronic lung disease.
These illustrate the breadth and scope of the new treatment fund. They also highlight the importance that the Welsh Government has placed on ensuring rapid access to all recommended medicines for all conditions. That is not the approach taken across our border in England. All of the diseases or conditions that I have just mentioned have a very real impact on the quality of life for the individual and their loved ones, and that is why, in Wales, we ensure that the new treatment fund treats all diseases equally and does not prioritise the funding of one disease over another. The full list of recommended medicines is published on AWMSG’s website and a link has been provided for Members.
I expect full compliance to now be sustained over the five-year period of the fund. In practical terms, this means all medicines recommended must be available no later than two months after the AWMSG or NICE recommendation is published. When I reported on initial progress in July, I advised there had been some variation in the availability of a few medicines recommended during the first few months of the fund. Since those early variation issues, I am pleased to report that our NHS has made rapid and much more consistent progress.
Before the introduction of the new treatment fund, health boards were expected to make recommended medicines available no later than three months or 90 days from the NICE or AWMSG published decision. In the first six months of launching the new treatment fund, we have reduced the time taken to make medicines available by 81 per cent. In real terms, that meant the average time taken for health boards across Wales to make medicines available was 17 days in the first six months of the new treatment fund. We have now seen even further improvements during the second six months of the fund. The time taken to make a medicine available has now dropped to an average of 10 days across Wales. That represents an almost 90 per cent reduction in access time across Wales. The two-month time frame is the latest date by which a medicine should become available to prescribe where clinically appropriate. Our goal is to make these medicines available as soon as possible. I am pleased to report that nearly 83 per cent of recommended medicines were made available across Wales within 30 days.
I welcome, of course, the effort and the achievement of our NHS in making our commitment a reality for patients across Wales. Chief executives and chairs of health boards are clear that the expectation is that they will continue to deliver consistent and sustained full compliance with the requirements of the new treatment fund. The citizens of Wales deserve nothing less. I will, of course, continue to scrutinise health boards and trust performance in delivering their obligations under the treatment fund and hold chief executives and chairs to account for delivery.
Making new medicines available to patients often requires detailed infrastructure and care pathway planning and that can be financially challenging, particularly in the first 12 months. The new treatment fund is designed to support health boards prepare sustainable plans for the introduction of new medicines. Safety, of course, is a paramount consideration when introducing each new medicine. That can mean changes are necessary to the way in which clinical services operate: for example, there may need to be additional or different monitoring of patients to be introduced; patients may need testing, for example, for their clinical suitability. Understanding all of the requirements to introduce a medicine safely and effectively at an early stage is essential and central to fast and sustained access.
Since I launched the fund in January last year, I have talked consistently about the need for the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry and NHS Wales to work more closely together on this agenda. The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry Cymru Wales continue to be supportive of our approach to the medicines agenda and in particular, the principles of our new treatment fund. I welcome the work they are doing with NHS Wales stakeholders to improve the level and timing of information provided by manufacturers on new medicines. Strengthening financial forecasting and infrastructure planning makes absolute sense to everyone. The industry benefits when its products are adopted quickly, and most importantly, patients benefit from faster access.
The establishment of the new treatment fund is an explicit objective in the Welsh Government’s national strategy, 'Prosperity For All'. In the first full year that the new treatment fund has been in operation, we have substantially shortened the time taken to make medicines available by 85 per cent. We pledged to the people of Wales that our new treatment fund would deliver faster, more consistent access to new life-changing medicines for all conditions. We have kept our promise, and every part of Wales is now seeing the benefit.
Wrth gwrs, cymeradwywyd y meddyginiaethau hyn gan NICE neu AWMSG i drin amrywiaeth eang o glefydau. Mae'r rhestr a chwmpas y meysydd therapiwtig yn rhy hir i mi eu rhestru yma, ond mae'n cynnwys meddyginiaethau ar gyfer amrywiaeth eang o driniaethau, gan gynnwys arthritis, sglerosis ymledol, epilepsi, asthma a chyflyrau prin fel clefyd Fabry.
Mae ychydig dros 40 y cant o'r meddyginiaethau a argymhellir yn trin mathau amrywiol o ganser. Nodwyd bod 30 o'r meddyginiaethau a argymhellwyd wrth arfarnu yn cynnig dewis o driniaeth newydd, fwy effeithiol i gleifion, neu'n mynd i'r afael ag angen clinigol nas diwallwyd. Roedd hyn yn cynnwys triniaethau newydd ar gyfer canser, clefyd difrifol sy'n bygwth y golwg, anhwylderau genetig sy'n bygwth bywyd a chlefyd cronig yr ysgyfaint.
Mae'r rhain yn dangos ehangder a chwmpas y gronfa driniaeth newydd. Maen nhw hefyd yn amlygu'r pwysigrwydd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i roi ar sicrhau bod yr holl feddyginiaethau a argymhellir ar gyfer pob cyflwr ar gael yn gyflym. Nid hwnnw yw'r dull a ddefnyddir ar draws y ffin yn Lloegr. Mae'r holl glefydau neu gyflyrau yr wyf newydd sôn amdanyn nhw yn cael effaith wirioneddol ar ansawdd bywyd yr unigolyn a'i anwyliaid. Dyna pam, yng Nghymru, rydym yn sicrhau bod y gronfa driniaeth newydd yn trin pob clefyd yn gyfartal ac nid yw'n blaenoriaethu cyllid ar gyfer un clefyd yn hytrach na'r llall. Cyhoeddir y rhestr lawn o'r meddyginiaethau a argymhellir ar wefan AWMSG ac mae'r ddolen wedi ei darparu i'r Aelodau.
Disgwyliaf y bydd cydymffurfiaeth lawn yn cael ei chynnal gydol cyfnod pum mlynedd y Gronfa. Yn ymarferol, mae hyn yn golygu y bydd yn rhaid i'r holl feddyginiaethau a argymhellir fod ar gael heb fod yn hwyrach na dau fis ar ôl cyhoeddi argymhelliad AWMSG neu NICE. Pan adroddais ar y cynnydd cychwynnol ym mis Gorffennaf, rhoddais wybod bod rhywfaint o amrywiad wedi bod o ran argaeledd rhai o'r meddyginiaethau a argymhellwyd yn ystod ychydig fisoedd cyntaf y Gronfa. Ers y materion cynnar hynny ynghylch amrywiad, rwy'n falch o adrodd bod ein GIG wedi gwneud cynnydd cyflym a llawer mwy cyson.
Cyn cyflwyno'r gronfa driniaeth newydd, roedd disgwyl i fyrddau iechyd sicrhau bod y meddyginiaethau a argymhellwyd ar gael heb fod yn hwyrach na thri mis neu 90 diwrnod o gyhoeddiad penderfyniad NICE neu AWMSG. Yn y chwe mis cyntaf o lansio'r gronfa driniaeth newydd, rydym wedi gostwng yr amser a gymerir i feddyginiaethau fod ar gael 81 y cant. Mewn termau real, golygai hynny mai'r amser cyfartalog a gymerwyd gan fyrddau iechyd ledled Cymru i ddarparu meddyginiaethau oedd 17 diwrnod yn ystod chwe mis cyntaf y gronfa driniaeth newydd. Rydym wedi gweld gwelliannau pellach hyd yn oed yn ystod ail gyfnod chwe mis y Gronfa. Mae'r amser a gymerir i sicrhau bod meddyginiaeth ar gael bellach wedi gostwng i 10 diwrnod ar gyfartaledd ledled Cymru. Mae hynny'n cynrychioli gostyngiad o bron 90 y cant ledled Cymru. Bellach dylai meddyginiaeth fod ar gael i'w rhagnodi o fewn cyfnod o ddau fis lle bo hynny'n briodol yn glinigol. Ein nod yw sicrhau bod y meddyginiaethau hyn ar gael cyn gynted â phosibl. Rwy'n falch o nodi bod bron 83 y cant o feddyginiaethau a argymhellwyd wedi bod ar gael ar draws Cymru o fewn 30 diwrnod.
Wrth gwrs, rwy'n croesawu ymdrech a chyflawniad ein GIG wrth wireddu ein hymrwymiad i gleifion ledled Cymru. Mae prif weithredwyr a chadeiryddion y byrddau iechyd yn eglur mai'r disgwyliad yw y byddan nhw'n parhau i ddarparu'n gyson a pharhaus gydymffurfiaeth lawn â gofynion y gronfa driniaeth newydd. Nid yw dinasyddion Cymru yn haeddu llai na hyn. Byddaf, wrth gwrs, yn parhau i graffu ar berfformiad y byrddau iechyd ac ymddiriedolaethau o ran cyflawni eu rhwymedigaethau o dan y gronfa driniaeth ac yn dal prif weithredwyr a chadeiryddion i gyfrif am eu cyflawniad.
Mae sicrhau bod meddyginiaethau newydd ar gael i gleifion yn gofyn am gynllunio manwl o ran seilwaith a llwybr gofal, a gall hynny fod yn heriol yn ariannol, yn arbennig yn y 12 mis cyntaf. Nod y gronfa driniaeth newydd yw cefnogi byrddau iechyd wrth baratoi cynlluniau cynaliadwy ar gyfer cyflwyno meddyginiaethau newydd. Mae diogelwch, wrth gwrs, yn ystyriaeth hollbwysig wrth gyflwyno pob meddyginiaeth newydd. Gall hynny olygu newidiadau angenrheidiol i'r ffordd y mae gwasanaethau clinigol yn gweithredu: er enghraifft, efallai y bydd angen rhagor o fonitro ar gleifion neu eu monitro'n wahanol; efallai y bydd angen profi cleifion, er enghraifft, ar gyfer eu haddasrwydd clinigol. Mae'n hanfodol deall holl ofynion cyflwyno meddyginiaeth yn ddiogel ac yn effeithiol ar gam cynnar, ac mae'nn ganolog i sicrhau argaeledd cyflym a pharhaus.
Ers imi lansio'r gronfa ym mis Ionawr y llynedd, rwyf wedi siarad yn gyson am yr angen i'r diwydiant gweithgynhyrchu fferyllol a GIG Cymru gydweithio'n agosach ar yr agenda hon. Mae Cymdeithas Diwydiant Fferyllol Prydain Cymru yn parhau i fod yn gefnogol o'n dull ni o weithredu'r agenda feddyginiaethau ac yn benodol, egwyddorion ein cronfa driniaeth newydd. Croesawaf y gwaith y maen nhw'n ei wneud gyda rhanddeiliaid GIG Cymru i wella lefel ac amseriad yr wybodaeth a ddarperir gan weithgynhyrchwyr am feddyginiaethau newydd. Mae atgyfnerthu'r rhagolygon ariannol a'r seilwaith cynllunio yn gwneud synnwyr perffaith i bawb. Bydd y diwydiant yn elwa pan gaiff ei gynhyrchion eu mabwysiadu'n gyflym, ac yn bwysicaf oll, bydd cleifion yn elwa o'u cael yn gyflymach.
