Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru

Staffing matters within the Welsh Government are a matter for the Permanent Secretary. I will ask him to write to you.

We know households across Wales continue to struggle to meet their energy costs. Energy prices remain stubbornly high at a time when wider cost of living pressures is also putting significant pressure on household finance.

I am keen to work closely with the new UK Government on our shared ambition of tackling poverty to develop a permanent, effective form of protection for households in need. 

Mae Llyfrgell y Senedd yn darparu mynediad at ystod eang o bapurau newydd rhanbarthol Cymreig a rhai cenedlaethol y DU, mewn fersiynau print ac ar-lein.

Canslodd y Llyfrgell danysgrifiadau print i nifer fawr o bapurau newydd cenedlaethol a rhanbarthol yn ystod y pandemig er mwyn osgoi gwastraff a lleihau costau.  Roedd hyn yn cynnwys papur newydd y Sun a gafodd ei ganslo ym mis Chwefror 2021.

Mae’r holl fwyd a gynigir yn ein cownter o ddydd i ddydd yng nghantîn y Senedd ac ym mharlwr te’r Aelodau yn cael eu gwneud drwy ddefnyddio cynnyrch anhalal. Mae opsiynau halal yn cael eu coginio yn ôl yr archeb ar gais yn unig. Gan fod lefelau stoc yn newid yn barhaus, nid yw’n bosibl darparu cyfran fanwl gywir fel y gofynnwyd amdani, ond, am y rheswm a roddwyd, bydd lefelau cynnyrch halal o’u cymharu â'r lefelau cynnyrch anhalal cyffredinol bob amser yn fach iawn.

Mae gwasanaeth arlwyo’r Senedd yn ymdrechu i ddiwallu ystod o anghenion deietegol a diwylliannol yn y gwasanaeth arlwyo i gefnogi ein hymrwymiad i greu gweithle amrywiol a chynhwysol.   Mae’r holl brydau ar y fwydlen sy’n cynnwys cig yng nghantîn y Senedd ac ym mharlwr te’r Aelodau yn defnyddio cynnyrch anhalal ar bob adeg.  Os ceir cais gan gwsmeriaid, mae opsiynau halal bob amser ar gael a byddant yn cael eu coginio yn ôl yr archeb er mwyn lleihau gwatraff bwyd. Mae eitemau bwyd halal megis brechdanau wedi’u labelu’n glir gyda’r arwyddion a’r brandio perthnasol.

Nod gwasanaeth arlwyo’r Senedd yw gwasanaethu ystod eang o ofynion deietegol i ddiwallu anghenion yr holl Aelodau a phawb arall sy’n defnyddio’r gwasanaethau ar ein hystad.  Os gwneir cais, mae opsiynau halal ar gael a byddant yn cael eu coginio yn ôl yr archeb.  Mae eitemau bwyd halal megis brechdanau wedi’u labelu’n glir gyda’r arwyddion a’r brandio perthnasol.

 Mewnrwyd yr Aelodau a Staff Cymorth yr Aelodau:

Mae 346 o ddefnyddwyr ac mae 15 ohonynt wedi rhagosod y fewnrwyd yn ddiofyn i'r Gymraeg yn seiliedig ar fynediad ac aseiniad drwy bolisi grŵp TGCh.

Mewnrwyd Staff y Comisiwn:

Mae 528 o ddefnyddwyr ac mae 60 ohonynt wedi rhagosod y fewnrwyd yn ddiofyn i'r Gymraeg yn seiliedig ar fynediad ac aseiniad drwy bolisi grŵp TGCh.

Welsh Public Sector Procurement spend:

Please note, spend is based on submissions received from organisations through the Welsh Governments spend analytics system which receives data from individual organisations finance systems.

Spend for 2023/24 is still being collected and the spend analysis system is still open for organisations to amend and validate, and for system data enrichment activities, so 2023/24 figures are subject to change. Spend figures are correct as at 01 August 2024.

The spend is ex. VAT.

I can confirm that I have discussed the visitor levy with my counterpart in the Scottish Government, and that we have agreed for officials to work closely together to share knowledge and experience.

Officials have been meeting regularly since 2021 with officials in Scottish Government to discuss the visitor levy, share learnings and understand the approach taken in Scotland.

Similarly, the visitor levy has been discussed by officials from the Welsh Revenue Authority in their routine conversations with the Scottish Government, Revenue Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).

