Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd
Plenary - Fifth Senedd
11/06/2019Cynnwys
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.
Rwyf wedi derbyn cwestiwn brys, o dan Reol Sefydlog 12.67, a dwi'n galw ar Carwyn Jones i ofyn y cwestiwn brys i'r Gweinidog economi. Carwyn Jones.
I have accepted an emergency question under Standing Order 12.67, and I call on Carwyn Jones to ask the emergency question to the Minister for the economy. Carwyn Jones.
A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y cyhoeddiad diweddar gan Ford ynghylch Ffatri Beiriannau Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr? (EAQ0007)
Will the Minister make a statement on the recent announcement by Ford on the Bridgend Engine Plant? (EAQ0007)
Yes. Can I thank the Member for his emergency question? This is obviously very distressing and devastating for those who will be affected by the announcement. It could be the largest loss of jobs in a generation, and the single biggest loss of jobs since devolution. I have begun the process of establishing a taskforce to work with partners over the weeks and months ahead to help find a sustainable, long-term solution for the plant and for its workforce.
Gwnaf. A gaf i ddiolch i'r Aelod am ei gwestiwn brys? Mae hyn yn amlwg yn peri trallod a gofid mawr i'r rhai y bydd y cyhoeddiad yn effeithio arnyn nhw. Gallai fod y golled fwyaf o ran swyddi mewn cenhedlaeth, a'r golled unigol fwyaf o swyddi ers datganoli. Rwyf wedi dechrau'r broses o sefydlu tasglu i weithio gyda phartneriaid dros yr wythnosau a'r misoedd nesaf i helpu i ddod o hyd i ateb hirdymor, cynaliadwy ar gyfer y safle a'i weithlu.
I thank the Minister for that answer. I watched that plant being built. I watched the trains coming into the plant from the chemistry lab of Brynteg Comprehensive School it was so close. And now, it seems, there is a strong possibility that I will see the plant close. Minister, the economy of Bridgend has done well over the past few years, but this is a blow to the solar plexus of the town. There was no warning, either to the workers or to Welsh Government, and for 40 years the workers at Ford did what was asked of them and this was the way in which they were repaid. Minister, it seems that the decision was taken relatively recently, possibly a week or so before the decision was announced. I hear that there were still interviews taking place in the plant the week before the decision, and, indeed, contracts were still being let some weeks before the announcement. Minister, I'm concerned about what changed in the meantime, and the only thing I can think of is the ramping up of talk of a 'no deal' Brexit. That is something that I know was a factor that they mentioned to you in private conversation, and I know it's something they then denied in the afternoon. But the reality is that concern not about Brexit but about no deal is something, I believe, that weighed very heavily on their minds.
Minister, the workers are worried. They're worried about their future. They're worried about their pensions, which is something I asked the Welsh Government to look at particularly. But, above all, of course, they look now to the Welsh Government for leadership and for advice as to the future. I certainly won't give up fighting for those workers and working with the trades unions, but we have to be prepared for all eventualities. So, my question, Minister, is this: will you assure Ford workers that all that can be done is being done, and will you assure me and those workers that they will receive assistance from the Welsh Government and that the Welsh Government will look to provide a future for them and for the town?
Diolch i'r Gweinidog am yr ateb hwnnw. Gwyliais y safle hwnnw'n cael ei adeiladu. Gwyliais i'r trenau'n dod i'r safle o labordy cemeg Ysgol Gyfun Brynteg gan ei fod mor agos. A nawr, mae'n ymddangos, mae yna bosibilrwydd mawr y byddaf yn gweld y safle yn cau. Gweinidog, mae economi Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr wedi gwneud yn dda yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, ond mae hyn yn ergyd i galon y dref. Ni chafwyd rhybudd, i'r gweithwyr nac i Lywodraeth Cymru, ac am 40 mlynedd, gwnaeth y gweithwyr yn Ford yr hyn a ofynnwyd iddynt, a dyma sut y cawson nhw eu had-dalu. Gweinidog, ymddengys fod y penderfyniad wedi'i wneud yn gymharol ddiweddar, ryw wythnos efallai cyn cyhoeddi'r penderfyniad. Rwy'n clywed bod cyfweliadau'n dal i gael eu cynnal yn y ffatri wythnos cyn y penderfyniad, ac yn wir, yr oedd contractau'n dal i gael eu rhoi rai wythnosau cyn y cyhoeddiad. Gweinidog, rwy'n pryderu ynghylch yr hyn a newidiodd yn y cyfamser, a'r unig beth y gallaf i feddwl amdano yw'r sôn cynyddol am Brexit 'dim cytundeb'. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth y gwn iddo fod yn ffactor a grybwyllwyd i chi mewn sgwrs breifat, a gwn ei fod yn rhywbeth a wadwyd ganddynt wedyn yn y prynhawn. Ond y realiti yw bod pryder, nid ynghylch Brexit ond ynghylch dim cytundeb yn rhywbeth, rwy'n credu, a bwysodd yn drwm iawn ar eu meddyliau.
Gweinidog, mae'r gweithwyr yn poeni. Maen nhw'n poeni am eu dyfodol. Maen nhw'n poeni am eu pensiynau, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth y gofynnais i Lywodraeth Cymru edrych arno'n arbennig. Ond, yn anad dim, wrth gwrs, maen nhw'n edrych yn awr i Lywodraeth Cymru am arweiniad ac am gyngor ynglŷn â'r dyfodol. Yn sicr, ni fyddaf i'n rhoi'r gorau i frwydro dros y gweithwyr hynny ac i weithio gyda'r undebau llafur, ond mae'n rhaid inni fod yn barod am bob posibilrwydd. Felly, fy nghwestiwn i, Gweinidog, yw hyn: a wnewch chi roi sicrwydd i weithwyr Ford bod popeth y gellir ei wneud yn cael ei wneud, ac a wnewch chi roi sicrwydd i mi ac i'r gweithwyr hynny y byddan nhw'n cael cymorth gan Lywodraeth Cymru ac y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ceisio darparu dyfodol iddyn nhw ac i'r dref?
Can I thank Carwyn Jones for his questions? I agree with everything that he's said about the way that Ford have treated the workforce. Of course, this facility has been at the very heart of the south Wales economy since the late 1970s, built in 1978 with taxpayers' support to house what was then called 'project Erika', the components that would feed into that particular vehicle. A hundred and forty three million pounds has been spent assisting Ford over the years, more than £60 million since 2006 alone. It is, as Carwyn Jones rightly said, a massive blow to the entire community. And in response to it, we will be going further than we would normally go with a taskforce approach, and I'll come to that in a moment.
I expressed forcefully my view that Ford had badly let down the workforce and the people of the entire region and country in making the decision in the way that it made it, without due regard to the well-being and welfare of not just 1,700-plus people working at the site, but the entire community, and without engaging with the UK or Welsh Governments on alternatives, as they had been doing until very recently.
Carwyn Jones raised the important question of Brexit in this regard. I can assure him that I raised this question with Ford, and I was told that whilst it was not the dominant factor in their deliberations, it was nonetheless extremely unhelpful and had increased their vulnerability. And they spoke in particular about the issue of frictionless trade at borders and how that could be ended with, in particular, a 'no deal' Brexit. And we only need to reflect back as well on their consistent message, from October last year, when they said that a 'no deal' Brexit would be devastating. Now, I'm pleased to see that the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, who has been of great assistance since Thursday, has this morning confirmed in questions that companies in the sector have been crystal clear—that we need to leave the European Union with a deal that allows us to continue to trade without frictions. And he goes on to say about the opportunities that could be had if that can be secured.
Carwyn Jones also raises the important question about pensions. I had a conference call yesterday with trade unions, with the local authority, with the Secretary of State for BEIS, the Secretary of State for Wales, and we agreed that there would have to be immediate assistance in the form of financial advisers for the workforce. And I also asked that the regulator get involved in this matter as soon as possible. We wish to keep the sharks from Bridgend, and therefore immediate assistance is required.
I can assure the Member that we will do everything in our power to support those who will be affected by this decision. Our approach, as I said earlier, will be threefold. We will focus on the people who will be affected, as we always do, with a taskforce intervention, looking at opportunities, looking at their skills needs. But we will also put a particular focus on the potential of the site, examining every option to attract investment in. And we will work with BEIS, with the Department for International Trade and with the Wales Office in order to secure alternative employment.
However, there will be a third strand to our work, which will include place. My recollections of growing up in Flintshire during the 1980s and during the 1990s have informed this decision. For the first few years after 8,500 people lost their jobs at Shotton steelworks, there was money in circulation—there were many new cars, many retail outlets did very well. But, from the mid 1980s, through the 1990s, and even to this day, challenges emerged that have scarred that entire community. And we will not allow Bridgend to go through what, sadly, Deeside went through in the 1980s and 1990s. And that is why I have determined that we have to have a particular piece of work, looking at how we can stimulate the economy of Bridgend between now and September of 2020, how we can stabilise businesses that rely so heavily on Ford, how we can support the supply chain not just within the automotive sector, but those many small, medium, and micro-sized businesses that rely on the money that Ford puts into the community, and how we can make the entire community investment ready. There is no doubt that this will have dealt a terrible blow in terms of the community's pride and dignity, but we will work side by side with the local authority, with Cardiff city deal, with BEIS, the Wales Office, with other partners, in ensuring that Bridgend has alternative employment, employment of the highest quality, that is well paid.
A gaf i ddiolch i Carwyn Jones am ei gwestiynau? Rwy'n cytuno â phopeth a ddywedodd am y ffordd y mae Ford wedi trin y gweithlu. Wrth gwrs, mae'r cyfleuster hwn wedi bod yn gwbl ganolog i economi'r de ers diwedd y 1970au ar ôl ei adeiladu ym 1978 gyda chymorth trethdalwyr i gartrefu'r hyn a alwyd ar y pryd yn 'brosiect Erika', y cydrannau a fyddai'n mynd i adeiladu'r cerbyd penodol hwnnw. Gwariwyd £143 miliwn i gynorthwyo Ford dros y blynyddoedd, a mwy na £60 miliwn ers 2006 yn unig. Fel y dywedodd Carwyn Jones yn gywir, mae'n ergyd drom i'r gymuned gyfan. Ac mewn ymateb iddi, byddwn yn cymryd camau pellach nag y byddem ni fel arfer yn eu cymryd trwy ddull tasglu, a byddaf yn sôn am hynny mewn munud.
Mynegais fy marn yn rymus bod Ford wedi gwneud cam gwael â'r gweithlu a phobl y rhanbarth a'r wlad gyfan wrth wneud y penderfyniad yn y ffordd y gwnaeth hynny, heb roi ystyriaeth briodol i les a llesiant y 1,700 a mwy o bobl sy'n gweithio ar y safle, nac i'r gymuned gyfan, a heb ymgysylltu â Llywodraethau'r DU na Chymru ar ddewisiadau eraill, fel yr oedden nhw wedi bod yn ei wneud tan yn ddiweddar iawn.
Cododd Carwyn Jones y cwestiwn pwysig ynghylch Brexit yn hyn o beth. Gallaf ei sicrhau fy mod i wedi codi'r cwestiwn hwn gyda Ford, a dywedwyd wrthyf er nad hynny oedd y ffactor amlycaf yn eu trafodaethau, ei fod, serch hynny, yn hynod annefnyddiol ac wedi peri iddynt fod yn fwy agored i niwed. Ac roedden nhw'n siarad yn arbennig am y mater yn ymwneud â masnachu rhwydd ar ffiniau a sut y gallai hynny ddod i ben yn arbennig gyda Brexit 'dim cytundeb'. A dim ond edrych yn ôl ar eu neges gyson ers mis Hydref y llynedd sy'n rhaid, pan wnaethant ddweud y byddai Brexit 'dim cytundeb' yn drychinebus. Nawr, rwy'n falch o weld bod yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Fusnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol, sydd wedi bod o gymorth mawr ers dydd Iau, wedi cadarnhau y bore yma mewn cwestiynau bod cwmnïau yn y sector wedi bod yn gwbl glir—bod angen inni adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd â bargen sy'n caniatáu inni barhau i fasnachu yn rhwydd. Ac mae'n mynd ymlaen i ddweud am y cyfleoedd a allai fod os gellir sicrhau hynny.
Mae Carwyn Jones hefyd yn codi'r cwestiwn pwysig ynghylch pensiynau. Cefais alwad gynadledda ddoe gydag undebau llafur, gyda'r awdurdod lleol, gyda'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Fusnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol, Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru, ac fe wnaethom gytuno y byddai'n rhaid rhoi cymorth ar unwaith ar ffurf cynghorwyr ariannol i'r gweithlu. A gofynnais hefyd i'r rheoleiddiwr gymryd rhan yn y mater hwn cyn gynted â phosibl. Rydym yn dymuno cadw'r siarcod o Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr, ac felly mae angen cymorth ar unwaith.
Gallaf sicrhau'r Aelod y byddwn yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu i gefnogi'r rhai y bydd y penderfyniad hwn yn effeithio arnyn nhw. Fel y dywedais yn gynharach, bydd tair agwedd ar ein dull o weithredu. Byddwn yn canolbwyntio ar y bobl y bydd hyn yn effeithio arnyn nhw, fel y gwnawn bob amser, gydag ymyriad tasglu, yn edrych ar gyfleoedd ac yn edrych ar eu hanghenion sgiliau. Ond byddwn hefyd yn canolbwyntio'n benodol ar botensial y safle, ac yn archwilio pob opsiwn i ddenu buddsoddiad. A byddwn yn cydweithio â'r Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol, yr Adran Masnach Ryngwladol a Swyddfa Cymru i sicrhau gwaith arall.
Fodd bynnag, bydd trydedd elfen i'n gwaith, a fydd yn cynnwys lle. Fy atgofion o dyfu i fyny yn sir y Fflint yn ystod y 1980au ac yn ystod y 1990au sydd wedi llywio'r penderfyniad hwn. Yn ystod y blynyddoedd cyntaf ar ôl i 8,500 o bobl golli eu swyddi yng ngwaith dur Shotton, roedd arian i'w gael—roedd llawer o geir newydd, ac roedd llawer o siopau manwerthu yn llwyddiannus. Ond, o ganol y 1980au, trwy'r 1990au, a hyd yn oed hyd heddiw, daeth heriau i'r amlwg sydd wedi creithio'r gymuned gyfan honno. Ac ni fyddwn yn caniatáu i Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr gael yr un profiad ag a gafodd Glannau Dyfrdwy, yn anffodus, yn y 1980au a'r 1990au. A dyna pam yr wyf i wedi penderfynu bod yn rhaid inni gael darn penodol o waith, i ystyried sut y gallwn ysgogi economi Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr rhwng nawr a mis Medi 2020, sut y gallwn sefydlogi busnesau sy'n dibynnu cymaint ar Ford, sut y gallwn gefnogi'r gadwyn gyflenwi nid yn unig o fewn y sector moduro, ond hefyd y busnesau bach, canolig a micro niferus sy'n dibynnu ar yr arian y mae Ford yn ei roi i'r gymuned, a sut y gallwn sicrhau bod buddsoddiad y gymuned gyfan yn barod. Nid oes amheuaeth na fydd hyn wedi bod yn ergyd ofnadwy o ran balchder ac urddas y gymuned, ond byddwn yn gweithio ochr yn ochr â'r awdurdod lleol, gyda bargen ddinesig Caerdydd, gyda'r Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol, Swyddfa Cymru, gyda phartneriaid eraill, i sicrhau bod cyflogaeth arall ar gael ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr, cyflogaeth o'r ansawdd uchaf, sy'n talu'n dda.
On behalf of Plaid Cymru, I'd like to offer my fullest sympathies with the workers. But I'd also like to say that I'm pretty angry on their behalf that many of the workers found out via social media that the plant was closing, as opposed to finding out initially from Ford. Now, what does that tell us about the family of Ford mantra? It's also hugely ironic, in the week that Donald Trump comes to the UK, that an American company is proposing to move a plant from Bridgend to Mexico of all places. Now, this will have a big impact on the local area, as has been exemplified already, and I think that's something we should all think about in this particular debate. And if the workers do decide on Friday to strike, then be assured that Plaid Cymru will be on the picket line with them on that strike.
The workers deserve better than this. Many of those I've talked to over the last few weeks, months, years, are very loyal to Ford—in fact, more loyal than in other areas of Ford operations across the world, and I think that should be recognised. But I'd like to ask, further to the comments already made, what exactly you will be doing in terms of the package of support offered by the Welsh Government. Also, what conversations are you having with the UK Government in relation to those packages? We know, sadly, when Ford has closed other plants in the UK, that they have offered packages of support for those particular workers. What will you be able to offer, and how will you be offering that?
Brexit has played a part. There's no escaping this, but there are other avenues that we need to assess when we look at what Ford has been doing. They've closed plants in Belgium, they've closed plants elsewhere, and we need to look at the automotive economy in the round and how they are operating in that regard.
As a country going forward, to look positively, we need to develop our own infrastructures so that we can become a no-brainer place for business, so we can develop our own indigenous economies as well. I'd like to know what your response would be to an idea that we've already proposed—to have an economic summit where everybody is involved. I know that you've announced a taskforce, but I want to have a national conversation with people who are not only directly employed by Ford, but those in the other businesses that feed Ford, the people who are in our communities benefiting from the fact that Ford exists here in Wales. What are you doing to involve everybody?
Now, I think we all have to still have hope, and we have to maintain that hope that we can keep the plant open, and that's why I'm eager to work with people across the political divide, and I know that my colleague Dr Dai Lloyd, and others, will be wanting to support the workforce. We know that many people were offered voluntary redundancies a few months ago who are now wondering what the offer is for them. The workers want clarity, and I hope that we can provide that for them and provide them with the support that they deserve for being such loyal workers.
Ar ran Plaid Cymru, hoffwn gydymdeimlo â'r gweithwyr i'r eithaf. Ond hoffwn ddweud hefyd fy mod i'n eithaf dig ar eu rhan nhw y cafodd llawer o'r gweithwyr wybod drwy'r cyfryngau cymdeithasol fod y gwaith yn cau, yn hytrach na chael gwybod yn gyntaf gan Ford. Nawr, beth mae hynny'n ei ddweud wrthym am fantra teulu Ford? Mae hefyd yn hynod eironig, yn yr wythnos y daw Donald Trump i'r DU, bod cwmni Americanaidd yn cynnig symud gwaith o Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr i Fecsico o bob man. Nawr, bydd hyn yn cael effaith fawr ar yr ardal leol, fel y dangoswyd eisoes, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth y dylem ni i gyd ei ystyried yn y ddadl benodol hon. Ac os bydd y gweithwyr yn penderfynu ddydd Gwener i streicio, gallwch fod yn sicr y bydd Plaid Cymru ar y llinell biced gyda nhw yn y streic honno.
Mae'r gweithwyr yn haeddu gwell na hyn. Mae llawer o'r rhai hynny yr wyf i wedi siarad â nhw yn ystod yr wythnosau, misoedd, blynyddoedd diwethaf yn deyrngar iawn i Ford—yn wir, yn fwy teyrngar nag mewn rhannau eraill o waith Ford ledled y byd, ac rwy'n credu y dylid cydnabod hynny. Ond hoffwn i ofyn, yn ychwanegol at y sylwadau a wnaed eisoes, beth yn union y byddwch chi'n ei wneud o ran y pecyn cymorth a gynigir gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Hefyd, pa sgyrsiau yr ydych chi'n eu cael gyda Llywodraeth y DU mewn cysylltiad â'r pecynnau hynny? Gwyddom, yn anffodus, pan fo Ford wedi cau gweithfeydd eraill yn y DU, eu bod wedi cynnig pecynnau cymorth i'r gweithwyr penodol hynny. Beth fyddwch chi'n gallu ei gynnig, a sut y byddwch yn cynnig hynny?
Mae Brexit wedi chwarae rhan. Nid oes dim dianc rhag hyn, ond mae yna elfennau eraill y mae angen i ni eu hasesu wrth edrych ar yr hyn y mae Ford wedi bod yn ei wneud. Maen nhw wedi cau ffatrïoedd yng Ngwlad Belg, maen nhw wedi cau ffatrïoedd mewn mannau eraill, ac mae angen inni edrych ar yr economi foduro yn gyffredinol a sut y maen nhw'n gweithredu yn hynny o beth.
Fel gwlad wrth symud ymlaen, i edrych yn gadarnhaol, mae angen inni ddatblygu ein seilweithiau ein hunain fel y gallwn fod yn lle sy'n ddelfrydol ar gyfer busnesau, fel y gallwn ddatblygu ein heconomïau cynhenid ein hunain hefyd. Hoffwn i wybod beth fyddai eich ymateb i syniad yr ydym mi wedi'i gynnig eisoes—i gynnal uwchgynhadledd economaidd lle mae pawb yn cymryd rhan. Gwn eich bod wedi cyhoeddi tasglu, ond hoffwn i gael sgwrs genedlaethol nid â phobl sy'n cael eu cyflogi'n uniongyrchol gan Ford yn unig, ond y rhai yn y busnesau eraill sy'n bwydo Ford, y bobl yn ein cymunedau sy'n elwa ar y ffaith bod Ford yn bodoli yma yng Nghymru. Beth ydych chi'n ei wneud i gynnwys pawb?
Nawr, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i ni gyd barhau i fod yn obeithiol, ac mae'n rhaid i ni gynnal y gobaith hwnnw y gallwn gadw'r gwaith ar agor, a dyna pam rwy'n awyddus i weithio gyda phobl ar draws y bwlch gwleidyddol, a gwn y bydd fy nghyd-Aelod Dr Dai Lloyd, ac eraill, yn dymuno cefnogi'r gweithlu. Gwyddom fod llawer o bobl wedi cael cynnig diswyddiadau gwirfoddol ychydig fisoedd yn ôl sydd erbyn hyn yn meddwl tybed beth yw'r cynnig iddyn nhw. Mae'r gweithwyr yn dymuno cael eglurder, ac rwy'n gobeithio y gallwn ni roi hwnnw iddyn nhw a rhoi'r gefnogaeth haeddiannol iddyn nhw am fod yn weithwyr mor deyrngar.
Can I thank Bethan for her questions and say how much I share her anger and the anger of workers? And I won't apologise for the veracity of my immediate response last week on hearing of this news. Workers do feel betrayed, do feel incredibly badly let down and, yes, the irony of the timing of the announcement was certainly not lost on many people.
I think it's fair to say that Ford need to recognise the loyalty and the commitment of the workforce and the community with a very substantial legacy investment, not just in the workers but in the community as well. And in order to encourage them to consider a substantial legacy investment, I and the Secretaries of State in UK Government will jointly be writing to Ford, urging them to invest a considerable sum of money in the community and in those who will be affected. That will form part of a package of investments. There is, of course, a role for Welsh Government. Of that there is no doubt, and we are already looking at how we can support not just the individuals and the businesses in the supply chain, and the many businesses on the high street that could suffer as a consequence, but also how we can assist the place itself—Bridgend—making sure that if there are investment-ready schemes that would contribute to economic growth and to stimulate economic growth between now and September 2020, then we will invest when and wherever we can.
But there is also a role for the local authority, of course, in identifying similar schemes and supporting those schemes alongside us, and, crucially, a role for the UK Government, in particular through the UK industrial strategy. Yesterday and, indeed, on Friday, I discussed with the Secretary of State for BEIS the opportunities that could come through in particular the Faraday challenge and the sector deals, and the Secretary of State for BEIS is working incredibly close with us. His officials are in if not hourly then certainly daily contact with our officials in the Welsh Government to identify opportunities for investment.
Bethan raised the important point of diversifying the economy of Wales, and we now have a record number of businesses. I was telling journalists just this morning that in any given week the Welsh economy loses around about 2,000 jobs, but, during that same period of time, the Welsh economy creates just over 2,000 jobs, and that's why we have such low levels of unemployment and low levels of economic inactivity. Diversification of employment, the economy, is taking place, but the economic action plan was specifically designed to empower and to enable business in Wales to adapt to the new realities of automation, to address the challenges of industry 4.0 and to address the need to reduce carbon emissions. And that is why, within the economic contract, one of the four criteria concerns decarbonisation and that's why one of the five calls to action concerns decarbonisation as well. We are already supporting many, many businesses in their endeavours to become more modern in the way that they operate, and we will go on doing so. We've already seen more than 200 businesses sign up to the economic contract. We are encouraging and enabling businesses to modernise their practices, there is a hunger and a desire out there in the business community to adapt to the new reality, and we will go on working with them. And in particular, we will work with them in the Bridgend area, where they can, and I am confident they will, create new employment opportunities.
A gaf i ddiolch i Bethan am ei chwestiynau a dweud cymaint yr wyf i'n rhannu ei dicter hi a dicter y gweithwyr? Ac ni fyddaf i'n ymddiheuro am fod mor ddi-flewyn-ar-dafod yn fy ymateb uniongyrchol yr wythnos diwethaf wrth glywed am y newyddion hyn. Mae gweithwyr yn teimlo eu bod wedi'u bradychu, maen nhw'n teimlo eu bod wedi cael cam dirfawr, ac yn sicr nid oedd modd anwybyddu eironi amseriad y cyhoeddiad i lawer o bobl.
Rwy'n credu ei bod yn deg dweud bod angen i Ford gydnabod teyrngarwch ac ymrwymiad y gweithlu a'r gymuned trwy fuddsoddiad gwaddol sylweddol iawn, nid yn unig yn y gweithwyr ond yn y gymuned hefyd. Ac er mwyn eu hannog i ystyried buddsoddiad gwaddol sylweddol, byddaf i a'r Ysgrifenyddion Gwladol yn Llywodraeth y DU yn ysgrifennu at Ford ar y cyd, i'w hannog i fuddsoddi swm sylweddol o arian yn y gymuned ac yn y bobl hynny y bydd hyn yn effeithio arnyn nhw. Bydd hynny'n rhan o becyn o fuddsoddiadau. Mae swyddogaeth i Lywodraeth Cymru, wrth gwrs. Nid oes dim amheuaeth am hynny, ac rydym eisoes yn ystyried sut y gallwn gefnogi nid yn unig yr unigolion a'r busnesau yn y gadwyn gyflenwi, a'r busnesau niferus ar y stryd fawr a allai ddioddef o ganlyniad i hyn, ond hefyd sut y gallwn gynorthwyo'r lle ei hun—Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr—gan wneud yn siŵr, os oes cynlluniau sy'n barod am fuddsoddiad a fyddai'n cyfrannu at dwf economaidd ac at ysgogi twf economaidd rhwng nawr a mis Medi 2020, yna byddwn yn buddsoddi pa le bynnag a sut bynnag y gallwn.
Ond mae swyddogaeth hefyd i'r awdurdod lleol, wrth gwrs, o ran nodi cynlluniau tebyg a chefnogi'r cynlluniau hynny gyda ni, ac, yn hollbwysig, mae swyddogaeth gan Lywodraeth y DU, yn enwedig trwy strategaeth ddiwydiannol y DU. Ddoe ac yn wir, ddydd Gwener, bûm i'n trafod gyda'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Fusnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol y cyfleoedd a allai ddod i'r amlwg, yn benodol yr her Faraday a'r bargeinion sector, ac mae'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Fusnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda ni. Mae ei swyddogion yn cysylltu, os nad pob awr, yn sicr bob dydd â'n swyddogion yn Llywodraeth Cymru i nodi cyfleoedd i fuddsoddi.
Cododd Bethan y pwynt pwysig o ran arallgyfeirio economi Cymru, ac erbyn hyn mae gennym y nifer mwyaf erioed o fusnesau. Roeddwn i'n dweud wrth newyddiadurwyr y bore yma fod economi Cymru, mewn unrhyw wythnos benodol, yn colli rhyw 2,000 o swyddi, ond, yn ystod yr un cyfnod, mae economi Cymru yn creu ychydig dros 2,000 o swyddi, a dyna pam mae gennym lefelau mor isel o ddiweithdra a lefelau isel o anweithgarwch economaidd. Mae arallgyfeirio cyflogaeth, yr economi, yn digwydd, ond lluniwyd y cynllun gweithredu economaidd yn benodol i rymuso a galluogi busnesau yng Nghymru i addasu i realiti newydd awtomatiaeth, i fynd i'r afael â heriau diwydiant 4.0 a mynd i'r afael â'r angen i leihau allyriadau carbon. A dyna pam, yn y contract economaidd, mae un o'r pedwar maen prawf yn ymwneud â datgarboneiddio a dyna pam mae un o'r pum galwad i weithredu yn ymwneud â datgarboneiddio hefyd. Rydym eisoes yn cefnogi llawer iawn o fusnesau, yn eu hymdrechion i fod yn fwy modern yn y ffordd y maen nhw'n gweithredu, a byddwn yn parhau i wneud hynny. Rydym eisoes wedi gweld mwy na 200 o fusnesau yn ymuno â'r contract economaidd. Rydym yn annog ac yn galluogi busnesau i foderneiddio eu harferion, mae awydd a dyhead yn y gymuned fusnes i addasu i'r realiti newydd, a byddwn yn parhau i weithio gyda nhw. Ac yn benodol, byddwn yn gweithio gyda nhw yn ardal Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, lle gallan nhw, ac rwy'n ffyddiog y byddan nhw'n creu cyfleoedd cyflogaeth newydd.
Thank you for the question today, Carwyn Jones, and your response, Minister. Can I just begin by saying, though, that I think if we overplay the Brexit hand in any conversations of this nature, we're going to reach a point where we're blaming everything on Brexit and not really being able to evaluate the effect of Brexit? So, while I'm prepared to accept that there may be an element of this, I'm glad that Bethan Sayed made the point that this is not the main reason for the move today. The fact is it's £600 cheaper to produce this engine in Mexico than it is in Bridgend, and there should be questions here—and perhaps you could deal with this, Minister—about why the conversations between the Welsh Government and the UK Government—I ask the question of both—didn't foresee this happening a little bit sooner. Because one of the things that has definitely emerged from the sorry tale that we've heard over the last few weeks is that Ford were very much behind the curve on identifying the tastes that were changing within the European market and over-focusing, perhaps, on very different tastes within the American market. Why wasn't that presented as a form of challenge to Ford much earlier in the process, bearing in mind that we've heard from you and we've heard from BEIS as well that conversations have been happening with Ford for many a year?
I wonder if you could also tell us a little bit more about the money that Welsh Government has given Ford over the years. I accept what you say, that you won't be allowing them to draw down any more, and I think you mentioned that about £11 million is available to be clawed back—although the Deputy Minister today, in the cross-party group, mentioned that the ability to claim back any money would be just modest. So, I wonder if you can tell us a little bit about how much money may be written off in the course of this for Welsh Government, but, for any money that you do manage to recover or not give to Ford in the first place, how that money will be used. Will it all be dedicated to the work of the taskforce, or will you be looking to spend it in other ways? Because one of the things we haven't heard anything about at the moment is that Bridgend is within the Cardiff capital region footprint, but it's pretty close to the Swansea bay city deal footprint as well, and I would be looking to both those boards to see whether they can be of assistance, to see whether, actually, the skills of this workforce can be used within the project plans for both those boards. And in particular, as you know, Cardiff is still in the running for being a Heathrow hub; I would have thought that the ability to present the talents within this workforce as a plus for that Heathrow hub might be something that might just nudge it on its way towards Cardiff.
And then, finally, it was just this question of communication, I think. We heard from you back in February that Ford was hoping to hear in about a month's time about the new engine for the Grenadier 4x4; I had to find out from the pages of Auto Trader that that job had gone to BMW. I think it might have been useful if this Chamber had been told that, as we're all clearly very, very interested in that. I'm not going to steal all the questions today, but there is still a question to be answered about where INEOS will fit into our picture looking forward on this and whether you're speaking to other companies about how to resolve Ford's failure to notice that green transport is the way forward. Because we are looking at that—not just electric cars, but we're talking about hydrogen cars and also new forms of public transport, the new vehicles we're going to need in twenty-first century green public transport. Have we left that a bit late to involve this particular workforce, this expertise, which Ford itself recognises as superlative? Have we lost the opportunity to capture them for the new-look public transport in particular that Wales so desperately needs? Thank you.
Diolch am y cwestiwn heddiw, Carwyn Jones, a'ch ymateb, Gweinidog. A gaf i ddechrau, fodd bynnag, trwy ddweud fy mod i o'r farn os byddwn yn rhoi gormod o bwyslais ar Brexit mewn unrhyw sgyrsiau o'r math hwn, y byddwn yn cyrraedd pwynt pan fyddwn yn beio popeth ar Brexit ac yn methu â gwerthuso effaith Brexit mewn gwirionedd? Felly, er fy mod i'n fodlon derbyn y gall fod elfen o hyn, rwy'n falch bod Bethan Sayed wedi gwneud y pwynt nad hwn yw'r prif reswm dros symud heddiw. Y gwir amdani yw ei bod £600 yn rhatach i gynhyrchu'r injan hon ym Mecsico nag y mae ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr, a dylai fod cwestiynau yma—ac efallai y gallech chi ymdrin â hyn, Gweinidog—ynglŷn â pham na wnaeth y sgyrsiau rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth y DU—rwy'n gofyn y cwestiwn i'r ddau—ragweld hyn yn digwydd ychydig yn gynt. Oherwydd un o'r pethau sydd yn sicr wedi dod i'r amlwg o'r hanes truenus yr ydym wedi'i glywed yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf yw bod Ford gryn dipyn ar ei hôl hi o ran nodi'r chwaeth a oedd yn newid yn y farchnad Ewropeaidd a chanolbwyntio gormod, efallai, ar chwaeth wahanol iawn yn y farchnad yn America. Pam na chafodd hynny ei gyflwyno fel math o her i Ford lawer yn gynharach yn y broses, o gofio ein bod ni wedi clywed gennych chi a gan yr Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol hefyd, bod sgyrsiau gyda Ford wedi bod yn digwydd ers sawl blwyddyn?
Tybed allwch chi ddweud ychydig mwy wrthym ni hefyd am yr arian y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i roi i Ford dros y blynyddoedd. Rwy'n derbyn yr hyn yr ydych yn ei ddweud, sef na fyddwch yn caniatáu iddynt gael rhagor o arian, ac rwy'n credu y gwnaethoch chi grybwyll bod tua £11 miliwn ar gael i'w adfachu—er y dywedodd y Dirprwy Weinidog heddiw, yn y grŵp trawsbleidiol, y byddai'r gallu i hawlio unrhyw arian yn ôl yn gymedrol yn unig. Felly, tybed a wnewch chi ddweud rhywfaint wrthym am faint o arian y gellir ei ddileu yn ystod y mater hwn i Lywodraeth Cymru, ond, am unrhyw arian yr ydych yn llwyddo i'w adfer neu i beidio â'i roi i Ford yn y lle cyntaf, sut y caiff yr arian hwnnw ei ddefnyddio. A fydd y cyfan yn cael ei neilltuo i waith y tasglu, neu a fyddwch yn ystyried ei wario mewn ffyrdd eraill? Gan mai un o'r pethau nad ydym wedi clywed dim yn ei gylch ar hyn o bryd yw bod Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr o fewn ôl troed prifddinas-ranbarth Caerdydd, ond mae'n eithaf agos at ôl troed bargen ddinesig bae Abertawe hefyd, a byddwn i'n trafod â'r ddau fwrdd hynny i weld pa gymorth y gallan nhw ei roi, i weld a ellir, mewn gwirionedd, ddefnyddio sgiliau'r gweithlu hwn o fewn cynlluniau prosiect y ddau fwrdd hynny. Ac yn benodol, fel y gwyddoch chi, mae Caerdydd yn dal yn bosibilrwydd ar gyfer bod yn ganolfan Heathrow; byddwn i wedi meddwl y gallai'r gallu i gyflwyno talentau'r gweithlu hwn fel budd i'r ganolfan Heathrow honno, fod yn rhywbeth a allai fod yn hwb iddo ddod i Gaerdydd.