Mae sefydlu'r gronfa driniaeth newydd yn amcan penodol yn strategaeth genedlaethol Llywodraeth Cymru, 'Ffyniant i bawb'. Yn y flwyddyn lawn gyntaf y bu'r gronfa driniaeth newydd ar waith, rydym wedi llwyddo i leihau'n sylweddol yr amser a gymerir i sicrhau bod meddyginiaethau ar gael hyd at 85 y cant. Gwnaethom addewid i bobl Cymru y byddai ein cronfa driniaeth newydd yn sicrhau y byddai meddyginiaethau newydd, a all newid bywydau ar gyfer pobl cyflwr, ar gael yn gyflymach ac yn fwy cyson. Rydym wedi cadw at ein haddewid, ac mae pob rhan o Gymru nawr yn gweld y budd.
Cabinet Secretary, thank you very much indeed for your statement. I'm delighted that the new treatment fund appears to be doing so well. It must be horrendous to be somebody who has some dreadful condition that is in dire need of innovative and radical treatments, and to have the worry of whether or not you can access it through your health board. This seems to be filling a gap in the planning process, and I truly do welcome it. I do have a couple of questions, which I'll ask you in the spirit of, perhaps, you being able to follow up at a later stage and ensure that we are really getting the absolute best out of this fund.
I note that the reports by the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group and the new treatment fund show that in the last 12 months, the number of recommended medicines has dropped from 24 with eight superseded medicines in 2016, to 21 medicines with two superseded in 2017. Cabinet Secretary, would you please outline the reasons for this? Is it that, in order to access medicines faster, the number of medicines in the new treatment fund is being curtailed? Or is it more that, once in the system, that medicine goes off the books and, subsequently, there is an expected hope that candidate treatments for the fund will dwindle to much smaller numbers? Is this the thinking behind making the true new treatment fund a five-year programme?
Cabinet Secretary, you say in your statement that £16 million a year supports faster and more consistent access. It would be interesting, though, to see the patient and access data, to determine how widely the health boards are using the newly available medicines. The most basic information on access data provided last time was that all health boards were taking on the 17—then, it was 17—newly available medicines, but in terms of patient reach there was no detail, and I think that that would really help our understanding to ensure that we do have consistent access for all people throughout Wales, no matter where they happen to live in our country.
Finally, Cabinet Secretary, given the commitment to anticipate the licensing and adoption of innovative treatments, are you confident that health boards are able to horizon scan effectively, thereby improving infrastructure planning so that new innovations are maximised to the fullest extent, and that appropriate support services are also in place? Because I did note in your comments about the ABPI. However, for example, a case in point concerns the new drugs to treat hepatitis C, which have been made available through the new treatment fund—very, very welcome by patients and lobbyists alike. However, given that elimination of hepatitis C is the avowed aim, and given no hepatitis C strategy is in place, but simply renewed guidance, should the adoption of innovations, such as—I do hope I've pronounced this right—glecaprevir, be part of such a strategy? Because—this ties back to my earlier question about patient access—some people are very hard to reach, but with these new drugs, we can make astonishing strides in improving the quality of people's lives. But it's not just the drug alone in the case of something like the hep C drug; you actually need the support services, the counselling, the outreach and the lifestyle changes to really make that significant difference. The drug is only a part of it. So, I wondered if you could just comment on that as well, thank you.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, diolch yn fawr iawn ichi am eich datganiad. Rwy'n falch iawn o weld bod y gronfa driniaeth newydd yn gwneud cystal. Mae rhaid ei bod yn erchyll i fod yn rhywun sy'n dioddef o gyflwr ofnadwy y mae taer angen triniaethau arloesol a radical ar ei gyfer, a gorfod poeni a yw ar gael i chi neu beidio drwy eich bwrdd iechyd. Ymddengys bod hyn yn llenwi'r bwlch yn y broses gynllunio, ac rwy'n ei wirioneddol groesawu. Mae gennyf ychydig o gwestiynau, a byddwn yn gofyn ichi yn yr ysbryd, efallai, y gallwch fynd ar eu trywydd rywbryd eto a sicrhau ein bod yn cael y gorau posibl o'r gronfa hon.
Rwy'n nodi bod adroddiadau gan Grŵp Strategaeth Feddyginiaethau Cymru gyfan a'r gronfa driniaeth newydd yn dangos, yn ystod y 12 mis diwethaf, fod nifer y meddyginiaethau a argymhellir wedi disgyn o 24 gydag wyth meddyginiaeth wedi'u disodli yn 2016, i 21 o feddyginiaethau gyda dwy wedi'u disodli yn 2017. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a allech chi amlinellu'r rhesymau dros hyn? Ai'r rheswm yw bod nifer y meddyginiaethau yn y gronfa driniaeth newydd yn llai er mwyn sicrhau bod meddyginiaethau ar gael yn gyflymach? Neu, a yw'n fwy oherwydd, unwaith y byddan nhw yn y system, fod y feddyginiaeth honno'n dod oddi ar y llyfrau ac, yn sgil hynny, fod yna obaith disgwyliedig y bydd y rheini sy'n ymgeisio am driniaethau o'r gronfa yn edwino i niferoedd llai o lawer? Ai dyma'r feddylfryd y tu ôl i wneud gronfa driniaeth newydd wirioneddol yn rhaglen bum mlynedd?
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yr ydych yn dweud yn eich datganiad bod £16 miliwn y flwyddyn yn cefnogi meddyginiaethau sydd i fod ar gael yn gyflymach ac yn fwy cyson. Byddai'n ddiddorol, er hynny, i weld data'r cleifion ac argaeledd, i benderfynu pa mor eang y mae byrddau iechyd yn defnyddio'r meddyginiaethau newydd sydd ar gael. Yr wybodaeth fwyaf sylfaenol a roddwyd y tro diwethaf ar ddata argaeledd oedd nad oedd pob Bwrdd Iechyd yn cymryd yr 17 o feddyginiaethau—17 oedd y rhif bryd hynny—sydd ar gael o'r newydd, ond o ran cyrraedd y claf nid oedd manylion i'w cael. Credaf y byddai hynny'n helpu gyda'n dealltwriaeth ni o ran sicrhau bod y meddyginiaethau ar gael yn gyson i bawb ledled Cymru, ni waeth ble maen nhw'n digwydd byw yn ein gwlad.
Yn olaf, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, o ystyried yr ymrwymiad i ragweld trwyddedu a mabwysiadu triniaethau arloesol, a ydych yn hyderus y bydd byrddau iechyd yn gallu edrych tua'r gorwel yn effeithiol, a thrwy hynny wella cynlluniau seilwaith fel y bydd modd manteisio i'r eithaf ar ddatblygiadau arloesol newydd, ac y bydd cymorth priodol a gwasanaethau hefyd yn eu lle? Nodais hynny yn eich sylwadau am yr ABPI. Eto i gyd, er enghraifft, mae achos dan sylw yn ymwneud â chyffuriau newydd i drin hepatitis C, sydd bellach ar gael drwy'r gronfa driniaeth newydd—fe'i croesawyd yn fawr iawn gan gleifion a lobïwyr fel ei gilydd. Serch hynny, o gofio mai dileu hepatitis C oedd y nod, ac o ystyried nad oes unrhyw strategaeth hepatitis C ar waith, a dim ond canllawiau newydd ar gael, a ddylid mabwysiadu dulliau arloesol, fel—rwy'n gobeithio fy mod wedi ynganu hyn yn iawn—glecaprevir, yn rhan o'r fath strategaeth? Oherwydd—mae hyn ynghlwm wrth fy nghwestiwn cynharach am argaeledd meddyginiaethau i gleifion—mae'n anodd iawn cyrraedd rhai pobl, ond gyda'r cyffuriau newydd hyn, gallwn wneud cynnydd syfrdanol i wella ansawdd bywydau pobl. Ond nid mater o gyffur yn unig yw hi yn achos rhywbeth fel y cyffur hep C; mewn gwirionedd mae angen y gwasanaethau cymorth, cwnsela, allgymorth a newidiadau i ffordd o fyw er mwyn gwneud y gwahaniaeth sylweddol hwnnw. Rhan o hynny'n unig yw'r cyffur. Felly, tybed a wnewch chi roi ychydig sylwadau ar hynny hefyd, diolch.
Yes. On that last point about hepatitis C elimination, I don't think it's actually about the availability of the drugs. We're really fortunate in Wales to have a national strategy, and within the clinical community, the group of clinicians are very proud of having a national approach. Just because the centre is in Cardiff—. It is a genuinely national approach that people buy into and, to be fair, clinicians across the border think we've got it right as well. It's one of the stories you don't often hear about, but actually, people in England are looking at what we've done, how we've done that and why—and actually, it's not been a significant cost increase. But the point about elimination isn't so much about the drugs that are now available. It's really about reaching the harder-to-reach people who don't always engage in services. So, we recognise the reservoir of people still suffering with hepatitis C are people who are less likely to engage in health services per se. It actually is about the outreach part of it, rather than the innovation and the new drugs.
I'm pleased to hear your welcome for the approach we've taken to approved medicines, which is an evidence-led approach. There's no curtailing of new medicines that the new treatment fund is actually delivering or suggesting. Actually, it's really about how and when medicines are developed. So, it's about the industry-led development that goes into it. I'm thinking I'll deal with your next point about horizon scanning. That's some of the things that we've—. We've actually managed to deliver an improvement in practical relationships. I've met with ABPI Cymru to have a conversation with them about the industry's approach, and I have made clear that, actually, we need to see better engagement with the healthcare system in Wales. So, actually, there have been better conversations between industry about making available earlier, information on those medicines that are likely—or more likely—to get to the point of coming to market and going to an appraisal process, to give health boards an earlier opportunity to plan for their potential implementation.
In fact, that's one of the points the ABPI themselves make in their press release today, which welcomes the fund, the establishment and, indeed, that particular point about being able to work together in a more grown-up way with the health service. Again, it points to the fact of having an evidence-led approach, and then particularly points to the fact that this fund covers all conditions, as opposed to just one parcel of conditions being covered in funding and access on a faster and more consistent basis.
I'll tell you how wide usage is: the point about having the new treatment fund available is that the treatments are available where they're clinically appropriate, and it's then down to a proper decision made between a healthcare professional and their patient about what's available. So, of the 82 medicines available, my understanding is that approximately 4,000 people in Wales have benefited from that faster access. So, I'm more than happy to return either to the Chamber or to committee in the future about the numbers of medicines and the spread and the reach of the new treatment fund. As we have more data available, I'm more than happy to make that available to Members and the wider public.
