Y Cyfarfod Llawn

Plenary

02/02/2022

Yn y fersiwn ddwyieithog, mae’r golofn chwith yn cynnwys yr iaith a lefarwyd yn y cyfarfod. Mae’r golofn dde yn cynnwys cyfieithiad o’r areithiau hynny.

In the bilingual version, the left-hand column includes the language used during the meeting. The right-hand column includes a translation of those speeches.

Cyfarfu'r Senedd yn y Siambr a thrwy gynhadledd fideo am 13:30 gyda'r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair. 

The Senedd met in the Chamber and by video-conference at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.

Datganiad gan y Llywydd
Statement by the Llywydd

Croeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn. Cyn i ni ddechrau, dwi angen nodi ychydig o bwyntiau. Cynhelir y cyfarfod hwn ar ffurf hybrid, gyda rhai Aelodau yn Siambr y Senedd ac eraill yn ymuno trwy gyswllt fideo. Bydd rhai o'r Aelodau—bydd yr holl Aelodau, a dweud y gwir—sy'n cymryd rhan yn nhrafodion y Senedd, ble bynnag y bônt, yn cael eu trin yn gyfartal. 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 yma.

Welcome to this Plenary session. Before we begin, I want to set out a few points. This meeting will be held in hybrid format, with some Members in the Senedd Chamber and others joining by video-conference. All Members participating in Senedd proceedings, wherever they may be, will be treated equally. A Plenary meeting held using video-conference, in accordance with the Standing Orders of the Welsh Parliament, constitutes Senedd proceedings for the purposes of the Government of Wales Act 2006. Some of the provisions of Standing Order 34 will apply for today's Plenary meeting. 

1. Cwestiynau i’r Gweinidog Cyllid a Llywodraeth Leol
1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government

Yr eitem gyntaf sydd gyda ni y prynhawn yma yw'r cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Cyllid a Llywodraeth Leol, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Luke Fletcher.

The first item this afternoon is questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government, and the first question is from Luke Fletcher.

Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol
Social Justice

1. Pa flaenoriaethau y mae'r Gweinidog yn eu hystyried wrth ddyrannu cyllid i'r portffolio cyfiawnder cymdeithasol? OQ57577

1. What priorities does the Minister take into account when allocating funding to the social justice portfolio? OQ57577

Our 2022-23 draft budget has provided over £400 million to the social justice portfolio up to 2024-25, including an additional £16.5 million in a range of targeted interventions to tackle inequality, to advance and strengthen equality and human rights, improve outcomes for people and contribute to a more equal Wales.

Mae ein cyllideb ddrafft ar gyfer 2022-23 wedi darparu dros £400 miliwn i’r portffolio cyfiawnder cymdeithasol hyd at 2024-25, gan gynnwys £16.5 miliwn yn ychwanegol mewn amrywiaeth o ymyriadau wedi’u targedu i fynd i’r afael ag anghydraddoldeb, hybu a chryfhau cydraddoldeb a hawliau dynol, gwella canlyniadau i bobl a chyfrannu at Gymru fwy cyfartal.

Diolch, Weinidog, ac wrth gwrs, fel aelod o Blaid Cymru, mae’n destun balchder i weld nifer o bolisïau y mae Plaid Cymru ac eraill wedi bod yn ymgyrchu drostynt i daclo tlodi yn cael eu gweithredu yn y Llywodraeth yn sgil y cytundeb cydweithio.

Thank you, Minister, and of course, as a member of Plaid Cymru, it's a subject of pride to see a number of policies that Plaid Cymru and others have been campaigning for to tackle poverty being implemented in the Government in the wake of the co-operation agreement. 

Further to the First Minister's answer to me on the topic of tackling poverty and the role the education maintenance allowance can play, on 14 December, I noted that he estimated that the total cost of increasing EMA payments to £45, as well as increasing the threshold to make it easier for people to access, would cost roughly £10 million. Of course, I recognise the constraints on Welsh Government finance, but given the cost-of-living crisis and the fact we know that families with children are generally more likely to experience poverty, could the Minister give me an assurance that, when further funding is available, the Government seriously looks at expanding EMA and increasing the payments, even if it's through a phased approach? It was a great help to me when I was a kid and I know it would be an even greater help to families if it was expanded further.

Yn dilyn ateb y Prif Weinidog i mi mewn perthynas â threchu tlodi a’r rôl y gall y lwfans cynhaliaeth addysg ei chwarae, ar 14 Rhagfyr, nodais ei fod yn amcangyfrif y byddai cynyddu taliadau'r lwfans cynhaliaeth addysg i £45, yn ogystal â chynyddu’r trothwy i’w wneud yn fwy hygyrch, yn costio £10 miliwn yn fras. Wrth gwrs, rwy’n cydnabod y cyfyngiadau ar gyllid Llywodraeth Cymru, ond o ystyried yr argyfwng costau byw a’r ffaith ein bod yn gwybod bod teuluoedd â phlant yn fwy tebygol, yn gyffredinol, o fod yn byw mewn tlodi, a allai’r Gweinidog roi sicrwydd i mi, pan fydd cyllid pellach ar gael, y bydd y Llywodraeth yn edrych o ddifrif ar ehangu’r lwfans cynhaliaeth addysg a chynyddu’r taliadau, hyd yn oed os gwneir hynny drwy ddull graddol? Roedd yn gymorth mawr i mi pan oeddwn yn blentyn a gwn y byddai’n gymorth mwy byth i deuluoedd pe bai’n cael ei ehangu ymhellach.

Thank you very much for raising this issue. We remain really proud in Wales of the work that we've done to retain the EMA, and also very proud of the work that we're doing jointly with Plaid Cymru in respect of many items in the co-operation agreement relating to poverty, not least our free-school-meal pledge, which will invest an additional £90 million up to 2024-25 to deliver this commitment in stages, as local authorities are able to expand their work in this particular area.

With regard to EMA, obviously, we'll have to keep that matter under review. We've taken a different approach to our budget over the next three years, allocating essentially all available funding at this point in order to maximise funding and avoid the risk of underspends emerging in years, and so on. So, we have taken a slightly different approach this year in terms of giving ourselves less flexibility, but I know that Luke Fletcher makes a strong case in support of the EMA, which obviously we would want to keep under review.

Diolch yn fawr iawn am godi’r mater hwn. Rydym yn parhau i fod yn wirioneddol falch yng Nghymru o’r gwaith rydym wedi’i wneud i gadw’r lwfans cynhaliaeth addysg, ac yn falch iawn hefyd o’r gwaith rydym yn ei wneud ar y cyd â Phlaid Cymru ar lawer o eitemau yn y cytundeb cydweithio sy’n ymwneud â thlodi, yn enwedig ein haddewid prydau ysgol am ddim, a fydd yn buddsoddi £90 miliwn yn ychwanegol hyd at 2024-25 i gyflawni’r ymrwymiad hwn fesul cam, wrth i awdurdodau lleol allu ehangu eu gwaith yn y maes penodol hwn.

Ar y lwfans cynhaliaeth addysg, yn amlwg, bydd yn rhaid inni barhau i adolygu'r mater hwnnw. Rydym wedi mabwysiadu ymagwedd wahanol at ein cyllideb dros y tair blynedd nesaf, gan ddyrannu'r holl gyllid sydd ar gael ar hyn o bryd, yn y bôn, er mwyn darparu cymaint o gyllid â phosibl ac osgoi'r risg o danwariant yn codi o fewn blynyddoedd ac ati. Felly, rydym wedi mabwysiadu ymagwedd ychydig yn wahanol eleni gan roi llai o hyblygrwydd i ni'n hunain, ond gwn fod Luke Fletcher yn dadlau achos cryf o blaid y lwfans cynhaliaeth addysg, a byddem yn awyddus i'w adolygu’n barhaus, yn amlwg.

As the Minister will be aware, the equality and community cohesion budget will increase from £12.7 million in 2022-23 to £20.8 million in 2024-25. This equates to an increase of 64 per cent. From what I can understand, this represents the main increase in social justice expenditure. I'm in no way criticising the allocation of this money to the equality and community cohesion budget. Certainly, the economic impact of lockdown has exacerbated many of the inequalities that people already face and it is right that the disproportionate hardship that they are facing is recognised. But I'm interested in further understanding how such a large percentage increase can be sustained and how it can be factored into budgets beyond 2024-25, because I could see a real issue develop where organisations are geared up for receiving larger budgets only then to be pushed to the wall later on when they are subsequently starved of funding. With this in mind, could the Minister explain whether or not it is the intention of the Welsh Government to sustain or expand upon this level of funding post 2024-25? Thank you.

Fel y gŵyr y Gweinidog, bydd y gyllideb cydraddoldeb a chydlyniant cymunedol yn cynyddu o £12.7 miliwn yn 2022-23 i £20.8 miliwn yn 2024-25. Mae hyn yn cyfateb i gynnydd o 64 y cant. O’r hyn a ddeallaf, dyma’r prif gynnydd yn y gwariant cyfiawnder cymdeithasol. Nid wyf yn beirniadu dyraniad yr arian hwn i'r gyllideb cydraddoldeb a chydlyniant cymunedol mewn unrhyw ffordd. Yn sicr, mae effaith economaidd y cyfyngiadau symud wedi gwaethygu llawer o’r anghydraddoldebau y mae pobl eisoes yn eu hwynebu ac mae’n iawn cydnabod y caledi anghymesur y maent yn ei wynebu. Ond mae gennyf ddiddordeb mewn deall ymhellach sut y gellir cynnal cynnydd canrannol mor fawr a sut y gellir ei gynnwys mewn cyllidebau y tu hwnt i 2024-25, gan y gallaf weld problem wirioneddol yn datblygu lle mae sefydliadau'n disgwyl derbyn cyllidebau mwy o faint, ond yn ei chael hi'n anodd yn nes ymlaen pan fyddant yn cael llai o gyllid. Gyda hyn mewn golwg, a allai’r Gweinidog egluro a yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn bwriadu cynnal neu ehangu ar y lefel hon o gyllid ar ôl 2024-25 ai peidio? Diolch.

Thank you for raising this. In many respects, what we're able to do beyond 2024-25 does depend on the funding the Welsh Government receives from the UK Government through any future comprehensive spending review. And it has been good that, in this spending period, we have had a three-year outlook for spending. We haven't had that since 2017, so it has enabled us and organisations and public services to look ahead and to plan much better for the years ahead. And I think what happens beyond 2024-25 will be subject to further discussions we'll have much closer to that date with the UK Government, but I would certainly hope that we would see favourable settlements beyond the current spending period.

Diolch am godi'r mater hwn. Mewn sawl ffordd, mae'r hyn y gallwn ei wneud y tu hwnt i 2024-25 yn dibynnu ar y cyllid y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei gael gan Lywodraeth y DU drwy unrhyw adolygiad cynhwysfawr o wariant yn y dyfodol. Ac mae'n wych ein bod, yn y cyfnod gwariant hwn, wedi cael rhagolwg tair blynedd o wariant. Nid ydym wedi cael hynny ers 2017, felly mae hyn wedi ein galluogi ni a sefydliadau a gwasanaethau cyhoeddus i edrych ymlaen ac i gynllunio’n llawer gwell ar gyfer y blynyddoedd i ddod. A chredaf y bydd yr hyn sy'n digwydd y tu hwnt i 2024-25 yn destun trafodaethau pellach y byddwn yn eu cael yn llawer agosach at y dyddiad hwnnw gyda Llywodraeth y DU, ond yn sicr, rwy'n gobeithio y byddem yn cael setliadau ffafriol y tu hwnt i'r cyfnod gwariant presennol.

13:35
Y Argyfwng Costau Byw
The Cost-of-living Crisis

2. Pa asesiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o effaith yr argyfwng costau byw ar gyllidebau awdurdodau lleol? OQ57575

2. What assessment has the Welsh Government made of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on local authority budgets? OQ57575

Local authority and family budgets are feeling the effects of energy bills at an all-time high, mounting food costs and the highest inflation rates in a decade. The UK Government must take urgent action to tackle the cost-of-living crisis. The last UK Government budget was a missed opportunity.

Mae cyllidebau awdurdodau lleol a theuluoedd yn teimlo effaith biliau ynni sydd ar eu lefel uchaf erioed, costau bwyd cynyddol, a’r cyfraddau chwyddiant uchaf ers degawd. Mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth y DU gymryd camau brys i fynd i’r afael â’r argyfwng costau byw. Roedd cyllideb ddiwethaf Llywodraeth y DU yn gyfle a gollwyd.

Wel, mae yna tswnami costau byw yn torri o'n cwmpas ni, onid oes e, Weinidog? Ac unwaith eto, mi fydd awdurdodau lleol, ymhlith eraill wrth gwrs, yn nannedd y storm honno wrth iddyn nhw barhau i ddelio ar un llaw â heriau COVID, tra hefyd nawr yn gorfod camu mewn â chefnogaeth ychwanegol wrth i bobl bwyso'n drymach arnyn nhw am eu gwasanaethau, efallai am nad ydyn nhw'n gallu fforddio talu'r rhent, neu fforddio cynhesu cartrefi, neu fforddio prynu bwyd. Nawr, roedd yr ymateb i'r argyfwng COVID, wrth gwrs, yn un sydyn ac yn un sylweddol iawn, ac fe gafodd awdurdodau lleol Cymru gyllid ychwanegol gennych chi i ymateb i'r pwysau aruthrol hwnnw. Ydych chi'n derbyn ei bod hi'n gwbl bosib y bydd angen yr un math o ymateb i'r argyfwng costau byw, ac, os ydych chi, a allwch chi roi sicrwydd bod eich Llywodraeth chi yn barod i gamu i'r adwy â chefnogaeth ychwanegol i awdurdodau lleol i gwrdd â'r galw ychwanegol fydd arnyn nhw os bydd angen hynny yn ystod y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf?

Well, there is a cost-of-living tsunami breaking around us, isn't there, Minister? And once again, local authorities, among others of course, will be in the eye of the storm as they continue to deal on the one hand with the challenges of COVID, whilst also having to step in with additional support as people rely more on their services, because they can't afford to pay their rent, or heat their homes, or buy food. Now, the response to the COVID crisis, of course, was swift and very substantial, and local authorities in Wales were given additional funding from you to respond to those huge pressures. Do you accept that it's entirely possible that the same kind of response will be needed to the cost-of-living crisis, and, if you do, then can you give an assurance that your Government is willing to step into the breach with additional support to local authorities to meet the additional demand placed upon them if that is required during the next financial year?

Thank you for the question. As I responded in my answer to your colleague Luke Fletcher, we have deployed virtually all of the available funding, so there won't be opportunities to reopen budgets in that sense in the next financial year, other than in the event of a UK Government budget, which would provide additional consequential funding to Wales. But, that said, we've been really mindful of the pressures on local authorities and the importance of the services that they deliver. And that's why the 2022-23 settlement, which I announced provisionally in December, is a good settlement for local government, providing a 9.4 per cent increase in funding on a like-for-like basis. And I do think that that puts local authorities on a good footing to be able to serve communities.

That said, I'm really aware of the current pressures facing local authorities, which is why, today, I've written to leaders, confirming discussions that have been had at officer and official level that there will be £70 million of capital to support local authorities with their overall capital programmes, including impacts on highways, for example. And in doing so, I've been very mindful of the increased cost of materials, for example, that local authorities are facing in respect of their capital projects. So, next year, I think local authorities do have a good settlement, which enables them to plan, and we're also seeking to do what we can to support individual families. I don't think that it's possible for us to step into the breach entirely, because it is the UK Government that has the fiscal firepower to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. But, that said, where we can act, we will act, and you've seen us do so recently with the £200 payment to eligible households in respect of their energy bills.

Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Fel y nodais yn fy ateb i’ch cyd-Aelod, Luke Fletcher, rydym wedi defnyddio bron iawn yr holl gyllid sydd ar gael i ni felly ni fydd cyfleoedd i ailagor cyllidebau yn yr ystyr honno yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf, oni cheid cyllideb gan Lywodraeth y DU a fyddai’n darparu cyllid canlyniadol ychwanegol i Gymru. Ond wedi dweud hynny, rydym wedi bod yn wirioneddol ymwybodol o'r pwysau ar awdurdodau lleol a phwysigrwydd y gwasanaethau y maent yn eu darparu. A dyna pam fod y setliad ar gyfer 2022-23, a gyhoeddais ar sail dros dro ym mis Rhagfyr, yn setliad da i lywodraeth leol, gan ddarparu cynnydd o 9.4 y cant yn y cyllid ar sail tebyg am debyg. A chredaf fod hynny'n rhoi sylfaen dda i awdurdodau lleol allu gwasanaethu cymunedau.

Wedi dweud hynny, rwy’n ymwybodol iawn o’r pwysau sy’n wynebu awdurdodau lleol ar hyn o bryd, a dyna pam fy mod wedi ysgrifennu at arweinwyr heddiw, yn cadarnhau trafodaethau a gafwyd ar lefel swyddogion a swyddogol y bydd £70 miliwn o gyfalaf ar gael i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol gyda’u rhaglenni cyfalaf cyffredinol, gan gynnwys effeithiau ar briffyrdd, er enghraifft. Ac wrth wneud hynny, rwyf wedi ystyried costau cynyddol deunyddiau, er enghraifft, y mae awdurdodau lleol yn eu hwynebu gyda'u prosiectau cyfalaf. Felly, y flwyddyn nesaf, rwy'n credu bod awdurdodau lleol wedi cael setliad da, sy'n eu galluogi i gynllunio, ac rydym hefyd yn ceisio gwneud yr hyn a allwn i gefnogi teuluoedd unigol. Ni chredaf fod modd inni gamu i’r adwy'n gyfan gwbl, gan mai gan Lywodraeth y DU y mae'r grym cyllidol i fynd i'r afael â’r argyfwng costau byw. Ond wedi dweud hynny, lle gallwn weithredu, fe fyddwn yn gweithredu, ac rydych wedi ein gweld yn gwneud hynny'n ddiweddar gyda'r taliad o £200 i aelwydydd cymwys ar gyfer eu biliau ynni.

Apologies in advance, as I'll follow the same theme as Llyr, if I may, but I'm conscious of your answer, Minister. As we know, the pandemic has had a substantial economic impact on families and resulted in more people needing access to financial advice and support. Councils are often the first port of call for people, and offer an important source of help and advice, and so increasing demand for support will have cost implications for councils, and pressures will no doubt rise as more help is required for individuals, communities and many other groups across the wider community. As I understand it, the Welsh Government's single advice fund is available to local authorities, but only if the funded services are to be planned and delivered on a regional basis. Therefore, Minister, I wondered what consideration has the Welsh Government given to relaxing the single advice service criteria to allow councils to more easily access funding so that they can expand their local support services in a far quicker and targeted way? And what else is the Welsh Government doing to help councils to provide additional support to those who need it? Thank you.

Ymddiheuriadau ymlaen llaw, gan fy mod am ddilyn yr un thema â Llyr, os caf, ond rwy'n ymwybodol o'ch ateb, Weinidog. Fel y gwyddom, mae’r pandemig wedi cael effaith economaidd sylweddol ar deuluoedd, ac wedi arwain at fwy o bobl sydd angen mynediad at gymorth a chyngor ariannol. Yn aml, cynghorau yw’r man cyswllt cyntaf i bobl, ac maent yn cynnig ffynhonnell bwysig o gymorth a chyngor, ac felly bydd y galw cynyddol am gymorth yn arwain at oblygiadau o ran costau i gynghorau, a bydd y pwysau’n cynyddu, heb os, wrth i unigolion, cymunedau a llawer o grwpiau eraill yn y gymuned ehangach fod angen mwy o gymorth. Yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, ni fydd cronfa gynghori sengl Llywodraeth Cymru ar gael i awdurdodau lleol oni bai bod y gwasanaethau a ariennir yn cael eu cynllunio a’u darparu ar sail ranbarthol. Felly, Weinidog, tybed pa ystyriaeth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi’i rhoi i lacio’r meini prawf ar gyfer y gwasanaeth cynghori sengl er mwyn caniatáu i gynghorau gael mynediad haws at gyllid fel y gallant ehangu eu gwasanaethau cymorth lleol mewn ffordd lawer cyflymach ac wedi’i thargedu? A beth arall y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i helpu cynghorau i ddarparu cymorth ychwanegol i'r rheini sydd ei angen? Diolch.

Thank you for raising the issue of the single advice fund. The policy behind that fund and the operation of it lie in the portfolio of my colleague the Minister for Social Justice, but I will make a point of having a conversation with her about that. And I also have the opportunity regularly to meet with leaders of local government, as you'll recall from not too long ago, and I will take an opportunity in one of those upcoming meetings to explore their thoughts on the single advice fund and what it means for them in terms of their ability to support their local residents. 

Diolch am godi mater y gronfa gynghori sengl. Mae’r polisi sy'n sail i’r gronfa honno a’r broses o'i rhoi ar waith yn rhan o bortffolio fy nghyd-Aelod, y Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, ond byddaf yn sicrhau fy mod yn cael sgwrs gyda hi ynglŷn â hynny. Ac rwyf hefyd yn cael cyfle rheolaidd i gyfarfod ag arweinwyr llywodraeth leol, fel y byddwch yn cofio o ychydig yn ôl, a byddaf yn achub ar y cyfle yn un o'r cyfarfodydd hynny sydd i ddod i archwilio eu barn ar y gronfa gynghori sengl a'r hyn y mae'n ei olygu iddynt hwy o ran eu gallu i gefnogi eu trigolion lleol.

13:40
Cwestiynau Heb Rybudd gan Lefarwyr y Pleidiau
Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Sam Rowlands. 

Questions now from the party spokespeople. The Welsh Conservative spokesperson, Sam Rowlands. 

Diolch, Llywydd, and good afternoon, Minister. Minister, how would you define the word 'reform'?

Diolch, Lywydd, a phrynhawn da, Weinidog. Weinidog, sut y byddech yn diffinio’r gair 'diwygio’?

Reform would be to make change, and, in the Welsh Government's context, obviously we don't want to make changes for the sake of changes, and we wouldn't want to make reforms that were regressive. So, within the context of council tax, for example, reform would be to create a more progressive system.  

Diwygio fyddai gwneud newid, ac yng nghyd-destun Llywodraeth Cymru, yn amlwg, nid ydym am wneud newidiadau er mwyn gwneud newidiadau, ac ni fyddem yn dymuno gwneud diwygiadau anflaengar. Felly, yng nghyd-destun y dreth gyngor, er enghraifft, byddai diwygio'n golygu creu system fwy blaengar.

Lovely, and thank you, Minister—you have well guessed my series of questions in terms of council tax reform; I'd hoped that was fairly obvious. As I'm sure all Members across the Chamber regularly do, I do take great interest in the co-operation agreement document that you are signed up to with Plaid Cymru, and in there, as you noted, when it comes to council tax reform, you have an ambition to reform one of the most regressive forms of taxation that disproportionately impacts poorer areas of Wales, and are looking to make it fairer. So, Minister, as you described this as one of the most regressive forms of taxation, how far will you go to reform it?

Hyfryd, a diolch, Weinidog—rydych wedi dyfalu mai cyfres o gwestiynau ar ddiwygio’r dreth gyngor sydd gennyf; roeddwn wedi gobeithio bod hynny'n weddol amlwg. Fel pob Aelod ar draws y Siambr, rwy'n siŵr, mae gennyf gryn dipyn o ddiddordeb yn nogfen y cytundeb cydweithio rydych wedi ymrwymo iddo gyda Phlaid Cymru, ac ynddo, fel y nodoch chi, ar fater diwygio’r dreth gyngor, mae gennych uchelgais i ddiwygio un o’r ffurfiau mwyaf anflaengar ar drethu sy’n effeithio’n anghymesur ar ardaloedd tlotach o Gymru, ac rydych yn bwriadu ei wneud yn decach. Felly, Weinidog, gan ichi ddisgrifio hyn fel un o’r ffurfiau mwyaf anflaengar ar drethu, pa mor bell y byddwch yn mynd i’w ddiwygio?

Well, I made a statement on 7 December, providing our early thoughts in response to the work that we commissioned over the period of the last Senedd, which was published in our summary of findings. That pulled together various potential models for the future, as investigated by Bangor University, Cardiff University, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and others who have been doing work for us. So, our next steps, as set out in that statement, would be to look to a number of streams of work. One would be to ask the Valuation Office Agency to update the valuations here in Wales. That hasn't happened for some time; actually, it's existed in its current form—the council tax system has existed in its current form—since 1993, so we've got a lot of catching up to do in terms of recognising the value of properties. And that's a good start. That will help us then consider future options—for example, changing the number of bands, adding bands at the top and bottom of the system to try and make the system fairer. And, also, it will be the intention to review the council tax reduction scheme. So, at the moment, we're able to support over 200,000 families, households, across Wales in respect of council tax bills. So, we'll be reviewing that to make sure that the new system is coherent with whatever comes next after the valuation. Also, we'll be reviewing the discounts, disregards, exemptions and premiums to ensure that they're also relevant to today's policy ambitions. 

Wel, gwneuthum ddatganiad ar 7 Rhagfyr, yn nodi ein hymateb cynnar i'r gwaith a gomisiynwyd gennym dros gyfnod y Senedd ddiwethaf, a gyhoeddwyd yn ein crynodeb o'r canfyddiadau. Roedd hwnnw'n dod â modelau posibl ar gyfer y dyfodol ynghyd, fel yr ymchwiliwyd iddynt gan Brifysgol Bangor, Prifysgol Caerdydd, y Sefydliad Astudiaethau Cyllid ac eraill sydd wedi bod yn gwneud gwaith i ni. Felly, ein camau nesaf, fel y nodwyd yn y datganiad hwnnw, fyddai edrych ar nifer o ffrydiau gwaith. Un fyddai gofyn i Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio ddiweddaru’r prisiadau yma yng Nghymru. Nid yw hynny wedi digwydd ers peth amser; mewn gwirionedd, mae wedi bodoli ar ei ffurf bresennol—mae system y dreth gyngor wedi bodoli ar ei ffurf bresennol—ers 1993, felly mae gennym lawer o waith dal i fyny i'w wneud ar adnabod gwerth eiddo. Ac mae hynny'n ddechrau da. Bydd hynny’n ein helpu wedyn i ystyried opsiynau ar gyfer y dyfodol—er enghraifft, newid nifer y bandiau, ychwanegu bandiau ar frig ac ar waelod y system i geisio gwneud y system yn decach. A'r bwriad hefyd yw adolygu cynllun gostyngiadau’r dreth gyngor. Felly, ar hyn o bryd, rydym yn gallu cefnogi dros 200,000 o deuluoedd, aelwydydd, ledled Cymru mewn perthynas â biliau'r dreth gyngor. Felly, byddwn yn adolygu hynny i sicrhau bod y system newydd yn gydlynol â beth bynnag a ddaw nesaf ar ôl y prisio. A byddwn hefyd yn adolygu gostyngiadau, diystyriadau, eithriadau a phremiymau i sicrhau eu bod hwythau'n berthnasol hefyd i uchelgeisiau polisi heddiw.

Thank you, Minister. I suppose the risk that I'm pointing toward is that we talk about reform, and talk, to my mind, to a more wholesale change, and some of the things you mentioned there perhaps aren't reform but are merely tweaks or tinkering around the edges. And simply a revaluation, with a couple of extra bands added, potentially, to council tax, isn't real reform. And, of course, it's important to note that the last time the Welsh Government undertook a revaluation in Wales, one in three households saw a hike in the council tax that they were paying. And I suppose it's also a risk that, without a real desire to see reform, we could be talking about this again in another five, 10 years' time, talking about the regressive nature of council tax but no real change being made to it, just merely tweaks here and there. So, Minister, are you able to assure us today that you have a real appetite to see changes in this area and to see true reform, rather than just tweaking things around the edges?

Diolch, Weinidog. Mae'n debyg mai'r risg rwy'n cyfeirio ati yw ein bod yn sôn am ddiwygio, ac yn sôn, yn fy marn i, am newid mwy cyffredinol, ac efallai nad diwygio yw rhai o'r pethau rydych newydd eu crybwyll ond mân newidiadau ar yr ymylon. Ac nid yw ailbrisio, gan ychwanegu ychydig o fandiau ychwanegol, o bosibl, at y dreth gyngor, yn ddiwygio go iawn. Ac wrth gwrs, y tro diwethaf i Lywodraeth Cymru gynnal ailbrisiad yng Nghymru, mae'n bwysig nodi bod un o bob tair aelwyd wedi wynebu cynnydd yn y dreth gyngor roeddent yn ei thalu. Ac mae'n debyg ei bod hefyd yn risg, heb awydd gwirioneddol i ddiwygio, y gallem fod yn sôn am hyn eto ymhen pum, 10 mlynedd arall, siarad am natur anflaengar y dreth gyngor heb wneud unrhyw newid go iawn iddi, dim ond rhyw fân newidiadau yma ac acw. Felly, Weinidog, a allwch roi sicrwydd i ni heddiw fod gennych awydd go iawn i weld newidiadau yn y maes hwn a gweld diwygio go iawn yn digwydd, yn hytrach na mân newidiadau ar yr ymylon yn unig?

