Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd
Plenary - Fifth Senedd
31/01/2018Cynnwys
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 Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg, a'r cwestiwn cyntaf, Joyce Watson.
The first item on our agenda this afternoon is questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education, and the first question, Joyce Watson.
1. Beth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n ei wneud i hybu sgiliau iaith a chyfathrebu ymhlith disgyblion? OAQ51657
1. What is the Welsh Government doing to promote language and communication skills among pupils? OAQ51657
Thank you, Joyce. Making sure that all learners develop excellent language and communication skills is a key part of our national mission for education in Wales. Our national literacy and numeracy programme, and its key policies, including the national literacy and numeracy framework, are targeting literacy interventions, supporting us to achieve this aim.
Diolch, Joyce. Mae sicrhau bod pob dysgwr yn datblygu sgiliau iaith a chyfathrebu rhagorol yn rhan allweddol o'n cenhadaeth genedlaethol ar gyfer addysg yng Nghymru. Mae ein rhaglen lythrennedd a rhifedd genedlaethol, a'i pholisïau allweddol, gan gynnwys y fframwaith llythrennedd a rhifedd cenedlaethol, yn targedu ymyriadau llythrennedd, gan ein cynorthwyo i gyflawni'r nod hwn.
I particularly want to welcome the Time to Talk, Listen and Play campaign that was launched last week by Welsh Government. We all know that helping children have an early grasp of language is hugely important not only as they progress through school, but through life and into the workplace. I really am a huge supporter of this programme, because I think that initiatives like this, which help children to learn through what they regard as fun rather than an educational setting, really will give them the very best start in education. And I'd be interested, Cabinet Secretary, if you would give us an outturn and an update in 12 months' time to see how this programme has been effective.
Rwy’n arbennig o awyddus i groesawu'r ymgyrch Mae 'na Amser i Siarad, Gwrando a Chwarae, a lansiwyd yr wythnos diwethaf gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Gŵyr pob un ohonom fod helpu plant i ddysgu iaith yn gynnar yn hynod o bwysig, nid yn unig wrth iddynt gamu ymlaen drwy'r ysgol, ond drwy fywyd ac i'r gweithle. Ac rwy’n cefnogi'r rhaglen hon yn gryf, gan y credaf y bydd mentrau fel hyn, sy'n helpu plant i ddysgu drwy gael hwyl, yn hytrach na mewn lleoliad addysgol, yn rhoi'r dechrau gorau iddynt mewn addysg. A byddai gennyf ddiddordeb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pe baech yn rhoi alldro a diweddariad inni ymhen 12 mis, i weld pa mor effeithiol y bu'r rhaglen hon.
Thank you, Joyce. I'm glad that you like the Time to Talk campaign. I'm sure Members across the Chamber—well, hopefully, Members across the Chamber—will have seen the adverts on television and the materials that are available on social media. I think they're really engaging and fun, and they stress the importance to parents of the huge impact they can have by taking the time to talk to your children. To further strengthen early language and communication provision across Wales, we are investing £890,000 in foundation phase oracy programmes in 2017-18. That includes funding for the Time to Talk campaign, but also to fund the four regional educational consortia to work with schools to improve language development in the foundation phase.
Diolch, Joyce. Rwy'n falch eich bod yn hoff o'r ymgyrch Mae 'na Amser i Siarad. Rwy'n siŵr fod yr Aelodau ar draws y Siambr—wel, gobeithio y bydd yr Aelodau ar draws y Siambr—wedi gweld yr hysbysebion ar y teledu, a'r deunyddiau sydd ar gael ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol. Credaf eu bod yn wirioneddol ddiddorol a difyr, ac maent yn pwysleisio pwysigrwydd yr effaith enfawr y gall rhieni ei chael drwy roi amser i siarad â'ch plant. Er mwyn cryfhau darpariaeth gynnar o ran iaith a chyfathrebu ymhellach ledled Cymru, rydym yn buddsoddi £890,000 mewn rhaglenni llafaredd ar gyfer y cyfnod sylfaen yn 2017-18. Mae hynny'n cynnwys cyllid ar gyfer yr ymgyrch Mae 'na Amser i Siarad, ond hefyd er mwyn ariannu'r pedwar consortiwm addysgol rhanbarthol i weithio gydag ysgolion i wella datblygiad iaith yn y cyfnod sylfaen.
Cabinet Secretary, I have for many years been a member of the governing body of Meadowbank Special School, which is a school that delivers educational services for children with speech and language learning difficulties. It's been at its site in Gabalfa for over 40 years and was foremost in developing best practice in this area, not least with its parents and teachers doing so much to establish Afasic in the 1970s. I am gravely worried about Afasic's closure in Wales and what's going to happen to those skills, information and support that's been made available to parents, to teachers. I do hope that your officials will be monitoring this very, very carefully, and perhaps talking to your colleagues in the Welsh Government to ensure that a way is found that essential infrastructure, like charities such as Afasic, are kept going, because it's a great service they provide.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, ers blynyddoedd lawer, rwyf wedi bod yn aelod o gorff llywodraethu Ysgol Arbennig Meadowbank, sy'n ysgol sy'n darparu gwasanaethau addysgol ar gyfer plant ag anawsterau dysgu lleferydd ac iaith. Maent wedi bod ar y safle yn Gabalfa ers dros 40 mlynedd, ac roeddent ar flaen y gad o ran datblygu arferion gorau yn y maes hwn, yn enwedig wrth i’r rhieni a’r athrawon wneud cymaint i sefydlu Afasic yn y 1970au. Rwy’n bryderus iawn ynghylch cau Afasic yng Nghymru, a beth sy'n mynd i ddigwydd i'r sgiliau, gwybodaeth a chymorth a ddarperir i rieni, i athrawon. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd eich swyddogion yn monitro hyn yn ofalus iawn, ac efallai'n siarad â'ch cydweithwyr yn Llywodraeth Cymru, er mwyn sicrhau bod modd cadw seilwaith hanfodol, fel elusennau megis Afasic, gan eu bod yn darparu gwasanaeth gwych.
First of all, can I thank you, David, for your service as a governor of this school? Like you, I am disappointed that Afasic Cymru trustees have decided to end their charitable status within Wales, although I understand they will continue to work at a UK level. I can give you an absolute assurance that I will be asking my officials to monitor very carefully the impact the closure of the charity will have, and to look to ways in which we can work across Government and across the voluntary sector,= to support those families whose children need additional help and support developing their language and communication skills.
Yn gyntaf, a gaf fi ddiolch i chi, David, am eich gwasanaeth fel un o lywodraethwr yr ysgol hon? Fel chi, rwy’n siomedig fod ymddiriedolwyr Afasic Cymru wedi penderfynu dod â’u statws elusennol i ben yng Nghymru, er fy mod yn deall y byddant yn parhau i fod yn weithredol ar lefel y DU. Gallaf roi sicrwydd llwyr i chi y byddaf yn gofyn i fy swyddogion fonitro’r effaith y bydd cau'r elusen yn ei chael yn ofalus iawn, ac i edrych ar ffyrdd y gallwn weithio ar draws y Llywodraeth, ac ar draws y sector gwirfoddol, i gefnogi teuluoedd â phlant sydd angen cymorth a chefnogaeth ychwanegol i ddatblygu eu sgiliau iaith a chyfathrebu.
We know from figures provided by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists that over 50 per cent of children from socially deprived backgrounds may be starting school with impoverished communication, language and speech skills. Now, do you therefore share the Children's Commissioner for Wales's concerns that limiting the Government's childcare offer to only children of working parents, and not extending it to all children, actually risks widening that school-readiness gap amongst the socially deprived group that I referred to earlier?
Fe wyddom, o ffigurau a ddarparwyd gan Goleg Brenhinol y Therapyddion Lleferydd ac Iaith, fod dros 50 y cant o blant o gefndiroedd difreintiedig yn gymdeithasol yn dechrau yn yr ysgol, o bosibl, gyda sgiliau cyfathrebu, iaith a lleferydd gwael. Nawr, a ydych chi, felly, yn rhannu pryderon Comisiynydd Plant Cymru fod cyfyngu cynnig gofal plant y Llywodraeth i blant rhieni sy'n gweithio yn unig, yn hytrach na'i ymestyn i bob plentyn, yn peri risg o ledu'r bwlch hwnnw o ran parodrwydd i ddechrau yn yr ysgol ymhlith y grŵp difreintiedig yn gymdeithasol y cyfeiriais atynt yn gynharach?
Llyr, I do recognise that these issues can be particularly acute in those communities and for families where there are high levels of social deprivation, which is why, as I said, we will be spending over £800,000 this year to develop our Time to Talk programme, so that we can work with families. Of course, the free childcare offer to working parents is just one of the schemes that the Welsh Government runs, and you'll be aware of the work of Families First and Flying Start, which are particularly targeted interventions at those families and communities that need the help the most, which include a childcare element of that, as well as working alongside parents to help parents do the best job that they can do in encouraging these skills in their youngsters before they start formal education.
Llyr, rwy'n cydnabod y gall y materion hyn fod yn arbennig o ddifrifol yn y cymunedau hynny ac i bob teulu lle y ceir lefelau uchel o amddifadedd cymdeithasol, a dyna pam, fel y dywedais, y byddwn yn gwario dros £800,000 eleni i ddatblygu ein rhaglen Mae 'na Amser i Siarad, fel y gallwn weithio gyda theuluoedd. Wrth gwrs, mae'r cynnig gofal plant am ddim i rieni sy'n gweithio yn un o'r cynlluniau a roddwyd ar waith gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ac fe fyddwch yn gwybod am waith Teuluoedd yn Gyntaf a Dechrau'n Deg, sy'n ymyriadau a dargedir yn arbennig ar y teuluoedd a'r cymunedau sydd fwyaf o angen y cymorth, ac sy'n cynnwys elfen gofal plant yn hynny o beth, yn ogystal â gweithio law yn llaw â rhieni i'w cynorthwyo i wneud popeth a allant i annog y sgiliau hyn yn eu plant cyn iddynt ddechrau cael addysg ffurfiol.
2. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n eu cymryd i leihau'r risg o drosedd a thrais mewn ysgolion? OAQ51666
2. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to reduce the risk of crime and violence in schools? OAQ51666
Thank you, Mr Bennett. Violence and aggression in schools, against teachers or pupils, is completely unacceptable. In order to tackle such violence and aggression, in and outside the classroom, working with stakeholders, we must first understand why children are demonstrating these behaviours. Otherwise we are simply treating the symptoms and not the underlying causes of such behaviour.
Diolch, Mr Bennett. Mae trais ac ymddygiad ymosodol mewn ysgolion, yn erbyn athrawon neu ddisgyblion, yn gwbl annerbyniol. Er mwyn mynd i'r afael â thrais ac ymddygiad ymosodol o'r fath, yn yr ystafell ddosbarth a thu allan iddi, gan weithio gyda rhanddeiliaid, mae'n rhaid inni ddeall yn gyntaf pam fod plant yn ymddwyn fel hyn. Fel arall, trin symptomau yn unig a wnawn yn hytrach na'r rhesymau sydd wrth wraidd ymddygiad o'r fath.
Yes. Thanks for that answer. I agree that we do need to understand. We also perhaps need to pursue a standard approach to monitoring the level of violence so that at least we can also ascertain how much actually is going on, which is something that the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers are currently calling for. So, would you be minded now to think about a standard approach to monitoring levels of violence in schools?
Iawn. Diolch am eich ateb. Rwy'n cytuno bod angen inni ddeall. Efallai hefyd fod angen inni sicrhau dull safonol o fonitro lefel y trais fel y gallwn o leiaf ganfod hefyd faint sy'n digwydd mewn gwirionedd, sy'n rhywbeth y mae Cymdeithas Genedlaethol yr Ysgolfeistri ac Undeb yr Athrawesau yn galw amdano ar hyn o bryd. Felly, a fyddech bellach yn ystyried meddwl am ddull safonol o fonitro lefelau trais mewn ysgolion?
Thank you for that. I think it's, first of all, very important to recognise, as mentioned only recently in the latest chief inspector's report on the education system in Wales, that behaviour in schools is improving, and I would hate people to be listening to this question and thinking that we had a particularly acute problem. But clearly, as I said in my opening answer, any violence, whether that's directed towards fellow pupils or directed towards the staff of the school, is completely unacceptable to me. Welsh Government has issued guidance to schools and local authorities around safe and effective interventions, and I am always willing to consider what more steps Welsh Government can take to address these issues. I want Welsh schools to be safe, secure and happy places of learning and work.
Diolch. Yn gyntaf, credaf ei bod yn bwysig iawn cydnabod, fel y crybwyllwyd yn ddiweddar yn adroddiad diweddaraf y prif arolygydd ar y system addysg yng Nghymru, fod ymddygiad mewn ysgolion yn gwella, a byddai'n gas gennyf pe bai pobl yn gwrando ar y cwestiwn hwn ac yn credu bod gennym broblem arbennig o ddifrifol. Ond yn amlwg, fel y dywedais yn fy ateb cychwynnol, mae unrhyw drais, boed tuag at gyd-ddisgyblion neu tuag at staff yr ysgol, yn gwbl annerbyniol i mi. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi darparu canllawiau i ysgolion ac awdurdodau lleol ynghylch ymyriadau diogel ac effeithiol, ac rwyf bob amser yn barod i ystyried pa gamau ychwanegol y gall Llywodraeth Cymru eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â'r materion hyn. Rwyf am i ysgolion Cymru fod yn lleoedd diogel a hapus i ddysgu ac i weithio ynddynt.
Cabinet Secretary, last week, I visited Monmouth Comprehensive's brand new school building, which is still to be finished admittedly, in the town of Monmouth, and that building is a fantastic, creative space that's designed to be open, transparent and to reduce the chances of physical violence happening in that space as much as is possible. But, of course, buildings are only half the story, and we know that violence takes many forms, particularly psychological violence, and in terms of schools and their pupils, cyber bullying. Can you update us on the Welsh Government's polices to tackle all forms of bullying, but specifically cyber bullying, which seems to be on the increase in certain areas?
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yr wythnos diwethaf, bûm yn ymweld ag adeilad newydd sbon Ysgol Gyfun Trefynwy, sydd heb ei orffen eto, rhaid cyfaddef, yn Nhrefynwy, ac mae'r adeilad hwnnw'n lle gwych a chreadigol a gynlluniwyd i fod yn agored, yn dryloyw ac i leihau'r posibilrwydd o drais corfforol yn y gofod hwnnw gymaint â phosibl. Ond wrth gwrs, hanner y stori'n unig yw adeiladau, a gwyddom fod trais yn bodoli ar sawl ffurf, yn enwedig trais seicolegol, ac o ran ysgolion a'u disgyblion, seiberfwlio. A allwch roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni ynglŷn â pholisïau Llywodraeth Cymru i fynd i'r afael â phob math o fwlio, ond seiberfwlio yn benodol, gan ei bod yn ymddangos bod hynny ar gynnydd mewn rhai ardaloedd?
Thank you, Nick. I think school buildings can play a significant part in helping create that environment for our children, but we have to recognise that bullying can be a problem in all schools regardless of where they are and that can take many forms. We are updating our anti-bullying guidance 'Respecting Others', and the revised guidance will be published later this year. I have also undertaken to carry out a review into the specific issues around cyber bullying, online and internet social media safety, and will continue to work in this area. This is a relatively new aspect of bullying. In days gone past, children were able to return home to a safe space. These days, their mobile phones and devices allow a constant stream of chatter to continue, and we need to equip our children on how best to deal with that, how to behave responsibly online, and, if they come across behaviour that it is irresponsible, whom they can report that to, safe in the knowledge that, having reported it, action will be taken to support them.
Diolch, Nick. Credaf y gall adeiladau ysgolion chwarae rhan bwysig yn cynorthwyo i greu'r amgylchedd hwnnw ar gyfer ein plant, ond mae'n rhaid inni gydnabod y gall bwlio fod yn broblem ym mhob ysgol, waeth ble y maent, ac y gall ddigwydd ar sawl ffurf. Rydym yn diweddaru ein canllawiau gwrthfwlio 'Parchu Eraill', a chyhoeddir y canllawiau diwygiedig yn ddiweddarach eleni. Rwyf hefyd wedi ymrwymo i gynnal adolygiad o'r problemau penodol sydd ynghlwm wrth seiberfwlio, diogelwch ar-lein ac ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol ar y rhyngrwyd, a byddaf yn parhau i weithio yn y maes hwn. Mae hon yn agwedd gymharol newydd ar fwlio. Yn y gorffennol, roedd modd i blant ddychwelyd adref i le diogel. Bellach, mae eu ffonau a'u dyfeisiau symudol yn caniatáu i'r ffrwd gyson o glebran barhau, ac mae angen inni sicrhau bod ein plant yn gwybod sut orau i ymdopi â hynny, sut i ymddwyn mewn ffordd gyfrifol ar-lein, ac os ydynt yn dyst i ymddygiad anghyfrifol, pwy y gallant roi gwybod iddynt amdano gan fod yn ffyddiog, wrth roi gwybod amdano, y bydd camau'n cael eu cymryd i'w cefnogi.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Llyr Gruffydd.
Questions now from the opposition party spokespeople. The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Llyr Gruffydd.
Diolch, Llywydd. Mae pedair blynedd, bron i bedair blynedd a hanner nawr, ers cyhoeddi adroddiad yr Athro Sioned Davies ar sefyllfa'r Gymraeg fel ail iaith mewn ysgolion cyfrwng Saesneg yng Nghymru. Yn yr adroddiad, mi wnaeth hi'n gwbl glir ei bod hi'n unfed awr ar ddeg bryd hynny ar y Gymraeg fel ail iaith, a bod lefelau cyrhaeddiad disgyblion yn y pwnc yna yn is nag mewn unrhyw bwnc arall. A phetai hynny wedi bod yn wir am Saesneg neu Fathemateg, rwy'n siŵr y byddem ni wedi hen weld datrysiad i'r broblem erbyn hyn. Mae hi'n cloi drwy ddweud bod rhaid newid cyfeiriad, a hynny fel mater o frys cyn ei bod hi'n rhy hwyr. Felly, a gaf i ofyn pryd mae'r Gweinidog yn bwriadu y bydd y cymhwyster cyfunol newydd ar gael i'w ddysgu mewn ysgolion?
Thank you, Llywydd. It’s almost four and a half years now since the publication of Professor Sioned Davies’s report on the position of Welsh as a second language in English-medium schools in Wales. In that report, she made it entirely clear that it was the eleventh hour even then in terms of Welsh as a second language, and that attainment levels for pupils in that subject were lower than in any other subject. Had that been true about English or maths, I’m sure we would have long since seen a resolution to that problem. She concludes by saying that a change of direction is urgently required before it’s too late. So, can I ask when the Minister intends the new combined qualification will be available for teaching in school?
Diolch yn fawr am y cwestiwn. Byddwch chi yn ymwybodol ein bod ni wedi cael adroddiad Donaldson ers hynny a bod rhaid i ni ystyried y newidiadau yng nghyd-destun Donaldson. A allaf i wneud hi'n glir na fyddaf i'n barod i jest aros tan bod Donaldson yn ei le? Rydw i'n meddwl bod hwn yn rhywbeth y mae'n rhaid i ni fynd ar ei ôl nawr. Rydw i wedi gofyn, heddiw, fel mae'n digwydd bod, i'm swyddogion i roi symposiwm at ei gilydd i ddod ag arbenigwyr yn y maes ynghyd i drafod y ffordd orau o ddysgu ail iaith. Nid wyf i'n meddwl bod hon yn broblem jest i'r Gymraeg, ond mae'n broblem i ieithoedd eraill hefyd, ond mae fy sylw i, yn amlwg, ar y Gymraeg. Gallaf i ddweud fel ffaith fy mod yn mynd i roi fy sylw yn arbennig i'r mater hwn o gynyddu nifer y bobl sy'n gallu siarad Cymraeg erbyn diwedd yr ysgol. Y bwriad yw, wrth gwrs, fod 70 y cant o bobl yn gallu siarad rhywfaint erbyn 2050 wrth iddyn nhw ddod o'r ysgol. Felly, mae ffordd bell i ni fynd.
Thank you very much for the question. You will be aware that we have had the Donaldson review since then and that we need to consider the changes in the context of Donaldson. So, can I make it clear that I am not prepared to wait until Donaldson is in place? I think that this is something that we have to pursue now and I have asked, today as it happens, my officials to arrange a symposium to bring experts in the area together to discuss the best way for us to teach a second language. I don’t think this is a problem just in terms of the Welsh language, but it is a problem with other languages as well. My focus, of course, is on the Welsh language. I can tell you that it is a fact that I will be concentrating particularly on this issue of increasing the number of people who can speak Welsh by the end of their school years. The intention, of course, is that 70 per cent of people will be able to speak some Welsh by 2050 when they leave school. So, we do have a long way to go.
Diolch yn fawr. Rydw i'n croesawu'r ateb pendant yna: na fyddwch chi'n aros tan fod Donaldson yn ei le, oherwydd, fel rydym ni'n gwybod, mi fydd hi'n 2025 cyn bod gan bawb fynediad i'r cwricwlwm newydd, ac mae hynny'n colli cenhedlaeth botensial arall o siaradwyr Cymraeg. Felly, a gaf i ofyn pa ystyriaeth rydych chi wedi ei rhoi i dreialu neu beilota efallai mewn rhai ardaloedd penodol y model newydd yma o gymhwyster cyfunol, oherwydd y perig yw y bydd hi'n cymryd dwy, tair, blynedd mae'n debyg—os rydw i'n adnabod y modd mae Llywodraethau fel arfer yn ei weithredu— lle, mewn gwirionedd, mae yna ewyllys ac mae yna weithlu addas mewn rhai rhannau o Gymru lle byddai modd troi hwn rownd yn sydyn iawn?
Thank you very much. I welcome that answer: that you won’t wait until Donaldson is in place because we know it will be 2025 by the time everyone has access to the new curriculum, and that’s potentially another generation of Welsh speakers lost. Can I ask you what consideration will be given to piloting or trialling this new model in specific areas in terms of combined qualification? The danger is that it will take two or three years, if I know how Governments usually operate, when, in fact, there is an appropriate workforce and a willingness in some parts of Wales to turn this around very quickly.
Wel, i ddechrau, mae'n rhaid i ni edrych ar beth sy'n bodoli heddiw. Rydw i'n meddwl bod yn rhaid i ni edrych ar fwy o adnoddau ar gyfer athrawon sy'n dysgu Cymraeg fel ail iaith, ac rydw i wedi bod yn siarad yn uniongyrchol ag athrawon sydd yn y dosbarthiadau ac yn gofyn iddyn nhw yn union beth yw'r pethau y bydden nhw'n hoffi eu gweld fel help. Felly, mae fy swyddogion i'n edrych ar beth allwn ei wneud i helpu nawr yn y flwyddyn yma. Rydw i wedi cael sgwrs gyda'r BBC i weld a fydden nhw'n barod i helpu yn y maes yma hefyd, achos rydw i'n meddwl y gallem ni wneud fwy yn weledol wrth ddysgu plant yn y dosbarth. Felly, mae camau yn eu lle, ond mae'n rhaid i fi bwysleisio fy mod i'n meddwl na allwn ni fforddio colli cenhedlaeth arall—rydw i'n cytuno.
Well, to begin with, we need to look at what is in place today. I think that we do have to look at further resources for teachers who are teaching Welsh as a second language, and I have been talking directly with teachers who are out there in the classrooms and asking them precisely what they would like to see as forms of assistance. So, my officials are looking into what we can do to assist now, this year, and I have had a conversation with the BBC to see whether they would be willing to assist in this area also, because I think that we could do more visually in terms of teaching children in the classroom. So, actions are being taken, but I must say that I do emphasise that I think we can’t afford to lose another generation. I agree on that.
Rydw i'n siwr eich bod yn deall y rhwystredigaeth, oherwydd mae clywed Gweinidog yn dweud bod yn rhaid i ni weld beth yw'r sefyllfa heddiw, bedair blynedd a hanner ar ôl i adroddiad ddweud bod angen gweithredu ar fyrder, yn peri rhwystredigaeth, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud.
Nawr, wrth gwrs, nid yw'n bosibl symud ymlaen yn ystyrlon i gyrraedd y nod yr ydym yn ei rannu rydw i'n siwr o safbwynt miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg a rôl y gyfundrefn addysg yn hynny, heb fod y gweithlu addas yn y ei le o safbwynt y gallu i ddarparu'r addysg angenrheidiol yna. Rydw i'n mynd i gyfeirio at adolygiad Aled Roberts, wrth gwrs, i'r cynlluniau strategol addysg Gymraeg a oedd yn dweud yn gwbl glir:
'Rhaid holi pa bwrpas sydd i gynllunio ar gyfer twf sylweddol ar gyfer addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg a dwyieithog...heb bod penderfyniadau brys yn cael eu cymryd ar hyfforddi rhagor o athrawon newydd sydd yn medru’r Gymraeg, yn arbennig yn y sector uwchradd.'
Nawr, rydym ni'n gwybod bod 6 y cant o'r holl weithlu addysg yng Nghymru yn medru'r Gymraeg ond ddim yn dysgu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg neu yn dysgu Cymraeg. Felly, beth mae'r Llywodraeth yma am wneud i roi'r grŵp yna o addysgwyr ar waith yn y maes yma? Rydym ni hefyd yn gwybod, wrth gwrs, fod 80 y cant o'r myfyrwyr sydd ar gyrsiau ymarfer dysgu wedi dod drwy'r system addysg yng Nghymru ac, felly, os nad ydyn nhw wedi bod yn rhan o addysg ddwyieithog, maen nhw fod wedi cael 10 mlynedd o wersi Cymraeg. Ocê, mae yna ddiffygion ail iaith ond mi ddylai fod yna sail fanna hefyd i fod yn manteisio ar ddatblygu gweithlu galluog o safbwynt addysg Gymraeg yn y cyd-destun yna. Felly, a gaf i ofyn sut ydych chi am ddefnyddio ac adeiladu ar y sgiliau ieithyddol yna a phryd welwn ni gynllun gweithlu addysg Gymraeg yn cael ei gyflwyno a'i weithredu oherwydd, hebddo fe, fydd dim gobaith cyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr?
I’m sure you’ll understand the frustration, because hearing a Minister say that we’ll have to see what the situation is today, a full four and a half years after a report stated that action was urgently needed, is a cause of frustration. I do have to make that point.
Now, of course, it’s not possible to move forward meaningfully to share the target that I’m sure we share in terms of a million Welsh speakers and the role of the education system in that unless the appropriate workforce is in place to provide the necessary education. I will refer to the Aled Roberts review of Welsh in education strategic plans, which said quite clearly that,
'We must ask ourselves, what purpose is there to plan for substantial growth for Welsh-medium and bilingual education...without urgent decisions being made to train more new teachers who speak Welsh. This is particularly the case within the secondary sector.'
Now, we know that 6 per cent of the education workforce speak Welsh but don’t teach through the medium of Welsh. So, what is this Welsh Government going to do to bring that group of educators into play in this area? We also know that 80 per cent of students studying PGCE courses have come through the education system in Wales, and if they haven’t been part of bilingual education then they should have had 10 years of Welsh lessons. Okay, there are deficiencies in terms of Welsh as a second language, but there should be a foundation there to develop a qualified workforce in terms of Welsh-medium education. So, can I ask how you’re going to use and build on those linguistic skills and when will we see a Welsh-medium education workforce plan developed and implemented? Without it, we’ve no chance of reaching that million Welsh speakers.
Diolch. Mae yna gynllun gweithlu yn ei le. Rydym ni wedi ei gwneud yn hollol glir faint o athrawon fydd eu hangen yn ystod y blynyddoedd nesaf. Fy ngobaith i, ar hyn o bryd, yw sicrhau bod pobl yn ymwybodol bod yna £5,000 ychwanegol os ydyn nhw'n awyddus i ddysgu trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau bod pobl yn cael gwybod am hynny achos nawr yw'r amser y mae pobl yn dechrau meddwl am beth maen nhw'n mynd i'w wneud ym mis Medi. Rwyf wedi gofyn i fy swyddogion i—. Rŷch chi wedi pwyso ar y ddau fotwm rwyf fi yn pwyso arnyn nhw. Mae yna ddau beth sydd fwyaf pwysig i fi: cael y gweithlu yn iawn—os na chawn ni hwnnw'n iawn o'r dechrau, mae hwnnw'n mynd i beri gofid mawr i fi—a'r ail beth yw'r ffaith bod rhaid inni feddwl am beth y gallwn ei wneud i wella dysgu ail iaith.
Felly, rwyf yn cydnabod bod 6 y cant o bobl sydd yn y gweithlu—efallai y gallwn ni drafod gyda nhw. Felly, mae hynny'n rhywbeth rŷm ni'n talu sylw iddo ar hyn o bryd. Felly, rŷm ni yn ymwybodol iawn fod rhai inni symud ar hwn ac rwyf wedi gofyn i fy swyddogion i roi adroddiad misol i fi ynglŷn â beth yw'r sefyllfa o ran faint o bobl sydd wedi 'apply-o' i fynd i'r colegau yma, fel ein bod ni'n siŵr ein bod ni ar y trywydd cywir.
Thank you. We do have a workforce plan in place and we have made it entirely clear how many teachers will be needed over the coming years. My hope currently is to ensure that people are aware that there are £5,000 available in addition if they show an interest in teaching through the medium of Welsh. We must make sure that people are aware of this because now is the time when people are starting to think about what they’re going to do in September. I have asked my officials—. You’ve pressed on the two buttons that I have been pressing. There are two things that are most important to me: they are getting the workforce right—because if we don’t get that right from the beginning, that is going to cause me concern—and, secondly, the need for us to think about what we need to do improve teaching Welsh as a second language.
