Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
17/01/2023Cynnwys
Contents
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.
Prynhawn da a chroeso, bawb, i'r Cyfarfod Llawn y prynhawn yma. Yr eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni fydd cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf heddiw gan Samuel Kurtz.
Good afternoon and welcome to this afternoon's Plenary meeting. The first item on our agenda will be questions to the First Minister, and the first question is from Samuel Kurtz.
1. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi prosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy yn y môr Celtaidd? OQ58979
1. How is the Welsh Government supporting renewable energy projects in the Celtic sea? OQ58979
Llywydd, investment in physical infrastructure, and a workforce skilled for the future, are amongst the actions taken by the Welsh Government to support energy technologies in the Celtic sea.
Llywydd, mae buddsoddi mewn seilwaith ffisegol, a gweithlu sy'n fedrus ar gyfer y dyfodol, ymhlith y camau a gymerwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i gefnogi technolegau ynni yn y môr Celtaidd.
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. And can I begin by welcoming the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society's rural leadership programme group, who are in the public gallery this afternoon?
Prif Weinidog, this evening, I have the immense honour of hosting a cross-party reception in the Neuadd on the Haven Waterway future energy cluster. It brings together the Haven Waterway's major traditional energy companies with new and exciting renewable developers, and the supply chain, to lead in decarbonisation. You'll be aware, Prif Weinidog, that I'm a big advocate for the opportunities presented to Wales from both the Haven Waterway and the Celtic sea, from floating offshore wind to tidal, wave and hydrogen initiatives, and even the progressive Celtic free-port bid. So, it does feel as if we're on the cusp of a green energy revolution in west Wales. So, given the strategic importance of the Haven Waterway and the Celtic sea, what assurances can you give to developers and groups, such as the future energy cluster, that Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales will operate in a timely manner to ensure these opportunities aren't lost? Diolch.
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Ac a gaf i ddechrau drwy groesawu grŵp arweinyddiaeth wledig Cymdeithas Amaethyddol Frenhinol Cymru, sydd yn yr oriel gyhoeddus y prynhawn yma?
Prif Weinidog, heno, mae gen i'r anrhydedd enfawr o gynnal derbyniad trawsbleidiol yn y Neuadd ar glwstwr ynni'r dyfodol Dyfrffordd y Ddau Gleddau. Mae'n dod â phrif gwmnïau ynni traddodiadol Dyfrffordd y Ddau Gleddau ynghyd â datblygwyr adnewyddadwy newydd a chyffrous, a'r gadwyn gyflenwi, i arwain at ddatgarboneiddio. Byddwch yn ymwybodol, Prif Weinidog, fy mod i'n eiriolwr mawr dros y cyfleoedd a gyflwynir i Gymru gan Ddyfrffordd y Ddau Gleddau a'r môr Celtaidd, o wynt arnofiol ar y môr i fentrau llanw, tonnau a hydrogen, a hyd yn oed y cais porthladd rhydd Celtaidd blaengar. Felly, mae'n teimlo ein bod ni ar drothwy chwyldro ynni gwyrdd yn y gorllewin. Felly, o ystyried pwysigrwydd strategol Dyfrffordd y Ddau Gleddau a'r môr Celtaidd, pa sicrwydd allwch chi ei roi i ddatblygwyr a grwpiau, fel clwstwr ynni'r dyfodol, y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru a Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru yn gweithredu'n brydlon i sicrhau nad yw'r cyfleoedd hyn yn cael eu colli? Diolch.
Well, Llywydd, I thank Sam Kurtz for that question, and congratulate him on hosting the future energy cluster event today; I think it's a great event to have here in the Senedd. And I agree with everything that the Member said about the immense possibilities that renewable energy, including floating offshore wind and other projects in the Celtic sea, hold out for his part of Wales, but for Wales as a whole. And, in that, the Welsh Government is absolutely aware of the need to have a consenting regime that is robust, of course, as it must be, but is also streamlined, effective and enabling. I have been in discussions with NRW myself. I know the Minister has a meeting with NRW today to talk about the end-to-end marine licensing review, which the Welsh Government commissioned, carried out independently. The consultants said that there was nothing, fundamentally, that needed to be repaired in the current regime, but that there were ways in which it could be made to work more effectively.
Developers have their part to play as well in all that. They have responsibilities to submit applications based on early engagement, best available evidence, and where the quality of the application itself doesn't hold up the process. Then, it is for NRW to ensure that they have the necessary resources in place to be able to deal with those applications in a way that respects the very important responsibilities they have as an environmental regulator, but also recognises the huge opportunities that renewable energy provides for Wales, and our contribution that we can make to tackling that great crisis of our time in global warming.
Wel, Llywydd, diolch i Sam Kurtz am y cwestiwn yna, ac rwy'n ei longyfarch ar gynnal y digwyddiad clwstwr ynni'r dyfodol heddiw; rwy'n meddwl ei fod yn ddigwyddiad gwych i'w gael yma yn y Senedd. Ac rwy'n cytuno â phopeth a ddywedodd yr Aelod am y posibiliadau aruthrol sydd gan ynni adnewyddadwy, gan gynnwys gwynt arnofiol ar y môr a phrosiectau eraill yn y môr Celtaidd, i'w ran ef o Gymru, ond i Gymru gyfan. Ac yn hynny o beth, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwbl ymwybodol o'r angen i fod â threfn gydsynio sy'n gadarn, wrth gwrs, fel y mae'n rhaid iddi fod, ond sydd hefyd yn syml, yn effeithiol ac yn galluogi. Rwyf i wedi bod mewn trafodaethau gyda Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru fy hun. Gwn fod gan y Gweinidog gyfarfod gyda Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru heddiw i drafod yr adolygiad trwyddedu morol o ddechrau'r broses i'w diwedd, a gomisiynwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru, ac a gynhaliwyd yn annibynnol. Dywedodd yr ymgynghorwyr nad oedd dim, yn y bôn, yr oedd angen ei drwsio yn y drefn bresennol, ond bod ffyrdd y gellid ei gwneud i weithio'n fwy effeithiol.