So, there were a few things in that question. I don't think a revaluation is tweaking around the edges. You described that, even in the last revaluation, a third of properties saw an increase in their bills. That's pretty dramatic, and there would probably be a corresponding number who saw a decrease in their bills, and some then who saw the system stay the same for them. So, there'll be lots of questions for us to consider even in that context. What kind of transitional support, if any, do we put in for those households? What is the impact on councils themselves in terms of being able to raise revenue? Will we need to put transitional things in place for them? So, that's another big question. But, overall, all of this doesn't close the door on more fundamental reform in future. So, even a revaluation, the new bands and so on, will take almost the entirety of this Senedd term. That's partly because of the rules that sit behind the VOA, when changes can be made, and when they can be implemented and so on. So, this is a long-term piece of work, but it doesn't shut the door on more fundamental reform in the future, such as a land value tax. We will go on continuing to explore something like that. We could have rolling revaluations. When we think about the data that the Welsh Revenue Authority is constantly getting in terms of house prices, we could have rolling revaluations, which might make things fairer and more up to date in future. So, alongside the revaluation, we are considering additional kinds of reforms for the future. I think that this should be a collaborative piece of work, and I'd be more than happy to have discussions with colleagues across the Senedd in terms of hearing ideas for making council tax fairer. 

Roedd tipyn o bethau yn eich cwestiwn. Ni chredaf mai mân newid ar yr ymylon yw ailbrisio. Hyd yn oed yn yr ailbrisiad diwethaf, fe ddywedoch chi fod biliau traean o'r eiddo wedi cynyddu. Mae hynny'n eithaf dramatig, ac mae'n debyg y byddai biliau nifer cyfatebol o'r eiddo wedi gostwng, a'r system wedi aros yr un peth i rai eraill. Felly, bydd llawer o gwestiynau i ni eu hystyried hyd yn oed yn y cyd-destun hwnnw. Pa fath o gymorth trosiannol, os o gwbl, rydym yn ei roi i’r aelwydydd hynny? Beth yw’r effaith ar y cynghorau eu hunain o ran gallu codi refeniw? A fydd angen inni roi mesurau trosiannol ar waith ar eu cyfer hwy? Felly, dyna gwestiwn mawr arall. Ond yn gyffredinol, nid yw hyn oll yn cau'r drws ar ddiwygio mwy sylfaenol yn y dyfodol. Felly, bydd hyd yn oed ailbrisio, y bandiau newydd ac ati, yn cymryd tymor cyfan y Senedd hon, bron â bod. Mae hynny'n rhannol oherwydd y rheolau sy'n effeithio ar Asiantaeth y Swyddfa Brisio, a phryd y gellir gwneud newidiadau, a phryd y gellir eu gweithredu ac ati. Felly, mae hwn yn waith hirdymor, ond nid yw’n cau’r drws ar ddiwygio mwy sylfaenol yn y dyfodol, megis treth gwerth tir. Byddwn yn parhau i archwilio rhywbeth felly. Gallem gael ailbrisiadau treigl. Pan feddyliwn am y data y mae Awdurdod Cyllid Cymru yn ei gael yn gyson ar brisiau tai, gallem gael ailbrisiadau treigl, a allai wneud pethau’n decach ac yn fwy cyfredol yn y dyfodol. Felly, ochr yn ochr â’r ailbrisio, rydym yn ystyried mathau ychwanegol o ddiwygiadau ar gyfer y dyfodol. Credaf y dylai hwn fod yn waith cydweithredol, ac rwy'n fwy na pharod i gael trafodaethau â chyd-Aelodau ar draws y Senedd a gwrando ar syniadau ar gyfer gwneud y dreth gyngor yn decach.

13:45

Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Llyr Gruffydd. 

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Llyr Gruffydd. 

Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, the blatant denial of funding to Wales by the Westminster Government has probably gone to another level, hasn't it, this week. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised, because we already know that the UK Government is denying Wales our £5 billion share of HS2 funding—money, by the way, that they've given to Scotland and they've given to Northern Ireland. Westminster is also denying us the ability to utilise our natural resources to create revenue through the devolution of the Crown Estate, something, again, that they've given to another part of the United Kingdom. But we learnt, of course, this week that despite an explicit promise by the Prime Minister that Wales wouldn't be a penny worse off from leaving the EU, Westminster is pocketing £1 billion-worth of money that should be coming to Wales. So, do you agree with me, Minister, that the more the Westminster Government breaks its promises, the more it breaks up the United Kingdom? 

Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, mae’n debyg fod Llywodraeth San Steffan wedi cyrraedd lefel uwch byth yr wythnos hon yn y ffordd y mae'n gwadu cyllid i Gymru. Efallai na ddylem synnu, gan y gwyddom eisoes fod Llywodraeth y DU yn gwadu ein cyfran o £5 biliwn o gyllid HS2 i Gymru—arian y maent wedi'i roi, gyda llaw, i'r Alban ac i Ogledd Iwerddon. Mae San Steffan hefyd yn gwadu’r gallu inni ddefnyddio ein hadnoddau naturiol i greu refeniw drwy ddatganoli Ystad y Goron, rhywbeth arall y maent wedi’i roi i ran arall o’r Deyrnas Unedig. Ond fe ddysgom ni, wrth gwrs, yr wythnos hon, er gwaethaf addewid pendant gan Brif Weinidog y DU na fyddai Cymru geiniog ar ei cholled yn sgil gadael yr UE, fod San Steffan yn pocedu gwerth £1 biliwn o arian a ddylai fod yn dod i Gymru. Felly, a ydych yn cytuno â mi, Weinidog, po fwyaf y bydd Llywodraeth San Steffan yn torri ei haddewidion, y mwyaf y bydd yn chwalu’r Deyrnas Unedig?

Yes, I do. I agree fully with that. I think that every time the UK Government makes a promise to Wales and to the people of Wales that it doesn't keep, it does risk the break-up of the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom has to be a group of nations where we have mutual respect, and where we treat each other with equality, and we don't have that at the moment. That's not to say that the UK Government can't today make changes in that respect and change its approach to the United Kingdom. I really don't think that down the end of the M4 the UK Government really hears the mood music in Wales and hears how angry and fed up people are in Wales with the UK Government. But, of course, there'll be opportunities for them to hear that loud and clear in the months ahead. 

Ydw, rwy'n cytuno. Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â hynny. Yn fy marn i, bob tro y bydd Llywodraeth y DU yn gwneud addewid nad yw’n ei gadw i Gymru ac i bobl Cymru, mae'n mentro chwalu'r Deyrnas Unedig. Mae’n rhaid i’r Deyrnas Unedig fod yn grŵp o genhedloedd lle mae gennym barch cydradd at ein gilydd, lle rydym yn trin ein gilydd yn gyfartal, ac nid yw hynny'n digwydd ar hyn o bryd. Nid yw hynny'n golygu na all Llywodraeth y DU wneud newidiadau yn hynny o beth heddiw, a newid ei hymagwedd at y Deyrnas Unedig. Ni chredaf fod Llywodraeth y DU ar ben arall yr M4 yn wirioneddol ymwybodol o'r teimladau yng Nghymru ac yn clywed pa mor ddig yw pobl yng Nghymru gyda Llywodraeth y DU. Ond wrth gwrs, daw cyfleoedd iddynt glywed hynny’n glir iawn dros y misoedd nesaf.

And, of course, not only are they denying us the funding that's rightfully ours, but they're also denying us the fiscal levers that would really help make a difference to people's lives here in Wales, from intentionally restricting what fiscal powers we have to denying us powers over other key levers like corporation tax, value added tax and air passenger duty. As you said earlier in a previous answer, we just don't have the fiscal firepower. Again, I suppose we shouldn't be surprised, because it's no secret that this Tory Westminster Government is intent not only on undermining devolution, but on actually undoing devolution, and taking back powers to Westminster. So, do you share my concerns that the Westminster Government's intention to review the Wales Act 2014 is an ominous sign that the Tories are coming after devolution, and that it isn't just our money that they'll take off us, but our powers as well?  

Ac wrth gwrs, nid yn unig eu bod yn gwadu'r cyllid y mae gennym hawl iddo, ond maent hefyd yn gwadu'r ysgogiadau cyllidol i ni a fyddai'n helpu i wneud gwahaniaeth go iawn i fywydau pobl yma yng Nghymru, o gyfyngu'n fwriadol ar y pwerau cyllidol sydd gennym i wadu pwerau i ni dros ysgogiadau allweddol eraill fel treth gorfforaeth, treth ar werth a tholl teithwyr awyr. Fel y dywedoch chi mewn ateb blaenorol, nid oes gennym y grym cyllidol. Unwaith eto, mae'n debyg na ddylem synnu, gan nad yw'n gyfrinach fod y Llywodraeth Dorïaidd hon yn San Steffan yn benderfynol nid yn unig o danseilio datganoli, ond o ddadwneud datganoli, a mynd â phwerau yn ôl i San Steffan. Felly, a ydych yn rhannu fy mhryderon fod bwriad Llywodraeth San Steffan i adolygu Deddf Cymru 2014 yn arwydd fod y Torïaid yn bygwth datganoli, ac nad ein harian yn unig y byddant yn ei gymryd gennym, ond ein pwerau hefyd?

There's so much to respond to there. I completely share your concerns about the lack of flexibilities that the Welsh Government has. I know that this has been something that has actually received agreement across the Senedd in the past, in terms of the need for the Welsh Government to have greater flexibility at year end to have a full financial year to spend money that is often presented to us very late on in the financial year. Our ability to borrow more in the aggregate and more on an annual basis would be useful in terms of managing our funding as well. So, there's a whole range of flexibilities that we want to see there. There's a whole range of tax powers that we would want to see come to Wales—you mentioned air passenger duty. The huge trouble that we're having even really getting proper conversation now with the UK Government in respect of the vacant land tax is another example of where things just aren't satisfactory at the moment. And so the recent announcements in terms of the UK Government's approach to the Welsh Government and Welsh powers are of concern, and obviously we will want to be engaging with this fully. Again, this is an area where those of us who share views will want to work collaboratively. 

Mae cymaint i ymateb iddo yno. Rwy'n sicr yn rhannu eich pryderon ynglŷn â'r diffyg hyblygrwydd sydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Gwn fod hyn wedi bod yn rhywbeth sydd wedi ennyn cytundeb ar draws y Senedd yn y gorffennol, o ran yr angen i Lywodraeth Cymru gael mwy o hyblygrwydd ar ddiwedd y flwyddyn i gael blwyddyn ariannol lawn i wario arian sy'n aml yn cael ei gyflwyno i ni yn hwyr iawn yn y flwyddyn ariannol. Byddai ein gallu i fenthyca mwy yn ei grynswth a mwy yn flynyddol hefyd yn ddefnyddiol o ran rheoli ein cyllid. Felly, mae sawl math o hyblygrwydd rydym am ei weld. Mae ystod eang o bwerau trethu y byddem am eu gweld yn dod i Gymru—fe sonioch chi am doll teithwyr awyr. Mae'r drafferth enfawr rydym yn ei chael hyd yn oed i gael sgwrs iawn yn awr gyda Llywodraeth y DU ynghylch y dreth ar dir gwag yn enghraifft arall o sefyllfa nad yw'n foddhaol ar hyn o bryd. Ac felly, mae'r cyhoeddiadau diweddar ar ymagwedd Llywodraeth y DU tuag at Lywodraeth Cymru a phwerau Cymru yn peri pryder, ac yn amlwg, dylem fod yn rhoi sylw llawn i'r mater. Unwaith eto, mae hwn yn faes lle bydd y rheini ohonom sy'n rhannu'r farn hon yn awyddus i gydweithio.

Cynnal a Chadw Ffyrdd
Road Maintenance

3. Pa ystyriaeth a roddodd y Gweinidog i gyfrifoldebau awdurdodau lleol dros gynnal a chadw ffyrdd wrth bennu'r gyllideb ar gyfer y portffolio newid hinsawdd? OQ57574

3. What consideration did the Minister give to local authorities' responsibilities for road maintenance when setting the budget for the climate change portfolio? OQ57574

13:50

We recognise the importance of maintaining our road network, which represents a £17 billion asset. Within the climate change portfolio, we are investing £0.5 billion to maintain a safe and reliable network. Alongside this, the local government settlement provides almost £16 billion to support their responsibilities in these and other areas.  

Rydym yn cydnabod pwysigrwydd cynnal a chadw ein rhwydwaith ffyrdd, sy’n cynrychioli ased o £17 biliwn. O fewn y portffolio newid hinsawdd, rydym yn buddsoddi £0.5 biliwn i gynnal rhwydwaith diogel a dibynadwy. Yn ogystal â hyn, mae’r setliad llywodraeth leol yn darparu bron i £16 biliwn i gefnogi eu cyfrifoldebau yn y meysydd hyn a meysydd eraill.

Thank you. Rural areas like my colleague Peter Fox's constituency of Monmouth—and I'd just like to declare an interest as a Monmouthshire county councillor still—tend to have very large road networks that need a lot of upkeep, yet we see the Welsh Government has allocated no additional funds through the resilient roads grant. If the Welsh Government are going to persist with the agenda of building no more roads, then additional funding should be allocated to maintain the current roads and clear the maintenance backlog. We all want a cleaner, greener Wales, but letting our roads fall into disrepair is not the way to achieve it. The Asphalt Industry Alliance annual local authority road maintenance survey found that Welsh highway authorities would need an additional £36.3 million per local authority to repair roads across the counties. It would take 10 years for all roads to be repaired. So, Minister, what steps are being taken to make sure our roads are fit for purpose for a twenty-first century Wales and why hasn't any extra money been allocated to fix our dire roads in Wales?

Diolch. Mae ardaloedd gwledig fel etholaeth fy nghyd-Aelod, Peter Fox, ym Mynwy—a hoffwn ddatgan buddiant fel cynghorydd sir yn sir Fynwy o hyd—yn dueddol o fod â rhwydweithiau ffyrdd mawr iawn y mae angen llawer o waith cynnal a chadw arnynt, ond er hynny, gwelwn nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dyrannu unrhyw arian ychwanegol drwy'r grant ffyrdd cydnerth. Os yw Llywodraeth Cymru am barhau â’r agenda i beidio ag adeiladu mwy o ffyrdd, dylid dyrannu cyllid ychwanegol i gynnal a chadw’r ffyrdd presennol a mynd i'r afael ag ôl-groniad y gwaith cynnal a chadw. Mae pob un ohonom yn dymuno gweld Cymru lanach a gwyrddach, ond nid gadael i’n ffyrdd ddadfeilio yw’r ffordd o gyflawni hynny. Canfu arolwg cynnal a chadw ffyrdd awdurdodau lleol blynyddol yr Asphalt Industry Alliance y byddai angen £36.3 miliwn ychwanegol ar awdurdodau priffyrdd pob un o awdurdodau lleol Cymru i atgyweirio ffyrdd ar draws y siroedd. Byddai'n cymryd 10 mlynedd i atgyweirio pob ffordd. Felly, Weinidog, pa gamau sy’n cael eu cymryd i sicrhau bod ein ffyrdd yn addas i'r diben yng Nghymru yn yr unfed ganrif ar hugain a pham nad oes unrhyw arian ychwanegol wedi’i ddyrannu i atgyweirio ein ffyrdd ofnadwy yng Nghymru?

The Member would have heard me say in response to a previous question that today I have written to leaders of local authorities confirming an additional £70 million of funding for this financial year, and that was in part in response to the discussions that I've had in relation to their concerns about road maintenance. I do recognise the important of road maintenance, and I'm often amazed when I hear UK Government Ministers suggest that Wales is overfunded. I even hear it within this Chamber in respect of the needs-based formula that provides Wales with funding. One of the reasons why we do have additional funding here in Wales is because of our dispersed settlement pattern. I was just reminded when Laura Anne Jones was speaking about the fact that there are 6.7 miles of road for every 1,000 people in Wales and 3.4 miles in England. So, there are almost twice as many roads for us to maintain per head of population here in Wales than in England. And obviously, our dispersed population means higher costs in respect of education and other services. So, I just wanted to give that as an example as to why the funding formula works as it does. I think that communities across Wales benefit as a result of what was agreed by Mark Drakeford when he was in this post. 

Byddai’r Aelod wedi fy nghlywed yn dweud mewn ymateb i gwestiwn blaenorol fy mod wedi ysgrifennu heddiw at arweinwyr awdurdodau lleol i gadarnhau £70 miliwn o gyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol hon, ac roedd hynny’n rhannol mewn ymateb i’r trafodaethau a gefais mewn perthynas â'u pryderon ynghylch cynnal a chadw ffyrdd. Rwy’n cydnabod pwysigrwydd cynnal a chadw ffyrdd, ac rwy’n aml yn rhyfeddu pan glywaf Weinidogion Llywodraeth y DU yn awgrymu bod Cymru’n cael ei gorariannu. Rwyf hyd yn oed yn clywed hynny yn y Siambr hon ynghylch y fformiwla sy'n seiliedig ar anghenion ac sy’n darparu cyllid i Gymru. Un o’r rhesymau pam fod gennym gyllid ychwanegol yma yng Nghymru yw oherwydd ein patrwm anheddu gwasgaredig. Cefais fy atgoffa pan oedd Laura Anne Jones yn siarad am y ffaith bod 6.7 milltir o ffyrdd ar gyfer pob 1,000 o bobl yng Nghymru a 3.4 milltir yn Lloegr. Felly, mae bron ddwywaith cymaint o ffyrdd fesul y pen o’r boblogaeth i ni eu cynnal yma yng Nghymru nag yn Lloegr. Ac yn amlwg, mae ein poblogaeth wasgaredig yn golygu costau uwch mewn perthynas ag addysg a gwasanaethau eraill. Felly, roeddwn am roi hynny fel enghraifft i ddangos pam fod y fformiwla ariannu'n gweithio fel y mae. Credaf fod cymunedau ledled Cymru ar eu hennill o ganlyniad i’r hyn y cytunodd Mark Drakeford arno pan oedd yn y swydd hon.

Thank you. Sorry, I was hoping to come in as a supplementary on Laura Jones's question, so I'm just trying to find my right place. Thank you very much. I'm very pleased to hear of the extra capital funding that's coming forward this year for highway maintenance— 

Diolch. Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, roeddwn wedi gobeithio gofyn cwestiwn atodol i gwestiwn Laura Jones, felly rwy'n ceisio dod o hyd i fy lle iawn. Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy’n falch iawn o glywed am y cyllid cyfalaf ychwanegol sy’n cael ei ddarparu eleni ar gyfer cynnal a chadw priffyrdd—

Sorry, can I declare that I'm a Flintshire county councillor? Thank you.

Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, a gaf fi ddatgan fy mod yn gynghorydd sir yn sir y Fflint? Diolch.

Yes, you can declare, and now you can ask the question that you've tabled as question 4, even though you tried to be quick there and get in your supplementary on question 3 as well. We'll carry on and ask question 4, please.

Gallwch, gallwch ddatgan, a nawr gallwch ofyn y cwestiwn rydych wedi'i gyflwyno fel cwestiwn 4, er ichi geisio bod yn gyflym a chynnwys eich cwestiwn atodol i gwestiwn 3 hefyd. Fe wnawn ni barhau, a gofynnwch gwestiwn 4, os gwelwch yn dda.

Awdurdodau Lleol Gogledd Cymru
Local Authorities in North Wales

4. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau cyllid teg i awdurdodau lleol ledled gogledd Cymru? OQ57558

4. How does the Welsh Government ensure fair funding for local authorities across north Wales? OQ57558

I ensure fair funding for all local authorities in Wales by prioritising local government and health services in budget decisions and through a transparent, equitable and jointly produced distribution formula with our local government partners.

Rwy’n sicrhau cyllid teg i bob awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru drwy roi blaenoriaeth i lywodraeth leol a gwasanaethau iechyd wrth wneud penderfyniadau ar y gyllideb a thrwy fformiwla ddosbarthu dryloyw a theg a gynhyrchir ar y cyd â’n partneriaid llywodraeth leol.

Thank you for that answer, Minister. It's often raised with me that the funding formula for local authorities needs addressing. I think it's been raised here quite a few times as well. For the last few years, the debate has gone round and round in circles, with council leaders writing to Welsh Government, Welsh Government then saying the Welsh Local Government Association need to agree as a collective, and then they have different views because there are huge winners and losers. But, councils are still feeling the pain of austerity, and although this year was a good settlement, the variance per capita and per council can be hugely significant, with the gap between the highest and lowest paid council widening year upon year. The cumulative impact can mean the baseline for some remains low each year, so the difference between two neighbouring councils can be £650 per resident and £50 million or more per annum. For example, a £20 million highways maintenance grant through the formula can equate to £1.2 million for one authority and £850,000 for another. If this continues each year then the cumulative impact continues to grow as well, so one will do well while the other one struggles. So, could the distribution committee that sits below the finance committee investigate the funding formula going forward, or having a funding floor?

Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Mater sy'n cael ei ddwyn i fy sylw'n aml yw bod angen mynd i’r afael â’r fformiwla ariannu ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol. Credaf ei fod wedi'i godi yma gryn dipyn o weithiau hefyd. Am yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf, mae’r ddadl wedi mynd rownd a rownd mewn cylchoedd, gydag arweinwyr cynghorau yn ysgrifennu at Lywodraeth Cymru, Llywodraeth Cymru wedyn yn dweud bod angen i Gymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru gytuno ar y cyd, ac yna mae ganddynt safbwyntiau gwahanol gan fod rhai'n ennill a rhai'n colli. Ond mae cynghorau’n dal i deimlo effaith cyni cyllidol, ac er bod setliad eleni’n un da, gall yr amrywiant fesul y pen a fesul cyngor fod yn hynod sylweddol, gyda’r bwlch rhwng y cyngor sy'n cael y lefel uchaf o gyllid a’r cyngor sy’n cael y lefel isaf yn tyfu o flwyddyn i flwyddyn. Gall yr effaith gronnol olygu bod y llinell sylfaen ar gyfer rhai yn parhau i fod yn isel bob blwyddyn, felly gall y gwahaniaeth rhwng dau gyngor cyfagos fod yn £650 fesul trigolyn a £50 miliwn neu fwy y flwyddyn. Er enghraifft, gall grant cynnal a chadw priffyrdd o £20 miliwn drwy’r fformiwla gyfateb i £1.2 miliwn ar gyfer un awdurdod ac £850,000 i awdurdod arall. Os bydd hyn yn parhau bob blwyddyn mae'r effaith gronnol yn parhau i dyfu hefyd, felly bydd un yn gwneud yn dda tra bo'r llall yn ei chael hi'n anodd. Felly, a allai’r pwyllgor dosbarthu sy’n dod o dan y pwyllgor cyllid ymchwilio i’r fformiwla ariannu wrth symud ymlaen, neu i gael cyllid gwaelodol?

13:55

I thank Carolyn Thomas for raising that point. I think it's worth reminding ourselves why the funding floor was originally devised. It was always, really, intended to be a temporary measure to mitigate the impact of unmanageable negative changes in authority funding in individual years and not to reduce the range of allocation between authorities. We have worked hard to improve the amount of funding provided directly to local authorities. As I mentioned earlier, we've done so by allocating upfront, at the provisional stage, to give local authorities the potential to plan across the full three years.

Obviously, in preparing the final settlement, I'll have to give very good consideration to the consultation process. At the moment, it is a provisional settlement and the consultation closes on 8 February, so I would have to consider the responses to that. If authorities do collectively request a funding floor this year, then, obviously, it would have to be a redistributed floor, so that's where funding would come from other authorities above the chosen floor. I've got the finance sub-group meeting on 9 February, and I'll certainly have those discussions with council leaders again to explore whether they want to review the funding formula. That's something that we've said that we are open to doing, but it would have to come as a request from local government.

Of course, every local authority will have different ideas as to how things should work and which things should be given greater weight. You know, we've got deprivation and sparsity needing to be taken into account in future, and, obviously, we'd want to keep those very much in there. But I will have that discussion again with colleagues on 9 February to explore their views. And, Llywydd, Carolyn Thomas never misses an opportunity to raise road maintenance with me. 

Diolch i Carolyn Thomas am godi’r pwynt hwn. Credaf ei bod yn werth atgoffa ein hunain pam y dyfeisiwyd cyllid gwaelodol yn wreiddiol. Y bwriad bob amser oedd iddo fod yn fesur dros dro i liniaru effaith newidiadau negyddol na ellid eu rheoli yng nghyllid awdurdodau mewn blynyddoedd unigol ac nid i leihau ystod y dyraniad rhwng awdurdodau. Rydym wedi gweithio’n galed i wella swm y cyllid a ddarperir yn uniongyrchol i awdurdodau lleol. Fel y soniais yn gynharach, rydym wedi gwneud hynny drwy ddyrannu ymlaen llaw, ar y cam dros dro, i roi gallu i awdurdodau lleol gynllunio ar gyfer y cyfnod llawn o dair blynedd.

Yn amlwg, wrth baratoi’r setliad terfynol, bydd yn rhaid imi roi ystyriaeth drylwyr i’r broses ymgynghori. Ar hyn o bryd, mae’n setliad dros dro a daw’r ymgynghoriad i ben ar 8 Chwefror, felly byddai’n rhaid imi ystyried yr ymatebion i hwnnw. Os yw awdurdodau’n gofyn ar y cyd am gyllid gwaelodol eleni, yna, yn amlwg, byddai’n rhaid iddo fod yn gyllid gwaelodol wedi’i ailddosbarthu, lle byddai'r cyllid yn dod gan awdurdodau eraill uwchlaw’r cyllid gwaelodol a ddewisir. Mae gennyf gyfarfod o'r is-grŵp cyllid ar 9 Chwefror, a byddaf yn sicr yn cael y trafodaethau hynny gydag arweinwyr cynghorau eto i archwilio a ydynt yn dymuno adolygu'r fformiwla ariannu. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth rydym wedi dweud ein bod yn agored i'w wneud, ond byddai'n rhaid iddo ddod fel cais gan lywodraeth leol.

Wrth gwrs, bydd gan bob awdurdod lleol syniadau gwahanol ynglŷn â sut y dylai pethau weithio a pha bethau y dylid rhoi mwy o bwyslais arnynt. Bydd angen ystyried amddifadedd a theneurwydd poblogaeth yn y dyfodol, ac yn amlwg, byddem yn awyddus i gadw'r rheini yn rhan o hyn. Ond byddaf yn cael y drafodaeth honno eto gyda fy nghyd-Aelodau ar 9 Chwefror i drafod eu safbwyntiau. A Lywydd, nid yw Carolyn Thomas byth yn colli cyfle i godi gwaith cynnal a chadw ffyrdd gyda mi.

Ever since the current Welsh local government formula was introduced over 20 years ago, Flintshire has received one of the lowest settlements in Wales. Speaking here two years ago, I pointed out that four of the five bottom local authorities in terms of funding increases were again the same authorities in north Wales, including Flintshire. I pointed out then that council tax payers in Flintshire faced an 8.1 per cent council tax increase, despite Flintshire councillors having launched a campaign, Back the Ask, highlighting cross-party frustration about the funding they received from the Welsh Government, which led to a large delegation of cross-party councillors coming here to lobby Welsh Government Ministers, calling for the funding formula to be reviewed.

Following your announcement of the provisional settlement for 2022-23 in December, Flintshire's Labour leader criticised the formula used to calculate how much money it receives to provide services as it struggled to balance its books. It's receiving a 9.2 per cent increase, but that still places the county third from bottom out of 22 Welsh local authorities in terms of the amount it receives per person in the area, leaving the council's reserves at one of the lowest levels in Wales and without the cushion other local authorities have. So, when will you stop hiding behind the Welsh Local Government Association—a fairer formula will mean losers as well as winners, and turkeys don't vote for Christmas—and recognise that the 22-year-old funding formula has reached its sell-by date and needs independent review desperately?

Ers i fformiwla llywodraeth leol gyfredol Cymru gael ei chyflwyno dros 20 mlynedd yn ôl, mae sir y Fflint wedi cael un o’r setliadau isaf yng Nghymru. Wrth siarad yma ddwy flynedd yn ôl, nodais mai'r un awdurdodau yng ngogledd Cymru unwaith eto oedd pedwar o’r pum awdurdod lleol lle gwelwyd y cynnydd isaf mewn cyllid, gan gynnwys sir y Fflint. Nodais bryd hynny fod talwyr y dreth gyngor yn sir y Fflint yn wynebu cynnydd o 8.1 y cant yn y dreth gyngor, er bod cynghorwyr sir y Fflint wedi lansio ymgyrch, Back the Ask, i dynnu sylw at rwystredigaeth drawsbleidiol ynghylch y cyllid a gânt gan Lywodraeth Cymru, gan arwain at ddirprwyaeth fawr o gynghorwyr trawsbleidiol yn dod yma i lobïo Gweinidogion Llywodraeth Cymru, i alw am adolygu’r fformiwla ariannu.