Ac yna, yn olaf, cwestiwn bach ynghylch cyfathrebu, rwy'n credu. Fe wnaethom ni glywed gennych chi yn ôl ym mis Chwefror fod Ford yn gobeithio clywed ymhen rhyw fis am yr injan newydd ar gyfer y 4x4 Grenadier; bu'n rhaid i mi gael gwybod o dudalennau Auto Trader fod y gwaith hwnnw wedi mynd i BMW. Rwy'n credu y byddai wedi bod yn ddefnyddiol pe byddai'r Siambr hon wedi cael gwybod hynny, gan fod gennym ddiddordeb mawr iawn yn hynny yn amlwg. Nid wyf i am ddwyn yr holl gwestiynau heddiw, ond mae cwestiwn i'w ateb o hyd ynghylch lle bydd INEOS yn ffitio yn ein darlun wrth edrych ymlaen ar hyn ac a ydych yn siarad â chwmnïau eraill ynglŷn â sut i ddatrys methiant Ford i sylwi mai trafnidiaeth werdd yw'r ffordd ymlaen. Oherwydd rydym ni'n ystyried hynny—nid ceir trydan yn unig, ond rydym yn sôn am geir hydrogen a mathau newydd o drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, y cerbydau newydd y bydd eu hangen arnom ar gyfer trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus werdd yr unfed ganrif ar hugain. A ydym ni wedi ei gadael ychydig yn hwyr i gynnwys y gweithlu penodol hwn, yr arbenigedd hwn, y mae Ford ei hun yn ei gydnabod yn un gwych? A ydym ni wedi colli'r cyfle i'w cipio ar gyfer trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus ar ei newydd wedd yn arbennig y mae ei hangen mor ddybryd ar Gymru? Diolch.
I thank Suzy Davies for her contribution and her questions. I must say, it's simply not possible to ignore the impact that Brexit is having on the economy of Wales and will continue to have on the economy, and the dire consequences of a 'no deal' Brexit that Ford and many others have repeatedly issued. There are two challenges facing the automotive sector in the UK; one is Brexit, the other is the decline in the internal combustion engine. In terms of the internal combustion engine, some manufacturers had not seen the pace at which it would decline coming, and I think Ford is one of them. That's why they are perhaps behind the curve.
In terms of the question that the Member asked about why we didn't see it coming before now, well, we'd set up a taskforce that was meeting very regularly until recently that was looking at opportunities for the site, working with Ford and with the unions. And we were looking at the opportunities that could stem from Ford's electrification programme that was announced in April, and the potential for hybridised engines to be manufactured at the Bridgend plant. At no point did Ford indicate that the future of the plant was in question; indeed, we were working with the company and with others, with BEIS, on opportunities to invest in the Bridgend plant. And I would agree with Carwyn Jones that this decision appears to have been made very recently, and is something of a reaction to recent events that the Member for Bridgend outlined. Therefore, I really do strongly feel that Brexit should not be ignored as a contributing factor.
In terms of the conditions that have been attached to the support that we have given Ford over the years, as I've already identified, £143 million of taxpayers' money has been invested in the site, and I believe that we were right to invest in the plant, not least because in the space of just the last 10 years, it's contributed £3.3 billion to the local economy, keeping many, many small, micro and medium-sized businesses alive. The conditions applied to the support that we have put on the table for Ford still do exist today, but much of the conditionality by September of next year will have expired. That is why we are saying to Ford that there should be a very substantial legacy investment back to the people who have contributed to the company's existence in Bridgend. I would very much welcome any involvement that the Swansea bay city deal partners could contribute to the endeavour to get people into high-paid, decent jobs.
With regard to the other opportunities that could come to Bridgend, I won't be giving an ongoing update on all of the commercially sensitive discussions that are taking place with potential investors—the Member has identified one—but I can assure Members of this Chamber that there are many interested parties looking at the Bridgend facility. It is an enormous facility; it's very much a factory within a factory at the moment, producing the Dragon engine in one part but with available space for other businesses. And it may well be that the site could be used for multiple businesses. The priority, I believe, should be given to manufacturing, because the 1,700 people who currently work there would be ideally suited to such employment. But we would not rule out alternative and additional uses for what is an exceptional asset.
Diolch i Suzy Davies am ei chyfraniad a'i chwestiynau. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, yn syml iawn, nid yw'n bosibl anwybyddu'r effaith y mae Brexit yn ei chael ar economi Cymru ac y bydd yn parhau i'w chael ar yr economi, a chanlyniadau enbydus Brexit 'dim cytundeb' y mae Ford a llawer o rai eraill wedi'u cyhoeddi dro ar ôl tro. Mae dwy her yn wynebu'r sector moduro yn y DU; un yw Brexit, y llall yw'r dirywiad yn yr injan hylosgi mewnol. O ran yr injan hylosgi mewnol, nid oedd rhai gweithgynhyrchwyr wedi rhagweld y ffordd y byddai'n dirywio, ac rwy'n credu bod Ford yn un ohonynt. Dyna pam eu bod ar ei hôl hi o bosibl.
O ran y cwestiwn a ofynnodd yr Aelod ynghylch pam nad oeddem ni wedi rhagweld hyn, wel, roeddem ni wedi sefydlu tasglu a oedd yn cyfarfod yn rheolaidd iawn tan yn ddiweddar a oedd yn ystyried cyfleoedd ar gyfer y safle, gan weithio gyda Ford a'r undebau. Ac roeddem ni'n ystyried y cyfleoedd a allai ddeillio o raglen drydaneiddio Ford a gyhoeddwyd ym mis Ebrill, a'r potensial i gynhyrchu injans hybrid yn ffatri Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr. Ni nododd Ford ar unrhyw adeg fod dyfodol y ffatri dan amheuaeth; yn wir, roeddem ni'n gweithio gyda'r cwmni ac eraill, gyda'r Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol, ar gyfleoedd i fuddsoddi yn ffatri Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr. Ac rwy'n cytuno â Carwyn Jones ei bod yn ymddangos bod y penderfyniad hwn wedi'i wneud yn ddiweddar iawn, a'i fod yn dipyn o ymateb i'r digwyddiadau diweddar yr amlinellodd yr Aelod dros Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr. Felly, rwyf i'n teimlo yn gryf na ddylid anwybyddu Brexit fel ffactor sy'n cyfrannu.
O ran yr amodau sydd wedi bod yn berthnasol i'r gefnogaeth yr ydym wedi ei rhoi i Ford dros y blynyddoedd, fel yr wyf wedi'i nodi eisoes, buddsoddwyd £143 miliwn o arian y trethdalwyr yn y safle, ac yn fy marn i, mae'n iawn ein bod ni wedi buddsoddi yn y safle, yn bennaf oherwydd yn y 10 mlynedd diwethaf yn unig, y mae wedi cyfrannu £3.3 biliwn i'r economi leol, gan gadw llawer iawn o fusnesau bach, canolig a micro yn fyw. Mae'r amodau sy'n berthnasol i'r gefnogaeth yr ydym wedi'i rhoi ar gyfer Ford yn dal i fodoli heddiw, ond bydd llawer o'r amodoldeb wedi dirwyn i ben erbyn mis Medi'r flwyddyn nesaf. Dyna pam yr ydym yn dweud wrth Ford y dylai fod buddsoddiad gwaddol yn ôl i'r bobl sydd wedi cyfrannu at fodolaeth y cwmni ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr. Byddwn i'n croesawu'n fawr unrhyw ran y gallai partneriaid bargen ddinesig bae Abertawe ei rhoi i'r ymdrech i gael swyddi addas sy'n talu cyflogau uchel i'r bobl.
O ran y cyfleoedd eraill a allai ddod i Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr, ni fyddaf yn rhoi diweddariad parhaus ar yr holl drafodaethau masnachol sensitif yr ydym yn eu cael gyda darpar fuddsoddwyr—mae'r Aelod wedi nodi un—ond gallaf sicrhau Aelodau'r Siambr hon fod gan lawer o bartïon ddiddordeb yn y cyfleuster ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr. Mae'n gyfleuster enfawr; mae'n wir yn ffatri o fewn ffatri ar hyn o bryd, yn cynhyrchu'r injan Dragon mewn un rhan ond gyda lle gwag i fusnesau eraill. Ac mae'n ddigon posibl y gellid defnyddio'r safle ar gyfer nifer o fusnesau. Dylai'r flaenoriaeth, yn fy marn i, fod ar weithgynhyrchu, oherwydd byddai'r 1,700 o bobl sy'n gweithio yno ar hyn o bryd yn ddelfrydol ar gyfer cyflogaeth o'r fath. Ond ni fyddem yn diystyru defnydd amgen ac ychwanegol ar gyfer yr hyn sy'n ased eithriadol.
Could I just begin by thanking both the Minister and also the First Minister for their very direct and immediate and energetic engagement in this with the workers, meeting the unions in the plant last week, along with Carwyn my colleague, local MPs and others, and being right in the front seat on this? And could I echo everything that my colleague Carwyn Jones said on behalf of not the hundreds but the thousands of people directly employed in Ford, but also the supply chain, not just in Ogmore and Bridgend but right across the region, and their families, and the shops, and the cafes that depend on that circular economy where they spend their money?
This is devastating. The workers did not deserve this. They didn't deserve it in the way it was announced. They've bent over backwards over the last couple of decades to do every single thing that Ford has asked of them—everything: to increase productivity; to change the way they produce on those lines; to bring new production lines in. They did not deserve this. Ford owe these workers and they owe these communities. So, I welcome what you were saying, Minister, about legacy, should it come to that, but could I urge him, please, first of all, to do exactly what the First Minister said, which is to go back to Ford and challenge this decision? I think they've made the wrong decision. I think this is a productive, highly skilled, highly effective workforce here and they deserve the opportunity to challenge this in the period of consultation.
But my question to the Minister is this: if the decision is a fait accompli and Ford are going to walk away, then they should indeed leave a legacy, but I would ask two things. First of all, in welcoming the taskforce and the approach towards a place-based approach, could I ask the Minister to ensure that we do identify those areas where we can now fast-track investment into not only Bridgend itself and into the immediate vicinity, but also into the greater Bridgend area? Because the impact will be in that greater area of that old Mid Glamorgan area. And in so doing, it would be helpful—and I'm sure he'll want to—to engage with the local authority of Bridgend itself and the council leader there and his cabinet. Because they have—and I know they've been in discussion—ideas already of what can stimulate the economy, what can give confidence to the business community that it's not going to be the Flintshire of decades ago. This will be something that we intervene in and we take steps and we make sure that this is a prosperous economy and there is a future for these people. So, I would ask those two things: scale of investment, rapidity of investment from UK Government and Welsh Government, and work with the local authority, please, Minister.
A gaf i ddechrau trwy ddiolch i'r Gweinidog a'r Prif Weinidog am ymgysylltu ar unwaith ac yn uniongyrchol iawn â'r gweithwyr, ac mewn ffordd mor frwd, trwy gwrdd â'r undebau yn y safle yr wythnos diwethaf, ynghyd â Carwyn fy nghyd-Aelod, ASau lleol ac eraill, ac am fod yn y sedd flaen yn y mater hwn? Ac a gaf i adleisio popeth y dywedodd fy nghyd-Aelod Carwyn Jones ar ran nid y cannoedd ond y miloedd o bobl a gyflogir yn uniongyrchol yn Ford, ond hefyd y gadwyn gyflenwi, nid yn Ogwr a Phen-y-bont ar Ogwr yn unig ond ledled y rhanbarth, a'u teuluoedd, a'r siopau, a'r caffis sy'n dibynnu ar yr economi gylchol honno lle maent yn gwario'u harian?
Mae hyn yn drychinebus. Nid oedd y gweithwyr yn haeddu hyn. Nid oedden nhw'n haeddu'r ffordd y cafodd ei gyhoeddi. Maen nhw wedi mynd uwchlaw a thu hwnt i bob disgwyl yn ystod y degawdau diwethaf i wneud pob un peth y mae Ford wedi gofyn iddyn nhw ei wneud—pob peth: i gynyddu cynhyrchiant; i newid y ffordd y maen nhw'n cynhyrchu ar y llinellau hynny; i gyflwyno llinellau cynhyrchu newydd. Nid oedden nhw'n haeddu hyn. Mae Ford yn ddyledus i'r gweithwyr hyn ac yn ddyledus i'r cymunedau hyn. Felly, rwyf i'n croesawu'r hyn yr oeddech yn ei ddweud, Gweinidog, ynghylch gwaddol, pe byddai'n cyrraedd y pwynt hwnnw, ond a gaf i ei annog, plîs, yn gyntaf, i wneud yr union beth a ddywedodd y Prif Weinidog, sef mynd yn ôl at Ford a herio'r penderfyniad hwn? Rwyf i'n credu eu bod nhw wedi gwneud y penderfyniad anghywir. Rwy'n credu bod hwn yn weithlu cynhyrchiol, hyfedr, hynod effeithiol ac maen nhw'n haeddu'r cyfle i herio hyn yn ystod y cyfnod ymgynghori.
Ond fy nghwestiwn i i'r Gweinidog yw hyn: os yw'r penderfyniad yn derfynol a bod Ford yn mynd i gerdded i ffwrdd, yna dylen nhw yn wir adael gwaddol, ond gofynnaf ddau beth. Yn gyntaf, wrth groesawu'r tasglu a'r ymagwedd tuag at ddull gweithredu sy'n seiliedig ar le, a gaf i ofyn i'r Gweinidog sicrhau ein bod ni yn nodi'r meysydd hynny lle gallwn gyflymu'r broses fuddsoddi nid yn unig ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr ei hun a'r cyffiniau agos, ond hefyd yn ardal ehangach Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr? Oherwydd bydd yr effaith yn yr ardal ehangach honno sef hen ardal Morgannwg Ganol. Ac wrth wneud hynny, byddai o gymorth—ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd yn dymuno gwneud hynny—i ymgysylltu ag awdurdod lleol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr ei hun ac arweinydd y cyngor yno a'i gabinet. Oherwydd bod ganddyn nhw—ac rwy'n gwybod eu bod wedi bod yn trafod—syniadau eisoes am yr hyn a all ysgogi'r economi, yr hyn a all roi hyder i'r gymuned fusnes na fydd yn yr un sefylllfa ag yr oedd sir y Fflint ddegawdau yn ôl. Bydd hyn yn rhywbeth y byddwn yn ymyrryd ynddo a byddwn yn cymryd camau ac yn gwneud yn siŵr bod hon yn economi ffyniannus a bod dyfodol i'r bobl hyn. Felly, byddwn i'n gofyn y ddau beth hynny: maint y buddsoddiad, cyflymder y buddsoddiad gan Lywodraeth y DU a Llywodraeth Cymru, a gweithio gyda'r awdurdod lleol, os gwelwch yn dda, Gweinidog.
Can I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for his comments and for his questions and say that we took leadership immediately? We gripped the steering wheel of this challenge immediately because we have great experience in successfully intervening through our tried-and-tested taskforce approach, as we did in Cardiff when Tesco made its announcement of closure, when Virgin in Swansea made its announcement. We intervened immediately, we provided the necessary support to those who were affected to ensure that they found alternative employment as soon as possible and avoided long periods of unemployment.
Of course I will be challenging the decision by Ford, yes. The volume of engines that had been predicted for Bridgend was not realised. However, there are predictions that Dragon engine volumes will increase in the years to come. If they don't change their minds, then those increased volumes will be realised in Mexico rather than Bridgend and we are simply not going to accept that. We will object to the closure. However, we must plan for every eventuality, and the place-based approach, which is a new dimension in the work that we do, will focus on making sure that the community is prepared for life after Ford.
I've already been in regular contact with the leader of the local authority, who has kindly provided Welsh Government with a series of potential investment opportunities. It could do exactly as Huw Irranca-Davies has said. And they are not just opportunities confined to Bridgend town centre, to the immediate area that Ford currently supports. These are interventions that span out across the entire patch from which Ford takes workers and supports local small businesses. We will appraise all of those options. We will look at additional options as well, and we will, through the new regional team, be supporting the local authority in responding to this challenge.
A gaf i ddiolch i Huw Irranca-Davies am ei sylwadau ac am ei gwestiynau a dweud ein bod wedi ysgwyddo arweinyddiaeth y mater ar unwaith? Rydym wedi cydio yn y gwaith o lywio'r her hon ar unwaith oherwydd bod gennym ni brofiad helaeth o ymyrryd yn llwyddiannus drwy ein hymagwedd tasglu a brofwyd, fel y gwnaethom yng Nghaerdydd pan wnaeth Tesco y cyhoeddiad am gau, pan wnaeth Virgin yn Abertawe y cyhoeddiad. Fe wnaethom ni ymyrryd ar unwaith, gan roi'r gefnogaeth angenrheidiol i'r rhai yr effeithiwyd arnynt i sicrhau eu bod yn cael gwaith arall cyn gynted â phosibl ac yn osgoi cyfnodau hir o ddiweithdra.
Wrth gwrs, byddaf i'n herio penderfyniad Ford, byddaf. Ni wireddwyd nifer y peiriannau a oedd wedi eu darogan ar gyfer Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr. Fodd bynnag, rhagfynegir y bydd y galw am injan Dragon yn cynyddu yn ystod y blynyddoedd nesaf. Os nad ydyn nhw'n newid eu meddwl, bydd y niferoedd uwch hynny'n cael eu gwireddu ym Mecsico yn hytrach nag ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr, ac nid ydym am dderbyn hynny. Byddwn yn gwrthwynebu cau'r safle. Fodd bynnag, mae'n rhaid inni gynllunio ar gyfer pob digwyddiad, a bydd y dull sy'n seiliedig ar le, sy'n ddimensiwn newydd i'r gwaith yr ydym ni yn ei wneud, yn canolbwyntio ar sicrhau bod y gymuned yn barod ar gyfer bywyd ar ôl Ford.
Rwyf i eisoes wedi bod mewn cysylltiad rheolaidd ag arweinydd yr awdurdod lleol, sydd wedi bod yn garedig iawn yn rhoi cyfres o gyfleoedd buddsoddi posibl i Lywodraeth Cymru. Gallai wneud yn union fel y dywedodd Huw Irranca-Davies. Ac maen nhw'n fwy na chyfleoedd sy'n gyfyngedig i ganol tref Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, i'r ardal gyfagos a gefnogir gan Ford ar hyn o bryd. Ymyriadau yw'r rhain ar gyfer yr ardal gyfan lle daw gweithwyr Ford ohoni a lle mae Ford yn cefnogi busnesau bach lleol. Byddwn yn arfarnu'r holl opsiynau hynny. Byddwn yn edrych ar opsiynau eraill hefyd, a byddwn, trwy'r tîm rhanbarthol newydd, yn cefnogi'r awdurdod lleol i ymateb i'r her hon.
Minister, while I thank you for your earlier written statement, I was surprised that there was not an oral statement on Ford's decision to close the engine plant at Bridgend. Not only is this devastating news for the workforce and Bridgend, it is also a devastating blow for South Wales West. While I hope that Ford will see the error of their ways, I'm not sure they will, given the global economy and moves to prioritise American jobs. Minister, you have indicated the establishment of a taskforce, which is most welcome. Will the taskforce be looking for other buyers for the plant, and have you discussed this possibility with Ford? How will the moneys recuperated be used—£11 million, as I understand? Ford have stated that Brexit has not played a part in this decision and a 'no deal' Brexit has been spoken about for the last three years and therefore is hardly a new concept. So, I think we must look at other possibilities as to why this decision has been made. My thoughts are with all workers and families affected by this decision.
Gweinidog, er fy mod i'n diolch ichi am eich datganiad ysgrifenedig yn gynharach, roeddwn i'n synnu na chafwyd datganiad llafar am benderfyniad Ford i gau'r ffatri injan ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr. Yn ogystal â bod yn newyddion torcalonnus i'r gweithlu a Phen-y-bont ar Ogwr, mae hefyd yn ergyd drom i Orllewin De Cymru. Er fy mod yn gobeithio y bydd Ford yn gweld eu camgymeriad, nid wyf i'n siŵr y byddan nhw, o gofio'r economi fyd-eang a chamau i flaenoriaethu swyddi yn America. Gweinidog, rydych chi wedi nodi bod tasglu wedi'i sefydlu, a chroesewir hyn yn fawr. A fydd y tasglu yn chwilio am brynwyr eraill ar gyfer y safle, ac a ydych chi wedi trafod y posibilrwydd hwn gyda Ford? Sut y bydd yr arian a gaiff ei adfer yn cael ei ddefnyddio—£11 miliwn, yn ôl yr hyn rwy'n ei ddeall? Mae Ford wedi dweud nad yw Brexit wedi chwarae rhan yn y penderfyniad hwn ac mae'r posibilrwydd o Brexit 'dim cytundeb' wedi'i drafod ers y tair blynedd diwethaf, felly prin ei fod yn gysyniad newydd. Felly, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid inni edrych ar bosibiliadau eraill o ran pam y gwnaed y penderfyniad hwn. Rwy'n cydymdeimlo â'r holl weithwyr a'r teuluoedd y mae'r penderfyniad hwn yn effeithio arnyn nhw.
There's a line in Jaws where the mayor is told by Chief Brody that he's going to ignore this problem until it comes up and bites him on the derrière, and that, I'm afraid, is what the Brexiteers of Wales are going to do: keep ignoring the problems that a 'no deal' Brexit will cause for the people of this country and our economy until it comes up and takes their jobs from them. That's when they'll start bleating about the problems that Brexit is causing. And I'm afraid we will not stand by and allow the economy of our country to be ruined by people who do not care about employment in Wales; who do not care about jobs in Wales; and who would rather align themselves with President Trump, who promises a great deal for the UK, but whose companies are, as the Member herself said, prioritising American jobs over our jobs.
Brexit is a very real issue for our country. I've identified previously investment opportunities that have been lost or suspended as a consequence of a 'no deal' Brexit becoming more apparent and real. And that, I am afraid, is only going to intensify in the coming months. We will do our utmost to provide people with valuable work in this country, but I do hope that those who are ignoring the threat of a 'no deal' Brexit will come to their senses and appreciate that a deal must be secured or we must put the question back to the people.
Mae yna linell yn Jaws lle mae Chief Brody yn dweud wrth y maer y bydd yn anwybyddu'r broblem hon hyd nes iddi ei frathu yn ei ben-ôl, a dyna, rwy'n ofni, yw'r hyn y bydd pobl Brexit Cymru yn ei wneud: parhau i anwybyddu'r problemau y bydd Brexit 'dim cytundeb' yn eu hachosi i bobl y wlad hon a'n heconomi nes iddi ddod a chymryd eu swyddi oddi arnyn nhw. Dyna pryd y byddan nhw'n dechrau cwyno am y problemau y mae Brexit yn eu hachosi. Ac rwy'n ofni na fyddwn ni'n sefyll o'r neilltu ac yn gadael i economi ein gwlad gael ei difetha gan bobl nad oes ots ganddyn nhw am gyflogaeth yng Nghymru; nad oes ots ganddyn nhw am swyddi yng Nghymru; ac a fyddai'n well ganddyn nhw uniaethu â'r Arlywydd Trump, sy'n addo llawer iawn i'r DU, ond y mae ei gwmnïau, fel y dywedodd yr Aelod ei hun, yn rhoi blaenoriaeth i swyddi yn America dros ein swyddi ni.
Mae Brexit yn fater real iawn i'n gwlad ni. Rwyf i wedi nodi o'r blaen gyfleoedd buddsoddi sydd wedi eu colli neu eu hatal o ganlyniad i Brexit 'dim cytundeb' ddod yn fwy amlwg a real. Ac nid yw hynny, mae arnaf i ofn, yn mynd i wneud dim ond dwysáu yn y misoedd nesaf. Byddwn yn gwneud ein gorau glas i ddarparu gwaith gwerthfawr i bobl yn y wlad hon, ond rwyf i yn gobeithio y bydd y rhai hynny sy'n anwybyddu bygythiad Brexit 'dim cytundeb' yn callio ac yn sylweddoli bod yn rhaid sicrhau cytundeb neu bod yn rhaid inni ofyn y cwestiwn i'r bobl eto.
Can I ask, Minister, how proactive has the Welsh Government been in ensuring that its investment was widely spent by Ford on alternative opportunities for the plant, including, of course, investment opportunities for bringing the production of electric engines to Bridgend? You've outlined the large amount of capital support that's been provided to Ford, but can I ask you what kind of evaluation the Welsh Government has undertaken of the funding spent, in the same way that it has done for Tata? And others have asked you this question and you've answered to a point, but not entirely clearly, so perhaps you could expand on this: how much money does the Welsh Government think it can get back from Ford and when will it know more detail about how much can be reclaimed?
A gaf i ofyn, Gweinidog, pa mor rhagweithiol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod o ran sicrhau bod ei buddsoddiad yn cael ei wario'n eang gan Ford ar gyfleoedd amgen i'r safle, gan gynnwys, wrth gwrs, cyfleoedd buddsoddi i ddechrau cynhyrchu injans trydan ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr? Rydych chi wedi amlinellu'r swm mawr o gymorth cyfalaf sydd wedi'i ddarparu i Ford, ond a gaf i ofyn i chi pa fath o werthusiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o'r arian sydd wedi ei wario, yn yr un modd ag y mae wedi'i wneud ar gyfer Tata? Ac mae eraill wedi gofyn y cwestiwn hwn i chi ac rydych chi wedi'i ateb i ryw raddau, ond nid yn hollol glir, felly efallai y gallech chi ymhelaethu ar hyn: faint o arian y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn credu y gall ei gael yn ôl gan Ford a phryd y bydd yn gwybod mwy o fanylion am faint y gellir ei adennill?
Can I thank the Member for his question? We're currently working on the precise figures about the conditionality attached to the support that we've offered, and calculating how many of the jobs are still going to be in condition come September 2020. Actually, it was remiss of me not to answer one specific point that was made by Suzy Davies about the transition towards hybridised and electric vehicles. I think it's worth reflecting on the fact that Wales alone has a leader in new hydrogen technology-based automotive powertrains, Riversimple in mid Wales, which has been able to develop its product and technology as a consequence of the support that this Welsh Government has given them. And we're very proud as well to have one of the most ambitious proposals for a zero-emissions bus and taxi fleet in the UK, with a zero-emissions fleet by 2028, and I'm pleased that the Development Bank of Wales are currently working on the support that may be required in order to achieve that target.
In addition, as Members will already know, the south Wales metro—a hugely ambitious scheme—will see electrification powered by 100 per cent renewable energy, with half of that coming from Wales. However, there are some manufacturers of vehicles, of cars in particular, that do not see the pace of change that is taking place right now, and are being left behind the curve. We can do all we can to incentivise, to enable and to empower those businesses to change, but ultimately, it is for those decision makers within those businesses to accept the inevitable and to embrace the change and the support that we're able to offer. And I do wonder to what extent the fact that Ford is an American company that perhaps does not recognise the climate change emergency—I do wonder whether they are really, really committed to the transition to a green economy and to zero-emissions vehicles.
Of course, I've already outlined, in terms of evaluation, the contribution that Ford has made to the local economy over the years. For an investment of just over £60 million from the Welsh Government, we've seen £3.3 billion returned to the economy of Bridgend and the wider region. We believe that that is a very significant and welcome return on investment, amounting to more than £300 million on average every year for the last 10 years, compared to the £60-or-so million that we've invested into the company. We've also been able to, through our investments, make sure that those workers are well skilled and well trained and able to deploy their skills in alternative employment, and I am confident that, through the work of the taskforce, we'll be able to ensure that those wishing to stay in employment will have opportunities to deploy their excellent skills in similar jobs.
A gaf i ddiolch i'r Aelod am ei gwestiwn? Rydym ni ar hyn o bryd yn gweithio ar yr union ffigurau am yr amodau sy'n gysylltiedig â'r gefnogaeth yr ydym ni wedi'i chynnig, ac yn cyfrifo faint o'r swyddi fydd yn dal i fod dan amod ym mis Medi 2020. A dweud y gwir, roeddwn i ar fai yn peidio ag ateb un pwynt penodol a wnaed gan Suzy Davies ynghylch y newid i gerbydau hybrid a thrydanol. Rwy'n credu bod gwerth myfyrio ar y ffaith bod gan Gymru ei hun arweinydd ym maes pwerwaith modur newydd sy'n seiliedig ar dechnoleg hydrogen, sef Riversimple yn y canolbarth, sydd wedi gallu datblygu ei gynnyrch a'i dechnoleg o ganlyniad i'r gefnogaeth y mae'r Llywodraeth Cymru hon wedi ei rhoi iddo. Ac rydym ni'n falch iawn hefyd o gael un o'r cynigion mwyaf uchelgeisiol i gael fflyd o fysiau a thacsis dim allyriadau yn y DU, gyda fflyd dim allyriadau erbyn 2028, ac rwy'n falch bod Banc Datblygu Cymru yn gweithio ar hyn o bryd ar y cymorth y gallai fod ei angen i gyflawni'r targed hwnnw.
Yn ogystal â hyn, fel y bydd yr Aelodau'n gwybod eisoes, bydd metro de Cymru—cynllun hynod uchelgeisiol—yn arwain at drydaneiddio wedi'i bweru 100 y cant gan ynni adnewyddadwy, a hanner hwnnw'n dod o Gymru. Fodd bynnag, ceir rhai gweithgynhyrchwyr cerbydau, a cheir yn arbennig, nad ydyn nhw'n gweld cyflymder y newid sy'n digwydd ar hyn o bryd, ac sydd ar ei hôl hi. Gallwn wneud popeth o fewn ein gallu i gymell, galluogi a grymuso'r busnesau hynny i newid, ond yn y pen draw, mater i'r penderfynwyr hynny yn y busnesau hynny yw derbyn yr hyn sy'n anochel a chroesawu'r newid a'r cymorth y gallwn ni eu cynnig. Ac rwyf i'n meddwl tybed i ba raddau y mae'r ffaith bod Ford yn gwmni Americanaidd yn cyfrannu at iddo beidio â chydnabod efallai yr argyfwng newid yn yr hinsawdd—rwyf yn meddwl tybed a ydyn nhw yn wirioneddol ymrwymedig i newid i economi werdd a cherbydau dim allyriadau.
Wrth gwrs, rwyf eisoes wedi amlinellu, o ran gwerthuso, y cyfraniad y mae Ford wedi'i wneud i'r economi leol dros y blynyddoedd. Am fuddsoddiad o ychydig dros £60 miliwn gan Lywodraeth Cymru, rydym ni wedi gweld £3.3 biliwn yn dychwelyd i economi Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr a'r rhanbarth ehangach. Rydym ni o'r farn bod hynny'n adenillion sylweddol a derbyniol iawn ar fuddsoddiad, sy'n dod i fwy na £300 miliwn ar gyfartaledd bob blwyddyn am y 10 mlynedd diwethaf, o'i gymharu â'r oddeutu £60 miliwn yr ydym ni wedi'i fuddsoddi yn y cwmni. Rydym ni hefyd wedi gallu gwneud yn siŵr, trwy ein buddsoddiadau, bod y gweithwyr hynny'n meddu ar sgiliau da a'u bod wedi'u hyfforddi'n dda ac yn gallu defnyddio'u sgiliau mewn cyflogaeth arall, ac rwy'n hyderus, trwy waith y tasglu, y byddwn yn gallu sicrhau bod y rhai sy'n dymuno aros mewn cyflogaeth yn cael cyfleoedd i ddefnyddio eu sgiliau ardderchog mewn swyddi tebyg.
I'd like to squeeze two further questions in, so if they could be as succinct as is possible, and I'm looking at the two of you. David Rees.
Hoffwn i wasgu dau gwestiwn arall i mewn, felly os gallan nhw fod mor gryno ag sy'n bosibl, ac rwy'n edrych ar y ddau ohonoch chi. David Rees.
Diolch, Llywydd, and I will be as succinct as possible, therefore, I'll avoid repetition of many comments already made. But, clearly, I will associate myself with the comments from the Member for Ogmore and the Member for Bridgend on this matter, and, Minister, thank you for the answers.
Just a couple of quick points in that case, because, clearly, many of my constituents work in Ford. Indeed, I know friends and the family of friends who work there. But when the issue happened in Port Talbot, a taskforce was established. One of the streams it set up was a health and well-being stream, vital to ensure that those who are affected by this decision of Ford's are able to get that type of support. Will you, therefore, ensure the taskforce also sets up a similar stream in this situation to ensure that people are supported?
In relation to the comment made on pensions by the Member for Bridgend, and you highlight that you don't want the sharks coming in, well, we saw the sharks coming into Port Talbot. Will you have a discussion with the Financial Conducty Authority to ensure that they do not descend on Bridgend as well? In fact, the FCA are holding a session in Port Talbot this Friday particularly in relation to that, and it might be worth having a discussion with them on that point.
In relation to any redundancy settlements that are being made, we've been told by the unions that, basically, they believe these are partly a bribe to the workforce to accept those deals and to accept the decision of Ford, and we'll see the outcome of that on Friday at a public meeting held by the unions. Will you also look with the Treasury as to what the implications are from a Treasury point of view on those payments, because many people may see large figures, but they may not understand what the consequences of those figures are and how much they may end up having to pay to the Treasury, back into the UK Government?
Finally, on the supply chain matters, you've talked of the supply chain already, will you look very carefully at the supply chain? We've seen Ford's announcement, we've seen the one in Newport and we've seen Calsonic's announcements—there is an impact upon supply chains as well. Will you work with supply chains to look at how they can actually address the future? We've talked about engines and hybrid engines, but supply chains need also support to change their designs and working for those engines and manufacturing. Will you work with supply chains to ensure that they can actually meet the engines of the future as well?
Diolch, Llywydd, a byddaf i mor gryno â phosibl, felly, ni fyddaf yn ailadrodd llawer o'r sylwadau sydd wedi'u gwneud eisoes. Ond, yn amlwg, byddaf i'n cysylltu fy hun â'r sylwadau gan yr Aelod dros Ogwr a'r Aelod dros Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr ar y mater hwn, a, Gweinidog, diolch ichi am yr atebion.
Dim ond un neu ddau o bwyntiau cyflym felly, oherwydd, yn amlwg, mae llawer o'm hetholwyr yn gweithio yn Ford. Mewn gwirionedd, rwy'n adnabod ffrindiau a theulu ffrindiau sy'n gweithio yno. Ond pan ddigwyddodd y mater ym Mhort Talbot, sefydlwyd tasglu. Un o'r ffrydiau a sefydlwyd ganddo oedd ffrwd iechyd a lles, sy'n hanfodol er mwyn sicrhau bod y rhai y mae'r penderfyniad hwn gan Ford yn effeithio arnyn nhw yn gallu cael y math hwnnw o gymorth. A wnewch chi sicrhau, felly, fod y tasglu hefyd yn sefydlu ffrwd debyg yn y sefyllfa hon i sicrhau bod pobl yn cael eu cefnogi?
O ran y sylw a wnaed ar bensiynau gan yr Aelod dros Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr, ac rydych chi'n tynnu sylw at y ffaith nad ydych chi'n dymuno i'r siarcod ddod i mewn, wel, gwelsom y siarcod yn dod i Bort Talbot. A fyddwch chi'n trafod gyda'r Awdurdod Ymddygiad Ariannol i sicrhau nad ydyn nhw'n dod i Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr hefyd? A dweud y gwir, mae'r Awdurdod Ymddygiad Ariannol yn cynnal sesiwn ym Mhort Talbot ddydd Gwener, yn arbennig ynglŷn â hynny, ac efallai y byddai'n werth cael trafodaeth gyda nhw ynghylch y pwynt hwnnw.