So, I acknowledge that 6 per cent of people in the workforce currently—perhaps we could have discussions with them. So, that is something that we are paying attention to currently. So, we are very aware that we do need to move on this and I have requested my officials to give me a monthly report about the situation in terms of how many people have applied to go to these colleges, so that we are sure that we’re on the right track.
Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Darren Millar.
The Conservatives' spokesperson, Darren Millar.
Diolch, Llywydd. Cabinet Secretary, in 2015 when the new Wales-only GCSE qualifications were being mooted and going to be introduced, my colleague Angela Burns, the then shadow Minister for the education portfolio, said that it was a short-sighted decision and that there would be adverse consequences for learners. It's now 2018, and I'm afraid that some of our concerns are materialising. More than half of pupils who took the new maths GCSEs got a D or below, according to the results that were published earlier this month. Do you now accept, and would you agree with our assessment, that your predecessor's decision to introduce these new qualifications was a mistake?
Diolch, Lywydd. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yn 2015 pan oedd y cymwysterau TGAU newydd ar gyfer Cymru yn cael eu trafod ac ar fin cael eu cyflwyno, dywedodd fy nghyd-Aelod, Angela Burns, Gweinidog yr wrthblaid bryd hynny dros y portffolio addysg, mai penderfyniad annoeth ydoedd ac y byddai'n cael effaith niweidiol ar ddysgwyr. Mae hi bellach yn 2018, ac mae arnaf ofn fod rhai o'n pryderon yn cael eu gwireddu. Cafodd dros hanner y disgyblion a wnaeth y TGAU mathemateg newydd radd D neu is, yn ôl y canlyniadau a gyhoeddwyd yn gynharach y mis hwn. A ydych bellach yn derbyn, ac a fyddech yn cytuno â'n hasesiad, mai camgymeriad oedd penderfyniad eich rhagflaenydd i gyflwyno'r cymwysterau newydd hyn?
Darren, for pupils and teachers currently in the system, we have to deal with the reality of today, as do I. I have made it very clear in this Chamber, time and time again, that I want to see education raise standards for all of our children, including bridging the attainment gap between those pupils who are less well-off and ensuring that our education system is a source of national pride and confidence, and by improving GCSE results, that's one of the ways in which we can do that. I've been clear, since coming into office, that we can do better, so with regard to mathematics, for instance, we have set up the new national network of excellence for mathematics, so that we can improve the teaching of mathematics across the country, and also to ensure that, for instance, with regard to early entry, which we know in some cases can be detrimental, it should only be used in schools for those pupils who are in a position to fulfil their maximum potential rather than being sent in early for an exam and not achieve the results that they are capable of achieving after a full teaching of the course.
Darren, er mwyn y disgyblion a'r athrawon yn y system ar hyn o bryd, mae'n rhaid inni ymdrin â realiti heddiw, ac rwy'n gwneud hynny. Rwyf wedi dweud yn glir iawn yn y Siambr hon dro ar ôl tro fy mod yn awyddus i weld addysg yn codi safonau ar gyfer ein plant i gyd, gan gynnwys pontio'r bwlch cyrhaeddiad rhwng y disgyblion llai cyfoethog a sicrhau bod ein system addysg yn destun balchder a hyder cenedlaethol, a thrwy wella'r canlyniadau TGAU, dyna un o'r ffyrdd y gallwn wneud hynny. Rwyf wedi dweud yn glir, ers ymgymryd â'r swyddogaeth hon, y gallwn wneud yn well, felly o ran mathemateg, er enghraifft, rydym wedi sefydlu rhwydwaith cenedlaethol newydd er rhagoriaeth mewn mathemateg, fel y gallwn wella addysgu mathemateg ledled y wlad, a hefyd i sicrhau, er enghraifft, o ran sefyll arholiadau yn gynnar, sy'n gallu bod yn anfanteisiol mewn rhai achosion fel y gwyddom, na ddylid gwneud hynny mewn ysgolion ac eithrio ar gyfer disgyblion sydd mewn sefyllfa i gyflawni eu llawn botensial yn hytrach na chael eu hanfon i sefyll arholiad yn gynnar a pheidio â chyflawni'r canlyniadau y gallent eu cyflawni ar ôl i'r cwrs gael ei ddysgu yn ei gyfanrwydd.
Those words will be no comfort whatsoever to those learners who got lower grades than they would have done sitting the previous GCSEs. We also warned, of course, that the new GCSEs would confuse employers and were likely to be less accepted by them than were qualifications from other parts of the UK, and, of course, we've been right on that count as well. We know that with applications for apprenticeships in England, which require maths GCSE and English tests—some people are having to resit English GCSEs, because the Welsh GCSE is not considered to be of equal value when trying to access some particular apprenticeships. That's unacceptable and it's young people who are paying the price because of this sop to want to go after Wales-only qualifications, and it's disadvantaging our children and young people.
What are you going to do to ensure that students, learners and people who want to go on to professions, where there are certain entry requirements, and apprenticeships where there are certain entry requirements, and where the English GCSEs that we have in Wales and the Maths GCSEs that we have in Wales are not recognised—what are you going to do to prevent our children and young people from having another barrier to climb over by having to resit GCSEs, because that's what's happening according to the evidence, in order to get there?
Ni fydd y geiriau hynny o unrhyw gysur i'r dysgwyr sydd wedi cael graddau is nag y byddent wedi eu cael wrth sefyll yr arholiadau TGAU blaenorol. Rhoesom rybudd hefyd, wrth gwrs, y byddai'r cymwysterau TGAU newydd yn drysu cyflogwyr a'u bod yn llai tebygol o'u derbyn na chymwysterau o rannau eraill o'r DU, ac wrth gwrs, roeddem yn iawn ynglŷn â hynny hefyd. Gwyddom, o ran ceisiadau am brentisiaethau yn Lloegr, sy'n gofyn am TGAU mathemateg a phrofion Saesneg—mae rhai pobl yn gorfod ailsefyll TGAU Saesneg, gan nad ystyrir bod TGAU Cymraeg o werth cyfartal wrth ymgeisio am brentisiaethau penodol. Mae hynny'n annerbyniol, a phobl ifanc sy'n talu pris oherwydd y dyhead hwn am gymwysterau ar gyfer Cymru yn unig, ac mae ein plant a'n pobl ifanc o dan anfantais o ganlyniad i hynny.
Beth y bwriadwch ei wneud i sicrhau bod myfyrwyr, dysgwyr a phobl sy'n awyddus i gamu ymlaen i broffesiynau, lle y ceir gofynion mynediad penodol, a phrentisiaethau lle y ceir gofynion mynediad penodol, a lle nad yw'r TGAU Saesneg sydd gennym yng Nghymru na'r TGAU Mathemateg sydd gennym yng Nghymru yn cael eu cydnabod—beth y bwriadwch ei wneud i atal ein plant a'n pobl ifanc rhag gorfod goresgyn rhwystr arall drwy orfod ailsefyll arholiadau TGAU, gan mai hynny sy'n digwydd yn ôl y dystiolaeth, er mwyn cyrraedd yno?
Let me just be absolutely clear: the Member can simply not make the assumption that those children would have done better under the old GCSE examination system. I make no apologies, Darren—and I'm surprised that you don't agree—for wanting greater rigour in our exam system, and if maths exams are introducing greater rigour, then that is something that we should be proud of, rather than dumbing down our exam system. Let me be absolutely clear as well—because you are doing a disservice to the children and the teachers of Wales by somehow peddling a myth that our examinations are not comparable to examinations in the rest of the United Kingdom. There is no evidence at all that you can bring forward to this Chamber to back that up. Our examinations, overseen by the independent body of Qualifications Wales, and modified and monitored across UK bodies, are of equal worth to anybody else's, and to suggest otherwise in this National Assembly and not come forward with any hard evidence, you are doing a disservice to those children who have got those exams.
Gadewch i mi ddweud yn gwbl glir: ni all yr Aelod ragdybio y byddai'r plant hynny wedi gwneud yn well o dan yr hen system arholiadau TGAU. Nid wyf am ymddiheuro, Darren—ac rwy'n synnu nad ydych yn cytuno—am ddymuno cael mwy o drylwyredd yn ein system arholiadau, ac os yw arholiadau mathemateg yn cyflwyno mwy o drylwyredd, dylai hynny fod yn rhywbeth rydym yn ymfalchïo ynddo, yn hytrach na gorsymleiddio ein system arholiadau. Gadewch i mi ddweud yn gwbl glir hefyd—oherwydd rydych yn gwneud anghymwynas â phlant ac athrawon Cymru drwy ailadrodd y myth nad yw ein harholiadau yn cymharu ag arholiadau yng ngweddill y Deyrnas Unedig. Ni cheir unrhyw dystiolaeth o gwbl y gallwch ei chyflwyno yn y Siambr hon i gefnogi hynny. Mae ein harholiadau, sy'n cael eu goruchwylio gan gorff annibynnol Cymwysterau Cymru, ac sy'n cael eu haddasu a'u monitro gan gyrff ar draws y DU, o werth cyfartal i unrhyw rai eraill, a thrwy awgrymu fel arall yn y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol hwn heb gyflwyno unrhyw dystiolaeth, rydych yn gwneud anghymwynas â'r plant sydd wedi cael yr arholiadau hynny.
This isn't just me saying this—this is employers who are voting with their decisions not to take on young people from Wales who have sat some of these qualifications. This is universities—top universities around the UK—who are saying, 'We don't accept the GCSE in numeracy for people from Wales as being equivalent to GCSE maths', which, of course, is what Qualifications Wales are telling us. This is universities who are not accepting the Welsh baccalaureate as being of equal value to the A-levels that children and young people sit elsewhere across the country. So, you can get up and you can posture all you like, Cabinet Secretary—the reality is that these are clearly not of equal value in the market where they need to be of equal value, and that is in terms of helping people to get jobs and to get into those HE courses and onto the FE courses that they need to. And not only that, but one of the reasons that teachers tell me and the pupils tell me that they're getting lower grades is because, of course, they've now got two sets of exams to sit when it comes to mathematics—a numeracy one and a maths one. That is causing problems with timetabling, it's causing problems that are putting a squeeze on some of those other subjects, and it's dragging down their results. Now, I notice that last week it was revealed that there's an expert who you are employing to sell these new qualifications to GCSEs around the country, wasting taxpayers' money, because you are pursuing this differential approach. What action are you going to take to tell us how much that is costing and what has been wasted on these so far, and when are you going to abandon this ludicrous project?
Nid fi yn unig sy'n dweud hyn, ond y cyflogwyr sy'n pleidleisio â'u penderfyniadau i beidio â derbyn pobl ifanc o Gymru sydd wedi sefyll rhai o'r cymwysterau hyn; y prifysgolion—prifysgolion blaenllaw ledled y DU—sy'n dweud, 'Nid ydym yn derbyn bod TGAU rhifedd pobl o Gymru yn gyfwerth â TGAU mathemateg', sef yr hyn y mae Cymwysterau Cymru yn ei ddweud wrthym, wrth gwrs. Y prifysgolion nad ydynt yn derbyn bod bagloriaeth Cymru yn gyfwerth â'r arholiadau Safon Uwch y mae plant a phobl ifanc yn eu sefyll mewn mannau eraill ledled y wlad sy'n dweud hyn. Felly, gallwch wneud cymaint o honiadau ag yr hoffwch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet—y gwir amdani yw ei bod yn amlwg nad yw'r rhain o werth cyfartal mewn marchnad lle mae angen iddynt fod o werth cyfartal, sef mewn perthynas â chynorthwyo pobl i gael swyddi ac i gael eu derbyn ar y cyrsiau addysg uwch ac ar y cyrsiau addysg bellach sydd eu hangen arnynt. Ac nid yn unig hynny, ond un o'r rhesymau y mae athrawon yn dweud wrthyf ac y mae'r disgyblion yn dweud wrthyf eu bod yn cael graddau is yw oherwydd, wrth gwrs, fod ganddynt bellach ddwy set o arholiadau i'w sefyll mewn perthynas â mathemateg—un ar gyfer rhifedd ac un ar gyfer mathemateg. Mae hynny'n achosi problemau gydag amserlennu, mae'n achosi problemau sy'n rhoi pwysau ar bynciau eraill, ac mae'n gwaethygu eu canlyniadau. Nawr, datgelwyd yr wythnos diwethaf eich bod yn cyflogi arbenigwr i hyrwyddo'r cymwysterau TGAU newydd ledled y wlad, gan wastraffu arian trethdalwyr, gan eich bod yn mynd ar drywydd y dull gwahanol hwn. Pa gamau rydych am eu cymryd i ddweud wrthym faint y mae hynny'n ei gostio, a faint sydd wedi'i wastraffu arnynt hyd yn hyn, a phryd rydych yn mynd i roi'r gorau i'r prosiect hurt hwn?
It is absolutely incredible that the Member would suggest that anybody in this Chamber would oversee an examination system that would do our children down. Darren, you and I both have children in this system. Do you think for one minute that even as a mother, let alone the Cabinet Secretary for Education, I would stand here and let my child or anybody else's child undertake a qualification that was of less value? You have no evidence that you can bring to this Chamber that would back up your assertion that our GCSEs are not of equal value. And I'm surprised—I am very surprised that the Conservatives want to abandon GCSE numeracy, because usually they're here in this Chamber saying that we need to ensure that children have the skills that workers and business are asking for, and that practical application of mathematics that is tested in the GCSE numeracy examination is exactly the kind of skill that I want to see Welsh young people learning.
And let me put the Member straight, Presiding Officer: I am not employing anyone to go around selling these qualifications. Qualifications Wales, which is an independent body, will be employing a person to ensure that universities across the United Kingdom are left in no doubt of the rigour of our examination system, and I would say that any university that turns down the opportunity of taking on a Welsh student, or any employer that turns down the opportunity of taking on a Welsh young person, they are missing out, because our young people are as good as those anywhere else.
Mae'n anghredadwy fod yr Aelod yn awgrymu y byddai unrhyw un yn y Siambr hon yn goruchwylio system arholi a fyddai'n gwneud tro gwael â'n plant. Darren, mae gennym ein dau blant yn y system hon. A ydych yn meddwl am un funud y byddwn i fel mam hyd yn oed, heb sôn am Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg, yn sefyll yma ac yn gadael i fy mhlentyn i neu blentyn unrhyw un arall anelu am gymhwyster o werth is? Nid oes gennych unrhyw dystiolaeth y gallwch ei chyflwyno i'r Siambr hon a fyddai'n cefnogi eich honiad nad yw ein TGAU ni o werth cyfartal. Ac rwy'n synnu—rwy'n synnu bod y Ceidwadwyr am gael gwared ar y TGAU rhifedd, oherwydd fel arfer maent yma yn y Siambr yn dweud bod angen inni sicrhau bod gan blant y sgiliau y mae gweithwyr a busnesau yn gofyn amdanynt, a chymhwyso mathemateg yn ymarferol yn y ffordd a brofir yn yr arholiad TGAU rhifedd yw'r union sgiliau rwyf am weld pobl ifanc Cymru yn eu dysgu.
A gadewch i mi gywiro'r Aelod, Lywydd: nid wyf yn cyflogi unrhyw un i fynd o gwmpas yn hyrwyddo'r cymwysterau hyn. Bydd Cymwysterau Cymru, sy'n gorff annibynnol, yn cyflogi unigolyn i sicrhau nad yw prifysgolion ledled y Deyrnas Unedig yn amau trylwyredd ein system arholiadau, a buaswn yn dweud bod unrhyw brifysgol sy'n gwrthod cyfle i dderbyn myfyriwr o Gymru, neu unrhyw gyflogwr sy'n gwrthod cyfle i gyflogi person ifanc o Gymru, ar eu colled, gan fod ein pobl ifanc cystal â phobl ifanc yn unman arall.
Llefarydd UKIP, Michelle Brown.
UKIP spokesperson, Michelle Brown.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. In April last year, a survey conducted by the Education Workforce Council at your behest found that 90 per cent of teachers said they were unable to manage their workload. One of the teaching unions said that the survey showed that many in the teaching profession are at breaking point. At the time, you said that, as a priority, you were determined to tackle the long-running issue of workload and ensuring that teachers have the space and time to teach to the best of their ability. For the sake of the teaching staff, it's vital that something visible is done to address this. What's your assessment of progress on reducing teacher workload so far, Cabinet Secretary?
Diolch, Lywydd. Ym mis Ebrill y llynedd, canfu arolwg a gynhaliwyd ar eich cais gan Gyngor y Gweithlu Addysg fod 90 y cant o athrawon yn dweud nad ydynt yn gallu rheoli eu llwyth gwaith. Dywedodd un o'r undebau athrawon fod yr arolwg yn dangos bod llawer o bobl yn y proffesiwn addysgu ar ben eu tennyn. Ar y pryd, fe ddywedoch eich bod yn benderfynol, fel blaenoriaeth, i fynd i'r afael â phroblem hirdymor llwyth gwaith a sicrhau bod athrawon yn cael lle ac amser i addysgu hyd eithaf eu gallu. Er lles y staff addysgu, mae'n hanfodol fod rhywbeth amlwg yn cael ei wneud i fynd i'r afael â hyn. Beth yw eich asesiad o'r cynnydd a wnaed hyd yn hyn ar leihau llwyth gwaith athrawon, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet?
Well, the Member is right to say that workload is a continuing concern for the workforce and, indeed, for me. Workload concerns vary greatly across the education family, however. Different issues and priorities are raised depending on a variety of factors, including which school phase somebody finds themself working in, rurality, deprivation, subject area or the role that they have within an individual school, as well as individual operating practices demanded or deemed by the leaders of those schools. Our aim is to build capacity and reduce excessive workload leading to improved standards for our children but also a better ability for teachers to manage their workload.
Wel, mae'r Aelod yn iawn i ddweud bod llwyth gwaith yn bryder parhaus i'r gweithlu, ac i minnau yn wir. Mae pryderon llwyth gwaith yn amrywio'n fawr ar draws y teulu addysg, fodd bynnag. Mae gwahanol faterion a blaenoriaethau'n codi yn dibynnu ar amrywiaeth o ffactorau, gan gynnwys y cyfnod ysgol y mae rhywun yn gweithio ynddo, ardaloedd gwledig, amddifadedd, maes pwnc neu eu rôl mewn ysgol unigol, yn ogystal ag arferion gweithredu unigol a fynnir neu a bennir gan arweinwyr yr ysgolion hynny. Ein nod yw meithrin gallu a lleihau llwyth gwaith gormodol er mwyn arwain at safonau gwell ar gyfer ein plant, ond hefyd at wella'r gallu i athrawon reoli eu llwyth gwaith.
Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. One way to reduce teacher workload, apart from reducing the amount of paperwork they're required to do, which I didn't hear you mention, would be to reduce class sizes. This is something that I feel quite strongly about. That would be to the benefit of both teachers and pupils and go a long way to delivering the world-class education that I know our teachers are capable of providing if they're allowed to. Do you agree with me? And, if so, what measures have you implemented to reduce class sizes?
Diolch am eich ateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Un ffordd o leihau llwyth gwaith athrawon, ar wahân i leihau faint o waith papur y mae'n ofynnol iddynt ei wneud, ac ni chlywais sôn am hyn gennych, fyddai lleihau maint dosbarthiadau. Mae hyn yn rhywbeth rwy'n teimlo'n gryf yn ei gylch. Byddai'n fuddiol i athrawon a disgyblion, a byddai'n cyfrannu'n helaeth at y gwaith o ddarparu'r addysg wych y gwn y gallai ein hathrawon ei darparu pe baent yn cael eu caniatáu i wneud hynny. A ydych yn cytuno? Ac os felly, pa fesurau rydych wedi eu rhoi ar waith i leihau maint dosbarthiadau?
On the issue of paperwork, we are carrying out a bureaucracy project to look to see what paperwork we can take away from teachers. We're employing business managers via our pilots so that those tasks that are not related to teaching and learning can be taken on by another professional in the school, and we have sent out a myth-busting document that demonstrates quite clearly our expectations of the teachers.
Now, for the first time ever, there is something that Michelle Brown has said that I do agree with. I agree with you that class sizes are incredibly important, and that's why we have made resources available to local authorities, both capital and revenue, to help them reduce class sizes in the areas of education where we know that that policy will have the biggest impact, and those are our youngest children and classes that have high levels of deprivation or high levels of children who do not have English as their first language. I would be very happy to write to the Member to provide her with an update of the plans that local authorities in north Wales have come forward with, if she's interested.
O ran gwaith papur, rydym yn cynnal prosiect biwrocratiaeth i weld pa waith papur y gallwn gael gwared arno ar gyfer athrawon. Rydym yn cyflogi rheolwyr busnes drwy ein cynlluniau peilot fel bod modd i weithiwr proffesiynol arall yn yr ysgol gyflawni tasgau nad ydynt yn ymwneud ag addysgu a dysgu, ac rydym wedi dosbarthu dogfen chwalu mythau sy'n nodi'r hyn rydym yn ei ddisgwyl gan athrawon yn gwbl glir.
Nawr, am y tro cyntaf erioed, mae Michelle Brown wedi dweud rhywbeth rwy'n cytuno ag ef. Rwy'n cytuno â chi fod maint dosbarthiadau yn hynod o bwysig, a dyna pam rydym wedi darparu adnoddau i awdurdodau lleol, ar ffurf cyfalaf a refeniw, i'w helpu i leihau maint dosbarthiadau yn y meysydd addysg lle y gwyddom y bydd y polisi hwnnw'n cael yr effaith fwyaf, sef ein plant ieuengaf a dosbarthiadau sydd â lefelau uchel o amddifadedd neu lefelau uchel o blant nad yw Saesneg yn iaith gyntaf iddynt. Byddwn yn fwy na pharod i ysgrifennu at yr Aelod i roi'r newyddion diweddaraf iddi ynglŷn â'r cynlluniau a gyflwynwyd gan awdurdodau lleol yng ngogledd Cymru os oes ganddi ddiddordeb.
I would be very interested, Cabinet Secretary. Thank you for that answer.
Moving on, local authorities are under increasing pressure from Welsh Government to set aside land for housing, and new housing is being built across Wales in anticipation of a rising population. Welsh Government's keen to develop Wales and attract people in. I have no problem with that. What I want to ask, though, is: in light of the likely rising population in Wales, what plans have you put in place to ensure that there are sufficient places in schools to properly educate additional children?
Byddai diddordeb mawr gennyf, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Diolch am eich ateb.
Gan symud ymlaen, mae awdurdodau lleol o dan bwysau cynyddol o du Llywodraeth Cymru i neilltuo tir ar gyfer tai, ac adeiladir tai newydd ledled Cymru wrth ragweld cynnydd yn y boblogaeth. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn awyddus i ddatblygu Cymru a denu pobl yma. Nid oes gennyf broblem gyda hynny. Hoffwn ofyn, fodd bynnag: yn sgil y cynnydd tebygol yn y boblogaeth yng Nghymru, pa gynlluniau sydd gennych ar waith i sicrhau bod digon o leoedd mewn ysgolion i addysgu plant ychwanegol yn briodol?
The planning of school places is primarily the responsibility of individual local authorities, who I would expect would be able to ensure that when dealing with, for instance, new housing developments, they have taken into consideration the ability of people who may live in those areas to be able to respond to educational needs. If the Member has any examples where she feels that that is not happening, I'd be very interested to hear from her because we can take that up with individual local authorities.
I recently had the privilege of opening a new school in the Newport area, built in an area of the city that is experiencing a great deal of house building, and in that school, the school is going to grow as the community grows. So, they have an intake of reception and year 1, and as the community grows around it, there are spaces available in that school, and that's an example of a local authority really having some forethought about how they plan for increased housing and demand on education in their area.
Cyfrifoldeb yr awdurdodau lleol unigol yn bennaf yw cynllunio lleoedd mewn ysgolion, a buaswn yn disgwyl iddynt allu sicrhau, wrth ymdrin, er enghraifft, â datblygiadau tai newydd, eu bod wedi ystyried gallu'r bobl sy'n byw yn yr ardaloedd hyn i ymateb i anghenion addysgol. Os oes gan yr Aelod unrhyw enghreifftiau lle mae'n teimlo nad yw hynny'n digwydd, hoffwn glywed ganddi oherwydd gallwn drafod hynny gydag awdurdodau lleol unigol.
Yn ddiweddar, cefais y fraint o agor ysgol newydd yn ardal Casnewydd, ysgol a adeiladwyd mewn ardal o'r ddinas lle mae cryn dipyn o dai'n cael eu hadeiladu, a bydd yr ysgol honno'n tyfu wrth i'r gymuned dyfu. Felly, mae ganddynt ddosbarth derbyn a blwyddyn 1, ac wrth i'r gymuned o'i hamgylch dyfu, bydd lleoedd ar gael yn yr ysgol honno, a dyna enghraifft o awdurdod lleol yn meddwl ymlaen o ran sut y maent yn cynllunio ar gyfer rhagor o dai a rhagor o alw ar y system addysg yn eu hardal.
3. Pa gynlluniau sydd gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet i wella addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd i ddisgyblion? OAQ51679
3. What plans does the Cabinet Secretary have to improve sex and relationship education for pupils? OAQ51679
Thank you very much, Julie. I am committed to improving sex and relationship education in schools in a variety of ways. That is why I have given £50,000, for instance, to Welsh Women’s Aid to develop SRE resources. I am also considering how the recommendations of the SRE expert panel can inform plans to improve SRE delivery now and in the future.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Julie. Rwyf wedi ymrwymo i wella addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd mewn ysgolion mewn sawl ffordd. Dyna pam rwyf wedi darparu £50,000, er enghraifft, i Cymorth i Fenywod Cymru ddatblygu adnoddau addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd. Rwyf hefyd yn ystyried sut y gall argymhellion y panel arbenigol ar addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd lywio cynlluniau i wella darpariaeth addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd ar hyn o bryd ac yn y dyfodol.
I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that response, and I welcome the SRE expert panel report and look forward to its recommendations being put in place.
At the 'State of Child Health' in Wales launch last week, a group of young people were saying that their experience of SRE in schools is very patchy, and that, in some schools, it's very limited, especially in Catholic schools, and they raised the issue that nearly all the teachers delivering the subject are not specifically trained to do so. And, of course, we did have the Terrence Higgins Trust report in 2016, which said that the way it was taught was not inclusive at all and didn't talk about LGBT relationships, didn't talk about consent and didn't talk about gender identity.
So, how will the Cabinet Secretary address the wide variation of provision that there is at the moment? How will she address the fact that the teachers are not trained, and how will she ensure that this subject is much more inclusive in the future?
Diolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei hymateb, ac rwy'n croesawu adroddiad y panel arbenigol ar addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd ac edrychaf ymlaen at weld eu hargymhellion yn cael eu rhoi ar waith.
Yn lansiad yr 'Adroddiad ar Gyflwr Iechyd Plant' yng Nghymru yr wythnos diwethaf, dywedodd grŵp o bobl ifanc fod eu profiad hwy o addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd mewn ysgolion yn anghyson iawn, a bod yr addysg honno'n gyfyngedig iawn mewn rhai ysgolion, yn enwedig ysgolion Catholig, a nodwyd ganddynt nad oes nemor ddim o'r athrawon sy'n dysgu'r pwnc wedi'u hyfforddi'n benodol i wneud hynny. Ac wrth gwrs, cawsom adroddiad Ymddiriedolaeth Terrence Higgins yn 2016, a ddywedai nad oedd y ffordd y caiff y pwnc ei ddysgu yn gynhwysol o gwbl ac nad oedd yn trafod perthnasoedd Lesbiaidd, Hoyw, Deurywiol a Thrawsrywiol, nac am gydsyniad nac am hunaniaeth o ran rhywedd.
Felly, sut y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn mynd i'r afael â'r amrywiaeth eang o ddarpariaeth sydd ar gael ar hyn o bryd? Sut y bydd yn mynd i'r afael â'r ffaith nad yw'r athrawon yn cael eu hyfforddi, a sut y bydd yn sicrhau bod y pwnc hwn yn llawer mwy cynhwysol yn y dyfodol?
Thank you, Julie. Any Member who spends any time visiting children and asking them about their current experiences of education in PSE lessons will have heard a similar complaint. Currently, what we're delivering for children in terms of sex and relationship education is not what they want and is not equipping them, in many cases, with the information that they need.
You're right to say that, in many cases, this is not about a lack of resources, but it's about, sometimes, a lack of confidence and understanding amongst some of the teaching workforce who are expected to deliver some of these lessons. I'm afraid to say that, with regard to inclusive sex and relationship education, there are still some professionals who are still very wary of talking about LGBT issues because of legislation from previous Governments in another place many decades ago, and that legacy, I'm afraid, is still with us in some of our schools.
I'm absolutely committed to using the expert panel to ensure that, going forward, we have sex and relationship education that is truly inclusive and will be delivered by a profession that feels well-equipped and confident in their ability to deliver those lessons. Crucially, the Member will be aware, Presiding Officer, that health and well-being is one of the six areas of learning and experience in our new curriculum, and we will, as a nation, have to develop the expertise of a new suite of professionals who will be in a position to deliver that new part of our curriculum. In years gone by, we've trained geography teachers and chemistry teachers and physics teachers, but this is an area of the curriculum where we haven't been able to create that specific career pathway, and I know that the curriculum will be the perfect nudge that we need to change that, going forward, so that children will have a better experience.
Diolch, Julie. Bydd unrhyw Aelod sy'n treulio amser yn ymweld â phlant ac yn eu holi ynglŷn â'u profiadau o addysg mewn gwersi addysg bersonol a chymdeithasol ar hyn o bryd wedi clywed cwyn debyg. Ar hyn o bryd, nid yw'r hyn rydym yn ei gynnig i blant o ran addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd yn cyfateb i'r hyn y maent yn dymuno'i gael, ac mewn sawl achos, nid yw'n darparu'r wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arnynt.
