Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd
Plenary - Fifth Senedd
01/07/2020Cynnwys
Contents
Cyfarfu'r Senedd drwy gynhadledd fideo am 11:00 gyda’r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd met by video-conference at 11:00 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.
Croeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Cyn i ni ddechrau, dwi eisiau nodi ychydig bwyntiau. Mae 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, ac mae'r rhain wedi'u nodi ar eich agenda. Dwi eisiau atgoffa Aelodau fod y Rheolau Sefydlog sy'n ymwneud â threfn yn y Cyfarfod Llawn yn gymwys i'r cyfarfod hwn, a'r cyfyngiadau amser o ran hyd cwestiynau a gaiff eu cymhwyso i'r cyfarfod yma.
Welcome, all, to this Plenary session. Before we begin, I want to set out a few points. 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 provisions of Standing Order 34 will apply for today's Plenary meeting, and these are set out on your agenda. I would remind Members that Standing Orders relating to order in Plenary apply to this meeting, as do the time limits on questions that will be applied to this meeting.
Felly, yr eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni y bore yma yw'r cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Caroline Jones.
So, the first item on our agenda this morning is questions to the First Minister, and the first question is from Caroline Jones.
Caroline, if you can wait for your microphone to be unmuted. You need to unmute your microphone, Caroline.
Caroline, os gallwch chi aros i'ch meicroffon gael ei ddad-dawelu. Mae angen i chi ddad-dawelu eich meicroffon, Caroline.
Diolch, Llywydd.
Diolch, Llywydd.
1. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod gan Gymru'r adnoddau i ymdrin â phandemig yn y dyfodol? OQ55394
1. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure Wales is equipped to deal with future pandemics? OQ55394
Diolch, Llywydd. I thank the Member for that question. The Welsh Government leads a set of local resilience arrangements and participates in UK-wide networks that, together, focus on public protection and pandemic preparedness.
Diolch, Llywydd. Diolchaf i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn yna. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn arwain cyfres o drefniadau cydnerthedd lleol ac yn cymryd rhan mewn rhwydweithiau DU gyfan sydd, gyda'i gilydd, yn canolbwyntio ar ddiogelu'r cyhoedd a bod yn barod ar gyfer pandemig.
Thank you, First Minister. I'm sure that you will agree that we were woefully unprepared for COVID-19. Despite SARS and MERS, our pandemic planning was still based upon an outbreak of influenza. However, our planning still neglected to prioritise testing capacity. This current pandemic has shown that those countries that had testing capacity early on made it through the initial outbreak relatively unscathed.
Leading virologists have warned that other unknown viruses could threaten us in future as climate change and population growth force humans into closer contact with wildlife. As with this coronavirus, we have to test and isolate the infected, and we can't afford to quarantine everyone. First Minister, what plans does your Government have to ensure that Wales has sufficient lab capacity to conduct tens of thousands of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction tests on a daily basis? Thank you.
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Rwy'n siŵr y byddwch chi'n cytuno ein bod ni wedi ein tanbaratoi'n druenus ar gyfer COVID-19. Er gwaethaf SARS a MERS, roedd ein cynllunio ar gyfer pandemig yn dal i fod yn seiliedig ar achosion o'r ffliw. Fodd bynnag, fe wnaeth ein gwaith cynllunio barhau i fethu â blaenoriaethu capasiti profi. Mae'r pandemig presennol hwn wedi dangos bod y gwledydd hynny a oedd â chapasiti profi yn gynnar wedi llwyddo i fynd drwy'r argyfwng cychwynnol yn gymharol ddiogel.
Mae firolegwyr blaenllaw wedi rhybuddio y gallai feirysau anhysbys eraill ein bygwth ni yn y dyfodol wrth i'r newid yn yr hinsawdd a thwf y boblogaeth orfodi pobl i gysylltiad agosach â bywyd gwyllt. Yn yr un modd â'r coronafeirws hwn, mae'n rhaid i ni brofi ac ynysu'r rhai sydd wedi'u heintio, ac allwn ni ddim fforddio i roi pawb dan gwarantin. Prif Weinidog, pa gynlluniau sydd gan eich Llywodraeth i sicrhau bod gan Gymru ddigon o gapasiti labordy i gynnal degau o filoedd o brofion gwrthdro o ran adwaith cadwynol polymerasau yn feunyddiol? Diolch.
Llywydd, I thank Caroline Jones for that question, and I agree with what she said about the changing nature of the threats that we see on a global scale and the need for us to be alert to them. It is why we have our own Wales response plan. It's why we work through our local resilience forums, and then that we are linked into the UK structures as well. The four nations' chief medical officer meetings, the fact that emergency planning leads meet as a group across the four nations: all of those things mean that we are playing our part in the efforts that are needed across the United Kingdom to be well prepared for the future and to put those things in place that will make us resilient for any future events of this sort that we may need to face.
Llywydd, hoffwn ddiolch i Caroline Jones am y cwestiwn yna, ac rwy'n cytuno â'r hyn a ddywedodd am natur newidiol y bygythiadau yr ydym ni'n eu gweld ar raddfa fyd-eang a'r angen i ni fod yn effro iddyn nhw. Dyna pam mae gennym ni ein cynllun ymateb ein hunain ar gyfer Cymru. Dyna pam yr ydym ni'n gweithio drwy ein fforymau lleol Cymru Gydnerth, ac yna ein bod ni'n gysylltiedig â strwythurau'r DU hefyd. Cyfarfodydd prif swyddogion meddygol y pedair gwlad, mae'r ffaith bod arweinyddion cynllunio ar gyfer argyfwng yn cyfarfod fel grŵp ar draws y pedair gwlad: mae'r holl bethau hynny'n golygu ein bod ni'n chwarae ein rhan yn yr ymdrechion sydd eu hangen ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig i fod yn gwbl barod ar gyfer y dyfodol ac i roi'r pethau hynny ar waith a fydd yn ein gwneud ni'n gryf ar gyfer unrhyw ddigwyddiadau o'r math hwn yn y dyfodol y gallai fod angen i ni eu hwynebu.
Good morning, Llywydd. Good morning, First Minister. Picking up on Caroline's point, of course, none of us were prepared for this pandemic, and I think that we, as a world, have learned some very significant lessons about what happens when you impinge on nature and how we can all respond. And, of course, the point that Caroline has raised about the testing capacity is vitally important, and I know that you acknowledge that. But whilst we may have been caught on the hop in terms of the general pandemic, we have had now months to start getting our testing regime in place and working. Yet, figures produced yesterday show that little over a fifth of the daily testing capacity in Wales has been utilised, and for the seventh week in a row there was a slow-down on testing for healthcare workers. Additionally, we are still waiting 48, sometimes 72, hours for tests to come back. And the point made before, which I think we'd all agree with, is that we need to get people back into the workplace, back out into their real lives, as soon as possible if they're self-isolating because people around them or they have symptoms.
So, First Minister, what are you going to be able to do to ensure that we have a comprehensive and responsive testing regime that can move forward, that can deliver for Wales? How will you change things to improve it? How will you ensure that this testing regime is fit for any purpose that might be thrown at us with any other pandemics that may come our way?
Bore da, Llywydd. Bore da, Prif Weinidog. Gan ddilyn pwynt Caroline, wrth gwrs, nid oedd yr un ohonom ni'n barod ar gyfer y pandemig hwn, ac rwy'n credu ein bod ni, fel byd, wedi dysgu rhai gwersi arwyddocaol iawn am yr hyn sy'n digwydd pan fyddwch chi'n gwrthdaro â natur a sut y gallwn ni i gyd ymateb. Ac, wrth gwrs, mae'r pwynt y mae Caroline wedi'i godi am y capasiti profi yn hanfodol bwysig, a gwn eich bod chi'n cydnabod hynny. Ond er ein bod ni wedi ein dal ar gamfa o ran y pandemig cyffredinol, rydym ni wedi cael misoedd bellach i ddechrau cael ein trefn brofi wedi'i sefydlu ac yn gweithio. Ac eto, mae ffigurau a gyhoeddwyd ddoe yn dangos mai ychydig dros un rhan o bump o'r capasiti profi dyddiol yng Nghymru sydd wedi cael ei ddefnyddio, a bod y profion ar gyfer gweithwyr gofal iechyd wedi arafu am y seithfed wythnos yn olynol. Hefyd, rydym ni'n dal i aros 48 awr, 72 awr weithiau, i brofion ddod yn ôl. A'r pwynt a wnaed eisoes, yr wyf i'n credu y byddem ni i gyd yn cytuno ag ef, yw bod angen i ni gael pobl yn ôl i'r gweithle, yn ôl i'w bywydau go iawn, cyn gynted a phosibl os ydyn nhw'n hunanynysu oherwydd bod ganddyn nhw neu bobl o'u cwmpas symptomau.
Felly, Prif Weinidog, beth ydych chi'n mynd i allu ei wneud i sicrhau bod gennym ni drefn brofi gynhwysfawr ac ymatebol a all symud ymlaen, a all gyflawni dros Gymru? Sut gwnewch chi newid pethau i wella hynny? Sut gwnewch chi sicrhau bod y drefn brofi hon yn addas i unrhyw ddiben a allai gael ei daflu atom ni o ran unrhyw bandemig arall a allai ddod i'n rhan?
Llywydd, I thank Angela Burns for that. Well, we have a comprehensive testing regime in place in Wales. We have more tests available today than at any time previously, with just under 15,000 tests available in Wales every day. The fact that sometimes fewer people are being tested simply means there are fewer people needing a test. It's not our ambition simply to test people who don't need testing. There are fewer, sometimes, healthcare workers needing testing—that's why the numbers are down. There are fewer people being tested in care homes, but that's because we have a regime of testing everybody every week who work in care homes.
In terms of the way in which tests are turned around, we need to improve the proportion of tests that are completed within 24 hours, but the number of tests that are turned around within 24 hours is higher than it's been at any point in the pandemic. That's because more tests are being carried out. So, when the proportion of tests completed within 24 hours was at its highest, we completed between 200 and 300 a day within 24 hours. Now, when the proportion is lower, we're carrying out 1,700 a day within 24 hours because there are far more tests being carried out. And in north Wales, in the two pandemics, we have been turning around the huge majority of tests within 24 hours.
I think that our test, trace and protect system has demonstrated that it's been able to mobilise and to provide the service that is needed in those contexts, and I think that's something that we ought to be glad about. I think we ought to give a bit of credit to those people who worked so hard to make sure that those arrangements are in place and working effectively.
Llywydd, diolchaf i Angela Burns am hynna. Wel, mae gennym ni drefn brofi gynhwysfawr ar waith yng Nghymru. Mae gennym ni fwy o brofion ar gael heddiw nag ar unrhyw adeg o'r blaen, gydag ychydig yn llai na 15,000 o brofion ar gael yng Nghymru bob dydd. Yn syml, mae'r ffaith bod llai o bobl yn cael eu profi weithiau yn golygu bod angen prawf ar lai o bobl. Nid profi pobl nad oes angen eu profi yw ein huchelgais. Ceir llai o weithwyr gofal iechyd y mae angen eu profi weithiau—dyna pam mae'r niferoedd wedi gostwng. Mae llai o bobl yn cael eu profi mewn cartrefi gofal, ond mae hynny oherwydd bod gennym ni drefn o brofi pawb bob wythnos sy'n gweithio mewn cartrefi gofal.
O ran y ffordd y caiff profion eu cyflawni, mae angen i ni wella cyfran y profion sy'n cael eu cwblhau o fewn 24 awr, ond mae nifer y profion sy'n cael eu cyflawni o fewn 24 awr yn uwch nag y bu ar unrhyw adeg yn ystod y pandemig. Mae hynny oherwydd bod mwy o brofion yn cael eu cynnal. Felly, pan roedd cyfran y profion a gwblhawyd o fewn 24 awr ar ei huchaf, roeddem ni'n cwblhau rhwng 200 a 300 y dydd o fewn 24 awr. Nawr, pan fo'r gyfran yn is, rydym ni'n cynnal 1,700 y dydd o fewn 24 awr gan fod llawer mwy o brofion yn cael eu cynnal. Ac yn y gogledd, yn y ddau bandemig, rydym ni wedi bod yn cyflawni'r mwyafrif enfawr o brofion o fewn 24 awr.
Rwy'n credu bod ein system profi, olrhain a diogelu wedi dangos ei bod wedi gallu paratoi a darparu'r gwasanaeth sydd ei angen yn y cyd-destunau hynny, ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth y dylem ni fod yn falch ohono. Rwy'n credu y dylem ni roi rhywfaint o glod i'r bobl hynny a weithiodd mor galed i wneud yn siŵr bod y trefniadau hynny wedi'u sefydlu ac yn gweithio'n effeithiol.
First Minister, it is being reported today that the US Government has secured virtually all the stocks of one of the two drugs that are shown to currently help COVID-19 patients. The White House said that it had bought up more than 500,000 courses of remdesivir, an antiviral that trials suggest helps some patients spend less time in hospital. This includes all of the supplies that will be manufactured this month, as well as 90 per cent of those due in August and September. Such unilateral deals obviously have implications for patients in Islwyn and across Wales, so what assessment has the Welsh Government made of the effective supply of medicines in this global pandemic?
Prif Weinidog, mae'n cael ei adrodd heddiw bod Llywodraeth yr Unol Daleithiau wedi sicrhau bron holl stociau un o'r ddau gyffur y dangosir eu bod o gymorth i gleifion COVID-19 ar hyn o bryd. Dywedodd y Tŷ Gwyn ei fod wedi prynu mwy na 500,000 cwrs o remdesivir, cyffur gwrthfeirysol y mae treialon yn awgrymu sy'n helpu rhai cleifion i dreulio llai o amser yn yr ysbyty. Mae hyn yn cynnwys yr holl gyflenwadau a fydd yn cael eu gweithgynhyrchu y mis hwn, yn ogystal â 90 y cant o'r rhai a ddisgwylir ym mis Awst a mis Medi. Mae gan gytundebau unochrog o'r fath oblygiadau amlwg i gleifion yn Islwyn a ledled Cymru, felly pa asesiad mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o gyflenwad effeithiol o feddyginiaethau yn y pandemig byd-eang hwn?
I thank Rhianon Passmore for that important question. She's right to point to the challenges that there are in securing effective supplies of medicines. There is increased demand for medicines around the globe, but there has been falling production capacity because India and China, where many medicines are produced, have had to stand back from production because of the impact of coronavirus in their own countries. The continuity of supply of medicines is a reserved matter, it isn't a matter that is devolved to Wales, but we have been working hard with the other four nations to make sure that there are plans in place to understand demand, to allocate available stock, to increase supply where required.
We face, as I know Rhianon Passmore will know, the additional difficulty of leaving the European Union without a proper deal. Ninety per cent of these medicines come into the United Kingdom across the short strait between Calais and Dover. If there were to be disruption to those supplies, the UK Government previously planned to rely on air freight, but air freight isn't moving in the COVID crisis. So, there are real issues arising from coronavirus that we are all grappling with, but there are avoidable difficulties that are looming on the horizon as well. And as the body responsible for continuity of supply of medicines, it's really incumbent on the UK Government not to add to the difficulties we are already facing and the challenges that coronavirus itself has produced.
Diolchaf i Rhianon Passmore am y cwestiwn pwysig yna. Mae hi'n iawn i dynnu sylw at yr heriau sy'n bodoli o ran sicrhau cyflenwadau effeithiol o feddyginiaethau. Mae mwy o alw am feddyginiaethau ledled y byd, ond bu llai o gapasiti cynhyrchu gan y bu'n rhaid i India a Tsieina, lle mae llawer o feddyginiaethau yn cael eu cynhyrchu, gamu yn ôl o'u cynhyrchu oherwydd effaith coronafeirws yn eu gwledydd eu hunain. Mae parhad cyflenwad meddyginiaethau yn fater a gadwyd yn ôl, nid yw'n fater sydd wedi'i ddatganoli i Gymru, ond rydym ni wedi bod yn gweithio'n galed gyda'r pedair gwlad arall i wneud yn siŵr bod cynlluniau ar waith i ddeall y galw, i ddyrannu'r stoc sydd ar gael, i gynyddu'r cyflenwad pan fo angen.
Rydym ni'n wynebu, fel y gwn y bydd Rhianon Passmore yn gwybod, yr anhawster ychwanegol o adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd heb gytundeb priodol. Mae naw deg y cant o'r meddyginiaethau hyn yn dod i'r Deyrnas Unedig ar draws y culfor byr rhwng Calais a Dover. Pe byddai tarfu ar y cyflenwadau hynny, roedd Llywodraeth y DU yn bwriadu yn flaenorol dibynnu ar gludo nwyddau awyr, ond nid yw cludo nwyddau awyr yn symud yn ystod argyfwng COVID. Felly, mae problemau gwirioneddol yn codi o'r coronafeirws yr ydym ni i gyd yn mynd i'r afael â nhw, ond ceir anawsterau y gellir eu hosgoi sy'n dod ar y gorwel hefyd. Ac fel y corff sy'n gyfrifol am barhad cyflenwad meddyginiaethau, mae'n ddyletswydd wirioneddol ar Lywodraeth y DU i beidio ag ychwanegu at yr anawsterau yr ydym ni eisoes yn eu hwynebu a'r heriau y mae coronafeirws ei hun wedi'u creu.
2. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am yr hyn y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i gefnogi'r sector hedfan yng Nghymru? OQ55393
2. Will the First Minister make a statement on what the Welsh Government is doing to support the aviation sector in Wales? OQ55393
Well, Llywydd, following the overnight news about Airbus, I wanted to be absolutely clear that the Welsh Government will do all we can to support the company and its workforce in these very difficult times. But the global nature of the current crisis in aviation means that local solutions will not be sufficient by themselves to ensure the future of this important strategic industry. And we continue to work with the UK Government to press them to provide targeted assistance for the aviation sector.
Wel, Llywydd, yn dilyn y newyddion dros nos am Airbus, roeddwn i eisiau bod yn gwbl eglur y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud popeth o fewn ein gallu i gynorthwyo'r cwmni a'i weithlu yn y cyfnod anodd iawn hwn. Ond mae natur fyd-eang yr argyfwng presennol yn y diwydiant hedfan yn golygu na fydd atebion lleol yn ddigon ynddynt eu hunain i sicrhau dyfodol y diwydiant strategol pwysig hwn. Ac rydym ni'n parhau i weithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i bwyso arnyn nhw i ddarparu cymorth wedi'i dargedu ar gyfer y sector hedfan.
Thank you for that, First Minister, and I appreciate the continued support of the Welsh Government. But I must say I am absolutely furious and, frankly, upset. For months now, I have been telling the UK Government that they must intervene to support jobs in the aviation and aerospace sector, and, honestly, I've heard nothing back.
This is an industry that had full order books. This is not the fault of the company nor its workforce. When the Governments needed ventilators a few months ago, this workforce stepped up to the plate and produced 10,000 ventilators. The UK Government has a—[Inaudible.] First Minister, will you speak directly with Boris Johnson and tell him that he must act now?
Diolch am hynna, Prif Weinidog, ac rwy'n gwerthfawrogi cymorth parhaus Llywodraeth Cymru. Ond mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud fy mod i'n gwbl gandryll ac, a bod yn onest, wedi fy siomi. Ers misoedd bellach, rwyf i wedi bod yn dweud wrth Lywodraeth y DU bod yn rhaid iddyn nhw ymyrryd i gefnogi swyddi yn y sector hedfan ac awyrofod, ac, yn onest, nid wyf i wedi clywed dim byd yn ôl.
Mae hwn yn ddiwydiant a oedd â llyfrau archebion llawn. Nid bai'r cwmni na'i weithlu yw hyn. Pan roedd angen peiriannau anadlu ar y Llywodraethau ychydig fisoedd yn ôl, camodd y gweithlu hwn ymlaen a chynhyrchu 10,000 o beiriannau anadlu. Mae gan Lywodraeth y DU—[Anghlywadwy.] Prif Weinidog, a wnewch chi siarad yn uniongyrchol â Boris Johnson a dweud wrtho bod yn rhaid iddo weithredu nawr?
Llywydd, I thank Jack Sargeant for that and for his long-standing commitment to Airbus and to its workforce. When I last visited there on 30 January, it was with Jack, and we were there to celebrate apprenticeship week. We met a fantastic group of very talented, very bright, very committed young people, looking to a successful future in an industry in which, at that point, had a very successful future in front of it.
What we have to do, working together with the UK Government, is to find a way of helping this industry to bridge between the difficulties it faces today and the successful future that is still there for it, provided we can help it through the difficult couple of years ahead. And there are many actions that can be taken—things we will do to continue to support apprenticeships, to develop skills of the workforce, to invest in research and development, and then there is the part the UK Government has to play.
Our colleague Ken Skates spoke yesterday with Ministers in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. He was talking to the Secretary of State at BEIS on Friday. This week of course I will talk to any Minister in the UK Government to press the case for the sort of sector-specific help that is now needed, as the French Government has done, as the German Government has done, to demonstrate that the world-leading aviation sector that we have in Wales and in the United Kingdom goes on being supported by Governments here at all levels.
Llywydd, diolchaf i Jack Sargeant am hynna ac am ei ymrwymiad hirsefydlog i Airbus ac i'w weithlu. Pan ymwelais yno ddiwethaf ar 30 Ionawr, yng nghwmni Jack oedd hynny, ac roeddem ni yno i ddathlu wythnos prentisiaethau. Cyfarfuom â grŵp gwych o bobl ifanc hynod ddawnus, hynod beniog a hynod ymroddgar, a oedd yn edrych ar ddyfodol llwyddiannus mewn diwydiant a oedd â dyfodol llwyddiannus iawn o'i flaen bryd hynny.
Yr hyn y mae'n rhaid i ni ei wneud, gan weithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU, yw dod o hyd i ffordd o helpu'r diwydiant hwn i bontio rhwng yr anawsterau y mae'n eu hwynebu heddiw a'r dyfodol llwyddiannus sy'n dal yno iddo, ar yr amod y gallwn ni ei helpu drwy'r blynyddoedd anodd sydd i ddod. Ac mae llawer o gamau y gellir eu cymryd—pethau y byddwn ni'n eu gwneud i barhau i gefnogi prentisiaethau, i ddatblygu sgiliau'r gweithlu, i fuddsoddi mewn ymchwil a datblygu, ac yna mae'r rhan sydd gan Lywodraeth y DU i'w chwarae.
Siaradodd ein cydweithiwr Ken Skates ddoe â Gweinidogion yn yr Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol. Roedd yn siarad â'r Ysgrifennydd Gwladol yn yr Adran ddydd Gwener. Yr wythnos hon, wrth gwrs, byddaf yn siarad ag unrhyw Weinidog yn Llywodraeth y DU i ddadlau'r achos dros y math o gymorth penodol i'r sector sydd ei angen nawr, fel y mae Llywodraeth Ffrainc wedi'i wneud, fel y mae Llywodraeth yr Almaen wedi'i wneud, i ddangos bod y sector hedfan blaenllaw yn y byd sydd gennym ni yng Nghymru ac yn y Deyrnas Unedig yn parhau i gael ei gefnogi gan Lywodraethau yma ar bob lefel.
Mark Isherwood. Mark Isherwood—
Mark Isherwood. Mark Isherwood—
I've unmuted. Thank you. I received a briefing, alongside Welsh Conservative MPs in north-east Wales, from Airbus last night. We note that tomorrow, when the announcements are likely to have detail added to them—we hope that it is going to be dealt with without compulsory redundancies. But I hope to touch on that later in a topical question.
On 9 April Airbus announced it was cutting production because of new rules on distancing and said that it was reducing temporary production and support labour supplied by Guidant Global. On 28 April Guidant Global furloughed their almost 500 workforce at Airbus and served them with a risk-of-redundancy notice. And yesterday Airbus announced that the job losses were in addition to reductions of more than 700 temps and subcontractors at UK commercial sites. But in addition to the work the Welsh Government will be doing directly, and with the UK Government, for Airbus, what support have you been providing, or what will you be providing, for those Guidant Global employees?
Rwyf i wedi dad-dawelu. Diolch. Cefais fy mriffio, ynghyd ag ASau Ceidwadwyr Cymru yn y gogledd-ddwyrain, gan Airbus neithiwr. Rydym ni'n nodi yfory, pan fydd y cyhoeddiadau yn debygol o gael manylion wedi'u hychwanegu atyn nhw—rydym ni'n gobeithio y bydd y mater yn cael ei drin heb ddiswyddiadau gorfodol. Ond rwy'n gobeithio sôn am hynny yn nes ymlaen mewn cwestiwn amserol.
Cyhoeddodd Airbus ar 9 Ebrill ei fod yn torri cynhyrchiant oherwydd rheolau newydd ar gadw pellter a dywedodd ei fod yn lleihau cynhyrchiant dros dro ac yn cefnogi llafur wedi'i gyflenwi gan Guidant Global. Ar 28 Ebrill, rhoddodd Guidant Global ei weithlu o bron i 500 yn Airbus ar ffyrlo gan gyflwyno hysbysiad perygl diswyddiad iddyn nhw. A ddoe cyhoeddodd Airbus bod y colledion swyddi yn ychwanegol at ostyngiadau o fwy na 700 o weithwyr dros dro ac isgontractwyr mewn safleoedd masnachol yn y DU. Ond yn ogystal â'r gwaith y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud yn uniongyrchol, a chyda Llywodraeth y DU, ar gyfer Airbus, pa gymorth ydych chi wedi bod yn ei ddarparu, neu beth fyddwch chi'n ei ddarparu, i'r gweithwyr Guidant Global hynny?
Well, Llywydd, the Member makes an important point that the difficulties in the aviation sector go beyond Airbus, go beyond the direct employees of Airbus, but go into the supply chain as well—150 firms, we think, with 1,500 additional jobs that rely on Airbus as part of their business futures. So, the response that the Welsh Government will make, including bringing together in a submit all those local players and Welsh national players who have a part to play in responding to the difficulties that Airbus itself faces and the knock-on effects that that has for others in the supply chain more broadly, will be a way in which we will look to design together the sort of response that supports this sector, because it has a successful future. We need to get it through the next couple of years, and we need to do that without losing really experienced and very skilled people who this company will need again when order books pick up and the global economy recovers. Our efforts will be very much directed at that impact in the round that we will see across the economy of north-east Wales.
Wel, Llywydd, mae'r Aelod yn gwneud pwynt pwysig bod yr anawsterau yn y sector hedfan yn mynd y tu hwnt i Airbus, yn mynd y tu hwnt i gyflogeion uniongyrchol Airbus, ond yn mynd i mewn i'r gadwyn gyflenwi hefyd—150 o gwmnïau, rydym ni'n credu, gyda 1,500 o swyddi ychwanegol sy'n dibynnu ar Airbus yn rhan o'u dyfodol busnes. Felly, bydd yr ymateb y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud, gan gynnwys dod â'r holl chwaraewyr lleol hynny ynghyd mewn cyflwyniad, a chwaraewyr cenedlaethol yng Nghymru sydd â rhan i'w chwarae wrth ymateb i'r anawsterau y mae Airbus ei hun yn eu hwynebu a'r sgil-effeithiau y mae hynny'n eu cael i eraill yn y gadwyn gyflenwi yn fwy cyffredinol, yn ffordd y byddwn ni'n ystyried llunio gyda'n gilydd y math o ymateb sy'n cefnogi'r sector hwn, oherwydd mae ganddo ddyfodol llwyddiannus. Mae angen i ni ei helpu drwy'r ddwy flynedd nesaf, ac mae angen i ni wneud hynny heb golli pobl brofiadol a medrus iawn y bydd y cwmni hwn eu hangen eto pan fydd llyfrau archebion yn ail-lenwi a'r economi fyd-eang yn gwella. Bydd ein hymdrechion eu cael eu cyfeirio'n bendant at yr effaith gyffredinol honno y byddwn ni'n ei gweld ar draws economi'r gogledd-ddwyrain.
I thank the First Minister for his answers, and I'm sure that we're all thinking of the staff members and their families who are living through this very uncertain time. I fully understand, of course, the points the First Minister makes about the vital role of the UK Government, but we may find ourselves in a situation where there will be some Airbus jobs that will be lost, and, obviously, our priority must be ensuring minimising the number of those jobs that are lost here in Wales. So, to a certain extent, there's an element of competition there.
I wonder—. The First Minister mentions the summit, and that is obviously very welcome. I wonder what discussions the Welsh Government has had or will have with Airbus about what steps we might be able to take to give the Welsh workforce the best possible advantage. Are there, for example, things that need to be done in the field of infrastructure, whether that be digital infrastructure, practical infrastructure, that could be offered as not an immediate solution, but as a short-term solution to make it more attractive for Airbus to stay here and keep the work here if there is some inevitable loss—not that we would wish, of course, any workers to lose their jobs anywhere?
Diolchaf i'r Prif Weinidog am ei atebion, ac rwy'n siŵr ein bod ni i gyd yn meddwl am yr aelodau staff a'u teuluoedd sy'n byw drwy'r cyfnod ansicr iawn hwn. Rwy'n deall yn iawn, wrth gwrs, y pwyntiau y mae'r Prif Weinidog yn eu gwneud am swyddogaeth hanfodol Llywodraeth y DU, ond efallai y byddwn ni'n canfod ein hunain mewn sefyllfa lle bydd rhai swyddi Airbus yn cael eu colli, ac, yn amlwg, mae'n rhaid mai ein blaenoriaeth yw sicrhau bod nifer y swyddi sy'n cael eu colli yma yng Nghymru cyn lleied a phosibl. Felly, i ryw raddau, ceir elfen o gystadleuaeth yn y fan yna.
Tybed—. Mae'r Prif Weinidog yn sôn am yr uwchgynhadledd, ac mae honno i'w chroesawu'n fawr, yn amlwg. Tybed pa drafodaethau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cael neu y byddan nhw'n eu cael gydag Airbus ynghylch y camau y gallem ni eu cymryd i roi'r fantais orau bosibl i weithlu Cymru. A oes, er enghraifft, pethau y mae angen eu gwneud ym maes seilwaith, boed hynny'n seilwaith digidol, yn seilwaith ymarferol, y gellid ei gynnig nid fel ateb ar unwaith, ond fel ateb byrdymor i'w gwneud yn fwy deniadol i Airbus aros yma a chadw'r gwaith yma os oes rhywfaint o golled anochel—nid y byddem ni'n dymuno, wrth gwrs, i unrhyw weithwyr golli eu swyddi yn unman?