O ran unrhyw setliadau diswyddo sy'n cael eu gwneud, mae'r undebau wedi dweud wrthym eu bod nhw, yn y bôn, yn credu mai llwgrwobr yw'r rhain i'r gweithlu yn rhannol er mwyn iddyn nhw dderbyn y cytundebau hynny a derbyn penderfyniad Ford, a byddwn yn gweld canlyniad hynny ddydd Gwener mewn cyfarfod cyhoeddus a gynhelir gan yr undebau. A wnewch chi hefyd edrych gyda'r Trysorlys ar y goblygiadau o safbwynt y Trysorlys ar y taliadau hynny, oherwydd efallai y bydd llawer o bobl yn gweld ffigurau mawr, ond efallai na fyddan nhw'n deall beth yw canlyniadau'r ffigurau hynny a faint y gall fod angen iddyn nhw ei dalu i'r Trysorlys yn y pen draw, yn ôl i Lywodraeth y DU?
Yn olaf, o ran materion y gadwyn gyflenwi, rydych chi wedi sôn am y gadwyn gyflenwi eisoes, a wnewch chi edrych yn ofalus iawn ar y gadwyn gyflenwi? Rydym ni wedi gweld cyhoeddiad Ford, rydym ni wedi gweld yr un yng Nghasnewydd ac rydym ni wedi gweld cyhoeddiadau Calsonic—mae hyn yn effeithio ar y cadwyni cyflenwi hefyd. A fyddwch chi'n gweithio gyda'r cadwyni cyflenwi i edrych ar sut y gallan nhw fynd i'r afael â'r dyfodol mewn gwirionedd? Rydym ni wedi sôn am injans ac injans hybrid, ond mae angen cymorth ar y cadwyni cyflenwi hefyd i newid eu cynlluniau a gweithio ar gyfer yr injans a'r gweithgynhyrchu hynny. A fyddwch chi'n gweithio gyda'r cadwyni cyflenwi i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n gallu ateb gofynion injans y dyfodol hefyd?
Can I thank David Rees for his questions and the important points that he makes about the mental health and well-being of those who are going to be affected by this decision, not just the workers, but their families, and people employed in different businesses that rely on the contribution that Ford makes to the local economy? I can assure the Member that the health board will be part of the taskforce, and, provided Ford give access to the taskforce, we'll be providing immediate support to those who are affected. I said to Ford on the phone on Thursday that I simply will not wait 12 months for the consultation to end before the taskforce can get into the business and support people. I want immediate access for those people and immediate support in terms of their well-being, because we know that announcements such as this do often lead to family breakdowns, to increases in mental illness and despair, and we must do all we can to avoid that.
I've already answered the question on the FCA's involvement in the questions raised by Carwyn Jones.
David Rees raises the important question of the taxes that could be paid to the UK Treasury. It's not for me to disclose the level of payments to workers or to speculate over the sum of taxes that will be sent to the UK Treasury, but we are already looking at this very issue, and it may well be that UK Government's contribution could come in the form of some form of return of those taxes to the workers and/or the community.
The Member is also right to raise the significance of this challenge for the supply chain. We're working very closely, not just with BEIS, but also with the Wales Automotive Forum, in identifying those businesses within the automotive supply chain that will be affected by the announcement. Work has already commenced on that. The Wales Automotive Forum have written out to businesses within the supply chain, not just those directly relating to Ford's activities, but the general automotive sector, to identify any businesses that might require support from Welsh Government, from the UK Government, and the local authority.
A gaf i ddiolch i David Rees am ei gwestiynau a'r pwyntiau pwysig y mae'n eu gwneud am iechyd meddwl a lles y rhai y bydd y penderfyniad hwn yn effeithio arnynt, nid dim ond y gweithwyr, ond eu teuluoedd, a'r bobl a gyflogir mewn gwahanol fusnesau sy'n dibynnu ar y cyfraniad y mae Ford yn ei wneud i'r economi leol? Gallaf sicrhau'r Aelod y bydd y bwrdd iechyd yn rhan o'r tasglu, ac, ar yr amod bod Ford yn rhoi mynediad i'r tasglu, byddwn yn rhoi cymorth ar unwaith i'r rhai y bydd hyn yn effeithio arnyn nhw. Dywedais wrth Ford dros y ffôn ddydd Iau na fyddaf i'n aros 12 mis i'r ymgynghoriad ddod i ben cyn i'r tasglu allu mynd i'r busnes i gefnogi pobl. Rwyf i eisiau cael mynediad ar unwaith i'r bobl hynny a rhoi cymorth ar unwaith o ran eu lles, oherwydd rydym ni'n gwybod bod cyhoeddiadau fel hyn yn aml yn arwain at chwalu teuluoedd, ac mae'n rhaid i ni wneud pob peth posib i osgoi hynny.
Rwyf i eisoes wedi ateb y cwestiwn ynghylch y rhan y mae'r Awdurdod Ymddygiad Ariannol yn ei chwarae yn y cwestiynau a godwyd gan Carwyn Jones.
Mae David Rees yn codi'r cwestiwn pwysig ynghylch y trethi y gellid eu talu i Drysorlys y DU. Nid fy lle i yw datgelu lefel y taliadau i weithwyr na damcaniaethu ynghylch swm y trethi a anfonir i Drysorlys y DU, ond rydym eisoes yn edrych ar yr union fater hwn, ac mae'n ddigon posibl y gallai cyfraniad Llywodraeth y DU ddod ar ffurf rhyw fath o ad-daliad o'r trethi hynny i'r gweithwyr a/neu'r gymuned.
Mae'r Aelod hefyd yn iawn i godi pwysigrwydd yr her hon i'r gadwyn gyflenwi. Rydym ni'n gweithio'n agos iawn, nid yn unig gyda'r Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol, ond hefyd gyda Fforwm Moduron Cymru, i nodi'r busnesau hynny yn y gadwyn gyflenwi modurol y bydd y cyhoeddiad yn effeithio arnynt. Mae'r gwaith eisoes wedi dechrau ar hynny. Mae Fforwm Moduron Cymru wedi ysgrifennu at fusnesau yn y gadwyn gyflenwi, nid dim ond y rhai sy'n ymwneud yn uniongyrchol â gweithgareddau Ford, ond y sector modurol cyffredinol, i nodi unrhyw fusnesau y gallai fod angen cymorth arnynt gan Lywodraeth Cymru, Llywodraeth y DU, a'r awdurdod lleol.
Finally, Andrew R.T. Davies.
Yn olaf, Andrew R.T. Davies.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Minister, thank you for your answers this afternoon. I don't make this as a political point—I make it as a point in general—that the biggest loss of work in the devolution era was the Llanwern steelworks that was shut in the early 2000s, and I draw that to your attention on the basis that, obviously, the remedial action that was put in by the Welsh Government could, in this particular instance, be a good example for the Bridgend plant, because you have cited, obviously, the example of Welsh Government action when it came to the Tesco withdrawal out of Cardiff and Virgin out of Swansea, but there were already large businesses able to take on a lot of those employees in those businesses. Here, you have predominantly an engineering facility that has 1,700 jobs now at risk, after the end of the consultation period, and whilst we know Aston Martin are actively recruiting for at least 500 to 600 jobs, there are a lot of people looking for work, and I would draw your attention to the taskforce that the Welsh Government put in place when Llanwern shut to be a comparator over the Ford engine plant.
I would also say, as well, about the Brocastle development that the Welsh Government has just commissioned next door to the Bridgend engine plant, where the diggers have literally just gone in to do the infrastructure work there. Will there be any remodelling over that business park? Because the critical component here is that the jobs that have been lost pay on average £45,000 to £50,000. Those jobs do not come easily, and I'm sure that when you were modelling that business park and some of the plans you had, you didn't foresee the complete closure of the engine plant. So, can you confirm whether it's business as usual with that business park that's being developed alongside the engine plant, or will there be a reappraisal of the plans that were originally laid?
Diolch, Llywydd. Gweinidog, diolch am eich atebion y prynhawn yma. Nid wyf i'n gwneud hyn fel pwynt gwleidyddol—rwy'n ei wneud fel pwynt cyffredinol—mai'r golled fwyaf o ran gwaith yng nghyfnod datganoli oedd gwaith dur Llanwern a gafodd ei gau ar ddechrau'r 2000au, ac rwy'n tynnu eich sylw at hynny oherwydd, yn amlwg, gallai'r camau adferol a gymerwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru, yn yr achos penodol hwn, fod yn enghraifft dda ar gyfer gwaith Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, oherwydd eich bod chi, yn amlwg, wedi cyfeirio at y camau a gymerodd Llywodraeth Cymru yn achos Tesco yn tynnu allan o Gaerdydd a Virgin allan o Abertawe, ond roedden nhw'n fusnesau mawr eisoes a oedd yn gallu cyflogi llawer o'r gweithwyr hynny yn y busnesau hynny. Yn y fan yma, mae gennych chi gyfleuster peirianyddol i bob pwrpas sydd â 1,700 o swyddi mewn perygl erbyn hyn, ar ôl diwedd y cyfnod ymgynghori, ac er ein bod yn gwybod bod Aston Martin yn mynd ati i recriwtio ar gyfer o leiaf 500 i 600 o swyddi, mae llawer o bobl yn chwilio am waith, a hoffwn i dynnu eich sylw at y tasglu a roddodd Llywodraeth Cymru ar waith pan oedd Llanwern yn cau i gymharu â ffatri injans Ford.
Byddwn i hefyd yn sôn am ddatblygiad Brocastle y mae Llywodraeth Cymru newydd ei gomisiynu y drws nesaf i ffatri injans Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, lle mae'r peiriannau cloddio yn llythrennol newydd fynd i wneud y gwaith seilwaith yn y fan honno. A fydd unrhyw ailfodelu ar gyfer y parc busnes hwnnw? Oherwydd yr elfen hollbwysig yn y fan yma yw bod y swyddi sydd wedi'u colli yn talu £45,000 i £50,000 ar gyfartaledd. Nid yw'n hawdd dod o hyd i'r swyddi hynny, ac rwy'n siŵr pan oeddech chi'n modelu'r parc busnes hwnnw a rhai o'r cynlluniau a oedd gennych chi, nad oeddech chi'n rhagweld y byddai'r ffatri injans yn cau yn llwyr. Felly a wnewch chi gadarnhau a yw hi'n sefyllfa busnes fel arfer gyda'r parc busnes hwnnw sy'n cael ei ddatblygu wrth ochr y ffatri injans, neu a fydd y cynlluniau a osodwyd yn wreiddiol yn cael eu hail-werthuso?
I thank Andrew R.T. Davies for his questions. He raises a very important point about Brocastle. That is a strategic employment site—a major site that is being developed. It's adjacent to the Ford engine plant, for those who are unfamiliar with its location. It is owned by the Welsh Government and I'm pleased to say that work has commenced on a £10 million investment in site infrastructure. This particular site is ideally suited for a prestigious company headquarters or a quality supplier park, and we are working on a number of leads. If any changes to the proposals are required in order to accommodate employers offering highly paid, high-quality work, then of course we will tweak or amend the proposed park layout, infrastructure, whatever is required.
Of course, Llanwern was a major concern of ours, and we intervened in the manner that the Member has identified. The reason that we believe that this could be the single biggest loss of jobs since devolution is because of the multiplier effect, which could be three to one. We could be looking at something in the region of 5,000 to 6,000 jobs affected—not necessarily lost, but affected—by the decision that Ford has taken, and that would place it on another level to anything else that has happened since 1999 and demonstrates, again, the need for us to go beyond the normal taskforce approach and why the place-based element is just so very important in the work that we're going to be undertaking.
Andrew R.T. Davies was right to identify Aston Martin Lagonda as a major employer offering high-quality work, well-paid work, and an employer that is currently recruiting. We do believe that something in the region of 500 jobs could be offered for Ford workers there. Aston Martin Lagonda, of course, have made south Wales their global home for the development of electric cars, showing confidence in Wales's ability to transition to a low-carbon economy. The company is incredibly ambitious with plans for new vehicles, and I'm hopeful that it will go on expanding. Certainly the Welsh Government stands ready to assist Aston Martin, unashamedly, in expanding in future years, to ensure that more people have decent jobs that provide a good livelihood for their families.
But there are other potential investors that we are working with. We are determined, alongside DIT and BEIS, to land as many opportunities as we possibly can. I've been in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Wales concerning a number of those potential investments, and I am hopeful that we will be able to announce good news in the weeks and months to come.
Diolch i Andrew R.T. Davies am ei gwestiynau. Mae'n codi pwynt pwysig iawn am Brocastle. Mae hwnnw'n safle cyflogaeth strategol—safle mawr sy'n cael ei ddatblygu. Mae'n gyfagos i ffatri injan Ford, i'r rhai sy'n anghyfarwydd â'i leoliad. Mae'n eiddo i Lywodraeth Cymru ac rwy'n falch o ddweud bod gwaith wedi dechrau ar fuddsoddiad gwerth £10 miliwn ar seilwaith y safle. Mae'r safle penodol hwn yn ddelfrydol ar gyfer pencadlys cwmni blaenllaw neu barc cyflenwi o safon, ac rydym ni'n gweithio ar nifer o bosibiliadau. Os oes angen gwneud unrhyw newidiadau i'r cynigion ar gyfer cyflogwyr sy'n cynnig gwaith o ansawdd uchel ac sy'n talu'n dda, yna wrth gwrs byddwn yn addasu cynllun arfaethedig y parc, ei seilwaith, beth bynnag sydd ei angen.
Wrth gwrs, roedd Llanwern yn bryder mawr i ni, ac fe wnaethom ni ymyrryd yn y ffordd y mae'r Aelod wedi'i nodi. Y rheswm yr ydym ni'n credu y gallai hyn fod y golled fwyaf o ran swyddi ers datganoli yw oherwydd yr effaith luosogi, a allai fod yn dri i un. Gallai fod yn rhywbeth fel oddeutu 5,000 i 6,000 o swyddi y bydd hyn yn effeithio arnyn nhw—nid o reidrwydd eu colli, ond effaith o ryw fath—yn sgil y penderfyniad a gymerwyd gan Ford, a byddai hynny'n ei roi ar lefel arall i unrhyw beth arall sydd wedi digwydd ers 1999 ac mae'n dangos, unwaith eto, yr angen i ni fynd y tu hwnt i ddull arferol y tasglu a pham mae'r elfen sy'n seiliedig ar le mor bwysig yn y gwaith yr ydym am fod yn ei wneud.
Roedd Andrew R.T. Davies yn iawn i nodi bod Aston Martin Lagonda yn gyflogwr pwysig sy'n cynnig gwaith o ansawdd uchel, sy'n talu'n dda, ac yn gyflogwr sy'n recriwtio ar hyn o bryd. Rydym ni yn credu y gellid cynnig oddeutu 500 o swyddi i weithwyr Ford yn y fan honno. Mae Aston Martin Lagonda, wrth gwrs, wedi gwneud de Cymru yn gartref byd-eang iddo i ddatblygu ceir trydan, gan ddangos ffydd yng ngallu Cymru i newid i economi carbon isel. Mae'r cwmni'n anhygoel o uchelgeisiol gyda chynlluniau ar gyfer cerbydau newydd, ac rwy'n obeithiol y bydd yn parhau i ehangu. Yn sicr, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn barod i gynorthwyo Aston Martin, yn ddiedifar, i ehangu yn y blynyddoedd i ddod, i sicrhau bod gan fwy o bobl swyddi addas sy'n darparu bywoliaeth dda i'w teuluoedd.
Ond mae buddsoddwyr posibl eraill yr ydym ni'n gweithio gyda nhw. Rydym ni'n benderfynol, ynghyd â'r Adran Masnach Ryngwladol a'r Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol, o gael cynifer o gyfleoedd â phosibl. Rwyf wedi bod mewn cysylltiad rheolaidd ag Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru ynghylch nifer o'r buddsoddiadau posibl hynny, ac rwy'n obeithiol y byddwn yn gallu cyhoeddi newyddion da yn yr wythnosau a'r misoedd sydd i ddod.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
Thank you, Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Nick Ramsay.
The next item is questions to the First Minister, and the first question is from Nick Ramsay.
1. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am bolisïau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer diogelu'r amgylchedd? OAQ54004
1. Will the First Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's policies for protecting the environment? OAQ54004
Llywydd, the Welsh Government's most recent actions in environmental protection have focused on securing a statute book that prevents any deterioration in environmental standards, should the UK leave the European Union. Consent has been provided to 29 UK exit statutory instruments, with eight Welsh-specific environmental SIs made here in the National Assembly between October 2018 and June of this year.
Llywydd, mae camau diweddaraf Llywodraeth Cymru ym maes diogelu'r amgylchedd wedi canolbwyntio ar sicrhau llyfr statud sy'n atal unrhyw ddirywiad i safonau amgylcheddol, pe byddai'r DU yn gadael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Rhoddwyd cydsyniad i 29 o offerynnau statudol ar gyfer ymadael â'r DU, a gwnaed wyth offeryn statudol amgylcheddol penodol i Gymru yma yn y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol rhwng mis Hydref 2018 a mis Mehefin eleni.
Thank you for that answer, First Minister. I have recently received some very well-written letters, I have to say, from pupils in the Silverbirch class at Usk primary school in my constituency, who've been learning about global goals and, specifically, deforestation. The pupils wrote to me primarily because they're particularly concerned about the increasing demand for palm oil, which is used in food, cosmetics and so many other everyday items. Our demand for these products here in Wales is directly resulting in the destruction of tropical rainforests to make room for plantations, thereby destroying natural habitats for wildlife, including orangutans.
The pupils were hopeful that I would raise these issues with you as First Minister, which I am delivering on today. First Minister, would you say that these ethical and informed citizens from Usk primary schools are really talking about issues that should be affecting and are of concern to us all? And can you tell them what the Welsh Government is doing in the fightback against the demand for palm oil on the one hand and, in the wider sense, against the threat to forests across the world?
Diolch am yr ateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Rwyf i wedi cael rhai llythyrau wedi'u hysgrifennu'n dda iawn yn ddiweddar, gan ddisgyblion yn nosbarth Silverbirch yn ysgol gynradd Brynbuga yn fy etholaeth i, sydd wedi bod yn dysgu am nodau byd-eang ac, yn benodol, datgoedwigo. Ysgrifennodd y disgyblion ataf yn bennaf oherwydd eu bod yn arbennig o bryderus am y galw cynyddol am olew palmwydd, sy'n cael ei ddefnyddio mewn bwyd, cynhyrchion cosmetig a chymaint o eitemau cyffredin eraill. Mae ein galw am y cynhyrchion hyn yma yng Nghymru yn arwain yn uniongyrchol at ddinistrio coedwigoedd glaw trofannol i wneud lle i blanhigfeydd, a thrwy hynny'n dinistrio cynefinoedd naturiol ar gyfer bywyd gwyllt, gan gynnwys orang-wtanod.
Roedd y disgyblion yn obeithiol y byddwn yn codi'r materion hyn gyda chi fel Prif Weinidog, ac rwy'n gwneud hynny heddiw. Prif Weinidog, a fyddech chi'n dweud bod y dinasyddion moesegol a hyddysg hyn o ysgolion cynradd Brynbuga wir yn sôn am faterion a ddylai fod yn effeithio ar bob un ohonom ac sy'n berthnasol i ni i gyd? Ac a allwch chi ddweud wrthyn nhw beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i frwydro yn ôl yn erbyn y galw am olew palmwydd ar y naill law ac, yn yr ystyr ehangach, yn erbyn y bygythiad i goedwigoedd ledled y byd?
I thank Nick Ramsay for that question and congratulate those pupils at Usk primary school for writing to him. I'm very glad indeed that their concerns are being aired on the floor of the National Assembly. Concern for the environment is very much a generationally driven set of concerns. We know how much young people are invested in making sure that the planet that they will have to look after arrives in their stewardship in as good a state as we can make it.
I'm very glad that we have made unethically sourced palm oil something that cannot be used when we are striking economic contracts with firms here in Wales. The Member will know that the things that we are doing to secure reforestation here in Wales are part of that globally responsible effort to which he referred. We are committed to at least 2,000 hectares as a minimum of new woodland planting between 2020 and 2030. I am looking forward very much to the practical steps we will take to create a new national forest here in Wales.
Last week, my colleague Lesley Griffiths announced a series of investments in nature recovery schemes here in Wales, and the students at Usk primary school will be glad, I'm sure to know, that there is a £1.3 million scheme planned for A Resilient Greater Gwent, which will include looking at ways in which habitat has been degraded in the past and needs to be revived in the future. I suspect, at least, that the latest addition to the Ramsay household will, by now, have received his certificate telling him that trees have been planted here in Wales and in Uganda on his behalf—
Diolchaf i Nick Ramsay am y cwestiwn yna a llongyfarchaf y disgyblion hynny yn ysgol gynradd Brynbuga am ysgrifennu ato. Rwy'n falch dros ben bod eu pryderon yn cael eu rhannu ar lawr y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol. Mae pryder am yr amgylchedd yn sicr yn gyfres o bryderon a ysgogir ar sail cenedlaethau. Rydym ni'n gwybod faint o amser y mae pobl ifanc yn ei roi i wneud yn siŵr bod y blaned y bydd yn rhaid iddyn nhw ofalu amdani ar ôl cyrraedd eu stiwardiaeth mewn cyflwr cystal ag y gallwn ni ei sicrhau.
Rwy'n falch iawn ein bod ni wedi gwneud olew palmwydd o ffynonellau anfoesegol yn rhywbeth na ellir ei ddefnyddio pan fyddwn ni'n cytuno ar gontractau economaidd gyda chwmnïau yma yng Nghymru. Bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod bod y pethau yr ydym ni'n eu gwneud i sicrhau ailgoedwigo yma yng Nghymru yn rhan o'r ymdrech gyfrifol ar sail fyd-eang honno y cyfeiriodd ef ati. Rydym ni wedi ymrwymo i blannu o leiaf 2,000 hectar o goed newydd rhwng 2020 a 2030. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at y camau ymarferol y byddwn ni'n eu cymryd i greu coedwig genedlaethol newydd yma yng Nghymru.
Yr wythnos diwethaf, cyhoeddodd fy nghyd-Aelod Lesley Griffiths gyfres o fuddsoddiadau mewn cynlluniau adfer natur yma yng Nghymru, a bydd y myfyrwyr yn ysgol gynradd Brynbuga yn falch o wybod, rwy'n siŵr, fod cynllun gwerth £1.3 miliwn yn yr arfaeth ar gyfer A Resilient Greater Gwent, a fydd yn cynnwys edrych ar ffyrdd y mae cynefin wedi cael ei ddiraddio yn y gorffennol ac y bydd angen ei adfywio yn y dyfodol. Rwy'n amau, o leiaf, y bydd yr ychwanegiad diweddaraf at yr aelwyd Ramsay, erbyn hyn, wedi cael ei dystysgrif yn dweud wrtho fod coed wedi cael eu plannu yma yng Nghymru ac yn Uganda ar ei ran—
It's framed.
Mae wedi ei fframio.
Framed—well, I'm very pleased to hear it. This is as part of 'A globally responsible Wales', to which we are committed as part of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.
Wedi ei fframio—wel, rwy'n falch iawn o glywed hynny. Mae hyn yn rhan o 'Cymru sy'n gyfrifol ar lefel byd-eang', yr ydym ni yn ymrwymedig iddo yn rhan o Ddeddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015.
Mi ddes i y prynhawn yma o gyfarfod y grŵp trawsbleidiol dwi'n ei gadeirio ar ynni cynaliadwy, lle clywon ni am ffynonellau buddsoddi posib mewn isadeiledd ynni carbon isel. Hefyd, mi glywon ni eto am waith y Sefydliad Materion Cymreig, yr IWA, ar ailegnïo Cymru—re-energising Wales. Nawr, mae hwnnw'n cynnig llwybr i ddatgarboneiddio ynni yng Nghymru erbyn 2035, a dwi yn teimlo bod yna gonsensws ar draws y pleidiau i weithredu ar yr argymhellion sydd yn yr adroddiad yna. Felly, mi fyddwn i'n gofyn i'r Llywodraeth ystyried gosod hwnna fel sail ar gyfer y gwaith rŷch chi'n mynd i fod yn ei wneud, ac rŷm ni i gyd yn mynd i fod yn cyfrannu ato fe, gobeithio, dros y blynyddoedd nesaf, yn enwedig yn sgil datganiad ysgrifenedig y Gweinidog amgylchedd y bore yma ynglŷn â'r nod o fod yn net zero carbon erbyn 2050.
Felly, gaf i ofyn ichi i symud i'r cyfeiriad yna? Ac os wnewch chi, yna mi gewch chi gefnogaeth yn sicr o'r meinciau yma, yn ogystal, dwi'n siŵr, â meinciau eraill yn y Senedd yma.
I came this afternoon from the cross-party group that I chair on sustainable energy, where we heard about possible funding sources in low-carbon energy infrastructure. We also heard about the Institute of Welsh Affairs's work on re-energising Wales. Now, that offers a route to decarbonising energy in Wales by 2035, and I do feel that there is consensus across the parties to take actions on the recommendations contained within that report. So, I would ask the Government to consider setting that as a foundation for the work that you're going to be doing, and that we're all going to be contributing to, over the next few years, hopefully, particularly in light of the written statement by the Minister for the environment this morning on the aim of being net zero carbon by 2050.
So, could I ask you to move in that direction? And if you will, then you will certainly receive support from these benches as well as, I'm sure, from other benches in this Senedd.
Diolch i Llyr Gruffydd am beth ddywedodd e. Dwi'n cytuno, mae consensws rhwng rhai pleidiau ar lawr y Cynulliad am beth sy'n ein hwynebu ni a'r ffaith y bydd yn rhaid inni gymryd y cyfrifoldebau sydd gyda ni i weithio, fel roedd y Gweinidog Lesley Griffiths wedi dweud y bore yma yn y datganiad ysgrifenedig mae hi wedi'i gyhoeddi. Ces i'r cyfle i siarad pan oedd yr IWA yn lansio eu hadroddiad nhw. Mae lot o bethau diddorol yn yr adroddiad, lot o syniadau rŷn ni eisiau gweithio arnyn nhw gyda'r IWA a phartneriaid eraill ledled Cymru sydd eisiau bod yn uchelgeisiol ar ran beth rŷn ni yma yng Nghymru yn gallu ei wneud i warchod ein dyfodol.
May I thank Llyr Gruffydd for his words? I agree, there is a consensus between some parties on the floor of this Assembly as regards what is facing us and that we will have to take the responsibility, as Lesley Griffiths said this morning in the written statement that she has published. I had the opportunity to speak when the IWA launched their report. There are very many interesting things in that report, many ideas that we want to collaborate on with the IWA and other partners throughout Wales who wish to be ambitious about what we here in Wales can do to safeguard our future.
I'm sure, First Minister, by your earlier comments, you would agree with me that trees play a significant role in our environment, not only for their aesthetic contribution to our countryside, but also for their carbon absorption qualities and the sustainable economic resource they represent. You mentioned earlier on as well the Welsh Government's commitment to replanting trees, but, unfortunately, it is regrettable that the Welsh Government is failing significantly in its tree planting targets—in fact, a shortfall in planting of 31,000 hectares since 2010, and a loss of 18,000 hectares of conifers since 2001. What is the Welsh Government doing to reverse this particularly devastating trend?
Rwy'n siŵr, Prif Weinidog, ar sail eich sylwadau cynharach, y byddech chi'n cytuno â mi bod coed yn chwarae rhan bwysig yn ein hamgylchedd, nid yn unig o ran eu cyfraniad esthetig i'n cefn gwlad, ond hefyd o ran eu rhinweddau amsugno carbon a'r adnodd economaidd cynaliadwy y maen nhw'n ei gynrychioli. Soniasoch yn gynharach hefyd am ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i ailblannu coed, ond, yn anffodus, mae'n destun gofid bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn methu'n sylweddol o ran ei thargedau plannu coed—yn wir, diffyg plannu 31,000 hectar ers 2010, a cholled o 18,000 hectar o goed conwydd ers 2001. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i wrthdroi'r tuedd arbennig o ddinistriol hwn?
Llywydd, I've acknowledged here on the floor of the Assembly in previous discussions with the leader of Plaid Cymru that we have not done as well as we needed to do in relation to tree planting here in Wales. That's why I set out the new commitments that we have made over the coming decade. It is partly why we are committed to the creation of a national forest as a legacy to future generations here in Wales, and it's because of what woodland does in terms of biodiversity, soil protection, water management, as well as all the other potentials that a national forest would provide, in the fields of tourism, employment, a response in the agriculture community to new conditions that they will face in the future. There is a constellation of very important reasons why we need to do more to plant trees here in Wales, and this Government is entirely seized of those arguments.
Llywydd, rwyf i wedi cydnabod yma ar lawr y Cynulliad mewn trafodaethau blaenorol gydag arweinydd Plaid Cymru nad ydym ni wedi gwneud cystal ag yr oedd angen i ni ei wneud o ran plannu coed yma yng Nghymru. Dyna pam yr amlinellais yr ymrwymiadau newydd yr ydym ni wedi eu gwneud dros y degawd nesaf. Dyna'n rhannol pam yr ydym ni wedi ymrwymo i greu coedwig genedlaethol fel etifeddiaeth i genedlaethau'r dyfodol yma yng Nghymru, ac mae hynny oherwydd yr hyn y mae coetir yn ei wneud o ran bioamrywiaeth, diogelu pridd, rheoli dŵr, yn ogystal â'r holl bosibiliadau eraill y byddai coedwig yn eu cynnig, ym meysydd twristiaeth, cyflogaeth, ymateb yn y gymuned amaethyddol i amodau newydd y byddan nhw'n eu hwynebu yn y dyfodol. Mae llu o resymau pwysig iawn pam mae angen i ni wneud mwy i blannu coed yma yng Nghymru, ac mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn llwyr ymwybodol o'r dadleuon hynny.
2. Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn monitro effeithiolrwydd ei mesurau i fynd i'r afael â thlodi? OAQ53987
2. How does the Welsh Government monitor the effectiveness of its measures to tackle poverty? OAQ53987
Llywydd, we use child poverty indicators to measure our effectiveness in mitigating the impact of poverty created by the UK Conservative Government. Freezing and reducing benefits, penalising children through the family cap and punishing families through the bedroom tax are amongst the impacts we have to combat through our mitigation measures.
Llywydd, rydym ni'n defnyddio dangosyddion tlodi plant i fesur ein heffeithiolrwydd o ran lliniaru effaith tlodi a grëwyd gan Lywodraeth Geidwadol y DU. Mae rhewi a lleihau budd-daliadau, cosbi plant drwy'r cap teuluol a chosbi teuluoedd drwy'r dreth ystafell wely ymhlith yr effeithiau y mae'n rhaid i ni eu goresgyn drwy ein mesurau lliniaru.
Thank you very much for that reply, Minister, but I think you're the one who looks after the social services and the NHS in Wales. Research for the End Child Poverty Network shows that the number of children living in poverty in Wales rose by 1 per cent last year. Given that your Government pledged to end child poverty by 2020, can you explain why Wales is the only nation in the United Kingdom to see a rise in child poverty last year? Do you agree that this research calls into question the effectiveness of your strategy to tackle child poverty in Wales?
Diolch yn fawr am yr ateb yna, Gweinidog, ond rwy'n credu mai chi yw'r un sy'n gofalu am y gwasanaethau cymdeithasol a'r GIG yng Nghymru. Mae gwaith ymchwil ar gyfer y Rhwydwaith Dileu Tlodi Plant yn dangos bod nifer y plant sy'n byw mewn tlodi yng Nghymru wedi codi gan 1 y cant y llynedd. O gofio bod eich Llywodraeth wedi addo rhoi terfyn ar dlodi plant erbyn 2020, a allwch chi esbonio pam mai Cymru yw'r unig wlad yn y Deyrnas Unedig i weld cynnydd mewn tlodi plant y llynedd? A ydych chi'n cytuno bod y gwaith ymchwil hwn yn bwrw amheuaeth ar effeithiolrwydd eich strategaeth i fynd i'r afael â thlodi plant yng Nghymru?
Llywydd, it's an irony-free zone on the benches to the left of me. Here are some figures from the report to which he referred: they tell us that, as a direct result—a direct result—of the actions that his Government is taking, lone parents in Wales will lose around £3,720 a year, families with three or more children will lose £4,110 a year, there will be 50,000 more children in poverty by 2021-22, and households with one disabled adult and a disabled child will lose £5,270 on average in Wales. Those are the facts of poverty here in Wales, and they are deliberately created by the actions of the Government that he supports. We do things every day to try and mitigate the impact of those benefit cuts, those impacts that there are on families from penalising children, through penalising disabled families through universal credit, and we will continue to do everything in our power. But the root cause of child poverty in this country lies absolutely firmly in the hands of the Government that he supports.
Llywydd, mae'n barth rhydd o eironi ar y meinciau i'r chwith i mi. Dyma rai ffigurau o'r adroddiad y cyfeiriodd ato: maen nhw'n dweud wrthym ni y bydd unig rieni yng Nghymru, o ganlyniad uniongyrchol—o ganlyniad uniongyrchol—i'r camau y mae ei Lywodraeth ef yn eu cymryd, yn colli tua £3,720 y flwyddyn, y bydd teuluoedd â thri neu fwy o blant yn colli £4,110 flwyddyn, y bydd 50,000 yn fwy o blant mewn tlodi erbyn 2021-22, ac y bydd aelwydydd sydd ag un oedolyn anabl a phlentyn anabl yn colli £5,270 ar gyfartaledd yng Nghymru. Dyna yw ffeithiau tlodi yma yng Nghymru, ac maen nhw'n cael eu creu yn fwriadol gan weithredoedd y Llywodraeth y mae e'n ei chefnogi. Rydym ni'n gwneud pethau bob dydd i geisio lliniaru effaith y toriadau hynny i fudd-daliadau, yr effeithiau hynny ar deuluoedd o gosbi plant, trwy gosbi teuluoedd anabl trwy gredyd cynhwysol, a byddwn yn parhau i wneud popeth yn ein gallu. Ond mae achos sylfaenol tlodi plant yn y wlad hon yn gorwedd yn gwbl gadarn yn nwylo'r Llywodraeth y mae e'n ei chefnogi.
I was half expecting this question to be withdrawn by the Tories after shocking figures emerged showing the potential impact of Wales's exit from the European Union upon our poorest communities. Perhaps they'll just dismiss as scaremongering the analysis that has shown that, based on comparisons between the UK Government spending on economic development and the distribution of EU structural funds, Wales could lose £2.3 billion over six years, if the new shared prosperity fund is distributed in the same way as the Government allocates current spending on economic affairs. This was equating to handing every Londoner a cheque for over £200 and taking away £700 from every single Welsh person. The Rhondda, where I represent, cannot afford to lose any money, let alone this much money. So, how are you going to prevent this nightmare scenario from unfolding?
