Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd
Plenary - Fifth Senedd
06/05/2020Cynnwys
Contents
Cyfarfu'r Senedd drwy gynhadledd fideo am 13:33 gyda’r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd met by video-conference at 13:33 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.
Croeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Cyn i ni ddechrau, dwi eisiau nodi ychydig o bwyntiau. Mae'r Cyfarfod Llawn a gynhelir drwy gynhadledd fideo yn unol â Rheolau Sefydlog Senedd Cymru yn gyfystyr â thrafodion y Senedd at ddibenion Deddf Llywodraeth Cymru 2006. Bydd rhai o ddarpariaethau Rheol Sefydlog 34 yn gymwys ar gyfer y Cyfarfod Llawn heddiw; mae'r rhain wedi'u nodi ar yr agenda.
Dwi hefyd eisiau atgoffa Aelodau fod Rheolau Sefydlog yn ymwneud â threfn yn y Cyfarfod Llawn yn gymwys i'r cyfarfod yma, a hefyd am y cyfyngiadau amser ar hyd y cwestiynau y mae Aelodau wedi cael eu hysbysebu amdanynt.
Dyma gyfarfod cyntaf Senedd Cymru. Mae rôl ein Senedd yn llawer mwy arwyddocaol na'n henw, wrth gwrs, ond mae'n briodol bod yr enw'n adlewyrchu'r ystod o bwerau a chyfrifoldebau sydd bellach yn perthyn i'r Senedd hon ar ran bobl Cymru.
Welcome, all, to this Plenary meeting. Before we begin, I want to set out a few things. A Plenary meeting held by video conference in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Welsh Parliament constitutes Senedd proceedings for the purposes of the Government of Wales Act 2006. Some of the provisions of Standing Order 34 will apply for today's Plenary meeting; these are noted on your agenda.
I would also wish to remind Members that Standing Orders relating to order in Plenary meetings apply to this meeting, and of the time limits on questions that will be applied to this meeting, as communicated to Members.
This is the first meeting of Senedd Cymru, the Welsh Parliament. The role of the Senedd is far more significant than its name, but it's appropriate that the name reflects the range of powers and responsibilities that this Senedd exercises on behalf of the people of Wales.
We are meeting for the first time as Members of the Senedd in the Welsh Parliament, our name now reflecting our role as our nation's democratic Parliament. Whilst our name may have formally changed today, our priority remains the same as it has done over the past weeks—responding to the coronavirus crisis. Now more than ever, our citizens expect a strong national Parliament working in the interests of the people of Wales.
Rydym yn cyfarfod am y tro cyntaf fel Aelodau o’r Senedd yn Senedd Cymru, gyda’n henw bellach yn adlewyrchu ein rôl fel Senedd ddemocrataidd ein cenedl. Er bod ein henw wedi newid yn ffurfiol heddiw, mae ein blaenoriaeth yr un fath ag y bu dros yr wythnosau diwethaf—ymateb i argyfwng y coronafeirws. Yn fwy nag erioed, mae ein dinasyddion yn disgwyl Senedd genedlaethol gref sy'n gweithio er budd pobl Cymru.
And we'll now crack on with that work and I will call on the First Minister to propose the business statement—Mark Drakeford.
Ac fe wnawn ni fwrw ymlaen nawr â'r gwaith hwnnw, a galwaf ar y Prif Weinidog i gynnig y datganiad busnes—Mark Drakeford.
Diolch, Llywydd. There are no changes to today's agenda. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, and that can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Diolch Lywydd. Nid oes unrhyw newidiadau i'r agenda heddiw. Mae'r busnes drafft ar gyfer y tair wythnos nesaf wedi'i nodi yn y datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, sydd i'w weld ymhlith papurau'r cyfarfodydd sydd ar gael i'r Aelodau'n electronig.
Diolch i'r Prif Weinidog.
I thank the First Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf o fusnes, felly, yw'r cwestiwn amserol, a dwi'n galw ar Rhun ap Iorwerth i ofyn y cwestiwn amserol i'r Gweinidog iechyd—Rhun ap Iorwerth.
The next item of business is the topical question, and I call on Rhun ap Iorwerth to ask the topical question of the health Minister—Rhun ap Iorwerth.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y camau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i gynyddu'r capasiti i ddarparu strategaeth brofi, olrhain ac ynysu o ran coronafeirws ar gyfer Cymru, yn dilyn adroddiadau mai cyngor diweddaraf Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yw y gallai fod angen 30,000 o brofion y dydd? 415
1. Will the Minister make a statement on the steps the Welsh Government is taking to increase capacity to deliver a coronavirus test, trace and isolate strategy for Wales, following reports that Public Health Wales' latest advice is that 30,000 tests a day could be required? 415
Thank you for the question. Members will be aware that Public Health Wales has developed a high-level document to inform discussions with partners on the next phase of our national response to COVID-19. Discussions are ongoing this week to finalise the operational elements of a public protection response plan for Wales.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Bydd yr Aelodau'n ymwybodol fod Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru wedi datblygu dogfen lefel uchel i lywio trafodaethau gyda phartneriaid ynghylch cam nesaf ein hymateb cenedlaethol i COVID-19. Mae’r trafodaethau’n parhau yr wythnos hon i gwblhau elfennau gweithredol cynllun ymateb i ddiogelu'r cyhoedd ar gyfer Cymru.
Diolch, Weinidog. We were told in March that there'd be 9,000 tests a day by last week, rather than around the 1,000 or so we're currently hitting. I'll park for a minute the apparent commandeering of 5,000 Welsh tests a day by UK Government. But global evidence on testing hasn't weakened since then, it's strengthened, and it's countries that have set elimination strategies with robust test, trace and isolation policies—countries like New Zealand—that have managed to keep their death rates down.
Public Health Wales seem to agree. The document I've read—and, incidentally, I know the Minister refers to it as a draft document, a document we perhaps shouldn't take too seriously, but I have it here: public health protection, a response plan prepared by Public Health Wales, 29 April 2020, final version. It says that testing for COVID-19 is a critical part of the response to the pandemic in Wales. The question is: how should that be delivered? Now, the document is detailed, it's complex, it makes projections for the testing capacity needed. It says on page 65 that, as well as particular groups that will need testing—key workers, patients in hospital, and so on—testing symptomatic members of the general population will be essential to suppress transmission. And it states, and I quote, that if all symptomatic members of the population are to be tested, this would generate a demand of approximately 30,000 tests a day.
Now, what sparked this question was the Minister's almost immediate dismissal of that, suggesting a figure closer to the original 9,000 may be needed. But, of course, despite setting those targets back in March, Welsh Government now doesn't believe in targets. Or does it? Welsh Government's chief scientific officer, Rob Orford, answering my questions in the health committee last week said:
'we're not publishing the number of tests that we're aiming for, but the internal numbers are significant'.
So, Ministers do know how many tests we should be aiming for, but aren't telling us. And for us parliamentarians, on behalf of the people of Wales, to be able to scrutinise Ministers, to push for the best possible outcome, which is what we all want, we need to know what Government itself is aiming for. So, please can I ask the Minister to tell us what the plan is, what the targets are, and how we're planning to get there, so we as parliamentarians can measure if you're on track?
Diolch, Weinidog. Dywedwyd wrthym ym mis Mawrth y byddai 9,000 o brofion y dydd yn cael eu cynnal erbyn yr wythnos diwethaf, yn hytrach na’r oddeutu 1,000 rydym yn eu cyflawni ar hyn o bryd. Rwyf am anwybyddu, am funud, y ffaith bod Llywodraeth y DU, yn ôl pob golwg, wedi mynnu bod Cymru'n cynnal 5,000 o brofion y dydd. Ond nid yw’r dystiolaeth fyd-eang ar brofi wedi gwanhau ers hynny, mae wedi cryfhau, a'r gwledydd sydd wedi pennu strategaethau dileu gyda pholisïau profi, olrhain ac ynysu cadarn—gwledydd fel Seland Newydd—wedi llwyddo i gadw eu cyfraddau marwolaeth i lawr.
Ymddengys bod Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn cytuno. Y ddogfen rwyf wedi'i darllen—a gyda llaw, gwn fod y Gweinidog yn cyfeirio ati fel dogfen ddrafft, dogfen na ddylem ei chymryd o ddifrif, efallai, ond mae hi gennyf yma: diogelu iechyd y cyhoedd, cynllun ymateb a baratowyd gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, 29 Ebrill 2020, fersiwn derfynol. Dywed bod profi am COVID-19 yn rhan allweddol o'r ymateb i'r pandemig yng Nghymru. Y cwestiwn yw: sut y dylid cyflawni hynny? Nawr, mae'r ddogfen yn fanwl, mae'n gymhleth, mae'n gwneud amcanestyniadau ar gyfer y capasiti profi sydd ei angen. Dywed, ar dudalen 65, yn ogystal â grwpiau penodol y bydd angen eu profi—gweithwyr allweddol, cleifion mewn ysbytai, ac ati—y bydd profi aelodau symptomatig o'r boblogaeth gyffredinol yn hanfodol i atal trosglwyddiad. Ac mae'n nodi, a dyfynnaf, pe bai holl aelodau symptomatig y boblogaeth yn cael eu profi, y byddai hyn yn cynhyrchu galw am oddeutu 30,000 o brofion y dydd.
Nawr, yr hyn a ysgogodd y cwestiwn hwn oedd y ffaith bod y Gweinidog wedi gwrthod hynny bron ar unwaith, gan awgrymu y gallai fod angen ffigur sy'n agosach at y ffigur gwreiddiol o 9,000. Ond wrth gwrs, er iddi osod y targedau hynny yn ôl ym mis Mawrth, nid yw Llywodraeth Cymru bellach yn credu mewn targedau. Neu a yw hi? Dywedodd prif swyddog gwyddonol Llywodraeth Cymru, Rob Orford, wrth ateb fy nghwestiynau yn y pwyllgor iechyd yr wythnos diwethaf:
nid ydym yn cyhoeddi nifer y profion rydym yn anelu atynt, ond mae'r niferoedd mewnol yn arwyddocaol.
Felly, mae Gweinidogion yn gwybod faint o brofion y dylem fod yn anelu atynt, ond nid ydynt yn dweud wrthym. Ac er mwyn i ni seneddwyr, ar ran pobl Cymru, allu craffu ar Weinidogion, i wthio am y canlyniad gorau posibl, sef yr hyn y mae pob un ohonom yn dymuno’i weld, mae angen inni wybod beth y mae'r Llywodraeth ei hun yn anelu ato. Felly, a gaf fi ofyn i'r Gweinidog ddweud wrthym beth yw'r cynllun, beth yw'r targedau, a sut rydym yn bwriadu cyflawni hynny, fel y gallwn ni fel seneddwyr fesur i weld a ydych chi ar y trywydd iawn?
Thank you for the statement and the series of questions within it. I think it's important to go back to what this leaked draft document is, and it's not a final plan for Wales, it's the basis of a discussion between partners. Because Public Health Wales, as the draft has been leaked, have had to engage in a wider conversation with partners in the health service—so, health boards and other trusts—as well of course as local authorities and others. So, those partners, together with the Government, are working through the document with Public Health Wales. Feedback is coming in from that, and we will then get to a point over the next week or so where there will be a confirmed national plan. I set out the high-level elements of that yesterday, and the main points of principle will remain consistent, but the operational plan will set out and fill in more of the detail on numbers—so, the model of contact tracing we think we're going to adopt, the point at which that tracing will take place, what that means in terms of the capacity we need, where we'll get that capacity for contact tracing from. And local authorities have been really helpful in those discussions, in developing something to get more operational and looking at the resources they've already got.
And then, of course, the point about testing—now, the capacity for that is not something that is certain at this point in time. We'll have more certainty when I have a finalised plan, and, when we do so, I'll obviously make a statement, and I'll be ready to answer questions, not just from the press, but from Members of this Parliament as well. So, we'll expect to see further progress on testing, because, as I have said on a number of occasions, we know we need a larger testing infrastructure to move to the test, track, trace programme. But it's the point and purpose of that testing. And the reason why I mention 9,000 tests is that, when Scotland announced their plan, they indicated that, for Scotland—and Wales has a population of just under 60 per cent of the population of Scotland—they thought they'd need 15,500 tests. If the early draft figures in the document that's been leaked were the ones we're aiming for in Wales, that would mean that Scotland would need nearly treble the number of tests they've announced, and England would need testing capacity of over 600,000. So, the approximation that I gave was that, if we were doing the same thing on the same basis as Scotland, that would end up being a figure of 9,000.
When we get a final plan, with final figures, I will of course be publishing that, making that available to all members of the public, and I fully expect to answer questions before this Parliament on that as well.
Diolch am y datganiad a'r gyfres o gwestiynau a gafwyd ynddo. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig dychwelyd at beth yw’r ddogfen ddrafft hon a gafodd ei datgelu'n answyddogol, ac nid yw'n gynllun terfynol ar gyfer Cymru, mae'n destun trafodaeth rhwng partneriaid. Oherwydd mae Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, gan fod y drafft wedi cael ei ddatgelu'n answyddogol, wedi gorfod cael sgwrs ehangach gyda phartneriaid yn y gwasanaeth iechyd—felly byrddau iechyd ac ymddiriedolaethau eraill—yn ogystal ag awdurdodau lleol ac eraill wrth gwrs. Felly, mae'r partneriaid hynny, ynghyd â'r Llywodraeth, yn gweithio drwy'r ddogfen gydag Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru. Mae adborth yn dod yn ôl o hynny, ac yna byddwn yn cyrraedd pwynt dros yr wythnos neu ddwy nesaf pan fydd cynllun cenedlaethol yn cael ei gadarnhau. Nodais yr elfennau lefel uchel sy'n perthyn i hynny ddoe, a bydd y prif egwyddorion yn parhau i fod yn gyson, ond bydd y cynllun gweithredol yn nodi ac yn llenwi mwy o'r manylion ar niferoedd—felly'r model o olrhain cysylltiadau y credwn y byddwn yn ei ddefnyddio, pan fydd y gwaith olrhain hwnnw'n mynd rhagddo, beth y mae hynny'n ei olygu o ran y capasiti sydd ei angen arnom, o ble y cawn y capasiti hwnnw i olrhain cysylltiadau. Ac mae awdurdodau lleol wedi bod o gymorth mawr yn y trafodaethau hynny, wrth ddatblygu rhywbeth i fod yn fwy gweithredol ac edrych ar yr adnoddau sydd ganddynt eisoes.
Ac yna, wrth gwrs, y pwynt ynglŷn â phrofi—nawr, nid yw'r capasiti ar gyfer hynny’n rhywbeth sy'n sicr ar hyn o bryd. Bydd gennym fwy o sicrwydd pan fydd gennyf gynllun terfynol, a phan fydd un gennym, byddaf yn amlwg yn gwneud datganiad, a byddaf yn barod i ateb cwestiynau, nid yn unig gan y wasg, ond gan Aelodau o'r Senedd hon hefyd. Felly, byddwn yn disgwyl gweld cynnydd pellach ar brofi, oherwydd fel rwyf wedi’i ddweud sawl tro, gwyddom fod angen seilwaith profi mwy arnom i symud i'r rhaglen brofi, monitro ac olrhain. Ond mae a wnelo hyn â diben a phwrpas y profion hynny. A'r rheswm pam y soniaf am 9,000 o brofion yw bod yr Alban, wrth gyhoeddi eu cynllun, wedi nodi, ar gyfer yr Alban—ac mae gan Gymru boblogaeth o ychydig llai na 60 y cant o boblogaeth yr Alban—eu bod yn meddwl y byddai angen 15,500 o brofion arnynt. Os mai'r ffigurau drafft cynnar yn y ddogfen a gafodd ei datgelu'n answyddogol yw’r rhai rydym yn anelu atynt yng Nghymru, byddai hynny'n golygu y byddai'r Alban angen bron i deirgwaith y nifer o brofion y maent wedi'u cyhoeddi, a byddai angen capasiti profi o dros 600,000 ar Loegr. Felly, y bras amcan a roddais oedd, pe byddem yn gwneud yr un peth ar yr un sail â'r Alban, y byddai hynny'n ffigur o 9,000 yn y pen draw.
Pan gawn gynllun terfynol gyda ffigurau terfynol, byddaf yn ei gyhoeddi wrth gwrs, gan sicrhau ei fod ar gael i bob aelod o’r cyhoedd, ac rwy’n llwyr ddisgwyl ateb cwestiynau gerbron y Senedd hon ar hynny hefyd.
Isn't it a fact, Minister, that your Government simply hasn't got a grip of testing here in Wales? We've got woefully inadequate numbers of people being tested at the moment; we know that Public Health Wales has capacity to deliver around 2,000 tests a day, and yet the reports that we receive from Public Health Wales seem to indicate that less than half of that is actually being taken up.
We know, for example, from the Royal College of Nursing, that even those who are eligible for tests have no idea, a good proportion of them, how, actually, to get themselves booked in. So, we've got real problems on the testing front. And, of course, we have an unequal access to testing in different parts of the country. We know, for example, that new testing facilities, in terms of the drive-through facilities, came on stream in north Wales well after those in the south; we know that laboratory capacity also, of course, needs to be ramped up. We were supposed to have a new laboratory in north Wales, so that test results didn't have to be sent to the south, operational by the end of the month, and, of course, that deadline, which you set yourself, went by without that laboratory having been established.
So, do you accept that you're failing on testing, that you need to ramp this capacity up, regardless of the situation that you describe—which seems to be pretty complacent, I have to say—in terms of the need to get this trajectory up on testing?
And can you also—? One other part of the report that was leaked referred to the number of people who might need to be engaged in the test, track and trace process and the surveillance process. There was a number in there of 1,800 people being required in Wales in order to facilitate the sort of working that was described in the document. Now, in Scotland, they have suggested that they're going to need around 2,000 people, and, in England, they've suggested around 18,000 people. Now, both of those, proportionately for the population, seem to be far fewer than the number of people that Public Health Wales seem to suggest that we might need in terms of personnel. So, can you explain what the rationale is for that much more significant number proportionately, why they've arrived at that particular figure, and what efforts you're making at the moment, as a Government, to make sure that those people are recruited?
Onid yw'n ffaith, Weinidog, nad oes gan eich Llywodraeth reolaeth ar brofi yma yng Nghymru? Mae gennym niferoedd truenus o annigonol o bobl yn cael eu profi ar hyn o bryd; gwyddom fod capasiti gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru i ddarparu oddeutu 2,000 o brofion y dydd, ond serch hynny, ymddengys bod yr adroddiadau a gawn gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn dangos bod llai na hanner y ffigur hwnnw'n cael eu cynnal mewn gwirionedd.
Gwyddom, er enghraifft, drwy’r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol, nad oes gan hyd yn oed y rheini sy'n gymwys i gael prawf unrhyw syniad, cyfran dda ohonynt, sut i drefnu prawf. Felly, mae gennym broblemau gwirioneddol o ran profi. Ac wrth gwrs, mae gennym fynediad anghyfartal at brofion mewn gwahanol rannau o'r wlad. Gwyddom, er enghraifft, fod cyfleusterau profi newydd, ar ffurf cyfleusterau profi drwy ffenest y car, wedi'u darparu yng ngogledd Cymru ymhell ar ôl y rheini yn y de; gwyddom fod angen cynyddu capasiti labordai hefyd, wrth gwrs. Roeddem i fod i gael labordy newydd yng ngogledd Cymru, fel nad oedd yn rhaid anfon canlyniadau profion i'r de, yn weithredol erbyn diwedd y mis, ac wrth gwrs, pasiodd y dyddiad hwnnw, a osodwyd gennych chi eich hun, heb i'r labordy hwnnw gael ei sefydlu.
Felly, a ydych yn derbyn eich bod yn methu mewn perthynas â phrofi, fod angen i chi gynyddu’r capasiti hwn, ni waeth beth yw'r sefyllfa a ddisgrifiwch—sy'n ymddangos yn un eithaf hunanfodlon, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud—o ran yr angen i wella’r trywydd mewn perthynas â phrofi?
Ac a allwch hefyd—? Cyfeiriodd rhan arall o'r adroddiad a gafodd ei ddatgelu’n answyddogol at nifer y bobl y gallai fod angen iddynt gymryd rhan yn y broses brofi, monitro ac olrhain a'r broses wyliadwriaeth. Cyfeiriwyd at yr angen am 1,800 o bobl yng Nghymru er mwyn hwyluso'r math o weithio a ddisgrifiwyd yn y ddogfen. Nawr, yn yr Alban, maent wedi awgrymu y bydd angen oddeutu 2,000 o bobl arnynt, ac yn Lloegr, maent wedi awgrymu oddeutu 18,000 o bobl. Nawr, ymddengys bod y ddau ffigur hwnnw, yn ôl cyfran y boblogaeth, yn llai o lawer na nifer y bobl yr ymddengys bod Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn awgrymu y gallai fod eu hangen arnom ni o ran personél. Felly, a allwch egluro beth yw'r sail resymegol dros y nifer lawer mwy yn ôl cyfran, pam eu bod wedi penderfynu ar y ffigur penodol hwnnw, a pha ymdrechion rydych yn eu gwneud ar hyn o bryd, fel Llywodraeth, i sicrhau bod y bobl hynny'n cael eu recriwtio?
Again, I need to start by reminding the Member, as he knows, that the report that he's referring to is a leaked draft report and not the final plan, so I don't intend to run around looking at assumptions that underpin that, because, when there is a final plan that the Government introduces, I'll then be talking about how we've arrived at those figures, having had that conversation across the health, social care and wider range of partners who are going to be needed to understand and to implement the public protection response plan.
I don't accept the charge that we don't have a grip on testing. We know we've got to do better. The review that I instituted has led to a number of improvements already. In the direct conversation I have with stakeholders, for example, Care Forum Wales, local government and people running the local resilience fora, they state that the referrals are now being made at a much better rate and a faster rate. Our challenge is to make sure that we still have a consistent application of both the process, so it's properly efficient, and that will need to develop further as, of course, we know we're going to see a larger number people come through as we start to phase out of lockdown, but it's also about making sure that it's easier for employers to refer their members of staff into the testing process as well. So, that's a direct point that we're taking up within our system and with employers, but, as I say, that's a conversation we have on a regular basis and the additional oversight that we're providing for that.
On your broader point about unequal access, well, as you're moving to any new system, where you start first will be a pilot, and start off earlier than other parts of the country. I think it really is important that we don't collapse into a narrative about regional grievance, that some regions of Wales are being deliberately de-prioritised as against others, and that simply isn't true. The lab in Rhyl, which of course, as you'll be aware, is in the Deputy Presiding Officer's constituency, that's opening today. That will provide not just closer geographic access, but it will provide some additional capacity as well, and that should make a positive difference for people across north Wales, but more resilience across our national picture as well.
When it comes to the physical contact tracers and the numbers of those, this again goes back to the point that this is a draft that's being discussed, and it's being discussed to get to the right number to understand how many people we need and the balance between the use of technology and physical contact tracing as well, with people on phones and otherwise. All of these things about the number of staff needed will have to take account of the form of lockdown measures we're going to ease as we exit lockdown, and the number of extra people that are moving and circulating in a different way to the way we are now, and, of course, people's continued willingness to follow the social distancing guidance we've introduced, because that has been the major reason why we've slowed down the spread of coronavirus and we don't have even more deaths to report here in Wales today.
Unwaith eto, mae angen imi ddechrau drwy atgoffa'r Aelod, fel y gŵyr, mai adroddiad drafft a gafodd ei ddatgelu’n answyddogol yw'r adroddiad y cyfeiria ato ac nid y cynllun terfynol, felly nid wyf yn bwriadu rhedeg o gwmpas yn edrych ar y rhagdybiaethau sy'n sail iddo, oherwydd pan fydd y Llywodraeth yn cyflwyno cynllun terfynol, byddaf yn siarad bryd hynny ynglŷn â sut y cyrhaeddwyd y ffigurau hynny, ar ôl cael y sgwrs honno ar draws y maes iechyd, gofal cymdeithasol a'r ystod ehangach o bartneriaid y bydd eu hangen er mwyn deall a gweithredu'r cynllun ymateb i ddiogelu’r cyhoedd.
Nid wyf yn derbyn y cyhuddiad nad oes gennym reolaeth ar brofi. Gwyddom fod yn rhaid inni wneud yn well. Mae'r adolygiad a gychwynnais wedi arwain at nifer o welliannau eisoes. Yn y sgyrsiau uniongyrchol a gaf gyda rhanddeiliaid, er enghraifft, Fforwm Gofal Cymru, llywodraeth leol a phobl sy'n rhedeg y fforymau cydnerthedd lleol, maent yn nodi bod yr atgyfeiriadau bellach yn digwydd ar gyfradd lawer gwell a chyfradd gyflymach. Yr her i ni yw sicrhau ein bod yn dal i roi’r broses ar waith yn gyson, fel ei bod yn gwbl effeithlon, a bydd angen i hynny ddatblygu ymhellach, oherwydd wrth gwrs, gwyddom ein bod yn mynd i weld nifer fwy o bobl yn dod drwodd wrth inni ddechrau codi’r cyfyngiadau symud, ond mae a wnelo hefyd â sicrhau ei bod yn haws i gyflogwyr atgyfeirio eu staff at y broses brofi hefyd. Felly, mae hwnnw'n bwynt uniongyrchol rydym yn mynd i’r afael ag ef yn ein system a chyda chyflogwyr, ond fel y dywedaf, mae honno’n sgwrs a gawn yn rheolaidd, a'r oruchwyliaeth ychwanegol a ddarparwn ar gyfer hynny.
O ran eich pwynt ehangach ynglŷn â mynediad anghyfartal, wel, wrth i chi newid i unrhyw system newydd, cynllun peilot fydd eich man cychwyn, a bydd yn cychwyn yn gynharach na rhannau eraill o'r wlad. Credaf ei bod yn wirioneddol bwysig nad ydym yn ildio i naratif o annhegwch rhanbarthol, fod rhai rhanbarthau yng Nghymru yn cael eu dadflaenoriaethu'n fwriadol yn erbyn rhai eraill, ac nid yw hynny'n wir. Mae'r labordy yn y Rhyl, sydd wrth gwrs, fel y gwyddoch, yn etholaeth y Dirprwy Lywydd, mae hwnnw’n agor heddiw. Bydd hwnnw’n darparu mynediad daearyddol agosach, a hefyd yn darparu rhywfaint o gapasiti ychwanegol hefyd, a dylai hynny wneud gwahaniaeth cadarnhaol i bobl ar draws gogledd Cymru, ond mwy o gydnerthedd ar draws ein darlun cenedlaethol hefyd.
O ran olrheinwyr cysylltiadau corfforol a’r nifer ohonynt, mae hyn eto'n ymwneud â’r pwynt mai drafft yw’r hyn sy'n cael ei drafod, ac mae'n cael ei drafod er mwyn cyrraedd y nifer gywir i ddeall faint o bobl sydd eu hangen arnom a'r cydbwysedd rhwng y defnydd o dechnoleg ac olrhain cysylltiadau corfforol hefyd, gyda phobl ar ffonau ac fel arall. Bydd yn rhaid i'r holl bethau hyn ynglŷn â nifer y staff sydd eu hangen ystyried y math o fesurau rydym am eu llacio wrth i ni gefnu ar y cyfyngiadau symud, a nifer y bobl ychwanegol sy'n symud ac yn mynd o gwmpas mewn ffordd wahanol i'r ffordd a wnawn ar hyn o bryd, ac wrth gwrs, parodrwydd parhaus pobl i ddilyn y canllawiau cadw pellter cymdeithasol rydym wedi'u cyflwyno, gan mai dyna'r prif reswm pam ein bod wedi arafu lledaeniad y coronafeirws a pham nad ydym yn gweld hyd yn oed mwy o farwolaethau yma yng Nghymru heddiw.
Gweinidog, ynglŷn ag ehangu'r nifer o brofion, beth ydych chi'n ei wneud i alluogi meddygon teulu i allu trefnu prawf COVID ar gyfer claf sydd efo symptomau posibl o goronafeirws yn y gymuned? Ac yn ôl at yr adroddiad terfynol yma, pam dŷch chi nawr yn awgrymu dilyn yr Alban yn lle dilyn eich cyngor eich hun yn yr adroddiad terfynol yma?
Minister, in terms of expanding the number of tests, what are you doing to enable GPs to arrange a COVID test for a patient who has possible coronavirus symptoms in the community? And back to this final report, why do you now suggest following Scotland, rather than following your own advice in this report?
Well, this should be the point about the current focus on testing, and that's about critical workers and people who are symptomatic. That should still work within the healthcare system, so if GPs have patients they're concerned about and there's a clinical reason to do so, that should still be possible. We're also then talking about the broader roll-out of testing as part of the test, track, trace model.
The leaked draft document is exactly that. This doesn't represent the final advice to Ministers on the exact model we should implement here in Wales and the numbers that underpin that, whether of the number of tests that we need, or indeed the contact traces. So, that is still part of the conversation we're having with partners, so that Ministers do then have a final form of advice about what that will look at in each of its aspects. I think the idea that Ministers are rejecting the advice that they're receiving on this issue is not to give a fair or accurate representation of what's being done. That draft report is being worked through, as you would expect it to be, with partners in the health service, local government and others. And as I say, I fully expect to come back to this Parliament to provide a further statement and answer questions when we do have that final plan that we will, of course, be publishing.
Wel, dyma ddylai'r pwynt fod am y ffocws presennol ar brofi, ac mae hynny'n ymwneud â gweithwyr hanfodol a phobl sy'n symptomatig. Dylai hynny weithio o fewn y system gofal iechyd o hyd, felly os oes gan feddygon teulu gleifion y maent yn poeni amdanynt a bod rheswm clinigol dros wneud hynny, dylai hynny fod yn bosibl o hyd. Felly, rydym yn sôn hefyd felly am gyflwyno profion ar raddfa ehangach fel rhan o'r model profi, monitro ac olrhain.
Dogfen a gafodd ei datgelu’n answyddogol yw’r ddogfen ddrafft. Nid dyma'r cyngor terfynol i Weinidogion ar yr union fodel y dylem ei roi ar waith yma yng Nghymru a'r niferoedd sy'n sail i hynny, boed hynny’n ymwneud â nifer y profion sydd eu hangen arnom, neu yn wir, y cysylltiadau sy'n cael eu holrhain. Felly, mae hynny'n dal i fod yn rhan o'r sgwrs a gawn gyda phartneriaid, fel bod Gweinidogion yn cael ffurf ar gyngor terfynol wedyn ar yr hyn y bydd hynny'n edrych arno ym mhob un o'i agweddau. Ni chredaf fod y syniad bod Gweinidogion yn gwrthod y cyngor a gânt ar y mater hwn yn ddarlun teg a chywir o'r hyn sy'n digwydd. Rydym yn gweithio drwy'r adroddiad drafft, fel y byddech yn ei ddisgwyl, gyda phartneriaid yn y gwasanaeth iechyd, llywodraeth leol ac eraill. Ac fel y dywedaf, rwy’n llwyr ddisgwyl dod yn ôl i’r Senedd hon i ddarparu datganiad pellach ac i ateb cwestiynau pan fydd gennym y cynllun terfynol hwnnw y byddwn, wrth gwrs, yn ei gyhoeddi.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
Thank you, Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad gan y Prif Weinidog ar goronafeirws. Dwi'n galw ar y Prif Weinidog i wneud ei ddatganaiad. Mark Drakeford.
The next item is the statement from the First Minister on coronavirus, and I call on the First Minister to make that statement. Mark Drakeford
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Unwaith eto byddaf yn rhoi gwybodaeth i Aelodau'r Senedd am y datblygiadau mwyaf pwysig yn yr wythnos a aeth heibio. Byddaf yn canolbwyntio ar y gwasanaethau iechyd a gofal a sut rydym yn ymateb i effaith coronafeirws ar y bobl mwyaf bregus yng Nghymru. Mae rheolau ymbellhau yn dal i fod mewn lle, wrth gwrs, a rhaid inni gyd gadw atynt. Mae nifer o bethau calonogol i'w dweud, ond rhaid inni barhau i fod yn ofalus iawn wrth gynllunio am y camau nesaf.
Thank you very much, Llywydd. Once again, I will update Members of the Senedd on the key developments since my statement of last week. I will focus on health and care services and on how we are responding to the impact of coronavirus on Wales's most vulnerable people. Of course, social distancing rules remain in place, and we must all adhere to them. There are a number of encouraging things to report, but we must remain vigilant as we plan for the next steps.
Llywydd, once again I will update Members on the key developments since my statement of a week ago. As in previous weeks, I will deal with issues not covered in the statements that follow from the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales, the Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language, and the Counsel General and Minister for European Transition.
Llywydd, as we head towards the end of the second period of lockdown, I would like to provide Members with the latest figures on the progression of the disease in Wales. Thanks to the enormous efforts of people throughout our nation, the number of coronavirus cases is decreasing and the rate at which the virus is circulating has come down. It remains, however, close to the level that could put us back in danger. The crisis is certainly not over, even as some signs improve.
In that context, the number of new confirmed cases of coronavirus reported every day by Public Health Wales is now consistently fewer than 200. The number of people in hospital with coronavirus has fallen again to just over 900 on 5 May. There are now fewer than 70 people in critical care with coronavirus, down from more than 100 in the middle of last month.
Taken together, this body of evidence shows that everything we are doing together as a community is helping us move past the peak of the virus. But, this week, we note that the number of deaths in Wales has now exceeded 1,000. This sombre milestone—each one of those a human life, and a family grieving—underlines the need for great caution as we approach the end of the second review period this week.
Llywydd, I turn now to some practical matters. Thanks to the unstinting efforts of many colleagues, the positive position on PPE that I reported last week has been further maintained. Deliveries from Cambodia and China into Cardiff Airport have put our stocks in a more stable position. We continue to work with partners to ensure that supplies are distributed fairly and reliably across Wales, to meet the needs of hospital and care staff, as well as GPs, optometrists, urgent dental centres and pharmacies and others.
Llywydd, as you've just heard, our testing capacity continues to increase. It's now at 2,100 tests a day, up from 1,800 last week. The north Wales and Carmarthen drive-through testing centres opened last week. The new Swansea bay facility will open this week. We are testing health and social care workers, police, the fire service and prison staff, and will expand to other key workers as capacity increases. Yesterday we received a significant delivery of testing equipment from overseas. Today it is being installed and validated. That process is being completed as rapidly as possible, and will lead to a further step up in capacity next week.
Llywydd, I reported last week to Members that we were working with the care home sector on a wider testing remit in those care homes where there is an outbreak of coronavirus. The health Minister announced the changes to give effect to that wider remit in a written statement on 2 May. In essence, the changes do more to prevent the introduction of coronavirus in care homes where none is in circulation, and more to respond to new outbreaks. As part of that effort, from the beginning of this week eight new mobile testing units will be deployed as part of the plan to test all residents and staff in a care home where an outbreak has occurred.
Llywydd, last week I mentioned the work already under way on an enhanced public health infrastructure to underpin recovery in Wales. That will include three core elements: contact tracing, sampling and testing, and surveillance. That has now been the subject of a topical question answered by the health Minister.
Llywydd, the publication last week of the ONS report ’Coronavirus and the social impacts on disabled people in Great Britain’ demonstrated the stark inequality dimension of the current crisis. It is clear that the virus is having the greatest impact on those with the fewest resources. It will deepen the inequalities already entrenched by a decade of austerity, and this impact may be more intense in Wales due to the age profile of our population and the higher level of deprivation in some of our communities.
Lywydd, unwaith eto, byddaf yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Aelodau ar y datblygiadau allweddol ers fy natganiad wythnos yn ôl. Fel mewn wythnosau blaenorol, byddaf yn ymdrin â materion nad ydynt wedi'u cynnwys yn y datganiadau sydd i ddilyn gan Weinidog yr Economi, Trafnidiaeth a Gogledd Cymru, Gweinidog y Gymraeg a Chysylltiadau Rhyngwladol, a'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol a'r Gweinidog Pontio Ewropeaidd.
Lywydd, wrth inni agosáu at ddiwedd yr ail gyfnod o gyfyngiadau symud, hoffwn roi'r ffigurau diweddaraf i'r Aelodau ar gynnydd y clefyd yng Nghymru. Diolch i ymdrechion aruthrol pobl ym mhob rhan o'n gwlad, mae nifer yr achosion o’r coronafeirws yn gostwng ac mae cyfradd lledaeniad y feirws wedi gostwng. Fodd bynnag, mae'n parhau i fod yn agos at y lefel a allai ein peryglu unwaith eto. Yn sicr, nid yw'r argyfwng drosodd, hyd yn oed wrth i rai arwyddion wella.
Yn y cyd-destun hwnnw, mae nifer yr achosion newydd o’r coronafeirws a gadarnheir bob dydd gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn llai na 200 yn gyson bellach. Mae nifer y bobl yn yr ysbyty â’r coronafeirws wedi gostwng eto i ychydig dros 900 ar 5 Mai. Erbyn hyn, mae llai na 70 o bobl â’r coronafeirws mewn gofal critigol, i lawr o fwy na 100 ganol y mis diwethaf.
Gyda'i gilydd, mae'r corff hwn o dystiolaeth yn dangos bod popeth a wnawn gyda'n gilydd fel cymuned yn ein helpu i symud y tu hwnt i uchafbwynt y feirws. Ond yr wythnos hon, nodwn fod nifer y marwolaethau yng Nghymru bellach dros 1,000. Mae'r garreg filltir ddigalon hon—pob un ohonynt yn fywyd dynol, ac yn deulu mewn galar—yn tanlinellu'r angen am gryn ofal wrth inni agosáu at ddiwedd yr ail gyfnod adolygu yr wythnos hon.
Lywydd, trof yn awr at rai materion ymarferol. Diolch i ymdrechion diflino llawer o gyd-Aelodau, mae'r sefyllfa gadarnhaol a nodais yr wythnos diwethaf mewn perthynas â chyfarpar diogelu personol wedi'i chynnal. Mae cyflenwadau a anfonwyd o Gambodia a Tsieina i Faes Awyr Caerdydd wedi golygu bod ein stociau'n fwy sefydlog. Rydym yn parhau i weithio gyda phartneriaid i sicrhau bod cyflenwadau'n cael eu dosbarthu'n deg ac yn ddibynadwy ledled Cymru, i ddiwallu anghenion staff ysbytai a staff gofal, yn ogystal â meddygon teulu, optometryddion, canolfannau deintyddol brys a fferyllfeydd ac eraill.
Lywydd, fel rydych newydd glywed, mae ein capasiti profi yn parhau i gynyddu. Mae bellach yn 2,100 o brofion y dydd, i fyny o 1,800 yr wythnos diwethaf. Agorodd canolfannau profi drwy ffenest y car yng ngogledd Cymru a Chaerfyrddin yr wythnos diwethaf. Bydd cyfleuster newydd bae Abertawe yn agor yr wythnos hon. Rydym yn profi gweithwyr iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, yr heddlu, y gwasanaeth tân a staff carchardai, a byddwn yn ehangu i gynnwys gweithwyr allweddol eraill wrth i'r capasiti gynyddu. Ddoe, cawsom gyflenwad sylweddol o offer profi o dramor. Heddiw, mae’r offer hwnnw’n cael ei osod a'i ddilysu. Mae'r broses honno'n cael ei chwblhau cyn gynted â phosibl, a bydd yn arwain at gynnydd pellach yn y capasiti yr wythnos nesaf.