Ar ôl ichi gyhoeddi'r setliad dros dro ar gyfer 2022-23 ym mis Rhagfyr, beirniadodd arweinydd Llafur sir y Fflint y fformiwla a ddefnyddiwyd i gyfrifo faint o arian y maent yn ei dderbyn i ddarparu gwasanaethau wrth iddynt frwydro i fantoli eu cyfrifon. Maent yn cael cynnydd o 9.2 y cant, ond mae hynny’n dal i olygu bod y sir yn drydydd o’r gwaelod o blith 22 awdurdod lleol Cymru o ran y swm y maent yn ei dderbyn fesul y pen yn yr ardal, sy'n golygu bod lefelau cronfeydd wrth gefn y cyngor ymhlith yr isaf yng Nghymru, a heb y glustog sydd gan awdurdodau lleol eraill. Felly, pa bryd y byddwch yn rhoi'r gorau i guddio y tu ôl i Gymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru—bydd fformiwla decach yn golygu collwyr yn ogystal ag enillwyr, ac nid yw tyrcïod yn pleidleisio o blaid y Nadolig—a chydnabod bod y fformiwla ariannu 22 oed wedi dyddio a bod taer angen ei hadolygu'n annibynnol?

I would remind Mark Isherwood that the average increase across Wales for the local government settlement next year is 9.4 per cent and Flintshire has a 9.2 per cent increase, so it's not very far off the average.

Hoffwn atgoffa Mark Isherwood mai’r cynnydd cyfartalog ledled Cymru ar gyfer y setliad llywodraeth leol y flwyddyn nesaf yw 9.4 y cant a bod sir y Fflint yn cael cynnydd o 9.2 y cant, felly nid yw’n bell iawn oddi ar y cyfartaledd.

Gwariant ar Ddeddfwriaeth
Spending on Legislation

5. Sut mae'r Gweinidog yn monitro gwerth am arian ac effeithiolrwydd gwariant Llywodraeth Cymru ar ddeddfwriaeth? OQ57544

5. How does the Minister monitor the value for money and effectiveness of Welsh Government spending on legislation? OQ57544

The cost of legislation is met from within the allocations of portfolio budgets, and Ministers take costs into account when prioritising spend for a financial year. When a Minister introduces a Bill, our planned approach for monitoring, reviewing and evaluating the policy is set out in the regulatory impact assessment.

Telir cost deddfwriaeth o ddyraniadau cyllidebau portffolio, ac mae Gweinidogion yn ystyried costau wrth flaenoriaethu gwariant ar gyfer blwyddyn ariannol. Pan fydd Gweinidog yn cyflwyno Bil, caiff ein dull gweithredu arfaethedig ar gyfer monitro, adolygu a gwerthuso’r polisi ei nodi yn yr asesiad effaith rheoleiddiol.

Thank you. As the Minister will be aware, I am totally opposed to bringing in unnecessary legislation—the Trade Union (Wales) Act 2017 and the Children (Abolition of Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Act 2020 to name but two. On the latter, the explanatory memorandum stated that the preferred option to legislate to remove the defence of reasonable punishment in Wales would cost a total to our taxpayers of between £6 million and £8 million. So far, the Welsh Government has spent £1,650,098. Section 1 of this Act comes into force in March. Now, since the legislation received Royal Assent, our nation has been hit by COVID-19. The impact alone on children's mental health has been severe, and the Children's Commissioner for Wales has had to speak up loudly about the fact that there are no suitable places for young people in mental health crisis. So, we do have to prioritise support for those children, who, through no fault of their own, are suffering because of the response to the pandemic. Given these concerns that there are no dedicated mental health crisis centres in Wales for young people, and the fact that you've spent £1.6 million up to now—clearly there is more money allocated for the Bill I mentioned—would you be willing to co-operate with the Deputy Minister for Social Services to review the effectiveness of the spend on abolition of defence of reasonable punishment and maybe be quite radical and look to divert some of that funding to front-line mental health services for young people? Diolch.

Diolch. Fel y gŵyr y Gweinidog, rwy’n gwrthwynebu cyflwyno deddfwriaeth ddiangen yn llwyr—Deddf yr Undebau Llafur (Cymru) 2017 a Deddf Plant (Diddymu Amddiffyniad Cosb Resymol) (Cymru) 2020, i enwi ond dwy. Ar yr ail, nododd y memorandwm esboniadol y byddai’r opsiwn a ffefrir i ddeddfu i ddileu amddiffyniad cosb resymol yng Nghymru yn costio cyfanswm o rhwng £6 miliwn ac £8 miliwn i’n trethdalwyr. Hyd yn hyn, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwario £1,650,098. Daw Adran 1 o’r Ddeddf hon i rym ym mis Mawrth. Nawr, ers i'r ddeddfwriaeth gael Cydsyniad Brenhinol, mae ein gwlad wedi cael ei tharo gan COVID-19. Mae’r effaith ar iechyd meddwl plant yn unig wedi bod yn ddifrifol, ac mae Comisiynydd Plant Cymru wedi gorfod codi ei llais ynglŷn â'r ffaith nad oes lleoedd addas i bobl ifanc mewn argyfwng iechyd meddwl. Felly, mae'n rhaid inni flaenoriaethu cymorth i'r plant sydd, heb unrhyw fai arnynt eu hunain, yn dioddef oherwydd yr ymateb i'r pandemig. O ystyried y pryderon nad oes unrhyw ganolfannau argyfwng iechyd meddwl pwrpasol yng Nghymru ar gyfer pobl ifanc, a’r ffaith eich bod wedi gwario £1.6 miliwn hyd yn hyn—yn amlwg, mae mwy o arian wedi’i ddyrannu ar gyfer y Bil y soniais amdano—a fyddech yn fodlon cydweithredu â’r Dirprwy Weinidog Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol i adolygu effeithiolrwydd y gwariant ar ddileu amddiffyniad cosb resymol, a bod yn eithaf radical efallai ac ystyried dargyfeirio rhywfaint o’r cyllid hwnnw i wasanaethau iechyd meddwl rheng flaen i bobl ifanc? Diolch.

14:00

Well, I'm not going to make any apology for investing in removing the defence of reasonable punishment and the work that needs to sit alongside that, and I know that—. It seems that Janet Finch-Saunders and I have different views on what is necessary legislation and what isn't, but I will say, in respect of the budget for the period ahead, we have allocated an additional £100 million in respect of mental health, and some of that will be very much looking to bolster our whole-school approach to ensure that children and young people do get the support they need at the earliest point. So, mental health is a major priority for this Government, and you will see it reflected in the budget that we published before Christmas.

Wel, nid wyf am ymddiheuro am fuddsoddi i ddileu'r amddiffyniad cosb resymol a'r gwaith sydd ei angen ochr yn ochr â hynny, a gwn—. Mae'n ymddangos bod gan Janet Finch-Saunders a minnau safbwyntiau gwahanol ar yr hyn sy'n ddeddfwriaeth angenrheidiol a'r hyn nad yw'n ddeddfwriaeth angenrheidiol, ond mewn perthynas â'r gyllideb ar gyfer y cyfnod sydd i ddod, rydym wedi dyrannu £100 miliwn ychwanegol ar gyfer iechyd meddwl, a bydd rhywfaint o hwnnw'n ymgais i gryfhau ein dull ysgol gyfan o sicrhau bod plant a phobl ifanc yn cael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt cyn gynted â phosibl. Felly, mae iechyd meddwl yn flaenoriaeth bwysig i'r Llywodraeth hon, a byddwch yn gweld hynny'n cael ei adlewyrchu yn y gyllideb a gyhoeddwyd gennym cyn y Nadolig.

Minister, I don't think you need to take any lectures from the Tory party about wasting money; they are experts at doing so. But, Minister, as a young legislature, with around 50 Acts on the statute book, the Senedd is in a prime position to ensure that all its Acts are efficient, fit for purpose, and are achieving their proposed purpose. Can the Minister provide information about any recent post-implementation reviews of legislation, and whether the costs and savings predicted for those Acts were in fact accurate? Diolch yn fawr.

Weinidog, nid wyf yn credu bod angen ichi wrando ar unrhyw bregethau gan y blaid Dorïaidd ynghylch gwastraffu arian; maent yn arbenigwyr ar wneud hynny. Ond Weinidog, fel deddfwrfa ifanc, gyda thua 50 o Ddeddfau ar y llyfr statud, mae'r Senedd mewn sefyllfa wych i sicrhau bod ei holl Ddeddfau yn effeithlon, yn addas i'r diben, ac yn cyflawni'r diben a fwriadwyd. A all y Gweinidog ddarparu gwybodaeth am unrhyw adolygiadau ôl-weithredu o ddeddfwriaeth yn ddiweddar, ac a oedd y costau a'r arbedion a ragwelwyd ar gyfer y Deddfau hynny yn gywir mewn gwirionedd? Diolch yn fawr.

Yes. So, those reviews will be the responsibility of each portfolio Minister, but I have some within my portfolio that will be relevant here. So, for example, I've just announced a review of the landfill disposals tax. That's set out in legislation, that there should be a review within five years of the implementation of the Act, so we are putting together, at the moment, the commission for that piece of work. I've liaised with the Chair of the Finance Committee in terms of the scope of that work, and we would be looking to do that over the period ahead, with a view to publication in the autumn of 2023. So, that is an example of where it's set out in legislation that we must undertake these reviews, and I intend to do so.

Gallaf. Cyfrifoldeb pob Gweinidog portffolio fydd yr adolygiadau hynny, ond mae gennyf rai yn fy mhortffolio i a fydd yn berthnasol yma. Er enghraifft, rwyf newydd gyhoeddi adolygiad o'r dreth gwarediadau tirlenwi. Mae hynny wedi'i osod mewn deddfwriaeth, y dylid cynnal adolygiad o fewn pum mlynedd o weithrediad y Ddeddf, felly rydym yn sefydlu'r comisiwn ar gyfer y gwaith hwnnw ar hyn o bryd. Rwyf wedi cysylltu â Chadeirydd y Pwyllgor Cyllid ynghylch cwmpas y gwaith, a byddem yn ceisio gwneud hynny dros y cyfnod sydd i ddod, gyda'r bwriad o'i gyhoeddi yn hydref 2023. Felly, dyna enghraifft o ble y mae wedi'i nodi mewn deddfwriaeth fod yn rhaid inni gynnal yr adolygiadau hyn, ac rwy'n bwriadu gwneud hynny.

The Senedd should be really interested in the matter of the quantum and the effective targeting of Welsh Government resources on legislation, because we note the unprecedented increase in the use of the legislative consent process, where Welsh Government resources are redirected towards Westminster in addition to that here in Wales; the additional resource needed to respond to legislation resulting from leaving the European Union, which continues; and the additional resource needed to respond to emergency legislation in response to the coronavirus; as well as, I have to say, what may be regarded as routine business of 'made in Wales' legislation in the programme for government and the co-operation agreement and routine regulations. So, we wonder, Minister: do you think there's any useful comparative analysis to be made between the resources put to legislation, drafting and policy in Westminster, or indeed Scotland or Northern Ireland, compared to that allocated here in Wales? And could the Minister tell us whether she feels there is a benefit to greater and more granulated analysis of how and where legislative resource is allocated by Welsh Government? And perhaps she, and other Ministers, and the Counsel General, could assist us in that analysis.

Dylai'r Senedd fod â diddordeb gwirioneddol ym maint adnoddau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer deddfwriaeth a'r modd o'u targedu'n effeithiol, oherwydd nodwn y cynnydd digynsail yn y defnydd o'r broses cydsyniad deddfwriaethol, lle mae adnoddau Llywodraeth Cymru yn cael eu hailgyfeirio tuag at San Steffan yn ychwanegol at yr hyn a geir yma yng Nghymru; yr adnodd ychwanegol sydd ei angen i ymateb i ddeddfwriaeth o ganlyniad i adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, sy'n parhau; a'r adnodd ychwanegol sydd ei angen i ymateb i ddeddfwriaeth frys mewn ymateb i'r coronafeirws; yn ogystal, rhaid imi ddweud, â'r hyn y gellir ei ystyried yn fusnes rheolaidd deddfwriaeth 'a wnaed yng Nghymru' yn y rhaglen lywodraethu a'r cytundeb cydweithio a'r rheoliadau rheolaidd. Felly, Weinidog: a ydych yn credu bod unrhyw ddadansoddiad cymharol defnyddiol i'w wneud rhwng yr adnoddau a roddir tuag at ddeddfwriaeth, drafftio a pholisi yn San Steffan, neu'n wir yn yr Alban neu Ogledd Iwerddon, o'i gymharu â'r hyn a ddyrennir yma yng Nghymru? Ac a allai'r Gweinidog ddweud wrthym a yw'n teimlo bod budd i ddadansoddiad mwy helaeth a mwy manwl o sut a ble y dyrennir adnoddau deddfwriaethol gan Lywodraeth Cymru? Ac efallai y gallai hi, a Gweinidogion eraill, a'r Cwnsler Cyffredinol, ein cynorthwyo yn y dadansoddiad hwnnw.

That's an interesting question. It's one that I will pursue with colleagues. We have a board of Ministers who have responsibility for legislation within their portfolios who get together very frequently to discuss the progress of legislation, and I think that might be a useful forum in which to have some of those discussions. So, it's an interesting proposition and I'll certainly give it some further thought and discussion with colleagues. 

Dyna gwestiwn diddorol. Mae'n un y byddaf yn mynd ar ei drywydd gyda chyd-Weinidogion. Mae gennym fwrdd o Weinidogion sy'n gyfrifol am ddeddfwriaeth o fewn eu portffolios sy'n dod at ei gilydd yn aml iawn i drafod cynnydd deddfwriaeth, a chredaf y gallai hwnnw fod yn fforwm defnyddiol i gael rhai o'r trafodaethau hynny. Felly, mae'n gynnig diddorol a byddaf yn sicr yn ei ystyried ymhellach ac yn ei drafod gyda chyd-Weinidogion. 

14:05
Ardoll Twristiaeth
A Tourism Levy

6. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am gynlluniau i alluogi awdurdodau lleol i godi ardoll twristiaeth? OQ57569

6. Will the Minister provide an update on plans to enable local authorities to raise a tourism levy? OQ57569

Yes. Policy development has commenced and discussions are under way with local authorities. A consultation will take place in autumn this year, enabling all views to be considered on the operation of a visitor levy.

Gwnaf. Mae'r gwaith o ddatblygu polisi wedi dechrau ac mae trafodaethau ar y gweill gydag awdurdodau lleol. Cynhelir ymgynghoriad yn yr hydref eleni, i alluogi'r holl safbwyntiau i gael eu hystyried ar weithrediad ardoll ymwelwyr.

Thank you, Minister. I could understand if you were getting a little fed up with being asked about a potential tourism levy, especially as the Welsh Government, as you said, is planning to do a consultation starting this autumn. However, the issue continues to be politicised and used to spread misinformation in my community of Bridgend and Porthcawl. I will support my constituents in whatever they decide when they get to voice their views on a potential levy, but I want the people in my community to be able to make a decision based on facts and fairness. The pandemic has identified an opportunity to strengthen local tourist economies, such as Porthcawl in my constituency, yet we cannot ignore the fact that a decade or more now of Westminster austerity has seen closures of public toilets, museums and local amenities that we need to welcome tourists without putting extra pressure on the residents and businesses. Does the Minister agree with me that a tourist levy could provide an opportunity for the community to invest in tourist attractions and public facilities without the burden falling on the residents to pick up the bill?

Diolch, Weinidog. Gallwn ddeall pe baech wedi cael llond bol o gwestiynau am ardoll twristiaeth bosibl, yn enwedig fel y dywedoch chi, gan fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn bwriadu cynnal ymgynghoriad sy'n dechrau'r hydref hwn. Fodd bynnag, mae'r mater yn parhau i gael ei wleidyddoli a'i ddefnyddio i ledaenu gwybodaeth anghywir yn fy nghymuned ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr a Phorthcawl. Byddaf yn cefnogi fy etholwyr beth bynnag a benderfynant pan gânt leisio eu barn ar ardoll bosibl, ond rwyf am i'r bobl yn fy nghymuned allu gwneud penderfyniad yn seiliedig ar ffeithiau a thegwch. Mae'r pandemig wedi rhoi cyfle i gryfhau economïau twristiaeth lleol, megis Porthcawl yn fy etholaeth i, ac eto ni allwn anwybyddu'r ffaith bod degawd neu fwy bellach o gyni San Steffan wedi arwain at gau toiledau cyhoeddus, amgueddfeydd ac amwynderau lleol a bod angen inni groesawu twristiaid heb roi pwysau ychwanegol ar y trigolion a'r busnesau. A yw'r Gweinidog yn cytuno â mi y gallai ardoll twristiaeth roi cyfle i'r gymuned fuddsoddi mewn atyniadau i dwristiaid ac amwynderau cyhoeddus heb roi baich ar y trigolion i dalu'r bil?

Yes, definitely. So, for those authorities that do decide that they would like to raise a visitor levy, it will obviously provide them with additional revenue for their communities to invest in the conditions that make tourism a success, and I think that a proportionate and fair contribution from visitors will support a more sustainable approach to tourism that we have here in Wales. And of course, tourists do use infrastructure, they use services and so on, so I think that making a contribution to the maintenance and the expansion of those is a fair thing to do. And actually, what we're promoting isn't even radical; it's completely normal in many parts of the world, and, actually, in Europe, not having any tourism levies or visitor levies across the United Kingdom actually makes us outliers on this agenda. We're very much, as the UK, behind the curve on this, but Wales is absolutely keen on embracing the opportunities that lie here.

I think the fact that you've referred to consultation is really important. So, we've done some initial engagement with local authorities, but it's the intention to really engage widely now, as we get to the autumn of this year, to ensure that we do hear the voices from the tourism sector, in particular accommodation and so on, so that we can ensure that what we offer local authorities as a tool is one that is useful and proportionate.

Ydw, yn bendant. Felly, i'r awdurdodau sy'n penderfynu yr hoffent godi ardoll ymwelwyr, yn amlwg bydd yn rhoi refeniw ychwanegol iddynt i'w cymunedau fuddsoddi yn y pethau sy'n gwneud twristiaeth yn llwyddiant, a chredaf y bydd cyfraniad cymesur a theg gan ymwelwyr yn cefnogi'r ymagwedd fwy cynaliadwy tuag at dwristiaeth sydd gennym yma yng Nghymru. Ac wrth gwrs, mae twristiaid yn defnyddio seilwaith, maent yn defnyddio gwasanaethau ac yn y blaen, felly credaf fod gwneud cyfraniad tuag at gynnal a chadw ac ehangu'r rheini yn beth teg i'w wneud. Ac mewn gwirionedd, nid yw'r hyn rydym yn ei hyrwyddo yn radical hyd yn oed; mae'n gwbl normal mewn sawl rhan o'r byd, ac yn Ewrop, mae peidio â chael unrhyw ardollau twristiaeth nac ardollau ymwelwyr ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig yn ein gwneud yn eithriadau mewn perthynas â'r agenda hon mewn gwirionedd. Rydym ni, fel y DU, ar ei hôl hi gyda hyn, ond mae Cymru'n awyddus iawn i groesawu'r cyfleoedd sydd yma.

Credaf fod y ffaith eich bod wedi cyfeirio at ymgynghori yn bwysig iawn. Felly, rydym wedi gwneud rhywfaint o waith ymgysylltu cychwynnol ag awdurdodau lleol, ond y bwriad yw ymgysylltu'n eang yn awr, wrth inni anelu tuag at yr hydref eleni, i sicrhau ein bod yn clywed lleisiau'r sector twristiaeth, yn enwedig darpariaethau llety ac yn y blaen, fel y gallwn sicrhau bod yr hyn a gynigiwn i awdurdodau lleol fel offeryn yn un sy'n ddefnyddiol ac yn gymesur.

Diolch, Llywydd, and I'll want to start by reminding Members of my interest as a sitting councillor at Bridgend County Borough Council. But I have to say it's surprising for me to see both the Minister, who represents the constituency of Gower, and Sarah Murphy, who tabled this question, whose constituency covers Porthcawl, both advocating for a tourism tax today. Being a regional Member for South Wales West, representing both those communities, I'm only too aware of the negative impact that a tax like that would have on visitors to communities like Porthcawl, Mumbles and Gower. Businesses in those areas don't support it and neither do local residents. But one of the main arguments I've heard from Welsh Government Ministers and other proponents of a tourism tax is that any money raised should be then protected to boost tourism spending in their local areas, and I note, from an answer to a written question in December from my colleague Janet Finch-Saunders, you, Minister, said that, quote:

'Funds raised by the levy will be invested back into the local services and provisions which make tourism a success in Wales.'

End quote. But, at present, we haven't seen anything that would prevent councils from reducing existing tourism budgets after introducing a tourism tax either, so what mechanisms are you currently considering to ensure that councils do not replace the income generated by a tourism tax with decreased existing council spending on tourism?

Diolch, Lywydd, ac rwyf am ddechrau drwy atgoffa'r Aelodau o fy muddiant fel cynghorydd presennol yng Nghyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr. Ond mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud ei bod yn syndod i mi weld y Gweinidog, sy'n cynrychioli etholaeth Gŵyr, a Sarah Murphy, a gyflwynodd y cwestiwn hwn, y mae ei hetholaeth yn cynnwys Porthcawl, ill dwy yn dadlau dros dreth twristiaeth heddiw. Gan fy mod yn Aelod rhanbarthol dros Orllewin De Cymru, sy'n cynrychioli'r ddwy gymuned hynny, rwy'n ymwybodol iawn o'r effaith negyddol y byddai treth fel honno'n ei chael ar ymwelwyr â chymunedau fel Porthcawl, y Mwmbwls a Gŵyr. Nid yw busnesau yn yr ardaloedd hynny'n ei gefnogi na'r trigolion lleol ychwaith. Ond un o'r prif ddadleuon a glywais gan Weinidogion Llywodraeth Cymru ac eraill sy'n cefnogi treth twristiaeth yw y dylid diogelu unrhyw arian a godir wedyn i hybu gwariant twristiaeth yn eu hardaloedd lleol, a nodaf, o ateb i gwestiwn ysgrifenedig ym mis Rhagfyr gan fy nghyd-Aelod, Janet Finch-Saunders, eich bod chi wedi dweud, Weinidog:

'Bydd arian a godir gan yr ardoll yn cael ei fuddsoddi'n ôl yn y gwasanaethau a'r darpariaethau lleol sy'n gwneud twristiaeth yn llwyddiant yng Nghymru.'

Ond ar hyn o bryd, nid ydym wedi gweld unrhyw beth a fyddai'n atal cynghorau rhag lleihau cyllidebau twristiaeth presennol ar ôl cyflwyno treth twristiaeth ychwaith, felly pa fecanweithiau rydych chi'n eu hystyried ar hyn o bryd i sicrhau nad yw cynghorau'n defnyddio'r incwm a gynhyrchir gan dreth twristiaeth er mwyn lleihau'r gwariant a wnânt ar hyn o bryd ar dwristiaeth?

I think the beginning of the question there was set on a premise that the evidence just doesn't support. So, there's no evidence to support that tourism levies are a major barrier to tourism. Why would most of northern Europe be having tourism levies if they were such a detriment? Why would some of the biggest tourist hotspots in the world be having tourism levies if they were not successful in terms of maintaining sustainable tourism in those areas?

So, the very detailed question you ask is, quite rightly, one that will follow from the consultation. So, there's a lot that is yet to be determined in terms of precisely what will happen to the funding that is raised and precisely which types of accommodation are in scope and so on. So, at the moment, we're setting out our broad plans, and the consultation will be an opportunity to drill down a bit deeper into how we design a potential levy in future. So, there will be plenty of opportunities for colleagues across the Senedd to engage with the consultation process, as there will be for tourism businesses in all of the communities that you referred to.

Credaf fod dechrau'r cwestiwn wedi'i osod ar sail nad yw'r dystiolaeth yn ei chefnogi. Nid oes unrhyw dystiolaeth i gefnogi'r honiad fod ardollau twristiaeth yn rhwystr mawr i dwristiaeth. Pam y byddai gan y rhan fwyaf o ogledd Ewrop ardollau twristiaeth pe baent mor niweidiol? Pam y byddai gan rai o fannau twristaidd mwyaf poblogaidd y byd ardollau twristiaeth pe na baent yn llwyddo i gynnal twristiaeth gynaliadwy yn y mannau hynny?

Felly, mae'r cwestiwn manwl iawn a ofynnwch yn un a fydd yn dilyn o'r ymgynghoriad, a hynny'n briodol. Mae llawer eto i'w benderfynu ynglŷn â beth yn union a fydd yn digwydd i'r cyllid a godir a pha fathau'n union o lety a gaiff eu cynnwys ac yn y blaen. Felly, ar hyn o bryd, rydym yn nodi ein cynlluniau bras, a bydd yr ymgynghoriad yn gyfle i edrych yn fanylach ar y ffordd y cynlluniwn ardoll bosibl yn y dyfodol. Bydd digon o gyfleoedd i gyd-Aelodau ar draws y Senedd ymwneud â'r broses ymgynghori, fel y bydd i fusnesau twristiaeth ym mhob un o'r cymunedau y cyfeirioch chi atynt.

14:10
Cefnogi Busnesau
Supporting Businesses

7. Pa ystyriaeth a roddodd y Gweinidog i gefnogi busnesau i ddelio ag effaith COVID-19 wrth ddyrannu cyllid i bortffolio'r economi? OQ57550

7. What consideration did the Minister give to supporting businesses to deal with the impact of COVID-19 when allocating funding to the economy portfolio? OQ57550

Since the start of the pandemic, we've used every lever at our disposal to support Welsh businesses, providing more than £2.8 billion and safeguarding over 160,000 Welsh jobs. We will continue to support the sectors most directly impacted, including through our £116 million retail, leisure and hospitality rates relief scheme.

Ers dechrau'r pandemig, rydym wedi defnyddio pob sbardun at ein defnydd i gefnogi busnesau Cymru, gan ddarparu mwy na £2.8 biliwn a diogelu dros 160,000 o swyddi yng Nghymru. Byddwn yn parhau i gefnogi'r sectorau yr effeithir arnynt fwyaf, gan gynnwys drwy ein cynllun rhyddhad ardrethi gwerth £116 miliwn ar gyfer busnesau manwerthu, hamdden a lletygarwch.

Thank you, Minister. Many businesses in Cynon Valley benefitted from the COVID recovery fund to help them make adaptations to enable social distancing and carry out other interventions in response to coronavirus—businesses like Cheryl's Fruit and Veg in Abercynon, Aberdare market cafe, Temple Bar in Aberaman and Penaluna's Famous Fish and Chips in Hirwaun. I want to thank Welsh Government and Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council for funding and administering the scheme respectively. But could you outline how you're building similar support into the budget so that businesses can not only survive, but also thrive as we go forward?

Diolch, Weinidog. Manteisiodd llawer o fusnesau yng Nghwm Cynon ar y gronfa adfer ar ôl COVID i'w helpu i wneud addasiadau i allu gweithredu mesurau cadw pellter cymdeithasol a chyflawni ymyriadau eraill mewn ymateb i'r coronafeirws—busnesau fel Cheryl's Fruit and Veg yn Abercynon, caffi marchnad Aberdâr, Temple Bar yn Aberaman a Penaluna's Famous Fish and Chips yn Hirwaun. Hoffwn ddiolch i Lywodraeth Cymru a Chyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf am ariannu a gweinyddu'r cynllun. Ond a allech amlinellu sut rydych yn adeiladu cymorth tebyg i mewn i'r gyllideb fel y gall busnesau ffynnu yn ogystal â goroesi wrth inni symud ymlaen?

Thank you very much for that, and also for giving me the chance, like you, to echo our thanks to RCT and other councils across Wales who worked so hard to get that funding into the bank accounts of businesses as swiftly and as smoothly as possible. I think that they've done incredible work, especially alongside all the other things that we're asking them to do in terms of self-isolation support payments and all the work we're asking them to do of in respect of the £200 payment to households experiencing fuel poverty and so on. So, they've done an absolutely incredible job and I'm glad that we have this chance this afternoon to say 'thank you' for that.

In terms of the budget, I think that the work that we're doing to ensure that retail, hospitality and leisure businesses will have a 50 per cent rate relief next year is important. It's also worth putting on record that we've invested £20 million more in that than we received in consequential funding from the UK Government. That's because of the nature of our business tax base here in Wales, but we've been pleased to do that to ensure that no-one misses out. And we're also looking to see what we can do to invest in communities through our Transforming Towns programme. So, that will be providing £136 million to further support the economic and social recovery of town centres across Wales, and I think that will be a really important intervention. I know there are some great examples in Vikki Howells's constituency, including funding towards the refurbishment of the Mountain Ash town hall building, which is really important, as is the redevelopment of the former Barclays bank in Mountain Ash as well. So, lots of good examples particularly, I think, in Vikki Howells's constituency, and I know she's a strong advocate for businesses in her area.