The Chancellor’s Statement has illustrated the gravity of the challenges the Welsh Government faces as we begin preparations for our next budget. I issued a Written Statement in response to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Statement on the 29 July[1]. The Welsh Government will continue to prioritise the public services that matter most to people in Wales.

Officials are working closely with HM Treasury to work through the details which lie behind the Chancellor’s statement in order to inform our own planning assumptions. Consequential funding will be confirmed as part of the Supplementary Estimates process 2024-25.

[1] Written Statement: Welsh Government response to the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Statement on the UK Government’s spending inheritance (29 July 2024) | GOV.WALES

Officials are working closely with HM Treasury to work through the details which lie behind the pay offer to junior Doctors in England and the Chancellor’s recent statement in order to inform our own planning assumptions.

The level of consequential funding received will depend on several factors including whether this will be funded with new money or through savings or reprioritisation within existing Whitehall departmental budgets.  Consequential funding will be confirmed as part of the Supplementary Estimates process 2024-25.

Bu oedi o ran cwblhau cylch gorchwyl y comisiwn asedau cymunedol a'r rhaglen waith gysylltiedig. Mae'r manylion yn cael eu cadarnhau ar hyn o bryd a byddant yn cael eu cynnwys mewn datganiad ar ôl toriad yr haf, ynghyd â rhestr aelodaeth lawn.

The Welsh Government have the following residential properties:

• 1 in Housing and Regeneration - Land Division’s portfolio;
• 3 in Culture, Heritage and Sport - Cadw’s portfolio;
• 3 in Business and Regions - Property Infrastructure’s portfolio;
• 50 in Transport, Digital Connectivity – Infrastructure’s portfolio;
• 4 in Land, Nature and Food – Land Management Reform’s portfolio.

Mae gennym nifer o gynlluniau datgarboneiddio preswyl sy'n cwmpasu pob deiliadaeth tai yng Nghymru. Rydym hefyd yn gweithio'n agos gyda Llywodraeth y DU i hyrwyddo cynlluniau sy'n cwmpasu Cymru fel y Cynllun Uwchraddio Boeleri.

Cefnogir landlordiaid cymdeithasol drwy'r Rhaglen Ôl-osod er mwyn Optimeiddio (ORP), sef rhaglen profi a dysgu sy’n anelu at ddatblygu gallu a sylfaen wybodaeth am ddatgarboneiddio yng Nghymru. Nod y rhaglen hon yw datblygu ein dealltwriaeth o sut i ymgymryd ag ôl-osod mewn modd effeithiol a chost effeithlon, datblygu cadwyni cyflenwi lleol a chreu cyfleoedd gwaith ledled Cymru. Ers 2020, mae'r rhaglen wedi ymrwymo tua £290 miliwn i ddatgarboneiddio a bydd yn arwain at gwblhau gwaith ôl-osod mewn 27,000 o gartrefi.

Mae buddsoddiad y Rhaglen Ôl-osod yn cyd-fynd â chyllid y Lwfans Atgyweiriadau Mawr a chyllid bwlch Dowry (ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol a throsglwyddiadau gwirfoddol ar raddfa fawr) o £108 miliwn y flwyddyn. Gellir cyfuno'r cronfeydd cyllid hyn â chyllid arall ar gyfer tai cymdeithasol megis y Cynllun Rhwymedigaeth Cwmni Ynni ac maent yno i gefnogi landlordiaid cymdeithasol i gyflawni eu hymrwymiadau o dan Safon Tai Ansawdd Cymru 2023.

Mae cynllun Nyth Cartrefi Cynnes yn cefnogi aelwydydd incwm isel sy'n berchen ar eu cartrefi neu'n byw mewn llety rhent preifat, gyda £30 miliwn wedi'i ymrwymo yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon. Mae’r rhaglen hon yn canolbwyntio’n benodol ar effeithlonrwydd ynni ac atebion gwresogi carbon isel er mwyn ceisio mynd i'r afael â'r ddau amcan o dlodi tanwydd a lleihau allyriadau. Gall y sector rhentu preifat hefyd gael gafael ar gyllid drwy Gynllun Prydlesu Cymru gyda £1.3m wedi'i ymrwymo i gefnogi datgarboneiddio drwy'r rhaglen hon yn y flwyddyn ariannol 24/25.