Lywydd, rhoddais wybod i’r Aelodau yr wythnos diwethaf ein bod yn gweithio gyda'r sector cartrefi gofal ar gylch gwaith ehangach ar gyfer profi yn y cartrefi gofal lle ceir achosion o’r coronafeirws. Cyhoeddodd y Gweinidog iechyd y newidiadau i roi'r cylch gwaith ehangach hwnnw ar waith mewn datganiad ysgrifenedig ar 2 Mai. Yn y bôn, mae'r newidiadau'n gwneud mwy i atal y coronafeirws rhag cyrraedd y cartrefi gofal lle nad oes unrhyw achosion eisoes, a mwy i ymateb i achosion newydd. Fel rhan o'r ymdrech honno, o ddechrau'r wythnos hon, bydd wyth uned brofi symudol newydd ar waith fel rhan o'r cynllun i brofi'r holl breswylwyr a staff mewn cartrefi gofal lle cafwyd achos o’r coronafeirws.
Lywydd, yr wythnos diwethaf, soniais am y gwaith sydd eisoes ar y gweill ar seilwaith iechyd cyhoeddus gwell i fod yn sail i adfer yng Nghymru. Bydd yn cynnwys tair elfen graidd: olrhain cysylltiadau, samplu a phrofi, a gwyliadwriaeth. Mae hynny bellach wedi bod yn destun cwestiwn amserol a atebwyd gan y Gweinidog iechyd.
Lywydd, dangosodd yr adroddiad a gyhoeddwyd gan y swyddfa ystadegau gwladol yr wythnos diwethaf ar y coronafeirws a’r effeithiau cymdeithasol ar bobl anabl ym Mhrydain yr anghydraddoldeb amlwg yn yr argyfwng presennol. Mae'n amlwg fod y feirws yn cael yr effaith fwyaf ar y rhai sydd â'r lleiaf o adnoddau. Bydd yn dwysáu'r anghydraddoldebau sydd eisoes wedi'u sefydlu gan ddegawd o gyni, a gall yr effaith hon fod yn fwy difrifol yng Nghymru oherwydd proffil oedran ein poblogaeth a'r lefel uwch o amddifadedd yn rhai o'n cymunedau.
As we made clear in the framework for recovery document, published on 24 April, addressing inequality will be a key factor in our plans for coming out of lockdown. In the meantime, we have already taken a series of actions to mitigate where we can the impacts of the crisis on the poorest and most vulnerable citizens in Wales.
As Members will know, research has established that minority ethnic groups are experiencing greater harm from the virus than the majority of the population and that there is a differential impact within BAME communities. Through our stakeholder groups, we are working to understand these impacts and how they are affecting our communities in Wales. A BAME COVID-19 advisory group has been established to examine the evidence and to identify measures that could be taken further to protect the most vulnerable, and I will attend a meeting of that group immediately after concluding my statement this afternoon.
Llywydd, we have continued to prioritise the welfare of families who need help the most. The Minister for Education has announced funding of up to £40 million to enable local authorities to continue free school meal provision until schools reopen, or to the end of August. Wales is the first country in the United Kingdom to provide this continued assurance of support during the school holidays, just as we are funding free childcare for pre-school children of critical workers, and we are the only country in the UK providing free childcare for vulnerable people. And the digital exclusion grant of £3 million, announced since the Senedd last met, will enable all children to access the IT they may need for remote learning during the crisis.
We have recognised the exceptional service provided by care workers through a flat-rate £500 payment to those in the social care workforce providing personal social care. As with the £60,000 death in service payment, this will have the greatest relative benefit for those with the least to begin with. Llywydd, women bear the brunt of low pay in our society. More than 80 per cent of workers in social care are women, and our decision to make a payment of £500 will have an equality impact in gender as well as in income.
At the same time, Llywydd, I should welcome the decision of the Ministry of Justice to locate the first new women offenders residential centre in Wales, a long-overdue development and much assisted by the advocacy of my colleagues, Alun Davies and now Jane Hutt.
Llywydd, in providing financial support from within a limited block budget, we work to target funding where it is most needed. By providing a ceiling of £0.5 million on the rateable value eligibility for our business rate relief scheme, we have freed up more than £100 million to support smaller businesses across Wales. And here we have kept to important schemes that benefit low-paid and vulnerable people. The discretionary assistance fund was particularly important during the flooding emergency earlier this year, and it continues to offer vital protection to people in financial crisis. We have allocated an additional £11 million to this fund this year. In normal times, Llywydd, the discretionary assistance fund makes around 5,600 payments each month, totalling £330,000; since the impact of the crisis, 12,000 payments are being made monthly, totalling now £0.75 million. We continue to support households experiencing hardship through the council tax reduction scheme, and continue to encourage people to contact their local authority to see if they are eligible for help through it.
Finally, Llywydd, last week marked five years since the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 became Welsh law, and that was set out in an important statement by the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip yesterday. As we respond to the current crisis and plan for a post-COVID Wales, the Welsh Government will hold fast to the principles of that Act to build a more prosperous, greener and more equal Wales. The actions I have outlined today are rooted in our commitment to social, economic and environmental justice, and it is this that will continue to shape our actions in the future. Diolch yn fawr.
Fel y nodwyd yn glir gennym yn nogfen y fframwaith adfer, a gyhoeddwyd ar 24 Ebrill, bydd mynd i’r afael ag anghydraddoldeb yn ffactor allweddol yn ein cynlluniau ar gyfer cefnu ar gyfyngiadau symud. Yn y cyfamser, rydym eisoes wedi gweithredu cyfres o gamau i liniaru, lle gallwn, effeithiau’r argyfwng ar y dinasyddion tlotaf a mwyaf agored i niwed yng Nghymru.
Fel y gŵyr yr Aelodau, mae ymchwil wedi sefydlu bod grwpiau lleiafrifoedd ethnig yn cael eu niweidio'n waeth gan y feirws na mwyafrif y boblogaeth, a bod effaith wahaniaethol ymysg cymunedau pobl dduon ac Asiaidd a lleiafrifoedd ethnig. Drwy ein grwpiau rhanddeiliaid, rydym yn gweithio i ddeall yr effeithiau hyn a sut y maent yn effeithio ar ein cymunedau yng Nghymru. Mae grŵp cynghori COVID-19 ar gyfer pobl dduon ac Asiaidd a lleiafrifoedd ethnig wedi’i sefydlu i archwilio’r dystiolaeth ac i nodi camau y gellid eu rhoi ar waith i amddiffyn y rhai mwyaf agored i niwed, a byddaf yn mynychu cyfarfod y grŵp hwnnw yn syth ar ôl gorffen fy natganiad y prynhawn yma.
Rydym wedi parhau i flaenoriaethu lles teuluoedd sydd fwyaf o angen help. Mae'r Gweinidog Addysg wedi cyhoeddi cyllid o hyd at £40 miliwn i alluogi awdurdodau lleol i barhau i ddarparu prydau ysgol am ddim hyd nes y bydd ysgolion yn ailagor, neu hyd at ddiwedd mis Awst. Cymru yw'r wlad gyntaf yn y Deyrnas Unedig i ddarparu'r sicrwydd parhaus hwn o gymorth yn ystod gwyliau'r ysgol, yn yr un modd ag rydym yn ariannu gofal plant am ddim i blant oedran cyn ysgol gweithwyr hanfodol, a ni yw'r unig wlad yn y DU sy'n darparu gofal plant am ddim i bobl agored i niwed. A bydd y grant allgáu digidol o £3 miliwn, a gyhoeddwyd ers i'r Senedd gyfarfod ddiwethaf, yn galluogi pob plentyn i gael mynediad at y TG y gallent fod ei angen ar gyfer dysgu o bell yn ystod yr argyfwng.
Rydym wedi cydnabod y gwasanaeth eithriadol a ddarperir gan weithwyr gofal drwy daliad o £500 i'r rheini yn y gweithlu gofal cymdeithasol sy'n darparu gofal cymdeithasol personol. Yn yr un modd â'r taliad marw yn y swydd o £60,000, bydd hwn yn darparu’r budd cymharol mwyaf i'r rheini sydd â'r lleiaf i ddechrau. Lywydd, menywod sy’n ysgwyddo baich cyflog isel yn ein cymdeithas. Mae mwy nag 80 y cant o weithwyr ym maes gofal cymdeithasol yn fenywod, a bydd ein penderfyniad i wneud taliad o £500 yn cael effaith ar gydraddoldeb o ran rhywedd yn ogystal ag ar incwm.
Ar yr un pryd, Lywydd, dylwn groesawu penderfyniad y Weinyddiaeth Gyfiawnder i leoli'r ganolfan breswyl newydd gyntaf i droseddwyr benywaidd yng Nghymru, datblygiad hirddisgwyliedig a gafodd ei gynorthwyo'n fawr gan gefnogaeth fy nghyd-Aelod, Alun Davies, a Jane Hutt yn awr.
Lywydd, wrth ddarparu cymorth ariannol o gyllideb bloc gyfyngedig, rydym yn gweithio i dargedu cyllid lle mae ei angen fwyaf. Drwy ddarparu terfyn uchaf o £0.5 miliwn ar gymhwysedd gwerth ardrethol ar gyfer ein cynllun rhyddhad ardrethi busnes, rydym wedi rhyddhau mwy na £100 miliwn i gefnogi busnesau llai ledled Cymru. Ac yma, rydym wedi cadw at gynlluniau pwysig sydd o fudd i bobl ar gyflogau isel a phobl sy'n agored i niwed. Roedd y gronfa cymorth dewisol yn arbennig o bwysig yn ystod yr argyfwng llifogydd yn gynharach eleni, ac mae'n parhau i gynnig amddiffyniad hanfodol i bobl mewn argyfwng ariannol. Rydym wedi dyrannu £11 miliwn ychwanegol i'r gronfa hon eleni. Ar adeg arferol, Lywydd, mae'r gronfa cymorth dewisol yn gwneud oddeutu 5,600 o daliadau bob mis, a chyfanswm o £330,000; ers effaith yr argyfwng, mae 12,000 o daliadau’n cael eu gwneud yn fisol, ac mae'r cyfanswm bellach yn £0.75 miliwn. Rydym yn parhau i gefnogi aelwydydd sy'n ei chael hi’n anodd drwy gynllun gostyngiadau’r dreth gyngor, ac yn parhau i annog pobl i gysylltu â'u hawdurdod lleol i weld a ydynt yn gymwys i gael cymorth drwy'r cynllun hwnnw.
Yn olaf, Lywydd, yr wythnos diwethaf, roedd hi’n bum mlynedd ers i Ddeddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau’r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015 ddod yn rhan o gyfraith Cymru, a nodwyd hynny mewn datganiad pwysig gan y Dirprwy Weinidog a’r Prif Chwip ddoe. Wrth inni ymateb i'r argyfwng presennol a chynllunio ar gyfer Cymru ôl-COVID, bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn cadw at egwyddorion y Ddeddf honno i adeiladu Cymru fwy llewyrchus, mwy gwyrdd a mwy cyfartal. Mae'r camau rwyf wedi'u hamlinellu heddiw wedi'u gwreiddio yn ein hymrwymiad i gyfiawnder cymdeithasol, economaidd ac amgylcheddol, a dyma fydd yn parhau i lywio ein camau gweithredu yn y dyfodol. Diolch yn fawr.
Arweinydd yr wrthblaid, Paul Davies.
Leader of the opposition, Paul Davies.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, I'm pleased to see that the Welsh Government has changed its policy on testing in care homes, and that, moving forward, all staff and residents in care homes where there's been a case of COVID-19 will now be tested.
Now, last week, you told us that there was no clinical value in extending the tests further and yet, clearly, that clinical value has now been found. You know that I've raised this issue with the chief medical officer, but the people of Wales deserve to know what new clinical evidence the Welsh Government has actually received. However, this policy still doesn't go far enough, and the Older People's Commissioner for Wales, Heléna Herklots, is right to say that the Welsh Government should be testing all care home residents and staff as a matter of urgency.
Therefore, will you now publish the clinical evidence that you initially received advising you not to test care home residents and staff, and will you also publish the new information that you've received since then that has led to you changing this policy? And will you go one step further and commit to testing all care home residents and staff, so that the sector isn't seen as collateral damage by commentators like Care Forum Wales?
Diolch, Lywydd. Brif Weinidog, rwy'n falch o weld bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi newid ei pholisi ar brofi mewn cartrefi gofal, ac yn y dyfodol, y bydd yr holl staff a phreswylwyr mewn cartrefi gofal lle bu achos o COVID-19 bellach yn cael eu profi.
Nawr, yr wythnos diwethaf, fe ddywedoch chi wrthym nad oedd unrhyw werth clinigol i ymestyn y profion ymhellach, ac eto, yn amlwg, mae'r gwerth clinigol hwnnw bellach wedi'i ddarganfod. Gwyddoch fy mod wedi codi'r mater hwn gyda'r prif swyddog meddygol, ond mae pobl Cymru yn haeddu gwybod pa dystiolaeth glinigol newydd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i chael. Fodd bynnag, nid yw'r polisi hwn yn mynd yn ddigon pell o hyd, ac mae Comisiynydd Pobl Hŷn Cymru, Heléna Herklots, yn iawn i ddweud y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru fod yn profi holl breswylwyr a staff cartrefi gofal, a hynny ar frys.
Felly, a wnewch chi gyhoeddi'r dystiolaeth glinigol a gawsoch yn wreiddiol, yn eich cynghori i beidio â phrofi preswylwyr a staff cartrefi gofal, ac a wnewch chi hefyd gyhoeddi'r wybodaeth newydd rydych wedi’i chael ers hynny sydd wedi arwain at newid y polisi hwn? Ac a wnewch chi fynd gam ymhellach ac ymrwymo i brofi holl breswylwyr a staff cartrefi gofal, fel nad yw'r sector yn cael ei ystyried yn ddifrod cyfochrog gan sylwebyddion fel Fforwm Gofal Cymru?
Llywydd, I thank Paul Davies for that. He will know that, in answering questions from him last week, I said then that the Welsh Government was reviewing the evidence about testing in care homes and looking to see whether our testing regime could be further extended. I said that to the Member on Wednesday, and on Friday, the health Minister set out the practical steps that we would take. The Member asks about the evidence that we have drawn on in making that change. Well, I can tell him that we drew on studies from Singapore and from Spain, from a Public Health England pilot study into six London care homes, on a report for the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in New York, on nursing home sector COVID experience there. We've drawn on evidence from Washington and we've drawn on the UK Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine's systematic report on evidence on how best to contain the spread of coronavirus in the care home sector.
That report identified five different ways in which the spread of coronavirus could be contained, and testing is only one of them. The systematic review puts emphasis on hand hygiene, on environmental decontamination, on staff rotas in care homes and the way in which staff can be rota-ed in order to reduce the risk of coronavirus being imported into care homes, on restrictions on visitors to care homes and then, fifthly and finally, on measures in relation to testing.
I said to the Member last week that I had not seen any clinical evidence that led me to believe that testing of non-symptomatic residents and staff in care homes where there is no coronavirus in circulation had a clinical value. That was confirmed in the evidence that came to Ministers last week, and that is why we will not, at this point, be doing that in Wales. If the clinical evidence changes, then we will follow the evidence.
The Member started by asking for evidence and then asked me to do something for which there is no evidence, and we will not be doing that. Our position was set out in Vaughan Gething's statement on Friday of last week and, essentially, it is about doing more to prevent coronavirus getting into care homes where there is none today, and then doing more in those care homes where there is symptomatic spread, in order to make the management of the virus in those homes more effective.
Lywydd, diolch i Paul Davies. Fe fydd yn gwybod, wrth ateb ei gwestiynau yr wythnos diwethaf, i mi ddweud bryd hynny fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn adolygu’r dystiolaeth ynghylch profi mewn cartrefi gofal ac yn edrych i weld a ellid ymestyn ein trefn brofi ymhellach. Dywedais hynny wrth yr Aelod ddydd Mercher, a ddydd Gwener, nododd y Gweinidog iechyd y camau ymarferol y byddem yn eu cymryd. Mae'r Aelod yn gofyn am y dystiolaeth a ystyriwyd gennym wrth wneud y newid hwnnw. Gallaf ddweud wrtho ein bod wedi ystyried astudiaethau o Singapôr ac o Sbaen, astudiaeth beilot gan Iechyd Cyhoeddus Lloegr i chwe chartref gofal yn Llundain, adroddiad ar gyfer Canolfan Atal a Rheoli Clefydau Ewrop yn Efrog Newydd, a phrofiad y sector cartrefi nyrsio yno mewn perthynas â COVID. Rydym wedi ystyried tystiolaeth o Washington ac rydym wedi ystyried adroddiad systematig Canolfan y DU ar gyfer Meddygaeth ar Sail Tystiolaeth ar dystiolaeth ar y ffordd orau o reoli lledaeniad y coronafeirws yn y sector cartrefi gofal.
Nododd yr adroddiad hwnnw bum ffordd wahanol o reoli lledaeniad y coronafeirws, ac un yn unig ohonynt yw profi. Mae'r adolygiad systematig yn rhoi pwyslais ar hylendid dwylo, ar ddiheintio’r amgylchedd, ar rotâu staff mewn cartrefi gofal a'r ffordd y gellir rhoi staff ar rotâu er mwyn lleihau'r risg y bydd y coronafeirws yn cael ei gludo i gartrefi gofal, ar gyfyngiadau ar ymwelwyr â chartrefi gofal, ac yna, yn bumed ac yn olaf, ar fesurau mewn perthynas â phrofi.
Dywedais wrth yr Aelod yr wythnos diwethaf nad oeddwn wedi gweld unrhyw dystiolaeth glinigol a oedd yn gwneud imi gredu bod gwerth clinigol i brofi preswylwyr a staff nad oes symptomau ganddynt mewn cartrefi gofal lle na cheir achosion o’r coronafeirws. Cadarnhawyd hynny yn y dystiolaeth a roddwyd i Weinidogion yr wythnos diwethaf, a dyna pam na fyddwn yn gwneud hynny yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd. Os bydd y dystiolaeth glinigol yn newid, byddwn yn dilyn y dystiolaeth.
Dechreuodd yr Aelod drwy ofyn am dystiolaeth, ac yna gofynnodd imi wneud rhywbeth nad oes tystiolaeth ar ei gyfer, ac ni fyddwn yn gwneud hynny. Nodwyd ein safbwynt yn natganiad Vaughan Gething ddydd Gwener diwethaf, ac yn y bôn, mae'n ymwneud â gwneud mwy i atal y coronafeirws rhag cyrraedd cartrefi gofal lle nad oes achosion ohono yno heddiw, ac yna gwneud mwy yn y cartrefi gofal lle ceir lledaeniad symptomatig, er mwyn gallu rheoli’r feirws yn y cartrefi hynny'n fwy effeithiol.
Well, First Minister, I think it is important that we do see the evidence, because this policy has indeed changed. It's important that the Welsh Government is open and transparent on these matters because the public have a right to know what evidence has been used when a policy changes.
Now, moving on, First Minister, I'm pleased to see that the Isle of Wight is now preparing to trial a phone app that will track COVID-19 infections. First Minister, this may be an area that the Welsh Government can work on with the UK Government so that Wales can also be at the forefront of these technological developments. Whilst, of course, there are data issues on how it could be shared in Wales, this type of contact tracing could be of huge benefit to us here in Wales. Can you therefore confirm that Wales is willing to be part of this process, and that your officials are working with their counterparts in England to see how we could use this technology here in Wales? And will you commit to publishing the latest guidance that the Welsh Government receives on this issue, so that we can track and trace the Welsh Government's progress in this area?
Wel, Brif Weinidog, credaf ei bod yn bwysig inni weld y dystiolaeth, gan fod y polisi hwn, yn wir, wedi newid. Mae'n bwysig fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn agored ac yn dryloyw ar y materion hyn gan fod gan y cyhoedd hawl i wybod pa dystiolaeth sydd wedi'i defnyddio pan fydd polisi'n newid.
Nawr, wrth symud ymlaen, Brif Weinidog, rwy'n falch o weld bod Ynys Wyth bellach yn paratoi i dreialu ap ffôn a fydd yn olrhain achosion o COVID-19. Brif Weinidog, gall hwn fod yn faes y gall Llywodraeth Cymru weithio arno gyda Llywodraeth y DU er mwyn i Gymru hefyd fod ar flaen y gad yn y datblygiadau technolegol hyn. Er bod problemau'n codi o ran sut i rannu data yng Nghymru, gallai'r math hwn o olrhain cysylltiadau fod o fudd enfawr i ni yma yng Nghymru. A allwch gadarnhau felly fod Cymru’n barod i fod yn rhan o'r broses hon, a bod eich swyddogion yn gweithio gyda'u swyddogion cyfatebol yn Lloegr i weld sut y gallem ddefnyddio'r dechnoleg hon yma yng Nghymru? Ac a wnewch chi ymrwymo i gyhoeddi'r canllawiau diweddaraf y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cael ar y mater hwn, er mwyn inni allu olrhain cynnydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn y maes hwn?
Llywydd, can I just start by saying that all the evidence that I cited in my first answer to Paul Davies, other than the Public Health England pilot study into the six London care homes, is all public domain evidence? It's available for any member of the public who wishes to see it, including Assembly Members, and I'll confirm whether the Public Health England study is also in the public domain.
On the Isle of Wight piloting of the app, the Welsh Government has membership of the oversight group, which is developing that app, as does the Government of Scotland. There are data issues, as Paul Davies says, that need to be resolved, and the purpose of the Isle of Wight experiment is to see whether the app lives up to the promise that is there for it. And he will know, we've had a number of instances during the coronavirus crisis where something that looked very promising didn't turn out to be capable of delivering that promise, which is why the Isle of Wight pilot is so important. But I hope it will be a success, and I hope that it will be possible to resolve those data privacy issues, because I want to be able to recommend the app to people in Wales, because the more people who use the app, the more effective the app becomes.
So, the position I want to be in is one that I can confidently say to people in Wales that this is something that they can do, that they can do safely, that they can do with any anxieties they have about the use of their personal data having been met by the work that is going on during this pilot period. But we have to wait to see the results of the pilot and the resolution of the data issues. I'm very keen, as I said to UK Government Ministers yesterday, that we should be able to publish—as the question Paul Davies put to me—a statement that members of the public can see, explaining to them how their data that they will contribute through the app, is to be governed, the purpose that it will be used for and guarantees that it won't be used for purposes to which they have not given their consent. Because, in that way, we'll gather the public confidence that we will need if the app is to be used in the way that would deliver the benefits that would be there for all of us.
Lywydd, a gaf fi ddechrau drwy ddweud bod yr holl dystiolaeth a grybwyllais yn fy ateb cyntaf i Paul Davies, heblaw am astudiaeth beilot Iechyd Cyhoeddus Lloegr o'r chwe chartref gofal yn Llundain, yn dystiolaeth gyhoeddus? Mae ar gael i unrhyw aelod o'r cyhoedd sy'n dymuno’i gweld, gan gynnwys Aelodau Cynulliad, ac fe wnaf gadarnhau a yw astudiaeth Iechyd Cyhoeddus Lloegr hefyd yn gyhoeddus.
O ran cynllun peilot yr ap ar Ynys Wyth, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn aelod o'r grŵp goruchwylio sy'n datblygu'r ap hwnnw, fel Llywodraeth yr Alban. Mae angen datrys materion sy'n codi mewn perthynas â data, fel y dywedodd Paul Davies, a diben arbrawf Ynys Wyth yw gweld a yw’r ap mor llwyddiannus â’r disgwyl. A bydd yn gwybod ein bod wedi cael sawl achos yn ystod argyfwng y coronafeirws lle nad oedd rhywbeth a oedd yn edrych yn addawol iawn yn gallu cyflawni'r addewid hwnnw, a dyna pam fod peilot Ynys Wyth mor bwysig. Ond gobeithiaf y bydd yn llwyddiant, a gobeithiaf y bydd modd datrys y materion sy'n ymwneud â phreifatrwydd data, gan fy mod am allu argymell yr ap i bobl yng Nghymru, oherwydd po fwyaf o bobl sy’n defnyddio’r ap, y mwyaf effeithiol y bydd.
Felly, y sefyllfa yr hoffwn fod ynddi yw un lle gallaf ddweud yn hyderus wrth bobl yng Nghymru fod hyn yn rhywbeth y gallant ei wneud, a'i wneud yn ddiogel, ac y bydd y gwaith sy'n digwydd yn ystod y cyfnod peilot yn lleddfu unrhyw bryderon sydd ganddynt ynghylch y defnydd o'u data personol. Ond mae'n rhaid inni aros i weld canlyniadau'r cynllun peilot a’r materion sy'n codi ynglŷn â data wedi'u datrys. Fel y dywedais wrth Weinidogion Llywodraeth y DU ddoe, rwy'n awyddus iawn i allu cyhoeddi—fel y nodwyd yn y cwestiwn a ofynnodd Paul Davies i mi—datganiad y gall aelodau'r cyhoedd ei weld, sy’n esbonio iddynt sut y bydd y data y byddant yn ei gyfrannu drwy'r ap yn cael ei reoli, y diben y bydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio ar ei gyfer, a gwarantau na chaiff ei ddefnyddio at ddibenion nad ydynt wedi cydsynio iddynt. Oherwydd yn y ffordd honno, byddwn yn ennyn yr hyder ymysg y cyhoedd y bydd ei angen arnom os yw'r ap i gael ei ddefnyddio mewn ffordd a fyddai o fudd i bob un ohonom.
Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.
Plaid Cymru leader, Adam Price.
Yesterday, First Minister, you published figures that show that there were 1,239 deaths registered in care homes in April in Wales compared to 417 for the same month last year—an increase of 200 per cent. Now, you just said, in terms of care homes where there hasn't been a confirmed or suspected outbreak, that clinical advice wasn't in favour of testing residents in that case. But you are doing that now, aren't you, for care homes that have 50 residents or above? And isn't the reason why you're not applying that policy to smaller care homes because you don't have the availability of testing, which means that you don't have the capacity for testing every home?
Ddoe, Brif Weinidog, fe wnaethoch gyhoeddi ffigurau a ddangosodd fod 1,239 o farwolaethau wedi’u cofrestru mewn cartrefi gofal ym mis Ebrill yng Nghymru o gymharu â 417 am yr un mis y llynedd—cynnydd o 200 y cant. Nawr, rydych newydd ddweud, mewn perthynas â chartrefi gofal lle na fu achosion a gadarnhawyd neu amheuaeth fod y clefyd yn bresennol, nad oedd cyngor clinigol o blaid profi preswylwyr mewn sefyllfa o'r fath. Ond rydych yn gwneud hynny nawr, onid ydych, mewn cartrefi gofal sydd â 50 neu fwy o breswylwyr? Ac onid y rheswm pam nad ydych yn rhoi’r polisi hwnnw ar waith mewn cartrefi gofal llai o faint yw am nad oes gennych brofion ar gael, sy'n golygu nad oes gennych gapasiti i brofi pob cartref?
Llywydd, can I thank Adam Price for drawing attention to the figures that were published yesterday? They'll be part, now, of a regular series in which we put into the public domain, in one place, drawing together the very sobering facts of the impact of coronavirus on care homes here in Wales. Members will be able to see that every week.
And can I thank Adam Price as well for pointing to that variation on my answers to Paul Davies? Because there was evidence—Members will be able to find it amongst the citations I offered earlier—that, in larger care and nursing homes, there is a clinical point to testing even non-symptomatic settings, and that's because the larger homes are more susceptible—are more susceptible—to the spread of coronavirus, for a number of different reasons. They're often focused more in the nursing home end of the care home sector, and, as Adam Price will know, having seen the figures, there is a greater concentration of deaths in care where nursing is part of care than in the rest of the sector, as you might expect given that coronavirus attacks people with underlying health conditions.
And another reason why larger care homes have been treated differently is because they have a larger number of people going in and out of them. And the more traffic there is between the outside world and a care home, the greater the risk becomes that coronavirus will be imported into the care home—whether that is by workers coming back and forth, whether it is in the rare occasions where family members may visit somebody who is terminally ill; the more visits there are to a care home, the higher the risk becomes, and the bigger the care home, the more visitors and staff members going in and out there will be. And those are amongst the reasons why the advice was that testing of asymptomatic people in the larger care homes did have a clinical purpose that we have included that as part of our testing regime.
Lywydd, a gaf fi ddiolch i Adam Price am dynnu sylw at y ffigurau a gyhoeddwyd ddoe? Byddant yn rhan o gyfres reolaidd y byddwn yn eu cyhoeddi mewn un lle yn awr, er mwyn dwyn ynghyd y ffeithiau difrifol iawn ynglŷn ag effaith y coronafeirws ar gartrefi gofal yma yng Nghymru. Bydd modd i'r Aelodau weld hynny bob wythnos.
Ac a gaf fi ddiolch i Adam Price hefyd am dynnu sylw at yr amrywiad ar fy atebion i Paul Davies? Oherwydd cafwyd tystiolaeth—gall yr Aelodau ddod o hyd iddi ymhlith y cyfeiriadau a roddais yn gynharach—fod diben clinigol, mewn perthynas â chartrefi gofal a chartrefi nyrsio mwy o faint, i brofi lleoliadau lle na cheir symptomau hyd yn oed, a hynny am fod y cartrefi mwy o faint yn fwy agored—yn fwy agored—i ledaeniad coronafeirws, am nifer o wahanol resymau. Maent yn aml yn perthyn mwy i'r pen cartrefi nyrsio i'r sector cartrefi gofal, ac fel y gŵyr Adam Price, ar ôl gweld y ffigurau, mae crynodiad mwy o farwolaethau mewn gofal lle mae nyrsio yn rhan o ofal nag yng ngweddill y sector, fel y byddech yn ei ddisgwyl o gofio bod y coronafeirws yn ymosod ar bobl â chyflyrau iechyd sy'n bodoli eisoes.
A rheswm arall pam fod cartrefi gofal mwy o faint wedi cael eu trin yn wahanol yw oherwydd bod ganddynt nifer fwy o bobl yn mynd a dod. A pho fwyaf o bobl sy’n mynd a dod rhwng y byd y tu allan a chartref gofal, y mwyaf yw'r risg y bydd y coronafeirws yn cael ei gludo i'r cartref gofal—boed hynny gan weithwyr sy'n mynd a dod, neu ar yr adegau prin pan fo aelodau'r teulu'n ymweld â rhywun â salwch angheuol; po fwyaf o ymweliadau a geir â chartref gofal, yr uchaf fydd y risg, a pho fwyaf yw’r cartref gofal, y mwyaf o ymwelwyr ac aelodau o staff fydd yn mynd a dod ohono. Ac mae'r rheini ymhlith y rhesymau pam mai'r cyngor oedd bod diben clinigol i brofi pobl asymptomatig yn y cartrefi gofal mwy o faint, ac rydym wedi cynnwys hynny'n rhan o'n trefn brofi.
First Minister, if there is, potentially, scientific evidence that suggests that testing in a care home with 50 residents, without an outbreak, has clinical value, how is it possible that testing in a care home with 49 doesn't? Isn't that an entirely arbitrary threshold?
Brif Weinidog, os oes tystiolaeth wyddonol bosibl sy'n awgrymu bod gwerth clinigol i brofi mewn cartref gofal gyda 50 o breswylwyr, heb achos o’r feirws, sut nad oes gwerth clinigol i brofi mewn cartref gofal gyda 49? Onid yw hwnnw’n drothwy cwbl fympwyol?
Well, it is arbitrary in that it's not fine tuned to say that you could put it immediately between 49 and 51. Whenever you have a border, there is a degree of arbitrariness about it. But the advice that we had was that, in broad terms, a care home with 50 or more people in it was more vulnerable to the introduction of coronavirus, even when there is none circulating in the care home today. That was the number that was advised to us as the best place to draw the line. In its specifics, it has a component of arbitrariness about it, as any number does, but it is not plucked out of the air, it is derived from the science that lies behind it, the nature of the care home sector, and the advice that then goes to Ministers.
Wel, mae'n fympwyol yn yr ystyr nad yw'n fanwl gywir dweud y gallech ei osod yn union rhwng 49 a 51. Pryd bynnag y bydd gennych ffin, mae rhywfaint o fympwyoldeb yn ei chylch. Ond y cyngor a gawsom oedd, yn gyffredinol, fod cartref gofal â 50 neu fwy o bobl ynddo yn fwy agored i’r coronafeirws, hyd yn oed pan nad oes achos yn y cartref gofal heddiw. Dyna'r nifer y cawsom ein cynghori fel y man gorau i dynnu'r llinell. O ran pa mor benodol ydyw, mae iddo elfen fympwyol, fel sydd i unrhyw rif, ond nid yw wedi'i ddewis ar hap, mae'n deillio o'r wyddoniaeth sy'n sail iddo, natur y sector cartrefi gofal, a'r cyngor a roddir wedyn i Weinidogion.
Arweinydd Plaid Brexit, Mark Reckless.
The leader of the Brexit Party, Mark Reckless.
First Minister, you announced in your framework for recovery document on Friday, 24 April that, before lifting lockdown restrictions, your Government would assess whether measures had a high positive equality impact, if they provided any opportunities for widening participation and a more inclusive society, and whether they were consistent with the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 and an equal and greener Wales. You referenced that approach again in your statement today, and your being most concerned about social and environmental justice. You've also said that any easing of restrictions had to be grounded in distinctively Welsh values.
But last week, you said that you wanted restrictions to be lifted on a common, four nations basis. I wonder then whether you consulted the UK Government about your equality tests before publishing them? If restrictions are lifted on a common basis, how can this be grounded in distinctively Welsh values? Have you persuaded the UK Government to adopt these, along with your equality tests and the requirements of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015?
Finally, can you confirm if equality means that, were I to send my children to Welsh-speaking schools, they could go back early, but if I send them to an English-speaking school, you would make them stay at home?
Brif Weinidog, fe gyhoeddoch chi yn nogfen eich fframwaith adfer ddydd Gwener, 24 Ebrill, y byddai eich Llywodraeth, cyn codi’r cyfyngiadau symud, yn asesu a oedd y camau'n mynd i arwain at effaith gadarnhaol fawr ar gydraddoldeb, a oeddent yn darparu unrhyw gyfleoedd ar gyfer ehangu cyfranogiad a chymdeithas fwy cynhwysol, ac a oeddent yn gyson â Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau’r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015 a Chymru gyfartal a mwy gwyrdd. Fe gyfeirioch chi at yr agweddau hynny eto yn eich datganiad heddiw, gan ddweud eich bod yn fwyaf pryderus ynghylch cyfiawnder cymdeithasol ac amgylcheddol. Rydych wedi dweud hefyd bod yn rhaid i unrhyw gamau i lacio cyfyngiadau symud fod yn seiliedig ar werthoedd Cymreig penodol.
Ond yr wythnos diwethaf, fe ddywedoch chi eich bod am i’r cyfyngiadau gael eu codi ar sail gyffredin rhwng y pedair gwlad. Tybed, felly, a wnaethoch ymgynghori â Llywodraeth y DU ynghylch eich profion cydraddoldeb cyn eu cyhoeddi? Os caiff y cyfyngiadau eu codi ar sail gyffredin, sut y gellir seilio hyn ar werthoedd Cymreig penodol? A ydych wedi perswadio Llywodraeth y DU i’w mabwysiadu, ynghyd â’ch profion cydraddoldeb a gofynion Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau’r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015?
Yn olaf, a allwch gadarnhau bod cydraddoldeb yn golygu, os wyf yn danfon fy mhlant i ysgolion Cymraeg eu hiaith, y gallent ddychwelyd yn gynnar, ond os wyf yn eu danfon i ysgol Saesneg ei hiaith, y byddech yn gwneud iddynt aros gartref?
Llywydd, I didn't seek permission from the UK Government before publishing this document of the Welsh Government—of course, I didn't. But I said, when I published the framework, that I regarded it as a contribution to a discussion that I thought needed to go on across the whole of the United Kingdom. And the Scottish Government published a similar document, as a contribution outlining their thinking to the way in which together we can craft a path out of the lockdown we are all facing today.
I'm absolutely unashamed about putting the equality impact of any of those measures at the heart of the way that we would think about it here in Wales. It's why the Senedd passed the Well-being of Future Generations Act, with a more equal Wales as one of its seven goals. In my statement I set out the sobering facts about the disproportionate impact on black and minority ethnic communities of coronavirus. And the steps that we take need to be measured against the impact that they will have on different communities in Wales to make sure that the burden of dealing with the disease does not fall disproportionately on one part of Welsh society rather than another. I'm very proud of the fact that we put equality right at the front of our considerations, and I certainly advocate that in my discussions with UK Ministers as well.
The Member would do better to resist his instinctive reach for opportunity to set one part of Welsh society against another. He's referring, I know, to an answer I gave to a question about how we were planning to return children to school in Wales. And as an illustration I said that we were looking at groups where there was a particular case for putting them in the early phases of returning to school. And in that, I said that children in year 6—children going up to secondary school in September—that there would be a strong case for thinking about them as the group that you would want to bring back together early in the process because those children complete that important rite of passage alongside their classmates, whatever language they happen to be taught in and whatever language they happen to speak at home.
I mentioned children with behavioural needs, who rely on the rhythm of the school day and whose parents struggle to look after them for 24 hours every day in the confines of their home, as a group who might have an early call on returning to school.
And I mentioned those young people in Wales who we are so proud to have in Welsh-medium education, who come from homes where not a word of Welsh is normally spoken and who will now have been out of the Welsh-speaking milieu for many weeks. And I identified them, again, as a group that you might want to think of as having a particular case for earlier introduction to school, alongside all those others. Trying to pit one part of our school population against another and to create some sense of grievance, again—it does no credit to the Member and it certainly isn't the way we think about things in Wales.
Lywydd, ni ofynnais am ganiatâd Llywodraeth y DU cyn cyhoeddi'r ddogfen hon gan Lywodraeth Cymru—wrth gwrs na wneuthum. Ond pan gyhoeddais y fframwaith, dywedais fy mod yn ei ystyried yn gyfraniad at drafodaeth roeddwn o’r farn fod angen iddi ddigwydd ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig gyfan. A chyhoeddodd Llywodraeth yr Alban ddogfen debyg, fel cyfraniad a oedd yn amlinellu eu syniadau ynglŷn a’r ffordd y gallwn lunio llwybr gyda'n gilydd allan o'r cyfyngiadau symud sy’n wynebu pob un ohonom heddiw.