Diolch yn fawr am hynny, a hefyd am roi cyfle imi, fel chithau, i adleisio ein diolch i RhCT a chynghorau eraill ledled Cymru a weithiodd mor galed i gael y cyllid hwnnw i gyfrifon banc busnesau mor gyflym ac mor ddidrafferth â phosibl. Credaf eu bod wedi gwneud gwaith anhygoel, yn enwedig ochr yn ochr â'r holl bethau eraill y gofynnwn iddynt eu gwneud ar daliadau cymorth hunanynysu a'r holl waith y gofynnwn iddynt ei wneud mewn perthynas â'r taliad o £200 i aelwydydd sy'n wynebu tlodi tanwydd ac yn y blaen. Felly, maent wedi gwneud gwaith hollol anhygoel ac rwy'n falch ein bod yn cael y cyfle hwn y prynhawn yma i ddweud 'diolch' am hynny.

Ar y gyllideb, credaf fod y gwaith a wnawn i sicrhau y bydd busnesau manwerthu, lletygarwch a hamdden yn cael rhyddhad ardrethi o 50 y cant y flwyddyn nesaf yn bwysig. Mae hefyd yn werth cofnodi ein bod wedi buddsoddi £20 miliwn yn fwy yn hynny nag a gawsom mewn cyllid canlyniadol gan Lywodraeth y DU. Mae hynny oherwydd natur ein sylfaen drethu ar gyfer busnesau yma yng Nghymru, ond rydym wedi bod yn falch o wneud hynny i sicrhau nad oes neb ar eu colled. Ac rydym hefyd yn edrych i weld beth y gallwn ei wneud i fuddsoddi mewn cymunedau drwy ein rhaglen Trawsnewid Trefi. Felly, bydd honno'n darparu £136 miliwn i gefnogi adferiad economaidd a chymdeithasol canol trefi ledled Cymru ymhellach, a chredaf y bydd honno'n ymyrraeth bwysig iawn. Gwn fod enghreifftiau gwych yn etholaeth Vikki Howells, gan gynnwys cyllid tuag at adnewyddu adeilad neuadd y dref Aberpennar, sy'n bwysig iawn, yn ogystal ag ailddatblygu hen fanc Barclays yn Aberpennar hefyd. Felly, ceir llawer o enghreifftiau da, yn enwedig, rwy'n credu, yn etholaeth Vikki Howells, a gwn ei bod yn dadlau'n gryf dros fusnesau yn ei hardal.

Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn
Isle of Anglesey County Council

8. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y setliad llywodraeth leol i Gyngor Sir Ynys Môn ar gyfer 2022-23? OQ57554

8. Will the Minister make a statement on the local government settlement for Isle of Anglesey County Council for 2022-23? OQ57554

Yes. For 2022-23, the Isle of Anglesey will receive a 9.2 per cent increase in its core settlement allocations. This is the authority's largest increase since the start of devolution. In addition, the authority will receive its share of £1.1 billion from specific revenue grants.

Gwnaf. Ar gyfer 2022-23, bydd Ynys Môn yn cael cynnydd o 9.2 y cant yn ei dyraniadau setliad craidd. Dyma gynnydd mwyaf yr awdurdod ers dechrau datganoli. Yn ogystal, bydd yr awdurdod yn derbyn ei gyfran o £1.1 biliwn o grantiau refeniw penodol.

Diolch am yr ateb yna. Y peth cyntaf i'w ddweud ydy mor falch ydw i bod sefyllfa gyllidol Cyngor Sir Ynys Môn wedi setlo mor dda dan arweinyddiaeth Plaid Cymru dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, ac mae'r dreth gyngor ymhlith yr isaf yng Nghymru. Un ardal o risg sy'n peri pryder ydy cyflogau athrawon. Rŵan, yn y gorffennol, mae'r Llywodraeth wedi helpu cynghorau efo'r costau hynny, ond, fel dwi'n ei deall, mae'r Llywodraeth rŵan yn pasio'r risg yna ymlaen i awdurdodau lleol, a hynny ymysg nifer o gyfrifoldebau eraill sy'n cael eu trosglwyddo yn y setliad—digartrefedd yn un ohonyn nhw; cyflog byw gwirioneddol i ofalwyr hefyd. Ond mae'r risg yma o gwmpas cyflogau athrawon yn un gwirioneddol. Allwn ni gael sicrwydd y bydd y Llywodraeth yn barod i gamu i mewn i roi cymorth ariannol pan fydd setliad terfynol athrawon wedi cael ei benderfynu, os ydy hynny, mewn difrif, yn bygwth y gwasanaethau hanfodol eraill mae cynghorau'n gorfod eu delifro?

Thank you for that response. The first thing I'll say is how pleased I am that the budgetary situation of the Isle of Anglesey County Council has settled so well under Plaid Cymru leadership in recent years, and the council tax is among the lowest in Wales. One area of risk that is a concern is teachers' salary. Now, in the past, the Government has assisted councils with those costs, but, as I understand it, the Government is now passing that risk on to local authorities, and that's among a whole host of other responsibilities that are being transferred in the settlement—homelessness; the real living wage for carers also. But this risk around teachers' salaries is a very real one. Can we have an assurance that the Government will be willing to step in to provide financial support when the final teachers' settlement is decided, if that is a threat to the other crucial services provided by councils?

14:15

Well, Welsh Government has been pleased, in recent years, to be able to provide additional funding to local government in respect of the pressures relating to teachers' pay, but actually, that way of working hasn't been a satisfactory one. And it does mean that, when you look at—. Well, what I've said a couple of times in the course of questions today is that we've allocated all of the funding available to us. So, it's not going to be possible for us to go back and find additional funding in relation to teachers' pay for next year. And I've been really, really clear on that point and other points in my letter to local government leaders that the good funding settlement of 9.4 per cent across Wales will need, now, to include teachers' pay. So, we won't be able to have the same discussions in this coming year as we've had in the last couple of years, because there won't be the funding available. And I think that the good settlement that we provided has been warmly welcomed, and we've been very upfront, now, with local authorities as to what we expect them to be able to deliver as a result.

Wel, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi bod yn falch, yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf, o allu darparu cyllid ychwanegol i lywodraeth leol mewn perthynas â'r pwysau sy'n gysylltiedig â chyflogau athrawon, ond mewn gwirionedd, nid yw'r ffordd honno o weithio wedi bod yn un foddhaol. Ac mae'n golygu, pan edrychwch ar—. Wel, rwyf wedi dweud fwy nag unwaith yn ystod y cwestiynau heddiw ein bod wedi dyrannu'r holl arian sydd ar gael i ni. Felly, ni fydd yn bosibl i ni fynd yn ôl a dod o hyd i gyllid ychwanegol mewn perthynas â thâl athrawon ar gyfer y flwyddyn nesaf. Ac rwyf wedi bod yn glir iawn ar y pwynt hwnnw a phwyntiau eraill yn fy llythyr at arweinwyr llywodraeth leol y bydd angen i'r setliad ariannu da o 9.4 y cant ledled Cymru gynnwys cyflogau athrawon yn awr. Felly, ni fyddwn yn gallu cael yr un trafodaethau yn y flwyddyn sydd i ddod ag a gawsom yn ystod y flwyddyn neu ddwy ddiwethaf, oherwydd ni fydd y cyllid ar gael. A chredaf fod y setliad da a ddarparwyd gennym wedi cael croeso cynnes, ac rydym wedi bod yn agored iawn gydag awdurdodau lleol ynglŷn â'r hyn y disgwyliwn iddynt allu ei gyflawni o ganlyniad.

Finally, question 9, Natasha Asghar.

Yn olaf, cwestiwn 9, Natasha Asghar.

Seilwaith Trafnidiaeth
Transport Infrastructure

9. Pa ystyriaeth a roddwyd i wella seilwaith trafnidiaeth wrth bennu cyllideb y portffolio newid hinsawdd? OQ57548

9. What consideration was given to improving transport infrastructure when setting the budget for the climate change portfolio? OQ57548

As part of the significant transport investments we are making, we have provided £1.6 billion of capital to deliver improvements in transport infrastructure over the next three years. Our new Wales infrastructure investment strategy also reflects our approach to transport improvements across Wales, set out in 'Llwybr Newydd'.

Fel rhan o'r buddsoddiadau trafnidiaeth sylweddol rydym yn eu gwneud, rydym wedi darparu £1.6 biliwn o gyfalaf i gyflawni gwelliannau i seilwaith trafnidiaeth dros y tair blynedd nesaf. Mae ein strategaeth buddsoddi yn seilwaith Cymru newydd hefyd yn adlewyrchu ein dull o wella trafnidiaeth ledled Cymru a nodir yn 'Llwybr Newydd'.

Thanks, Minister. In June last year, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change announced a freeze on all new road building projects in Wales. As a result, the Llanbedr bypass project was cancelled after nearly £1.7 million had already been spent on it. I tabled a written question in November, asking how much money had been spent on road projects that had been halted subject to the review. In the reply I received, the Deputy Minister said that he could not answer until the roads review panel, set up in September, made its initial report, which was due within three months of its appointment. Last week, in a reply to a question from my colleague from Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Deputy Minister said, and I quote: 

'We're hoping that the roads review panel's report will come out in the summer'.

So, can I ask, Minister, as you are responsible for managing the resources of the Welsh Government, what discussions have you had with the Deputy Minister on the potential waste of money on road projects that have now been cancelled?

Diolch, Weinidog. Ym mis Mehefin y llynedd, cyhoeddodd y Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd y byddai'r holl brosiectau adeiladu ffyrdd newydd yng Nghymru yn cael eu rhewi. O ganlyniad, cafodd prosiect ffordd osgoi Llanbedr ei ganslo ar ôl gwario bron i £1.7 miliwn arno. Cyflwynais gwestiwn ysgrifenedig ym mis Tachwedd yn gofyn faint o arian a wariwyd ar brosiectau ffyrdd a oedd wedi'u hatal yn sgil yr adolygiad. Yn yr ateb a gefais, dywedodd y Dirprwy Weinidog na allai ateb hyd nes y byddai'r panel adolygu ffyrdd, a sefydlwyd ym mis Medi, wedi llunio'i adroddiad cychwynnol, a oedd i fod i gael ei gyhoeddi o fewn tri mis i'w sefydlu. Yr wythnos diwethaf, mewn ateb i gwestiwn gan fy nghyd-Aelod o Blaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth, dywedodd y Dirprwy Weinidog: 

'Rydym yn gobeithio y caiff adroddiad y panel adolygu ffyrdd ei gyhoeddi yn yr haf'.

Felly, a gaf fi ofyn, Weinidog, gan eich bod yn gyfrifol am reoli adnoddau Llywodraeth Cymru, pa drafodaethau a gawsoch gyda'r Dirprwy Weinidog ar y gwastraff arian posibl ar brosiectau ffyrdd sydd bellach wedi'u canslo?

We haven't cancelled projects; we're pausing projects so that they can be reviewed. And I think it's only right that the roads review panel is allowed to do its work. I mean, we clearly still recognise the importance of transport in our budget, because over the next three years, we are investing close to £1.4 billion and that includes £0.75 billion for rail and bus provision, including the delivery of the next stages of the south Wales metro. So, we are seeing a shift towards public transport, and I don't think that that's a bad thing when we recognise the importance of addressing the nature and climate emergencies ahead of us.

But, as you say, the Deputy Minister for Climate Change is responsible for this particular programme, and I know that he'll have more to say on the work of the roads review panel in due course when it does come forward with its report.

Nid ydym wedi canslo prosiectau; rydym yn gohirio prosiectau fel y gellir eu hadolygu. Ac rwy'n credu ei bod yn iawn fod y panel adolygu ffyrdd yn cael gwneud ei waith. Hynny yw, mae'n amlwg ein bod yn dal i gydnabod pwysigrwydd trafnidiaeth yn ein cyllideb, oherwydd dros y tair blynedd nesaf, rydym yn buddsoddi'n agos at £1.4 biliwn ac mae hynny'n cynnwys £0.75 biliwn ar gyfer darpariaeth trenau a bysiau, gan gynnwys cyflawni camau nesaf metro de Cymru. Felly, rydym yn gweld symud tuag at drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, ac nid wyf yn credu bod hynny'n beth drwg pan fyddwn yn cydnabod pwysigrwydd mynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng natur a'r argyfwng hinsawdd sy'n ein hwynebu.

Ond fel y dywedwch, y Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd sy'n gyfrifol am y rhaglen benodol hon, a gwn y bydd ganddo fwy i'w ddweud am waith y panel adolygu ffyrdd maes o law pan fyddant yn cyflwyno eu hadroddiad.

2. Cwestiynau i’r Gweinidog Materion Gwledig a Gogledd Cymru, a’r Trefnydd
2. Questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd

Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Materion Gwledig a Gogledd Cymru, a'r Trefnydd, a'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Gareth Davies.

The next item, therefore, is questions to the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, and the first question is from Gareth Davies.

Iechyd Gwenyn
Bee Health

1. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd ar effaith plaladdwyr ar iechyd gwenyn? OQ57566

1. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Climate Change on the impact of pesticides on bee health? OQ57566

The Welsh Government policy is to reduce to the lowest possible level the effect of pesticide use on people, the environment and wildlife, including bees, whilst ensuring that pests, diseases and weeds are effectively controlled.

Polisi Llywodraeth Cymru yw lleihau i'r lefel isaf sy'n bosibl effaith defnyddio plaladdwyr ar bobl, yr amgylchedd a bywyd gwyllt, gan gynnwys gwenyn, tra'n sicrhau bod plâu, clefydau a chwyn yn cael eu rheoli'n effeithiol.

I appreciate that answer, Minister. The impact that pesticides are having upon our pollinators is a very real concern for many of my constituents. Fruit farming plays a big role for many in the Vale of Clwyd, including the Denbigh plum, which I often mention, and without bees and other pollinators, there would be no fruit orchards. While many, including the local authorities—and can I declare an interest as a current member of Denbighshire County Council—are taking steps to make the area bee friendly, no amount of wild flowers will help if the bees are being killed off by chemicals. So, Minister, it's not just farmers who use pesticides, many home owners do also. In addition to the actions you've already outlined, will you commit your Government to raising awareness of the issue, and will you publicise alternatives to chemical pesticides in order to ensure that bees and orchards flourish in the Vale of Clwyd and across Wales?

Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi'r ateb hwnnw, Weinidog. Mae'r effaith y mae plaladdwyr yn ei chael ar ein pryfed peillio yn bryder gwirioneddol i lawer o fy etholwyr. Mae rôl fawr gan ffermio ffrwythau i lawer yn Nyffryn Clwyd, gan gynnwys eirin Dinbych, y soniaf amdanynt yn aml, a heb wenyn a phryfed peillio eraill, ni fyddai gennym berllannau ffrwythau. Er bod llawer, gan gynnwys yr awdurdodau lleol—ac a gaf fi ddatgan buddiant fel aelod presennol o Gyngor Sir Ddinbych—yn cymryd camau i wneud yr ardal yn gyfeillgar i wenyn, ni waeth faint o flodau gwyllt a geir os yw'r gwenyn yn cael eu lladd gan gemegion. Felly, Weinidog, nid ffermwyr yn unig sy'n defnyddio plaladdwyr, mae llawer o berchnogion cartrefi hefyd yn gwneud hynny. Yn ogystal â'r camau rydych eisoes wedi'u hamlinellu, a wnewch chi ymrwymo eich Llywodraeth i godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r broblem, ac a wnewch chi roi cyhoeddusrwydd i ddewisiadau amgen yn lle plaladdwyr cemegol er mwyn sicrhau bod gwenyn a pherllannau'n ffynnu yn Nyffryn Clwyd ac ar draws Cymru?

14:20

Thank you. I think you raise a very important point and, as a Government, we are committed to driving the uptake of our integrated pest management to reduce the use of chemical pesticides. So, what we are promoting is nature-based, low-toxicity solutions and precision technologies, and they alone will have the potential to enhance biodiversity, and IPM will also be a very important part of the sustainable farming scheme. But, as you say, it's not just farmers, of course, who use chemicals in the way you refer, and we do work with local authorities, and other land managers and individuals, who use pesticides to adopt techniques and technologies that provide alternative means of pest, disease and weed control.

Diolch. Credaf eich bod yn nodi pwynt pwysig iawn ac fel Llywodraeth, rydym wedi ymrwymo i hybu'r defnydd o'n dulliau integredig ar gyfer rheoli plâu er mwyn lleihau'r defnydd o blaladdwyr cemegol. Felly, rydym yn hyrwyddo atebion sy'n seiliedig ar natur, atebion tocsigedd isel a thechnolegau manwl, a dyma'r unig bethau a fydd â gallu i wella bioamrywiaeth, a bydd dulliau integredig ar gyfer rheoli plâu hefyd yn rhan bwysig iawn o'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy. Ond fel y dywedwch, mae pobl heblaw ffermwyr yn defnyddio cemegau yn y ffordd a nodwch, ac rydym yn gweithio gydag awdurdodau lleol a rheolwyr tir ac unigolion eraill sy'n defnyddio plaladdwyr i fabwysiadu technegau a thechnolegau sy'n darparu ffyrdd amgen o reoli plâu, clefydau a chwyn.

Gwasanaethau Fasgiwlar
Vascular Services

2. Pa drafodaethau y mae’r Gweinidog wedi'u cynnal gyda’r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol am wasanaethau fasgiwlar i gleifion o Arfon a phob rhan o’r gogledd ers ad-drefnu’r ddarpariaeth? OQ57541

2. What discussions has the Minister had with the Minister for Health and Social Services about vascular services for patients from Arfon and all parts of north Wales since the reconfiguration of these services? OQ57541

I have discussed vascular services in north Wales with the Minister for Health and Social Services. I am aware of the reorganisation of vascular services, the ongoing concerns and the work Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is doing to address recommendations made by the Royal College of Surgeons.

Rwyf wedi trafod gwasanaethau fasgwlaidd yng ngogledd Cymru gyda'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol. Rwy'n ymwybodol o ad-drefnu darpariaeth y gwasanaethau fasgwlaidd, y pryderon parhaus a'r gwaith y mae Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr yn ei wneud i fynd i'r afael ag argymhellion a wnaed gan Goleg Brenhinol y Llawfeddygon.

Mae yna dystiolaeth bendant a chynyddol fod ad-drefnu'r gwasanaethau fasgwlar wedi arwain at ddirywiad sylweddol yn y ddarpariaeth ar gyfer pobl y gogledd. Mi fyddai wedi gwneud synnwyr i leoli'r hwb newydd yn Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor—dyna fyddai ad-drefnu synhwyrol wedi'i wneud, sef adeiladu ar yr uned o safon ardderchog oedd yno. Fel rydych chi'n ei ddweud, mae yna adolygiad arall ar y gweill, ond mae hwn yn cael ei gynnal gan yr un un corff sydd wedi argymell y model ad-drefniant gwallus yn y lle cyntaf, ac felly, dydy hynny ddim yn ennyn llawer o hyder. A wnewch chi felly, fel y Gweinidog sy'n cynrychioli'r gogledd, ofyn i'r Gweinidog iechyd ymyrryd yn uniongyrchol yn y sefyllfa a chynnal ymchwiliad gweinidogol ddaw ag argymhellion clir gerbron er mwyn tawelu ofnau cynyddol fy etholwyr i yn Arfon?

There is increasing evidence that reconfiguration of the vascular services has led to a significant deterioration in provision for people in north Wales. It would have made sense to locate the new hub in Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor—that's what a sensible reorganisation would have been, namely building on the unit of excellent quality that was there. As you said, there is another review in the pipeline, but this is being undertaken by the same body that had recommended the erroneous reorganisation model in the first place, so that doesn't inspire much confidence. Will you, as the Minister who represents north Wales, ask the health Minister to intervene directly in the situation and undertake a ministerial inquiry that will bring clear recommendations before us in order to ease the increasing concerns of my constituents in Arfon?

Well, we are, of course, awaiting part two of the Royal College of Surgeons' review. I understand it's been recently received in a draft form by the health board, and we are expecting it to be published imminently. I think it's good to wait for that review. I think the Minister for Health and Social Services has made it very clear she expects improvements to be made and for this service, really, to live up to expectations, that it will be a flagship service within Wales. So, I think it would be good to await the report and I know the Minister is obviously monitoring the situation very closely.

Wel, rydym yn aros, wrth gwrs, am ran dau o adolygiad Coleg Brenhinol y Llawfeddygon. Deallaf fod y bwrdd iechyd wedi'i gael yn ddiweddar ar ffurf ddrafft, ac rydym yn disgwyl iddo gael ei gyhoeddi'n fuan. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn werth aros am yr adolygiad hwnnw. Credaf fod y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol wedi dweud yn glir iawn ei bod yn disgwyl i welliannau gael eu gwneud ac i'r gwasanaeth hwn fodloni'r disgwyliadau, ac y bydd yn wasanaeth blaenllaw yng Nghymru. Felly, credaf y byddai'n werth aros am yr adroddiad a gwn fod y Gweinidog yn monitro'r sefyllfa'n agos iawn wrth gwrs.

Thanks to the Member for submitting this important question today, and, as we know, this issue was also raised with the First Minister yesterday as part of the First Minister's questions, and has some cross-party concern in the Chamber. In his response yesterday, the First Minister outlined that he wouldn't be supporting a public inquiry, because of the length of time that might take, and he would consider that not to be to the best benefit of patients in north Wales, which may be a fair comment. But, in light of this, Minister, and in your role as Minister for north Wales, and hearing what you just mentioned in terms of awaiting the outcomes of further work, would you consider taking some urgent action to see this issue resolved and for patients in north Wales to have the best treatment possible? Is there anything you can do urgently to get this issue sorted?

Diolch i'r Aelod am gyflwyno'r cwestiwn pwysig hwn heddiw, ac fel y gwyddom, codwyd y mater gyda'r Prif Weinidog ddoe hefyd fel rhan o gwestiynau'r Prif Weinidog, ac mae pryder trawsbleidiol yn ei gylch yn y Siambr. Yn ei ymateb ddoe, amlinellodd y Prif Weinidog na fyddai'n cefnogi ymchwiliad cyhoeddus, oherwydd yr amser y gallai ei gymryd, a byddai'n ystyried na fyddai hynny er budd gorau cleifion yng ngogledd Cymru, sydd efallai'n sylw teg. Ond yng ngoleuni hyn, Weinidog, ac yn eich rôl fel Gweinidog gogledd Cymru, a chlywed yr hyn rydych newydd ei grybwyll ynghylch aros am ganlyniadau gwaith pellach, a fyddech yn ystyried rhoi camau brys ar waith i weld y mater hwn yn cael ei ddatrys ac i gleifion yng ngogledd Cymru gael y driniaeth orau bosibl? A oes unrhyw beth y gallwch ei wneud ar frys i ddatrys y mater hwn?

Well, as I said in my earlier answer to Siân Gwenllian, I think we are expecting the report, the second part of the review, to be published imminently, and by 'imminently', I mean maybe this week even. So, I do think it's right for the Minister for Health and Social Services to wait for that report to come forward, and then, clearly, in my role as Minister for north Wales, I could seek an urgent meeting with her around the recommendations that are coming from the Royal College of Surgeons.

Wel, fel y dywedais yn fy ateb cynharach i Siân Gwenllian, credaf ein bod yn disgwyl y bydd yr adroddiad, ail ran yr adolygiad, yn cael ei gyhoeddi'n fuan, ac wrth ddweud 'yn fuan', yr hyn a olygaf yw'r wythnos hon hyd yn oed. Felly, credaf ei bod yn iawn i'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol aros i'r adroddiad hwnnw ddod i law, ac yna, yn amlwg, yn fy rôl fel Gweinidog gogledd Cymru, gallwn ofyn am gyfarfod brys gyda hi ynghylch yr argymhellion a ddaw gan Goleg Brenhinol y Llawfeddygon.

Cwestiynau Heb Rybudd gan Lefarwyr y Pleidiau
Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Darren Millar.

Questions now from the party spokespeople. Welsh Conservative spokesperson, Darren Millar.

In your capacity as Minister for north Wales, can you tell us why north Wales is getting so much less investment in its metro when compared with south Wales?

Yn rhinwedd eich swydd fel Gweinidog gogledd Cymru, a allwch ddweud wrthym pam y mae gogledd Cymru yn cael cyn lleied o fuddsoddiad yn eu metro o'i gymharu â de Cymru?

Well, as you know, I think we're doing very well now with our scoping of the north Wales metro, and I think we are seeing significant funding coming into the metro. I had a meeting with the Deputy Minister for Climate Change around it, and I think it will benefit the region very well. Obviously, the south Wales metro is well ahead of the north Wales metro, but if further funding is required as we go through each stage, I know the Deputy Minister is currently looking at funding options and what needs to be done next to bring the metro forward.

Wel, fel y gwyddoch, credaf ein bod yn gwneud yn dda iawn yn awr gyda'n gwaith cwmpasu ar fetro gogledd Cymru, a chredaf ein bod yn gweld cyllid sylweddol ar gyfer y metro. Cefais gyfarfod â'r Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd yn ei gylch, a chredaf y bydd o fudd mawr i'r rhanbarth. Yn amlwg, mae metro de Cymru ymhell ar y blaen i fetro gogledd Cymru, ond os oes angen rhagor o arian wrth inni fynd drwy bob cam, gwn fod y Dirprwy Weinidog ar hyn o bryd yn edrych ar opsiynau ariannu a'r hyn sydd angen ei wneud nesaf ar ddatblygu'r metro.

14:25

Minister, many people in north Wales welcomed news that a metro was going to be built. Of course, it was in your 2016 manifesto, it's now 2022, and there's still not a lot of progress been made in north Wales. Seven hundred and fifty million pounds has been earmarked for south Wales, versus just £50 million in the north. Now, as Minister for north Wales, people in the region will be looking to you to be the voice of north Wales around that Cabinet table, making sure that you lever at least proportionate resources into the region versus those that are spent elsewhere in Wales. Can you tell us how that mechanism works and what assurances you have from your Cabinet colleagues that there is proportionate investment in north Wales and that they are tackling the issues and challenges that we have in north Wales across our public services?

Weinidog, croesawodd llawer o bobl yng ngogledd Cymru newyddion y byddai metro yn cael ei adeiladu. Wrth gwrs, roedd yn eich maniffesto yn 2016, mae bellach yn 2022, ac nid oes llawer o gynnydd wedi'i wneud o hyd yng ngogledd Cymru. Clustnodwyd £750 miliwn ar gyfer de Cymru, o gymharu â dim ond £50 miliwn yn y gogledd. Nawr, fel Gweinidog gogledd Cymru, bydd pobl yn y rhanbarth yn disgwyl i chi fod yn llais gogledd Cymru o amgylch bwrdd y Cabinet, gan sicrhau eich bod yn denu adnoddau cymesur fan lleiaf i'r rhanbarth o gymharu â'r rhai a werir mewn mannau eraill yng Nghymru. A allwch ddweud wrthym sut y mae'r mecanwaith hwnnw'n gweithio a pha sicrwydd rydych yn ei gael gan eich cyd-Aelodau yn y Cabinet fod buddsoddiad cymesur yng ngogledd Cymru a'u bod yn mynd i'r afael â'r problemau a'r heriau sydd gennym yng ngogledd Cymru ar draws ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus?

So, you're quite right, I make sure that we get our fair proportion of funding in north Wales. I have to be very careful, because obviously I'm the Member of the Senedd for Wrexham, and, obviously, Wrexham is a very important part of the north Wales metro. As I say, the south Wales metro plans are far ahead. You were right, it was in the 2016—. I remember we committed to bringing forward plans for a north Wales metro in the first 100 days of the 2016 Government, which we did.

You will be aware that there's been a pandemic that has taken, obviously, a huge amount of resources, and we're not as far as we would have hoped to have been with the north Wales metro, but it is good to see the plans now and the workings to make sure that the connectivity from north Wales into the north-west of England, which is so important for our region, is there. But, as I say, the Minister is currently looking at funding options and which areas will now need a focus to ensure the metro comes forward.

Rydych yn llygad eich lle, rwy'n sicrhau ein bod yn cael ein cyfran deg o gyllid yng ngogledd Cymru. Mae'n rhaid imi fod yn ofalus iawn, oherwydd yn amlwg rwy'n Aelod y Senedd dros Wrecsam, ac yn amlwg, mae Wrecsam yn rhan bwysig iawn o fetro gogledd Cymru. Fel y dywedaf, mae cynlluniau metro de Cymru ymhell ar y blaen. Roeddech yn iawn, 2016 oedd hi—. Cofiaf ein bod wedi ymrwymo i gyflwyno cynlluniau ar gyfer metro gogledd Cymru yn ystod 100 diwrnod cyntaf Llywodraeth 2016, ac fe wnaethom hynny.

Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod pandemig wedi bod sydd wedi mynd â llawer iawn o adnoddau, yn amlwg, ac nid ydym mor bell ymlaen ag y byddem wedi gobeithio bod gyda metro gogledd Cymru, ond mae'n dda gweld y cynlluniau yn awr a'r gwaith i sicrhau cysylltedd rhwng gogledd Cymru a gogledd-orllewin Lloegr, sydd mor bwysig i'n rhanbarth. Ond fel y dywedais, mae'r Gweinidog yn edrych ar opsiynau ariannu ar hyn o bryd a pha feysydd y bydd angen canolbwyntio arnynt yn awr i sicrhau bod y metro'n datblygu.