Roeddwn i'n hanner disgwyl i'r cwestiwn yma gael ei dynnu'n ôl gan y Torïaid ar ôl i ffigurau dychrynllyd ddod i'r amlwg yn dangos effaith bosibl ymadawiad Cymru o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd ar ein cymunedau tlotaf. Efallai y byddan nhw'n diystyru fel codi bwganod y dadansoddiad sydd wedi dangos, ar sail cymariaethau rhwng gwariant Llywodraeth y DU ar ddatblygu economaidd a dosbarthiad cronfeydd strwythurol yr UE, y gallai Cymru golli £2.3 biliwn dros chwe blynedd, os caiff y gronfa ffyniant gyffredin ei dosbarthu yn yr un modd ag y mae'r Llywodraeth yn dyrannu gwariant presennol ar faterion economaidd. Roedd hyn yn cyfateb i roi siec am dros £200 i bob un o drigolion Llundain a chymryd £700 oddi wrth bob un o bobl Cymru. Ni all y Rhondda, yr wyf i'n ei gynrychioli, fforddio colli unrhyw arian, heb sôn am gymaint â hyn o arian. Felly, sut ydych chi'n mynd i atal y sefyllfa hunllefus hon rhag datblygu?
Well, I thank the Member for drawing attention to that report. Time and time again, on the floor of this National Assembly—and with support of Plaid Cymru Members as well, I know—we have said that we will not sit idly by and allow a shared prosperity fund to become an excuse for sharing resources that come to Wales today with other parts of the United Kingdom who do not qualify for it as we do on the basis of our need. A Barnett approach to sharing out money is completely unacceptable to us, because Barnett does not reflect need, and the money we get through the European Union comes to Wales because it is assessed on the basis of needs that we have here. We will continue to make that case wherever we have the opportunity. We will make it alongside the Federation of Small Businesses, who recently produced a report saying exactly that, alongside the all-party parliamentary group chaired by Stephen Kinnock, who produced a report saying exactly that, and we will need the support of Members across this Chamber who put the needs of Wales first, to help us in that effort to make sure that when there is money that is available for regional economic development the other side of the European Union, that Wales continues, as we were promised, not to lose out by a single penny.
Wel, diolchaf i'r Aelod am dynnu sylw at yr adroddiad hwnnw. Dro ar ôl tro, ar lawr y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol hwn—a chyda chefnogaeth Aelodau Plaid Cymru hefyd, rwy'n gwybod—rydym ni wedi dweud na fyddwn ni'n sefyll o'r neilltu ac yn caniatáu i gronfa ffyniant gyffredin ddod yn esgus am rannu adnoddau a ddaw i Gymru heddiw gyda rhannau eraill o'r Deyrnas Unedig nad ydyn nhw'n gymwys ar ei chyfer fel yr ydym ni ar sail ein hangen. Mae dull Barnett o rannu arian yn gwbl annerbyniol i ni, oherwydd nid yw Barnett yn adlewyrchu angen, ac mae'r arian yr ydym ni'n ei gael drwy'r Undeb Ewropeaidd yn dod i Gymru gan ei fod yn cael ei asesu ar sail yr anghenion sydd gennym ni yma. Byddwn yn parhau i ddadlau'r achos hwnnw pryd bynnag y cawn y cyfle. Byddwn yn ei ddadlau ochr yn ochr â'r Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach, a luniodd adroddiad yn ddiweddar yn dweud yr union beth hwnnw, ynghyd â'r grŵp seneddol hollbleidiol a gadeirir gan Stephen Kinnock, a luniodd adroddiad yn dweud yr union beth hwnnw, a byddwn ni angen cefnogaeth Aelodau ar draws y Siambr hon sy'n rhoi anghenion Cymru yn gyntaf, i'n helpu yn yr ymdrech honno i sicrhau, pan fo arian ar gael ar gyfer datblygu economaidd rhanbarthol yr ochr arall i'r Undeb Ewropeaidd, fod Cymru yn parhau, fel yr addawyd i ni, i beidio â cholli'r un geiniog.
First Minister, would you agree that maintaining universal benefits like free prescriptions, free bus passes, and offering relief to those council tax payers in financial need are a far better way to tackle poverty than Tory tax breaks for the highest paid and scrapping of tv licences for the over-75s?
Prif Weinidog, a fyddech chi'n cytuno bod cynnal budd-daliadau cynhwysol fel presgripsiynau am ddim, pasys bws am ddim, a chynnig cymorth i'r rhai sy'n talu'r dreth gyngor ac mewn angen ariannol yn ffordd well o lawer o fynd i'r afael â thlodi na thoriadau treth y Torïaid i'r rhai sy'n ennill y cyflogau uchaf a chael gwared ar drwyddedau teledu ar gyfer pobl dros 75 oed?
Well, thank you to Dawn Bowden for pointing to those two developments of this week. The absolutely astonishing suggestions by a candidate for the leadership of the Conservative Party that, eight years into austerity, those who need the help the most are those who have the most to begin with. It's absolutely disgraceful, when you think of the impacts that there have been on the poorest families here in Wales, that the Secretary of State for Wales should announce that he is prepared to support somebody who not only in relation to his policies on Brexit, which the Secretary of State knows perfectly well, will be devastating here in Wales, but who is also, apparently, there to speak up for Wales at the UK level, with everything that we know in relation to the impact of those cuts here in Wales—that he is prepared to support a candidate who would shovel money out of the pockets of those people who have the least into the pockets of those who have the most. And when it comes to universal benefits, I absolutely want to agree with what the Member said about the television licence. The television licence has been a universal benefit. It goes to every older person aged over 75. Nobody has to apply. Nobody has to be threatened with imprisonment because they don't pay it. Nobody later on in life has to wonder about whether this bill has to be added to everything else they have to pay out of a fixed income. Those families have enjoyed that benefit since the last Labour Government was in charge of these matters at the UK level, and it's a pretty bad day for those families to find themselves in a position where, in future, not only will many of them get no help at all, but even those who are entitled to help will not get that help automatically. They will be forced to deal with a system that is deeply off-putting for many of them. Many of them will lose out. We know that that's what happens with means-tested benefits, and that's why Dawn Bowden is so right to point to the absolute advantages that providing benefits, wherever that's possible, on a universal basis, provide to claimants.
Wel, diolch yn fawr i Dawn Bowden am dynnu sylw at y ddau ddatblygiad hynny o'r wythnos hon. Yr awgrymiadau cwbl ryfeddol gan ymgeisydd ar gyfer arweinyddiaeth y Blaid Geidwadol, sef, wyth mlynedd ers dechrau cyni cyllidol, mai'r rhai sydd angen y cymorth fwyaf yw'r rhai sydd â'r mwyaf yn y lle cyntaf. Mae'n gwbl warthus, pan feddyliwch chi am yr effeithiau a gafwyd ar y teuluoedd tlotaf yma yng Nghymru, y dylai Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru gyhoeddi ei fod yn barod i gefnogi rhywun a fydd, nid yn unig o ran ei bolisïau ar Brexit, y mae'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol yn gwybod yn iawn, fydd yn drychinebus yma yng Nghymru, ond sydd hefyd, mae'n debyg, yno i siarad dros Gymru ar lefel y DU, gyda phopeth yr ydym ni'n ei wybod am effaith y toriadau hynny yma yng Nghymru—ei fod yn barod i gefnogi ymgeisydd a fyddai'n rhofio arian allan o bocedi'r bobl hynny sydd â'r lleiaf a'i roi ym mhocedi'r rhai sydd â'r mwyaf. A phan ddaw i fudd-daliadau cynhwysol, rwy'n bendant eisiau cytuno â'r hyn a ddywedodd yr Aelod am y drwydded deledu. Mae'r drwydded deledu wedi bod o fudd i bawb. Mae'n mynd i bob person hŷn sydd dros 75 oed. Nid oes rhaid i neb ymgeisio. Nid oes rhaid i neb gael ei fygwth â charchar gan nad yw'n ei thalu. Nid oes yn rhaid i neb yn ddiweddarach mewn bywyd feddwl tybed a oes rhaid ychwanegu'r bil hwn at bopeth arall y mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw ei dalu allan o incwm sefydlog. Mae'r teuluoedd hynny wedi mwynhau'r budd hwnnw ers yr adeg pan oedd y Llywodraeth Lafur ddiwethaf yn gyfrifol am y materion hyn ar lefel y DU, ac mae'n ddiwrnod gwael iawn i'r teuluoedd hynny ganfod eu hunain mewn sefyllfa lle, yn y dyfodol, nid yn unig y bydd llawer ohonyn nhw yn cael dim cymorth o gwbl, ond ni fydd hyd yn oed y rhai sydd â hawl i gymorth yn cael y cymorth hwnnw'n awtomatig. Byddan nhw hefyd yn cael eu gorfodi i ymdrin â system sy'n eithriadol o annymunol i lawer ohonynt. Bydd llawer ohonyn nhw ar eu colled. Rydym ni'n gwybod mai dyna sy'n digwydd gyda budd-daliadau ar sail prawf modd, a dyna pam mae Dawn Bowden mor gywir i dynnu sylw at y manteision absoliwt y mae darparu budd-daliadau, pryd bynnag y bo hynny'n bosibl, ar sail gynhwysol, yn eu cynnig i hawlwyr.
Cwestiynau nawr gan arweinwyr y pleidiau. Arweinydd yr wrthblaid, Paul Davies.
Questions now from the party leaders. Leader of the opposition, Paul Davies.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, can you tell us how many people are waiting for follow-up appointments in the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board area?
Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni faint o bobl sy'n aros am apwyntiadau dilynol yn ardal Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr?
Those figures are published, Llywydd, and therefore available to Member, as to every other Member of the Chamber.
Mae'r ffigurau hynny'n cael eu cyhoeddi, Llywydd, ac felly ar gael i'r Aelod, fel pob Aelod arall o'r Siambr.
Well, let me help you, First Minister, to answer my question. According to the Daily Post newspaper, a freedom of information request found, in total, 70,908 people have had to wait more than six weeks for their out-patient appointment. A staggering 27,334 people have had to wait at least 53 weeks—more than a year—for an appointment. And let's look at some other facts, because you're very keen on statistics today, First Minister. Patients attending the emergency department are now waiting, on average, seven hours to get a resolution. Back in January 2014, it was just under four hours. And behind every statistic is a real person who is being let down. Having a health board in special measures should mean things are getting better, but special measures, under your health Minister, mean things are getting worse. The special measures at Betsi Cadwaladr were meant to last two years, but now have gone on for four years. There is no specific plan, no timeline, no leadership to take the health board out of special measures. Who is accountable for this lack of improvement?
Wel, gadewch i mi eich helpu, Prif Weinidog, i ateb fy nghwestiwn. Yn ôl papur newydd y Daily Post, canfu cais rhyddid gwybodaeth y bu'n rhaid i gyfanswm o 70,908 o bobl aros mwy na chwe wythnos am eu hapwyntiad fel claf allanol. Bu'n rhaid i 27,334 o bobl aros am o leiaf 53 wythnos—mwy na blwyddyn—i gael apwyntiad. A gadewch i ni edrych ar rai ffeithiau eraill, oherwydd rydych chi'n frwd iawn ynghylch ystadegau heddiw, Prif Weinidog. Mae cleifion sy'n mynd i'r adran achosion brys bellach yn aros, ar gyfartaledd, saith awr i gael datrysiad. Yn ôl ym mis Ionawr 2014, ychydig o dan bedair awr oedd hyn. Ac y tu ôl i bob ystadegyn ceir person go iawn sy'n cael ei siomi. Dylai'r ffaith bod gennych chi fwrdd iechyd sy'n destun mesurau arbennig olygu bod pethau'n gwella, ond mae mesurau arbennig, o dan eich Gweinidog iechyd chi, yn golygu bod pethau'n gwaethygu. Roedd y mesurau arbennig ym mwrdd Betsi Cadwaladr i fod i bara dwy flynedd, ond maen nhw wedi para pedair blynedd erbyn hyn. Nid oes cynllun penodol, dim amserlen, dim arweinyddiaeth i dynnu'r bwrdd iechyd allan o fesurau arbennig. Pwy sy'n atebol am y diffyg gwelliant hwn?
Well, Llywydd, special measures at Betsi Cadwaladr will last for as long as the health Minister believes that they are necessary, and as long as it is necessary to make sure we have the improvements replicated in other areas that we have already seen in relation to maternity services, that we've seen in out-of-hours GP services, that we are seeing in primary care, and, indeed, that we are seeing in mental health as well. Of course, there are things that that board has to improve, and that does include waiting times for some specialities. It does include financial planning. That's why the board remains in special measures, because we are not satisfied, and the Minister is not satisfied, that everything is yet in place to allow us to de-escalate that level of intervention.
But the Member is selective, as he always is. He doesn't mention, as he could have mentioned, if he had the facts that are in front of him, that the number of patients waiting less than 26 weeks for treatment is now the best in Wales that it has been since 2013. He didn't point to the fact that therapy waits in Wales were 98 per cent lower at the end of March this year than they were in March of last year. He didn't point out that there is a 30 per cent increase in five years in the number of cancer patients in Wales who are treated within the target times that we have laid down.
The point that I always want to try to make to the Member is that it is not sensible, and neither is it helpful to those many people who work every single day to make our health services in north Wales, and every other part of Wales, as good as they possibly can be, to treat the exceptional as though it were typical. Where there are exceptions, and where there are things that need to be done better, then, of course, we work to do that, and the figures that I've just provided to him demonstrate how we are succeeding in those headline matters right across our country.
Wel, Llywydd, bydd mesurau arbennig ym mwrdd Betsi Cadwaladr yn para cyhyd ag y bydd y Gweinidog iechyd yn credu eu bod nhw'n angenrheidiol, a chyhyd ag y bydd angen gwneud yn siŵr bod y gwelliannau yn cael eu hailadrodd mewn meysydd eraill yr ydym ni eisoes wedi eu gweld o ran gwasanaethau mamolaeth, yr ydym ni wedi eu gweld mewn gwasanaethau meddygon teulu y tu allan i oriau, yr ydym ni'n eu gweld mewn gofal sylfaenol, ac, yn wir, yr ydym ni'n eu gweld ym maes iechyd meddwl hefyd. Wrth gwrs, ceir pethau y mae'n rhaid i'r bwrdd hwnnw eu gwella, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys amseroedd aros ar gyfer rhai arbenigeddau. Mae'n cynnwys cynllunio ariannol. Dyna pam mae'r bwrdd yn parhau i fod yn destun mesurau arbennig, oherwydd nad ydym ni'n fodlon, ac nid yw'r Gweinidog yn fodlon, bod popeth ar waith eto i ganiatáu i ni ddad-ddwysáu'r lefel honno o ymyrraeth.
Ond mae'r Aelod yn ddetholus, fel y mae bob amser. Nid yw'n sôn, fel y gallai fod wedi sôn, pe byddai ganddo'r ffeithiau sydd o'i flaen, fod nifer y cleifion sy'n aros llai na 26 wythnos am driniaeth y gorau a fu yng Nghymru ers 2013 erbyn hyn. Ni chyfeiriodd at y ffaith bod arosiadau therapi yng Nghymru yn 98 y cant yn is ddiwedd mis Mawrth eleni nag yr oedden nhw ym mis Mawrth y llynedd. Ni soniodd y bu cynnydd o 30 y cant mewn pum mlynedd yn nifer y cleifion canser yng Nghymru sy'n cael eu trin yn unol â'r amseroedd targed a bennwyd gennym.
Y pwynt yr wyf i bob amser eisiau ceisio ei wneud i'r Aelod yw nad yw'n synhwyrol, ac nid yw o gymorth ychwaith i'r nifer fawr o bobl sy'n gweithio bob un diwrnod i wneud ein gwasanaethau iechyd yn y gogledd, ac ym mhob rhan arall o Gymru, cystal ag y gallan nhw fod, i drin yr eithriadol fel pe byddai'n nodweddiadol. Lle ceir eithriadau, a lle ceir pethau y mae angen eu gwneud yn well, yna, wrth gwrs, rydym ni'n gweithio i wneud hynny, ac mae'r ffigurau yr wyf i newydd eu darparu iddo yn dangos sut yr ydym ni'n llwyddo yn y prif faterion hynny ym mhob rhan o'n gwlad.
Well, First Minister, the figures that I've just given you are, unfortunately, very typical, because you are failing to provide leadership in this health board. Now, last week, the health Minister claimed that mental health services in the Betsi health board area were actually improving—and I commend the board for having a new strategy on responding to mental health issues for people of all ages. However, First Minister, this new strategy was published in September 2017. Now, the cross-party group for north Wales has been told that the delivery plan for the new strategy is still in draft form and won't be published until September this year—two years since this new strategy was agreed. Surely, this is unacceptable, First Minister. Now, we heard from you last week, and you made it very clear—when it comes to making decisions, you are the decision maker. When will you decide that enough is enough and that your Government takes responsibility for this and to actually show some regret for failing the people of north Wales and that your health Minister should take the responsibility and go?
Wel, Prif Weinidog, mae'r ffigurau yr wyf i newydd eu rhoi i chi yn nodweddiadol iawn, yn anffodus, oherwydd eich bod chi'n methu â darparu arweinyddiaeth yn y bwrdd iechyd hwn. Nawr, yr wythnos diwethaf, honnodd y Gweinidog iechyd bod gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl yn ardal bwrdd iechyd Betsi yn gwella mewn gwirionedd—a chymeradwyaf y bwrdd am sefydlu strategaeth newydd ar ymateb i faterion iechyd meddwl i bobl o bob oed. Fodd bynnag, Prif Weinidog, cyhoeddwyd y strategaeth newydd hon ym mis Medi 2017. Nawr, mae'r grŵp trawsbleidiol ar gyfer y gogledd wedi cael gwybod bod y cynllun cyflawni ar gyfer y strategaeth newydd yn dal i fod ar ffurf drafft ac na fydd yn cael ei gyhoeddi tan fis Medi eleni—ddwy flynedd ers cytuno ar y strategaeth newydd hon. Nid oes amheuaeth bod hyn yn annerbyniol, Prif Weinidog. Nawr, clywsom gennych yr wythnos diwethaf, ac fe'i gwnaed yn eglur iawn gennych—pan ddaw'n fater o wneud penderfyniadau, chi yw'r sawl sy'n gwneud penderfyniadau. Pryd wnewch chi benderfynu mai digon yw digon a bod eich Llywodraeth yn cymryd cyfrifoldeb am hyn ac yn dangos rhywfaint o edifeirwch am siomi pobl yn y gogledd ac y dylai eich Gweinidog iechyd gymryd y cyfrifoldeb a mynd?
Well, Llywydd, I think we've rehearsed this tired old trope a number of times on the floor of the Assembly. I'm glad that the Member recognised that there have been improvements in services in mental health. When I was the health Minister, there were very significant concerns about mental health services in north Wales, as Members here will know. I was pleased to see the most recent report by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales that commented on the improvements at the Hergest unit, in the unit at Wrexham Maelor, on the way that services in community hospitals in north Wales for people who are elderly and with mental health conditions have improved in recent times. So, it's good to recognise where improvement is being made, because it is by recognising and encouraging improvement that we get further progress, rather than by constantly trying to point to difficulties and make those seem as though they were typical of the experience of patients. Patients in north Wales get, every single day, in thousands and thousands of encounters with the health service, some of the best care that you will find anywhere in the country. Where there are things that need to be done better, of course we will continue to work on those things. But it doesn't help to bring about that improvement by failing to recognise it and treating the whole of that service as though it were something that was not valued by patients—because I can tell him that it certainly is.
Wel, Llywydd, rwy'n meddwl ein bod ni wedi ailadrodd yr hen ymadrodd ystrydebol hwn nifer o weithiau ar lawr y Cynulliad. Rwy'n falch bod yr Aelod wedi cydnabod y bu gwelliannau mewn gwasanaethau ym maes iechyd meddwl. Pan oeddwn i'n Weinidog iechyd, roedd pryderon sylweddol iawn ynghylch gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl yn y gogledd, fel y bydd yr Aelodau yn y fan hon yn gwybod. Roeddwn i'n falch o weld yr adroddiad diweddaraf gan Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru a wnaeth sylwadau ar y gwelliannau yn uned Hergest, yn yr uned yn Ysbyty Maelor Wrecsam, o ran y modd y mae gwasanaethau mewn ysbytai cymunedol yn y gogledd i bobl sy'n oedrannus ac sydd â chyflyrau iechyd meddwl wedi gwella yn ddiweddar. Felly, mae'n braf gweld lle mae gwelliannau'n cael eu gwneud, oherwydd trwy gydnabod ac annog gwelliant yr ydym ni'n cael mwy o gynnydd, yn hytrach na cheisio tynnu sylw at anawsterau yn gyson a gwneud i'r rheini ymddangos fel pe byddent yn nodweddiadol o brofiad cleifion. Mae cleifion yn y gogledd yn cael, bob un dydd, mewn miloedd ar filoedd o gysylltiadau â'r gwasanaeth iechyd, rhywfaint o'r gofal gorau y byddwch chi'n ei ganfod yn unman yn y wlad. Lle ceir pethau y mae angen eu gwneud yn well, wrth gwrs byddwn yn parhau i weithio ar y pethau hynny. Ond nid yw'n helpu i sicrhau'r gwelliant hwnnw trwy fethu â'i gydnabod a thrin y gwasanaeth cyfan fel pe byddai'n rhywbeth nad yw cleifion yn ei werthfawrogi—oherwydd gallaf ddweud wrtho yn sicr eu bod nhw.
Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.
The leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.
Diolch, Llywydd. I think it's fair to say that Ford's decision appeared to be a genuine shock to the Welsh Government on Friday. The combination of factors that contributed to the decision, though, would have been less of a surprise, because of Ford's previous statements, especially its announcement in January that it was shedding over 1,000 jobs at the factory. The economy Minister referred earlier to the working group that had already been established to look at potential opportunities for Ford, in light of its difficulties. I was wondering: could you say a little bit more about the work of that previous taskforce—the extent to which it met, the level of engagement with senior management at Ford and the contours of the strategy that it was developing? Did it examine, specifically, the proposals referred to earlier to help save some of the jobs at the plant through the reported interest by INEOS Automotive in assembling its proposed Land Rover Defender-style vehicle in Bridgend, and, for example, a proposal to build a power station for the plant to reduce energy costs, similar to the plan that the Welsh Government supported as part of its efforts to save Port Talbot steelworks? Can you say, First Minister, as well if you plan to meet the president and chief executive officer of Ford urgently? I think I recall your predecessor flying out to India at the time of the Tata crisis. When Michelin, last November in Scotland, announced a plan to close its Dundee plant, the Scottish Finance Minister flew out immediately to meet its senior management in France. And it was at least able to secure a continuing involvement of Michelin, through a joint venture with the Scottish Government and other partners. Finally, to prevent us being blindsided again by this kind of catastrophic announcement on closure, do we need, urgently, an industrial resilience strategy for Wales, given the uncertain times that we're facing? And will you as First Minister, and your ministerial colleagues, now be speaking, over the next few weeks, with every single one of the anchor company's senior management in Wales?
Diolch, Llywydd. Credaf ei bod hi'n deg i ddweud ei bod yn ymddangos bod penderfyniad Ford yn sioc wirioneddol i Lywodraeth Cymru ddydd Gwener. Byddai'r cyfuniad o ffactorau a gyfrannodd at y penderfyniad, fodd bynnag, wedi bod yn llai o syndod, oherwydd datganiadau blaenorol Ford, yn enwedig ei gyhoeddiad ym mis Ionawr ei fod yn cael gwared ar dros 1,000 o swyddi yn y gwaith. Cyfeiriodd Gweinidog yr economi yn gynharach at y gweithgor a oedd eisoes wedi ei sefydlu i edrych ar gyfleoedd posibl i Ford, yng ngoleuni ei anawsterau. Roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed: a allwch chi ddweud ychydig mwy am waith y tasglu blaenorol hwnnw—i ba raddau yr oedd yn cyfarfod, lefel yr ymgysylltu ag uwch reolwyr yn Ford ac amlinelliad o'r strategaeth yr oedd yn ei datblygu? A archwiliwyd ganddo, yn benodol, y cynigion y cyfeiriwyd atynt yn gynharach i helpu i achub rhai o'r swyddi yn y ffatri drwy'r diddordeb a adroddwyd gan INEOS Automotive i gydosod ei gerbyd tebyg i'r Land Rover Defender ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr, ac, er enghraifft, cynnig i adeiladu gorsaf bŵer ar gyfer y gwaith i leihau costau ynni, yn debyg i'r cynllun a gefnogwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn rhan o'i hymdrechion i achub gwaith dur Port Talbot? A allwch chi ddweud hefyd, Prif Weinidog, a ydych chi'n bwriadu cwrdd â llywydd a phrif swyddog gweithredol Ford ar frys? Rwy'n credu fy mod i'n cofio eich rhagflaenydd yn hedfan allan i India ar adeg argyfwng Tata. Pan gyhoeddodd Michelin, fis Tachwedd diwethaf yn yr Alban, gynllun i gau ei waith yn Dundee, hedfanodd Gweinidog Cyllid yr Alban ar unwaith i gwrdd â'i uwch reolwyr yn Ffrainc. A llwyddodd o leiaf i sicrhau ymglymiad parhaus Michelin, trwy fenter ar y cyd gyda Llywodraeth yr Alban a phartneriaid eraill. Yn olaf, i'n hatal rhag cael ein synnu eto gan y math hwn o gyhoeddiad cau gwaith trychinebus, a ydym ni angen, ar frys, strategaeth cydnerthedd diwydiannol i Gymru, o gofio'r cyfnod ansicr yr ydym ni'n ei wynebu? Ac a fyddwch chi fel Prif Weinidog, a'ch cyd-Weinidogion, yn siarad nawr, yn ystod yr wythnosau nesaf, gyda phob un o uwch reolwyr y cwmni angori yng Nghymru?
I thank the Member for those questions. The work that the taskforce has been involved in flowed in part from the meetings that I and my colleague Ken Skates had with the most senior Ford representatives back in January here in Cardiff, and the programme of work that was discharged there was very much shaped by what appeared to be Ford's commitment at that time to securing a long-term future for the plant. So, there were a series of prospects that we discussed with them, and brought them, the unions, the UK Government and ourselves around the table to work on a prospectus for the future of the plant that had been shared with us by the most senior management in Ford itself, and that is why the decision was so unexpected on the day that it came, because we appeared to have an agreed set of ideas that we were all committed to working on together.
Separately, of course, as Ken Skates said in answers to other questions, the Welsh Government has been in discussions with other companies that have an interest in coming to that site and to that part of Bridgend. Those continued separately to the group that was talking about the future of Ford on that site, but, from a Welsh Government position, of course, we're involved in all those discussions together. I look forward, Llywydd, very soon to meeting with senior Ford Europe decision makers, because this was a Ford Europe decision, and arrangements are being made to make sure that we have those further face-to-face meetings.
I was fortunate enough, last week, to be able to have a discussion with the First Minister of Scotland about what had happened in Dundee with Michelin, and she was generous in offering to share some of that experience with us further, to give us access to her officials, to talk about the way in which they had approached that. And it's been part of my discussions with the Prime Minister, when I spoke to her on Friday, and I've written to her again today, to reflect on some of that Scottish experience and the importance, as the First Minister of Scotland said to me, of trying to retain some presence on a site from a company that's had a long-term investment in any part of the United Kingdom.
Finally, in relation to further strategies and so on, we have our economic action plan. We will be looking at it, of course, in the light of the Ford experience. But we're not without a strategy; we have that strategy already, and we will see where it needs to be further updated in the light of the most recent experience.
Diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiynau yna. Roedd y gwaith y mae'r tasglu wedi bod yn rhan ohono yn llifo'n rhannol o'r cyfarfodydd a gefais i a'm cyd-Weinidog Ken Skates, gyda chynrychiolwyr uchaf Ford yn ôl ym mis Ionawr yma yng Nghaerdydd, a lluniwyd y rhaglen waith a ddilynwyd yno yn sicr gan yr hyn a oedd yn ymddangos fel ymrwymiad Ford ar y pryd i sicrhau dyfodol hirdymor i'r gwaith. Felly, roedd cyfres o ragolygon y buom yn eu trafod â nhw, gan ddod â nhw, yr undebau, Llywodraeth y DU a ninnau o amgylch y bwrdd i weithio ar brosbectws ar gyfer dyfodol y gwaith a rannwyd gyda ni gan y rheolwyr uchaf yn Ford ei hun, a dyna pam yr oedd y penderfyniad mor annisgwyl ar y diwrnod y daeth, gan ei bod yn ymddangos ein bod ni wedi cytuno ar gyfres o syniadau yr oeddem ni i gyd wedi ymrwymo i weithio arnyn nhw gyda'n gilydd.
Ar wahân, wrth gwrs, fel y dywedodd Ken Skates mewn atebion i gwestiynau eraill, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod mewn trafodaethau gyda chwmnïau eraill sydd â diddordeb mewn dod i'r safle hwnnw ac i'r rhan honno o Ben-y-bont ar Ogwr. Parhaodd y rheini ar wahân i'r grŵp a oedd yn trafod dyfodol Ford ar y safle hwnnw, ond, o safbwynt Llywodraeth Cymru, wrth gwrs, rydym ni'n cymryd rhan yn yr holl drafodaethau hynny gyda'n gilydd. Edrychaf ymlaen, Llywydd, at gyfarfod yn fuan iawn ag uwch wneuthurwyr penderfyniadau Ford Europe, oherwydd penderfyniad Ford Europe oedd hwn, ac mae trefniadau'n cael eu gwneud i sicrhau ein bod ni'n cael y cyfarfodydd wyneb yn wyneb pellach hynny.
Roeddwn i'n ddigon ffodus, yr wythnos diwethaf, i gael trafodaeth gyda Phrif Weinidog yr Alban am yr hyn a ddigwyddodd yn Dundee gyda Michelin, ac roedd hi'n hael wrth gynnig rhannu rhywfaint o'r profiad hwnnw gyda ni ymhellach, i ganiatáu i ni siarad â'i swyddogion, i siarad am y ffordd yr aethon nhw ati i wneud hynny. Ac mae wedi bod yn rhan o'm trafodaethau gyda Phrif Weinidog y DU, pan siaradais â hi ddydd Gwener, ac rwyf i wedi ysgrifennu ati eto heddiw, i fyfyrio ar rywfaint o'r profiad hwnnw yn yr Alban a phwysigrwydd, fel y dywedodd Prif Weinidog yr Alban wrthyf, ceisio cadw rhywfaint o bresenoldeb ar safle gan gwmni sydd wedi bod â buddsoddiad hirdymor yn unrhyw ran o'r Deyrnas Unedig.
Yn olaf, o ran strategaethau pellach ac yn y blaen, mae gennym ni ein cynllun gweithredu economaidd. Byddwn yn ei ystyried, wrth gwrs, yng ngoleuni'r profiad gyda Ford. Ond mae gennym ni strategaeth; mae'r strategaeth honno gennym ni eisoes, a byddwn yn gweld ym mhle y mae angen ei diweddaru ymhellach yng ngoleuni'r profiad diweddaraf.
The first line of defence here, of course, is to fight this unconscionable proposal by Ford and we, on this side obviously, as Bethan Jenkins said, wish to express our total solidarity with the members of the GMB and Unite unions who will be balloting for industrial action on Friday. But, obviously, the Government's—. One of the Government's roles is to prepare contingency plans, and I was wondering if you could just share a little bit more of your thinking on these. I can understand why you can't be drawn on specific companies, but I was wondering if you could say a little bit more about the scale of ambition. In essence, is there an opportunity here to turn what, I believe, was the largest manufacturing plant in Europe at one stage in the twentieth century, to a gigafactory for the twenty-first?
We know the future of cars is electric, and one of the leading companies in the field is Tesla. It's opened two gigafactories in the United States. It's looking to open one in China and one in Europe. So, why not in Wales? Elon Musk has specifically said, in recent months, that, if GM closes plants in the US, he'd be interested in taking them over. Could that principle be applied here? Another major company in the field is the Swedish company Northvolt, which is building a gigafactory producing battery cells with the help of one of the biggest ever investments by the EU's European fund for strategic investments and the European Investment Bank. Nothvolt's CEO has said recently there could be scope for as many as seven such gigafactories across Europe by 2025. Again, is there an opportunity here for us? First Minister, I believe you're visiting Brussels tomorrow. Why not ask the European Commission for the EFSI and the EIB, to which we're still entitled to make an application because we're still in the EU, to make a similar and, in many ways, timely investment here in Wales?
Yr amddiffyniad cyntaf yn y fan yma, wrth gwrs, yw ymladd y cynnig afresymol hwn gan Ford a hoffem ni, ar yr ochr hon yn amlwg, fel y dywedodd Bethan Jenkins, fynegi ein hundod llwyr ag aelodau undebau GMB ac Unite a fydd yn cynnal pleidlais dros weithredu diwydiannol ddydd Gwener. Ond, yn amlwg, mae'r Llywodraeth—. Un o swyddogaethau'r Llywodraeth yw paratoi cynlluniau wrth gefn, ac roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed a allech chi rannu ychydig mwy o'ch syniadau am y rhain. Gallaf ddeall pam na allwch chi drafod cwmnïau penodol, ond roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed a allech chi ddweud ychydig mwy am faint yr uchelgais. Yn y bôn, a oes cyfle yma i droi'r hyn, rwy'n credu, a oedd y gwaith gweithgynhyrchu mwyaf yn Ewrop ar un adeg yn yr ugeinfed ganrif, i fod yn gigaffatri ar gyfer yr unfed ganrif ar hugain?
Rydym ni'n gwybod mai trydan yw dyfodol ceir, ac un o'r cwmnïau mwyaf blaenllaw yn y maes yw Tesla. Mae wedi agor dwy gigaffatri yn yr Unol Daleithiau. Mae'n bwriadu agor un yn Tsieina ac un yn Ewrop. Felly, pam ddim yng Nghymru? Mae Elon Musk wedi dweud yn benodol, yn y misoedd diwethaf, os bydd GM yn cau gweithfeydd yn yr Unol Daleithiau, y byddai ganddo ddiddordeb mewn eu cymryd drosodd. A ellid cymhwyso'r egwyddor honno yma? Cwmni mawr arall yn y maes yw'r cwmni o Sweden Northvolt, sy'n adeiladu gigaffatri sy'n cynhyrchu celloedd batri gyda chymorth un o'r buddsoddiadau mwyaf erioed gan gronfa buddsoddi strategol Ewrop yr UE a Banc Buddsoddi Ewrop. Mae prif swyddog gweithredol Nothvolt wedi dweud yn ddiweddar y gallai fod lle i gynifer â saith gigaffatri o'r fath ledled Ewrop erbyn 2025. Unwaith eto, a oes cyfle yn y fan yma i ni? Prif Weinidog, rwy'n deall eich bod chi'n ymweld â Brwsel yfory. Beth am ofyn i Gomisiwn Ewrop i gronfa buddsoddi strategol Ewrop a Banc Buddsoddi Ewrop, y mae gennym ni hawl i wneud ceisiadau iddyn o hyd gan ein bod ni yn yr UE o hyd, wneud buddsoddiad tebyg ac, mewn llawer o ffyrdd, amserol yma yng Nghymru?
I thank the Member for all those possibilities. I think it's really important that wherever there are ideas about the way in which a future for that plant and that community can be fashioned that we pool these ideas and we explore them all. Everything that he has said I think is worth adding to that mix. But it will go into a mix that has already been in development, as I said, over many months.
I understand what he said. I was with shop stewards in the plant early on Friday morning with the GMB and with Unite. The feeling of anger and betrayal was absolutely palpable amongst the people around that table. You heard the reasons, Llywydd, I know, from other Members earlier in the discussion. That feeling that the workforce that had done everything that was asked of them, whenever the company asked the trade unions and the workforce to be around the table and to agree to improvements made, they felt they never failed to make that contribution, and that's why the sense of fight amongst those members was very palpable when I met with them.