Gwnaf. Ar y pwynt diwethaf yna am ddileu hepatitis C, nid wyf i'n credu mewn gwirionedd ei fod yn ymwneud â'r cyffuriau sydd ar gael. Rydym yn hynod ffodus yng Nghymru fod gennym strategaeth genedlaethol, ac o fewn y gymuned glinigol, mae'r grŵp o glinigwyr yn falch iawn o gael dull gweithredu cenedlaethol. Dim ond oherwydd bod y ganolfan yng Nghaerdydd—. Mae'n ddull gwirioneddol genedlaethol y mae pobl yn buddsoddi ynddo, ac i fod yn deg, mae clinigwyr ar draws y ffin o'r farn ein bod ni'n iawn hefyd. Nid ydych yn clywed hynny'n yn aml, ond mewn gwirionedd, mae pobl yn Lloegr yn edrych ar yr hyn yr ydym wedi'i wneud, sut yr ydym wedi gwneud hynny a pham—ac yn wir, ni fu cynnydd arwyddocaol mewn costau. Ond nid yw'r pwynt am ddileu yn ymwneud â'r cyffuriau sydd ar gael yn awr. Mewn gwirionedd, mae'n ymwneud â chyrraedd y bobl sy'n fwy anodd eu cyrraedd ac nad ydyn nhw bob amser yn defnyddio'r gwasanaethau. Felly, rydym yn cydnabod mai'r bobl sy'n dal i ddioddef o hepatitis C yw'r bobl hynny sy'n llai tebygol o ddefnyddio'r gwasanaethau iechyd fel y cyfryw. Mewn gwirionedd mae a wnelo hyn â'r allgymorth, yn hytrach na'r arloesi a'r cyffuriau newydd.
Rwy'n falch o glywed eich bod yn croesawu ein dull ni o ymdrin â meddyginiaethau cymeradwy, sy'n ddull a arweinir gan dystiolaeth. Nid oes unrhyw gwtogi ar feddyginiaethau newydd y mae'r gronfa driniaeth newydd yn eu darparu neu'n eu hawgrymu mewn gwirionedd. Yn wir, mae'n ymwneud â sut a phryd y caiff meddyginiaethau eu datblygu. Felly, mae a wnelo â'r datblygiad dan arweiniad y diwydiant. Rwy'n mynd i ymdrin nesaf â'ch pwynt chi am edrych tua'r gorwel. Dyna rai o'r pethau'r ydym—. Mewn gwirionedd rydym wedi llwyddo i sicrhau gwelliant o ran cysylltiadau ymarferol. Rydw i wedi cyfarfod ag ABPI Cymru i gael sgwrs gyda nhw am ddull gweithredu'r diwydiant ac, fel yr eglurais, mae'n rhaid inni weld ymgysylltu gwell â'r system gofal iechyd yng Nghymru. Felly, mewn gwirionedd, mae sgyrsiau gwell wedi digwydd â'r diwydiant am sicrhau gwybodaeth gynharach am y meddyginiaethau hynny y mae'n debygol—neu'n fwy tebygol—y byddant yn dod i'r farchnad ac yn mynd i broses arfarnu, a bydd cyfle cynharach i fyrddau iechyd gynllunio ar gyfer potensial eu gweithredu.
Yn wir, dyna un o'r pwyntiau y mae'r ABPI eu hunain yn eu gwneud yn eu datganiad i'r wasg heddiw, sy'n croesawu'r gronfa, y sefydliad ac, yn wir, y pwynt penodol hwnnw am allu cydweithio yn aeddfetach gyda'r gwasanaeth iechyd. Unwaith eto, mae'n tynnu sylw at y ffaith o gael dull gweithredu a arweinir gan dystiolaeth, ac yna'n cyfeirio'n benodol at y ffaith bod y gronfa hon yn cwmpasu pob cyflwr, yn hytrach na dim ond un parsel o amodau yn cael eu cynnwys o fewn cyllideb a bod meddyginiaethau ar gael yn gyflymach ac yn fwy cyson.
Gallaf ddweud wrthych pa mor eang yw'r defnydd: diben y gronfa driniaeth newydd yw bod y triniaethau ar gael lle maen nhw'n glinigol briodol, ac yna mae'n fater o benderfyniad priodol a wneir rhwng y gweithiwr gofal iechyd proffesiynol a'r claf am yr hyn sydd ar gael. Felly, o'r 82 o feddyginiaethau sydd ar gael, fy nealltwriaeth i yw bod tua 4,000 o bobl yng Nghymru wedi llwyddo i'w cael yn gyflymach. Felly, rwy'n hapus iawn i ddod yn ôl i'r Siambr neu i'r pwyllgor yn y dyfodol i drafod nifer y meddyginiaethau ac ehangder a chyrhaeddiad y gronfa driniaeth newydd. Wrth inni gael mwy o ddata, rwy'n hapus iawn i'r data hynny fod ar gael i'r Aelodau a'r cyhoedd.
Firstly, any evidence that people are finding it easier now to get drugs that they are entitled to is to be welcomed, but a word of background: you may recall that, in 2014, Plaid Cymru announced a policy of seeking a new treatment fund that was specifically designed to fund the drugs obtained through individual patient funding requests. I'm very pleased that we are a step forward now, as a result of an agreement between the Government and Plaid Cymru on having exceptionality removed. I'm pleased that that has happened. Labour then, in 2016, announced its own new treatment fund, which wasn't the same. We were of the view—and it is important to point this out—that we shouldn't really need a fund to make LHBs do things that they ought to have been doing legally anyway, as welcome as additional funds are.
So, the first question to you: in the media this morning, it's been reported that, previously, officials suggested that it could take more than 100 days for an approved medicine to be rolled out. Is that an admission that the previous ministerial guidance that treatments should be available within three months following approval was being ignored? And, yes, there is additional funding through the new treatment fund for LHBs to pay for treatments, but it's worth asking this also: do you think that there's a risk, as a result of this policy, that LHBs will expect extra funds to implement other ministerial directions that they ought to legally be adhering to anyway?
Moving on to what you referred to as sustainable plans for the introduction of new medicines, perhaps you could elaborate a little bit on that; namely, how are you ensuring that this planning does take place, and that patients aren't left in the position of a drug not being available in the future?
And finally—it's a point I've raised on a number of occasions in the past—it isn't always just medicines that improve outcomes for patients. Other health technologies and sometimes even simple changes to guidance on how medicines are used can make a difference to patients. Increased awareness, even, of a condition can lead to better outcomes, and there are barriers here to the uptake of best practice across the NHS; for example, a lack of time for continuous professional development. Is this something that you would look at addressing also?
Yn gyntaf, dylid croesawu unrhyw dystiolaeth fod pobl yn ei chael hi'n haws erbyn hyn i gael cyffuriau y mae ganddyn nhw'r hawl iddynt, ond dyma ychydig o gefndir: efallai y cofiwch chi, yn 2014, fod Plaid Cymru wedi cyhoeddi polisi o geisio cael cronfa driniaeth newydd a'i bwriad yn benodol oedd ariannu cyffuriau a gafwyd drwy geisiadau cyllido cleifion unigol. Rwy'n falch iawn ein bod gam ymlaen bellach, o ganlyniad i gytundeb rhwng y Llywodraeth a Phlaid Cymru ar ddileu eithriadoldeb. Rwy'n falch bod hynny wedi digwydd. Yna, yn 2016, cyhoeddodd Llafur ei chronfa driniaeth newydd, a oedd y wahanol. Roeddem ni o'r farn—ac mae'n bwysig inni nodi hyn—na ddylai fod angen cronfa i gymell byrddau iechyd lleol i wneud y pethau y dylen nhw eu gwneud beth bynnag dan y gyfraith, ni waeth pa mor dderbyniol fo'r cronfeydd ychwanegol.
Felly, y cwestiwn cyntaf i chi yw hyn: yn y cyfryngau y bore yma, fe adroddwyd, yn flaenorol, fod swyddogion yn awgrymu y gallai gymryd mwy na 100 niwrnod i gyflwyno meddyginiaeth gymeradwy. A yw hynny'n gyfaddefiad fod y canllawiau gweinidogol cynharach, sef y dylai triniaethau fod ar gael o fewn tri mis i'w cymeradwyo, yn cael eu hanwybyddu? Ac, oes, mae arian yn dod drwy'r gronfa driniaeth newydd i fyrddau iechyd lleol ar gyfer talu am driniaethau ychwanegol, ond mae'n werth inni ofyn hyn hefyd: a ydych chi'n credu bod perygl, yn sgil y polisi hwn, y bydd byrddau iechyd lleol yn disgwyl cael arian ychwanegol i weithredu'r cyfarwyddiadau gweinidogol eraill y dylen nhw fod yn glynu atynt beth bynnag o dan y gyfraith?
Gan symud ymlaen at yr hyn yr oeddech yn cyfeirio atyn nhw fel cynlluniau cynaliadwy ar gyfer cyflwyno meddyginiaethau newydd, efallai y gwnewch chi ymhelaethu ychydig ar hynny; sef, sut yr ydych am sicrhau bod y cynllunio hwn yn digwydd, ac nad yw cleifion yn cael eu gadael yn y sefyllfa lle nad yw'r cyffur ar gael iddynt yn y dyfodol?
Ac yn olaf —mae hwn yn bwynt yr wyf wedi'i godi sawl tro yn y gorffennol—nid meddyginiaethau yn unig sy'n gwella canlyniadau i gleifion. Gall technolegau iechyd eraill a newidiadau syml i ganllawiau ar sut i ddefnyddio meddyginiaethau wneud gwahaniaeth i gleifion. Gall hyd yn oed godi ymwybyddiaeth o gyflwr arwain at ganlyniadau gwell, a cheir rhwystrau yma i'r defnydd o arfer gorau ledled y GIG; er enghraifft, y diffyg amser ar gyfer datblygiad proffesiynol parhaus. A yw hyn yn rhywbeth y byddech yn mynd i'r afael ag ef hefyd?
I'll deal with your last point first. I recently launched Health Technology Wales, which is a way of looking at non-medicines to look at technology within the health service and for its more rapid adoption. We have a range of different ways in which we've tried to do that in the past—the efficiency through technology programme has had a good record of having a range of things at pace and scale across our service. There's more of that to come in the broad approach. But Health Technology Wales is a way to appraise new technology and to give us an understanding of what we should then do, and how we should try and see that delivered across the service. I'll have more to say on Health Technology Wales as we've got a longer period of time to understand its having come into being, and then its impact across the whole health and care system. Of course, that is one of the challenges set to us by the parliamentary review, on how we deliver more innovation at pace and at scale.