Mae gan ddatblygwyr eu rhan i'w chwarae hefyd yn hynny i gyd. Mae ganddyn nhw gyfrifoldebau i gyflwyno ceisiadau yn seiliedig ar ymgysylltu cynnar, y dystiolaeth orau sydd ar gael, a lle nad yw ansawdd y cais ei hun yn oedi'r broses. Yna, mater i Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru yw sicrhau bod yr adnoddau angenrheidiol ganddyn nhw ar waith i allu ymdrin â'r ceisiadau hynny mewn ffordd sy'n parchu'r cyfrifoldebau pwysig iawn sydd ganddyn nhw fel rheoleiddiwr amgylcheddol, ond hefyd yn cydnabod y cyfleoedd enfawr y mae ynni adnewyddadwy yn eu cynnig i Gymru, a'n cyfraniad ni y gallwn ni ei wneud at fynd i'r afael ag argyfwng mawr hwnnw ein hoes o ran cynhesu byd-eang.
I do think there's real benefit in thinking in a joined-up way about offshore wind off the west coast of Wales—the Celtic and Irish seas. I think the free-port bidding process offers an opportunity to do that. Now, as you can imagine, I'm confident in the quality of the Holyhead/Ynys Môn north Wales free-port bid for what it can offer in terms of growing that sector, as well as mitigation for post-Brexit losses that affected the port of Holyhead. But would the First Minister agree with me that the best way, perhaps, to ensure the growth of that sector, in a way that benefits the whole of Wales, would be to not only support our bid, but also to ensure a second free port, which could enable Celtic sea and Irish sea developments to work in parallel greater than the sum of their parts?
Rwy'n credu bod mantais wirioneddol o feddwl mewn ffordd gydgysylltiedig am wynt ar y môr oddi ar arfordir gorllewinol Cymru—y môr Celtaidd a môr Iwerddon. Rwy'n credu bod y broses cynnig am borthladd rhydd yn cynnig cyfle i wneud hynny. Nawr, fel y gallwch chi ddychmygu, rwy'n hyderus yn ansawdd cais porthladd rhydd Caergybi/Ynys Môn am yr hyn y gall ei gynnig o ran tyfu'r sector hwnnw, yn ogystal â lliniaru colledion ar ôl Brexit a effeithiodd ar borthladd Caergybi. Ond a fyddai'r Prif Weinidog yn cytuno â mi mai'r ffordd orau, efallai, i sicrhau twf y sector hwnnw, mewn ffordd sydd o fudd i Gymru gyfan, fyddai nid yn unig cefnogi ein cais, ond hefyd sicrhau ail borthladd rhydd, a allai alluogi datblygiadau môr Celtaidd a môr Iwerddon i weithio'n gyfochrog yn fwy na chyfanswm eu rhannau?
Well, Llywydd, I must be careful in what I say, because there is a process and bids are being assessed objectively, as they must be, by civil servants both here in Wales and at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. I will just remind Members that the agreement we struck with the UK Government does not rule out there being two free ports here in Wales. One is the expectation, but two is not impossible, and the quality of the bids, and the assessment made of them, will, of course, be pivotal to deciding whether or not we're able to persuade the UK Government to go down that second route.
Wel, Llywydd, mae'n rhaid i mi fod yn ofalus yn yr hyn yr wyf i'n ei ddweud, oherwydd mae proses ac mae ceisiadau yn cael eu hasesu'n wrthrychol, fel y mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw, gan weision sifil yma yng Nghymru ac yn yr Adran Busnes, Ynni a Strategaeth Ddiwydiannol. Hoffwn atgoffa'r Aelodau nad yw'r cytundeb a darwyd gennym ni gyda Llywodraeth y DU yn diystyru cael dau borthladd rhydd yma yng Nghymru. Un yw'r disgwyliad, ond nid yw dau yn amhosibl, a bydd ansawdd y ceisiadau, a'r asesiad a wneir ohonyn nhw, wrth gwrs, yn ganolog i benderfynu pa un a allwn ni berswadio Llywodraeth y DU i ddilyn yr ail drywydd hwnnw ai peidio.
I thank Sam for bringing this question forward, because the potential here in the Celtic sea is, of course, for west Wales, and for the whole of the south Wales seaboard as well, in terms of manufacturing, supply chain, and so on. And we have to have that rigorous consenting regime as well, to make sure this works. But, can I ask you, First Minister—? Learning from the past is important within this. We need the right port infrastructure, and, indeed, it would be great to see two bids going through from Wales as well. We need those local grid connections to actually bring this onshore, but what we've learned from previous iterations is that we need the National Grid to be strengthened as well. So, could I ask you what discussions you're going to have with the UK Government and the regulator about strengthening the market signals that say we must have this investment—Wales deserves its fair share of investment in the grid as well. We can do so much on our own, but we need the UK to step up as well.