Six years, sluggish progress and we need to get it back on track, if you'll excuse the pun. One of the other things that has been failing for a long time in north Wales now, of course, is mental health services. Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board was put into special measures because of failings in its mental health services back in 2015. Seven years on and mental health services are still subject to special measures, and everybody recognises that they need to be improved significantly. Why is it that it takes the Welsh Government so much longer to get to grips with and to deal with problems in north Wales's public services, such as mental health services, and it takes you less time to resolve problems that are elsewhere in Wales? Isn't this more evidence that north Wales is a secondary issue, a bit of a blind spot for most of the people in your Cabinet? I'm not saying it's necessarily you, because you're a representative for north Wales, but doesn't it suggest to you that there's clear evidence that north Wales just isn't getting sufficient focus from this Welsh Government?

Chwe blynedd, cynnydd araf ac mae angen inni ei gael yn ôl ar y llwybr iawn, os esgusodwch y chwarae ar eiriau. Un o'r pethau eraill sydd wedi bod yn methu ers amser maith yng ngogledd Cymru, wrth gwrs, yw gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl. Cafodd Bwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr ei roi dan fesurau arbennig oherwydd methiannau yn ei wasanaethau iechyd meddwl yn ôl yn 2015. Saith mlynedd yn ddiweddarach ac mae gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl yn dal i fod yn destun mesurau arbennig, ac mae pawb yn cydnabod bod angen eu gwella'n sylweddol. Pam ei bod yn cymryd cymaint o amser i Lywodraeth Cymru fynd i'r afael â phroblemau yng ngwasanaethau cyhoeddus gogledd Cymru, megis gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl, a pham ei bod hi'n cymryd llai o amser i chi ddatrys problemau mewn mannau eraill yng Nghymru? Onid yw hyn yn fwy o dystiolaeth fod gogledd Cymru yn eilradd, yn fan dall i'r rhan fwyaf o'r bobl yn eich Cabinet? Nid wyf yn dweud mai chi sydd ar fai o reidrwydd, oherwydd rydych chi'n un o'r rhai sy'n cynrychioli gogledd Cymru, ond onid yw'n awgrymu i chi fod tystiolaeth glir nad yw gogledd Cymru'n cael digon o sylw gan y Llywodraeth hon yng Nghymru?

No, I think that's something that you like to get out there that that's the case. It really isn't—

Nac ydy, rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth rydych chi'n hoffi ei ddweud, mai felly y mae hi. Nid yw'n wir o gwbl—

Why is it seven years, seven years to resolve?

Pam y mae'n cymryd saith mlynedd, saith mlynedd i'w ddatrys?

I really don't think north Wales is second for any of my Cabinet colleagues. Obviously, I am there to ensure that doesn't happen, but I sit round the Cabinet table, you don't, and I can assure you it's not a blind spot at all.

Nid wyf yn credu o gwbl fod gogledd Cymru yn eilradd i unrhyw un o fy nghyd-Weinidogion yn y Cabinet. Yn amlwg, rwyf fi yno i sicrhau nad yw hynny'n digwydd, ond rwy'n eistedd wrth fwrdd y Cabinet, yn wahanol i chi, a gallaf eich sicrhau nad yw'n fan dall o gwbl.

Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, nawr. Mabon ap Gwynfor.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Gaf i gymryd y cyfle yma hefyd i ddiolch i Cefin Campbell am ei waith yn y rôl yma o'm mlaen i a phob lwc iddo fo yn ei rôl newydd?

Dwi eisiau gofyn i'r Gweinidog, os gwelwch yn dda—. Mae yna lawer o sylw wedi cael ei roi i'r argyfwng costau byw sydd yn wynebu cynifer o bobl heddiw. Mae'n werth cofio bod y cynnydd yn y costau egni a thanwydd hefyd yn cael effaith ar ein sector amaeth, sydd yn ei dro yn cael ei adlewyrchu yn y farchnad. Mewn arolwg gan y Farmers Weekly, nododd 57 y cant o ffermwyr eu bod nhw'n disgwyl gweld cynnydd sylweddol yn eu costau dros y flwyddyn nesaf. Mae Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru wedi rhybuddio nad yw prisiau ynni cynyddol yn gynaliadwy i'r sector amaeth. Er enghraifft, mae pris disel coch wedi cynyddu bron 50 y cant yn y flwyddyn ddiwethaf yn unig. Mae cost amoniwm nitrad wedi cynyddu bron i 200 y cant yn y flwyddyn ddiwethaf. Weinidog, nid argyfwng sydd yn gyfyngedig i ffermwyr ydy hyn; mae'r gost ychwanegol yma o'r fferm yn cario ymlaen i'r prosesu ac yna i'r silffoedd yn yr archfarchnad. Pa gamau mae’r Llywodraeth yn eu cymryd i geisio lleihau y bwrdwn ychwanegol yma ar ffermwyr?

Thank you very much, Llywydd. May I take this opportunity to thank Cefin Campbell for his work in this role, and to wish him well in his new role?

I want to ask the Minister, please—. There's been a great deal of coverage of the cost-of-living crisis facing so many people today. It's worth bearing in mind that the increase in energy and fuel costs also has an impact on our agricultural sector, which, in turn, is reflected in the market. In a survey by Farmers Weekly, 57 per cent of farmers noted that they expected to see a substantial increase in their costs over the next 12 months. The Farmers Union of Wales has said that increasing prices are not sustainable for the agricultural sector. For example, the price of red diesel has increased by almost 50 per cent in the past 12 months alone. The cost of ammonium nitrate has increased by almost 200 per cent in the past 12 months. Minister, this isn't a crisis limited to farmers; the additional farm costs are passed on to the processing and then to the supermarket shelves. So, what steps is the Government taking to try and minimise this additional burden on farmers?

14:30

Thank you, and I'd like to welcome Mabon ap Gwynfor to his new role. You're quite right—this cost of living is affecting everybody. We had an inter-ministerial group on Monday with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and my counterparts from Scotland and Northern Ireland, and one of the areas that I focused on, where we've seen a significant rise, is in fertilisers for our farmers, because it's clear that everything has gone up. So, we were pushing the UK Government to make sure they try and do something about further support. But I think one of the areas where I am able to make a difference, because clearly we've seen far more of a call on our mental health services by our farmers, is to ensure that I support our mental health charities. We launched FarmWell Wales during the COVID-19 pandemic, because, again, we saw a significant increase there. But I think it is really vital that all departments across Whitehall recognise that the cost-of-living crisis is affecting everybody.

Diolch a hoffwn groesawu Mabon ap Gwynfor i'w rôl newydd. Rydych yn llygad eich lle—mae costau byw yn effeithio ar bawb. Cawsom gyfarfod grŵp rhyngweinidogol ddydd Llun gydag Adran yr Amgylchedd, Bwyd a Materion Gwledig a fy swyddogion cyfatebol o’r Alban a Gogledd Iwerddon, ac un o’r meysydd y canolbwyntiais arnynt, lle rydym wedi gweld cynnydd sylweddol, oedd gwrtaith i’n ffermwyr, oherwydd mae’n amlwg fod pris popeth wedi codi. Felly, roeddem yn pwyso ar Lywodraeth y DU i wneud yn siŵr eu bod yn ceisio gwneud rhywbeth ynghylch cymorth pellach. Ond rwy’n credu mai un o'r meysydd y gallaf wneud gwahaniaeth ynddo, oherwydd yn amlwg rydym wedi gweld llawer mwy o alw ar ein gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl gan ein ffermwyr, yw drwy sicrhau fy mod yn cefnogi ein helusennau iechyd meddwl. Ac fe wnaethom lansio FarmWell Cymru yn ystod y pandemig COVID-19, oherwydd, unwaith eto, gwelsom gynnydd sylweddol yno. Ond rwy’n credu ei bod yn wirioneddol hanfodol fod pob adran ar draws Whitehall yn cydnabod bod yr argyfwng costau byw yn effeithio ar bawb.

Diolch yn fawr iawn i’r Gweinidog, a dwi’n siŵr eich bod chithau, fel minnau, wedi mwynhau brecwast efo’r Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru a oedd yn casglu pres i’r DPJ Foundation yn ddiweddar iawn, sy’n gwneud gwaith da yn y maes iechyd meddwl hwnnw.

Mae’r cynnydd yma yn y costau mewnbwn dros y misoedd diwethaf yn ychwanegu at broblem fwy hirdymor sy’n wynebu ein hamaethwyr. Dyma ddarlun i chi o sut mae’r costau wedi bod yn cynyddu: nôl yn 1970, roedd angen gwerthu tua 163 oen er mwyn prynu tractor newydd. Erbyn 2020, roedd angen gwerthu 864 o ŵyn er mwyn cael tractor newydd. Mae hyn yn naturiol yn golygu bod nifer o ffermwyr, yn enwedig y ffermydd llai sydd yn britho cefn gwlad Cymru, yn gorfod defnyddio peiriannau ac isadeiledd hŷn sydd yn aml bellach ddim yn addas i'w pwrpas.

Ar ben hyn, wrth gwrs, mae disgwyl iddyn nhw rŵan ddatblygu mwy o storfeydd slyri i ateb y rheoliadau NVZ newydd rydych chi wedi'u rhoi arnyn nhw. Pan gyflwynwyd y rheoliadau NVZ yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, rhoddodd y Llywodraeth yno £150 miliwn i ariannu’r gwaith cyfalaf angenrheidiol. Hyd yma, dim ond £11.5 miliwn o bres RDP Cymru sydd wedi cael ei wario ar waith cyfalaf yn ei gyfanrwydd, ac mae data gan NFU Cymru yn dangos bod yn dal i fod angen gwario hyd at £272 miliwn o arian RDP erbyn diwedd 2023.

Ydych chi, Weinidog, yn cytuno mai un datrysiad posib ydy defnyddio’r arian RDP yma sydd yn weddill er mwyn helpu amaethwyr i adeiladu a gwella isadeiledd eu ffermydd, yn ogystal â helpu busnesau a chontractwyr cefn gwlad? Byddai hyn, felly, yn galluogi buddsoddiadau mewn peiriannau ac isadeiledd newydd a fyddai’n cynyddu effeithlonrwydd, lleihau effaith amgylcheddol a gwella diogelwch gan sicrhau hyfywedd y diwydiant.

I thank the Minister, and I'm sure you, like me, enjoyed breakfast with the Farmers Union of Wales, which was collecting funds for the DPJ Foundation recently, which does excellent work in mental health.

This increase in input costs over the last few months is adding to a longer term problem facing our farmers. Here's a picture of how the costs have been increasing: back in 1970, you needed to sell around 163 lambs in order to buy a new tractor. By 2020, you would need to sell 864 lambs in order to purchase a new tractor. This naturally means that a number of farmers, particularly the smaller farms that are so common in rural Wales, have to use older machinery and infrastructure that are often no longer fit for purpose.

In addition to this, of course, they are now expected to develop more slurry stores to respond to the new NVZ requirements you placed on them. When the NVZ regulations were introduced in Northern Ireland, the Government there gave £150 million to fund the necessary capital works. To date, only £11.5 million of Welsh RDP money has been spent on capital works in total, and data from NFU Cymru shows that we would still need to spend up to £272 million of RDP funding by the end of 2023.

Minister, do you agree that one possible solution would be to use the RDP funds that remain in order to help farmers to build and improve farm infrastructure, as well as help businesses and contractors in rural areas? This would, therefore, enable investments in new machinery and infrastructure that would increase efficiency, reduce the environmental impact and improve safety by ensuring the viability of the industry.

So, the Member will be aware that we don't have the NVZs anymore; we have the agricultural pollution regulations and you'll be aware we're awaiting the current court judgment.

I did give significant funding—I think it was about £44 million, off the top of my head—to try and work with the agricultural sector around better slurry provision. I think it is really important that the RDP benefits, obviously, our rural communities—that's what it's there for. And it should be for things like infrastructure to help us with the climate change emergency. So, I'm looking at what funding is left in the RDP. I'm also awaiting advice from officials about a successor programme to the RDP. So, these are absolutely things that I will consider as part of that.

Bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol nad oes gennym y parthau perygl nitradau mwyach; mae gennym reoliadau llygredd amaethyddol ac fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol ein bod yn aros am ddyfarniad cyfredol y llys.

Rhoddais gyllid sylweddol—roedd oddeutu £44 miliwn, rwy’n credu—i geisio gweithio gyda’r sector amaethyddol ar wella darpariaethau slyri. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn fod y rhaglen datblygu gwledig o fudd i'n cymunedau gwledig wrth gwrs—dyna yw ei diben. A dylai fod ar gyfer pethau fel seilwaith er mwyn ein helpu gyda'r argyfwng newid hinsawdd. Felly, rwy’n edrych ar ba gyllid sydd ar ôl yn y rhaglen datblygu gwledig. Rwyf hefyd yn aros am gyngor gan swyddogion am raglen olynol yn lle'r rhaglen datblygu gwledig. Felly, mae’r rhain yn bethau y byddaf yn sicr yn eu hystyried yn rhan o hynny.

Cig Oen ac Eidion o Gymru
Welsh Lamb and Beef

3. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi marchnata cig oen a chig eidion o Gymru? OQ57579

3. How is the Welsh Government supporting the marketing of Welsh lamb and beef? OQ57579

The Welsh Government works closely with Hybu Cig Cymru, both in Wales and through our international offices, to support the marketing of Welsh lamb and beef. HCC were a partner at BlasCymru/TasteWales in October 2021, supporting a range of businesses showcasing and marketing meat products.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio’n agos gyda Hybu Cig Cymru, yng Nghymru a thrwy ein swyddfeydd rhyngwladol, i gefnogi marchnata cig oen a chig eidion o Gymru. Roedd HCC yn bartner yn BlasCymru ym mis Hydref 2021, i gefnogi ystod o fusnesau sy’n arddangos ac yn marchnata cynhyrchion cig.

Thank you, Minister, for your answer. I'd be particularly grateful for an update in regard to improvements on food labelling, working with the industry and the sector and supermarkets in particular. I ask this in the context of new markets being opened for Welsh lamb and beef, particularly as we think of new markets in the United States, for example. Now, we know that we've got high quality produce in Wales, of Welsh lamb and beef, and we also know that farmers pay very high attention to animal welfare. So, how can we sell that, sell brand Wales, knowing that many of these new markets demand high quality, and demand evidence of high quality, when it comes to animal welfare? How can we improve our labelling specifically to help sell brand Wales and Welsh lamb and beef in other new markets around the world?

Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Byddwn yn arbennig o ddiolchgar am yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf mewn perthynas â gwelliannau i labelu bwyd, gan weithio gyda’r diwydiant a’r sector ac archfarchnadoedd yn enwedig. Gofynnaf hyn yng nghyd-destun agor marchnadoedd newydd ar gyfer cig oen a chig eidion o Gymru, yn enwedig wrth inni feddwl am farchnadoedd newydd yn yr Unol Daleithiau, er enghraifft. Nawr, fe wyddom fod gennym gynnyrch cig oen a chig eidion o ansawdd uchel yng Nghymru a gwyddom hefyd fod ffermwyr yn talu sylw mawr i les anifeiliaid. Felly sut y gallwn werthu hynny, gwerthu brand Cymru, gan wybod bod llawer o'r marchnadoedd newydd hyn yn mynnu ansawdd uchel, ac yn mynnu tystiolaeth o ansawdd uchel mewn perthynas â lles anifeiliaid? Sut y gallwn wella ein labelu yn benodol er mwyn helpu i werthu brand Cymru a chig oen a chig eidion o Gymru mewn marchnadoedd newydd eraill ym mhob cwr o'r byd?

14:35

It is really important that we wave the flag for Wales, and we do that in many guises. I mentioned our international offices. We've got Gulfood coming up in Dubai, I think next week, actually. And HCC will be part of the Welsh Government delegation, or supporting the Welsh Government delegation, in Dubai. We have continued with virtual overseas events, but it will be good to be able to go in person. So, we've got both Anuga and SIAL coming up this year. But we do welcome, obviously, the market being now opened in America. That's something that we've been working on for about six years, so it is very welcome.

And we know that people do look at the labelling, don't they—of course they do. I think one area where we have made huge improvements is marketing Welsh lamb and beef through the Welsh geographical indicators family. We've now got four red meats in that. You'll be aware that we had Gower salt marsh lamb—it was the first, actually, of the UK products in the new UK GI scheme. So, it's very important, and, obviously, that will be on the packaging. In food labelling in general, I think it is really important that, first of all, we don't let trade deals be done by the UK Government that will undermine those very high animal health and welfare standards. So, that is actually something we talked about at the inter-ministerial group that I referred to earlier with DEFRA. So, we are continuing to work on labelling. But I do think it's something that we've done very well, for a long time, and certainly the vision for our Welsh food and drink sector, not just red meat in particular, which I launched back in October, shows that.

Mae’n wirioneddol bwysig ein bod yn chwifio’r faner dros Gymru, a’n bod yn gwneud hynny mewn sawl ffordd. Soniais am ein swyddfeydd rhyngwladol. Mae gennym ddigwyddiad Gulfood ar y gorwel yn Dubai, yr wythnos nesaf rwy’n credu. A bydd HCC yn rhan o ddirprwyaeth Llywodraeth Cymru, neu’n cefnogi dirprwyaeth Llywodraeth Cymru, yn Dubai. Ac rydym wedi parhau â digwyddiadau tramor rhithwir, ond bydd yn dda gallu mynychu yn y cnawd. Felly, mae gennym ddigwyddiadau Anuga a SIAL i ddod eleni. Ond wrth gwrs, rydym yn croesawu'r ffaith bod y farchnad bellach wedi’i hagor yn America. Mae hynny'n rhywbeth rydym wedi bod yn gweithio arno ers tua chwe blynedd, felly mae i'w groesawu'n fawr.

Ac fe wyddom fod pobl yn edrych ar y labelu, onid ydynt—wrth gwrs eu bod. Un maes lle rydym wedi gwneud gwelliannau enfawr yw marchnata cig oen a chig eidion o Gymru drwy deulu dynodiadau daearyddol Cymru. Felly mae gennym bedwar cig coch yn hwnnw erbyn hyn. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod gennym gig oen morfa heli Gŵyr—hwnnw oedd y cyntaf, mewn gwirionedd, o'r cynhyrchion o'r DU yng nghynllun dynodiadau daearyddol newydd y DU. Felly mae'n bwysig iawn, ac yn amlwg, bydd hwnnw ar y pecynnu. O ran labelu bwyd yn gyffredinol, rwy’n credu ei bod yn wirioneddol bwysig, yn gyntaf oll, nad ydym yn gadael i Lywodraeth y DU lunio cytundebau masnach a fydd yn tanseilio’r safonau uchel iawn mewn perthynas ag iechyd a lles anifeiliaid. Felly mae hynny'n rhywbeth y buom yn siarad amdano yng nghyfarfod  y grŵp rhyngweinidogol y cyfeiriais ato yn gynharach gyda DEFRA. Felly rydym yn parhau i weithio ar labelu. Ond rwy'n credu ei fod yn rhywbeth rydym wedi'i wneud yn dda iawn ers amser maith, ac yn sicr mae'r weledigaeth ar gyfer ein sector bwyd a diod o Gymru, nid cig coch yn unig, a lansiwyd gennyf yn ôl ym mis Hydref, yn dangos hynny.

Rasio Milgwn
Greyhound Racing

4. Sut mae'r Llywodraeth yn cysylltu â Chyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili ar arolygiadau o'r trac rasio milgwn sy'n weddill yng Nghymru i sicrhau safonau lles anifeiliaid? OQ57572

4. How is the Government liaising with Caerphilly County Borough Council on inspections of the remaining greyhound racing track in Wales to ensure animal welfare standards? OQ57572

Inspections at Wales's remaining greyhound racing track have been arranged through a partnership delivery programme funded by the Welsh Government, which is managed and co-ordinated by Monmouthshire trading standards and the greyhound working group, a sub-group of the Animal Welfare Network Wales, one of our key partnership networks.

Mae arolygiadau o’r trac rasio milgwn sydd ar ôl yng Nghymru wedi’u trefnu drwy raglen gyflawni partneriaeth a ariennir gan Lywodraeth Cymru, sy’n cael ei rheoli a’i chydlynu gan safonau masnach sir Fynwy a’r gweithgor milgwn, is-grŵp o Rwydwaith Lles Anifeiliaid Cymru, un o'n rhwydweithiau partneriaeth allweddol.

In my region, there exists the last remaining greyhound racing track in Wales. This track is also independent, meaning it is not subject to any regulation or licensing requirements. There is no requirement for a veterinary presence or welfare oversight in place, as it stands. Hope Rescue say that, in the last four years, they have taken in 200 greyhounds from this track—40 of these sustained injuries. They fear this will increase when the track is due to become licensed later this year. There are only eight countries left in the world where greyhound racing is still allowed. Minister, is it not time for us to follow suit and ban this activity on the grounds of animal welfare?

Yn fy rhanbarth i mae’r trac rasio milgwn olaf sy'n weddill yng Nghymru. Mae'r trac hwn hefyd yn annibynnol, sy'n golygu nad yw'n ddarostyngedig i unrhyw ofynion rheoleiddio na thrwyddedu. Fel ag y mae, nid oes gofyniad i filfeddyg fod yn bresennol nac i oruchwylio lles. Dywed Hope Rescue eu bod, dros y pedair blynedd ddiwethaf, wedi derbyn 200 o filgwn o’r trac hwn—ac roedd 40 o’r rhain wedi dioddef anafiadau. Maent yn ofni y bydd y nifer yn cynyddu pan ddaw'n bryd trwyddedu'r trac yn ddiweddarach eleni. Dim ond wyth gwlad yn y byd sy’n dal i ganiatáu rasio milgwn. Weinidog, onid yw’n bryd inni wneud yr un peth a gwahardd y gweithgaredd hwn ar sail lles anifeiliaid?

Thank you. This is something that I am looking very closely at. I had a meeting just yesterday with Jane Dodds, who you'll be aware is a very firm believer in what you've just suggested, and it's something that I have asked officials to look at. I am hoping to have a meeting with Hope Rescue; I'd be very interested to hear their views. Obviously, they pulled out of attendance at the race track—they were there, I think, for several years. I'm also going to ask the Greyhound Board of Great Britain for a meeting to see what further we can do then. Clearly, if we looked at a ban of greyhound racing, we would have to look at evidence, consultation. It will all take a little while, and, obviously, legislative capacity would have to be available for me to do that. But it's certainly something—. And you just mentioned something right at the end that I have only recently found out, and that is that there are only eight countries in the world that still allow greyhound racing, and we are one of them.

Diolch. Mae hwn yn rhywbeth rwy'n edrych yn fanwl iawn arno. Cefais gyfarfod ddoe gyda Jane Dodds, ac fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol ei bod yn gredwr cryf iawn yn yr hyn rydych newydd ei awgrymu, ac mae'n rhywbeth rwyf wedi gofyn i swyddogion edrych arno. Rwy'n gobeithio cael cyfarfod gyda Hope Rescue; byddwn yn falch iawn o glywed eu safbwyntiau. Yn amlwg, maent wedi rhoi'r gorau i fod yn bresennol wrth y trac rasio—roeddent yno am sawl blwyddyn rwy'n credu. Rwyf hefyd yn bwriadu gofyn i Fwrdd Milgwn Prydain am gyfarfod i weld beth arall y gallwn ei wneud wedyn. Yn amlwg, pe baem yn edrych ar wahardd rasio milgwn, byddai'n rhaid inni edrych ar dystiolaeth, ac ymgynghoriad. Bydd y cyfan yn cymryd peth amser, ac yn amlwg, byddai'n rhaid bod capasiti deddfwriaethol ar gael imi allu gwneud hynny. Ond mae'n sicr yn rhywbeth—. Ac fe sonioch chi am rywbeth ar y diwedd nad wyf ond wedi'i ddysgu yn ddiweddar, sef mai dim ond wyth gwlad yn y byd sy'n dal i ganiatáu rasio milgwn, ac rydym ni'n un ohonynt.

Minister, in 2018, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain launched its greyhound commitment, containing its expectations on how the sport should be run, with welfare at its heart. The safety of every greyhound racing at, as you mentioned, a GBGB licensed track is absolutely paramount—I 100 per cent believe in it. An independent veterinary surgeon is present at all GBGB tracks to check the health and well-being of every greyhound, both before and after racing. They are also there to provide emergency care in the event that a dog needs it. The board constantly strives to minimise the possibility of an injury occurring by funding research into track improvements, with a view to reducing injuries and helping to extend racing careers for dogs. Additionally, there have been a number of upgrades to racecourse kennels in recent years to ensure greyhounds can rest comfortably before and after their races, and each racecourse is regularly inspected to confirm that their facilities continue to meet the required standard. So, Minister, I know you answered my colleague just a second ago, but I just want to know, from my personal angle, whether you agree that, properly regulated, greyhound racing, with the highest standards of welfare at its core, is a spectator sport that creates jobs and provides much entertainment for its followers.

Weinidog, yn 2018, lansiodd Bwrdd Milgwn Prydain ei ymrwymiad ar filgwn, sy'n cynnwys ei ddisgwyliadau ynghylch y modd y dylid cynnal y gamp, gyda lles yn ganolog iddo. Mae sicrhau diogelwch pob milgi sy'n rasio, fel y sonioch chi, ar drac sydd wedi'i drwyddedu gan Fwrdd Milgwn Prydain yn hollbwysig—rwy'n credu ynddo 100 y cant. Mae milfeddyg annibynnol yn bresennol wrth bob un o draciau Bwrdd Milgwn Prydain i archwilio iechyd a lles pob milgi, cyn ac ar ôl rasio. Maent yno hefyd i ddarparu gofal brys os bydd ci ei angen. Mae'r bwrdd yn ymdrechu'n gyson i leihau'r posibilrwydd o anaf drwy ariannu ymchwil i wella traciau, gyda'r nod o leihau anafiadau a helpu i ymestyn gyrfaoedd rasio cŵn. Yn ogystal, gwnaed llawer o waith uwchraddio ar gytiau caeau rasio yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf i sicrhau y gall milgwn orffwys yn gyfforddus cyn ac ar ôl eu rasys, a chaiff pob cae rasio ei archwilio'n rheolaidd i gadarnhau bod eu cyfleusterau'n parhau i fodloni'r safon ofynnol. Felly, Weinidog, gwn ichi ateb fy nghyd-Aelod eiliad yn ôl, ond hoffwn wybod, mewn perthynas â fy safbwynt personol i, a ydych yn cytuno bod rasio milgwn wedi'i reoleiddio'n briodol, gyda'r safonau lles uchaf, yn gamp gwylwyr sy'n creu swyddi ac yn darparu llawer o adloniant i'w dilynwyr.

14:40

So, my interest is obviously in the one track that we have here in Wales, and one of my reasons for wanting to meet Hope Rescue is because I've seen some very concerning figures and statistics. And one of the things, again, I discussed with Jane Dodds yesterday was around the number of animals that have been injured, and fatally—they obviously died there. So, I'm really keen to understand why there is such a high number of injuries. Now, again, only through my own reading, I understand there is a bend where, unfortunately, a lot of dogs get injured, and some have died. So, my interest is in this one track, and I need to reassure myself. We have very high animal health and welfare standards here in Wales. I think we are a nation of animal lovers. Sometimes, I think we are far fonder of our animals than we are of our fellow humans. And I really want to be reassured, and at the moment I'm not being reassured. So, I think it's for me now to meet with other interested people. I have to say, the new intake of Members in this Senedd have really brought this up the political agenda and raised this with me, and it is an area of great concern. 

Mae fy niddordeb yn amlwg yn yr unig drac sydd gennym yma yng Nghymru, ac un o fy rhesymau dros fod eisiau cyfarfod â Hope Rescue yw oherwydd fy mod wedi gweld ffigurau ac ystadegau pryderus iawn. Ac un o'r pethau, unwaith eto, a drafodais gyda Jane Dodds ddoe oedd nifer yr anifeiliaid sydd wedi'u hanafu, a hynny'n angheuol—mae'n amlwg eu bod wedi marw yno. Felly, rwy'n awyddus iawn i ddeall pam fod nifer mor uchel o anafiadau. Nawr, unwaith eto, o'r hyn a welais, deallaf fod yna un troad, yn anffodus, lle caiff llawer o gŵn eu hanafu, ac mae rhai wedi marw. Felly, mae fy niddordeb yn yr un trac hwn, ac mae angen imi dawelu fy meddwl fy hun. Mae gennym safonau iechyd a lles anifeiliaid uchel iawn yma yng Nghymru. Rwy'n credu ein bod yn genedl o bobl sy'n caru anifeiliaid. Weithiau, rwy'n credu ein bod yn llawer mwy hoff o'n hanifeiliaid nag o'n cyd-ddyn. Ac rwyf eisiau sicrwydd, ac nid wyf yn cael sicrwydd ar hyn o bryd. Felly, rwy'n credu bod angen imi gyfarfod â phobl eraill sydd â diddordeb yn y mater yn awr. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, mae'r Aelodau newydd yn y Senedd yn sicr wedi codi'r mater yn uwch ar yr agenda wleidyddol ac wedi'i godi gyda mi, ac mae'n faes sy'n peri pryder mawr. 

And here's one of them—Jane Dodds. [Laughter.]