Ar hyn o bryd rydym yn gweithio gyda Banc Datblygu Cymru i ddatblygu cynnyrch cyllid i berchnogion tai fel y gallant gael mynediad at gyllid cost isel i ymgymryd â gwaith datgarboneiddio. Ein bwriad yw lansio cynllun peilot o'r cynllun hwn yn ddiweddarach eleni.

Gall unrhyw un yng Nghymru gael cyngor am y cyllid sydd ar gael a'r meini prawf cymhwystra drwy ffonio llinell gymorth Nyth sydd ar gael am ddim.

Welsh Government is taking an integrated catchment approach to improving water quality across Wales including Pembrokeshire. We have on-going strong engagement with local government, regulators, and all relevant sectors in Wales working together.

I am delighted that all 14 designated bathing waters in Preseli Pembrokeshire alone received an ‘excellent’ classification in 2023 from Natural Resources Wales. I plan to continue the close engagement that Welsh Ministers have established with the National Parks Authorities, including six-monthly oversight meetings with all Park Authorities during the year.

To support our ambitions for improving water quality, we have committed to provide more than £40 million of additional funding between 2022-23 and 2024-25 to address water quality challenges across Wales. This includes £1.5 million of funding for Nutrient Management Boards, which were established to address Special Area of Conservation (SAC) river catchments. Welsh Government have provided both funding and steers to the West Wales NMBs and I look forward to them producing deliverable, actionable Nutrient Management Plan for the West Wales SAC rivers by the end of this financial year.

Welsh Government is taking an integrated catchment approach to improving water quality across Wales including Pembrokeshire. We have on-going strong engagement with local government, regulators, and all relevant sectors in Wales working together.

I am delighted that all 14 designated bathing waters in Preseli Pembrokeshire alone received an ‘excellent’ classification in 2023 from Natural Resources Wales. I plan to continue the close engagement that Welsh Ministers have established with the National Parks Authorities, including six-monthly oversight meetings with all Park Authorities during the year.

To support our ambitions for improving water quality, we have committed to provide more than £40 million of additional funding between 2022-23 and 2024-25 to address water quality challenges across Wales. This includes £1.5 million of funding for Nutrient Management Boards, which were established to address Special Area of Conservation (SAC) river catchments. Welsh Government have provided both funding and steers to the West Wales NMBs and I look forward to them producing deliverable, actionable Nutrient Management Plan for the West Wales SAC rivers by the end of this financial year.

Welsh Government is taking an integrated catchment approach to improving water quality across Wales including Pembrokeshire. We have on-going strong engagement with local government, regulators, and all relevant sectors in Wales working together.

I am delighted that all 14 designated bathing waters in Preseli Pembrokeshire alone received an ‘excellent’ classification in 2023 from Natural Resources Wales. I plan to continue the close engagement that Welsh Ministers have established with the National Parks Authorities, including six-monthly oversight meetings with all Park Authorities during the year.

To support our ambitions for improving water quality, we have committed to provide more than £40 million of additional funding between 2022-23 and 2024-25 to address water quality challenges across Wales. This includes £1.5 million of funding for Nutrient Management Boards, which were established to address Special Area of Conservation (SAC) river catchments. Welsh Government have provided both funding and steers to the West Wales NMBs and I look forward to them producing deliverable, actionable Nutrient Management Plan for the West Wales SAC rivers by the end of this financial year.

We have committed to build on our bathing waters programme by beginning to designate more inland bathing waters for recreation and strengthen water quality monitoring. In Preseli Pembrokeshire, all 14 designated bathing waters achieved the highest classification of ‘excellent’ in 2023.

Bathing water quality testing is undertaken by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) at designated bathing waters during the bathing season, which runs from 15 May to 30 September. NRW conducts their testing programme in accordance with the statutory requirements set out in the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. NRW provides each bathing water with an annual bathing water classification of ‘excellent’, ‘good’, ‘sufficient’ or ‘poor’ based on its water quality results from the last four years.  This rigorous monitoring programme ensures that the public is well-informed, and improvements are identified and implemented to protect public health.

As part of our commitment, the Welsh Government is also supporting NRW to better understand how new technology could be used to benefit the bathing water testing regime in Wales.

I was delighted to hear of the return of the ospreys to Gilestone Farm in April and would like to place on record my thanks to the local community volunteers of the Usk Valley Ospreys community group and other stakeholders for their support in ensuring the safety and protection of the birds at the farm.