Diolch i Sam am gyflwyno'r cwestiwn hwn, oherwydd mae'r potensial yma yn y môr Celtaidd, wrth gwrs, i'r gorllewin, ac i holl arfordir y de hefyd, o ran gweithgynhyrchu, cadwyn gyflenwi, ac ati. Ac mae'n rhaid i ni gael y drefn gydsynio drwyadl honno hefyd, i wneud yn siŵr bod hyn yn gweithio. Ond, a gaf i ofyn i chi, Prif Weinidog—? Mae dysgu o'r gorffennol yn bwysig yn hyn o beth. Mae angen y seilwaith porthladdoedd cywir arnom ni, ac yn wir, byddai'n wych gweld dau gais yn mynd ymlaen o Gymru hefyd. Rydyn ni angen i'r cysylltiadau grid lleol hynny ddod â hyn ar y tir mewn gwirionedd, ond yr hyn rydyn ni wedi ei ddysgu o fersiynau blaenorol yw bod angen cryfhau'r Grid Cenedlaethol hefyd. Felly, a gaf i ofyn i chi pa drafodaethau rydych chi'n mynd i'w cael gyda Llywodraeth y DU a'r rheoleiddiwr ynglŷn â chryfhau arwyddion y farchnad sy'n dweud bod yn rhaid i ni gael y buddsoddiad hwn—mae Cymru yn haeddu ei chyfran deg o fuddsoddiad yn y grid hefyd. Gallwn wneud cymaint ar ein pennau ein hunain, ond rydyn ni angen i'r DU gamu i'r adwy hefyd.
Well, Llywydd, I think they're two very important points made there by Huw Irranca-Davies. We do need to learn the lessons of previous renewables. There is still no offshore wind industrial strategy out of the UK Government, despite the fact that we have been calling for one, and others in the industry have been calling for one. We do have concerns that, in the reliance on competitive processes to drive down the cost of projects, that will result in the cheapest supply chain solutions, rather than investing in the long-term value, which is to be had there for Wales by making sure not only that energy is produced in the Celtic sea, but that everything that goes into that has a local supply chain, creating jobs in the process.
As to the grid, I sometimes think, Llywydd, because it is called the National Grid, that people don't realise that this is a private company, listed on the stock market, distributing £1 billion every year in dividends to shareholders. Indeed, it distributed £4.5 billion in 2017 alone, directly into the hands of shareholders, when we know that there is not enough investment going into the vital connections that the grid provides. When I was in Ireland in the autumn, Llywydd, I took part in a round-table discussion with the foreign Minister of the Irish Government and developers interested in the Celtic sea from the Irish perspective as well. I was struck by what a major developer said there—that their greatest fear was that they would bring the energy all the way to the beach and then there would be nothing that you could do with it, because there would be no connection into the grid.
I saw an article just this week by Molly Scott Cato, the Green economist, saying that there are almost 700 renewable energy projects on hold across the United Kingdom, waiting for the National Grid to find them capacity. Well, my own preference would be to bring the National Grid under public control so that it was run in the public interest and where there was no leakage into private profit of the resources of that company. In the meantime, we work with the company and with others here in Wales. We were glad to see, last year, a move towards anticipatory demand in the grid system, glad to see that the latest energy Minister at the UK Government says that improving the grid is his top priority, in all his responsibilities. There is undoubtedly a need for a step change in making sure that the grid is fit not just for today, but for the future, so that when we put the Celtic sea to work, in the way that Sam Kurtz said in his original question, there will be the infrastructure there to take up the energy that will be produced.
Wel, Llywydd, rwy'n credu eu bod nhw'n ddau bwynt pwysig iawn a wnaed yn y fan yna gan Huw Irranca-Davies. Mae angen i ni ddysgu gwersi ynni adnewyddadwy blaenorol. Nid oes strategaeth ddiwydiannol ynni gwynt ar y môr gan Lywodraeth y DU o hyd, er gwaethaf y ffaith ein bod ni wedi bod yn galw am un, a bod eraill yn y diwydiant wedi bod yn galw am un. Mae gennym ni bryderon, yn y ddibyniaeth ar brosesau cystadleuol i ostwng cost prosiectau, y bydd hynny'n arwain at yr atebion cadwyn gyflenwi rhataf, yn hytrach na buddsoddi yn y gwerth hirdymor, sydd i'w gael yno i Gymru drwy wneud yn siŵr nid yn unig bod ynni'n cael ei gynhyrchu yn y môr Celtaidd, ond bod gan bopeth sy'n mynd i mewn i hynny gadwyn gyflenwi leol, gan greu swyddi yn y broses.
O ran y grid, rwy'n meddwl weithiau, Llywydd, oherwydd mai'r Grid Cenedlaethol yw ei enw, nad yw pobl yn sylweddoli mai cwmni preifat yw hwn, wedi'i restru ar y farchnad stoc, gan ddosbarthu £1 biliwn bob blwyddyn mewn difidendau i gyfranddalwyr. Yn wir, dosbarthodd £4.5 biliwn yn 2017 yn unig, yn uniongyrchol i ddwylo cyfranddalwyr, pan wyddwn ni nad oes digon o fuddsoddiad yn mynd i'r cysylltiadau hanfodol y mae'r grid yn eu darparu. Pan oeddwn i yn Iwerddon yn yr hydref, Llywydd, cymerais ran mewn trafodaeth bord gron gyda Gweinidog tramor Llywodraeth Iwerddon a datblygwyr sydd â diddordeb yn y môr Celtaidd o safbwynt y Gwyddelod hefyd. Cefais fy nharo gan yr hyn a ddywedodd datblygwr mawr yno—mai eu hofn mwyaf oedd y bydden nhw'n dod â'r ynni yr holl ffordd i'r traeth ac yna ni fyddai unrhyw beth y gallech chi ei wneud ag ef, oherwydd ni fyddai unrhyw gysylltiad i'r grid.