There's something here about the new treatment fund, and it's worth reminding all of us that politics is a business where we should have some principles and some values and beliefs, but it's also, ultimately, a practical business. I make no apology at all for recognising where we were, where some recommended medicines were not being introduced as fast or as consistently as they should have been. And we could either have said, 'We'll go after health boards and look to discipline people, and go after them', or we could say, 'How do we make sure that we get this faster and more rapid access?' We've taken a decision to actually do a number of things, and the new treatment fund is obviously part of that. It has also been part of a change in the way that health boards plan for new medicines to come into place. Part of the reason they found it difficult was actually the ability to make a financial choice in the first year of a new treatment being introduced. Actually, after that first year, it's much easier then to continue delivering within a budgetary framework. So, this is recognising the pinch point at the start of a new medicine becoming available, and it's also why—my point that I raised in response to Angela Burns about the improved relationship with the industry itself is really important for us too. All of those things matter in what we've done, and I'm delighted that the pledge that we've made to the people has been kept. This was a manifesto pledge that my party made, and it's a good thing that we're able to say that there are times that politicians really do keep their pledges. And, indeed, we kept our pledge on the agreement we reached with Plaid Cymru, but also the cross-party engagement, on the individual patients funding requests review as well. So, we're making real progress in these areas, and I hope that, in broader health service reform, and the opportunities to make a difference, we can continue some of that grown-up politics approach to doing that.
Byddaf yn ymdrin â'ch pwynt olaf yn gyntaf. Yn ddiweddar, lansiais Dechnoleg Iechyd Cymru, sydd yn ffordd o edrych ar feddyginiaethau nad ydynt yn gyffuriau ar gyfer edrych ar dechnoleg o fewn y gwasanaeth iechyd ac ar gyfer ei fabwysiadu'n gyflymach. Mae gennym wahanol ffyrdd o geisio gwneud hynny yn y gorffennol—mae'r rhaglen effeithlonrwydd trwy dechnoleg wedi bod yn llwyddiannus o fod ag amrywiaeth o bethau ar fyrder a graddau ledled ein gwasanaeth. Mae mwy o hynny i ddod yn y dull gweithredu bras. Ond ffordd yw Technoleg Iechyd Cymru o arfarnu technoleg newydd a rhoi dealltwriaeth inni o'r hyn y dylem ei wneud wedyn, a sut y dylem geisio gweld hynny'n cael ei ddarparu ledled y gwasanaeth. Bydd gennyf ragor i'w ddweud ar Dechnoleg Iechyd Cymru gan y bydd gennym fwy o amser i ddeall pam ei fod wedi dod i fodolaeth, ac yna ei effaith ledled y system iechyd a gofal yn ei chyfanrwydd. Wrth gwrs, dyna un o'r heriau a osodwyd i ni gan yr arolwg seneddol, ar sut yr ydym yn darparu rhagor o arloesi ar gyflymder ac ar raddfa eang.
Mae rhywbeth yn y fan hon am y gronfa driniaeth newydd, ac mae'n werth atgoffa pob un ohonom mai busnes yw gwleidyddiaeth lle dylai fod gennym rai egwyddorion a rhai gwerthoedd a daliadau, ond hefyd, yn y pen draw, mae'n fusnes ymarferol. Nid wyf yn ymddiheuro o gwbl am gydnabod y man lle'r oeddem ni, pan nad oedd rhai meddyginiaethau a argymhellwyd yn cael eu cyflwyno mor gyflym nac mor gyson ag y dylent. Gallem fod wedi dweud naill ai, 'Byddwn yn mynd ar ôl y byrddau iechyd ac yn ceisio disgyblu pobl, ac yn mynd ar eu holau nhw', neu, 'Sut mae gwneud yn siŵr ein bod y meddyginiaethau hyn ar gael yn gyflymach?' Rydym wedi penderfynu gwneud nifer o bethau mewn gwirionedd, ac mae'r gronfa driniaeth newydd yn amlwg yn rhan o hynny. Mae hefyd wedi bod yn rhan o newid yn y ffordd y mae'r byrddau iechyd yn cynllunio ar gyfer cyflwyno meddyginiaethau newydd. Rhan o'r rheswm y cawson nhw anhawster oedd y gallu i wneud dewis ariannol yn y flwyddyn gyntaf o gyflwyno triniaeth newydd. Mewn gwirionedd, ar ôl y flwyddyn gyntaf honno, mae'n llawer haws wedyn i barhau i gyflawni o fewn y fframwaith cyllidebol. Felly, mae hyn yn cydnabod y man cyfyng sy'n bodoli wrth ddechrau sicrhau bod meddyginiaeth newydd ar gael, a pham hefyd—mae'r pwynt a godais wrth ymateb i Angela Burns am y berthynas well gyda'r diwydiant ei hun yn bwysig iawn i ni hefyd. Mae pob un o'r pethau hynny'n cyfrif yn yr hyn yr ydym wedi'i wneud, ac rwy'n falch iawn fod yr addewid a wnaethom i'r bobl wedi'i chadw. Roedd hon yn addewid maniffesto a wnaeth fy mhlaid i, a da o beth yw ein bod yn gallu dweud bod yna adegau pan mae'r gwleidyddion yn gwireddu eu haddewidion. Ac, yn wir, cadwyd at ein haddewid yn ein cytundeb gyda Phlaid Cymru, ond hefyd yr ymgysylltiad trawsbleidiol, ar geisiadau cyllido cleifion unigol. Felly, rydym yn gwneud cynnydd gwirioneddol yn y meysydd hyn, ac rwy'n gobeithio, gyda diwygiadau ehangach yn y gwasanaethau iechyd a'r cyfleoedd i wneud gwahaniaeth, y gallwn ni barhau i ddefnyddio'r dull aeddfed hwnnw o wleidydda wrth wneud hynny.
Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. As I said when you unveiled it, the new treatment fund is a most welcome addition to the NHS as it can speed up access to vital treatments for all patients, and not simply people suffering with a cancer diagnosis. I welcome the news that some medicines have taken just 17 days to become available under the new treatment fund, and this is wonderful news for patients. However, as with all such schemes, the devil is in the detail. Delivery never quite matches design. Not all local health boards are as efficient in introducing new treatments, and I welcome the steps you have taken to monitor compliance. Cabinet Secretary, can you update us on the how all the local health boards are complying with the requirement to make treatments available within the required timescales?
I welcome the fact that 82 new drugs have now been made available under the scheme, treating everything from arthritis to acromegaly. I must confess I had to look up that condition, but it is great news that people who suffer from this debilitating hormonal disorder can now get treatment in Wales. This highlights the massive improvement the new treatment fund is on the cancer drugs fund in England. This scheme can benefit all patients in Wales, as well as those suffering from cancer. I would be grateful, Cabinet Secretary, if you could outline how many patients have benefitted from the fund in the last 12 months.
Of course, the new treatment fund only supports the introduction of new treatments for the first 12 months. Health boards must accommodate ongoing treatment within their existing budgets. So Cabinet Secretary, can you update us on how health boards are planning to accommodate the additional expenditure of these new treatments during the coming financial year?
I also welcome the news that your Government continues to work with the pharmaceutical industry and that you are working with ABPI Cymru on the new treatment fund. I would be grateful, Cabinet Secretary, if you could outline the work being undertaken to improve horizon scanning within the NHS so that we are better prepared to maximise the benefits of future treatments.
Finally, Cabinet Secretary, this is a treatments fund, and while I greatly welcome 82 new medicines, the fund is not limited to pharmaceutical interventions. So, can we look forward to the fund being used to introduce new therapeutic interventions in the next 12 months?
I welcome your statement, Cabinet Secretary, and the news that patients in Wales can get early access to better treatments, sometimes just days after approval. I look forward to working with you over the next 12 months to ensure that these new treatments are available to every patient who needs them, regardless of where they live in Wales. Diolch yn fawr.
Diolch ichi am eich datganiad, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Fel y dywedais i pan wnaethoch chi ei chyhoeddi, mae'r gronfa driniaeth newydd yn ychwanegiad i'r GIG sydd i'w groesawu'n fawr iawn gan ei bod yn gallu cyflymu'r triniaethau hanfodol sydd ar gael i bob claf, ac nid dim ond pobl sy'n dioddef diagnosis o ganser. Rwy'n croesawu'r newyddion bod rhai meddyginiaethau wedi cymryd 17 diwrnod yn unig i fod ar gael o dan y gronfa driniaeth newydd, ac mae hyn yn newyddion gwych i gleifion. Er hynny, fel gyda chynlluniau o'r fath, mae'r cythraul yn y manylion. Nid yw'r cyflawni byth yn cyfateb i'r dylunio. Nid yw pob bwrdd iechyd lleol mor effeithlon â'i gilydd wrth gyflwyno triniaethau newydd, ac rwy'n croesawu'r camau a gymerwyd gennych i fonitro cydymffurfiaeth. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a wnewch chi ein diweddaru ar sut y mae pob bwrdd iechyd lleol yn cydymffurfio â'r gofyniad i roi triniaethau o fewn yr amserlenni gofynnol?
Croesawaf y ffaith fod 82 o gyffuriau newydd ar gael bellach o dan y cynllun, yn trin popeth o arthritis i acromegali. Mae'n rhaid imi gyfaddef y bu raid i mi fynd i chwilio am ystyr y cyflwr hwnnw, ond newyddion gwych yw bod pobl sy'n dioddef o'r anhwylder gwanychol hormonaidd hwn bellach yn gallu cael eu trin yng Nghymru. Mae hyn yn amlygu'r gwelliant enfawr yn y gronfa driniaeth newydd o'i chymharu â'r gronfa cyffuriau canser yn Lloegr. Gall y cynllun hwn fod o fudd i bob claf yng Nghymru, yn ogystal â'r rhai sy'n dioddef o ganser. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pe gallech amlinellu nifer y cleifion sydd wedi elwa ar y gronfa yn ystod y 12 mis diwethaf.
Wrth gwrs, mae'r gronfa driniaeth newydd ond yn cefnogi’r gwaith o gyflwyno triniaethau newydd am y 12 mis cyntaf. Rhaid i'r byrddau iechyd ddarparu ar gyfer y driniaeth barhaus o fewn eu cyllidebau presennol. Felly, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a wnewch chi roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni ar sut y mae byrddau iechyd yn cynllunio i ddarparu ar gyfer y gwariant ychwanegol ar y triniaethau newydd hyn yn ystod y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf?
Croesawaf hefyd y newyddion bod eich Llywodraeth yn parhau i weithio gyda'r diwydiant fferyllol a'ch bod yn gweithio gydag ABPI Cymru ar y gronfa driniaeth newydd. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pe gallech amlinellu'r hyn sy'n cael ei wneud i wella'r gwaith o sganio'r gorwel o fewn y GIG fel ein bod yn fwy parod i fanteisio i'r eithaf ar driniaethau yn y dyfodol.