The Welsh Government’s well-established principles for use and disposal of land and property assets is currently providing a basis for discussions about the long-term future of Gilestone Farm. This process is currently ongoing and may include commercial discussions so we will not be making a public statement on these discussions at this time. An update will be provided to members once a final decision on the site has been made.

The farm is currently being managed via a formal Farm Business Tenancy on commercial terms. We will continue to manage the site appropriately until a final decision is made on the long-term future of the site.

Welsh Government recognises the importance blue carbon habitats play in addressing the climate and nature emergencies. Marine and coastal habitats such as seagrass and sub-tidal sediments provide us with many benefits, including storing up to 170% more carbon compared to forests. Wales has an extensive network of protected areas that seek to protect such habitats and species, recognising their national and global value including their blue carbon potential. Welsh Government has recently awarded funding to Project Seagrass through the Nature Networks Fund. This is an important step towards expanding seagrass restoration in Wales.

Together with the other UK governments we have established the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership to increase our knowledge on these habitats, carbon interactions, and how we can manage them.  I am very pleased that a new forum for blue carbon will be established for Wales in the autumn. The forum will bring together a network of practitioners in Wales to share information and knowledge, to accelerate the already growing body of expertise and experience we have in Wales, and to identify research needs. The Forum will be supported by Environment Platform Wales and chaired by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.  

The investment package to support education and training programmes for healthcare professionals in Wales in 2023/24 was £281.98m.

The budget for the 2023/24 financial year can be broken down into £147.36m for wider health professional education, £3.37m for the Mental Health Workforce Plan, £15.53m for pharmacy training, £68.52m for medical training places, £36.44m for GP training, £9.91m for Dental training and £0.85m for the Primary Care Plan (including Primary Care Pre-Registration Nursing Placement costs).

As part of the National Planned Care programme, a new clinical implementation network for anaesthetics has been set up. One of its aims is to deliver a national approach to pre-operative care.

It will be working with health boards to identify and collect relevant data to support this new approach. This may include the number of repeat pre-operative assessments per pathway, however the decision will be clinically owned and delivered to best support effective operational management.

Officials sit on a cross government working group where UK wide representatives meet and discuss the approach to Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). Capital funding requirements linked to the presence of RAAC have been prioritised from within the NHS All Wales Capital Programme.

The HIV Action Plan for Wales was launched in March 2023, containing 30 actions for implementation by 2026, which aim to help Wales achieve the World Health Organisation target of zero new HIV infections by 2030. Implementation of the plan is being taken forward via the work of five workstream groups and overseen by the HIV Action Plan Implementation Oversight Group.

Significant progress has already been made, including the establishment of the HIV collaborative network Fast Track Cymru, which has signed up four of the seven health boards in Wales to form their own regional Fast Track Coalitions.

Wales’ free online testing service for sexually transmitted infections and blood borne viruses (including HIV) has been allocated £3.9m and use of this service increases year-on-year with more people being tested than ever before. Almost 5,000 community test kits have also been distributed for collection from a range of settings with points of access guided by local stakeholders.

Health boards have evidenced good engagement with the plan and are participating in the Late Diagnosis Cohort Review board, which was established last October to look at each individual late diagnosis case in Wales, understand why they occur and focus resources on the best strategies to end further transmission.

The offer made in England to junior doctors was to end their long running pay dispute from 2023 with a two year pay deal for 2023/24 and 2024/25.

In Wales we settled the pay dispute for 2023/24 and I am currently considering the independent recommendations from the Doctors and Dentists Review Body on the pay award for 2024/25 which will be confirmed as soon as possible in due course.

We are working through all the details which lie behind the offer and the Chancellor’s recent statement and the implications for our budget.

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) develops an annual Education and Training Commissioning Plan (ETP) in partnership with, and after extensive engagement with, stakeholders across NHS Wales. The ETP includes recommendations on a wide range of healthcare professional areas at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including specialty medical training posts. 

Specialty medical training posts refers to those training posts at core and higher specialty level, based in secondary care. The recommendations included in the ETP are based on a range of data including projected need, national priorities and training capacity. New posts are distributed appropriately across health boards and NHS trusts in Wales.