Gwelais erthygl dim ond yr wythnos hon gan Molly Scott Cato, yr economegydd Gwyrdd, yn dweud bod bron i 700 o brosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy wedi'u hoedi ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig, yn aros i'r Grid Cenedlaethol ddod o hyd i gapasiti iddyn nhw. Wel, fy newis i fy hun fyddai dod â'r Grid Cenedlaethol o dan reolaeth gyhoeddus fel ei fod yn cael ei redeg er budd y cyhoedd a lle nad oedd unrhyw ollyngiad i elw preifat o adnoddau'r cwmni hwnnw. Yn y cyfamser, rydyn ni'n gweithio gyda'r cwmni a chydag eraill yma yng Nghymru. Roedden ni'n falch o weld, y llynedd, symudiad tuag at ragweld galw yn y system grid, yn falch o weld bod y Gweinidog ynni diweddaraf yn Llywodraeth y DU yn dweud mai gwella'r grid yw ei brif flaenoriaeth, o'i holl gyfrifoldebau. Nid oes amheuaeth bod angen newid sylweddol i wneud yn siŵr bod y grid yn addas nid yn unig ar gyfer heddiw, ond ar gyfer y dyfodol, fel pan fyddwn ni'n gwneud i'r môr Celtaidd weithio, yn y ffordd a ddywedodd Sam Kurtz yn ei gwestiwn gwreiddiol, y bydd y seilwaith yno i fanteisio ar yr ynni a fydd yn cael ei gynhyrchu.
2. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am yr effaith bydd trosglwyddo i drefn newydd y DU ar gyfer rheoli cymhorthdaliadau yn ei chael ar Gymru? OQ58972
2. Will the First Minister make a statement on the impact on Wales of the recent transition to the new UK subsidy control regime? OQ58972
Llywydd, the UK subsidy regime is not the regime the Welsh Government would have designed, nor was it one supported by this Senedd. We will work, however, with public authorities to equip staff to understand and utilise the new regime, mitigating its many imperfections.
Llywydd, nid trefn cymorthdaliadau'r DU yw'r drefn y byddai Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i dylunio, ac nid yw chwaith yn un a gefnogwyd gan y Senedd hon. Fodd bynnag, byddwn yn gweithio gydag awdurdodau cyhoeddus i baratoi staff i ddeall a defnyddio'r drefn newydd, gan liniaru ei agweddau amherffaith niferus.
Thank you, First Minister. I recently met with a business within my region who are developing technologies that will have a profound impact on helping to reverse the effects of climate change and are in the process of applying for Welsh Government funding, but it seems like the whole process is taking considerable time and much longer than previous applications, which is having a detrimental impact on their forward planning. I'm conscious that you cannot discuss individual applications, but I'm wondering if the delay in the application process is due to a cut in funding, and, in which case, what levels of funding are now available and what will be the ratio of grant to loan in those settlements? Or, if the delay is due to the transition to the new UK subsidy control regime and single-year settlements, what is the Welsh Government doing to smooth the transition to the new system? Thank you.
Diolch. Cefais gyfarfod â busnes yn fy rhanbarth yn ddiweddar sy'n datblygu technolegau a fydd yn cael effaith ddofn ar helpu i wrthdroi effeithiau'r newid yn yr hinsawdd ac sydd wrthi'n gwneud cais am gyllid Llywodraeth Cymru, ond mae'n ymddangos fel bod yr holl broses yn cymryd cryn amser a llawer hirach na cheisiadau blaenorol, sy'n cael effaith niweidiol ar eu blaengynllunio. Rwy'n ymwybodol na allwch chi drafod ceisiadau unigol, ond tybed a yw'r oedi yn y broses ymgeisio yn deillio o doriad i gyllid, ac os felly, pa lefelau o gyllid sydd ar gael erbyn hyn a beth fydd y gymhareb grant i fenthyciad yn y setliadau hynny? Neu, os yw'r oedi oherwydd y trosglwyddiad i drefn newydd rheoli cymorthdaliadau'r DU a setliadau un flwyddyn, beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i liniaru'r newid i'r system newydd? Diolch.
Llywydd, the new subsidy regime is already in force; it came into force on 5 January. I'm obviously not aware of the details of the individual case that Joel James mentions, but I would not be surprised to find that the new complexities of the subsidy regime are playing their part in any delays because, for the very first time, the system, by introducing intra-UK subsidies within the focus of the law, introduced new legal risks into the subsidy process. Two rival companies on the same high street can, for the first time, ask for a judicial review of every single subsidy that their neighbours may have negotiated. Inevitably, that makes those organisations responsible for providing subsidies more cautious in making those decisions, because the legal risks involved in making any award have been increased by the new subsidy control regime. So, if that does lie near the heart of the delay that Joel James mentioned, it doesn't surprise me, and it is inevitable that those members of staff in public authorities responsible for making those decisions will be having to become familiar with the new regime and, in the early days, are likely to take longer in making those decisions. But, in the longer run, there are new risks in the subsidy control arrangements, and they will be risks that will particularly fall hard on us here in Wales.
Llywydd, mae'r drefn cymorthdaliadau newydd eisoes yn weithredol; daeth i rym ar 5 Ionawr. Yn amlwg, nid wyf i'n ymwybodol o fanylion yr achos unigol y mae Joel James yn ei grybwyll, ond ni fyddwn yn synnu o ddarganfod bod cymhlethdodau newydd y drefn cymorthdaliadau yn chwarae eu rhan mewn unrhyw oedi oherwydd, am y tro cyntaf erioed, cyflwynodd y system, trwy gyflwyno cymorthdaliadau o fewn y DU o fewn canolbwynt y gyfraith, risgiau cyfreithiol newydd i'r broses cymorthdaliadau. Gall dau gwmni sy'n cystadlu ar yr un stryd fawr, am y tro cyntaf, ofyn am adolygiad barnwrol o bob un cymhorthdal y gallai eu cymdogion fod wedi ei sicrhau. Yn anochel, mae hynny'n gwneud y sefydliadau hynny sy'n gyfrifol am ddarparu cymorthdaliadau yn fwy gofalus wrth wneud y penderfyniadau hynny, gan fod y risgiau cyfreithiol sy'n gysylltiedig â gwneud unrhyw ddyfarniad wedi cynyddu gan y drefn rheoli cymorthdaliadau newydd. Felly, os yw hynny yn agos at wraidd yr oedi y soniodd Joel James amdano, nid yw'n fy synnu, ac mae'n anochel y bydd yr aelodau hynny o staff mewn awdurdodau cyhoeddus sy'n gyfrifol am wneud y penderfyniadau hynny yn gorfod dod yn gyfarwydd â'r drefn newydd ac, yn y dyddiau cynnar, yn debygol o gymryd mwy o amser yn gwneud y penderfyniadau hynny. Ond, yn y tymor hwy, ceir risgiau newydd yn y trefniadau rheoli cymorthdaliadau, a byddan nhw'n risgiau a fydd yn ein taro ni'n arbennig o galed yma yng Nghymru.