Well, I thank Helen Mary Jones for that. She's absolutely right: our thoughts today must be focused on those people whose futures are now so uncertain. I had a meeting at 10 o'clock this morning with Unite the union, who represents the bulk of workers at Broughton. There were members of Broughton staff involved in that call, and it's a very sober and shocked atmosphere at the plant this morning.
Helen Mary Jones is right, as well, that the plant at Broughton has always had to compete with other Airbus sites elsewhere in Europe. It's because of the joint working with the trade union that the management there will tell you that it is at the leading edge of production, of efficiency, of health and safety—all the things that the company values, Broughton has been at a leading edge. That's partly because of the help they've had from the Welsh Government and others. Our investment in the advanced manufacturing research centre was absolutely designed to give Broughton an edge in attracting the wing of the future research to north Wales, and we will go on doing that. If there are things that we can do that will help Broughton persuade Airbus globally to bring more work to north Wales, where they have this dedicated, skilled and very committed workforce, then, of course, we will do that, as we have in the past, and will intensify whatever efforts we can to assist them in that way.
Wel, diolchaf i Helen Mary Jones am hynna. Mae yn llygad ei lle: mae'n rhaid i'n meddyliau ni heddiw ganolbwyntio ar y bobl hynny y mae eu dyfodol mor ansicr erbyn hyn. Cefais gyfarfod am 10 o'r gloch y bore yma gydag undeb Unite, sy'n cynrychioli'r rhan fwyaf o'r gweithwyr ym Mrychdyn. Roedd aelodau o staff Brychdyn yn rhan o'r alwad honno, ac mae'r awyrgylch yn ddifrifol a syfrdan iawn yn y gwaith y bore yma.
Mae Helen Mary Jones yn iawn, hefyd, y bu'n rhaid i'r gwaith ym Mrychdyn gystadlu erioed â safleoedd Airbus eraill mewn rhannau eraill o Ewrop. Oherwydd y cydweithio gyda'r undeb llafur y bydd y rheolwyr yno yn dweud wrthych chi ei fod ar flaen y gad o ran cynhyrchu, effeithlonrwydd, iechyd a diogelwch—yr holl bethau y mae'r cwmni yn eu gwerthfawrogi, mae Brychdyn wedi bod ar flaen y gad. Mae hynny'n rhannol oherwydd y cymorth y maen nhw wedi ei gael gan Lywodraeth Cymru ac eraill. Cynlluniwyd ein buddsoddiad yn y ganolfan ymchwil gweithgynhyrchu uwch yn llwyr i roi mantais i Frychdyn o ran denu adain yr ymchwil yn y dyfodol i ogledd Cymru, a byddwn yn parhau i wneud hynny. Os oes pethau y gallwn ni eu gwneud a fydd yn helpu Brychdyn i berswadio Airbus yn fyd-eang i ddod â mwy o waith i ogledd Cymru, lle mae ganddyn nhw'r gweithlu ymroddgar, medrus ac ymroddedig iawn hwn, yna, wrth gwrs, byddwn yn gwneud hynny, fel yr ydym ni wedi ei wneud yn y gorffennol, a byddwn yn dwysáu pa ymdrechion bynnag y gallwn i'w cynorthwyo yn y modd hwnnw.
Cwestiynau nawr gan arweinwyr y pleidiau. Arweinydd Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.
Questions now from the party leaders. Leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, this week, we've seen some encouraging news from Scotland, with the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths there falling to three in total over the last five days, and Professor Devi Sridhar predicting that Scotland could be practically COVID-free in terms of non-imported cases by the end of the summer. In England, by way of contrast, it's been reported that the chief medical officer there expects to see the level of new daily infections remaining at the current level of around 3,000 a day for the foreseeable future. First Minister, do you think that a COVID-free Wales, in the terms described, is a realistic aspiration in the near term, and is aiming for zero, in a sense, the surest way of avoiding a second spike?
Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, yr wythnos hon, rydym ni wedi gweld rhywfaint o newyddion calonogol o'r Alban, wrth i nifer y marwolaethau COVID-19 a gadarnhawyd yno ostwng i gyfanswm o dri dros y pum diwrnod diwethaf, a'r athro Devi Sridhar yn rhagweld y gallai'r Alban fod fwy neu lai'n rhydd o COVID o ran achosion nad ydynt yn cael eu mewnforio erbyn diwedd yr haf. Yn Lloegr, mewn cyferbyniad, adroddwyd bod y prif swyddog meddygol yno yn disgwyl gweld lefel yr heintiau dyddiol newydd yn aros ar y lefel bresennol o tua 3,000 y dydd am y dyfodol rhagweladwy. Prif Weinidog, a ydych chi'n credu bod Cymru rhydd o COVID, yn y termau a ddisgrifiwyd, yn ddyhead realistig yn y tymor agos, ac sydd â'r nod o sero, mewn ffordd, yw'r ffordd fwyaf sicr o osgoi ail gyfres o achosion?
Well, I'm pleased to say in response to Adam Price that many of the key indicators in Wales continue to head in the right direction as well, with death numbers falling, with hospital admissions falling, with numbers of patients in critical care falling again in the last week for which we have complete figures. In one sense, aiming for a COVID-free Wales is of course what we would want to do, but I want to be realistic with people as well: we have a long and porous border; that it is difficult to regard Wales as an island for these purposes, and that our ability to make Wales COVID-free very much depends upon the efforts that are made across the United Kingdom in the same direction.
We have heard—I know he has heard—stark warnings from the chief medical officer that, in the autumn, when the cold and the damp return, the conditions in which COVID may thrive will be with us again. So, while aiming to have COVID at the lowest possible level that we can in Wales, we shouldn't think that that means that we're out of the woods and that there aren't other dangers in front of us in the rest of this calendar year.
Wel, rwy'n falch o ddweud mewn ymateb i Adam Price bod llawer o'r dangosyddion allweddol yng Nghymru yn parhau i fod ar y trywydd iawn hefyd, gyda niferoedd y marwolaethau yn gostwng, derbyniadau i ysbytai yn gostwng, nifer y cleifion mewn gofal critigol yn gostwng eto yn ystod yr wythnos ddiwethaf y mae gennym ni ffigurau cyflawn ar ei chyfer. Mewn un ystyr, y nod o Gymru rhydd o COVID yw'r hyn y byddem ni eisiau ei wneud wrth gwrs, ond rwyf i eisiau bod yn realistig gyda phobl hefyd: mae gennym ni ffin hir ac agored; ei bod hi'n anodd ystyried Cymru fel ynys at y dibenion hyn, a bod ein gallu i sicrhau bod Cymru yn rhydd o COVID yn dibynnu i raddau helaeth ar yr ymdrechion sy'n cael eu gwneud ledled y Deyrnas Unedig i'r un cyfeiriad.
Rydym ni wedi clywed—gwn ei fod ef wedi clywed—rhybuddion difrifol gan y prif swyddog meddygol y bydd yr amodau y gallai COVID ffynnu ynddyn nhw gyda ni eto yn yr hydref, pan fydd yr oerfel a'r lleithder yn dychwelyd. Felly, er mai ein nod yw cael COVID ar y lefel isaf bosibl y gallwn ni yng Nghymru, ni ddylem feddwl bod hynny'n golygu ein bod ni heibio'r gwaethaf ac nad oes peryglon eraill o'n blaenau ni yn ystod gweddill y flwyddyn galendr hon.
Many countries have successfully suppressed the virus to near-zero new cases. New Zealand is regarded as the world leader, but it's not alone. Greece, Slovenia, Austria, Norway have also suppressed the virus to the extent that restrictions there are now limited and new cases rare, and, like Wales, those countries are not islands either.
I take the First Minister's point, but would he like to see an elimination strategy adopted across the whole of the UK, and will he ask the technical advisory cell to look at the experience specifically of those countries that have adopted an elimination strategy to see whether that could be adopted in full or in part in Wales?
Mae llawer o wledydd wedi llwyddo i atal y feirws i nifer agos at sero o achosion newydd. Ystyrir Seland Newydd yn arweinydd byd-eang, ond nid yw ar ei phen ei hun. Mae Gwlad Groeg, Slofenia, Awstria, Norwy hefyd wedi atal y feirws i'r graddau bod y cyfyngiadau yno yn gyfyngedig erbyn hyn ac achosion newydd yn brin, ac, fel Cymru, nid yw'r gwledydd hynny yn ynysoedd ychwaith.
Rwy'n derbyn pwynt y Prif Weinidog, ond a hoffai ef weld strategaeth ddileu yn cael ei mabwysiadu ar draws y DU gyfan, ac a wnaiff ef ofyn i'r gell cynghori technegol edrych yn benodol ar brofiad y gwledydd hynny sydd wedi mabwysiadu strategaeth ddileu i weld a ellid mabwysiadu hynny'n llawn neu'n rhannol yng Nghymru?
I'm very happy to ask the technical advisory group for their views on that. We already do get advice from them that draws on experience elsewhere in the world. When I was able to make an announcement on Monday about extended households here in Wales, it was very much informed by the New Zealand experience and things we have learnt from them. I think Adam Price points to some very interesting examples when he points, for example, to Norway and to Greece as places that have borders with other countries where the experience has been different, and, in that sense, if there are things that we can learn from them that will help us on the journey to bear down on coronavirus to the maximum possible extent, I would be very keen that we learn those lessons here in Wales and I'm very happy that we deploy the assistance we get through the technical advisory group to give us whatever lessons they think can be learned from experiences in those places, and then to apply it to be of assistance to us here in Wales.
Rwy'n hapus iawn i ofyn i'r grŵp cynghori technegol am eu barn ar hynny. Rydym ni eisoes yn cael cyngor ganddyn nhw sy'n manteisio ar brofiad mewn mannau eraill yn y byd. Pan oeddwn i'n gallu gwneud cyhoeddiad ddydd Llun ar aelwydydd estynedig yma yng Nghymru, fe wnaeth profiad Seland Newydd a'r pethau yr ydym ni wedi eu dysgu ganddyn nhw yn sicr gyfrannu at hynny. Rwy'n credu bod Adam Price yn cyfeirio at rai enghreifftiau diddorol iawn pan ei fod yn cyfeirio, er enghraifft, at Norwy a Gwlad Groeg fel lleoedd sydd â ffiniau â gwledydd eraill lle bu'r profiad yn wahanol, ac, yn yr ystyr hwnnw, os oes pethau y gallwn ni eu dysgu ganddyn nhw a fydd yn ein helpu ar y siwrnai i gyfyngu'r coronafeirws i'r graddau mwyaf posibl, byddwn yn awyddus iawn ein bod ni'n dysgu'r gwersi hynny yma yng Nghymru ac rwy'n hapus iawn ein bod ni'n defnyddio'r cymorth yr ydym ni'n ei gael drwy'r grŵp cynghori technegol i roi pa wersi bynnag i ni y maen nhw'n credu y gellir eu dysgu o brofiadau yn y lleoedd hynny, ac yna eu defnyddio i fod o gymorth i ni yma yng Nghymru.
Even in those countries that have been successful in disease suppression, of course the price of liberty from the virus, if you like, is eternal vigilance, particularly as regards new outbreaks, and we see possibly in Leicester as well, don't we, the danger potentially of not having local intelligence turned quickly enough into local action. So, drawing on recent experience in Wales as well, is the First Minister prepared to make a number of commitments to ensure a rapid turnaround between testing and results, particularly in relation to local outbreaks, and to publishing local dashboards of indicators to identify local spikes? And, finally, can you set out the circumstances and the practical means by which a local lockdown, if it became necessary, would be implemented in Wales?
Hyd yn oed yn y gwledydd hynny sydd wedi llwyddo i atal y clefyd, wrth gwrs y pris am ryddid o'r feirws, os mynnwch chi, yw gwyliadwriaeth dragwyddol, yn enwedig o ran achosion newydd, ac rydym ni'n gweld yng Nghaerlŷr hefyd o bosibl, onid ydym ni, y perygl o beidio â throi gwybodaeth leol yn weithredu lleol yn ddigon cyflym. Felly, gan fanteisio ar brofiad diweddar yng Nghymru hefyd, a yw'r Prif Weinidog yn barod i wneud nifer o ymrwymiadau i sicrhau trefn gyflym rhwng profion a chanlyniadau, yn enwedig o ran achosion lleol, ac i gyhoeddi dangosfyrddau lleol o ddangosyddion i nodi cynnydd mewn achosion lleol? Ac, yn olaf, a allwch chi nodi'r amgylchiadau a'r modd ymarferol y byddai cyfyngiadau symud lleol, pe byddai eu hangen, yn cael eu gweithredu yng Nghymru?
Well, again, I thank Adam Price for those questions. So, in terms of how we would judge whether a local lockdown were necessary, then in the two examples, the live examples, in north-east and north-west Wales, then, in both those cases, the key test will be whether or not there is wider community transmission from the closed settings of the two factories where the outbreaks have taken place. The most recent evidence is encouraging, but I don't want to overstate that, because this week is a very important week in keeping on top of any evidence that transmission has moved from the factory setting, and those most closely associated with it, and into the wider community. If we have evidence of strong community spread, then that would be the indicator for us of a need for further local measures.
Now, you could argue—and I've seen people argue—that in Ynys Môn, for example, we already have a form of local lockdown. There are hundreds of people self-isolating because of the outbreak at 2 Sisters, and the local authority took the decision quite early on not to reopen schools in Ynys Môn alongside the rest of Wales on Monday. So, we already have some differentiated policy interventions happening because of that local outbreak.
We are absolutely clear that—. Unlike in Leicester, where there seemed to be quite a lot of confusion as to whether the legal powers existed and to whom they belonged, we are very clear that, in Wales, Welsh Ministers have the powers through our regulations to take local action to reduce, if we had to, some of the freedoms we've been able to reintroduce in order to deal with local outbreaks. And we would certainly be prepared to do that were the need to be there.
On the Member's point about local dashboards, I'm very happy again to get some advice on that to see whether that sort of information exists in a way that will be meaningful and reliable at a local level. And, if it is, then the Welsh Government's policy throughout the coronavirus crisis has been to make as much information public as possible, so people can understand their local context and then to act in the way that Adam Price said, because it isn't Governments that take the decisive actions in these areas—it is the actions of citizens being vigilant in the way that Adam Price described that, in the end, gives us the greatest defence.
Wel, unwaith eto, hoffwn ddiolch i Adam Price am y cwestiynau yna. Felly, o ran sut y byddem ni'n barnu a fyddai angen cyfyngiadau symud lleol, yna yn y ddwy enghraifft, yr enghreifftiau byw, yn y gogledd-ddwyrain a'r gogledd-orllewin, yna, yn y ddau achos hynny, y prawf allweddol fydd pa un a oes trosglwyddiad cymunedol ehangach o leoliadau caeedig y ddwy ffatri lle cafwyd yr achosion. Mae'r dystiolaeth ddiweddaraf yn galonogol, ond nid wyf i eisiau ei gorbwysleisio, oherwydd mae'r wythnos hon yn wythnos bwysig iawn i gadw golwg agos ar unrhyw dystiolaeth bod trosglwyddiad wedi symud o leoliad y ffatri, a'r rhai â'r cysylltiad agosaf â hi, ac i'r gymuned ehangach. Os oes gennym ni dystiolaeth o ledaeniad cymunedol cryf, yna dyna fyddai'r dangosydd i ni o'r angen am fesurau lleol pellach.
Nawr, gallech chi ddadlau—ac rwyf i wedi gweld pobl yn dadlau—bod gennym ni yn Ynys Môn, er enghraifft, ryw fath o gyfyngiadau symud lleol eisoes. Mae cannoedd o bobl yn hunanynysu oherwydd yr achosion yn 2 Sisters, a gwnaeth yr awdurdod lleol y penderfyniad yn eithaf cynnar i beidio ag ailagor ysgolion yn Ynys Môn ochr yn ochr â gweddill Cymru ddydd Llun. Felly, mae gennym ni rai ymyraethau polisi gwahaniaethol yn digwydd eisoes oherwydd yr achos lleol hwnnw.
Rydym ni'n gwbl eglur—. Yn wahanol i Gaerlŷr, lle'r oedd yn ymddangos bod cryn dipyn o ddryswch ynghylch pa un a oedd y pwerau cyfreithiol yn bodoli ac i bwy yr oedden nhw'n perthyn, rydym ni'n eglur iawn, yng Nghymru, bod gan Weinidogion Cymru y pwerau drwy ein rheoliadau i gymryd camau lleol i leihau, pe byddai'n rhaid i ni, rai o'r rhyddfreintiau yr ydym ni wedi gallu eu hailgyflwyno er mwyn ymdrin ag achosion lleol. A byddem ni'n sicr yn barod i wneud hynny pe byddai'r angen yno.
O ran pwynt yr Aelod ynglŷn â dangosfyrddau lleol, rwy'n hapus iawn eto i gael rhywfaint o gyngor ar hynny i weld a yw'r math hwnnw o wybodaeth yn bodoli mewn ffordd a fydd yn ystyrlon ac yn ddibynadwy ar lefel leol. Ac, os ydyw, yna polisi Llywodraeth Cymru drwy gydol yr argyfwng coronafeirws fu rhoi cymaint o wybodaeth â phosibl i'r cyhoedd, fel y gall pobl ddeall eu cyd-destun lleol ac yna gweithredu yn y ffordd a ddywedodd Adam Price, oherwydd nid Llywodraethau sy'n cymryd y camau pendant yn yr ardaloedd hyn—gweithredoedd dinasyddion yn bod yn wyliadwrus yn y ffordd y disgrifiodd Adam Price, yn y pen draw, sy'n rhoi'r amddiffyniad gorau i ni.
Arweinydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Paul Davies.
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Paul Davies.
Diolch, Llywydd. First Minister, yesterday's news that Airbus is set to cut 1,700 jobs across the UK, as it struggles with the effects of the coronavirus crisis, is a devastating blow to workers in Broughton and, indeed, in north-east Wales, and the Welsh Government rightly responded to say that it would use all of the levers at its disposal to support workers throughout this difficult time. As you said earlier, it's crucial now that inter-governmental work takes place immediately, and I hope that Governments are working together at all levels to best support the workers in Broughton at this time.
First Minister, you've already described what measures you are looking to take to support the company and its workers at Airbus, but this news will, as Mark Isherwood said earlier, also undoubtedly have an effect on the wider supply chain, which will include a number of local businesses. So, can you tell us what specific measures and schemes the Welsh Government is at the moment considering to ensure that the supply chain is as supported as it can be?
Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, mae'r newyddion ddoe bod Airbus yn bwriadu torri 1,700 o swyddi ledled y DU, wrth iddo gael trafferthion gydag effeithiau'r argyfwng coronafeirws, yn ergyd drom i weithwyr ym Mrychdyn ac, yn wir, yn y gogledd-ddwyrain, ac ymatebodd Llywodraeth Cymru yn briodol i ddweud y byddai'n defnyddio'r holl arfau sydd ar gael iddi i gefnogi gweithwyr drwy gydol y cyfnod anodd hwn. Fel y dywedasoch yn gynharach, mae'n hollbwysig nawr bod gwaith rhynglywodraethol yn cael ei wneud ar unwaith, ac rwy'n gobeithio bod Llywodraethau yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd ar bob lefel i roi'r cymorth gorau i'r gweithwyr ym Mrychdyn ar yr adeg hon.
Prif Weinidog, rydych chi eisoes wedi disgrifio pa fesurau yr ydych chi'n bwriadu eu cymryd i gynorthwyo'r cwmni a'i weithwyr yn Airbus, ond nid oes amheuaeth, fel y dywedodd Mark Isherwood yn gynharach, y bydd y newyddion hwn yn cael effaith ar y gadwyn gyflenwi ehangach, a fydd yn cynnwys nifer o fusnesau lleol. Felly, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa fesurau a chynlluniau penodol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu hystyried ar hyn o bryd i sicrhau bod y gadwyn gyflenwi yn cael ei chefnogi cymaint ag y gellir gwneud hynny?
Well, I think I'd say to the Member that very difficult as that news has been overnight, we can point to the way in which, with the UK Government and with the local authority, we were able to respond to the decision of Ford to leave Bridgend, with 1,300 jobs lost there directly, but the way in which the teams we put together, and the structures that we introduced, were very much focused on the supply chains in the automotive industry as well. So, we have some very recent and practical experience of responding to difficulties of this sort.
The key difference between Ford and Airbus is that the Ford decision was a decision to leave Wales altogether, whereas Airbus has a successful future in front of it, provided we can get it through the next difficult months ahead, and that will mean working with supply chains. The summit meeting that I mentioned in my earlier answer is one that will involve the wider economy of north-east Wales and, indeed, the Mersey Dee Alliance, because many people who work at Broughton live in Chester and across our border there, and the impact on supply chains will be felt across that north-east, north-west economy.
So we will work with all those local players, and with the UK Government, in order to make sure that we have a comprehensive picture of the needs, and co-design with people on the ground the sort of help that they will find most useful. We have some off-the-peg things that we do. We've got some tried-and-tested ways in which we mobilise help, but we want to do more than that. We want to make sure that the help we offer will be the help that people locally tell us will be most useful to them. And working with them, and having a summit, will be a way of drawing all that together, to make sure that the help that we are able to offer is calibrated to meet the specific needs and circumstances of that north-east Wales economy.
Wel, rwy'n credu y byddwn i'n dweud wrth yr Aelod, mor anodd ag y mae'r newyddion hynny wedi bod dros nos, y gallwn ni gyfeirio at y ffordd yr oeddem ni'n gallu ymateb, gyda Llywodraeth y DU a chyda'r awdurdod lleol, i benderfyniad Ford i adael Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, gyda 1,300 o swyddi yn cael eu colli yno'n uniongyrchol, ond y ffordd yr oedd y timau a ffurfiwyd gennym ni, a'r strwythurau a gyflwynwyd gennym ni, yn canolbwyntio yn bedant ar y cadwyni cyflenwi yn y diwydiant modurol hefyd. Felly, mae gennym mi rywfaint o brofiad diweddar ac ymarferol iawn o ymateb i anawsterau o'r math hwn.
Y gwahaniaeth allweddol rhwng Ford ac Airbus yw mai penderfyniad i adael Cymru yn gyfan gwbl oedd penderfyniad Ford, tra bod gan Airbus ddyfodol llwyddiannus o'i flaen, cyn belled â bod ni'n gallu ei helpu drwy'r misoedd anodd nesaf sydd o'n blaenau, a bydd hynny'n golygu gweithio gyda chadwyni cyflenwi. Mae'r uwchgynhadledd y soniais amdani yn fy ateb cynharach yn un a fydd yn cynnwys economi ehangach y gogledd-ddwyrain ac, yn wir, Cynghrair Mersi a Dyfrdwy, gan fod llawer o bobl sy'n gweithio ym Mrychdyn yn byw yng Nghaer ac ar draws ein ffin yno, a bydd yr effaith ar gadwyni cyflenwi yn cael ei theimlo ar draws yr economi gogledd-ddwyrain Cymru, gogledd-orllewin Lloegr honno.
Felly byddwn yn gweithio gyda'r holl chwaraewyr lleol hynny, a chyda Llywodraeth y DU, i wneud yn siŵr bod gennym ni ddarlun cynhwysfawr o'r anghenion, a chyd-gynllunio gyda phobl ar lawr gwlad y math o gymorth a fydd fwyaf defnyddiol iddyn nhw. Mae gennym ni rai pethau a baratowyd ymlaen llaw yr ydym ni'n eu gwneud. Mae gennym ni ffyrdd profedig o ysgogi cymorth, ond rydym ni eisiau gwneud mwy na hynny. Rydym ni eisiau gwneud yn siŵr mai'r cymorth yr ydym ni'n ei gynnig yw'r cymorth y mae pobl leol yn ei ddweud wrthym fydd fwyaf defnyddiol iddyn nhw. A bydd gweithio gyda nhw, a chael uwchgynhadledd, yn ffordd o dynnu hynny i gyd at ei gilydd, i wneud yn siŵr bod y cymorth yr ydym ni'n gallu ei gynnig yn cael ei raddoli i ddiwallu anghenion ac amgylchiadau penodol yr economi honno yn y gogledd-ddwyrain.
I very much agree with you: it's vital that Governments and parties are working together, where they can, to support workers at this time, and I'll do whatever I can to constructively work with you, and colleagues in Westminster, to ensure that everything that can be done will be done to support those affected by this news.
Now, sadly, it's not the only announcement regarding job losses in Wales recently, and given that unemployment in Wales doubled in the month of April, it's critical that support is in place for those who have lost their jobs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Now is the time for the Welsh Government to be having discussions, of course, with business leaders and skills providers about developing packages to help support people across Wales who may not be able to retain their employment at the end of the furlough scheme because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There are families across Wales who are in an extremely vulnerable position, and given that there will be a degree of uncertainty in the job market for some time yet, it is important that families across Wales feel that support and advice is available. Therefore, can you tell us what assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of COVID-19 on employment across Wales, and what discussions has the Welsh Government had with business leaders, and skills providers, about how best to mitigate against any economic shocks as a result of COVID-19?
Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â chi: mae'n hanfodol bod Llywodraethau a phleidiau yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd, lle bo modd, i gefnogi gweithwyr ar yr adeg hon, a byddaf yn gwneud beth bynnag a allaf i weithio'n adeiladol gyda chi, a chydweithwyr yn San Steffan, i sicrhau y bydd popeth y gellir ei wneud yn cael ei wneud i gefnogi'r rhai sy'n cael eu heffeithio gan y newyddion hyn.
Nawr, yn anffodus, nid dyma'r unig gyhoeddiad ynglŷn â cholli swyddi yng Nghymru yn ddiweddar, ac o gofio bod diweithdra yng Nghymru wedi dyblu ym mis Ebrill, mae'n hollbwysig bod cymorth ar gael i'r rhai sydd wedi colli eu swyddi o ganlyniad i bandemig y coronafeirws. Nawr yw'r amser i Lywodraeth Cymru gynnal trafodaethau, wrth gwrs, gydag arweinyddion busnes a darparwyr sgiliau ynglŷn â datblygu pecynnau i helpu i gefnogi pobl ledled Cymru efallai na fyddan nhw'n gallu cadw eu cyflogaeth ar ddiwedd y cynllun ffyrlo oherwydd pandemig COVID-19. Ceir teuluoedd ledled Cymru sydd mewn sefyllfa hynod o fregus, ac o gofio y bydd rhywfaint o ansicrwydd yn y farchnad swyddi am gryn amser eto, mae'n bwysig bod teuluoedd ledled Cymru yn teimlo bod cymorth a chyngor ar gael. Felly, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei wneud o effaith COVID-19 ar gyflogaeth ledled Cymru, a pha drafodaethau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi eu cael gydag arweinyddion busnes, a darparwyr sgiliau, ynghylch y ffordd orau o liniaru unrhyw ergydion economaidd o ganlyniad i COVID-19?
I thank the leader of the opposition for what he said about playing a constructive part in the response to the position faced in Airbus and the wider north-east Wales economy.
The analysis that we have of the Welsh economy, in the COVID context, is that it's quite complex. He'll have heard, I'm sure, today, the reports from Andy Haldane, the deputy governor of the Bank of England, that they think that the early signs are that a v-shaped recovery for many parts of the economy is under way—a sharp downturn, and a very sharp rebound. And we want to make sure that as much of the Welsh economy is able to recover as quickly as possible in that way. But there will be aspects of the Welsh economy where that will be more difficult—companies and industries who are not able to resume activity as quickly as others. And there, we are talking to the UK Government particularly about the long-term arrangements from the job retention scheme, which I've always welcomed in Wales. I've always appreciated what the UK Government has done, and understand that, as industries get back to work, you can't go on offering a furlough scheme to places where people are back working full-time. But in some sectors of the Welsh economy, we need a more specific, sector-specific furlough scheme that will go beyond the end of October. And that will offer comfort to those industries that they will still be able to sustain themselves through the difficult days of this calendar year, and be there to resume activity next year, when, as we all hope, things will be better.
So, we will mobilise the actions that we have, in consultation with business leaders. I was with the head of the Confederation of British Industry in Wales last week and with the head of the Federation of Small Businesses in Wales last week. There were very helpful suggestions from the CBI about how we could work together in mitigating some of the impacts on the Welsh economy, and then we will need help from elsewhere to be able to do the job that we all need to do, focusing on jobs, relentlessly on jobs, in our economy, during the second half of this financial year.
Diolchaf i arweinydd yr wrthblaid am yr hyn a ddywedodd am chwarae rhan adeiladol yn yr ymateb i'r sefyllfa a wynebir yn Airbus ac economi ehangach y gogledd-ddwyrain.
Y dadansoddiad sydd gennym ni o economi Cymru, yng nghyd-destun COVID, yw ei bod yn eithaf cymhleth. Bydd ef wedi clywed, rwy'n siŵr, heddiw, yr adroddiadau gan Andy Haldane, dirprwy lywodraethwr Banc Lloegr, eu bod nhw'n credu mai'r arwyddion cynnar yw bod adferiad siâp v i lawer o rannau o'r economi ar y gweill—dirywiad sydyn, ac adferiad sydyn. Ac rydym ni eisiau gwneud yn siŵr bod cymaint â phosibl o economi Cymru yn gallu gwella cyn gynted â phosibl yn y ffordd honno. Ond bydd agweddau ar economi Cymru lle bydd hynny'n fwy anodd—cwmnïau a diwydiannau nad ydyn nhw'n gallu ailddechrau gweithgarwch cyn gynted ag eraill. Ac yn hynny o beth, rydym ni'n siarad â Llywodraeth y DU yn arbennig am y trefniadau hirdymor o'r cynllun cadw swyddi, yr wyf i wedi ei groesawu o'r cychwyn yng Nghymru. Rwyf i wedi gwerthfawrogi o'r cychwyn yr hyn y mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi ei wneud, ac yn deall, wrth i ddiwydiannau ddychwelyd i'r gwaith, na allwch chi barhau i gynnig cynllun ffyrlo i leoedd lle mae pobl yn ôl yn gweithio yn llawn amser. Ond mewn rhai sectorau o economi Cymru, mae angen cynllun ffyrlo mwy penodol, penodol i'r sector arnom ni, a fydd yn mynd y tu hwnt i ddiwedd mis Hydref. A bydd hynny'n cynnig cysur i'r diwydiannau hynny y byddan nhw'n dal i allu cynnal eu hunain drwy ddyddiau anodd y flwyddyn galendr hon, a bod yno i ailddechrau gweithgarwch y flwyddyn nesaf, pan, fel y mae pob un ohonom ni'n ei obeithio, y bydd pethau'n well.