Yn olaf, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, cronfa driniaeth yw hon, ac er fy mod yn croesawu 82 o feddyginiaethau newydd yn fawr iawn, nid yw'r gronfa'n gyfyngedig i ymyriadau fferyllol. Felly, a gawn ni edrych ymlaen at weld y gronfa yn cael ei defnyddio i gyflwyno ymyriadau therapiwtig newydd yn y 12 mis nesaf?
Croesawaf eich datganiad, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a'r newyddion y gall cleifion yng Nghymru dderbyn triniaethau gwell yn gynharach, weithiau ddyddiau'n unig ar ôl eu cymeradwyo. Edrychaf ymlaen at weithio gyda chi dros y 12 mis nesaf i sicrhau bod y triniaethau newydd hyn ar gael i bob claf sydd eu hangen, ble bynnag yng Nghymru y maent yn byw. Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you for the series of points and questions. I'll try to be as brief as possible, including those points that I think I've tried to answer in previous questions.
I welcome the recognition of all three other parties in the Chamber that the new treatment fund has delivered a significant improvement in access. It was in the first six months that the average time was 17 days—just to point out, in the second six months, that it's come down to 10 days on average for new treatments to be made available.
As I said to Angela Burns, with the 82 medicines that have been made available with the new treatment fund coming into being, we think that benefits around 4,000 patients, and I also pointed out in response to Rhun ap Iorwerth that this is really about understanding the challenge that we knew existed within the first 12 months of planning for and delivering new medicines, and, thereafter, health boards have actually got a much better track record of managing within their resource budget for drugs.
I also made it clear in my response to Angela Burns—at least I tried to—that horizon scanning has improved and the ABPI's statement itself has recognised that, and that's work to continue building on as well; I don't think that's simply a done deal. I also made it clear to Rhun ap Iorwerth that Health Technology Wales is there to help us in understanding how we take advantage of new non-medicines treatment as well.
But, in terms of your point about compliance, there's a monthly monitoring system. My officials, together with the All Wales Therapeutics & Toxicology Centre, monitor how quickly health boards are putting new treatments on to their form, which will make them available for clinicians to prescribe. That's an area that we'll continue to look at to see if that compliance is being maintained throughout the fund. That's a very clear expectation that I have and the Government has of the new treatment fund—it's not just here to deliver in its first year, but to deliver throughout the term of this Government.
Diolch am y gyfres o bwyntiau a chwestiynau. Fe geisiaf fod mor fyr â phosibl, gan gynnwys y pwyntiau hynny yr wyf yn credu fy mod i wedi ceisio eu hateb yn y cwestiynau blaenorol.
Rwy’n croesau’r gydnabyddiaeth gan y tair plaid arall yn y Siambr bod y gronfa triniaeth newydd wedi cyflawni gwelliant sylweddol o ran mynediad. Yn y chwe mis cyntaf roedd yr amser ar gyfartaledd yn 17 diwrnod—dim ond i nodi, yn yr ail chwe mis, ei fod wedi dod i lawr i 10 diwrnod ar gyfartaledd i ddarparu triniaethau newydd.
Fel y dywedais wrth Angela Burns, rydym yn meddwl bod yr 82 meddyginiaeth a ddarparwyd o ganlyniad i ddyfodiad y gronfa triniaethau newydd o fudd i tua 4,000 o gleifion, a nodais hefyd mewn ymateb i Rhun ap Iorwerth fod hyn, a dweud y gwir, yn fater o ddeall yr her yr oeddem yn gwybod ei bod yn bodoli yn y 12 mis cyntaf o gynllunio meddyginiaethau newydd a’u darparu, ac, ers hynny, bod gan fyrddau iechyd hanes llawer gwell o reoli o fewn eu cyllideb adnoddau ar gyfer cyffuriau.
Fe’i gwnes yn glir yn fy ymateb i Angela Burns—o leiaf ceisiais i—bod sganio'r gorwel wedi gwella ac mae datganiad Cymdeithas Diwydiant Fferyllol Prydain ei hun wedi cydnabod hynny, ac mae hynny'n waith i barhau i adeiladu arno hefyd; dydw i ddim yn meddwl bod y gwaith hwnnw wedi’i orffen. Yn ogystal â hynny, fe'i gwnes yn glir i Rhun ap Iorwerth bod Technoleg Iechyd Cymru yno i’n helpu i ddeall sut i fanteisio ar driniaethau newydd nad ydynt yn feddyginiaethau hefyd.
Ond, o ran eich pwynt ynghylch cydymffurfio, ceir system fonitro fisol. Mae fy swyddogion, ynghyd â Chanolfan Therapiwteg a Thocsicoleg Cymru Gyfan, yn monitro pa mor gyflym mae byrddau iechyd yn rhoi triniaethau newydd ar eu ffurflen, a fydd yn golygu eu bod ar gael i glinigwyr eu rhagnodi. Mae hwnnw'n faes y byddwn yn parhau i edrych arno i weld a yw’r cydymffurfiad hwnnw’n cael ei gynnal drwy’r gronfa i gyd. Mae hwnnw’n ddisgwyliad clir iawn gennyf fi a’r Llywodraeth o’r gronfa triniaethau newydd—nid yw yma i gyflawni yn ystod ei blwyddyn gyntaf yn unig; mae yma i gyflawni drwy gydol tymor y Llywodraeth hon.
Thank you very much, Cabinet Secretary.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet.
We move on to a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport on Transport for Wales, and I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport, Ken Skates.
Symudwn ymlaen at ddatganiad gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi a Thrafnidiaeth ynglŷn â Thrafnidiaeth Cymru, a galwaf ar Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros yr Economi a Thrafnidiaeth, Ken Skates.
Diolch, Dirprwy Llywydd. I welcome this opportunity today to update you on a number of developments with Transport for Wales. Transport for Wales was established in 2015 as a wholly-owned, not-for-profit company to provide support and expertise to the Welsh Government in connection with transport projects in Wales. My aspiration, however, for Transport for Wales is that it should develop and take on a much wider range of transport functions, similar in nature to the operations of Transport for London.
Traditionally, different modes of transport have been considered distinctly, with separate policy, separate funding and separate providers. Whilst this reflects, arguably, how the industry operates, it does not reflect the way that people think about their journeys. When planning the commute to work or a long-distance trip, people think about the cost, the convenience and complexity of the entire door-to-door journey.
To maintain and improve services in a changing world, and with challenging priorities, there is a need to consider innovative delivery arrangements for transport functions, including those that could generate external income streams. 'Taking Wales Forward', 'Prosperity for All' and the economic action plan identify the need to drive a step change in the way we understand, the way that we plan, and the way that we use and invest in transport here in Wales.
Together with the improved devolved settlement offered through the Wales Act 2017, the Welsh Government will put in place a framework for the delivery of transport services that can improve network quality, frequency, reliability and punctuality, and provide more integrated and reduced carbon public transport. Utilising the new powers for rail that are also being devolved, we can now more than ever ensure that people are central to transport policies here in Wales, so that we can deliver a safe, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable transport system for the benefit of the whole of the country.
The economic action plan commits that Transport for Wales will work with the Welsh Government’s new regional teams, the emerging regional transport authorities, and partners to create an integrated public transport network, covering the rail and bus networks. Following the successful model of acquisition of Cardiff Airport, our aim is that the public transport network will be increasingly directly owned or operated by Transport for Wales.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Rwy’n croesawu’r cyfle hwn heddiw i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ichi am nifer o ddatblygiadau gyda Thrafnidiaeth Cymru. Sefydlwyd Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn 2015 fel cwmni perchnogaeth lwyr, dielw i ddarparu cymorth ac arbenigedd i Lywodraeth Cymru mewn cysylltiad â phrosiectau trafnidiaeth yng Nghymru. Fy nyhead i, fodd bynnag, ar gyfer Trafnidiaeth Cymru yw y dylai ddatblygu a chymryd amrywiaeth lawer ehangach o swyddogaethau trafnidiaeth, yn debyg o ran ei natur i weithrediadau Transport for London.
Yn draddodiadol, mae gwahanol fathau o drafnidiaeth wedi cael eu hystyried ar wahân, â pholisïau ar wahân, cyllid ar wahân a darparwyr ar wahân. Er bod hyn yn adlewyrchu, o bosibl, sut mae'r diwydiant yn gweithredu, nid yw'n adlewyrchu’r ffordd y mae pobl yn meddwl am eu teithiau. Wrth gynllunio sut i gymudo i'r gwaith neu fynd ar daith hir, mae pobl yn meddwl am gost, cyfleustra a chymhlethdod y daith gyfan o ddrws i ddrws.
I gynnal a gwella gwasanaethau mewn byd sy'n newid, lle mae’r blaenoriaethau’n heriol, mae angen ystyried trefniadau cyflawni arloesol ar gyfer swyddogaethau trafnidiaeth, gan gynnwys rhai a allai gynhyrchu ffrydiau incwm allanol. Mae 'Symud Cymru Ymlaen', 'Ffyniant i Bawb' a'r cynllun gweithredu economaidd yn nodi bod angen sbarduno newid sylweddol yn y ffordd yr ydym yn deall, y ffordd yr ydym yn cynllunio, a'r ffordd yr ydym yn defnyddio trafnidiaeth ac yn buddsoddi ynddo yma yng Nghymru.
Ynghyd â’r gwell setliad datganoledig a gynigiwyd drwy Ddeddf Cymru 2017, bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn sefydlu fframwaith i ddarparu gwasanaethau trafnidiaeth a all wella ansawdd y rhwydwaith, amlder, dibynadwyedd a phrydlondeb, a darparu trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus fwy integredig â llai o allyriadau carbon. Drwy ddefnyddio'r pwerau newydd ar gyfer y rheilffyrdd sydd hefyd yn cael eu datganoli, mae nawr yn haws nag erioed inni sicrhau bod pobl yn ganolog i bolisïau trafnidiaeth yma yng Nghymru, fel y gallwn ddarparu system drafnidiaeth ddiogel, effeithlon, cost-effeithiol a chynaliadwy er budd y wlad gyfan.
Mae’r cynllun gweithredu economaidd yn ymrwymo y bydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda thimau rhanbarthol newydd Llywodraeth Cymru, yr awdurdodau trafnidiaeth ranbarthol newydd, a phartneriaid i greu rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus integredig, sy'n cynnwys y rhwydweithiau rheilffyrdd a bysiau. Gan ddilyn model llwyddiannus caffael Maes Awyr Caerdydd, ein nod yw y bydd mwy o’r rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn eiddo i Drafnidiaeth Cymru, neu’n cael ei weithredu ganddynt, yn uniongyrchol.