That's no surprise, is it, First Minister, that something created by this UK Government will adversely affect Wales? The Scots have learnt this week about the UK Government's disregard for democracy. What we have understood is that we have a chaotic subsidy control regime introduced post Brexit, when the reality of taking back control was not to give control to the people of Wales, to the communities of Wales, to enable the businesses of Wales to flourish, but to take back control to a few Ministers in London, their cronies in the House of Lords and all their party donors. That's the reality of 'take back control', and the people of Wales and Joel's constituents are suffering as a consequence of it.
Nid yw hynny'n ddim syndod, onid yw, Prif Weinidog, y bydd rhywbeth a grëwyd gan Lywodraeth y DU hon yn cael effaith niweidiol ar Gymru? Mae'r Albanwyr wedi dysgu'r wythnos hon am ddiystyriaeth Llywodraeth y DU o ddemocratiaeth. Yr hyn yr ydym ni wedi ei ddeall yw bod gennym ni drefn rheoli cymorthdaliadau anhrefnus a gyflwynwyd ar ôl Brexit, pan nid realiti cymryd rheolaeth yn ôl oedd rhoi rheolaeth i bobl Cymru, i gymunedau Cymru, i alluogi busnesau Cymru i ffynnu, ond i gymryd rheolaeth yn ôl i ychydig o Weinidogion yn Llundain, eu ffrindiau yn Nhŷ'r Arglwyddi a'r holl roddwyr i'w plaid. Dyna realiti 'cymryd rheolaeth yn ôl', ac mae pobl Cymru ac etholwyr Joel yn dioddef o'i herwydd.
Alun Davies makes a number of very powerful points there. I should remind Members of the Senedd that, of course, this Senedd denied legislative consent to the UK Bill on 1 March last year, and then the Sewel convention was disregarded and the lack of consent from this Parliament was simply ignored by the UK Government that went ahead and imposed this solution on us anyway. Here are just two ways, Llywydd, in which the new system acts against the interest of Wales. First of all, it removes any sense of assisted areas from the subsidy regime. Indeed, the first draft of the Bill referred to the levelling-up principles of the UK Government. That was abandoned by the time the Bill reached the statute book. So, as my colleague Rebecca Evans said in her letter to the UK Government before our consent motion was debated, the Bill puts Mayfair and Merthyr on exactly the same basis when it comes to providing subsidies. That simply means that those with the deepest pockets will use that advantage to make themselves even more advantaged, while those with the least will end up with the greatest struggle.
And here is just a second example, Llywydd. The UK Government insisted that agriculture and fisheries should be brought within the scope of this Bill. They never were, while we were members of the European Union; they were dealt with separately. We asked the UK Government what the evidence was for bringing agriculture and fisheries within scope. They said to us that it was to be found in the responses to consultation. We asked them where the responses to consultation were to be found. We were told that they hadn't been published. We asked if we could see the responses that justified this inclusion, and we were told that, no, we couldn't. So, here we are. We have a major change, which has, I think, real implications for Welsh agriculture, because the system is based on seven principles, the third of those is that any subsidy must be designed to bring about a change of economic behaviour of the beneficiary. Where single farm payments fit into that, I really do not know. But we can't know, because the whole basis on which the UK Government decided to make this major change was unexplained by them, and the evidence that they pointed to was never made available to us.
Mae Alun Davies yn gwneud nifer o bwyntiau grymus iawn yn y fan yna. Dylwn atgoffa Aelodau'r Senedd bod y Senedd hon, wrth gwrs, wedi gwadu caniatâd deddfwriaethol i Fil y DU ar 1 Mawrth y llynedd, ac yna diystyrwyd confensiwn Sewel ac anwybyddwyd diffyg cydsyniad y Senedd hon gan Lywodraeth y DU a aeth ymlaen a gorfodi'r ateb hwn arnom ni beth bynnag. Dyma ddwy ffordd yn unig, Llywydd, y mae'r system newydd yn gweithredu yn groes i fuddiannau Cymru. Yn gyntaf oll, mae'n cael gwared ar unrhyw synnwyr o ardaloedd â chymorth o'r drefn gymorthdaliadau. Yn wir, cyfeiriodd drafft cyntaf y Bil at egwyddorion ffyniant bro Llywodraeth y DU. Cefnwyd ar hynny erbyn i'r Bil gyrraedd y llyfr statud. Felly, fel y dywedodd fy nghyd-Weinidog, Rebecca Evans yn ei llythyr at Lywodraeth y DU cyn i'n cynnig cydsyniad gael ei drafod, mae'r Bil yn rhoi Mayfair a Merthyr ar yr un sail yn union pan ddaw i ddarparu cymorthdaliadau. Mae hynny'n golygu'n syml y bydd y rhai sydd â'r pocedi dyfnaf yn defnyddio'r fantais honno i wneud eu hunain hyd yn oed yn fwy breintiedig, tra bydd y rhai sydd â'r lleiaf yn wynebu'r anawsterau mwyaf.