A dyma un ohonynt—Jane Dodds. [Chwerthin.]

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llywydd. Thank you to Peredur Owen Griffiths for raising this issue, which is important to many of us in the Senedd. As you've heard, the track in Caerphilly boasts as having one of the sharpest bends of any racetrack, and I want to read to you something from their literature. They say about this bend in their racetrack: 

'greyhounds frequently find themselves flying into the first corner far too quickly to make the turn. The better the dog, the faster they approach the first bend and the worse the trouble they find.'

And I finish the quote there. Plans to increase the track will increase racing at Caerphilly fourfold, from one race per week to four. And even in 2020, when racing was significantly reduced because of COVID, across the UK's regulated tracks 3,575 greyhounds suffered serious injuries, and 401 dogs died. This is not a spectator sport that we want in Wales. And these include GBGB tracks, so I do come back to Natasha Asghar and say, 'Really, do we want dogs injured even on regulated tracks, and also dogs dying?' Given we know regulation does not stop greyhounds from dying and being injured—and I'm glad to hear that you're prepared to meet with Hope Rescue—I wonder if you would agree with me that there are serious concerns even about regulated tracks. Thank you. Diolch yn fawr iawn. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Lywydd. Diolch i Peredur Owen Griffiths am godi'r mater hwn, sy'n fater pwysig i lawer ohonom yn y Senedd. Fel y clywsoch, mae'r trac yng Nghaerffili yn brolio bod ganddo un o'r troadau mwyaf siarp sydd gan unrhyw drac rasio, ac rwyf am ddarllen rhywbeth i chi o'u llenyddiaeth. Maent yn dweud am y troad hwn yn eu trac rasio: 

'mae milgwn yn aml yn hedfan i mewn i'r gornel gyntaf yn llawer rhy gyflym i wneud y tro. Y gorau yw'r ci, y cyflymaf y cyrhaedda'r troad cyntaf a'r mwyaf o drwbl a ddaw i'w ran.'

Ac rwyf am orffen y dyfyniad yn y fan honno. Bydd cynlluniau i ymestyn y trac yn cynyddu rasio yng Nghaerffili bedair gwaith, o un ras yr wythnos i bedair. A hyd yn oed yn 2020, pan gyfyngwyd yn sylweddol ar rasio oherwydd COVID, ar draws traciau a reoleiddir y DU, dioddefodd 3,575 o filgwn anafiadau difrifol, a bu farw 401 o gŵn. Nid yw hon yn gamp gwylwyr rydym am ei chael yng Nghymru. Ac mae'r rhain yn cynnwys traciau Bwrdd Milgwn Prydain, felly rwy'n dod yn ôl at Natasha Asghar a dweud, 'O ddifrif, a ydym eisiau gweld cŵn yn cael eu hanafu, ac yn marw, hyd yn oed ar draciau a reoleiddir?' O gofio ein bod yn gwybod nad yw rheoleiddio'n atal milgwn rhag marw a chael eu hanafu—ac rwy'n falch o glywed eich bod yn barod i gyfarfod â Hope Rescue—tybed a fyddech yn cytuno â mi fod pryderon difrifol ynghylch traciau a reoleiddir hyd yn oed. Diolch yn fawr iawn. 

Yes, I would agree with Jane Dodds. And, as I say, some of the figures—and you've just given some statistics now and some information about the track—lead me to be very concerned. I have had two meetings with my officials to discuss this, and I do want to assure Members that it is something I take very seriously, am very concerned about, and we'll see what we can do to look—. As you say, it's not just about regulation, but we'll look obviously within the animal welfare plan for Wales for this term of Government. Whilst it's a five-year programme, looking at greyhound racing is something I want to bring to the early part of the Senedd term. 

Byddwn yn cytuno â Jane Dodds. Ac fel y dywedais, mae rhai o'r ffigurau—ac rydych newydd roi ystadegau yn awr a gwybodaeth am y trac—yn gwneud imi bryderu'n fawr. Rwyf wedi cael dau gyfarfod gyda fy swyddogion i drafod hyn, ac rwyf am sicrhau'r Aelodau ei fod yn rhywbeth rwy'n rhoi ystyriaeth ddifrifol iddo, fy mod yn bryderus iawn yn ei gylch, ac fe gawn weld beth y gallwn ei wneud i edrych—. Fel y dywedwch, nid yw'n ymwneud â rheoleiddio yn unig, ond byddwn yn edrych o fewn y cynllun lles anifeiliaid i Gymru ar gyfer tymor y Llywodraeth hon. Er ei bod yn rhaglen bum mlynedd, mae rasio milgwn yn rhywbeth rwyf am ei ystyried yn y rhan gyntaf o dymor y Senedd. 

Cysylltedd Trafnidiaeth
Transport Connectivity

5. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda chyd-Weinidogion yn y Cabinet ynghylch cysylltedd trafnidiaeth yng ngogledd Cymru? OQ57543

5. What discussions has the Minister had with Cabinet colleagues regarding transport connectivity in north Wales? OQ57543

I regularly meet with Cabinet colleagues. Our new multimillion-pound north Wales metro programme will transform rail, bus and active travel services across north Wales. It will make it easier and faster to travel across north Wales and build better connections with the north-west of England.

Rwy'n cyfarfod yn rheolaidd â chyd-Weinidogion Cabinet. Bydd ein rhaglen metro newydd ar gyfer gogledd Cymru, sy'n werth miliynau lawer o bunnoedd, yn trawsnewid gwasanaethau trenau, bysiau a theithio llesol ar draws gogledd Cymru. Bydd yn sicrhau bod teithio ar draws gogledd Cymru yn haws ac yn gyflymach a bydd yn adeiladu cysylltiadau gwell â gogledd-orllewin Lloegr.

Diolch. Speaking in last month's Westminster Hall debate on transport connectivity in Merseyside, Vale of Clwyd MP James Davies, who, topically, also chairs the Mersey Dee north Wales all-party parliamentary group, called for hourly rail services between Llandudno and Liverpool, which had been promised from the end of 2023, to be brought forward, stating:

'direct rail services from the north Wales coast ceased in the 1970s. Thanks to the reopening of the Halton curve, hourly services are promised from Llandudno to Liverpool, although not, I think, until December 2023. Will the Minister join me in calling on Transport for Wales to bring that forward if it can?'

Thanks to the £14.5 million Halton curve project, funded through the UK Government's local government funding awarded to the Liverpool city region local enterprise partnership, direct daily services between Wrexham and Liverpool, which you know of, were introduced in 2019, but the promised direct services between Llandudno and Liverpool are not expected until the back end of next year. What discussions are you, therefore, having with your Cabinet colleagues regarding an earlier introduction of the service by Welsh Government-owned Transport for Wales to help build our region back from the pandemic, attract visitors, boost the local economy and encourage more people onto rail for the good of the environment?

Diolch. Wrth siarad mewn dadl yn Neuadd San Steffan fis diwethaf ar gysylltedd trafnidiaeth yng Nglannau Mersi, galwodd Aelod Seneddol Dyffryn Clwyd, James Davies, sydd hefyd fel mae'n digwydd yn cadeirio grŵp seneddol hollbleidiol Mersi a'r Ddyfrdwy a gogledd Cymru, am wasanaethau trenau bob awr rhwng Llandudno a Lerpwl, rhywbeth a addawyd o ddiwedd 2023 ymlaen, gan ddweud:

'daeth gwasanaethau tremai uniongyrchol o arfordir gogledd Cymru i ben yn y 1970au. Diolch i ailagor tro Halton, addawyd gwasanaethau bob awr o Landudno i Lerpwl, ond nid tan fis Rhagfyr 2023, rwy'n credu. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ymuno â mi i alw ar Trafnidiaeth Cymru i gyflwyno hynny'n gynt os yn bosibl?'

Diolch i brosiect tro Halton, a gostiodd £14.5 miliwn, ac a ariannwyd drwy gyllid llywodraeth leol Llywodraeth y DU a ddyfarnwyd i bartneriaeth menter leol dinas-ranbarth Lerpwl, cyflwynwyd gwasanaethau dyddiol uniongyrchol rhwng Wrecsam a Lerpwl, y gwyddoch amdanynt, yn 2019, ond ni ddisgwylir y gwasanaethau uniongyrchol a addawyd rhwng Llandudno a Lerpwl tan ddiwedd y flwyddyn nesaf. Pa drafodaethau rydych yn eu cael, felly, gyda'ch cyd-Weinidogion Cabinet ynghylch sicrhau bod Trafnidiaeth Cymru, sy'n eiddo i Lywodraeth Cymru, yn cyflwyno'r gwasanaeth yn gynharach i helpu i ailadeiladu ein rhanbarth ar ôl y pandemig, denu ymwelwyr, hybu'r economi leol ac annog mwy o bobl i ddefnyddio trenau er lles yr amgylchedd?

14:45

Thank you. You are correct; at the moment, our commitment is to deliver a new hourly service between Liverpool and Llandudno from December 2023. We'll also look to extend the current Llandudno to Manchester Airport service to include Bangor. I think one way the Member could help is that, in the absence of appropriate devolution of rail infrastructure and a fair funding settlement, we do need the UK Government to fulfil their responsibilities for improving the rail network in Wales. 

Diolch. Rydych chi'n gywir; ar hyn o bryd, ein hymrwymiad yw darparu gwasanaeth newydd bob awr rhwng Lerpwl a Llandudno o fis Rhagfyr 2023. Byddwn hefyd yn ceisio ymestyn gwasanaeth presennol Llandudno i Faes Awyr Manceinion i gynnwys Bangor. Oherwydd nad yw seilwaith rheilffyrdd wedi'i ddatganoli'n briodol ac am na cheir setliad ariannu teg, mae angen i Lywodraeth y DU gyflawni eu cyfrifoldebau dros wella'r rhwydwaith rheilffyrdd yng Nghymru, a chredaf fod honno'n un ffordd y gallai'r Aelod helpu. 

Building connectivity is about designing and building transport networks that are responsive to the needs of our communities. This means we do need to regulate the bus industry in a way that places community need and networks at the heart of our decision making. But we know, Minister, that the current regulations brought in under Thatcher's Government were based solely on profits. They stop cross-subsidy of routes and they see providers using the competition authorities to close down routes of rivals. Can I ask the Minister, therefore, do you agree with me that reregulating the bus industry should be at the top of our agenda, and, when we do look at that piece of work, that we should look to bus worker representatives, like Unite the Union, in which I declare an interest as a member? They should be involved, and we should listen in particular to them and to their 'get home safely' campaign, which promotes viable transport options for workers in the night-time economy.

Mae adeiladu cysylltedd yn ymwneud â llunio ac adeiladu rhwydweithiau trafnidiaeth sy'n ymateb i anghenion ein cymunedau. Golyga hynny fod angen inni reoleiddio'r diwydiant bysiau mewn ffordd sy'n rhoi rhwydweithiau ac angen cymunedol wrth wraidd ein penderfyniadau. Ond Weinidog, gwyddom fod y rheoliadau presennol a gyflwynwyd o dan Lywodraeth Thatcher wedi'u seilio ar elw yn unig. Maent yn atal croes-sybsideiddio llwybrau ac yn arwain at ddarparwyr yn defnyddio'r awdurdodau cystadlu i gau llwybrau cystadleuwyr. A gaf fi ofyn i'r Gweinidog, felly, a ydych yn cytuno â mi y dylai ail-reoleiddio'r diwydiant bysiau fod ar frig ein hagenda, a phan edrychwn ar y gwaith hwnnw, y dylem ystyried cynrychiolwyr gweithwyr bysiau, fel undeb Unite, lle rwy'n datgan buddiant fel aelod? Dylent gael rhan yn hyn, a dylem wrando arnynt ac ar eu hymgyrch 'cyrraedd adref yn ddiogel', sy'n hyrwyddo opsiynau trafnidiaeth hyfyw i weithwyr yn yr economi nos.

Absolutely. We welcome the Unite union's 'get me home safe' campaign, and we'll continue to work with local authorities, Transport for Wales and obviously our bus companies to provide safer, more attractive late evening public transport services. As you know, we are looking to bring forward during this Senedd term a new bus Bill, which will incorporate new powers for local authorities to franchise out bus services across Wales to provide a more stable, accessible, attractive and integrated bus network for passengers. I think we are going to work really hard to transform the quality of bus and rail travel across Wales, and we will continue to provide funding to local authorities to improve the accessibility and safety of bus stops, because that's clearly an area of concern. 

Yn sicr. Rydym yn croesawu ymgyrch 'cyrredd adref yn ddiogel' undeb Unite, a byddwn yn parhau i weithio gydag awdurdodau lleol, Trafnidiaeth Cymru a'n cwmnïau bysiau wrth gwrs i ddarparu gwasanaethau trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus sy'n fwy diogel ac yn fwy deniadol yn hwyr gyda'r nos. Fel y gwyddoch, rydym yn bwriadu cyflwyno Bil bysiau newydd yn ystod tymor y Senedd hon, a fydd yn cynnwys pwerau newydd i awdurdodau lleol fasnachfreinio gwasanaethau bysiau ledled Cymru i ddarparu rhwydwaith bysiau mwy sefydlog, hygyrch, deniadol ac integredig i deithwyr. Credaf y byddwn yn gweithio'n galed iawn i drawsnewid ansawdd teithio ar fysiau a threnau ledled Cymru, a byddwn yn parhau i ddarparu cyllid i awdurdodau lleol ar gyfer gwella hygyrchedd a diogelwch arosfannau bysiau, oherwydd mae hwnnw'n amlwg yn faes sy'n peri pryder. 

Y Cynllun Ffermio Cynaliadwy
The Sustainable Farming Scheme

6. Sut bydd y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy yn cefnogi prosiectau cadwraeth cynefinoedd? OQ57564

6. How will the sustainable farming scheme support habitat conservation projects? OQ57564

To support ecosystem resilience, our farmers will be paid to manage and create on-farm habitat. We will also support farmers to collaborate to deliver against local and national priorities at a landscape scale.

Er mwyn cefnogi gwytnwch ecosystemau, bydd ein ffermwyr yn cael eu talu i reoli a chreu cynefin ar y fferm. Byddwn hefyd yn cynorthwyo ffermwyr i gydweithio i gyflawni blaenoriaethau lleol a chenedlaethol ar raddfa'r dirwedd.

Thank you, Minister, for the statement. Llywydd, I would like to just remind Members of the fact that I am a practising farmer, as stated in my interests. As I'm sure you're aware, Minister, this Friday marks the beginning of the Big Farmland Bird Count, organised by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust. This aims to encourage farmers and land managers to support farmland birds and to highlight the hard work already done by many of them to help reverse biodiversity loss. I'm sure, Minister, you would agree that the work going on is commendable. We know that promoting sustainability and biodiversity is something that the Welsh Government's proposed sustainable land management scheme aims to do. However, Minister, there are still grave concerns amongst farmers that future farming support pivots too much toward paying for public goods, with a lack of recognition about the importance of supporting those producers in Wales who are trying to produce high-quality affordable food for our communities. Minister, how will the proposed new scheme strike a balance between improving environmental outcomes within the agricultural sector and encouraging and supporting high-quality, sustainable food production to increase the resilience of rural economies and our food systems across Wales?

Diolch am y datganiad, Weinidog. Lywydd, hoffwn atgoffa'r Aelodau o'r ffaith fy mod yn ffermwr gweithredol, fel y nodwyd yn fy muddiannau. Fel y gwyddoch, rwy'n siŵr, Weinidog, y dydd Gwener hwn yw dechrau'r Cyfrif Mawr o Adar Tir Amaethyddol a drefnir gan yr Ymddiriedolaeth Cadwraeth Adar Hela a Bywyd Gwyllt. Ei nod yw annog ffermwyr a rheolwyr tir i gefnogi adar tir amaethyddol a thynnu sylw at y gwaith caled a wnaed eisoes gan lawer ohonynt i helpu i wrthdroi colli bioamrywiaeth. Weinidog, rwy'n siŵr y byddech yn cytuno bod y gwaith sy'n digwydd yn glodwiw. Gwyddom fod hyrwyddo cynaliadwyedd a bioamrywiaeth yn rhywbeth y mae cynllun arfaethedig Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer rheoli tir yn gynaliadwy yn ceisio ei wneud. Fodd bynnag, Weinidog, mae pryderon mawr o hyd ymhlith ffermwyr fod cymorth ffermio yn y dyfodol yn gwyro gormod tuag at dalu am nwyddau cyhoeddus, heb ddigon o gydnabyddiaeth i bwysigrwydd cefnogi'r cynhyrchwyr yng Nghymru sy'n ceisio cynhyrchu bwyd fforddiadwy o ansawdd da i'n cymunedau. Weinidog, sut y bydd y cynllun newydd arfaethedig yn sicrhau cydbwysedd rhwng gwella canlyniadau amgylcheddol o fewn y sector amaethyddol ac annog a chefnogi cynhyrchiant bwyd cynaliadwy o ansawdd da i gynyddu cydnerthedd economïau gwledig a'n systemau bwyd ledled Cymru?

14:50

I've always made it very clear that producing food is absolutely a priority for our farmers, of course it is. You say there are grave concerns. We've been out to consultation three times now. The scheme is still not designed; we want to co-design that scheme. You will have heard me say many times that if it's not the right scheme for our farmers it won't work, so it's really important that they're part of that co-design. We're just asking farmers, and you may be one, to work with us in the summer when we go to the second part of the co-design of the scheme. What's really important, as we've said all along, is public money for public goods. When you say there are grave concerns, I don't hear those grave concerns in the way I did four or five years ago. I do think it's really important that we work together to make sure we get it right. Of course we will continue to support our farmers to produce food that has a low carbon footprint, but they will also be rewarded for the things that they don't get paid for at the moment—so, the clean air, the clean water, the work they do about mitigating flood, the work they do around mitigating drought, the work they do around animal health and welfare. I think it's really important that there is that balance. There has to be that balance, or it just won't work.

Rwyf bob amser wedi dweud yn glir iawn fod cynhyrchu bwyd yn flaenoriaeth bendant i'n ffermwyr, wrth gwrs ei fod. Rydych yn dweud bod pryderon difrifol. Rydym wedi ymgynghori dair gwaith bellach. Nid yw'r cynllun wedi'i gynllunio o hyd; rydym eisiau cydgynllunio'r cynllun hwnnw. Byddwch wedi fy nghlywed yn dweud droeon, os nad oes gennym y cynllun cywir ar gyfer ein ffermwyr, ni fydd yn gweithio, felly mae'n bwysig iawn eu bod yn rhan o'r gwaith cydgynllunio. Rydym yn gofyn i ffermwyr, ac efallai y byddwch yn un ohonynt, weithio gyda ni yn yr haf pan awn ymlaen i ail ran y broses o gydgynllunio'r cynllun. Yr hyn sy'n bwysig iawn, fel rydym wedi'i ddweud o'r cychwyn, yw arian cyhoeddus am nwyddau cyhoeddus. Pan ddywedwch fod pryderon difrifol, nid wyf yn clywed y pryderon difrifol hynny yn y ffordd y gwneuthum bedair neu bum mlynedd yn ôl. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod yn gweithio gyda'n gilydd i wneud yn siŵr ein bod yn gwneud pethau'n iawn. Wrth gwrs, byddwn yn parhau i gefnogi ein ffermwyr i gynhyrchu bwyd sydd ag ôl troed carbon isel, ond byddant hefyd yn cael eu gwobrwyo am y pethau nad ydynt yn cael eu talu amdanynt ar hyn o bryd—felly, yr aer glân, y dŵr glân, y gwaith a wnânt ar liniaru llifogydd, y gwaith a wnânt ar liniaru sychder, y gwaith a wnânt ar iechyd a lles anifeiliaid. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn inni gael y cydbwysedd hwnnw. Mae'n rhaid cael y cydbwysedd hwnnw, neu ni fydd yn gweithio.

Defnyddio Bwyd yn Effeithlon
The Efficient Use of Food

7. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ymdrechion i sicrhau y defnyddir unrhyw fwyd sy’n cael ei gynhyrchu yng Nghymru mewn ffordd effeithlon? OQ57576

7. Will the Minister provide an update on efforts to ensure that any food produced in Wales is used efficiently? OQ57576

The Welsh Government works with manufacturers, retailers and community food organisations to minimise waste in all parts of the food supply chain, from farm to fork. This delivers against other key goals, including halving food waste by 2025 and the resultant impact on cutting climate change emissions.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio gyda gweithgynhyrchwyr, manwerthwyr a sefydliadau bwyd cymunedol i leihau gwastraff ym mhob rhan o'r gadwyn cyflenwi bwyd, o'r fferm i'r fforc. Mae hyn yn helpu i gyflawni nodau allweddol eraill, gan gynnwys haneru gwastraff bwyd erbyn 2025 a'r effaith ganlyniadol ar leihau allyriadau newid hinsawdd.

Diolch am eich ateb. Mae FareShare Cymru wedi dathlu dengmlwyddiant yn ddiweddar, ac mae eu hangen nhw nawr yn fwy nag erioed, byddwn i'n dweud. Un agwedd ar eu gwaith nhw yw rhedeg y gronfa Surplus with Purpose Cymru. Bwriad y gronfa—sy'n cael ei hariannu gan y Llywodraeth, er tegwch—yw i weithio gyda busnesau bwyd a ffermwyr i atal gwastraff bwyd drwy dalu costau cynaeafu, pecynnu, rhewi, cludo, beth bynnag sydd ei angen er mwyn sicrhau bod unrhyw fwyd sydd dros ben yn cael ei ddargyfeirio i'r rhai sydd ei angen. Mae dyddiad cau ymgeisio i'r gronfa yna yn disgyn ddiwedd y mis yma, felly gaf i ofyn i chi, fel y Gweinidog sy'n gweithio agosaf gyda busnesau bwyd a'r sector amaeth, i wneud ymdrech arbennig yn yr wythnosau olaf yma i hyrwyddo'r gronfa ymhlith y rhai rydych chi'n ymwneud â nhw? A gaf i hefyd, efallai yr un mor bwysig os nad yn bwysicach, ofyn i chi gydweithio gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd er mwyn sicrhau fod y gronfa allweddol yma yn gallu parhau y flwyddyn nesaf, gan ei fod, wrth gwrs, wrth daclo gwastraff bwyd, yn troi problem amgylcheddol yn ateb cymdeithasol?

Thank you for that response. FareShare Cymru has celebrated its tenth birthday recently, and they're needed now more than ever, I would say. One aspect of their work is to run the Surplus with Purpose Cymru fund. The fund—which is funded by Government, in fairness—is intended to work with food businesses and farmers to prevent food waste by paying the costs of harvesting, packaging, freezing, transportation, whatever is needed to ensure that any leftover food is diverted to those who need it. The closing date for bids to that fund is at the end of this month, so can I ask you, as the Minister working most closely with food businesses and the agriculture sector, to make a particular effort in these final few weeks to promote that fund among those that you're involved with? Can I also, just as importantly if not more importantly, ask you to work with the Minister for Climate Change in order to ensure that this key fund can continue for next year, because of course, in tackling food waste, it does turn an environmental problem into a social solution?

Yes, I'd be very happy to do that. You referred to FareShare Cymru, and they've saved 819 tonnes of surplus food from waste. That's enough to provide almost 3 million meals just in one year. So, we can see the huge work that's done. Those meals were diverted to homeless shelters, school breakfast clubs and community centres, so it is very important. I'd be very happy to work to promote that over the next few weeks, and I will certainly have a discussion with the Minister for Climate Change, as you ask.

Byddwn yn hapus iawn i wneud hynny. Fe gyfeirioch chi at FareShare Cymru, ac maent wedi arbed 819 tunnell o fwyd dros ben rhag cael ei wastraffu. Mae hynny'n ddigon i ddarparu bron i 3 miliwn o brydau bwyd mewn blwyddyn yn unig. Felly, gallwn weld y gwaith enfawr sydd wedi'i wneud. Cafodd y prydau hynny eu hanfon at lochesi i bobl ddigartref, clybiau brecwast ysgolion a chanolfannau cymunedol, felly mae'n bwysig iawn. Byddwn yn hapus iawn i weithio i hyrwyddo hynny dros yr wythnosau nesaf, a byddaf yn sicr yn cael trafodaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd, fel rydych yn gofyn.

Minister, our fishing industry and indeed the aquaculture sector remain an essential element of the Welsh food strategy. From north Wales crab to Conwy and Menai mussels, sustainable producers are providing high-quality nutritious food that includes essential sources of protein and omega 3. With the consultation on the joint fisheries statement now live, something that I have responded to, the national benefit objective has come into stark focus once again. Of the approximate 660,000 tonnes of fish farmed and caught in the UK in 2014, 75 per cent was exported. I still continue to argue that the aqua-food sector here in Wales does now need to be integrated more fully into a new food and drink strategy, as currently the division from agri-food is preventing us from embarking on what could be described as a 'food in the round' strategy. Minister, in order to ensure efficient use of seafood harvested from our seas, would you clarify what steps the Welsh Government are taking to review and amend public procurement practices so that the use of this beautiful seasonal Welsh seafood and fish increases within our schools, our hospitals, and is integrated onto the dishes of those working in the public sector across Wales? Thank you.

Weinidog, mae ein diwydiant pysgota ac yn wir y sector dyframaethu yn parhau i fod yn elfen hanfodol o strategaeth fwyd Cymru. O granc gogledd Cymru i gregyn gleision Conwy a Menai, mae cynhyrchwyr cynaliadwy yn darparu bwyd maethlon o ansawdd uchel sy'n cynnwys ffynonellau protein ac omega 3 hanfodol. Gyda'r ymgynghoriad ar y cyd-ddatganiad pysgodfeydd bellach ar y gweill, rhywbeth rwyf wedi ymateb iddo, mae'r amcan budd cenedlaethol wedi dod i'r amlwg unwaith eto. O'r tua 660,000 tunnell o bysgod a gafodd eu ffermio a'u dal yn y DU yn 2014, allforiwyd 75 y cant ohonynt. Rwy'n dal i ddadlau bod angen i'r sector bwyd môr yma yng Nghymru gael ei integreiddio'n llawnach yn awr mewn strategaeth bwyd a diod newydd, gan fod yr adran bwyd-amaeth ar hyn o bryd yn ein hatal rhag cychwyn ar yr hyn y gellid ei ddisgrifio fel strategaeth fwyd hollgynhwysol. Weinidog, er mwyn sicrhau defnydd effeithlon o fwyd môr a gynaeafir o'n moroedd, a allwch chi egluro pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i adolygu a diwygio arferion caffael cyhoeddus fel bod y defnydd o bysgod a bwyd môr tymhorol a hyfryd o Gymru yn cynyddu yn ein hysgolion, ein hysbytai, ac yn cael ei gynnwys ym mhrydau bwyd y rhai sy'n gweithio yn y sector cyhoeddus ledled Cymru? Diolch.

14:55

Thank you. Certainly, I do all I can to promote fish and our aquaculture sector. You mentioned the joint fisheries statement, which is out to consultation now. I'm actually being scrutinised in committee tomorrow on it, and I do think it's a big opportunity. As we look at procurement, you'll be aware that Rebecca Evans, the Minister for Finance and Local Government, is looking at what more we can do to procurement. I think you're right about making sure that schools—. I was quite a latecomer to eating fish. I think, as a child, I certainly wasn't that keen, and maybe it's because it wasn't given to me in my school meals or as much at home—we were really big meat eaters. So, I think you're right that there perhaps is a bit more we can do to promote fish and certainly shellfish with our younger people, and there is an opportunity as we go through this procurement process to do that.

Diolch. Yn sicr, rwy'n gwneud popeth yn fy ngallu i hyrwyddo pysgod a'n sector dyframaethu. Fe sonioch chi am y cyd-ddatganiad pysgodfeydd, sy'n destun ymgynghoriad yn awr. Bydd y pwyllgor yn craffu arnaf mewn perthynas ag ef yfory mewn gwirionedd, ac rwy'n credu ei fod yn gyfle mawr. Wrth inni edrych ar gaffael, fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod Rebecca Evans, y Gweinidog Cyllid a Llywodraeth Leol, yn edrych ar beth arall y gallwn ei wneud mewn perthynas â chaffael. Credaf eich bod yn iawn ynglŷn â sicrhau bod ysgolion—. Roeddwn yn eithaf hwyr yn dechrau bwyta pysgod. Fel plentyn, nid oeddwn mor awyddus â hynny, ac efallai mai'r rheswm am hynny yw na châi ei roi i mi yn fy nghinio ysgol na chymaint â hynny gartref—roeddem yn bwyta llawer o gig. Felly, credaf eich bod yn iawn fod ychydig mwy y gallwn ei wneud efallai i hyrwyddo pysgod ac yn sicr pysgod cregyn ymhlith ein pobl iau, ac mae cyfle i wneud hynny wrth inni fynd drwy'r broses gaffael hon.

Y Cynllun Ffermio Cynaliadwy
The Sustainable Farming Scheme

8. Sut bydd y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy yn helpu i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng natur? OQ57546

8. How will the sustainable farming scheme help tackle the nature emergency? OQ57546

Responding to the nature emergency is a key objective of our proposed sustainable farming scheme. Future farm support will reward farmers who take action to maintain and create resilient ecosystems. 