Rydych yn iawn i ddweud nad yw'n ymwneud, mewn sawl achos, â diffyg adnoddau, ond mae'n ymwneud weithiau â diffyg hyder a dealltwriaeth ymhlith rhai o'r gweithlu addysgu y mae disgwyl iddynt ddarparu rhai o'r gwersi hyn. O ran addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd gynhwysol, mae arnaf ofn fod rhai gweithwyr proffesiynol yn dal i fod yn gyndyn iawn o siarad am faterion Lesbiaidd, Hoyw, Deurywiol a Thrawsrywiol oherwydd deddfwriaeth gan Lywodraethau blaenorol mewn lle arall ddegawdau lawer yn ôl, ac mae arnaf ofn fod canlyniad hynny yn dal gyda ni yn rhai o'n hysgolion.
Rwy'n gwbl ymrwymedig i ddefnyddio'r panel arbenigol i sicrhau, yn y dyfodol, fod gennym addysg rhyw a pherthnasoedd sy'n wirioneddol gynhwysol ac y bydd yn cael ei darparu gan broffesiwn sy'n teimlo'n ddigon parod a hyderus yn eu gallu i ddarparu'r gwersi hynny. Yn allweddol, bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol, Lywydd, fod iechyd a lles yn un o'r chwe maes dysgu a phrofiad yn ein cwricwlwm newydd, a bydd yn rhaid i ni, fel cenedl, ddatblygu arbenigedd set newydd o weithwyr proffesiynol fel y gallant ddarparu hynny fel rhan o'n cwricwlwm. Yn y blynyddoedd a fu, rydym wedi hyfforddi athrawon daearyddiaeth ac athrawon cemeg ac athrawon ffiseg, ond mae hwn yn faes yn y cwricwlwm lle nad ydym wedi gallu creu'r llwybr gyrfa penodol hwnnw, a gwn y bydd y cwricwlwm yn rhoi'r hwb sydd ei angen arnom i newid hynny yn y dyfodol er mwyn sicrhau profiad gwell i blant.
You will recall in the last Assembly the three opposition parties then worked together to secure concessions from the Welsh Government. We took them to the line over the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015, and that included a commitment from the Welsh Government, alongside support from Peter Black from your party then and Jocelyn Davies from Plaid Cymru and myself, to involve stakeholders from the violence against women sector in developing the healthy relationship education in the curriculum to be followed by all schools.
During that time, I think both you and I referred to Hafan Cymru's Spectrum project to educate pupils in schools and train teachers in schools about healthy relationships. How, therefore, will you be giving your support to the campaign being launched by Hafan Cymru on 3 February regarding healthy relationships, as they say it will support vulnerable men, women and children, help them deal with loneliness and isolation through their Men's Sheds project and, critically, teach children about healthy relationships and domestic abuse through their Spectrum project?
Byddwch yn cofio, yn y Cynulliad diwethaf, fod y tair gwrthblaid wedi gweithio gyda'i gilydd i sicrhau consesiynau gan y Llywodraeth. Rhoesom gryn bwysau arnynt mewn perthynas â Deddf Trais yn erbyn Menywod, Cam-drin Domestig a Thrais Rhywiol (Cymru) 2015, ac roedd hynny'n cynnwys ymrwymiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ynghyd â chefnogaeth wedyn gan Peter Black o'ch plaid chi, gan Jocelyn Davies o Blaid Cymru a gennyf fi, i gynnwys rhanddeiliaid o'r sector trais yn erbyn menywod yn y broses o ddatblygu addysg perthnasoedd iach yn y cwricwlwm ar gyfer bob ysgol.
Yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw, credaf eich bod chi a minnau wedi cyfeirio at brosiect Sbectrwm Hafan Cymru, sy'n addysgu disgyblion mewn ysgolion ac yn hyfforddi athrawon mewn ysgolion ynglŷn â pherthnasoedd iach. Sut y byddwch felly'n cefnogi'r ymgyrch perthnasoedd iach a fydd yn cael ei lansio gan Hafan Cymru ar 3 Chwefror, gan eu bod yn dweud y bydd yn cefnogi dynion, menywod a phlant sy'n agored i niwed, yn eu cynorthwyo i ymdopi ag unigrwydd ac arwahanrwydd drwy eu prosiect Siediau Dynion, ac yn hanfodol, yn dysgu plant am berthnasoedd iach a cham-drin domestig drwy eu prosiect Sbectrwm?
Thank you, Mark. I want to take this opportunity to recognise your personal commitment to this agenda. You will have heard in my answer to Julie Morgan that I'm being as good as my word in opposition as I am in Government in the fact that we have given a grant to Welsh Women's Aid to help develop resources for schools with regard to what safe, respectful and nurturing relationships look like. And I'm glad that we have a variety of voluntary organisations that are willing to work alongside us on this agenda.
The health and well-being area of learning and experience working group that is looking to develop this is taking evidence and views from a wide range of stakeholders outside of the education system to inform their work. And, with regard to the Men's Sheds project, I'm very proud, in my Assembly Member capacity, to have a good working relationship with the shed in Knighton and the shed in Llandrindod Wells, which I officially opened, because I recognise that sometimes, for men, some of these issues around mental health and relationships, they find difficult to talk about. Men's Sheds, I think, is a very worthwhile project, creating that safe space for men to talk about some of these issues that the male stiff upper lip sometimes prevents them from talking about.
Diolch, Mark. Hoffwn fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn i gydnabod eich ymrwymiad personol i'r agenda hon. Byddwch wedi clywed, yn fy ateb i Julie Morgan, fy mod yn cadw at yr hyn a ddywedais yn yr wrthblaid â minnau yn y Llywodraeth drwy ein bod wedi rhoi grant i Cymorth i Fenywod Cymru er mwyn helpu i ddatblygu adnoddau i ysgolion mewn perthynas â deall beth yw perthnasoedd diogel, parchus a meithringar. Ac rwy'n falch fod gennym amrywiaeth o fudiadau gwirfoddol sy'n barod i weithio gyda ni ar yr agenda hon.
Mae gweithgor maes iechyd a lles o ddysgu a phrofiad sy'n ceisio datblygu hyn yn casglu tystiolaeth a safbwyntiau gan ystod eang o randdeiliaid o'r tu allan i'r system addysg er mwyn llywio eu gwaith. Ac mewn perthynas â phrosiect Siediau Dynion, rwy'n falch iawn, yn rhinwedd fy swydd fel Aelod Cynulliad, o gael perthynas waith dda gyda'r sied yn Nhrefyclo a'r sied yn Llandrindod, a agorwyd yn swyddogol gennyf, gan fy mod yn cydnabod, weithiau, fod dynion yn ei chael hi'n anodd trafod rhai o'r materion sy'n ymwneud ag iechyd meddwl a pherthnasoedd. Credaf fod Siediau Dynion yn brosiect gwerth chweil, gan ei fod yn creu lle diogel i ddynion siarad am rai o'r materion hyn y gallant fod yn gyndyn i siarad amdanynt.
4. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn annog ysgolion i hyrwyddo modelau rôl benywaidd yn yr ystafell ddosbarth? OAQ51673
4. How is the Welsh Government encouraging schools to promote female role models in the classroom? OAQ51673
Thank you, Jayne. We want our young people to be ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world, and healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society. That means promoting positive female and male role models in the classroom.
Diolch, Jayne. Rydym am i'n pobl ifanc fod yn ddinasyddion moesol a gwybodus yng Nghymru a'r byd ac yn unigolion iach, hyderus, sy'n barod i fyw bywydau llawn fel aelodau gwerthfawr o'r gymdeithas. Golyga hynny hyrwyddo modelau rôl benywaidd a gwrywaidd cadarnhaol yn yr ystafell ddosbarth.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. With the centenary of the end of world war one and women getting the vote over 30, it's vital that we share with boys and girls the contributions of so many women before us. Yesterday, I was proud to unveil a blue plaque for Annie Mistrick in Newport—a nurse who was on the front line, who put her own life at risk to care for and treat wounded soldiers in world war one. She was awarded the highest honour by the French Government for bravery. Pupils from St Woolos Primary School were there at the unveiling to hear about a local woman who was so remarkable, yet nearly lost from history. What support is the Welsh Government providing to schools to ensure that all pupils across the curriculum learn about women, past and present, who play such an important role and, where possible, linking schools with local women and events to bring them to life for a new generation?
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. A hithau'n ganmlwyddiant diwedd y rhyfel byd cyntaf a'r bleidlais i fenywod dros 30 oed, mae'n hanfodol ein bod yn rhannu cyfraniad cynifer o fenywod dros y blynyddoedd gyda bechgyn a merched. Ddoe, roeddwn yn falch o ddadorchuddio plac glas i Annie Mistrick yng Nghasnewydd—nyrs ar y rheng flaen a beryglodd ei bywyd ei hun i drin ac i ofalu am filwyr a anafwyd yn y rhyfel byd cyntaf. Fe'i gwobrwywyd â'r anrhydedd uchaf am ddewrder gan Lywodraeth Ffrainc. Daeth disgyblion o Ysgol Gynradd Gwynllyw Sant i'r dadorchuddiad i glywed am fenyw leol a oedd mor arbennig, ond y bu bron iddi ddiflannu o hanes serch hynny. Pa gymorth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei ddarparu i ysgolion er mwyn sicrhau bod pob disgybl ar draws y cwricwlwm yn dysgu am fenywod, o'r gorffennol a'r presennol, sy'n chwarae rôl mor bwysig, a lle y bo modd, yn cysylltu ysgolion â menywod a digwyddiadau lleol i ddod â hwy'n fyw i genhedlaeth newydd?
Thank you, Jayne. I was delighted to listen to reports on the media yesterday of the unveiling of the plaque. It's sad that it's taken such a long time, really, for this amazing woman to be recognised by her home community when the French Government, over many, many years, at the time, recognised her immense contribution.
There is a variety of ways in which we work with a number of organisations to ensure that children in our schools have access to a wide range of opportunities to learn about women from history, and indeed their own local history. So, for instance, I'm aware that, just next month, the soroptimists of Monmouthshire are putting on an event at King Henry VIII Comprehensive School in Abergavenny where they will be talking about women in science and how we can encourage more girls in primary and secondary schools to study science. So, there's a whole variety of work going on to ensure that we have positive role models for all of our children in school, and we recognise the contribution that Welsh men and women have made, not only to their local history, but, in the case of Annie, to a bigger cause.
Diolch, Jayne. Roeddwn yn falch iawn o wrando ar adroddiadau yn y cyfryngau ddoe ynglŷn â dadorchuddio'r plac. Mae'n drist ei bod wedi cymryd cymaint o amser, mewn gwirionedd, i'r fenyw anhygoel hon gael ei chydnabod gan ei chymuned pan oedd Llywodraeth Ffrainc, dros flynyddoedd lawer ar y pryd yn cydnabod ei chyfraniad aruthrol.
Rydym yn gweithio mewn amryw o ffyrdd gyda nifer o sefydliadau er mwyn sicrhau bod plant yn ein hysgolion yn cael mynediad at ystod eang o gyfleoedd i ddysgu am fenywod o hanes, ac yn wir, am eu hanes lleol eu hunain. Felly, er enghraifft, rwy'n ymwybodol y bydd soroptimyddion Sir Fynwy yn cynnal digwyddiad y mis nesaf yn Ysgol y Brenin Harri VIII yn y Fenni, lle y byddant yn siarad am fenywod ym maes gwyddoniaeth a sut y gallwn annog rhagor o ferched mewn ysgolion cynradd ac ysgolion uwchradd i astudio gwyddoniaeth. Felly, mae yna ystod o waith yn mynd rhagddo i sicrhau bod gennym fodelau rôl cadarnhaol ar gyfer ein holl blant yn yr ysgol, ac rydym yn cydnabod cyfraniad dynion a menywod Cymru, nid yn unig i'w hanes lleol, ond yn achos Annie, i achos mwy.
Well, I'm more than happy to cite Amy Dillwyn from my region as a dead role model—that's not always the most useful role model, though. One of the recommendations from the 'Talented Women for a Successful Wales' report is that we should find imaginative initiatives to challenge gender stereotypes and encourage girls and boys to consider non-traditional occupations. When do you expect to be able to give us some working examples of role models who have been persuaded to go into schools, and how schools themselves have identified those—it could be women, but it could be men as well, I suppose—so that we know what a good role model might look like? Thank you.
Wel, rwy'n fwy na pharod i grybwyll Amy Dillwyn o fy rhanbarth i fel model rôl sydd wedi marw—nid dyna'r model rôl mwyaf defnyddiol bob amser, er hynny. Un o argymhellion yr adroddiad 'Menywod Dawnus ar gyfer Cymru Lwyddiannus' yw y dylem roi mentrau dychmygus ar waith i herio stereoteipio ar sail rhyw ac annog merched a bechgyn i ystyried galwedigaethau anhraddodiadol. Pryd rydych yn disgwyl gallu rhoi rhai enghreifftiau inni o fodelau rôl sydd wedi cael eu perswadio i fynd i mewn i ysgolion, a sut y mae'r ysgolion eu hunain wedi nodi'r modelau rôl hynny—gallent fod yn fenywod, ond gallent fod yn ddynion hefyd, mae'n debyg—fel y gallwn ddeall beth sy'n gwneud model rôl da? Diolch.
I think, Suzy, you're absolutely right: we need to really challenge some stereotypical images that people have. That's why I'm aware that my Cabinet colleague, Julie James, only this week was involved in the This is Me launch at a local college, really challenging what it means to be male or female and what that might mean in terms of the expectations you have of yourself, or that your peers and your community might have of you.
It's also really important in terms of Careers Wales and the offer that Careers Wales put into schools to help inform children when they're taking individual subject choices about what that means for their career going forward. So, I know that Careers Wales activities and services do challenge gender stereotypes, and they do work to facilitate education and business links, for instance, through their exchange programmes, so that people have a wide variety of opportunities to explore what they may want to become when they leave school.
Suzy, rwy'n credu eich bod yn llygad eich lle: mae angen inni herio rhai o'r delweddau ystrydebol sydd gan bobl. Dyna pam rwy'n ymwybodol fod fy nghyd-Aelod Cabinet, Julie James, wedi cymryd rhan yn lansiad Dyma Fi yr wythnos hon mewn coleg lleol, gan herio o ddifrif yr hyn y mae bod yn wryw neu'n fenyw yn ei olygu a beth y gallai hynny ei olygu o ran eich disgwyliadau ohonoch eich hun, neu'r hyn y gallai eich cyfoedion a'ch cymuned ei ddisgwyl ohonoch.
Mae'n bwysig iawn hefyd o ran Gyrfa Cymru a'r cynnig y mae Gyrfa Cymru yn ei roi i ysgolion i helpu i hysbysu plant wrth iddynt ddewis eu pynciau ynglŷn â'r hyn y mae hynny'n ei olygu ar gyfer eu gyrfa yn y dyfodol. Felly, gwn fod gweithgareddau a gwasanaethau Gyrfa Cymru yn herio stereoteipiau rhyw, a'u bod yn gweithio i hwyluso cysylltiadau busnes ac addysg, er enghraifft, drwy eu rhaglenni cyfnewid, er mwyn sicrhau bod amrywiaeth eang o gyfleoedd ar gael i bobl archwilio beth yr hoffent ei wneud ar ôl gadael ysgol.
Mi oedd y lle yma yn role model gwych ar gyfer cydraddoldeb rhywedd, ond ers 2003, mae’r sefyllfa wedi newid ac wedi mynd am yn ôl. Hoffwn i gael eich barn chi am yr egwyddor o gyflwyno deddfwriaeth i greu cydraddoldeb o ran cynrychiolwyr yn y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol, a hynny fel ffordd o arwain at gydraddoldeb mewn meysydd eraill, gan gynnwys yn yr ysgolion ac yn y byd addysg.
This place was an excellent role model for gender equality, but since 2003, the situation has changed and has moved backwards. I'd like your opinion on the principle of introducing legislation to create equality in terms of representatives in the National Assembly as a means of leading to equality in other areas, including in our schools and education more generally.
Perhaps there's one silver lining to the predicament I find myself in: at least the Welsh Liberal Democrats can claim 100 per cent female representation in this particular Assembly term. [Laughter.] Although, I must admit that's not a particular silver lining I would have welcomed.
I have always, throughout my political career, paid tribute to other political parties that, I believe, took very brave steps to ensure good gender representation in this place. I have to admit that it's a battle that I was never able to win when I was leader of my own political party. I'm a firm believer: unless you can see it, you can never hope to become it.
But, from my perspective in education, what's really important to me is that we, via our existing PSE curriculum and our new curriculum, give young women the opportunity to learn about the political process, to understand how that political process works, and to encourage in them a desire to want to contribute to it, as campaigners and activists in their own communities as well as formal politicians who might seek to serve on councils, in Assemblies or in Parliaments.
Efallai fod un peth da ynglŷn â'r sefyllfa rwyf ynddi: o leiaf gall Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru hawlio cynrychiolaeth fenywaidd o 100 y cant yn ystod tymor y Cynulliad hwn. [Chwerthin.] Er, rhaid cyfaddef nad yw'r peth da penodol hwnnw yn rhywbeth y buaswn wedi'i groesawu.
Rwyf bob amser, drwy gydol fy ngyrfa wleidyddol, wedi talu teyrnged i bleidiau gwleidyddol eraill sydd wedi cymryd camau dewr iawn, yn fy marn i, i sicrhau cynrychiolaeth dda iawn o ran rhywedd yn y lle hwn. Mae'n rhaid cyfaddef na lwyddais i ennill y frwydr honno pan oeddwn yn arweinydd fy mhlaid wleidyddol. Rwy'n credu'n gryf: oni bai eich bod yn gallu gweld rhywbeth, ni allwch obeithio dod yn hynny o beth.
Ond o'm rhan i ym maes addysg, yr hyn sy'n wirioneddol bwysig i mi yw ein bod, drwy ein cwricwlwm ABCh presennol a'n cwricwlwm newydd, yn rhoi cyfle i fenywod ifanc ddysgu am y broses wleidyddol, i ddeall sut y mae'r broses wleidyddol honno'n gweithio, ac i'w hannog i fod eisiau cyfrannu ati, drwy ymgyrchu a gweithredu yn eu cymunedau eu hunain yn ogystal â thrwy fod yn wleidyddion ffurfiol a allai wasanaethu ar gynghorau, mewn Cynulliadau neu mewn Seneddau.
5. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddatganiad am effaith costau teithio ar fynediad at brentisiaiethau? OAQ51670
5. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the impact of travel costs on access to apprenticeships? OAQ51670
Rydym ni’n cymryd lles prentisiaid o ddifrif ac rydym ni’n cydnabod y gall costau teithio fod yn rhwystr i brentisiaid ifanc, er mai rhaglen â chyflog yw hon. Byddwn yn edrych ar ba gyfleoedd sydd ar gael i gael gwared ar unrhyw rwystrau i atal mynediad i’r rhaglen, a byddwn yn cynnwys costau teithio.
We take the welfare of apprentices seriously and we do recognise that travel costs can be a barrier for young apprentices, though this is an employed programme. We will be looking at what opportunities are available to remove any access barriers to the programme, and that will include travel costs.
Rydw i'n frwd iawn dros gyfathrebu llawer cliriach efo pobl ifanc yn 16 oed y dylen nhw fod yn ystyried mynd am brentisiaeth fel dewis amgen. Mi gysylltodd etholwr efo fi yn ddiweddar a oedd hefyd yn gefnogwr i brentisiaethau, ac yn wir mae ei ddau fab o yn dilyn prentisiaethau ar hyn o bryd. Ond mae o yn bryderus am y rhwystr yma o gostau teithio uchel i brentisiaethau, i brentisiaid, a bod hynny yn arbennig o aciwt mewn ardaloedd gwledig lle, wrth gwrs, y gallai'r gweithle fod yn bell iawn i ffwrdd. Pa ystyriaeth arbennig a all y Llywodraeth ei rhoi yng ngoleuni'r ateb yr ydym wedi'i gael gennych chi y prynhawn yma i ystyriaethau penodol i ardaloedd gwledig lle nad ydy'r gweithle ar gyfer prentis ar garreg y drws, ac yn wir y gall fod yn bell iawn i ffwrdd?
I’m very enthusiastic for there to be far clearer communication with young people at 16 years of age that they should consider apprenticeships as an alternative option. A constituent contacted me recently who was also very supportive of apprenticeships, and both his sons are currently on apprenticeships at the moment. But, he is concerned about this barrier in terms of high travel costs for those attending apprenticeships, and that that is particularly acute in rural areas where, of course, the workplace can be a very long way away. What special consideration can the Government give in light of the answer that we’ve heard from you this afternoon to very specific considerations for rural areas, where the workplace for an apprentice isn’t on his or her doorstep and can be a very long way away?
A gaf i jest ddweud ein bod ni wedi edrych mewn i'r mater yma? Un o'r problemau yw gan fod hwn yn fater lle rydym ni'n rhoi arian ychwanegol, gallai hynny gael ei weld fel taxable benefit, ac mae hynny'n creu problem achos nid yw'r cymorth yma ar gael i bob un. Felly, beth nad ydym eisiau ei weld yw sefyllfa lle maen nhw'n cael arian wedi'i gymryd oddi wrthyn nhw achos ein bod ni'n rhoi'r budd-dal yma iddyn nhw. Felly, mae'n fwy cymhleth na fyddech chi'n ystyried ar y dechrau.
Wrth gwrs, rŷm ni wedi cael y mytravelpass yma, sydd yn rhoi un trydydd off pris tocynnau i bobl sydd yn 16 i 18 oed. Mae hynny'n cael ei asesu ar hyn o bryd, ac rydw i'n meddwl bod hynny'n mynd tuag at y cyfeiriad cywir. Ond, rydw i yn cymryd bod hon yn broblem ychwanegol yng nghefn gwlad—pobl sy'n bell i ffwrdd. Felly, rŷm ni yn edrych i mewn iddo fe, a rŷm ni'n ystyried nawr beth yw'r ymateb i mytravelpass.
May I say that I have looked into this issue? One of the problems is that because this is an area where we do give additional funding, that could be seen as a taxable benefit, and that then creates a problem because this assistance isn’t available to all. So, what we don’t want to see is a situation where money is taken away from them because we are giving them this benefit. So, it is more complicated than you might see at first glance.
Of course, we have had this mytravelpass, which gives a third off ticket prices for people who are aged 16 to 18, and that is currently being evaluated. I believe that that takes us in the right direction. However, I do understand that this is a problem for people living in rural areas where distances are a factor. So, we are looking into this and we are considering now what the solution is and how we should respond in terms of mytravelpass.
Cabinet Secretary, affordable transport is vital if young people are to be able to access education and training to obtain the skills our economy needs. The National Union of Students points out that some apprentices are paying 20 per cent of their income on travel and have called for the introduction of an apprentice travel card. I just heard from the Minister there about taxable benefit. I think that's not possible, because the children are always exempt from anything. So why is this? I think don't mix oranges with apples here.
Does the Cabinet Secretary agree that providing all 16 to 20-year-olds in Wales with a card offering a free bus pass would remove a huge barrier to young people accessing education, training and job opportunities, which our side of the Chamber has been asking for for many, many years? You're not even listening.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae trafnidiaeth fforddiadwy yn hanfodol os yw pobl ifanc am gael mynediad at addysg a hyfforddiant er mwyn dysgu'r sgiliau sydd eu hangen ar ein heconomi. Mae Undeb Cenedlaethol y Myfyrwyr yn nodi bod rhai prentisiaid yn gwario 20 y cant o'u hincwm ar deithio ac wedi galw am gyflwyno cerdyn teithio i brentisiaid. Clywais y Gweinidog yn sôn am fudd trethadwy. Ni chredaf fod hynny'n bosibl, gan fod y plant bob amser wedi'u heithrio o unrhyw beth. Felly pam hyn? Ni chredaf y dylid cymysgu orennau gydag afalau yma.
A yw Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cytuno y byddai darparu tocyn bws am ddim i bob person ifanc rhwng 16 a 20 oed yng Nghymru yn cael gwared ar rwystr enfawr i bobl ifanc rhag cael mynediad at gyfleoedd addysg, hyfforddiant a swyddi, sy'n rhywbeth y mae ein hochr ni o'r Siambr wedi bod yn gofyn amdano ers blynyddoedd lawer? Nid ydych yn gwrando, hyd yn oed.
Can I point out that, when you're on an apprenticeship course, you actually receive an income, and any income is, theoretically, taxable? So, we have got to be sensitive. We have been looking at what is possible, because it has been recognised as a taxable benefit. So, we're not comparing apples with oranges, we're actually making sure that these people don't get into more trouble.
I do think that what we need to do is to make sure that we put pressure, sometimes, on some of the bus companies. If you look in Cardiff, for example, the Iff card, there are discounts for 16 to 18-year-olds, so it is possible for that to happen. But already—if it's available to everyone, it's not a problem. It's when you start just giving it to special circumstances, that's when it creates a problem.
A gaf fi dynnu sylw at y ffaith eich bod, pan fyddwch ar gwrs prentisiaeth, yn derbyn incwm, ac mae unrhyw incwm, mewn egwyddor, yn drethadwy? Felly, mae'n rhaid inni fod yn sensitif. Rydym wedi edrych ar beth sy'n bosibl, gan y cydnabyddir fod hwn yn fudd trethadwy. Felly, nid ydym yn cymharu afalau gydag orennau, rydym yn sicrhau mewn gwirionedd nad yw'r bobl hyn yn mynd i fwy o drafferthion.
Credaf mai'r hyn sydd angen inni ei wneud yw sicrhau ein bod yn rhoi pwysau, weithiau, ar rai o'r cwmnïau bysiau. Os edrychwch chi yng Nghaerdydd, er enghraifft, y cerdyn Iff, ceir gostyngiadau ar gyfer pobl ifanc rhwng 16 a 18 oed, felly mae modd i hynny ddigwydd. Ond eisoes—os yw ar gael i bawb, nid yw'n broblem. Pan fyddwch yn dechrau ei ddarparu mewn amgylchiadau arbennig yn unig, dyna pryd y mae'n creu problem.
6. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet amlinellu cynlluniau i wella addysg bellach i gefnogi mwy o bobl i ennill cymwysterau yng Nghymru? OAQ51681
6. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline plans to improve further education to support more people to gain qualifications in Wales? OAQ51681
Mae 'Symud Cymru Ymlaen', rhaglen y Llywodraeth hyd at 2021, yn nodi’n glir ein bod yn credu bod ffyniant a sefydlogrwydd ein cenedl yn y dyfodol yn dibynnu ar sgiliau a gwerthoedd ein pobl. Mae'r Llywodraeth yn cydnabod bod dysgu yn y sector addysg bellach, p'un ai’n ddysgu gydol oes, yn ddysgu rhan-amser, neu’n ddysgu seiliedig ar waith, yn hanfodol i ffyniant unigolyn ac i ffyniant y genedl.
'Taking Wales Forward', the Government's programme to 2021, clearly sets out our belief that the future prosperity and stability of our nation depends on the skills and values of our people. The Government recognises that further education learning, whether lifelong, part-time, or work based, is essential for individual and national prosperity.
Diolch. Mae tudalen 8 'Addysg yng Nghymru' yn trafod yr angen am ymrwymiad cryf i gydweithredu effeithiol ynghyd ag integreiddio gwasanaethau lle’n briodol. A allech chi ehangu ar beth yw’r cyfleoen i weithio ar y cyd yn well rhwng colegau ac ysgolion? Er enghraifft, roedd Llywodraeth Cymru yn arfer ariannu fforymau 14 i 19 cyfrwng Cymraeg, ac roedd hwn yn ceisio hybu cydweithrediad rhwng y sectorau hynny’n benodol. A oes yna gynlluniau tebyg ar y gweill, ac, os felly, a fedrwch chi amlinellu’r rhain?
Thank you. Page 8 of 'Education in Wales' discusses the need for a strong commitment to effective collaboration as well as the integration of services where appropriate. Could you expand on what the opportunities to collaborate more effectively are in terms of colleges and schools? For example, the Welsh Government used to fund 14 to 19-year-old fora through the medium of Welsh, and this did try and promote collaboration between those sectors specifically. Are there any similar proposals in the pipeline, and could you tell us about those, if there are?
Mae’n bwysig ein bod ni’n gweld gwell cydweithrediad rhwng ysgolion ac addysg bellach. Wrth gwrs, rŷm ni'n edrych ar sut rŷm ni'n gallu gweld y cydweithredu yna drwy PCET, y newidiadau byddwn ni’n eu gweld yn y dyfodol. Byddwn ni’n cymryd cystadleuaeth mas o’r system achos mae honno’n gallu creu problem ar hyn o bryd. Ond rydw i’n meddwl ei fod yn werth dweud bod—mae yna lwyddiant eithaf uchel yn addysg bellach ar hyn o bryd. Mae tua 86 y cant o bobl yn llwyddo ym maes addysg bellach, felly mae hwnnw’n gam eithaf pwysig. Beth sydd angen, wrth gwrs, yw ein bod ni’n mynd ymhellach a gwthio’r safonau i fyny’n gyson.
It is important that we do see better collaboration between schools and further education. Now, we are looking at how we can see that collaboration through the post-compulsory education and training changes that we will see in future. We'll take competition out of the system because that can create problems at present. But I do think it is worth stating that there is quite a high level of success in FE at present. About 86 per cent of people do succeed in the field of FE, so that is quite an important step. What we do need is to go even further and push those standards even higher and constantly.
7. Pa gymorth y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei ddarparu i lywodraethwyr ysgol yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf? OAQ51650
7. What support will the Welsh Government provide for school governors in the next financial year? OAQ51650
The Welsh Government will support governors by working with the regional consortia to strengthen the national model for regional working and we will also respond to the consultation on school governance with proposals for a revised and simplified regulatory framework.
Bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi llywodraethwyr drwy weithio gyda'r consortia rhanbarthol i gryfhau'r model cenedlaethol ar gyfer gweithio rhanbarthol a byddwn hefyd yn ymateb i'r ymgynghoriad ar lywodraethu ysgolion gyda chynigion ar gyfer fframwaith rheoleiddio diwygiedig a symlach.
You'll be aware, Cabinet Secretary, that over £0.25 million that used to go to Governors Wales is not going to be forthcoming in the next financial year, and they're meeting on 16 February to decide whether to close their doors.
Governors Cardiff is continuing to exist, with a £50 levy per school, and that may be possible in an urban area where schools are relatively close together, but, given that school governors are the ultimate active citizens—they're not being paid for carrying out their duties—what are the opportunities now for governors to all get up to speed? I was looking at the Central South Consortium, and there's nothing there in terms of explaining to governors what their role is in ensuring that their priorities are met. I'm aware that Cardiff Council has cut their governor support from four officers to two, so it would be useful to know how you think governors are going to be supported to carry out their quite complex role.
Fe fyddwch yn gwybod, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, na fydd dros £0.25 miliwn a arferai fynd i Llywodraethwyr Cymru yn cael ei ddarparu yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf, a byddant yn cyfarfod ar 16 Chwefror i benderfynu a ydynt am ddirwyn i ben.
Mae Llywodraethwyr Caerdydd yn parhau i fodoli, gydag ardoll o £50 ar gyfer pob ysgol, ac efallai fod hynny'n bosibl mewn ardal drefol lle mae'r ysgolion yn gymharol agos at ei gilydd, ond o gofio mai llywodraethwyr ysgol yw un o'r enghreifftiau gorau o ddinasyddion gweithgar—nid ydynt yn derbyn tâl am gyflawni eu dyletswyddau—pa gyfleoedd sydd ar gael bellach i sicrhau bod pob llywodraethwr yn cael y wybodaeth ddiweddaraf? Roeddwn yn edrych ar Gonsortiwm Canolbarth y De, ac nid oes unrhyw beth yno i egluro i lywodraethwyr beth yw eu rôl o ran sicrhau eu bod yn cyflawni eu blaenoriaethau. Gwn fod Cyngor Caerdydd wedi torri eu cymorth i lywodraethwyr o bedwar swyddog i ddau, felly byddai'n ddefnyddiol gwybod sut rydych yn credu y bydd llywodraethwyr yn cael eu cynorthwyo i gyflawni rôl sy'n eithaf cymhleth.
I thank the Member for that. I've been very clear that, in order to protect front-line delivery for schools, I am prepared to make difficult decisions, and, in that regard, as governor support is already provided through local authorities and regional consortia, as the Member has said, we will be ending the grant to Governors Wales.
We're not seeking to replace or replicate the support previously provided by Governors Wales as we believe that many of the services offered, as I said, are already duplicated by local authorities and the regional consortia. I need to make it clear that of the approximately 21,000 governors that we have in Wales—and, Jenny, you're absolutely right, they are the ultimate in active citizens—only 2,000 of those governors were actually on the Governors Wales mailing list, receiving information from Governors Wales, and, when Welsh Government undertook a review in 2014-15 of Governors Wales activity and support, we identified, for instance, only 10 per cent of governors participating in that review used to contact the helpline that Governors Wales operated. In these difficult times, we can't afford the duplication of service, and we'll be working with the revised regional model and revised expectations of what regional consortia need to support and recognise that, in many instances, governing bodies and governors seek support from their local authorities.
Diolch i'r Aelod am hynny. Rwyf wedi dweud yn glir iawn, er mwyn amddiffyn darpariaeth rheng flaen i ysgolion, fy mod yn barod i wneud penderfyniadau anodd, ac yn hynny o beth, gan fod cymorth eisoes yn cael ei ddarparu i lywodraethwyr drwy awdurdodau lleol a chonsortia rhanbarthol, fel y dywedodd yr Aelod, byddwn yn dirwyn y grant i Llywodraethwyr Cymru i ben.
Nid ydym yn ceisio gosod rhywbeth yn lle neu efelychu'r cymorth a ddarparwyd yn y gorffennol gan Llywodraethwyr Cymru, gan y credwn fod llawer o'r gwasanaethau a gynigir, fel y dywedais, yn cael eu dyblygu eisoes gan awdurdodau lleol a'r consortia rhanbarthol. Mae'n rhaid i mi nodi'n glir, o'r oddeutu 21,000 o lywodraethwyr sydd gennym yng Nghymru—a Jenny, rydych yn llygad eich lle, maent yn un o'r enghreifftiau gorau o ddinasyddion gweithgar—mai 2,000 yn unig o'r llywodraethwyr hynny oedd ar restr bostio Llywodraethwyr Cymru, yn derbyn gwybodaeth gan Llywodraethwyr Cymru, a phan gynhaliwyd adolygiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru o weithgarwch a chymorth Llywodraethwyr Cymru yn 2014-15, nodwyd gennym, er enghraifft, mai 10 y cant yn unig o'r llywodraethwyr a gymerodd ran yn yr adolygiad hwnnw a oedd yn arfer cysylltu â'r llinell gymorth a weithredai Llywodraethwyr Cymru. Mewn cyfnod anodd fel hwn, ni allwn fforddio dyblygu gwasanaethau, a byddwn yn gweithio gyda'r model rhanbarthol diwygiedig a'r disgwyliadau diwygiedig o ran yr hyn sydd ei angen ar y consortia rhanbarthol i gefnogi a chydnabod, mewn llawer o achosion, fod cyrff llywodraethu a llywodraethwyr yn ceisio cymorth gan eu hawdurdodau lleol.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 8—Hefin David.
And finally, question 8—Hefin David.
8. Beth y mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn ei wneud i baratoi'r sector addysg ôl-16 yng Nghymru ar gyfer gweithredu'r argymhellion a gynhwysir yn yr adroddiad 'Dyfodol Llwyddiannus'? OAQ51676
8. What is the Cabinet Secretary doing to prepare the post-16 education sector in Wales for the implementation of the recommendations included in the 'Successful Futures' report? OAQ51676
Professor Donaldson's review, 'Successful Futures', had radical and wide-ranging implications for the education system in Wales. We've been working with a range of stakeholders to develop the plan and overall timeline. The focus is on the essential and employability skills young people need in their future lives.
Mae adolygiad yr Athro Donaldson, 'Dyfodol Llwyddiannus', wedi arwain at oblygiadau pellgyrhaeddol a radical ar gyfer y system addysg yng Nghymru. Rydym wedi bod yn gweithio gydag amrywiaeth o randdeiliaid i ddatblygu'r cynllun a'r amserlen gyffredinol. Mae'r ffocws ar y sgiliau hanfodol a'r sgiliau cyflogadwyedd sydd eu hangen ar bobl ifanc yn y dyfodol.
Further education should be included in the design and development of the curriculum. The Baker clause has recently come into effect in England, whereby schools are required to let FE providers advertise their services to pupils in years 8 to 13, making learners aware of the range of options available to them after they leave compulsory education. With the significant reforms under way to the curriculum, and particularly governance of post-16 education as well, do we in Wales need to consider a similar mechanism in order to prepare pupils for the transition between schools and FE?
Dylid cynnwys addysg bellach yn y broses o ddylunio a datblygu'r cwricwlwm. Mae cymal Baker wedi dod i rym yn Lloegr yn ddiweddar, i fynnu bod ysgolion yn gadael i ddarparwyr addysg bellach hysbysebu eu gwasanaethau i ddisgyblion blynyddoedd 8 i 13, gan sicrhau bod dysgwyr yn ymwybodol o'r ystod o opsiynau sydd ar gael iddynt wedi iddynt adael addysg orfodol. O gofio'r diwygiadau sylweddol sydd ar y gweill i'r cwricwlwm, yn ogystal â llywodraethu addysg ôl-16 yn arbennig, a ddylem ni yng Nghymru ystyried mecanwaith tebyg er mwyn paratoi disgyblion ar gyfer y cyfnod pontio rhwng yr ysgol ac addysg bellach?
Well, 'Successful Futures' doesn't specifically mention post-16 learners, but I do take the point that, actually, it is important that there is a relationship and people understand the continuity that is necessary between school and further education. So, what we've asked is we've asked Colegau Cymru to come up with a set of recommendations in terms of what FE can do in terms of developing the new curriculum, but I think the other point is that we do need to make sure that children in school are aware of all the opportunities available to them and that the academic route is not necessarily right for everyone, and we need to make sure that perhaps we have a more objective possibility within schools in terms of allowing individuals—making it individual-centred rather than a system where there is an encouragement to stay on, necessarily, in school, which is not right for every pupil at sixth form.
Wel, nid yw 'Dyfodol Llwyddiannus' yn cyfeirio'n benodol at ddysgwyr ôl-16, ond rwy'n derbyn y pwynt ei bod yn bwysig sicrhau perthynas a bod pobl yn deall y dilyniant angenrheidiol rhwng ysgol ac addysg bellach. Felly, rydym wedi gofyn i Colegau Cymru bennu set o argymhellion ar yr hyn y gall addysg bellach ei wneud i ddatblygu cwricwlwm newydd, ond credaf mai'r pwynt arall yw bod angen inni sicrhau bod plant ysgol yn ymwybodol o'r holl gyfleoedd sydd ar gael iddynt ac nad yw'r llwybr academaidd yn addas i bawb o reidrwydd, ac mae angen inni sicrhau bod gennym bosibiliadau mwy gwrthrychol mewn ysgolion, efallai, o ran caniatáu i unigolion—ei bod yn system sy'n canolbwyntio ar yr unigolyn yn hytrach nag un sy'n annog pobl ifanc i aros yn yr ysgol o reidrwydd, gan nad yw hynny'n addas i bob disgybl yn y chweched.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog a'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet.
Thank you to the Minister and the Cabinet Secretary.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet dros Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol. A'r cwestiwn cyntaf—Jane Hutt.
The next item is questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services. The first question is from Jane Hutt.
1. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddatganiad am adroddiad diweddaraf y Prif Swyddog Meddygol ar iechyd y genedl? OAQ51659
1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Chief Medical Officer’s latest report on the health of the nation? OAQ51659
Thank you for the question. I welcome the chief medical officer's report, which was launched today. It has a particular focus on harm from gambling as an emerging public health issue, and I look forward to making a full statement on the report and its recommendations next week.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Rwy'n croesawu adroddiad y prif swyddog meddygol, a lansiwyd heddiw. Mae'n canolbwyntio'n benodol ar niwed o ganlyniad i gamblo fel mater iechyd cyhoeddus sy'n dod i'r amlwg, ac edrychaf ymlaen at wneud datganiad llawn ar yr adroddiad a'i argymhellion yr wythnos nesaf.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I look forward also to looking at the latest CMO report out today, but I'd like to refer to the last report, 'Rebalancing healthcare: Working in partnership to reduce social inequity', which draws attention to a major global theme that many health problems demonstrate a strong social gradient, and there's a higher prevalence of illness and early death in more economically disadvantaged groups and areas. Indeed, Professor Marmot, earlier this week, I heard was emphasising this point. I know that you've met Professor Marmot in a former capacity in terms of your role tackling poverty in Wales. Of equal relevance, of course, for the Welsh Government is the inverse care law, the principle that the availability of good medical or social care tends to vary inversely with the needs of the population served. This principle was proposed by south Wales GP Dr Julian Tudor Hart, and has been widely adopted as a steer for health policy. Can the Cabinet Secretary identify how he is addressing the need to reduce social inequity in health status and health provision in Wales?
Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwyf innau hefyd yn edrych ymlaen at weld adroddiad diweddaraf y prif swyddog meddygol a gyhoeddwyd heddiw, ond hoffwn gyfeirio at yr adroddiad diwethaf, 'Adfer cydbwysedd i ofal iechyd: Gweithio mewn partneriaeth i leihau annhegwch cymdeithasol', sy'n tynnu sylw at thema bwysig yn fyd-eang, sef bod llawer o broblemau iechyd yn dangos graddiant cymdeithasol cryf, a bod nifer uwch o achosion o salwch a marwolaethau cyn pryd ymhlith grwpiau ac ardaloedd o dan anfantais economaidd. Yn wir, clywais fod yr Athro Marmot wedi pwysleisio'r pwynt hwn yn gynharach yr wythnos hon. Gwn eich bod wedi cyfarfod â'r Athro Marmot yn rhinwedd eich swydd flaenorol mewn perthynas â'ch rôl yn trechu tlodi yng Nghymru. Yr un mor berthnasol i Lywodraeth Cymru, wrth gwrs, ceir y ddeddf gofal gwrthgyfartal, sef yr egwyddor fod argaeledd gofal meddygol neu gymdeithasol da yn tueddu i amrywio yn wrthgyfartal i anghenion y boblogaeth a wasanaethir. Cynigiwyd yr egwyddor hon gan y meddyg teulu o dde Cymru, Dr Julian Tudor Hart, ac fe'i mabwysiadwyd gan lawer fel arweiniad ar bolisi iechyd. A all Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet nodi sut y mae'n mynd i'r afael â'r angen i leihau anghydraddoldeb cymdeithasol o ran statws iechyd a darpariaeth iechyd yng Nghymru?
I thank the Member for highlighting a hugely important issue for the future of healthcare in Wales and beyond today. This, of course, is a key aspect of prudent healthcare, which my immediate predecessor outlined, and that's continuing through the service. Prudent healthcare is a key aspect when looking at, for example, the NHS Wales Awards; we look for evidence of a prudent approach to running and delivering services. It's also been highlighted and reinforced in the recent parliamentary review as a key driver for our system. There are some positive things to look at here in Wales; it's not just a counsel of helplessness. If we look at Aneurin Bevan Local Health Board and Cwm Taf Local Health Board, they've both had inverse care law programmes, deliberately going out to communities with the greatest level of risk, those people who don't engage with their own health, and the results are really positive thus far as well. I think in a previous appearance before the health and social care committee—it's not called that; it's still got sport in its title—I'd indicated that I'd write to them with an update on the initial evaluation from those two programmes from both vice-chairs. I'd be happy to share that with all Members, because it does show that that practical approach is starting to have an impact. There are lessons to learn from that approach and others for our whole service to adopt across the country.
Diolch i'r Aelod am dynnu sylw at fater pwysig iawn heddiw ar gyfer dyfodol gofal iechyd yng Nghymru a thu hwnt. Mae hyn, wrth gwrs, yn agwedd allweddol ar ofal iechyd darbodus, a amlinellwyd gan fy rhagflaenydd, ac mae hynny'n parhau drwy'r gwasanaeth. Mae gofal iechyd darbodus yn agwedd allweddol wrth edrych, er enghraifft, ar Wobrau GIG Cymru; rydym yn edrych am dystiolaeth o ffyrdd darbodus o gynnal a darparu gwasanaethau. Amlygwyd ac atgyfnerthwyd hyn hefyd yn yr adolygiad seneddol diweddar fel sbardun allweddol ar gyfer ein system. Ceir rhai pethau cadarnhaol i edrych arnynt yma yng Nghymru; nid mynegiant o anobaith yn unig ydyw. Os edrychwn ar Fwrdd Iechyd Lleol Aneurin Bevan a Bwrdd Iechyd Lleol Cwm Taf, maent ill dau wedi cyflwyno rhaglenni'r ddeddf gofal gwrthgyfartal, gan fynd allan yn fwriadol i'r cymunedau gyda'r lefel uchaf o risg, y bobl nad ydynt yn rhoi sylw i'w hiechyd eu hunain, ac mae'r canlyniadau'n gadarnhaol iawn hyd yn hyn hefyd. Mewn ymddangosiad blaenorol ger bron y pwyllgor iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol—nid dyna yw ei enw; mae chwaraeon yn dal i fod yn rhan o'i deitl—rwy'n credu fy mod wedi dweud y buaswn yn ysgrifennu atynt i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ynglŷn â'r gwerthusiad cychwynnol o'r y ddwy raglen gan y ddau is-gadeirydd. Buaswn yn fwy na pharod i rannu hynny gyda'r holl Aelodau, gan ei fod yn dangos bod y dull ymarferol hwnnw'n dechrau cael effaith. Mae gwersi i'w dysgu o'r dull gweithredu hwnnw ac eraill i'r gwasanaeth cyfan eu mabwysiadu ledled y wlad.
Cabinet Secretary, such is the plentitude, if I can put it that way, of gambling opportunities that we hear today that 16 per cent of children aged 11 to 15 gambled in the past week. I do find that quite shocking. I should say that I do gamble occasionally. But we've got a real problem with gambling addiction, and now we hear from the chief medical officer that it is one of the major public health concerns that we face. Are you likely to review the current position of the Welsh Government that there's no medical intervention available to meet gambling addiction?
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae'r toreth o gyfleoedd gamblo sydd ar gael, os caf ei roi felly, mor fawr fel ein bod yn clywed heddiw fod 16 y cant o blant rhwng 11 a 15 oed wedi gamblo yn ystod yr wythnos ddiwethaf. Mae hynny'n gryn syndod i mi. Dylwn ddweud fy mod yn gamblo o bryd i'w gilydd. Ond mae gennym broblem wirioneddol gyda chaethiwed i gamblo, ac rydym yn clywed bellach gan y prif swyddog meddygol ei fod yn un o'r pryderon iechyd cyhoeddus mwyaf sy'n ein hwynebu. A ydych yn debygol o adolygu safbwynt presennol Llywodraeth Cymru nad oes unrhyw ymyrraeth feddygol ar gael i fynd i'r afael â chaethiwed i gamblo?
We will, of course, look at all the evidence available about how to treat gambling addiction in the first place, but I want to come back to your first point about the prevalence of gambling and the ease with which gambling can take place. It's no longer, if you like, an unusual or regulated activity that people have to make an effort to physically go to. There's a challenge about online gambling in particular, and there's been a recent and well-run public debate on fixed-odds betting terminals as well. Now, we're about to have new powers under the Wales Act 2017 where we could potentially do something with our powers, up to a minimum stake of £10. You'll notice that, in the report published today, the chief medical officer recommends using our powers to their fullest extent. We need to consider also the ongoing review undertaken by the UK Government where they are talking about reducing the maximum stake down to £2. The chief medical officer has put evidence in supporting that, so we need to think about how our powers may be affected if the UK Government do take that step forward. I actually think that having that general approach across the UK would be a good thing, but I'm interested in how we use our powers in restricting gambling in a way that is sensible and proportionate, recognising the harm that takes place, and at the same time about the treatments we offer for people who are caught up in gambling addiction, because I do recognise the wide social harm it can and does cause.
Wrth gwrs, byddwn yn ystyried yr holl dystiolaeth sydd ar gael ynglŷn â sut i drin caethiwed i gamblo yn y lle cyntaf, ond hoffwn ddychwelyd at eich pwynt cyntaf ynglŷn â'r toreth o gyfleoedd gamblo sydd ar gael a pha mor hawdd yw hi i gamblo. Nid yw bellach yn weithgaredd rheoledig neu anarferol, os hoffwch, y mae'n rhaid i bobl wneud ymdrech gorfforol i'w wneud. Mae gamblo ar-lein yn her benodol, a chafwyd dadl gyhoeddus dda yn ddiweddar ynglŷn â pheiriannau betio ods sefydlog. Nawr, rydym ar fin cael pwerau newydd o dan Ddeddf Cymru 2017 lle y gallem wneud rhywbeth, o bosibl, gyda'n pwerau, hyd at isafswm betio o £10. Byddwch yn sylwi, yn yr adroddiad a gyhoeddwyd heddiw, fod y prif swyddog meddygol yn argymell defnyddio ein pwerau hyd yr eithaf. Mae angen inni ystyried yr adolygiad parhaus sydd ar waith gan Lywodraeth y DU hefyd, lle maent yn sôn am ostwng yr uchafswm betio i £2. Mae'r prif swyddog meddygol wedi cynnwys tystiolaeth i gefnogi hynny, felly mae angen inni ystyried sut y gellid effeithio ar ein pwerau pe bai Llywodraeth y DU yn cymryd y cam hwnnw. Mewn gwirionedd, credaf y byddai'n beth da cael y dull gweithredu cyffredinol hwn ledled y DU, ond mae gennyf ddiddordeb mewn gweld sut rydym yn defnyddio ein pwerau i gyfyngu ar gamblo mewn ffordd sydd yn synhwyrol ac yn gymesur, gan gydnabod y niwed a achosir, ac ar yr un pryd, ynglŷn â'r triniaethau rydym yn eu cynnig i bobl sy'n dioddef o gaethiwed i gamblo, oherwydd rwy'n cydnabod y niwed cymdeithasol helaeth y gall ei achosi ac y mae'n ei achosi.
2. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau bod byrddau iechyd yn ymgysylltu'n llawn ag ymgynghoriadau cyhoeddus ar wasanaethau iechyd yn y dyfodol? OAQ51671
2. How does the Welsh Government ensure that health boards fully engage in public consultations on future health services? OAQ51671
Health boards are responsible for working together and consulting the public regarding proposed changes to health services in Wales. The Welsh Government promotes good practice in engagement and consultation and supports health boards in working together with the public, their staff and others—including, of course, community health councils—to help ensure the best possible health outcomes and planning.
Mae'r byrddau iechyd yn gyfrifol am gydweithio ac ymgynghori â'r cyhoedd ynghylch newidiadau arfaethedig i wasanaethau iechyd yng Nghymru. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn hyrwyddo arferion da o ran ymgysylltu ac ymgynghori ac yn cynorthwyo'r byrddau iechyd i weithio gyda'r cyhoedd, eu staff ac eraill—gan gynnwys, wrth gwrs, y cynghorau iechyd cymuned—i helpu i sicrhau'r canlyniadau a'r cynlluniau iechyd gorau posibl.
Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. I'm sure, as you agree, it's very important that they do engage with the public. AMBU has recently gone through three, or is going through three, public consultations—thoracic surgery prior to Christmas, and it's currently going through the major trauma network consultation and the boundary changes. I'm hearing that, in fact, the take-up by the public in some of these public meetings is very, very small. Surely it's important that health boards, when they recognise that there are not many people attending, become proactive and actually go back out to the people to get the consultation. Otherwise, there's a report saying very little because people haven't been attending. People may not attend because they don't know. Many of my constituents didn't know these consultations were going on. We need to get them out there. They have to get engaged with the people. They have to recognise that, if they're not talking to them, if they're not attending—go back out and start again so that consultation becomes meaningful and not lip service.
Diolch am eich ateb, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Rwy'n siŵr, fel y cytunwch, ei bod yn bwysig iawn eu bod yn ymgysylltu â'r cyhoedd. Yn ddiweddar, mae AMBU wedi cynnal tri, neu wrthi'n cynnal tri ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus—llawdriniaethau thorasig cyn y Nadolig, ac ar hyn o bryd maent yn cynnal ymgynghoriad ar y rhwydwaith trawma mawr a'r newidiadau i'r ffiniau. Yn ôl yr hyn a glywaf, mewn gwirionedd, ychydig iawn o aelodau'r cyhoedd sy'n mynychu'r cyfarfodydd cyhoeddus hyn. 'Does bosibl nad yw'n bwysig fod y byrddau iechyd, pan fyddant yn cydnabod nad oes llawer o bobl yn mynychu, yn bod yn rhagweithiol ac yn mynd yn ôl at y bobl er mwyn cynnal yr ymgynghoriad. Fel arall, ceir adroddiad sy'n dweud fawr ddim gan nad oes pobl wedi bod yn mynychu. Efallai nad yw pobl yn mynychu oherwydd nad ydynt yn gwybod. Roedd llawer o fy etholwyr heb gael gwybod fod yr ymgynghoriadau hyn yn mynd rhagddynt. Mae angen inni roi gwybod amdanynt. Mae'n rhaid iddynt ymgysylltu â'r bobl. Mae'n rhaid iddynt gydnabod, os nad ydynt yn siarad â hwy, os nad ydynt yn mynychu—ewch yn ôl a dechreuwch eto fel y gall ymgynghoriad fod yn ystyrlon yn hytrach na geiriau gwag.
I do recognise the points the Member raises. There's something important about the balance in what we have to do. We have to make sure that there is a genuine, proactive attempt to engage the public in consultations through a variety of different means. There's the personal conversation that takes place between people and staff, there's the written media, there are formal notices, there's having community meetings, there's all the online presence as well, and, of course, the community health councils and their role in engaging with the public too.
I'm happy to join in with what Julie James said yesterday in business questions to encourage people who have not yet taken part in the major trauma consultation to do so before that closes next week. But we also have to accept we can't force the public to take part in consultations. It's often the way that, when there's a big and a broad subject, the public aren't as likely to engage, but when there's a more specific and local proposal then, actually, you do tend to find that people engage. A good example is planning law, outside the field of health, deliberately. General conversations about planning tend not to have lots of people engaging, but a specific planning proposal in a locality almost always does. But I'm happy to say that I think that we are genuinely looking to learn and to improve. And of course, on one of the proposals that you refer to—the consultation on thoracic surgery—there was confirmation on Monday that thoracic surgery will be centralised, in accordance with a recommendation from the Royal College of Surgeons, and it will be centralised in Morriston in Swansea.
Rwy'n cydnabod y pwyntiau a godwyd gan yr Aelod. Mae'r cydbwysedd o ran yr hyn sydd angen inni ei wneud yn bwysig. Mae'n rhaid inni sicrhau y gwneir ymgais wirioneddol a rhagweithiol i gynnwys y cyhoedd mewn ymgynghoriadau drwy amrywiaeth o ffyrdd gwahanol. Mae'n ymwneud â'r sgwrs bersonol rhwng pobl a staff, y cyfryngau ysgrifenedig, yr hysbysiadau ffurfiol, cynnal cyfarfodydd cymunedol, yr holl bresenoldeb ar-lein hefyd, ac wrth gwrs, y cynghorau iechyd cymuned a'u rôl hwy wrth ymgysylltu gyda'r cyhoedd hefyd.
Rwy'n fwy na pharod i ymuno â'r hyn a ddywedodd Julie James ddoe yn ystod y cwestiynau busnes o ran annog pobl nad ydynt wedi cymryd rhan yn yr ymgynghoriad trawma mawr i wneud hynny cyn y daw i ben yr wythnos nesaf. Ond mae'n rhaid inni dderbyn hefyd na allwn orfodi'r cyhoedd i gymryd rhan mewn ymgynghoriadau. Yn aml, pan fo'r pwnc yn fawr ac yn eang, mae'r cyhoedd yn llai tebygol o gymryd rhan, ond pan fydd y cynnig yn fwy penodol a lleol, mae pobl yn tueddu i gymryd rhan. Mae'r gyfraith cynllunio yn enghraifft dda, y tu allan i faes iechyd, yn fwriadol. Fel arfer, nid oes llawer o bobl yn tueddu i gymryd rhan mewn sgyrsiau cyffredinol ynglŷn â chynllunio, ond mae hynny'n digwydd bob tro, bron pan fo cynnig cynllunio penodol gerbron mewn ardal leol. Ond rwy'n falch o ddweud fy mod yn credu ein bod wir yn ceisio dysgu a gwella. Ac wrth gwrs, ar un o'r cynigion y cyfeiriwch atynt—yr ymgynghoriad ar lawdriniaethau thorasig—cafwyd cadarnhad ddydd Llun y bydd llawdriniaethau thorasig yn cael eu canoli, yn unol ag argymhelliad gan Goleg Brenhinol y Llawfeddygon, ac y byddant wedi'u canoli yn ysbyty Treforys yn Abertawe.
You're absolutely right, Cabinet Secretary, we can't force people to take part in consultations. But picking up from the point that David Rees made, there are an enormous number of really good ways of engaging people at a grass-roots level and really taking the temperature of proposed changes. Organisations such as INVOLVE, who run consultations in England—they work very hard with local authorities and health boards, they run fun days, there's all sorts of new ways of actually getting to the hard to reach, rather than the very stale paper-based, or if you're lucky and get broadband, computer-based consultations that we have in a very, very small window, almost inevitably run over a Christmas or a summer holiday. I would like to ask you to have a good look at all the alternatives we can to reach them.
But, above all, the central point of my question is: do you think it is still appropriate, given the parliamentary review, that we actually have consultations now run by health boards, or should they be health and social care, given the fact that we're looking for such an integrated and seamless way of going forward? Because anything that health decide to do will have an enormous impact on local authorities, and on the provision of social care, and the provision of housing. And if we're trying to get towards this more holistic way of putting the person at the centre of their health needs, ongoing, then we really should look at it in the round. A lot of these consultations are all about the health side, and don't really bring in the other half of the very important provision that we should be providing.
Rydych yn hollol gywir, Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, ni allwn orfodi pobl i gymryd rhan mewn ymgynghoriadau. Ond gan gyfeirio at y pwynt a wnaeth David Rees, mae nifer enfawr o ffyrdd gwirioneddol dda o ennyn diddordeb pobl ar lawr gwlad a mesur tymheredd y newidiadau arfaethedig. Mae sefydliadau megis INVOLVE, sy'n cynnal ymgynghoriadau yn Lloegr—maent yn gweithio'n galed iawn gydag awdurdodau lleol a byrddau iechyd, maent yn cynnal diwrnodau hwyl, mae pob math o ffyrdd newydd o gyrraedd y rhai sy'n anodd eu cyrraedd mewn gwirionedd, yn hytrach na'r ymgynghoriadau hen ffasiwn a gynhelir ar bapur, neu os ydych yn lwcus a bod gennych fand eang, yr ymgynghoriadau cyfrifiadurol sydd gennym am gyfnodau byr iawn, ac sy'n cael eu cynnal, bron yn anochel, yn ystod cyfnod y Nadolig neu yn ystod gwyliau'r haf. Hoffwn ofyn i chi edrych yn ofalus ar yr holl ffyrdd amgen y gallwn eu cyrraedd.