We have a responsibility, as Adam Price said, to prepare for whatever eventualities there may be, and bringing different firms—the recent announcement of new jobs of the sort that he described at Port Talbot through Onyx—and other ideas, other companies that we have been working with. There is a real responsibility, Llywydd, on the UK Government to make sure that its industrial strategy works for Wales and that they too put their shoulder to the wheel to make sure that where there are these different possibilities that will emerge and be talked about over the next few weeks, that they too do everything they can to make sure that the interest of those workers are supported, promoted, and that real practical assistance, money and effort that the UK Government can make is made on their behalf.
Diolchaf i'r Aelod am yr holl bosibiliadau hynny. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn, lle bynnag y ceir syniadau am y ffordd y gellir creu dyfodol ar gyfer y gwaith hwnnw a'r gymuned honno, ein bod ni'n cyfuno'r syniadau hyn ac yn eu harchwilio i gyd. Mae popeth y mae wedi ei ddweud yn werth ei ychwanegu at y cymysgedd hwnnw yn fy marn i. Ond bydd yn mynd i gymysgedd sydd eisoes wedi bod wrthi'n cael ei ddatblygu, fel y dywedais, dros fisoedd lawer.
Rwy'n deall yr hyn a ddywedodd. Roeddwn i gyda stiwardiaid siop yn y gwaith yn gynnar fore Gwener gyda'r GMB a chydag Unite. Roedd y teimlad o ddicter a brad yn gwbl amlwg ymhlith y bobl o amgylch y bwrdd hwnnw. Clywsoch y rhesymau, Llywydd, mi wn, gan Aelodau eraill yn gynharach yn y drafodaeth. Mae'r teimlad hwnnw bod y gweithlu a oedd wedi gwneud popeth a ofynnwyd iddynt, pryd bynnag y gofynnodd y cwmni i'r undebau llafur a'r gweithlu fod o amgylch y bwrdd a chytuno i welliannau a wnaed, roeddwn nhw'n teimlo na wnaethon nhw erioed fethu â gwneud y cyfraniad hwnnw, a dyna pam yr oedd yr ymdeimlad o frwydro ymhlith yr aelodau hynny yn amlwg iawn pan gyfarfûm i â nhw.
Mae gennym ni gyfrifoldeb, fel y dywedodd Adam Price, i baratoi ar gyfer pa bynnag bosibiliadau a ddaw, a dod â gwahanol gwmnïau—y cyhoeddiad diweddar o swyddi newydd o'r math a ddisgrifiodd ym Mhort Talbot drwy Onyx—a syniadau eraill, cwmnïau eraill yr ydym ni wedi bod yn gweithio â nhw. Mae cyfrifoldeb gwirioneddol, Llywydd, ar Lywodraeth y DU i wneud yn siŵr bod ei strategaeth ddiwydiannol yn gweithio i Gymru a'u bod hwythau hefyd yn gwthio'r olwyn i wneud yn siŵr pan fo'r gwahanol bosibiliadau hyn a fydd yn dod i'r amlwg ac yn cael eu trafod dros yr wythnosau nesaf, eu bod hwythau hefyd yn gwneud popeth o fewn eu gallu i sicrhau bod buddiannau'r gweithwyr hynny yn cael eu cefnogi, eu hyrwyddo, a bod y cymorth ymarferol, yr arian a'r ymdrech gwirioneddol y gall Llywodraeth y DU eu gwneud yn cael eu gwneud ar eu rhan.
Finally, if I can turn to another matter, First Minister, interviewed during your leadership campaign on 19 November last year, you said, 'I think we've reached the point where we need more Assembly Members to discharge all the responsibilities that the Assembly now has.' You went on to say, 'There is never a good time to go out and say to people that you want to expand the number of people who are elected, but if we'd taken that view in 1999 we would never have had the Assembly in the first place.' Is this still your personal view, and if it is, why weren't you able to convince your party?
Yn olaf, os caf i droi at fater arall, Prif Weinidog, dywedasoch wrth gael eich cyfweld yn ystod eich ymgyrch ar gyfer yr arweinyddiaeth ar 19 Tachwedd y llynedd eich bod chi'n credu ein bod ni wedi cyrraedd y pwynt lle mae angen mwy o Aelodau Cynulliad arnom i gyflawni'r holl gyfrifoldebau sydd gan y Cynulliad erbyn hyn. Aethoch ymlaen i ddweud nad oes byth amser da i fynd allan a dweud wrth bobl eich bod chi eisiau cynyddu nifer y bobl sy'n cael eu hethol, ond pe byddem ni wedi cymryd y farn honno ym 1999 ni fyddem ni erioed wedi cael y Cynulliad yn y lle cyntaf. Ai dyma eich barn bersonol o hyd, ac os yw hynny'n wir, pam nad oeddech chi'n gallu darbwyllo eich plaid?
The Member is wrong on the second point, because my party at its conference in April of this year endorsed a policy of having more Members for the National Assembly for Wales. I know he takes a very close interest in the workings of the Labour Party, but that part appears to have escaped him. So, he'll be reassured to know that the Labour Party in Wales has agreed on the need for more Members for the National Assembly for Wales. My personal view is the one that I set out then.
The Richard commission, back in the very first term of the National Assembly, concluded that the responsibilities that Assembly Members had then required an Assembly of 80 Members to discharge them satisfactorily. Fifteen and more years since then, the responsibilities that are discharged in this Chamber have grown exponentially—grown legislatively, grown in the fiscal decisions that we make. We need to make sure that there are sufficient Members to be able to discharge those responsibilites, to scrutinise them all. I have come to the conclusion that that is the right answer and I'm glad to be able to reassure the Member that that was the view endorsed at my conference in April.
Mae'r Aelod yn anghywir ar yr ail bwynt, oherwydd cymeradwyodd fy mhlaid yn ei chynhadledd ym mis Ebrill eleni bolisi o gael mwy o Aelodau i Gynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru. Gwn ei fod yn cymryd diddordeb agos iawn yng ngwaith y Blaid Lafur, ond mae'n ymddangos ei fod wedi methu'r rhan honno. Felly, bydd wedi ei galonogi o wybod bod y Blaid Lafur yng Nghymru wedi cytuno ar yr angen am fwy o Aelodau i Gynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru. Mae fy marn bersonol i yr un fath ag a nodais bryd hynny.
Daeth comisiwn Richard i'r casgliad, yn ôl yn nhymor cyntaf un y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol, bod y cyfrifoldebau a oedd gan Aelodau Cynulliad bryd hynny wedi golygu bod angen Cynulliad o 80 o Aelodau i'w cyflawni'n foddhaol. Bymtheg a mwy o flynyddoedd ers hynny, mae'r cyfrifoldebau a gyflawnir yn y Siambr hon wedi tyfu'n aruthrol—wedi tyfu'n ddeddfwriaethol, wedi tyfu yn y penderfyniadau cyllidol yr ydym ni'n eu gwneud. Mae angen i ni sicrhau bod digon o Aelodau i allu cyflawni'r cyfrifoldebau hynny, i graffu ar bob un ohonynt. Rwyf i wedi dod i'r casgliad mai dyna'r ateb iawn ac rwy'n falch o allu rhoi sicrwydd i'r Aelod mai dyna oedd y farn a gymeradwywyd yn fy nghynhadledd ym mis Ebrill.
Arweinydd Plaid Brexit, Mark Reckless.
The leader of the Brexit Party, Mark Reckless.
First Minister, after your near 12-minute exchange with the Plaid Cymru leader, could I try a more succinct question? What do you consider to be the right balance between central control and local autonomy for health bodies in Wales?
Prif Weinidog, ar ôl eich trafodaeth o bron i 12 munud gydag arweinydd Plaid Cymru, a gaf i roi cynnig ar gwestiwn mwy cryno? Beth yn eich barn chi yw'r cydbwysedd cywir rhwng rheolaeth ganolog ac ymreolaeth leol i gyrff iechyd yng Nghymru?
I'll offer the Member a principle, and I'll be pretty succinct: my view is that the principle of subsidiarity should be the one that guides us in policy making here in Wales. I'm in favour of decisions being made as close to people as we can manage that and that we develop the way in which services are provided in Wales against that principle.
Cynigiaf egwyddor i'r Aelod, a byddaf yn eithaf cryno: fy marn i yw mai'r egwyddor o sybsidiaredd ddylai fod yr un sy'n ein llywio wrth lunio polisïau yma yng Nghymru. Rwyf o blaid gwneud penderfyniadau mor agos at bobl ag y gallwn ni a'n bod ni'n datblygu'r ffordd y darperir gwasanaethau yng Nghymru yn erbyn yr egwyddor honno.
I had understood that the special measures regime was at least intended to be a shorter or a sharper intervention to turn around a failing body or at least a body in which there were problems. I just wonder, reflecting on the questions we had from the leader of the opposition, whether the First Minister would consider whether the special measures regime that has developed strikes that correct balance, because it has now gone for over four years with that particular body but, at the same time, we're seeing almost half of health boards in Wales in the special measures regime. Doesn't that give a risk that the attentions of the health Minister, however much the First Minister supports him, are spread too thinly? Does it also give a risk for Betsi Cadwaladr in particular? Yes, we accepted in your motion last week that a couple of the issues have improved that were initially identified. However, a number of other issues, and really very serious and, I think, across the board rather than selectively quoted—for instance that over 70,000 waiting over six months, a seven-hour average wait at accident and emergency, and the emergence and worsening of problems in those areas, amongst others—. Does any of that reflect the fact that it has been in special measures for four years and that some of those local managers, perhaps some of those local clinicians, don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it makes it harder to recruit or retain people or drive that local improvement from them while the special measures regime lasts?
Finally from me, could I ask about the community health councils and the pending legislation we have in this area? One area in which they've done well is bringing in local vloolunteers, local people, seeing them as independent and able, to a degree, to hold Welsh Government and local health boards to account. Is the First Minister not concerned, as many others are, that, come this new legislation, bottom-up bodies where the chair of each body is on the national board will be replaced with a top-down body more under the thumb of Welsh Government and therefore less open to local people and less independent? [Interruption.] It was still less than three minutes. I'm not allowed to come back.
Roeddwn i wedi cael ar ddeall y bwriadwyd i'r gyfundrefn mesurau arbennig fod yn ymyrraeth fyrrach neu fwy llym o leiaf, i newid corff sy'n methu neu o leiaf corff lle'r oedd problemau. Rwy'n meddwl tybed, gan fyfyrio ar y cwestiynau a gawsom gan arweinydd yr wrthblaid, a fyddai'r Prif Weinidog yn ystyried a yw'r gyfundrefn mesurau arbennig sydd wedi datblygu yn taro'r cydbwysedd cywir, gan ei bod bellach wedi para mwy na phedair blynedd gyda'r corff penodol hwnnw ond, ar yr un pryd, rydym ni'n gweld bron i hanner byrddau iechyd Cymru yn y gyfundrefn mesurau arbennig. Onid yw hynny'n peri risg bod sylw'r Gweinidog iechyd, er cymaint y mae'r Prif Weinidog yn ei gefnogi, yn rhy wasgarog? A yw hefyd yn rhoi risg i Betsi Cadwaladr yn arbennig? Do, derbyniasom yn eich cynnig yr wythnos diwethaf bod un neu ddau o'r materion a nodwyd yn wreiddiol wedi gwella . Fodd bynnag, mae nifer o broblemau eraill, difrifol iawn ac, rwy'n credu, cyffredinol, yn hytrach nag wedi eu dyfynnu'n ddetholus—er enghraifft, bod dros 70,000 yn aros mwy na chwe mis, arhosiad cyfartalog o saith awr mewn adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys, ac ymddangosiad a gwaethygiad problemau yn y meysydd hynny, ymhlith eraill—. A yw unrhyw ran o hynny'n adlewyrchu'r ffaith ei fod wedi bod yn destun mesurau arbennig ers pedair blynedd ac nad yw rhai o'r rheolwyr lleol hynny, rhai o'r clinigwyr lleol hynny efallai, yn gweld y golau ym mhen draw'r twnnel, a bod hynny'n ei gwneud yn fwy anodd recriwtio neu gadw pobl neu ysgogi'r gwelliant lleol hwnnw ganddyn nhw tra bod y gyfundrefn mesurau arbennig yn para?
Yn olaf gen i, a gaf i ofyn am y cynghorau iechyd cymuned a'r ddeddfwriaeth arfaethedig sydd gennym ni yn y maes hwn? Un maes y maen nhw wedi gwneud yn dda ynddo yw dod â gwirfoddolwyr lleol i mewn, pobl leol, a'u hystyried fel bod yn annibynnol ac yn gallu, i raddau, dwyn Llywodraeth Cymru a byrddau iechyd lleol i gyfrif. Onid yw'r Prif Weinidog yn poeni, fel y mae llawer o bobl eraill, pan ddaw'r ddeddfwriaeth newydd hon, y bydd cyrff o'r gwaelod i fyny lle mae cadeirydd pob corff ar y bwrdd cenedlaethol yn cael eu disodli gan gorff o'r brig i lawr sydd yn fwy o dan fawd Llywodraeth Cymru ac felly'n llai agored i bobl leol ac yn llai annibynnol? [Torri ar draws.] Roedd yn dal i fod yn llai na thri munud. Nid wyf i'n cael dod yn ôl.
Llywydd, it's entirely because we don't have a system that is under the thumb of Welsh Government, as he put it, that we have the calibrated intervention protocols that we operate in Wales, because when a health organisation is put into that system, it is not the decision of the Welsh Government alone; it is a tripartite decision. Making it involves Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, the auditor general and Welsh Government, and it is always an agreed form of intervention that that tripartite system involves, and I'm very comfortable with that, because it shouldn't be a system that is under the thumb of the Welsh Government and it isn't, either.
There was something that the Member said that I agreed with, and that is that encouraging those people who are charged with trying to bring about improvement in our health service is really important, and recognising when things are going well, as well as when things are not going as well as we want them, ought to be a very important part of the repertoire that Government deploys in order to support those people who, at that front line, have to make those decisions every day.
As far as CHCs are concerned, I think we have a proud history in that area, Llywydd. We retained CHCs here in Wales when they were abolished across our border, and we've always supported them in the work that they do. Now there is an opportunity, in the legislation that will come before the National Assembly, to make sure that, with the part that CHCs play in the quality arrangements that we have in the Welsh NHS, we maximise the contribution that those local voluntary people have in being the eyes and ears of patients. Members will have every opportunity during the passage of the Bill to scrutinise those proposals and to see that they deliver on that agenda of making certain that we have people in every part of the health service in Wales who are able to report on what they see, draw it to the attention of those who are paid to run our health services, and to capitalise on the enormous contribution that volunteers make to the health service in Wales.
Llywydd, yn gyfan gwbl oherwydd y ffaith nad oes gennym ni system sydd o dan fawd Llywodraeth Cymru, fel y dywedodd, y mae gennym ni'r protocolau ymyrryd wedi'u graddnodi yr ydym ni'n eu gweithredu yng Nghymru, oherwydd pan roddir corff iechyd yn y system honno, nid penderfyniad Llywodraeth Cymru yn unig yw hwnnw; mae'n benderfyniad teiran. Mae ei wneud yn cynnwys Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru, yr archwilydd cyffredinol a Llywodraeth Cymru, a math o ymyrraeth y cytunir arni y mae'r system deiran honno yn ei chynnwys, ac rwy'n gyfforddus iawn â hynny, oherwydd ni ddylai fod yn system sydd o dan fawd Llywodraeth Cymru, ac nid ydyw ychwaith.
Roedd rhywbeth a ddywedodd yr Aelod yr oeddwn i'n cytuno ag ef, sef bod annog y bobl hynny sy'n gyfrifol am geisio sicrhau gwelliannau yn ein gwasanaeth iechyd yn wirioneddol bwysig, a dylai cydnabod pan fydd pethau'n mynd yn dda, yn ogystal â phan fydd pethau ddim yn mynd cystal ag y byddem ni'n dymuno, fod yn rhan bwysig iawn o'r drefn y mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei dilyn i gynorthwyo'r bobl hynny sydd, ar y rheng flaen honno, yn gorfod gwneud y penderfyniadau hynny bob dydd.
O ran y cynghorau iechyd cymuned, credaf fod gennym ni hanes balch yn y maes hwnnw, Llywydd. Cadwyd cynghorau iechyd cymuned gennym ni yma yng Nghymru pan gawsant eu diddymu ar draws y ffin, ac rydym ni wedi eu cefnogi erioed yn y gwaith y maen nhw'n ei wneud. Mae cyfle nawr, yn y ddeddfwriaeth a fydd yn dod gerbron y Cynulliad Cenedlaethol, i wneud yn siŵr, gyda'r rhan y mae cynghorau iechyd cymuned yn ei chwarae yn y trefniadau ansawdd sydd gennym ni yn y GIG yng Nghymru, i ni sicrhau'r cyfraniad mwyaf posibl sydd gan y bobl wirfoddol leol hynny i weithredu fel llygaid a chlustiau cleifion. Bydd yr Aelodau yn cael pob cyfle yn ystod hynt y Bil i graffu ar y cynigion hynny a gweld eu bod nhw'n cyflawni'r agenda honno o sicrhau bod gennym ni bobl ym mhob rhan o'r gwasanaeth iechyd yng Nghymru sy'n gallu adrodd ar yr hyn y maen nhw'n ei weld, tynnu sylw'r rhai sy'n cael eu talu i redeg ein gwasanaethau iechyd ato, ac i fanteisio ar y cyfraniad aruthrol y mae gwirfoddolwyr yn ei wneud i'r gwasanaeth iechyd yng Nghymru.
3. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i wella'r gofal ar gyfer cleifion strôc yn y Rhondda? OAQ54007
3. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to improve care for stroke patients in the Rhondda? OAQ54007
Llywydd, between 2013 and 2017 the number of people dying from strokes in Wales fell by 25 per cent. Latest figures, published last month, show continued improvement in stroke services in Wales. In the Rhondda, as elsewhere, this relies on effective clinical leadership and multidisciplinary working.
Llywydd, rhwng 2013 a 2017, gostyngodd nifer y bobl a fu farw o strôc yng Nghymru gan 25 y cant. Mae'r ffigurau diweddaraf, a gyhoeddwyd fis diwethaf, yn dangos gwelliant parhaus mewn gwasanaethau strôc yng Nghymru. Yn y Rhondda, fel mewn mannau eraill, mae hyn yn dibynnu ar arweinyddiaeth glinigol effeithiol a gweithio amlddisgyblaethol.
Colin Rogers from Rhondda Cynon Taf died of a basilar artery stroke at the age of just 55, leaving behind a devastated family. Mr Rogers had the misfortune to be taken ill on a Sunday morning. Had it happened during the week, he could have been transferred to Bristol for endovascular thrombectomy, which could have saved his life. There was no such arrangement available on the weekend. A petition has been set up to ensure that this treatment is available to Welsh patients, which calls
'upon the Welsh government to end the postcode lottery and act to save the lives of the Welsh people.'
I understand that provision is being made to correct this injustice by making the procedure more widely available in Wales, but, as with many problems within the Welsh NHS, this comes down to workforce planning. What plans do you have to ensure that there is a 24/7 service provided for Welsh patients, which will hopefully prevent cases like that of Mr Rogers?
Bu farw Colin Rogers o Rondda Cynon Taf o strôc rhydweli waelodol yn ddim ond 55 oed, gan adael teulu torcalonnus. Cafodd Mr Rogers yr anffawd o gael ei gymryd yn wael ar fore Sul. Pe byddai wedi digwydd yn ystod yr wythnos, byddai wedi bod modd ei drosglwyddo i Fryste ar gyfer thrombectomi endofasgwlaidd, a allai fod wedi achub ei fywyd. Nid oedd trefniant o'r fath ar gael ar y penwythnos. Sefydlwyd deiseb i sicrhau bod y driniaeth hon ar gael i gleifion yng Nghymru, sy'n galw
'ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ddod â'r loteri cod post i ben a gweithredu i achub bywydau pobl yng Nghymru.'
Rwy'n deall bod darpariaeth yn cael ei gwneud i unioni'r anghyfiawnder hwn trwy wneud y llawdriniaeth ar gael yn ehangach yng Nghymru, ond, fel gyda llawer o broblemau yn y GIG yng Nghymru, mae hyn yn fater o gynllunio'r gweithlu. Pa gynlluniau sydd gennych chi i sicrhau bod gwasanaeth 24/7 yn cael ei ddarparu i gleifion yng Nghymru, a fydd, gobeithio, yn atal achosion tebyg i un Mr Rogers?
I thank the Member for that. Any death from a stroke is deeply regrettable. I'm not familiar with the case that she mentioned, but in the terms that she described it, of course our sympathy goes to his family in those circumstances. Thrombectomy is a highly specialised and relatively new form of intervention in the health service. It was partly developed here in Wales, because the original research that went into it was carried out in three centres—in Cardiff, in Birmingham and in one other. And when I was the health Minister, I had the privilege of meeting the clinician in Wales who was leading on that research here, and I met with a patient who had been an artist before suffering from his stroke, who described to me that, as the blood clot was drawn out of his brain—and he was watching it on a screen; he was conscious while this was happening—he could see the blood clot being removed from his brain and, as he was watching it, he could feel feeling coming back into his arm and to his hand. It was absolutely astonishing to hear that, but as you can imagine, as Members can imagine, the skill that is needed to carry out that sort of intervention is very significant and has to be enormously precise.
So, the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee are well advanced in planning a Wales-wide service for thrombectomy here in Wales. It will require recruitment. It will require training. In the meantime, we are commissioning services from across our border where scarce spare capacity exists. But the answer, not in the long term but as soon as we can do it, is to create that all-Wales service with the people that we will need and with the coverage that will be required.
Diolchaf i'r Aelod am hynny. Mae unrhyw farwolaeth oherwydd strôc yn destun gofid mawr. Nid wyf i'n gyfarwydd â'r achos y soniodd amdano, ond yn y termau y'i disgrifiwyd ganddi, wrth gwrs mae ein cydymdeimlad yn mynd i'w deulu o dan yr amgylchiadau hynny. Mae thrombectomi yn fath hynod arbenigol a chymharol newydd o ymyrraeth yn y gwasanaeth iechyd. Fe'i datblygwyd yn rhannol yma yng Nghymru, gan fod y gwaith ymchwil gwreiddiol a wnaed iddo wedi cael ei wneud mewn tair canolfan—yng Nghaerdydd, yn Birmingham ac mewn un arall. A phan oeddwn i'n Weinidog iechyd, cefais y fraint o gwrdd â'r clinigydd yng Nghymru a oedd yn arwain y gwaith ymchwil hwnnw yn y fan yma, a chyfarfûm â chlaf a fu'n arlunydd cyn dioddef ei strôc, a ddywedodd wrthyf i, wrth i'r clot gwaed gael ei dynnu o'i ymennydd—ac roedd ef yn ei wylio ar sgrin; roedd yn ymwybodol pan oedd hyn yn digwydd—y gallai weld y clot gwaed yn cael ei dynnu o'i ymennydd ac, wrth iddo ei wylio, gallai deimlo teimlad yn dychwelyd i'w fraich ac i'w law. Roedd yn gwbl ryfeddol clywed hynny, ond fel y gallwch ddychmygu, fel y gall Aelodau ddychmygu, mae'r ddawn sydd ei hangen i ymgymryd â'r math hwnnw o ymyrraeth yn sylweddol iawn ac mae'n rhaid iddo fod yn hynod o fanwl.
Felly, mae Pwyllgor Gwasanaethau Iechyd Arbenigol Cymru yn symud ymlaen yn dda o ran cynllunio gwasanaeth Cymru gyfan ar gyfer thrombectomi yma yng Nghymru. Bydd angen recriwtio. Bydd angen hyfforddiant. Yn y cyfamser, rydym ni'n comisiynu gwasanaethau o'r ochr arall i'n ffin lle mae capasiti dros ben yn brin. Ond yr ateb, nid yn yr hirdymor, ond cyn gynted ag y gallwn ni ei wneud, yw creu'r gwasanaeth Cymru gyfan hwnnw gyda'r bobl y bydd eu hangen arnom ni a chyda'r ddarpariaeth y bydd ei hangen.
I'm very sorry to hear about your constituent, Leanne. We talked here, or Leanne spoke about how Mr Rogers's death may have been able to be prevented if the right resources had been in place and, of course, prevention is better than cure. It's an old saying but it is absolutely true, and we know that in the Rhondda and in the Cwm Taf health board, the highest number of young people and adolescents who smoke can be found in that area. Of course, we know that smoking is a major contributor to stroke and to high blood pressure. So, First Minister, in your capacity as the person who has to join up the various arms of the Government, could you give us an outline of what you might be able to do to ensure that young people in the Rhondda and in the Cwm Taf whole area have proper education that teaches them about the dangers of smoking, about the long-term consequences to their health? Because if we can get people young enough and make those lifestyle changes, then not only do they benefit, but we benefit as a nation because we then have resources freer to do other things that we need to do.
Mae'n ddrwg iawn gen i glywed am eich etholwr, Leanne. Buom yn siarad yn y fan yma, neu siaradodd Leanne am sut y gellid bod wedi atal marwolaeth Mr Rogers pe byddai'r adnoddau cywir wedi bod ar waith ac, wrth gwrs, mae atal yn well na gwella. Mae'n hen ddywediad ond mae'n hollol wir, ac rydym ni'n gwybod mai yn y Rhondda ac ym mwrdd iechyd Cwm Taf, y gellir dod o hyd i'r nifer fwyaf o bobl ifanc a'r glasoed sy'n ysmygu yn yr ardal honno. Wrth gwrs, rydym ni'n gwybod bod ysmygu'n gyfrannwr mawr at strôc ac at bwysedd gwaed uchel. Felly, Prif Weinidog, yn rhinwedd eich swydd fel y sawl sy'n gorfod cydgysylltu amrywiol ganghennau'r Llywodraeth, a allech chi roi amlinelliad i ni o'r hyn y gallech chi ei wneud efallai i sicrhau bod pobl ifanc yn y Rhondda ac yn ardal gyfan Cwm Taf yn cael addysg briodol sy'n eu haddysgu am beryglon ysmygu, am y canlyniadau hirdymor i'w hiechyd? Oherwydd, os gallwn ni gael pobl yn ddigon ifanc a gwneud y newidiadau hynny i ffyrdd o fyw, yna nid yn unig y maen nhw'n elwa, ond rydym ninnau'n elwa fel cenedl oherwydd bod gennym ni adnoddau sy'n fwy rhydd wedyn i wneud pethau eraill yr ydym ni angen eu gwneud.
I thank the Member for that important point, and I know that she will have welcomed the fact that smoking levels amongst young people in Wales are at an all-time low, as are alcohol figures in Wales. So, the public health messages that we have been conveying and the practical actions that have been taken through Public Health Wales, through community pharmacy, through what we do in schools, are having a positive effect on the levels of smoking in our community and amongst young people in particular. There is—as there is in so much of health—a socioeconomic gradient in it all, and those families who live in the most difficult of circumstances rely on smoking and other things to help them to get through those difficulties to an extent that people who live more advantaged lives are able to avoid, and that's why you see the figures to which the Member referred. But the good news, Llywydd, has to be that the actions that we have taken in Wales over recent years are being successful. We have a strong sense of the things that work. We need to do more of them, we need to calibrate them to those places where the challenge is greatest, but we're able to draw on that successful experience in order to do so.
Diolchaf i'r Aelod am y pwynt pwysig yna, a gwn y bydd hi wedi croesawu'r ffaith bod lefelau ysmygu ymhlith pobl ifanc yng Nghymru ar eu hisaf erioed, ac felly hefyd ffigurau alcohol yng Nghymru. Felly, mae'r negeseuon iechyd y cyhoedd yr ydym ni wedi bod yn eu cyfleu a'r camau ymarferol a gymerwyd drwy Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, drwy fferylliaeth gymunedol, drwy'r hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud mewn ysgolion, yn cael effaith gadarnhaol ar y lefelau ysmygu yn ein cymuned ac ymhlith pobl ifanc yn arbennig. Fel sy'n wir mewn cymaint o faterion iechyd, ceir graddiant economaidd-gymdeithasol i'r cyfan, ac mae'r teuluoedd hynny sy'n byw o dan yr amgylchiadau anoddaf yn dibynnu ar ysmygu a phethau eraill i'w helpu i wynebu'r anawsterau hynny i'r graddau y mae pobl sy'n byw bywydau mwy breintiedig yn gallu eu hosgoi, a dyna pam yr ydych chi'n gweld y ffigurau y cyfeiriodd yr Aelod atynt. Ond mae'n rhaid mai'r newyddion da, Llywydd, yw bod y camau yr ydym ni wedi eu cymryd yng Nghymru dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf yn llwyddo. Mae gennym ni synnwyr cryf o'r pethau sy'n gweithio. Mae angen i ni wneud mwy ohonynt, mae angen i ni eu graddnodi i'r mannau hynny lle mae'r her fwyaf, ond rydym ni'n gallu manteisio ar y profiad llwyddiannus hwnnw er mwyn gwneud hynny.
4. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i hyrwyddo diogelwch dŵr ac atal boddi ymysg plant ac oedolion? OAQ54011
4. What actions are the Welsh Government taking to promote water safety and drowning prevention in both children and adults? OAQ54011
I thank Joyce Watson for the question. The Welsh Government helps to support water safety through annual funding provided to Swim Wales. Last year, £80,000 was allocated to specific projects designed to develop aquatic opportunities and resources to enable the Welsh population to learn to swim and to learn about water safety.
Diolchaf i Joyce Watson am y cwestiwn. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn helpu i gefnogi diogelwch dŵr trwy gyllid blynyddol a ddarperir i Nofio Cymru. Y llynedd, dyrannwyd £80,000 i brosiectau penodol a gynlluniwyd i ddatblygu cyfleoedd ac adnoddau dŵr i alluogi pobl Cymru i ddysgu nofio ac i ddysgu am ddiogelwch dŵr.
I thank you for that answer. The fourteenth of June is the start of the Royal Life Saving Society's Drowning Prevention Week and the purpose is to raise awareness around water safety and drowning prevention. Tragically, one person drowns accidentally every 20 hours in the UK and many others experience life-changing injuries as a consequence of near-drowning. That is why awareness-raising campaigns are so important. The Royal Life Saving Society UK, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and Dŵr Cymru work tirelessly throughout the year to raise awareness, and I would like to thank them for their commitment and their hard work.
With the summer holidays just around the corner, that is a peak time for these types of accidents, and I'm sure you'll agree that it's crucial that the water safety and drowning prevention messages are heard loud and clear. The UK drowning prevention strategy between 2016 and 2026 developed by their members aims to reduce drowning fatalities by 50 per cent. And remember that figure—that it's one person accidentally drowned every 20 hours in the UK. That is a scary figure. So, First Minister, what actions are the Welsh Government taking to help those who are aiming to reduce drowning to continue their very good work here in Wales?
Diolchaf i chi am yr ateb yna. Y pedwerydd ar ddeg o Fehefin yw dechrau Wythnos Atal Boddi y Gymdeithas Frenhinol Achub Bywydau a'r diben yw codi ymwybyddiaeth ynghylch diogelwch dŵr ac atal boddi. Yn drasig, mae un person yn boddi'n ddamweiniol bob 20 awr yn y DU ac mae llawer o bobl eraill yn dioddef anafiadau sy'n newid eu bywydau o ganlyniad i fod bron â boddi. Dyna pam mae ymgyrchoedd codi ymwybyddiaeth mor bwysig. Mae Cymdeithas Frenhinol Achub Bywydau y DU, Sefydliad Cenedlaethol Brenhinol y Badau Achub a Dŵr Cymru yn gweithio'n ddiflino drwy gydol y flwyddyn i godi ymwybyddiaeth, a hoffwn ddiolch iddyn nhw am eu hymroddiad a'u gwaith caled.
Gyda gwyliau'r haf ar y gorwel, dyma'r cyfnod brig i ddamweiniau o'r fath, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddwch chi'n cytuno ei bod yn hanfodol bod y negeseuon diogelwch dŵr ac atal boddi yn cael eu clywed yn uchel ac yn glir. Nod strategaeth atal boddi'r DU rhwng 2016 a 2026 a ddatblygwyd gan eu haelodau yw lleihau marwolaethau trwy foddi gan 50 y cant. A chofiwch y ffigur hwnnw—ei fod yn un person sy'n boddi'n ddamweiniol bob 20 awr yn y DU. Mae hwnnw'n ffigur brawychus. Felly, Prif Weinidog, pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i helpu'r rhai sy'n ceisio lleihau achosion o foddi i barhau eu gwaith da iawn yma yng Nghymru?
I thank Joyce Watson for that question and share very much with her her thanks to those voluntary organisations that do so much in awareness raising and in the direct provision of services. My colleague Lesley Griffiths met with the Royal Life Saving Society in November of last year as part of our water safety strategy development for Wales and officials continue to work with them on the development of that strategy.
Llywydd, we work with a wide range of organisations that try to bring about the sort of improvement that Joyce Watson has referred to. Dŵr Cymru's One Last Breath campaign, for example, is aimed at safety in reservoirs in Wales and the risk of drowning in inland waters, for example through cold water shock, when young people in particular plunge into a reservoir after a hot day. Dŵr Cymru provides sessions in schools, they provide direct advice, they go on the radio, on social media; all those awareness-raising possibilities to which Joyce Watson refers. And then we directly fund activity here in Wales. Over 11,000 children took part in water safety awareness sessions in Wales in 2018. They involve the RNLI, they involve the Royal Life Saving Society and those sessions were directly the result of funding that the Welsh Government provides.
Diolchaf i Joyce Watson am y cwestiwn yna ac rwy'n sicr yn rhannu gyda hi ei diolch i'r mudiadau gwirfoddol hynny sy'n gwneud cymaint o ran codi ymwybyddiaeth a'r ddarpariaeth uniongyrchol o wasanaethau. Cyfarfu fy nghyd-Aelod Lesley Griffiths â'r Gymdeithas Frenhinol Achub Bywydau ym mis Tachwedd y llynedd yn rhan o'n datblygiad strategaeth diogelwch dŵr i Gymru ac mae swyddogion yn parhau i weithio gyda nhw i ddatblygu'r strategaeth honno.
Llywydd, rydym ni'n gweithio gydag amrywiaeth eang o sefydliadau sy'n ceisio sicrhau'r math o welliant y mae Joyce Watson wedi cyfeirio ato. Er enghraifft, nod ymgyrch Un Anadl Olaf Dŵr Cymru yw sicrhau diogelwch mewn cronfeydd dŵr yng Nghymru a'r perygl o foddi mewn dyfroedd mewndirol, er enghraifft drwy sioc dŵr oer, pan fydd pobl ifanc yn arbennig yn plymio i gronfa ddŵr ar ôl diwrnod poeth. Mae Dŵr Cymru yn darparu sesiynau mewn ysgolion, maen nhw'n darparu cyngor uniongyrchol, maen nhw'n mynd ar y radio, ar gyfryngau cymdeithasol; yr holl bosibiliadau codi ymwybyddiaeth hynny y mae Joyce Watson yn cyfeirio atynt. Ac yna rydym ni'n ariannu gweithgarwch yma yng Nghymru yn uniongyrchol. Cymerodd dros 11,000 o blant ran mewn sesiynau ymwybyddiaeth diogelwch dŵr yng Nghymru yn 2018. Maen nhw'n cynnwys yr RNLI, maen nhw'n cynnwys y Gymdeithas Frenhinol Achub Bywydau ac roedd y sesiynau hynny'n ganlyniad uniongyrchol o gyllid a ddarperir gan Lywodraeth Cymru.