Felly, byddwn yn gweithredu'r camau sydd gennym ni, mewn ymgynghoriad ag arweinyddion busnes. Roeddwn i gyda phennaeth Cydffederasiwn Diwydiant Prydain yng Nghymru yr wythnos diwethaf a chyda phennaeth y Ffederasiwn Busnesau Bach yng Nghymru yr wythnos diwethaf. Cafwyd awgrymiadau defnyddiol iawn gan y Cydffederasiwn ynghylch sut y gallem ni gydweithio i liniaru rhai o'r effeithiau ar economi Cymru, ac yna bydd angen cymorth arnom ni o fannau eraill i allu gwneud y gwaith y mae angen i bob un ohonom ni ei wneud, gan ganolbwyntio ar swyddi, yn ddi-baid ar swyddi, yn ein heconomi, yn ystod ail hanner y flwyddyn ariannol hon.
Well, First Minister, as you know, my party have also brought forward proposals to establish a COVID recovery fund for those areas most affected economically, and I hope you'll constructively look at our proposals, which could make a real difference to people affected by the closures and the job losses at Airbus, and indeed Laura Ashley.
Now, in response to the latest Office for National Statistics labour market statistics for Wales, the Learning and Work Institute Cymru were right to say that the picture now starting to emerge is that those areas that entered the crisis with the highest levels of unemployment have experienced some of the largest rises over the last two months. This just demonstrates that there were communities across Wales that were already struggling with levels of deprivation before the COVID-19 pandemic, and so a resilience package, which includes investment, support and opportunities, is needed more than ever.
First Minister, given that the claimant count has nearly doubled, and now stands at the highest level since August 1994, can you tell us what new thinking the Welsh Government is adopting to start—[Inaudible.]—the picture described by the Learning and Work Institute Cymru? Could you also tell us what monitoring of programmes and funding is taking place to ensure that economic funds are reaching those communities in most need and to identify any gaps in support packages? And what is the Welsh Government doing to help build resilience in communities across Wales, particularly those already struggling before the COVID-19 pandemic?
Wel, Prif Weinidog, fel y gwyddoch, mae fy mhlaid innau hefyd wedi cyflwyno cynigion i sefydlu cronfa adfer COVID ar gyfer y meysydd hynny yr effeithiwyd arnynt fwyaf yn economaidd, ac rwy'n gobeithio y gwnewch chi edrych yn adeiladol ar ein cynigion, a allai wneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol i bobl sy'n cael eu heffeithio gan y cau a'r colledion swyddi yn Airbus, a Laura Ashley yn wir.
Nawr, mewn ymateb i ystadegau marchnad lafur Cymru diweddaraf y Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol, roedd Sefydliad Dysgu a Gwaith Cymru yn iawn i ddweud mai'r darlun sy'n dechrau dod i'r amlwg nawr yw bod yr ardaloedd hynny a aeth i mewn i'r argyfwng â'r lefelau uchaf o ddiweithdra wedi dioddef rhai o'r codiadau mwyaf yn ystod y ddeufis diwethaf. Mae hyn wir yn dangos bod cymunedau ledled Cymru a oedd eisoes yn cael trafferth gyda lefelau amddifadedd cyn pandemig COVID-19, ac felly mae angen pecyn cydnerthedd, sy'n cynnwys buddsoddiad, cymorth a chyfleoedd, yn fwy nag erioed.
Prif Weinidog, o gofio bod nifer y bobl sy'n hawlio budd-daliadau wedi dyblu bron, ac ar y lefel uchaf ers Awst 1994 erbyn hyn, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym ni pa syniadau newydd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu mabwysiadu i ddechrau—[Anghlywadwy.]—y darlun a ddisgrifiwyd gan Sefydliad Dysgu a Gwaith Cymru? A allech chi hefyd ddweud wrthym ni pa waith monitro rhaglenni a chyllid sy'n cael ei wneud i sicrhau bod cyllid economaidd yn cyrraedd y cymunedau hynny sydd â'r angen mwyaf ac i nodi unrhyw fylchau mewn pecynnau cymorth? A beth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i helpu i feithrin cydnerthedd mewn cymunedau ledled Cymru, yn enwedig y rhai a oedd eisoes mewn trafferthion cyn pandemig COVID-19?
Well, Llywydd, the economic resilience fund that the Welsh Government has drawn together has, up until now, been very much focused on simply assisting firms and individuals to cope with the impact of coronavirus. But we have already indicated that there will be a further phase of the ERF, beyond phase 1 and 2, which we are currently operating, and phase 3 will be a recovery phase. And there will be many millions of pounds still in the fund that we will be able to use for recovery, and where there are good ideas as to how that money might most effectively be used, then, of course, we will be very pleased to draw on those ideas, wherever they come from. The fact that we have a recovery phase in our economy will be shaped by the work that Jeremy Miles has been leading to put together a recovery plan for us in Wales, drawing on the best people we can bring together inside Wales, but having people from outside Wales, to make sure that we don't miss out on ideas that people are developing elsewhere, and to challenge us on our own thinking and make sure we are making the best possible fist of designing that recovery stage.
We monitor what we do. If you want just one single example of that in figures that the ONS produced only last week, I think it is over 30 per cent of firms in Wales have benefited from assistance provided, either by the UK Government or by the Welsh Government, in order to help them through the pandemic. It's 21 per cent of firms in Scotland; it's 14 per cent of firms in England. And those are ONS figures, which demonstrate, I think, that the impact of the assistance we've been able to mobilise in Wales has been felt strongly in our economy, and we now want the same approach to be adopted, with the same level of success, in helping the Welsh economy into the recovery phase.
Wel, Llywydd, mae'r gronfa cadernid economaidd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i thynnu ynghyd, hyd yma, wedi bod yn canolbwyntio yn syml ar gynorthwyo cwmnïau ac unigolion i ymdopi ag effaith coronafeirws. Ond rydym ni eisoes wedi nodi y bydd cam pellach o'r gronfa, y tu hwnt i gamau 1 a 2, yr ydym ni'n eu gweithredu ar hyn o bryd, a bydd cam 3 yn gam adfer. A bydd miliynau lawer o bunnoedd yn dal yn y gronfa y byddwn ni'n gallu eu defnyddio i adfer, a lle ceir syniadau da ynglŷn â sut y gellid defnyddio'r arian hwnnw yn fwyaf effeithiol, yna, wrth gwrs, byddwn yn falch iawn o fanteisio ar y syniadau hynny, o ba le bynnag y byddan nhw'n dod. Bydd y ffaith bod gennym ni gam adfer yn ein heconomi yn cael ei lunio gan y gwaith y mae Jeremy Miles wedi bod yn ei arwain i lunio cynllun adfer i ni yng Nghymru, gan fanteisio ar y bobl orau y gallwn ni eu tynnu ynghyd oddi mewn i Gymru, ond cael pobl o'r tu allan i Gymru, i sicrhau nad ydym ni'n colli syniadau y mae pobl yn eu datblygu mewn mannau eraill, ac i'n herio ni ar ein meddylfryd ein hunain a gwneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n gwneud yr ymdrech orau bosibl i ddylunio'r cam adfer hwnnw.
Rydym ni'n monitro'r hyn yr ydym ni'n ei wneud. Os ydych chi eisiau dim ond un enghraifft o hynny mewn ffigurau a gynhyrchwyd gan y Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol yr wythnos diwethaf, rwy'n credu bod dros 30 y cant o gwmnïau yng Nghymru wedi elwa ar gymorth a ddarparwyd, naill ai gan Lywodraeth y DU neu gan Lywodraeth Cymru, er mwyn eu helpu nhw drwy'r pandemig. 21 y cant o gwmnïau yw'r ffigur yn yr Alban; 14 y cant o gwmnïau yw'r ffigur yn Lloegr. A ffigurau'r Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol yw'r rheini, sy'n dangos, rwy'n credu, bod effaith y cymorth yr ydym ni wedi gallu ei roi ar waith yng Nghymru wedi cael ei theimlo yn gryf yn ein heconomi, ac rydym ni bellach eisiau i'r un dull gael ei fabwysiadu, gyda'r un lefel o lwyddiant, i helpu economi Cymru i'r cam adfer.
Arweinydd Plaid Brexit, Mark Reckless.
Leader of the Brexit Party, Mark Reckless.
May I congratulate all the children who are back in school in Wales this week, even if it is part time, and all those who have worked so hard to get them back, not least your education Secretary, Kirsty Williams? I would have liked more children to have returned earlier, but I do not want to criticise the Welsh Government, cavil with what is happening versus what was promised, or make comparisons with England today.
First Minister, whatever our own particular views or interests, shouldn't we all respect that it is you, your Cabinet and Kirsty Williams who are responsible and have the democratic mandate to decide when and how schools should return? Can you confirm that, unlike the teaching unions, you must consider not only the interests of their members, including teacher safety and any now far lower risk of infection, but also the pressing need of many parents to get back to work, and, still more, the purpose of schools being to educate our children, who have already lost too much of that right?
A gaf i longyfarch yr holl blant sydd yn ôl yn yr ysgol yng Nghymru yr wythnos hon, hyd yn oed os yw'n rhan-amser, a phawb sydd wedi gweithio mor galed i'w cael nhw yn ôl, nid lleiaf eich Ysgrifennydd addysg, Kirsty Williams? Byddwn wedi hoffi gweld mwy o blant yn dychwelyd yn gynharach, ond nid wyf i eisiau beirniadu Llywodraeth Cymru, pigo bai ar yr hyn sy'n digwydd yn erbyn yr hyn a addawyd, na gwneud cymariaethau â Lloegr heddiw.
Prif Weinidog, beth bynnag fo ein safbwyntiau neu ein buddiannau penodol ein hunain, oni ddylai pob un ohonom ni barchu mai chi, eich Cabinet a Kirsty Williams sy'n gyfrifol ac sydd â'r mandad democrataidd i benderfynu pryd a sut y dylai ysgolion ddychwelyd? A allwch chi gadarnhau, yn wahanol i'r undebau athrawon, bod yn rhaid i chi ystyried nid yn unig buddiannau eu haelodau, gan gynnwys diogelwch athrawon ac unrhyw risg is o lawer erbyn hyn o haint, ond hefyd angen taer llawer o rieni i fynd yn ôl i'r gwaith, ac, yn fwy fyth, pwrpas ysgolion yw addysgu ein plant, sydd eisoes wedi colli gormod o'r hawl hwnnw?
Well, I thank the Member for what he said about the efforts that have been made, and they have been made in the way that we try to do things in Wales, in that social partnership way, by bringing teacher unions, non-teacher unions, the local education authorities and the Welsh Government around the table together to craft a way ahead. I sometimes have felt, in the way that some of these arguments have played out publicly, that the word 'children' has not been given the prominence that it needed and deserves. In the end, the reason why we are committed to bringing young people back to school over these weeks is because of our concerns that those young people get a change to meet their teachers again, to catch up with their classmates, to be able to prepare for the summer, and it is their interests in the end—with all the others that we have to bear in mind—that need to, and we think do do, come out at the very top of our agenda.
Wel, diolchaf i'r Aelod am yr hyn a ddywedodd am yr ymdrechion sydd wedi eu gwneud, ac maen nhw wedi eu gwneud yn y ffordd yr ydym ni'n ceisio gwneud pethau yng Nghymru, yn y ffordd partneriaeth gymdeithasol honno, trwy ddod ag undebau athrawon, undebau'r rhai nad ydyn nhw'n athrawon, yr awdurdodau addysg lleol a Llywodraeth Cymru at ei gilydd o amgylch y bwrdd i lunio ffordd ymlaen. Rwyf i wedi teimlo weithiau, yn y ffordd y mae rhai o'r dadleuon hyn wedi cael eu cynnal yn gyhoeddus, nad yw'r gair 'plant' wedi cael yr amlygrwydd yr oedd ei angen ac yn ei haeddu. Yn y pen draw, y rheswm pam yr ydym ni wedi ymrwymo i ddod â phobl ifanc yn ôl i'r ysgol dros yr wythnosau hyn yw oherwydd ein pryderon bod y bobl ifanc hynny yn cael newid i gyfarfod â'u hathrawon unwaith eto, i weld eu cyd-ddisgyblion, i allu paratoi ar gyfer yr haf, a'u buddiannau nhw yn y pen draw—ynghyd â'r holl rai eraill y maen rhaid i ni eu cadw mewn cof—sydd angen bod ar frig ein hagenda, ac rwy'n credu eu bod nhw.
The First Minister speaks of social partnership, but an impression many parents have got over the last month or two is that, with powers split between Welsh Government, councils and schools themselves, the teaching unions may have been too dominant an aspect of that partnership. When you, First Minister, spoke about even giving consideration to schools coming back after half term, you quickly were pressed into clarifying that that wasn’t going to happen. It was said under union pressure. We then saw the chief medical officer say that schools returning in the second week of August would be the best, at least in terms of virus risks, but we were then told that wasn't happening because it wasn’t an attractive option to the unions. We then saw your education Secretary announce that schools would come back this week for four weeks, yet almost everywhere, that's not happening, and it will be three weeks. Again, we're told because that’s the position of the unions. Do you share any of that concern that the unions may have had too great an influence on what the timing and what the decisions have been, and what might be done about that?
Mae'r Prif Weinidog yn sôn am bartneriaeth gymdeithasol, ond yr argraff y mae llawer o rieni wedi ei chael yn ystod y mis neu ddau diwethaf, gyda phwerau wedi'u rhannu rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru, cynghorau ac ysgolion eu hunain, yw ei bod hi'n bosibl bod yr undebau athrawon wedi bod yn agwedd rhy flaenllaw ar y bartneriaeth honno. Pan wnaethoch chi, Prif Weinidog, sôn am hyd yn oed rhoi ystyriaeth i ysgolion ddod yn ôl ar ôl yr hanner tymor, rhoddwyd pwysau arnoch yn gyflym i egluro nad oedd hynny'n mynd i ddigwydd. Dywedwyd bod hynny yn dilyn pwysau gan yr undebau. Yna gwelsom y prif swyddog meddygol yn dweud mai ysgolion yn dychwelyd yn ystod ail wythnos mis Awst fyddai orau, o leiaf o ran peryglon y feirws, ond dywedwyd wrthym wedyn nad oedd hynny'n digwydd gan nad oedd yn ddewis deniadol i'r undebau. Yna gwelsom eich Ysgrifennydd addysg yn cyhoeddi y byddai ysgolion yn dod yn ôl yr wythnos hon am bedair wythnos, ac eto bron ym mhobman, nid yw hynny'n digwydd, a tair wythnos fydd hynny. Unwaith eto, dywedir wrthym ei fod oherwydd mai dyna yw safbwynt yr undebau. A ydych chi'n rhannu'r pryder hwnnw bod yr undebau efallai wedi cael gormod o ddylanwad ar yr amseriad ac ar y penderfyniadau, a'r hyn y gellid ei wneud am hynny?
Well, Llywydd, I congratulate teachers in Wales for everything that they have done during this pandemic. We've had 450 schools open as hub schools throughout the experience, with teachers going in, on the front line, at the height of the pandemic, and doing that every single day, working all the way through their half term at the end of May. So, the big picture for me has been the enormous efforts that teachers, supported by their unions, have carried out here in Wales.
There are contractual rights that people have, and unions are there to speak up for their members where their contracts are concerned. Social partnership is never about cosy conversations. It's never about people avoiding difficult issues. We have sat round the table together with our partners in the local education authorities and the people who represent the workforce. We have forged a way together, which means that, uniquely in the United Kingdom, children in Wales are back in school today, and I think that is a very significant achievement, and I'm very glad we've been able to work with colleagues to bring it about.
Wel, Llywydd, rwy'n llongyfarch athrawon yng Nghymru am bopeth y maen nhw wedi ei wneud yn ystod y pandemig hwn. Bu gennym ni 450 o ysgolion ar agor fel ysgolion hyb trwy gydol y profiad, gydag athrawon yn mynd i mewn, ar y rheng flaen, yn anterth y pandemig, ac yn gwneud hynny bob un dydd, yn gweithio drwy eu hanner tymor cyfan ddiwedd mis Mai. Felly, y darlun mawr i mi fu'r ymdrechion aruthrol y mae athrawon, gyda chymorth eu hundebau, wedi eu gwneud yma yng Nghymru.
Mae hawliau cytundebol sydd gan bobl, ac mae undebau yno i siarad ar ran eu haelodau lle mae eu contractau yn y cwestiwn. Nid yw partneriaeth gymdeithasol byth yn golygu sgyrsiau cysurus. Nid yw byth yn golygu pobl yn osgoi materion anodd. Rydym ni wedi eistedd o amgylch y bwrdd gyda'n partneriaid yn yr awdurdodau addysg lleol a'r bobl sy'n cynrychioli'r gweithlu. Rydym ni wedi creu ffordd gyda'n gilydd, sy'n golygu, yn unigryw yn y Deyrnas Unedig, bod plant yng Nghymru yn ôl yn yr ysgol heddiw, ac rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n gyflawniad sylweddol iawn, ac rwy'n falch iawn ein bod ni wedi gallu gweithio gyda chydweithwyr i'w wireddu.
3. Pa asesiad y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i wneud o effaith argyfwng y coronafeirws ar economi Cymru? OQ55357
3. What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the Welsh economy? OQ55357
I thank the Member, Llywydd. The Welsh Government's chief economist provides regular advice on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on the Welsh economy. That advice is reported monthly to the COVID core group of Ministers and others, which meets every Wednesday.
Diolchaf i'r Aelod, Llywydd. Mae prif economegydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi cyngor rheolaidd ar effaith argyfwng coronafeirws ar economi Cymru. Mae'r cyngor hwnnw'n cael ei adrodd yn fisol i grŵp craidd COVID o Weinidogion ac eraill, sy'n cyfarfod bob dydd Mercher.
I thank the First Minister for that reply. After 20 years of devolution, 22 per cent of the people of Wales of working age are living in poverty, and the average disposable income in Wales is only three quarters of the average in the United Kingdom. Those in poverty are more likely to be hit by the economic impacts of COVID than anybody else. The Learning and Work Institute Cymru has said recently that Wales is more exposed than many other parts of the UK to the economic impact of lockdown, and we've got the highest proportion, at 18 per cent, of workers employed in industries most affected by lockdown measures. So, if unemployment goes up amongst those groups, we're going to be in a very serious economic predicament in Wales.
Cardiff University has shown in a paper published this week that Wales's lowest earners are 10 times more likely to have been affected by COVID-19 shutdown than those on the highest salaries. So, isn't it true, First Minister, that a harsher lockdown and a longer lockdown means that Wales will go backwards and those at the lowest levels of income in society are going to be the ones who suffer most? So, considering that the economic effects of the lockdown will hit the poorest hardest, how do you justify keeping Wales in lockdown whilst the rest of the United Kingdom opens up?
Diolchaf i'r Prif Weinidog am yr ateb yna. Ar ôl 20 mlynedd o ddatganoli, mae 22 y cant o bobl Cymru o oedran gweithio yn byw mewn tlodi, ac mae'r incwm gwario cyfartalog yng Nghymru dri chwarter yn unig o gyfartaledd y Deyrnas Unedig. Mae'r rhai sydd mewn tlodi yn fwy tebygol o gael eu taro gan effeithiau economaidd COVID nag unrhyw un arall. Mae Sefydliad Dysgu a Gwaith Cymru wedi dweud yn ddiweddar bod Cymru yn fwy agored na llawer o rannau eraill o'r DU i effaith economaidd y cyfyngiadau symud, ac mae gennym ni'r gyfran uchaf, sef 18 y cant, o weithwyr a gyflogir mewn diwydiannau sydd wedi eu heffeithio fwyaf gan gyfyngiadau symud. Felly, os bydd diweithdra yn cynyddu ymhlith y grwpiau hynny, rydym ni'n mynd i fod mewn sefyllfa economaidd ddifrifol iawn yng Nghymru.
Mae Prifysgol Caerdydd wedi dangos mewn papur a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos hon bod enillwyr isaf Cymru 10 gwaith yn fwy tebygol o fod wedi cael eu heffeithio gan gyfyngiadau symud COVID-19 na'r rhai ar y cyflogau uchaf. Felly, onid yw'n wir, Prif Weinidog, bod cyfyngiadau symud llymach a chyfyngiadau symud hwy yn golygu y bydd Cymru'n mynd tuag yn ôl, ac mai'r rhai ar y lefelau incwm isaf mewn cymdeithas fydd y rhai sy'n dioddef fwyaf? Felly, o ystyried y bydd effeithiau economaidd y cyfyngiadau symud yn taro'r tlotaf galetaf, sut ydych chi'n cyfiawnhau cadw Cymru yn destun cyfyngiadau symud tra bod gweddill y Deyrnas Unedig yn agor?
Well, Llywydd, while I don't disagree with some of the Member's diagnosis, I very much disagree with his description of the recipe. He is right to say that coronavirus has a disproportionate impact on some members of our society, and those most disadvantaged to begin with feel the impact of this disease most significantly. The best way to help them is to make sure that the Welsh economy has a smooth and reliable recovery from coronavirus—that we don't have a recovery in which we open up too much too soon and then see a clampdown being needed again so the economy goes into reverse.
So, he offers us a sort of Texas approach to coronavirus, in which you lift the lockdown rapidly, you let all sorts of things resume again because you think that's right for the economy, and, lo and behold, the virus is off circulating again everywhere and you have to clamp down all over again. That is what we're avoiding here in Wales in the way that we are doing things. We are reopening our economy, we are doing it step by step, we are monitoring it as we go, we are doing our best to make sure that we can have confidence in our economy and that we will not find ourselves in a position of having to put all of that into reverse, because nothing could be worse for the economy or for those people who rely on it.
Wel, Llywydd, er nad wyf i'n anghytuno â rhywfaint o ddiagnosis yr Aelod, rwy'n anghytuno'n llwyr â'i ddisgrifiad o'r rysáit. Mae'n iawn i ddweud bod coronafeirws yn cael effaith anghymesur ar rai aelodau o'n cymdeithas, a'r rhai sydd dan yr anfantais fwyaf i ddechrau sy'n teimlo effaith y clefyd hwn yn fwyaf sylweddol. Y ffordd orau o'u helpu nhw yw gwneud yn siŵr bod economi Cymru yn cael adferiad didrafferth a dibynadwy o'r coronafeirws—nad oes gennym ni adferiad lle'r ydym ni'n agor gormod yn rhy fuan ac yna'n gweld angen cyfyngiadau symud unwaith eto fel bod yr economi yn mynd tuag at yn ôl unwaith eto.
Felly, mae'n cynnig rhyw fath o ddull Texas o ymdrin â coronafeirws, lle'r ydych chi'n codi'r cyfyngiadau symud yn gyflym, rydych chi'n gadael i bob math o bethau ailddechrau unwaith eto gan eich bod chi'n credu bod hynny'n iawn i'r economi, ac, er mawr syndod, mae'r feirws yn dechrau cylchredeg ym mhobman unwaith eto ac mae'n rhaid i chi gyflwyno cyfyngiadau symud unwaith eto. Dyna'r ydym ni'n ei osgoi yma yng Nghymru yn y ffordd yr ydym ni'n gwneud pethau. Rydym ni'n ailagor ein heconomi, rydym ni'n gwneud hynny gam wrth gam, rydym ni'n ei fonitro wrth i ni symud ymlaen, rydym ni'n gwneud ein gorau i wneud yn siŵr y gallwn ni fod yn hyderus yn ein heconomi ac na fyddwn ni'n ein canfod ein hunain mewn sefyllfa o orfod gwrthdroi hynny i gyd, oherwydd ni allai dim fod yn waeth i'r economi nac i'r bobl hynny sy'n dibynnu arni.
First Minister, last week, the UK Government introduced the Business and Planning Bill in Parliament, which included a set of urgent measures to help businesses adjust to new ways of working to respond to the current pandemic. The hospitality industry in Wales have said that it needs a clear road map for reopening and Government support to get back on its feet. So, I think it certainly will be important that, in the short term, any obstacles are removed that could get in the way, including easing restrictions in the planning and licensing system in particular. As I understand it, the planning Bill has a mix of measures, both reserved and devolved areas. How is the Welsh Government going to respond to the devolved areas and how is any legislation in particular going to support the hospitality sector?
Prif Weinidog, yr wythnos diwethaf, cyflwynodd Llywodraeth y DU y Bil Busnes a Chynllunio yn Senedd y DU, a oedd yn cynnwys cyfres o fesurau brys i helpu busnesau i addasu i ffyrdd newydd o weithio i ymateb i'r pandemig presennol. Mae'r diwydiant lletygarwch yng Nghymru wedi dweud bod angen map ffordd eglur arno ar gyfer ailagor a chymorth gan y Llywodraeth i'w gael yn ôl ar ei draed. Felly, rwy'n meddwl y bydd yn sicr yn bwysig, yn y tymor byr, i unrhyw rwystrau gael eu dileu a allai fod yn y ffordd, gan gynnwys lleddfu cyfyngiadau yn y system gynllunio a thrwyddedu yn arbennig. Yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, ceir cymysgedd o fesurau yn y Bil cynllunio, yn feysydd sydd wedi eu cadw yn ôl ac wedi eu datganoli. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn mynd i ymateb i'r meysydd datganoledig a sut mae unrhyw ddeddfwriaeth yn benodol yn mynd i gefnogi'r sector lletygarwch?
Well, Llywydd, we've been in direct discussions with the hospitality sector over the last week and a half, looking for ways in which we might be able to reopen outdoor hospitality here in Wales with the necessary mitigating measures, and I'm grateful to the sector for all the ideas that they have contributed, for the work that they are doing with us to draw up guidance for the sector, in the hope that we will be able to do that alongside them. It has to be done in a way that puts the health of the public first, and that's what we're working on, and taking advice from our chief medical officer, of course, in the process.
The legislation in the House of Commons is, as Russell George said, a mixture of devolved and non-devolved. On the non-devolved side, it will passport licences that public houses, for example, have to serve alcohol indoors, will passport that to allow them to serve it outdoors. Other aspects will fall to legislation that is in the hands of the Senedd and we will think carefully about what we need to do there.
So, for example, to give the Member an idea of the complexity, which I'm sure he's alert to in any case, many cafes and restaurants may look to be able to operate outside on the pavement in front of their properties. We have to balance that with the rights of other users: disabled people, wheelchair users, people who are partially sighted—people who rely on being able to use pavements in a way that is unimpeded and don't cause difficulties to them. So, there is more than one interest to think of, and the way that we will do it in Wales is to work with the sector to find a proper balance between those things so we can do the things that are necessary to allow that sector to open up again, but we don't do it at the expense of rights that others have to lead their lives in ways that allow them to go about their lawful business unimpeded.
Wel, Llywydd, rydym ni wedi bod mewn trafodaethau uniongyrchol gyda'r sector lletygarwch dros yr wythnos a hanner diwethaf, gan chwilio am ffyrdd y gallem ni ailagor lletygarwch awyr agored yma yng Nghymru gyda'r mesurau lliniaru angenrheidiol, ac rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r sector am yr holl syniadau y maen nhw wedi eu cyfrannu, am y gwaith y maen nhw'n ei wneud gyda ni i lunio canllawiau ar gyfer y sector, yn y gobaith y byddwn ni'n gallu gwneud hynny ochr yn ochr â nhw. Mae'n rhaid gwneud hyn mewn ffordd sy'n rhoi iechyd y cyhoedd yn gyntaf, a dyna'r ydym ni'n gweithio arno, ac yn cael cyngor gan ein prif swyddog meddygol, wrth gwrs, yn y broses.
Fel y dywedodd Russell George, mae'r ddeddfwriaeth yn Nhŷ'r cyffredin yn gymysgedd o ddeddfwriaeth ddatganoledig a deddfwriaeth nad yw wedi ei datganoli. O ran y rhai nad ydyn nhw wedi'u datganoli, bydd yn pasbortio trwyddedau sydd gan dafarndai, er enghraifft, i weini alcohol dan do, yn pasbortio'r rheini i'w caniatáu i'w weini yn yr awyr agored. Bydd agweddau eraill yn rhan o dddeddfwriaeth sydd yn nwylo'r Senedd a byddwn yn meddwl yn ofalus am yr hyn y mae angen i ni ei wneud yn hynny o beth.
Felly, er enghraifft, i roi syniad i'r Aelod o'r cymhlethdod, yr wyf i'n siŵr ei fod yn effro iddo beth bynnag, mae'n bosibl y bydd llawer o gaffis a bwytai eisiau gallu gweithredu y tu allan ar y palmant o flaen eu safleoedd. Mae'n rhaid i ni gydbwyso hynny â hawliau defnyddwyr eraill: pobl anabl, defnyddwyr cadeiriau olwyn, pobl sy'n rhannol ddall—pobl sy'n dibynnu ar allu defnyddio palmentydd mewn modd dirwystr ac nad yw'n achosi anawsterau iddyn nhw. Felly, mae mwy nag un buddiant i feddwl amdano, a'r ffordd y byddwn ni'n gwneud hyn yng Nghymru yw gweithio gyda'r sector i gael cydbwysedd priodol rhwng y pethau hynny fel y gallwn ni wneud y pethau sy'n angenrheidiol i ganiatáu i'r sector hwnnw agor unwaith eto, ond nid ydym ni'n gwneud hynny ar draul hawliau sydd gan bobl eraill i fyw eu bywydau mewn ffyrdd sy'n caniatáu iddyn nhw gyflawni eu gweithredoedd cyfreithlon yn ddirwystr.
First Minister, Jack Sargeant has already highlighted the crisis in the aviation sector, which is a major sector within the Welsh economy, and another sector in the Welsh economy is the steel industry, which is also facing very serious challenges. Last week, the UK Government seemed to have briefed the Financial Times that a request for funding from Tata would be approved, but the UK Government has yet to actually announce any such approval, and, as such, the industry doesn't know where it stands. Steelworkers and their families deserve better; they deserve certainty. Will you continue to pressurise the UK Government to actually approve this request for funding, because the customers of steel have basically disappeared because of the coronavirus? We need the industry to keep on going. It is critical to the Welsh economy and we need that support from the UK Government.