Ond yn anad dim, pwynt canolog fy nghwestiwn yw: a ydych yn credu ei bod yn dal yn briodol, o ystyried yr adolygiad seneddol, fod gennym bellach ymgynghoriadau yn cael eu cynnal gan y byrddau iechyd mewn gwirionedd, neu a ddylent fod yn rhai iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, o gofio'r ffaith ein bod yn chwilio am ffordd integredig a di-dor o symud ymlaen? Oherwydd fe fydd unrhyw beth y bydd y maes iechyd yn penderfynu ei wneud yn cael effaith enfawr ar awdurdodau lleol, ac ar ddarpariaeth gofal cymdeithasol, a darpariaeth tai. Ac os ydym yn ceisio mabwysiadu ffordd fwy cyfannol o roi'r unigolyn wrth wraidd eu hanghenion iechyd wrth symud ymlaen, mewn gwirionedd dylem fod yn edrych arno yn ei gyfanrwydd. Mae llawer o'r ymgynghoriadau hyn yn ymwneud ag iechyd, ac nid ydynt yn cynnwys ail hanner y ddarpariaeth bwysig iawn y dylem fod yn ei rhoi mewn gwirionedd.
Well, there is something here about understanding the proposals referred to earlier by David Rees, who talked about thoracic surgery and the major trauma centre. Those really are specialist health service consultations that need to take place. And my concern has always been that, if we avoid dealing with issues, then we'll allow ourselves to get into a position where the debate is more difficult, and the need to change is more urgent. So, I don't think it would be helpful to try and stop the health service from running consultations on the way in which services should change and be reformed. But of course, there are a wide range of those services that are properly about how health and social care work together. So, I expect health boards to have proper relationships and conversations with social care partners.
For example, on the consultation about Bridgend, which is ongoing at present, there is absolutely a conversation, not just with Bridgend local authority, but actually with partners in Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, and of course RCT and Merthyr as well, about the potential impact of those. So, there is a willingness and a recognition that health and social care need to work more closely together. Regional partnership boards and the public service boards are part of that, and when you get to having a consultation, I expect that to be the case as well. But I really don't think there is a case to say we should pause and stop what's being done now; we need to learn and improve, rather than putting a pause button on changing, reforming and improving our health service.
Wel, mae yna rywbeth yma ynglŷn â deall y cynigion y cyfeiriwyd atynt yn gynharach gan David Rees, a siaradodd am lawdriniaeth thorasig a'r ganolfan trawma mawr. Mae'r rheini'n ymgynghoriadau gwasanaeth iechyd arbenigol sydd angen cael eu cynnal. A fy mhryder bob amser, os ydym yn osgoi mynd i'r afael â phroblemau, yw y byddwn yn caniatáu i ni'n hunain fod mewn sefyllfa lle mae'r ddadl yn fwy anodd, a mwy o frys o ran yr angen i newid. Felly, nid wyf yn credu y byddai'n ddefnyddiol ceisio atal y gwasanaeth iechyd rhag cynnal ymgynghoriadau ar y ffordd y dylid newid a diwygio gwasanaethau. Ond wrth gwrs, mae yna ystod eang o'r gwasanaethau hynny sy'n ymwneud yn briodol â sut y mae iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd. Felly, rwy'n disgwyl i fyrddau iechyd gael perthynas a sgyrsiau priodol gyda phartneriaid gofal cymdeithasol.
Er enghraifft, ar yr ymgynghoriad ynglŷn â Phen-y-bont ar Ogwr, sydd ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd, mae yna sgwrs yn sicr, nid yn unig gydag awdurdod lleol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, ond mewn gwirionedd gyda phartneriaid yn Abertawe, Castell-nedd Port Talbot, ac wrth gwrs Rhondda Cynon Taf a Merthyr yn ogystal, am effaith bosibl y rheini. Felly, mae yna barodrwydd a chydnabyddiaeth fod angen i feysydd iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol gydweithio'n agosach. Mae byrddau partneriaethau rhanbarthol a'r byrddau gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn rhan o hynny, a phan fyddwch yn cynnal ymgynghoriad, disgwyliaf y bydd hynny'n wir bryd hynny hefyd. Ond nid wyf yn credu o gwbl fod achos dros gamu'n ôl a rhoi diwedd ar yr hyn sy'n cael ei wneud ar hyn o bryd; mae angen i ni ddysgu a gwella, yn hytrach na gwasgu'r botwm saib ar newid, diwygio a gwella ein gwasanaeth iechyd.
My engagement with my health board is going to be a lot more difficult after the events of the last 24 hours, I have to say, now I know information will be shared willy-nilly with the Government for the purpose of traducing engagement with the health board. So, just to confirm that I hope the Cabinet Secretary can confirm today what other information the Welsh Government has around Assembly Members' own engagement with their health boards. What he has in front of him in his little file there would be useful to know.
But, from the point of view of the public, for them to get engaged in health board consultations, they have to believe that the consultation proposals are credible. Now, one of the proposals in the Hywel Dda health board area, which is likely to be put out in March, is one of a brand new hospital, somewhere in west Wales, to replace Glangwili and Withybush. For that to be a credible proposal, to be taken credibly in a consultation exercise, to be responded to credibly by the public, he has to tell this Chamber here today that the Welsh Government will provide the capital funding if a brand new hospital for west Wales is proposed. Will he do that, so that any consultation has some credibility around it?
Bydd fy ymgysylltiad â fy mwrdd iechyd yn llawer mwy anodd ar ôl digwyddiadau'r 24 awr diwethaf, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, gan fy mod yn gwybod bellach y bydd gwybodaeth yn cael ei rhannu'n rhydd â'r Llywodraeth, gyda'r bwriad o ddifenwi ymgysylltiad â'r bwrdd iechyd. Felly, hoffwn gadarnhau fy mod yn gobeithio bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn gallu cadarnhau heddiw pa wybodaeth arall sydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru mewn perthynas ag ymgysylltiad Aelodau'r Cynulliad â'u byrddau iechyd. Byddai'n ddefnyddiol gwybod beth sydd ganddo o'i flaen yn ei ffeil fach.
Ond o safbwynt y cyhoedd, er mwyn iddynt hwy gymryd rhan mewn ymgynghoriadau bwrdd iechyd, mae'n rhaid iddynt gredu bod y cynigion yn yr ymgynghoriad yn gredadwy. Nawr, un o'r cynigion yn ardal bwrdd iechyd Hywel Dda, sy'n debygol o gael ei gyflwyno ym mis Mawrth, yw cynnig am ysbyty newydd sbon, rywle yn y gorllewin, i gymryd lle Ysbyty Glangwili ac Ysbyty Llwynhelyg. Er mwyn i hwnnw fod yn gynnig credadwy, i'w gymryd o ddifrif mewn ymarfer ymgynghori, ac ennyn ymateb credadwy gan y cyhoedd, mae'n rhaid iddo ddweud wrth y Siambr yma heddiw y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn darparu'r arian cyfalaf os argymhellir ysbyty newydd sbon ar gyfer gorllewin Cymru. A fydd yn gwneud hynny, fel bod gan unrhyw ymgynghoriad rywfaint o hygrededd ynghlwm wrtho?
I think there are two broad points there. The first is on the points you made about traducing Assembly Members and their efforts to engage in local health boards. I think it's really important that every Assembly Member engages with their local health board around the future of health services. We've just had a parliamentary review that set out again that the current way that services are organised have served us well in the past but they're not fit for our future. So, we need to change them. And that's the national challenge that faces us. I think every Assembly Member should be properly engaged in that conversation. Again, the maturity that led to the parliamentary review needs to continue in that continuing debate. And I think that when it comes to a debate in this place, of course, there will be to and fro in the Chamber. It's not as if Ministers—[Interruption.]
Credaf fod dau bwynt cyffredinol yno. Mae'r cyntaf mewn perthynas â'r pwyntiau a wnaethoch am ddifenwi Aelodau'r Cynulliad a'u hymdrechion i ymgysylltu â byrddau iechyd lleol. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn fod pob Aelod Cynulliad yn ymgysylltu â'u bwrdd iechyd lleol ynglŷn â dyfodol gwasanaethau iechyd. Rydym newydd gael adolygiad seneddol sy'n nodi, unwaith eto, fod y ffordd y mae gwasanaethau yn cael eu trefnu ar hyn o bryd wedi gweithio'n dda i ni yn y gorffennol ond nad ydynt yn addas ar gyfer y dyfodol. Felly, mae angen i ni eu newid. A dyna'r her genedlaethol sy'n ein hwynebu. Credaf y dylai pob Aelod Cynulliad gymryd rhan briodol yn y sgwrs honno. Unwaith eto, mae angen i'r aeddfedrwydd a arweiniodd at yr adolygiad seneddol barhau yn y ddadl barhaus honno. Ac rwy'n credu, pan fo dadl yn y lle hwn, wrth gwrs, bydd cryn dipyn o ddadlau yn y Siambr. Nid yw fel pe bai Gweinidogion—[Torri ar draws.]
Let's allow the Minister to be heard. Carry on, Cabinet Secretary.
Gadewch i ni ganiatáu i'r Gweinidog gael ei glywed. Parhewch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet.
It's not as if Ministers are completely free from criticism and questioning of motives and integrity in this place. I think it is important that Members are open and honest with the public and this Chamber about what our views are and where we're going. And that's a standard for all of us to reach to as well.
On your point about where we are now, Simon Thomas, with the proposals that may come in the future, I've said in the past, and I'm being as open and honest as I can be yet again, that I can't set out the position about what proposals are or are not going to be discussed and put forward in the spring, as the health board have indicated. I'd encourage everyone to engage before then and afterwards, and if there are real proposals coming forward, then of course we will look sensibly at what those are. But you know that I can't say today that I will find money or resources for a future decision because that would not be an open and honest conversation, and you're asking me to do something before there is actually a proposal for me to respond to.
I'd remind people—[Interruption.] I'd remind people that not only is there a role for Ministers in this, but we're at the point of actually constructing the Grange University Hospital right now. The structure's going up. It's been a conversation that's taken a number of years following a proposal, and following a range of ways to look at the business case, to get capital ready to do so. I made the choice for the capital case to go ahead at the start of this Assembly term. So, there was a decision there, which I made, and that was after the case had been made and agreed, with buy-in from local public and clinicians about what to do to reconfigure the health system in that part of Wales.
I recognise the invitation to say something completely precipitous at this point, but I won't take up his kind offer to do so.
Nid yw fel pe bai Gweinidogion yn gyfan gwbl rydd o feirniadaeth a chwestiynau ynghylch cymhellion a gonestrwydd yn y lle hwn. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig fod Aelodau'n agored ac yn onest gyda'r cyhoedd a'r Siambr hon ynglŷn â beth yw ein safbwyntiau a lle rydym yn mynd. Ac mae honno'n safon i bob un ohonom anelu tuag ati.
O ran eich pwynt ynglŷn â lle rydym yn awr, Simon Thomas, gyda'r cynigion a allai ddod yn y dyfodol, rwyf wedi dweud yn y gorffennol, ac rwy'n bod mor agored a gonest ag y gallaf eto, nad wyf yn gallu nodi'r sefyllfa mewn perthynas â pha gynigion a fydd neu na fydd yn cael eu trafod a'u cyflwyno yn y gwanwyn, fel y mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi'i ddynodi. Buaswn yn annog pawb i ymgysylltu cyn hynny ac wedi hynny, ac os oes cynigion go iawn yn cael eu cyflwyno, wrth gwrs y byddwn yn edrych yn synhwyrol ar beth yw'r rheini. Ond fe wyddoch na allaf ddweud heddiw y byddaf yn dod o hyd i arian neu adnoddau ar gyfer penderfyniad yn y dyfodol oherwydd ni fyddai honno'n sgwrs agored a gonest, ac rydych yn gofyn i mi wneud rhywbeth cyn bod yna gynnig i mi ymateb iddo mewn gwirionedd.
Hoffwn atgoffa pobl—[Torri ar draws.] Hoffwn atgoffa pobl fod rôl i Weinidogion yn hyn, ond hefyd rydym wrthi'n adeiladu Ysbyty Athrofaol y Grange ar hyn o bryd mewn gwirionedd. Mae'r adeilad yn cael ei adeiladu. Mae wedi bod yn drafodaeth a fu ar y gweill ers nifer o flynyddoedd yn dilyn cynnig, ac yn dilyn amryw o ffyrdd o edrych ar yr achos busnes, i gael cyfalaf yn barod i wneud hynny. Dewisais adael i'r achos cyfalaf fynd rhagddo ar ddechrau'r tymor Cynulliad hwn. Felly, roedd penderfyniad yno, un a wnaed gennyf fi, ac roedd hynny ar ôl gwneud a chytuno ar yr achos, gyda chefnogaeth y cyhoedd a chlinigwyr lleol ynglŷn â beth y dylid ei wneud i ad-drefnu'r system iechyd yn y rhan honno o Gymru.
Rwy'n cydnabod y gwahoddiad i ddweud rhywbeth byrbwyll ar y pwynt hwn, ond nid wyf am dderbyn ei gynnig caredig i wneud hynny.
Galwaf ar lefarwyr y pleidiau nawr. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Suzy Davies.
I call on the party spokespeople now. The Conservative spokesperson, Suzy Davies.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Minister, Social Care Wales has been leading the way in producing a new set of qualifications for care workers. And as well as simplifying the system, this is an opportunity to respond to some new issues that aren't reflected in existing qualifications. There's more public awareness, for example, about sepsis, and while care workers are likely to receive some training about recognising the signs of a stroke, they don't get that training for signs of sepsis at the moment, generally speaking. Bearing in mind that some people with comorbidities are more likely to develop sepsis than others, and that the signs can be confused with other conditions, would you ask Social Care Wales to consider including sepsis awareness training as part of the curriculum for the qualifications for care workers?
Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Weinidog, mae Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru wedi bod yn arwain y ffordd yn llunio cyfres newydd o gymwysterau ar gyfer gweithwyr gofal. Ac yn ogystal â symleiddio'r system, mae hwn yn gyfle i ymateb i faterion newydd nad ydynt yn cael eu hadlewyrchu yn y cymwysterau sy'n bodoli eisoes. Ceir mwy o ymwybyddiaeth gyhoeddus, er enghraifft, mewn perthynas â sepsis, ac er bod gweithwyr gofal yn debygol o gael rhywfaint o hyfforddiant mewn perthynas ag adnabod arwyddion o strôc, nid ydynt yn cael yr hyfforddiant hwnnw ar gyfer arwyddion o sepsis ar hyn o bryd, yn gyffredinol. O gofio bod rhai pobl sydd â chyflyrau cydafiachus yn fwy tebygol o ddatblygu sepsis nag eraill, ac y gellid drysu rhwng yr arwyddion ag arwyddion o gyflyrau eraill, a wnewch chi ofyn i Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru ystyried cynnwys hyfforddiant ymwybyddiaeth o sepsis fel rhan o'r cwricwlwm ar gyfer cymwysterau gweithwyr gofal?
Suzy, thank you very much for raising this important point. As well as raising this point, it would be worth mentioning the work of the cross-party group on sepsis, which has raised the importance of this, particularly across social care training as well, and I look forward to responding to that after discussion with my officials.
We're all very aware now of the heightened awareness of sepsis and the importance of early diagnosis as well as early treatment. It is noticeable that even with the rise in awareness and the rise in the number of people presenting with sepsis, particularly over the last year as well, and, of course, an increase in the number of our older population who are presenting with this, the number of deaths through sepsis is declining, and it may be part of the fact of the increasing awareness, the increase in training right across the board that we are doing on this. We know that not every death through sepsis is preventable, but we know that some are. So, that early diagnosis and treatment is absolutely vital.
Now, it's hard to draw firm conclusions at the moment from year-on-year figures. It seems to suggest that we are indeed doing something right in Wales with our training and with our approach. But I look forward to responding to the comments that have been made today, but also the work of the all-party group on sepsis, because we need to make sure it's working, not only across the health sphere, but across social work as well, so that we can make sure that, at every point, there is an opportunity to do very early diagnosis and have the early treatment, and continue the good work that we're doing.
Suzy, diolch yn fawr iawn am godi'r pwynt pwysig hwn. Yn ogystal â chodi'r pwynt hwn, byddai'n werth sôn am waith y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar sepsis, sydd wedi nodi pwysigrwydd hyn, yn arbennig ar draws hyfforddiant gofal cymdeithasol hefyd, ac edrychaf ymlaen at ymateb iddo ar ôl trafod gyda fy swyddogion.
Mae pawb ohonom yn ymwybodol iawn bellach o ymwybyddiaeth gynyddol o sepsis ac o bwysigrwydd diagnosis cynnar yn ogystal â thriniaeth gynnar. Mae'n amlwg, hyd yn oed gyda'r ymwybyddiaeth gynyddol a'r cynnydd yn nifer y bobl sydd â sepsis, yn ystod y flwyddyn ddiwethaf yn enwedig, ac wrth gwrs, cynnydd yn nifer ein poblogaeth hŷn sydd â sepsis, fod nifer y marwolaethau o ganlyniad i sepsis yn gostwng, ac mae'n bosibl fod hynny'n rhannol o ganlyniad i'r ymwybyddiaeth gynyddol, a'r cynnydd mewn hyfforddiant rydym yn ei wneud yn gyffredinol mewn perthynas â hyn. Gwyddom nad yw hi'n bosibl atal pob marwolaeth o ganlyniad i sepsis, ond gwyddom ei bod yn bosibl atal rhai. Felly, mae diagnosis a thriniaeth gynnar yn gwbl hanfodol.
Nawr, mae'n anodd dod i gasgliadau pendant ar hyn o bryd o'r ffigurau blynyddol. Mae'n ymddangos ein bod yn wir yn gwneud rhywbeth yn iawn yng Nghymru gyda'n hyfforddiant a'n dull o weithredu. Ond edrychaf ymlaen at ymateb i'r sylwadau a wnaed heddiw, yn ogystal â gwaith y grŵp hollbleidiol ar sepsis, oherwydd mae angen i ni wneud yn siŵr ei fod yn gweithio, nid yn unig ar draws y maes iechyd, ond ar draws gwaith cymdeithasol yn ogystal, fel y gallwn wneud yn siŵr fod cyfle, ar bob pwynt, i wneud diagnosis cynnar iawn a chael y driniaeth gynnar, a pharhau â'r gwaith da rydym yn ei wneud.
Thank you for that answer. That was my point, really, because I'm aware, of course, that hospital workers get this training, but social care workers don't necessarily. And that's why I'd like to see it mainstreamed in the curriculum for the qualifications.
Moving on to something else now, the Cabinet Secretary confirmed to me in a written answer—last year it was—that the money that Welsh Government put towards the social care workforce development programme is match funded by local authorities. However, you went on to say in the same response that for every £1 spend by Welsh Government, 44p is spent by local Government. I have to say that that doesn't quite sound like match funding to me. While I accept that councils are strapped for cash, I do remember that your predecessor made available additional moneys for councils conditional on evidence that it was being spend on social care improvement objectives. [Interruption.] I'm afraid, yes, you did. I have the questions and the answers to prove it. As the fund is now overseen by Social Care Wales, do they have the power to ask local authorities for greater contributions to the fund and do they have a remit letter from you about the outcomes that you might expect from it, not least whether Social Care Wales is to perhaps limit its own administration costs when administering that fund?
Diolch i chi am yr ateb hwnnw. Dyna oedd fy mhwynt, mewn gwirionedd, oherwydd rwy'n ymwybodol, wrth gwrs, fod gweithwyr ysbytai yn cael yr hyfforddiant hwn, ond nid yw gweithwyr gofal cymdeithasol o reidrwydd yn ei gael. A dyna pam yr hoffwn ei weld yn cael ei brif-ffrydio yn y cwricwlwm ar gyfer y cymwysterau.
Gan symud ymlaen at rywbeth arall yn awr, mae Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi cadarnhau mewn ateb ysgrifenedig i mi—y llynedd—fod awdurdodau lleol yn darparu arian cyfatebol ar gyfer yr arian a roddwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru tuag at y rhaglen datblygu gweithlu gofal cymdeithasol. Fodd bynnag, aethoch ymlaen i ddweud yn yr un ymateb fod 44c yn cael ei wario gan Lywodraeth leol am bob £1 a werir gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud nad yw hynny'n swnio fel arian cyfatebol i mi. Er fy mod yn derbyn bod cynghorau'n brin o arian, rwy'n cofio eich rhagflaenydd yn rhyddhau arian ychwanegol i gynghorau yn amodol ar dystiolaeth i ddangos ei fod yn cael ei wario ar amcanion gwella gofal cymdeithasol. [Torri ar draws.] Mae arnaf ofn, do, fe wnaethoch. Mae gennyf y cwestiynau a'r atebion i brofi hynny. Gan fod y gronfa bellach yn cael ei goruchwylio gan Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru, a oes ganddynt bŵer i ofyn i awdurdodau lleol am fwy o gyfraniadau i'r gronfa ac a oes ganddynt lythyr cylch gwaith oddi wrthych ynglŷn â'r canlyniadau y gallech eu disgwyl, ac yn arbennig a yw Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru efallai yn mynd i gyfyngu ar ei gostau gweinyddu ei hun wrth weinyddu'r gronfa honno?
Thank you very much. Just to be clear, the figures that I have on the element of match funding are not the same. It certainly isn't 44 per cent. Of the £7.15 million funding to the regions to deliver social care training by Social Care Wales, I'm informed that 25 per cent of that—so, a quarter of that—is match funded by local authorities. But I'll go away and look at that figure of 44 per cent, because that certainly isn't anything that has been brought to my attention. So, yes, indeed, if the Member could send that to me I'll have a look at it. But, as she knows, within that, the priorities this year have included care and support at home, they've included recruitment and retention, career development and the implementation of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.
I'm grateful as well to the Member for raising those important issues of the work that we have to do on workforce training, because actually getting people to see that this is not only a valuable profession but a profession in which they are valued means we put the investment into the training, and it is a shared ownership of this. It is a shared partnership in this through local authorities and Welsh Government. We are putting the money in. There is an expectation with the match funding that local authorities will also step up to the mark. But, of course, we'll keep this under review as well. But there is a significant portfolio of work now going on in this area, and I am constantly, whenever I visit front-line social care workers, stressing to them the importance of the work, but also the necessity of us as Assembly Members, of us as Welsh Government, and also local authorities and everybody else, to really value and speak out about the value of this work, because we know it is truly the coalface in terms of our interface with some very vulnerable individuals.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. I fod yn glir, nid yw'r ffigurau sydd gennyf ar elfen yr arian cyfatebol yr un peth. Yn sicr, nid 44 y cant ydyw. O'r £7.15 miliwn o gyllid i'r rhanbarthau i ddarparu hyfforddiant gofal cymdeithasol gan Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru, rwyf wedi cael gwybod bod awdurdodau lleol yn darparu arian cyfatebol ar 25 y cant o hwnnw—felly, chwarter hwnnw. Ond byddaf yn edrych ar y ffigur hwnnw o 44 y cant, oherwydd yn sicr nid yw hwn yn fater roeddwn yn ymwybodol ohono. Felly, ie, yn wir, os gall yr Aelod anfon hwnnw ataf fe edrychaf arno. Ond fel y gŵyr, o fewn hwnnw, mae blaenoriaethau eleni wedi cynnwys gofal a chymorth yn y cartref, maent wedi cynnwys recriwtio a chadw, datblygu gyrfa a gweithredu Deddf Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a Llesiant (Cymru) 2014.
Rwyf hefyd yn ddiolchgar i'r Aelod am godi'r materion pwysig hynny mewn perthynas â'r gwaith sy'n rhaid i ni ei wneud ar hyfforddi'r gweithlu, oherwydd mae cael pobl i weld bod hwn yn broffesiwn gwerthfawr yn ogystal â phroffesiwn lle y cânt eu gwerthfawrogi yn golygu ein bod yn buddsoddi mwy yn yr hyfforddiant a bod gennym gydberchnogaeth arno. Mae'n gydberchnogaeth drwy awdurdodau lleol a Llywodraeth Cymru yn hyn o beth. Rydym yn rhoi arian i mewn. Mae yna ddisgwyliad gyda'r arian cyfatebol y bydd awdurdodau lleol hefyd yn ysgwyddo cyfrifoldeb. Ond wrth gwrs, byddwn yn cadw hyn o dan arolwg yn ogystal. Ond mae yna bellach bortffolio sylweddol o waith ar y gweill yn y maes hwn, a phan fyddaf yn ymweld â gweithwyr gofal cymdeithasol rheng flaen, rwy'n pwysleisio wrthynt yn gyson pa mor bwysig yw'r gwaith, ond hefyd bod angen i ni fel Aelodau Cynulliad, fel Llywodraeth Cymru, a hefyd awdurdodau lleol a phawb arall, werthfawrogi a siarad allan am werth y gwaith hwn, oherwydd gwyddom mai dyma'r rheng flaen go iawn o ran ein rhyngwyneb â rhai unigolion agored iawn i niwed.
Thank you for that answer. You'll be aware, of course, that the Public Accounts Committee was talking a little bit about this on Monday. They heard evidence about how the average working life of a social worker is less than eight years, while, by comparison, a nurse could be expected to work for 16 years and a doctor 25. While that means that new social workers are constantly needing to be trained, it also means that there is a real shortage of experience that can be passed on generationally, if you like, to trainees and newly-qualified social workers.
Bearing in mind what you've just said about the workforce fund, how do you expect to improve the numbers attracted to social work and stay in social work, more critically? Do you think that the new qualifications are material to that? Who determines the key performance indicators that Social Care Wales should be looking at in order to ensure progress on both those fronts?
Diolch i chi am yr ateb hwnnw. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol, wrth gwrs, fod y Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus wedi sôn rhywfaint am hyn ddydd Llun. Clywsant dystiolaeth fod bywyd gwaith cyfartalog gweithiwr cymdeithasol yn llai nag wyth mlynedd, tra gellid disgwyl, mewn cymhariaeth, i nyrs weithio am 16 mlynedd a meddyg am 25. Er bod hynny'n golygu bod angen hyfforddi gweithwyr cymdeithasol newydd o hyd, mae hefyd yn golygu bod prinder gwirioneddol o brofiad y gellir ei drosglwyddo i genedlaethau newydd, os mynnwch, o hyfforddeion a gweithwyr cymdeithasol sydd newydd gymhwyso.
O gofio'r hyn rydych newydd ei ddweud am gronfa'r gweithlu, sut rydych yn disgwyl gwella'r niferoedd sy'n cael eu denu at waith cymdeithasol, ac i aros mewn gwaith cymdeithasol, yn fwy pwysig? A ydych yn credu bod y cymwysterau newydd yn berthnasol i hynny? Pwy sy'n penderfynu ar y dangosyddion perfformiad allweddol y dylai Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru fod yn edrych arnynt er mwyn sicrhau cynnydd yn y ddau fater?
There two things. One is that there is no one answer to this—there are a multiplicity of ways in which we take this work forward—and secondly to say it won't be overnight. But you are absolutely right in saying that some of the issues that you've raised already are important. We are working with social care workers themselves to try and devise the right package of incentives that shows actually that this is a valued career path, not simply a job. Those observations that were made in the PAC committee last week are very telling in that if you go into nursing or other areas you could be two or three times as long, seeing that as career progression.
We know also that some social workers are moving from social work into other career paths as well. You look particularly at things such as domiciliary care workers within social care. So, doing things such as extending the register, as we are now doing—it's a tricky ask, I realise, for domiciliary care providers, but extending the register to domiciliary care workers on a voluntary basis from 2018, ahead of mandatory registration from 2020, is part of it. It's an essential part, because it's an essential part of the professionalisation of the workforce to ensure that we have social care workers that are appropriately qualified to deliver qualified care to the vulnerable in our society.
It is also working with Social Care Wales, with Qualifications Wales and other key stakeholders to develop clear career pathways—not a job that you go into and there's a dead end to it, or a job you go into and drop out of early, as those figures showed, but there's a proper career pathway here, that people can see that they can develop over a long time within this career, such a valuable career that it is, with continuing education and learning that enable those social care workers to progress through their careers. And also, I have to say—I mentioned the role that I have as a Minister in doing this, and I'm sure that every Assembly Member has as well, in speaking up for the profession right across—that it's also about working with Social Care Wales to develop a marketing and a recruitment and retention campaign to publicise that positive image of what social care workers do.
One final point: we've also provided £19 million this year of recurrent funding for local authorities to work with service providers to help manage the impact of implementing the national living wage. The national living wage itself is part of this multiplicity of ways in which we say that this is a valuable profession, with valued people working in it, and we want to see more people coming into it and staying in it longer. We'll do that and we'll work with all the partners out there to make sure that this is seen as a worthwhile career for the long term.
Mae yna ddau beth. Y cyntaf yw nad un ateb sydd i hyn—mae yna nifer fawr o ffyrdd y gallem fwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith hwn—ac yn ail gallaf ddweud na fydd yn digwydd dros nos. Ond rydych yn llygad eich lle yn dweud bod rhai o'r materion rydych eisoes wedi eu codi yn bwysig. Rydym yn gweithio gyda gweithwyr gofal cymdeithasol eu hunain i geisio dyfeisio pecyn priodol o gymhellion sy'n dangos mewn gwirionedd fod hwn yn lwybr gyrfa gwerthfawr, nid swydd yn unig. Mae'r sylwadau a wnaed yn y Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus yr wythnos diwethaf yn arwyddocaol iawn sef y gallech fod yn gweithio ddwywaith neu deirgwaith cyn hired pe baech yn dilyn gyrfa nyrsio neu mewn meysydd eraill, a gweld hynny fel dilyniant gyrfa.