A dyma ail enghraifft yn unig, Llywydd. Mynnodd Llywodraeth y DU y dylai amaethyddiaeth a physgodfeydd gael eu cynnwys o fewn cwmpas y Bil hwn. Doedden nhw erioed, tra oedden ni'n aelodau o'r Undeb Ewropeaidd; ymdriniwyd â nhw ar wahân. Fe wnaethon ni ofyn i Lywodraeth y DU beth oedd y dystiolaeth ar gyfer cynnwys amaethyddiaeth a physgodfeydd o fewn y cwmpas. Fe'n hysbyswyd ganddyn nhw ei fod i'w weld yn yr ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad. Fe wnaethon ni ofyn iddyn nhw ble gellid dod o hyd i'r ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad. Fe'n hysbyswyd nad oedden nhw wedi cael eu cyhoeddi. Fe wnaethon ni ofyn a allem ni weld yr ymatebion a oedd yn cyfiawnhau'r cam hwn, ac fe'n hysbyswyd, na, allen ni ddim. Felly, dyma ni. Mae gennym ni newid mawr, sydd, yn fy marn i, â goblygiadau gwirioneddol i amaethyddiaeth yng Nghymru, gan fod y system yn seiliedig ar saith egwyddor, a'r trydydd o'r rheini yw bod yn rhaid dylunio unrhyw gymhorthdal i sicrhau newid i ymddygiad economaidd y buddiolwr. Lle mae taliadau sengl yn ffitio i mewn i hynny, wn i ddim yn wir. Ond allwn ni ddim gwybod, oherwydd ni esboniwyd yr holl sail y penderfynodd Llywodraeth y DU wneud y newid mawr hwn arni ganddyn nhw, ac ni chafodd y dystiolaeth y gwnaethon nhw gyfeirio ati erioed gael ei gwneud ar gael i ni.
Cwestiynau nawr gan arweinwyr y pleidiau. Arweinydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Andrew R.T. Davies.
Questions now from party leaders. Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew R.T. Davies
Thank you, Presiding Officer. First Minister, last week, regrettably, Wizz Air chose to leave Cardiff Airport. To date, the Welsh Government have invested or made available to the airport £225 million—nearly £0.25 billion. You are the owners of the airport, albeit you have set up an arm's-length company to operate the airport. Do you believe that £225 million is money well spent?
Diolch, Llywydd. Prif Weinidog, yr wythnos diwethaf, yn anffodus, dewisodd Wizz Air adael Maes Awyr Caerdydd. Hyd yma, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi buddsoddi neu sicrhau bod £225 miliwn ar gael i'r maes awyr—bron i £0.25 biliwn. Chi yw perchnogion y maes awyr, er eich bod chi wedi sefydlu cwmni hyd braich i weithredu'r maes awyr. A ydych chi'n credu bod £225 miliwn yn arian a wariwyd yn dda?
Llywydd, I have always believed that a regional airport is an essential part of the economic infrastructure of any part of the United Kingdom that seeks to support the modern conditions under which the economy must operate. The private sector was unable to do that. It was right that the public purse stepped in. It's an investment in the future of the Welsh economy, and one that this Government was pleased to make.
Llywydd, rwyf i wedi credu erioed bod maes awyr rhanbarthol yn rhan hanfodol o seilwaith economaidd unrhyw ran o'r Deyrnas Unedig sy'n ceisio cefnogi'r amodau modern y mae'n rhaid i'r economi weithredu oddi ynddyn nhw. Nid oedd y sector preifat yn gallu gwneud hynny. Roedd hi'n iawn i bwrs y wlad gamu i'r adwy. Mae'n fuddsoddiad yn nyfodol economi Cymru, ac yn un yr oedd y Llywodraeth hon yn falch o'i wneud.
First Minister, after £0.25 billion, the airport sadly has fewer passengers now than it has had for a very long time. Yes, COVID intervened to obviously affect all airports, but if you take Bristol Airport, it has seen a 22 per cent decline in its passenger numbers but still handles close to 7 million passengers. If you take Birmingham Airport, another competitor, they have seen a 33 per cent decline, and still handle 8.5 million passengers. It is a fact that no airport that I can find has had such a generosity of Government money made available to it—£0.25 billion—and had such poor outcomes achieved. What are the new plans available to make sure that that £225 million is protected, and that, ultimately, you can resurrect the airport, because I think the taxpayer, in fairness, deserves to know is this a bad investment that is going to continue to go wrong, or do you have a long-term plan that can resurrect Cardiff Airport, which, obviously, you acquired back in 2013?
Prif Weinidog, ar ôl £0.25 biliwn, yn anffodus mae gan y maes awyr lai o deithwyr nawr nag y bu ganddo ers amser maith. Do, ymyrrodd COVID i effeithio ar bob maes awyr, yn amlwg, ond os cymerwch chi Faes Awyr Bryste, cafwyd gostyngiad o 22 y cant yn nifer ei deithwyr ond mae'n dal i ymdrin ag yn agos at 7 miliwn o deithwyr. Os cymerwch chi Faes Awyr Birmingham, cystadleuydd arall, cafwyd gostyngiad o 33 y cant yno, ac mae'n dal i ymdrin ag 8.5 miliwn o deithwyr. Mae'n ffaith nad oes unrhyw faes awyr y gallaf ddod o hyd iddo wedi cael y fath haelioni sef bod arian Llywodraeth ar gael iddo—£0.25 biliwn—ac wedi cael canlyniadau mor wael. Beth yw'r cynlluniau newydd sydd ar gael i wneud yn siŵr bod £225 miliwn yn cael ei ddiogelu, ac y gallwch chi atgyfodi'r maes awyr yn y pen draw, oherwydd rwy'n meddwl bod y trethdalwr, er tegwch, yn haeddu gwybod a yw hwn yn fuddsoddiad gwael sy'n mynd i barhau i fynd o'i le, neu a oes gennych chi gynllun hirdymor a all atgyfodi Maes Awyr Caerdydd, a gaffaelwyd gennych, yn amlwg, yn ôl yn 2013?