Rwy'n gwbl ddiedifar ynglŷn â rhoi effaith unrhyw un o'r camau hynny ar gydraddoldeb wrth wraidd y ffordd y byddem yn meddwl am hyn yma yng Nghymru. Dyma pam y cyflwynodd y Senedd Ddeddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol, gyda Chymru fwy cyfartal yn un o'i saith nod. Yn fy natganiad, nodais y ffeithiau difrifol am effaith anghymesur y coronafeirws ar gymunedau du a lleiafrifoedd ethnig. Ac mae angen mesur y camau a gymerwn yn erbyn yr effaith y byddant yn ei chael ar wahanol gymunedau yng Nghymru i sicrhau nad yw'r baich o ymdopi â'r afiechyd yn pwyso’n anghymesur ar un rhan o gymdeithas Cymru yn hytrach nag un arall. Rwy’n falch iawn o’r ffaith ein bod yn blaenoriaethu cydraddoldeb yn ein hystyriaethau, ac rwy’n sicr yn dadlau dros hynny yn fy nhrafodaethau â Gweinidogion y DU hefyd.
Byddai’n well pe gallai’r Aelod wrthsefyll ei reddf i fanteisio ar gyfle i droi un rhan o gymdeithas Cymru yn erbyn y llall. Gwn ei fod yn cyfeirio at ateb a roddais i gwestiwn ynglŷn â sut roeddem yn bwriadu dod â phlant yn ôl i'r ysgol yng Nghymru. Ac fel enghraifft, dywedais ein bod yn edrych ar grwpiau lle roedd achos penodol i’w gael dros adael iddynt ddychwelyd i'r ysgol yn gynnar. Ac wrth drafod hynny, dywedais, ar gyfer plant ym mlwyddyn 6—plant sy’n mynd i fyny i'r ysgol uwchradd ym mis Medi—y byddai achos cryf i’w gael dros feddwl amdanynt fel y grŵp y byddech am ddod â hwy'n ôl at ei gilydd yn gynnar yn y broses, gan fod y plant hynny’n cwblhau’r ddefod newid byd bwysig honno ochr yn ochr â'u cyd-ddisgyblion, ni waeth pa iaith y maent yn digwydd cael ei dysgu ynddi a pha bynnag iaith y maent yn digwydd ei siarad gartref.
Soniais am blant ag anghenion ymddygiadol, sy'n dibynnu ar rythm y diwrnod ysgol ac y mae eu rhieni'n ei chael hi'n anodd gofalu amdanynt am 24 awr bob dydd dan gyfyngiadau eu cartref, fel grŵp a allai ddychwelyd i'r ysgol yn gynnar.
A soniais am y bobl ifanc yng Nghymru rydym mor falch o’u cael mewn addysg Gymraeg, sy’n dod o gartrefi lle nad oes gair o Gymraeg yn cael ei siarad fel rheol, ac a fydd bellach wedi bod allan o’r amgylchfyd iaith Gymraeg am wythnosau lawer. Ac fe wnes eu nodi, unwaith eto, fel grŵp y gallech ddadlau bod ganddynt achos penodol dros ddychwelyd i'r ysgol yn gynharach, ochr yn ochr â'r holl rai eraill hynny. Mae ceisio troi un rhan o boblogaeth ein hysgolion yn erbyn y llall a chreu ymdeimlad o annhegwch, unwaith eto—nid yw'n adlewyrchu’n dda ar yr Aelod, ac yn sicr, nid dyna'r ffordd rydym yn meddwl am bethau yng Nghymru.
I'm grateful to you, First Minister, for that. I asked you two weeks ago how committed you were to the four-Government approach, and you said that you remained absolutely committed to that. And, in principle, that's something that I agree with—I would always prefer to see the four Governments of the United Kingdom working together, sharing information and sharing experience and working to ensure that we do have a common approach.
But in the last few days, we've seen the UK Government failing in a profoundly disturbing way. We see now that the UK death toll is the highest in Europe—second only to Trump's America. And I think there is a need for us to question whether linking ourselves too closely to a UK Government that is clearly failing is something that we have to do in the future. And so I would very gently seek, First Minister, to question that again, and to ask you whether you are continuing to look at Governments that are succeeding in dealing with this virus in different parts of the world and not simply looking eastwards to a Government that is not succeeding. I think that's an important question to look at.
The second question I have—
Diolch, Brif Weinidog. Gofynnais i chi bythefnos yn ôl pa mor ymrwymedig yr oeddech i'r dull pedair Llywodraeth o weithredu, ac fe ddywedoch chi eich bod yn parhau i fod yn gwbl ymrwymedig i hynny. Ac mewn egwyddor, mae hynny'n rhywbeth rwy'n cytuno ag ef—byddai bob amser yn well gennyf weld pedair Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd, yn rhannu gwybodaeth ac yn rhannu profiad ac yn gweithio i sicrhau bod gennym ddull cyffredin o weithredu.
Ond yn ystod yr ychydig ddyddiau diwethaf, rydym wedi gweld Llywodraeth y DU yn methu mewn ffordd hynod ofidus. Rydym yn gweld bellach mai nifer y marwolaethau yn y DU yw'r uchaf yn Ewrop—yn ail yn unig i America Trump. A chredaf fod angen inni gwestiynu a yw cysylltu ein hunain yn rhy agos â Llywodraeth y DU sy'n amlwg yn methu yn rhywbeth sy'n rhaid inni ei wneud yn y dyfodol. Ac felly, Brif Weinidog, rwy'n mentro cwestiynu hynny unwaith eto, a gofyn i chi a ydych yn parhau i edrych ar Lywodraethau sy’n llwyddo i ymdopi â’r feirws hwn mewn gwahanol rannau o’r byd, yn hytrach nag edrych yn unig tua’r dwyrain ar Lywodraeth nad yw’n llwyddo. Credaf fod hwnnw'n gwestiwn pwysig i’w ystyried.
Yr ail gwestiwn sydd gennyf—
No, no. You've asked your first question and you've exceeded your time for the session. First Minister to respond.
Na, na. Rydych wedi gofyn eich cwestiwn cyntaf ac rydych wedi mynd y tu hwnt i'ch amser ar gyfer y sesiwn. Y Prif Weinidog i ymateb.
Well, can I thank Alun Davies for that? And, actually, I don't think my position is different to the one that he set out, because I too believe that the principle of trying to work on a four-nation basis across the United Kingdom is an important one, but that would not mean that I would be willing to adopt in Wales policies known to be failing elsewhere. So, it is not a slavish adherence to that principle; it is the lens I want to use—I want a four-nation approach. I have been working hard this week with other Governments in the United Kingdom to try to bring that about. But it's—. We've always said that if we need to do things differently in Wales, because that is the right thing to do, that is what we will do, and that's a really important principle as well.
And we do, Llywydd, continue to learn lessons from around the globe. Every week, I receive reports of developments, either directly because of conversations the chief medical officer has in Sweden, in Germany and South Korea, for example, or in literature searches that we are carrying out inside the Welsh Government to track what is going on in parts of the world where the lockdown has been lifted already, to see what is working, to see what does not appear to be working, and then to feed that information into our thinking so that we identify the measures that we think have the greatest chance of success, wherever that evidence comes from around the world.
Wel, a gaf fi ddiolch i Alun Davies am hynny? Ac mewn gwirionedd, ni chredaf fod fy safbwynt yn wahanol i'r un a nododd, gan y credaf innau hefyd fod yr egwyddor o geisio gweithio ar sail pedair gwlad ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig yn un bwysig, ond ni fyddai hynny'n golygu y byddwn yn barod i fabwysiadu polisïau yng Nghymru y gwyddys eu bod yn methu yn rhywle arall. Felly, nid oes a wnelo hyn ag ymlyniad slafaidd wrth yr egwyddor honno; mae a wnelo â’r lens yr hoffwn ei defnyddio—rwy’n awyddus i gael dull pedair gwlad o weithredu. Rwyf wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed yr wythnos hon gyda Llywodraethau eraill yn y Deyrnas Unedig i geisio sicrhau hynny. Ond mae'n—. Rydym wedi dweud bob amser, os oes angen inni wneud pethau'n wahanol yng Nghymru, am mai dyna'r peth iawn i'w wneud, dyna fyddwn ni'n ei wneud, ac mae honno'n egwyddor bwysig iawn hefyd.
Ac rydym yn parhau, Lywydd, i ddysgu gwersi o bedwar ban byd. Bob wythnos, rwy'n cael adroddiadau am ddatblygiadau, naill ai'n uniongyrchol drwy sgyrsiau y mae'r prif swyddog meddygol yn eu cael yn Sweden, yn yr Almaen a De Korea, er enghraifft, neu mewn ymchwil i lenyddiaeth a gyflawnir gennym yn Llywodraeth Cymru i olrhain yr hyn sy'n digwydd mewn rhannau o'r byd lle mae'r cyfyngiadau symud wedi’u codi eisoes, i weld beth sy'n gweithio, i weld beth nad yw'n ymddangos ei fod yn gweithio, ac i fwydo'r wybodaeth honno i'n ffordd o feddwl fel ein bod yn nodi'r mesurau sydd â'r gobaith mwyaf o lwyddo yn ein barn ni, ni waeth o ble yn y byd y daw'r dystiolaeth honno.
First Minister, I was surprised that there was no reference in your statement today to the seventy-fifth anniversary of VE Day, which, of course, will be marked on Friday. Lots of people around Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom and, indeed, the whole of Europe will be celebrating the defeat of the evils of Nazism and fascism across Europe on Friday. And, of course, we'll have the opportunity as well to remember those who lost their lives in the conflict that was the second world war, and indeed those heroes who are still amongst us who helped to achieve that tremendous victory—all of the key workers, if you like, alongside those who are on the front lines fighting in battles.
There are some people in Wales, including some individuals who are Members of the Senedd, who said that they will not be celebrating this Friday, because they don't feel that a celebration of these things is appropriate. I will certainly be celebrating, First Minister. Can I ask, will you be too? And what plans are there to mark this important milestone in our history once this particular pandemic is under control?
Brif Weinidog, roeddwn yn synnu nad oedd unrhyw gyfeiriad yn eich datganiad heddiw at y garreg filltir o 75 mlynedd ers Diwrnod VE, sy'n digwydd ddydd Gwener, wrth gwrs. Ddydd Gwener, bydd llawer o bobl ledled Cymru a gweddill y Deyrnas Unedig, ac yn wir, Ewrop gyfan yn dathlu trechu Natsïaeth a ffasgaeth ledled Ewrop. Ac wrth gwrs, cawn gyfle hefyd i gofio’r rheini a fu farw wrth ymladd yn yr ail ryfel byd, ac yn wir, yr arwyr hynny yn ein plith a helpodd i sicrhau’r fuddugoliaeth aruthrol honno—pob un o’r gweithwyr allweddol, os mynnwch, ochr yn ochr â'r rheini a fu’n ymladd mewn brwydrau ar y rheng flaen.
Mae rhai pobl yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys rhai unigolion sy'n Aelodau o'r Senedd, yn dweud na fyddant yn dathlu ddydd Gwener, gan nad ydynt yn teimlo bod dathlu'r pethau hyn yn briodol. Byddaf yn sicr yn dathlu, Brif Weinidog. A gaf fi ofyn, a fyddwch chithau hefyd? A pha gynlluniau sydd ar waith i nodi'r garreg filltir bwysig hon yn ein hanes pan fydd y pandemig penodol hwn dan reolaeth?
Well, Llywydd, can I thank Darren Millar for that question, for the opportunity to say something about the seventy-fifth anniversary, and to thank him for the assiduous way in which he makes sure that we are thinking about these events and how we mark them?
I spent a good part of yesterday afternoon in a series of conversations over the telephone and by video link with Welsh veterans of VE Day, and they were wonderful conversations. I think the youngest person I spoke to was 94 years old and the oldest person I spoke to was 100 years old, from Aberystwyth. All of them full of memories of their time, and full of sadness as well, because for them VE Day—it is a matter of celebration of what was achieved, but it's also a matter of profound sorrow for those people who they knew and who stood alongside and who didn't survive the war in the way that they did. And I didn't speak to a single person who didn't mention by name somebody else who had been close to them and who wasn't a survivor as they were. But they were wonderful conversations. It was fantastic to see people managing technologies that they never thought they would need to and having those conversations by Skype and by Zoom and all other things we have to do.
I will certainly be marking VE Day myself. I'll be at the cenotaph here in Cardiff at 11 o'clock on Friday, as part of our national marking of that moment, and it's being marked, as Members will know, in very different ways because of the time that we are in. And then we do need to look beyond the time to see what we will be able to do when we're better able to get together again, and discussions are going on so that when the moment comes that we're able to do things in ways that we are more used to, we won't have forgotten the need to make sure that marking VE Day will be something we'll be able to do in the future as well as on Friday.
Wel, Lywydd, a gaf fi ddiolch i Darren Millar am ei gwestiwn, am y cyfle i ddweud rhywbeth am y garreg filltir o 75 mlynedd, a diolch iddo am ei ddygnwch wrth sicrhau ein bod yn meddwl am y digwyddiadau hyn a sut rydym yn eu nodi?
Treuliais lawer o brynhawn ddoe mewn cyfres o sgyrsiau dros y ffôn a thrwy gyswllt fideo â chyn-filwyr o Gymru a fu’n ymladd ar Ddiwrnod VE, ac roeddent yn sgyrsiau hyfryd. Rwy'n credu bod yr unigolyn ieuengaf y siaradais ag ef yn 94 oed, ac roedd y unigolyn hynaf y siaradais ag ef yn 100 oed, o Aberystwyth. Mae pob un ohonynt yn llawn o atgofion am yr amser hwnnw, ac yn llawn tristwch hefyd, oherwydd iddynt hwy, mae Diwrnod VE—mae'n fater o ddathlu'r hyn a gyflawnwyd, ond mae hefyd yn destun cryn dristwch ynglŷn â'r bobl roeddent yn eu hadnabod ac a safodd gyda hwy, y bobl na oroesodd y rhyfel fel y gwnaethant hwy. Ac ni siaradais ag unrhyw un na wnaeth enwi rhywun arall a oedd wedi bod yn agos atynt ac nad oedd wedi goroesi fel y gwnaethant hwy. Ond roeddent yn sgyrsiau hyfryd. Roedd yn wych gweld pobl yn ymdopi â thechnolegau nad oeddent byth yn meddwl y byddai angen iddynt eu defnyddio, a chael y sgyrsiau hynny drwy Skype a thrwy Zoom a'r holl bethau eraill y mae'n rhaid inni eu gwneud.
Byddaf yn sicr yn nodi Diwrnod VE fy hun. Byddaf wrth y senotaff yma yng Nghaerdydd am 11 o'r gloch ddydd Gwener, fel rhan o'n ffordd genedlaethol o nodi’r foment honno, ac mae'n cael ei nodi, fel y gŵyr yr Aelodau, mewn ffyrdd gwahanol iawn oherwydd yr adeg rydym yn byw ynddi. Ac yna, mae angen inni edrych y tu hwnt i'r adeg hon i weld beth y gallwn ei wneud pan allwn ddod at ein gilydd unwaith eto, ac mae trafodaethau'n mynd rhagddynt, a phan ddaw'r adeg y gallwn wneud pethau mewn ffyrdd rydym yn fwy cyfarwydd â hwy, ni fyddwn wedi anghofio'r angen i sicrhau y bydd nodi Diwrnod VE yn rhywbeth y gallwn ei wneud yn y dyfodol yn ogystal â ddydd Gwener.
Fedrwch chi roi gwybod i ni pa drafodaethau sydd yn mynd ymlaen ynglŷn â chael hwb ar gyfer carcharorion ym Mangor, yn fy etholaeth i? Dwi yn deall bod cynllun ar waith i greu hwb ym Mangor ar gyfer carcharorion sy'n hanu'n wreiddiol o bob rhan o ogledd Cymru ac sy'n cael eu rhyddhau yn gynnar oherwydd yr argyfwng presennol. Rŵan, dydw i nac Aelod Seneddol Arfon yn San Steffan ddim wedi derbyn unrhyw wybodaeth swyddogol am y trafodaethau. Pryd oeddech chi'n bwriadu trafod y cynllun efo ni? Ac os oes yna gynllun ar y gweill, fel dwi'n ei ddeall, beth yn union sy'n cael ei drafod, o ble daw'r adnoddau a'r arbenigedd i gynnal yr hwb, a beth fydd y trefniadau ar gyfer ailsefydlu a lletya'r unigolion bregus yma ar ôl yr argyfwng?
Could you tell us what discussions are ongoing on having a hub for prisoners in Bangor, in my constituency? I am given to understand that there is a proposal in place to create a hub in Bangor for prisoners who come originally from all parts of north Wales and are released early because of the current crisis. Now, neither myself nor the MP for Arfon in Westminster have received any official information about those discussions. When were you intending to discuss this with us? And if there is a plan in place, as I'm given to understand there is, then what exactly is being discussed, where will the resources and expertise come from to maintain this hub, and what will be the arrangements for accommodating these vulnerable people after the crisis is done?
Wel, Llywydd, dwi ddim wedi gweld dim byd ar y pwnc yna. Dwi ddim wedi cael cyngor, dwi ddim wedi cael trafodaethau o gwbl, a dwi ddim wedi clywed am y posibiliad cyn clywed beth yr oedd Siân Gwenllian wedi'i ddweud nawr. So, wrth gwrs, dwi'n fodlon i fynd ar ôl y pwnc i weld a oes trafodaethau wedi bod ar y gweill yn unrhyw le yn Llywodraeth Cymru. Ac os oes unrhyw beth y tu ôl i beth mae Siân wedi'i glywed, dwi'n hapus i ysgrifennu ati hi a rhoi mwy o fanylion. Ond dwi ddim wedi clywed dim byd ar hyn o bryd.
Well, Llywydd, I've seen nothing on that issue. I've received no advice, I've had no discussions at all, and I haven't heard about the possibility until I heard Siân Gwenllian's comments today. So, of course, I'm willing to pursue the issue to see whether there have been any discussions anywhere within the Welsh Government, and if there is anything behind what Siân has heard, then I'd be happy to write to her and to provide her with further detail, but I haven't heard anything to date.
[Inaudible.]—decision by Welsh Government in respect of the payment of £500 to care workers, can I just suggest this is a first step in what must eventually become a new deal for our public sector workers? Can I ask what progress is being made to persuade the UK Government to waive the tax in these payments, as indeed happened during the flooding crisis?
And also, First Minister, can you confirm that the Welsh Government will have regard during the process of any relaxation to the advice of the Wales TUC? I've had colleagues from England praising Wales for the steps the Welsh Government did take with regard to regulating social distancing in the workplace. So, can I have an assurance that strict safety guidelines and regulations will be implemented to make sure that workplace safety and travel to work is more than just 'good enough', as has been suggested by some UK Ministers, but that it will be paramount? I think that after commemorating Workers' Memorial Day, can I suggest that anything less is not acceptable, and ask that the Welsh Government will always put the public and workers' safety first in their decision-making process?
[Anghlywadwy.]—penderfyniad gan Lywodraeth Cymru mewn perthynas â’r taliad o £500 i weithwyr gofal, a gaf fi awgrymu mai cam cyntaf yn unig yw hwn yn yr hyn y mae'n rhaid iddi ddod yn fargen newydd i'n gweithwyr sector cyhoeddus yn y pen draw? A gaf fi ofyn pa gynnydd sy'n cael ei wneud i berswadio Llywodraeth y DU i hepgor y dreth yn y taliadau hyn, fel a ddigwyddodd, yn wir, yn ystod argyfwng y llifogydd?
A hefyd, Brif Weinidog, a allwch gadarnhau y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystyried cyngor TUC Cymru wrth lacio unrhyw fesurau? Mae cymheiriaid o Loegr wedi canmol Cymru wrthyf am y camau a gymerodd Llywodraeth Cymru i reoleiddio mesurau cadw pellter cymdeithasol yn y gweithle. Felly, a gaf fi sicrwydd y bydd canllawiau a rheoliadau diogelwch llym yn cael eu rhoi ar waith i sicrhau bod diogelwch yn y gweithle a theithio i'r gwaith yn fwy na 'digon da' yn unig, fel yr awgrymwyd gan rai o Weinidogion y DU, ond y bydd yn hollbwysig? Ar ôl coffáu’r Diwrnod Rhyngwladol i Gofio Gweithwyr, a gaf fi awgrymu nad yw unrhyw beth llai na hyn yn dderbyniol, a gofyn i’r Llywodraeth Cymru roi diogelwch y cyhoedd a gweithwyr yn gyntaf bob amser yn eu proses benderfynu?
Llywydd, I thank Mick Antoniw for both of those questions. Our £500 is there to recognise the amazing contribution, the brave contribution, that workers providing direct personal care for people in our care sector are making during the crisis. When the crisis is over, I entirely agree with Mick Antoniw—we need to make sure that those people who have been so important in responding to the crisis are regarded as equally important afterwards and are rewarded in a way that we would want to see them rewarded.
Let me say again, because I said it at the time: the help of the Secretary of State for Wales in making sure that the payments we made from the discretionary assistance fund to people who had been the victims of flooding—that that didn't count towards benefit calculations—was very helpful, and I hope that he will be able to be equally helpful to us here. We want every pound of that £500 to go directly to the people we are seeking to reward. It should be free of tax, it should be free of national insurance, and we raised this with the UK Government before making the announcement, and I know that my colleague Rebecca Evans has written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury since, again, making the case for the UK Government to recognise the contribution that those workers are making, not just in warm words, but in the hard cash that we have found from the Welsh Government's budget and needs to go to those people and not be siphoned back to the Treasury in tax and national insurance contributions.
And on the involvement of the Wales TUC and of unions more generally, the point, Llywydd, that I make and try to make to UK Government Ministers is that unless we can convince people that it is safe to go back to work, then you can open whatever you like, people won't turn up there if they feel that they are putting themselves at risk. One of the best ways of being able to demonstrate to a workforce that all reasonable steps have been taken to making that workplace safe, is to have the trade union say alongside you that those actions have been taken. So, the trade unions have a really pivotal role and a positive role in demonstrating to workforces that going back to work is safe, because they themselves have been involved in those preparations. That's the way we're trying to do it here in Wales. I think most Welsh employers have an appetite to do it in just that way. And Alun Davies asked about learning from one another and passing lessons to one another. The way that we have put our 2m rule into regulations, the way in which we regard trade unions as central partners in making workplaces safe, I think that's something that could be learnt by other parts of the United Kingdom.
Lywydd, diolch i Mick Antoniw am y ddau gwestiwn. Mae ein taliad o £500 yno i gydnabod y cyfraniad anhygoel, y cyfraniad dewr, y mae gweithwyr sy'n darparu gofal personol uniongyrchol i bobl yn ein sector gofal yn ei wneud yn ystod yr argyfwng. Pan fydd yr argyfwng drosodd, cytunaf yn llwyr â Mick Antoniw—mae angen inni sicrhau bod y bobl sydd wedi bod mor bwysig wrth ymateb i'r argyfwng yn cael eu hystyried yr un mor bwysig wedyn, ac yn cael eu gwobrwyo mewn ffordd y byddem am eu gweld yn cael eu gwobrwyo.
Gadewch imi ddweud unwaith eto, gan imi ddweud hyn ar y pryd: roedd cymorth Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru yn sicrhau bod y taliadau a wnaethom o'r gronfa cymorth dewisol i bobl a ddioddefodd yn sgil y llifogydd—y ffaith nad oedd hynny’n cyfrif tuag at gyfrifiadau budd-daliadau—yn ddefnyddiol iawn, a gobeithiaf y gall fod yr un mor ddefnyddiol i ni yma. Rydym am i bob punt o'r £500 fynd yn uniongyrchol i'r bobl rydym yn ceisio eu gwobrwyo. Dylai fod yn rhydd o dreth, dylai fod yn rhydd o yswiriant gwladol, a chodwyd hyn gyda Llywodraeth y DU cyn gwneud y cyhoeddiad a gwn fod fy nghyd-Aelod, Rebecca Evans, wedi ysgrifennu at Brif Ysgrifennydd y Trysorlys ers hynny gan ddadlau eto y dylai Llywodraeth y DU gydnabod y cyfraniad y mae'r gweithwyr hynny'n ei wneud, nid yn unig mewn geiriau cynnes, ond yn yr arian sychion rydym wedi'i ddarganfod o gyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru, ac mae angen iddo fynd i'r bobl hynny a pheidio â chael ei seiffno'n ôl i'r Trysorlys ar ffurf treth a chyfraniadau yswiriant gwladol.
Ac ar gyfranogiad TUC Cymru ac undebau yn fwy cyffredinol, y pwynt rwy’n ei wneud, Lywydd, ac rwy’n ceisio'i wneud i Weinidogion Llywodraeth y DU yw oni bai ein bod yn gallu argyhoeddi pobl ei bod hi'n ddiogel i ddychwelyd i'r gwaith, gallwch agor beth bynnag a fynnoch, ni fydd pobl yn mynd yno os ydynt yn teimlo eu bod yn peryglu eu hunain. Un o'r ffyrdd gorau o allu dangos i weithlu fod yr holl gamau rhesymol wedi'u cymryd i wneud y gweithle hwnnw'n ddiogel, yw cael yr undeb llafur i ddweud ochr yn ochr â chi fod y camau hynny wedi'u cymryd. Felly, mae gan yr undebau llafur rôl wirioneddol ganolog a rôl gadarnhaol yn dangos i weithluoedd ei bod hi’n ddiogel i ddychwelyd i'r gwaith oherwydd eu bod hwy eu hunain wedi bod yn rhan o'r paratoadau hynny. Dyna'r ffordd rydym yn ceisio ei wneud yma yng Nghymru. Rwy'n credu bod gan y mwyafrif o gyflogwyr Cymru awydd i'w wneud yn y ffordd honno. A gofynnodd Alun Davies am y gwersi a ddysgwn gan ein gilydd a dysgu gwersi i'n gilydd. Rwy’n credu bod y ffordd rydym wedi rhoi ein rheol 2m mewn rheoliadau, y ffordd rydym yn ystyried undebau llafur fel partneriaid canolog wrth wneud gweithleoedd yn ddiogel, yn rhywbeth y gallai rhannau eraill o'r Deyrnas Unedig ei ddysgu.
The £500 bonus for our social care workers is very welcome indeed, but will you, First Minister, extend the bonus to our selfless army of unpaid carers as the director of the Royal College of Nursing in Wales has requested, explain why our local authorities know nothing about how this money is going to be received and distributed, and also whether social care staff going forward will be provided with a wage increase, just like some non-medical staff have been provided so in Cardiff?
Mae'r bonws o £500 ar gyfer ein gweithwyr gofal cymdeithasol i'w groesawu'n fawr, ond, Brif Weinidog, a wnewch chi ymestyn y bonws i'n byddin anhunanol o ofalwyr di-dâl, fel y mae cyfarwyddwr Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol Cymru wedi galw amdano, egluro pam nad yw ein hawdurdodau lleol yn gwybod dim am sut y bydd yr arian hwn yn cael ei dderbyn a'i ddosbarthu, a dweud hefyd a fydd staff gofal cymdeithasol yn cael codiad cyflog yn y dyfodol, yn union fel y mae rhai staff anfeddygol wedi'i gael yng Nghaerdydd?
I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for the welcome she gave to the £500. I don't think it is right to say that local authorities knew nothing about it. The Welsh Local Government Association welcomed it in quotes that they put out on the day that we announced it. We're working with local government through the Welsh Local Government Association, which is the collective voice of local authorities in Wales, to make sure that the money can reach the people we want it to get to in the best and quickest way, and I hope that she will agree with me that the whole of that £500 should go to those individuals.
I wish I could say to her that we could pay all workers in social care in Wales at least the living real wage, and we will be working with trade unions, local authorities and the sector to see how that might be achieved the other side of coronavirus. But, in order for us to be able to do that, we'll have to have the funds from Whitehall in order to be able to pay people the rate that I've heard her just support and we certainly would want to work towards, but we're not funded to do that at the moment and it would be great, the other side of coronavirus, if across the UK we were in a position to do that.
Diolch i Janet Finch-Saunders am y croeso a roddodd i'r £500. Nid wyf yn credu ei bod yn gywir yn dweud nad oedd awdurdodau lleol yn gwybod dim amdano. Roedd Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru yn ei groesawu mewn dyfyniadau a gyflwynwyd ganddynt ar y diwrnod y gwnaethom ei gyhoeddi. Rydym yn gweithio gyda llywodraeth leol drwy Gymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, sef llais cyfunol awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru, i wneud yn siŵr fod yr arian yn gallu cyrraedd y rhai rydym yn dymuno iddo eu cyrraedd yn y ffordd orau a'r ffordd gyflymaf, ac rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yn cytuno y dylai'r £500 hwnnw i gyd fynd i'r unigolion hynny.
Hoffwn pe bawn yn gallu dweud wrthi y gallem dalu'r cyflog byw gwirioneddol fan lleiaf i'r holl weithwyr gofal cymdeithasol yng Nghymru, a byddwn yn gweithio gydag undebau llafur, awdurdodau lleol a'r sector i weld sut y gellid cyflawni hynny ar ôl cefnu ar y coronafeirws. Ond er mwyn inni allu gwneud hynny, bydd yn rhaid inni gael yr arian o Whitehall er mwyn gallu talu'r gyfradd rwyf newydd ei chlywed yn ei chefnogi i bobl, ac yn sicr byddem eisiau gweithio tuag at hynny, ond nid ydym yn cael ein hariannu i wneud hynny ar hyn o bryd a byddai'n wych, ar ôl cefnu ar y coronafeirws, pe baem mewn sefyllfa i wneud hynny ar draws y DU.
The UK Government is piloting a contact tracing app that asks users if they have any symptoms, and, if they do, for them and anyone they've come into contact with to self-isolate for 14 days. Now, testing, tracing and isolating are together surely the key to stopping the spread of the virus, and, for the app to be effective, 60 per cent of the population have to download it. But, as has already been said today, some people may be reticent to download it due to privacy concerns, partly because of Dominic Cummings's involvement and the UK Government's decision to opt for a centralised data system rather than a decentralised data system like other states.
Now, additionally, the Scottish First Minister has said that, in order for the app to be effective, it needs to be complemented by testing, tracing and isolating teams on the ground. So, First Minister, do you have confidence that people's data will be kept safe and it won't be misused if they do download the app, and, further, what plans does the Welsh Government have to establish testing, tracing and isolating teams on the ground in Wales?
Mae Llywodraeth y DU yn treialu ap olrhain cysylltiadau sy'n gofyn i ddefnyddwyr a oes ganddynt unrhyw symptomau, ac os oes, yn gofyn iddynt hwy ac unrhyw un y maent wedi dod i gysylltiad â hwy hunanynysu am 14 diwrnod. Nawr, does bosibl nad profi, olrhain ac ynysu gyda'i gilydd yw'r allwedd i atal lledaeniad y feirws, ac er mwyn i'r ap fod yn effeithiol, mae'n rhaid i 60 y cant o'r boblogaeth ei lawrlwytho. Ond fel y dywedwyd eisoes heddiw, efallai y bydd rhai pobl yn gyndyn o'i lawrlwytho oherwydd pryderon ynghylch preifatrwydd, yn rhannol oherwydd ymwneud Dominic Cummings a phenderfyniad Llywodraeth y DU i ddewis system ddata ganolog yn hytrach na system ddata ddatganoledig fel gwladwriaethau eraill.
Nawr, at hynny mae Prif Weinidog yr Alban wedi dweud, er mwyn i'r ap fod yn effeithiol, fod angen iddo gael ei gefnogi gan dimau profi, olrhain ac ynysu ar lawr gwlad. Felly, Brif Weinidog, a ydych yn hyderus y bydd data pobl yn cael ei gadw'n ddiogel ac na chaiff ei gamddefnyddio os byddant yn lawrlwytho'r ap, a hefyd, pa gynlluniau sydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i sefydlu timau profi, olrhain ac ynysu ar lawr gwlad yng Nghymru?
I thank Delyth Jewell for those. I have confidence that the UK Government wants to do the right thing in relation to privacy and the app. I had a chance to discuss this with UK Ministers and with the First Minister of Scotland yesterday, so I don't doubt their intentions. I think there is still a gap between the intention and being able to offer the guarantees that I think people will need in order to feel confident that their information is being shared for the purposes that they're prepared to share it and not vulnerable to being exploited for purposes for which they haven't given their permission. That's why I said in my answer to Paul Davies that I think the UK Government should publish a statement of privacy arrangements alongside the app, so people can go and see what guarantees are there, and if they're not able to provide those guarantees, and some other aspects of the app being confirmed, then the chances of 60 per cent of people using it will be diminished. I'd like to be able to recommend it to people in Wales, but I'll need to know that those things are properly in their place before I could make that positive step, but that's where I'd like to be.
And then, of course, Delyth Jewell is right that the app is only one aspect of all of this. You have to have, in that new world, community-based testing, tracing and isolating arrangements. The Public Health Wales leaked non-final paper that we've spent a bit of time talking about today is a detailed account of how we might be able to get to that position. It is being refined in further discussions. Local authorities, I think, will have a really important part to play in helping to populate the teams that we will need, partly because they have people who are not able to do the jobs they would normally do, and also because they have that local intelligence and understanding of populations on the ground.
We will work over this week to identify the number of tests we really think we will need, the number of contact tracers we really think we will need, the split between people who will be contacted and traced online by the telephone and on foot—because you have to have some bits of all of that—and then we will publish our implementation plan demonstrating how those systems will be achieved here in Wales.
Diolch i Delyth Jewell am hynny. Rwy'n hyderus fod Llywodraeth y DU eisiau gwneud y peth iawn o ran preifatrwydd a'r ap. Cefais gyfle i drafod hyn gyda Gweinidogion y DU a Phrif Weinidog yr Alban ddoe, felly nid wyf yn amau eu bwriadau. Rwy'n credu bod bwlch o hyd rhwng y bwriad a gallu i gynnig y gwarantau y credaf y bydd pobl eu hangen er mwyn teimlo'n hyderus fod eu gwybodaeth yn cael ei rhannu at y dibenion y maent yn barod i'w rhannu ac nad yw mewn perygl o gael ei chamddefnyddio at ddibenion nad ydynt wedi rhoi eu caniatâd ar eu cyfer. Dyna pam y dywedais yn fy ateb i Paul Davies fy mod yn credu y dylai Llywodraeth y DU gyhoeddi datganiad o drefniadau preifatrwydd ochr yn ochr â'r ap, fel y gall pobl fynd i weld pa warantau sydd yno, ac os nad ydynt yn gallu darparu'r gwarantau hynny, a chadarnhau rhai agweddau eraill ar yr ap, mae'r gobaith o weld 60 y cant o bobl yn ei ddefnyddio yn gostwng. Hoffwn allu ei argymell i bobl yng Nghymru, ond bydd angen i mi wybod bod y pethau hynny yn eu lle cyn i mi allu cymryd y cam cadarnhaol hwnnw, ond dyna lle hoffwn fod.
Ac yna, wrth gwrs, mae Delyth Jewell yn iawn mai dim ond un agwedd ar hyn i gyd yw'r ap. Yn y byd newydd hwn, mae'n rhaid ichi gael trefniadau profi, olrhain ac ynysu yn y gymuned. Mae papur Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, papur nad yw'n fersiwn derfynol a ddatgelwyd yn answyddogol, ac un y treuliasom beth amser yn sôn amdano heddiw, yn rhoi cyfrif manwl o sut y gallem gyrraedd y sefyllfa honno. Mae'n cael ei fireinio mewn trafodaethau pellach. Credaf y bydd gan awdurdodau lleol ran bwysig iawn i'w chwarae yn helpu i ddarparu pobl i'r timau y byddwn eu hangen, yn rhannol oherwydd bod ganddynt bobl nad ydynt yn gallu gwneud y swyddi y byddent yn eu gwneud fel arfer, a hefyd am fod ganddynt ddealltwriaeth a gwybodaeth leol am boblogaethau ar lawr gwlad.
Yr wythnos hon, byddwn yn gweithio i nodi nifer y profion rydym yn credu y byddwn eu hangen, y nifer o olrheinwyr cysylltiadau y credwn y bydd eu hangen arnom, y rhaniad rhwng pobl y cysylltir â hwy ac a gaiff eu holrhain ar-lein, dros y ffôn ac ar droed—oherwydd mae'n rhaid cael rhai darnau o hynny i gyd—ac yna byddwn yn cyhoeddi ein cynllun gweithredu yn dangos sut y caiff y systemau hynny eu cyflawni yma yng Nghymru.
First Minister, on 17 April, you stated that lockdown could remain even in Wales—. I'll start again. First Minister, on 17 April, you stated that lockdown in Wales would remain even if it were lifted elsewhere. On 27 April, you said that Wales could come out of lockdown before the rest of the UK. On 1 May, you were quoted as saying that Wales could come out of lockdown the same time as the rest of the UK. Well, you seem to be flip-flopping all over the place and not giving any kind of confidence to the public or indeed to business. So, a very simple question is: do you actually know what you're doing? And if you do, what is the plan to come out of lockdown?
Brif Weinidog, ar 17 Ebrill, fe ddywedoch chi y gallai'r cyfyngiadau symud barhau hyd yn oed yng Nghymru—. Rwyf am ddechrau eto. Brif Weinidog, ar 17 Ebrill, fe ddywedoch chi y byddai cyfyngiadau symud yng Nghymru yn parhau hyd yn oed pe baent yn cael eu codi mewn mannau eraill. Ar 27 Ebrill, fe ddywedoch chi y gallai'r cyfyngiadau symud gael eu codi yng Nghymru cyn gweddill y DU. Ar 1 Mai, fe'ch dyfynnwyd yn dweud y gallai'r cyfyngiadau symud gael eu codi yng Nghymru ar yr un pryd â gweddill y DU. Wel, mae'n ymddangos eich bod yn newid eich meddwl o hyd a heb roi unrhyw fath o hyder i'r cyhoedd nac i fusnesau. Felly, mae'n gwestiwn syml iawn: a ydych yn gwybod beth rydych yn ei wneud mewn gwirionedd? Ac os ydych, beth yw'r cynllun mewn perthynas â chodi'r cyfyngiadau symud?
The very simple answer is 'yes'. We published our plan in the framework document that we set out. Of course, all three possibilities that the Member has outlined are still possible. My preference, as I've already said this afternoon and many times, is that we come out of lockdown on a common set of measures and a common timetable across the United Kingdom. If that's wrong for Wales, then we won't do that. If we had to stay in lockdown longer because that was right for Wales, we'd do that. If it was possible to release some measures in Wales safely because it was right for Wales ahead of others, we would do that. That's why we're the Government of Wales.
Yr ateb syml iawn yw 'ydym'. Cyhoeddasom ein cynllun yn y ddogfen fframwaith a nodwyd gennym. Wrth gwrs, mae'r tri posibilrwydd y mae'r Aelod wedi'u hamlinellu yn dal i fod yn bosibl. Fy newis i, fel rwyf eisoes wedi'i ddweud y prynhawn yma a sawl gwaith, yw ein bod yn codi'r cyfyngiadau symud yn unol â chyfres gyffredin o fesurau ac amserlen gyffredin ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig. Os nad yw hynny'n iawn i Gymru, ni fyddwn yn gwneud hynny. Pe bai'n rhaid inni gadw'r cyfyngiadau symud yn hwy oherwydd mai dyna'r peth iawn i Gymru, byddem yn gwneud hynny. Pe bai modd llacio rhai mesurau yng Nghymru'n ddiogel oherwydd mai dyna'r peth iawn i Gymru cyn y lleill, byddem yn gwneud hynny. Dyna pam mai ni yw Llywodraeth Cymru.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, the Welsh Government has followed and expanded upon the UK Government's policy of supporting businesses, with more funding and grants available here in Wales, particularly if you're self-employed, but do we know how much has been given to Welsh businesses from the UK Government schemes and in particular to some of our anchor companies such as Airbus and Tata, who are already highlighting their concerns over the future of their businesses? And, I know that, in particular, Tata has requested far more than the cap that's currently on CBILS. Are you aware as to what progress is being made by UK Government on supporting these anchor companies in Wales?