Mae ymateb i'r argyfwng natur yn un o amcanion allweddol ein cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy arfaethedig. Bydd cymorth i ffermydd yn y dyfodol yn gwobrwyo ffermwyr sy'n rhoi camau ar waith i gynnal a chreu ecosystemau gwydn. 

Thank you, Minister, for that answer. I'm giving at the outset full credit and any royalties that accrue from any mention hereof to Sam Kurtz for a statement of opinion he laid yesterday, fully supported on a cross-party basis by Mabon ap Gwynfor and myself—and there'll be many others, no doubt—on the continuing hedges, edges and tree-planting campaign spearheaded by the Woodland Trust Cymru and Coed Cymru. Does the Minister agree with this campaign that there's a need to increase trees in the right places on farms to urgently mitigate the climate and ecological emergency, and that in particular there are multiple nature, ecosystem and global cooling benefits, and, indeed, flood prevention and mitigation et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, that can come from an agreed quality of maintenance and expansion of hedges and shelterbelts, planted fresh watercourses at edges, and expanded wood pasture? If so, will she support the role of good-quality expanded hedges and edges as a universal part of a sustainable farming scheme, providing direct support for farmers on the basis of multiple public and environmental benefits for cost-effective use of public money?

Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Weinidog. Hoffwn gychwyn drwy roi clod llawn ac unrhyw freindaliadau sy'n deillio o unrhyw sylwadau yma i Sam Kurtz am ei ddatganiad barn ddoe, a gefnogwyd yn llawn ar sail drawsbleidiol gan Mabon ap Gwynfor a minnau—a llawer o rai eraill, mae'n siŵr—ar yr ymgyrch barhaus i blannu perthi, ymylon caeau a choed a arweinir gan Coed Cadw a Coed Cymru. A yw'r Gweinidog yn cytuno â'r ymgyrch fod angen cynyddu niferoedd coed yn y lleoedd cywir ar ffermydd i liniaru'r argyfwng hinsawdd ac ecolegol ar frys, ac yn arbennig, fod nifer o fanteision i fyd natur, ecosystemau ac oeri byd-eang, ac yn wir, i atal a lliniaru llifogydd ac yn y blaen, a all ddeillio o gynnal a chadw ac ehangu perthi a lleiniau cysgodi i safon y cytunwyd arni, plannu cyrsiau dŵr ffres ar ymylon caeau, a choed pori estynedig? Os felly, a wnaiff hi gefnogi rôl ymylon caeau a pherthi estynedig o ansawdd da fel rhan gyffredinol o gynllun ffermio cynaliadwy, gan ddarparu cymorth uniongyrchol i ffermwyr ar sail nifer o fanteision cyhoeddus ac amgylcheddol ar gyfer defnydd costeffeithiol o arian cyhoeddus?

Thank you. Certainly that will be part of our sustainable farming scheme, which, as I mentioned in my earlier answer to Peter Fox, we are currently co-designing with our farmers and other interested bodies. You'll be aware that my colleague the Deputy Minister for Climate Change did a deep dive into the barriers of planting trees and what we could do to ensure that—. If we are going to react to the climate emergency in the way that we want to and to become a net-zero Wales by 2050, we've got to plant 86 million trees over the next decade. We haven't been planting enough trees—I don't think anybody would say that we had.

It's really important that we help our farmers get involved in these plans. The Deputy Minister has set up a woodland finance working group, which obviously my officials sit on with his, because I hold most of the funding in relation to trees, but, of course, the policy sits within the climate change ministry. It's really important that we work across Government, so it's good to hear of cross-party statements of opinion. We want to work with anybody, our stakeholders, to ensure that we do plant significantly more trees. But what is really important, and you said it at the beginning of your question, is that we plant the right tree in the right place. 

Diolch. Yn sicr, bydd hynny'n rhan o'n cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy, ac fel y soniais yn fy ateb cynharach i Peter Fox, rydym yn ei gydgynllunio ar hyn o bryd gyda'n ffermwyr a chyrff eraill sydd â diddordeb. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol fod fy nghyd-Aelod, y Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd, wedi gwneud astudiaeth at wraidd y mater ar y rhwystrau i blannu coed a'r hyn y gallem ei wneud i sicrhau bod—. Os ydym am ymateb i'r argyfwng hinsawdd yn y ffordd yr hoffem a dod yn Gymru sero net erbyn 2050, mae'n rhaid inni blannu 86 miliwn o goed dros y degawd nesaf. Nid ydym wedi bod yn plannu digon o goed—nid wyf yn credu y byddai unrhyw un yn dweud ein bod wedi gwneud hynny.

Mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn helpu ein ffermwyr i gymryd rhan yn y cynlluniau hyn. Mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog wedi sefydlu gweithgor cyllid coetiroedd, ac mae fy swyddogion yn rhan o hwnnw yn amlwg, oherwydd mai fi sy'n dal y rhan fwyaf o'r cyllid mewn perthynas â choed, ond wrth gwrs, mae'r polisi'n perthyn i'r weinyddiaeth newid hinsawdd. Mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn gweithio ar draws y Llywodraeth, felly mae'n dda clywed am ddatganiadau barn trawsbleidiol. Rydym eisiau gweithio gydag unrhyw un, ein rhanddeiliaid, i sicrhau ein bod yn plannu llawer mwy o goed. Ond yr hyn sy'n wirioneddol bwysig, ac fe ddywedoch chi hynny ar ddechrau eich cwestiwn, yw ein bod yn plannu'r goeden gywir yn y lle cywir. 

Y Cynllun Ffermio Cynaliadwy
The Sustainable Farming Scheme

9. Beth yw blaenoriaethau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy? OQ57559

9. What are the Welsh Government's priorities for the sustainable farming scheme? OQ57559

Tackling the climate and nature emergencies, alongside the sustainable production of food, are the objectives for our proposed sustainable farming scheme. Our intention is to create a sustainable, resilient agriculture sector in Wales for current and future generations.

Mynd i'r afael â'r argyfyngau hinsawdd a natur, ochr yn ochr â chynhyrchu bwyd yn gynaliadwy, yw'r amcanion ar gyfer ein cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy arfaethedig. Ein bwriad yw creu sector amaethyddol cynaliadwy a chadarn yng Nghymru ar gyfer cenedlaethau'r presennol a'r dyfodol.

Thank you for that answer, Minister. I've been contacted by constituents who raise the fact that, at present, public rights of way are not part of our current cross-compliance for the current Welsh Government agricultural scheme. If the Welsh Government were to make public rights of way part of cross-compliance, it would really give the farming community an incentive to open and maintain their public rights of way to be of much higher standard, to achieve their annual payment from Welsh Government. Would the Minister consider this when making plans for the sustainable farming scheme? I believe it could deliver positive outcomes for the farming community and ramblers and walkers who enjoy our wonderful countryside right across Wales. Thank you.

Diolch am yr ateb hwnnw, Weinidog. Mae etholwyr wedi cysylltu â mi i nodi'r ffaith nad yw hawliau tramwy cyhoeddus ar hyn o bryd yn rhan o'n gwaith trawsgydymffurfio presennol ar gyfer cynllun amaethyddol presennol Llywodraeth Cymru. Pe bai Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud hawliau tramwy cyhoeddus yn rhan o'n gwaith trawsgydymffurfio, byddai'n rhoi cymhelliad go iawn i'r gymuned ffermio agor a chynnal eu hawliau tramwy cyhoeddus fel eu bod o safon lawer gwell, er mwyn cael eu taliad blynyddol gan Lywodraeth Cymru. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ystyried hyn wrth wneud cynlluniau ar gyfer y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy? Credaf y gallai sicrhau canlyniadau cadarnhaol i'r gymuned ffermio a cherddwyr sy'n mwynhau ein cefn gwlad bendigedig ledled Cymru. Diolch.

15:00

We are looking at actions that may improve public rights of way. So, it could mean that there are opportunities for farmers to upgrade footpaths to cycle or bridle ways, for instance, or indeed change the supporting infrastructures, like the types of gates that there are, or stiles. The aim of the scheme will be to increase the proportion of public rights of way that are open, easy to use and well signed, and with over two thirds of public rights of way on farmland, enhancing existing public rights of way beyond the legal requirements will allow farmers to contribute further to our nation's health and prosperity, whilst also providing greater access to our cultural and heritage rural areas. So, to get the most benefits, the scheme will aim to support the priorities of local communities through delivering on the priorities set out by rights of way improvement plans and by our local access forums.

Rydym yn edrych ar gamau gweithredu a allai wella llwybrau tramwy cyhoeddus. Felly, gallai hynny olygu bod cyfleoedd i ffermwyr uwchraddio llwybrau troed i fod yn llwybrau beicio neu lwybrau ceffylau, er enghraifft, neu yn wir, newid y seilwaith ategol, fel y mathau o gatiau, neu gamfeydd. Nod y cynllun fydd cynyddu cyfran y llwybrau tramwy cyhoeddus sy’n agored, yn hawdd i’w defnyddio gyda digon o arwyddion, a chan fod dros ddwy ran o dair o lwybrau tramwy cyhoeddus ar dir fferm, bydd gwella llwybrau tramwy cyhoeddus presennol y tu hwnt i’r gofynion cyfreithiol yn galluogi ffermwyr i gyfrannu ymhellach at iechyd a ffyniant ein gwlad, gan ddarparu gwell mynediad hefyd i'n hardaloedd gwledig diwylliannol a threftadaeth. Felly, er mwyn cael y budd mwyaf, nod y cynllun fydd cefnogi blaenoriaethau cymunedau lleol drwy gyflawni’r blaenoriaethau a nodir yn y cynlluniau gwella llwybrau tramwy a'n fforymau mynediad lleol.

Cronfa Her Ddatgarboneiddio a COVID
The Decarbonisation and COVID Challenge Fund

10. A wnaiff y Gweinidog amlinellu'r meini prawf ar gyfer derbyn cyllid o dan gronfa her ddatgarboneiddio a COVID Llywodraeth Cymru? OQ57555

10. Will the Minister outline the criteria for receiving funding under the Welsh Government’s decarbonisation and COVID challenge fund? OQ57555

The aim of the decarbonisation and COVID challenge fund is to support the recovery of the Welsh food and drink sector. To qualify, businesses must demonstrate innovative solutions in one or more areas, from energy conservation to carbon capture.

Nod y gronfa her ddatgarboneiddio a COVID yw cefnogi adferiad sector bwyd a diod Cymru. I fod yn gymwys, mae'n rhaid i fusnesau ddangos atebion arloesol mewn un neu fwy o feysydd, o arbed ynni i ddal carbon.

Thank you, Minister. Velfrey Vineyard, a small, independent and family-run vineyard near Whitland in my constituency, produces excellent quality wine, and I was fortunate enough to visit and sample some of their finest last year. Concerns have been raised, however, that applications to the Government's decarbonisation and COVID challenge fund are being seen more favourably if they are from larger businesses rather than smaller businesses. What assurances can you give as the Minister to ensure all applications are looked upon equally?

Diolch, Weinidog. Mae Gwinllan Velfrey, gwinllan fach, annibynnol sy’n cael ei rhedeg gan deulu ger Hendy-gwyn ar Daf yn fy etholaeth, yn cynhyrchu gwin o ansawdd rhagorol, a bûm yn ddigon ffodus i ymweld a chael blasu rhai o’u goreuon y llynedd. Mae pryderon wedi’u codi, fodd bynnag, fod ceisiadau i gronfa her ddatgarboneiddio a COVID y Llywodraeth yn cael mwy o ffafriaeth os dônt gan fusnesau mwy o faint yn hytrach na busnesau llai. Pa sicrwydd y gallwch ei roi fel Gweinidog i sicrhau bod pob cais yn cael ei ystyried yn gyfartal?

Well, I can assure you that all applications are looked on equally. We had 39 applications, and funding, as I say, will be provided on the criteria I set out in my original answer to you. My understanding is that it's not the case that larger companies would be looked on more favourably at all. It was a matter around, as I said, energy and carbon capture. There's green growth as well, and looking at logistics decarbonisations. Food and drink is a priority sector and it's really important we help it recover following the pandemic. But if the Member would like to write to me if there is a specific concern, I'd be very happy to look into it for him.

Wel, gallaf roi sicrwydd i chi fod pob cais yn cael ei ystyried yn gyfartal. Cawsom 39 o geisiadau, a bydd cyllid, fel y dywedaf, yn cael ei ddarparu ar sail y meini prawf a nodais yn fy ateb gwreiddiol i chi. Fy nealltwriaeth i yw nad yw'n wir o gwbl y byddai ceisiadau gan gwmnïau mwy yn cael eu hystyried â mwy o ffafriaeth. Roedd yn fater a oedd yn ymwneud, fel y dywedais, ag ynni a dal carbon. Mae a wnelo â thwf gwyrdd hefyd, ac edrych ar ddatgarboneiddio logisteg. Mae bwyd a diod yn sector â blaenoriaeth, ac mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn ei helpu i adfer yn sgil y pandemig. Ond os hoffai'r Aelod ysgrifennu ataf os oes ganddo bryder penodol, byddwn yn fwy na pharod i ymchwilio i'r mater ar ei ran.

Diolch i'r Gweinidog. And I must say, I love it when a plan comes together. I asked business managers on Tuesday to ask their Members and their Ministers for succinct, concise questions and answers, and I've seen it in action in the previous question session. An excellent duet of Ministers giving concise and to-the-point answers, and great succinct questions from Members as well. And we injected a bit of pace to our questioning, which is good to see.

Diolch i'r Gweinidog. Ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud, rwyf wrth fy modd pan ddaw cynllun at ei gilydd. Gofynnais i reolwyr busnes ddydd Mawrth ofyn i’w Haelodau a’u Gweinidogion am gwestiynau ac atebion byr, cryno, ac rwyf wedi gweld hynny ar waith yn y sesiwn gwestiynau flaenorol. Deuawd ardderchog o Weinidogion yn rhoi atebion cryno ac uniongyrchol, a chwestiynau cryno gwych gan yr Aelodau hefyd. Ac fe wnaethom ni chwistrellu ychydig o gyflymder i'n cwestiynau, sy'n braf ei weld.

3. Cwestiynau Amserol
3. Topical Questions

Right, we've still got one question that remains this afternoon. That's the topical question. Let's see if we can keep up the good work. Mark Isherwood to ask the topical question, to be answered by the Minister, Jane Hutt. Mark Isherwood.

Iawn, mae gennym un cwestiwn ar ôl y prynhawn yma. Y cwestiwn amserol yw hwnnw. Dewch inni weld a allwn ddal ati gyda'r gwaith da. Mark Isherwood i ofyn y cwestiwn amserol, i’w ateb gan y Gweinidog, Jane Hutt. Mark Isherwood.

Y Cynllun Cymorth Tanwydd Gaeaf
The Winter Fuel Support Scheme

1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am daliad y cynllun cymorth tanwydd gaeaf? TQ594

1. Will the Minister make a statement on the winter fuel support scheme payment? TQ594

Thank you very much, Mark Isherwood. The Welsh Government winter fuel support scheme payment is being doubled from £100 to £200 as the cost-of-living crisis intensifies. A written statement has been published to accompany my announcement.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Mark Isherwood. Mae taliad cynllun cymorth tanwydd gaeaf Llywodraeth Cymru yn cael ei ddyblu o £100 i £200 wrth i’r argyfwng costau byw waethygu. Mae datganiad ysgrifenedig wedi’i gyhoeddi i fynd gyda fy nghyhoeddiad.

Thank you, and I read that a few moments ago. But after yesterday's Welsh Government announcement that the Welsh Government has doubled the winter fuel support scheme payment to £200 and extended the deadline to apply to 28 February, Fuel Poverty Coalition Cymru representatives contacted me as chair of the cross-party group on fuel poverty and energy efficiency, welcoming the news for those who are eligible. However, they recognise that it won't help or reach everyone in need, including those in fuel poverty not in receipt of means-tested benefits, and stated it is vital that as many eligible households receive it as possible. They therefore asked me to ask: how will the Welsh Government be using the extended deadline to boost promotion of the support available? How many of the approximately 350,000 eligible households have successfully applied to date? What proportion is this of all those estimated to be eligible overall? How does take-up compare across local authority areas in Wales, where we want to avoid any postcode lottery? And of those who've successfully applied thus far, how many and what proportion were in receipt of council tax reduction and therefore contacted directly by the council?

Age Cymru has also called for the eligibility criteria for the scheme to be extended to include older people in receipt of pension credit, where basic household bills are fast becoming unaffordable for many pensioners living on a low fixed income, and a constituent e-mailed yesterday asking me to remind the Welsh Government about the problems especially faced by those with conditions such as post-polio syndrome. How will the Minister therefore respond to these legitimate questions from relevant bodies? Again, I emphasise I'm asking this as chair of the cross-party group, not to score any party political points. 

Diolch, ac fe'i darllenais ychydig eiliadau yn ôl. Ond ar ôl cyhoeddiad Llywodraeth Cymru ddoe fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dyblu taliad y cynllun cymorth tanwydd gaeaf i £200 ac wedi ymestyn y dyddiad cau i wneud cais i 28 Chwefror, cysylltodd cynrychiolwyr o Gynghrair Tlodi Tanwydd Cymru â mi fel cadeirydd y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar dlodi tanwydd ac effeithlonrwydd ynni, yn croesawu'r newyddion i'r rheini sy'n gymwys. Fodd bynnag, maent yn cydnabod na fydd yn helpu nac yn cyrraedd pawb sydd mewn angen, gan gynnwys y rheini mewn tlodi tanwydd nad ydynt yn cael budd-daliadau sy'n dibynnu ar brawf modd, ac roeddent yn dweud ei bod yn hanfodol fod cynifer o aelwydydd cymwys â phosibl yn ei gael. Felly, maent wedi gofyn i mi ofyn: sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn defnyddio’r dyddiad cau estynedig i hyrwyddo’r cymorth sydd ar gael ymhellach? Faint o'r oddeutu 350,000 o aelwydydd cymwys sydd wedi gwneud cais llwyddiannus hyd yma? Pa gyfran yw hon o'r holl aelwydydd yr amcangyfrifir eu bod yn gymwys? Sut y mae’r nifer sy’n manteisio ar y cynllun yn cymharu ar draws ardaloedd awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru, lle rydym am osgoi unrhyw loteri cod post? Ac o'r rhai sydd wedi gwneud cais llwyddiannus hyd yn hyn, faint a pha gyfran a oedd yn cael gostyngiad y dreth gyngor, a olygai fod y cyngor wedi cysylltu â hwy'n uniongyrchol?

Mae Age Cymru hefyd wedi galw am ymestyn y meini prawf cymhwysedd ar gyfer y cynllun i gynnwys pobl hŷn sy’n cael credyd pensiwn, lle mae biliau cartref sylfaenol yn prysur ddod yn anfforddiadwy i lawer o bensiynwyr sy’n byw ar incwm sefydlog isel, ac anfonodd etholwr e-bost ataf ddoe yn gofyn imi atgoffa Llywodraeth Cymru am y problemau a wynebir yn arbennig gan y rheini â chyflyrau fel syndrom ôl-polio. Sut, felly, y bydd y Gweinidog yn ymateb i’r cwestiynau dilys hyn gan gyrff perthnasol? Unwaith eto, pwysleisiaf fy mod yn gofyn hyn fel cadeirydd y grŵp trawsbleidiol, nid i sgorio unrhyw bwyntiau gwleidyddol.

15:05

Well, thank you very much, Mark Isherwood. We are in the middle of, as the Resolution Foundation calls it, a cost-of-living catastrophe, and this winter fuel support scheme was launched as part of the household support fund to target families and those who are most vulnerable in terms of the questions that are now facing many families about whether to heat or eat. We find that shocking, don't we, in this rich country we live in. So, it will go some way to supporting low-income households with rising energy bills and the increasing cost of everyday essentials. 

As for answering your questions, as of the end of January, data from 22 local authorities shows over 146,000 applications have been received, 105,785 applications have been paid, and local authorities are working hard not just to promote it; they've contacted all those they deem to be eligible. Three hundred and fifty thousand are deemed to be eligible in Wales, so we need to do all we can, and the cross-party group plays its part with its partners to promote this.

As I said, it is about supporting working-age households, and I will say this is also about not just the increasing fuel costs and food costs, but those who suffered an income shock when the UK Government ended their £20 a week uplift for universal credit, and we want it to support those households who receive one of the earnings replacement means-tested benefits that the UK refused to increase by £20 per week. 

But I will say, in terms of the representations, and particularly I've seen that from Age Cymru, I hope you as chair of the cross-party group, Mark Isherwood, and Conservative spokesperson, will be urging the UK Government to do what they should be doing in terms of increasing their winter fuel payment and also extending the eligibility for the Warm Homes discount. We've heard nothing from the UK Government. Those are the payments whereby eligible older people can get help with their energy bills and also—and I'll finish with this point, to be succinct, Llywydd—we are of course delivering a take-up campaign to ensure that older people and pensioners get the entitlements that they need and are right to receive, and that includes pension credit. You know that there is a lower take-up of pension credit than there should be. In fact, two in five people eligible for pension credit in Wales don't claim it, and those in receipt of pension credit could then get access to the Warm Homes discount.

So, we're playing our part. I won't say more now about this, but I'm sure you will be aware that the single advice fund is working across Wales with a welfare benefit take-up group, including older people's representatives. And finally, of course, older people can also apply for our discretionary assistance fund, which has been extended as well. But please can we call on the UK Government to increase their winter fuel payment and their Warm Homes discount, and also, as we face this fuel cap rise, can we get support for the social tariff for energy users?

Wel, diolch yn fawr iawn, Mark Isherwood. Rydym yng nghanol trychineb costau byw, fel y mae Sefydliad Resolution yn ei alw, a lansiwyd y cynllun cymorth tanwydd gaeaf hwn fel rhan o’r gronfa cymorth i aelwydydd i dargedu teuluoedd a’r rhai mwyaf agored i niwed mewn perthynas â'r cwestiynau sydd bellach yn wynebu llawer o deuluoedd ynghylch gwresogi neu fwyta. Mae hynny'n frawychus, onid yw, yn y wlad gyfoethog hon rydym yn byw ynddi. Felly, bydd hyn yn mynd beth o'r ffordd tuag at gefnogi aelwydydd incwm isel gyda'u biliau ynni cynyddol a chost gynyddol hanfodion bob dydd.

I ateb eich cwestiynau, erbyn diwedd mis Ionawr, mae data gan 22 o awdurdodau lleol yn dangos bod dros 146,000 o geisiadau wedi dod i law, fod 105,785 o geisiadau wedi’u talu, ac mae awdurdodau lleol yn gweithio’n galed nid yn unig i’w hyrwyddo; maent wedi cysylltu â phawb y maent yn eu hystyried yn gymwys. Bernir bod 350,000 yn gymwys yng Nghymru, felly mae angen inni wneud popeth a allwn, ac mae’r grŵp trawsbleidiol yn chwarae ei ran gyda’i bartneriaid i hyrwyddo hyn.

Fel y dywedais, mae a wnelo hyn â chefnogi aelwydydd o oedran gweithio, a dywedaf hefyd fod hyn yn ymwneud nid yn unig â’r costau tanwydd a’r costau bwyd cynyddol, ond y rhai a ddioddefodd sioc incwm pan ddaeth Llywodraeth y DU â'r codiad o £20 yr wythnos i'w credyd cynhwysol i ben, ac rydym am iddo gynorthwyo’r aelwydydd sy’n cael un o’r budd-daliadau yn lle enillion ar sail prawf modd y gwrthododd y DU eu cynyddu £20 yr wythnos.

Ond rwyf am ddweud, ar y sylwadau, ac rwyf wedi gweld hynny'n arbennig gan Age Cymru, rwy'n gobeithio y byddwch chi fel cadeirydd y grŵp trawsbleidiol, Mark Isherwood, a llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, yn annog Llywodraeth y DU i wneud yr hyn y dylent fod yn ei wneud a chynyddu eu taliad tanwydd gaeaf a hefyd yn ymestyn cymhwysedd ar gyfer y gostyngiad Cartrefi Clyd. Nid ydym wedi clywed unrhyw beth gan Lywodraeth y DU. Rheini yw'r taliadau lle gall pobl hŷn cymwys gael cymorth gyda’u biliau ynni a hefyd—ac rwyf am orffen gyda’r pwynt hwn, i fod yn gryno, Lywydd—rydym yn cynnal ymgyrch wrth gwrs i sicrhau bod pobl hŷn a phensiynwyr yn manteisio ar yr hyn y mae hawl ganddynt i'w gael ac sydd ei angen arnynt, ac mae hynny’n cynnwys credyd pensiwn. Fe wyddoch fod llai o bobl nag y dylent yn hawlio credyd pensiwn. Mewn gwirionedd, nid yw dau o bob pump o bobl sy’n gymwys i gael credyd pensiwn yng Nghymru yn ei hawlio, a gallai’r rheini sy’n cael credyd pensiwn gael mynediad at y gostyngiad Cartrefi Clyd yn sgil hynny.

Felly, rydym yn chwarae ein rhan. Nid wyf am ddweud mwy am hyn ar hyn o bryd, ond rwy’n siŵr y byddwch yn ymwybodol fod y gronfa gynghori sengl yn gweithio ledled Cymru gyda grŵp sy’n ceisio cynyddu'r nifer sy'n manteisio ar fudd-daliadau lles, gan gynnwys cynrychiolwyr pobl hŷn. Ac yn olaf, wrth gwrs, gall pobl hŷn wneud cais am ein cronfa cymorth dewisol, sydd wedi’i hymestyn hefyd. Ond os gwelwch yn dda, a gawn ni alw ar Lywodraeth y DU i gynyddu eu taliad tanwydd gaeaf a’u gostyngiad Cartrefi Clyd, a hefyd, wrth inni wynebu’r cynnydd hwn yn y cap tanwydd, a allwn ni gael cymorth tariff cymdeithasol ar gyfer defnyddwyr ynni?

Mae miloedd o gartrefi yng Nghymru, nifer sy'n cyfateb i Abertawe gyfan, eisoes yn cael trafferth i dalu am eitemau bob dydd. Fel rŷn ni wedi clywed, mae'r costau ynni cynyddol yna a'r codiadau treth yn agosáu, ac felly bydd y costau ychwanegol o dros £1,000 yn gam yn rhy bell i'r rhai sydd eisoes dan anfantais economaidd-gymdeithasol. Rwy'n croesawu mesurau'r Llywodraeth i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng costau byw a thlodi, gan gynnwys y taliad ychwanegol yma a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos hon, ond, er hyn, mae problemau yn bodoli o ran delifro mesurau fel hyn o ganlyniad i'r ffaith taw awdurdodau lleol sy'n gyfrifol am eu gweithredu, ac mae yna dystiolaeth bod hyn yn creu anghysondeb o ran y cymorth sy'n cyrraedd teuluoedd ar lawr gwlad mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru. Beth mae'r Llywodraeth, felly, yn ei wneud i sicrhau bod y lefel hawlio o ran taliadau fel hyn yn gyson drwy Gymru, yn ogystal â hyrwyddo eu bod nhw ar gael? Ac wrth inni wynebu'r fath argyfwng, a fydd yn un estynedig, gyda dim ond ychydig fisoedd cyn codi'r cap ar brisiau ynni, a wnaiff y Llywodraeth gyflwyno cynllun gweithredu argyfwng costau byw fel mater o frys? Rwy'n cytuno â sylwadau'r Gweinidog o ran y grym sydd yn nwylo'r Llywodraeth Dorïaidd yn San Steffan a'r diffyg gweithredu, ond a yw'r Gweinidog yn cytuno ei bod hi lan i ni yng Nghymru i amddiffyn ein pobl, felly, rhag y storm economaidd hon?

Thousands of households in Wales, a number corresponding to the whole of Swansea, are already having problems paying for everyday items, and, as we've heard, the increasing energy costs and tax rises are approaching, and therefore those additional costs of over £1,000 will be a step too far for those already facing social and economic disadvantage. I welcome the Government's steps to tackle the poverty and cost-of-living crisis, especially this new payment announced this week. However, problems exist in terms of delivering these measures as a result of the fact that local authorities are responsible for their implementation, and there is evidence that this is creating inconsistencies in terms of the support actually reaching families on the ground in various parts of Wales. So, what is the Government doing to ensure that the level of take-up in terms of these payments is consistent across Wales, as well as promoting the fact that they are available? And, as we face such a crisis, which will be extended, with just a few months before the lifting of the cap on energy prices, will the Government introduce a cost-of-living crisis action plan as a matter of urgency? I agree with the Minister's comments in terms of the powers in the hands of the Tory Government in Westminster, but does the Minister agree that it's up to us in Wales to safeguard our own people from this economic storm?