Well, Llywydd, the Welsh Conservative Party has never supported the airport. It has always done its best to talk down its chances of success. They never like to face up to their own responsibilities, Llywydd. Time after time after time on the floor of the Senedd, I have heard Conservative spokespeople here complain about the airport, suggest that it shouldn't have been taken into public ownership, and generally undermine the airport's prospects of success. The Member will know that figures from the Civil Aviation Authority showed that passenger growth at Cardiff Airport had increased by more than 50 per cent in March 2020, the month in which COVID hit us all, and that growth had happened since the Welsh Government purchased Cardiff Airport—strong growth, and a path that the airport was on, clearly, towards future profitability. Indeed, it had made a profit in that year.
Now, since the pandemic, of course the airport faces a much more difficult future. Demand for air travel has fallen across the world. It has not recovered, and the downturn in the UK economy means that industry experts are now predicting that this coming year will be a year in which air travel recovers more slowly in the United Kingdom than it will elsewhere. But, the rescue and recovery package that we have put in place with the airport, with those who are responsible for its future, is absolutely designed to make Cardiff Airport self-sustainable and profitable for the future. And when I hear Members shout, 'never' to that, that's exactly the sort of remark I meant when I said that, whenever we talk about a successful future for the airport here, Conservative Members intervene to cast doubt on its ability to be a successful part of the Welsh economy.
Wel, Llywydd, nid yw'r Blaid Geidwadol Gymreig erioed wedi cefnogi'r maes awyr. Mae wedi gwneud ei gorau erioed i fychanu ei siawns o lwyddo. Nid ydyn nhw byth yn hoffi wynebu eu cyfrifoldebau eu hunain, Llywydd. Dro ar ôl tro ar ôl tro ar lawr y Senedd, rwyf i wedi clywed llefarwyr y Ceidwadwyr yma yn cwyno am y maes awyr, yn awgrymu na ddylid fod wedi ei gymryd i berchnogaeth gyhoeddus, ac yn tanseilio rhagolygon y maes awyr o lwyddiant yn gyffredinol. Bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod bod ffigurau gan yr Awdurdod Hedfan Sifil yn dangos bod twf teithwyr ym Maes Awyr Caerdydd wedi cynyddu dros 50 y cant ym mis Mawrth 2020, sef y mis pan darodd COVID bob un ohonom ni, a bod y twf hwnnw wedi digwydd ers i Lywodraeth Cymru brynu Maes Awyr Caerdydd—twf cryf, a thrywydd yr oedd y maes awyr arno, yn amlwg, tuag at wneud elw yn y dyfodol. Yn wir, roedd wedi gwneud elw yn y flwyddyn honno.
Nawr, ers y pandemig, wrth gwrs mae'r maes awyr yn wynebu dyfodol llawer mwy anodd. Mae'r galw am deithiau awyr wedi gostwng ar draws y byd. Nid yw wedi gwella, ac mae'r dirywiad yn economi'r DU yn golygu bod arbenigwyr y diwydiant bellach yn rhagweld y bydd y flwyddyn nesaf hon yn flwyddyn pan fydd teithio awyr yn gwella'n arafach yn y Deyrnas Unedig nag y bydd mewn mannau eraill. Ond, mae'r pecyn achub ac adfer yr ydym ni wedi ei roi ar waith gyda'r maes awyr, gyda'r rhai sy'n gyfrifol am ei ddyfodol, wedi'i gynllunio'n bendant i wneud Maes Awyr Caerdydd yn hunan-gynaliadwy ac yn broffidiol ar gyfer y dyfodol. A phan glywaf Aelodau'n gweiddi, 'byth' i hynny, dyna'r union fath o sylw yr oeddwn i'n ei olygu pan ddywedais i, pryd bynnag y byddwn ni'n sôn am ddyfodol llwyddiannus i'r maes awyr yma, bod Aelodau Ceidwadol yn ymyrryd i fwrw amheuaeth ar ei allu i fod yn rhan lwyddiannus o economi Cymru.
First Minister, it is our job, when £0.25 billion has been spent on a project by the Welsh Government, to ask the questions that deserve the answers. We have brought two blueprints forward for a successful airport: once when it was purchased back in 2013 and in 2019. Most people would say that £225 million deserves some sort of dividend back and some sort of profitable enterprise. To date, the airport, under your ownership, has not turned in a profit. I can hear the Deputy Minister chuntering away there, but instead of chuntering away in this Chamber, he might be better off putting his efforts into trying to turn Cardiff Airport around so that we do have a successful airport. I gave you the figures about Bristol and Birmingham, which are the two closest airports that are rival airports. Cardiff's passenger numbers have dropped by in excess of 50 per cent because of COVID.
What people generally want to know is: do you have a plan to make it profitable and successful, which is what we on this side of the Chamber want to see, or will it require more money, which will be diverted from health, education and the other priorities that the Welsh electorate reasonably expect the Government to spend the money on? So, do you have a plan and can you outline it today to this Chamber—how you're going to turn Cardiff Airport around to get passengers going through the terminal and flights taking off? Because if I look at the accounts on Companies House, I cannot even find the up-to-date accounts because they haven't been filed yet. You're the owners; when are we going to be able to see the accounts, First Minister?