And, finally, First Minister, I've literally just received an e-mail from a care home manager, within the last 15 minutes, who has cases of COVID in his home, but, when contacting Public Health Wales on Monday, he was told that, because they're not new cases, he will not get tested. Can you ensure that Public Health Wales know the new guidelines so that, in homes where there is COVID, all residents can be tested and staff can be tested?
Diolch, Lywydd. Brif Weinidog, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dilyn ac ehangu ar bolisi Llywodraeth y DU o gefnogi busnesau, gyda mwy o gyllid a grantiau ar gael yma yng Nghymru, yn enwedig os ydych yn hunangyflogedig, ond a ydym yn gwybod faint a roddwyd i fusnesau Cymru o gynlluniau Llywodraeth y DU ac yn arbennig i rai o'n cwmnïau angori megis Airbus a Tata, sydd eisoes yn amlygu eu pryderon ynghylch dyfodol eu busnesau? Ac rwy'n gwybod bod Tata wedi gofyn yn benodol am lawer mwy na'r cap sydd ar y cynllun benthyciadau tarfu ar fusnes yn sgil y coronafeirws ar hyn o bryd. A ydych yn gwybod pa gynnydd sy'n cael ei wneud gan Lywodraeth y DU i gefnogi'r cwmnïau angori hyn yng Nghymru?
Ac yn olaf, Brif Weinidog, rwyf yn llythrennol newydd dderbyn e-bost gan reolwr cartref gofal, o fewn y 15 munud diwethaf, sydd ag achosion o COVID yn ei gartref, ond pan gysylltodd ag Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru ddydd Llun, dywedwyd wrtho na fydd yn cael prawf am nad ydynt yn achosion newydd. A allwch chi sicrhau bod Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn gwybod y canllawiau newydd fel y gall yr holl breswylwyr a staff gael eu profi mewn cartrefi lle ceir achosion o COVID?
Well, on the final point, of course I can guarantee that Public Health Wales are very well aware of the new guidelines. I'm afraid I can't respond to an individual e-mail, but there will be ways in which that care home can pursue that and should do.
On the first and largest set of questions David Rees asked, I don't have, and I'm not sure whether it is even publicly available—I certainly don't have in my head—a breakdown of the help that Welsh businesses have so far received from the UK schemes. So, just to repeat again, Llywydd, this afternoon, I welcome all those schemes and I'm very glad the UK Government has put them in place, and I'm sure there will be a point at which it will be possible to see how much of that help has been received here in Wales. Quite certainly, to agree strongly with what David Rees said about Airbus and Tata, as two absolutely major and fundamental employers here in Wales, both of them with global crises on their hands in aerospace and in steel making, I give David Rees an assurance that my colleague Ken Skates has been in direct and close contact with Tata management and with the management of Airbus, looking to see the things that we can do here in Wales. For example, on the skills agenda, where we remain willing and keen to do the things that we can do to help, but where the big issues—energy in the case of Tata, for example—are issues that lie in the hands of the UK Government, where the need to attend to them has been there for many, many months past, and is now urgently needed in order to secure the long-term health of those very important industries.
In the meantime, we go on using our £500 million economic resilience fund, which is not simply focused on the major companies themselves, but very importantly on supply chains, making sure that if large companies get into trouble, we're attending to the impact that that will have, the knock-on effect it will have on their supply chains as well.
Wel, ar y pwynt olaf, wrth gwrs y gallaf warantu bod Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru yn ymwybodol iawn o'r canllawiau newydd. Mae arnaf ofn na allaf ymateb i e-bost unigol, ond mae yna ffyrdd y gall y cartref gofal hwnnw fynd ar drywydd hynny a dylent wneud hynny yn sicr.
Ar y set gyntaf a'r set fwyaf o gwestiynau a ofynnodd David Rees, nid oes gennyf, ac nid wyf yn siŵr a yw ar gael yn gyhoeddus hyd yn oed—yn sicr, nid yw gennyf yn fy mhen—nid oes gennyf ddadansoddiad o'r cymorth y mae busnesau Cymru wedi'i gael o gynlluniau'r DU hyd yma. Felly, i ailadrodd unwaith eto, Lywydd, y prynhawn yma, rwy'n croesawu'r holl gynlluniau hynny ac rwy'n falch iawn fod Llywodraeth y DU wedi'u rhoi ar waith, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd yna adeg pan fydd yn bosibl gweld faint o'r cymorth hwnnw sydd wedi'i dderbyn yma yng Nghymru. Yn sicr ddigon, i gytuno'n gryf â'r hyn a ddywedodd David Rees am Airbus a Tata, fel dau gyflogwr mawr a phwysig iawn yma yng Nghymru, a'r ddau ohonynt ag argyfyngau byd-eang ar eu dwylo yn y diwydiant awyrofod a'r diwydiant cynhyrchu dur, rwy'n rhoi sicrwydd i David Rees fod fy nghyd-Aelod Ken Skates wedi bod mewn cysylltiad uniongyrchol ac agos â rheolwyr Tata a rheolwyr Airbus, i edrych i weld pa bethau y gallwn eu gwneud yma yng Nghymru. Er enghraifft, ar yr agenda sgiliau, lle rydym yn dal i fod yn barod ac yn awyddus i wneud y pethau y gallwn eu gwneud i helpu, ond lle mae problemau mawr—ynni yn achos Tata, er enghraifft—yn nwylo Llywodraeth y DU, a'r angen i roi sylw iddynt wedi bod yno ers misoedd lawer, ac mae taer angen amdano bellach er mwyn diogelu iechyd hirdymor y diwydiannau tra phwysig hynny.
Yn y cyfamser, rydym yn parhau i ddefnyddio ein cronfa cadernid economaidd gwerth £500 miliwn, nad yw'n canolbwyntio'n unig ar y cwmnïau mawr eu hunain, ond yn bwysig iawn, ar gadwyni cyflenwi, gan sicrhau, os bydd cwmnïau mawr yn wynebu trafferthion, ein bod yn mynd i'r afael â'r effaith y bydd hynny'n ei chael, yr effaith ganlyniadol y bydd hynny'n ei chael, ar eu cadwyni cyflenwi hefyd.
Dŷn ni i gyd yn gorfod aberthu llawer o ryddid ar hyn o bryd, a dwi'n meddwl bod hi’n niweidiol iawn i undod cymdeithasol pan fydd pobl yn fy etholaeth i yn gweld ymwelwyr i'r ardal fel petaen nhw ddim cweit yn gorfod aberthu'r un rhyddid, ac mae pobl yn dweud wrthyf i'n dal eu bod nhw’n teimlo ei bod hi’n brysur iawn o ran ymwelwyr yn eu hardaloedd nhw. Y mwyaf cadarn, dwi’n meddwl, y gallwn ni fod rŵan, y lleiaf o densiwn sy’n mynd i gael ei greu; mae’n bwysig lleihau tensiwn achos dŷn ni'n edrych ymlaen at weld twristiaeth yn gallu ailgydio. Ond, dwi yn cyd-fynd â'r neges yn eich llythyr chi i'r heddlu a llywodraeth leol yn dweud wrth bobl i gadw draw o dai gwyliau, ail gartrefi, ac ati. Roeddech chi’n dweud bod hynny'n cynnwys pobl sydd eisoes yma. Roeddech chi'n dweud bod gadael neu aros yn rhywle lle nad ydych chi’n byw, heb reswm da iawn, yn cyflawni trosedd. Rŵan, os ydy hi’n drosedd, onid oes yna le'n dal i ystyried ymbweru’r heddlu'n fwy ar hyn, yn cynnwys y posibilrwydd o ddirwyon trymach?
We have all had to sacrifice a great deal of freedom, and I think it's very damaging for social unity when people in my constituency see visitors to the area that don't have to make the same sacrifices. People tell me that they still see it as being very busy in terms of visitors in their areas. And the more robust we can we be now, I think, the less tension will be created. It's important that we do reduce that tension because we look forward to seeing tourism reviving again. I do agree with the message of your letter to the police and local government, telling people to stay away from second homes and holiday accommodation, and so on. You say that that includes people who are already here. You say that leaving or staying somewhere they should not be visiting, without good reason, constitutes a criminal offence. Well, if it is a criminal offence, then shouldn't we empower the police more on this, including the possibility of heavier fines?
Wel, wrth gwrs, rŷn ni’n agored, bob tro, i gadw llygad ar bwerau sydd gyda'r heddlu ar hyn o bryd a beth rŷn ni'n ei wneud trwy’r pethau—
Well, of course we are always open to keeping a close eye on the powers available to the police currently and what we are doing through—
—things that we do in terms of fining and making the impact of the measures the police can take effective. The information we've always had from the police week by week is that they have what they need. Now, if that changes in the future, then, of course, we will think about that and see what we can do.
The actual evidence we have is that trips being made by people in Wales are stable. The number of trips made on 7 April and 28 April—two dates on which there were census points—were practically identical. So, there's not a great deal of hard evidence that more trips are being made. But we're dealing with people's anxieties, of course, and bank holidays create particular anxieties that they will encourage people to make journeys that are not essential and should not be made. That's why I wrote an open letter, alongside the police service, alongside the leader of the Welsh Local Government Association, just trying to get that message across to people.
We are still all subject to the restrictions that Rhun ap Iorwerth referred to. Unnecessary journeys are not allowed in the current arrangements. Taking a trip to the beach, travelling a long distance to go to Snowdonia—that's not allowed under these arrangements. People shouldn't do it and, if they do, the police in Wales will take action.
—pethau rydym yn eu gwneud o ran dirwyo a sicrhau bod effaith y mesurau y gall yr heddlu eu cymryd yn effeithiol. Y wybodaeth rydym wedi'i chael bob amser gan yr heddlu wythnos ar ôl wythnos yw bod ganddynt yr hyn sydd ei angen arnynt. Nawr, os bydd hynny'n newid yn y dyfodol, byddwn yn meddwl am hynny wrth gwrs ac yn gweld beth y gallwn ei wneud.
Y dystiolaeth wirioneddol sydd gennym yw bod nifer y tripiau sy'n cael eu gwneud gan bobl yng Nghymru yn sefydlog. Roedd nifer y tripiau a wnaed ar 7 Ebrill a 28 Ebrill—dau ddyddiad pan gynhaliwyd cyfrifiadau—bron yn union yr un fath. Felly, nid oes llawer o dystiolaeth gadarn fod mwy o deithiau'n cael eu gwneud. Ond rydym yn mynd i'r afael â phryderon pobl wrth gwrs, ac mae gwyliau banc yn creu pryderon penodol y byddant yn annog pobl i wneud siwrneiau nad ydynt yn hanfodol ac na ddylid eu gwneud. Dyna pam yr ysgrifennais lythyr agored, ynghyd â'r gwasanaeth heddlu, ynghyd ag arweinydd Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, i geisio cyfleu'r neges honno i bobl.
Rydym yn dal i fod yn ddarostyngedig i'r cyfyngiadau y cyfeiriodd Rhun ap Iorwerth atynt. Ni chaniateir teithiau diangen yn y trefniadau presennol. Mynd ar daith i'r traeth, teithio pellter hir i fynd i Eryri—ni chaniateir y pethau hynny o dan y trefniadau hyn. Ni ddylai pobl ei wneud ac os ydynt yn ei wneud, bydd yr heddlu yng Nghymru yn rhoi camau ar waith.
The cost of the current lockdown will be felt not just in financial terms but also in healthcare terms. Cancer Research UK recently said that we're missing 2,300 cancers a week because of the reduction in GP referrals. It's clear that we need to spend a lot more money on health in the future, but we'll only be able to do that if we have a successful and growing economy.
The Office for Budget Responsibility has estimated that the cost of this lockdown will be anything from £500 billion to £1 trillion. The Government deficit in the UK is going to balloon by, perhaps, £300 billion this year—that's 20 times the entire Welsh Government budget. If we don't take some risks in getting the economy moving, and we have to take the risk that the infection rate of coronavirus will continue as it is—. So long as we can protect the vulnerable, or the most vulnerable, then does the First Minister agree that, if we are going to spend more on the health service in the future, we have, therefore, to get the economy back on its feet?
Bydd cost y cyfyngiadau symud presennol i'w theimlo nid yn unig mewn termau ariannol ond hefyd mewn termau gofal iechyd. Dywedodd Cancer Research UK yn ddiweddar ein bod yn colli 2,300 o ganserau'r wythnos oherwydd y gostyngiad yn nifer yr atgyfeiriadau gan feddygon teulu. Mae'n amlwg fod angen inni wario llawer mwy o arian ar iechyd yn y dyfodol, ond ni fyddwn ond yn gallu gwneud hynny gydag economi lwyddiannus sy'n tyfu.
Mae'r Swyddfa Cyfrifoldeb Cyllidebol wedi amcangyfrif y bydd y cyfyngiadau symud hyn yn costio rhwng £500 biliwn a £1 triliwn. Mae'n bosibl y bydd diffyg y Llywodraeth yn y DU yn cynyddu £300 biliwn eleni—mae hynny'n 20 gwaith cymaint â chyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru gyfan. Os nad ydym yn cymryd rhai risgiau i geisio sicrhau bod yr economi'n symud, ac mae'n rhaid inni gymryd y risg y bydd cyfradd heintio'r coronafeirws yn parhau fel y mae—. Cyhyd â'n bod yn gallu amddiffyn y rhai sy'n agored i niwed, neu'r rhai mwyaf agored i niwed, a yw'r Prif Weinidog yn cytuno bod yn rhaid i ni gael yr economi yn ôl ar ei thraed os ydym eisiau gwario mwy ar y gwasanaeth iechyd yn y dyfodol?
Well, there's something in what the Member says that I could agree with, because, of course, he is right that we have to make a success of the economy in order to be able to have the public services that we need. So, I agree with him in that very general proposition.
Where I can't agree with him is that this means that, provided we can protect the most vulnerable, we should be prepared to take risks with the health of other people. Because we're not talking about his health or my health, we are talking about the health of other people—other people who have children, who have families, and are not prepared to go down that road with him.
We will take the most careful and cautious steps forward—the steps that we believe will have the best impact for the minimal amount of risk, because any step beyond lockdown is a risk, but any sense of a cavalier approach to risk, in which we put people in harm's way knowingly, is certainly not something that I would be prepared to sign up to.
As we open the economy up again, and I agree that we have to be able to do that, then we need to do it in ways that demonstrate to the people we are going to ask to go back to work that we have thought about those risks, we have mitigated those risks, we have taken all reasonable measures to make them safe in the workplace, that we are not going to create conditions in which coronavirus simply takes off again and spreads like wildfire through the whole of the population, creating huge spikes again in hospital admissions, overwhelming critical care capacity and so on.
It's where you put yourself on the risk spectrum, and I want us to be at the part of the spectrum that demonstrates to people in Wales that we have seen everything we do through that public health lens, and we're not going to ask anybody to take a risk that we could have avoided.
Wel, gallaf gytuno â rhywbeth y mae'r Aelod yn ei ddweud, oherwydd, wrth gwrs, mae'n gywir fod yn rhaid inni wneud llwyddiant o'r economi er mwyn gallu cael y gwasanaethau cyhoeddus rydym eu hangen. Felly, rwy'n cytuno â'r gosodiad cyffredinol iawn hwnnw ganddo.
Yr hyn na allaf gytuno ag ef yn ei gylch yw bod hyn yn golygu, cyhyd ag y gallwn amddiffyn y rhai mwyaf agored i niwed, y dylem fod yn barod i gymryd risgiau gydag iechyd pobl eraill. Oherwydd nid ydym yn sôn am ei iechyd ef na fy iechyd i, rydym yn sôn am iechyd pobl eraill—pobl eraill sydd â phlant, sydd â theuluoedd, a phobl nad ydynt yn barod i fynd ar hyd y llwybr hwnnw gydag ef.
Fe gymerwn y camau mwyaf gofalus ymlaen—y camau y credwn y byddant yn cael yr effaith orau am y risg lleiaf sy'n bosibl, oherwydd mae unrhyw gam y tu hwnt i gyfyngiadau symud yn risg, ond yn sicr, nid yw unrhyw ymagwedd ddi-hid tuag at risg, lle rydym yn rhoi pobl mewn perygl yn fwriadol, yn rhywbeth y byddwn yn barod i ymrwymo iddo.
Wrth inni agor yr economi eto, a chytunaf fod yn rhaid inni allu gwneud hynny, mae angen inni ei wneud mewn ffyrdd sy'n dangos i'r bobl y byddwn yn gofyn iddynt fynd yn ôl i'r gwaith ein bod wedi ystyried y risgiau hynny, ein bod wedi lliniaru'r risgiau hynny, ein bod wedi cymryd pob cam rhesymol i'w cadw'n ddiogel yn y gweithle ac nad ydym am greu amodau lle bydd coronafeirws yn ffynnu ac yn ymledu fel tân gwyllt drwy'r boblogaeth gyfan, gan arwain at uchafbwyntiau enfawr unwaith eto yn nifer y derbyniadau i ysbytai, gan drechu gallu gofal critigol ac yn y blaen i ymdopi.
Dyma lle rydych yn rhoi eich hun ar y sbectrwm risg, ac rwyf eisiau inni fod ar y rhan o'r sbectrwm sy'n dangos i bobl Cymru ein bod wedi gweld popeth a wnawn drwy'r lens iechyd cyhoeddus hwnnw, ac ni fyddwn yn gofyn i unrhyw un gymryd risg y gallem fod wedi'i osgoi.
It has been mentioned several times this morning that we're paying carers—rightly, in my opinion—a £500 payment in recognition of what they do. But what hasn't been mentioned this morning, and it was brought to my attention by a constituent who lives in Montgomeryshire, but works over the border, is that they won't be receiving that. Now, I hope that you will agree to join with me with the newly elected Tory MP in Montgomeryshire and also in Powys to seek assurances that these inequalities that exist, because we've put it in place and England haven't, could be addressed. It is completely unfair in that respect.
And the other thing that hasn't been mentioned about positive changes to our benefits for people in Wales is the additionality that we are paying and the difference between that for free-school-meal recipients. It's £15 in England per week and it's £19.50 per week in Wales. And, again, it really does demonstrate the difference between the thinking between a Tory and a Labour Government about who really needs help and who is actually getting it.
Crybwyllwyd sawl gwaith y bore yma ein bod yn rhoi taliad o £500 i ofalwyr—a hynny'n briodol, yn fy marn i—i gydnabod yr hyn y maent yn ei wneud. Ond yr hyn nas crybwyllwyd y bore yma, a thynnwyd fy sylw ato gan etholwr sy'n byw yn Sir Drefaldwyn ond sy'n gweithio dros y ffin, yw na fyddant yn derbyn y taliad hwnnw. Nawr, rwy'n gobeithio y byddwch yn ymuno â mi gyda'r Aelod Seneddol Torïaidd sydd newydd gael ei ethol yn Sir Drefaldwyn a hefyd ym Mhowys i ofyn am sicrwydd y gellid mynd i'r afael â'r anghydraddoldebau hyn sy'n bodoli am ein bod ni wedi rhoi hyn ar waith a Lloegr heb wneud hynny. Mae'n gwbl annheg yn hynny o beth.
A'r peth arall nas crybwyllwyd ynglŷn â newidiadau cadarnhaol i'n budd-daliadau i bobl yng Nghymru yw'r ychwanegiad rydym yn ei dalu a'r gwahaniaeth rhwng hwnnw ar gyfer y rhai sy'n cael prydau ysgol am ddim. Mae'n £15 yr wythnos yn Lloegr ac mae'n £19.50 yr wythnos yng Nghymru. Ac unwaith eto, mae'n dangos yn glir y gwahaniaeth ym meddylfryd Llywodraeth Dorïaidd a Llywodraeth Lafur o ran pwy sydd angen cymorth a phwy sy'n ei gael mewn gwirionedd.
Can I thank Joyce Watson very much for that question and for bringing us back to what was one of the main focuses of my original statement, which was the inequality impact of coronavirus and the fact that the burden is being felt by some people far more than others and the actions we've taken as a progressive Welsh Government to try to mitigate that?
Now, our £500 payment is based on your place of work, rather than the place where you live. So, Joyce is absolutely right, there are anomalies. There will be people living in England working across the border in Wales who will get the £500 payment, and there are people living in Wales and working in England who won't. The answer to it, as Joyce Watson has said, is simple: make a payment in England as well, and find the funding, as we have found, to do that. I hear Conservative Ministers very regularly on the television telling us how much they value everything that those care workers are doing. What we've tried to do, and it's in a modest way, but it sends an important symbolic message, certainly, is that we've tried to put some of our money where our sentiments have been.
And the same is true of free school meals. We're all rightly worried about the impact of coronavirus on vulnerable families and children who otherwise would have had the support of the school around them, and everything else that we mobilise in Wales to make sure that those families get the support that they need. Our investment in free school meals, the £40 million that we've announced, means that those children can be sure of being fed right through the school holidays, the long school holidays, which we know are such a struggle for so many families. It is more than is being paid elsewhere, but we've always put more in this area. We've always had, throughout this Assembly term, a scheme of feeding children during the long school holiday—a national scheme, paid for through the Welsh Government. We're very proud to be able to continue that, and very grateful to Joyce for drawing attention properly to it this afternoon.
A gaf fi ddiolch yn fawr i Joyce Watson am y cwestiwn hwnnw ac am ddod â ni'n ôl at un o brif elfennau fy natganiad gwreiddiol, sef effaith anghydraddoldeb coronafeirws a'r ffaith bod y baich yn cael ei deimlo gan rai pobl yn llawer mwy nag eraill a'r camau rydym wedi'u cymryd fel Llywodraeth flaengar yng Cymru i geisio lliniaru hynny?
Nawr, mae ein taliad o £500 yn seiliedig ar eich lle gwaith, yn hytrach na'r man lle rydych yn byw. Felly, mae Joyce yn llygad ei lle, mae yna anghysonderau. Bydd yna bobl sy'n byw yn Lloegr yn gweithio ar draws y ffin yng Nghymru a fydd yn cael y taliad o £500, ac mae yna bobl sy'n byw yng Nghymru ac yn gweithio yn Lloegr na fyddant yn ei gael. Mae'r ateb, fel y dywedodd Joyce Watson, yn syml: gwnewch daliad yn Lloegr hefyd, a dowch o hyd i'r cyllid i wneud hynny, fel y gwnaethom ni. Clywaf Weinidogion Ceidwadol yn rheolaidd iawn ar y teledu yn dweud wrthym cymaint y maent yn gwerthfawrogi popeth y mae'r gweithwyr gofal hynny'n ei wneud. Yr hyn rydym ni wedi ceisio ei wneud, ac mae'n gymedrol, ond mae'n anfon neges symbolaidd bwysig, yn sicr, yw ceisio rhoi rhywfaint o'n harian ar yr hyn rydym yn ei deimlo.
Ac mae'r un peth yn wir am brydau ysgol am ddim. Rydym i gyd yn poeni'n briodol am effaith coronafeirws ar deuluoedd agored i niwed a phlant a fyddai, fel arall, wedi cael cefnogaeth yr ysgol o'u cwmpas, a phopeth arall rydym yn ei wneud yng Nghymru i sicrhau bod y teuluoedd hynny'n cael y cymorth y maent ei angen. Mae ein buddsoddiad mewn prydau ysgol am ddim, y £40 miliwn rydym wedi'i gyhoeddi, yn golygu y gall y plant hynny fod yn sicr o gael eu bwydo drwy gydol gwyliau'r ysgol, y gwyliau ysgol hir, sydd, fel y gwyddom, yn gymaint o frwydr i gynifer o deuluoedd. Mae'n fwy na'r hyn sy'n cael ei dalu mewn mannau eraill, ond rydym bob amser wedi rhoi mwy yn y maes hwn. Drwy gydol tymor y Cynulliad hwn, rydym bob amser wedi cynnal cynllun o fwydo plant yn ystod y gwyliau ysgol hir—cynllun cenedlaethol, y talwyd amdano drwy Lywodraeth Cymru. Rydym yn falch iawn o allu parhau â hwnnw, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i Joyce am dynnu sylw priodol ato y prynhawn yma.
Diolch i'r Prif Weinidog.
I thank the First Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad gan Weinidog yr Economi, Trafnidiaeth a Gogledd Cymru ar yr ymateb i coronafeirws, a dwi'n gofyn i'r Gweinidog i wneud ei ddatganiad—Ken Skates.
The next item is the statement by the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales on the response to coronavirus, and I call on the Minister to make the statement—Ken Skates.
Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to begin by first of all thanking Members across the Chamber, as well as our social partners and our colleagues in every area of public service in Wales, for the huge amount of work that's been done in contributing to and supporting the economic response to coronavirus.
Now, as I will come to outline, we've made a great deal of progress in delivering rapid support through our economic resilience fund through the Development Bank of Wales, and through business rate relief being administered by local authorities, and I'd like to pay tribute to everybody who's helped on that particular front.
Now, I say this because the need for this support could not be greater. Economies around the world are showing signs of record contractions and significant unemployment. The eurozone economy shrank at the sharpest pace on record in the first quarter, and even the strongest economy, Germany, recorded unemployment rising by 373,000 in April.
There are many businesses in Wales that have already had to take tough decisions. Of those businesses and venues that must currently remain closed, there are over 200,000 employees within those industries in Wales. Over a third of those work within the food and drink industries, and over a quarter work in the retail sector. This is before we take into account, of course, the supply chain impact. But our priority is public health and controlling the pandemic. Without public confidence in that, consumers will not go to shops, people will not travel and workers will not return to offices.
Diolch, Lywydd. Hoffwn ddechrau drwy ddiolch yn gyntaf i Aelodau ar draws y Siambr, yn ogystal â'n partneriaid cymdeithasol a'n cydweithwyr ym mhob maes gwasanaeth cyhoeddus yng Nghymru, am y gwaith aruthrol sydd wedi'i wneud wrth gefnogi a chyfrannu at yr ymateb economaidd i'r coronafeirws.
Nawr, fel y byddaf yn amlinellu, rydym wedi gwneud llawer iawn o gynnydd yn darparu cymorth cyflym drwy ein cronfa cadernid economaidd drwy Fanc Datblygu Cymru, a thrwy sicrhau bod awdurdodau lleol yn gweinyddu rhyddhad ardrethi busnes, a hoffwn dalu teyrnged i bawb sydd wedi helpu mewn perthynas â hynny.
Nawr, rwy'n dweud hyn oherwydd na allai'r angen am y cymorth hwn fod yn fwy. Mae economïau o amgylch y byd yn dangos arwyddion o grebachu gwaeth nag erioed a diweithdra sylweddol. Mae economi ardal yr ewro wedi crebachu'n gyflymach nag erioed yn y chwarter cyntaf, ac mae hyd yn oed yr economi gryfaf, yr Almaen, wedi cofnodi bod diweithdra wedi cynyddu 373,000 ym mis Ebrill.
Mae llawer o fusnesau yng Nghymru eisoes wedi gorfod gwneud penderfyniadau anodd. O'r busnesau a'r lleoliadau sy'n gorfod aros ar gau ar hyn o bryd, mae dros 200,000 yn gweithio yn y diwydiannau hynny yng Nghymru. Mae dros draean o'r rheini'n gweithio o fewn y diwydiannau bwyd a diod, ac mae dros chwarter yn gweithio yn y sector manwerthu. Mae hyn cyn i ni ystyried yr effaith ar y gadwyn gyflenwi wrth gwrs. Ond ein blaenoriaeth ni yw iechyd y cyhoedd a rheoli'r pandemig. Heb hyder y cyhoedd yn hynny, ni fydd defnyddwyr yn mynd i siopau, ni fydd pobl yn teithio ac ni fydd gweithwyr yn dychwelyd i'w swyddfeydd.
In the meantime, as thousands of individuals and businesses put their livelihoods on hold to save lives, the Welsh Government is taking decisive action to help all those businesses and individuals who have been impacted.
As it stands, we've invested £1.7 billion in support packages, equivalent to 2.7 per cent of GDP in Wales. This is a truly unprecedented commitment and a clear demonstration that we are standing up for businesses in all parts of Wales. Just last week, the Minister for Finance and I announced that over £0.5 billion-worth of relief grants had moved from Government to businesses, reaching 41,000 small businesses in Wales in the space of just a few weeks. All eligible businesses in the tourism, retail and hospitality sector are now benefiting from a year-long rates holiday. During my last statement, I told you we had added an extra £100 million to the amount of funding for the first phase of the Wales-only economic resilience fund, which totals £0.5 billion overall. That fund was paused at midday on Monday 27 April, following the very large number of applications, worth over £255 million in total.
Funding, I'm pleased to say, is now flowing to businesses, with over 700 applications being appraised and approved daily. The rate of applications has been unprecedented, and I'd like to thank the team of Welsh Government officials who have worked at pace to process applications and get money into the accounts of those businesses and organisations that need that support quickly.
We are reviewing how we can now utilise the remaining funding to support those firms who need it most and to protect our economy. I'd like to reiterate that this is not support that is being made available to small and medium-sized businesses in England; it's finance from within our own budgets here in Wales. I know that there are many firms here in Wales that are still in business because of our support that would have closed had they been based in England.
I've had some excellent discussions with colleagues right across the Chamber about the next steps with our ERF fund, and how additional finance through the Development Bank of Wales could be used. The development bank's COVID-19 loan scheme was fully subscribed in little more than seven days, after 1,600 applications were submitted. In an average year, the DBW processes around 400 applications. So, it's anticipated that the DBW will have processed all applications very shortly, and 567 of these loans have gone to small and micro businesses, safeguarding 4,571 jobs.
Last week's announcement about the UK Government's bounce back loan scheme, which is available here in Wales, was very welcome, and we continue to work with the UK Government to identify the gaps in provision for businesses in Wales. And, as I've said repeatedly now, we want to support good businesses in 2019 to be good businesses in 2021. We want to support people who had a good job in 2019 to have a good job in 2021. But there is a very real need for the Chancellor to learn lessons quickly from the schemes implemented so far, not least on getting funds to businesses faster, and I do think that there's a lot that we can learn from our very own development bank in this regard.
It's essential that the UK Government now goes further by providing the financial support needed for firms of all sizes to survive and recover to the levels of growth and prosperity that were seen before this pandemic. It must also look at how the furlough scheme is landing with businesses and heed their call for it not to be withdrawn before the crisis has ended.
The economic resilience fund will support a significant number of businesses and enterprises facing cash-flow pressures. But the Welsh Government has always been clear it will not reach all of them. This includes support for the port of Holyhead. After the UK Government announced, on 24 April, that its support for ferry services and routes did not include the vital route between Dublin and Holyhead, I pressed the UK Government to look again, and I am pleased that they are. We look forward to working constructively to support the port, which is the second busiest in the UK, and it's absolutely vital to the economy of north Wales. It's also a vital link, transporting critical goods such as food and oxygen supplies for the NHS to the UK mainland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
As I said earlier, for now, the priority remains public health and controlling the pandemic. That doesn't mean that we are not thinking about the future for the economy and the pathway to recovery. It's essential we do look across all areas of Government, not just at the economic levers. I'm in regular contact with UK Government and devolved administration colleagues on this matter as we work to make our countries safer places to live and to work. We are giving careful consideration to how we exit lockdown, and we remain committed to working across the four administrations on developing the right policy on this.
Just yesterday, I joined my devolved colleagues in Scotland and Northern Ireland in setting out the common concerns we shared in relation to the UK Government's safer workplaces guidance. Now, as the First Minister has said, we are keen to avoid divergence wherever possible, and we published our recovery framework for how we will lead Wales out of this crisis in a way that keeps everybody safe and revitalises our economy as quickly as possible. We need a thriving economy that provides people with their jobs, their incomes and supports our public services; one where we we have a more prosperous, equal and greener Wales. The best way to do that is to get control of the virus now. I'm happy to take questions.
Yn y cyfamser, wrth i filoedd o unigolion a busnesau roi eu bywoliaeth ar stop i achub bywydau, mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n cymryd camau pendant i helpu'r holl fusnesau a'r unigolion hynny yr effeithiyd arnynt.
Fel y mae ar hyn o bryd, rydym wedi buddsoddi £1.7 biliwn mewn pecynnau cymorth, sy'n cyfateb i 2.7 y cant o'r cynnyrch domestig gros yng Nghymru. Mae hwn yn ymrwymiad cwbl ddigynsail ac yn arwydd clir ein bod yn sefyll dros fusnesau ym mhob rhan o Gymru. Yr wythnos diwethaf, cyhoeddodd y Gweinidog Cyllid a minnau fod gwerth dros £0.5 biliwn o grantiau rhyddhad wedi mynd oddi wrth y Llywodraeth i fusnesau, gan gyrraedd 41,000 o fusnesau bach yng Nghymru o fewn ychydig wythnosau'n unig. Mae pob busnes cymwys yn y sector twristiaeth, manwerthu a lletygarwch bellach yn elwa o flwyddyn o seibiant rhag talu ardrethi. Yn ystod fy natganiad diwethaf, dywedais wrthych ein bod wedi ychwanegu £100 miliwn ychwanegol at y swm o arian ar gyfer cam cyntaf y gronfa cadernid economaidd i Gymru'n unig, sy'n cynnwys cyfanswm o £0.5 biliwn. Cafodd y gronfa honno ei rhewi am hanner dydd ddydd Llun 27 Ebrill, yn dilyn y nifer fawr iawn o geisiadau, gwerth dros £255 miliwn i gyd.
Rwy'n falch o ddweud fod cyllid bellach yn llifo i fusnesau, gyda dros 700 o geisiadau'n cael eu harfarnu a'u cymeradwyo bob dydd. Mae cyfradd y ceisiadau wedi bod yn ddigynsail, a hoffwn ddiolch i'r tîm o swyddogion Llywodraeth Cymru sydd wedi gweithio'n gyflym i brosesu ceisiadau ac i drosglwyddo arian i gyfrifon y busnesau a'r sefydliadau sydd angen y cymorth hwnnw'n gyflym.
Rydym yn adolygu sut y gallwn ddefnyddio'r cyllid sy'n weddill yn awr i gefnogi'r cwmnïau sydd fwyaf o'i angen ac i ddiogelu ein heconomi. Hoffwn ailadrodd nad yw hwn yn gymorth sy'n cael ei ddarparu i fusnesau bach a chanolig yn Lloegr; cyllid o'n cyllidebau ein hunain yma yng Nghymru ydyw. Gwn fod llawer o gwmnïau yma yng Nghymru wedi goroesi oherwydd ein cymorth ac y byddent wedi cau pe baent wedi'u lleoli yn Lloegr.
Rwyf wedi cael trafodaethau ardderchog gyda chyd-Aelodau ar draws y Siambr am y camau nesaf gyda'n cronfa cadernid economaidd, a sut y gellid defnyddio cyllid ychwanegol drwy Fanc Datblygu Cymru. Roedd cynllun benthyciadau COVID-19 y banc datblygu wedi'i ddihysbyddu mewn ychydig dros saith diwrnod, ar ôl i 1,600 o geisiadau gael eu cyflwyno. Mewn blwyddyn arferol, mae Banc Datblygu Cymru yn prosesu tua 400 o geisiadau. Felly, rhagwelir y bydd Banc Datblygu Cymru wedi prosesu'r holl geisiadau cyn bo hir, ac mae 567 o'r benthyciadau hyn wedi mynd i fusnesau bach a microfusnesau, gan ddiogelu 4,571 o swyddi.
Roedd y cyhoeddiad yr wythnos diwethaf am gynllun benthyciadau adfer Llywodraeth y DU, sydd ar gael yma yng Nghymru, i'w groesawu'n fawr, ac rydym yn dal i weithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i nodi'r bylchau yn y ddarpariaeth i fusnesau yng Nghymru. Ac fel rwyf wedi'i ddweud droeon yn awr, rydym eisiau cefnogi busnesau da yn 2019 i fod yn fusnesau da yn 2021. Rydym eisiau cynorthwyo pobl a oedd mewn swydd dda yn 2019 i fod mewn swydd dda yn 2021. Ond mae gwir angen i'r Canghellor ddysgu gwersi'n gyflym o'r cynlluniau a weithredwyd hyd yn hyn, yn enwedig ar gael cyllid i fusnesau'n gyflymach, ac rwy'n credu bod llawer y gallwn ei ddysgu gan ein banc datblygu ein hunain yn hyn o beth.
Mae'n hanfodol fod Llywodraeth y DU yn mynd ymhellach yn awr drwy ddarparu'r cymorth ariannol sydd ei angen ar fusnesau o bob maint i oroesi ac adfer i'r lefelau twf a ffyniant a welwyd cyn y pandemig hwn. Mae'n rhaid iddo hefyd edrych ar sut y mae'r cynllun ffyrlo yn gweithio gyda busnesau a gwrando ar eu galwad i beidio â'i ddiddymu cyn i'r argyfwng ddod i ben.
Bydd y gronfa cadernid economaidd yn cefnogi nifer sylweddol o fusnesau a mentrau sy'n wynebu pwysau llif arian. Ond mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn glir bob amser na fydd yn cyrraedd pob un ohonynt. Mae hyn yn cynnwys cymorth i borthladd Caergybi. Ar ôl i Lywodraeth y DU gyhoeddi, ar 24 Ebrill, nad oedd ei chefnogaeth i lwybrau a gwasanaethau fferi yn cynnwys y llwybr hanfodol rhwng Dulyn a Chaergybi, pwysais ar Lywodraeth y DU i edrych eto, ac rwy'n falch eu bod yn gwneud hynny. Edrychwn ymlaen at weithio'n adeiladol i gefnogi'r porthladd, sef yr ail borthladd prysuraf yn y DU, ac mae'n gwbl hanfodol i economi gogledd Cymru. Mae hefyd yn gyswllt hanfodol ar gyfer cludo nwyddau hanfodol fel cyflenwadau bwyd ac ocsigen ar gyfer y GIG i dir mawr y DU, Gogledd Iwerddon a Gweriniaeth Iwerddon.
Fel y dywedais yn gynharach, am nawr, y flaenoriaeth o hyd yw iechyd y cyhoedd a rheoli'r pandemig. Nid yw hynny'n golygu nad ydym yn meddwl am ddyfodol yr economi a'r llwybr tuag at adfer. Mae'n hanfodol ein bod yn edrych ar bob maes Llywodraeth, nid ar yr ysgogiadau economaidd yn unig. Rwyf mewn cysylltiad rheolaidd â Llywodraeth y DU a chymheiriaid yn y gweinyddiaethau datganoledig ar y mater hwn wrth inni weithio i wneud ein gwledydd yn lleoedd mwy diogel i fyw a gweithio ynddynt. Rydym yn ystyried yn ofalus sut y byddwn yn codi'r cyfyngiadau symud, ac rydym yn parhau'n ymrwymedig i weithio ar draws y pedair gweinyddiaeth i ddatblygu'r polisi cywir ar hyn.