Prif Weinidog, mae Jack Sargeant eisoes wedi tynnu sylw at yr argyfwng yn y sector hedfan, sy'n sector mawr yn economi Cymru, a sector arall yn economi Cymru yw'r diwydiant dur, sydd hefyd yn wynebu heriau difrifol iawn. Yr wythnos diwethaf, roedd yn ymddangos bod Llywodraeth y DU wedi briffio'r Financial Times y byddai cais am gyllid gan Tata yn cael ei gymeradwyo, ond nid yw Llywodraeth y DU wedi cyhoeddi unrhyw gymeradwyaeth o'r fath hyd yn hyn, ac, o'r herwydd, nid yw'r diwydiant yn gwybod ble mae'n sefyll. Mae gweithwyr dur a'u teuluoedd yn haeddu gwell; maen nhw'n haeddu sicrwydd. A wnewch chi barhau i roi pwysau ar Lywodraeth y DU i gymeradwyo'r cais hwn am gyllid, gan fod cwsmeriaid dur fwy neu lai wedi diflannu oherwydd y coronafeirws? Rydym ni angen i'r diwydiant barhau i weithredu. Mae'n hollbwysig i economi Cymru ac rydym ni angen y gefnogaeth honno gan Lywodraeth y DU.
Llywydd, I completely agree with David Rees. I read that extended article in the Financial Times. It was clearly briefed by Whitehall sources, and it very directly implied that we were just about to get an announcement from the UK Government of dedicated support for the steel industry, an industry that this country will need when coronavirus is over, and the scale of support that is needed for that industry has to come from the UK Government. We continue to play our part with Tata directly in supporting skills and apprenticeships and with some localised environmental investment to assist the company, but the scale of support that the industry needs in a global crisis has to come from the UK Government. Having indicated that that help was just on its way, it's very disappointing that it hasn't materialised now for several days. The Chancellor is to make his announcement on support for the economy next week. We will be pressing the UK Government all the way through to make sure that support for the steel industry—a strategically important industry for the whole of the United Kingdom—is at the forefront of his thoughts in putting that package together.
Llywydd, rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â David Rees. Darllenais yr erthygl estynedig honno yn y Financial Times. Roedd yn amlwg wedi'i briffio gan ffynonellau Whitehall, ac roedd yn awgrymu yn uniongyrchol iawn ein bod ni ar fin cael cyhoeddiad gan Lywodraeth y DU o gefnogaeth benodol i'r diwydiant dur, diwydiant y bydd ei angen ar y wlad hon pan fydd coronafeirws drosodd, ac mae maint y cymorth sydd ei angen ar gyfer y diwydiant hwnnw yn golygu bod yn rhaid iddo ddod gan Lywodraeth y DU. Rydym ni'n parhau i chwarae ein rhan gyda Tata yn uniongyrchol trwy gefnogi sgiliau a phrentisiaethau a chyda rhywfaint o fuddsoddiad amgylcheddol lleol i gynorthwyo'r cwmni, ond mae'n rhaid i gymorth o'r maint sydd ei angen ar y diwydiant mewn argyfwng byd-eang ddod gan Lywodraeth y DU. Ar ôl nodi bod y cymorth hwnnw ar ei ffordd, mae'n siomedig iawn nad yw wedi dod i'r amlwg bellach ers sawl diwrnod. Bydd y Canghellor yn gwneud ei gyhoeddiad ar gymorth i'r economi yr wythnos nesaf. Byddwn yn pwyso ar Lywodraeth y DU yr holl ffordd drwodd i sicrhau bod cymorth i'r diwydiant dur—diwydiant sy'n bwysig yn strategol i'r Deyrnas Unedig gyfan—yn flaenllaw yn ei feddyliau wrth iddo ddod â'r pecyn hwnnw at ei gilydd.
4. Sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn defnyddio prosiectau seilwaith i adfywio economi Cymru yn sgil COVID-19? OQ55369
4. How will the Welsh Government use infrastructure projects to reinvigorate the Welsh economy in light of COVID-19? OQ55369
I thank John Griffiths for that, Llywydd. The Welsh Government will use all opportunities, from small and local infrastructure projects to major national investments, to create jobs and to rebuild our economy through the pursuit of economic, social and environmental justice.
Diolchaf i John Griffiths am hynna, Llywydd. Bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn defnyddio pob cyfle, o brosiectau seilwaith bach a lleol i fuddsoddiadau cenedlaethol mawr, i greu swyddi ac ailadeiladu ein heconomi drwy fynd ar drywydd cyfiawnder economaidd, cymdeithasol ac amgylcheddol.
First Minister, we know the pandemic has disproportionately affected the most vulnerable in our society, reinforcing existing inequalities of class, ethnicity, disability and gender. We now face an economic crisis and the prospect of further inequality and harm to those least able to withstand it. Infrastructure projects will be an important part of regenerating our economy and could also be part of addressing these social injustice imperatives. So, will contracts include clauses, requirements and fair work provision to ensure these capital projects offer opportunities, training and jobs for those most in need, and help build back better for everyone in Wales?
Prif Weinidog, rydym ni'n gwybod bod y pandemig wedi effeithio'n anghymesur ar y bobl fwyaf agored i niwed yn ein cymdeithas, gan atgyfnerthu'r anghydraddoldebau presennol o ran dosbarth, ethnigrwydd, anabledd a rhywedd. Rydym ni bellach yn wynebu argyfwng economaidd a'r posibilrwydd o anghydraddoldeb a niwed pellach i'r rhai sy'n lleiaf abl i'w wrthsefyll. Bydd prosiectau seilwaith yn rhan bwysig o adfywio ein heconomi a gallen nhw hefyd fod yn rhan o roi sylw i'r anghyfiawnder cymdeithasol hwn. Felly, a fydd contractau yn cynnwys cymalau, gofynion a darpariaeth gwaith teg i sicrhau bod y prosiectau cyfalaf hyn yn cynnig cyfleoedd, hyfforddiant a swyddi i'r rhai sydd â'r angen mwyaf, ac yn helpu i adeiladu yn ôl yn well i bawb yng Nghymru?
I thank John Griffiths for that important set of remarks and his question, Llywydd. He's right, of course, to point to the way in which the COVID crisis has had disproportionate impacts on different sectors of our society. I was very pleased last week to receive the report from Professor Emmanuel Ogbonna on the socioeconomic context of the impact of the crisis on people of black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. When we let contracts for our infrastructure work, we will, of course, draw on the principles of our economic contract, in which the investment that the Welsh public makes derives a benefit for the Welsh public beyond simply the jobs created. So, employment levels, training, apprenticeships, wider community benefits, all of that will be at the centre of the way in which we construct those contracts—very much part of the contract that we have struck for the completion of the Heads of the Valleys road; a major infrastructure project that we were able to move forward last week. But those principles will be applied more generally in order to make sure that those people who have been most adversely affected by the impact of coronavirus have a disproportionately greater benefit from the rebuilding of our economy.
Diolchaf i John Griffiths am y gyfres bwysig yna o sylwadau ac am ei gwestiwn, Llywydd. Mae e'n iawn, wrth gwrs, i gyfeirio at y ffordd y mae'r argyfwng COVID wedi cael effeithiau anghymesur ar wahanol sectorau o'n cymdeithas. Roeddwn i'n falch iawn yr wythnos diwethaf o gael yr adroddiad gan yr Athro Emmanuel Ogbonna ar gyd-destun economaidd-gymdeithasol effaith yr argyfwng ar bobl o gefndiroedd du, Asiaidd a lleiafrifoedd ethnig. Pan fyddwn ni'n gosod contractau ar gyfer ein gwaith seilwaith, byddwn, wrth gwrs, yn defnyddio egwyddorion ein contract economaidd, lle mae'r buddsoddiad y mae'r cyhoedd yng Nghymru yn ei wneud yn dod â budd i'r cyhoedd yng Nghymru y tu hwnt i ddim ond y swyddi sy'n cael eu creu. Felly, lefelau cyflogaeth, hyfforddiant, prentisiaethau, manteision ehangach i'r gymuned, bydd hynny i gyd yn ganolog i'r ffordd yr ydym ni'n llunio'r contractau hynny—yn rhan bwysig iawn o'r contract yr ydym ni wedi'i gytuno ar gyfer cwblhau ffordd Blaenau'r Cymoedd; prosiect seilwaith mawr yr oeddem ni'n gallu bwrw ymlaen ag ef yr wythnos diwethaf. Ond bydd yr egwyddorion hynny yn cael eu defnyddio yn fwy cyffredinol er mwyn gwneud yn siŵr bod y bobl hynny sydd wedi cael eu heffeithio'n fwyaf niweidiol gan effaith coronafeirws yn cael budd anghymesur mwy o ailadeiladu ein heconomi.
First Minister, thank you for the response to John Griffiths there. Obviously, he represents a Newport constituency, where the M4 relief road could have been such a piece of major infrastructure. The alternatives to an M4 relief road I think are due to be presented to you shortly, and I imagine that you've already been given a rough indication of the cost of those alternatives. What is the range of those rough costs, and what have you done to secure any necessary Treasury support, having refused that support when, of course, you ditched the plan for the M4 relief road?
Prif Weinidog, diolch am yr ymateb i John Griffiths yn y fan yna. Yn amlwg, mae'n cynrychioli etholaeth yng Nghasnewydd, lle gallai ffordd liniaru'r M4 fod wedi bod yn ddarn o seilwaith mor fawr. Rwy'n credu y bydd y dewisiadau eraill yn hytrach na ffordd liniaru'r M4 yn cael eu cyflwyno i chi yn fuan, a dychmygaf eich bod chi eisoes wedi cael syniad bras o gost y dewisiadau amgen hynny. Beth yw ystod y costau bras hynny, a beth ydych chi wedi ei wneud i sicrhau unrhyw gymorth angenrheidiol gan y Trysorlys, ar ôl gwrthod y cymorth hwnnw pan wnaethoch chi gefnu, wrth gwrs, ar y cynllun ar gyfer ffordd liniaru'r M4?
Well, the last part of that question is complete nonsense, Llywydd. What does the Member mean? There was no offer of support that was turned down, and I really think that is just absurd, and I have no idea where the Member got it from. I don't have any rough costs from their commission, because I'm waiting for their report. The work on the first set of recommendations that the commission made began earlier this week, and they are fully funded by the Welsh Government. I always said, Llywydd, that the original plan for the M4 relief road was costed at a billion pounds, and that the commission has first call on that in coming forward with alternative proposals so that we can deal with the very real issues there have been around Newport, but do it in a way that does not bring with it the enormous environmental disbenefits that the relief road would have brought.
Wel, mae rhan olaf y cwestiwn hwnnw'n lol llwyr, Llywydd. Beth mae'r Aelod yn ei olygu? Nid oedd unrhyw gynnig o gymorth a gafodd ei wrthod, ac rwyf i wir yn credu bod hynny'n hurt, ac nid oes gen i unrhyw syniad o ble y'i cafwyd gan yr Aelod. Nid oes gen i unrhyw gostau bras gan eu comisiwn, gan fy mod i'n aros am eu hadroddiad. Dechreuodd y gwaith ar y gyfres gyntaf o argymhellion a wnaed gan y comisiwn yn gynharach yr wythnos hon, ac maen nhw'n cael eu hariannu yn llawn gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Rwyf i wedi dweud erioed, Llywydd, y costiwyd y cynllun gwreiddiol ar gyfer ffordd liniaru'r M4 fel biliwn o bunnau, ac mai'r comisiwn sydd â'r alwad gyntaf ar hynny o ran cyflwyno cynigion amgen fel y gallwn ni ymdrin â'r problemau gwirioneddol iawn a fu o amgylch Casnewydd, ond ei wneud mewn ffordd nad yw'n dod â'r anfanteision amgylcheddol enfawr gydag ef y byddai'r ffordd liniaru wedi'u creu.
5. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am gefnogaeth Llywodraeth Cymru i fusnesau y mae COVID-19 wedi effeithio arnynt? OQ55386
5. Will the First Minister provide an update on Welsh Government support for businesses affected by COVID-19? OQ55386
I thank the Member for that. Our £1.7 billion-worth package of support means Welsh businesses have access to the most generous help anywhere in the United Kingdom. Over 2,700 Caerphilly-based companies alone have benefited from business rate relief. The second phase of the economic resilience fund opened on Monday of this week.
Diolchaf i'r Aelod am hynna. Mae ein pecyn cymorth gwerth £1.7 miliwn yn golygu bod busnesau yng Nghymru yn gallu cael gafael ar y cymorth mwyaf hael yn unrhyw le yn y Deyrnas Unedig. Mae dros 2,700 o gwmnïau yng Nghaerffili yn unig wedi elwa ar ryddhad ardrethi busnes. Agorodd ail gam y gronfa cadernid economaidd ddydd Llun yr wythnos hon.
Diolch, First Minister. Can I say, first of all, it's such a relief that this is the last week we'll have this wholly unsatisfactory way of doing business, and it'll be good to be back in a hybrid model next week, and I thank the Llywydd for helping with that decision?
Many businesses and charitable organisations in Caerphilly have been supported by Welsh Government in the form of grants and rate relief, and it's helped to plug the gap left by UK Government support. I welcome the announcement last week of Government support for those start-up firms who only began trading in 2019, meaning that they would have missed out on the UK Government's self-employment income support scheme. But I am aware of some small businesses in particular who are continuing to miss out. I was contacted by a constituent who runs a hairdressers in Bargoed. Her business is unable to receive any support because she's a sole trader and doesn't have to be VAT registered, which she isn't. This is unfair as similar businesses who are limited companies don't have to be VAT registered, nor can she claim any form of rate relief as she's only a tenant at her premises. As a result, she can no longer afford to pay her staff or her overheads. What more can the First Minister and the Welsh Government do to support her and other small businesses like hers who are rooted in our Valleys communities?
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. A gaf i ddweud, yn gyntaf oll, ei bod hi'n gymaint o ryddhad mai dyma'r wythnos olaf y bydd gennym ni'r ffordd gwbl anfoddhaol hon o gyflawni busnes, a bydd yn braf bod yn ôl mewn model hybrid yr wythnos nesaf, a diolchaf i'r Llywydd am helpu gyda'r penderfyniad hwnnw?
Mae llawer o fusnesau a sefydliadau elusennol yng Nghaerffili wedi cael eu cynorthwyo gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar ffurf grantiau a rhyddhad ardrethi, ac mae wedi helpu i lenwi'r bwlch a adawyd gan gymorth Llywodraeth y DU. Rwy'n croesawu'r cyhoeddiad yr wythnos diwethaf o gymorth y Llywodraeth i'r cwmnïau newydd hynny a ddechreuodd fasnachu dim ond yn 2019, sy'n golygu nad oedden nhw'n gymwys ar gyfer cynllun cymorth incwm hunangyflogaeth Llywodraeth y DU. Ond rwy'n ymwybodol o rai busnesau bach yn arbennig sy'n parhau i golli allan. Cysylltodd etholwr â mi sy'n rhedeg siop trin gwallt ym Margoed. Nid yw ei busnes hi'n gallu cael unrhyw gymorth gan ei bod hi'n unig fasnachwr ac nid oes rhaid iddi fod wedi ei ch ar gyfer TAW, ac nid yw wedi gwneud hynny. Mae hyn yn annheg gan nad oes yn rhaid i fusnesau tebyg sy'n gwmnïau cyfyngedig fod wedi'u cofrestru at ddibenion TAW, ac ni all hi hawlio unrhyw fath o ryddhad ardrethi ychwaith gan mai dim ond tenant yw hi yn ei hadeilad. O ganlyniad, ni all fforddio talu ei staff na'i gorbenion mwyach. Beth arall all y Prif Weinidog a Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud i'w chynorthwyo hi a busnesau bach eraill fel ei busnes hi sydd â'u gwreiddiau yn ein cymunedau yn y Cymoedd?
Well, Llywydd, I thank Hefin David for what he said about the new £5 million grant supporting start-up businesses. We anticipate it will support up to 2,000 businesses in Wales, and it is an example of filling a gap in the schemes that the UK Government has devised. I always take this opportunity to recognise the help that the UK Government has provided, and to say that it is inevitable, in very large, very rapidly constructed schemes, that there will be some blunt edges and gaps that will emerge, and our £500 million economic resilience fund has always been aimed at finding the gaps in the schemes that the UK Government has put in place and then to try to fill them here in Wales. We aren't able to fill every gap; it's just not possible within the scope of what we have. But, we continue to review the economic resilience fund to see whether we can do more through it. Where there are examples where the structure of the help that is available creates gaps that firms fall through, then we're always open to hearing about that and to see if there are further ways in which we can assist.
Wel, Llywydd, diolchaf i Hefin David am yr hyn a ddywedodd am y grant newydd o £5 miliwn sy'n cynorthwyo busnesau newydd. Rydym ni'n rhagweld y bydd yn cynorthwyo hyd at 2,000 o fusnesau yng Nghymru, ac mae'n enghraifft o lenwi bwlch yn y cynlluniau a luniwyd gan Lywodraeth y DU. Rwyf i bob amser yn manteisio ar y cyfle hwn i gydnabod y cymorth y mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi ei roi, a dweud ei bod hi'n anochel, mewn cynlluniau mawr iawn, sy'n cael eu llunio yn gyflym iawn, y bydd rhai ymylon aflem a bylchau a fydd yn dod i'r amlwg, a bwriadwyd o'r cychwyn i'n cronfa cadernid economaidd o £500 miliwn ddod o hyd i'r bylchau yn y cynlluniau y mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi eu rhoi ar waith ac yna ceisio eu llenwi nhw yma yng Nghymru. Nid ydym ni'n gallu llenwi pob bwlch; nid yw'n bosibl o fewn cwmpas yr hyn sydd gennym ni. Ond, rydym ni'n parhau i adolygu'r gronfa cadernid economaidd i weld a allwn ni wneud mwy drwyddi. Lle ceir enghreifftiau lle mae strwythur y cymorth sydd ar gael yn creu bylchau y mae cwmnïau yn disgyn drwyddyn nhw, yna rydym ni bob amser yn agored i glywed am hynny ac i weld a oes ffyrdd eraill y gallwn ni gynorthwyo.
Leanne Wood. You need to unmute yourself, Leanne Wood.
Leanne Wood. Mae angen i chi ddad-dawelu eich hun, Leanne Wood.
Okay. Sorry, I thought I had. I want to ask about support for the arts. The arts are vitally important for our culture, for our language, and potentially for tourism as well. Many people working in the arts are freelancers or gig economy workers who may—or probably haven't had any support from the Government so far. Large audience events are unlikely to be safe for people in the old way soon, and so, what happens to the firm of public address system operators—four of them who work in my constituency—who are unable to have any work at the moment?
Would you be prepared to consider an idea that has been proposed to the Scottish Government for a national arts force, which would see the arts be a part of well-being and recovery, where musicians and artists can go into schools, hospitals and care homes, and even provide online courses? Imagine the PA firm being able to teach sound engineering skills to young people in the Rhondda throughout the summer holidays. Would you be prepared to look at that recommendation that has gone to the Scottish Government and consider a similar scheme to operate in Wales? We can't rely on the Westminster Government to plug this gap; it's something that the Welsh Government needs to do, and it needs to do it urgently.
Iawn. Mae'n ddrwg gen i, roeddwn i'n meddwl fy mod i wedi gwneud. Hoffwn ofyn am gefnogaeth i'r celfyddydau. Mae'r celfyddydau yn hanfodol bwysig i'n diwylliant, i'n hiaith, ac o bosibl i dwristiaeth hefyd. Gweithwyr llawrydd neu weithwyr yn yr economi gìg yw llawer o bobl sy'n gweithio yn y celfyddydau, sydd efallai—neu mae'n debygol nad ydyn nhw wedi cael unrhyw gymorth gan y Llywodraeth hyd yma. Mae'n annhebygol y bydd digwyddiadau â chynulleidfaoedd mawr yn ddiogel i bobl yn yr hen ffordd yn fuan, ac felly, beth sy'n digwydd i'r cwmni o weithredwyr system annerch y cyhoedd—y mae pedwar ohonyn nhw'n gweithio yn fy etholaeth i—nad ydyn nhw'n gallu cael unrhyw waith ar hyn o bryd?
A fyddech yn barod i ystyried syniad a gynigiwyd i Lywodraeth yr Alban ar gyfer llu celfyddydau cenedlaethol, a fyddai'n golygu bod y celfyddydau yn rhan o les ac adferiad, lle gall cerddorion ac artistiaid fynd i ysgolion, ysbytai a chartrefi gofal, a hyd yn oed ddarparu cyrsiau ar-lein? Dychmygwch y cwmni annerch y cyhoedd yn gallu addysgu sgiliau peirianneg sain i bobl ifanc yn y Rhondda trwy wyliau'r haf. A fyddech chi'n barod i edrych ar yr argymhelliad hwnnw a wnaed i Lywodraeth yr Alban ac ystyried cynllun tebyg i'w weithredu yng Nghymru? Allwn ni ddim dibynnu ar Lywodraeth San Steffan i lenwi'r bwlch hwn; mae'n rhywbeth y mae angen i Lywodraeth Cymru ei wneud, ac mae angen iddi ei wneud ar frys.
Llywydd, I thank Leanne Wood for that. She'll know that my colleague Dafydd Elis-Thomas has published a lengthy written statement this week on support for the arts here in Wales. I'm very happy to look at the idea that Leanne Wood has set out. She's sounding quite like Franklin Delano Roosevelt in that, and a great deal more convincingly than others who have made claims to that mantle, if I may say so. So, we will, by all means, look at it.
This is another example, actually, Llywydd, of where the UK Government has constantly implied that it is on the brink of publishing a support package for a sector, just as it did for steel last week. So, for many weeks, it has trailed an imminent announcement about a package of support for the arts. That support package needs to come forward, and if it did, it would materially strengthen our ability to put into practice the sort of scheme that Leanne Wood has talked about this morning.
Llywydd, hoffwn ddiolch i Leanne Wood am hynna. Bydd yn gwybod bod fy nghyd-Weinidog, Dafydd Elis-Thomas, wedi cyhoeddi datganiad ysgrifenedig hirfaith yr wythnos hon ar gefnogaeth i'r celfyddydau yma yng Nghymru. Rwy'n hapus iawn i edrych ar y syniad a nodwyd gan Leanne Wood. Mae'n swnio'n debyg iawn i Franklin Delano Roosevelt yn hynny o beth, ac yn llawer mwy argyhoeddiadol nag eraill sydd wedi gwneud hawliadau ar y fantell honno, os caf ddweud hynny. Felly, byddwn yn yn sicr yn edrych arno.
Mae hon yn enghraifft arall, a dweud y gwir, Llywydd, lle mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi awgrymu yn gyson ei bod ar fin cyhoeddi pecyn cymorth ar gyfer sector, yn union fel y gwnaeth ar gyfer dur yr wythnos diwethaf. Felly, ers wythnosau lawer, mae wedi awgrymu bod cyhoeddiad ar fin cael ei wneud o becyn cymorth i'r celfyddydau. Mae angen i'r pecyn cymorth hwnnw gael ei gyflwyno, a phe byddai hynny yn digwydd, byddai'n cryfhau yn ymarferol ein gallu i weithredu'r math o gynllun y mae Leanne Wood wedi sôn amdano y bore yma.
6. Pa asesiad y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i wneud o effaith y cyfyngiadau symud ar gyrhaeddiad addysgol yng Ngogledd Cymru? OQ55364
6. What assessment has the First Minister made of the effect of lockdown on educational attainment in North Wales? OQ55364
Llywydd, no research of which I am aware suggests that the effect of lockdown on education attainment has varied by geography. Our focus has been on vulnerable or disadvantaged learners, wherever they live in Wales.
Llywydd, nid oes unrhyw ymchwil yr wyf i'n ymwybodol ohono yn awgrymu bod effaith cyfyngiadau symud ar gyrhaeddiad addysgol wedi amrywio yn ôl daearyddiaeth. Rydym ni wedi canolbwyntio ar ddysgwyr sy'n agored i niwed neu sydd o dan anfantais, pa le bynnag y maen nhw'n byw yng Nghymru.
Thank you. First Minister, a major study of home schooling during lockdown by University College London's Institute of Education has highlighted some worrying findings about how children's education in Wales may be suffering. They suggest that, on your watch, children in Wales are doing less schoolwork and receiving less online education than their peers across the rest of the UK while schools have been shut down. Will your Government commission an inquiry to look at why and how children in Wales appear to have been let down so badly by those entrusted with their education?
Diolch. Prif Weinidog, mae astudiaeth fawr o addysgu gartref yn ystod y cyfyngiadau symud gan Sefydliad Addysg Coleg Prifysgol Llundain wedi tynnu sylw at rai canfyddiadau sy'n peri gofid ynglŷn â sut y gallai addysg plant yng Nghymru fod yn dioddef. Maen nhw'n awgrymu, o dan eich goruchwyliaeth chi, bod plant yng Nghymru yn gwneud llai o waith ysgol ac yn cael llai o addysg ar-lein na'u cyfoedion ar draws gweddill y DU tra bod ysgolion wedi bod ar gau. A wnaiff eich Llywodraeth gomisiynu ymchwiliad i ystyried pam a sut y mae'n ymddangos bod plant yng Nghymru wedi cael eu siomi mor enbyd gan y rhai sydd yn gofalu am eu haddysg?
Well, Llywydd, I certainly wouldn't be prepared to do that on the back of one study that I've not myself had any opportunity to look at. I think that there have been some outstanding examples in schools across Wales of the way in which teachers have been able to respond to the challenges of coronavirus and providing an education in the context that it has created. What we are now determined to do is to create a set of national expectations that mean that all schools in Wales in the autumn are able to draw on the experience of the very best to make sure that there are minimum attendance standards in school, that there are standards for frequency of contact when not in school and that quality of work assessment, marking and feedback standards are common across the whole of Wales.
We will deploy Estyn inspectors from September to make sure that good practice is spread throughout the educational system in Wales, to make sure that the very best, which has been, I think, outstanding where it has been on offer, is on offer more broadly to all children in Wales.
Wel, Llywydd, yn sicr, ni fyddwn i'n barod i wneud hynny ar sail un astudiaeth nad wyf i wedi cael unrhyw gyfle i edrych arni fy hun. Rwy'n credu y bu rhai enghreifftiau rhagorol mewn ysgolion ledled Cymru o'r ffordd y mae athrawon wedi gallu ymateb i heriau coronafeirws a darparu addysg yn y cyd-destun y mae wedi ei greu. Yr hyn yr ydym ni'n benderfynol o'i wneud nawr yw creu cyfres o ddisgwyliadau cenedlaethol sy'n golygu bod pob ysgol yng Nghymru yn yr hydref yn gallu manteisio ar brofiad y rhai gorau un i wneud yn siŵr bod safonau presenoldeb gofynnol yn yr ysgol, bod safonau ar gyfer amlder cyswllt pan nad ydyn nhw yn yr ysgol a bod safonau asesu ansawdd gwaith, marcio ac adborth yn gyffredin ar draws Cymru gyfan.
Byddwn yn defnyddio arolygwyr Estyn o fis Medi ymlaen i wneud yn siŵr bod arferion da yn cael eu rhannu ar draws y system addysg yng Nghymru, i wneud yn siŵr bod y gorau un, sydd wedi bod yn rhagorol, yn fy marn ni, lle mae wedi cael ei gynnig, ar gael yn fwy eang i bob plentyn yng Nghymru.
Diolch i'r Prif Weinidog.
Thank you, First Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes, a dwi'n galw ar y Trefnydd i wneud y datganiad hynny—Rebecca Evans.
The next item is the business statement and announcement, and I call on the Trefnydd to make that statement—Rebecca Evans.
Diolch, Llywydd. There are no changes to today's agenda. Draft business for the next three sitting weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Diolch, Llywydd. Nid oes unrhyw newidiadau i agenda heddiw. Mae'r busnes drafft ar gyfer y tair wythnos eistedd 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.
Trefnydd, I would be grateful if you could investigate the issue of written oral questions that have not been answered, dating back, in my case, as far as 2016, from Welsh Government Ministers. I know that this is an issue that has been raised a number of times in this Chamber, but I do feel now that we need to get to the bottom of why written questions are simply not answered by Welsh Government Ministers. Can you please investigate? According to the Table Office, some of my questions haven't been answered dating back as far as 2016. I'd be grateful if you could investigate this, business manager, with the Table Office and provide a statement to Members of this Senedd with an explanation of why this has occurred.
Trefnydd, byddwn i'n ddiolchgar os gallech chi ymchwilio i'r mater cwestiynau llafar ysgrifenedig sydd heb eu hateb, yn dyddio'n ôl, yn fy achos i, cyn belled â 2016, gan Weinidogion Llywodraeth Cymru. Gwn fod hwn yn fater a godwyd nifer o weithiau yn y Siambr hon, ond teimlaf nawr fod angen inni ddarganfod pam nad yw cwestiynau ysgrifenedig yn cael eu hateb gan Weinidogion Llywodraeth Cymru. A allwch chi ymchwilio i hyn os gwelwch yn dda? Yn ôl y Swyddfa Gyflwyno, nid yw rhai o fy nghwestiynau i, yn dyddio'n ôl mor bell â 2016, wedi cael eu hateb. Byddwn i'n ddiolchgar os gallech ymchwilio i hyn, rheolwr busnes, gyda'r Swyddfa Gyflwyno a rhoi datganiad i Aelodau'r Senedd hon gydag esboniad o'r rheswm dros hyn.
I'll certainly investigate why those responses haven't arrived, certainly going back to such a date. If you let me have the numbers that would be helpful, otherwise I can liaise directly with the Table Office to get that information for you.FootnoteLink
Yn sicr, byddaf yn ymchwilio i'r rheswm pam nad yw'r ymatebion hynny wedi cyrraedd, gan fynd yn ôl yn sicr i'r dyddiad hwnnw. Os allwch adael imi gael y niferoedd, byddai hynny'n ddefnyddiol, neu fel arall gallaf gysylltu'n uniongyrchol â'r Swyddfa Gyflwyno i gael yr wybodaeth honno ar eich cyfer.FootnoteLink
Leanne Wood. You need to unmute yourself again, Leanne Wood.
Leanne Wood. Mae angen ichi droi eich sain ymlaen eto, Leanne Wood.
I don't have a question, Llywydd.
Nid oes gennyf i gwestiwn, Llywydd.
Oh, that's okay. Mick Antoniw.
O, mae hynny'n iawn. Mick Antoniw.
I wonder if it would be possible to have a Government time debate on the planning system in Wales, and in particular with regard to the role of the Planning Inspectorate. It's becoming increasingly clear to me and many other Assembly Members that there are real question marks about the fitness for purpose of the Planning Inspectorate and whether we should now be moving towards a system whereby local decisions by councils on planning matters should be prioritised to a far higher degree, rather than the way in which it seems to happen at the moment with the way in which the Planning Inspectorate seems to override local interest. It seems to me that it's an important and long-overdue debate, and I wonder if Government can make time for such a debate.