Over the past five years, 327 new specialty training posts (excluding foundation and GP training posts) have been established and funded by the Welsh Government:

• August 2024 – 21 new posts
• August 2023 – 92 new posts
• August 2022 – 90 new posts
• August 2021 – 74 new posts
• August 2020 – 50 new posts

To provide further context, there were a total of 2,026 specialty grade doctors in August 2023.

These numbers represent the number of specialty training posts where new funding has been requested and will vary considerably year on year, depending on the priority areas reviewed and capacity. They do not represent the total number of posts that are advertised – as any posts that were funded through previous ETPs but not filled during recruitment processes are carried over and would not feature in these numbers.

Between 2020 and 2023, a significant number of new posts were funded and established. Whilst the current financial position has resulted in lower numbers of new posts for an August 2024 start, there has still been a significant increase, demonstrating the ongoing commitment to increase the number of posts aligned to the current and future needs of the population of Wales.

Good progress is being made developing all the recommendations made by Lord Burns, including improvement of the South Wales Mainline and new stations along it. Working with the new UK Government in a genuine partnership we can improve services for rail passengers in South East Wales and the Borders.

The Welsh Government is not currently assessing the feasibility of extracting lithium on Anglesey. The UK Government commissioned the British Geological Survey to undertake the study, “Potential for Critical Raw Material Prospectivity in the UK”, delivered by the Critical Minerals Intelligence Centre (CMIC) and published in 2023. The report identified no prospective sites of geological potential in Wales for extracting lithium.

Transport for Wales are currently testing the Class 756 trains on the Core Valley Lines and carrying out operational training. They plan to bring these trains into passenger service on the Core Valley Lines this Autumn.

Transport for Wales undertook the trial of the novel Request to Stop technology in July 2024. They are now reviewing feedback from passengers, drivers and conductors following the trial before making any recommendations for future use at stations in Wales and the borders.

Mae’r cyrff cyhoeddus a restrir yn adran 6(1) o Ddeddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015 (“y Ddeddf”) yn ddarostyngedig i’r ddyletswydd datblygu cynaliadwy a llesiant.  Mae’r ddyletswydd hon yn ei gwneud hi’n ofynnol i gyrff cyhoeddus gynnal gwaith datblygu cynaliadwy, sef y broses o wella llesiant economaidd, cymdeithasol, amgylcheddol a diwylliannol Cymru, trwy weithredu yn unol â’r egwyddor datblygu cynaliadwy er mwyn gwireddu’r amcanion llesiant a ddisgrifir yn y Ddeddf. Cafodd y cyrff cyhoeddus a restrir yn adran 6(1) y Ddeddf eu dewis ar sail pedwar maen prawf:

• Daw mwy na 50% o gyllid y corff o goffrau cyhoeddus.
• Mae swyddogaethau neu weithgareddau’r corff yn effeithio ar lesiant economaidd, cymdeithasol ac amgylcheddol Cymru neu ei ardal.
• Mae gan y corff swyddogaethau strategol.
• Mae gan Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru yr awdurdod i archwilio’r corff.

Defnyddiwyd y meini prawf hyn i ddewis y cyrff cyhoeddus yn y Bil Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) gwreiddiol yn ogystal ag yn yr adolygiad diweddar o gyrff cyhoeddus a arweiniodd at lunio Rheoliadau Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015 (Cyrff Cyhoeddus) (Diwygio) 2024. Cyhoeddir y meini prawf yn eu priod femoranda esboniadol.

Nid yw cymdeithasau tai, neu landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig fel y’u gelwir, wedi’u rhestru yn adran 6(1) y Ddeddf gan nad ydyn nhw’n bodloni’r meini prawf a ddisgrifir uchod. Nid yw sefydliadau addysg uwch a cholegau addysg bellach ar y rhestr adran 6(1) y Ddeddf chwaith gan eu bod yn sefydliadau di-elw sy’n gwasanaethu aelwydydd heb eu rheoli gan y llywodraeth ac am nad ydyn nhw’n gyrff sy’n cael eu harchwilio. Ond mae’r Comisiwn Addysg Drydyddol ac Ymchwil (Medr fel y’i gelwir) sy’n gyfrifol am gyllido, goruchwylio a rheoleiddio addysg ac ymchwil drydyddol yng Nghymru, ar restr adran 6(1) y Ddeddf ac felly yn ddarostyngedig i’r ddyletswydd datblygu cynaliadwy a llesiant. Hefyd, o dan adran 10 o Ddeddf Addysg Drydyddol ac Ymchwil (Cymru) 2022, rhaid i Medr hybu cyflawni cenhadaeth ddinesig, sy’n golygu cymryd camau i hyrwyddo neu wella llesiant economaidd, cymdeithasol, amgylcheddol neu ddiwylliannol Cymru (gan gynnwys cymryd camau i wireddu unrhyw rai o’r amcanion llesiant yn adran 4 y Ddeddf).