Ddoe ddiwethaf, ymunais â fy nghymheiriaid datganoledig yn yr Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon i nodi'r pryderon cyffredin a rannem mewn perthynas â chanllawiau Llywodraeth y DU ar weithleoedd mwy diogel. Nawr, fel y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi dweud, rydym yn awyddus i osgoi ymwahanu lle bynnag y bo modd, a chyhoeddwyd ein fframwaith adfer ar gyfer sut y byddwn yn arwain Cymru allan o'r argyfwng hwn mewn ffordd sy'n cadw pawb yn ddiogel ac yn adfywio ein heconomi cyn gynted ag sy'n bosibl. Rydym angen economi ffyniannus sy'n rhoi swyddi i bobl, sy'n rhoi incwm iddynt ac sy'n cefnogi ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus; un lle mae gennym Gymru fwy ffyniannus, mwy cyfartal a mwy gwyrdd. Y ffordd orau o wneud hynny yw sicrhau rheolaeth dros y feirws yn awr. Rwy'n hapus i gymryd cwestiynau.
Thank you, Minister, for your statement, and thank you for your regular briefings to the spokespeople as well. Minister, you mentioned that the economic resilience fund was paused last Monday, I wonder if you could confirm more detail about the next phase of the scheme, because businesses will be absolutely anxious to find out when that's going to be announced and what's going to be in that.
There are some significant gaps that I know, from our discussions, that you are aware of, but perhaps you could clarify whether some of these issues will be identified in the next phase. I'm thinking particularly of newly self-employed groups of people; businesses that are not registered for value added tax, which are currently excluded from the scheme; and then, of course, there are the businesses that pay business rates, effectively, within their rent to their landlords; and also owner-directors of microbusinesses; and also support for charities or not-for-profit organisations that are not eligible for support currently.
And, of course, one of the biggest sectors that has been affected currently, I'm sure you'll agree with me, is the tourism sector, and it's looking like the entire season is going to be wiped out for them for this year, unfortunately. So, in that regard, I wonder if you could outline what considerations the Welsh Government has given to introducing any specific measures for the tourism and hospitality sector. And why has the Welsh Government given direction to local authorities to impose new criteria, which have excluded self-catering holiday-let businesses from accessing financial support through the small business rate relief scheme, rather than providing national guidance with which all local authorities could abide to ensure fairness? I think the other issue is about local authorities being a bit concerned about applying discretion, because they're not sure whether they'll be able to recoup some of the funding back afterwards.
Diolch am eich datganiad, Weinidog, a diolch i chi am eich sesiynau briffio rheolaidd i'r llefarwyr hefyd. Weinidog, fe sonioch chi fod y gronfa cadernid economaidd wedi'i rhewi ddydd Llun diwethaf. Tybed a allech chi roi mwy o fanylion am gam nesaf y cynllun, oherwydd bydd busnesau'n awyddus iawn i wybod pryd y caiff hynny ei gyhoeddi a beth fydd ei gynnwys.
Gwn o'n trafodaethau fod rhai bylchau sylweddol rydych yn ymwybodol ohonynt, ond efallai y gallech egluro a fydd rhai o'r materion hyn yn cael eu nodi yn y cam nesaf. Rwy'n meddwl yn arbennig am grwpiau o bobl sydd newydd ddod yn hunangyflogedig; busnesau nad ydynt wedi'u cofrestru ar gyfer treth ar werth, sydd wedi'u heithrio o'r cynllun ar hyn o bryd; ac yna, wrth gwrs, mae'r busnesau sy'n talu ardrethi busnes, i bob pwrpas, o fewn eu rhent i'w landlordiaid; a hefyd perchnogion-gyfarwyddwyr microfusnesau; a hefyd cymorth i elusennau neu sefydliadau dielw nad ydynt yn gymwys i gael cymorth ar hyn o bryd.
Ac wrth gwrs, un o'r sectorau mwyaf yr effeithiwyd arnynt ar hyn o bryd, rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn cytuno, yw'r sector twristiaeth, ac mae'n ymddangos y byddant yn colli'r tymor cyfan eleni, yn anffodus. Felly, yn hynny o beth, tybed a allech chi amlinellu pa ystyriaethau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u rhoi i gyflwyno mesurau penodol ar gyfer y sector twristiaeth a lletygarwch. A pham fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi rhoi cyfarwyddyd i awdurdodau lleol osod meini prawf newydd, sydd wedi eithrio busnesau gwyliau hunanddarpar rhag cael mynediad at gymorth ariannol drwy'r cynllun rhyddhad ardrethi i fusnesau bach, yn hytrach na darparu canllawiau cenedlaethol y gall pob awdurdod lleol eu dilyn er mwyn sicrhau tegwch? Rwy'n credu mai'r broblem arall yw bod awdurdodau lleol yn poeni ychydig am weithredu disgresiwn, oherwydd nid ydynt yn siŵr a fyddant yn gallu adennill peth o'r arian yn ôl wedyn.
Can I thank Russell George for his comments and also the constructive suggestions that he's made in recent weeks, which have contributed to our shaping of direct business support?
I'll just pick up briefly on the ERF programme and the further work that is taking place as we consider the next phase of that particular fund. Members will be aware that the UK Government recently topped up the non-domestic rates grant scheme by approximately £617 million. That will deliver a consequential for Wales, and we will be utilising that for business support. I'm aware that there are gaps. We are looking at what we can do to plug those gaps following phase 1, not just through the ERF, but also as we look to the next phase of the Development Bank of Wales support. Now, Russell George has outlined a number of areas where there are currently gaps that we are obviously giving attention to. That includes those businesses that are not registered for VAT; it includes businesses in shared spaces—regular market traders, for example—and also those bed and breakfasts that pay council tax rather than business rates. We will try to plug as many gaps as we can, but our financial resources are finite and our pockets are certainly not as deep as the UK Government Treasury.
Now, in terms of some of the work regarding specific sectors is concerned, in terms of tourism, I think everybody would recognise that it's going to be incredibly difficult for businesses in the tourism sector to generate much revenue at all during the 2020 tourism year. It's absolutely vital that we protect the health of the public, and therefore the health of the economy, for 2021, because revenue probably won't be generated by tourism businesses much sooner than the spring of next year. That means that a prolonged period of support will be required for the tourism sector, and other sectors such as the events sector and hospitality. The Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism is keen to ensure that the UK Government considers a lengthier period of support for the tourism sector. He is engaging very regularly with Ministers in the UK Government and with his colleagues across the devolved administrations on this matter.
I think it's absolutely vital, with regard to the discretion that we give local authorities, that we recognise that local authorities are often best placed to know what those local economic needs of their constituents, villages and towns and areas are. Indeed, the UK Government just recently, with topping up of the NDR grant scheme, gave local authorities the discretion to choose to make payments to businesses based on local economic need. I think it's right that we give guidance, but I also think that it's right that we give discretion to local authorities, because quite frankly, when it comes to knowing the detail of local businesses, they are best placed to make informed and proper judgments.
A gaf fi ddiolch i Russell George am ei sylwadau ac am yr awgrymiadau adeiladol y mae wedi'u gwneud dros yr wythnosau diwethaf, sydd wedi cyfrannu at ein gwaith o lunio cymorth uniongyrchol i fusnesau?
Rwyf am sôn yn fyr am raglen y gronfa cadernid economaidd a'r gwaith pellach sy'n mynd rhagddo wrth inni ystyried cam nesaf y gronfa benodol honno. Bydd yr Aelodau'n ymwybodol fod Llywodraeth y DU wedi ychwanegu oddeutu £617 miliwn at y cynllun grant ardrethi annomestig yn ddiweddar. Bydd hwnnw'n sicrhau swm canlyniadol i Gymru, a byddwn yn defnyddio hwnnw ar gyfer cymorth i fusnesau. Rwy'n ymwybodol fod yna fylchau. Rydym yn edrych ar yr hyn y gallwn ei wneud i gau'r bylchau hynny yn dilyn cam 1, nid yn unig drwy'r gronfa cadernid economaidd, ond hefyd wrth inni edrych ar y cam nesaf o gymorth Banc Datblygu Cymru. Nawr, mae Russell George wedi amlinellu nifer o feysydd lle ceir bylchau ar hyn o bryd ac sy'n cael sylw gennym wrth gwrs. Mae hynny'n cynnwys busnesau nad ydynt wedi cofrestru ar gyfer TAW; mae'n cynnwys busnesau mewn safleoedd a rennir—masnachwyr marchnadoedd rheolaidd, er enghraifft—yn ogystal â sefydliadau gwely a brecwast sy'n talu'r dreth gyngor yn hytrach nag ardrethi busnes. Byddwn yn ceisio llenwi cynifer o fylchau ag y gallwn, ond mae ein hadnoddau ariannol yn gyfyngedig ac yn sicr nid yw ein pocedi mor ddwfn â rhai Trysorlys Llywodraeth y DU.
Nawr, mewn perthynas â'r gwaith sy'n ymwneud â sectorau penodol, o ran twristiaeth, rwy'n credu y byddai pawb yn cydnabod y bydd yn anhygoel o anodd i fusnesau yn y sector twristiaeth gynhyrchu llawer o refeniw o gwbl yn ystod blwyddyn dwristiaeth 2020. Mae'n gwbl hanfodol ein bod yn diogelu iechyd y cyhoedd, ac felly iechyd yr economi, ar gyfer 2021, oherwydd mae'n debyg na fydd refeniw'n cael ei gynhyrchu gan fusnesau twristiaeth yn llawer cynt na gwanwyn y flwyddyn nesaf. Mae hynny'n golygu y bydd angen cyfnod estynedig o gymorth ar gyfer y sector twristiaeth, a sectorau eraill fel y sector digwyddiadau a lletygarwch. Mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog Diwylliant, Chwaraeon a Thwristiaeth yn awyddus i sicrhau bod Llywodraeth y DU yn ystyried cyfnod hwy o gefnogaeth i'r sector twristiaeth. Mae'n ymgysylltu'n rheolaidd iawn â Gweinidogion yn Llywodraeth y DU a'i gyd-Aelodau ar draws y gweinyddiaethau datganoledig ynghylch y mater hwn.
Mewn perthynas â'r disgresiwn a roddwn i awdurdodau lleol, rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n gwbl hanfodol ein bod yn cydnabod mai awdurdodau lleol sydd yn y sefyllfa orau'n aml i wybod beth yw anghenion economaidd lleol eu hetholwyr, eu pentrefi, eu trefi a'u hardaloedd. Yn wir, yn ddiweddar, fe wnaeth Llywodraeth y DU, drwy ychwanegu at y cynllun grant ardrethi annomestig, roi disgresiwn i awdurdodau lleol ddewis gwneud taliadau i fusnesau ar sail angen economaidd lleol. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn iawn ein bod yn rhoi arweiniad, ond rwy'n credu hefyd ei bod yn iawn ein bod yn rhoi disgresiwn i awdurdodau lleol, oherwydd yn gwbl onest, o ran cael gwybodaeth fanwl am fusnesau lleol, hwy sydd yn y sefyllfa orau i wneud penderfyniadau gwybodus a phriodol.
I take that last point, Minister, but I think there's still the issue of local authorities being nervous about taking some discretion, and perhaps some additional consideration could be given there.
My final set of questions, very briefly, is in regards to the recovery stage, which of course I think we all hope that we can move to as soon as possible. I wonder what support you've given to building construction that can take place, which has perhaps paused at the moment, in getting construction started again, and whether there's any consideration you've had with colleagues about relaxing some planning restrictions to allow some construction work to begin perhaps sooner.
The other issue, of course, is that many people in my own constituency can't work from home because they haven't got sufficient broadband or connectivity. So I wonder, Minister, if you could outline how the current outbreak has affected the Welsh Government's programme to improve broadband connectivity, such as the Superfast Cymru phase 2 project. I'm sure you'll agree with me that decent broadband is of course particularly important for homeworking at this time.
Then, finally, in terms of getting people back into work, I wonder what the capacity you could outline is for public transport and the ability to maintain social distancing. Is guidance in place? Has it been worked up? You mentioned last month, in your statement, funding mechanisms to support this particular sector. How is this funding being used? Perhaps you could report back on that. And what is your long-term strategy for public transport?
Rwy'n derbyn y pwynt olaf hwnnw, Weinidog, ond credaf fod problem o hyd gyda'r ffaith bod awdurdodau lleol yn nerfus ynghylch dangos rhywfaint o ddisgresiwn, ac efallai y gellid rhoi rhywfaint o ystyriaeth ychwanegol i hynny.
Mae fy set olaf o gwestiynau, yn fyr iawn, yn ymwneud â'r cyfnod adfer, ac rwy'n credu wrth gwrs ein bod i gyd yn gobeithio y gallwn symud ymlaen ato cyn gynted â phosibl. Tybed pa gefnogaeth rydych wedi'i rhoi i waith adeiladu a all ddigwydd, sydd efallai wedi'i ohirio ar hyn o bryd, a chael gwaith adeiladu i ailddechrau, ac a ydych chi a'ch cyd-Aelodau wedi ystyried llacio rhai cyfyngiadau cynllunio i ganiatáu i rywfaint o waith adeiladu ddechrau yn gynt o bosibl.
Y mater arall, wrth gwrs, yw bod llawer o bobl yn fy etholaeth yn methu gweithio gartref am nad oes ganddynt fand eang na chysylltedd digonol. Felly, Weinidog, tybed a allech chi amlinellu sut y mae'r argyfwng presennol wedi effeithio ar raglen Llywodraeth Cymru i wella cysylltedd band eang, megis prosiect cam 2 Cyflymu Cymru. Rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn cytuno â mi fod band eang gweddus yn arbennig o bwysig ar gyfer gweithio gartref ar hyn o bryd.
Yna, yn olaf, o ran cael pobl yn ôl i'r gwaith, tybed beth yw'r capasiti y gallech ei amlinellu ar gyfer trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus a'r gallu i gadw pellter cymdeithasol. A oes canllawiau ar waith? A oes gwaith wedi'i wneud ar hyn? Fis diwethaf, fe sonioch chi yn eich datganiad am fecanweithiau ariannu i gefnogi'r sector. Sut y mae'r arian yn cael ei ddefnyddio? Efallai y gallech adrodd yn ôl ar hynny. A beth yw eich strategaeth hirdymor ar gyfer trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus?
Can I thank Russell George for those further questions? I will speak with the WLGA regarding the variation in terms of how councils are supporting businesses on a discretionary basis, to ensure that all support that can be given to businesses is being given and that local authorities are not acting in an overly nervous way, as Russell has outlined.
In terms of the recovery, our concern first and foremost is with the health of workers and the health of the general public, and that's why we'll be keenly ensuring that practicing social distancing and practicing safe working measures is a priority for all businesses as they resume, and that includes the construction sector. The construction sector will have an incredibly important role to play in terms of stimulating economic recovery immediately after we emerge from this crisis, and we're working with the sector to examine how we can ensure that public investment in infrastructure is utilised to swiftly recover the economy. Members will be aware that many construction sites have remained open in order to contribute to the national effort to overcome coronavirus and to deliver important infrastructure schemes for the country. I'll liaise with the Minister responsible for planning regarding regulations and rules, but, as I say, it is absolutely vital that we prioritise the health and well-being of workers.
In terms of broadband, I'll ask the Deputy Minister to write to Members with an update on the latest phase of the superfast broadband intervention.FootnoteLink
And with regard to public transport, I can share with Members today news that work has been commissioned by the Department for Transport regarding future behaviours in terms of public transport usage. That will help to inform capacity planning and demand management across the population. What concerns us right now is that we need to guarantee that the health and safety of the travelling public and the people working in public transport is maintained. That will, in turn, lead to reduced capacity and, therefore, we need to manage expectations as to how many seats will be available on trains and on buses, and how we're going to go about ensuring that we can get as many people back to work in a safe way, in a way that does not compromise the health of people working on public transport systems or, indeed, the travelling public. I'll report back on how the funding has been used so far, the stabilising funding for rail and bus services, as we consider the longer term interventions that may need to be made in order to ensure that we have the best possible public transport system as we emerge from this crisis.
A gaf fi ddiolch i Russell George am y cwestiynau pellach hynny? Byddaf yn siarad â Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru am yr amrywio yn y modd y mae cynghorau'n cefnogi busnesau ar sail ddewisol, i sicrhau bod yr holl gymorth y gellir ei roi i fusnesau yn cael ei ddarparu ac nad yw awdurdodau lleol yn gweithredu mewn ffordd rhy nerfus, fel yr amlinellodd Russell.
O ran adfer, ein pryder pennaf yw iechyd gweithwyr ac iechyd y cyhoedd yn gyffredinol, a dyna pam y byddwn yn mynd ati'n frwd i sicrhau bod cadw pellter cymdeithasol a mesurau gweithio diogel yn flaenoriaeth i bob busnes wrth iddynt ailddechrau, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys y sector adeiladu. Bydd gan y sector adeiladu rôl hynod bwysig i'w chwarae yn ysgogi adferiad economaidd yn syth ar ôl i ni gefnu ar yr argyfwng hwn, ac rydym yn gweithio gyda'r sector i archwilio sut y gallwn sicrhau bod buddsoddiad cyhoeddus mewn seilwaith yn cael ei ddefnyddio i adfer yr economi'n gyflym. Bydd yr Aelodau'n ymwybodol fod llawer o safleoedd adeiladu wedi aros ar agor er mwyn cyfrannu at yr ymdrech genedlaethol i oresgyn coronafeirws a darparu cynlluniau seilwaith pwysig ar gyfer y wlad. Byddaf yn cysylltu â'r Gweinidog sy'n gyfrifol am gynllunio mewn perthynas â rheoliadau a rheolau, ond fel y dywedaf, mae'n gwbl hanfodol ein bod yn rhoi blaenoriaeth i iechyd a lles gweithwyr.
O ran band eang, byddaf yn gofyn i'r Dirprwy Weinidog ysgrifennu at yr Aelodau gyda'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am gam diweddaraf yr ymyrraeth band eang cyflym iawn.FootnoteLink
Ac ar drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, gallaf ddweud wrth yr Aelodau heddiw fod gwaith wedi'i gomisiynu gan yr Adran Drafnidiaeth yn ymwneud â phatrymau ymddygiad yn y dyfodol mewn perthynas â'r defnydd o drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Bydd hwnnw'n helpu i lywio'r gwaith o gynllunio capasiti a rheoli galw ar draws y boblogaeth. Yr hyn sy'n ein pryderu'n awr yw bod angen inni sicrhau bod iechyd a diogelwch y cyhoedd sy'n teithio a'r bobl sy'n gweithio ym maes trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn cael eu diogelu. Bydd hynny, yn ei dro, yn arwain at lai o gapasiti ac felly, mae angen inni reoli disgwyliadau o ran faint o seddi fydd ar gael ar drenau ac ar fysiau, a sut yr awn ati i sicrhau y gallwn gael cynifer o bobl yn ôl i'r gwaith mewn ffordd ddiogel, mewn ffordd nad yw'n peryglu iechyd pobl sy'n gweithio ar systemau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus neu'n wir, y cyhoedd sy'n teithio. Byddaf yn adrodd yn ôl ar y ffordd y mae'r cyllid wedi cael ei ddefnyddio hyd yma, y cyllid sefydlogi ar gyfer gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd a bysiau, wrth inni ystyried yr ymyriadau mwy hirdymor y gallai fod angen eu gwneud er mwyn sicrhau bod gennym y system drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus orau bosibl wrth inni gefnu ar yr argyfwng hwn.
I thank the Minister very much for his statement and for the ongoing co-operation between himself and his staff and others of us across this Chamber. It's much appreciated.
If I can first refer to the economic resilience fund, I was very pleased to hear the Minister say in response to Russell George that he will try and ensure that as many as possible of the businesses that currently can't get access to support will get access. I raised concerns with him, for example, about bed-and-breakfast businesses that pay council tax rather than business rates, and also sole traders working from home. I wonder if it's possible for the Minister to give us some sort of idea about the timescale in which he hopes to make this decision. It's obviously very important that he avoids duplicating UK schemes and actually genuinely uses his resources to plug the gaps, but I'm sure that he will also understand that there are many very small businesses that haven't yet had support that are anxiously awaiting what he has to say.
With regard to the recovery, the Minister rightly talks about keeping everyone safe, and it's my understanding that new guidance is being worked on across the four nations to look at what a safe return to work will look like for many members of staff in lots of different industries. I'm sure the Minister will agree with me that some staff will need reassurance that, when this new guidance and these new rules are in place, there will be ways in which that can be effectively enforced. I know that he's aware of my concern about the capacity within local government to do that effectively. So, can he say any more about how he may be able to ensure that, when this new regulation is in place, workers can get the support that they need if they have to ask for rules to be enforced?
Diolch yn fawr iawn i'r Gweinidog am ei ddatganiad ac am y cydweithrediad parhaus rhyngddo ef a'i staff ac eraill ohonom ar draws y Siambr. Mae'n cael ei werthfawrogi'n fawr.
Os caf gyfeirio'n gyntaf at y gronfa cadernid economaidd, roeddwn yn falch iawn o glywed y Gweinidog yn dweud mewn ymateb i Russell George y bydd yn ceisio sicrhau bod cynifer â phosibl o'r busnesau nad ydynt yn gallu cael gafael ar gymorth ar hyn o bryd yn cael mynediad at y gronfa honno. Codais bryderon gydag ef, er enghraifft, ynghylch busnesau gwely a brecwast sy'n talu'r dreth gyngor yn hytrach nag ardrethi busnes, yn ogystal â masnachwyr unigol sy'n gweithio gartref. Tybed a yw'n bosibl i'r Gweinidog roi rhyw fath o amserlen i ni mewn perthynas â phryd y mae'n gobeithio gwneud y penderfyniad hwn. Mae'n amlwg yn bwysig iawn ei fod yn osgoi dyblygu cynlluniau'r DU ac yn mynd ati go iawn i ddefnyddio ei adnoddau i lenwi'r bylchau, ond rwy'n siŵr y bydd hefyd yn deall bod yna lawer o fusnesau bach iawn nad ydynt wedi cael cymorth eto yn aros yn bryderus i glywed beth sydd ganddo i'w ddweud.
O ran y gwaith adfer, mae'r Gweinidog yn sôn yn briodol am gadw pawb yn ddiogel, ac yn ôl yr hyn rwy'n ei ddeall, mae canllawiau newydd yn cael eu llunio ar draws y pedair gwlad i edrych ar sut y gall nifer o aelodau o staff mewn llawer o wahanol ddiwydiannau ddychwelyd i'r gwaith yn ddiogel. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd y Gweinidog yn cytuno y bydd angen sicrwydd ar rai aelodau o staff, pan fydd y canllawiau a'r rheolau newydd hyn ar waith, y bydd ffyrdd y gellir gorfodi hynny'n effeithiol. Gwn ei fod yn ymwybodol o fy mhryder ynglŷn â'r capasiti o fewn llywodraeth leol i wneud hynny'n effeithiol. Felly, a all ddweud rhagor ynglŷn â sut y gall sicrhau, pan fydd y rheoliad newydd hwn ar waith, y gall gweithwyr gael y gefnogaeth y byddant ei hangen os bydd rhaid iddynt ofyn am i reolau gael eu gorfodi?
Llywydd, can I thank Helen Mary Jones for her questions, and again for, on a regular basis, offering ideas and also flagging up concerns that, hopefully, we've been able to address during the course of the pandemic?
Helen Mary has highlighted a number of areas of concern regarding the gaps that have emerged in terms of the support that is being offered, and one of those concerns is bed-and-breakfast businesses that pay council tax rather than business rates. This is one specific area that we're looking at as part of the next phase of support through the economic resilience fund.
And in terms of the timescale for announcing that second phase, work, as I've mentioned, is ongoing. I expect to receive advice and options within the coming week. An announcement will then be made swiftly following that. It's been helpful that we've been able to factor into our considerations the additional sum that will come as a consequential from the UK Government's top-up of the non-domestic rates grant scheme.
What is absolutely vital, though, I should say to Members, is that we retain some firepower for the actual recovery stage as we look to make strategic investments in our economy. We can't use up all of our resource in the response; we have to retain some investment for the recovery period.
And in terms of the recovery, Helen Mary is absolutely right: we need to give people confidence, whether it's employees or whether it's customers of businesses; we need to give them confidence that they can access goods and services in a safe way. And we are giving consideration, as part of the work on working safer, to the application of some form of certification—a kite mark, if you like, here in Wales that could offer up an opportunity for that guidance to be self-enforced by customers and by workers.
We're working with the Wales Trade Union Congress and we'll also be working very closely with the Welsh Local Government Association to ensure that sufficient capacity and systems are operational to guarantee that that guidance is being adhered to. The Wales TUC, in particular, has been very helpful in contributing to the importance of the social distancing regulations within the workforce, being able to provide us with examples and instances of concerns that have been raised with their members, and we've followed up each and every one of those reports. So, hopefully, our enforcement programme that has been in place since those regulations were introduced can be carried on after we begin the recovery period.
Lywydd, a gaf fi ddiolch i Helen Mary Jones am ei chwestiynau, ac unwaith eto, am gynnig syniadau yn rheolaidd a thynnu sylw at bryderon y gobeithiwn ein bod wedi gallu mynd i'r afael â hwy yn ystod y pandemig?
Mae Helen Mary wedi tynnu sylw at nifer o feysydd sy'n peri pryder yn ymwneud â'r bylchau sydd wedi ymddangos mewn perthynas â'r cymorth a gynigir, ac un o'r pryderon hynny yw busnesau gwely a brecwast sy'n talu'r dreth gyngor yn hytrach nag ardrethi busnes. Mae hwn yn un maes penodol rydym yn ei ystyried fel rhan o'r cam nesaf o gymorth drwy'r gronfa cadernid economaidd.
Ac o ran yr amserlen ar gyfer cyhoeddi'r ail gam hwnnw, fel y nodais, mae'r gwaith yn parhau. Rwy'n disgwyl cael cyngor ac opsiynau o fewn yr wythnos sydd i ddod. Yna, gwneir cyhoeddiad yn fuan ar ôl hynny. Mae wedi bod yn ddefnyddiol gallu cynnwys y swm canlyniadol ychwanegol a ddaw yn sgil ychwanegiad Llywodraeth y DU at y cynllun grant ardrethi annomestig yn ein hystyriaethau.
Dylwn ddweud wrth yr Aelodau mai'r hyn sy'n gwbl hanfodol, serch hynny, yw ein bod yn cadw rhywfaint o allu wrth gefn ar gyfer y cam adfer ei hun wrth inni geisio gwneud buddsoddiadau strategol yn ein heconomi. Ni allwn ddefnyddio ein holl adnoddau yn yr ymateb; mae'n rhaid inni gadw rhywfaint o fuddsoddiad ar gyfer y cyfnod adfer.
Ac mewn perthynas â'r cyfnod adfer, mae Helen Mary yn llygad ei lle: mae angen inni roi hyder i bobl, boed yn weithwyr neu'n gwsmeriaid busnesau; mae angen inni roi hyder iddynt y gallant gael gafael ar nwyddau a gwasanaethau mewn ffordd ddiogel. Ac fel rhan o'r gwaith ar weithio'n fwy diogel, rydym yn ystyried defnyddio rhyw fath o ardystiad—nod barcut, os mynnwch, yma yng Nghymru a allai gynnig cyfle i gwsmeriaid a gweithwyr eu hunain orfodi'r canllawiau hynny.
Rydym yn gweithio gyda Chyngres Undebau Llafur Cymru a byddwn hefyd yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru i sicrhau bod digon o gapasiti a systemau ar waith i warantu y glynir wrth y canllawiau hynny. Mae Cyngres Undebau Llafur Cymru yn enwedig wedi bod o gymorth mawr yn cyfrannu at bwysigrwydd y rheoliadau cadw pellter cymdeithasol o fewn y gweithlu, ac mae wedi rhoi enghreifftiau i ni o bryderon a godwyd gyda'u haelodau, ac rydym wedi mynd ar drywydd pob un o'r adroddiadau hynny. Felly, gobeithio y gellir cynnal ein rhaglen orfodi sydd wedi bod ar waith ers cyflwyno'r rheoliadau hynny ar ôl inni ddechrau'r cyfnod adfer.
I'm grateful to the Minister for his answers. He's rightly said, and it's also something that the First Minister mentioned in response to questions today, that much of what will need to be done to protect and strengthen the Welsh economy can't be done by the Welsh Government alone, because the resources simply aren't there. And I wonder if the Minister can say a little bit more today about the discussions he's been having with UK Government about the support that's needed for some of our key businesses. We had the unfortunate news about General Electric going out to consultation about potentially a large number of redundancies. The steel sector, of course, continues to be a huge issue for us here in Wales in Port Talbot but also, of course, in Trostre in my own region. And I wonder if the Minister can say a little bit more about how those discussions with the UK Government are proceeding and whether he feels they fully understand.
In the statement, the Minister mentioned that there is a need for the Chancellor to learn some lessons, and he also mentioned the furlough scheme. Can the Minister confirm this afternoon that he is still in active discussions with the UK Government about wishing both to maintain the furlough scheme, as he said, during the months that come, but also looking for some flexibility? I'm thinking particularly of seasonal workers—everybody from people who might usually work in a hotel or caravan park or, indeed, as lifeguards, and whether he feels that the Chancellor is in listening mode when he's raising those concerns.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Gweinidog am ei atebion. Mae wedi dweud, yn gywir, ac mae hefyd yn rhywbeth y soniodd y Prif Weinidog amdano wrth ymateb i gwestiynau heddiw, na fydd llawer o'r hyn y bydd angen ei wneud i ddiogelu a chryfhau economi Cymru yn gallu cael ei wneud gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn unig, oherwydd nid yw'r adnoddau yno. Ac rwy'n meddwl tybed a all y Gweinidog ddweud ychydig mwy heddiw am y trafodaethau y mae wedi'u cael gyda Llywodraeth y DU am y cymorth sydd ei angen ar rai o'n busnesau allweddol. Cawsom y newyddion anffodus fod General Electric yn cynnal ymgynghoriad ynghylch nifer fawr o ddiswyddiadau posibl. Mae'r sector dur, wrth gwrs, yn parhau i fod yn broblem enfawr i ni yma yng Nghymru ym Mhort Talbot, ond hefyd, wrth gwrs, yn Nhrostre yn fy rhanbarth i. Ac rwy'n meddwl tybed a all y Gweinidog ddweud ychydig mwy ynglŷn â sut y mae'r trafodaethau hynny gyda Llywodraeth y DU yn mynd rhagddynt ac a yw'n teimlo eu bod yn deall yn iawn.
Yn y datganiad, soniodd y Gweinidog fod angen i'r Canghellor ddysgu rhai gwersi, a soniodd hefyd am y cynllun ffyrlo. A all y Gweinidog gadarnhau y prynhawn yma ei fod yn parhau i gael trafodaethau gyda Llywodraeth y DU ynglŷn â'r awydd i gynnal y cynllun ffyrlo, fel y dywedodd, yn ystod y misoedd nesaf, ond i chwilio am rywfaint o hyblygrwydd hefyd? Rwy'n meddwl yn arbennig am weithwyr tymhorol—pobl a fyddai fel arfer yn gweithio mewn gwesty neu barc carafanau neu'n wir, fel achubwyr bywydau, ac a yw'n teimlo bod y Canghellor yn gwrando pan fydd yn codi'r pryderon hynny.
These are really important points, and I think I should just explain to Members as well that Helen Mary Jones and I have discussed some specific concerns regarding what may be small sectors, nonetheless they are important sectors including, for example, lifeguards who are employed from 1 April by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, and therefore miss out on the current arrangements contained within the job retention scheme.
I'm pleased to say that I raised that specific case today with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Ministers, with Nadhim Zahawi, and I also pressed the case for Ministers to learn lessons on furlough schemes, as they have done on the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme—the interruption loan scheme. I was told, I'm pleased to say, that the UK Government is keen to ensure that furlough does not reach a cliff edge, that businesses, if they do require a lengthier period of support, will get that lengthier period, and I highlighted sectors of the economy, including tourism, and the aerospace industry, where a lengthier period of support may well be required. So, UK Government Ministers are paying attention to those concerns right now.
On a four-nation basis, we share intelligence—the devolved administrations and the UK Government. I'm pleased to say that, red-amber-green ratings that are applied to sectors by UK Government, by Welsh Government, indeed, by Governments in Northern Ireland and Scotland, are pretty consistent. Ours certainly is mirrored by the UK Government; the Scottish RAG rating obviously includes sectors such as oil and gas, as you might imagine, and we also have some sectors that are featuring particularly prominently right now. Steel is one of those; aerospace is another, and I've raised with UK Government Ministers the need for direct and significant intervention to support Tata, to support Airbus, to ensure that these key employers that have very deep and extensive supply chains across Wales are given the support to survive this virus. It comes as no surprise, I'm sure, that the support for such employers is a key feature of the weekly discussions that I have with the devolved administrations and with UK Government Ministers.
Mae'r rhain yn bwyntiau pwysig iawn, a chredaf y dylwn egluro i'r Aelodau hefyd fod Helen Mary Jones a minnau wedi trafod rhai pryderon penodol ynghylch y sectorau hyn, ac er eu bod yn sectorau bach o bosibl, maent yn sectorau pwysig sy'n cynnwys, er enghraifft, achubwyr bywydau a gyflogir o 1 Ebrill ymlaen gan Sefydliad Cenedlaethol Brenhinol y Badau Achub, ac sydd felly'n methu manteisio ar y trefniadau presennol yn y cynllun cadw swyddi.
Rwy'n falch o ddweud fy mod wedi codi'r achos penodol hwnnw heddiw gyda Gweinidogion yr Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol, gyda Nadhim Zahawi, a dadleuais hefyd y dylai Gweinidogion ddysgu gwersi o'r cynlluniau ffyrlo, fel y maent wedi'i wneud gyda'r cynllun benthyciadau tarfu ar fusnes yn sgil y coronafeirws—y cynllun benthyciadau tarfu ar fusnes. Dywedwyd wrthyf, rwy'n falch o ddweud, fod Llywodraeth y DU yn awyddus i sicrhau nad yw cynlluniau ffyrlo yn cyrraedd ymyl clogwyn, y bydd busnesau, os oes angen cyfnod hwy o gymorth arnynt, yn cael y cyfnod hwy hwnnw, a thynnais sylw at sectorau o'r economi, gan gynnwys twristiaeth, a'r diwydiant awyrofod, lle mae'n dra phosibl y bydd angen cyfnod hwy o gymorth. Felly, mae Gweinidogion Llywodraeth y DU yn talu sylw i'r pryderon hynny yn awr.
Rydym yn rhannu gwybodaeth ar sail y pedair gwlad—y gweinyddiaethau datganoledig a Llywodraeth y DU. Rwy'n falch o ddweud bod y sgoriau coch-ambr-gwyrdd sy'n cael eu defnyddio gan Lywodraeth y DU, gan Lywodraeth Cymru, yn wir gan Lywodraethau yng Ngogledd Iwerddon a'r Alban, yn eithaf tebyg. Mae ein rhai ni yn sicr yn debyg i rai Llywodraeth y DU; mae'n amlwg fod graddfa coch-ambr-gwyrdd yr Alban yn cynnwys sectorau fel olew a nwy, fel y gallech ddychmygu, ac mae gennym hefyd rai sectorau sy'n arbennig o amlwg ar hyn o bryd. Mae dur yn un o'r rheini; mae awyrofod yn un arall, ac rwyf wedi sôn wrth Weinidogion Llywodraeth y DU am yr angen am ymyrraeth uniongyrchol a sylweddol i gefnogi Tata, i gefnogi Airbus, i sicrhau bod y cyflogwyr allweddol hyn sydd â chadwyni cyflenwi dwfn a helaeth iawn ledled Cymru yn cael y cymorth i oroesi'r feirws hwn. Nid yw'n syndod, rwy'n siŵr, fod y gefnogaeth i gyflogwyr o'r fath yn un o nodweddion allweddol y trafodaethau wythnosol rwy'n eu cael gyda'r gweinyddiaethau datganoledig a Gweinidogion Llywodraeth y DU.
I thank the Minister for your statement this afternoon, and I would like to welcome the opportunity to question you as an 'Aelod o'r Senedd' for the first time.
Can I say that we really all appreciate the work that's being done with your interventions with the economy in Wales? But, Minister, on 14 April, the Office for Budget Responsibility produced a reference scenario on the shrinking economy. This was looking at the possible impact of coronavirus on the economy—the UK economy that is—and therefore, the public finances. The OBR were careful not to call it a forecast; it was instead a position baseline for other work. It will be some time before official statistics begin to reflect the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the labour market. The labour force survey used by the Office for National Statistics in the monthly labour market bulletin will be unlikely to reflect the impact of the pandemic until June at the earliest. However, one indicator may be the statistic issued by the universal credit director general on 15 April, showing that 1.4 million people signed up to universal credit on the preceding four weeks. The OBR scenario shows the UK economy shrinking by something like 35 per cent on the second quarter of this year. There is no doubt, Minister, that this will impact on Wales's financial situation, and given that Wales is more reliant on the service sector, currently making up 66 per cent of Wales's gross value added, Wales could be affected more than the UK in general.
Could the Minister outline his plans for dealing with the scenario produced by the OBR? In particular, once business starts to get back to work, perhaps getting to some sort of normality, the interventions that you may have to kick start the Welsh economy in those circumstances.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog am eich datganiad y prynhawn yma, a hoffwn groesawu'r cyfle i'ch holi chi fel 'Aelod o'r Senedd' am y tro cyntaf.
A gaf fi ddweud ein bod ni i gyd yn gwerthfawrogi'r gwaith sy'n cael ei wneud drwy eich ymyriadau gyda'r economi yng Nghymru? Ond, Weinidog, ar 14 Ebrill, cynhyrchodd y Swyddfa Cyfrifoldeb Cyllidebol senario'n cyfeirio at yr economi sy'n crebachu. Roedd hwn yn edrych ar effaith bosibl coronafeirws ar yr economi—economi'r DU hynny yw—ac felly, yr arian cyhoeddus. Roedd y Swyddfa Cyfrifoldeb Cyllidebol yn ofalus i beidio â'i alw'n rhagolwg; yn lle hynny, roedd yn llinell sylfaen ar gyfer gwaith arall. Bydd cryn amser cyn i'r ystadegau swyddogol ddechrau adlewyrchu effaith y pandemig coronafeirws ar y farchnad lafur. Bydd yr arolwg o'r llafurlu, a ddefnyddiwyd gan y Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol ym mwletin misol y farchnad lafur, yn annhebygol o adlewyrchu effaith y pandemig tan fis Mehefin ar y cynharaf. Fodd bynnag, mae'n bosibl mai un dangosydd fydd yr ystadegyn a gyhoeddwyd gan gyfarwyddwr cyffredinol y credyd cynhwysol ar 15 Ebrill, sy'n dangos bod 1.4 miliwn o bobl wedi gwneud cais am gredyd cynhwysol dros y pedair wythnos flaenorol. Mae senario'r Swyddfa Cyfrifoldeb Cyllidebol yn dangos economi'r DU yn crebachu tua 35 y cant yn ystod ail chwarter y flwyddyn hon. Nid oes amheuaeth, Weinidog, y bydd hyn yn effeithio ar sefyllfa ariannol Cymru, ac o gofio bod Cymru'n fwy dibynnol ar y sector gwasanaethau, sydd ar hyn o bryd yn 66 y cant o werth ychwanegol gros Cymru, gallai effeithio ar Gymru yn fwy na'r DU yn gyffredinol.