Sadly the National Water Safety Forum's water incident database shows that 263 people lost their lives in accidental drownings across the UK last year, and only this year, First Minister, just a few weeks ago, a young boy of 13 in my constituency lost his life. River and Sea Sense, however, is a fantastic organisation based in Conwy county borough, and it was set up as a positive response to the tragic drowning of the son of Mrs Debbie Turnbull, Christopher Turnbull, at Capel Curig in 2006. This organisation—really, a sole lady doing this—has educated around 200,000 young people and adults across north Wales about the dangers of open water. She has gone into schools. But a lot of this teaching and awareness building, she's had to do on her own, with very little, if any, funding. Teaching the dangers of open water is essential, so I'm extremely grateful for the work of River and Sea Sense. First Minister, I would like to see our schools do more too, so will you explain what place water safety and drowning prevention will have in the new curriculum going forwards?
Yn anffodus, mae cronfa ddata digwyddiadau dŵr y Fforwm Diogelwch Dŵr Cenedlaethol yn dangos bod 263 o bobl wedi colli eu bywydau mewn achosion o foddi damweiniol ledled y DU y llynedd, a dim ond eleni, Prif Weinidog, ychydig wythnosau yn ôl, collodd bachgen ifanc 13 oed yn fy etholaeth i ei fywyd. Fodd bynnag, mae Synnwyr Afon a'r Môr yn sefydliad gwych wedi ei leoli ym mwrdeistref sirol Conwy, ac fe'i sefydlwyd mewn ymateb cadarnhaol i foddi trasig mab Mrs Debbie Turnbull, Christopher Turnbull, yng Nghapel Curig yn 2006. Mae'r sefydliad hwn—un wraig sy'n gwneud hyn mewn gwirionedd—wedi addysgu tua 200,000 o bobl ifanc ac oedolion ledled y gogledd am beryglon dŵr agored. Mae hi wedi mynd i ysgolion. Ond llawer o'r addysgu a'r codi ymwybyddiaeth hwn, bu'n rhaid iddi ei wneud ar ei phen ei hun, heb fawr ddim cyllid, os o gwbl. Mae addysgu am beryglon dŵr agored yn hanfodol, felly rwy'n hynod ddiolchgar am waith Synnwyr Afon a'r Môr. Prif Weinidog, hoffwn weld ein hysgolion yn gwneud mwy hefyd, felly a wnewch chi esbonio pa le fydd gan ddiogelwch dŵr ac atal boddi yn y cwricwlwm newydd yn y dyfodol?
I thank the Member for that. I congratulate, of course, her constituent for the work that she carries out in memory of her son, Christopher. We know that right across Wales, there are really dedicated groups of people who take up a cause because they have had that direct personal experience of it in their own lives, and the hours and dedication that they provide to those causes is a remarkable and heartening feature of that sense of community that we are still lucky enough to have in Wales.
The Member is right to point to the importance of what goes on in school. By the end of key stage 2, we are clear that pupils should be able to swim unaided for a sustained period of time, and 64,000 pupils in Wales attended school swimming sessions in the last academic year. Pioneer schools involved in the new curriculum have already recognised that the importance of swimming goes far beyond it just being another mode of physical activity. And in the development of the curriculum through those pioneer schools, the emphasis on swimming has moved towards its safety aspects as well as to its recreational possibilities. So, I know that the Minister for Education is aware of that work and is taking that forward into the broader development of the curriculum on which we are currently engaged.
Diolchaf i'r Aelod am hynny. Hoffwn longyfarch, wrth gwrs, ei hetholwr am y gwaith y mae hi'n ei wneud er cof am ei mab, Christopher. Rydym ni'n gwybod, ledled Cymru, fod grwpiau ymroddedig iawn o bobl sy'n ymgymryd ag achos oherwydd eu bod nhw wedi cael y profiad personol uniongyrchol hwnnw ohono yn eu bywydau eu hunain, ac mae'r oriau a'r ymroddiad y maen nhw'n eu rhoi i'r achosion hynny yn nodwedd ryfeddol a chalonogol o'r synnwyr hwnnw o gymuned yr ydym ni'n dal yn ddigon ffodus o'i gael yng Nghymru.
Mae'r Aelod yn iawn i dynnu sylw at bwysigrwydd yr hyn sy'n digwydd yn yr ysgol. Erbyn diwedd cyfnod allweddol 2, rydym ni'n eglur y dylai disgyblion allu nofio heb gymorth am gyfnod estynedig o amser, a mynychodd 64,000 o ddisgyblion yng Nghymru sesiynau nofio yn yr ysgol yn y flwyddyn academaidd ddiwethaf. Mae ysgolion arloesi sy'n cymryd rhan yn y cwricwlwm newydd eisoes wedi cydnabod bod pwysigrwydd nofio yn mynd ymhell y tu hwnt i'r ffaith ei fod yn fath arall o weithgarwch corfforol. Ac wrth ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm drwy'r ysgolion arloesi hynny, mae'r pwyslais ar nofio wedi symud tuag at ei agweddau diogelwch yn ogystal â'i bosibiliadau hamdden. Felly, gwn fod y Gweinidog Addysg yn ymwybodol o'r gwaith hwnnw ac yn bwrw ymlaen â hynny yn natblygiad ehangach y cwricwlwm yr ydym ni'n ymwneud ag ef ar hyn o bryd.
5. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am y camau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n eu cymryd i gryfhau addysg ôl-16 yng Nghymru? OAQ54029
5. Will the First Minister make a statement on the actions the Welsh Government is taking to strengthen post-16 education in Wales? OAQ54029
Llywydd, the post-16 sector is central to our plans to improve Welsh skills levels, economic prosperity and social mobility. Our reforms to post-compulsory education and training will bring the sector together under a single regulatory body, with a shared determination to strengthen the quality, relevance and coherence of post-16 learning.
Llywydd, mae'r sector ôl-16 yn ganolog i'n cynlluniau i wella lefelau sgiliau Cymru, ffyniant economaidd a symudedd cymdeithasol. Bydd ein diwygiadau i addysg a hyfforddiant ôl-orfodol yn dod â'r sector ynghyd o dan un corff rheoleiddio, gyda phenderfyniad a rennir i gryfhau ansawdd, perthnasedd a chydlyniad dysgu ôl-16.
I thank you for that answer, First Minister. It's quite clear that we need to make sure that post-16 education takes us forward. Delivery of post-16 education, as we know, is either through our schools' sixth forms, or through our further education institutions. Now, the FE sector welcomes the comments you've just made, particularly in relation to the vocational arm of the direction of education, because it is important that we address the skills agenda, which we've already identified. However, it also delivers many of the traditional academic pathways. Neath Port Talbot College in my own constituency—or my own area; sorry, Jeremy, it's in your constituency—also talks about A-levels and the academic route, but that will have an impact on the new curriculum coming into those institutions. We need a change and we need to prepare our young people on their education journey, post 16, when the pre-16 changes take place. So, what actions are you taking to ensure that post-16 institutions are prepared to ensure that that journey does continue to run smoothly?
Diolchaf i chi am yr ateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Mae'n gwbl eglur bod angen i ni sicrhau bod addysg ôl-16 yn ein symud ni ymlaen. Mae darparu addysg ôl-16, fel y gwyddom, naill ai drwy'r chweched dosbarth yn ein hysgolion, neu drwy ein sefydliadau addysg bellach. Nawr, mae'r sector addysg bellach yn croesawu'r sylwadau yr ydych chi newydd eu gwneud, yn enwedig o ran cangen alwedigaethol cyfeiriad addysg, oherwydd mae'n bwysig ein bod ni'n mynd i'r afael â'r agenda sgiliau, yr ydym ni eisoes wedi ei nodi. Fodd bynnag, mae hefyd yn darparu llawer o'r llwybrau academaidd traddodiadol. Mae Coleg Castell-nedd Port Talbot yn fy etholaeth fy hun—neu fy ardal fy hun; mae'n ddrwg gen i, Jeremy, mae yn eich etholaeth chi—hefyd yn sôn am gymwysterau safon uwch a'r llwybr academaidd, ond bydd hynny'n effeithio ar y cwricwlwm newydd sy'n dod i mewn i'r sefydliadau hynny. Mae angen newid arnom ni ac mae angen i ni baratoi ein pobl ifanc ar eu taith addysg, ar ôl 16 oed, pan fydd y newidiadau cyn-16 yn digwydd. Felly, pa gamau ydych chi'n eu cymryd i sicrhau bod sefydliadau ôl-16 yn barod i sicrhau bod y daith honno'n parhau yn ddidrafferth?
Llywydd, I want to agree with what David has said about the importance of having that seamless transition from the new curriculum for three to 16-year-olds and what happens in post-compulsory education. It's why FE colleges have been directly involved in the construction of the new curriculum, with representatives sitting on each of the groups that have developed the guidance for each of the new four areas of learning and experience. And their feedback has been very important in making sure that A-level syllabuses and A-level teaching are grounded in the new curriculum and everything that we hope it will bring. In the autumn of this year, Llywydd, Qualifications Wales will consult on the approach to qualifications to support that new curriculum. A key consideration in their work will be ensuring that new arrangements maintain access to the full range of A-levels, and, of course, FE colleges will be fully involved in that work.
Llywydd, hoffwn gytuno â'r hyn y mae David wedi ei ddweud am bwysigrwydd cael y pontio di-dor hwnnw o'r cwricwlwm newydd i blant a phobl ifanc tair i 16 oed a'r hyn sy'n digwydd mewn addysg ôl-orfodol. Dyna pam mae colegau addysg bellach wedi cymryd rhan uniongyrchol yn y gwaith o lunio'r cwricwlwm newydd, gyda chynrychiolwyr yn aelodau o bob un o'r grwpiau sydd wedi datblygu'r canllawiau ar gyfer pob un o'r pedwar maes dysgu a phrofiad newydd. Ac mae eu hadborth wedi bod yn bwysig iawn i wneud yn siŵr bod meysydd llafur safon uwch ac addysgu safon uwch wedi eu gwreiddio yn y cwricwlwm newydd a phopeth yr ydym ni'n gobeithio y bydd yn ei gynnig. Yn ystod yr hydref eleni, Llywydd, bydd Cymwysterau Cymru yn ymgynghori ar y dull gweithredu o ran cymwysterau i gefnogi'r cwricwlwm newydd hwnnw. Un ystyriaeth allweddol yn eu gwaith fydd sicrhau bod trefniadau newydd yn cynnal mynediad at yr ystod lawn o gyrsiau safon uwch, ac, wrth gwrs, bydd colegau addysg bellach yn chwarae rhan lawn yn y gwaith hwnnw.
6. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am y gwasanaethau rheoli poen sydd ar gael i drigolion yng ngogledd Powys? OAQ53984
6. Will the First Minister provide an update on pain management services available to residents in north Powys? OAQ53984
I thank Russell George. Powys Teaching Health Board continues to strengthen pain management services in north Powys. Applications for new specialist posts in nursing and physiotherapy close later this month. The existing multidisciplinary service remains fully National Institute for Health and Care Excellence compliant.
Diolchaf i Russell George. Mae Bwrdd Iechyd Addysgu Powys yn parhau i gryfhau gwasanaethau rheoli poen yng ngogledd Powys. Bydd ceisiadau am swyddi arbenigol newydd ym meysydd nyrsio a ffisiotherapi yn cau yn ddiweddarach y mis hwn. Mae'r gwasanaeth amlddisgyblaeth presennol yn parhau i gydymffurfio'n llwyr â'r Sefydliad Cenedlaethol dros Ragoriaeth mewn Iechyd a Gofal.
Thank you, First Minister, for your answer, but I would say I do think that the Welsh Government needs to have a good look at what pain management provision services are being offered across Wales. Can I ask the First Minister what your views are on the Welsh Government developing a fully funded multidisciplinary service, within the NICE guidelines, of course, to offer local services in particular that would prevent people from having to travel long distances?
Diolch, Prif Weinidog, am eich ateb, ond byddwn i'n dweud fy mod i'n credu bod angen i Lywodraeth Cymru edrych yn fanwl ar ba wasanaethau darpariaeth rheoli poen sy'n cael eu cynnig ledled Cymru. A gaf i ofyn i'r Prif Weinidog beth yw eich barn ar Lywodraeth Cymru yn datblygu gwasanaeth amlddisgyblaeth wedi ei ariannu'n llawn, yn unol â chanllawiau NICE, wrth gwrs, i gynnig gwasanaethau lleol yn arbennig a fyddai'n atal pobl rhag gorfod teithio'n bell?
I thank Russell George for that. He knows, I'm sure, that the reason why there is a particular focus on pain management services in north Powys is because the service across our border at Oswestry closed on 31 March, commissioners there having decided that the service was too fragile to continue. Four hundred Welsh patients were affected, and I wanted to thank Russell George for some of the help that he has provided in making sure that all those patients in that part of Powys who needed to be contacted—that their details have been released by the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt hospital to Powys health board.
But I assure him that the service that is provided by Powys Teaching Health Board, with psychology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and nursing all involved in the pain management service, is fully NICE compliant. It's being expanded in order to take on the new patients who will rely on it in future. It's being developed so that it will, for example, have an increased ability to offer Skype consultations so that people don't have to travel those long distances. We are hopeful of being able to fill those specialist posts in nursing and physiotherapy, which are new and fully funded posts, to be able to expand the service. But, as the Member will know, these are scarce people and they're not always as easy to recruit as we would wish them to be, but the money will not be the barrier to that recruitment.
Diolchaf i Russell George am hynny. Mae'n gwybod, rwy'n siŵr, mai'r rheswm pam mae pwyslais arbennig ar wasanaethau rheoli poen yng ngogledd Powys yw oherwydd bod y gwasanaeth ar draws y ffin yng Nghroesoswallt wedi cau ar 31 Mawrth, ar ôl i gomisiynwyr yno benderfynu bod y gwasanaeth yn rhy fregus i barhau. Effeithiwyd ar 400 o gleifion o Gymru, ac roeddwn i eisiau diolch i Russell George am rywfaint o'r cymorth y mae ef wedi ei roi i sicrhau bod yr holl gleifion hynny yn y rhan honno o Bowys yr oedd angen cysylltu â nhw—bod eu manylion wedi cael eu rhyddhau gan ysbyty Robert Jones ac Agnes Hunt i fwrdd iechyd Powys.
Ond rwy'n ei sicrhau bod y gwasanaeth a ddarperir gan Fwrdd Iechyd Addysgu Powys, gyda'r adrannau seicoleg, therapi galwedigaethol, ffisiotherapi a nyrsio i gyd yn cymryd rhan yn y gwasanaeth rheoli poen, yn cydymffurfio'n llawn â NICE. Mae'n cael ei ehangu er mwyn derbyn y cleifion newydd a fydd yn dibynnu arno yn y dyfodol. Mae'n cael ei ddatblygu fel y bydd ganddo, er enghraifft, fwy o allu i gynnig ymgynghoriadau Skype fel nad oes yn rhaid i bobl deithio'r pellteroedd hir hynny. Rydym ni'n obeithiol y gallwn ni lenwi'r swyddi arbenigol hynny ym meysydd nyrsio a ffisiotherapi, sy'n swyddi newydd ac wedi eu hariannu'n llawn, er mwyn gallu ehangu'r gwasanaeth. Ond, fel y bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod, mae'r bobl hyn yn brin ac nid ydyn nhw bob amser mor hawdd i'w recriwtio ag y byddem ni'n dymuno, ond nid yr arian fydd y rhwystr i'r recriwtio hwnnw.
7. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog amlinellu strategaeth Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer cynyddu cyflogaeth yng Ngorllewin De Cymru? OAQ54028
7. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's strategy for increasing employment in South Wales West? OAQ54028
Llywydd, our economic action plan sets out our plans to increase employment across Wales. The establishment of regional units allows us to maximise the strengths of these distinct places and identify key economic priorities within each of those areas.
Llywydd, mae ein cynllun gweithredu economaidd yn nodi ein cynlluniau i gynyddu cyflogaeth ledled Cymru. Mae sefydlu unedau rhanbarthol yn caniatáu i ni fanteisio i'r eithaf ar gryfderau'r lleoedd penodol hyn a nodi blaenoriaethau economaidd allweddol ym mhob un o'r ardaloedd hynny.
Thank you, First Minister. As has already been said, Ford's decision to close the Bridgend plant is a massive blow for my region, which has seen unprecedented job losses over the last few decades. With continuing uncertainty about Tata's Port Talbot steelworks, it is clear that we need a different strategy. Previous economic development plans have failed to improve the region, despite millions of pounds of investment. First Minister, what will you do differently to ensure that there are sufficient high-paid jobs in South Wales West?
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Fel y dywedwyd eisoes, mae penderfyniad Ford i gau gwaith Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr yn ergyd drom i'm rhanbarth i, lle bu colledion swyddi digynsail dros y degawdau diwethaf. Gan fod ansicrwydd parhaus ynghylch gwaith dur Port Talbot, Tata, mae'n amlwg bod angen gwahanol strategaeth arnom. Mae cynlluniau datblygu economaidd blaenorol wedi methu â gwella'r rhanbarth, er gwaethaf buddsoddi miliynau o bunnau. Prif Weinidog, beth fyddwch chi'n ei wneud yn wahanol i sicrhau bod digon o swyddi sy'n talu cyflogau uchel yng Ngorllewin De Cymru?
Well, Llywydd, I don't agree with the Member that there haven't been improvements in the region. We have some of the best employment figures that we've ever had in Wales, and the improvement in reducing economic inactivity rates in Wales over the last 12 months has been seven times greater in Wales than across the United Kingdom as a whole. So, there clearly are improvements, and we shouldn't run those down as though they hadn't happened.
As far as Tata is concerned, we continue to work very closely with the company to make sure that there isn't uncertainty about its future, and we are fully focused on securing the future of steel making here in Wales. In an earlier answer, I referred to the Oxis Energy plant that has just been announced for Port Talbot in the Member's region. It will be a rechargeable battery manufacturer. It is supported with £3.2 million-worth of investment from the Development Bank of Wales, and is another sign—. Despite the difficulties that have been quite rightly explored on the floor of the Chamber his afternoon, it is part of our determination to fashion a successful future for that part of Wales.
Wel, Llywydd, nid wyf i'n cytuno â'r Aelod na fu unrhyw welliannau yn y rhanbarth. Mae gennym ni rai o'r ffigurau cyflogaeth gorau a fu gennym ni erioed yng Nghymru, ac mae'r gwelliant o ran gostwng cyfraddau anweithgarwch economaidd yng Nghymru dros y 12 mis diwethaf wedi bod saith gwaith yn fwy yng Nghymru nag ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig yn ei chyfanrwydd. Felly, mae'n amlwg bod gwelliannau, ac ni ddylem fychanu'r rheini fel pe na bydden nhw wedi digwydd.
O ran Tata, rydym ni'n parhau i weithio'n agos gyda'r cwmni i wneud yn siŵr nad oes ansicrwydd ynghylch ei ddyfodol, ac rydym ni'n canolbwyntio'n llwyr ar sicrhau dyfodol cynhyrchu dur yma yng Nghymru. Mewn ateb cynharach, cyfeiriais at y gwaith Oxis Energy sydd newydd gael ei gyhoeddi ar gyfer Port Talbot yn rhanbarth yr Aelod. Bydd yn wneuthurwr batris y gellir eu hail-wefru. Fe'i cynorthwyir gyda gwerth £3.2 miliwn o fuddsoddiad gan Fanc Datblygu Cymru, ac mae'n arwydd arall—. Er gwaethaf yr anawsterau sydd wedi cael eu harchwilio'n gwbl briodol ar lawr y Siambr y prynhawn yma, mae'n rhan o'n penderfyniad i lunio dyfodol llwyddiannus i'r rhan honno o Gymru.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 8. Hefin David.
And finally, question 8. Hefin David.
8. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am reoleiddio'r diwydiant amaethyddol yng Nghymru? OAQ54023
8. Will the First Minister make a statement on regulation of the agricultural industry in Wales? OAQ54023
I thank the Member for that. It is through effective regulation that we protect the environment and achieve the best outcomes for agriculture through sustainable and resilient businesses. Regulation provides clarity for farmers and businesses, protects standards, and helps to maintain our natural resources.
Diolch i'r Aelod am hynny. Trwy gyfrwng rheoleiddio effeithiol yr ydym ni'n diogelu'r amgylchedd ac yn cyflawni'r canlyniadau gorau ar gyfer amaethyddiaeth drwy fusnesau cynaliadwy a chryf. Mae rheoleiddio yn rhoi eglurder i ffermwyr a busnesau, yn diogelu safonau, ac yn helpu i gynnal ein hadnoddau naturiol.
On 14 November last year, the environment Minister outlined her intention to introduce a whole-Wales approach to tackling nitrate pollution, and Assembly Members were told that regulations would come into force next January—that's January 2020. Residents in the communities of Gelligaer, Nelson and Pen-y-Bryn, in the Caerphilly constituency, have long had to put up with the nuisance side-effects of agricultural activities caused by the Bryn Group at Gelliargwellt Farm in Gelligaer. Constituents regularly contact me about odour nuisance caused by regular slurry spreading. Designating all of Wales as a nitrate vulnerable zone, as recommended by a Welsh Government-commissioned expert panel, in addition to introducing the regulations that I've already mentioned, would help restrict and monitor such activities. Is the First Minister confident that the new regulations, therefore, will improve the situation in my constituency, and would he be amenable to meeting with me to discuss this, once the regulations have come into effect in 2020?
Ar 14 Tachwedd y llynedd, amlinellodd Gweinidog yr amgylchedd ei bwriad o gyflwyno dull Cymru gyfan o fynd i'r afael â llygredd nitradau, a dywedwyd wrth Aelodau'r Cynulliad y byddai rheoliadau'n dod i rym fis Ionawr nesaf—sef Ionawr 2020. Mae trigolion yng nghymunedau Gelligaer, Nelson a Phen-y-Bryn, yn etholaeth Caerffili, wedi gorfod wynebu sgil-effeithiau diflas y gweithgareddau amaethyddol a achoswyd gan Grŵp Bryn ar Fferm Gelliargwellt yng Ngelligaer. Mae etholwyr yn cysylltu â mi yn rheolaidd ynghylch diflastod yr arogleuon a achosir drwy wasgaru slyri yn rheolaidd. Byddai dynodi Cymru gyfan yn barth perygl nitradau, fel yr argymhellwyd gan banel arbenigol a gomisiynwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru, yn ogystal â chyflwyno'r rheoliadau yr wyf eisoes wedi'u crybwyll, yn helpu i gyfyngu a monitro gweithgareddau o'r fath. A yw'r Prif Weinidog yn ffyddiog y bydd y rheoliadau newydd, felly, yn gwella'r sefyllfa yn fy etholaeth i, ac a fyddai'n barod i gyfarfod â mi i drafod hyn, ar ôl i'r rheoliadau ddod i rym yn 2020?
I thank the Member for that. We are confident that the regulations that will be introduced in January of next year will give a statutory basis to measures that, previously, the industry has voluntarily committed themselves to achieving, that the introduction of statutory obligations in nutrient management planning, in sustainable fertiliser application, in protecting water from pollution, in making sure that manure storage standards are properly observed, that those will have a genuinely positive impact in the industry. While I understand that it's a challenge for some in the industry, and we will provide extra time for those who need it, this will be to the advantage of the industry in the long term, because it will secure those standards that will protect the reputation of the industry—a reputation that is very hard won and very easily lost—and we know that there are too many examples in Wales of the sort to which the Member has referred. And of course, I'm very happy to meet with him and with Lesley Griffiths as those new standards come in and the statutory regulation is enforced, to hear about how they are making a positive difference in his constituency.
Diolch i'r Aelod am hynny. Yr ydym ni'n ffyddiog y bydd y rheoliadau a gyflwynir ym mis Ionawr y flwyddyn nesaf yn rhoi sail statudol i fesurau y mae'r diwydiant, yn flaenorol, wedi ymrwymo'n wirfoddol i'w cyflawni. Mae'r mesurau'n cynnwys cyflwyno rhwymedigaethau statudol wrth gynllunio rheolaeth maetholion, wrth wasgaru gwrtaith yn gynaliadwy, wrth ddiogelu dŵr rhag llygredd a sicrhau bod cydymffurfiad priodol â safonau storio tail. Bydd y rheini'n cael effaith wirioneddol gadarnhaol yn y diwydiant. Er fy mod yn deall bod hyn yn her i rai yn y diwydiant, a byddwn yn darparu amser ychwanegol i'r rhai fydd ei angen, bydd hyn o fantais i'r diwydiant yn y tymor hir, oherwydd y bydd yn sicrhau'r safonau hynny a fydd yn diogelu enw da y diwydiant—enw da sy'n anodd iawn ei ennill ond yn hawdd iawn ei golli—a gwyddom fod gormod o enghreifftiau yng Nghymru o'r math y mae'r Aelod wedi cyfeirio ato. Ac wrth gwrs, rwy'n hapus iawn i gyfarfod ag ef a Lesley Griffiths wrth i'r safonau newydd hynny gael eu cyflwyno ac wrth i'r rheoliadau statudol gael eu gorfodi, i glywed sut y maen nhw'n gwneud gwahaniaeth cadarnhaol yn ei etholaeth ef.
Diolch i'r Prif Weinidog.
Thank you, First Minister.
Yr eitem, nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, a dwi'n galw ar y Trefnydd i wneud ei datganiad. Rebecca Evans.
The next item is the business statement and announcement, and I call on the Trefnydd to make the statement. Rebecca Evans.
Diolch, Llywydd. There are no changes to this week's business. The draft business for the next three weeks is set out in the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Diolch, Llywydd. Nid oes unrhyw newidiadau i fusnes yr wythnos hon. Nodir y busnes drafft ar gyfer y tair wythnos nesaf yn y datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, sydd i'w weld ymhlith y papurau cyfarfod sydd ar gael i'r Aelodau yn electronig.
Minister, please could I have a statement from the Welsh Government on the findings of the recent report by Cardiff University and Nottingham Business School on poverty in Wales? The report says that some of Wales's most deprived areas are set to get poorer in the coming years, and raises serious questions about our city regions, which are known to be significantly less competitive than others in England and Scotland. In addition, the Bevan Foundation said that the figures show the failure of city region models to help outlying areas in the Heads of the Valleys. Please could we have a statement on the Welsh Government response to the concerns contained in this report? Thank you.
Gweinidog, a gaf i ddatganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru am ganfyddiadau'r adroddiad diweddar gan Brifysgol Caerdydd ac Ysgol Fusnes Nottingham ar dlodi yng Nghymru, os gwelwch yn dda? Dywed yr adroddiad fod rhai o ardaloedd mwyaf difreintiedig Cymru am fod yn dlotach yn y blynyddoedd i ddod, ac mae'n codi cwestiynau difrifol am ein dinas-ranbarthau, y gwyddys eu bod yn llawer llai cystadleuol nag eraill yn Lloegr ac yn yr Alban. Yn ychwanegol, dywedodd Sefydliad Bevan fod y ffigurau'n dangos methiant modelau dinas-ranbarth i helpu ardaloedd anghysbell Blaenau'r Cymoedd. A gawn ni ddatganiad ar ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i'r pryderon a gynhwysir yn yr adroddiad hwn? Diolch.
Well, Llywydd, it's quite staggering that having already tried to raise the issue of poverty with the First Minister, the Member tries to raise it again with me this afternoon. We've made it more than clear that, of course, there's something that the Member's own party could do in order to help prevent poverty, and that would be to back Welsh Government's calls to halt universal credit roll-out, which is clearly devastating families across Wales, and to stop its austerity agenda, which is having an incredibly harmful impact on people and is directly responsible for those poverty figures that the Member quotes.
Wel, Llywydd, mae'n gwbl syfrdanol fod yr Aelod eisoes wedi ceisio codi mater tlodi gyda'r Prif Weinidog, a bod yr Aelod yn ceisio ei godi eto gyda mi y prynhawn yma. Rydym ni wedi ei gwneud yn gwbl glir, wrth gwrs, fod rhywbeth y gallai plaid yr Aelod ei hun ei wneud er mwyn helpu i atal tlodi, sef cefnogi galwadau Llywodraeth Cymru i atal y broses o gyflwyno credyd cynhwysol, sy'n amlwg yn ddinistriol i deuluoedd ledled Nghymru, ac i atal yr agenda cyni, sy'n cael effaith hynod o niweidiol ar bobl ac sy'n uniongyrchol gyfrifol am y ffigurau tlodi hynny y mae'r Aelod yn eu dyfynnu.
Trefnydd—and I speak now as a Member of the cross-party group on haemophilia and contaminated blood—the issues faced by those people infected and affected by the contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s is something, obviously, that we've given previous attention to in this Chamber, practically every year since 2001, I think. But, recent events, I believe, mean that we need to revisit this matter. You will be aware that the public inquiry into the scandal, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, has started its work, but there are issues that are specific to Wales that the Welsh Government needs to address.
In April, the UK Government announced that it was increasing the funding given to infected patients in England only by an additional £10,000 a year, but this did not apply to patients in Wales. Clearly, it cannot be right that patients in Wales receive less funding than patients in other nations of the UK, when the situation is a result of a scandal under the direct control of the then UK Governments in pre-devolution days. It is incumbent on the UK Government to fund this in every nation within the UK. It is absolutely disgraceful that this has not happened.
Therefore, would the Welsh Government be prepared to bring forward a statement on the contaminated blood scandal that would include details of the discussions and meeting being held with the UK Government on this matter nowadays, the financial discussions taking place around the Barnett consequential now, and how the Welsh Government is going to provide parity of infected blood support in Wales?
Trefnydd—ac rwy'n siarad yn awr fel aelod o'r grŵp trawsbleidiol ar hemoffilia a gwaed halogedig—mae'r materion a wynebir gan y bobl hynny a heintiwyd ac yr effeithiwyd arnynt gan sgandal gwaed halogedig yr 1970au a'r 1980au yn rhywbeth, yn amlwg, yr ydym ni wedi rhoi sylw iddo cyn hyn yn y Siambr hon, bob blwyddyn bron ers 2001, rwy'n credu. Ond mae digwyddiadau diweddar, yn fy marn i, yn golygu bod angen i ni ailedrych ar y mater hwn. Byddwch yn ymwybodol bod yr ymchwiliad cyhoeddus i'r sgandal, o dan gadeiryddiaeth Syr Brian Langstaff, wedi dechrau ar ei waith, ond mae materion sy'n benodol i Gymru y mae angen i Lywodraeth Cymru fynd i'r afael â nhw.
Ym mis Ebrill, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth y DU ei bod yn cynyddu'r arian a roddir i gleifion heintiedig yn Lloegr dim ond gan £10,000 ychwanegol y flwyddyn, ond nid oedd hyn yn berthnasol i gleifion yng Nghymru. Yn amlwg, ni all fod yn iawn fod cleifion yng Nghymru yn cael llai o arian na chleifion yng ngwledydd eraill y DU, pan fo'r sefyllfa'n deillio o sgandal o dan reolaeth uniongyrchol Llywodraethau'r DU ar y pryd yn y dyddiau cyn datganoli. Mae'n ddyletswydd ar Lywodraeth y DU i ariannu hyn ym mhob gwlad yn y DU. Mae'n gwbl warthus nad yw hyn wedi digwydd.
Felly, a fyddai Llywodraeth Cymru yn barod i gyflwyno datganiad ar y sgandal gwaed halogedig a fyddai'n cynnwys manylion y trafodaethau a'r cyfarfodydd sy'n cael eu cynnal gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar y mater hwn y dyddiau hyn, y trafodaethau ariannol sy'n digwydd ynglŷn â chyllid canlyniadol Barnett ar hyn o bryd, a sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd i ddarparu cydraddoldeb o ran cymorth gwaed heintiedig yng Nghymru?
I thank the Member for raising this issue, and I completely agree with his assessment of the situation. Of course, Dai Lloyd did refer to the announcement made on 30 April by the then Prime Minister, and that was a completely unexpected statement. The Welsh Government was unsighted on the details despite previous UK Government Ministers' agreements to a four-nation approach.
The uplift announced for those infected and affected on the English infected blood scheme will not have any consequential uplift for the devolved administrations, we are told, but we remain committed to working across the UK to ensure parity of the schemes. Officials will continue to work with their counterparts to achieve this.
Members will recall that, in March, the health Minister announced additional support for those with hepatitis C and/or HIV via contaminated blood or blood products. The significant impact of such infections on many individuals' lives has been debated in this Assembly Chamber, but I'll certainly ask the health Minister to provide you with the most recent discussions that have been had on this important issue.
Diolch i'r Aelod am godi'r mater hwn, a chytunaf yn llwyr â'i asesiad o'r sefyllfa. Wrth gwrs, cyfeiriodd Dai Lloyd at y cyhoeddiad a wnaed ar 30 Ebrill gan y Prif Weinidog ar y pryd, ac yr oedd hwnnw'n ddatganiad cwbl annisgwyl. Nid oedd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymwybodol o'r manylion er gwaethaf cytundebau Gweinidogion blaenorol Llywodraeth y DU i ddull gweithredu pedair gwlad.
Dywedir wrthym na fydd y cynnydd a gyhoeddwyd ar gyfer y rhai a heintiwyd ac yr effeithiwyd arnynt ar y cynllun gwaed a heintiwyd yn Lloegr yn golygu unrhyw gynnydd canlyniadol i'r gweinyddiaethau datganoledig, ond rydym yn parhau'n ymrwymedig i weithio ledled y DU i sicrhau cydraddoldeb o ran y cynlluniau. Bydd swyddogion yn parhau i weithio gyda swyddogion cyfatebol i gyflawni hyn.
Bydd yr Aelodau'n cofio bod y Gweinidog iechyd, ym mis Mawrth, wedi cyhoeddi cefnogaeth ychwanegol i'r rhai â hepatitis C a/neu HIV drwy waed neu gynnyrch gwaed halogedig. Mae effaith sylweddol heintiau o'r fath ar fywydau llawer o unigolion wedi'i thrafod yn y Siambr y Cynulliad hon, ond byddaf yn sicr yn gofyn i'r Gweinidog iechyd ddarparu'r trafodaethau diweddaraf sydd wedi'u cynnal i chi ar y mater pwysig hwn.
Trefnydd, can I ask for two statements from the Welsh Government please? The first one is actually, basically, a nice easy one for the health Minister. Over the weekend, we saw the news that NHS England is looking at trials for using MRIs for scanning for prostate cancer. Clearly, the means of identifying prostate cancer quicker and sooner could be a cause for appreciation for individuals that they will get caught earlier, because over 6,000 a year are identified in the late stages in prostate cancer, and over 11,000 die each year of prostate cancer across the UK. So, any means that we can have of addressing that as an early diagnosis is going to be acceptable.
But scans using MRIs mean that we need MRI scanners, we need radiographers who are trained in MRI scanners, and we need radiologists who can actually understand the outcomes of the scans. We need to put those into place because the MRI scanners that we have today are fully utilised and are being used. Therefore, if we can talk about scanning people, where are we going to fit them into the current schedules? So, we need to make sure that we have a plan in place. So, can the Minister come forward with a plan as to how he intends to look at radiological services across Wales to ensure that, as this approach comes forward, and once it's approved, it actually does give us the outcomes that we want, and that we are in a position to go straight into that and not have to wait as we look at funding for new scanners?