For the first time, we have committed to a five-year programme of transport capital funding through Transport for Wales for both transport maintenance and new projects. This will ensure that these projects will be delivered in the most efficient and effective way, and with a headline target of driving 15 per cent to 20 per cent efficiencies across the five-year investment portfolio for new projects, which means we can make our funding deliver even more. This will also enable the construction supply chain to invest with confidence in the future in terms of both capital and skills. Furthermore, wherever an acceptable business case can be made, the economic action plan commits that the Welsh Government will seek to consolidate current supply arrangements directly into Transport for Wales.
In relation to the new Wales and borders rail service, we have made significant progress with the UK Government since last summer. The Secretary of State for Transport and I have discussed and reached agreement on the way forward on a number of issues and I am pleased that officials are making good progress. Chief among these issues was the financial implication of a complicated devolution context for rail. Discussions between officials, including from Her Majesty's Treasury, continue and the process for transferring the core Valleys lines railway asset is taking shape.
The agreed programme of activity has led to the procurement process for the new service continuing at pace and in line with our plans. Arriva Trains Wales withdrew from the bidding process back in October. As was stated at the time, it is not uncommon for bidders for major projects to withdraw during the tender process and Arriva were clear that their withdrawal was due to their own commercial reasons. The recent Carillion issue has been discussed in this Chamber and I issued a written statement on 17 January.
Transport for Wales had received three bids to operate and develop the next Wales and borders rail service and metro on 21 December last year. They'll be continuing to evaluate these bids over the coming months. By the end of May this year, our process will culminate with the award of the first rail services contract made here in Wales. This follows intensive evaluation and post-tender discussions, led by Transport for Wales, to ensure the contract fully captures the quality service and commitments offered at final tender.
Both the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales are geared up to deliver against these dates, allowing proper time to transition to a new operator and a new way of operating through Transport for Wales in October. However, it must be remembered that until the full transfer of powers has taken place we will still require the timely approval of the UK Government to allow us to both reach preferred bidder stage and to award the contract.
The UK Government plans to lay an Order in the UK Parliament shortly to transfer rail functions to the Welsh Ministers, and, as a fall back, we have also agreed an approach to put further legal agency agreements in place to enable us to award, manage and deliver the next Wales and borders rail service. It remains imperative that the UK Government works at pace with us to deliver against the agreed programme.
Transport for Wales will shortly begin the process of appointing infrastructure delivery partners that will work with the operator and development partner to deliver areas such as station improvements, electrification and signalling for the south Wales metro. Transport for Wales is working closely with Business Wales to make opportunities available to local small and medium-sized entreprises and third sector enterprises. They have already hosted a number of well-attended awareness events relating specifically to the IDP procurement, most recently in Wrexham earlier this month. This is one illustration of how Transport for Wales is entering a new stage of mobilisation to allow it to proactively manage both the new rail service and the different metro schemes.
James Price is in post as chief executive officer, bringing over 15 years of experience of operating and delivering at a senior level. In addition, we have recently appointed independent non-executive directors Martin Dorchester and Nick Gregg to the team, addressing recommendations that have made by the Auditor General for Wales. Martin Dorchester is an experienced executive, having been group CEO of one of the largest logistics companies in Scotland, and Nick Gregg has been appointed as chair of the Transport for Wales board, initially for a period of 12 months. Nick has the skills required to be a highly successful chair, and brings extensive business experience to the board. Transport for Wales will shortly advertise for two further independent non-executive directors to join the board, and this will ensure a diversity of experience and views in decision-making.
I am mindful of the need to make sure that Transport for Wales can deliver effectively for the whole of Wales, and, following my announcement last month of the intention to set up a Transport for Wales business unit in north Wales, I have now instructed Transport for Wales to bring forward proposals for a north Wales office, and I expect this to be delivered at pace too. Meanwhile, in south Wales, good progress is being made towards the construction of the Transport for Wales offices in Pontypridd, led by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, with whom we continue to work very closely. Looking ahead, once the new operator and development partner has been appointed, we will enter a period of mobilisation for the new service. Transport for Wales will work with the successful bidder to help ensure a seamless transition from the current franchise to the new arrangements, in the interests of passengers and staff. The travelling public should see no disruption to services in October when the new ODP takes over. Then, over the coming months and years, Transport for Wales, working with the operator and development partner, will transform the transport network, putting the passenger at the centre of their plans.
Am y tro cyntaf, rydym wedi ymrwymo i raglen pum mlynedd o arian cyfalaf i drafnidiaeth drwy Trafnidiaeth Cymru ar gyfer cynnal a chadw trafnidiaeth a phrosiectau newydd. Bydd hyn yn sicrhau y cyflawnir y prosiectau hyn yn y modd mwyaf effeithlon ac effeithiol, a’r prif darged fydd cynyddu effeithlonrwydd 15 y cant i 20 y cant ar draws y portffolio buddsoddi pum mlynedd ar gyfer prosiectau newydd, sy'n golygu y gallwn wneud i’n cyllid gyflawni mwy fyth. Bydd hyn hefyd yn galluogi’r gadwyn gyflenwi adeiladu i fuddsoddi'n hyderus yn y dyfodol o ran cyfalaf a sgiliau. At hynny, lle bynnag y gellir gwneud achos busnes derbyniol, mae’r cynllun gweithredu economaidd yn ymrwymo y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ceisio cyfnerthu’r trefniadau cyflenwi presennol yn uniongyrchol i mewn i Trafnidiaeth Cymru.
O ran gwasanaeth rheilffordd newydd Cymru a'r gororau, rydym wedi gwneud cynnydd sylweddol gyda Llywodraeth y DU ers yr haf diwethaf. Mae'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Drafnidiaeth a mi wedi trafod y ffordd ymlaen a dod i gytundeb ar nifer o faterion ac rwy’n falch bod swyddogion yn gwneud cynnydd da. Y prif fater yma oedd goblygiad ariannol cyd-destun datganoli cymhleth ar gyfer y rheilffyrdd. Mae trafodaethau rhwng swyddogion, gan gynnwys o Drysorlys ei Mawrhydi, yn parhau ac mae'r broses o drosglwyddo ased graidd rheilffordd y Cymoedd wedi dechrau.
O ganlyniad i’r rhaglen weithgarwch y cytunwyd arni, mae’r broses gaffael ar gyfer y gwasanaeth newydd wedi parhau’n gyflym ac yn unol â'n cynlluniau. Gadawodd Trenau Arriva Cymru y broses gynnig yn ôl ym mis Hydref. Fel y nodwyd ar y pryd, nid yw'n anghyffredin i gynigwyr am brosiectau mawr dynnu’n ôl yn ystod y broses dendro ac roedd Arriva yn glir eu bod wedi tynnu'n ôl am eu rhesymau masnachol eu hunain. Mae’r mater Carillion diweddar wedi cael ei drafod yn y Siambr hon a chyhoeddais ddatganiad ysgrifenedig ar 17 Ionawr.
Roedd Trafnidiaeth Cymru wedi derbyn tri chynnig i weithredu a datblygu gwasanaeth rheilffyrdd a metro nesaf Cymru a'r gororau ar 21 Rhagfyr y llynedd. Byddant yn parhau i werthuso’r cynigion hyn dros y misoedd nesaf. Erbyn diwedd mis Mai eleni, bydd ein proses yn dod i ben drwy ddyfarnu'r contract cyntaf ar gyfer gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd sydd wedi’i wneud yma yng Nghymru. Mae hyn yn dilyn gwerthuso dwys a thrafodaethau ar ôl tendro, dan arweiniad Trafnidiaeth Cymru, i sicrhau bod y contract yn cynnwys y gwasanaeth o safon a’r ymrwymiadau a gynigiwyd yn y tendr terfynol.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru a Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn barod i gyflawni erbyn y dyddiadau hyn, gan ganiatáu amser priodol i bontio i weithredwr newydd a ffordd newydd o weithredu drwy Trafnidiaeth Cymru ym mis Hydref. Fodd bynnag, mae'n rhaid cofio, nes i’r pwerau gael eu trosglwyddo’n llawn, bydd angen cymeradwyaeth amserol Llywodraeth y DU i ganiatáu inni gyrraedd y cam cynigydd a ffefrir ac i ddyfarnu'r contract.
Bwriad Llywodraeth y DU yw gosod Gorchymyn yn Senedd y DU cyn bo hir i drosglwyddo swyddogaethau rheilffyrdd i Weinidogion Cymru, ac, fel dewis wrth gefn, rydym hefyd wedi cytuno ar ddull gweithredu i roi rhagor o gytundebau cyfrwng cyfreithiol ar waith i'n galluogi i ddyfarnu, rheoli a darparu gwasanaeth rheilffordd nesaf Cymru a'r gororau. Mae'n dal i fod yn hanfodol bod Llywodraeth y DU yn gweithio’n gyflym gyda ni i gyflawni’r rhaglen y cytunwyd arni.
Bydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn dechrau cyn bo hir ar y broses o benodi partneriaid cyflawni seilwaith a fydd yn gweithio gyda’r gweithredwr a’r partner datblygu i gyflawni mewn meysydd fel gwella gorsafoedd, trydaneiddio a signalau ar gyfer metro de Cymru. Mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn gweithio'n agos gyda Busnes Cymru i sicrhau bod cyfleoedd ar gael i fentrau bach a chanolig lleol ac i fentrau trydydd sector. Maent eisoes wedi cynnal nifer o ddigwyddiadau ymwybyddiaeth â chynulleidfaoedd mawr i ymwneud yn benodol â chaffael partneriaid cyflawn seilwaith, yn fwyaf diweddar yn Wrecsam yn gynharach y mis hwn. Mae hyn yn un enghraifft o sut y mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn dechrau cyfnod newydd o symudiadau fel y gallant fynd ati'n rhagweithiol i reoli'r gwasanaeth rheilffordd newydd a’r gwahanol gynlluniau metro.
Mae James Price wedi cael swydd fel prif swyddog gweithredol; mae ganddo dros 15 mlynedd o brofiad o weithredu a chyflawni ar lefel uwch. Hefyd, yn ddiweddar rydym wedi penodi Martin Dorchester a Nick Gregg yn gyfarwyddwyr anweithredol annibynnol ar y tîm, fel ymateb i argymhellion a wnaethpwyd gan Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru. Mae Martin Dorchester yn swyddog gweithredol profiadol; mae wedi bod yn Brif Weithredwr grŵp ar un o'r cwmnïau logisteg mwyaf yn yr Alban, ac mae Nick Gregg wedi cael ei benodi’n Gadeirydd bwrdd Trafnidiaeth Cymru, am gyfnod cychwynnol o 12 mis. Mae gan Nick y sgiliau sydd eu hangen i fod yn Gadeirydd llwyddiannus iawn, ac mae’n dod â llawer o brofiad busnes i'r bwrdd. Cyn bo hir bydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn hysbysebu am ddau gyfarwyddwyr anweithredol annibynnol arall i ymuno â’r bwrdd, a bydd hyn yn sicrhau amrywiaeth o brofiadau a safbwyntiau wrth wneud penderfyniadau.