A all y Gweinidog amlinellu ei gynlluniau ar gyfer ymdrin â'r senario a gynhyrchwyd gan y Swyddfa Cyfrifoldeb Cyllidebol, ac yn benodol, pan fydd busnesau'n ailddechrau gweithio, ac yn dychwelyd i ryw fath o normalrwydd efallai, yr ymyriadau a all fod gennych i roi hwb i economi Cymru o dan yr amgylchiadau hynny?
May I thank David Rowlands for his questions? There's no doubt that a recession now is unavoidable, but what we must avoid at all costs is a depression. And we've been playing a very significant part in ensuring that that doesn't happen in Wales. We have, so far, supported directly around one in five Welsh businesses with grants. We've also supported businesses through rates holidays, and, in addition to that, there's the UK Government's job retention scheme, and indeed, the self-employment income support scheme that is helping to keep businesses and to keep the self-employed essentially alive during what is an incredibly difficult period, even if it means hibernating activities for the short term.
In the longer term, already work is taking place across Welsh Government with regard to resetting the economy, and shaping a fairer, greener economy once we emerge from coronavirus, which will take us some time—it will not be a swift exercise in reshaping the economy, but it is nonetheless a very necessary one. And of course, the work that Jeremy Miles is leading on, in terms of those expert panels, the discussions that have taken place with external advisers, that will help to shape our interventions as we come out of this difficult period. Capital stumulus will play an important part in ensuring that the economy grows as rapidly as it possibly can do.
But David Rowlands is absolutely right in identifying the fact that Wales could well be more adversely impacted by coronavirus than other parts of the UK. There are similar sub-regions of the UK that could be hit just as hard as Wales—those areas where there's a high number of people who relied on heavy industries in past decades and those areas that have struggled to overcome the post-industrial challenges that we've seen. And that's why we are keen to work with those areas of the UK that share similar demographics, share similar economic challenges.
Later today, I'm going to be speaking with a number of metro mayors, just across the border, who represent such sub-regions. I'm keen to make sure that we share ideas, and that we share common approaches, and, indeed, that we share, where possible, a similar call for investment by the UK Government to be made in a way that reshapes the UK economy, and rebalances our economy across the United Kingdom.
A gaf fi ddiolch i David Rowlands am ei gwestiynau? Nid oes amheuaeth fod enciliad yn anochel bellach, ond yr hyn sy'n rhaid inni ei osgoi ar bob cyfrif yw dirwasgiad. Ac rydym wedi bod yn chwarae rhan sylweddol iawn yn sicrhau nad yw hynny'n digwydd yng Nghymru. Hyd yn hyn, rydym wedi cefnogi un o bob pum busnes yng Nghymru yn uniongyrchol gyda grantiau. Rydym hefyd wedi cefnogi busnesau drwy wyliau ardrethi, ac yn ychwanegol at hynny, mae cynllun cadw swyddi Llywodraeth y DU, ac yn wir, y cynllun cymorth incwm i’r hunangyflogedig sy'n helpu i gadw busnesau a'r hunangyflogedig yn fyw i bob pwrpas drwy gyfnod eithriadol o anodd, hyd yn oed os yw'n golygu gohirio unrhyw weithgarwch yn y tymor byr.
Yn y tymor hwy, mae gwaith eisoes ar y gweill ar draws Llywodraeth Cymru ar ailosod yr economi, a llunio economi decach a mwy gwyrdd ar ôl inni gefnu ar y coronafeirws, a fydd yn cymryd rhywfaint o amser—ni fydd yn bosibl ailffurfio'r economi dros nos, ond mae gwir angen inni wneud hynny. Ac wrth gwrs, y gwaith y mae Jeremy Miles yn ei arwain, y paneli arbenigol, y trafodaethau a gafwyd gyda chynghorwyr allanol, bydd hwnnw'n helpu i lywio ein hymyriadau wrth inni gefnu ar y cyfnod anodd hwn. Bydd ysgogiadau cyfalaf yn chwarae rhan bwysig yn sicrhau bod yr economi'n tyfu mor gyflym â phosibl.
Ond mae David Rowlands yn llygad ei le yn nodi'r ffaith y gallai coronafeirws gael effaith fwy andwyol ar Gymru na rhannau eraill o'r DU. Mae is-ranbarthau tebyg yn y DU a allai gael eu taro yr un mor galed â Chymru—yr ardaloedd lle ceir nifer uchel o bobl a fu'n dibynnu ar ddiwydiannau trwm yn y degawdau diwethaf a'r ardaloedd sydd wedi cael trafferth i oresgyn yr heriau ôl-ddiwydiannol a welsom. A dyna pam ein bod yn awyddus i weithio gyda'r rhannau o'r DU sy'n rhannu demograffeg debyg, sy'n rhannu heriau economaidd tebyg.
Yn nes ymlaen heddiw, byddaf yn siarad â nifer o feiri metro ar draws y ffin sy'n cynrychioli is-ranbarthau o'r fath. Rwy'n awyddus i sicrhau ein bod yn rhannu syniadau, a'n bod yn rhannu dulliau cyffredin o fynd ati, ac yn wir, ein bod yn rhannu, lle bo'n bosibl, galwad debyg am fuddsoddiad gan Lywodraeth y DU mewn ffordd a fyddai'n ail-lunio economi'r DU, ac yn ail-gydbwyso ein heconomi ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig.
Minister, it is perhaps inevitable there are going to be job losses amongst the six million furloughed workers in the UK. Tourism has all but collapsed, and much of the aviation industry, as you've already reported on, has reduced substantially. Now, we've heard announcements recently of the voluntary redundancies in my constituency, in GE, in Nantgarw. GE is a very highly valued company of engineering excellence, training a world-class workforce. Can you confirm that you are in contact with GE, and that the Welsh Government will continue to give all the support it can to the company, and to its workforce, over the coming months as we begin to come out of the coronavirus lockdown?
Weinidog, efallai ei bod yn anochel y bydd swyddi'n cael eu colli ymysg y 6 miliwn o weithwyr sydd ar ffyrlo yn y DU. Mae twristiaeth wedi dymchwel i bob pwrpas, ac mae'r diwydiant hedfan, fel rydych eisoes wedi dweud, wedi crebachu'n sylweddol. Nawr, rydym wedi clywed cyhoeddiadau'n ddiweddar am y diswyddiadau gwirfoddol yn fy etholaeth, yn General Electric, yn Nantgarw. Mae General Electric yn gwmni hynod bwysig sy'n rhagori ym maes peirianneg, ac mae'n hyfforddi gweithlu o'r radd flaenaf. A allwch chi gadarnhau eich bod mewn cysylltiad â General Electric, ac y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i roi pob cefnogaeth y gall ei rhoi i'r cwmni, ac i'w weithlu, dros y misoedd nesaf wrth inni ddechrau codi'r cyfyngiadau symud?
I'd like to thank Mick for his question. We've been a very loyal friend to GE, over many, many years. We've supported the company financially, we've supported the company in terms of the advice that we've been able to give it, and we are determined to support the company during this incredibly difficult period. Now, the voluntary redundancies consultation is going to last 45 days; it wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment on it in any detail at this stage whilst that is ongoing. But I can confirm that Welsh Government have been in very regular contact with GE in recent weeks, and I have also written to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to ask that the UK Government looks at what it can do to provide support to the aerospace industry.
We've seen a collapse in the sector across the globe. That means that it will be damaged for many years, if not decades, to come. But I am determined to ensure that, even though there may be a shrinkage overall in the global economy, the aviation sector and aerospace sector, Wales's aero sector emerges at least as strong as it went into it. Of course, there may well be job losses, but we need to ensure that those businesses that employ people with incredibly high pay rates compared to many other sectors, and those people who are very skilled, get the support that's required in order to guarantee as many jobs as possible when we emerge.
Hoffwn ddiolch i Mick am ei gwestiwn. Rydym wedi bod yn gyfaill ffyddlon iawn i GE dros flynyddoedd lawer. Rydym wedi cefnogi'r cwmni'n ariannol, rydym wedi cefnogi'r cwmni o ran y cyngor rydym wedi gallu ei roi iddo, ac rydym yn benderfynol o gefnogi'r cwmni yn ystod y cyfnod hynod anodd hwn. Nawr, bydd yr ymgynghoriad ar ddiswyddiadau gwirfoddol yn para 45 diwrnod; ni fyddai'n briodol i mi roi sylwadau manwl arno ar hyn o bryd tra bo'n parhau. Ond gallaf gadarnhau bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod mewn cysylltiad rheolaidd iawn â GE dros yr wythnosau diwethaf, ac rwyf hefyd wedi ysgrifennu at yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Fusnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol yn gofyn i Lywodraeth y DU edrych ar yr hyn y gall ei wneud i ddarparu cymorth i'r diwydiant awyrofod.
Rydym wedi gweld cwymp yn y sector ar draws y byd. Mae hynny'n golygu y bydd wedi'i niweidio am flynyddoedd lawer, os nad degawdau, i ddod. Ond rwy'n benderfynol o sicrhau, er y bydd yr economi fyd-eang yn gyffredinol, y sector hedfan a'r sector awyrofod, yn crebachu, y bydd sector awyrennau Cymru yn dod allan ohoni o leiaf cyn gryfed ag yr aeth i mewn. Wrth gwrs, mae'n ddigon posibl y bydd swyddi'n cael eu colli, ond mae angen inni sicrhau bod y busnesau sy'n cyflogi pobl ar gyfraddau cyflog anhygoel o uchel o gymharu â llawer o sectorau eraill, a'r bobl fedrus iawn hynny, yn cael y cymorth angenrheidiol er mwyn sicrhau cynifer o swyddi ag sy'n bosibl pan ddown allan o'r cyfnod hwn.
Many north Wales holiday let businesses contacted me when the Welsh Government announced revised criteria for business support grants, but only for them. One said that for many farmers, they represent an essential part of their income; the process is dreadfully stalled, causing great distress for my constituents. Another asked, 'How many self-catering businesses have to go bust before we get the help we were promised?' Another said, 'They're penalising genuine businesses. Ken Skates said that if you ran a successful business in 2019, then your business will be successful in 2020. I believed him and hope he will keep to his word.' So, how will you keep to you word?
How do you respond to the permanent employee of Guidant Global, which contracts to Airbus at their Broughton site, where their workforce of 500 were furloughed and served with an at-risk-of-redundancy notice on 28 April, who has asked for help?
Cysylltodd nifer o fusnesau llety gwyliau yng ngogledd Cymru â mi pan gyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru feini prawf diwygiedig ar gyfer grantiau cymorth busnes, a hynny ar eu cyfer hwy yn unig. Dywedodd un eu bod yn rhan hanfodol o incwm llawer o ffermwyr; mae'r broses yn araf ofnadwy ac mae hynny'n achosi gofid mawr i fy etholwyr. Gofynnodd un arall, 'Sawl busnes hunanddarpar sy'n mynd i orfod mynd i'r wal cyn y byddwn yn cael y cymorth a addawyd inni?' Dywedodd un arall, 'Maent yn cosbi busnesau go iawn. Dywedodd Ken Skates y byddai eich busnes yn llwyddiannus yn 2020 os oedd yn llwyddiannus yn 2019. Roeddwn yn ei gredu ac yn gobeithio y byddai'n cadw at ei air.' Felly, sut y bwriadwch gadw at eich gair?
Sut rydych chi'n ymateb i'r alwad am gymorth gan un o weithwyr parhaol Guidant Global, sy'n contractio i Airbus yn eu safle ym Mrychdyn, lle cafodd eu gweithlu o 500 eu rhoi ar ffyrlo a'u hysbysu ar 28 Ebrill o'r perygl y gallent gael eu diswyddo?
Well, there are two points I'd like to make in response to Mark Isherwood: first of all, with regard to those businesses that operate small holiday lets, I'd just like to remind Mark that the economic resilience fund in Wales is a fund that is not available in England, and farmers who have diversified can apply to the ERF, as I've already said in response to other Members. We are looking at how the next phase of the economic resilience fund can continue to plug gaps and it's absolutely vital, I think, as I said to Russell George, that local authorities are given some discretion in terms of how they can support businesses.
In terms of the aero sector, the aero sector and a number of businesses in north-east Wales, like Airbus, are suffering from a significant drop in demand and therefore some businesses—some—have issued at-risk notices. But it's not just the aero industry that have done this—there are businesses within the food and drink sector, such as KK Fine Foods, which have done the same, and they've done it, in part, because of the general uncertainty within the economy, but also because of a lack of certainty over the future of the furlough scheme. And that's why it's absolutely vital that the UK Government learns from its lessons and amends and, where necessary, lengthens those periods of support that such schemes can operate for. Furlough has been very, very important in avoiding job losses to date. But in order to avoid job losses such as those that Mark Isherwood has highlighted that could happen, it's vitally important that the UK Government extends further the furlough scheme beyond the end of June.
Wel, mae dau bwynt yr hoffwn eu gwneud mewn ymateb i Mark Isherwood: yn gyntaf oll, mewn perthynas â busnesau sy'n gosod llety gwyliau ar raddfa fach, hoffwn atgoffa Mark fod y gronfa cadernid economaidd yng Nghymru yn gronfa nad yw ar gael yn Lloegr, ac y gall ffermwyr sydd wedi arallgyfeirio wneud cais i'r gronfa cadernid economaidd, fel y dywedais eisoes mewn ymateb i Aelodau eraill. Rydym yn edrych i weld sut y gall cam nesaf y gronfa cadernid economaidd barhau i lenwi bylchau ac mae'n gwbl hanfodol, rwy'n meddwl, fel y dywedais wrth Russell George, fod awdurdodau lleol yn cael rhywfaint o ddisgresiwn ynglŷn â'r modd y gallant gefnogi busnesau.
O ran y sector awyrennau, mae'r sector awyrennau a nifer o fusnesau yng ngogledd-ddwyrain Cymru, fel Airbus, yn dioddef yn sgil gostyngiad sylweddol yn y galw ac felly mae rhai busnesau—rhai—wedi cyhoeddi hysbysiadau swyddi mewn perygl. Ond nid y diwydiant awyrennau yn unig sydd wedi gwneud hyn—mae busnesau yn y sector bwyd a diod, fel KK Fine Foods, wedi gwneud yr un peth, ac maent wedi gwneud hynny, yn rhannol, oherwydd yr ansicrwydd cyffredinol o fewn yr economi, ond hefyd oherwydd diffyg sicrwydd ynghylch dyfodol y cynllun ffyrlo. A dyna pam ei bod yn gwbl hanfodol fod Llywodraeth y DU yn dysgu'r gwersi ac yn diwygio a lle bo angen, yn ymestyn y cyfnodau o gymorth y mae cynlluniau o'r fath yn weithredol. Mae ffyrlo wedi bod yn bwysig iawn i osgoi colli swyddi hyd yma. Ond er mwyn osgoi'r colli swyddi a allai ddigwydd, fel y nododd Mark Isherwood, mae'n hanfodol bwysig fod Llywodraeth y DU yn ymestyn y cynllun ffyrlo ymhellach, y tu hwnt i ddiwedd mis Mehefin.
Mae ardaloedd gwella busnes, fel y Bangor business improvement district yn fy etholaeth i, yn allweddol i'r gwaith o adfer canolfannau siopau nifer o drefi a dinasoedd ar draws Cymru, ac fe fydd eu gwaith nhw, wrth gwrs, yn hynod werthfawr i ddelio efo'r problemau enfawr sy'n wynebu'n stryd fawr yn sgil yr argyfwng presennol. Mae £6 miliwn yn cael ei ddyrannu i BIDs yn Lloegr, fel cymorth tuag at dri mis o daliadau levy. Hoffwn i wybod a fydd arian cyfatebol yn dod i Gymru, ac os bydd, pryd? Ac oes gan eich Llywodraeth chi unrhyw fwriad i helpu busnesau yn yr 16 o gynlluniau BID sydd, hyd yma, yn parhau i dalu levy i mewn i'r cynllun? Mae Llywodraeth yr Alban wedi dyrannu £1 miliwn i helpu'r 18 ardal busnes sydd yn y wlad honno.
Business improvement districts, such as the Bangor BID in my constituency, are crucial to the work of regenerating the shopping areas of a number of towns and cities across Wales. Their work will be extremely valuable in dealing with the huge problems facing our high streets as a result of the current crisis. Now, £6 million is to be allocated to BIDs in England, in terms of providing support for three-month levy payments. Now I was wondering whether there would be match funding for Wales, and if so, when? And does your Government have any intention to assist businesses in the 16 BIDs that are currently still paying a levy into the scheme? The Scottish Government has allocated £1 million to assist the 18 BIDs in that country.
Can I thank Siân for her question? This is something that the Deputy Minister for Housing and Local Government, I know, has been considering very recently. I'm pleased to say that a positive decision was made and I'll make sure that that is conveyed in detail to all Members.
A gaf fi ddiolch i Siân am ei chwestiwn? Mae hyn yn rhywbeth y gwn fod y Dirprwy Weinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol wedi bod yn ei ystyried yn ddiweddar iawn. Rwy'n falch o ddweud i benderfyniad cadarnhaol gael ei wneud ac fe wnaf sicrhau bod y manylion yn cael eu rhoi i'r holl Aelodau.
Minister, I'd like to ask you about what will happen as we move forward, particularly in relation to the skills agenda. Now, I'm sure you're aware that parts of the south Wales Valleys not only have high rates of coronavirus, but have also been identified as being more economically at risk in terms of the fallout after the crisis as well. So, I'd like to ask you what plans there are for the Valleys taskforce to reflect this extra burden in their work, moving forward.
Weinidog, hoffwn eich holi ynglŷn â beth fydd yn digwydd wrth inni symud ymlaen, yn enwedig mewn perthynas â'r agenda sgiliau. Nawr, rwy'n siŵr eich bod yn ymwybodol fod rhannau o Gymoedd de Cymru nid yn unig â chyfraddau uchel o'r coronafeirws, ond hefyd wedi'u nodi fel mannau â mwy o risg economaidd o ran canlyniadau yn sgil yr argyfwng. Felly, hoffwn ofyn i chi pa gynlluniau sydd gan dasglu'r Cymoedd i roi sylw i'r baich ychwanegol hwn yn eu gwaith wrth symud ymlaen.
I'd like to thank Vikki for this question. The issue of skills is something that we in Welsh Government concern ourselves with very much right now. There is no doubt that skills have always played an important part in growing the economy in a sustainable and fair way and, as we emerge from coronavirus, investment in skills will become even more important in ensuring that people can get back into work and sustain good quality work.
The whole point of the Valleys taskforce was to ensure that wealth was being created in a fairer way in a part of Wales that has felt left behind and that has struggled to overcome deinsdustrialisation. Now, the way that you overcome deindustrialisation, as we know from various lessons elsewhere around world, is to invest in people, to invest in skills development in order to make those areas more attractive to investors and to empower people to be able to start their own businesses to support the foundational economy. And so I'm in no doubt whatsoever that the issue of how skills can be supported more will play very heavily in the consideration of the future workload of the Valleys taskforce.
I'll ask my deputy, Lee Waters, to write to Members regarding the future of the Valleys taskforce.FootnoteLink I think its work will probably come into very, very sharp focus very soon as we look to the recovery period.
Hoffwn ddiolch i Vikki am y cwestiwn. Mae'r maes sgiliau yn rhywbeth rydym ni yn Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio'n galed arno ar hyn o bryd. Nid oes amheuaeth nad yw sgiliau bob amser wedi chwarae rhan bwysig yn y broses o dyfu'r economi mewn ffordd gynaliadwy a theg, ac wrth inni gefnu ar y coronafeirws, bydd buddsoddi mewn sgiliau yn dod yn bwysicach fyth i sicrhau bod pobl yn gallu dychwelyd i'r gwaith a chadw swyddi o ansawdd da.
Holl bwynt tasglu'r Cymoedd oedd sicrhau bod cyfoeth yn cael ei greu mewn ffordd decach mewn rhan o Gymru sydd wedi teimlo ei bod wedi'i gadael ar ôl ac sydd wedi brwydro i oresgyn dad-ddiwydiannu. Nawr, y ffordd o oresgyn dad-ddiwydiannu, fel y gwyddom o wersi amrywiol mewn mannau eraill o amgylch y byd, yw buddsoddi mewn pobl, buddsoddi mewn datblygu sgiliau, er mwyn gwneud yr ardaloedd hynny’n fwy deniadol i fuddsoddwyr ac i rymuso pobl i allu dechrau eu busnesau eu hunain i gefnogi'r economi sylfaenol. Ac felly, nid oes gennyf unrhyw amheuaeth o gwbl y bydd sut y gellir cefnogi sgiliau’n well yn chwarae rhan fawr wrth ystyried llwyth gwaith tasglu'r Cymoedd yn y dyfodol.
Fe ofynnaf i fy nirprwy, Lee Waters, ysgrifennu at yr Aelodau ynglŷn â dyfodol tasglu’r Cymoedd.FootnoteLink Rwy'n credu y bydd ffocws mawr iawn yn cael ei roi ar waith y tasglu hwnnw’n fuan iawn yn ôl pob tebyg wrth inni edrych tuag at y cyfnod adfer.
I'm grateful to the Minister for his statement this afternoon. Could I ask him about the sort of support that the Welsh Government has made available to people who are self-employed or rely on microbusinesses for their incomes? I'm thinking particularly of taxi drivers, I'm thinking of people who have started up as self-employed painters and decorators, who are working at the moment without any income at all and who are finding life very, very difficult. But also social enterprises, particularly those who are involved in childcare and who need support, but also the sorts of social enterprises that are the heart-blood and the lifeblood of Valleys communities, where the social enterprises will deliver community support for which people rely on in their everyday lives. So, there are a number of those businesses that I'm concerned may have fallen through some of the gaps that exist in overall business support.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Gweinidog am ei ddatganiad y prynhawn yma. A gaf fi ofyn iddo am y math o gefnogaeth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i darparu i bobl sy'n hunangyflogedig neu'n dibynnu ar ficrofusnesau am eu hincwm? Rwy'n meddwl yn arbennig am yrwyr tacsi; rwy'n meddwl am bobl sydd wedi dechrau fel peintwyr ac addurnwyr hunangyflogedig, sy'n gweithio ar hyn o bryd heb unrhyw incwm o gwbl ac sy'n gweld bywyd yn anodd tu hwnt. Ond hefyd mentrau cymdeithasol, yn enwedig y rhai sy'n ymwneud â gofal plant ac sydd angen cymorth, ond hefyd y mathau o fentrau cymdeithasol sy'n asgwrn cefn i gymunedau'r Cymoedd, lle bydd y mentrau cymdeithasol yn darparu cefnogaeth gymunedol y mae pobl yn dibynnu arni yn eu bywydau bob dydd. Felly, rwy’n pryderu bod yna nifer o fusnesau a allai fod wedi cwympo trwy rai o'r bylchau sy'n bodoli yn y cymorth cyffredinol i fusnesau.
Alun Davies is absolutely right: social enterprises play an enormously important role across Wales, but particularly in areas where people are struggling to overcome the effects of heavy industry's decline. And I'm pleased to be able to tell Members today that, based on the latest figures, the proportion of ERF applications that have come from social enterprises is higher than the proportion of social enterprises amongst the 267,000 enterprises in Wales. So, there is no doubt that social enterprises will play a key part in drawing down ERF funding. And as we look forward, again within the Valleys area, the role of social enterprises will become increasingly important. I think, right across Wales, as we shape a fairer economy, social enterprises will play a more important and prominent role.
Mae Alun Davies yn llygad ei le: mae mentrau cymdeithasol yn chwarae rhan hynod bwysig ledled Cymru, ond yn enwedig mewn ardaloedd lle mae pobl yn ei chael hi'n anodd goresgyn effeithiau dirywiad diwydiannau trwm. Ac rwy'n falch o allu dweud wrth yr Aelodau heddiw, ar sail y ffigurau diweddaraf, fod cyfran y ceisiadau i’r gronfa cadernid economaidd sydd wedi dod gan fentrau cymdeithasol yn uwch na chyfran y mentrau cymdeithasol ymhlith y 267,000 o fentrau yng Nghymru. Felly, nid oes amheuaeth y bydd mentrau cymdeithasol yn chwarae rhan allweddol yn denu cyllid y gronfa cadernid economaidd. Ac wrth inni edrych ymlaen, unwaith eto yn ardal y Cymoedd, bydd rôl mentrau cymdeithasol yn dod yn fwyfwy pwysig. Ledled Cymru, wrth i ni lunio economi decach, rwy’n credu y bydd mentrau cymdeithasol yn chwarae rhan bwysicach a mwy amlwg.
Mohmmad Asghar. Mohammad Asghar, can we have your microphone on, please? Can Mohammad Asghar's microphone be turned on? Try now, Mohammad.
Mohmmad Asghar. Mohammad Asghar, a allwch chi agor eich meicroffon os gwelwch yn dda? A gawn ni agor meicroffon Mohammad Asghar? Rhowch gynnig arni yn awr, Mohammad.
Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I appreciate your concern on tourism. Visit Wales has released the results of a survey of tourism businesses taken after the lockdown, which makes for grim reading: 96 per cent of businesses expect the future impact of the virus to be significantly negative on the sector. Operators have called on both Governments to help their businesses by urgently revealing an exit strategy, pointing out that, even if they reopen in June, they will have lost a key part of prime tourism season in Wales.
Given the vital importance of tourism to the Welsh economy, what discussions have you had, Minister, with other ministerial colleagues and others about ensuring Wales retains a viable tourism industry after this coronavirus, by air, sea and land? And I appreciate your concern on this. We are predominantly a rural area, so a rural economy must be taken care of and improved with tourism. Thank you.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Lywydd. Rwy'n deall eich pryder am dwristiaeth. Mae Croeso Cymru wedi rhyddhau canlyniadau arolwg o fusnesau twristiaeth a wnaed ar ôl gosod y cyfyngiadau, ac maent yn ddifrifol iawn. Mae 96 y cant o fusnesau’n disgwyl y bydd effaith y feirws yn negyddol iawn ar y sector yn y dyfodol. Mae gweithredwyr wedi galw ar y ddwy Lywodraeth i helpu eu busnesau trwy fynd ati ar frys i ddatgelu strategaeth ymadael, gan nodi, hyd yn oed os byddant yn ailagor ym mis Mehefin, y byddant wedi colli rhan allweddol o'r prif dymor twristiaeth yng Nghymru.
O ystyried pwysigrwydd hanfodol twristiaeth i economi Cymru, pa drafodaethau a gawsoch chi, Weinidog, gyda gweinidogion eraill a phobl eraill ynglŷn â sicrhau bod Cymru'n cadw diwydiant twristiaeth hyfyw wedi cyfnod y coronafeirws, a hynny drwy'r awyr, ar y môr a dros y tir? Ac rwy’n deall eich pryder ynglŷn â hyn. Ardal wledig yw hon yn bennaf, felly rhaid gofalu am economi wledig a'i gwella â thwristiaeth. Diolch.
Thank you, Mohammad. Both myself and the Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism engage very regularly with our UK counterparts, and indeed with counterparts from the other devolved administrations on the issue of support for the visitor economy. Wales relies incredibly heavily on the tourism sector, and particularly rural parts of Wales, so it's vital that support is forthcoming from UK Government—a comprehensive package that will last beyond the immediate term to ensure that the 2021 tourism season is not lost, and to ensure that as many businesses in 2020 survive through to 2021 to take advantage of the recovery period.
I know that a huge number of businesses within the tourism sector in Wales are exemplar businesses across the UK and Europe. They have enabled us to proudly welcome people to Wales in recent years with the highest quality offer, with people who are employed in the sector employed to very, very high standards and with decent wages, and we want to make sure that as much of the sector as possible is buoyant in 2021. But what we can't do, equally, is put at risk the sector in 2021 by prematurely emerging from coronavirus and risking a second and third wave.
Diolch, Mohammad. Rwyf fi a’r Dirprwy Weinidog Diwylliant, Chwaraeon a Thwristiaeth yn ymgysylltu'n rheolaidd iawn â'n cymheiriaid yn y DU, ac yn wir gyda chymheiriaid o'r gweinyddiaethau datganoledig eraill ar fater cefnogaeth i'r economi ymwelwyr. Mae Cymru’n dibynnu'n fawr iawn ar y sector twristiaeth, ac yn enwedig rhannau gwledig Cymru, felly mae'n hanfodol fod cefnogaeth yn dod gan Lywodraeth y DU—pecyn cynhwysfawr a fydd yn para y tu hwnt i'r tymor cyfredol i sicrhau na chollir tymor twristiaeth 2021, ac i sicrhau bod cymaint o fusnesau yn 2020 yn goroesi hyd 2021 i fanteisio ar y cyfnod adfer.
Gwn fod nifer enfawr o fusnesau yn y sector twristiaeth yng Nghymru yn fusnesau enghreifftiol ledled y DU ac Ewrop. Maent wedi ein galluogi i fod yn falch o groesawu pobl i Gymru dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf gyda chynnig o'r ansawdd uchaf, a phobl o safon uchel iawn yn cael eu cyflogi yn y sector ar gyflogau gweddus, ac rydym am sicrhau bod cymaint o'r sector â phosibl yn ffynnu yn 2021. Ond yr hyn na allwn ei wneud, yn yr un modd, yw peryglu'r sector yn 2021 trwy godi’r cyfyngiadau coronafeirws yn gynamserol a chreu risg o ail a thrydedd don.
Minister, it was quietly announced in a notice to the press this week that the Welsh Government has joined the Wellbeing Economy Governments network alongside New Zealand, Iceland and Scotland. Now, Plaid Cymru has been calling for months for the Welsh Government to join this network, so we're delighted that you've listened to us on this.
I'm sure you'll agree that making well-being the primary drive of economic development has the potential to improve people's life experiences and leads to social progress and environmental renewal, and it sits alongside the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 quite perfectly. So, are you able to tell us, Minister, what discussions the Welsh Government has held with its new well-being economy partners so far and whether you're sharing ideas and good practice as part of this work that could help with the COVID-19 recovery process?
Weinidog, cyhoeddwyd yn dawel mewn datganiad i’r wasg yr wythnos hon fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymuno â rhwydwaith Llywodraethau Economi Llesiant ochr yn ochr â Seland Newydd, Gwlad yr Iâ a’r Alban. Nawr, mae Plaid Cymru wedi bod yn galw ers misoedd ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ymuno â'r rhwydwaith hwn, felly rydym wrth ein bodd eich bod wedi gwrando arnom ni ar hyn.
Rwy'n siŵr y cytunwch fod gwneud llesiant yn brif ysgogiad datblygu economaidd yn cynnig potensial i wella profiadau bywyd pobl ac yn arwain at gynnydd cymdeithasol ac adferiad amgylcheddol, ac mae'n cyd-fynd â Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015 yn berffaith. Felly, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym, Weinidog, pa drafodaethau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cynnal gyda'i phartneriaid economi llesiant newydd hyd yn hyn ac a ydych chi'n rhannu syniadau ac arfer da fel rhan o'r gwaith a allai helpu gyda'r broses o adfer wedi COVID- 19?
Well, I'm really pleased that a number of discussions have already taken place within the network. Those discussions have been incredibly productive, in that we've been able to share many ideas. We've been able to offer up from Wales initiatives such as the implementation of an economic contract to drive fair growth. We've been able to share, obviously, details of the well-being of future generations Act, and it's worth saying that we've actually been working with many of the countries that form the network for many months and many years—indeed, with Scotland, for example, on the development of the economic contract and lessons that could be learnt in driving the inclusive growth. So, I'm pleased that we are part of this network. I'm pleased that we've been working with countries that are part of the network for some time, and I hope that, as we emerge from coronavirus, the ideas that we share will lead to a fairer economy, not just in Wales, but hopefully globally.
Wel, rwy'n falch iawn fod nifer o drafodaethau eisoes wedi digwydd o fewn y rhwydwaith. Mae'r trafodaethau hynny wedi bod yn hynod gynhyrchiol, yn yr ystyr ein bod wedi gallu rhannu llawer o syniadau. Yng Nghymru, rydym wedi gallu cynnig mentrau fel gweithredu’r contract economaidd i ysgogi twf teg. Yn amlwg, rydym wedi gallu rhannu manylion am Ddeddf llesiant cenedlaethau'r dyfodol, ac mae'n werth dweud ein bod wedi cydweithio gyda llawer o'r gwledydd sy'n ffurfio'r rhwydwaith ers misoedd a blynyddoedd lawer—yn wir, gyda'r Alban, er enghraifft, ar ddatblygiad y contract economaidd a gwersi y gellid eu dysgu ar sbarduno'r twf cynhwysol. Felly, rwy'n falch ein bod yn rhan o'r rhwydwaith. Rwy'n falch ein bod wedi cydweithio gyda gwledydd sy'n rhan o'r rhwydwaith ers peth amser, a gobeithio, wrth inni gefnu ar y coronafeirws, y bydd y syniadau a rannwn yn arwain at economi decach, nid yn unig yng Nghymru, ond yn fyd-eang.
[Inaudible.]—follow on briefly from questions from Vikki Howells and Alun Davies, on a similar theme, because the longer this crisis goes on, there's increasing evidence about some of the differential impacts that the pandemic is having on our most disadvantaged communities, and that certainly seems to be the case with mortality data.
So, can I ask you whether you have any analysis or whether this is also true for the economic impacts of the pandemic? Accepting that there's going to be obvious support needed from UK Government, can you reassure me that the continuing needs of those disadvantaged areas, like our Valleys communities, are given a specific consideration in your recovery plans, and to what extent the spatial impacts of the current economic disruption are being considered?
[Anghlywadwy.]—yn dilyn yn fyr o gwestiynau gan Vikki Howells ac Alun Davies, ar thema debyg, oherwydd po hiraf y bydd yr argyfwng hwn yn para, mae tystiolaeth gynyddol am rai o'r effeithiau gwahaniaethol y mae'r pandemig yn eu cael ar ein cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig, ac mae hynny'n sicr i’w weld yn wir gyda data marwolaethau.
Felly, a gaf fi ofyn i chi a oes gennych unrhyw ddadansoddiad neu a yw hyn hefyd yn wir am effeithiau economaidd y pandemig? Gan dderbyn y bydd angen cefnogaeth amlwg gan Lywodraeth y DU, a allwch dawelu fy meddwl fod anghenion parhaus yr ardaloedd difreintiedig hynny, fel ein cymunedau yn y Cymoedd, yn cael ystyriaeth arbennig yn eich cynlluniau adfer, ac i ba raddau y mae effeithiau gofodol y tarfu economaidd presennol dan ystyriaeth?
They're right at the heart of current consideration and they will continue to be. We have not just sectoral analysis updated on a daily basis, but also regional and spatial analysis that forms part of the intervention service that we've been announcing and will form part of the interventions that come during the recovery period.
And another reason why I'm keen to learn from other areas of the UK, whether it be through the well-being economy network or whether it be through direct discussions that I have with metro mayors and leaders of other sub-regions and the devolved administrations, is that we all share the common challenge that we have certain communities that are more disadvantaged, that we need to ensure have accelerated growth during a period of recovery and narrow inequalities rather than to see them further exacerbated and widened. My view is that—and it's a view that's shared across Government—we should take advantage of the recovery to narrow inequalities and at all costs avoid any measures that would lead to inequalities across Welsh communities widening.
Maent yn ganolog i'r ystyriaeth gyfredol a byddant yn parhau i fod. Rydym yn diweddaru'r dadansoddiad sectoraidd yn ddyddiol, ond hefyd y dadansoddiad rhanbarthol a gofodol sy'n rhan o'r gwasanaeth ymyrraeth rydym wedi bod yn ei gyhoeddi ac a fydd yn rhan o'r ymyriadau a ddaw yn ystod y cyfnod adfer.
A rheswm arall pam fy mod i'n awyddus i ddysgu gan rannau eraill o'r DU, boed hynny trwy'r rhwydwaith economi llesiant neu drwy drafodaethau uniongyrchol a gaf gyda meiri metro ac arweinwyr isranbarthau eraill a'r gweinyddiaethau datganoledig, yw ein bod i gyd yn rhannu'r her gyffredin fod gennym rai cymunedau sy'n fwy difreintiedig, a bod rhaid inni sicrhau eu bod yn cael twf cyflymach yn ystod y cyfnod adfer ac anghydraddoldebau cul yn hytrach na'u bod yn gwaethygu ac yn ehangu ymhellach. Yn fy marn i—ac mae'n farn a rennir ar draws y Llywodraeth—dylem fanteisio ar y cyfnod adfer i leihau anghydraddoldebau ac osgoi ar bob cyfrif unrhyw gamau a fyddai'n arwain at ehangu anghydraddoldebau ar draws cymunedau Cymru.
We know now which types of businesses have been missed by the support scheme. We've talked a lot about them this afternoon. Generally grouping, however, does not work. For example, in retail, supermarkets and online retailers are having the equivalent of Christmas every week, and those who, for example, are predominantly clothing and jewellery stores are closed. We have exactly the same with road haulage. Those supplying food stores have been in an entirely different position to other road haulage members who normally supply to places that are closed and obviously have no work. Will the Welsh Government identify the gaps and contact the Westminster Government regarding those that come under its responsibility and produce a plan to support those areas that the Welsh Government are responsible for? We have these gaps; we've got to fill them.
Rydym yn gwybod yn awr pa fathau o fusnesau y mae’r cynllun cymorth wedi methu eu cynnwys. Rydym wedi siarad llawer amdanynt y prynhawn yma. Nid yw grwpio gyffredinol yn gweithio fodd bynnag. Er enghraifft, mewn manwerthu, gydag archfarchnadoedd a manwerthwyr ar-lein yn cael yr hyn sy’n cyfateb i'r Nadolig bob wythnos a'r rhai sy’n siopau dillad a gemwaith yn bennaf, er enghraifft, ar gau. Mae gennym yr un peth yn union gyda chludo nwyddau ar y ffyrdd. Mae'r rhai sy'n cyflenwi siopau bwyd wedi bod mewn sefyllfa hollol wahanol i eraill sy’n cludo nwyddau ar y ffyrdd sydd fel arfer yn dosbarthu i leoedd sydd ar gau, ac wrth gwrs, nid oes gwaith ganddynt. A fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn nodi'r bylchau ac yn cysylltu â Llywodraeth San Steffan ynglŷn â'r rhai y mae’n gyfrifol amdanynt a chynhyrchu cynllun i gefnogi'r meysydd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gyfrifol amdanynt? Mae gennym y bylchau hyn; mae'n rhaid i ni eu llenwi.