Tybed a fyddai'n bosibl cael dadl amser y Llywodraeth ar y system gynllunio yng Nghymru, ac yn enwedig o ran swyddogaeth yr Arolygiaeth Gynllunio. Mae'n dod yn fwyfwy eglur i mi ac i lawer o Aelodau eraill y Senedd fod amheuon gwirioneddol ynghylch pa mor addas i'r diben yw'r Arolygiaeth Gynllunio ac a ddylem bellach fod yn symud tuag at system lle y dylai penderfyniadau lleol gan gynghorau ar faterion cynllunio gael eu blaenoriaethu'n fwy, yn hytrach na'r ffordd y mae'n digwydd ar hyn o bryd gyda'r Arolygiaeth Gynllunio yn ymddangos fel petai'n diystyru buddiannau lleol. Mae'n ymddangos i mi ei bod yn ddadl bwysig a hir-ddisgwyliedig, a tybed a all y Llywodraeth wneud amser ar gyfer dadl o'r fath.
I thank Mick Antoniw for that suggestion. Over the summer, I'll be having some discussions with colleagues about the debates that they would wish to bring forward, and I know that they'll be considering the requests that colleagues bring forward today, and have done in recent times as well, in terms of setting out that agenda of Government business for the next term, which I hope will, to a degree, allow us to return to more usual and more normal kinds of tabling of business. But, obviously, we will see where we are in the autumn term.
Diolch i Mick Antoniw am yr awgrym hwnnw. Yn ystod yr haf, byddaf yn cael rhai trafodaethau â chyd-Aelodau am y dadleuon y byddent yn dymuno eu cyflwyno, a gwn y byddant yn ystyried y ceisiadau sydd wedi'u cyflwyno gan gyd-Aelodau heddiw, ac a wnaethant yn ddiweddar hefyd, o ran gosod yr agenda honno o fusnes y Llywodraeth ar gyfer y tymor nesaf. Gobeithio y bydd hynny, i raddau, yn caniatáu inni ddychwelyd at y mathau mwy arferol a mwy normal o gyflwyno busnes. Ond, yn amlwg, cawn weld ble'r ydym arni yn nhymor yr Hydref.
Trefnydd, will you ask the Minister for economy to come forward with a statement to confirm who exactly is entitled to receive a business support package from the economic recovery fund during the pandemic? There is still much confusion as to who qualifies, as in the case of my constituent who has three businesses, is paying three lots of tax for them, but because they're run from the same address, he has been given assistance for only one business, saying that he does not qualify. So, before his other two businesses, employing several people, are beyond repair, what financial assurance can my constituent be afforded?
Trefnydd, a wnewch chi ofyn i Weinidog yr economi gyflwyno datganiad i gadarnhau pwy yn union sydd â'r hawl i gael pecyn cymorth busnes gan y gronfa adfer economaidd yn ystod y pandemig? Mae llawer o ddryswch yn parhau ynglŷn â phwy sy'n gymwys. Er enghraifft, yn achos un o fy etholwyr i sydd â thri busnes, ac sy'n talu treth dair gwaith, oherwydd eu bod yn cael eu rhedeg o'r un cyfeiriad, mae ond wedi cael cymorth ar gyfer un busnes, gan ddweud nad yw'n gymwys. Felly, cyn i'w ddau fusnes arall, sy'n cyflogi nifer o bobl, fynd y tu hwnt i achubiaeth, pa sicrwydd ariannol y gellid ei roi i fy etholwr?
I thank Caroline Jones for raising this. I do think that the criteria for the grants related to non-domestic rates are quite clear, in the sense that they are set out on the Business Wales website. The situation you describe certainly sounds as if it would only be the one business that would be eligible for the business rate related grant, because those grants are directly related to those businesses that are paying the non-domestic rates.
That said, other businesses are being asked to look to the economic resilience fund, which opened for phase 2 earlier on this week, to seek support for businesses that aren't eligible for the non-domestic relief-related grants. So, we've tried to put in support, as the First Minister's said, in order to plug those gaps as far as is possible.
Diolch i Caroline Jones am godi hyn. Rwy'n credu bod y meini prawf ar gyfer y grantiau sy'n ymwneud ag ardrethi annomestig yn eithaf clir, yn yr ystyr eu bod wedi'u nodi ar wefan Busnes Cymru. Mae'r sefyllfa yr ydych chi'n ei disgrifio yn sicr yn swnio fel pe bai dim ond un busnes fyddai'n gymwys i gael y grant ardrethi busnes, oherwydd bod y grantiau hynny'n gysylltiedig yn uniongyrchol â'r busnesau hynny sy'n talu ardrethi annomestig.
Wedi dweud hynny, gofynnir i fusnesau fynd at y gronfa cydnerthedd economaidd, a agorodd ar gyfer cam 2 yn gynharach yr wythnos hon, i geisio cymorth i fusnesau nad ydyn nhw'n gymwys i gael grantiau sy'n gysylltiedig â rhyddhad ardrethi annomestig. Felly, rydym wedi ceisio rhoi cefnogaeth, fel y dywedodd y Prif Weinidog, er mwyn llenwi'r bylchau hynny cyn belled ag y bo modd.
Leader of the house, could I have two statements, if possible? I appreciate that they'll be done in a written form. One in relation to the Government missing its deadline for farm payments yesterday—30 June itself is the deadline to make all farm payments other than complex payments. I'm led to believe that the Government has missed that deadline and will be subject to EU fines for missing the deadline. We now need to understand what the new timeline will be for farm businesses to receive this money, especially with the COVID crisis impacting on many farm businesses, and the flow of cash into those businesses.
And secondly, the Auditor General for Wales's report yesterday touched on a very pertinent issue that has been plaguing the rural development plan and its delivery right the way through its lifetime since 2014. The auditor general did a report in 2018 that highlighted the same problems that were highlighted by the report yesterday. And, sadly, it does seem as if much of this money goes to favoured companies, individuals or Government agencies themselves, as the auditor general highlights. It is vitally important that the Minister responds to this report in a timely manner and that Members see that response so that, with the remaining time for the rural development plan, we can have confidence that the remaining money will not be frittered away and will be used to best effect.
Arweinydd y Tŷ, a gaf i ddau ddatganiad, os oes modd? Rwy'n sylweddoli y byddan nhw'n cael eu gwneud ar ffurf ysgrifenedig. Un o ran y Llywodraeth yn methu ei therfyn amser ar gyfer taliadau fferm ddoe—30 Mehefin yw'r dyddiad cau ar gyfer gwneud pob taliad fferm, ar wahân i daliadau cymhleth. Rwy'n deall bod y Llywodraeth wedi methu'r dyddiad cau hwnnw ac y bydd yn agored i ddirwyon yr UE am fethu'r dyddiad cau. Mae angen inni ddeall yn awr beth fydd y llinell amser newydd i fusnesau fferm gael yr arian hwn, yn enwedig gyda'r argyfwng COVID sy'n effeithio ar lawer o fusnesau fferm, a'r llif arian i'r busnesau hynny.
Ac yn ail, soniodd adroddiad Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru ddoe am fater perthnasol iawn sydd wedi bod yn bla ar y cynllun datblygu gwledig a'r ffordd y cafodd ei gyflawni yn ystod ei oes ers 2014. Cyflawnodd yr Archwilydd Cyffredinol adroddiad yn 2018 a oedd yn amlygu'r un problemau a amlygwyd gan yr adroddiad ddoe. Ac, yn anffodus, mae'n ymddangos fel petai llawer o'r arian hwn yn mynd i gwmnïau ac unigolion a ffefrir, neu i asiantaethau'r Llywodraeth eu hunain, fel y mae'r archwilydd cyffredinol yn ei amlygu. Mae'n hanfodol bwysig bod y Gweinidog yn ymateb i'r adroddiad hwn mewn modd amserol a bod yr Aelodau'n gweld yr ymateb hwnnw fel y gallwn ni, gyda'r amser sy'n weddill ar gyfer y cynllun datblygu gwledig, fod yn hyderus na fydd yr arian sydd ar ôl yn cael ei wastraffu ac y caiff ei ddefnyddio yn y ffordd fwyaf effeithiol.
I will certainly make sure that the Minister is aware of your request for a statement and clarity on farm payments, particularly in the timing of those payments within this financial year.
On the second issue that you raise about the Wales Audit Office report, obviously, we're grateful for the work that was done there, and we'll ensure that officials respond to them in due course. I do know that officials will need to provide evidence to the Public Accounts Committee in respect of the approach taken to the assessment of value for money through the RDP, and I think that that is a proper forum for those issues to be discussed and explored.
As part of our ongoing review of the delivery of the RDP, officials had already identified the issues described by Audit Wales and have taken action to remedy them. The report's conclusions provide some helpful guidance to ensure that all the necessary actions have been implemented. And I can add that officials have reviewed the projects concerned to ensure that they do, in practice, deliver value for money, and, where appropriate, have taken action to ensure that we do achieve value for money, including retendering some of those projects. So, I hope that that's helpful as an interim update before officials give evidence to the Public Accounts Committee.
Yn sicr, byddaf yn sicrhau bod y Gweinidog yn ymwybodol o'ch cais am ddatganiad ac eglurder ynghylch taliadau fferm, yn enwedig o ran amseriad y taliadau hynny o fewn y flwyddyn ariannol hon.
O ran yr ail fater a godwch am adroddiad Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru, yn amlwg, rydym yn ddiolchgar am y gwaith a wnaed yno, a byddwn yn sicrhau bod swyddogion yn ymateb iddyn nhw maes o law. Gwn y bydd angen i'r swyddogion ddarparu tystiolaeth i'r Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus ynglŷn â'r dull a gafodd ei ddefnyddio i asesu gwerth am arian drwy'r cynllun datblygu gwledig, ac rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n fforwm priodol i'r materion hynny gael eu trafod a'u harchwilio.
Fel rhan o'n hadolygiad parhaus o'r broses o ddarparu'r cynllun datblygu gwledig, roedd swyddogion eisoes wedi nodi'r materion yr oedd Archwilio Cymru wedi'u disgrifio ac wedi cymryd camau i'w hunioni. Mae casgliadau'r adroddiad yn rhoi tipyn o arweiniad defnyddiol i sicrhau bod yr holl gamau angenrheidiol wedi'u cymryd. A gallaf ychwanegu bod swyddogion wedi adolygu'r prosiectau dan sylw i sicrhau eu bod, yn ymarferol, yn sicrhau gwerth am arian a'u bod, lle bo hynny'n briodol, wedi cymryd camau i sicrhau ein bod ni'n cyflawni gwerth am arian, gan gynnwys ail-dendro rhai o'r prosiectau hynny. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd hynny o gymorth fel diweddariad dros dro cyn i swyddogion roi tystiolaeth i'r Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus.
Finally, Darren Millar.
Yn olaf, Darren Millar.
Diolch, Llywydd. Trefnydd, can I call for a Welsh Government statement on when driving lessons, theory tests and practical tests will be able to recommence in Wales? There are a lot of people across the country, particularly young people, who were in the middle of taking their driving lessons and have been unable to complete their courses. In addition to that, there are those who've passed their theory tests, and the validity of those can expire before they're able to take the actual practical driving test, because of the coronavirus shutdown. And, of course, there are many driving schools with instructors on the English side of the border who are losing out to business to driving schools on the other side of the Welsh border, simply because of the current situation.
The UK Government has announced that it's going to be recommencing these things on 4 July, and I think it would be great if we could get to a situation in Wales where we were able to announce the same as soon as possible.
Diolch, Llywydd. Trefnydd, a gaf i alw am ddatganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru ynghylch pryd y bydd gwersi gyrru, profion theori a phrofion ymarferol yn gallu ailddechrau yng Nghymru? Mae llawer o bobl ledled y wlad, yn enwedig pobl ifanc, a oedd ar ganol cymryd eu gwersi gyrru ac wedi methu cwblhau eu cyrsiau. Yn ychwanegol at hynny, mae yna rai sydd wedi pasio eu profion theori, a dilysrwydd y rheini yn dod i ben cyn y gallan nhw sefyll y prawf gyrru ymarferol gwirioneddol, oherwydd cyfyngiadau coronafeirws. Ac, wrth gwrs, mae llawer o ysgolion gyrru gyda hyfforddwyr ar ochr Lloegr i'r ffin sy'n colli busnes i ysgolion gyrru ar ochr arall ffin Cymru, dim ond oherwydd y sefyllfa bresennol.
Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi cyhoeddi y bydd yn ailddechrau'r pethau hyn ar 4 Gorffennaf, ac rwy'n credu y byddai'n wych o beth pe byddai modd i ni gyrraedd sefyllfa yng Nghymru lle gallem gyhoeddi'r un peth cyn gynted â phosibl.
Well, a really wide range of circumstances are considered throughout our three-weekly rolling review of the regulations, and, clearly, we are considering many different types of employment and employment circumstances. So, obviously, there are circumstances across Wales—I've had guitar teachers who teach at home, for example, wanting to know what the rules mean for them. So, I know that we do need to provide as much clarity as we can, which we're seeking to do through our three-weekly reviews, but I will make sure that I express your concerns particularly about driving instructors and people undertaking driving lessons, with a view to taking tests, in those discussions that we'll be continuing to have this week.
Wel, mae amrywiaeth eang iawn o amgylchiadau'n cael eu hystyried drwy gydol ein hadolygiad treigl tair wythnos o'r rheoliadau, ac rydym yn ystyried llawer o wahanol fathau o gyflogaeth ac amgylchiadau cyflogaeth. Felly, yn amlwg, mae yna amgylchiadau ledled Cymru—rwyf wedi cael athrawon gitâr sy'n addysgu gartref, er enghraifft, eisiau gwybod yr hyn y mae'r rheolau yn ei olygu iddyn nhw. Felly, rwy'n gwybod bod angen inni ddarparu cymaint o eglurder ag y gallwn ni, ac rydym ni'n ceisio gwneud hynny drwy ein hadolygiadau tair wythnos, ond gwnaf yn siŵr fy mod yn mynegi'ch pryderon, yn enwedig o ran hyfforddwyr gyrru a phobl sy'n cael gwersi gyrru, gyda golwg ar sefyll profion, yn y trafodaethau hynny y byddwn ni'n parhau i'w cael yr wythnos hon.
Diolch i'r Trefnydd.
I thank the Trefnydd.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol yn rhinwedd ei gyfrifoldebau fel y swyddog cyfreithiol, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Helen Mary Jones.
The next item is questions to the Counsel General in respect of his law officer responsibilities, and the first question is from Helen Mary Jones.
1. Pa gyngor cyfreithiol y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i roi i Lywodraeth Cymru ar effaith yr argyfwng Covid-19 ar hawliau dynol yng Nghymru? OQ55380
1. What legal advice has the Counsel General provided to the Welsh Government on the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on human rights in Wales? OQ55380
The Welsh Government is committed to upholding human rights, a responsibility that it takes very seriously. The COVID crisis has not diminished that commitment. Those rights are as important now as at any time in the past. The Welsh Government continues to ensure the protection of those rights throughout the management of the COVID-19 crisis.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i gynnal hawliau dynol, cyfrifoldeb y mae'n ei gymryd o ddifrif. Nid yw argyfwng COVID wedi lleihau'r ymrwymiad hwnnw. Mae'r hawliau hynny mor bwysig nawr ag y buon nhw ar unrhyw adeg yn y gorffennol. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i sicrhau bod yr hawliau hynny'n cael eu diogelu drwy gydol y broses o reoli argyfwng COVID-19.
I'm grateful to the Counsel General for his response and for his reassurances. He will, of course, as I'm sure we all are, be aware that this crisis has impacted more seriously on some sections of the population than others. We know, for example, about the economic impact on women and the longer term impact of having to do increased domestic duties at the same time as working from home, and, of course, the impact of the virus on black people and people of colour.
Is the Counsel General confident that the advice that he's been able to provide has ensured that the Welsh Government has exercised its public sector equality duty in how it has responded? Anecdotally, it would be my impression that certainly efforts have been done to do so, but it is, I'm sure he would agree with me, very important that as we move out of the crisis we ensure that these disproportionate impacts on already vulnerable sections of our community are built into our plans to rebuild and to develop particularly the economy.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol am ei ymateb ac am y sicrwydd hwnnw. Fe fydd ef, wrth gwrs, fel yr ydym ni i gyd, rwy'n siŵr, yn ymwybodol bod yr argyfwng hwn wedi effeithio'n fwy difrifol ar rai carfannau o'r boblogaeth nag ar eraill. Rydym ni'n gwybod, er enghraifft, am yr effaith economaidd ar fenywod ac effaith tymor hwy gorfod gwneud mwy o ddyletswyddau domestig ar yr un pryd â gweithio gartref ac, wrth gwrs, effaith y feirws ar bobl ddu a phobl o liw.
A yw'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol yn hyderus bod y cyngor y mae ef wedi gallu ei ddarparu wedi sicrhau bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi arfer ei dyletswydd cydraddoldeb sector cyhoeddus yn y ffordd yr ymatebodd? Yn anecdotaidd, fy argraff i yw y gwnaed ymdrechion i wneud hynny, yn sicr. Ond mae'n bwysig iawn, rwy'n siŵr y byddai'n cytuno â mi, wrth inni symud allan o'r argyfwng, ein bod yn sicrhau bod yr effeithiau anghymesur hyn ar rannau o'n cymuned sydd eisoes yn agored i niwed yn cael eu cynnwys yn ein cynlluniau i ailadeiladu ac i ddatblygu'r economi.
Well, I couldn't agree more with the Member than in her point acknowledging the disproportionate impact on certain groups in our community of COVID. She identified a number of communities that have been particularly adversely affected. And I just want to associate myself with the point that the First Minister made in answers to his questions earlier, which is to say that our focus very much is on ensuring that groups that have been disproportionately adversely affected are given additional support in the process of recovery from COVID.
Just on the point in relation specifically to the public sector equality duty, those assessments have been made. She will perhaps have noted, and if she hasn't, I'll draw her attention to, the document that we published on Monday of this week that describes the impact assessments that have been undertaken across the piece in relation to the various judgments that we've had to make as a Government in relation to COVID-19. She will understand, and I hope Members generally will understand, that the circumstances at the outset of the process in which decisions were being made at very great urgency will have meant that we had to take a slightly different approach to the immediate judgments at the start. But I refer her and other Members to that document, which I hope gives a clear explanation of the approach we've taken throughout to assessing impact, mindful of the fact that, as the First Minister has said himself, the equality lens is essential to the steps we are taking, in particular at the moment, in coming out of lockdown.
Wel, rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â'r Aelod yn ei phwynt yn cydnabod effaith anghymesur COVID ar rai grwpiau yn ein cymuned. Nododd nifer o gymunedau yr effeithiwyd arnyn nhw'n andwyol iawn. Ac rwyf eisiau cysylltu fy hun â'r pwynt a wnaeth y Prif Weinidog mewn atebion i'w gwestiynau'n gynharach, sef dweud ein bod ni'n canolbwyntio'n fawr ar sicrhau bod grwpiau sydd wedi cael eu heffeithio'n anffafriol yn anghymesur yn cael cymorth ychwanegol yn y broses o ymadfer rhag COVID.
O ran y pwynt sy'n ymwneud yn benodol â dyletswydd cydraddoldeb y sector cyhoeddus, mae'r asesiadau hynny wedi'u gwneud. Efallai y bydd hi wedi nodi, ac os na fydd hi wedi gwneud hynny, rwy'n ei chyfeirio at y ddogfen a gyhoeddwyd gennym ddydd Llun yr wythnos hon, sy'n disgrifio'r asesiadau effaith sydd wedi'u cyflawni'n gyffredinol o ran gwahanol ddyfarniadau y bu'n rhaid inni eu gwneud fel Llywodraeth ynghylch COVID-19. Fe fydd hi'n deall, ac rwyf yn gobeithio y bydd yr Aelodau yn gyffredinol yn deall, fod yr amgylchiadau ar ddechrau'r broses lle'r oedd penderfyniadau'n cael eu gwneud ar frys mawr wedi golygu bod yn rhaid inni ymdrin ychydig yn wahanol â'r dyfarniadau uniongyrchol ar y dechrau. Ond rwy'n ei chyfeirio hi ac aelodau eraill at y ddogfen honno, ac rwy'n gobeithio bod y ddogfen yn rhoi esboniad clir o'r dull gweithredu yr ydym ni wedi'i ddilyn drwy gydol y broses o asesu effaith, gan gofio, fel y dywedodd y Prif Weinidog ei hun, fod lens cydraddoldeb yn hanfodol i'r camau yr ydym ni'n eu cymryd, yn arbennig ar hyn o bryd, wrth ddod allan o'r cyfyngiadau symud.
Counsel General, you'll be aware that one of the groups most affected by the lockdown has been children, and in light of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, articles 28 and 29, I just wondered what advice you're giving on how we're going to ensure that all children are going to be able to get an education going forward in September.
Cwnsler Cyffredinol, rydych hi'n ymwybodol mai plant yw un o'r grwpiau yr effeithiwyd arnynt fwyaf gan y cyfyngiadau symud, ac yng ngoleuni Confensiwn y Cenhedloedd Unedig ar Hawliau'r Plentyn, erthyglau 28 a 29, tybed pa gyngor yr ydych chi'n ei roi ar sut rydym ni'n mynd i sicrhau bod pob plentyn yn mynd i allu cael addysg wrth symud ymlaen ym mis Medi.
I thank Jenny Rathbone for that question. The decision to increase operations in schools from 29 June was guided, really, by an approach based on equality of access. All learners have a right to education and to be supported in that learning, as is clear from the question that she puts to me, and the phased approach aims to mitigate the adverse impact on learners caused by COVID-19. As a Government, we remain completely committed to protecting the rights of children as set out in the convention to which she refers, and we're obviously mindful of our obligations in relation to children under the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011 as well. So, I want to reassure the Member that those considerations remain at the forefront of our thinking in terms of the return of operations to school and more broadly, and also to remind her and others of the work that we did to consult with children and young people in relation to the impact of coronavirus on their lives, which was itself a reflection of the obligations on us under article 12, I think it is, of the convention, which gives the right to a voice, as it were, to children and young people.
Diolch i Jenny Rathbone am y cwestiwn hwnnw. Cafodd y penderfyniad i gynyddu gweithrediadau mewn ysgolion o 29 Mehefin ei lywio, mewn gwirionedd, gan ddull a oedd yn seiliedig ar gyfle cyfartal i fanteisio ar addysg. Mae gan bob dysgwr yr hawl i addysg ac i gael ei gefnogi yn y dysgu hwnnw, fel sy'n glir o'r cwestiwn a ofynnodd imi, a nod y dull graddol yw lliniaru'r effaith andwyol ar ddysgwyr a achosir gan COVID-19. Fel Llywodraeth, rydym ni'n parhau i fod yn gwbl ymrwymedig i amddiffyn hawliau plant fel y nodir yn y confensiwn y mae hi'n cyfeirio ato, ac rydym yn amlwg yn ystyriol o'n rhwymedigaethau mewn cysylltiad â phlant o dan Fesur Hawliau Plant a Phobl Ifanc (Cymru) 2011 hefyd. Felly, rwyf eisiau sicrhau'r Aelod bod yr ystyriaethau hynny yn parhau i fod ar flaen ein meddwl o ran dychwelyd gweithrediadau i'r ysgol ac yn fwy cyffredinol, a hefyd hoffwn ei hatgoffa hi ac eraill am y gwaith a wnaed gennym i ymgynghori â phlant a phobl ifanc mewn cysylltiad ar effaith coronafeirws ar eu bywydau, a oedd ynddo'i hun yn adlewyrchiad o'r rhwymedigaethau arnom ni o dan Erthygl 12, rwy'n credu, o'r confensiwn, sy'n rhoi'r hawl i lais, fel petai, i blant a phobl ifanc.
Jenny Rathbone makes a very important point about children's right to an education, which is enshrined not just in the UNCRC, but in our own children's rights Measure. I know, Minister, that you've met with the UNCRC monitoring group during the pandemic, and one of the concerns I've had is that, whenever I've tabled questions asking how children's rights are being considered in the decisions taken in lockdown, there is very little evidence of Government being able to show their workings in this area. What assurances can you give that, going forward, you will ensure that the appropriate child rights impact assessment and other considerations relating to children's rights are actually prioritised, so that we can genuinely put children who have suffered so much in this pandemic at the centre of our decision making? Diolch.
Mae Jenny Rathbone yn gwneud pwynt pwysig iawn ynglŷn â hawl plant i gael addysg, sydd wedi'i hymgorffori nid yn unig yn CCUHP, ond yn ein Mesur hawliau plant ni ein hunain. Rwy'n gwybod, Gweinidog, eich bod chi wedi cwrdd â grŵp monitro CCUHP yn ystod y pandemig, ac un o'r pryderon yr wyf i wedi'i gael yw, pan wyf wedi cyflwyno cwestiynau yn gofyn sut mae hawliau plant yn cael eu hystyried yn y penderfyniadau sy'n cael eu gwneud yn ystod y cyfnod cyfyngu symudiadau, mai prin iawn yw'r dystiolaeth o allu Llywodraeth i ddangos eu cyfrifiadau yn y maes hwn. Pa sicrwydd y gallwch chi ei roi y byddwch chi, wrth symud ymlaen, yn sicrhau bod yr asesiad priodol o'r effaith ar hawliau plant ac ystyriaethau eraill sy'n ymwneud â hawliau plant yn cael eu blaenoriaethu mewn gwirionedd, fel y gallwn ni roi plant sydd wedi dioddef cymaint yn y pandemig hwn wrth wraidd ein penderfyniadau? Diolch.
I thank Lynne Neagle for that question. I can give her that assurance, that those priorities and principles remain fundamental to our approach. I know that Julie Morgan wrote to Lynne Neagle in her capacity as the Chair of the Children, Young People and Education Committee earlier last month, and described the work in relation to education and childcare settings around impact assessments to understand fully the impact on children of the decisions being taken in that area. I hope that she will also have been able to see the document published on Monday, which gives a little more information about some of those considerations, but I absolutely want to give her the reassurance that those considerations are fundamental to the decisions that we are taking, and, again, were one of the key issues relating to our prioritising the ability of children to start returning to school at the start of this week.
Diolch i Lynne Neagle am y cwestiwn hwnnw. Gallaf roi'r sicrwydd iddi fod y blaenoriaethau a'r egwyddorion hynny'n dal i fod yn sylfaenol i'n dull ni o weithredu. Gwn fod Julie Morgan wedi ysgrifennu at Lynne Neagle yn rhinwedd ei swydd fel Cadeirydd y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg yn gynharach y mis diwethaf, a disgrifiodd y gwaith o ran lleoliadau addysg a gofal plant ynghylch asesiadau effaith er mwyn deall yn llawn yr effaith ar blant yn sgil y penderfyniadau sy'n cael eu gwneud yn yr ardal honno. Gobeithio y bydd hi hefyd wedi gallu gweld y ddogfen a gyhoeddwyd ddydd Llun, sy'n rhoi ychydig mwy o wybodaeth am rai o'r ystyriaethau hynny. Ond rwyf yn awyddus iawn i roi sicrwydd iddi hi fod yr ystyriaethau hynny'n sylfaenol i'r penderfyniadau a wnawn ac, unwaith eto, yn un o'r materion allweddol sy'n ymwneud â rhoi blaenoriaeth i blant allu dechrau dychwelyd i'r ysgol ddechrau'r wythnos hon.
2. Pa gyngor cyfreithiol y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i roi i Lywodraeth Cymru mewn perthynas â gwella mynediad plant at gymorth iechyd meddwl yng Nghymru? OQ55373
2. What legal advice has the Counsel General given to the Welsh Government in relation to improving children’s access to mental health support in Wales? OQ55373
Children's access to mental health support is a key priority in the Government's 'Together for Mental Health' delivery plan, and particularly so during COVID-19. In addition to pre-existing children's mental health services, in response to COVID, we've given additional funding for online mental health toolkits via Hwb and advice-line services for children.
Mae gwella mynediad plant at gymorth iechyd meddwl yn flaenoriaeth allweddol yng nghynllun cyflawni 'Law yn Llaw at Iechyd Meddwl' y Llywodraeth, ac yn arbennig felly yn ystod COVID-19. Yn ogystal â gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl plant a oedd eisoes yn bodoli, mewn ymateb i COVID, rydym ni wedi rhoi arian ychwanegol ar gyfer pecynnau cymorth iechyd meddwl ar-lein drwy Hwb a gwasanaethau llinell gyngor i blant.
Thank you. Accessing support for childhood mental health issues should be a simple and smooth process. However, it has been found that only 43 per cent of children and young people in Wales would be confident seeking help from a mental health team, and 39 per cent from school counselling. Regional partnership boards, of course, are required by law to prioritise the integration of services for children with complex needs. However, we now know that two health boards have recently disputed the responsibility for the health needs of a young person, and that a child was kept in a mental health facility for weeks, despite having no mental health diagnosis. Will you investigate whether regional partnership boards have been rightly prioritising services for children, and if there is any such failure to have done so, has this seen a breach of article 24, that is the right to the best possible healthcare for children?
Diolch. Dylai gwella mynediad plant at gymorth ar gyfer materion iechyd meddwl fod yn broses syml a didrafferth. Fodd bynnag, canfuwyd mai dim ond 43 y cant o blant a phobl ifanc yng Nghymru fyddai'n hyderus wrth geisio cymorth gan dîm iechyd meddwl, a 39 y cant gan gwnsela mewn ysgolion. Wrth gwrs, mae'n ofynnol yn ôl y gyfraith i fyrddau partneriaeth rhanbarthol flaenoriaethu'r broses o integreiddio gwasanaethau ar gyfer plant ag anghenion cymhleth. Fodd bynnag, gwyddom erbyn hyn fod dau fwrdd iechyd wedi herio'r cyfrifoldeb o ran anghenion iechyd person ifanc yn ddiweddar, a bod plentyn wedi cael ei gadw mewn cyfleuster iechyd meddwl am wythnosau, er nad oedd ganddo unrhyw ddiagnosis iechyd meddwl. A wnewch chi ymchwilio i weld a yw byrddau partneriaeth rhanbarthol wedi bod yn blaenoriaethu gwasanaethau ar gyfer plant, ac os oes unrhyw fethiant o'r fath wedi digwydd, a yw hyn wedi torri Erthygl 24, sef yr hawl i'r gofal iechyd gorau posibl i blant?
I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for that supplementary question, some of which takes me into areas that are the responsibility of the Minister for health, principally, so I'll make sure that he is aware of the question that she has asked. In relation to the question on convention rights, of course, that is a question that remains continuously in the forefront of our reflections as a Government. But, as I say, in relation to the policy points that she has raised in her question, I'll make sure the Minister for health has heard her question.