Rwy’n gwybod bod angen gwneud yn siŵr y gall Trafnidiaeth Cymru gyflawni'n effeithiol dros Gymru gyfan, ac, ar ôl fy nghyhoeddiad y mis diwethaf am y bwriad i sefydlu uned fusnes i Drafnidiaeth Cymru yn y gogledd, bellach, rwyf wedi cyfarwyddo Trafnidiaeth Cymru i ddwyn cynigion gerbron ar gyfer swyddfa yn y gogledd, ac rwy’n disgwyl i hyn gael ei wneud yn gyflym hefyd. Yn y cyfamser, yn y de, mae cynnydd da yn cael ei wneud tuag at adeiladu swyddfeydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru ym Mhontypridd, dan arweiniad Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf—rydym yn parhau i weithio'n agos iawn â nhw. Wrth edrych ymlaen, cyn gynted ag y bydd y partner gweithredu a datblygu newydd wedi'i benodi, byddwn yn mynd i gyfnod o baratoi’r gwasanaeth newydd. Bydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda'r cynigydd llwyddiannus i helpu i sicrhau pontio di-dor o'r fasnachfraint bresennol i'r trefniadau newydd, er budd teithwyr a staff. Ni ddylai’r cyhoedd sy'n teithio weld dim tarfu ar wasanaethau ym mis Hydref pan mae’r partner gweithredu a datblygu newydd yn dechrau. Wedyn, dros y misoedd a'r blynyddoedd nesaf, bydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda'r partner gweithredu a datblygu i weddnewid y rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth, gan sicrhau bod teithwyr yn ganolog i’w cynlluniau.
Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his statement this afternoon? Of course, Transport for Wales is currently managing the procurement of the new Wales and borders rail franchise. The oversight of the awarding of this contract, I would argue, is the most important transport-related project managed by the Welsh Government to date.
Going forward, the Cabinet Secretary has outlined an ambitious expansion of the work of Transport for Wales, as he's outlined in 'Prosperity for All', the economic action plan. Now, I would support the expansion of Transport for Wales, over time. There are I think some immediate serious questions that need to be asked regarding the current level of capacity that Transport for Wales has at its disposal. I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will agree with this, but without the right capacity and skills, Transport for Wales of course runs a real, serious risk of not being able to effectively manage its current remit, nor any expanded role. So, in that guise, can I ask the Cabinet Secretary to perhaps outline some of the staffing capacity, how many current full-time employees does Transport for Wales currently employ, how many of these individuals currently have full-time contracts, and what the level is of external consultants working and employed by Transport for Wales?
I wonder whether you could also expand on your plans for the workforce, going forward, of Transport for Wales. What timescales have you got linked to additional staff coming in to Transport for Wales, and do you expect this expansion to take place in the coming months ahead as well? You've also mentioned that the chair of Transport for Wales, Nick Gregg, has been appointed for an initial 12-month basis. Can you commit to a pre-appointment hearing, prior to Mr Gregg, or any other candidate, being made a permanent chair of Transport for Wales, perhaps via a committee of this Assembly?
And finally, public confidence, of course, in Transport for Wales is absolutely essential if the organisation is to succeed going forward. Now, just prior to you standing up to give your statement, I did a Google search of 'Transport for Wales', and noticed direct contact details now on the Government's website to Transport for Wales, which weren't previously there. So, I'd be grateful if you could perhaps detail and provide some confirmation that Transport for Wales does now have a public-facing function, which it didn't have previously. Perhaps you could also confirm whether contact for Assembly Members is via yourself, or whether Assembly Members can contact Transport for Wales staff directly and meet with them directly, rather than, of course, going through yourself.
A gaf i ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei ddatganiad y prynhawn yma? Wrth gwrs, mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru ar hyn o bryd yn rheoli’r broses o gaffael masnachfraint rheilffyrdd newydd Cymru a’r gororau. Goruchwylio’r broses o ddyfarnu’r contract hwn, byddwn yn dadlau, yw’r prosiect trafnidiaeth pwysicaf y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi’i reoli hyd yma.
Wrth symud ymlaen, mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi amlinellu cynllun uchelgeisiol i ehangu gwaith Trafnidiaeth Cymru, fel yr amlinellodd yn 'Ffyniant i Bawb', y cynllun gweithredu economaidd. Nawr, byddwn yn cefnogi ehangu Trafnidiaeth Cymru, dros amser. Rwy’n meddwl bod angen gofyn rhai cwestiynau difrifol ar unwaith ynghylch lefel bresennol y capasiti sydd ar gael i Trafnidiaeth Cymru. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cytuno â hyn, ond heb y capasiti a'r sgiliau cywir, mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru wrth gwrs mewn perygl gwirioneddol a difrifol o beidio â gallu rheoli eu cylch gwaith presennol yn effeithiol, nac unrhyw swyddogaeth estynedig. Felly, ar y wedd honno, a gaf i ofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet efallai amlinellu ychydig o'r capasiti staffio, faint o gyflogeion amser llawn presennol y mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn eu cyflogi ar hyn o bryd, faint o’r unigolion hyn sydd â chontractau amser llawn ar hyn o bryd, a faint o ymgynghorwyr allanol sy’n gweithio i Trafnidiaeth Cymru ac sy'n cael eu cyflogi ganddynt?
Tybed a wnewch chi hefyd ymhelaethu ar eich cynlluniau ar gyfer gweithlu Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn y dyfodol? Pa amserlenni sydd gennych yn gysylltiedig â staff ychwanegol yn ymuno â Trafnidiaeth Cymru, ac a ydych yn disgwyl i’r ehangu hwn ddigwydd yn ystod y misoedd sydd i ddod hefyd? Rydych chi hefyd wedi dweud bod Cadeirydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru, Nick Gregg, wedi'i benodi am gyfnod cychwynnol o 12 mis. A allwch chi ymrwymo i wrandawiad cyn penodi, cyn i Mr Gregg, neu unrhyw ymgeisydd arall, gael ei wneud yn gadeirydd parhaol Trafnidiaeth Cymru, efallai drwy un o bwyllgorau’r Cynulliad hwn?
Ac yn olaf, mae hyder y cyhoedd, wrth gwrs, yn Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn gwbl hanfodol os yw'r sefydliad yn mynd i lwyddo yn y dyfodol. Nawr, ychydig cyn ichi sefyll i roi eich datganiad, fe wnes i chwilio ar Google am 'Trafnidiaeth Cymru', a sylwi bod manylion cyswllt uniongyrchol nawr ar wefan y Llywodraeth ar gyfer Trafnidiaeth Cymru; doedd hyn ddim yno o'r blaen. Felly, byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe gallech chi efallai roi manylion a rhoi cadarnhad bod gan Trafnidiaeth Cymru nawr swyddogaeth sy’n wynebu’r cyhoedd, nad oedd ganddynt o'r blaen. Efallai y gallech chi gadarnhau hefyd a yw cyswllt i Aelodau'r Cynulliad drwoch chi, neu a all Aelodau'r Cynulliad gysylltu â staff Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn uniongyrchol a chwrdd â nhw yn uniongyrchol, yn hytrach, wrth gwrs, na mynd drwoch chi.
Can I thank Russell George for his comments and for his questions? I'll deal with that final question first. I've actually asked today for Transport for Wales officials to offer a briefing session to Assembly Members and a familiarity session as well so that you're able to make direct contact with individuals responsible for various areas of delivery within the organisation. It is now public facing, with the logo, the staffing element of Transport for Wales is building up, and the whole design of Transport for Wales is being delivered with the intention of offering full agility and flexibility in order to scale up or, indeed, scale down to meet project needs. The workforce within Transport for Wales should be demand led, and this will include the recruitment of the skills that are necessary from the marketplace quickly, rapidly, and it will be an incredible resource for Welsh Government to call on. The way that we've configured Transport for Wales provides the opportunity for Welsh Ministers to take a bespoke approach to the transfer of control and risk depending on the specific project, the specific expertise that's required, the timescales, and also the desired outcome.
I very much welcome the Member's support for the idea of expanding out the role and remit of Transport for Wales in the years to come. A business case is actually being developed right now to determine what opportunities Transport for Wales could offer Welsh Ministers in delivering transport infrastructure and services, including the cost benefits to the taxpayer in our country. This might include bus services, it could include rail services, the construction of capital transport and improvements for walking and cycling. It could include capital projects for rail and, of course, for roads as well. It might also, though, include branding and marketing of services, and I know from my time on the backbenches that this is very much something that passengers would value. There is a plethora of transport service providers, all with their distinct logos, websites and information pages. Transport for Wales could offer a single brand and a single point of contact and resource, and I think that would be something that passengers across the length and breadth of Wales would welcome.
In terms of the contract for the franchise, it is huge, as the Member says. It's the biggest procurement project that the Welsh Government has entered into since devolution, and it requires a top team of skilled executives. James Price brings with him immense experience and intelligence, and he will be backed by a board that is skilled and experienced. The Member is right; Nicholas Gregg has been appointed to begin with for one year in order to allow the recruitment process for a new chair to be completed in a timely fashion. Now, whilst appointments to the Transport for Wales board are not regulated public appointments under the code of governance, given the profile of Transport for Wales, the Welsh Government has decided that it would be appropriate for the recruitment process and materials to comply with the public appointments code of governance.
A gaf i ddiolch i Russell George am ei sylwadau ac am ei gwestiynau? Fe wnaf roi sylw i’r cwestiwn olaf yn gyntaf. A dweud y gwir, rwyf wedi gofyn heddiw i swyddogion Trafnidiaeth Cymru gynnig sesiwn briffio i Aelodau'r Cynulliad a sesiwn ymgyfarwyddo hefyd fel y gallwch gysylltu’n uniongyrchol ag unigolion sy'n gyfrifol am wahanol feysydd cyflawni yn y sefydliad. Mae nawr yn wynebu'r cyhoedd, mae ganddo’r logo, mae elfen staffio Trafnidiaeth Cymru’n cael ei hadeiladu, a darperir cynllun cyfan Trafnidiaeth Cymru gyda'r bwriad o gynnig ystwythder a hyblygrwydd llawn i uwchraddio neu, yn wir, israddio i ddiwallu anghenion prosiectau. Dylai fod gweithlu Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn seiliedig ar y galw, a bydd hyn yn cynnwys recriwtio’r sgiliau sydd eu hangen yn y farchnad yn gyflym, yn sydyn, a bydd yn adnodd anhygoel i Lywodraeth Cymru allu galw arno. Mae’r ffordd yr ydym wedi ffurfweddu Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn rhoi cyfle i Weinidogion Cymru gymryd dull pwrpasol wrth drosglwyddo rheolaeth a risg gan ddibynnu ar y prosiect penodol, yr arbenigedd penodol sydd ei angen, yr amserlenni, a hefyd y canlyniad a ddymunir.