Gwyddom hefyd fod rhai gweithwyr cymdeithasol yn cael eu symud o waith cymdeithasol i lwybrau gyrfaol eraill yn ogystal. Rydych yn edrych yn benodol ar bethau fel gweithwyr gofal cartref o fewn gofal cymdeithasol. Felly, mae gwneud pethau fel ymestyn y gofrestr, fel rydym yn ei wneud yn awr—mae'n dasg anodd i ddarparwyr gofal cartref, rwy'n sylweddoli hynny, ond mae ymestyn y gofrestr o weithwyr gofal cartref ar sail gwirfoddol o 2018 ymlaen, cyn cofrestru gorfodol o 2020 ymlaen, yn rhan o hynny. Mae'n rhan hanfodol, oherwydd mae'n rhan hanfodol o'r broses o broffesiynoli'r gweithlu i sicrhau bod gennym weithwyr gofal cymdeithasol sy'n meddu ar gymwysterau priodol i ddarparu gofal cymwysedig i'r rhai agored i niwed yn ein cymdeithas.
Mae hefyd yn golygu gweithio gyda Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru, gyda Cymwysterau Cymru a rhanddeiliaid allweddol eraill i ddatblygu llwybrau gyrfa clir—nid swydd y byddwch yn mynd iddi heb fodd o gamu ymlaen, neu swydd y byddwch yn mynd iddi ac yn rhoi'r gorau iddi'n gynnar, fel y dangosodd y ffigurau, ond llwybr gyrfaol priodol y mae pobl yn gallu gweld y gallant ei ddatblygu dros amser hir o fewn yr yrfa hon, ac yn gallu gweld gyrfa mor werthfawr yw hi, gydag addysg a dysgu parhaus sy'n galluogi gweithwyr gofal cymdeithasol i ddatblygu drwy eu gyrfa. A hefyd, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud—soniais am y rôl sydd gennyf yn hyn fel Gweinidog, ac rwy'n siŵr fod gan bob Aelod o'r Cynulliad rôl yn hyn yn ogystal, o safbwynt siarad ar ran y proffesiwn yn gyffredinol—mae hefyd yn ymwneud â gweithio gyda Gofal Cymdeithasol Cymru i ddatblygu ymgyrch farchnata a recriwtio a chadw staff i roi cyhoeddusrwydd i'r ddelwedd gadarnhaol honno o'r hyn y mae gweithwyr gofal cymdeithasol yn ei wneud.
Un pwynt terfynol: Rydym hefyd wedi darparu £19 miliwn o gyllid rheolaidd eleni i awdurdodau lleol weithio gyda darparwyr gwasanaethau i helpu i reoli effaith gweithredu'r cyflog byw cenedlaethol. Mae'r cyflog byw cenedlaethol ei hun yn rhan o'r llu o ffyrdd rydym yn dweud bod hwn yn broffesiwn gwerthfawr, gyda phobl werthfawr yn gweithio ynddo, ac rydym am weld mwy o bobl yn camu i'r maes ac yn aros ynddo'n hwy. Byddwn yn gwneud hynny a byddwn yn gweithio gyda'r holl bartneriaid i wneud yn siŵr fod hon yn cael ei gweld fel gyrfa werth chweil ar gyfer y tymor hir.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Dai Lloyd.
The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Dai Lloyd.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. A allaf i ofyn i'r Gweinidog ba asesiad mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o'r goblygiadau i Gymru o'r ymchwil yn y British Medical Journal yn ddiweddar sydd yn cysylltu toriadau i gyllideb gofal cymdeithasol efo graddfeydd lawer uwch o farwolaethau yn Lloegr?
Thank you very much, Llywydd. May I ask the Minister what assessment the Welsh Government has made of the implications for Wales of the research from the British Medical Journal recently that links cuts in social care budgets to far higher rates of death in England?
The observation is well made and we know the continuing times we are in with stretched budget pressures, and there's no point ignoring this place and stand on my feet and say that we can do remarkable miracles—we're working within the constraints that we have. What we do have in Wales, I have to say, is a very different approach to what we're doing within social care and with health, not least in the approach that's been taken with the apolitical, cross-party support that there has been for the health and social care review, if you look at what we're doing with the intermediate care fund, in that way of joined-up working. So, we're not looking for additional funding, although I'd love to have some, Dai—I really would. But it's also to do with how we use the funding that we currently have in a clever way.
I've come this morning from a visit in Cardiff, with my colleague Julie Morgan, looking at the independent living centre, which does exactly that. It uses the intermediate care funding, into which we've put £60 million over the last year, to look at the ways in which health and social care join up to provide that seamless care and allows people to stay in their homes or closer to their homes for longer, for better, and to not then wash up into later, more expensive forms of treatment and care.
So, Dai, I recognise the point that's been made in that report, because it shows that we have to continue thinking how we make the most of the money that we have. He will know, of course, as well, that amongst the four proposals discussed and put out for consultation by the Finance Secretary and my colleague, Mark Drakeford, was a discussion on a social care levy. I think it's pertinent that that is now out there for discussion because you and I and our families and our constituents will have to seriously consider, in the longer term, as we look at the trends that we've identified in the indicators that the Welsh Government has brought forward as national indicators of the strain that the system will be under, how we rise to that. Part of it is through working more cleverly and part of it is by finding the money. I would love to think that, in the next Treasury statement from the UK Government, they'd open the cheque book and say, 'Let's actually put something here', so that we can have the consequentials, but we wait.
Mae'r sylw wedi cael ei wneud yn dda a gwyddom fod yr amseroedd rydym ynddynt yn parhau o ran y pwysau estynedig ar y gyllideb, ac nid oes unrhyw bwynt anwybyddu'r lle hwn a sefyll ar fy nhraed a dweud ein bod yn gallu gwneud gwyrthiau rhyfeddol—rydym yn gweithio o fewn y cyfyngiadau sydd arnom. Yr hyn sydd gennym yng Nghymru, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, yw dull gwahanol iawn o weithredu mewn perthynas â'r hyn a wnawn ym maes gofal cymdeithasol ac ym maes iechyd, yn enwedig y dull a fabwysiadwyd gyda'r gefnogaeth drawsbleidiol, anwleidyddol a fu i'r adolygiad iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, os edrychwch ar yr hyn rydym yn ei wneud gyda'r gronfa gofal canolraddol, yn y ffordd honno o weithio cydgysylltiedig. Felly, nid ydym yn chwilio am gyllid ychwanegol, er y buaswn wrth fy modd yn cael rhywfaint, Dai—buaswn wir. Ond mae hefyd yn ymwneud â sut rydym yn defnyddio'r cyllid sydd gennym ar hyn o bryd mewn ffordd glyfar.
Bûm yn ar ymweliad yng Nghaerdydd y bore yma gyda fy nghyd-Aelod Julie Morgan, yn edrych ar y ganolfan byw'n annibynnol, sy'n gwneud yn union hynny. Mae'n defnyddio cyllid gofal canolraddol, y buddsoddwyd £60 miliwn gennym ynddo dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, i edrych ar y ffyrdd y mae iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn cydgysylltu er mwyn darparu'r gofal di-dor hwnnw a galluogi pobl i aros yn eu cartrefi neu'n agosach at eu cartrefi am gyfnod hwy, ac yn well, fel nad ydynt yn gorfod cael ffurfiau drutach ar driniaeth a gofal yn ddiweddarach.
Felly, Dai, rwy'n cydnabod y pwynt a wnaed yn yr adroddiad hwnnw, oherwydd mae'n dangos bod yn rhaid i ni barhau i feddwl ynglŷn â sut rydym yn gwneud y mwyaf o'r arian sydd gennym. Bydd yn gwybod hefyd, wrth gwrs, fod yna drafodaeth ar ardoll gofal cymdeithasol ymhlith y pedwar cynnig a gafodd eu trafod a'u cyflwyno ar gyfer ymgynghoriad gan yr Ysgrifennydd Cyllid a fy nghyd-Aelod, Mark Drakeford. Credaf ei bod yn berthnasol fod hwnnw'n cael ei drafod yn awr oherwydd bydd yn rhaid i chi a fi a'n teuluoedd a'n hetholwyr ystyried o ddifrif, yn y tymor hwy, wrth i ni edrych ar y tueddiadau a nodwyd gennym yn y dangosyddion a gyflwynwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru fel dangosyddion cenedlaethol o'r straen a fydd ar y system, sut yr awn i'r afael â hynny. Mae gweithio'n fwy clyfar yn rhan o hynny ac mae dod o hyd i'r arian yn rhan arall. Buaswn wrth fy modd yn meddwl y byddent, yn natganiad nesaf y Trysorlys gan Lywodraeth y DU, yn agor y llyfr siec ac yn dweud, 'Gadewch i ni roi rhywbeth yma mewn gwirionedd', fel y gallwn gael y symiau canlyniadol, ond rydym yn aros.
Diolch yn fawr am yr ateb yna. Wrth gwrs, mae ymchwil y BMJ yn dangos fod 22,000 o farwolaethau ychwanegol bob blwyddyn yn Lloegr o achos torri cyllideb gofal cymdeithasol yn Lloegr—22,000 o bobl yn marw o achos y torri yn y gyllideb. Dyna beth y mae polisi llymder yn ei achosi. Ar ben hynny, achos gwnaeth y Llywodraeth yn Lloegr ddiogelu wariant ar iechyd—hynny yw 'ring-fence-io' iechyd yn Lloegr—bu i gyllid gofal cymdeithasol gymryd hit enfawr fel canlyniad. A dyna pam rŷm ni'n cael y 22,000 o farwolaethau yna: achos y toriadau yna ac achos nad oes digon o bres.
Nawr, mae pobl wastad yn dweud, 'Ddim jest pres yw e, Dai', ond, yn achos gofal cymdeithasol, arian yw e, a dweud y gwir, achos mae yna bobl mewn ysbytai pan ddylent fod allan o ysbyty. Dyna beth y canlyniad diffyg gofal cymdeithasol. Byddwn ni'n sôn am farwolaethau yn Ysbyty Glan Clwyd yn nes ymlaen. Pam mae'r bobl yna dal i fod yn yr ysbyty? Achos nad ydyn nhw'n gallu mynd allan ac yn ôl i'w cartrefi o achos diffyg gofal cymdeithasol a diffyg arian.
Fel rŷch chi wedi cyfeirio, yn sgil yr adolygiad seneddol i iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol gan Dr Ruth Hussey a phwysigrwydd canolog gofal cymdeithasol a'r galw am drawsnewid, a ydych chi, yn y bôn, yn mynd i alw am gynyddu'r gwariant ar ofal cymdeithasol, achos dyna beth sydd angen ei wneud—nid gwneud mwy efo'r arian sydd ddim gyda ni, ond galw am gynnydd yn y gwariant a chynnydd yng nghyllid yr integrated care fund?
Thank you very much for that response. Of course, the BMJ research does show that 22,000 additional deaths are caused annually in England because of cuts in social care budgets in England. That’s 22,000 people dying because of cuts to the budget. That’s what the policy of austerity is leading to. In addition to that, because the Government in England safeguarded, or ring-fenced, expenditure on health in England, the funding for social care took a massive hit as a result. That is why we see those 22,000 deaths: because of those cuts and because there isn’t enough money in the system.
Now, people always say it’s not always about the money, but, in the case of social care, money is the fundamental issue because there are people in hospitals when they shouldn’t be there. That is the outcome of the lack of social care. We will be talking about deaths in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd later on. Why are those people still in hospital? Because they can’t be discharged and go back to their own homes because of a lack of social services and a lack of funding.
As you’ve mentioned, in light of the parliamentary review into health and social care by Dr Ruth Hussey and the central importance of social care and the demand for transformation, are you, essentially, going to be calling for an increase in expenditure on social care, because that's what we need to do—not do more with funding that we don't have, but call for an increase in expenditure and an increase in the budget of the integrated care fund?
Thank you, Dai. A couple of things here: one is that, as you know, in stark contrast to what has happened over the border—I don't want to compare with what's happened over the border—what we have done is, in health and social care combined, which is the approach that we're taking, based on the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and other legislation here, about that idea of integration. Similarly with the funding, there is more going into health and social care here in Wales than there is across the border. But we still know the strains on the system.
In addition to that, I have to say, these ideas of how we make that money go further—well, I've had repeated meetings, and very productive meetings, I have to say, over the last few months that I've been in post with, for example, the regional partnerships. The idea that we should do more joint commissioning—how do we actually make a bigger bang for our buck, so that we can say, 'Well, we've identified what the care accommodation needs are for the elderly'? We could apply this to other areas of thinking as well. How do we collectively say, 'We'll look at what we've got together'? How do we, on a regional footprint, provide for that and get bigger delivery—deliver more care homes and deliver more places and better outcomes for people?
One important thing with that is, I have to say, as tricky as it is, the issue of pooling budgets. This is tricky, because we're all elected Members—we have the mindset of an elected Member as well as sitting here thinking about policy in a highly strategic way. We know how difficult it is for people to say, 'Well, pooling budgets—doesn't that mean that we have to give up a little?' In some ways, yes, but if it delivers the right outcomes in terms of social care then we should be looking at that.
There are things in Wales that we can do more cleverly, more sharply and differently, and we should be doing that. But, ultimately, Dai, I agree with you—there is the bigger challenge going forward, both in health and social care, which is in the thrust of the health and social care review, which is looking at them together. That seamlessness of the pathway for somebody who is a constituent or a patient of yours—that they don't have to think about who's dealing with them or what authority is doing it, but that it feels like a wraparound. I'm convinced, as we look at some of the models with ICF funding, that that is absolutely the way that we should be going.
Diolch i chi, Dai. Ambell beth yma: y cyntaf yw, fel y gwyddoch, mewn gwrthgyferbyniad llwyr â'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd dros y ffin—nid wyf eisiau cymharu â'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd dros y ffin—yr hyn rydym wedi'i wneud yw, mewn perthynas ag iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol gyda'i gilydd, sef y dull rydym yn ei fabwysiadu, yn seiliedig ar Ddeddf Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a Llesiant (Cymru) 2014 a deddfwriaeth arall yma, gyda'r syniad o integreiddio. Yn yr un modd gyda'r cyllid, mae mwy o gyllid yn cael ei ddarparu ar gyfer iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yma yng Nghymru nag ar draws y ffin. Ond rydym yn dal i fod yn ymwybodol o'r straen ar y system.
Yn ogystal â hynny, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, mae'r syniadau hyn o sut rydym yn defnyddio'r arian hwnnw yn fwy effeithiol—wel, rwyf wedi cael sawl cyfarfod, a chyfarfodydd cynhyrchiol iawn, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, dros yr ychydig fisoedd diwethaf y bûm yn y swydd, gyda'r partneriaethau rhanbarthol, er enghraifft. Mae'r syniad y dylem wneud mwy o gomisiynu ar y cyd—sut rydym yn cael gwell gwerth am ein harian, fel y gallwn ddweud, 'Wel, rydym wedi nodi beth yw anghenion llety gofal yr henoed'? Gallem gymhwyso hyn i feysydd eraill o feddwl yn ogystal. Sut rydym yn dweud ar y cyd, 'Fe edrychwn ar yr hyn sydd gennym gyda'n gilydd'? Sut y gallwn ni ddarparu ar gyfer hynny a chyflawni mwy ar lefel y rhanbarthau—darparu mwy o gartrefi gofal a darparu mwy o leoedd a gwell canlyniadau i bobl?
Un peth pwysig gyda hynny mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, er mor anodd ydyw, yw'r mater o gyfuno cyllidebau. Mae hyn yn anodd, oherwydd mae pawb ohonom yn Aelodau etholedig—mae gennym feddylfryd Aelod etholedig yn ogystal ag eistedd yma'n meddwl am bolisi mewn ffordd strategol iawn. Gwyddom pa mor anodd yw hi i bobl ddweud, 'Wel, cyfuno cyllidebau—onid yw hynny'n golygu bod yn rhaid i ni ildio rhywfaint?' Mewn rhai ffyrdd, ydi, ond os yw'n cyflawni'r canlyniadau cywir o ran gofal cymdeithasol, yna dylem fod yn edrych ar hynny.
Mae yna bethau yng Nghymru y gallwn eu gwneud yn fwy clyfar, yn fwy trefnus ac yn wahanol, a dylem fod yn gwneud hynny. Ond yn y pen draw, Dai, rwy'n cytuno â chi—mae yna her fwy wrth symud ymlaen, o ran iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, sy'n rhan o fyrdwn yr adolygiad iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, sef edrych ar y ddau faes gyda'i gilydd. Mae proses ddi-dor y llwybr i rywun sy'n glaf neu'n etholwr i chi—nad oes rhaid iddynt feddwl am bwy sy'n ymdrin â hwy na pha awdurdod sy'n ei wneud, ond ei fod yn teimlo'n gofleidiol. Rwy'n argyhoeddedig, wrth i ni edrych ar rai o'r modelau gyda chyllid y gronfa gofal canolraddol, mai dyna'n bendant yw'r trywydd y dylem ei ddilyn.
Diolch eto. Fy nghwestiwn olaf i ydy: mae'r ymchwil yn y BMJ hefyd wedi darganfod mai un o'r pethau eraill llesol i atal marwolaethau, yn ogystal â rhagor o arian—rydym ni wedi ymdrin â'r pwynt yna—ydy presenoldeb nyrsys cofrestredig mewn lleoliadau gofal cymdeithasol. Dyna beth mae'r ymchwil yn ei ddangos. Wrth gwrs, wrth i bawb drafod y Bil Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a Llesiant (Cymru) yn y Cynulliad diwethaf, gwnaeth eich Llywodraeth chi bleidleisio yn erbyn gwelliannau a fuasai wedi galluogi awdurdodau lleol i gyflogi nyrsys cofrestredig mewn lleoliadau gofal cymdeithasol. Ond mae yna ffyrdd eraill o ddatrys y broblem yna. Felly, yn unol â'r dystiolaeth, pa gynlluniau sydd gennych chi, fel Llywodraeth, i gynyddu nifer y nyrsys mewn lleoliadau gofal cymdeithasol fel rhan o unrhyw gynllun i liniaru effeithiau marwol y polisi o lymder o Lywodraeth San Steffan?
Thank you, once again. My final question relates to the fact that the BMJ research also discovered that one of the other things that would help in preventing deaths, in addition to further funding, is the presence of registered nurses in social care settings. That's what the research has demonstrated. Of course, as we discussed the Social Care and Well-being (Wales) Bill in the last Assembly, your Government voted against amendments that would have enabled local authorities to employ registered nurses in social care settings. Bu, there are other ways of resolving that problem. So, in accordance with the evidence, what plans do you, as a Government, have to increase the number of nurses in social care settings as part of any plan to mitigate the fatal effects of austerity coming from Westminster?
Well, Dai, thank you for raising that point. As you know, through not only the consultation that preceded this, which was quite extensive, but the bringing forward of the regulations—a wide range of regulations—part of this is also what we do with the nursing requirement, particularly in accommodation care settings. The traditional approach has been to say, in effect, 'If you can provide a nurse within a care home, then it's all hunky-dory and you're done', when, actually, what we know is that, in some care settings, you will require more than that. In other care settings, you may require nursing through the night; in others, you'll need, actually, more during the daytime or vice versa. So, within the proposals that we've taken forward, we have given more flexibility, but it doesn't take away the requirement, Dai, to make sure that the needs of those within care home settings are provided for; it gives more flexibility to do it according to the needs of those individuals.
Now, that requires, I have to say, that those care homes, and the wider monitoring of those, need to make sure that they are assessing accurately the needs of their residents and then providing for them. If that means more than one nurse, it should be more than one nurse. If it means more than one at night time, it means that, because we know that it's got to be based on the individual needs there and the collective needs within that care setting.
So, it has moved to a more flexible approach, and I realise that that has caused some people to say, 'Well, does that mean we don't need one in every home?' Well, what it needs is the right level of nursing for every single care home setting, and that's what we're committed to making sure is provided.
Wel, Dai, diolch i chi am godi'r pwynt hwnnw. Fel y gwyddoch, drwy'r ymgynghoriad a oedd yn rhagflaenu hyn, a oedd yn eithaf helaeth, ond hefyd drwy gyflwyno'r rheoliadau—amrywiaeth eang o reoliadau—mae'r hyn a wnawn gyda'r angen nyrsio hefyd yn rhan o hyn, yn enwedig mewn lleoliadau llety gofal. Yn draddodiadol, yr hyn sydd wedi cael ei ddweud, mewn gwirionedd, yw 'Os gallwch ddarparu nyrs o fewn cartref gofal, yna mae popeth yn ardderchog ac rydych yn iawn', ond mewn gwirionedd, mewn rhai lleoliadau gofal, gwyddom y byddwch angen mwy na hynny. Mewn lleoliadau gofal eraill, efallai y bydd angen nyrsio drwy gydol y nos; mewn achosion eraill, bydd angen mwy yn ystod y dydd neu i'r gwrthwyneb. Felly, o fewn y cynigion rydym wedi bwrw ymlaen â hwy, rydym wedi cynnwys mwy o hyblygrwydd, ond nid yw hynny'n tynnu oddi wrth yr angen, Dai, i wneud yn siŵr ein bod yn darparu ar gyfer anghenion y rhai mewn lleoliadau cartrefi gofal; mae'n rhoi mwy o hyblygrwydd i'w wneud yn ôl anghenion yr unigolion hynny.
Nawr, mae hynny'n golygu, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, fod y cartrefi gofal hynny, a'r modd y cânt eu monitro yn ehangach, angen gwneud yn siŵr eu bod yn asesu anghenion eu preswylwyr yn fanwl ac yna'n darparu ar eu cyfer. Os yw hynny'n golygu mwy nag un nyrs, dylai fod mwy nag un nyrs. Os yw'n golygu mwy nag un yn ystod y nos, dyna y mae'n ei olygu, oherwydd gwyddom fod angen iddo fod yn seiliedig ar yr anghenion unigol yno a'r anghenion cyfunol yn y lleoliad gofal hwnnw.
Felly, mae wedi symud at ddull mwy hyblyg, a sylweddolaf fod hynny wedi peri i rai pobl ddweud, 'Wel, a yw hynny'n golygu nad ydym angen un ym mhob cartref?' Wel, yr hyn sydd ei angen yw'r lefel gywir o nyrsio ar gyfer pob lleoliad cartref gofal, a dyna beth rydym wedi ymrwymo i'w sicrhau.
Llefarydd UKIP, Caroline Jones.
The UKIP spokesperson, Caroline Jones.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, last week a widespread failure in the NHS IT systems caused chaos for GP practices and hospitals across the country, with many GPs reporting that they were unable to access patient records. One GP described the situation as very frustrating and rather dangerous. Hospitals were unable to access test results and one patient was told he would have to wait another month for the results of a biopsy due to the backlog caused by the systems failure. I hope you will agree with me that this is totally unacceptable. Cabinet Secretary, can you update us further on the reasons for this outage, and what lessons, if any, have been learnt?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, yr wythnos diwethaf, bu anhrefn mewn practisau meddygon teulu ac ysbytai ledled y wlad o ganlyniad i fethiant eang yn systemau TG y GIG, gyda llawer o feddygon teulu yn adrodd nad oeddent yn gallu cael gafael ar gofnodion cleifion. Disgrifiodd un meddyg teulu y sefyllfa fel un rwystredig iawn a braidd yn beryglus. Nid oedd ysbytai'n gallu cael gafael ar ganlyniadau profion a dywedwyd wrth un claf y byddai'n rhaid iddo aros am fis arall am ganlyniadau biopsi oherwydd yr ôl-groniad a achoswyd gan fethiant y systemau. Gobeithio y byddwch yn cytuno â mi fod hyn yn gwbl annerbyniol. Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, a allwch roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ynghylch y rhesymau dros y methiant hwn, a pha wersi, os o gwbl, sydd wedi cael eu dysgu?
Yes, I recognise the inconvenience caused to staff and patients in the national health service following the incident last week. It's not thought that it was a cyber incident, on the positive, and, indeed, that it was a technical issue, although widespread. All affected systems were returned to normal by 8 o'clock on the same day. There's a challenge about having caught up with any potential delays and backlogs. Further work has been done today to provide a new firewall, and my understanding is that our systems are in a fit and proper place to move forward. But there is, of course, a broader question about investing in IT to deliver more in the here and now and in the future.
Ie, rwy'n cydnabod yr anghyfleustra a achoswyd i staff a chleifion yn y gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol yn dilyn y digwyddiad yr wythnos diwethaf. Credir nad digwyddiad seiber ydoedd, sy'n gadarnhaol, ac yn wir, credir mai mater technegol ydoedd, er ei fod yn eang. Roedd yr holl systemau yr effeithiwyd arnynt yn gweithio'n iawn eto erbyn 8 o'r gloch ar yr un diwrnod. Mae yna her o ran dal i fyny gydag unrhyw oedi ac ôl-groniadau posibl. Mae gwaith pellach wedi'i wneud heddiw ar ddarparu wal dân newydd, ac yn ôl yr hyn rwy'n ei ddeall, mae ein systemau mewn sefyllfa addas a phriodol i symud ymlaen. Ond wrth gwrs, mae yna gwestiwn ehangach ynglŷn â buddsoddi mewn TG i ddarparu mwy yn awr ac yn y dyfodol.
Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. NHS Wales Informatics Service have just announced that the new contract for the GP clinical systems and services will be awarded to Vision Health Ltd and Microtest Ltd. This has caused concern for many GP practices that use systems provided by EMIS Health Ltd. GP practices have been told that EMIS Health Ltd did not meet a number of the necessary tender evaluation criteria and that EMIS practices will need to choose an alternative system. Cabinet Secretary, can you expand upon the reasons that EMIS Health Ltd was not successful at the tender stage? Is it related to the news that NHS Digital have imposed significant penalties in the order of millions of pounds for failing to meet contractual requirements of the GP Systems of Choice contract in England?
Diolch i chi am yr ateb hwnnw, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Mae Gwasanaeth Gwybodeg GIG Cymru newydd gyhoeddi y bydd y contract newydd ar gyfer systemau a gwasanaethau clinigol meddygon teulu yn cael ei ddyfarnu i Vision Health Ltd a Microtest Ltd. Mae hyn wedi achosi pryder i nifer o bractisau meddygon teulu sy'n defnyddio systemau a ddarperir gan EMIS Health Ltd. Mae practisau meddygon teulu wedi cael gwybod nad yw EMIS Health Ltd wedi bodloni nifer o'r meini prawf ar gyfer gwerthuso tendrau angenrheidiol ac y bydd angen i bractisau EMIS ddewis system amgen. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a allwch chi ymhelaethu ar y rhesymau pam nad oedd EMIS Health Ltd yn llwyddiannus ar y cam tendro? Mae'n gysylltiedig â'r newyddion fod NHS Digital wedi gosod cosbau sylweddol o filiynau o bunnoedd am fethu bodloni gofynion cytundebol y contract GP Systems of Choice yn Lloegr?
I should start by saying it was remiss of me not to thank NWIS staff who worked hard to resolve the technical issue last week and to make sure the disruption was not more widespread, and, indeed, as I say, it was resolved within the day.
On EMIS and the issue of systems to support GPs, I recognise it's a challenge because a significant number of GPs currently use one of those systems. I can't go into the full reasons for it because there's a period of legal challenge and so I can't make a full statement until that point in time. But Members, I'm sure, will be interested to know that the British Medical Association have issued a very brief statement, because the general practitioners committee of the BMA were engaged in the discussions about the future tendering, and they themselves have said that they recognise that, whilst it's difficult, they think the right choice has been made because minimum standards have to be met within the contract process. But I think it will be towards the end of next week or the start of the week thereafter when the legal challenge process will be over and, if there is no challenge, a fuller statement can be made.
Dylwn ddechrau drwy ddweud fy mod wedi bod yn esgeulus yn peidio â diolch i staff Gwasanaeth Gwybodeg GIG Cymru sydd wedi gweithio'n galed i ddatrys y mater technegol yr wythnos ddiwethaf ac i sicrhau nad oedd yr amhariad yn fwy eang, ac yn wir, fel rwy'n dweud, cafodd y mater ei ddatrys o fewn yr un diwrnod.
O ran EMIS a mater systemau i gefnogi meddygon teulu, rwy'n cydnabod ei bod yn her oherwydd mae nifer sylweddol o feddygon teulu yn defnyddio un o'r systemau hynny ar hyn o bryd. Ni allaf drafod y rhesymau llawn am hynny oherwydd mae yna gyfnod o her gyfreithiol ac felly ni allaf wneud datganiad llawn nes hynny. Ond rwy'n siŵr y bydd gan yr Aelodau ddiddordeb mewn gwybod bod Cymdeithas Feddygol Prydain wedi cyhoeddi datganiad byr iawn, oherwydd roedd pwyllgor ymarferwyr cyffredinol Cymdeithas Feddygol Prydain yn rhan o'r trafodaethau ynghylch tendro yn y dyfodol, ac maent hwy eu hunain wedi cydnabod, er ei fod yn anodd, eu bod o'r farn fod y penderfyniad cywir wedi cael ei wneud am fod yn rhaid i safonau gofynnol gael eu bodloni yn rhan o broses y contract. Ond rwy'n credu y bydd proses yr her gyfreithiol yn dod i ben tua diwedd yr wythnos nesaf neu ddechrau'r wythnos wedyn, ac os nad oes her, gellir gwneud datganiad llawnach.
Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. Whatever the reasons for the decision against EMIS Health Ltd, this affects many GP practices across Wales who have been using the EMIS system for many years. The Royal College of General Practitioners are concerned that this will have a detrimental impact on both GPs and patients due to the scale of the changes needed to move to a new system. There are fears that this could risk pushing older GPs to an earlier retirement. Cabinet Secretary, how do you plan to address the concerns that an already overstretched profession does not have the time or resources to move to a new IT system, and are you confident that the new systems provided by Vision and Microtest are robust enough to prevent failures like we saw last Wednesday?