Diolch i Janet Finch-Saunders am y cwestiwn atodol hwnnw. Mae peth ohono'n yn mynd â mi i feysydd y mae'r Gweinidog Iechyd yn gyfrifol amdanyn nhw, yn bennaf, felly byddaf yn gwneud yn siŵr ei fod yn ymwybodol o'r cwestiwn a ofynnwyd ganddi. O ran y cwestiwn ar hawliau'r confensiwn, wrth gwrs, mae hwnnw'n gwestiwn sydd ar flaen ein hystyriaethau ni 'n barhaus yn Llywodraeth. Ond, fel y dywedais, o ran y pwyntiau polisi a gododd yn ei chwestiwn, byddaf yn gwneud yn siŵr bod y Gweinidog Iechyd wedi clywed ei chwestiwn.
3. Pa sylwadau cyfreithiol y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'u gwneud ar ran Llywodraeth Cymru ynghylch strwythurau rhynglywodraethol o fewn y DU? OQ55360
3. What legal representations has the Counsel General made on behalf of the Welsh Government regarding inter-governmental structures within the UK? OQ55360
I make frequent representations on behalf of the Welsh Government on inter-governmental relations and the structures required to support co-operation and co-ordination among UK Governments. Effective inter-governmental working has never been more important as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic and as we approach, at the same time, the end of the European transition period.
Rwy'n cyflwyno sylwadau'n aml ar ran Llywodraeth Cymru ar gysylltiadau rhynglywodraethol a'r strwythurau sydd eu hangen i gefnogi cydweithio a chydgysylltu ymhlith Llywodraethau'r DU. Nid yw gweithio rhynglywodraethol effeithiol erioed wedi bod mor bwysig wrth inni ymdrin â'r pandemig COVID-19 ac wrth inni agosáu, ar yr un pryd, at ddiwedd y cyfnod pontio Ewropeaidd.
Thank you, Minister. In your role, you will, of course, have an eye to the creaking infrastructure of inter-governmental structures across the UK. It was being tested before COVID-19, it was being tested before the EU withdrawal process and was, indeed, being tested year after year, as the people of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the great metropolitan city regions of England grew more muscular and gained more powers and authority so that decisions are taken at the right level and as close to people as possible. So, Counsel General, what hope do you have that the creaking inter-governmental constitutional apparatus of the UK, based on centuries-old structures that have struggled, frankly, to keep up with the increasing pace of devolution and principles of subsidiarity, can be made good to reflect the powers and strengths of devolved Governments, of this Senedd and of the people of Wales?
Diolch, Gweinidog. Yn eich swydd chi, wrth gwrs, byddwch hefyd yn cadw golwg ar seilwaith simsan y strwythurau rhynglywodraethol ledled y Deyrnas Unedig. Roedd hwnnw yn cael ei brofi cyn COVID-19, roedd yn cael ei brofi cyn y broses o adael yr UE ac, yn wir, roedd yn cael ei brofi flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn wrth i bobl Cymru, yr Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon, a dinasoedd metropolitan mawr Lloegr dyfu'n fwy cyhyrog a chael mwy o bwerau ac awdurdod fel bod penderfyniadau'n cael eu gwneud ar y lefel gywir ac mor agos i'r bobl â phosibl. Felly, Cwnsler Cyffredinol, pa obaith sydd gennych chi y gall cyfarpar cyfansoddiadol rhynglywodraethol simsan y DU, sy'n seiliedig ar strwythurau ganrifoedd oed sydd wedi straffaglu i ymdopi â chyflymder cynyddol datganoli ac egwyddorion sybsidiaredd, gael eu haddasu i adlewyrchu pwerau a chryfderau llywodraethau datganoledig, y Senedd hon a phobl Cymru?
I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for that question. Whether it's in 'Brexit and Devolution' or more latterly in 'Reforming our Union', we as a Government have sought consistently to be constructive advocates for a series of reforms for a better functioning union that gives full voice to the democratic legitimacy of the Senedd and the Welsh Government here in Wales, and establishes inter-governmental relations on the basis of equality of participation and parity of esteem. The arrangements we have at the moment are very far from meeting those tests, which we feel are the right tests for Wales.
As you yourself say, Huw, in relation to the process of engaging across the UK on European exit, there have been many, many examples of the shortcomings in those relationships and those structures. I think most recently—you asked for information about representations—I wrote to Michael Gove asking, effectively, for a reboot of the engagement in relation to EU exit. We still hope for progress in relation to the inter-governmental review, which is the fundamental review of Government relations across the board. I was hoping that we would have made more progress in the last few weeks since the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) in May than we have been able to do. The Dunlop review remains unpublished, on the UK Government's part, and I'm sure we would all share a wish for that to be published.
I think most recently, the inter-governmental workings in relation to COVID have been instructive in this sense. At the start of the process, clearly, COBRA was the forum in which decisions were made, but at no point did anyone reach for the JMC structures as a means of engaging on an ongoing basis. And I think that will tell us how, in truth, all Governments in all parts of the UK regard those structures as not fit for purpose and in need of pretty fundamental reform.
Diolch i Huw Irranca-Davies am y cwestiwn hwnnw. Boed hynny ym maes 'Brexit a Datganoli' neu'n ddiweddarach ym maes 'Diwygio ein Hundeb', rydym ni fel Llywodraeth yn gyson wedi ceisio bod yn eiriolwyr adeiladol dros gyfres o ddiwygiadau ar gyfer undeb sy'n gweithio'n well, sy'n rhoi llais llawn i gyfreithlondeb democrataidd y Senedd a Llywodraeth Cymru yma yng Nghymru, ac sy'n sefydlu cysylltiadau rhynglywodraethol ar sail cydraddoldeb cyfranogiad a pharch cydradd. Mae'r trefniadau sydd gennym ni ar hyn o bryd yn bell o gyflawni'r profion hynny, sef y profion cywir i Gymru, yn ein barn ni.
Fel y dywedwch chi, Huw, o ran y broses o ymgysylltu ar draws y DU ar adael Ewrop, mae enghreifftiau niferus wedi codi o'r diffygion yn y berthynas honno a'r strwythurau hynny. Rwy'n credu, yn fwyaf diweddar—fe wnaethoch ofyn am wybodaeth ynghylch sylwadau—fe ysgrifennais i at Michael Gove yn gofyn, i bob pwrpas, am ailgychwyn yr ymgysylltu mewn cysylltiad â gadael yr UE. Rydym yn dal i obeithio am gynnydd o ran yr adolygiad rhynglywodraethol, sef yr adolygiad sylfaenol o gysylltiadau'r Llywodraeth drwyddi draw. Roeddwn wedi gobeithio y byddem wedi gwneud mwy o gynnydd yn ystod yr ychydig wythnosau diwethaf ers Cyd-bwyllgor y Gweinidogion (Negodiadau'r UE) ym mis Mai nag yr ydym ni wedi gallu'i wneud. Mae adolygiad Dunlop yn dal heb ei gyhoeddi, ar ran Llywodraeth y DU, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddem ni oll yn rhannu'r dymuniad i hwnnw gael ei gyhoeddi.
Rwy'n credu, yn fwyaf diweddar, bod y gwaith rhynglywodraethol o ran COVID wedi bod yn addysgiadol yn yr ystyr hwn. Ar ddechrau'r broses, yn amlwg, COBRA oedd y fforwm ar gyfer gwneud penderfyniadau, ond nid oedd neb ar unrhyw adeg wedi estyn am strwythurau Cyd-bwyllgor y Gweinidogion fel ffordd o ymgysylltu ar sail barhaus. Ac rwy'n credu y bydd hynny'n rhoi gwybod inni sut, mewn gwirionedd, y mae pob Llywodraeth ym mhob rhan o'r DU yn ystyried nad yw'r strwythurau hynny'n addas at y diben a bod angen eu diwygio'n eithaf sylfaenol.
Ar gefn beth rydych chi newydd ddweud, Weinidog, mae nifer o esiamplau dros yr wythnosau diwethaf o Lywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig yn anwybyddu safbwyntiau rydych chi fel Llywodraeth Cymru wedi eu cymryd ac wedi gosod mewn llythyrau—er enghraifft dros ehangu'r cyfnod pontio a nifer o fesurau eraill rydych chi newydd eu crybwyll. Felly, a fyddech chi'n cytuno bod eich safbwynt chi o fod yn hapus tu mewn i'r undeb Brydeinig a pharhau i gael eich anwybyddu—a fyddech chi'n cytuno nad ydy hynny ddim yn ateb blaenoriaethau Cymru?
In addition to what you've just said, Minister, there are a number of examples over the past few weeks of the UK Government ignoring the views that you as Welsh Government have taken and have placed in correspondence—for example, extending the transition period and many other issues that you've just mentioned. So, would you agree that your stance of being content within the union and continuing to be ignored within that—would you agree that that doesn't meet the needs of the people of Wales?
Wel, nid dyna'r ddau ddewis, gyda phob parch. Y dewis yw ein bod ni'n cael ffurf o undeb lle mae llais Cymru, Llywodraeth Cymru a phobl Cymru, drwy'r Senedd, yn cael eu hadlewyrchu'n addas yn y berthynas a'r system rynglywodraethol. Dŷn ni ddim yn dweud bod dim modd gwella ar y sefyllfa bresennol. Wrth gwrs, i'r gwrthwyneb. Nid amddiffyn y sefyllfa bresennol ydyn ni, ond cyflwyno ymgais adeiladol i gael system amgen ar draws undeb y Deyrnas Gyfunol.
Mae'r amser wedi hen basio lle bo hyn yn argyfyngus, a dweud y gwir, ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru ar bob achlysur wedi cymryd safbwynt adeiladol a chydweithredol, a disgrifio'r system y buasem ni'n disgrifio o ran Cymru a'n buddiannau ni. Mae galw nawr, rwy'n credu—yn sgil ein profiad ni yn benodol yn y broses o adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, a hefyd o ran y system rynglywodraethol yng nghyd-destun COVID, mae angen i hynny ddigwydd nawr ar frys.
Well, with all due respect, those aren't the two options. The choice is that we have a form of a union where the voice and the views of the people of Wales, through the Senedd, are reflected appropriately in the relationship and the inter-governmental system. We're not saying that the current situation can't be improved—quite the contrary. We're not defending the status quo, but making a constructive effort to put an alternative system in place across the United Kingdom.
The time is well past where this became critical, and the Welsh Government on all occasions has taken a constructive and co-operative stance, and described the system that we would want to see in the interests of Wales. There are demands now—given our specific experience in the process of exiting the European Union, and also in terms of the inter-governmental structures in the context of COVID, this now has to happen as a matter of urgency.
4. Pa gyngor cyfreithiol mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi ei ddarparu ar effaith y rheoliadau Covid-19 ar allu Llywodraeth Cymru i gylfawni ei pholisiau? OQ55383
4. What legal advice has the Counsel General provided on the effect of Covid-19 regulations on the Welsh Government's ability to fulfil its policies? OQ55383
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwneud amryw o reoliadau fel ymateb i’r pandemig o dan Deddf y Coronafeirws 2020 a Deddf Iechyd y Cyhoedd (Rheoli Clefydau) 1984. Mae pob rhan o'r ddeddfwriaeth yma wedi cael ei wneud ar ôl cysidro gofalus ar yr elfennau polisi, cyfreithiol, ac ar gyngor addas gwyddonol ac iechyd cyhoeddus i'n galluogi ni i ymateb i'r sefyllfa unigryw hon yng Nghymru.
The Welsh Government have made a number of regulations in response to the pandemic pursuant to the Coronavirus Act 2020 and Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. All of this legislation has been made following detailed consideration of policy, legal and appropriate scientific and expert public health advice to enable us to respond to these extraordinary circumstances that we faced in Wales.
Mi ydym ni'n gwybod y bydd rhyw ffurf ar gyfyngiadau'r cyfnod clo yn parhau mewn grym am sbel eto, efallai tan y flwyddyn nesaf. Sut mae'r Llywodraeth felly'n bwriadu lliniaru effaith y rheoliadau ar y diwydiannau creadigol a'r celfyddydau? A pa ran fydd y sector yma yn ei chwarae yn eich fframwaith adfer ôl COVID? Wedi'r cyfan, mae'r celfyddydau'n allweddol, fel maen nhw bob tro mewn argyfwng, wrth i ni geisio deall, dirnad a mynegi yr hyn rydym ni'n mynd drwyddo fo. Fydd eich Llywodraeth chi yn dilyn esiampl gwledydd fel yr Alban a Seland Newydd ac yn buddsoddi yn y sector fel rhan o'ch gwaith adferol chi? Ac a wnewch chi symud ymlaen, heb ddisgwyl am unrhyw arian ychwanegol allai ddod neu beidio â dod o San Steffan, i gyhoeddi bod y celfyddydau yn rhan allweddol o'ch cynllun ôl COVID chi?
We know that some form of lockdown restrictions will remain in place for quite some time yet, perhaps even until next year. So, how does the Government intend to mitigate the impact of the regulations on the creative industries and the arts? And what role will this sector play in your post-COVID recovery framework? After all, the arts are crucial, as they always are in times of crisis, as we try to understand and express what we are going through. Will your Government follow the example of nations such as Scotland and New Zealand and invest in the sector as part of your recovery work? And will you make progress, without awaiting any additional funding that may or may not come from Westminster, in announcing that the arts are a key part of your post-COVID recovery plan?
Diolch i Siân Gwenllian am y cwestiwn hwnnw, a rŷch chi, yn y cwestiwn, yn amlygu un o'r elfennau pwysig iawn yn y cyd-destun COVID—hynny yw, mae effaith economaidd, mae effaith iechyd, wrth gwrs, ac iechyd cymdeithasol ehangach, ond mae gan y celfyddydau, fel rŷch chi'n disgrifio, rôl bwysig iawn yn ein llywio ni trwy'r cyfnod yma. Mae'r sector wedi dioddef effaith andwyol sylweddol yn yr wythnosau diwethaf, ac, fel rŷch chi'n ei ddweud yn y cwestiwn, mae'n debyg gwnaiff hynny barhau am gyfnod eto.
Fe wnaf i ategu beth a wnaeth y Prif Weinidog ddweud yn ei gwestiynau cynharach mewn ymateb i Leanne Wood am ein hymgais ni i wneud yr hyn y gallwn ni i gefnogi'r sector yma, ac mae'r hyn mae Dafydd Elis-Thomas wedi ddatgan yn ddiweddar yn rhan allweddol o hynny. Fe fuaswn ni'n hoffi bod mewn byd lle nad ydym ni'n gorfod edrych ar yr hyn sydd yn dod o San Steffan o ran arian, ond, yn anffodus, mae hynny, wrth gwrs, yn elfen greiddiol i'r penderfyniadau, o ran adnoddau sydd o'n blaenau ni. Ond fel gwnaeth y Prif Weinidog ddweud yn ei gwestiynau yn gynharach, bydden ni am weld rôl y sector yn cael ei sicrhau yn y dyfodol fel ymateb i COVID.
I thank Siân Gwenllian for that question, and, in that question, you highlight one of the very important elements in the COVID context— there's an economic element, there's a health impact, of course, and there's a broader social impact too, but the arts, as you describe, have a very important role in bringing us through this period. The sector has suffered a substantial detrimental effect over the past few months, and, as you said in your question, that's likely to go on for some time.
I will echo what the First Minister said in response to questions earlier and the question from Leanne Wood about our efforts to do what we can to support this sector, and what Dafydd Elis-Thomas has stated recently is a key part of that. I would like to live in a world where we wouldn't have to consider what happens in Westminster in terms of funding, but, unfortunately, that is a core element of the decisions that we make, in terms of the resources available to us. But, as the First Minister said in response to questions earlier, we would want to see the role of the sector secured for the future in response to COVID.
5. Pa gyngor cyfreithiol y mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'i roi i Lywodraeth Cymru ynghylch a yw ei hymateb i Covid-19 yn unol â deddfwriaeth hawliau dynol? OQ55372
5. What legal advice has the Counsel General given to the Welsh Government on whether its response to Covid-19 is in accordance with human rights legislation? OQ55372
The Welsh Government takes its obligations under human rights legislation very seriously. It's clear that there are positive obligations to act, as well as an obligation not to interfere with human rights without clear justification. European Convention on Human Rights implications continue to form part of the Government's considerations in the context of our response to COVID-19.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cymryd ei rhwymedigaethau o dan ddeddfwriaeth hawliau dynol o ddifrif. Mae'n amlwg bod rhwymedigaethau cadarnhaol i weithredu, yn ogystal â rhwymedigaeth i beidio ag ymyrryd â hawliau dynol heb gyfiawnhad clir. Mae goblygiadau'r Confensiwn Ewropeaidd ar Hawliau Dynol yn parhau i ffurfio rhan o ystyriaethau'r Llywodraeth yng nghyd-destun ein hymateb i COVID-19.
Thank you. Now, despite the right to respect for private and family life, many individuals, friends and families are being kept apart here in Wales by the 5-mile rule. Despite the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, places of worship were closed, even for private prayer. The Older People's Commissioner for Wales has raised concerns that older people's rights may not have been sufficiently protected, and the Children's Commissioner for Wales has written about how children and young people have seen changes to their ability to access human rights. Do you agree with me that an independent inquiry should be established urgently, so as to start considering the impact of Welsh Government decisions on adherence to human rights legislation in Wales during this COVID-19 pandemic? Thank you.
Diolch. Nawr, er gwaethaf yr hawl i barch at fywyd preifat a theuluol, mae llawer o unigolion, ffrindiau a theuluoedd yn cael eu cadw ar wahân yma yng Nghymru gan y rheol 5 milltir. Er yr hawl i ryddid meddwl, cydwybod a chrefydd, cafodd addoldai eu cau hyd yn oed ar gyfer gweddi breifat. Mae Comisiynydd Pobl Hŷn Cymru wedi mynegi pryderon na chafodd hawliau pobl hŷn eu diogelu'n ddigonol o bosibl, ac mae Comisiynydd Plant Cymru wedi ysgrifennu ynghylch sut mae plant a phobl ifanc wedi gweld newidiadau i'w gallu i fanteisio ar hawliau dynol. A ydych chi'n cytuno â mi y dylai ymchwiliad annibynnol gael ei sefydlu ar frys, er mwyn dechrau ystyried effaith penderfyniadau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gydymffurfio â deddfwriaeth hawliau dynol yng Nghymru yn ystod y pandemig hwn o COVID-19? Diolch.
I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for that supplementary. The first, rather obvious, point to make is that the 5-mile rule is not, in the way that she describes it, a rule. I just want to make it clear that it is a rule of thumb and guidance; I've somewhat lost track of the number of times that point has been made in the Siambr, but happy to make it again for the record, in case there's any misunderstanding.
On her broader point about human rights, I think it's important that we approach these questions with clear sightedness. Each of the decisions taken has been evaluated against, firstly, our obligations in this area, but also our commitment as a Government in this area. Each of the decisions taken has to pass a series of tests, that they are necessary, that they are proportionate, and are maintained under constant review. The task involved is to infringe and interfere with people's rights consistent only with that set of tests, and weighing against those rights the risks, which are obvious, to public health. I'm confident that that has been the process that the Government has followed across the piece in relation to each of those decisions, and I absolutely acknowledge the point that she's made in relation to the issues highlighted by commissioners. It is important that those issues are raised and that they are part of this debate and part of this discussion, because the fundamental commitment that we have as a Government to human rights, as I said earlier, is undiminished.
And so we welcome the opportunity to discuss those issues and to be scrutinised on those issues. And I would be content to put in the Senedd Library, Llywydd, a note that describes the decision-making process in relation to some of the restrictions that have engaged the legal tests that I've talked about, so that Members can understand perhaps more fully some of the judgments that are made along the way.
Diolch i Janet Finch-Saunders am y cwestiwn atodol hwnnw. Y pwynt cyntaf, eithaf amlwg, i'w wneud yw nad rheol yw'r Rheol 5-milltir, yn y ffordd y mae hi'n ei disgrifio. Hoffwn egluro ei bod yn fater o synnwyr cyffredin a chanllaw; rwyf wedi colli golwg ar sawl gwaith y mae'r pwynt hwnnw wedi'i wneud yn y Siambr, ond yn hapus i'w wneud eto ar gyfer y cofnod, rhag ofn bod unrhyw gamddealltwriaeth.
O ran ei phwynt ehangach ynghylch hawliau dynol, rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig inni ystyried y cwestiynau hyn yn glir iawn. Mae pob un o'r penderfyniadau sydd wedi'u cymryd, wedi'u gwerthuso yn erbyn, yn gyntaf, ein rhwymedigaethau yn y maes hwn, ond hefyd ein hymrwymiad fel Llywodraeth yn y maes hwn. Mae'n rhaid i bob penderfyniad sy'n cael ei wneud basio cyfres o brofion, ei fod yn angenrheidiol, ei fod yn gymesur, ac yn cael ei adolygu'n gyson. Y dasg dan sylw yw torri ac ymyrryd â hawliau pobl yn unol â'r gyfres honno o brofion yn unig, a phwyso a mesur yr hawliau hynny yn erbyn y risgiau, sy'n amlwg, i iechyd y cyhoedd. Rwy'n hyderus mai dyna'r broses y mae'r Llywodraeth wedi'i dilyn yn gyffredinol o ran un o'r penderfyniadau hynny, ac rwy'n cydnabod yn llwyr y pwynt y mae wedi'i wneud o ran y materion y mae'r comisiynwyr wedi tynnu sylw atynt. Mae'n bwysig bod y materion hynny yn cael eu codi a'u bod yn rhan o'r ddadl hon ac yn rhan o'r drafodaeth hon, oherwydd mae'r ymrwymiad sylfaenol sydd gennym ni fel Llywodraeth i hawliau dynol, fel y dywedais i'n gynharach, yn ddiysgog.
Ac felly rydym ni'n croesawu'r cyfle i drafod y materion hynny a chael ein holi ynglŷn â'r materion hynny. A byddwn i'n fodlon cyflwyno nodyn yn Llyfrgell y Senedd, Llywydd, sy'n disgrifio'r broses o wneud penderfyniadau mewn cysylltiad â rhai o'r cyfyngiadau sydd wedi cynnwys y profion cyfreithiol y siaradais amdanynt, fel y gall yr Aelodau ddeall yn gliriach, efallai, rai o'r penderfyniadau sydd yn cael eu gwneud ar hyd y ffordd.
6. Pa drafodaethau mae'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol wedi'u cael yn ddiweddar gyda swyddogion eraill y gyfraith ynghylch y camau cyfreithiol sy'n cael eu cymryd gan y menywod yn erbyn anghydraddoldeb pensiwn y wladwriaeth yn erbyn y newidiadau a wnaed i'w hawliau pensiwn gan Lywodraeth y DU? OQ55379
6. What recent discussions has the Counsel General had with other law officers regarding the legal steps being taken by the women against state pension inequality against the changes made to their pension entitlement by the UK Government? OQ55379
The Welsh Government has repeatedly expressed concerns to the UK Government about women who've had their state pension age raised without effective or without sufficient notification. The matter will be considered by the Court of Appeal in July, and I'll carefully consider the judgment of the Court of Appeal when it's handed down.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi mynegi pryderon dro ar ôl tro wrth Lywodraeth y DU ynghylch y cynnydd yn oedran pensiwn y wladwriaeth i fenywod, a hynny heb hysbysiad effeithiol na digon o rybudd. Bydd y mater yn cael ei ystyried gan y llys apêl ym mis Gorffennaf, a byddaf yn ystyried dyfarniad y llys apêl yn ofalus pan gaiff ei drosglwyddo.
I'm grateful to the Counsel General for his reply, and also for the Welsh Government's consistent and constructive approach to this very important matter. He refers to the ongoing legal action. Does he agree with me that the UK Government should now address this injustice and come forward with an appropriate redress scheme before further legal steps are taken? They have shown themselves willing to make very substantial investments in protecting our economy, and that is incredibly welcome. In the context of that ability and willingness to make that incredible investment, does he agree with me that it's time that they make a similar investment in addressing the injustice that the women born in the 1950s have faced, and does he also agree with me that, of course, there would be potentially an additional benefit to doing so, because it would enable some of those women to retire as they had planned to do, potentially releasing some roles in the workforce for workers who are not yet ready to retire?
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol am ei ateb, a hefyd am agwedd gyson ac adeiladol Llywodraeth Cymru at y mater pwysig iawn hwn. Mae'n cyfeirio at y camau cyfreithiol parhaus. A yw ef yn cytuno â mi y dylai Llywodraeth y DU fynd i'r afael â'r anghyfiawnder hwn yn awr a chyflwyno cynllun iawndal priodol cyn cymryd camau cyfreithiol pellach? Maen nhw wedi dangos eu bod yn barod i wneud buddsoddiadau sylweddol iawn i ddiogelu ein heconomi, ac mae hynny i'w groesawu'n fawr iawn. Yng nghyd-destun y gallu a'r parodrwydd hwnnw i wneud y buddsoddiad anhygoel hwnnw, a yw ef yn cytuno â mi ei bod yn bryd iddyn nhw wneud buddsoddiad tebyg i fynd i'r afael â'r anghyfiawnder a wynebwyd gan fenywod a anwyd yn y 1950au? Ac a yw ef hefyd yn cytuno â mi y byddai budd ychwanegol, wrth gwrs, i wneud hynny, gan y byddai'n galluogi rhai o'r menywod hynny i ymddeol fel yr oedden nhw wedi bwriadu ei wneud, gan ryddhau swyddi yn y gweithlu o bosibl ar gyfer gweithwyr nad ydyn nhw eto'n barod i ymddeol?
Well, I thank Helen Mary Jones for that further question, and, if I may say, for the constructive way in which she's engaged throughout on this question, as have other Members as well, of course. The case that she invites me to make is the case that we have been making as a Government to UK Government Ministers. I think I'm right in saying that the last letter that we wrote advocating this position didn't even get a reply, as it happens, but the contents of it will not have been new to the UK Government; we have consistently made the case for intervention on the grounds of equity in this question.
She links, I think, in a very important way the experience of the women who are affected with the experience of the last few months and the impact of coronavirus, which has been disproportionate on many of those women. Women are overrepresented in sectors that have been subject to lockdown, for example, and there will be women who are not able to work, but also not getting access to their pensions, who will feel a particular financial burden as a consequence of the confluence of those two things. And I do think that that puts a special obligation on the UK Government to act in these particular circumstances, and, along with her, I very much hope that they will do so.
Wel, hoffwn i ddiolch i Helen Mary Jones am y cwestiwn pellach hwnnw, ac, os caf ddweud, am y ffordd adeiladol y mae hi wedi ymgysylltu ar y cwestiwn hwn bob amser, fel y gwnaeth Aelodau eraill hefyd, wrth gwrs. Mae'r achos y mae hi'n fy ngwahodd i i'w wneud yn achos yr ydym wedi bod yn ei wneud fel Llywodraeth i Weinidogion Llywodraeth y DU. Rwy'n credu fy mod i'n iawn i ddweud na chafwyd ateb i'r llythyr olaf a ysgrifennwyd gennym yn argymell y safbwynt hwn, ond ni fydd ei gynnwys wedi bod yn newydd i Lywodraeth y DU; rydym wedi dadlau'n gyson dros ymyrryd ar sail tegwch yn y cwestiwn hwn.
Mae hi'n cysylltu, mewn ffordd bwysig iawn yn fy marn i, brofiad y menywod yr effeithiwyd arnynt â phrofiad y misoedd diwethaf ac effaith y coronafeirws, sydd wedi bod yn anghymesur ar nifer o'r menywod hynny. Mae menywod yn fwy amlwg na'r cyffredin mewn sectorau sydd wedi bod yn destun cyfyngiadau symud er enghraifft, ac fe fydd menywod nad ydyn nhw'n gallu gweithio, ac nad ydyn nhw ychwaith yn cael mynediad i'w pensiynau, yn teimlo baich ariannol arbennig o ganlyniad i gyfuniad o'r ddau beth hynny. Ac rwy'n credu bod hynny'n gosod rhwymedigaeth arbennig ar Lywodraeth y DU i weithredu o dan yr amgylchiadau penodol hyn, ac, rwyf i, fel hi, yn gobeithio'n fawr y byddan nhw'n gwneud hynny.
7. A wnaiff y Cwnsler Cyffredinol ddatganiad am weithredu argymhellion Comisiwn Thomas ar Gyfiawnder yng Nghymru? OQ55377
7. Will the Counsel General make a statement on the implementation of the recommendations of the Thomas Commission on Justice in Wales? OQ55377
Well, responding to the coronavirus pandemic has, I'm afraid, inevitably affected the pace of work to implement the Thomas commission recommendations. We nevertheless continue to make progress, pursuing those recommendations within our areas of responsibility and continuing to make the case for change to the UK Government, which has committed to discussions both at ministerial and official level.
Wel, mae ymateb i'r pandemig coronafeirws, rwy'n ofni, wedi effeithio'n anochel ar gyflymder y gwaith i weithredu argymhellion Comisiwn Thomas. Er hynny, rydym yn parhau i wneud cynnydd, gan ddilyn yr argymhellion hynny o fewn meysydd ein cyfrifoldeb ni ac yn parhau i gyflwyno'r achos dros newid i Lywodraeth y DU, sydd wedi ymrwymo i drafodaethau ar lefelau gweinidogol a swyddogol fel ei gilydd.
Presiding Officer, I'm very pleased to hear that from the Counsel General, and to hear that the Welsh Government are at least seeking to make progress on this matter, in the most difficult of circumstances. But, of course, it is these most difficult of circumstances that demonstrate the necessity of moving quickly on this agenda. We have seen how the Welsh prison population has been the worst affected across these islands by COVID-19, that the current structures—although some people may believe this is an academic conversation—have real-life impacts on people, and people are suffering today, both within the current prison population, but also the wider population who've been through the criminal justice system, because of the failures of the system. The Thomas commission couldn't have been clearer that we require urgent change to this system to make it fit for purpose to serve the interests of people across the whole of this country. I hope that the Minister will be able to continue making this case, and I hope he and other Ministers will also be able to demonstrate the impact of the failure of the UK Government to recognise these matters on people in the middle of this pandemic crisis.