On the second statement, could I have a statement from the Minister for Economy and Transport in relation to the ownership of various structures, including tunnels, that are currently in the ownership of the Department for Transport? I understand that Highways England actually manages many of those structures in Wales on behalf of the Department for Transport—and I include the Rhondda tunnel as one of those and, obviously, other tunnels are included. We've asked many times about the ownership coming to Welsh Government, but I understand that the management contract for those expires next year. Therefore, there will be an opportunity next year, when the Department for Transport's contract with Highways England ends, to look at the ownership of these tunnels and other structures that are in Wales—they belong here, but they're being managed by the Department for Transport. Is it now time to have a statement to actually say what actions the Welsh Government will take to take those into ownership? Because that also addresses a very major question: if we want to do something with them, we need to have the funding, and we can't get the funding until we have the ownership, so that the liabilities come here. So, it is crucial. Things are on hold as a consequence of us not having that ownership here in Wales.
Trefnydd, a gaf fi ofyn am ddau ddatganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru os gwelwch yn dda? Yn y bôn, mae'r un cyntaf yn un hawdd iawn, mewn gwirionedd, i'r Gweinidog Iechyd. Dros y penwythnos, gwelsom y newyddion bod GIG Lloegr yn edrych ar dreialon ar gyfer defnyddio MRIs ar gyfer sganio am ganser y prostad. Yn amlwg, byddai unigolion yn gwerthfawrogi y gallai'r dull o ganfod canser y prostad fod yn gyflymach ac yn gynt ac y byddai eu canser hwy'n cael ei ddal yn gynharach, oherwydd mae dros 6,000 achos y flwyddyn yn cael eu nodi a hynny'n ystod cyfnodau hwyr canser y prostad, ac mae dros 11,000 yn marw bob blwyddyn o ganser y prostad ledled y DU. Felly, mae unrhyw ffordd y gallwn ni fynd i'r afael â hynny fel diagnosis cynnar yn mynd i fod yn dderbyniol.
Ond mae sganiau sy'n defnyddio MRIs yn golygu bod angen sganwyr MRI arnom, mae angen radiograffwyr sydd wedi eu hyfforddi mewn sganwyr MRI, ac mae arnom angen radiolegwyr sy'n gallu deall canlyniadau'r sganiau mewn gwirionedd. Mae angen inni sicrhau'r rheini oherwydd mae'r sganwyr MRI sydd gennym ni ar hyn o bryd eisoes yn cael eu defnyddio'n llawn. Felly, os ydym ni'n sôn am sganio pobl, ble'r ydym ni'n mynd i'w cynnwys o fewn yr amserlenni presennol? Felly, mae angen i ni sicrhau bod gennym ni gynllun ar waith. Felly, a all y Gweinidog roi cynllun gerbron o ran sut y mae'n bwriadu edrych ar wasanaethau radiolegol ledled Cymru er mwyn sicrhau, wrth i'r dull hwn ddatblygu, ac ar ôl iddo gael ei gymeradwyo, ei fod mewn gwirionedd yn rhoi'r canlyniadau yr ydym ni eu heisiau, a'n bod mewn sefyllfa i fynd ymlaen yn ddi-oed gyda'r gwasanaeth a pheidio â gorfod aros wrth inni edrych ar gyllid ar gyfer sganwyr newydd?
O ran yr ail ddatganiad, a gaf i ddatganiad gan Weinidog yr Economi a Thrafnidiaeth ynghylch perchenogaeth gwahanol adeileddau, gan gynnwys twnelau, sydd ym mherchnogaeth yr Adran Drafnidiaeth ar hyn o bryd? Deallaf fod Priffyrdd Lloegr mewn gwirionedd yn rheoli llawer o'r adeileddau hynny yng Nghymru ar ran yr Adran Drafnidiaeth—ac rwyf yn cynnwys twnnel y Rhondda yn un o'r rheini, ac yn amlwg mae twnelau eraill wedi'u cynnwys. Rydym ni wedi gofyn sawl gwaith am i'r berchenogaeth ddod i Lywodraeth Cymru, ond deallaf fod y contract rheoli ar gyfer y rheini yn dod i ben y flwyddyn nesaf. Felly, bydd cyfle y flwyddyn nesaf, pan ddaw contract yr Adran Drafnidiaeth gyda Phriffyrdd Lloegr i ben, i edrych ar berchenogaeth y twneli a'r adeileddau eraill hyn sydd yng Nghymru—maen nhw'n perthyn yma, ond maen nhw'n cael eu rheoli gan yr Adran Drafnidiaeth. A yw hi'n bryd erbyn hyn i ni gael datganiad i ddweud, mewn gwirionedd, pa gamau fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i gymryd perchenogaeth o'r rhain? Mae hynny hefyd yn mynd i'r afael â chwestiwn pwysig iawn: Os ydym ni eisiau gwneud rhywbeth â nhw, mae angen i ni gael yr arian, ac ni allwn gael yr arian nes bydd gennym y berchnogaeth, fel bod yr atebolrwydd yn dod yma. Felly, mae'n hollbwysig. Mae pethau wedi'u gohirio o ganlyniad i'r ffaith nad oes gennym ni'r berchenogaeth honno yma yng Nghymru.
Thank you for raising both of those issues. I was able to provide a brief update to colleagues on the MRI and prostate cancer issue just a couple of weeks ago in the Plenary session during the business statement, but I'll certainly ask the health Minister to provide you with a more detailed update, in which we'd also include more information about our plans for radiography services in the round.FootnoteLink
On the matter of those structures that are currently managed and owned by the Department for Transport but which exist in Wales, such as the Rhondda tunnel, I do think there is certainly potential for us to maximise those resources, and certainly I think that the plans for the Rhondda tunnel are particularly exciting. Obviously we'd have to undertake some assessment in terms of the risk that we would be taking on were we to take on new assets, and explore whether there should be additional funding that comes alongside that from the UK Government, but perhaps if you were to write to the economy Minister outlining your particular areas of interest, he would be able to provide you with further detail.
Diolch am godi'r materion hynny. Llwyddais i roi diweddariad byr i'm cyd-Aelodau ar fater yr MRI a chanser y prostad ychydig wythnosau yn ôl yn y Cyfarfod Llawn yn ystod y datganiad busnes, ond yn sicr, fe ofynnaf i'r Gweinidog iechyd roi diweddariad manylach i chi, pryd y byddem hefyd yn cynnwys mwy o wybodaeth am ein cynlluniau ar gyfer gwasanaethau radiograffeg yn gyffredinol.FootnoteLink
O ran yr adeileddau hynny sy'n cael eu rheoli ar hyn o bryd ac sy'n eiddo i'r Adran Drafnidiaeth ond sy'n bodoli yng Nghymru, megis twnnel y Rhondda, credaf fod potensial yn sicr i ni fanteisio i'r eithaf ar yr adnoddau hynny, ac yn sicr, credaf fod y cynlluniau ar gyfer twnnel y Rhondda yn arbennig o gyffrous. Yn amlwg, byddai'n rhaid inni gynnal rhywfaint o asesu o ran y risg y byddem yn ymgymryd â hi pe byddem yn ymgymryd ag asedau newydd, ac ymchwilio i weld pa un a ddylid cael arian ychwanegol sy'n dod law yn llaw â hynny gan Lywodraeth y DU, ond efallai pe byddech yn ysgrifennu at Weinidog yr economi yn amlinellu eich meysydd o ddiddordeb penodol, byddai ef yn gallu rhoi mwy o fanylion i chi.
Organiser, could I see a statement and maybe an update on how the Government are going to fill out their proposals on, first of all, the statement that was issued by the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs this morning in relation to a response to the climate change 'Net Zero' report, the contents of which I welcome? In particular, the last paragraph but one says that this will be the biggest economic transition in modern times. That is a big, big move for the entire economy and the direction of Government, and in fairness, this statement does not do it justice, exactly how the Government proposes to make that move and that leap. I appreciate there have been announcements previously, but to actually upgrade its commitment to move to 95 per cent reduction in emissions by 2050, and that particular statement from the climate change committee, really does require a detailed explanation of how the Government are going to pull all this together. I'd be grateful in your role as business manager for the Government if you could indicate whether there will be a further oral statement coming from the Government, so that we as AMs on the floor of the Chamber will be able to press the Minister and understand exactly how this transition is going to be accommodated within the Government parameters of policy and financial incentives that it can make available to the economy as a whole.
Secondly, I attended an event last week on pernicious anaemia, organised by Huw Irranca-Davies, the Member for Ogmore, and the figures are quite startling when you look at the people who suffer with this condition in Wales: 350,000 people have this condition. There has been much progress in treatment and solutions available for people who are diagnosed with it, many of which are still going through the NICE process getting ready for accreditation. I'd be grateful to understand what representations the Welsh Government in the form of the Minister has made to NICE about bringing these treatments to the market, so that they are available for patients once they receive a diagnosis, and in particular, when these treatments are made available, patients do have the information that they are able to access those treatments, because as I said, 350,000 people—one in 10, or 10 per cent of the population—suffer with pernicious anaemia, and it has a massive debilitating effect. I do congratulate the Member for Ogmore for bringing this event to the Senedd, because I certainly, until I attended, didn't realise it had such a massive impact in our society.
Trefnydd, a gaf i weld datganiad ac efallai diweddariad ar sut y mae'r Llywodraeth yn mynd i ehangu eu cynigion, yn gyntaf ar y datganiad a gyhoeddwyd gan Weinidog yr Amgylchedd, Ynni a Materion Gwledig y bore yma mewn ymateb i'r adroddiad 'Sero Net' ar newid yn yr hinsawdd, ac rwyf yn croesawu ei gynnwys? Yn arbennig, mae'r paragraff olaf ond un yn dweud mai hwn fydd y newid economaidd mwyaf yn y cyfnod modern. Mae hwnnw'n gam mawr iawn i'r economi gyfan ac i gyfeiriad y Llywodraeth, ac i fod yn deg, nid yw'r datganiad hwn yn gwneud cyfiawnder ag ef, yn union sut y mae'r Llywodraeth yn bwriadu gwneud y symudiad hwnnw a'r naid honno. Sylweddolaf y bu cyhoeddiadau yn y gorffennol, ond er mwyn gwella ei hymrwymiad i symud tuag at ostyngiad o 95 y cant mewn allyriadau erbyn 2050, a'r datganiad arbennig hwnnw gan y pwyllgor newid yn yr hinsawdd, mae gwir angen esboniad manwl ar sut mae'r Llywodraeth yn mynd i ddod â hyn i gyd at ei gilydd. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe gallech chi, yn eich swyddogaeth o fod yn rheolwr busnes y Llywodraeth, nodi pa un a fydd datganiad llafar arall yn dod gan y Llywodraeth, fel y byddwn ni fel ACau ar lawr y Siambr yn gallu rhoi pwysau ar y Gweinidog a deall yn union sut bydd y newid hwn yn cael ei gynnwys o fewn paramedrau polisi a chymhellion ariannol y Llywodraeth y mae'n gallu eu darparu i'r economi gyfan.
Yn ail, fe es i ddigwyddiad yr wythnos diwethaf ar anemia dinistriol, a drefnwyd gan Huw Irranca-Davies, yr Aelod dros Ogwr, ac mae'r ffigurau'n eithaf brawychus pan edrychwch chi ar y bobl sy'n dioddef o'r cyflwr hwn yng Nghymru: mae gan 350,000 o bobl y cyflwr hwn. Bu llawer o gynnydd o ran triniaeth ac atebion i bobl sy'n cael diagnosis, ac mae llawer o'r rheini'n dal i fynd drwy'r broses NICE gan baratoi ar gyfer achrediad. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar o gael gwybod pa sylwadau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru, drwy'r Gweinidog, wedi eu cyflwyno i NICE ynghylch dod â'r triniaethau hyn i'r farchnad, fel eu bod ar gael i gleifion ar ôl iddyn nhw gael diagnosis, ac yn benodol, pan fydd y triniaethau hyn ar gael, fod gan gleifion y wybodaeth y gallan nhw gael gafael ar y triniaethau hynny, oherwydd fel y dywedais, mae 350,000 o bobl—un o bob 10, neu 10 y cant o'r boblogaeth—yn dioddef o anemia dinistriol, ac mae'n cael effaith wanychol enfawr. Rwy'n llongyfarch yr Aelod dros Ogwr am ddod â'r digwyddiad hwn i'r Senedd, oherwydd, tan i mi fod yno, nid oeddwn i'n sylweddoli bod y cyflwr yn cael effaith mor enfawr ar ein cymdeithas.
Thank you very much. I'm certainly happy to oblige in terms of the first statement that you asked for. The Minister, Lesley Griffiths, will be delivering a statement on a low-carbon Wales on the twenty-fifth of this month, and obviously that will encapsulate the statement that she made earlier today, but also the document that the Welsh Government published a few months ago, which set out our 100 policies, actions and priorities that we'll be taking in order to deliver on our low-carbon agenda.
I'd also congratulate Huw Irranca-Davies on his event on pernicious anaemia, which certainly raised a great deal of interest and a great deal of understanding amongst Assembly Members. I will ask the health Minister to write to both yourself and to Huw on the work that is being undertaken and discussions that are being had with NICE and with others in terms of treatment and the support that we're able to offer individuals with the condition.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwyf yn sicr yn hapus i gydsynio o ran y datganiad cyntaf y gofynasoch amdano. Bydd y Gweinidog, Lesley Griffiths, yn gwneud datganiad am Gymru garbon isel ar y pumed ar hugain o'r mis hwn, ac mae'n amlwg y bydd hynny'n crisialu'r datganiad a wnaeth hi yn gynharach heddiw, ond hefyd y ddogfen a gyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru ychydig fisoedd yn ôl, sy'n nodi ein 100 polisi, gweithredoedd a blaenoriaethau y byddwn ni'n eu dilyn ar gyfer cyflawni ein hagenda carbon isel.
Hoffwn innau hefyd longyfarch Huw Irranca-Davies ar ei ddigwyddiad ar anemia dinistriol, a greodd lawer o ddiddordeb, yn sicr, a llawer iawn o ddealltwriaeth ymhlith Aelodau'r Cynulliad. Fe ofynnaf i'r Gweinidog iechyd ysgrifennu atoch chi ac at Huw ynghylch y gwaith sy'n cael ei wneud a'r trafodaethau sy'n cael eu cynnal gyda NICE a chydag eraill o ran triniaeth a'r cymorth yr ydym yn gallu ei gynnig i unigolion sydd â'r cyflwr.
Members may have heard about allegations that waste from Wales, including Rhondda Cynon Taf, was found piled up in a Malaysian jungle. This was said to be discovered by a team from the BBC, ahead of a programme on plastic waste. The allegation was that this waste from the UK was not being recycled, but was just dumped on a beauty spot. I've since seen other reports from Malaysia refuting these allegations, stating that the plastic waste was kept at legally operating premises and was destined to be turned into processed engineered fuel. Now, I'm concerned that there may be a level of mistrust now about recycling, and all the hard work that has got people to change their habits over the last 15 years risks now being undone. So, can you tell us what efforts are being made by the Government to ensure that our recycling is dealt with properly and ethically, ideally as close to home as possible? And how can you provide reassurance to recyclers in Wales that our green efforts are not in vain?
I'd also like to raise the failure of this Government to open a gender clinic here in Wales. This was promised for April of this year, after the budget agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Labour Government. The Wales Equality Alliance say in an open letter that this threatens to undermine the commitment pledged by this Government to ensure good clinical care for transgender and non-binary trans patients in Wales. They are also of the view that Cardiff and Vale University Local Health Board and the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee have signed off on a clinical proposal that is not fit for purpose. They say that the current system, which involves patients being referred to London, while not being ideal, would be preferable to providing a clinic in Wales that is inferior and potentially unsafe. How does this Government intend to overcome fears that the proposed gender clinic—? And when can we expect you to finally deliver on your promises for a much-needed, first-class service in Wales?
Efallai fod Aelodau wedi clywed am honiadau bod gwastraff o Gymru, gan gynnwys Rhondda Cynon Taf, wedi'i ddarganfod wedi'i bentyrru mewn jyngl ym Malaysia. Dywedwyd bod hyn wedi ei ddarganfod gan dîm o'r BBC, cyn rhaglen ar wastraff plastig. Yr honiad oedd nad oedd y gwastraff hwn o'r DU yn cael ei ailgylchu, ond yn hytrach ddim ond yn cael ei daflu mewn man prydferth. Ers hynny rwyf wedi gweld adroddiadau eraill o Falaysia yn gwrthbrofi'r honiadau hyn, gan ddweud bod y gwastraff plastig wedi'i gadw mewn eiddo sy'n gweithredu'n gyfreithlon ac y bwriedid iddo gael ei droi'n danwydd prosesedig wedi'i beiriannu. Nawr, rwy'n pryderu y gallai fod lefel o ddrwgdybiaeth am ailgylchu nawr, ac mae'r holl waith caled sydd wedi perswadio pobl i newid eu harferion dros y 15 mlynedd diwethaf mewn perygl o gael ei ddadwneud erbyn hyn. Felly, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym pa ymdrechion sy'n cael eu gwneud gan y Llywodraeth i sicrhau bod ein hailgylchu'n cael ei drin yn briodol ac yn foesegol, ac yn ddelfrydol mor agos i gartref ag sy'n bosibl? A sut gallwch chi roi sicrwydd i bobl sy'n ailgylchu yng Nghymru nad yw ein hymdrechion gwyrdd yn ofer?
Hoffwn hefyd godi methiant y Llywodraeth hon i agor clinig rhywedd yma yng Nghymru. Addawyd hyn ar gyfer mis Ebrill eleni, ar ôl y cytundeb cyllideb rhwng Plaid Cymru a'r Llywodraeth Lafur. Dywed Cynghrair Cydraddoldeb Cymru mewn llythyr agored fod hyn yn bygwth tanseilio'r ymrwymiad a addawyd gan y Llywodraeth hon i sicrhau gofal clinigol da i gleifion trawsrywiol a phobl drawsrywiol nad ydynt yn ddeuaidd yng Nghymru. Maen nhw hefyd o'r farn bod Bwrdd Iechyd Lleol Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro a Phwyllgor Gwasanaethau Iechyd Arbenigol Cymru wedi cymeradwyo cynnig clinigol nad yw'n addas i'w ddiben. Maen nhw'n dweud y byddai'r system bresennol, sy'n golygu bod cleifion yn cael eu hatgyfeirio i Lundain, er nad yw'n sefyllfa ddelfrydol, yn well na darparu clinig yng Nghymru sy'n israddol ac o bosibl yn anniogel. Sut mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn bwriadu goresgyn ofnau fod y clinig rhyw arfaethedig—? A phryd y gallwn ni ddisgwyl i chi, o'r diwedd, gyflawni eich addewidion ar gyfer gwasanaeth o'r radd flaenaf, y mae gwir angen amdano yng Nghymru?
On the first issue, of course Welsh Government is concerned if we hear of waste that has not been disposed of in an appropriate way, which is why we're really keen to develop our own recycling and processing capacity here in Wales. And I know that the Deputy Minister is doing a lot of work in order to make this possible. Clearly, we have an excellent reputation here in Wales as being world leaders in recycling, and it's important that we maintain the people's trust and do undertake their recycling in good faith on a daily basis, so I'll certainly raise this matter directly with the Minister. I know that she is intending to bring forward a statement, but I'll see when we can accommodate that within the Plenary timetable.
And on the matter of the gender clinic, I will ask the health Minister to have a discussion directly with your health spokesperson in order to flesh out the questions and the information that you've asked for today.
Ar y mater cyntaf, wrth gwrs mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn pryderu os ydym yn clywed am wastraff na chafodd ei waredu mewn ffordd briodol, a dyna pam yr ydym ni'n awyddus iawn i ddatblygu ein capasiti ailgylchu a phrosesu ein hunain yma yng Nghymru. Ac rwy'n gwybod bod y Dirprwy Weinidog yn gwneud llawer o waith er mwyn gwneud hyn yn bosibl. Yn amlwg, mae gennym ni enw da rhagorol yma yng Nghymru fel arweinwyr byd-eang ym maes ailgylchu, ac mae'n bwysig ein bod yn cynnal ymddiriedaeth y bobl ac yn ymgymryd â'u hailgylchu yn ddidwyll bob dydd, felly byddaf yn sicr o godi'r mater hwn yn uniongyrchol gyda'r Gweinidog. Gwn ei bod yn bwriadu cyflwyno datganiad, ond fe gaf i weld pryd y gallwn ddarparu ar gyfer hynny o fewn amserlen y Cyfarfod Llawn.
Ac ar fater y clinig rhywedd, byddaf yn gofyn i'r Gweinidog iechyd gael trafodaeth uniongyrchol gyda'ch llefarydd iechyd er mwyn rhoi cig ar asgwrn eich cwestiynau a'r wybodaeth yr ydych chi wedi gofyn amdani heddiw.
Can I just begin by thanking Andrew R.T. Davies for raising the issue of the event we had here with pernicious anaemia, an event I couldn't attend myself because it coincided with the devastating Ford announcement? But, thank you, Andrew, for raising it. I'm delighted the Minister is going to write to us both, and I'm sure that will be the start of quite a long conversation now, with the campaigning by Martyn Hooper and Carol and others who attended that day. And thanks to Ministers and Assembly Members who attended; I really appreciate it.
Can I ask for one statement, and a reminder of a debate I've asked for previously, actually? The first is a statement in the eventuality that Ministers are aware of any uncertainty over the announcement of First Bus—of any danger that that might pose to their services with First Cymru. We've had a letter of reassurance from the operators in Wales that, at present, they're fully committed to the service in Wales, but, of course, this goes on the back at the moment of uncertainty around local bus services, not least because of the continued squeeze on local authority funding, which means that some, including in my own area, are now unable to offer subsidy for bus routes. So, I wouldn't want to see First Cymru injecting further uncertainty in the bus routes that sustain people's ability to get to work and socialise and so on.
Secondly, could you send us off with a smile before the summer, please? We are shortly coming up to Co-operatives Fortnight. It's 24 June to 7 July. I know I've raised this in business questions before, but I didn't have a firm reply, although we've had some interesting discussions behind the scenes. We have a whole fortnight in which we can talk about the Government's excellent record of support for co-operatives, but also some of the innovations currently going on, in community transport, in community energy—the Pierhead event that was on today about what more we can do in that—a range of things, including food justice, local food networks. It would seem a missed opportunity. And I know that I, myself, as chair of the Assembly co-operative group of Assembly Members, plus Vikki, who chairs the co-ops and mutual cross-party group—we are very supportive of the idea of a debate. And I wonder: would the business manager have a discussion with us about whether we can facilitate this in Government time, and if not, perhaps she and the Llywydd could advise us how else we can secure a debate within Co-operatives Fortnight. Send us off with a smile.
A gaf i ddechrau drwy ddiolch i Andrew R.T. Davies am godi mater y digwyddiad a gawsom ni yn y fan yma gydag anemia dinistriol, digwyddiad na allwn ei fynychu fy hunan am ei fod yn cyd-daro â chyhoeddiad dinistriol Ford? Ond, diolch i chi, Andrew, am ei godi. Rwyf i wrth fy modd bod y Gweinidog yn mynd i ysgrifennu atom ni ein dau, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd hynny'n ddechrau ar sgwrs eithaf hir nawr, gyda'r ymgyrchu gan Martyn Hooper a Carol ac eraill a oedd yn bresennol ar y diwrnod hwnnw. A diolch i'r Gweinidogion ac Aelodau'r Cynulliad a oedd yno; rwy'n ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.
A gaf i ofyn am un datganiad, ac atgoffa am ddadl yr wyf wedi gofyn amdani o'r blaen, mewn gwirionedd. Y cyntaf yw datganiad gan ystyried y posibilrwydd bod Gweinidogion yn ymwybodol o unrhyw ansicrwydd ynghylch cyhoeddiad First Bus—o unrhyw berygl y gallai hynny achosi i'w gwasanaethau gyda First Cymru. Rydym wedi cael llythyr o sicrwydd gan y gweithredwyr yng Nghymru eu bod, ar hyn o bryd, yn gwbl ymrwymedig i'r gwasanaeth yng Nghymru. Ond wrth gwrs, mae hyn yn ychwanegu at ansicrwydd ar hyn o bryd ynghylch gwasanaethau bws lleol, yn bennaf oherwydd y wasgfa barhaus ar gyllid awdurdodau lleol, sy'n golygu bod rhai, gan gynnwys yn fy ardal i, yn methu â chynnig cymhorthdal erbyn hyn ar gyfer llwybrau bysiau. Felly, fyddwn i ddim eisiau gweld First Cymru yn ychwanegu mwy o ansicrwydd yn y llwybrau bysiau sy'n cynnal gallu pobl i fynd i'r gwaith a chymdeithasu ac yn y blaen.
Yn ail, a wnewch chi ein hanfon oddi yma yn gwenu cyn yr haf, os gwelwch yn dda? Byddwn yn dod at Bythefnos y Mentrau Cydweithredol cyn bo hir, sef 24 Mehefin i 7 Gorffennaf. Gwn fy mod wedi codi hyn yn y cwestiynau busnes o'r blaen, ond ni chefais ateb pendant, er ein bod ni wedi cael trafodaethau diddorol y tu ôl i'r llenni. Mae gennym ni bythefnos gyfan pryd y gallwn siarad am hanes rhagorol y Llywodraeth o ran cymorth i fentrau cydweithredol, ond hefyd am rai o'r datblygiadau arloesol sydd ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd, mewn trafnidiaeth gymunedol, mewn ynni cymunedol—y digwyddiad yn adeilad y Pierhead a gynhaliwyd heddiw, beth arall allwn ni ei wneud yn hynny o beth—amrywiaeth o bethau, gan gynnwys cyfiawnder bwyd, rhwydweithiau bwyd lleol. Mae'n ymddangos ei fod yn gyfle wedi'i golli. Ac rwy'n gwybod fy mod i, fel cadeirydd grŵp cydweithredol y Cynulliad o Aelodau'r Cynulliad, yn ogystal â Vikki, sef cadeirydd y Grŵp Cydweithredol a'r grŵp trawsbleidiol cydfuddiannol—rydym yn gefnogol iawn i'r syniad o gael dadl. Tybed a fyddai'r rheolwr busnes yn cael trafodaeth gyda ni i weld os gallwn ni hwyluso hyn yn amser y Llywodraeth, ac os nad yw'n gallu, efallai y gallai hi a'r Llywydd ddweud wrthym sut arall y gallwn ni sicrhau dadl o fewn Pythefnos y Mentrau Cydweithredol. Anfonwch ni oddi yma yn gwenu.
Thank you very much to Huw Irranca-Davies for that invitation. I will start by firstly addressing some of the points about First Cymru. Obviously, the First Cymru buses operate predominantly in south-west Wales, based in Swansea, and, as Huw Irranca-Davies says, they have already provided reassurance that it does envisage business as usual for its bus network, as a result of a reorganisation of the FirstGroup's business. But, nonetheless, we will obviously be keeping a very close eye on the situation, and keeping in very close touch with the business, for any possible implications for bus services as a result of FirstGroup's proposals for reorganising its business, including any potential sale of the bus arm. I will ask the Minister for transport to provide you with some further information about our bus services support grant, which is a £25 million annual grant to local authorities to subsidise buses and community transport services, and also some further information about what we're doing to support buses in those areas that are more remote, and on those routes that might not be commercially viable.
I will have a further discussion with the Deputy Minister for economy in terms of the request for a statement, or a debate, on co-operatives. I know that he does have some plans to do some work on co-operatives during Co-operatives Fortnight. And in terms of opportunities for Members to contribute, we do have the opportunities to ask Ministers questions during their question time, and also the potential for individual Member debates and so on, although I can't recall when the next opportunity for that is.
Diolch yn fawr i Huw Irranca-Davies am y gwahoddiad yna. Fe ddechreuaf drwy ymdrin yn gyntaf â rhai o'r pwyntiau ynghylch First Cymru. Yn amlwg, mae bysiau First Cymru yn gweithredu'n bennaf yn ne-orllewin Cymru, yn Abertawe, ac, fel y dywed Huw Irranca-Davies, maen nhw eisoes wedi rhoi sicrwydd eu bod yn rhagweld y byddan nhw'n darparu busnes fel arfer o ran eu rhwydwaith bysiau, o ganlyniad i ad-drefnu busnes FirstGroup. Ond, er hynny, mae'n amlwg y byddwn ni'n cadw llygad barcud ar y sefyllfa, ac yn cadw mewn cysylltiad agos iawn â'r busnes, am unrhyw oblygiadau posibl i wasanaethau bysiau o ganlyniad i gynigion y First Group ar gyfer ad-drefnu eu busnes, gan gynnwys unrhyw bosibilrwydd o werthu'r gangen bysiau. Gofynnaf i'r Gweinidog trafnidiaeth roi mwy o wybodaeth i chi am ein grant cynnal gwasanaethau bysiau, sy'n grant blynyddol o £25 miliwn i awdurdodau lleol i roi cymhorthdal i fysiau a gwasanaethau trafnidiaeth gymunedol, a mwy o wybodaeth hefyd am yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud i gefnogi bysiau yn yr ardaloedd hynny sy'n fwy anghysbell, ac ar y llwybrau hynny nad ydyn nhw o bosibl yn fasnachol hyfyw.
Byddaf yn cael trafodaeth bellach gyda Dirprwy Weinidog yr economi o ran y cais am ddatganiad, neu ddadl, am gwmnïau cydweithredol. Gwn fod ganddo rai cynlluniau i wneud rhywfaint o waith ar fentrau cydweithredol yn ystod y Pythefnos Cydweithredol. Ac o ran cyfleoedd i Aelodau gyfrannu, mae gennym ni gyfle i ofyn cwestiynau i Weinidogion yn ystod eu sesiwn cwestiynau, a hefyd y potensial ar gyfer dadleuon gan Aelodau unigol ac yn y blaen, er na allaf gofio pryd fydd y cyfle nesaf i wneud hynny.
Trefnydd, two points, if I may—two questions. Firstly, as part of Welsh National Opera's partnership with the Welsh Refugee Council, last week saw the performance of a piece of developmental music theatre called Beyond the Rainbow happening in the Wales Millennium Centre. That included a team with refugee artists and also members of Zim Voices—Members will know that I do a lot of work with Love Zimbabwe in my constituency, and they were also involved in this. From what I've heard about this production, it's done a lot to build up and develop links with refugees, and also to remove stigma that's sometimes associated with people when they come to this country. It's certainly had some good reports from Love Zimbabwe, and I'd be interested to hear from the Welsh Government what you're doing to support partnerships such as that with the Welsh National Opera.
Secondly, this week is Men's Health Week, and Dads Can Cymru are inviting people to support their campaign—not least by sucking a lemon. I will be taking part in this interesting ritual later on. I don't expect you to do it in the Chamber, by the way, Trefnydd, but I wonder if this would be a timely point for the Welsh Government to update us on what they're doing to progress the awareness of mental health issues, and, particularly, men's mental health issues. As we know, traditionally, men are less likely to discuss issues of mental health than women, and that's been a problem for them in the past. Organisations like Dads Can, which grew up as part of Monmouthshire Housing Association, have been doing their bit to try and reach men who are in this position. I wonder if we can have an update from the Welsh Government on what's being done to address mental health issues, but specifically with regard to men.
Trefnydd, dau bwynt, os caf—dau gwestiwn. Yn gyntaf, yn rhan o bartneriaeth Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru gyda Chyngor Ffoaduriaid Cymru, yr wythnos diwethaf gwelwyd perfformiad o ddarn o theatr gerddoriaeth ddatblygol o'r enw Y Tu Hwnt i'r Enfys a ddigwyddodd yng Nghanolfan Mileniwm Cymru. Yr oedd hynny'n cynnwys tîm gydag artistiaid a oedd yn ffoaduriaid ac aelodau o Zim Voices hefyd—bydd yr Aelodau'n gwybod fy mod yn gwneud llawer o waith gyda Love Zimbabwe yn fy etholaeth i, ac roeddent hwythau hefyd yn ymwneud â hyn. O'r hyn yr wyf wedi ei glywed am y cynhyrchiad hwn, mae wedi gwneud llawer i feithrin a datblygu cysylltiadau gyda ffoaduriaid, a hefyd i gael gwared ar stigma sy'n gysylltiedig weithiau â phobl wrth iddyn nhw ddod i'r wlad hon. Yn sicr, mae wedi cael adroddiadau da gan Love Zimbabwe, a byddai'n dda gennyf glywed gan Lywodraeth Cymru beth yr ydych chi'n ei wneud i gefnogi partneriaethau fel hwnnw gydag Opera Cenedlaethol Cymru.
Yn ail, mae'r wythnos hon yn Wythnos Iechyd Dynion, ac mae Dads Can Cymru yn gwahodd pobl i gefnogi eu hymgyrch—yn anad dim drwy sugno lemwn. Byddaf yn cymryd rhan yn y ddefod ddiddorol hon yn nes ymlaen. Nid wyf yn disgwyl i chi wneud hynny yn y Siambr, gyda llaw, Trefnydd, ond tybed a fyddai hon yn adeg amserol i Lywodraeth Cymru roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i ni am yr hyn y mae'n ei wneud i ddatblygu ymwybyddiaeth o faterion iechyd meddwl, ac yn arbennig, problemau iechyd meddwl dynion. Fel y gwyddom, yn draddodiadol, mae dynion yn llai tebygol o drafod materion iechyd meddwl na menywod, ac mae hynny wedi bod yn broblem iddyn nhw yn y gorffennol. Mae mudiadau fel Dads Can, a dyfodd fel rhan o Gymdeithas Tai Sir Fynwy, wedi bod yn gwneud eu rhan i geisio cyrraedd dynion sydd yn y sefyllfa hon. Tybed a allwn ni gael yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf gan Lywodraeth Cymru am yr hyn sy'n cael ei wneud i fynd i'r afael â materion iechyd meddwl, ond yn benodol o ran dynion.
Thank you very much for raising both of those important issues. Of course, next week is Refugee Week, and I know that the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip intends to provide a written statement to update Members on Welsh Government action to support refugees, and to create a nation of sanctuary here in Wales.
In relation to the request for an update on mental health, I'll certainly ask the health Minister to write to you on that, but with a specific focus on what we're doing to support and promote good mental health amongst men.FootnoteLink
Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi am godi'r ddau fater pwysig yna. Wrth gwrs, mae hi'n Wythnos Ffoaduriaid yr wythnos nesaf, a gwn fod y Dirprwy Weinidog a'r Prif Chwip yn bwriadu darparu datganiad ysgrifenedig i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Aelodau am gamau gweithredu Llywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi ffoaduriaid, ac i greu cenedl noddfa yma yng Nghymru.
O ran y cais am ddiweddariad ar iechyd meddwl, byddaf yn sicr yn gofyn i'r Gweinidog iechyd ysgrifennu atoch chi ynglŷn â hynny, ond gan ganolbwyntio'n benodol ar yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud i gefnogi a hybu iechyd meddwl da ymhlith dynion.FootnoteLink
I'd like to ask the Trefnydd to arrange with the health Minister to bring forward an oral statement to the Assembly on the new performance measures for eye care in Wales. The performance measures, of course, are welcome in themselves, but there are a number of issues in the Government's press release—I'm not aware that there was actually even a written statement—on which I believe this Chamber will wish to scrutinise the Minister. One is the issue with regard to finance. The headline of the press release speaks about £10 million. There are references elsewhere in the press release to £3.5 million, and then somewhere else a reference to £7 million. I'm sure we would appreciate the opportunity to be able to scrutinise the Minister as to whether or not this is new money, and whether it's going to be delivering new services.