Diolch i chi, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Beth bynnag yw'r rhesymau dros y penderfyniad yn erbyn EMIS Health Ltd, mae hyn yn effeithio ar nifer o bractisau meddygon teulu ledled Cymru sydd wedi bod yn defnyddio system EMIS ers blynyddoedd lawer. Mae Coleg Brenhinol yr Ymarferwyr Cyffredinol yn pryderu y bydd hyn yn cael effaith andwyol ar feddygon teulu a chleifion oherwydd maint y newidiadau sydd eu hangen i newid i system newydd. Mae yna ofnau y gallai hyn beri i feddygon teulu hŷn ymddeol yn gynt. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, sut rydych yn bwriadu mynd i'r afael â'r pryderon nad oes gan y proffesiwn hwn, sydd eisoes o dan bwysau, amser nac adnoddau i newid i system TG newydd, ac a ydych yn hyderus fod y systemau newydd a ddarparwyd gan Vision a Microtest yn ddigon cadarn i atal methiannau tebyg i'r rhai a welsom ddydd Mercher diwethaf?
I think that the issues are different, with respect. The issues about the data centres I don't think are the same as the software and support that we're talking about to support GPs to work in their practices. And I go back to the statement made by David Bailey, the chair of the BMA Welsh council, who is also a GP himself, and his practice actually uses EMIS systems. He's recognised that it will be a practical problem for GPs in migrating to a new system, and that's why conversations have already taken place about the required training and support to help migrate practices into a new software that meets our requirements for the system that we have to run here in Wales. And that's the point: we have to have a system that supports the aims and objectives of the way we want to run our system here, not our system being driven by the demands of an external software supplier.
I do recognise the practical challenges about whether, if GPs don't feel supported in doing this, some may make a choice to leave the profession earlier than we would of course want them to. That's why the continuing nature of our conversation with both the British Medical Association and the Royal College of General Practitioners really does matter. I want them to be assured that there is a real will and commitment from the Government and the wider health service to support them in doing so and to continue to provide excellent, high-quality care to every community in Wales.
Credaf fod y materion yn wahanol, gyda pharch. Nid wyf yn credu bod y materion sy'n ymwneud â chanolfannau data yr un peth â'r meddalwedd a'r cymorth rydym yn siarad amdano i gefnogi meddygon teulu i weithio yn eu practisau. Ac fe af yn ôl at y datganiad a wnaed gan David Bailey, cadeirydd cyngor Cymru o Gymdeithas Feddygol Prydain, sydd hefyd yn feddyg teulu ei hun, ac mae ei bractis yn defnyddio systemau EMIS. Mae wedi cydnabod y bydd newid i system newydd yn broblem ymarferol i feddygon teulu, a dyna pam fod sgyrsiau eisoes wedi'u cynnal ynglŷn â'r hyfforddiant a'r cymorth sydd eu hangen i helpu i symud practisau i feddalwedd newydd sy'n ateb ein gofynion ar gyfer y system sy'n rhaid i ni ei chynnal yma yng Nghymru. A dyna'r pwynt: mae'n rhaid i ni gael system sy'n cefnogi nodau ac amcanion y ffordd rydym eisiau rhedeg ein system yma, ac nid gadael i'n system gael ei gyrru gan ofynion cyflenwr meddalwedd allanol.
Rwy'n cydnabod yr heriau ymarferol ynglŷn ag a fydd rhai meddygon teulu yn dewis gadael y proffesiwn yn gynt nag y byddem eisiau iddynt ei wneud, wrth gwrs, os nad ydynt yn teimlo eu bod yn cael cymorth i wneud hyn. Dyna pam fod natur barhaus ein sgwrs gyda Chymdeithas Feddygol Prydain a Choleg Brenhinol yr Ymarferwyr Cyffredinol yn bwysig. Rwyf eisiau rhoi sicrwydd iddynt fod yna awydd ac ymrwymiad gwirioneddol gan y Llywodraeth a'r gwasanaeth iechyd ehangach i'w helpu i wneud hynny ac i barhau i ddarparu gofal rhagorol o ansawdd uchel i bob cymuned yng Nghymru.
3. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet amlinellu hynt y cynlluniau i newid cynghorau iechyd cymuned yng Nghymru? OAQ51680
3. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline progress on plans to change community health councils in Wales? OAQ51680
We are giving detailed consideration to the many consultation responses to the proposals in our recent White Paper, in which changes to community health councils are one. Officials and I remain in discussion with representatives of the CHC board regarding their constructive response to the White Paper. A consultation summary report will be issued in due course.
Rydym yn rhoi ystyriaeth fanwl i ymatebion niferus yr ymgynghoriad ar y cynigion yn ein Papur Gwyn diweddar, gyda newidiadau i gynghorau iechyd cymuned yn un ohonynt. Mae swyddogion a minnau'n dal i drafod gyda chynrychiolwyr bwrdd y Cynghorau Iechyd Cymuned mewn perthynas â'u hymateb adeiladol i'r Papur Gwyn. Bydd adroddiad cryno ar yr ymgynghoriad yn cael ei gyhoeddi maes o law.
Well, of course, Cabinet Secretary, I think that if we're going to have the grown-up debate that you want us to have on the future of the health service, we need to have a community health council sector that is able to respond effectively to that call as well as the politicians. I believe that community health councils are crucial, but I have some reservations from my own patch about how they've reacted to previous problems with regard to Princess of Wales Hospital and, more recently, with regard to the Kris Wade scandal. But that doesn't take away from my fundamental belief that I do not believe that a Wales-wide body will solve this problem. For me, it's about trying to give community health councils guidance, to give them standards, to standardise practices across community health councils and make sure that they are visible. In fact, the former community health council chair of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board actually told me that it was the best-kept secret in Wales, and I think that's quite a shocking statement to come from a chair of a community health council. So, what are you doing in relation to this concept of a Wales-wide community health council? Are you still going to go ahead with it, despite those reservations?
Wel, wrth gwrs, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, rwy'n credu, os ydym am gael y ddadl aeddfed rydych eisiau i ni ei chael am ddyfodol y gwasanaeth iechyd, mae angen i ni gael sector cyngor iechyd cymuned sy'n gallu ymateb yn effeithiol i'r alwad honno yn ogystal â gwleidyddion. Credaf fod cynghorau iechyd cymuned yn hanfodol, ond mae gennyf rai amheuon o fy ardal fy hun o ran sut y maent wedi ymateb i broblemau blaenorol mewn perthynas ag Ysbyty Tywysoges Cymru ac yn ddiweddar, mewn perthynas â sgandal Kris Wade. Ond nid yw hynny'n tynnu oddi ar fy nghred sylfaenol nad wyf yn credu y bydd corff Cymru gyfan yn datrys y broblem hon. I mi, mae'n ymwneud â cheisio rhoi canllawiau i'r cynghorau iechyd cymuned, rhoi safonau iddynt, safoni arferion ar draws cynghorau iechyd cymuned a gwneud yn siŵr eu bod yn weladwy. Yn wir, dywedodd cyn gadeirydd cyngor iechyd cymuned Bwrdd Iechyd Lleol Prifysgol Abertawe Bro Morgannwg wrthyf mai hon yw'r gyfrinach fwyaf yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n ddatganiad eithaf syfrdanol gan gadeirydd cyngor iechyd cymuned. Felly, beth rydych yn ei wneud mewn perthynas â'r cysyniad hwn o gyngor iechyd cymuned Cymru gyfan? A fyddwch yn bwrw ymlaen ag ef, er gwaethaf yr amheuon hynny?
As I've said, we are gathering together the consultation responses, and we do continue to have a very constructive dialogue about how to take forward proposals, but I think all of us want to see a new citizen-voiced body that is able to properly cover the fields of health and social care, and you can't do that without replacing CHCs, because their current remit set out in primary legislation just doesn't stretch into the social care field. So, that's really important for us to achieve. Actually, there are some people who take your view that a national body shouldn't be the answer, but actually we already have a national body with the CHC board. It's about making it work and ensuring that we can deal with some of the concerns that people do have about a national body being set up in one remote location—whether it's Cardiff, Aberystwyth or Bangor—and that wouldn't then have the local status and the local organisation to have a presence within local communities. So, those concerns are being taken seriously, and as we both have the consultation responses and we've moved forward to then having what I hope will be proposals for a Bill, these are obviously matters that will want to set out in detail, how we propose to deal with those, but those conversations are not complete.
Fel rwyf wedi'i ddweud, rydym yn casglu'r ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad, ac rydym yn parhau i gael deialog adeiladol iawn ynglŷn â sut i fwrw ymlaen â chynigion, ond credaf fod pob un ohonom eisiau gweld corff newydd sy'n rhoi llais i ddinasyddion ac sy'n gallu cwmpasu meysydd iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn briodol, ac ni allwch wneud hynny heb ddisodli'r cynghorau iechyd cymuned, oherwydd nid yw eu cylch gwaith cyfredol fel y mae wedi'i nodi mewn deddfwriaeth sylfaenol yn ymestyn i'r maes gofal cymdeithasol. Felly, mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn cyflawni hynny. Mewn gwirionedd, mae yna bobl sy'n rhannu eich safbwynt nad corff cenedlaethol ddylai'r ateb fod, ond mewn gwirionedd, mae gennym gorff cenedlaethol eisoes gyda bwrdd y cynghorau iechyd cymuned. Mae'n ymwneud â gwneud iddo weithio a sicrhau y gallwn fynd i'r afael â rhai o'r pryderon sydd gan bobl ynghylch sefydlu corff cenedlaethol mewn un lleoliad anghysbell—boed yng Nghaerdydd, Aberystwyth neu Fangor—ac ni fyddai gan hwnnw statws lleol a threfniant lleol i sicrhau presenoldeb o fewn cymunedau lleol. Felly, mae'r pryderon hynny'n cael ystyriaeth ddifrifol, a chan fod gennym yr ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad a'n bod wedi symud ymlaen wedyn i gael yr hyn y gobeithiaf y byddant yn gynigion ar gyfer Bil, mae'r rhain yn amlwg yn faterion lle bydd angen nodi'n fanwl sut rydym yn argymell y dylid mynd i'r afael â hwy, ond nid yw'r sgyrsiau hynny wedi'u cwblhau.
Cabinet Secretary, I think that Bethan Jenkins has made some very good points, and they're points that have been made to many others as Assembly Members from across Wales. I met with my own local community health council last year, and they were concerned about some of the possible proposals to come forward from the Welsh Government in this area. They're not averse to change and they understand that the system, the sector, does have to change. In terms of the structure—whether it's a national body or a local body—that's ultimately for you to decide, but will you, however, ensure that you do listen to patients, ensure that there is a patients' voice as part of this system, whatever structure that may be? Let's not lose that vital aspect of the current CHC system, which sees volunteers going into hospitals, seeing on the ground with spot checks problems that are happening, problems that patients are facing. These are what we really need to hear fed back to the system; we don't just want a bureaucracy that doesn't have the patient's voice at the centre of it.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, credaf fod Bethan Jenkins wedi gwneud rhai pwyntiau da iawn, ac maent yn bwyntiau sydd wedi'u gwneud i nifer o Aelodau Cynulliad ledled Cymru. Cyfarfûm â fy nghyngor iechyd cymuned lleol y llynedd, ac roeddent yn bryderus am rai o'r cynigion posibl a fyddai'n cael eu cyflwyno gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn y maes hwn. Nid ydynt yn gwrthwynebu newid, ac maent yn deall bod yn rhaid i'r system, y sector, newid. O ran y strwythur—a yw'n gorff cenedlaethol neu'n gorff lleol—rhywbeth i chi ei benderfynu yw hwnnw yn y pen draw, ond a wnewch chi sicrhau, fodd bynnag, eich bod yn gwrando ar gleifion, sicrhau bod lleisiau cleifion yn rhan o'r system hon, pa strwythur bynnag y gallai fod? Gadewch i ni beidio â cholli'r agwedd hanfodol honno ar system gyfredol y cynghorau cyngor cymuned, sy'n gweld gwirfoddolwyr yn mynd i ysbytai, sy'n gweld problemau gyda hapwiriadau ar lawr gwlad, problemau y mae cleifion yn eu hwynebu. Dyma'r hyn rydym angen ei glywed yn cael ei fwydo'n ôl i'r system mewn gwirionedd; nid ydym eisiau biwrocratiaeth lle nad yw llais y claf yn ganolog.
This has been part of the very sensible and constructive conversation that we've had: how do we make sure that there is a genuine patient voice, a citizen voice, across health and social care? How is that organised in a practical way to take on board the parts that have been successful within our system and to deal with some of the challenges that no-one suggests have worked well? Part of the focus has been on the ability for a community health council or its successor to be able to actually undertake visits, and there's a challenge there about doing that in a way so it doesn't disrupt patient care but actually makes sure that there is access and the ability to undertake some unannounced visits as well, but not confusing the mission with a citizen voice body and the work of the formal inspectorates—Care Inspectorate Wales and also Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. And, actually, there is a tension there to be resolved, because at the time the CHCs were created we didn't have those other formalised inspectorate organisations. So, it's about making sure that there's clarity in the mission that doesn't stop those important visits to understand and to hear directly from citizens as they're receiving and taking part in care themselves. So, I recognise the issues and of course they'll be part of our consideration going forward.
Mae hyn wedi bod yn rhan o'r sgwrs adeiladol a synhwyrol iawn rydym wedi'i chael: sut rydym yn sicrhau bod llais go iawn i gleifion, llais i'r dinasyddion, ar draws iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol? Sut y mae trefnu hynny mewn ffordd ymarferol i ystyried y rhannau sydd wedi bod yn llwyddiannus yn ein system ac i fynd i'r afael â rhai o'r heriau nad oes neb yn awgrymu eu bod wedi gweithio'n dda? Mae rhan o'r ffocws wedi bod ar y gallu i gyngor iechyd cymuned neu ei olynydd gynnal ymweliadau mewn gwirionedd, ac mae yna her ynghylch gwneud hynny mewn ffordd nad yw'n amharu ar ofal cleifion ond sydd, mewn gwirionedd, yn gwneud yn siŵr bod yna fynediad ynghyd â'r gallu i gynnal ymweliadau dirybudd yn ogystal, ond heb ddrysu rhwng y genhadaeth o gael corff sy'n rhoi llais i ddinasyddion a gwaith arolygiaethau ffurfiol—Arolygiaeth Gofal Cymru ac Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru hefyd. Ac mewn gwirionedd, mae yna densiwn yno i'w ddatrys, oherwydd pan gafodd y cynghorau iechyd cymuned eu creu nid oedd gennym y sefydliadau arolygiaeth ffurfiol eraill hynny. Felly, mae'n ymwneud â sicrhau bod eglurder yn y genhadaeth nad yw'n atal yr ymweliadau pwysig hyn ar gyfer deall a chlywed yn uniongyrchol gan ddinasyddion wrth iddynt dderbyn gofal a chymryd rhan mewn gofal eu hunain. Felly, rwy'n cydnabod y problemau ac wrth gwrs, byddant yn rhan o'n hystyriaeth wrth symud ymlaen.
Cabinet Secretary, the White Paper suggested that there was a duplication of inspection roles with community health councils and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, but the community health council inspections are, in many ways, quite different. They are unannounced and can occur at any time, they include patients and relatives and they also involve follow-up visits. So, it seems to me that there's an important element there that is vital that we don't actually lose.
There was one further function, which, again, was part of the submission that I put in after various consultations, and that is the role of community health councils in the planning process. I've raised this with GP practices, but the fact is that where we have, for example, large housing developments, there is a lack of engagement, properly, with the health boards and with the local GP practices on the impact of such developments, and, also, there's the important role that community health councils could, perhaps, play within that context. It's essential that that role really is beefed up and it is an important one that we really need to develop that doesn't exist at the moment, but could be one of the very important functions that community health councils do play in the future.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, mae'r Papur Gwyn yn awgrymu bod rolau arolygu'n cael eu dyblygu gan gynghorau iechyd cymuned ac Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru, ond mae arolygiadau cynghorau iechyd cymuned, mewn sawl ffordd, yn eithaf gwahanol. Maent yn ddirybudd a gallant ddigwydd ar unrhyw adeg, maent yn cynnwys cleifion a pherthnasau ac maent hefyd yn cynnwys ymweliadau dilynol. Felly, mae'n ymddangos i mi fod yna elfen bwysig yno a'i bod yn hanfodol nad ydym yn ei cholli mewn gwirionedd.
Roedd un swyddogaeth bellach, a oedd, unwaith eto, yn rhan o'r cyflwyniad a wneuthum yn dilyn ymgynghoriadau amrywiol, sef rôl y cynghorau iechyd cymuned yn y broses gynllunio. Rwyf wedi codi hyn gyda phractisau meddygon teulu, ond y ffaith amdani yw, lle mae gennym, er enghraifft, ddatblygiadau tai mawr, ceir diffyg ymgysylltu priodol gyda'r byrddau iechyd a'r practisau meddygon teulu lleol ar effaith datblygiadau o'r fath, a hefyd, ceir y rôl bwysig y gallai cynghorau iechyd cymuned ei chwarae, o bosibl, yn y cyd-destun hwnnw. Mae'n hanfodol fod y rôl yn cael ei chryfhau ac mae'n un bwysig y mae gwir angen i ni ei datblygu nad yw'n bodoli ar hyn o bryd, ond gallai fod yn un o swyddogaethau hollbwysig y cynghorau iechyd cymuned yn y dyfodol.
Dealing with your second point first about the broader planning process, of course it's a conversation across the Government about our planning system, and the way in which, when new residential properties in particular are created, there's an impact on wider services, such as the health service, which is an obvious one, and with schools being another one and transport being obvious parts that are affected. So, there is a need to look at how different parts of not just the health service, but those actors around it, are able to take part in the process and have a proper say and a conversation with the reality of the impact of future development. So, I recognise the broad point that you make.
On the point about the difference between a CHC visit and a formal inspectorate visit, the CHCs themselves recognise that there is potential for duplication, which is unhelpful. They actually try to have a protocol between themselves and HIW in particular to try and demarcate the different roles that they have and how they should complement each other. Part of what we'll want to do in taking forward the White Paper is to make that clear so that it makes sense to the citizen, but also to the inspectorate and the people who are looking to undertake that work, because I recognise that there is real value in it.
Gan ymdrin â'ch ail bwynt yn gyntaf ynglŷn â'r broses gynllunio ehangach, wrth gwrs ei bod yn sgwrs ar draws y Llywodraeth am ein system gynllunio, a'r ffordd, pan fo eiddo preswyl newydd yn arbennig yn cael ei greu, mae hynny'n cael effaith ar wasanaethau ehangach, megis y gwasanaeth iechyd, sy'n un amlwg, ac ysgolion yn enghraifft arall a thrafnidiaeth yn rhannau amlwg yr effeithir arnynt. Felly, mae angen edrych ar sut y mae gwahanol rannau o'r gwasanaeth iechyd, a'r gweithredwyr o'i amgylch, yn gallu cymryd rhan yn y broses a chael llais a sgwrs briodol am realiti effaith y datblygiad yn y dyfodol. Felly, rwy'n cydnabod y pwynt cyffredinol rydych yn ei wneud.
Ar y pwynt ynglŷn â'r gwahaniaeth rhwng ymweliad cyngor iechyd cymuned ac ymweliad arolygiaeth ffurfiol, mae cynghorau iechyd cymuned eu hunain yn cydnabod bod potensial ar gyfer dyblygu, ac nid yw hynny'n ddefnyddiol. Mewn gwirionedd, maent yn ceisio cynnal protocol rhyngddynt eu hunain ac Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru yn benodol er mwyn ceisio gwahaniaethu rhwng y gwahanol rolau sydd ganddynt a sut y dylent ategu ei gilydd. Rhan o'r hyn y byddwn eisiau ei wneud wrth ddatblygu'r Papur Gwyn yw gwneud hynny'n glir fel y bydd yn gwneud synnwyr i'r dinesydd, ond hefyd i'r arolygiaeth a'r bobl sy'n mynd i gyflawni'r gwaith hwnnw, oherwydd rwy'n cydnabod bod gwerth gwirioneddol ynddo.
4. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddatganiad am wasanaethau meddygon teulu y tu allan i oriau yng Ngorllewin De Cymru? OAQ51664
4. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on out-of-hours GP services in South Wales West? OAQ51664
Thank you. I expect health boards in South Wales West to provide safe and effective primary out-of-hours services to respond to urgent healthcare needs when GP surgeries are closed. In South Wales West, that point of contact and access is now the 111 service.
Diolch. Rwy'n disgwyl i fyrddau iechyd yng Ngorllewin De Cymru ddarparu gwasanaethau sylfaenol y tu allan i oriau sy'n diogel ac yn effeithiol i ymateb i anghenion gofal iechyd brys pan fydd practisau ar gau. Y pwynt cyswllt a mynediad yng Ngorllewin De Cymru bellach yw'r gwasanaeth 111.
Cabinet Secretary, the BMA recently conducted a survey of GPs offering out-of-hours services. Nearly half of all respondents do not provide any out-of-hours services. Those GPs were asked to identify the main barriers to out-of-hours provision: 64.3 per cent cited exhaustion from daily pressures as the main barrier. In my region, over the last couple of years, four practices have closed and 13 are on the local health board's at-risk list, and a further 12 have indicated that their future is uncertain. If more practices close, we won't be able to provide adequate in-hours services, let alone out-of-hours. Cabinet Secretary, what plans do you have to address workload pressures to enable a greater number of GPs to provide out-of-hours care?
Ysgrifennydd Cabinet, yn ddiweddar cynhaliodd Cymdeithas Feddygol Prydain arolwg o feddygon teulu sy'n cynnig gwasanaethau y tu allan i oriau. Nid yw bron i hanner yr holl ymatebwyr yn darparu unrhyw wasanaethau y tu allan i oriau. Gofynnwyd i'r meddygon teulu hynny nodi'r prif rwystrau i ddarpariaeth y tu allan i oriau: dywedodd 64.3 y cant mai gorflinder o ganlyniad i bwysau dyddiol oedd y prif rwystr. Yn fy rhanbarth i, dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf, mae pedwar practis wedi cau ac mae 13 ar restr y bwrdd iechyd lleol o bractisau sydd mewn perygl o gau, ac mae 12 pellach wedi nodi bod eu dyfodol yn ansicr. Os bydd mwy o bractisau'n cau, ni fyddwn yn gallu darparu gwasanaethau digonol o fewn oriau gwaith arferol, heb sôn am y tu allan i oriau. Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pa gynlluniau sydd gennych i fynd i'r afael â phwysau gwaith i alluogi nifer fwy o feddygon teulu i ddarparu gofal y tu allan i oriau?
I think the Member comes to the point about the future of local healthcare. It goes back to some of the questions that we touched on earlier on. Trying to run the current system that we have is a recipe for failure for the future and there was a very clear message in the review for all of us to take on board.
In this Chamber, we've had a number of conversations about the future of local healthcare and what it will look like. We talked about the fact that GPs were, more and more, working in an integrated team. Many GPs are already doing that and there are other parts of our GP workforce that are still on that journey. And as we learn more about clusters and the debate that we recently had in this Chamber, we'll learn more about what works, and then part of the challenge the parliamentary review has set for us and the Government in particular is: how do we enable that to happen more consistently across the country? How do we spread learning and share learning and have less tolerance of local practice that is not good practice? How do we make the job easier and better for GPs? That's part of what we need to do and access and triage are part of that necessary conversation as well. We'll actually then have a better job for GPs already in the system. But, of course, with 'Train. Work. Live.' we do have some success in getting more trainees to come into our system as well. So, we need to both safeguard those people already in the system and make sure that their job is enjoyable, that it's done in a way that is forward-looking and not stuck in a past that existed and served us well in the last 20 or 30 years, and at the same time make sure that general practice is an attractive career that keeps people in Wales. Of course, there's a broad conversation now to be had with the wider public on the way that GPs themselves are trained.
Rwy'n credu bod yr Aelod yn gwneud pwynt am ddyfodol gofal iechyd lleol. Mae'n mynd yn ôl at rai o'r cwestiynau a drafodwyd gennym yn gynharach. Mae ceisio cynnal y system gyfredol sydd gennym mewn perygl o fethu yn y dyfodol ac roedd yna neges glir iawn yn yr adolygiad i bob un ohonom ei hystyried.
Yn y Siambr hon, rydym wedi cael nifer o sgyrsiau am ddyfodol gofal iechyd lleol a sut olwg fydd arno. Rydym wedi sôn am y ffaith bod meddygon teulu yn gweithio fwyfwy mewn timau integredig. Mae llawer o feddygon teulu yn gwneud hynny eisoes ac mae rhannau eraill o'n gweithlu meddygon teulu yn dal i fod ar y daith honno. Ac wrth i ni ddysgu mwy am glystyrau a'r ddadl a gawsom yn y Siambr hon yn ddiweddar, byddwn yn dysgu mwy am yr hyn sy'n gweithio, a rhan o'r her y mae'r adolygiad Seneddol wedi'i gosod ar ein cyfer wedyn ac ar gyfer y Llywodraeth yn benodol yw: sut rydym yn galluogi hynny i ddigwydd yn fwy cyson ar draws y wlad? Sut y gallwn ledaenu dysgu a rhannu dysgu a chael llai o oddefgarwch o arferion lleol nad ydynt yn arferion da? Sut y mae gwneud y gwaith yn haws ac yn well i feddygon teulu? Mae hynny'n rhan o'r hyn y mae angen i ni ei wneud ac mae mynediad a brysbennu'n rhan o'r sgwrs angenrheidiol honno yn ogystal. Wedyn, mewn gwirionedd, bydd gennym swydd well ar gyfer meddygon teulu sydd eisoes yn y system. Ond wrth gwrs, gyda 'Hyfforddi. Gweithio. Byw.' rydym wedi cael rhywfaint o lwyddiant wrth geisio cael mwy o hyfforddeion i ymuno â'n system yn ogystal. Felly, mae angen i ni ddiogelu'r bobl sydd eisoes yn y system a gwneud yn siŵr fod eu gwaith yn rhoi mwynhad iddynt, a'n bod yn gwneud hynny mewn ffordd sy'n edrych tua'r dyfodol yn hytrach nag at orffennol a oedd yn bodoli ac sydd wedi ein gwasanaethu'n dda dros yr 20 neu'r 30 mlynedd diwethaf, ac ar yr un pryd, sicrhau bod gyrfa fel meddyg teulu yn yrfa ddeniadol sy'n cadw pobl yng Nghymru. Wrth gwrs, mae yna sgwrs gyffredinol i'w chael bellach gyda'r cyhoedd yn ehangach mewn perthynas â'r ffordd y mae meddygon teulu eu hunain yn cael eu hyfforddi.
Cabinet Secretary, I welcome the 111 approach in south-west Wales because, clearly, that is one way of choosing well, making sure we get the right choices and avoiding going to a GP out-of-hours unnecessarily. But we also need the GP out-of-hours with certain things that are necessary. As such, I'm aware that there are challenges facing these services because GPs aren't coming forward to take on those practices. In my own area, Neath Port Talbot, there's a very serious concern about some of the sessions being covered by GPs and the lack of them coming forward. What is the Welsh Government going to do to ensure that we don't lose that service in the locality? Because the Afan valley people, having to go to a GP— if they end up having to go to Morriston, it's a very long way and they're unlikely to go there by themselves: they end up calling an ambulance. It's not the right way we should be doing it. We should be making sure that the local GP out-of-hours is there for them, in that locality, if needed.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, rwy'n croesawu'r cynllun 111 yn ne-orllewin Cymru oherwydd, yn amlwg, mae honno'n un ffordd o wneud dewis doeth a sicrhau ein bod yn gwneud y penderfyniadau cywir ac yn osgoi defnyddio gwasanaeth meddygon teulu y tu allan i oriau yn ddiangen. Ond rydym hefyd angen gwasanaeth meddygon teulu y tu allan i oriau gyda rhai pethau angenrheidiol. Fel y cyfryw, rwy'n ymwybodol fod yna heriau sy'n wynebu'r gwasanaethau hyn oherwydd nad yw meddygon teulu yn barod i gymryd y practisau hynny. Yn fy ardal fy hun, Castell-nedd Port Talbot, mae pryder difrifol iawn am rai o'r sesiynau a gymerir gan feddygon teulu a'r ffaith bod prinder meddygon teulu i wneud y gwaith. Beth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn bwriadu ei wneud i sicrhau nad ydym yn colli'r gwasanaeth hwnnw yn yr ardal? Oherwydd pan fo pobl Cwm Afan yn gorfod mynd at feddyg teulu—os byddant yn gorfod mynd i Dreforys yn y pen draw, mae'n ffordd hir iawn ac maent yn annhebygol o fynd yno ar eu pen eu hunain: maent yn ffonio am ambiwlans yn y pen draw. Nid dyna sut y dylem ei wneud. Dylem fod yn gwneud yn siŵr fod y gwasanaeth meddyg teulu y tu allan i oriau yno ar eu cyfer yn lleol os oes angen.
Yes, and I think that's the point: if needed, and who is the right healthcare professional. Part of the success of 111 has been the fact that most of the system that was introduced in England was actually a group of non-clinical call handlers with an algorithm—a script to go through. Often that was rather more cautious and ended up directing people into accident and emergency departments when it wasn't necessarily the right thing for them to do. In Wales, we've spent more time on developing a proper clinical desk. So, you normally have a GP, you normally have a nurse and a pharmacist, and now we're introducing a therapist, and there is often a physiotherapist. So, you get that broader team in actually answering the call at the first port of call as well, and it's been successful. There's been evidence and evaluations that have been undertaken by Sheffield university medical research centre, which shows good practice in the roll-out of 111 here in Wales and a good reason to roll it out. That has to go alongside the extra robustness of having the right healthcare professionals, including, of course, GPs, within the service. I do recognise the fragility we have in some parts of our system here in Wales; that's why getting 111 right will really make a difference so that those GPs who do take part will want to continue to staff our out-of-hours service.