Llywydd, rwy'n falch iawn o glywed hynny gan y Cwnsler Cyffredinol, a chlywed bod Llywodraeth Cymru o leiaf yn ceisio gwneud cynnydd ar y mater hwn, dan yr amgylchiadau mwyaf dyrys. Ond, wrth gwrs, yr amgylchiadau mwyaf dyrys hyn sy'n amlygu'r angen i symud yn gyflym ar yr agenda hon. Rydym wedi gweld sut yr effeithiwyd ar boblogaeth carchardai Cymru gan COVID-19 yn fwy nag yn unman arall ledled yr ynysoedd hyn, a bod y strwythurau presennol—er y gall rhai pobl dybio mai trafodaeth academaidd yw hon—yn effeithio yn wirioneddol ar bobl, a bod pobl yn dioddef heddiw, o fewn poblogaeth carchardai ar hyn o bryd, ac yn y boblogaeth ehangach sydd wedi bod drwy'r system cyfiawnder troseddol hefyd, oherwydd ffaeleddau'r system. Mae Comisiwn Thomas wedi dangos yn eglur iawn fod eisiau newid ar frys i'r system hon er mwyn ei gwneud yn addas i'r diben, sef gwarchod buddiannau pobl ledled y wlad hon Gobeithio y gall y Gweinidog barhau i ddadlau'r achos hwn, a gobeithio y bydd ef a Gweinidogion eraill hefyd yn gallu amlygu effaith methiant Llywodraeth y DU i gydnabod y materion hyn yng nghanol argyfwng y pandemig hwn.
I thank Alun Davies for the question. There have been aspects of progress; I want to reassure him in relation to that. So, the Civil Procedure Rule Committee have recently agreed to make it compulsory, for example, for cases against Welsh public bodies to be heard in Wales, where there was challenge to the lawfulness of their decisions. And I was also very pleased to see that the Solicitors Regulation Authority have committed now to make the solicitors qualifying examination qualification available in Welsh. Both of those are recommendations of the Thomas commission. Whilst important, I'm not suggesting they are the central recommendations, obviously, but just to demonstrate that, where progress has been possible, we have been pursuing that, together with our partners.
On the larger point that he makes in relation to what we have perhaps learnt in the last few weeks in particular about the impact of the nature of our devolution settlement in justice on outcomes, which is fundamentally the most important case to make, I think it does demonstrate the shortcomings of the current arrangements. And whereas public bodies in Wales have done their utmost, I think, and their level best, to work together in extraordinarily difficult circumstances, I do think those have been to some extent hampered in this space by the nature of our devolution settlement. And I made that point to the Lord Chancellor in a recent discussion with him; I know he also is focused on outcomes. And some of those practical points around the prison population in particular—that conversation that I had with him, together with the First Minister and the Chief Whip, also explored the establishment of the first residential women's centre in Wales, for example, so, hopefully, again, making practical progress in some of those areas. But I would certainly echo the larger point that he makes about what we've learnt about the devolution settlement in the last few weeks and months.
Rwy'n diolch i Alun Davies am y cwestiwn. Mae rhai agweddau ar gynnydd wedi digwydd; rwy'n awyddus i'w sicrhau o hynny. Felly, mae Pwyllgor Rheolau'r Weithdrefn Sifil wedi cytuno yn ddiweddar i'w gwneud yn orfodol, er enghraifft, i achosion yn erbyn cyrff cyhoeddus Cymru gael gwrandawiad yng Nghymru, lle cafwyd her i gyfreithlondeb eu penderfyniadau. Ac roeddwn i'n falch iawn hefyd o weld bod yr Awdurdod Rheoleiddio Cyfreithwyr wedi ymrwymo erbyn hyn i sicrhau bod y cymhwyster arholiad i gymhwyso cyfreithwyr ar gael yn y Gymraeg. Roedd y ddau argymhelliad hyn yng Nghomisiwn Thomas. Er eu bod nhw'n bwysig, nid wyf yn awgrymu mai'r rhain yw'r argymhellion canolog, dim ond i ddangos ein bod wedi mynd ar drywydd hynny gyda'n partneriaid, lle mae cynnydd wedi bod yn bosibl.
O ran y pwynt ehangach a wna mewn cysylltiad â'r hyn a ddysgwyd gennym o bosibl yn ystod yr ychydig wythnosau diwethaf, yn benodol am effaith natur ein setliad datganoli ynglŷn â chyfiawnder o ran canlyniadau, sef yr achos pwysicaf un i'w wneud yn y bôn, rwy'n credu ei fod yn dangos diffygion y trefniadau presennol. Ac er bod cyrff cyhoeddus yng Nghymru wedi gwneud eu gorau glas a phopeth o fewn eu gallu, yn fy marn i, i weithio gyda'i gilydd mewn amgylchiadau eithriadol o anodd, rwy'n credu bod y rhain, i ryw raddau, wedi cael eu llesteirio yn y fan hon oherwydd natur ein setliad datganoli. Fe wnes i'r pwynt hwnnw i'r Arglwydd Ganghellor mewn trafodaeth ddiweddar gydag ef; rwy'n gwybod ei fod yntau hefyd yn canolbwyntio ar ganlyniadau. Ac roedd rhai o'r pwyntiau ymarferol hynny am boblogaeth y carchardai yn benodol—y drafodaeth honno a gefais i gydag ef, ynghyd â'r Prif Weinidog a'r Prif Chwip, hefyd yn ystyried sefydlu'r ganolfan breswyl gyntaf i fenywod yng Nghymru, er enghraifft, gan felly wneud cynnydd ymarferol yn rhai o'r meysydd hynny. Ond fe fyddwn i'n sicr yn ategu'r pwynt mwy eang a wna am yr hyn yr ydym wedi ei ddysgu am y setliad datganoli yn ystod yr wythnosau a'r misoedd diwethaf.
Diolch i'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol.
I thank the Counsel General.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Cyllid, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Caroline Jones.
The next item is questions to the Minister for Finance, and the first question is from Caroline Jones.
1. Pa asesiad mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o effaith Covid-19 ar ei pholisi trethu lleol? OQ55374
1. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of Covid-19 on its local taxation policy? OQ55374
We're working closely with local authorities to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on the income from local taxes. Our package of rates relief is providing £580 million of support to ratepayers during 2020-21, and our council tax reduction scheme provides guaranteed support to low-income households.
Rydym yn cydweithio'n agos iawn ag awdurdodau lleol i fonitro effaith COVID-19 ar yr incwm a ddaw o drethiant lleol. Mae ein pecyn rhyddhad ardrethi'n rhoi £580 miliwn o gymorth i dalwyr ardrethi yn ystod 2020-21, ac mae ein cynllun ni o ostyngiadau yn y dreth gyngor yn estyn cymorth gwarantedig i aelwydydd ar incwm isel.
Thank you, Minister. Local authorities were already struggling financially pre-pandemic. Services were being cut, yet our constituents found their council tax bills skyrocketing. The coronavirus outbreak has placed an enormous strain on local authorities as they form the front line in the public defence against the pandemic. Councils across Wales have risen to the challenge of supplying food to the shielded, housing the homeless and tracing the sick. Council services will cost more than they did pre-pandemic, as the cost of mitigation measures have to be factored in. Minister, can you assure the people of Wales that the Welsh Government will fund the additional expense, that council taxes will not go up as a result, and that my constituents—many of whom are already struggling financially—will not have to foot the bill? Diolch.
Diolch, Gweinidog. Roedd awdurdodau lleol eisoes yn cael trafferthion ariannol cyn y pandemig. Roedd gwasanaethau'n cael eu torri, ac eto roedd ein hetholwyr ni'n gweld eu biliau treth gyngor yn cynyddu ar raddfa eithriadol. Mae'r coronafeirws wedi rhoi straen enfawr ar awdurdodau lleol gan mai y nhw sydd ar y rheng flaen o ran amddiffyn y cyhoedd rhag y pandemig. Mae cynghorau ledled Cymru wedi sefyll yn y bwlch o ran cyflenwi bwyd i'r rhai sy'n cysgodi, o ran cartrefu'r digartref ac olrhain y bobl sy'n sâl. Fe fydd gwasanaethau cyngor yn costio mwy nag yr oedden nhw cyn y pandemig, gan fod yn rhaid rhoi ystyriaeth i gost y mesurau lliniaru. Gweinidog, a wnewch chi roi sicrwydd i bobl Cymru y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ariannu'r gost ychwanegol, na fydd y dreth gyngor yn codi o ganlyniad i hyn, ac na fydd yn rhaid i'm hetholwyr i—y mae llawer ohonyn nhw'n cael trafferthion ariannol eisoes—dalu'r bil? Diolch.
I thank Caroline Jones for raising this issue. Local government finance is particularly important during the COVID-19 crisis because they are very much, alongside their colleagues in health, on the front line in terms of supporting people and our communities. And that's one of the reasons why I've been able to recognise that pressure by providing over £180 million thus far to the local government hardship fund. That fund allows local authorities across Wales to draw down funding to support them, for example, in meeting the additional costs of providing social care, in terms of providing additional accommodation to help people who are rough-sleeping off the streets, and also to help them in their desire to support low-income families who are now eligible for free school meals.
Alongside that, we recognise that local authorities have also experienced a significant amount of lost income. In normal times, local authorities would be getting income from the leisure centres, the catering services they provide and from parking and so on. So, a significant amount of that £180 million is there to support local authorities with the income that they have lost this year as well. I'm pleased that we've been able to ensure that local authorities haven't had the kind of 10 years that local authorities across the border in England have had, which means they are better placed to face this crisis, but I absolutely recognise that they need to do it with Welsh Government as their partners.
Rwy'n diolch i Caroline Jones am godi'r mater hwn. Mae cyllid Llywodraeth Leol yn arbennig o bwysig yn ystod argyfwng COVID-19, gan mai Llywodraeth Leol, ochr yn ochr â'u cydweithwyr ym maes iechyd, sydd ar y rheng flaen o ran cefnogi ein pobl a'n cymunedau ni. A dyna un o'r rhesymau pam rwyf wedi gallu cydnabod y pwysau hwnnw drwy roi dros £180 miliwn hyd yn hyn i gronfa caledi llywodraeth leol. Mae'r gronfa honno'n caniatáu i awdurdodau lleol ledled Cymru ddefnyddio cyllid i'w cefnogi nhw, er enghraifft, wrth dalu'r costau ychwanegol wrth ddarparu gofal cymdeithasol, wrth ddarparu llety ychwanegol i helpu pobl sy'n cysgu ar y stryd, ac i'w helpu hefyd yn eu dyhead i gefnogi teuluoedd ar incwm isel sydd bellach yn gymwys i gael prydau ysgol am ddim.
Yn ogystal â hynny, rydym yn cydnabod bod awdurdodau lleol wedi gweld colli cryn dipyn o incwm hefyd. Mewn amseroedd cyffredin, fe fyddai awdurdodau lleol yn cael incwm o'r canolfannau hamdden, y gwasanaethau arlwyo y maen nhw'n ei ddarparu ac o barcio ac ati. Felly, mae swm sylweddol o'r £180 miliwn hwnnw yno hefyd i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol gyda'r incwm y maen nhw wedi ei golli eleni. Rwy'n falch ein bod ni wedi gallu sicrhau nad yw awdurdodau lleol wedi gweld 10 mlynedd tebyg i'r rhai a welodd awdurdodau lleol dros y ffin yn Lloegr, sy'n golygu eu bod nhw mewn sefyllfa well i wynebu'r argyfwng hwn, ond rwy'n cydnabod yn llwyr fod angen iddyn nhw wneud hynny gyda Llywodraeth Cymru yn bartneriaid iddyn nhw.
Caroline Jones has focused on the council tax aspect of the local taxation issue. If I can focus on the business rates side of things, the Welsh Conservatives have long called for a whole look at the structure of business rates in Wales and business rates support, and the possibility of taking businesses with a rateable value of less than £15,000 out of paying altogether.
Minister, I appreciate that at the moment it's a very careful balancing act that you've got to do, between making sure that local authorities have the right level of taxation and that businesses are supported. Can I ask, as we come out of the pandemic and come out of the lockdown, that you do look again at the way that business rates work in Wales, so that those businesses that need as much money as possible at the moment to invest in the future and to employ people will be able to do so? And I think that a look at the whole business rate regime and easing the burden on businesses is one way that you can do that.
Mae Caroline Jones wedi canolbwyntio ar y dreth gyngor o ran y mater o drethiant lleol. Os caf i ganolbwyntio ar ochr ardrethi busnes, mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig wedi galw ers tro byd am edrych ar strwythur ardrethi busnes yng Nghymru a chymorth ardrethi busnes yn ei gyfanrwydd, gyda'r posibilrwydd o ryddhau busnesau sydd â gwerth ardrethol o lai na £15,000 yn gyfan gwbl rhag gorfod ei dalu.
Gweinidog, rwy'n sylweddoli bod angen ichi gadw'r cydbwysedd yn ofalus iawn ar hyn o bryd, rhwng sicrhau bod gan awdurdodau lleol y gyfradd gywir o drethiant a bod busnesau yn cael eu cefnogi. A gaf i ofyn, wrth inni ddod allan o'r pandemig a'r cyfyngiadau symud, eich bod chi'n edrych eto ar y ffordd y mae ardrethi busnes yn gweithio yng Nghymru, fel y bydd y busnesau hynny sydd ag angen cymaint o arian ag sy'n bosibl ar hyn o bryd i fuddsoddi yn y dyfodol a chyflogi pobl yn gallu gwneud hynny? Ac rwy'n credu bod edrych ar y drefn ardrethi busnes yn ei chyfanrwydd ac ysgafnu'r baich ar fusnesau yn un ffordd o wneud hynny.
I'm really keen to explore what more we could do or what we could do differently, in fact, in the field of local government finance, and particularly of course non-domestic rates, but also council tax, because they are two pillars that support local government. That's one of the reasons why I commissioned a range of research that will help us understand what the options are for the future. So, we have Bangor University looking at the potential of a local land value tax and we published that report in March of this year. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has undertaken some research on council tax revaluation and reform, and that was published in April of this year. And then Policy in Practice has been doing work, looking at the council tax reduction scheme. There was an interim report published in January and we expect the final report to be published very shortly. And then another piece of work that we expect in September looks at local taxes based on income, so that would be quite a radical approach there.
So, I'm really keen that all of these pieces of research are there in the public domain—there for all parties and all interested parties to be considering ahead of the next Senedd elections, so that we consider what the way forward might be. I'm not interested in change for the sake of it, but I do recognise that there are significant improvements that we can continue to make to non-domestic rates and council tax.
Rwy'n awyddus iawn i archwilio beth arall y gallem ni ei wneud neu ei wneud yn wahanol, mewn gwirionedd, ym maes cyllid llywodraeth leol, ac yn benodol wrth gwrs ardrethi annomestig, ond hefyd y dreth gyngor, oherwydd dyna'r ddau biler sy'n cynnal llywodraeth leol. Dyna un o'r rhesymau i mi gomisiynu amrywiaeth o waith ymchwil a fydd yn ein helpu ni i ddeall beth yw'r dewisiadau i'r dyfodol. Felly, mae gennym ni Brifysgol Bangor yn edrych ar botensial treth gwerth tir lleol ac fe wnaethom ni gyhoeddi'r adroddiad hwnnw ym mis Mawrth eleni. Mae'r Sefydliad Astudiaethau Cyllid wedi gwneud rhyw gymaint o ymchwil i ailbrisio a diwygio'r dreth gyngor, ac fe gyhoeddwyd hwnnw ym mis Ebrill eleni. Ac yna mae Polisi ar Waith wedi bod yn gweithio, gan edrych ar gynllun gostyngiadau yn y dreth gyngor. Cyhoeddwyd adroddiad interim ym mis Ionawr ac rydym ni'n disgwyl i'r adroddiad terfynol gael ei gyhoeddi yn fuan iawn. Ac yna mae darn arall o waith yr ydym ni'n ei ddisgwyl ym mis Medi sy'n ystyried trethi lleol yn seiliedig ar incwm, felly fe fyddai hwnnw'n ddull radical iawn yn hynny o beth.
Rwy'n awyddus iawn i'r holl ddarnau hyn o ymchwil fod ar gael i'r cyhoedd—yno er mwyn i bob plaid a phawb sydd â diddordeb fod yn eu hystyried nhw cyn yr etholiadau nesaf i'r Senedd, fel y gallwn ystyried y ffordd ymlaen. Nid oes gennyf i ddiddordeb mewn newid o ran newid, ond rwy'n cydnabod bod yna welliannau sylweddol y gallwn ni barhau i'w gwneud i drethi annomestig a'r dreth gyngor.
2. Sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn dosbarthu'r £78 miliwn a glustnodwyd fel rhan o'r Gronfa Caledi Llywodraeth Leol o fewn y gyllideb er mwyn helpu awdurdodau lleol i reoli incwm a gollwyd o ganlyniad i Covid-19? OQ55361
2. How will the Welsh Government distribute the £78 million earmarked as part of the local government hardship fund within the budget in order to help local authorities manage loss of income due to Covid-19? OQ55361
The Minister for Housing and Local Government is currently working with the Welsh Local Government Association to determine the most appropriate basis for support. But it will be through a claims process.
Mae'r Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol yn gweithio gyda Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru ar hyn o bryd i benderfynu ar y sail fwyaf addas ar gyfer cymorth. Ond fe fydd hyn yn digwydd drwy broses o wneud ceisiadau.
Well, thank you very much for that answer, because I think I'm right in saying that, speaking generally, councils are reclaiming their COVID-related expenditure from you monthly in arrears. Can you say whether you've refused to cover any of the expenditure presented to you, even with that evidence? And have you got any steer yet about what kind of evidence you'll be seeking from councils to support claims of lost income as, presumably, it's not just extrapolations from previous years?
Wel, diolch yn fawr i chi am yr ateb hwnnw, oherwydd rwy'n credu fy mod i'n iawn i ddweud, a siarad yn gyffredinol, bod cynghorau'n adhawlio eu gwariant sy'n gysylltiedig â COVID oddi wrthych chi'n fisol fel ôl-daliad. A wnewch chi ddweud a ydych chi wedi gwrthod talu am unrhyw wariant a gyflwynwyd ger eich bron, hyd yn oed gyda'r dystiolaeth? Ac a oes gennych unrhyw awgrym eto ynghylch pa fath o dystiolaeth y byddwch chi'n awyddus i'w chael gan gynghorau i gefnogi ceisiadau am incwm a gollwyd, gan fy mod yn cymryd nad rhagdybiaethau o flynyddoedd blaenorol fyddai hynny?
I understand that there is a very rigorous process in place, as you'd expect, in terms of looking at those claims that are coming through from local government. The Minister for Housing and Local Government and her officials are leading on that, although my understanding is that some claims are rejected on the basis that they potentially are not directly COVID pressure related, or they are potentially lost income now, but income that could be recovered later in the year. So, we have to test all of these things really robustly, because we only have a very, very finite pot of money to be tackling the COVID crisis with and it's really important that we're able to do so in a really robust way and to evidence our decisions as well. Because I'm always really aware that, although we're taking decisions very quickly at the moment, we will need to, in time, account for all of those decisions, in terms of getting the best value for the public purse.
Rwy'n deall bod proses drwyadl iawn ar waith, fel y byddech chi'n ei ddisgwyl, o ran edrych ar yr hawliadau sy'n dod trwyddo o lywodraeth leol. Mae'r Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol a'i swyddogion yn arwain ar hynny, er fy mod i'n deall bod rhai hawliadau yn cael eu gwrthod ar y sail nad ydyn nhw o bosibl yn ymwneud â phwysau COVID yn uniongyrchol, neu eu bod nhw'n incwm coll o bosibl ar hyn o bryd, ond yn incwm y gellid ei adennill yn ddiweddarach yn y flwyddyn. Felly, mae'n rhaid i ni brofi'r holl bethau hyn mewn ffordd gadarn iawn, gan mai dim ond swm cyfyngedig iawn o arian sydd gennym i fynd i'r afael ag argyfwng COVID ac mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn gallu gwneud hynny mewn ffordd sy'n wirioneddol gadarn a chyflwyno tystiolaeth o'n penderfyniadau hefyd. Oherwydd rwyf bob amser yn ymwybodol iawn, er ein bod ni'n gwneud penderfyniadau'n gyflym iawn ar hyn o bryd, y bydd angen rhoi cyfrif, ymhen amser, am yr holl benderfyniadau hynny, o ran cael y gwerth gorau i bwrs y wlad.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Questions now from the party spokespeople. Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Now, David Phillips, at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, has argued that the story of the fiscal response by devolved Governments during this pandemic will be one where the said Governments are hampered by limited reserves, constrained borrowing powers, as well as the funding coming to them from UK Government. Now, the Minister has indicated that she has been in discussions with UK Treasury regarding the relaxation of fiscal powers. Could she give us an update about when Welsh Government can expect to see some of that flexibility being introduced?
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Nawr, mae David Phillips, yn y Sefydliad Astudiaethau Cyllid, wedi dadlau y bydd hanes yr ymateb cyllidol gan Lywodraethau datganoledig yn ystod y pandemig hwn yn un o Lywodraethau sy'n cael eu llesteirio gan gronfeydd cyfyngedig, pwerau cyfyngedig i fenthyca, yn ogystal â'r cyllid sy'n dod iddynt o Lywodraeth y DU. Nawr, mae'r Gweinidog wedi nodi ei bod hi wedi cynnal trafodaethau â Thrysorlys y DU am lacio pwerau cyllidol. A wnaiff hi roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i ni o ran pryd y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ddisgwyl gweld cyflwyno rhywfaint o'r hyblygrwydd hwnnw?
Yes, I’d be happy to. I last discussed these specific issues with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Friday of last week. And he indicated that the summer economic statement will be forthcoming, and then we’ll have a further conversation after that in terms of the fiscal flexibilities that we’ve requested. And just to recap, for people who aren’t familiar with those flexibilities, we’re seeking an ability to draw down more from the Wales reserve, to borrow more, to remove the borrowing cap, and also to be able to switch capital to revenue. Some of that and how far we want to take things will depend, in large part, on the statement that the Chancellor makes next week, and we will have a better understanding of the funding that we can expect to take us through the rest of this financial year.
Fe fyddwn i'n hapus i wneud hynny. Y tro diwethaf imi drafod y materion arbennig hyn gyda Phrif Ysgrifennydd y Trysorlys oedd dydd Gwener diwethaf. Ac fe ddywedodd ef y bydd datganiad economaidd yr haf yn cael ei gyhoeddi yn fuan, ac fe gawn ni drafodaeth bellach ar ôl hynny o ran yr hyblygrwydd cyllidol yr ydym ni wedi gofyn amdano. Ac i grynhoi, ar gyfer pobl nad ydynt yn gyfarwydd â'r hyblygrwydd hwnnw, rydym yn chwilio am y gallu i dynnu mwy o arian o gronfa wrth gefn Cymru, i fenthyca mwy, i dynnu'r terfyn ar fenthyca, a hefyd i allu newid cyfalaf yn refeniw Fe fydd rhywfaint o hyn, a pha mor bell yr ydym ni'n dymuno mynd â phethau, yn dibynnu, i raddau helaeth, ar y datganiad a wna'r Canghellor yr wythnos nesaf, ac fe fydd gennym ddealltwriaeth well o'r arian y gallwn ni ei ddisgwyl i'n cadw ni am weddill y flwyddyn ariannol hon.
Okay. Thank you for that response. To much fanfare yesterday, of course, the Prime Minister announced his build back better plan, an investment of £5 billion to be brought forward. Apart from that seeming an almost ridiculously small amount, given the scale of the challenge that we face, not just in Wales, but across the UK, it seems that not a single penny of that investment could be identified as coming to Wales. Now, as well as raising our collective voice, as a nation, to demand that that is changed, I think we have to be prepared also to say, ‘If they won’t do it for us, we’ll do what we can ourselves.’ And we need a rethink, I think, on so many levels: on the scale of investment we need in Wales and how to deliver it and how to prioritise it; on the fiscal flexibility we need; on reforming taxation even. So, is Government ready to begin or join us in that reform discussion right now, because the quicker we start looking for those innovative ways forward, the quicker we’re surely more likely to find them?
Iawn. Diolch i chi am yr ateb. I lawer o ffanffer ddoe, wrth gwrs, fe gyhoeddodd Prif Weinidog y DU ei gynllun ef i ailadeiladu yn well, sef cyflwyno buddsoddiad o £5 biliwn. Ar wahân i'r swm hwnnw sy'n ymddangos bron yn chwerthinllyd o bitw, o ystyried maint yr her a wynebwn, nid yn unig yng Nghymru, ond ledled y DU, mae'n ymddangos na ellir nodi y daw'r un geiniog o'r buddsoddiad hwnnw i Gymru. Nawr, yn ogystal â chodi ein llais torfol ni, fel cenedl, i fynnu bod hynny'n cael ei newid, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid inni fod yn barod hefyd i ddweud, 'Os na wnân nhw hyn er ein mwyn ni, fe wnawn ni'r hyn a allwn ni er ein mwyn ni ein hunain.' Ac mae angen inni ailfeddwl, rwy'n credu, ar sawl lefel: am faint y buddsoddiad sydd ei angen arnom ni yng Nghymru a sut i'w gyflwyno a sut i'w flaenoriaethu; am yr hyblygrwydd cyllidol sydd ei angen arnom ni; am ddiwygio trethiant hyd yn oed. Felly, a yw'r Llywodraeth yn barod i ddechrau neu ymuno â ni yn y drafodaeth honno i ddiwygio nawr, oherwydd po gyflymaf yn y byd y dechreuwn ni ddod o hyd i'r ffyrdd arloesol hynny o fynd yn ein blaenau, cyflymaf yn y byd y byddwn yn fwy tebygol o'u canfod nhw?
Rhun ap Iorwerth is entirely correct that yesterday's announcement from the Prime Minister was a complete non-event, in the sense that there's not a single additional penny coming to Wales as a result of the statement yesterday, certainly not this year, and all that's happening is that funding is being reprofiled for future projects. So, there was nothing of interest or significance to us here in Wales. That said, we recognise how important capital spend is going to be in the recovery, which is why we're pulling together the programmes that we think will be, and which are really shovel ready in terms of being able to hit the ground as soon as we're able to now, as we move into that recovery phase.
Local government is also working really hard to identify shovel-ready projects right across Wales, so that we are able to get that geographical spread of investment, bearing in mind that some communities are going to be hit particularly hard by the economic fallout of the coronavirus as well. And, of course, we have our Wales infrastructure investment plan, which contains billions of pounds of potential investment as well, so that will be really important.
And finally, I should mention, of course, our plans for twenty-first century schools continue. Our plans in Wales would spend £2 billion over the next five years, and I think that that level of ambition just dwarfs what the Prime Minister announced yesterday for England.
Mae Rhun ap Iorwerth yn hollol gywir o ran llwyr ddiffyg sylwedd y cyhoeddiad gan y Prif Weinidog ddoe, yn yr ystyr nad oes yr un geiniog ychwanegol i ddod i Gymru o ganlyniad i'r datganiad ddoe, yn bendant nid eleni, a'r cwbl sydd am ddigwydd yw bod cyllid yn cael ei ailbroffilio ar gyfer prosiectau i'r dyfodol. Felly, nid oedd unrhyw beth o ddiddordeb nac o unrhyw arwyddocâd i ni yma yng Nghymru. Wedi dweud hynny, rydym yn cydnabod pa mor bwysig yw gwariant cyfalaf yn yr adferiad, a dyna pam rydym yn dwyn ynghyd y rhaglenni a fydd, yn ein tyb ni, yn barod i'w cyflwyno, ac yn wirioneddol ystwyth o ran gallu eu gweithredu cyn gynted ag y bo modd nawr, wrth inni symud i'r cyfnod hwnnw o adferiad.
Mae Llywodraeth Leol yn gweithio'n galed iawn hefyd i nodi prosiectau sy'n barod i'w gweithredu ledled Cymru, fel y gallwn sicrhau'r lledaeniad daearyddol hwnnw o ran buddsoddi, gan gofio y bydd rhai cymunedau yn cael eu taro'n arbennig o galed hefyd gan ganlyniadau economaidd coronafeirws. Ac, wrth gwrs, mae gennym ein cynllun buddsoddi yn seilwaith Cymru, sy'n cynnwys biliynau o bunnoedd o fuddsoddiad posibl hefyd, ac fe fydd hwnnw'n bwysig iawn.
Yn olaf, fe ddylwn i grybwyll, wrth gwrs, fod ein cynlluniau ni'n parhau ar gyfer ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain. Fe fyddai ein cynlluniau ni yng Nghymru yn gwario £2 biliwn dros y pum mlynedd nesaf, ac rwyf i o'r farn fod y lefel honno o uchelgais yn anferthol o'i chymharu â'r hyn a gyhoeddodd y Prif Weinidog ddoe i Loegr.
Again, thank you for that response. The one thing I would say: with previous infrastructure development plans that were in place, they really need to be consigned to history, given now the scale of our understanding of the challenge that we have, which is at a different level to what we had previously. It needs to be rebuilt.
I'd like to finally just look at, as businesses are gradually reopening, not all of them are able to move at the same pace as others. One support package that was a lifeline, of course, was the non-domestic rates grants. Will there be another round of NDR grants available for those businesses who are unable to reopen? And also, on tourism and hospitality in particular—facing a full year of little profit, even if some of them are able to open now—what discussions have you had with the economy Minister to make a financial support package available to those sectors and for the longer term as a matter of urgency?
Unwaith eto, diolch i chi am yr ateb hwnnw. Un peth y byddwn i'n ei ddweud: gyda'r cynlluniau blaenorol i ddatblygu seilwaith a oedd ar waith, mae angen eu bwrw nhw i ebargofiant, o gofio maint ein dealltwriaeth ni nawr o'r her sydd o'n blaenau, sydd ar lefel wahanol i'r hyn a welsom ni o'r blaen. Mae angen adeiladu o'r newydd.
Yn olaf, fe hoffwn i roi ystyriaeth i'r ffaith, wrth i fusnesau ailagor yn raddol, nad yw pob un ohonyn nhw'n gallu symud ar yr un cyflymder ag eraill. Un pecyn cymorth a fu'n achubiaeth, wrth gwrs, oedd y grantiau ardrethi annomestig. A fydd yna gylch arall o grantiau ardrethi annomestig ar gael i'r busnesau hynny nad ydyn nhw'n gallu ailagor? A hefyd, o ran twristiaeth a lletygarwch yn benodol—sy'n wynebu blwyddyn gyfan o elw bach iawn, hyd yn oed os yw rhai ohonyn nhw'n gallu agor nawr—pa drafodaethau a gawsoch chi gyda Gweinidog yr Economi i sicrhau bod pecyn cymorth ariannol ar gael i'r sectorau hyn ac ar gyfer y tymor hwy, a hynny ar fyrder?