The other issue with regard to the statement is the huge variation in waiting times between different health boards. This is not the place to highlight those that are doing well and those that are doing badly, but I'm sure fellow Members could potentially have a bit of a guess. But I'm sure that I will not be the only Member on this Chamber who is deeply concerned to know—and, of course, without the new performance measures we would not have this figure available—that there are 34,500 of our fellow citizens on waiting lists for ophthalmic care who are at risk of serious harm including permanent sight loss. Now, I have to declare something of an interest here, Llywydd. My own father lost his sight as a result of waiting for too long for a cataract operation 30 years ago. I am profoundly shocked to know that over 34,000 of my fellow citizens are at risk of going through what my father went through, and I think this Chamber has the right to scrutinise the Minister on this statement, welcoming the performance measure itself, but I think we need to drill down into the detail.
Hoffwn ofyn i'r Trefnydd drefnu gyda'r Gweinidog iechyd i gyflwyno datganiad llafar i'r Cynulliad ar y mesurau perfformiad newydd ar gyfer gofal llygaid yng Nghymru. Mae'r mesurau perfformiad, wrth gwrs, i'w croesawu ynddynt eu hunain, ond mae nifer o faterion yn natganiad y Llywodraeth i'r wasg—nid wyf yn ymwybodol fod yna ddatganiad ysgrifenedig hyd yn oed—a chredaf y bydd y Siambr hon yn dymuno craffu ar y Gweinidog ar hyn. Un ohonyn nhw yw'r mater o ran cyllid. Mae pennawd y datganiad i'r wasg yn sôn am £10 miliwn. Ceir cyfeiriadau mewn mannau eraill yn y datganiad i'r wasg at £3.5 miliwn, ac yna yn rhywle arall cyfeirir at £7 miliwn. Rwy'n siŵr y byddem ni'n gwerthfawrogi'r cyfle i gael holi'r Gweinidog o ran pa un a yw hyn yn arian newydd ai peidio, ac a fydd yn darparu gwasanaethau newydd.
Y mater arall o ran y datganiad yw'r amrywiaeth enfawr mewn amseroedd aros rhwng gwahanol fyrddau iechyd. Nid dyma'r lle i dynnu sylw at y rhai sy'n gwneud yn dda a'r rhai sy'n gwneud yn wael, ond rwy'n siŵr, o bosib, y gallai cyd-Aelodau ddyfalu. Ond rwy'n siŵr nad fi yw'r unig Aelod yn y Siambr hon sy'n poeni'n fawr am gael gwybod—ac, wrth gwrs, heb y mesurau perfformiad newydd ni fyddai'r ffigur hwn ar gael i ni—fod 34,500 o'n cyd-ddinasyddion ar restrau aros ar gyfer gofal offthalmig sydd mewn perygl o niwed difrifol, gan gynnwys colli eu golwg yn barhaol. Nawr, mae'n rhaid imi ddatgan buddiant yn y fan yma, Llywydd. Collodd fy nhad ei olwg o ganlyniad i aros yn rhy hir am lawdriniaeth cataract 30 mlynedd yn ôl. Fe'm syfrdanwyd yn llwyr o wybod bod dros 34,000 o'm cyd-ddinasyddion mewn perygl o fynd drwy'r hyn yr aeth fy nhad drwyddo, a chredaf fod gan y Siambr hon yr hawl i graffu ar y Gweinidog ar y datganiad hwn, gan groesawu'r mesur perfformiad ei hun, ond credaf ein bod angen edrych yn fwy manwl ar y manylion.
I'm grateful to you for raising this particular issue and, as Helen Mary Jones says, we are introducing new performance measures for eye care patients. At present, all new referrals for eye care are required to be seen within the referral-to-treatment target, and that has served the majority of new patients well. However, for most patients, the start of treatment is only the first point on their journey of required care, and there is no current target to ensure that those patients requiring ongoing follow-up care are seen in a timely manner. So, this is precisely why the Minister was concerned about the high clinical risk to those patients should their appointment be delayed, for example. And he set up a task and finish group to develop some recommendations in this area, and that group advocated the introduction of the new eye care measure regime, which combines both new and follow-up patients. And the outcome measure is the result of that work, and it's designed to account for both new and existing patients, but it is based particularly on clinical need and risk of adverse outcomes. So, hopefully it will address the kind of issues that were identified by Helen Mary.
I will say, in terms of the funding, we've allocated £3.3 million of funding to health boards to make the necessary changes in order for them to transform the eye care services and to implement the new nationally agreed pathway across Wales.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i chi am godi'r mater penodol hwn ac, fel y dywed Helen Mary Jones, rydym ni'n cyflwyno mesurau perfformiad newydd ar gyfer cleifion gofal llygaid. Ar hyn o bryd, mae'n ofynnol i bob atgyfeiriad newydd ar gyfer gofal llygaid gael ei weld o fewn y targed atgyfeiriad i driniaeth, ac mae hynny wedi bod yn effeithiol i'r rhan fwyaf o gleifion newydd. Fodd bynnag, i'r rhan fwyaf o gleifion, dim ond y pwynt cyntaf ar eu taith o ofal gofynnol yw dechrau triniaeth, ac nid oes targed ar hyn o bryd i sicrhau bod y cleifion hynny sydd angen gofal dilynol parhaus yn cael eu gweld mewn modd amserol. Felly, dyma'n union pam yr oedd y Gweinidog yn pryderu ynghylch y risg glinigol uchel i'r cleifion hynny pe byddai eu hapwyntiad yn cael ei ohirio, er enghraifft. Ac fe sefydlodd grŵp gorchwyl a gorffen i ddatblygu rhai argymhellion yn y maes hwn, ac fe wnaeth y grŵp hwnnw argymell cyflwyno'r drefn mesur newydd ar gyfer gofal llygaid, sy'n cyfuno cleifion newydd a chleifion sy'n dod yn ôl. Ac mae'r mesur canlyniadau yn deillio o'r gwaith hwnnw, ac mae wedi'i gynllunio i roi cyfrif am gleifion newydd a chleifion presennol, ond mae wedi'i seilio'n arbennig ar angen clinigol a'r risg o ganlyniadau andwyol. Felly, gobeithio y bydd yn mynd i'r afael â'r math o faterion a nodwyd gan Helen Mary.
Fe fyddwn i'n dweud, o ran y cyllid, ein bod ni wedi dyrannu £3.3 miliwn o gyllid i fyrddau iechyd i wneud y newidiadau angenrheidiol er mwyn iddyn nhw weddnewid y gwasanaethau gofal llygaid a gweithredu'r llwybr gofal newydd y cytunwyd arno yn genedlaethol ledled Cymru.
Finally, Mick Antoniw.
Yn olaf, Mick Antoniw.
Trefnydd, I wonder if the Government will make time available for a debate on the situation with regard to the Welsh NHS in light of there being a 'no deal' Brexit. It's becoming increasingly clear that the price of a 'no deal' Brexit may well be to sacrifice the national health service. You will be aware of the concerns that many of us have about the potential for a reserved matter, that is an international trade deal with the United States, in light of the various comments that have been made by President Trump with regard to the NHS, and the fact that the United States's own published negotiating objectives make it very clear that all services are up for grabs in a trade deal, despite the hasty retraction of President Trump. You'll be aware also of the supportive privatisation comments that have been made by people such as Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage. We must have serious concerns about how an international trade deal might override devolved responsibilities in respect of health, and I think this is a matter that we ought to be debating as a matter of some urgency and some importance within this Chamber.
Trefnydd, tybed a fydd y Llywodraeth yn neilltuo amser ar gyfer dadl ar y sefyllfa yng nghyswllt y GIG yng Nghymru yng ngoleuni'r ffaith y gallem gael Brexit heb gytundeb. Mae'n dod yn fwyfwy amlwg y gallai pris Brexit heb gytundeb olygu aberthu'r gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol. Byddwch yn ymwybodol o'r pryderon sydd gan lawer ohonom ynghylch y potensial ar gyfer mater a gadwyd yn ôl, sef cytundeb masnach rhyngwladol gyda'r Unol Daleithiau, yng ngoleuni'r gwahanol sylwadau a wnaed gan yr Arlywydd Trump mewn cysylltiad â'r GIG, a'r ffaith fod amcanion negodi cyhoeddedig yr Unol Daleithiau ei hun yn ei gwneud yn glir iawn bod pob gwasanaeth i'w gynnwys mewn cytundeb masnach, er bod yr Arlywydd Trump wedi eu tynnu yn ôl yn frysiog. Byddwch yn ymwybodol hefyd o'r sylwadau sy'n cefnogi preifateiddio a wnaed gan bobl fel Boris Johnson a Nigel Farage. Mae'n rhaid bod gennym bryderon difrifol ynghylch sut y gallai bargen masnach ryngwladol ddiystyru cyfrifoldebau datganoledig ym maes iechyd, ac rwy'n credu bod hwn yn fater y dylem ni fod yn ei drafod fel mater o frys a chryn bwys yn y Siambr hon.
I thank Mick Antoniw for raising this issue, and, of course, we do have frequent opportunities to discuss various aspects of Brexit and the impact that it might have on people in Wales across all parts of life, not least including the health service and health provision. The US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, has said that healthcare will be a strong focus of any post-Brexit trade deal between the two countries, and that should be of real concern to us, because, clearly, the US wants the UK to buy more of its drugs after Brexit, but also it wants Britain to pay more. Medicines in the UK currently cost about a third of what they cost in the USA, and there really is a grave danger that any deal could undermine one of the UK's most prized health system components, and that is the value assessments conducted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the All Wales Medicine Strategy Group on new medicines to keep costs in proportion with how well those medicines work. And that does limit the amount that is then paid out to drug manufacturers. So, clearly this is an area of real concern to us. Decisions about the future of the Welsh NHS will continue to be taken here in Wales, and we have been very clear that the Welsh NHS is not up for sale, and these are messages that we will strongly continue to be pushing to the UK Government.
Diolch i Mick Antoniw am godi'r mater hwn, ac, wrth gwrs, rydym yn cael cyfleoedd mynych i drafod amrywiol agweddau ar Brexit a'r effaith y gallai ei gael ar bobl yng Nghymru ar draws pob rhan o fywyd, gan gynnwys y gwasanaeth iechyd a'r ddarpariaeth iechyd yn anad dim. Mae llysgennad UDA i'r DU, Woody Johnson, wedi dweud y bydd gofal iechyd yn bwyslais cryf mewn unrhyw gytundeb masnach ôl-Brexit rhwng y ddwy wlad, a dylai hynny fod yn destun pryder gwirioneddol i ni, oherwydd, yn amlwg, mae'r Unol Daleithiau eisiau i'r DU brynu mwy o'i gyffuriau ar ôl Brexit, ond hefyd mae eisiau i Brydain dalu mwy. Ar hyn o bryd mae meddyginiaethau yn y DU yn costio tua thraean o'r hyn y maen nhw'n ei gostio yn UDA, ac mae perygl mawr y gallai unrhyw gytundeb danseilio un o gydrannau mwyaf gwerthfawr y DU o'r system iechyd, sef yr asesiadau gwerth a gynhaliwyd gan y Sefydliad Cenedlaethol dros Ragoriaeth mewn Iechyd a Gofal, a'r Grŵp Strategaeth Feddyginiaethau Cymru Gyfan ar feddyginiaethau newydd i gadw costau yn gymesur â pha mor dda y mae'r meddyginiaethau hynny'n gweithio. Ac mae hynny'n cyfyngu ar y swm sy'n cael ei dalu wedyn i weithgynhyrchwyr cyffuriau. Felly, mae'n amlwg bod hwn yn faes sy'n peri pryder gwirioneddol i ni. Bydd penderfyniadau am ddyfodol GIG Cymru yn parhau i gael eu gwneud yma yng Nghymru, ac rydym ni wedi bod yn glir iawn nad yw GIG Cymru ar werth, ac mae'r rhain yn negeseuon y byddwn ni'n dal i'w gwthio i Lywodraeth y DU.
Diolch i'r Trefnydd.
I thank the Trefnydd.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad gan y Gweinidog Addysg ar reoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth. Dwi'n galw ar y Gweinidog Addysg i wneud ei datganiad. Kirsty Williams.
The next item, therefore, is the statement by the Minister for Education on managing workload and reducing bureaucracy. I call on the Minister for Education to make her statement. Kirsty Williams.
Diolch, Llywydd. I'm in no doubt that managing workload and reducing classroom bureaucracy is essential if we're to support our teachers to raise standards. This Government remains determined to give teachers the time to do what they do best: planning and teaching the best possible lessons for their pupils.
Finding better ways to manage workload and reduce bureaucracy is a significant challenge, but one that we need to meet head on if we want to ensure a high-quality, motivated education workforce. I'm pleased that we have made good progress in a short space of time to support our heads and our teachers. For example, over the last two years we have been developing a new evaluation and accountability system based on trust, respectful professional dialogue, and proportionality; we have produced reducing workload resources, training materials and guidance in conjunction with our stakeholders, including Estyn, regional consortia and unions; we're investing £36 million to reduce infant class sizes, ensuring teachers can devote more time and attention to pupils; we're replacing paper-based tests with less burdensome online assessments to support pupil progress and learning; we've introduced improvements to ensure equity of access for teachers to digital resources and services via Hwb; and we've established school business manager pilots, and over 100 schools were identified by local authorities as part of that programme, which has been running for now nearly two years, providing additional administrative support to school leaders.
Now, those are just some examples of the actions that, working together, we have delivered. And of course, I'm conscious that schools need to be supported as we prepare for the roll-out of the new curriculum. My officials continue to identify best practice to minimise the impact of any workload issues as the new curriculum begins to roll out in 2022. However, while it’s clear that we are making progress in addressing workload, more can and more must be done. I recognise the importance of continuing to work collaboratively with the sector to find further ways to support the workforce. And to that effect, in April, I established a managing workload and reducing bureaucracy group, consisting of stakeholders from across all tiers and trade unions. This group has considered the priorities that we can start work on immediately, as well as additional short, medium and longer term actions as part of a broad plan that identifies work to be carried out to support teachers to manage workload.
From the many actions to be considered going forward, we have decided to concentrate on four immediate key priorities that we can deliver during the autumn term, before revisiting the medium and the longer term proposals of the group. These four priorities are (1) to develop a workload and well-being charter and toolkit for the school workforce, (2) to refresh and promote the reducing workload resources and training pack and, crucially, to monitor its take-up, (3) to further develop and circulate the training models and exemplar case studies produced across all four regional consortia to develop a cohesive approach to be applied on a national basis, and (4) to carry out a sector-wide audit exercise to examine what data is collected across all tiers, and how impact assessment on workload should be considered as part of any policy development.
Diolch, Llywydd. Nid oes gen i unrhyw amheuaeth bod rheoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth yr ystafell ddosbarth yn hanfodol os ydym ni am gefnogi ein hathrawon i godi safonau. Mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn parhau i fod yn benderfynol o roi amser i athrawon wneud yr hyn y maen nhw'n ei wneud orau: cynllunio a dysgu'r gwersi gorau posibl i'w disgyblion.
Mae dod o hyd i ffyrdd gwell o reoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth yn her sylweddol, ond yn un y mae angen i ni fynd i'r afael â hi os ydym ni'n dymuno cael gweithlu addysg brwdfrydig ac o ansawdd uchel. Rwy'n falch ein bod ni wedi gwneud cynnydd da mewn cyfnod byr i gefnogi ein penaethiaid a'n hathrawon. Er enghraifft, dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf rydym ni wedi bod yn datblygu system werthuso ac atebolrwydd newydd yn seiliedig ar ymddiriedaeth, deialog broffesiynol llawn parch, a chymesuredd; rydym ni wedi cynhyrchu adnoddau lleihau llwyth gwaith, deunyddiau hyfforddi a chanllawiau ar y cyd â'n rhanddeiliaid, gan gynnwys Estyn, consortia rhanbarthol ac undebau; rydym ni'n buddsoddi £36 miliwn i leihau maint dosbarthiadau babanod, gan sicrhau bod athrawon yn gallu neilltuo mwy o amser a sylw i ddisgyblion; rydym ni'n cynnal asesiadau ar-lein llai beichus yn hytrach na phrofion ar bapur i gefnogi cynnydd ac addysg disgyblion; rydym ni wedi cyflwyno gwelliannau i sicrhau tegwch o ran darparu adnoddau a gwasanaethau digidol i athrawon drwy gyfrwng Hwb; ac rydym ni wedi sefydlu cynlluniau arbrofol ar gyfer rheolwyr busnes ysgolion, a nodwyd gan awdurdodau lleol bod dros 100 o ysgolion yn rhan o'r rhaglen honno, sydd wedi bod ar waith ers bron i ddwy flynedd erbyn hyn, gan roi cymorth gweinyddol ychwanegol i arweinyddion ysgolion.
Nawr, dim ond rhai enghreifftiau yw'r rhain o'r camau yr ydym ni wedi eu cymryd drwy weithio gyda'n gilydd. Ac wrth gwrs, rwy'n ymwybodol bod angen cefnogi ysgolion wrth i ni baratoi ar gyfer cyflwyno'r cwricwlwm newydd. Mae fy swyddogion i'n parhau i nodi'r arferion gorau i leihau effaith unrhyw broblemau llwyth gwaith wrth ddechrau cyflwyno'r cwricwlwm newydd yn 2022. Er hynny, er ei bod hi'n amlwg ein bod ni'n gwneud cynnydd o ran mynd i'r afael â llwyth gwaith, fe ellir gwneud mwy ac mae'n rhaid gwneud mwy. Rwy'n cydnabod pwysigrwydd parhau i weithio ar y cyd â'r sector i ddod o hyd i ffyrdd eraill o gefnogi'r gweithlu. Ac i'r perwyl hwnnw, ym mis Ebrill, fe sefydlais i grŵp rheoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth, a oedd yn cynnwys rhanddeiliaid o bob haen ac o undebau llafur. Mae'r grŵp hwn wedi ystyried y blaenoriaethau y gallwn ni ddechrau gweithio arnyn nhw ar unwaith, yn ogystal â chamau gweithredu ychwanegol byrdymor, tymor canolig a hirdymor yn rhan o gynllun eang sy'n nodi gwaith i'w gwblhau i gynorthwyo athrawon wrth reoli llwyth gwaith.
O'r camau gweithredu niferus i'w hystyried wrth symud ymlaen, rydym ni wedi penderfynu canolbwyntio ar bedair blaenoriaeth allweddol ar unwaith y gallwn eu cyflawni yn ystod tymor yr hydref, cyn ailystyried cynigion tymor canolig a thymor hwy y grŵp. Y pedair blaenoriaeth hyn yw (1) datblygu siarter a phecyn cymorth llwyth gwaith a lles ar gyfer gweithlu'r ysgol, (2) adfywio a hyrwyddo'r adnoddau a'r pecyn hyfforddi sy'n lleihau llwyth gwaith ac, yn hollbwysig, monitro'r niferoedd sy'n manteisio arno, (3) datblygu ymhellach a dosbarthu'r modelau hyfforddi a'r astudiaethau achosion enghreifftiol a luniwyd ar draws y pedwar consortiwm rhanbarthol i ddatblygu dull cydlynus o weithredu ar sail genedlaethol, a (4) cynnal ymarfer archwilio sector cyfan i archwilio pa ddata sy'n cael eu casglu ym mhob haen, a sut y dylid ystyried asesiad o effaith ar lwyth gwaith yn rhan o unrhyw ddatblygiad polisi.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (Ann Jones) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.
The managing workload and reducing bureaucracy group met to discuss taking forward these four priorities on 5 June. Stakeholders across all tiers and trade unions have committed to ensure that these priorities get under way as quickly as possible. However, once these have been met, the group will continue to work through the action plan to address the shorter, medium and longer term actions identified to help manage workload better and reduce bureaucracy wherever possible.
It is extremely important that we keep focused on this task to ensure the smooth roll-out of our educational reforms going forward. I recognise the work and time commitment that all stakeholders have provided to help tackle this important issue and I look forward to their future engagement and commitment. It is really important that we continue to work collaboratively to meet challenges head on and to ensure we identify all possible ways to manage workload better and to reduce bureaucracy.
Additionally, will be looking to support this work by undertaking another school workforce survey within the next 12 months and will be commencing discussions with stakeholders shortly regarding the delivery of that survey. I'm confident that the work we are doing will support our goal of developing a high-quality education profession that is well supported. Diolch yn fawr.
Fe wnaeth y grŵp rheoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth gyfarfod i drafod datblygu'r pedair blaenoriaeth hyn ar 5 Mehefin. Mae rhanddeiliaid ar draws pob haen ac undebau llafur wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau bod y blaenoriaethau hyn yn cael eu rhoi ar waith cyn gynted â phosibl. Serch hynny, pan fydd y rhain wedi eu cyflawni, bydd y grŵp yn parhau i weithio drwy'r cynllun gweithredu i fynd i'r afael â'r camau gweithredu byrdymor, tymor canolig a hirdymor a nodwyd i helpu i reoli llwyth gwaith yn well a lleihau biwrocratiaeth lle bynnag y bo modd.
Mae'n bwysig dros ben ein bod ni'n parhau i ganolbwyntio ar y dasg hon i sicrhau y caiff ein diwygiadau addysgol eu cyflwyno'n ddidrafferth wrth symud ymlaen. Rwy'n cydnabod yr ymrwymiad o ran gwaith ac amser sydd wedi ei roi gan yr holl randdeiliaid i helpu i fynd i'r afael â'r mater pwysig hwn ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at eu hymgysylltiad a'u hymrwymiad yn y dyfodol. Mae'n wirioneddol bwysig ein bod ni'n parhau i weithio ar y cyd i fynd i'r afael â'r heriau yn uniongyrchol a sicrhau ein bod ni'n nodi pob ffordd bosibl o reoli'r llwyth gwaith yn well a lleihau biwrocratiaeth.
Yn ogystal â hyn, rydym ni'n bwriadu ceisio cefnogi'r gwaith hwn drwy gynnal arolwg arall o weithlu ysgolion o fewn y 12 mis nesaf a byddwn yn dechrau trafodaethau â rhanddeiliaid cyn bo hir ynghylch cyflawni'r arolwg hwnnw. Rwy'n ffyddiog y bydd y gwaith yr ydym ni'n ei wneud yn cefnogi ein nod o ddatblygu proffesiwn addysg o safon uchel sy'n cael cefnogaeth dda. Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you very much, Minister. I'm sure, like everybody in this Chamber, actually, we come across teachers who still tell us that workload is one of the main issues for them and the update we've had today will help us understand and perhaps ask them whether they've had the kind of support that you've just been talking about in the schools in which they teach, because I suppose one of the things that you'd be interested in finding out as well is whether the steps that have been taken to improve workload have made their way to the chalkface, so to speak.
We have, as we know, a teacher recruitment problem perhaps verging on the threshold of crisis now—not unique to Wales, of course, but particularly acute in certain parts of Wales, as evidenced by difficulties we have with meeting the demand for supply teachers in certain parts of Wales. The Children, Young People and Education Committee certainly agreed with you in 2017 that workload was affecting the potential to teach to good standards, but also damaging the well-being of staff as well. That's why it recommended immediate work to establish the level that workload was a barrier to recruitment.
Since then, of course, we've had the pay and conditions review as well, which you didn't mention in your statement, but I think it's pertinent to the general point. I'm a bit curious, though, why the managing workload and reducing bureaucracy group was only established in April this year and why it's only now that they've identified the need to carry out a sector-wide audit and to, if I understand this correctly, assess the impact of impact assessments. Do you wonder—? Well, perhaps I wonder whether the delay has extended the period during which teacher recruitment is a challenge.
Just on the point of the school business manager pilot, that of course was one of the actions that had some attention at the time. I'm not 100 per cent sure quite when the first managers went into the schools, but perhaps you can give us some indication of the reporting back that you've had during that time, as requested by the Children, Young People and Education Committee. Can you also tell us how much of that £1.28 million cost, which was earmarked for this work, has been spent and how straightforward it's been, particularly in the current climate, to get the local authorities to share that cost, as of course that was part of the original intention?
I've spoken to teachers in my region who speak really, really highly of Hwb—so much so that some of the private schools, as you know, are very willing to pay to have access to that service as well. But what can you tell us about some of the other resources you've mentioned in your statement and the take-up for that and perhaps who's paying for those as well? In particular, I've got some concerns about this one-page guidance issued by Estyn to help teachers understand how to reduce their workload. The pay review concluded that it had fallen on stony ground, with teachers still working up to 50 hours a week and high rates of teacher absence.
I guess I'm asking how the findings of the 2018 pay review, or pay and conditions review, have adjusted your priorities for reducing workload and bureaucracy and are they mitigating that extra work that is now being undertaken by teachers to make up for the staff that schools are letting go as a result of schools' core budget allocations having shrunk so considerably in these last couple of years? Because it would be disappointing, I'm sure you'd agree, for progress to be made in reducing workload only for that then to have to be rolled back simply because the number of teachers in schools has diminished.
Briefly, because supply teachers are a big player in helping to reduce workload—we probably need another statement on this, but if you can just give us an indication about the work that's going on to retain supply teachers to build capacity within the workforce, if you like. And then finally, perhaps related to that, the preparation for the new curriculum. New entrants, of course, will be trained in this from the beginning, but you found £9 million last year and £15 million this year to prepare the existing workforce for the future. With the shortages of supply cover and shortages of in-school capacity now and an existing heavy workload, how can you be sure that, even though you might have found the money, the teachers are finding the time to become Donaldson ready? And, if teachers are already leaving because of high workload, I don't think that £24 million will stop them leaving, and I'm wondering then how you can explain how that money could be used to help teachers stay in the system, because I don't think the connection's being made, by the teachers that I've spoken to anyway, at the moment. Thank you.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Gweinidog. Rwy'n siŵr, fel pawb yn y Siambr hon, mewn gwirionedd, ein bod ni'n gweld athrawon sy'n parhau i ddweud wrthym ni mai'r llwyth gwaith yw un o'r materion pwysicaf iddyn nhw a bydd y diweddariad a gawsom ni heddiw yn ein helpu i ddeall ac efallai'n gofyn iddyn nhw pa un a ydyn nhw wedi cael y math o gymorth yr ydych chi wedi bod yn sôn amdano yn yr ysgolion lle maen nhw'n dysgu, oherwydd mae'n debyg mai un o'r pethau y byddai gennych chi ddiddordeb ynddo hefyd yw pa un a yw'r camau sydd wedi eu cymryd i wella'r llwyth gwaith wedi mynd i wraidd pethau, fel petai.
Fel y gwyddom ni, mae gennym ni broblem recriwtio athrawon yn ymylu ar drothwy argyfwng ar hyn o bryd—nid yn unigryw i Gymru, wrth gwrs, ond yn arbennig o ddifrifol mewn rhai rhannau yng Nghymru, fel y dengys yr anawsterau sydd gennym ni o ran ateb y galw am athrawon cyflenwi mewn rhannau arbennig o Gymru. Yn sicr, cytunodd y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl ifanc ac Addysg â chi yn 2017 fod y llwyth gwaith yn effeithio ar y potensial i addysgu i safonau da, ond ei fod yn niweidio lles staff hefyd. Dyna pam yr argymhellodd waith ar unwaith i sefydlu'r lefel y mae llwyth gwaith yn rhwystr i recriwtio.
Ers hynny, wrth gwrs, rydym ni wedi cael yr adolygiad cyflogau ac amodau hefyd, na wnaethoch chi sôn amdano yn eich datganiad, ond rwyf i o'r farn ei fod yn berthnasol i'r pwynt cyffredinol. Hoffwn i wybod, er hynny, pam mai dim ond ym mis Ebrill y sefydlwyd y grŵp rheoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth a pham mai dim ond nawr y mae wedi nodi'r angen i gynnal archwiliad ar draws y sector ac, os wyf i'n deall hyn yn iawn, asesu effaith asesiadau o effaith. Ydych chi'n meddwl tybed—? Wel, efallai fy mod i'n meddwl tybed a yw'r oedi wedi ymestyn y cyfnod pryd y bydd hi'n her i recriwtio athrawon.
Dim ond ar bwynt y cynllun arbrofol rheolwyr busnes ysgolion, roedd hwnnw wrth gwrs yn un o'r camau a gafodd rywfaint o sylw ar y pryd. Nid wyf i gant y cant yn siŵr pryd yn union yr aeth y rheolwyr cyntaf i'r ysgolion, ond efallai y gallwch chi roi rhyw syniad i ni o'r adrodd yn ôl a gawsoch chi yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw, yn unol â chais y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl ifanc ac Addysg. A wnewch chi ddweud wrthym ni hefyd faint o'r gost honno o £1.28 miliwn a glustnodwyd ar gyfer y gwaith hwn, sydd wedi cael ei wario a pha mor rhwydd y bu hi, yn enwedig yn yr hinsawdd sydd ohoni, i gael yr awdurdodau lleol i rannu'r gost honno, gan fod hynny, wrth gwrs, yn rhan o'r hyn a fwriadwyd yn wreiddiol?
Rwyf i wedi siarad ag athrawon yn fy rhanbarth i sy'n canmol Hwb i'r entrychion— i'r fath raddau fel bod rhai o'r ysgolion preifat, fel y gwyddoch chi, yn awyddus iawn i dalu i gael defnyddio'r gwasanaeth hwnnw hefyd. Ond beth allwch chi ei ddweud wrthym ni am rai o'r adnoddau eraill yr ydych chi wedi sôn amdanyn nhw yn eich datganiad a'r niferoedd sy'n manteisio ar hynny ac efallai pwy sy'n talu am y rhain hefyd? Yn arbennig, mae gen i rai pryderon am y canllawiau un dudalen hyn a gyhoeddwyd gan Estyn i helpu athrawon i ddeall sut i leihau eu llwyth gwaith. Daeth yr adolygiad o gyflogau i'r casgliad ei fod wedi syrthio ar dir caregog, ac athrawon yn parhau i weithio hyd at 50 awr yr wythnos a chyfraddau uchel o absenoldeb athrawon.
Mae'n debyg mai'r hyn yr wyf i'n ei ofyn yw sut mae canfyddiadau adolygiad cyflog 2018, neu'r adolygiad o gyflogau ac amodau, wedi addasu eich blaenoriaethau wrth leihau llwyth gwaith a biwrocratiaeth ac a ydyn nhw'n ysgafnhau'r gwaith ychwanegol y mae athrawon yn ei wneud ar hyn o bryd i lenwi bwlch y staff sydd wedi cael eu diswyddo gan ysgolion o ganlyniad i ddyraniadau cyllidebau craidd ysgolion yn crebachu i'r fath raddau yn yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf? Oherwydd byddai'n siomedig, rwy'n siŵr y byddech chi'n cytuno, i symud ymlaen wrth leihau'r llwyth gwaith ddim ond i hynny gael ei ddadwneud am y rheswm syml bod nifer yr athrawon mewn ysgolion wedi lleihau.
Yn gryno, gan fod athrawon cyflenwi yn chwarae rhan fawr wrth helpu i leihau llwyth gwaith—mae'n debyg bod angen datganiad arall am hynny arnom ni, ond pe gallech chi roi syniad i ni am y gwaith sy'n mynd rhagddo i gadw athrawon cyflenwi er mwyn meithrin cynhwysiant o fewn y gweithlu, os mynnwch chi. Ac yna'n olaf, yn gysylltiedig â hynny efallai, y paratoadau ar gyfer y cwricwlwm newydd. Bydd newydd-ddyfodiaid, wrth gwrs, yn cael eu hyfforddi yn hyn o'r dechrau, ond fe wnaethoch chi ganfod £9 miliwn y llynedd a £15 miliwn eleni i baratoi'r gweithlu presennol tuag at y dyfodol. Gyda phrinder staff cyflenwi a phrinder maint yn yr ysgolion nawr a'r llwyth gwaith trwm sy'n bodoli eisoes, sut y gallwch chi fod yn siŵr, er eich bod wedi dod o hyd i'r arian efallai, bod yr athrawon yn gallu dod o hyd i'r amser i fod yn barod am Donaldson? Ac, os yw athrawon yn gadael eisoes oherwydd llwyth gwaith uchel, nid wyf i'n credu y bydd £24 miliwn yn eu hatal nhw rhag gadael, ac rwy'n meddwl tybed wedyn sut y gallwch chi egluro sut y gellid defnyddio'r arian hwnnw i helpu athrawon i aros yn y system, oherwydd nid wyf i'n credu bod y cysylltiad yn cael ei wneud, gan yr athrawon yr wyf i wedi siarad â nhw beth bynnag, ar hyn o bryd. Diolch.
Thank you very much, Suzy, for those questions. As I outlined in my statement, we have not been tone deaf to the concerns that have been raised by teaching unions with regard to workload. I outlined a number of actions the Government has already taken. The establishment of the group was to move these issues forward at greater pace and to ensure that all voices are heard. That means that all the unions, whether they represent headteachers, whether they represent the teaching workforce and, crucially, those that support teachers and teaching assistants are part of that group as well as regional consortia and Estyn. It is they that have decided that these are the four areas that they want to see progress on in the autumn term and I'm delighted that, collectively, Government, the middle tier and the unions have agreed that way forward, because you are correct to say that workload is one issue that the profession has cited as an issue that perhaps works against us in our attempts to bring more people into the profession, although I have to say constantly talking about what a difficult, challenging job it is doesn't help our recruitment efforts. Undoubtedly, teaching is a challenging role, but it is a highly, highly rewarding career and we want to make sure that more people choose it and that more people who choose to train stay in that profession for the entirety of their careers.
The Member asked some specific questions about the school business manager pilot. As I said, over 100 schools were identified by local authorities as part of the pilot. Originally, 11 local authorities submitted proposals to take part. They included Anglesey, Monmouthshire, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Conwy, Powys, Carmarthenshire, the Vale of Glamorgan, Torfaen, Bridgend and Swansea. And, in the end, 10 out of the 11 authorities have schools that have taken part in the programme. In July 2018, officials commissioned Miller Research to conduct an independent interim review of the performance and the operation of the pilot in its first year, and the interim evaluation report found that the vast majority of the feedback from headteachers and school leaders was very positive. The main benefits are around time savings, reduced workload and actually driving value for money in the way in which the school utilises its budget. And having a business manager had had a positive impact in reducing the admin workload on primary, and in some cases secondary, headteachers. The posts had also allowed them to see improvements in the effectiveness of business management systems across clusters as well as, as I said, cost-effective school financial management.
Some of the figures that have been saved on school photocopying contracts are literally eye-watering, and perhaps I will be able to give Members further details on that. But having that one person that has a certain set of skills and, crucially, has the time to turn their attention to these issues, has made an impact. I was lucky enough to visit the business managers that are working in the Monmouthshire pilots and the Conwy pilots, and they have worked collectively as a team of people to manage their workload as well, to ensure that they're not reinventing the wheel when designing, for instance, responses to changes in data protection. So, they do it once for their school and then they share that with the other business managers. So, there's some excellent practice. We're aiming to commission a full independent evaluation during the spring term of 2020, and best practice examples will form part of that evaluation. We'll be providing exemplar cases that we can share across the system. So, that independent evaluation of that scheme has been done on an interim basis, and will continue.
With regard to Hwb, I'm glad that the Member has had positive feedback from the profession regarding the usefulness of Hwb. Can I give an example of just one way in which we're improving access to that? In March this ye