Rwy’n sicr yn croesawu cefnogaeth yr Aelod i’r syniad o ehangu swyddogaeth a chylch gwaith Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn y blynyddoedd i ddod. A dweud y gwir, mae achos busnes yn cael ei ddatblygu nawr i benderfynu pa gyfleoedd y gallai Trafnidiaeth Cymru eu cynnig i Weinidogion Cymru o ran darparu seilwaith a gwasanaethau trafnidiaeth, gan gynnwys buddiannau costau i drethdalwyr ein gwlad. Gallai hyn gynnwys gwasanaethau bysiau, gallai gynnwys gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd, adeiladu trafnidiaeth gyfalaf a gwelliannau ar gyfer cerdded a beicio. Gallai gynnwys prosiectau cyfalaf ar gyfer rheilffyrdd ac, wrth gwrs, ar gyfer ffyrdd hefyd. Gallai hefyd, fodd bynnag, gynnwys brandio a marchnata gwasanaethau, a gwn o fy amser ar y meinciau cefn fod hyn yn sicr yn rhywbeth y byddai teithwyr yn ei werthfawrogi. Mae llu o ddarparwyr gwasanaethau trafnidiaeth, ac mae gan bob un ei logo, ei wefan a’i dudalennau gwybodaeth ei hun. Gallai Trafnidiaeth Cymru gynnig un brand ac un pwynt cyswllt ac adnoddau, ac rwy’n meddwl y byddai hynny'n rhywbeth y byddai teithwyr ar hyd a lled Cymru’n ei groesawu.
O ran y contract am y fasnachfraint, mae'n enfawr, fel y dywed yr Aelod. Hwn yw’r prosiect caffael mwyaf y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud ers datganoli, ac mae angen tîm da o swyddogion gweithredol medrus. Mae gan James Price brofiad a deallusrwydd aruthrol, a chaiff ei gefnogi gan fwrdd sy'n fedrus ac yn brofiadol. Mae'r Aelod yn iawn; penodwyd Nicholas Gregg am un flwyddyn i ddechrau er mwyn caniatáu amser i gwblhau’r broses o recriwtio cadeirydd newydd mewn modd amserol. Nawr, er nad yw penodiadau i fwrdd Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn benodiadau cyhoeddus sydd wedi’u rheoleiddio o dan y cod llywodraethu, o ystyried proffil Trafnidiaeth Cymru, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi penderfynu y byddai'n briodol i’r broses a’r deunyddiau recriwtio gydymffurfio â chod llywodraethu penodiadau cyhoeddus.
I'm grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for his statement. In it, you said that the UK Government plans to lay an order to transfer rail franchising functions to Welsh Ministers shortly. Could you say a little bit about—how shortly is shortly? And the fallback that you refer to if those functions are not transferred—under which circumstances can you envisage that having to be utilised? Is it the circumstance in which you're not able to reach a final agreement on some of the issues that you refer to in your statement where work is ongoing, and, indeed, some of the further issues that were covered in the UK transport Secretary's letter to you in August? Could you shine a bit more light on how far away are you from reaching agreement?
You said you've reached an agreement on a way forward, which can mean a number of things, but specifically, has an agreement been reached with the UK Government as to who will be responsible for the section 30 operator of last resort? Have you reached an agreement on the quantum of funding that you referred to in your statement, around which there's been some disagreement with the UK Government, or the means by which that figure can be worked out? Have you reached agreement over a protocol of how the Welsh Government will exercise powers over English railway stations served by the franchise?
Finally, you mentioned the fact your aspiration is that Transport for Wales will be responsible for as much as possible of the public transport infrastructure as a public sector body. Could you say what specific representations the Welsh Government have made to amend the Railways Act 1993, which has been amended in the case of Scotland, giving them powers to have a public sector franchise operator, in effect? That hasn't happened in Wales. Have you made specific representations in that regard to the UK Government?
Rwy’n ddiolchgar i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei ddatganiad. Ynddo, dywedasoch chi fod Llywodraeth y DU yn bwriadu gosod gorchymyn i drosglwyddo swyddogaethau masnachfreinio rheilffyrdd i Weinidogion Cymru yn fuan. A wnewch chi ddweud ychydig am—pa mor fuan yw buan? A’r dewis wrth gefn yr ydych chi'n cyfeirio ato os na chaiff y swyddogaethau hynny eu trosglwyddo—o dan ba amgylchiadau y gallwch chi ragweld hwnnw’n gorfod cael ei ddefnyddio? Ai o dan amgylchiad lle na allwch ddod i gytundeb terfynol ar rai o'r materion yr ydych chi'n cyfeirio atyn nhw yn eich datganiad lle mae gwaith yn mynd rhagddo, ac, yn wir, rhai o'r materion pellach a gafodd sylw yn y llythyr gan Ysgrifennydd trafnidiaeth y DU atoch chi ym mis Awst? A wnewch chi roi ychydig mwy o oleuni ar ba mor bell yr ydych chi o ddod i gytundeb?
Gwnaethoch chi ddweud eich bod wedi dod i gytundeb ar y ffordd ymlaen, sy’n gallu golygu nifer o bethau, ond yn benodol, a ydych chi wedi dod i gytundeb â Llywodraeth y DU ynghylch pwy fydd yn gyfrifol am y gweithredwr dewis olaf adran 30? A ydych wedi dod i gytundeb ar y cwantwm o arian yr oeddech yn sôn amdano yn eich datganiad, y bu rhywfaint o anghytuno â Llywodraeth y DU amdano, neu sut y gellir cyfrifo’r ffigur hwnnw? A ydych chi wedi dod i gytundeb ar brotocol ar gyfer sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn arfer pwerau dros orsafoedd rheilffordd Lloegr a wasanaethir gan y fasnachfraint?
Yn olaf, soniasoch chi am y ffaith mai eich dyhead yw y bydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn gyfrifol am gymaint â phosibl o’r seilwaith trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus fel corff sector cyhoeddus. A wnewch chi ddweud pa sylwadau penodol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi’u gwneud i ddiwygio Deddf Rheilffyrdd 1993, sydd wedi'i diwygio yn achos yr Alban, i roi pwerau iddyn nhw i gael gweithredwr masnachfraint sector cyhoeddus, i bob diben? Nid yw hynny wedi digwydd yng Nghymru. A ydych chi wedi gwneud sylwadau penodol am hynny i Lywodraeth y DU?
Can I thank the Member for his questions and say at the outset that we've been absolutely consistent in calling for amendments to the railways Act to be made? I believe it was also part of the UK Labour Party's manifesto that would enable us to see public bodies bid for current franchise opportunities and future franchise opportunities as well. That consistent demand by the Government has been rejected, but we continue to press for the Act to be amended.
Constructive discussions have taken place on a whole raft of measures that need to be agreed prior to the functions Order being laid. The UK Government has delayed delivering that Order—tabling that Order—in a timely fashion, but we have been assured that that will take place by May, following the agreements that are due to be completed next month on the funding of the franchise, and also on the transfer of power over the assets. This will include a whole range of agreements that have previously been acting as a stumbling block for progress to be made, but progress, as I say, is being made in a timely fashion now.
In terms of cross-border services, this is something that I'm particularly keen to ensure can be resolved amicably, and I and the Secretary of State have been able to agree on ways that will ensure that passengers on the English side of the border have equal treatment and an equal experience in terms of the journeys that they take on the trains in the next franchise, so that nobody is left disadvantaged under the next franchise. This is something that is particularly relevant given the mass of train journeys that take place in and out of Wales on a cross-border basis.
I would happily bring forward, after the discussions with UK Government have concluded in February, the affordability issues presented as a result of the outcome of the discussions that are taking place. We have engaged the UK Treasury, we've also engaged the Secretary of State for Wales in our discussions, and I'm confident that by the end of February, we will have concluded those discussions in a satisfactory manner.
A gaf i ddiolch i'r Aelod am ei gwestiynau a dweud i ddechrau ein bod wedi bod yn gwbl gyson wrth alw am wneud gwelliannau i’r Ddeddf rheilffyrdd? Rwy’n credu bod hynny hefyd yn rhan o faniffesto Plaid Lafur y DU a fyddai'n ein galluogi i weld cyrff cyhoeddus yn ymgeisio am gyfleoedd masnachfraint presennol a chyfleoedd masnachfraint yn y dyfodol hefyd. Gwrthodwyd y galw cyson hwnnw gan y Llywodraeth, ond rydym yn parhau i bwyso am ddiwygio’r Ddeddf.
Cynhaliwyd trafodaethau adeiladol am ystod gyfan o fesurau y mae angen cytuno arnynt cyn gosod y Gorchymyn swyddogaethau. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi gohirio darparu’r Gorchymyn hwnnw—cyflwyno’r Gorchymyn hwnnw—mewn modd amserol, ond rydym wedi cael sicrwydd y bydd hynny'n digwydd erbyn mis Mai, yn dilyn y cytundebau y dylid eu cwblhau fis nesaf ynglŷn â chyllid y fasnachfraint, a hefyd ynglŷn â throsglwyddo pŵer dros yr asedau. Bydd hyn yn cynnwys amrywiaeth eang o gytundebau sydd cyn hyn wedi bod yn ein rhwystro rhag gwneud cynnydd, ond fel y dywedais i, mae cynnydd amserol yn cael ei wneud erbyn hyn.
O ran gwasanaethau trawsffiniol, mae hyn yn rhywbeth yr wyf yn arbennig o awyddus i sicrhau y gallwn ei ddatrys yn gyfeillgar, ac rwyf i a’r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol wedi gallu cytuno ar ffyrdd a fydd yn sicrhau bod teithwyr ar ochr Lloegr y ffin yn cael eu trin yn gyfartal ac yn cael profiad cyfartal o ran eu teithiau ar y trenau yn y fasnachfraint nesaf, fel na fydd neb o dan anfantais o dan y fasnachfraint nesaf. Mae hyn yn rhywbeth sy'n arbennig o berthnasol o ystyried yr holl deithiau trên sy'n dod i mewn ac allan o Gymru ar draws y ffin.
Byddwn i'n hapus i gyflwyno, ar ôl diwedd y trafodaethau â Llywodraeth y DU ym mis Chwefror, y materion fforddiadwyedd a gyflwynir o ganlyniad i’r trafodaethau sy'n digwydd. Rydym wedi ymgysylltu â Thrysorlys y DU, rydym hefyd wedi ymgysylltu ag Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru yn ein trafodaethau, ac rwy’n ffyddiog y byddwn, erbyn diwedd mis Chwefror, wedi cwblhau’r trafodaethau hynny mewn modd boddhaol.