I'll be completely honest, and the level of what we are able to provide in terms of cash straight into the pockets of businesses here in Wales will depend, I think, in large part, on what our financial package looks like in Wales for the rest of the year. So, next Wednesday, we'll have a statement from the Chancellor, which will set out what we would expect to receive from the UK Government in revenue terms for the rest of the year, and I think that we will need to look at that, in terms of the recovery, but also alongside the ongoing pressures that we know we have in terms of dealing with the coronavirus crisis, which still hasn’t left us, despite the loosening of lockdown. So, I can't give any commitment to further grants today.
However, what I will say is that we recognise how important the coronavirus job retention scheme has been for particular sectors. Ken Skates and I wrote jointly to the Chancellor on that specific point, highlighting the need for continued support for specific sectors—so, giving tourism as an example—and also for those businesses who still can't open as a result of the lockdown or the restrictions that remain on particular kinds of businesses, and we'll continue to make those arguments.
Rwy'n mynd i fod yn hollol onest. Fe fydd y lefel o arian y gallwn ni ei roi yn syth ym mhocedi busnesau yma yng Nghymru yn dibynnu, rwy'n credu, i raddau helaeth, ar sut olwg fydd ar ein pecyn ariannol ni yng Nghymru am weddill y flwyddyn. Felly, ddydd Mercher nesaf, fe fyddwn ni'n cael datganiad gan y Canghellor. Fe fydd hwnnw'n nodi'r hyn y gallwn ei ddisgwyl oddi wrth Lywodraeth y DU o ran refeniw ar gyfer gweddill y flwyddyn, ac rwy'n credu y bydd angen inni edrych ar hynny, o ran yr adferiad, ond hefyd ar y pwysau parhaus y gwyddom ni sydd arnom o ran ymdrin ag argyfwng coronafeirws, nad yw wedi dod i ben eto, er gwaethaf llacio'r cyfyngiadau symud. Felly, ni allaf roi unrhyw ymrwymiad i grantiau pellach heddiw.
Fodd bynnag, yr hyn y gallaf i ei ddweud yw ein bod yn cydnabod pa mor bwysig y mae'r cynllun cadw swyddi coronafeirws wedi bod ar gyfer sectorau penodol. Fe ysgrifennodd Ken Skates a minnau ar y cyd at y Canghellor ynglŷn â'r pwynt penodol hwn, gan bwysleisio'r angen am gefnogaeth barhaus i sectorau penodol—gan roi twristiaeth yn enghraifft—a hefyd i'r busnesau hynny sy'n parhau i fod yn methu ag agor o ganlyniad i'r cloi neu'r cyfyngiadau sy'n aros ar fathau penodol o fusnesau, ac fe fyddwn ni'n parhau i gyflwyno'r dadleuon hynny.
Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Nick Ramsay.
Conservative spokesperson, Nick Ramsay.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, the recent news about job losses at Airbus has demonstrated the need for support for Welsh businesses at this very difficult time, and that includes the UK Government's furloughing scheme and, of course, Welsh Government support. Now, out of the £500 million pledge for the economic resilience fund, it seems that less than half of that has been used so far. Could you tell us a little bit more about how these allocations are being made, exactly how much of that money has been spent, and how are you as finance Minister ensuring that allocations are building effective resilience in communities affected by closures and job losses?
Diolch, Llywydd. Gweinidog, mae'r newyddion diweddar am golli swyddi yn Airbus wedi dangos yr angen am gymorth i fusnesau Cymru yn ystod y cyfnod anodd hwn, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys cynllun ffyrlo Llywodraeth y DU ac, wrth gwrs, gefnogaeth gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Nawr, o'r addewid o £500 miliwn i'r gronfa cydnerthedd economaidd, mae'n ymddangos mai llai na hanner hynny a ddefnyddiwyd hyd yn hyn. A wnewch chi ddweud ychydig mwy wrthym ni am y modd y mae'r dyraniadau hyn yn gweithio, faint yn union o'r arian hwnnw a gafodd ei wario, a sut ydych chi, fel Gweinidog Cyllid, yn sicrhau bod y dyraniadau yn magu cydnerthedd effeithiol yn y cymunedau yr effeithir arnynt oherwydd cau i lawr a diswyddiadau?
I think the example that Nick Ramsey has given in relation to the aerospace industry just demonstrates how our support for the economy in Wales has to be a team effort between the UK Government and Welsh Government. Some of these sectors and some of these industries and businesses are so huge and are so strategically important that it is important that the UK Government also steps up to the mark. We talked about Tata, of course, during First Minister's questions today. So, I think it is important to work together to support businesses, and for each of us to do our bit in that.
In terms of the economic resilience fund, we have only allocated a part of that so far, and that's important because we wanted to hold some of that back to help with the recovery. So, our focus in the short term has been shoring up businesses, helping them get through the immediate crisis, but obviously the focus has to turn to recovery and supporting businesses to grow and supporting businesses to develop.
We've also been really focused on filling those gaps, so, again, working to ensure that everything that we do doesn't replicate what's available elsewhere but augments it, and I think that the figure that the ONS has provided, which shows that more than 30 per cent of Welsh businesses have now received support from either the Welsh Government or the UK Government, as compared to 21 per cent in Scotland and 14 per cent in England, shows how important it is that the Welsh Government seeks to augment what the UK Government is able to do. So, they will have a really important role in terms of Airbus and other large employers.
Rwyf i o'r farn fod yr enghraifft a roddodd Nick Ramsey o ran y diwydiant awyrofod yn amlygu'r modd y mae'n rhaid i'n cefnogaeth ni i'r economi yng Nghymru fod yn ymdrech ar y cyd rhwng Llywodraeth y DU a Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae rhai o'r sectorau hyn a rhai o'r diwydiannau a'r busnesau hyn mor anferthol ac mor strategol bwysig fel ei bod yn bwysig i Lywodraeth y DU ddod i'r adwy hefyd. Fe fuom ni'n siarad am Tata, wrth gwrs, yn ystod cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog heddiw. Felly, rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig inni weithio gyda'n gilydd i gefnogi busnesau, ac i bob un ohonom wneud ein rhan yn hynny o beth.
O ran y gronfa cydnerthedd economaidd, dim ond rhan ohoni a ddyrannwyd hyd yn hyn, ac mae hynny'n bwysig gan ein bod ni'n awyddus i ddal rhywfaint ohoni yn ei hôl i helpu gyda'r adferiad. Felly, rydym wedi bod yn canolbwyntio yn y tymor byr ar atgyfnerthu busnesau, gan eu helpu nhw i ddod drwy'r argyfwng dybryd, ond mae'n amlwg y bydd yn rhaid i'r pwyslais symud tuag at adferiad a chefnogi busnesau i ffynnu a chefnogi busnesau i ddatblygu.
Rydym hefyd wedi bod yn canolbwyntio llawer ar lenwi'r bylchau hyn, gan felly, unwaith eto, weithio i sicrhau nad yw popeth a wnawn yn atgynhyrchu'r hyn sydd ar gael mewn mannau eraill ond yn ei ehangu. A chredaf fod y ffigur a roddodd y Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol, sy'n dangos bod mwy na 30 y cant o fusnesau Cymru wedi cael cymorth gan Lywodraeth Cymru erbyn hyn, o'i gymharu â 21 y cant yn yr Alban ac 14 y cant yn Lloegr, yn dangos pa mor bwysig yw hi fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn ceisio ategu'r hyn y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn gallu ei wneud. Felly, fe fydd swyddogaeth bwysig iawn ganddyn nhw o ran Airbus a chyflogwyr mawr eraill.
Thank you, Minister. I think you're exactly right to say that this is a two-pronged approach. It is important that, along with the UK Government efforts, we do see that support from the Welsh Government, such as from the economic resilience fund. So, if you can keep us updated on those allocations, that would be helpful.
You mentioned, as we move out of lockdown and rebuilding the economy, that that won't just involve protecting existing jobs in their entirety—I think we have to recognise that that's not going to be possible—and it won't involve simply returning to the old ways of working. It will also involve allocations of funding for upskilling our workforce so that it's fully prepared to meet the global challenges ahead. According to an Open University report published last November, skills shortages are costing Welsh businesses £350 million a year, with many trapped in low-skill traps, and I imagine that those figures are even worse now with the pandemic having taken its duration. How are you ensuring that the allocations made in the recent supplementary budget will be properly focused on rebuilding the economy, particularly a greener, more modern economy, so that we are not just trying to meet the challenges of the past, but we're making sure that Wales is at the forefront of meeting the challenges ahead?
Diolch yn fawr, Gweinidog. Rwy'n credu eich bod chi yn llygad eich lle wrth ddweud mai dull deublyg yw hwn. Mae'n bwysig ein bod ni, ynghyd ag ymdrechion Llywodraeth y DU, yn gweld y gefnogaeth honno gan Lywodraeth Cymru, fel o'r gronfa cydnerthedd economaidd. Felly, pe byddech chi'n rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni am y dyraniadau hynny, fe fyddai hynny o gymorth mawr.
Roeddech chi'n sôn, wrth inni symud oddi wrth y cyfnod clo tuag at ailadeiladu'r economi, na fydd hynny'n ymwneud â gwarchod swyddi sy'n bodoli eisoes yn eu cyfanrwydd—rhaid inni gydnabod na fydd hynny'n bosibl—nac yn ymwneud â dychwelyd yn syml i'r hen ddulliau o weithio. Fe fydd yn cynnwys dyraniadau cyllid hefyd ar gyfer uwchsgilio ein gweithlu fel y bydd yn gwbl barod i ymateb i'r heriau byd-eang sydd o'n blaenau. Yn ôl adroddiad gan y Brifysgol Agored a gyhoeddwyd fis Tachwedd diwethaf, mae cost prinder sgiliau yn £350 miliwn y flwyddyn i fusnesau Cymru, gyda llawer wedi eu dal mewn maglau sgiliau isel, ac fe fyddwn i'n tybio bod y ffigurau hynny'n waeth byth erbyn hyn gyda'r pandemig wedi para fel y mae. Sut ydych chi'n sicrhau y bydd y dyraniadau a wnaeth y gyllideb atodol ddiweddar yn canolbwyntio'n gywir ar ailadeiladu'r economi, economi fwy gwyrdd a mwy modern yn arbennig felly, fel nad ydym ond yn ymgeisio'n unig am atebion i heriau'r gorffennol ond yn sicrhau y bydd Cymru ar flaen y gad o ran ymateb i'r heriau sydd o'n blaenau ni?
The supplementary budget was more of a response to the immediate pandemic, so it was responding to the acute issues that we were facing, particularly in health and social care and in local authorities, but also on the business side of things. So, I think that, moving forward, as Nick Ramsay says, the focus is very much on employability and skills. A piece of work has gone on across Welsh Government exploring what different departments can bring to the table in terms a new and reinvigorated approach to skills and employability—so, from education to health, and obviously I have a role in that in finance.
But what we do want to see next week from the Chancellor is the UK Government's approach to skills, because, again, we want to augment what's happening. So, if the UK Government takes an approach to support skills and employability through the skills agenda, through BEIS, then we'll receive a consequential and we can do some of our own things here, but if it's the case that the UK Government decides that undertaking this work is better done through the DWP, then we won't receive a consequential. So, we're holding back on our skills and employability plan in terms of saying more about it until we know whether or not the funding will be here for us to take all of the decisions or if we need to work with what the UK Government decides to do potentially through the DWP. But I'm really hoping that the economic statement next Wednesday will provide us with that level of clarity.
Ymateb uniongyrchol i argyfwng y pandemig oedd y gyllideb atodol yn anad dim. Felly roedd yn ymateb i'r problemau difrifol yr oeddem yn eu hwynebu, ym maes iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol yn arbennig ac yn yr awdurdodau lleol, ond ar yr ochr fusnes i bethau hefyd. Felly, rwy'n credu, wrth symud ymlaen, fel y dywed Nick Ramsay, fe fydd y pwyslais ar gyflogadwyedd a sgiliau i raddau helaeth. Mae darn o waith wedi ei wneud ledled Llywodraeth Cymru i archwilio'r hyn y gall gwahanol adrannau ei gynnig o ran agwedd newydd a gweithredol tuag at sgiliau a chyflogadwyedd—felly, o addysg hyd at iechyd, ac yn amlwg mae gennyf innau swyddogaeth ym maes cyllid yn hyn o beth.
Ond yr hyn yr ydym yn awyddus i'w weld yr wythnos nesaf gan y Canghellor yw dull Llywodraeth y DU o ymdrin â sgiliau, oherwydd, unwaith eto, rydym yn dymuno ategu'r hyn a fydd yn digwydd. Felly, os bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn mynd ati i gefnogi sgiliau a chyflogadwyedd drwy'r agenda sgiliau, drwy BEIS, yna fe fyddwn ni'n cael swm canlyniadol o hynny a gallwn wneud rhai o'n pethau ni ein hunain yma. Ond pe byddai Llywodraeth y DU yn penderfynu ei bod yn well gwneud y gwaith hwn drwy'r Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau, ni fyddem ni'n cael unrhyw swm canlyniadol wedyn. Felly, rydym yn dal yn ôl o ran ein cynllun sgiliau a chyflogadwyedd ac yn ymatal rhag dweud mwy am hwnnw nes y byddwn ni'n gwybod a fydd yr arian ar gael inni wneud y penderfyniadau hyn neu beidio, neu a fydd angen inni weithio gyda'r hyn y mae Llywodraeth y DU yn penderfynu ei wneud drwy'r Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau. Ond rwy'n gobeithio'n fawr y bydd y datganiad economaidd ddydd Mercher nesaf yn rhoi digon o eglurder i ni.
Diolch. I'm clearly going to have a lot more questions for you after next Wednesday's economic statement—that's quite clear. Minister, finally from me today, and with my other hat on as Public Accounts Committee Chair, you'd expect me to ask you about the auditor general report that grants worth £53 million to boost the rural economy were made by the Welsh Government without officials ensuring sufficient checks to ensure value for money. Now, this is obviously something that Public Accounts Committee will be looking at in its own time, but I do think the initial indications that the Welsh Government couldn't show that they'd considered whether there was a successful outcome to the spending of the £25 million of grants in particular is concerning. What confidence can the public have and how can you preliminarily reassure the public that the programmes that I've mentioned and which we've discussed today, such as the economic resilience fund, projects to get the economy back on track, will themselves involve effective evaluation and monitoring of public money, so that at the moment, when money is tight, we can see the best outcome from every Welsh pound that is spent and the taxpayer will see value for money in terms of developing that newer, greener economy, meeting those challenges ahead that are so important for moving the Welsh economy forward?
Diolch. Mae'n amlwg y bydd gennyf i lawer mwy o gwestiynau i chi ar ôl y datganiad economaidd ddydd Mercher nesaf—mae hynny'n amlwg iawn. Gweinidog, yn olaf gennyf i heddiw, a chyda fy het arall am fy mhen sef un Cadeirydd y Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus, fe fyddech chi'n disgwyl imi ofyn am adroddiad yr Archwilydd Cyffredinol, sef bod grantiau gwerth £53 miliwn ar gyfer hybu'r economi wledig wedi eu rhoi gan Lywodraeth Cymru heb fod swyddogion wneud sicrhau gwiriadau digonol i sicrhau gwerth am arian. Nawr, mae hyn yn amlwg yn rhywbeth y bydd y Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus yn ei ystyried yn ei amser ei hun, ond rwy'n credu bod yr arwyddion cychwynnol na allai Llywodraeth Cymru ddangos ei bod wedi ystyried a gafwyd canlyniad llwyddiannus i wariant £25 miliwn o grantiau yn peri pryder neilltuol. Sut y gall y cyhoedd fod yn hyderus a sut y gallwch chi sicrhau'r cyhoedd unwaith eto fod y rhaglenni y crybwyllais i ac yr ydym ni wedi eu trafod heddiw, fel y gronfa cydnerthedd economaidd, prosiectau i roi'r economi ar y trywydd iawn eto, yn golygu gwerthuso a monitro arian cyhoeddus yn effeithiol? A sut, fel ar hyn o bryd, pan fo arian yn brin, y gallwn ni weld y canlyniad gorau o bob punt a gaiff ei gwario yng Nghymru ac y bydd y trethdalwr yn gweld gwerth am arian o ran datblygu'r economi newydd hon sy'n fwy gwyrdd, ac sy'n ymateb i'r heriau hynny sydd mor bwysig i ysgogi economi Cymru?
So, we're grateful to Audit Wales for the report to which you refer, and I know that officials will be coming to the Public Accounts Committee in respect of that report and the assessment there of value for money through the RDP, and I think that's the best place to have those detailed and forensic discussions. But it is important to recognise that, as part of our ongoing review of the delivery of the RDP, officials had already identified the issues described in the Audit Wales report and had taken action to remedy them. And, as the report makes clear, the issue of value for money wasn't tested in the appraisal of those projects, so the projects concerned were reviewed to ensure that they did deliver value for money, and, where appropriate, action was taken to ensure that they did achieve value for money, including retendering some of those projects. But of course, since then, as I say, we have identified those issues; we've learned.
So, new guidance has been issued to policy makers, called 'Value for Money in Challenging Times: Key Economic Principles', and that sets out those key economic principles that, if followed, can deliver good value for money. Also, a revised finance notice, 'Making the Most of Welsh Government Funds', was also published, and that provides policy colleagues with the advice that they need to ensure that there is a much greater focus on value for money. And work is also ongoing on developing a value-for-money module into the compulsory core finance training for Welsh Government senior civil servants and, into the future, the roll-out of equivalent training for executive band staff. So, we're ensuring that value for money is well understood and well practised by the civil service.
Felly, rydym yn ddiolchgar i Archwilio Cymru am yr adroddiad yr ydych chi'n cyfeirio ato, ac fe wn i y bydd swyddogion yn dod i'r Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus oherwydd yr adroddiad hwnnw a'r asesiad sydd ynddo o werth am arian drwy'r Cynllun Datblygu Gwledig, ac rwy'n credu mai dyna'r lle gorau i gael y trafodaethau manwl a fforensig hynny. Ond mae'n bwysig cydnabod, yn rhan o'n hadolygiad parhaus ni o'r broses o gyflawni'r Cynllun Datblygu Gwledig, fod swyddogion eisoes wedi nodi'r materion a ddisgrifiwyd yn adroddiad Archwilio Cymru a'u bod wedi cymryd camau i'w cywiro. Ac, fel yr eglura'r adroddiad, ni chafodd y mater o werth am arian ei brofi wrth arfarnu'r prosiectau hynny. Ac felly fe adolygwyd y prosiectau hyn dan sylw i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n profi eu gwerth am arian a, lle'r oedd hynny'n briodol, fe gymerwyd camau i sicrhau eu bod yn profi eu gwerth am arian, gan gynnwys ail-dendro rhai o'r prosiectau hynny. Ond wrth gwrs, ers hynny, fel y dywedais, rydym wedi nodi'r materion hynny; rydym wedi dysgu ein gwersi.
Fe gyhoeddwyd canllawiau newydd i'r sawl sy'n llunio polisi, sef 'Gwerth am Arian mewn Cyfnod Heriol: Egwyddorion Economaidd Allweddol'. Maent yn nodi'r egwyddorion economaidd allweddol hynny a all, o'u dilyn, sicrhau gwerth mawr am arian. Yn ogystal â hynny, cyhoeddwyd hysbysiad cyllid diwygiedig, 'Gwneud yn Fawr o Gronfeydd Llywodraeth Cymru', ac mae hwnnw'n rhoi'r cyngor sydd ei angen ar gydweithwyr polisi i sicrhau bod llawer mwy o bwyslais ar werth am arian. Ac mae gwaith yn mynd rhagddo hefyd ar ddatblygu modiwl gwerth am arian i'r hyfforddiant cyllid craidd gorfodol ar gyfer uwch weision sifil Llywodraeth Cymru ac, i'r dyfodol, i gyflwyno hyfforddiant cyfatebol ar gyfer staff ar fandiau gweithredol. Felly, rydym yn gwneud yn siŵr bod y gwasanaeth sifil yn deall ystyr cael gwerth am arian yn iawn ac yn ymarfer hynny'n briodol.
Llefarydd Plaid Brexit, Mark Reckless.
The Brexit Party spokesperson, Mark Reckless.
Will the finance Minister make a statement on her latest assessment of the amount of tax revenue that we will lose by having a longer and stricter lockdown in Wales than the UK Government has been applying in England, and could she clarify what level of transitional protection we have over revenues to the Welsh Treasury from land transaction tax and the Welsh rates of income tax, and also advise whether there is any risk that we could be caught by the 'no detriment' rule in terms of UK revenues from income tax raised in Wales if they are significantly affected by decisions her Government are taking to maintain lockdown?
A wnaiff y Gweinidog cyllid ddatganiad ar ei hasesiad diweddaraf o'r swm o refeniw treth y byddwn ni'n ei golli oherwydd ymestyn a chaethiwo'r cyfnod clo i raddau mwy helaeth yng Nghymru nag a wnaeth Llywodraeth y DU yn Lloegr, ac a wnaiff hi egluro pa gyfradd o warchodaeth drosiannol sydd gennym dros refeniw i Drysorlys Cymru o'r dreth trafodiadau tir a chyfraddau Cymru o dreth incwm? Ac a wnaiff hi roi cyngor hefyd ynghylch a oes yna unrhyw risg y gallem gael ein dal gan y rheol 'dim niwed' o ran refeniw'r DU o dreth incwm a godir yng Nghymru os bydd penderfyniadau ei Llywodraeth hi i gadw at y cyfnod clo yn effeithio'n sylweddol ar hyn?
I thank Mark Reckless for those questions. I think it is possible to say two things. The first is that Welsh taxes will be affected by the coronavirus outbreak, but it is impossible to say at this point to what extent that will be and to what extent it will be different to that across the border in England. I think it's worth reflecting that we're not as out of step with what's happening in England as might be suggested. We are only a couple of weeks different in some respects to what's happening across the border, and already we see some areas of England going into local lockdowns. So, there'll be all kinds of different considerations that will play out in the period ahead and which will impact on taxes. But, overall, as Mark Reckless knows, we are protected from UK-wide economic shocks through the block grant adjustments, so I don't think that the impact on land transaction tax, for example, or landfill disposals tax will be of a significant order.
Rwy'n diolch i Mark Reckless am y cwestiynau yna. Rwy'n credu y gellir dweud dau beth. Y cyntaf yw y bydd trethi Cymru yn cael eu heffeithio gan y coronafeirws, ond mae'n amhosibl dweud ar hyn o bryd i ba raddau y bydd hynny ac i ba raddau y bydd hyn yn wahanol i'r hyn sy'n digwydd dros y ffin yn Lloegr. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn werth inni ystyried y ffaith nad yw'r hyn a wnawn ni mor wahanol ag yr awgrymir i'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn Lloegr. Dim ond ychydig wythnosau o amrywiaeth sydd mewn rhai agweddau i'r hyn sy'n digwydd dros y ffin, ac rydym yn gweld rhai rhannau o Loegr yn cael cyfnodau clo sy'n lleol. Felly, fe fydd yna bob math o wahanol ystyriaethau ar waith yn y cyfnod sydd o'n blaenau ni a fydd yn effeithio ar drethiant. Ond, yn gyffredinol, fel y gŵyr Mark Reckless, rydym yn cael ein diogelu rhag ergydion economaidd ledled y DU drwy addasiadau i'r grant bloc, ac felly nid wyf i o'r farn y bydd yr effaith ar dreth trafodiadau tir, er enghraifft, neu'r dreth gwarediadau tirlenwi yn sylweddol.
We all support the furlough, job retention scheme, at least as it has operated to date. Can I ask the finance Minister to clarify the Welsh Government's position on any potential continuance? The scheme was brought in initially for a few months to ensure people didn't lose jobs, remained in contact with their employer in that contractual relationship, so that the economy could quickly restart, hopefully with a v-shaped recovery. The First Minister earlier, though, I think in the context of Airbus in Broughton—. I see that Ryanair is being told that it shouldn't be flying out of Cardiff today, although I think because it uses only Boeing aircraft, perhaps that not's an issue. But, if the air industry is going to take many years to recover and demand is going to be greatly lower not for months, but for years, is it not inevitable that output of aircraft is going to fall sharply and remain lower for a long period? And in those circumstances, do we need to be looking at another purpose for the furlough scheme, and if there is any extension, are you suggesting that that should be to keep people in most affected industries furloughed for a period of years? Or do you recognise that for people in industries unfortunately affected very badly for a long period, or for at least some of those people, it may be better to retrain and take opportunities and look to develop their careers elsewhere if the impact is going to be so severe and so long term?
Rydym ni i gyd yn gefnogol i'r cynllun ffyrlo a chadw swyddi, o leiaf fel y mae wedi gweithredu hyd yma. A gaf i ofyn i'r Gweinidog Cyllid egluro safbwynt Llywodraeth Cymru ar unrhyw barhad posibl? Fe gafodd y cynllun ei gyflwyno am ychydig o fisoedd i ddechrau ar gyfer sicrhau nad oedd pobl yn colli eu swyddi, a'u bod yn parhau mewn cysylltiad â'u cyflogwr yn y berthynas gontractiol honno, fel y gallai'r economi ailgychwyn yn gyflym, gyda'r gobaith o adferiad siâp v. Roedd y Prif Weinidog yn gynharach, serch hynny, yng nghyd-destun Airbus ym Mrychdyn, rwy'n credu—. Rwy'n gweld y cafodd Ryanair ei hysbysu na ddylai hedfan o Gaerdydd heddiw, er fy mod i'n credu, gan eu bod yn defnyddio awyrennau Boeing yn unig, efallai nad yw hynny'n broblem. Ond, os yw'r diwydiant awyr yn mynd i gymryd blynyddoedd lawer i adfer a bod y galw yn mynd i fod yn llawer is nid am fisoedd, ond am flynyddoedd, onid yw'n anochel y bydd cynhyrchiant awyrennau yn gostwng yn sydyn ac yn aros yn is am gyfnod hir? Ac yn yr amgylchiadau hynny, a oes angen inni edrych ar ddiben arall ar gyfer y cynllun ffyrlo, ac os oes unrhyw estyniad, a ydych chi'n awgrymu y dylai hynny fod ar gyfer cadw pobl yn y diwydiannau yr effeithir arnyn nhw fwyaf ar ffyrlo am gyfnod o flynyddoedd? Neu a ydych chi'n cydnabod, ar gyfer y bobl sydd mewn diwydiannau yr effeithir arnyn nhw'n ddybryd am gyfnod hir, neu i rai o'r bobl hynny, o leiaf, y gallai fod yn well iddynt ailhyfforddi a manteisio ar gyfleoedd a cheisio datblygu gyrfaoedd mewn gweithleoedd eraill os yw'r effaith yn mynd i fod mor ddifrifol ac mor hirdymor?
I think what we want to avoid is a cliff edge for people. So, you'll have seen the statement that Ken Skates has put out in terms of aviation and the aerospace industry here in Wales and how important it is, and you'll have heard what I said to Nick Ramsay in terms of how important it is that Welsh Government and the UK Government work together. So, in terms of the job retention scheme, I do think that there is a case for industries that were particularly hard hit to receive support for longer, and actually aviation was one of those sectors, which, alongside tourism, Ken Skates and I both mentioned in our letter to the Chancellor. Two things need to happen at the same time: people need to be kept with the support that they need, but also new jobs need to be created and new opportunities need to be found for people, because, even under normal circumstances, in an average week we lose 2,000 jobs here in Wales but another 2,000 are created. So, we need to ensure that that pipeline of new jobs comes into line, and I'm really aware that, particularly in Airbus, for example, the individuals there are very highly skilled, and I think that we need to ensure that the kind of employment that we're able to offer in the future continues to be in high-skilled and well-paid roles.
Credaf mai'r hyn yr ydym ni'n awyddus i'w osgoi yw pobl ar ymyl y dibyn. Felly, mae'n siŵr eich bod wedi gweld y datganiad a gyflwynodd Ken Skates o ran awyrennau a'r diwydiant awyrofod yma yng Nghymru a pha mor bwysig yw hynny, ac wedi clywed yr hyn a ddywedais i wrth Nick Ramsay ynglŷn â pha mor bwysig ydyw fod Llywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth y DU weithio gyda'i gilydd. Felly, o ran y cynllun cadw swyddi, rwy'n credu fod yna achos i ddiwydiannau a gafodd eu taro'n arbennig o galed allu cael cymorth am gyfnod hwy, ac mewn gwirionedd roedd hedfan yn un o'r sectorau hynny, ac fe soniodd Ken Skates a minnau am hyn, ynghyd â thwristiaeth, yn ein llythyr ni at y Canghellor. Mae angen i ddau beth ddigwydd ar yr un pryd: mae angen cynnal pobl gyda'r cymorth sydd ei angen arnyn nhw, ond mae angen creu swyddi newydd hefyd ac mae angen dod o hyd i gyfleoedd newydd i bobl oherwydd, hyd yn oed mewn amgylchiadau arferol, mewn wythnos arferol, rydym yn colli 2,000 o swyddi yma yng Nghymru ond fe fydd 2,000 arall yn cael eu creu. Felly, mae angen sicrhau bod y llif o swyddi newydd yn dod yn gyson, ac rwy'n ymwybodol iawn, yn enwedig gydag Airbus, er enghraifft, fod yr unigolion yn y fan honno â sgiliau uchel iawn. Ac rwy'n credu bod angen sicrhau bod y math o gyflogaeth yr ydym ni'n gallu ei gynnig yn y dyfodol yn parhau i fod mewn swyddi sgiliau uchel sy'n talu'n dda.
3. Sut y bydd y Gweinidog yn sicrhau bod goblygiadau iechyd meddwl y pandemig COVID-19 yn cael eu cydnabod yn nyraniadau cyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru? OQ55385
3. How will the Minister ensure that the mental health implications of the COVID-19 pandemic are recognised in the Welsh Government's budget allocations? OQ55385
Research tells us that the pandemic will affect many people's mental and emotional well-being. That's why we have announced a number of specific measures targeted at supporting mental health, including £5 million for mental health in schools and £3.5 million to enable health boards to respond to increased demand.
Mae ymchwil yn dweud wrthym y bydd y pandemig yn effeithio ar les meddyliol ac emosiynol llawer o bobl. Dyna pam rydym wedi cyhoeddi nifer o fesurau penodol a gaiff eu hanelu at gefnogi iechyd meddwl, gan gynnwys £5 miliwn ar gyfer iechyd meddwl mewn ysgolion a £3.5 miliwn i alluogi byrddau iechyd i ymateb i gynnydd yn y galw.
Thank you, Minister. I welcome any funding fo