15:10

Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams, and thank you for highlighting the pressures on your constituents, the cost-of-living pressures that are so real and are so vivid and coming through every day in terms of reports from the Resolution Foundation, the Bevan Foundation. Local authorities are playing their role. I think the take-up, given the time we've had—. We've extended the timing for this, extended the deadline, as Mark Isherwood said, to the end of February. Payments will be issued by local authorities. I have to say that I've had some very strong support coming back from constituents with real examples of what this has meant for them. And I'll just quote one from north Wales, who said he would like me to share this with the Senedd:

'Of course, the first £100 alleviated my hard poverty for this month and will also keep me warm for at least a month and a bit. Another £100 will mean I can keep warm in March, April and up to mid May, by which time my heating will be off until at least the start of October, hopefully later.'

He was saying that he has to consume the cheapest, poorest quality food. This £200 is what we are doing as a Welsh Government to try and reach out to our constituents.

Now, as you know, following the debate that you led very recently, we are organising a round-table summit on 17 February, cross-Government, with all our partners, and it will include many of the partners in the cross-party group, in terms of tackling the cost-of-living crisis. But I will say again, not just in terms of the entitlements we've got and our discretionary assistance fund, can I also appeal to people who are off-grid in terms of oil—and I know this affects many Senedd Members here—the discretionary assistance fund is available to help with those costs in terms of access to oil as a key energy source? This is where we have got to address this. But it's not just in terms of support from us, it has to be from the UK Government as well, who are silent on this—silent—when we see these energy price costs rising. But also to say that this is a real opportunity for the UK Government to show that they are actually dealing with the cost-of-living crisis, which is affecting people so adversely and cruelly at this time.

Diolch yn fawr, Sioned Williams, a diolch am dynnu sylw at y pwysau sydd ar eich etholwyr, y pwysau costau byw sydd mor real ac sydd mor fyw ac y clywir amdanynt bob dydd mewn adroddiadau gan Sefydliad Resolution, Sefydliad Bevan. Mae awdurdodau lleol yn chwarae eu rhan. Credaf fod y nifer sydd wedi manteisio, o ystyried yr amser rydym wedi'i gael—. Rydym wedi ymestyn yr amser ar gyfer hyn, wedi ymestyn y dyddiad cau, fel y dywedodd Mark Isherwood, i ddiwedd mis Chwefror. Yr awdurdodau lleol a fydd yn gwneud y taliadau. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud fy mod wedi cael cefnogaeth gref iawn gan etholwyr, gydag enghreifftiau go iawn o beth y mae hyn wedi'i olygu iddynt hwy. Ac rwyf am ddyfynnu un o ogledd Cymru, a ddywedodd yr hoffai imi rannu hyn â'r Senedd:

'Wrth gwrs, fe wnaeth y £100 cyntaf leddfu fy nhlodi caled ar gyfer y mis hwn, a bydd hefyd yn fy nghadw'n gynnes am fis ac ychydig, o leiaf. Bydd £100 arall yn golygu y gallaf gadw'n gynnes ym mis Mawrth, mis Ebrill a hyd at ganol mis Mai, ac erbyn hynny, bydd fy ngwres i ffwrdd tan ddechrau mis Hydref o leiaf, ac wedi hynny, gobeithio.'

Dywedai fod yn rhaid iddo fwyta’r bwyd rhataf, o’r ansawdd gwaethaf. Y £200 hwn yw’r hyn rydym yn ei wneud fel Llywodraeth Cymru i estyn allan at ein hetholwyr.

Nawr, fel y gwyddoch, yn dilyn y ddadl a arweiniwyd gennych yn ddiweddar iawn, rydym yn trefnu uwchgynhadledd bord gron ar 17 Chwefror, ar draws y Llywodraeth, gyda’n holl bartneriaid, a bydd yn cynnwys llawer o’r partneriaid yn y grŵp trawsbleidiol, ar fynd i’r afael â’r argyfwng costau byw. Ond dywedaf eto, nid yn unig o ran yr hawliau sydd gennym a'n cronfa cymorth dewisol, a gaf fi apelio hefyd at bobl nad ydynt ar y grid mewn perthynas ag olew—a gwn fod hyn yn effeithio ar lawer o Aelodau'r Senedd yma—fod y gronfa cymorth dewisol ar gael i helpu gyda’r costau hynny o ran mynediad at olew fel ffynhonnell ynni allweddol? Dyma ble mae'n rhaid inni fynd i'r afael â hyn. Ond nid oes a wnelo hyn â chymorth gennym ni yn unig, mae'n rhaid cael cymorth Llywodraeth y DU hefyd, sy'n cadw'n ddistaw ar hyn—yn gwbl ddistaw—pan ydym yn gweld y costau ynni hyn yn codi. Ond dylid dweud hefyd fod hwn yn gyfle gwirioneddol i Lywodraeth y DU ddangos eu bod yn mynd i'r afael â’r argyfwng costau byw, sy’n cael effaith mor andwyol a chreulon ar bobl ar hyn o bryd.

Thank you very much. I appreciate all the work that the Welsh Government is doing to try to ensure that everybody is taking up the benefits they're entitled to. But, as you said earlier, mainly, the levers are with the UK Government. And I appreciate it must be very difficult to get anybody to answer the phone when the UK Government is in the grip of a leadership crisis, but I wondered if you could put to them the point that other European countries are all taking action to use Government taxes to reduce the cost of energy bills. So, the Dutch Cabinet has cut energy taxes and put more money into insulation; in France, they're putting pressure on EDF, which is state owned, to reduce the cost to French households; in Spain, there's a windfall tax on utilities; in Germany, they're cutting the green energy scheme; in Italy, the same; and, in Sweden, nearly £500 million equivalent, as well as Norway. So, is there any possibility that we can get anything out of the UK Government about changing the way in which we collect the green taxes so that they are part of the mainstream income tax collection, or indeed a windfall tax—either way—so that it doesn't fall on those who are most deeply affected by this huge rise in energy prices?

Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rwy’n gwerthfawrogi’r holl waith y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i geisio sicrhau bod pawb yn manteisio ar y budd-daliadau y mae ganddynt hawl iddynt. Ond fel y dywedoch chi yn gynharach, yn bennaf, Llywodraeth y DU sydd â’r ysgogiadau. Ac rwy’n sylweddoli bod yn rhaid ei bod yn anodd iawn cael unrhyw un i ateb y ffôn pan fo Llywodraeth y DU ynghanol argyfwng arweinyddiaeth, ond tybed a allech godi’r pwynt gyda hwy fod holl wledydd eraill Ewrop yn rhoi camau ar waith i ddefnyddio trethi Llywodraeth i leihau cost biliau ynni. Felly, mae Cabinet yr Iseldiroedd wedi torri trethi ynni ac wedi darparu mwy o arian ar gyfer inswleiddio; yn Ffrainc, maent yn rhoi pwysau ar EDF, sy'n eiddo i'r wladwriaeth, i leihau'r gost i gartrefi Ffrainc; yn Sbaen, mae treth ffawdelw ar gyfleustodau; yn yr Almaen, maent yn torri'r cynllun ynni gwyrdd; yn yr Eidal, yr un peth; ac yn Sweden, swm cyfwerth â bron i £500 miliwn, yn ogystal â Norwy. Felly, a oes unrhyw bosibilrwydd y gallwn gael unrhyw beth gan Lywodraeth y DU ynglŷn â newid y ffordd rydym yn casglu'r trethi gwyrdd fel eu bod yn rhan o brif ffrwd casgliadau treth incwm, neu'n wir, treth ffawdelw—y naill neu'r llall—fel nad yw'n gorfod cael ei ysgwyddo gan y rheini yr effeithir arnynt waethaf gan y cynnydd enfawr hwn ym mhrisiau ynni?

Thank you very much, Jenny Rathbone. You will know from the work that you're doing as Chair of the Equality and Social Justice Committee that the Minister for Climate Change, Julie James, and I wrote to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy way back in early January. I shared that letter with Senedd Members. So, many calls, some of which I've mentioned already in terms of winter fuel payments, the Warm Homes discount scheme, but also looking at the ways in which they could—. And saying that they should take those green and social policy costs out of people's household bills and into general taxation. It's great that you've quoted all those other countries that are actually taking action to both support people who are in fuel poverty and facing deeper crisis, but also that they're recognising that they've got to fund this through general taxation. And, of course, in terms of a windfall tax, there are calls for value added tax holidays, et cetera. But, we have made these points.

We've put these points to the UK Government and this is an opportunity now for us to unite, I hope, in this Senedd to make sure that they play their part. They have the levers. You've heard National Energy Action. They make it clear that this is where we expect the UK Government to respond and ensure that they support people who are falling deeper and deeper into poverty in terms of cost of living, and also they do it the right way in terms of a social energy tariff as well.

Diolch yn fawr iawn, Jenny Rathbone. Fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol, o’r gwaith rydych yn ei wneud fel Cadeirydd y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol, fod y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd, Julie James, a minnau wedi ysgrifennu at yr Ysgrifennydd Gwladol dros Fusnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol ymhell yn ôl ar ddechrau mis Ionawr. Rhannais y llythyr hwnnw gydag Aelodau’r Senedd. Felly, mae llawer o alwadau, ac rwyf wedi sôn am sawl un ohonynt eisoes, fel y taliadau tanwydd gaeaf, y cynllun gostyngiadau Cartrefi Clyd, ond edrych hefyd ar y ffyrdd y gallent—. A dweud y dylent symud y costau gwyrdd a pholisi cymdeithasol hynny allan o filiau cartrefi pobl ac i drethiant cyffredinol. Mae'n wych eich bod wedi cyfeirio at yr holl wledydd eraill sy'n rhoi camau ar waith i gynorthwyo pobl mewn tlodi tanwydd ac sy'n wynebu argyfwng dyfnach, ond hefyd eu bod yn cydnabod bod yn rhaid iddynt ariannu hyn drwy drethiant cyffredinol. Ac wrth gwrs, ar dreth ffawdelw, mae galwadau am seibiant treth ar werth, ac ati. Ond rydym wedi gwneud y pwyntiau hyn.

Rydym wedi codi'r pwyntiau hyn gyda Llywodraeth y DU ac mae hwn yn gyfle yn awr inni uno, gobeithio, yn y Senedd hon i sicrhau eu bod yn chwarae eu rhan. Ganddynt hwy y mae'r ysgogiadau. Rydych wedi clywed National Energy Action. Maent yn nodi'n glir mai dyma ble rydym yn disgwyl i Lywodraeth y DU ymateb a sicrhau eu bod yn cynorthwyo pobl sy’n mynd yn ddyfnach ac yn ddyfnach i dlodi oherwydd costau byw, a'u bod yn gwneud hynny yn y ffordd gywir hefyd o ran tariff ynni cymdeithasol.

15:15
4. Datganiadau 90 Eiliad
4. 90-second Statements

Y datganiadau 90 eiliad sydd nesaf. Y datganiad cyntaf y prynhawn yma gan Sioned Williams. 

We now move to the 90-second statements. The first of those is from Sioned Williams. 

Diolch, Llywydd. On the last Saturday of January in 1872, Neath Rugby Football Club met with Swansea to compete in the first recorded club fixture in Welsh rugby history. On Friday, this historic match will be commemorated as Neath and Swansea do battle again. Neath RFC, the oldest club in Wales, are celebrating their hundred and fiftieth year. Over that time, the Welsh all blacks have seen and done it all; they’ve competed against some of the giants of the sport, won an impressive number of cup victories, and set records. Many former players not only represented the club with distinction, but also their country; men like Gareth Llewellyn, Dai Morris, Jonathan Davies, Martyn Davies, Brian Thomas, Duncan Jones, Shane Williams and too many to mention today have secured their permanent place in the history of Welsh rugby. 

Those who have played for Neath have both entertained countless people in Wales and around the world, and have inspired many to get into the sport. But, it’s not just the players who should be celebrated; it’s the entire community around the team, from coaching staff to those working at the clubhouse, volunteers to the dedicated and passionate supporters. Today, I wish to reflect upon the rich legacy and significant contribution of Neath RFC. What started on that cold day in January transformed a sport, a town and a nation. Llongyfarchiadau, Castell-nedd. Here’s to the next 150 years.

Diolch, Lywydd. Ar ddydd Sadwrn olaf mis Ionawr 1872, cyfarfu Clwb Rygbi Castell-nedd ag Abertawe i gystadlu yn y gêm glwb gyntaf i'w chofnodi yn hanes rygbi Cymru. Ddydd Gwener, bydd y gêm hanesyddol hon yn cael ei choffáu wrth i Gastell-nedd ac Abertawe fynd benben â'i gilydd unwaith eto. Mae Clwb Rygbi Castell-nedd, clwb hynaf Cymru, yn dathlu cant a hanner o flynyddoedd ers ei sefydlu. Dros yr amser hwnnw, mae crysau duon Cymru wedi gweld a gwneud y cyfan; maent wedi cystadlu yn erbyn rhai o gewri’r gamp, wedi ennill nifer drawiadol o fuddugoliaethau cwpan, ac wedi torri sawl record. Mae nifer o gyn-chwaraewyr nid yn unig wedi cynrychioli’r clwb gyda rhagoriaeth, ond hefyd eu gwlad; mae dynion fel Gareth Llewellyn, Dai Morris, Jonathan Davies, Martyn Davies, Brian Thomas, Duncan Jones, Shane Williams a gormod i sôn amdanynt heddiw wedi sicrhau eu lle parhaol yn hanes rygbi Cymru.

Mae'r rheini sydd wedi chwarae dros Gastell-nedd wedi diddanu pobl dirifedi yng Nghymru ac ym mhob rhan o'r byd, ac wedi ysbrydoli llawer i ymgymryd â'r gamp. Ond nid y chwaraewyr yn unig y dylid eu dathlu; dylid dathlu'r gymuned gyfan o amgylch y tîm, o'r staff hyfforddi i'r rheini sy'n gweithio yn y clwb, o'r gwirfoddolwyr i'r cefnogwyr ymroddedig ac angerddol. Heddiw, hoffwn fyfyrio ar waddol cyfoethog a chyfraniad sylweddol Clwb Rygbi Castell-nedd. Mae'r hyn a gychwynnodd ar y diwrnod oer hwnnw ym mis Ionawr wedi trawsnewid camp, tref a chenedl. Llongyfarchiadau, Castell-nedd. Ymlaen i'r 150 mlynedd nesaf.

Roeddwn i am rannu efo'r Senedd wybodaeth am ffilm fer ond hyfryd sy'n rhoi bywyd newydd i un o hen chwedlau ein cenedl ni. Disgyblion Ysgol Gynradd Rhosgadfan yn fy etholaeth i sydd wedi creu'r ffilm. Fe'i dangoswyd yn uwchgynhadledd newid hinsawdd COP26 yn Glasgow, a chael ymateb brwd. Cafodd y plant a'u teuluoedd gyfle i weld y ffilm ar sgrin fawr mewn dangosiad arbennig yn Galeri Caernarfon, ac roedd yn bleser i mi gael ymuno â nhw.

Mae Rhosgadfan yn un o bentrefi mwyaf difreintiedig fy etholaeth, a rhai teuluoedd erioed wedi cael cyfle i fynychu'r theatr o'r blaen. Enw'r ffilm ydy Blot-deuwedd, ac mae'n rhoi gwedd newydd i gainc adnabyddus y Mabinogi sy'n dilyn hanes Blodeuwedd, y ferch a wnaed o flodau. Mae disgyblion Ysgol Gynradd Rhosgadfan wedi gosod y stori mewn cyd-destun modern wrth ymateb i'r argyfwng hinsawdd. Mae'r 'blot' yn Blot-deuwedd yn cynrychioli dinistr y ddynoliaeth i'r byd. Mae'r actio, y ffilmio, yr animeiddio, y lleoliadau yn creu cyfanwaith hudolus, a dwi'n eich annog chi i wylio Blot-deuwedd, ac yn llongyfarch pawb fu ynghlwm â'r project. Ond yn bennaf, dwi'n diolch i'r plant am ddod â hen chwedl yn fyw mewn ffordd hynod berthnasol wrth i ni wynebu un o heriau mawr ein hoes.

I wanted to share with the Senedd some information about a new and beautiful short film that breathes new life into one of our nation's legends. Pupils of Ysgol Gynradd Rhosgadfan in my constituency have made the film, and it was shown at the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, and it enjoyed an enthusiastic reception. The children and their parents had an opportunity to see the film on a big screen in a special screening at the Galeri in Caernarfon, and it was my pleasure to join them.

Rhosgadfan is one of the most disadvantaged villages in my constituency, and some of the families have never had the chance to attend the theatre previously. The film is called Blot-deuwedd, and it re-imagines one of the most well-known tales of the Mabinogion, the tale of Blodeuwedd, the girl made of flowers. The pupils of Ysgol Gynradd Rhosgadfan have set the tale in a modern context, in responding to the climate emergency. The 'blot' in Blot-deuwedd represents mankind's destructive mark on the world. The acting, the filming, the animation and the locations create an alluring composition, and I do encourage you all to watch Blot-deuwedd, and I congratulate everyone who has been part of the project. But most of all, I thank the children for breathing new life into an old legend in such a relevant way, as we face one of the great challenges of our age.

I was honoured to host the best dart players in the world at our Parliament this afternoon, as they prepare for the first night of the Premier League Darts in Cardiff tomorrow. As a keen darts player myself, it was great to host this alongside my friend, colleague and darts player and darts fan, Jack 'The Beard to be Feared' Sargeant. These players who visited our Parliament included Wales's very own world No.1, Gerwyn Price, and last year's premier league champion, Jonny Clayton.

I'm sure the whole Senedd wishes the Welsh boys well in the premier league this year. Wales is leading the way on the global darts scene, and we should all be extremely proud of the players who inspire millions of people on a daily basis around the world. I look forward to welcoming the Professional Darts Corporation and the players back to the Senedd in the future to showcase their incredible talents here in our home, the Welsh Parliament. Diolch, Lywydd.

Cefais y fraint o groesawu chwaraewyr dartiau gorau’r byd i'n Senedd y prynhawn yma, wrth iddynt baratoi ar gyfer noson gyntaf yr Uwch Gynghrair Dartiau yng Nghaerdydd yfory. Fel chwaraewr dartiau brwd fy hun, roedd yn wych cynnal y digwyddiad hwn gyda fy ffrind, fy nghyd-Aelod a chwaraewr a chefnogwr dartiau, Jack 'The Beard to be Feared' Sargeant. Ymysg y chwaraewyr a ymwelodd â’n Senedd roedd chwaraewr rhif 1 y byd, y Cymro Gerwyn Price, a phencampwr yr uwch gynghrair y llynedd, Jonny Clayton.

Rwy’n siŵr fod y Senedd gyfan yn dymuno’n dda i fechgyn Cymru yn yr uwch gynghrair eleni. Mae Cymru ar flaen y gad yn y byd dartiau, a dylem oll fod yn hynod falch o’r chwaraewyr sy’n ysbrydoli miliynau o bobl yn ddyddiol o gwmpas y byd. Edrychaf ymlaen at groesawu’r Gorfforaeth Dartiau Proffesiynol a’r chwaraewyr yn ôl i’r Senedd yn y dyfodol i arddangos eu doniau anhygoel yma yn ein cartref, Senedd Cymru. Diolch, Lywydd.

15:20

Diolch yn fawr. I'm a bit of a darts fan myself, so I was particularly keen to accept that statement today.

Diolch yn fawr. Rwy’n dipyn o gefnogwr dartiau fy hun, felly roeddwn yn arbennig o awyddus i glywed y datganiad hwnnw heddiw.

Diolch i bawb am hynny. Fe gymerwn ni egwyl fer nawr, ac fe gawn ni doriad tra bod newidiadau i'r Siambr yn cael eu cynnal. Diolch.

Thank you all for that. We will now suspend proceedings briefly, and we'll take a break to allow changeovers in the Chamber. Thank you.

Ataliwyd y Cyfarfod Llawn am 15:20.

Plenary was suspended at 15:20.

15:35

Ailymgynullodd y Senedd am 15:37, gyda'r Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) yn y Gadair.

The Senedd reconvened at 15:37, with the Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) in the Chair.

5. Dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig: Gordewdra
5. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Obesity

Detholwyd y gwelliannau canlynol: gwelliant 1 yn enw Lesley Griffiths, a gwelliant 2 yn enw Siân Gwenllian.  

The following amendments have been selected: amendment 1 in the name of Lesley Griffiths, and amendment 2 in the name of Siân Gwenllian.

Croeso nôl. Yr eitem nesaf yw dadl y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig ar ordewdra. Galwaf ar James Evans i wneud y cynnig. 

Welcome back. The next item is the Welsh Conservatives debate on obesity. I call on James Evans to move the motion. 

Cynnig NDM7903 Darren Millar

Cynnig bod y Senedd:

1. Yn mynegi ei phryder bod bron i ddwy ran o dair o oedolion yng Nghymru dros bwysau neu'n ordew ar hyn o bryd.

2. Yn nodi bod COVID-19 yn cael effaith anghymesur ar y rhai sy'n byw gyda gordewdra, a bod gan fwy na hanner y bobl sy'n cael eu derbyn i ofal critigol BMI o dros 30.

3. Yn nodi ymhellach bod gwasanaethau rheoli pwysau wedi'u hoedi neu eu haddasu wrth i GIG Cymru drin cleifion COVID.

4. Yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i:

a) ailagor ar frys y gwasanaethau rheoli pwysau hynny sydd wedi'u hoedi yn ystod y pandemig;

b) nodi pryd y bydd gwasanaethau rheoli pwysau amlddisgyblaethol arbenigol yn cael eu hehangu ledled Cymru; ac

c) darparu cyllid ychwanegol i sicrhau bod gwasanaethau rheoli pwysau yn gallu ymdopi â'r angen cynyddol.

Motion NDM7903 Darren Millar

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Expresses its concern that nearly two thirds of adults in Wales are currently overweight or obese.

2. Notes that COVID-19 has a disproportionate effect on those living with obesity, with more than half of critical care admissions having a BMI of over 30.

3. Further notes that weight-management services were paused or adapted as the Welsh NHS treated COVID patients.

4. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) urgently reopen those weight-management services which have been paused during the pandemic;

b) indicate when specialist multidisciplinary weight-management services will be expanded across Wales; and

c) provide extra funding to ensure that weight-management services are able to cope with increased need.

Cynigiwyd y cynnig.

Motion moved.

Diolch, Deputy Llywydd. I move the motion in the name of Darren Millar. Obesity is one of the biggest health crises the world faces. For the first time in history, children are expected to live shorter lives than their parents, and most of this is due to obesity. COVID-19 has exposed the poor physical health of Wales. We have the highest death rate for COVID-19 per 100,000 of any of the UK nations, and currently, two thirds of the population is overweight or obese. It is clear that the physical health of the nation must be a priority for the Welsh Government, and for the Minister. Figures published by the Welsh Government's own StatsWales highlight that nearly two thirds, or 61 per cent, of those over the age of 16 in Wales reported in 2021 a body mass index of over 25. 

Being overweight substantially increases the risk of a number of chronic diseases. In particular, those who are overweight are at specific risk of developing type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, strokes. It also causes kidney disease, certain types of cancer, sleep apnoea, gout, osteoarthritis and liver disease, just to name a few. So, the case for prioritising obesity is clear. Obesity is projected to cost our Welsh NHS £465 million a year by 2050, but almost £2.4 billion to the Welsh economy and society as a whole. These costs will potentially deny life-saving, life-prolonging treatments to the patients in our Welsh NHS who need them. 

Figures from Cancer Research UK show that being overweight is the second biggest cause of cancer in the UK. More than one in 20 cancer cases are caused by excess weight. Cancer research also highlighted that keeping a healthy weight reduces the risk of 13 different types of cancer. We all need to work together on this. This is an important issue, and I think we should put politics aside. We all need to be rightly concerned that nearly two thirds of adults in Wales are currently overweight or obese. I'm sure everyone agrees that is a worrying statistic. 

In 2021, the Welsh Conservatives stood on pledges to improve the physical health and well-being of the nation by providing free access to local authority gyms and leisure centres for 16 to 24-year-olds. We said we'd invest more money in active transport, walking and cycling and that we would promote healthy lifestyles in schools. We did say we'd create a community sports bounce-back fund, and I'm really keen that Ministers have actually looked and put this in place. We all know the saying 'prevention is better than cure', but, sadly, we don't actually do what we preach. 

Maybe I'm just an overenthusiastic political newbie here, an idealist, someone who believes that things can change. I don't believe we should stick to the status quo. But what is the alternative here? For two decades, politicians and Ministers in this place have talked on this issue. They've created strategies, had public consultations, gone back and forth, back and forth, but we're getting nowhere, because things in Wales are getting worse. The world has changed, and we must understand that. People are living far more static lifestyles than before. In this place, we tend to sit down a lot of the time and don't live that active lifestyle. If you're overweight or obese, you need to do that because you are putting yourself at extremely high risk of becoming unwell. 

Lots of ideas have been tried, including sugar taxes and huge spending on public messaging, so why aren't we seeing the results? I think we need to move away from the current ideas and policies in place, and try and look at this from a strategic, objective standpoint. There's clearly a significant problem with the quality of food being consumed, not just here in Wales but around the world. But people aren't talking about obesity and taking it seriously. Being obese is as dangerous as being a chain smoker or an alcoholic, but it doesn't seem to have the same sort of public image as what those things do, about living a healthy lifestyle. We're all feeling the consequences, not just here in Wales but globally. Diabetes was virtually a non-existent disease in the nineteenth century. In the United States a bit ago, the percentage of diabetics was one in 10,000, and research now shows that's one in 11. That's a startling statistic. 

Diet has changed, though. We've gone from real wholesome foods to processed foods, low-fat processed foods to high-sugar processed foods. This, combined with the fact that people haven't got as active jobs as they used to have, that people are more stagnant, means we're seeing obesity get worse, because too many people in our schools and wider are just simply not educated about food and where it comes from. People do need to start living a healthy, balanced and active lifestyle, and that needs to be promoted by Government. This can be addressed by some of the points that I raised earlier around promoting healthy lifestyles in school, encouraging sport, free gym access for local youngsters and teaching people where their food comes from.

I believe we need to see a full-scale change of approach towards tackling this issue. The policy raised here by the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, who unfortunately are not here, the Liberal Democrats—. Everybody in this place has good ideas, and not one party has a monopoly on those. So, I welcome all ideas, and I welcome almost everything the Plaid Cymru amendment said. So, I hope, today, we can back the changes, and the Welsh Government will put the support into place to hold a full-scale review of obesity strategy, because doing nothing simply is not good enough. If we do nothing, this will become the biggest health crisis of a generation. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. 

Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n cyflwyno'r cynnig yn enw Darren Millar. Gordewdra yw un o'r argyfyngau iechyd mwyaf y mae'r byd yn eu hwynebu. Am y tro cyntaf erioed, disgwylir y bydd plant yn byw bywydau byrrach na'u rhieni, ac mae'r rhan fwyaf o hyn oherwydd gordewdra. Mae COVID-19 wedi amlygu iechyd corfforol gwael Cymru. Gennym ni y mae'r gyfradd uchaf o farwolaethau COVID-19 ym mhob 100,000 o'r boblogaeth o holl wledydd y DU, ac ar hyn o bryd, mae dwy ran o dair o'r boblogaeth dros bwysau neu'n ordew. Mae'n amlwg fod yn rhaid i iechyd corfforol y genedl fod yn flaenoriaeth i Lywodraeth Cymru, ac i'r Gweinidog. Mae ffigurau a gyhoeddwyd gan StatsCymru Llywodraeth Cymru ei hun yn nodi bod gan bron i ddwy ran o dair, neu 61 y cant, o bobl dros 16 oed yng Nghymru yn 2021 fynegai màs y corff (BMI) o dros 25. 

Mae bod dros bwysau yn cynyddu'n sylweddol y risg o nifer o glefydau cronig. Yn fwyaf arbennig, mae'r rhai sydd dros bwysau mewn perygl penodol o ddatblygu diabetes math 2, gorbwysedd, clefyd cardiofasgwlaidd, strôc. Mae hefyd yn achosi clefyd yr arennau, mathau penodol o ganser, apnoea cwsg, gowt, osteoarthritis a chlefyd yr afu, i enwi rhai cyflyrau'n unig. Felly, mae'r achos dros flaenoriaethu gordewdra yn glir. Rhagwelir y bydd gordewdra'n costio £465 miliwn y flwyddyn i'n GIG yng Nghymru erbyn 2050, ond bron i £2.4 biliwn i economi a chymdeithas Cymru yn gyffredinol. Gallai'r costau hyn olygu bod cleifion yn ein GIG yng Nghymru yn cael eu hamddifadu o driniaethau y maent eu hangen i achub eu bywydau neu sy'n ymestyn eu hoes. 

Mae ffigyrau gan Cancer Research UK yn dangos mai bod dros bwysau yw'r prif achos canser mwyaf ond un yn y DU. Mae mwy nag un o bob 20 achos o ganser wedi eu hachosi gan bwysau gormodol. Nododd ymchwil canser hefyd fod cario pwysau iach yn lleihau'r risg o 13 math gwahanol o ganser. Mae angen i bob un ohonom gydweithio ar hyn. Mae hwn yn fater pwysig, a chredaf y dylem roi gwleidyddiaeth o'r neilltu. Mae angen i bob un ohonom bryderu'n briodol fod bron i ddwy ran o dair o oedolion