I couldn't agree more, Mike, and that's precisely why we've been able to identify £500 million for the economic resilience fund, which is specifically designed to plug those gaps, but I have to say again that our resources are finite and we need to retain fire power for the recovery. The UK Government's pockets are much deeper, obviously, but it's absolutely vital that we intervene in a way that supplements and adds value to what the UK Government is doing. But please do recognise that our budgets are constrained and will be severely constrained for many months if not years to come, and therefore we need to make strategic investments.
We need to ensure that we stretch our investments as much as possible and that we get the maximum value for our investments. And that's not just in terms of the economic value; that's also in terms of how we can use our investments to drive decarbonisation; how we can use our investments to improve working conditions. And that's why I'm pleased to say that, during the course of plugging those gaps, we've been able to roll out the economic contract for thousands upon thousands more businesses that will now enable us to have a long-term conversation with Welsh businesses about how we can improve working conditions, how we can improve the health, mental health and the skills of the Welsh workforce, and how we can ensure that we go on decarbonising the Welsh economy.
Rwy’n cytuno’n llwyr, Mike, a dyna'n union pam ein bod wedi gallu clustnodi £500 miliwn ar gyfer y gronfa cadernid economaidd, sydd wedi'i chynllunio'n benodol i lenwi'r bylchau hynny, ond mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud eto fod pen draw ar ein hadnoddau ac mae angen inni gadw rhywfaint ar gyfer y gwaith adfer. Mae pocedi Llywodraeth y DU yn llawer dyfnach, yn amlwg, ond mae'n gwbl hanfodol ein bod yn ymyrryd mewn ffordd sy'n ategu ac yn ychwanegu gwerth at yr hyn y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn ei wneud. Ond hoffwn i chi gydnabod bod ein cyllidebau wedi'u cyfyngu ac y byddant wedi’u cyfyngu'n ddifrifol am fisoedd lawer, os nad blynyddoedd i ddod, ac felly mae angen inni wneud buddsoddiadau strategol.
Mae angen inni sicrhau ein bod yn ymestyn ein buddsoddiadau cymaint â phosibl a'n bod yn cael y gwerth mwyaf o’n buddsoddiadau. Ac nid gwerth economaidd yn unig; sut y gallwn ddefnyddio ein buddsoddiadau i ysgogi datgarboneiddio hefyd; sut y gallwn ddefnyddio ein buddsoddiadau i wella amodau gwaith. A dyna pam rwy'n falch o ddweud ein bod ni, wrth lenwi'r bylchau hynny, wedi gallu cyflwyno'r contract economaidd i filoedd ar filoedd yn fwy o fusnesau a fydd yn ein galluogi yn awr i gael sgwrs hirdymor gyda busnesau Cymru ynglŷn â sut y gallwn wella amodau gwaith, sut y gallwn wella iechyd, iechyd meddwl a sgiliau gweithlu Cymru, a sut y gallwn sicrhau ein bod yn parhau i ddatgarboneiddio economi Cymru.
I'd like to raise the case of Rubylicious dance studio. It's a fantastic company that is based in Canton in Cardiff West. My concern is that they should be—or they should have been—entitled to the £10,000 grant in terms of the business rate rebate, but unfortunately for them and also for other businesses in the same situation, the £10,000 has been passed on to the landlord who, in fact, doesn't actually have a business other than renting the premises, and the landlord here, as with other landlords, it would seem, is not going to suffer any financial loss and yet is refusing to pass on the £10,000. So, I thought maybe I'd ask you to address that and possibly as well have a word with the First Minister and ask him if he could ask his member of staff, Councillor Patel, to maybe pass on the £10,000 to Rubylicious in Cardiff West instead of pocketing it himself. I think that would be a really good thing to do. So, if you could do that, I'd be really grateful.
Hoffwn nodi achos stiwdio ddawns Rubylicious. Mae'n gwmni gwych sydd wedi'i leoli yn Nhreganna yng Ngorllewin Caerdydd. Fy mhryder yw y dylent fod—neu dylent fod wedi bod—â hawl i gael y grant o £10,000 o ad-daliad ardrethi busnes, ond yn anffodus iddynt hwy a hefyd i fusnesau eraill yn yr un sefyllfa, mae'r £10,000 wedi'i drosglwyddo i'r landlord nad oes ganddo fusnes mewn gwirionedd heblaw gosod y safle ar rent, ac mae’n ymddangos nad yw'r landlord yma, fel landlordiaid eraill, yn mynd i ddioddef unrhyw golled ariannol ac eto maent yn gwrthod trosglwyddo’r £10,000. Felly, roeddwn i'n meddwl efallai y byddwn yn gofyn i chi fynd i'r afael â hynny a chael gair gyda'r Prif Weinidog efallai a gofyn iddo a allai ofyn i'w aelod o staff, y Cynghorydd Patel, drosglwyddo'r £10,000 i Rubylicious yng Ngorllewin Caerdydd yn lle ei bocedu ei hun. Rwy'n credu y byddai hynny'n beth da iawn i'w wneud. Felly, byddwn yn ddiolchgar iawn os gallwch wneud hynny.
I'll certainly make investigations and enquiries into this specific case. I can't comment on specific cases without having all of the detail to hand, but I'll certainly investigate this matter. It's vitally important that we all work together to overcome coronavirus, not just the public health consequences but the economic consequences as well. So, I'll ask officials to look into this particular case but also just generally to take a look at how the grant arrangements are being administered across local government.
Yn sicr, fe wnaf ymchwilio ac ymholi ynghylch yr achos penodol hwn. Ni allaf wneud sylwadau ar achosion penodol heb gael yr holl fanylion wrth law, ond byddaf yn sicr yn ymchwilio i'r mater. Mae'n hanfodol bwysig ein bod i gyd yn gweithio gyda'n gilydd i oresgyn y coronafeirws, nid yn unig y canlyniadau i iechyd y cyhoedd ond y canlyniadau economaidd hefyd. Felly, byddaf yn gofyn i swyddogion ymchwilio i'r achos penodol hwn ond hefyd yn gyffredinol i edrych ar sut y mae'r trefniadau grant yn cael eu gweinyddu ar draws llywodraeth leol.
Minister, what plans do you have to work with the UK Government to support key employers in Alyn and Deeside? Airbus, Tata steel and KK Fine Foods are amongst many who are facing uncertain challenges, business challenges, economic challenges and extreme uncertainty. Minister, we need both Governments around the table to further support these employers and to further support those employees, both directly employed and any agency staff.
Weinidog, pa gynlluniau sydd gennych i weithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i gefnogi cyflogwyr allweddol yn Alun a Glannau Dyfrdwy? Mae Airbus, dur Tata a KK Fine Foods ymhlith llawer sy'n wynebu heriau ansicr, heriau busnes, heriau economaidd ac ansicrwydd eithafol. Weinidog, mae arnom angen y ddwy Lywodraeth o amgylch y bwrdd i gefnogi'r cyflogwyr hyn ymhellach ac i roi cymorth pellach i’r gweithwyr a gyflogir yn uniongyrchol ac unrhyw staff asiantaeth.
Can I thank Jack Sargeant for his question? I'm pleased to say that those companies that he's identified have benefited from direct Welsh Government support in recent times. It's absolutely vital that the support that is now being offered by UK Government in the form of the job retention scheme is lengthened. I've already mentioned in my answers to other Members how the aero-sector and, indeed, how KK Fine Foods are facing deep uncertainty right now because of a lack of detail over what will happen to the furlough scheme after the end of June, and I was reassured today by the comments from my counterpart in BEIS when he said that the UK Government are keen to avoid a cliff edge in the furlough scheme. I hope that will give some assurance to the likes of KK Fine Foods and other businesses that have issued those at-risk notices. And there is no doubt, as I've said to other Members, that the UK Government can carry out a swift learning exercise in the job retention scheme and make amendments to it that are necessary to protect as many jobs as possible in the future. As I said to Jack Sargeant at the outset of my answer, Welsh Government has stood shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Airbus, KK Fine Foods and Tata steel over many, many years, and, therefore, it's absolutely right that the UK Government now comes and joins us in supporting these vitally important employers so that they can get through coronavirus with as many jobs being retained as possible.
A gaf fi ddiolch i Jack Sargeant am ei gwestiwn? Rwy'n falch o ddweud bod y cwmnïau y mae wedi'u nodi wedi elwa o gefnogaeth uniongyrchol Llywodraeth Cymru yn ddiweddar. Mae'n gwbl hanfodol fod y gefnogaeth sydd bellach yn cael ei chynnig gan Lywodraeth y DU ar ffurf y cynllun cadw swyddi yn cael ei hymestyn. Rwyf eisoes wedi crybwyll yn fy atebion i Aelodau eraill sut y mae'r sector awyrennau ac yn wir, sut y mae KK Fine Foods yn wynebu ansicrwydd dwfn ar hyn o bryd oherwydd prinder manylion ynghylch yr hyn a fydd yn digwydd i'r cynllun ffyrlo ar ôl diwedd mis Mehefin, a chefais fy sicrhau heddiw gan sylwadau fy aelod cyfatebol yn yr Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol pan ddywedodd fod Llywodraeth y DU yn awyddus i osgoi ymyl clogwyn yn y cynllun ffyrlo. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd hynny'n rhoi rhywfaint o sicrwydd i gwmnïau fel KK Fine Foods a busnesau eraill a gyhoeddodd yr hysbysiadau swyddi mewn perygl hynny. Ac fel y dywedais wrth Aelodau eraill, nid oes amheuaeth y gall Llywodraeth y DU gynnal ymarfer dysgu cyflym yn y cynllun cadw swyddi a gwneud newidiadau iddo sy'n angenrheidiol i ddiogelu cymaint o swyddi â phosibl yn y dyfodol. Fel y dywedais wrth Jack Sargeant ar ddechrau fy ateb, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi sefyll ochr yn ochr â rhai fel Airbus, KK Fine Foods, a dur Tata dros nifer fawr o flynyddoedd, ac felly, mae'n hollol iawn fod Llywodraeth y DU yn awr yn dod ac yn ymuno â ni i gefnogi’r cyflogwyr hanfodol bwysig hyn fel y gallant oroesi'r coronafeirws gan gadw cymaint o swyddi â phosibl.
Many people have spoken today about the negative impact on tourism across Wales and, of course, my area is where tourism does provide a significant impact, perhaps disproportionately to other areas. We do know that tourism is worth £3 billion to the Welsh economy, but there's £2 billion-worth of funds from the Welsh Government. So, it seems very likely that, when we try to come out of lockdown and have some easement, the social distancing rules will make it virtually impossible for most tourism industries to survive, and I'm really pleased to hear what you're saying.
So, moving forward from that, I think what we need to look at, and you've hinted at it, is building up the small community innovation that we are finding, and one such innovation happened in Ammanford. I met with them two years ago, with Rob Venus, and he put in an application at that time to have some money. It's a community-based organisation that's moving on now to look at possibly building ventilators. So, I suppose my question is this: moving forward, we have to be more sustainable—that is obvious and evident from everything that's happened—and investment in innovation where it currently exists and can be expanded is probably one of the ways forward, as well as looking after the existing industries that bring vast wealth to this country.
Mae llawer o bobl wedi siarad heddiw am yr effaith negyddol ar dwristiaeth ledled Cymru ac wrth gwrs, mae twristiaeth yn cael effaith sylweddol ar fy ardal i, yn anghymesur efallai o gymharu ag ardaloedd eraill. Rydym yn gwybod bod twristiaeth yn werth £3 biliwn i economi Cymru, ond daw gwerth £2 biliwn o gronfeydd Llywodraeth Cymru. Felly, mae'n ymddangos yn debygol iawn pan geisiwn droi cefn ar y cyfyngiadau symud a chael rhywfaint o lacio y bydd y rheolau cadw pellter cymdeithasol yn ei gwneud hi'n amhosibl bron i'r mwyafrif o ddiwydiannau twristiaeth oroesi, ac rwy'n falch iawn o glywed yr hyn rydych chi'n ei ddweud.
Felly, gan symud ymlaen o hynny, rwy'n credu mai'r hyn sydd angen inni edrych arno, ac rydych chi wedi cyffwrdd ar hyn, yw adeiladu'r arloesedd cymunedol bach rydym yn ei weld, a digwyddodd un enghraifft o'r fath o arloesedd yn Rhydaman. Cyfarfûm â hwy ddwy flynedd yn ôl, gyda Rob Venus, ac fe gyflwynodd gais bryd hynny i gael rhywfaint o arian. Mae'n sefydliad cymunedol sy'n symud ymlaen yn awr i edrych ar y posibilrwydd o greu peiriannau anadlu. Felly, mae'n debyg mai fy nghwestiwn yw hwn: wrth symud ymlaen, mae'n rhaid i ni fod yn fwy cynaliadwy—mae hynny'n glir ac yn amlwg o bopeth sydd wedi digwydd—ac mae'n debyg mai buddsoddi mewn arloesedd lle mae'n bodoli ar hyn o bryd a lle gellir ei ehangu yw un o'r ffyrdd ymlaen, yn ogystal â gofalu am y diwydiannau presennol sy'n dod â chyfoeth enfawr i'r wlad hon.
Well, Joyce Watson is absolutely right—we've seen incredible innovation across Welsh businesses during the course of the crisis. We've seen distilleries turn their hands to making hand sanitiser, we've seen businesses in the aero sector produce ventilators, we've seen a huge number of businesses producing vital PPE, and I'm in no doubt that those efforts will continue for some weeks to come.
There will be opportunities that will emerge during the course of the recovery, and innovation will be crucial in making sure that we take full advantage of them, and that's why I'm determined to ensure that we intensify our call for businesses to utilise the calls-to-action funding, the economy futures fund that was set up to futureproof businesses, to drive R&D and innovation. One of those five calls is, of course, innovation, and I’m confident that we made the right decision when we published the economic action plan to include innovation as one of the five calls, and I'm absolutely determined to maintain it as one of the key features of our condition of funding in the years to come.
Wel, mae Joyce Watson yn llygad ei lle—rydym wedi gweld arloesedd anhygoel ar draws busnesau Cymru yn ystod yr argyfwng. Rydym wedi gweld distyllfeydd yn troi at wneud hylif diheintio dwylo; rydym wedi gweld busnesau yn y sector awyrennau’n cynhyrchu peiriannau anadlu; rydym wedi gweld nifer enfawr o fusnesau’n cynhyrchu cyfarpar diogelu personol hanfodol, ac nid oes amheuaeth gennyf y bydd yr ymdrechion hynny'n parhau am rai wythnosau i ddod.
Bydd cyfleoedd yn codi yn ystod y cyfnod adfer a bydd arloesi’n hanfodol ar gyfer sicrhau ein bod yn manteisio'n llawn arnynt, a dyna pam rwy'n benderfynol o sicrhau ein bod yn dwysáu ein galwad ar fusnesau i ddefnyddio'r cyllid meysydd gweithredu, cronfa dyfodol yr economi a sefydlwyd i ddiogelu busnesau ar gyfer y dyfodol, i ysgogi ymchwil a datblygu ac arloesedd. Un o'r pum galwad, wrth gwrs, yw arloesedd, ac rwy'n hyderus ein bod wedi gwneud y penderfyniad cywir pan wnaethom gyhoeddi'r cynllun gweithredu economaidd i gynnwys arloesedd fel un o'r pum galwad, ac rwy'n gwbl benderfynol o'i gadw fel un o nodweddion allweddol ein hamod cyllido yn y blynyddoedd i ddod.
Minister, first of all, can I thank you for the help you've given to my constituency and the businesses there, particularly the ones I've written to you about? I very much await a response to some of the other areas, but it's been very helpful in those areas. The biggest employer in my constituency is Tata, as has already been raised by Members, and Tata employs not just directly but also the sub-contractors that go into Tata. So, it's a huge aspect of the economy, and my MP colleague often says it's the beating heart of our economy. But, when you speak to the Ministers in London, can you highlight the fact that the cap on CBILS at the moment is £50 million. For our counterparts in Europe, in Holland, it's €150 million, and in Germany and France it's 25 per cent of the annual turnover. Therefore, we are way behind our competitors in being able to support those large businesses, and there's also talk in Europe about states asking the EU to relax state aid rules, which is something the UK Government has always fallen behind to say they can't help. Can you, therefore, push the UK Government to actually look very carefully at how they can help Tata and particular businesses like that, because, without that type of support, we may be facing very serious challenges in the years ahead?
Weinidog, yn gyntaf oll, a gaf fi ddiolch i chi am yr help rydych chi wedi'i roi i fy etholaeth a'r busnesau yno, yn enwedig y rhai yr ysgrifennais atoch yn eu cylch? Ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen yn fawr at gael ymateb i rai o'r meysydd eraill, ond mae wedi bod yn ddefnyddiol iawn yn y meysydd hynny. Y cyflogwr mwyaf yn fy etholaeth yw Tata, fel sydd eisoes wedi'i grybwyll gan Aelodau, ac mae Tata’n cyflogi nid yn unig yn uniongyrchol ond hefyd yr isgontractwyr sy'n mynd i mewn i Tata. Felly, mae'n elfen enfawr o'r economi, ac mae fy nghyfaill yn Senedd y DU yn aml yn dweud mai dyna yw calon ein heconomi. Ond pan siaradwch â'r Gweinidogion yn Llundain, a wnewch chi dynnu sylw at y ffaith bod y cap ar y cynllun benthyciad tarfu ar fusnes yn sgil y coronafeirws ar hyn o bryd yn £50 miliwn. I’n cymheiriaid yn Ewrop, yn yr Iseldiroedd, mae'n €150 miliwn, ac yn yr Almaen a Ffrainc mae'n 25 y cant o'r trosiant blynyddol. Felly, rydym ymhell y tu ôl i'n cystadleuwyr o ran ein gallu i gefnogi'r busnesau mawr hynny, ac mae sôn hefyd yn Ewrop am wladwriaethau'n gofyn i'r UE lacio rheolau cymorth gwladwriaethol, sy'n rhywbeth y mae Llywodraeth y DU bob amser wedi cuddio tu ôl iddo i ddweud na allant helpu. A allwch chi, felly, wasgu ar Lywodraeth y DU i edrych yn ofalus iawn ar sut y gallant helpu Tata a busnesau penodol fel hynny, oherwydd heb y math hwnnw o gymorth, efallai ein bod yn wynebu heriau difrifol iawn yn y blynyddoedd i ddod?
Yes, of course, we'll do that. I can assure David Rees we will do that and, obviously, it's a pleasure to help the businesses that he has represented in recent weeks who have faced incredible difficulties. I do hope that we're helping as many businesses as we possibly can in his constituency and across Wales overcome the challenges of coronavirus. But I think, in terms of the support that's required by Tata, a bespoke package of support is needed from UK Government. UK Government has stepped in to support some major employers elsewhere. We are pressing the case on a very regular basis, including just today, for the UK Government to support Tata, and I am hopeful that they will do so.
Wrth gwrs y gwnawn hynny. Gallaf sicrhau David Rees y byddwn yn gwneud hynny ac yn amlwg, mae'n bleser helpu'r busnesau y mae wedi'u cynrychioli yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf sydd wedi wynebu anawsterau anhygoel. Rwy'n gobeithio ein bod ni'n helpu cymaint o fusnesau ag y gallwn yn ei etholaeth ac ar draws Cymru i oresgyn heriau coronafeirws. Ond o ran y gefnogaeth sydd ei hangen ar Tata, rwy’n credu bod angen pecyn cymorth pwrpasol gan Lywodraeth y DU. Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi camu i'r adwy i gefnogi rhai cyflogwyr mawr mewn mannau eraill. Rydym yn pwyso ar Lywodraeth y DU yn rheolaidd iawn, gan gynnwys heddiw ddiwethaf, i gefnogi Tata, ac rwy’n obeithiol y gwnânt hynny.
Thank you, Minister. We're taking a break of 10 minutes now, and can I ask Members who are taking part in the next statement to be back promptly? Diolch.
Diolch, Weinidog. Fe gawn seibiant o 10 munud yn awr, ac a gaf fi ofyn i'r Aelodau sy'n cymryd rhan yn y datganiad nesaf ddychwelyd yn brydlon? Diolch.
Ataliwyd y Cyfarfod Llawn am 15:57.
Plenary was suspended at 15:57.
Ailymgynullodd y Senedd am 16:11, gyda'r Dirprwy Lywydd (Ann Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd reconvened at 16:11, with the Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) in the Chair.
So, the Plenary reconvenes and we move to item 5 on the agenda this afternoon, which is a statement by the Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language on coronavirus, and I call on the Minister for International Relations and the Welsh Language, Eluned Morgan.
Mae'r Cyfarfod Llawn yn ailymgynnull a symudwn at eitem 5 ar yr agenda y prynhawn yma, sef datganiad gan Weinidog y Gymraeg a Chysylltiadau Rhyngwladol ar y coronafeirws, a galwaf ar Weinidog y Gymraeg a Chysylltiadau Rhyngwladol—Eluned Morgan.
I'd like to start, as Minister for international relations, by noting that this week we'll be, in this country, noting VE Day, the end of the war in Europe, a war that I think should be a reminder to us all about what happens when international understanding fails, and, if ever there was an issue that reminds us of how interconnected our world is, then it's surely this coronavirus pandemic.
The COVID-19 crisis has had a profound impact on all aspects of my portfolio, both domestically and internationally. Well over 1 million British travellers were abroad when the pandemic hit, and, since the Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued advice for them to return home, all of our Welsh Government offices overseas have been involved in that repatriation effort, with officials in the middle east and in India particularly busy. This sharing of information has resulted in the successful repatriation of many Welsh citizens, including people like Dr Sundaram—I know the deputy speaker was very active in pushing for him to be returned to Wales. He's an intensive care consultant at the unit in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, and we helped to return him from India. Now, we're aware that there continue to be Welsh people still stuck abroad who still need our support, and I'd encourage them to contact me so that we can highlight their individual cases to the FCO.
Now, countries all over the world are all scrambling to secure vital products in the fight against COVID-19, and, as Minister for international trade, I'm ensuring that, in our endeavours to secure PPE internationally, there's an understanding that 80 countries have export restrictions in place. The fact that it's hard to secure and buy paracetamol in our shops is largely because of the restrictions that have been imposed by the Indian Government.
But, of course, one of the key challenges we have as a Government now is to work out how we're going to come out of lockdown. The information being provided by our international offices is proving invaluable to give us ideas of how it's being done elsewhere, and I've had direct discussions with my counterparts in Brittany and the Basque Country to learn from their experiences.
Now, Wales and Africa groups across Wales are expressing huge concern for their partners in Africa. The lockdown there is having a devastating impact on the livelihoods of many millions of Africans, and food prices have dramatically increased in many countries. Now, we're consulting Welsh groups to see how they can use the small grants scheme to support their African partners at this difficult time.
And, on international trade, I can confirm that the second ministerial forum on trade has recently been held, and I remain in close contact with the relevant Ministers across the United Kingdom. Now, the UK Government seems determined to agree a deal with the EU by the end of the year, despite these new circumstances, so negotiations with the United States on a trade deal have now commenced, and work on preparing for negotiations with Japan and other priority countries continues apace. The Trade Bill has been laid in the Commons and we've laid the relevant legislative consent motion here in the Senedd.
I'm going to change to Welsh now.
Hoffwn ddechrau fel Gweinidog cysylltiadau rhyngwladol trwy nodi y byddwn yn nodi Diwrnod VE yr wythnos hon yn y wlad hon, sef diwedd y rhyfel yn Ewrop, rhyfel y credaf y dylai atgoffa pawb ohonom o'r hyn sy'n digwydd pan fo cyd-ddealltwriaeth ryngwladol yn methu, ac os bu mater erioed sy'n ein hatgoffa o ba mor gydgysylltiedig yw ein byd, does bosibl nad y pandemig coronafeirws yw hwnnw.
Mae argyfwng COVID-19 wedi cael effaith ddifrifol ar bob agwedd ar fy mhortffolio, yn ddomestig ac yn rhyngwladol. Roedd ymhell dros 1 filiwn o deithwyr o Brydain dramor pan darodd y pandemig, ac ers i’r Swyddfa Dramor a Chymanwlad gyhoeddi cyngor iddynt ddychwelyd adref, mae pob un o'n swyddfeydd Llywodraeth Cymru dramor wedi bod yn rhan o'r ymdrech honno i ddod â phobl adref, gyda swyddogion yn y dwyrain canol ac India yn arbennig o brysur. Mae rhannu gwybodaeth yn y modd hwn wedi arwain at ddod â llawer o ddinasyddion Cymru adre’n llwyddiannus, gan gynnwys pobl fel Dr Sundaram—gwn fod y dirprwy lywydd yn weithgar iawn yn pwyso i ddod ag ef yn ôl i Gymru. Mae'n ymgynghorydd gofal dwys yn yr uned yn Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, a gwnaethom helpu i ddod ag ef yn ôl o India. Nawr, rydym yn ymwybodol fod yna Gymry wedi cael eu dal dramor sydd angen ein cymorth o hyd, a byddwn yn eu hannog i gysylltu â mi fel y gallwn dynnu sylw’r Swyddfa Dramor a Chymanwlad at achosion unigol.
Nawr, mae gwledydd ym mhob rhan o’r byd yn sgrialu i gael cynhyrchion hanfodol yn y frwydr yn erbyn COVID-19, ac fel Gweinidog masnach ryngwladol, yn ein hymdrechion i sicrhau cyfarpar diogelu personol yn rhyngwladol, rwy’n sicrhau bod yna ddealltwriaeth fod gan 80 o wledydd gyfyngiadau allforio ar waith. Mae'r anhawster i gael gafael ar, a phrynu parasetamol yn ein siopau yn deillio i raddau helaeth o’r cyfyngiadau sydd wedi’u gosod gan Lywodraeth India.
Ond wrth gwrs, un o'r heriau allweddol sydd gennym fel Llywodraeth yn awr yw datrys sut rydym yn mynd i allu rhoi'r gorau i'r cyfyngiadau symud. Mae'r wybodaeth sy'n cael ei darparu gan ein swyddfeydd rhyngwladol yn amhrisiadwy i roi syniadau i ni sut y caiff ei wneud mewn mannau eraill, a chefais drafodaethau uniongyrchol gyda fy nghymheiriaid yn Llydaw a Gwlad y Basg i ddysgu o'u profiadau.
Nawr, mae grwpiau Cymru ac Affrica ledled Cymru yn mynegi pryder enfawr am eu partneriaid yn Affrica. Mae'r cyfyngiadau symud yno’n effeithio’n ddinistriol ar fywoliaeth miliynau lawer o Affricanwyr, ac mae prisiau bwyd wedi codi'n ddramatig mewn sawl gwlad. Nawr, rydym yn ymgynghori â grwpiau yng Nghymru i weld sut y gallant ddefnyddio'r cynllun grantiau bach i gefnogi eu partneriaid yn Affrica ar yr adeg anodd hon.
Ac ar fasnach ryngwladol, gallaf gadarnhau bod yr ail fforwm gweinidogol ar fasnach wedi'i gynnal yn ddiweddar, ac rwy'n dal i fod mewn cysylltiad agos â'r Gweinidogion perthnasol ledled y Deyrnas Unedig. Nawr, mae'n ymddangos bod Llywodraeth y DU yn benderfynol o gytuno ar gytundeb gyda'r UE erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn er gwaethaf yr amgylchiadau newydd hyn, felly mae negodiadau gyda'r Unol Daleithiau ar gytundeb masnach wedi dechrau bellach, ac mae gwaith ar baratoi ar gyfer negodiadau gyda Japan a gwledydd eraill sydd â blaenoriaeth yn mynd rhagddo'n gyflym. Mae'r Bil Masnach wedi'i osod yn Nhŷ'r Cyffredin ac rydym wedi gosod y cynnig cydsyniad deddfwriaethol perthnasol yma yn y Senedd.
Rwy'n mynd i newid i'r Gymraeg yn awr.
Dwi i'n mynd i newid i'r Gymraeg. Mae Dafydd Elis-Thomas wedi gorfod ailflaenoriaethu ei bortffolio cyfan ef o ganlyniad i'r creisis presennol a darparu cyllid brys i gefnogi'r diwydiannau creadigol, chwaraeon a diwylliant, yn ogystal ag ailbennu gwasanaeth asiantaethau cyfan fel Cadw, sydd wedi gorfod cau pob un o'u safleoedd nhw.
Nawr, yn benodol, hoffwn i eich diweddaru chi ar dwristiaeth, sy'n sector sylfaenol, ac yn gwbl allweddol i economi Cymru. Roedd y sector yn un o'r rhai cyntaf i gael eu taro gan yr argyfwng ac mae ymysg y rhai sydd wedi eu heffeithio waethaf. Mae'r cymorth sydd wedi ei roi i'r sector gan Lywodraeth Cymru wedi cael ei werthfawrogi, ond rŷn ni'n cydnabod bod yna sialens hirdymor sy'n wynebu'r diwydiant yma. Ac mae rhai o fewn y sector yn galw'r sialens yma yn sialens 'tri gaeaf'.
Rŷn ni mewn trafodaethau parhaus gyda chynrychiolwyr y sector twristiaeth trwy dasglu twristiaeth COVID-19. Bydd sicrhau hyder cleientiaid, yn ogystal â sicrhau cefnogaeth y gymuned i ailagor, yn allweddol. Mae'n ymgyrch ni 'Hwyl Fawr. Am y Tro' neu 'Visit Wales. Later' wedi bod yn allweddol wrth inni geisio taro'r cydbwysedd sensitif yma ar lwybr sy'n eithaf anodd.
Mae digwyddiadau mawr—major events—hefyd yn chwarae rôl allweddol o fewn twristiaeth, a dwi eisiau rheoli disgwyliadau o ran aillddechrau digwyddiadau mawr yng Nghymru. Dwi ddim yn rhagweld y bydd unrhyw bosibilrwydd y bydd digwyddiadau torfol yn dychwelyd yn y dyfodol agos.
O ran y Gymraeg, mae COVID-19 wedi ein atgoffa ni o bwysigrwydd perthynas technoleg â'r iaith, ac mae'n amlwg bellach pa mor ddibynnol ydyn ni ar dechnoleg er mwyn gallu parhau i weithio, dysgu a chyfathrebu gyda ffrindiau a theulu.
Mae Cymraeg 2050 yn rhoi lle canolog i dechnoleg, ac felly dwi'n falch o allu cyhoeddi heddiw y bydd Cysgliad ar gael yn rhad ac am ddim i unigolion a busnesau sydd â llai na 10 o weithwyr cyn diwedd mis Mai. Cysgliad—mae e'n becyn sy'n cynnwys geiriadur yn ogystal â gwirydd sillafu a gramadeg Cymraeg, fydd yn help i bob un ohonom dwi'n siŵr.
Ond weithiau gall dechnoleg fod yn rhwystr. Er enghraifft, does dim modd cynnig gwasanaeth cyfieithu ar y pryd yn Microsoft Teams ar hyn o bryd, a dwi wedi ysgrifennu at Microsoft i ofyn iddyn nhw ddatblygu hwn ar frys.
Er bod y Ganolfan Dysgu Cymraeg Cenedlaethol wedi gorfod canslo pob gwers Cymraeg wyneb yn wyneb, mae'r diddordeb mewn cyrsiau ar lein wedi cynyddu yn syfrdanol. Mewn un wythnos, cofrestrodd dros 3,000 o ddysgwyr newydd eu diddordeb nhw, ac mi fydd 1,300 o'r rheini yn dechrau ar y cwrs yn ystod y mis yma.
Byddwch chi hefyd wedi gweld ein bod ni wedi rhoi cefnogaeth ariannol i'r Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, ac roedd hi'n bwysig, wrth i'r Eisteddfod wynebu heriau ariannol difrifol, fod Llywodraeth Cymru yna i gefnogi'r ŵyl unigryw yma. Bydd yr Urdd yn cynnal yr Eisteddfod ddigidol gyntaf, Eisteddfod T, yn ystod gwyliau'r Sulgwyn, ac mae'n parhau i weithio gydag elusen Llamau i gefnogi pobl ifanc a theuluoedd bregus.
Ym mis Chwefror, gwnes i lansio ymgynghoriad ar y polisi trosglwyddo iaith yn y cartref, a dwi am gyhoeddi nawr fy mod i eisiau ymestyn y cyfnod ar gyfer yr ymgynghoriad yma tan yr hydref.
Dwi'n ymwybodol iawn o bwysigrwydd y Gymraeg yn arbennig ym maes iechyd a gofal, a dwi wedi gofyn felly i'r Gweinidog iechyd gadw hyn mewn cof yn arbennig mewn sefyllfaoedd sensitif diwedd oes, yn ystod y cyfnod anodd yma.
So, hoffwn i jest orffen trwy ddweud fy mod i'n hynod o ddiolchgar i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am ei gydweithrediad ac i bob aelod staff yn fy mhortffolio i, a phob partner sydd wedi bod yn cydweithredu gyda ni, am ymateb mewn ffordd mor bositif yn wyneb yr heriau anferthol rŷn ni'n eu hwynebu. Dwi'n siŵr y down ni drwy'r cyfnod tywyll yma yn bobl wahanol, yn fudiadau gwahanol, ac yn wlad wahanol, ond mae yna obaith, mae yna oleuni ar y gorwel, ac mae'n bwysig ein bod ni'n sefyll yn gadarn gyda'n gilydd i ymateb i'r heriau sydd yn dal yn ein hwynebu ni.
I will be switching to Welsh now. Dafydd Elis-Thomas has had to reprioritise his entire portfolio as a result of the current crisis and provide emergency funding to support the creative industries, sport and culture, as well as reassigning the work of whole agencies such as Cadw, which have had to close all of their sites.
Now, in particular, I would like to update you on tourism, which is a foundation sector and is absolutely key to the Welsh economy. The sector was one of the first to be hit by the crisis and is among the worst affected. The support that is being provided to the sector by the Welsh Government has been appreciated, but we recognise that there is a long-term challenge facing this industry. And some within the sector are describing it as a 'three winter' challenge.
We are in ongoing discussions with representatives of the tourism sector through the COVID-19 tourism taskforce. Ensuring consumer confidence, as well as securing community support for reopening, will be key. Our campaign 'Visit Wales. Later' has been crucial in trying to strike this sensitive balance on quite a difficult path.
Major events also play a key role within tourism, and I want to manage expectations about restarting major events in Wales. However, I don't foresee any possibility that mass gatherings will return in the near future.
In terms of the Welsh language, COVID-19 has reminded us of the importance of the relationship between technology and the language. It's clear now how reliant we are on technology so that we can continue to work, learn and communicate with family and friends.
Cymraeg 2050 gives technology a central role, and therefore I am pleased to be able to announce today that Cysgliad will be available free of charge to individuals and businesses with fewer than 10 staff by the end of May. Cysgliad is a package that includes a dictionary as well as a Welsh spellchecker and a grammar checker, and it will assist all of us, I'm sure.
But sometimes technology can be a barrier. For example, it's not possible to offer simultaneous translation in Microsoft Teams at present. I have written to Microsoft to ask them to develop this as a matter of urgency.
Although the National Welsh Learning Centre has had to cancel every face-to-face Welsh lesson, the interest in online courses has dramatically increased. In just a week, over 3,000 new learners enrolled and 1,300 of those will start the course during this month.
You will also have seen that we've provided financial support to the National Eisteddfod, and it was important, as the Eisteddfod faced serious financial challenges, that the Welsh Government was there to support this unique festival. The Urdd will host the first digital Eisteddfod, Eisteddfod T, during the Whitsun holiday, and continues to work with the Llamau charity to support vulnerable young people and families.
In February, I launched a consultation on our policy for language transmission in the home, and I wish to announce now that I am to extend the consultation period until the autumn.
I am aware of the importance of the Welsh language particularly in health and care, and I've therefore asked the health Minister to bear this in mind in particular in sensitive end-of-life situations during this difficult time.
So, I'd like to finish by saying that I am extremely grateful to the Deputy Minister for all his co-operation and to all the staff members working within my portfolio, as well as all partners who have been collaborating with us, for responding in such a positive way in the face of the huge challenges that we're facing. I'm sure we will come through these dark times as different people, different organisations and a different country. But there is hope, there is light on the horizon, and it is important that we stand firm together to meet the challenges that still face us.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i chi, Weinidog, a diolch am y gwaith o gael unigolion yn ôl i Gymru, ac am eich help efo rhai o'm hetholwyr i yn Arfon hefyd efo hynny. Dwi'n mynd i ganolbwyntio ar agwedd bwysig o'ch portffolio chi, sef yr iaith Gymraeg. Mae gwaith ymchwil gan brifysgol St Andrews yn dod i'r casgliad y gall y pandemig presennol gael effaith pellgyrhaeddol ar y cymunedau sydd yn gadarnleoedd i ieithoedd lleiafrifol, gan gynnwys y Gymraeg. Pa asesiad, felly, mae'ch Llywodraeth chi wedi'i wneud, neu yn bwriadu ei wneud, o effaith y pandemig ar gadarnleoedd yr iaith Gymraeg yn y gorllewin, a pha fesurau penodol ydych chi'n ystyried eu cyflwyno ar gyfer atal dirywiad yn hyfywedd y Gymraeg fel iaith bob dydd yn y cymunedau yna?
Gwersylloedd yr Urdd—rydych chi wedi sôn am yr Urdd, ond mae'r gwersylloedd yn benodol angen cymorth ychwanegol arnyn nhw yn y dyfodol. Beth ydy'ch cynlluniau chi efo hynny? Ac ychydig o gwestiynau am effaith y pandemig ar y wasg Gymraeg. Mae grant o £50,000 wedi cael ei ddyrannu i'r cyngor llyfrau ar gyfer cyhoeddwyr yn y ddwy iaith. Fedrwch chi ddweud wrthym ni faint o hwnna sydd wedi mynd i gyhoeddwyr yr iaith Gymraeg, ac ydy hynny'n ddigon? Oes gan y Llywodraeth unrhyw gynlluniau penodol ar gyfer y cyhoeddiadau Cymraeg hynny sydd yn parhau i gael eu cyhoeddi, ac felly sydd ddim yn gallu manteisio ar y cynllun ffyrlo ar gyfer eu staff? Mae'r cwmnïau yma yn gwneud colledion oherwydd bod incwm wedi gostwng.
Yn olaf, fedrwch chi ddweud wrthym ni faint mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wario ar hysbysebion gwybodaeth COVID yn y wasg Gymraeg, ac oes yna arian cyfatebol wedi dod o Lywodraeth San Steffan ar gyfer hyn?
Thank you very much, Minister, and thank you for your work in bringing individuals back to Wales, and for your assistance with some of my constituents in Arfon in that regard too. I'm going to focus on an important aspect of your portfolio, namely the Welsh language. Research work by the University of St Andrews has come to the conclusion that the current pandemic could have a far-reaching impact on communities that are the heartlands of minority languages, including the Welsh language. So, what assessment has your Government undertaken, or what assessment does it intend to undertake, of the impact of the pandemic on the Welsh-speaking heartlands in the west of Wales, and what specific measures are you considering in order to prevent a decline in the viability of the Welsh language as the daily language within those communities?