At hynny, mae cynrychiolwyr y sector addysg drydyddol yng Nghymru’n cyfrannu’n rheolaidd at Fforwm Rhanddeiliaid Cenedlaethol Llesiant Cenedlaethau’r Dyfodol sy’n goruchwylio’r modd y rhoddir y Ddeddf ar waith ac yn rhoi cyngor ar hynny. Mae Deddf Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru) 2023 (“Deddf SPPP”) wedi’i chreu i ategu ac adeiladu ar y pum ffordd o weithio sy’n rhan o’r egwyddor datblygu cynaliadwy yn y Ddeddf trwy gyflwyno’r egwyddor o bartneriaeth gymdeithasol fel ffordd y dylai cyrff cyhoeddus weithio. Mae Rhan 2 o Ddeddf SPPP yn rhoi dyletswydd partneriaeth gymdeithasol ar y cyrff cyhoeddus sy’n ddarostyngedig i’r ddyletswydd datblygu cynaliadwy a llesiant (h.y y cyrff a restrir yn adran 6(1) y Ddeddf). Felly, nid yw cymdeithasau tai na sefydliadau addysg uwch a cholegau addysg bellach yn ddarostyngedig i’r ddyletswydd partneriaeth gymdeithasol.

Mae’r cyrff cyhoeddus a restrir yn adran 6(1) o Ddeddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015 (“y Ddeddf”) yn ddarostyngedig i’r ddyletswydd datblygu cynaliadwy a llesiant.  Mae’r ddyletswydd hon yn ei gwneud hi’n ofynnol i gyrff cyhoeddus gynnal gwaith datblygu cynaliadwy, sef y broses o wella llesiant economaidd, cymdeithasol, amgylcheddol a diwylliannol Cymru, trwy weithredu yn unol â’r egwyddor datblygu cynaliadwy er mwyn gwireddu’r amcanion llesiant a ddisgrifir yn y Ddeddf. Cafodd y cyrff cyhoeddus a restrir yn adran 6(1) y Ddeddf eu dewis ar sail pedwar maen prawf:

• Daw mwy na 50% o gyllid y corff o goffrau cyhoeddus.
• Mae swyddogaethau neu weithgareddau’r corff yn effeithio ar lesiant economaidd, cymdeithasol ac amgylcheddol Cymru neu ei ardal.
• Mae gan y corff swyddogaethau strategol.
• Mae gan Archwilydd Cyffredinol Cymru yr awdurdod i archwilio’r corff.

Defnyddiwyd y meini prawf hyn i ddewis y cyrff cyhoeddus yn y Bil Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) gwreiddiol yn ogystal ag yn yr adolygiad diweddar o gyrff cyhoeddus a arweiniodd at lunio Rheoliadau Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015 (Cyrff Cyhoeddus) (Diwygio) 2024. Cyhoeddir y meini prawf yn eu priod femoranda esboniadol.

Nid yw cymdeithasau tai, neu landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig fel y’u gelwir, wedi’u rhestru yn adran 6(1) y Ddeddf gan nad ydyn nhw’n bodloni’r meini prawf a ddisgrifir uchod. Nid yw sefydliadau addysg uwch a cholegau addysg bellach ar y rhestr adran 6(1) y Ddeddf chwaith gan eu bod yn sefydliadau di-elw sy’n gwasanaethu aelwydydd heb eu rheoli gan y llywodraeth ac am nad ydyn nhw’n gyrff sy’n cael eu harchwilio. Ond mae’r Comisiwn Addysg Drydyddol ac Ymchwil (Medr fel y’i gelwir) sy’n gyfrifol am gyllido, goruchwylio a rheoleiddio addysg ac ymchwil drydyddol yng Nghymru, ar restr adran 6(1) y Ddeddf ac felly yn ddarostyngedig i’r ddyletswydd datblygu cynaliadwy a llesiant. Hefyd, o dan adran 10 o Ddeddf Addysg Drydyddol ac Ymchwil (Cymru) 2022, rhaid i Medr hybu cyflawni cenhadaeth ddinesig, sy’n golygu cymryd camau i hyrwyddo neu wella llesiant economaidd, cymdeithasol, amgylcheddol neu ddiwylliannol Cymru (gan gynnwys cymryd camau i wireddu unrhyw rai o’r amcanion llesiant yn adran 4 y Ddeddf).