Ie, ac rwy'n credu mai dyna'r pwynt: os oes angen, a phwy yw'r gweithiwr gofal iechyd proffesiynol cywir. Rhan o lwyddiant 111 yw'r ffaith mai'r rhan fwyaf o'r system a gyflwynwyd yn Lloegr oedd grŵp o atebwyr galwadau anghlinigol gydag algorithm mewn gwirionedd—sgript i'w darllen. Yn aml, roedd hynny'n fwy gofalus ac yn cyfeirio pobl at adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys pan nad hynny, o reidrwydd, oedd y peth cywir i'w wneud. Yng Nghymru, rydym wedi treulio mwy o amser yn datblygu desg glinigol briodol. Felly, mae gennych feddyg teulu fel arfer, mae gennych nyrs a fferyllydd fel arfer, a bellach rydym yn cyflwyno therapydd, ac mae yna ffisiotherapydd yn aml. Felly, rydych yn cael y tîm ehangach hwnnw'n ateb yr alwad yn y lle cyntaf yn ogystal, ac mae hynny wedi bod yn llwyddiannus. Cafwyd tystiolaeth a gwerthusiadau gan ganolfan ymchwil feddygol Prifysgol Sheffield, sy'n dangos bod cyflwyno'r 111 yma yng Nghymru wedi bod yn arfer da a bod rheswm da dros ei gyflwyno'n ehangach. Rhaid i hynny fynd ochr yn ochr â'r cadernid ychwanegol o gael y gweithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol priodol, gan gynnwys meddygon teulu wrth gwrs, o fewn y gwasanaeth. Rwy'n cydnabod bregusrwydd rhai rhannau o'r system yma yng Nghymru; dyna pam y bydd cael 111 yn iawn yn gwneud gwahaniaeth go iawn fel y bydd y meddygon teulu sy'n cymryd rhan eisiau parhau i staffio ein gwasanaeth y tu allan i oriau.
5. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddatganiad am 'Gofal Iechyd Parhaus y GIG: Y Fframwaith Gweithredu Cenedlaethol yng Nghymru', a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Mehefin 2014? OAQ51677
5. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on 'Continuing NHS Healthcare: The National Framework for Implementation in Wales', published in June 2014? OAQ51677
Thank you for bringing your copy again. The national framework sets out a process for the NHS, working together with local authority partners, to assess health needs, decide on eligibility for continuing NHS healthcare and commission and provide appropriate care for adults in a consistent manner across Wales. It is currently subject to review.
Diolch i chi am ddod â'ch copi eto. Mae'r fframwaith cenedlaethol yn nodi proses ar gyfer y GIG, gan weithio gyda phartneriaid awdurdodau lleol, i asesu anghenion iechyd, penderfynu ar gymhwysedd ar gyfer gofal iechyd parhaus y GIG a chomisiynu a darparu gofal priodol ar gyfer oedolion mewn modd cyson ledled Cymru. Mae'n destun adolygiad ar hyn o bryd.
That's the news I was looking for: the fact that this document is subject to review, which, of course, is for adults, and this document is also subject to review, which is the document for children's continuing care. These two documents together represent the journey that a child may go through from childhood to adulthood, and I get the distinct impression that social services currently don't buy into this document, and this document is the responsibility of health services. What concerns me is that I've heard that the review is a tidying-up exercise. Well, the children's document was 2012 and the adults' document was 2014. I think we need something more fundamental than a tidying-up exercise. I think we need a fundamental review, which will engage with social services, health boards and the children's commissioner to ensure that the weaknesses that are recognised in these documents are engaged with, and reduces the need in future for health boards and social services to call for legal guidance and provide much more certainty than they currently do.
Dyna'r newyddion roeddwn eisiau ei glywed: y ffaith bod y ddogfen hon yn destun adolygiad, sydd, wrth gwrs, ar gyfer oedolion, ac mae'r ddogfen hon hefyd yn destun adolygiad, sef y ddogfen ar gyfer gofal parhaus i blant. Mae'r ddwy ddogfen gyda'i gilydd yn cynrychioli'r daith y gallai plentyn fynd arni, o blentyndod i fywyd fel oedolyn, ac rwy'n cael yr argraff bendant nad yw gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn cefnogi'r ddogfen hon ar hyn o bryd, a chyfrifoldeb gwasanaethau iechyd yw'r ddogfen hon. Yr hyn sy'n fy mhoeni yw'r ffaith fy mod wedi clywed mai ymarfer tacluso yw'r adolygiad. Wel, cyhoeddwyd dogfen y plant yn 2012 a dogfen yr oedolion yn 2014. Credaf ein bod angen rhywbeth mwy sylfaenol nag ymarfer tacluso. Credaf ein bod angen adolygiad sylfaenol, a fydd yn ymgysylltu â gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, byrddau iechyd a'r comisiynydd plant i sicrhau ein bod yn mynd i'r afael â'r gwendidau sy'n cael eu cydnabod yn y dogfennau hyn ac yn lleihau'r angen i fyrddau iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol alw am arweiniad cyfreithiol yn y dyfodol a darparu llawer mwy o sicrwydd nag y maent yn ei wneud ar hyn o bryd.
I think that it's a fair point. Following on from the question you asked the First Minister—and I recognise the point you made about social services buy-in—we'll need buy-in from health and social care into both parts, in particular not just around transition, but actually just getting the system right. So, in reviewing that, we do expect partners and other stakeholders to be involved, and I'm also pleased to say that my understanding is that the children's commissioner's office will be engaged in part of that review as well. So, we have the right people together at the right time to look at both documents together, and hopefully then to improve the system that we have. The reality is that there will still be difficult choices to make within continuing healthcare. That's why the journey of integration between health and social care is really important, to try and make it as easy as possible for citizens to navigate through the system and not to have to understand a difficult and complex system themselves. So, all of these things together really should make a difference for the individual.
Credaf fod hwnnw'n bwynt teg. Yn dilyn ymlaen o'r cwestiwn a ofynnoch i'r Prif Weinidog—ac rwy'n cydnabod y pwynt a wnaethoch am gefnogaeth y gwasanaethau cymdeithasol—byddwn angen cefnogaeth y maes iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol mewn perthynas â'r ddwy ran, nid yn unig o ran pontio, ond o ran cael y system yn iawn mewn gwirionedd. Felly, wrth adolygu hynny, rydym yn disgwyl y bydd partneriaid a rhanddeiliaid eraill yn cymryd rhan, ac rwyf hefyd yn falch o ddweud, yn ôl yr hyn rwy'n ei ddeall, y bydd swyddfa'r comisiynydd plant yn rhan o'r adolygiad hwnnw yn ogystal. Felly, mae gennym y bobl iawn gyda'i gilydd ar yr adeg iawn i edrych ar y ddwy ddogfen gyda'i gilydd, a gobeithio wedyn y byddant yn gwella'r system sydd gennym. Y realiti yw y bydd penderfyniadau anodd i'w gwneud o hyd mewn perthynas â gofal iechyd parhaus. Dyna pam fod integreiddio rhwng iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn bwysig iawn, i geisio ei gwneud mor hawdd â phosibl i ddinasyddion lywio drwy'r system ac fel nad oes rhaid iddynt ddeall system gymhleth ac anodd eu hunain. Felly, dylai'r holl bethau hyn gyda'i gilydd wneud gwahaniaeth i'r unigolyn mewn gwirionedd.
Cabinet Secretary, as I'm sure you're aware, the auditor general published a follow-up report on this specific issue in 2015 that indicated that some health boards have not demonstrated that they are able to deal in a timely way with the claims they are responsible for, and that some claimants are being dealt with unreasonably. Are you now in a position to provide an update on this particular matter, and can you confirm that all health boards in Wales are now dealing with claimants reasonably and responsibly, so that people can have confidence in the entire system?
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, fel rwy'n siŵr eich bod yn ymwybodol, cyhoeddodd yr archwilydd cyffredinol adroddiad dilynol ar y mater penodol hwn yn 2015 ac roedd yn nodi nad oedd rhai byrddau iechyd wedi dangos eu bod yn gallu mynd i'r afael â'r hawliadau roeddent yn gyfrifol amdanynt mewn ffordd amserol, a bod rhai hawlwyr yn cael eu trin yn afresymol. A ydych bellach mewn sefyllfa i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ar y mater penodol hwn, ac a allwch gadarnhau bod pob bwrdd iechyd yng Nghymru yn ymdrin â hawlwyr yn rhesymol a chyfrifol bellach, fel y gall pobl fod â hyder yn y system gyfan?
I do understand the concern that's being raised, and I'm sure that, as with other Members, I've had constituents approach me in my local Member capacity with some concerns about the process in the past. It is my understanding that there's been a significant improvement in dealing with that backlog of claims, to try and resolve them, and I have received assurance that health boards have improved the position. I would not want to try and set an absolutist position because there is always room for error in any human service. If Members are aware of individual challenges that exist, I would want them to bring them forward to their health boards. If they don't get a response there, they can always write to me. I'm not aware that there are any system-wide pressures, but I am of course always happy to learn from a further review that I'm sure will take place at some point in the future.
Rwy'n deall y pryder sy'n cael ei leisio, ac rwy'n siŵr, fel gydag Aelodau eraill, fy mod wedi cael etholwyr yn lleisio rhai pryderon am y broses yn y gorffennol gyda mi yn rhinwedd fy swydd fel Aelod lleol. Yn ôl yr hyn rwy'n ei ddeall, mae gwelliant sylweddol wedi bod o ran mynd i'r afael ag ôl-groniad yr hawliadau, i geisio eu datrys, ac rwyf wedi cael sicrwydd bod byrddau iechyd wedi gwella'r sefyllfa. Ni fuaswn eisiau ceisio gosod safbwynt absoliwt oherwydd mae lle i wneud camgymeriadau mewn unrhyw wasanaeth meidrol bob amser. Os yw'r Aelodau'n ymwybodol o heriau unigol sy'n bodoli, buaswn eisiau iddynt godi hynny gyda'u byrddau iechyd. Os nad ydynt yn cael ymateb yno, gallant bob amser ysgrifennu ataf fi. Nid wyf yn ymwybodol o unrhyw bwysau ar y system gyfan, ond wrth gwrs rwyf bob amser yn fodlon dysgu o adolygiad pellach ac rwy'n siŵr y cynhelir un ar ryw adeg yn y dyfodol.
6. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi pobl yr effeithir arnynt gan achosion o diwmorau niwroendocrin yng Nghymru? OAQ51647
6. Will the Cabinet Secretary provide an update on how the Welsh Government is supporting people affected by neuroendocrine tumours in Wales? OAQ51647
Yes. The Welsh Government is committed to improving neuroendocrine tumour services. The Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee commissions care for patients in north Wales, and is working with health boards to implement the recommendations of its service review for south Wales to look at how patients can be better supported.
Gwnaf. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i wella gwasanaethau ar gyfer tiwmorau niwroendocrin. Mae comisiynau Pwyllgor Gwasanaethau Iechyd Arbenigol Cymru yn gofalu am gleifion yng ngogledd Cymru, ac mae'n gweithio gyda byrddau iechyd i roi argymhellion ei adolygiad gwasanaeth ar gyfer de Cymru ar waith er mwyn edrych ar sut y gellir cefnogi cleifion yn well.
Cabinet Secretary, will you join with me in congratulating my constituent, Janet Lewis, whose leadership in devising solutions to improve healthcare provision and equality for patients with neuroendocrine tumours led to her becoming the well-deserved winner of the endocrine nurse award for 2018? More generally, how is the Welsh Government working with Welsh patients and healthcare professionals to make them aware of the specialist services offered at the University Hospital of Wales site, so that they may benefit from the expertise of Janet and her colleagues?
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, a wnewch chi ymuno â mi i longyfarch un o fy etholwyr, Janet Lewis, enillydd haeddiannol gwobr nyrs endocrin 2018 am ei harweinyddiaeth yn dyfeisio atebion i wella darpariaeth gofal iechyd a chydraddoldeb ar gyfer cleifion sydd â thiwmorau niwroendocrin? Yn fwy cyffredinol, sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda chleifion Cymru a gweithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol i'w gwneud yn ymwybodol o'r gwasanaethau arbenigol sy'n cael eu cynnig ar safle Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru, fel y gallant elwa ar arbenigedd Janet a'i chydweithwyr?
Well, let me start by recognising the achievement of the Member's constituent, Janet Lewis. I'm always pleased to hear of yet another healthcare professional in Wales being recognised by her profession for excellence and achievement. It does say something about the fact that we are improving a range of our services here in Wales, which is not always recognised in other parts of the United Kingdom, but there is real excellence within the service here, and this is one such example. Because it did come from a review that recognised that we weren't doing well enough. Following that review, which actually brought in patient representatives as well, they had some confidence that we'd looked at the right things, and that service is being rolled out. There's been another peer review to check on progress, and that set out a number of areas for further improvement from Cardiff and Vale themselves. Again, there's something about learning, and actually that they are now being proactive and, through the commissioning arrangements of the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee, making sure that people are generally aware of the excellence that is now being developed within Cardiff and Vale, to be made available for people right across south Wales as well.
Wel, gadewch i mi ddechrau drwy gydnabod cyflawniad etholwraig yr Aelod, Janet Lewis. Rwyf bob amser yn falch o glywed am weithiwr gofal iechyd proffesiynol arall yng Nghymru yn cael ei chydnabod gan ei phroffesiwn am ragoriaeth a chyflawniad. Mae'n dweud rhywbeth ynglŷn â'r ffaith ein bod yn gwella ystod o'n gwasanaethau yma yng Nghymru, ac nid yw hynny bob amser yn cael ei gydnabod mewn rhannau eraill o'r Deyrnas Unedig, ond mae yna ragoriaeth go iawn o fewn y gwasanaeth yma, ac mae hon yn un enghraifft o hynny. Oherwydd roedd yn deillio o adolygiad a oedd yn cydnabod nad oeddem yn gwneud yn ddigon da. Ar ôl yr adolygiad hwnnw, a oedd yn cynnwys cynrychiolwyr cleifion yn ogystal mewn gwirionedd, roeddent yn weddol hyderus ein bod wedi edrych ar y pethau cywir, ac mae'r gwasanaeth hwnnw'n cael ei gyflwyno'n ehangach. Cafwyd adolygiad gan gymheiriaid arall i wirio cynnydd, ac roedd hwnnw'n nodi nifer o feysydd ar gyfer gwelliant pellach gan fwrdd iechyd Caerdydd a'r Fro eu hunain. Unwaith eto, mae yna rywbeth am ddysgu, a'r ffaith eu bod yn awr, mewn gwirionedd, yn bod yn rhagweithiol ac yn sicrhau bod pobl, drwy drefniadau comisiynu Pwyllgor Gwasanaethau Iechyd Arbenigol Cymru, yn ymwybodol at ei gilydd o'r rhagoriaeth sydd bellach yn cael ei datblygu o fewn Caerdydd a'r Fro ac a fydd ar gael i bobl ar draws de Cymru yn ogystal.
Will the Cabinet Secretary outline what considerations are given to screening patients who are at a higher risk of contracting neuroendocrine tumours, such as relatives of sufferers or patients who suffer from rare family syndromes such as multiple endocrine neoplasia or Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome, because in all of those there's been a very clear genetic link established? I just wonder if they need to have automatic screening rather than waiting until they have actually got the disease.
A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet amlinellu pa ystyriaethau a roddir i sgrinio cleifion sy'n wynebu risg uwch o gael tiwmorau niwroendocrin, megis perthnasau dioddefwyr neu gleifion sy'n dioddef o syndromau teuluol prin megis neoplasia endocrinaidd lluosog neu syndrom Von Hippel-Lindau, gan fod cysylltiad genetig clir iawn wedi'i sefydlu â phob un o'r rheini? Rwy'n meddwl tybed a oes angen iddynt gael eu sgrinio'n awtomatig yn hytrach nag aros nes bod ganddynt y clefyd.
This comes back to one of our challenges. I would always like it to be the case that we could have a screening programme that was effective in terms of the value that we get from it, in terms of money and also the outcomes and helping us to identify people early. But part of our difficulty in this area is that there isn't a full understanding of what causes neuroendocrine tumours. As with every area, where we look to have a screening programme we look for genuine scientific evidence. We all like to be evidence-led, not dogma-led, on this issue about what we should do. So, if there is an evidence-led process and there is an appropriate screening programme for individuals who are at greater risk, then we will of course look at that seriously, and as with other things, look to implement it here in Wales.
Daw hyn yn ôl at un o'r heriau sy'n ein hwynebu. Buaswn bob amser yn hoffi pe gallem gael rhaglen sgrinio sy'n effeithiol o ran y gwerth a gawn ohoni, o ran yr arian a hefyd o ran y canlyniadau a'n helpu i ganfod achosion yn gynnar. Ond rhan o'n anhawster yn y maes hwn yw nad oes dealltwriaeth lawn o'r hyn sy'n achosi tiwmorau niwroendocrin. Fel gyda phob maes, lle rydym yn ystyried cael rhaglen sgrinio rydym yn edrych am dystiolaeth wyddonol ddilys. Mae pawb ohonom yn hoffi cael ein harwain gan dystiolaeth, yn hytrach na chan ddogma, ar y mater hwn ynglŷn â beth y dylem ei wneud. Felly, os oes yna broses a arweinir gan dystiolaeth ynghyd â rhaglen sgrinio briodol ar gyfer unigolion sy'n wynebu mwy o risg, byddwn yn edrych ar hynny o ddifrif wrth gwrs, ac fel gyda phethau eraill, yn ystyried ei gweithredu yma yng Nghymru.
7. Pa gymorth sydd ar gael gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer mentrau i atal afiechyd yng Nghymru? OAQ51653
7. What Welsh Government support is available for initiatives to prevent ill-health in Wales? OAQ51653
The Welsh Government directly funds a number of national organisations, services, programmes and settings-based approaches aiming to prevent ill health. These include smoking cessation services, immunisation programmes and healthy schools and workplace programmes.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi cyllid uniongyrchol i nifer o sefydliadau cenedlaethol, gwasanaethau, rhaglenni a dulliau sy'n seiliedig ar leoliadau gyda'r bwriad o atal afiechyd. Mae'r rhain yn cynnwys gwasanaethau rhoi'r gorau i smygu, rhaglenni imiwneiddio a rhaglenni ysgolion a gweithleoedd iach.
Cabinet Secretary, in accordance with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, I think it's widely accepted, and I think Welsh Government would certainly support a move to a more preventative approach in dealing with ill health in Wales, and being more proactive. Where there are examples, as I believe there is a particularly good one in Newport of the local health board coming together with Newport Live, as the leisure services organisation, Natural Resources Wales, Newport City Council and a range of sports bodies, to try and achieve a more active local population to be preventative in terms of ill health—. Where there is a good local coming together of that nature, what support might Welsh Government offer to facilitate and encourage? I know that previously there was mention, for example, of well-being bonds as being one possible vehicle to support pilots in local areas in Wales, and I just wonder if that's still a possibility or if there's some other means by which Welsh Government might offer that support.
Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yn unol â Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015, rwy'n credu ei fod wedi cael ei dderbyn yn eang, ac rwy'n credu y byddai Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicr yn cefnogi symudiad tuag at ymagwedd fwy ataliol wrth ymdrin ag afiechyd yng Nghymru, a bod yn fwy rhagweithiol. Lle y ceir enghreifftiau, megis yr enghraifft arbennig o dda yng Nghasnewydd, rwy'n credu, lle mae'r bwrdd iechyd lleol yn gweithio gyda Newport Live, fel y sefydliad gwasanaethau hamdden, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd ac amrywiaeth o gyrff chwaraeon, i geisio cael poblogaeth leol fwy gweithredol er mwyn bod yn ataliol mewn perthynas ag afiechyd—. Pan fo sefydliadau'n cydweithio'n dda ar lefel leol yn y ffordd honno, pa gymorth y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru ei gynnig i hwyluso ac annog? Gwn fod sôn wedi bod o'r blaen, er enghraifft, am fondiau lles fel un cyfrwng posibl i gefnogi cynlluniau peilot mewn ardaloedd lleol yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n meddwl tybed a yw hwnnw'n bosibilrwydd o hyd neu a oes unrhyw ffordd arall y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru gynnig y cymorth hwnnw.
There are a couple of specific things to talk about, apart from the generality, or the £600,000 of funding that goes through Sport Wales to Newport for core funding services and the Community Chest funding services. You'll be aware that the well-being bond is a manifesto of commitment and it's in 'Prosperity for All', the national strategy. I'll be making an announcement on that in the coming months.
There's a range of different areas where we do take action and support activity. There's a more general preventative approach in healthcare services, but working with other partners, and the continuing partnership with Public Health Wales, health boards and Sport Wales is an important one. I expect to meet with my ministerial colleague, who's not in the Chamber at the present, to have that conversation on the joint work that Public Health Wales and Sport Wales have been doing. I'm also interested in what the professional sports are doing to actually promote, not just sport, but broader physical activity, and that's why, as an example of not just physical activity, you hear about Ken Skates and active travel.
We support a range of activities. We've supported walking groups in December—further funding to have local walking groups through Let's Walk Cymru, with funding to take them through to April 2019. We support a wide range of activities. We do recognise that not everyone is interested in the world of sport. How do we make them interested in more general physical activity, and how do we make it easier for people to undertake that activity and see the benefits for themselves, and not simply for the Government?
Mae un neu ddau o bethau penodol i siarad amdanynt, ac eithrio'r pethau cyffredinol, neu'r £600,000 o arian sy'n mynd drwy Chwaraeon Cymru i Gasnewydd ar gyfer gwasanaethau cyllid craidd a gwasanaethau cyllid y Gist Gymunedol. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod y bond lles yn faniffesto o ymrwymiad ac mae wedi'i gynnwys yn 'Ffyniant i Bawb', y strategaeth genedlaethol. Byddaf yn gwneud cyhoeddiad ar hynny yn y misoedd nesaf.
Ceir amrywiaeth o wahanol feysydd lle rydym yn cymryd camau ac yn cefnogi gweithgarwch. Ceir dull ataliol mwy cyffredinol mewn gwasanaethau gofal iechyd, ond mae gweithio gyda phartneriaid eraill, a'r bartneriaeth barhaus ag Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, byrddau iechyd a Chwaraeon Cymru, yn un bwysig. Rwy'n disgwyl y byddaf yn cyfarfod â fy nghyd-Weinidog, nad yw yn y Siambr ar hyn o bryd, i gael y sgwrs honno am y gwaith y mae Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru a Chwaraeon Cymru wedi bod yn ei wneud ar y cyd. Mae gennyf ddiddordeb hefyd yn yr hyn y mae'r chwaraeon proffesiynol yn ei wneud i hyrwyddo, nid yn unig chwaraeon, ond gweithgarwch corfforol ehangach, a dyna pam, fel enghraifft ar wahân i weithgarwch corfforol, y clywch am Ken Skates a theithio llesol.
Rydym yn cefnogi amrywiaeth o weithgareddau. Cefnogwyd grwpiau cerdded gennym ym mis Rhagfyr—cyllid pellach i sefydlu grwpiau cerdded lleol drwy Dewch i Gerdded Cymru, gyda chyllid i'w cynnal hyd at Ebrill 2019. Rydym yn cefnogi amrywiaeth eang o weithgareddau. Rydym yn cydnabod nad oes gan bawb ddiddordeb yn y byd chwaraeon. Sut y gallwn ennyn eu diddordeb mewn gweithgarwch corfforol mwy cyffredinol, a sut y mae ei gwneud yn haws i bobl ymgymryd â'r gweithgarwch hwnnw a gweld y manteision drostynt eu hunain, ac nid i'r Llywodraeth yn unig?
Last November, Cabinet Secretary, the British Medical Association published a new position paper on the use of e-cigarettes, and I quote what they stated:
'There are clear potential benefits to their use in reducing the substantial harms associated with smoking, and a growing consensus that they are significantly less harmful than tobacco use. With appropriate regulation, e-cigarettes have the potential to make an important contribution towards the BMA’s ambition to achieve a tobacco-free society, leading to substantially reduced mortality from tobacco-related disease.'
In view of this, Cabinet Secretary, what action are you going to take to promote the use of e-cigarettes in Wales as an alternative to tobacco smoking? Thank you.
Fis Tachwedd diwethaf, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, cyhoeddodd Cymdeithas Feddygol Prydain bapur sefyllfa newydd ar y defnydd o e-sigaréts, a dyfynnaf yr hyn a ddywedai:
Mae yna fanteision clir posibl i'w defnydd yn lleihau'r niwed sylweddol sy'n gysylltiedig â smygu, ac mae consensws cynyddol eu bod gryn dipyn yn llai niweidiol na defnyddio tybaco. Gyda rheoliadau priodol, mae gan e-sigaréts botensial i wneud cyfraniad pwysig tuag at uchelgais Cymdeithas Feddygol Prydain i sicrhau cymdeithas ddi-dybaco, gan arwain at nifer gryn dipyn yn llai o bobl yn marw o ganlyniad i glefydau sy'n gysylltiedig â thybaco.
O ystyried hyn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pa gamau y bwriadwch eu cymryd i hyrwyddo'r defnydd o e-sigaréts yng Nghymru fel dewis amgen yn lle smygu tybaco? Diolch.
I think we should think again about some of the language that the Member has used: you said that e-cigarettes are significantly less harmful than tobacco. That does not mean that they're not, themselves, harmful; it's about the balance in harm. And it's also about a recognition that we don't always understand what goes into an e-cigarette. We had this debate in this term with the public health Bill, and in the last term as well there was a change of position about our ability to regulate this area. There's something about being able to regulate the products, because, actually, if you don't know what's in an e-cigarette, that's rather difficult, and I think there's something there for us to continue to consider. The Government has no intention of promoting e-cigarettes. There are choices for people to make themselves, as citizens of the country. I think that we have to, as I said earlier, continue to be led by evidence on what we could and should do, what we could and should promote.
Rwy'n credu y dylem feddwl eto am yr iaith a ddefnyddiodd yr Aelod: fe ddywedoch fod e-sigaréts yn llawer llai niweidiol na thybaco. Nid yw hynny'n golygu nad ydynt, eu hunain, yn niweidiol; mae'n ymwneud â chydbwysedd y niwed. Ac mae hefyd yn golygu cydnabod nad ydym bob amser yn deall beth sy'n cael ei gynnwys mewn e-sigarét. Cawsom y ddadl hon yn ystod y tymor hwn gyda'r Bil iechyd y cyhoedd, ac yn ystod y tymor diwethaf yn ogystal cafwyd newid safbwynt mewn perthynas â'n gallu i reoleiddio yn y maes hwn. Mae rhywbeth ynglŷn â'r gallu i reoleiddio'r cynhyrchion, oherwydd mewn gwirionedd, os nad ydych yn gwybod beth sy'n cael ei gynnwys mewn e-sigarét, mae hynny braidd yn anodd, a chredaf fod rhywbeth yno y dylem barhau i'w ystyried. Nid oes gan y Llywodraeth unrhyw fwriad o hyrwyddo e-sigaréts. Mae yna benderfyniadau i bobl eu gwneud eu hunain, fel dinasyddion y wlad. Credaf fod yn rhaid i ni, fel y dywedais yn gynharach, barhau i gael ein harwain gan dystiolaeth o ran yr hyn y gallem ac y dylem ei wneud, yr hyn y gallem ac y dylem ei hyrwyddo.
Diolch i'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet.
Thank you to the Cabinet Secretary.
Eitem 3 yw'r cwestiynau amserol, a'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Darren Millar.
Item 3 is the topical questions, and the first question is from Darren Millar.
1. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddatganiad am ffigurau marwolaethau mewn adrannau achosion brys yng Nghymru? 120
1. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on mortality figures in Welsh emergency departments? 120
You raised this yesterday with the First Minister, of course, and he made clear that the figures take no account of age, deprivation or ill health. I'll refer you back to his comments:
'Now, the particular measure reported involved small numbers and it's consequently not age adjusted. Age is likely to be the main reason why this figure seems high, not least reflecting that Conwy has the highest percentage of over 75s in the whole of Wales.
'More recent figures from the health board show some reduction in the peak reported. The overall in-hospital mortality rates for Ysbyty Glan Clwyd are in line with the Welsh average.'
Fe godoch y mater hwn ddoe gyda'r Prif Weinidog, wrth gwrs, ac fe'i gwnaeth hi'n glir nad yw'r ffigurau'n ystyried oedran, amddifadedd nac afiechyd. Rwyf am eich cyfeirio'n ôl at ei sylwadau:
'Nawr, roedd y mesur penodol yr adroddwyd amdano yn ymwneud â niferoedd bach ac nid yw wedi ei addasu ar sail oedran o ganlyniad i hynny. Oedran sy'n debygol o fod y prif reswm pam mae'r ffigur hwn yn ymddangos yn uchel, ac mae'n adlewyrchu'r ffaith mai Conwy sydd â'r ganran uchaf o bobl dros 75 oed yng Nghymru gyfan.'
'Mae ffigurau mwy diweddar gan y bwrdd iechyd yn dangos rhywfaint o ostyngiad i'r ffigur uchaf a adroddwyd. Mae'r cyfraddau marwolaeth cyffredinol yn yr ysbyty ar gyfer Ysbyty Glan Clwyd yn cyd-fynd â chyfartaledd Cymru.'
As you will know, Conwy has always had an older population than other parts of Wales, and, indeed, historically, its mortality figures at Glan Clwyd's emergency department have been below the Welsh average. So, age is certainly no excuse for the extraordinary increase that we've seen in death rates in that emergency department in recent years. They have more than doubled since 2012, and I'm afraid that your complacent response will not wash well with patients in north Wales who want to know why they are almost twice as likely to die in that hospital as they are in other hospitals across the country, and the situation there appears to be much worse than