Now, the Urdd camps—you mentioned the Urdd, but the camps specifically need additional support for the future, so what plans do you have to provide such support? And a few questions on the impact of the pandemic on the Welsh press—a grant of £50,000 has been allocated to the Welsh Books Council for publishers in both languages, so can you tell us how much of that has been provided to Welsh language publishers, and whether that is sufficient? Does the Government have any specific plans for those Welsh publications that continue to be published and therefore can't take advantage of the furlough scheme for their staff? These companies are making losses, because incomes have declined.
And, finally, can you tell us how much the Welsh Government has spent on COVID information advertisements in the Welsh language press, and has there been match funding provided by Westminster for this?
Wel, diolch yn fawr, Siân. Rŷn ni'n ymwybodol dros ben fod y feirws yma—. Wel, mae wedi taro pob rhan o Gymru, ond mae'r effaith, wrth gwrs, yn wahanol mewn gwahanol fannau o Gymru. O ran faint o bobl sy'n dioddef, dwi'n meddwl bod hi'n ddeg i ddweud dyw rhai o'r canolfannau Cymraeg yna ddim wedi cael yr ergyd mae rhai o'r ardaloedd yn y dwyrain wedi'i gael, ond, wrth gwrs, mae'r ergyd i'r economi wedi bod yn drawiadol dros ben, ac yn ergyd sydd yn debygol o barhau, yn arbennig o ran twristiaeth, ac, wrth gwrs, amaeth hefyd. Mae colledion, yn arbennig o ran llaeth, yn mynd i gael ergyd trwm ar y sector yna o'r economi. Felly, rŷn ni yn ymwybodol dros ben o hyn. Rŷn ni wedi cael trafodaeth gyda'r cyngor partneriaeth, ac wedi bod yn trafod rhai o'r pethau sylfaenol yna, fel y capeli. Does dim pobl yn mynd i'r capeli lle maen nhw'n siarad Cymraeg, felly beth allwn ni ei wneud i roi rhyw fath o help iddyn nhw? So, rŷn ni yn cael y trafodaethau hynny eisoes.
O ran yr Urdd, dwi wedi bod mewn trafodaeth eithaf cyson gyda'r Urdd reit o'r cychwyn cyntaf. Wrth gwrs, roedd yr Urdd, a gwersylloedd yr Urdd, yn rhai o'r canolfannau cyntaf a wnaeth gau, ac, wrth gwrs, chwarae teg i'r Urdd, maen nhw'n codi lot mawr o'u harian nhw eu hunain—mae tua 75 y cant o'u harian nhw yn dod o'r gwersylloedd yna. Wrth gwrs, maen nhw wedi cael eu cau, a'r trafferth yw i dreial dychmygu pryd fyddan nhw yn debygol o ailagor, ac mae hwnna yn anodd dros ben inni ei ragweld ar hyn o bryd. Rŷn ni yn cael trafodaethau yn aml iawn gyda'r Urdd, ac rŷn ni wedi bod yn trafod hyn y prynhawn yma hefyd gyda'r Gweinidog Addysg i weld os oes yna unrhyw help a allwn ni ei roi, ond dwi yn meddwl beth sy'n bwysig yw ein bod ni'n tanlinellu'r cyfraniad aruthrol mae'r Urdd wedi'i wneud i'n gwlad ni. Ond mae yna drafferthion aruthrol, dwi'n meddwl, o ran yr ergyd sy'n cael ei roi fel canlyniad o gau'r gwersylloedd yna.
Wrth gwrs, rydym ni'n dal i roi arian i'r papurau bro o ran sicrhau bod y Gymraeg yn cael ei gweithio yna. Dwi ddim yn gwybod yn union beth yw'r breakdown rhwng faint sy'n mynd i'r wasg Gymraeg a'r wasg Saesneg. Efallai y gallaf i ddod nôl atoch chi ar hynny. O ran hysbysebion, wrth gwrs, byddwch chi'n ymwybodol bod safonau'r Gymraeg yn dal i fod yn wir am Lywodraeth Cymru, felly mae'r hysbysebion yna yn mynd i fod yn ddwyieithog a, na, does dim arian ychwanegol wedi dod o Lywodraeth Prydain am hynny.
Well, thank you very much, Siân. We're very much aware that this virus—. Well, it's hit every part of Wales, but the effect, of course, is different in different parts of Wales. In terms of how many people are suffering, I think it's fair to say that some of those Welsh speaking areas haven't had the impact that some of the areas in the east have had, but, of course, the impact from the economy has been very striking indeed, and is likely to be ongoing in terms of tourism, particularly, and also agriculture, of course. There have been particular losses in terms of the dairy sector, and that is going to have a huge impact on that sector of the economy. So, we are highly aware of this. We have had some discussions with the partnership council, and have been discussing some of those fundamental issues, such as the chapels. People aren't going to those Welsh-speaking chapels, so we are considering what we can do to provide some assistance to them. So, we are having those discussions already.
In terms of the Urdd, I have been in regular contact with the Urdd from the very outset. Of course, the Urdd and the Urdd camps were some of the first centres to have closed, and, of course, in fairness to the Urdd, they do raise a great deal of their funding themselves—some 75 per cent comes from their camps. Of course, they have now been closed, and the difficulty is in trying to envisage when they will be able to reopen, and that is a very difficult thing to do at the moment. We are having regular discussions with the Urdd, and we were discussing this this afternoon with the education Minister to see whether there is any support that we can provide, but I do think that what's important is that we highlight the huge contribution that the Urdd has made to our nation. But they are facing huge challenges now in terms of the blow that they've suffered as a result of the closure of their facilities.
Now, of course, we still provide funding to the papurau bro in terms of ensuring that the Welsh language remains strong there. I’m not sure exactly of the breakdown between the Welsh-medium press and the English language press, but I can return to you on that. In terms of advertisements, you will be aware that Welsh language standards still apply for the Welsh Government and, therefore, those advertisements will be bilingual, but we’ve received no additional funding from the UK Government for that.
Diolch yn fawr iawn ichi am hynny. Dwi'n troi at ddau fater arall sydd ddim yn gysylltiedig efo'r argyfwng COVID, byddwch chi'n falch o glywed, efallai. Beth ydy'ch barn chi am yr offeryn statudol ar y cyfrifiad o'r boblogaeth sydd yn mynd drwy San Steffan ar hyn o bryd, o safbwynt casglu data am y nifer o siaradwyr Cymraeg? Y tebygrwydd ydy mai dull samplo fydd ar gael ar gyfer y rhai hynny fydd yn methu cwblhau'r cyfrifiad ar-lein. Wrth gwrs, fe all hynny olygu y bydd data ar nifer y siaradwyr Cymraeg yn anghyflawn. Fydd eich Llywodraeth chi'n gwrthwynebu'r defnydd o samplu yng Nghymru fel rhan o gyfrifiad 2021?
Ac yn olaf, mae'n ymddangos y bydd eich Llywodraeth chi yn cyflwyno Bil y cwricwlwm addysg yn yr wythnosau nesaf. A fedrwch chi gadarnhau y byddwch chi, fel Gweinidog y Gymraeg, yn gwneud asesiad trwyadl o effaith y Bil ar y Gymraeg ac ar addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg? Mae yna un mater penodol yn peri pryder, a hynny ydy bwriad y ddeddfwriaeth newydd i roi grym i gyrff llywodraethwyr yn hytrach nag i awdurdodau lleol o ran polisi iaith ysgolion. Byddai'r penderfyniad i ddilyn polisïau trochi ai peidio yn y cyfnod sylfaen yn ddewis i bob corff llywodraethol ar wahân ac fe fedrwch chi ddychmygu y byddai hyn yn tanseilio polisïau iaith cadarn nifer o awdurdodau lleol ac yn ergyd ddifrifol i ddatblygiad addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg ar draws Cymru. A wnewch chi gynnal trafodaeth fuan efo'r Gweinidog Addysg er mwyn sicrhau mai cryfhau ac nid gwanio sefyllfa'r Gymraeg fydd Bil y cwricwlwm newydd?
Thank you very much. I will turn now to two other issues that aren’t related to the COVID crisis, you’ll be pleased to hear, perhaps. What’s your view on the statutory instrument on the census, which is currently going through Westminster, in terms of gathering data on the number of Welsh speakers? The likelihood is that a sampling system will be used for those who are unable to complete the census online. And, of course, that could mean that the data on the number of Welsh speakers will be incomplete. Will your Government oppose the use of sampling in Wales as part of the 2021 census?
Finally, it appears that your Government will introduce the education curriculum Bill over the next few weeks. Can you confirm that you, as Minister for the Welsh language, will carry out a thorough assessment of the impact of the Bill on the Welsh language and on Welsh-medium education? There is one specific issue that is a cause for concern and that is the intention of the new legislation to provide powers to governing bodies rather than local authorities in terms of the language policies of schools. The decision to adopt immersion approaches during the foundation phase would be a choice for every separate governing body, and you can just imagine that that would undermine the robust language policies of a number of local authorities and would be a severe blow to the development of Welsh-medium education across Wales. So, will you hold urgent discussions with the education Minister in order to ensure that we strengthen the position of the Welsh language rather than weakening it through the new curriculum Bill?
Diolch. Wrth gwrs, o ran y cyfrifiad, rŷn ni'n cadw golwg manwl ar sut mae'r cwestiynau'n cael eu gofyn, achos mae pobl yn ateb mewn ffyrdd gwahanol os ydych chi'n gofyn y cwestiwn mewn ffordd wahanol. Felly, rydym ni'n cadw golwg craff ar hwnna. Bydd yn rhaid inni edrych ar y samplo a gweld beth maen nhw'n debygol o ofyn yn y maes yna a sut y byddai hynny efallai'n effeithio ar y cyfrifiad. Y peth pwysicaf ar gyfer cyfrifiad yw eich bod chi'n gallu cymharu un flwyddyn gyda'r ddegawd flaenorol. Felly, dwi yn meddwl bod samplo wedyn yn debygol o roi newidiadau ac efallai ddim yn rhoi'r asesiad y byddem ni'n disgwyl ei gael. Ond rydym ni mewn sefyllfa wahanol nawr, efallai, a byddwn yn parhau gyda'r trafodaethau o ran y cyfrifiad.
O ran y cwricwlwm Cymraeg, rwyf newydd ddod off galwad gyda'r Gweinidog Addysg. Roeddem ni'n trafod yr union fater yma, felly gallwch chi fod yn ffyddiog fy mod i yn cadw golwg craff ar beth sy'n digwydd. Mae'r Gweinidog Addysg yn ymwybodol o'r sefyllfa ac wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau y bydd hi'n cadw golwg craff ar beth sy'n digwydd. Wrth gwrs, dydyn ni ddim eisiau newid y polisi sydd gyda ni na gweld bod unrhyw beth y tu fewn i Fil y cwricwlwm yna yn cael effaith andwyol ar yr hyn rydym ni eisoes wedi ei ddatblygu.
Thank you. Well, in terms of the census, we are keeping a close eye on how those questions are posed because people answer in different ways depending on the question asked, of course. So, we are keeping a very close eye on that. We will have to look at sampling and consider what they’re likely to ask in that area and how that could perhaps impact the census. The important thing with the census is that you compare one decade with the next. Therefore, I do think that sampling is likely to introduce changes and perhaps not provide us with the assessment that we would expect to have. But we are in a different situation now, perhaps, and we will continue with those negotiations on the census.
In terms of the curriculum, well, I’ve just come off a call with the education Minister and we were discussing this very issue. So, you can be confident that I am keeping a close eye on what’s happening. The Minister for Education is aware of the situation and is committed to ensuring that we do keep a close eye on developments. Of course, we don’t want to change the policy that we currently have or see that anything within that curriculum Bill would have a detrimental impact on what we have already developed and achieved.
Can I thank you, Minister, for your statement and very much warmly associate myself with the words that you said in reference to VE Day, about the importance of international co-operation? That is a very timely reminder, I think, the anniversary of VE Day that's upon us this week. Can I also thank you for the assistance that you've given to people from my own constituency, as a Welsh Government, who have been stuck overseas in recent weeks? Obviously, it's been a very distressing time for them and their families, and I was particularly pleased to see my constituent Dr Sundaram returned, as were the patients who he's been caring for in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd during this particular crisis.
Forgive me if I'm wrong here, but your statement did imply some criticism of the UK Government for its determination to secure a free trade deal with the EU by the end of the year. If that's not the case, then I apologise for having suggested it, but it did seem to suggest that you were criticising the UK Government for going full steam ahead with that. Clearly, we're in the middle of a crisis, absolutely, but it's all the more important therefore that we have a basis from which our economy can rebound from that crisis, and free trade deals with the EU, with the USA, with Japan, and indeed with other nations, are one way that we can help the global economy to get back on its feet post COVID. So, do you accept that it's actually quite a good thing that the UK Government is pressing ahead with trying to secure those trade deals, and can you confirm that the Welsh Government is able to participate and contribute to those discussions? Because obviously we want these to be good deals for all parts of the UK, including Wales, and to make sure that our priorities are heard via the Welsh Government, yes, and also, of course, via the UK Government as well while their feet are at the table.
A gaf fi ddiolch i chi, Weinidog, am eich datganiad ac rwy'n ategu'n gryf yr hyn a ddywedoch wrth gyfeirio at Ddiwrnod VE, ynghylch pwysigrwydd cydweithredu rhyngwladol? Mae hynny'n amserol iawn, rwy'n meddwl, gan ei bod hi'n 75 mlynedd ers Diwrnod VE yr wythnos hon. A gaf fi ddiolch hefyd i chi am y cymorth rydych wedi'i roi fel Llywodraeth Cymru i bobl yn fy etholaeth a oedd wedi cael eu dal dramor yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf? Yn amlwg, mae wedi bod yn gyfnod gofidus iawn iddynt hwy a'u teuluoedd, ac roeddwn yn arbennig o falch o weld fy etholwr, Dr Sundaram, yn dychwelyd, fel roedd y cleifion y mae wedi bod yn gofalu amdanynt yn Ysbyty Glan Clwyd yn ystod yr argyfwng hwn.
Maddeuwch i mi os wyf yn anghywir yma, ond roedd eich datganiad yn awgrymu eich bod yn beirniadu Lywodraeth y DU rhywfaint am ei phenderfyniad i sicrhau cytundeb masnach rydd gyda'r UE erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn. Os nad yw hynny'n wir, rwy'n ymddiheuro am ei awgrymu, ond roedd yn ymddangos fel pe bai'n awgrymu eich bod yn beirniadu Llywodraeth y DU am fwrw ymlaen yn frwd â hynny. Yn amlwg, rydym ynghanol argyfwng, yn bendant, ond mae'n bwysicach fyth felly fod gennym sylfaen i'n heconomi allu codi o'r argyfwng hwnnw, ac mae cytundebau masnach rydd gyda'r UE, gydag UDA, gyda Japan, ac yn wir gyda gwledydd eraill, yn un ffordd y gallwn helpu'r economi fyd-eang i godi'n ôl ar ei thraed ar ôl y coronafeirws. Felly, a ydych chi'n derbyn ei fod yn beth eithaf da mewn gwirionedd fod Llywodraeth y DU yn bwrw ymlaen i geisio sicrhau'r cytundebau masnach hynny, ac a allwch gadarnhau bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gallu cymryd rhan a chyfrannu at y trafodaethau hynny? Oherwydd yn amlwg rydym am i'r rhain fod yn gytundebau da ar gyfer pob rhan o'r DU, gan gynnwys Cymru, a sicrhau bod ein blaenoriaethau'n cael eu clywed drwy Lywodraeth Cymru, ie, a hefyd, wrth gwrs, drwy Lywodraeth y DU yn ogystal tra'u bod wrthi'n trafod.
Thank you. Yes, it was really good to be able to support those Welsh people who have been stuck abroad, and particularly good to welcome home somebody who can make such a huge contribution to the NHS. We were very pleased that we could support him and so many other people from Wales who've managed to come home. There are still some people abroad. I know that the UK Government now have put about £75 million towards chartering planes to bring people home, because many countries have closed their air space. So, whilst they're encouraging people to come home via commercial airlines, in some countries that's simply not possible, and that's why those chartered flights have had to be put on. There are still some abroad and they're, of course, the more difficult cases to come home. It's probably worth also emphasising that there are loans available for those people who may be getting into financial trouble while they're abroad at the moment as well.
In terms of the trade agreements, I think most people would recognise that we've got quite a lot on our plate at the moment, in terms of not just the Welsh Government, but also the UK Government. It is pretty clear to us that the UK Government is, at the moment, still very keen to make sure that they try to get an agreement by the end of the year in terms of Brexit. I think what we would caution is the fact that if you can't get a deal by the end of the year, then the impact economically for us—and this was before COVID—could be pretty far reaching. And, even if you were able to negotiate the best trade deal in the world with the United States, even the case that the UK Government have put forward is that the best outcome we could expect is an increase of about 0.16 per cent contribution to our gross domestic product over a course of 15 years. Now, you compare that with what happens if we leave the EU without a trade deal, we'd be down about 9.3 per cent over 15 years. So, really, I think we have to think very carefully about this, but I'm sure my colleague Jeremy Miles will want to explore that a bit further later on. But, if they are terribly anxious to persevere with that, I would absolutely caution, give them a degree of caution that I think that they should consider at this particular time. We do, of course, accept now that Brexit has happened.
Diolch. Do, roedd hi'n dda iawn gallu cefnogi'r Cymry a gafodd eu dal dramor, ac yn arbennig o dda gallu croesawu rhywun adref sy'n gallu gwneud cymaint o gyfraniad i'r GIG. Roeddem yn falch iawn ein bod yn gallu ei gefnogi ef a chynifer o bobl eraill o Gymru sydd wedi llwyddo i ddod adref. Mae rhai pobl dramor o hyd. Gwn fod Llywodraeth y DU wedi rhoi tua £75 miliwn yn awr tuag at drefnu awyrennau i ddod â phobl adref, gan fod llawer o wledydd wedi cau eu gofod awyr. Felly, er eu bod yn annog pobl i ddod adref drwy ddefnyddio cwmnïau hedfan masnachol, mewn rhai gwledydd nid yw hynny'n bosibl o gwbl, a dyna pam y bu'n rhaid trefnu awyrennau. Mae rhai pobl dramor o hyd ac wrth gwrs, hwy yw'r achosion anoddaf i'w cludo adref. Mae'n debyg ei bod hi'n werth pwysleisio hefyd fod benthyciadau ar gael i'r bobl a allai fod yn cael trafferthion ariannol tra'u bod dramor ar yr adeg hon.
O ran y cytundebau masnach, rwy'n credu y byddai'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn cydnabod bod gennym gryn dipyn o waith ar ein dwylo ar hyn o bryd, nid yn unig Llywodraeth Cymru, ond Llywodraeth y DU hefyd. Mae'n eithaf clir i ni fod Llywodraeth y DU, ar hyn o bryd, yn dal yn awyddus iawn i wneud yn siŵr eu bod yn ceisio cael cytundeb erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn mewn perthynas â Brexit. Rwy'n credu y byddem yn rhybuddio os na allwch gael cytundeb erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn, gallai'r effaith economaidd i ni—ac roedd hyn yn wir cyn COVID—fod yn eithaf pellgyrhaeddol. A hyd yn oed pe baech yn gallu negodi'r cytundeb masnach gorau yn y byd â'r Unol Daleithiau, mae hyd yn oed yn yr achos y mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi'i gyflwyno'n nodi mai'r canlyniad gorau y gallem ei ddisgwyl yw cynnydd o tua 0.16 y cant o gyfraniad at ein cynnyrch domestig gros dros gyfnod o 15 mlynedd. Nawr, cymharwch hynny â'r hyn sy'n digwydd os byddwn yn gadael yr UE heb gytundeb masnach, byddem oddeutu 9.3 y cant i lawr dros 15 mlynedd. Felly, mewn gwirionedd, rwy'n meddwl bod yn rhaid inni feddwl yn ofalus iawn am hyn, ond rwy'n siŵr y bydd fy nghyd-Weinidog Jeremy Miles yn dymuno archwilio ychydig mwy ar hynny yn nes ymlaen. Ond os ydynt yn ofnadwy o awyddus i ddyfalbarhau â hynny, byddwn yn cynghori'n bendant y dylent ystyried bod yn ofalus ar yr adeg hon. Rydym yn derbyn yn awr wrth gwrs fod Brexit wedi digwydd.
Can I turn my attention now to the other part of your statement that dealt with tourism, if that's okay? So, I was very pleased to hear you refer to tourism, because, of course, it is a little bit disappointing, I have to say, that we haven't had statements on this particular theme in our virtual Plenary sessions since the start of this pandemic.
Tourism, of course, is a vital part of our economy, as you've already recognised, and you will have seen that there was a recent report from the University of Southampton and the Centre for Towns that made reference to the fact that it looks like coastal communities are going to be particularly hard hit as a result of this current pandemic, and find it perhaps more difficult to be able to recover than others. And that's, of course, because most coastal towns, certainly on the north Wales coast, are heavily dependent on tourism for their economic well-being.
You made reference to the taskforce that's been established on tourism. I'm pleased that there is some focus within Government on this issue. Can you tell us who sits on that taskforce? Can you also tell us what particular action the Welsh Government is taking, given the more significant contribution of tourism to our economy, to actually have a look at how it can modify some of its economic resilience funding in order to support better the tourism industry? We know that we've got lots of seasonal workers, for example, who didn't qualify for the coronavirus retention scheme, but a good proportion of their income would be spent locally, and they're not able to do that because they don't have sufficient spending power.
The UK Government has also established a zoos support fund recently, to support animal attractions across England. Do you have plans to establish something similar here in Wales? We've got the Welsh Mountain Zoo, in my own constituency, Anglesey Sea Zoo, and a whole host of other attractions across Wales that might be able to benefit from that. And I do think that it's about time that we tried to plug some of these gaps that we've currently got in the industry. Because what we don't want to do is lose some of these fantastic attractions, which were thriving businesses before the pandemic, and can continue to be, providing they get the right support to get through.
A gaf fi droi fy sylw yn awr at y rhan arall o'ch datganiad a oedd yn ymdrin â thwristiaeth, os yw hynny'n iawn? Felly, roeddwn yn falch iawn o'ch clywed yn cyfeirio at dwristiaeth, oherwydd, wrth gwrs, mae'n siomedig braidd, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, nad ydym wedi cael datganiadau ar y thema benodol hon yn ein sesiynau Cyfarfod Llawn rhithwir ers dechrau'r pandemig hwn.
Mae twristiaeth, wrth gwrs, yn rhan hanfodol o'n heconomi, fel rydych wedi cydnabod eisoes, ac fe fyddwch wedi gweld bod adroddiad wedi'i lunio'n ddiweddar gan Brifysgol Southampton a'r Centre for Towns a gyfeiriai at y ffaith ei bod yn edrych fel pe bai cymunedau arfordirol yn mynd i gael eu taro'n arbennig o galed o ganlyniad i'r pandemig presennol, ac yn ei chael hi'n anos efallai i allu ymadfer na chymunedau eraill. Ac mae hynny, wrth gwrs, oherwydd bod y rhan fwyaf o drefi arfordirol, yn sicr ar arfordir gogledd Cymru, yn ddibynnol iawn ar dwristiaeth am eu llesiant economaidd.
Fe gyfeirioch chi at y tasglu a sefydlwyd ar dwristiaeth. Rwy'n falch fod rhywfaint o ffocws o fewn y Llywodraeth ar y mater hwn. A allwch ddweud wrthym pwy sy'n aelodau o'r tasglu hwnnw? A allwch ddweud wrthym hefyd pa gamau penodol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd, o ystyried cyfraniad mwy sylweddol twristiaeth i'n heconomi, er mwyn edrych ar sut y gall addasu rhywfaint o'i chyllid cadernid economaidd i allu cefnogi'r diwydiant twristiaeth yn well? Rydym yn gwybod bod gennym lawer o weithwyr tymhorol, er enghraifft, nad oeddent yn gymwys ar gyfer y cynllun cadw swyddi drwy gyfnod y coronafeirws, ond byddai cyfran dda o'u hincwm wedi cael ei wario'n lleol, ac nid ydynt yn gallu gwneud hynny am nad oes ganddynt ddigon o bŵer gwario.
Mae Llywodraeth y DU hefyd wedi sefydlu cronfa gymorth ar gyfer sŵau yn ddiweddar, i gefnogi atyniadau anifeiliaid ledled Lloegr. A oes gennych gynlluniau i sefydlu rhywbeth tebyg yma yng Nghymru? Mae gennym Sw Mynydd Cymru yn fy etholaeth i, Sw Môr Môn, a llu o atyniadau eraill ledled Cymru a allai elwa o hynny. Ac rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bryd inni geisio llenwi rhai o'r bylchau sydd gennym yn y diwydiant ar hyn o bryd. Oherwydd yr hyn nad ydym am ei wneud yw colli rhai o'r atyniadau gwych hyn, a oedd yn fusnesau ffyniannus cyn y pandemig, ac a allai barhau i fod cyhyd â'u bod yn cael y cymorth cywir i allu goroesi.
Thank you. I think you're absolutely right that we are incredibly aware of the impact that this coronavirus could and is having on our tourism sector. And the problem is that it looks like it's going to be a long-term issue, if you think about social distancing and the practical issues of getting people into hotels, of serving food—this is not going to be a quick fix by any means. And that's why we have been discussing in those COVID-19 meetings with those representatives—there are representatives, regional representatives, at those bodies, there's also a representative who's the Welsh representative to the UK tourism representation, where they are discussing the same kinds of things, so there's a direct link into what's happening in the UK as well.
And one of the things that they're starting to talk about is what protocols need to be put in place in order to reopen those facilities, because that's going to be critical to building the confidence of people to come back. And that's part of the problem, that we could be in a situation when we start to open facilities that actually people won't come, unless they are absolutely confident that those measures are in place to protect public health. We've also been in constant touch with people in places like Llandudno, for example. I've spoken to some of the bed and breakfast representatives there, who were desperately anxious before furlough was introduced, and calmed down quite a lot after that, but of course many are very concerned about what will happen if and when furlough comes to an end. So that's a very difficult issue for us.
I know that zoos are haemorrhaging money at the moment, and I'm particularly aware of what's happening in Folly Farm in Pembrokeshire, for example. There are no plans at the moment to look at that, but I think we recognise that that is a particularly unique situation, so maybe we can look at that. Let me go away and have a think about that one.
Diolch. Rwy'n meddwl eich bod yn llygad eich lle ein bod yn anhygoel o ymwybodol o'r effaith y gallai ac y mae'r coronafeirws yn ei chael ar ein sector twristiaeth. A'r broblem yw ei bod yn edrych fel pe bai'n mynd i fod yn broblem hirdymor, os meddyliwch am gadw pellter cymdeithasol a'r problemau ymarferol o gael pobl i mewn i westai, o weini bwyd—nid yw'n mynd i fod yn ateb hawdd o bell ffordd. A dyna pam y buom yn trafod yn y cyfarfodydd COVID-19 gyda'r cynrychiolwyr hynny—ceir cynrychiolwyr, cynrychiolwyr rhanbarthol, yn y cyrff hynny, a chynrychiolydd hefyd ar ran Cymru yng nghynrychiolaeth y DU ar dwristiaeth, lle maent yn trafod yr un mathau o bethau, felly ceir cysylltiad uniongyrchol â'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn y DU hefyd.
Ac un o'r pethau y maent yn dechrau sôn amdanynt yw pa brotocolau sydd angen eu rhoi ar waith er mwyn ailagor y cyfleusterau hynny, gan fod hynny'n mynd i fod yn hanfodol i feithrin hyder pobl i ddod yn ôl. Ac mae hynny'n rhan o'r broblem, y gallem fod mewn sefyllfa pan fyddwn yn dechrau agor cyfleusterau ac na fydd pobl yn dod, oni bai eu bod yn gwbl hyderus fod mesurau ar waith i ddiogelu iechyd y cyhoedd. Rydym wedi bod mewn cysylltiad cyson hefyd â phobl mewn lleoedd fel Llandudno, er enghraifft. Rwyf wedi siarad â rhai o'r cynrychiolwyr gwely a brecwast yno, a oedd yn ofnadwy o bryderus cyn cyflwyno'r cynllun ffyrlo, a thawelwyd eu hofnau gryn dipyn ar ôl hynny, ond wrth gwrs mae nifer ohonynt yn bryderus iawn ynglŷn â'r hyn fydd yn digwydd os a phan ddaw'r ffyrlo i ben. Felly mae hwnnw'n fater anodd iawn i ni.
Gwn fod sŵau'n colli arian mawr ar hyn o bryd, ac rwy'n arbennig o ymwybodol o'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn Folly Farm yn Sir Benfro, er enghraifft. Nid oes unrhyw gynlluniau ar hyn o bryd i edrych ar hynny, ond credaf ein bod yn cydnabod bod y sefyllfa honno'n arbennig o unigryw, felly efallai y gallwn edrych ar hynny. Gadewch i mi gael cyfle i ystyried hynny.
Thank you very much for your statement, Eluned. I'm particularly concerned to hear that there's so much suffering going on in Africa because of the spike in food prices, but hopefully we can help do our bit to mitigate that.
Three things. One is, I had a meeting with university vice-chancellors just before Plenary, along with David Rees and others. And I was interested to hear that there is still quite a lot of interest amongst international students wanting to come and study in Wales—particularly, Cardiff University emphasised that there's a lot of interest. So I think it's more about, as we move forward in beating this pandemic, how we can make international students confident that Wales is a good place to come to study, given that, wherever people are living, we have got to live with coronavirus for the time being. So, obviously they'll want to be certain that the public health standards that they've come to have in their own countries are being applied in this country. So, I wondered what discussions you're having with the UK Government on instituting temperature taking at airports, testing, and mandatory two-weeks' isolation for anybody coming from abroad, regardless of their nationality. It seems to me that that would reassure both international students and the communities like mine who are going to be hosting international students, were they to be studying at Cardiff University, going forward. There might even be an opportunity—
Diolch yn fawr iawn am eich datganiad, Eluned. Rwy'n arbennig o bryderus o glywed bod cymaint o ddioddefaint yn digwydd yn Affrica oherwydd y cynnydd sydyn mewn prisiau bwyd, ond gobeithio y gallwn helpu i wneud ein rhan i liniaru hynny.
Tri pheth. Un yw fy mod wedi cael cyfarfod ag is-gangellorion y prifysgolion ychydig cyn y Cyfarfod Llawn, gyda David Rees ac eraill. Ac roedd yn ddiddorol clywed bod cryn dipyn o ddiddordeb o hyd ymhlith myfyrwyr rhyngwladol sydd eisiau dod i astudio yng Nghymru—yn arbennig, pwysleisiodd Prifysgol Caerdydd fod yna gryn dipyn o ddiddordeb. Felly wrth inni symud ymlaen i drechu'r pandemig hwn, rwy'n credu ei fod yn ymwneud mwy â sut y gallwn roi hyder i fyfyrwyr rhyngwladol fod Cymru'n lle da i ddod i astudio, o gofio, lle bynnag y mae pobl yn byw, fod yn rhaid inni fyw gyda'r coronafeirws am y tro. Felly, yn amlwg byddant am fod yn sicr fod y safonau iechyd cyhoeddus y maent wedi dod i'w cael yn eu gwledydd eu hunain yn cael eu gweithredu yn y wlad hon. Felly, roeddwn yn meddwl tybed pa drafodaethau rydych chi'n eu cael gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar ddechrau camau i fesur tymheredd mewn meysydd awyr, cynnal profion, ac ynysu gorfodol am bythefnos i unrhyw un sy'n dod o dramor, ni waeth o ba wlad. Mae'n ymddangos i mi y byddai hynny'n tawelu meddyliau myfyrwyr rhyngwladol a'r cymunedau fel fy un i sy’n mynd i fod yn croesawu myfyrwyr rhyngwladol i'n plith yn y dyfodol, os byddant yn astudio ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Efallai y bydd cyfle hyd yn oed—
Can you come to a conclusion, please?
A wnewch chi ddod i ben, os gwelwch yn dda?
Okay. Separately, I wanted to ask you about the international discussions—the free trade discussions that are going on with the United States, because I'm somewhat alarmed that we might be rushing into an agreement with the United States that could have horrendous implications for Welsh farming and Welsh food. The way in which the US food industry has failed to manage coronavirus, which has led to the death of many food-processing workers in the United States, is not exactly an advert for why we definitely don't want those sorts of lowered food standards coming to our country. So, I wondered if you have had any discussions with the UK Government on this to reassure us that we will not be having much lower food standards imposed on us.
Iawn. Ar wahân i hynny, roeddwn eisiau gofyn i chi am y trafodaethau rhyngwladol—y trafodaethau masnach rydd sy'n digwydd gyda'r Unol Daleithiau, oherwydd mae’n fy mhryderu’n fawr y gallem fod yn rhuthro i gytundeb gyda'r Unol Daleithiau a allai greu goblygiadau erchyll i ffermio a bwyd yng Nghymru. Yn sicr, nid yw'r ffordd y mae diwydiant bwyd yr Unol Daleithiau wedi methu rheoli coronafeirws, sydd wedi arwain at farwolaeth llawer o weithwyr prosesu bwyd yn yr Unol Daleithiau, yn hysbyseb da ar gyfer pam ein bod yn bendant yn erbyn gweld safonau bwyd is o’r fath yn dod i'n gwlad. Felly, tybed a ydych wedi cael unrhyw drafodaethau gyda Llywodraeth y DU ar hyn i dawelu ein meddyliau na fyddwn yn cael safonau bwyd llawer is wedi'u gorfodi arnom?
Thank you. Well, it's been quite interesting, the British Council have done quite a lot of surveys in relation to the interest of Chinese students—whether they still want to come to study in the United Kingdom. And it's quite interesting, as you say, that the majority of them still seem to be very interested. There are about 39 per cent of them from China who seem to be undecided, and so that suggests that we do need to put some measures in place to make sure that they do have that confidence that you talk about. And that's why these protocols are going to be really, really important, I think, going forward, to give them that confidence. Indian and Pakistan students, in the same survey by the British Council, they suggest that 50 per cent of them are not likely to cancel their plans and they seem to be more interested in making sure that they follow through on that. There have been discussions with Global Wales and the UK Government about how we build the confidence of those people.
Of course, since about 29 January, there has been a need to self-isolate, if you're showing symptoms, coming into this country from elsewhere. But I think there probably is a question that we still need to ask, and it is something that I asked Frank Atherton this morning, which is: should we be, perhaps, going a little bit further and suggesting that everybody who comes in should self-isolate for a couple of weeks? It's quite interesting to note that we seem to be slightly different from a lot of other countries in the world on that one. But that is something that we discuss at our weekly meetings with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. I have had, as I say, a meeting with the education Minister where we discussed some of those issues.
On free trade, I did have a discussion yesterday with Greg Hands, who's the Minister responsible for the negotiation with the United States on creating that new free trade agreement. I did emphasise the importance of making sure that those standards that we hold dear are adhered to, but that the language in the negotiation mandate is pretty vague and that, actually, we think it should be tightened up. I think it is important that they understand, and it is something that I emphasise very clearly, that we do want to make sure that we stick to these high environmental standards, animal welfare standards, labour standards, and consumer standards. Those are all things that we will be looking out for in those agreements. He understood that and we emphasised the importance of a level playing field when it comes to imports into this country, and that the standards that we expect, in terms of animal welfare, for example, need to be adhered to, otherwise there could be a danger that they could undercut what we are able to produce in this country.
Diolch. Wel, mae wedi bod yn eithaf diddorol, mae'r British Council wedi gwneud cryn dipyn o arolygon mewn perthynas â diddordeb myfyrwyr Tsieineaidd—p'un a ydynt yn dal i fod eisiau dod i astudio yn y Deyrnas Unedig. Ac mae'n eithaf diddorol, fel y dywedwch, ei bod hi'n ymddangos bod gan y mwyafrif ohonynt ddiddordeb mawr o hyd. Mae'n ymddangos bod tua 39 y cant ohonynt sy’n dod o Tsieina heb benderfynu, ac felly mae hynny'n awgrymu bod angen inni roi camau ar waith i sicrhau bod ganddynt yr hyder rydych chi'n siarad amdano. A dyna pam y mae’r protocolau hyn yn mynd i fod yn wirioneddol bwysig yn fy marn i wrth symud ymlaen, er mwyn rhoi'r hyder hwnnw iddynt. Mae myfyrwyr o India a Phacistan yn yr un arolwg gan y British Council yn awgrymu nad yw 50 y cant ohonynt yn debygol o ganslo eu cynlluniau ac mae'n ymddangos bod ganddynt fwy o ddiddordeb mewn sicrhau eu bod yn parhau â’r rheini. Cafwyd trafodaethau gyda Cymru Fyd-eang a Llywodraeth y DU ynglŷn â sut y gallwn feithrin hyder y bobl hynny.
Wrth gwrs, ers tua 29 Ionawr, mae angen wedi bod i hunanynysu, os ydych chi'n dangos symptomau, wrth ddod i'r wlad hon o rywle arall. Ond rwy'n credu bod yna gwestiwn y mae'n rhaid inni ei ofyn o hyd mae’n debyg, ac mae'n un a ofynnais i Frank Atherton y bore yma, sef: a ddylem fynd ychydig ymhellach efallai ac awgrymu y dylai pawb sy'n dod i mewn hunanynysu am bythefnos? Mae'n eithaf diddorol nodi ei bod yn ymddangos ein bod ychydig yn wahanol i lawer o wledydd eraill yn y byd ar hynny. Ond mae'n rhywbeth rydym yn ei drafod yn ein cyfarfodydd wythnosol gyda'r Swyddfa Dramor a Chymanwlad. Fel y dywedaf, cefais gyfarfod gyda’r Gweinidog addysg lle buom yn trafod rhai o’r materion hynny.
Ar fasnach rydd, cefais drafodaeth ddoe gyda Greg Hands, sef y Gweinidog sy'n gyfrifol am y negodiadau gyda'r Unol Daleithiau ar greu cytundeb masnach rydd newydd. Pwysleisiais bwysigrwydd sicrhau y cedwir at y safonau sy’n bwysig i ni, ond bod yr iaith yn y mandad negodi yn eithaf amwys a'n bod yn credu y dylid ei thynhau mewn gwirionedd. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig eu bod yn deall, ac mae'n rhywbeth rwy'n ei bwysleisio'n glir iawn, ein bod am sicrhau ein bod yn cadw at y safonau amgylcheddol uchel hyn, y safonau lles anifeiliaid, y safonau llafur a'r safonau defnyddwyr. Mae'r rheini i gyd yn bethau y byddwn yn edrych amdanynt yn y cytundebau. Roedd yn deall hynny a gwnaethom bwysleisio pwysigrwydd trin pawb yn yr un modd wrth ystyried mewnforion i'r wlad hon, a bod angen cadw at y safonau rydym yn eu disgwyl, o ran lles anifeiliaid, er enghraifft, neu fel arall gallai fod perygl y gallent danseilio'r hyn y gallwn ei gynhyrchu yn y wlad hon.