At hynny, mae cynrychiolwyr y sector addysg drydyddol yng Nghymru’n cyfrannu’n rheolaidd at Fforwm Rhanddeiliaid Cenedlaethol Llesiant Cenedlaethau’r Dyfodol sy’n goruchwylio’r modd y rhoddir y Ddeddf ar waith ac yn rhoi cyngor ar hynny. Mae Deddf Partneriaeth Gymdeithasol a Chaffael Cyhoeddus (Cymru) 2023 (“Deddf SPPP”) wedi’i chreu i ategu ac adeiladu ar y pum ffordd o weithio sy’n rhan o’r egwyddor datblygu cynaliadwy yn y Ddeddf trwy gyflwyno’r egwyddor o bartneriaeth gymdeithasol fel ffordd y dylai cyrff cyhoeddus weithio. Mae Rhan 2 o Ddeddf SPPP yn rhoi dyletswydd partneriaeth gymdeithasol ar y cyrff cyhoeddus sy’n ddarostyngedig i’r ddyletswydd datblygu cynaliadwy a llesiant (h.y y cyrff a restrir yn adran 6(1) y Ddeddf). Felly, nid yw cymdeithasau tai na sefydliadau addysg uwch a cholegau addysg bellach yn ddarostyngedig i’r ddyletswydd partneriaeth gymdeithasol.

Torfaen County Borough Council is continuing to work with Network Rail and Transport for Wales to open the new facilities at Pontypool and New Inn station as soon as possible.

Any new facility of this nature is subject to industry regulation and there remains some outstanding historical issues, that need to be resolved before the facility can be granted authorisation to open. Unfortunately, resolving these issues has led to some delays, but they are being addressed to ensure the facility meets the strict criteria, necessary for an operational railway environment.

Torfaen County Borough Council is hoping that works will begin on site in September with the aim of opening the station by the end of the calendar year.

All parties are working hard to make sure these works are completed, to deliver a brand new station which is both compliant and fully accessible for the local community.

Wales was the first country in the UK to enshrine children’s rights in law through The Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011. The measure requires that Welsh Ministers must pay ‘due regard’ to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) when exercising any of their functions.

A procurement exercise to appoint the contractor to deliver the income maximisation awareness raising training is being undertaken. Further information will be provided on how frontline workers can access the free training sessions in the autumn.

We have already set out our plans for childcare in Wales. 

The Welsh Government provides up to 30 hours of Early Education and funded childcare for 3 and 4 year olds under the Childcare Offer for Wales. From September 2022, the Welsh Government expanded this offer to include parents in education and training, supporting the commitment made in our Programme for Government. In the first year, this expansion saw 675 additional families supported through the Offer.

We are making excellent progress in extending the eligibility of Flying Start childcare by rolling out high-quality childcare to two-year-olds across Wales through our Flying Start programme. This is a phased roll-out, starting with our areas of greatest deprivation and takes account of the capacity within the childcare sector across Wales. 

During 2023-24 and 2024-25 we are investing £46m in expanding Flying Start childcare to support long-term, positive impacts on the lives of those children and families across Wales facing the greatest challenges. We expect to support more than 9,500 additional two-year-olds across Wales to access quality Flying Start childcare during phase 2 (2023-24 and 2024-25) and we are well on track to deliver that.

Whilst our Flying Start programme is geographically targeted, the Outreach element of the programme provides a degree of flexibility and enables services to be delivered to individual children and families living with assessed needs outside of recognised Flying Start areas.

Focusing resources on our most disadvantaged communities, in the first instance, ensures that support reaches families in greatest need at the earliest opportunity. Our ambition remains for Flying Start childcare services to be available for all two-year-olds in Wales. We are working with the sector to gradually build capacity to ensure that any increase to provision is sustainable.

The ministerial gynaecological summit held on 08 July 2024 was organised to bring together representatives from health boards, Velindre University NHS Trust, the NHS Wales Executive and the Welsh Government to make clear our collective focus on improving access to and the performance of gynaecology services across Wales.

I can confirm that my officials are drafting a report summarising the discussions, outcomes and priorities from the summit, which will be published later this year.

Maintaining the continuity of supply of medicines to the UK is a reserved matter and is the responsibility of the UK Government. However, managing the implications of supply disruptions requires co-ordinated action between the UK and devolved governments and the NHS. My officials are working closely with their counterparts in the UK Government, as well as manufacturers, wholesalers, prescribers, and pharmacies to mitigate the effect of any disruption.

The extensive measures taken by the Welsh and UK governments to support pharmacists, prescribers and patients to manage HRT shortages were set out in a written statement issued by the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on 18 October 2023, which is available at: https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-disruptions-supply-medicines

A range of Serious Shortage Protocols (SSP) for HRT medicines were put in place last year allowing pharmacists to supply clinically appropriate alternative HRT medicines when those prescribed are unavailable without the need for people having to return to their prescriber. All of these SSPs have been withdrawn, reflecting improved availability of HRT medicines.

Occasionally, the NHS experiences temporary shortages of specific medicines and the disruption to the supply of these is unsettling for those who have been prescribed them. GPs and community pharmacies are informed of these by way of a medicines shortage letter providing advice on the mitigating actions that need to be taken during the supply disruption.

There are currently known supply issues for two HRT products:

• FemSeven Sequi patches – anticipated re-supply date January 2025
• Indivina 1mg/2.5mg tablets – anticipated re-supply date October 2024

NHS Wales has been informed of the supply disruption to these HRT products and been advised of mitigating actions. A number of alternative HRT preparations are available and anyone having difficulty obtaining any treatment should contact their doctor or pharmacist to discuss a suitable alternative.

The Welsh Government’s Medicines Shortages web page offers general advice about why shortages occur and how they are managed https://www.gov.wales/medicines-shortages-0 and https://www.llyw.cymru/prinder-meddyginiaethau-0

Maintaining the continuity of supply of medicines to the UK is a reserved matter and is the responsibility of the UK Government. However, managing the implications of supply disruptions requires co-ordinated action between the UK and devolved governments and the NHS. My officials are working closely with their counterparts in the UK Government, as well as manufacturers, wholesalers, prescribers, and pharmacies to mitigate the effect of any disruption.

The extensive measures taken by the Welsh and UK governments to support pharmacists, prescribers and patients to manage HRT shortages were set out in a written statement issued by the former Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on 18 October 2023, which is available at: https://www.gov.wales/written-statement-disruptions-supply-medicines

A range of Serious Shortage Protocols (SSP) for HRT medicines were put in place last year allowing pharmacists to supply clinically appropriate alternative HRT medicines when those prescribed are unavailable without the need for people having to return to their prescriber. All of these SSPs have been withdrawn, reflecting improved availability of HRT medicines.

Occasionally, the NHS experiences temporary shortages of specific medicines and the disruption to the supply of these is unsettling for those who have been prescribed them. GPs and community pharmacies are informed of these by way of a medicines shortage letter providing advice on the mitigating actions that need to be taken during the supply disruption.

There are currently known supply issues for two HRT products:

• FemSeven Sequi patches – anticipated re-supply date January 2025
• Indivina 1mg/2.5mg tablets – anticipated re-supply date October 2024

NHS Wales has been informed of the supply disruption to these HRT products and been advised of mitigating actions. A number of alternative HRT preparations are available and anyone having difficulty obtaining any treatment should contact their doctor or pharmacist to discuss a suitable alternative.

The Welsh Government’s Medicines Shortages web page offers general advice about why shortages occur and how they are managed https://www.gov.wales/medicines-shortages-0 and https://www.llyw.cymru/prinder-meddyginiaethau-0

Spend by health boards, NHS trusts and special health authorities is detailed in the NHS Wales Summarised Accounts, which are laid in the Senedd. They are available on the Senedd website at:

NHS Wales Summarised Accounts 2019-20: gen-ld13422-e.pdf (senedd.wales)

NHS Wales Summarised Accounts 2020-21: agr-ld14491-e.pdf (senedd.wales)

NHS Wales Summarised Accounts 2021-22: gen-ld15322-e.pdf (senedd.wales)

NHS Wales Summarised Accounts 2022-23: gen-ld16138-e.pdf (senedd.wales)

Spend for the most recent financial year will be available following audit of the NHS Wales Summarised Accounts.