Prif Weinidog, ein cyfrifoldeb ni, pan fo £0.25 biliwn wedi ei wario ar brosiect gan Lywodraeth Cymru, yw gofyn y cwestiynau sy'n haeddu'r atebion. Rydyn ni wedi cyflwyno dau lasbrint ar gyfer maes awyr llwyddiannus: unwaith pan gafodd ei brynu yn ôl yn 2013 ac yn 2019. Byddai'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn dweud bod £225 miliwn yn haeddu rhyw fath o ddifidend yn ôl a rhyw fath o fenter broffidiol. Hyd yn hyn, nid yw'r maes awyr, o dan eich perchnogaeth chi, wedi gwneud elw. Gallaf glywed y Dirprwy Weinidog yn grwgnach yn y fan yna, ond yn hytrach na grwgnach yn y Siambr hon, efallai y byddai'n well iddo gyfeirio ei ymdrechion at geisio troi Maes Awyr Caerdydd o gwmpas fel bod gennym ni faes awyr llwyddiannus. Rhoddais y ffigurau i chi am Fryste a Birmingham, sef y ddau faes awyr agosaf sy'n feysydd awyr cystadleuol. Mae nifer y teithwyr yng Nghaerdydd wedi gostwng dros 50 y cant oherwydd COVID.
Yr hyn y mae pobl eisiau ei wybod yn gyffredinol yw: a oes gennych chi gynllun i'w wneud yn broffidiol ac yn llwyddiannus, sef yr hyn yr ydym ni ar yr ochr hon i'r Siambr eisiau ei weld, neu a fydd angen mwy o arian arno, a fydd yn cael ei ddargyfeirio oddi wrth iechyd, addysg a'r blaenoriaethau eraill y mae etholwyr Cymru yn disgwyl yn rhesymol i'r Llywodraeth wario'r arian arnyn nhw? Felly, a oes gennych chi gynllun ac a allwch chi ei amlinellu heddiw i'r Siambr hon—sut yr ydych chi'n mynd i droi Maes Awyr Caerdydd o gwmpas i gael teithwyr drwy'r derfynfa ac awyrennau'n hedfan? Oherwydd os edrychaf i ar y cyfrifon ar Dŷ'r Cwmnïau, ni allaf hyd yn oed ddod o hyd i'r cyfrifon cyfredol gan nad ydyn nhw wedi cael eu ffeilio eto. Chi yw'r perchnogion; pryd ydym ni'n mynd i allu gweld y cyfrifon, Prif Weinidog?
Well, you'll see the accounts in March, when they are always published. They will be published in March 2023. They are published every—. The fact that the Member isn't able to find them is not my problem. [Laughter.] He needs to employ people to do his research for him in that case. I just tell the Chamber this, Llywydd: the airport publishes accounts every year. They will be published in March of this year, and the Member, if he's able to, will be able to locate them as a result. I said in my second answer, Llywydd, that there is a rescue and recovery plan in place. It's published, it's available for Members to see.
I'll just end with this point to the Member, that, when this Senedd sought the devolution of air passenger duty, something that is available—[Interruption.] You supported it, but your Government didn't support it, did it? Your Government refused that request because of its wish to protect Bristol Airport. If there was a level playing field at the UK Government, then we would see different results.
Wel, byddwch chi'n gweld y cyfrifon ym mis Mawrth, pan fyddan nhw bob amser yn cael eu cyhoeddi. Byddan nhw'n cael eu cyhoeddi ym mis Mawrth 2023. Maen nhw'n cael eu cyhoeddi bob—. Nid fy mhroblem i yw'r ffaith nad yw'r Aelod yn gallu dod o hyd iddyn nhw. [Chwerthin.] Mae angen iddo gyflogi pobl i wneud ei waith ymchwil iddo felly. Dywedaf hyn wrth y Siambr, Llywydd: mae'r maes awyr yn cyhoeddi cyfrifon bob blwyddyn. Byddan nhw'n cael eu cyhoeddi ym mis Mawrth eleni, a bydd yr Aelod, os yw'n gallu, yn gallu dod o hyd iddyn nhw o ganlyniad. Dywedais yn fy ail ateb, Llywydd, bod cynllun achub ac adfer ar waith. Mae wedi'i gyhoeddi, mae ar gael i Aelodau ei weld.
Fe wnaf orffen gyda'r pwynt hwn i'r Aelod, pan geisiodd y Senedd hon ddatganoli'r doll teithwyr awyr, rhywbeth sydd ar gael—[Torri ar draws.] Fe wnaethoch chi ei gefnogi, ond ni wnaeth eich Llywodraeth ei gefnogi, naddo? Gwrthododd eich Llywodraeth y cais hwnnw oherwydd ei dymuniad i amddiffyn Maes Awyr Bryste. Pe bai chwarae teg yn Llywodraeth y DU, yna byddem ni'n gweld canlyniadau gwahanol.
Arweinydd Plaid Cymru nesaf i ofyn cwestiynau. Adam Price.
The leader of Plaid Cymru next to ask questions. Adam Price.
Diolch, Llywydd. With the news of the teachers' strike on 1 February and the failure of the talks with the health unions last week, public sector strikes in Wales are widening and deepening. What's the strategy of the Government, First Minister, to prevent this winter of discontent continuing on into spring and into summer? Is it your policy that you're going to offer the one-off payment that you referred to in the case of the NHS workforce to the teaching workforce, for example? But, even if you are, then would you not accept that that doesn't get to grips with the central point about this public pay dispute, that as far as the public service unions are concerned, it comes after a decade of erosion of real-terms pay? And are you prepared to acknowledge, in the case of both the health and the teaching unions, that the recommendations of the pay review body relate to evidence taken in late 2021, early 2022, before the Russian-Ukraine war when inflation was about 4 per cent? By the time you accepted the recommendations, the cost of living was already nearing 10 per cent, so is there not a case, First Minister, for asking the pay bodies to revisit their work, and for you as a Government to agree to abide by any higher award if they were to do so on that basis?
Diolch, Llywydd. Gyda'r newyddion am streic yr athrawon ar 1 Chwefror a methiant y trafodaethau gyda'r undebau iechyd yr wythnos diwethaf, mae streiciau'r sector cyhoeddus yng Nghymru yn lledu ac yn dyfnhau. Beth yw strategaeth y Llywodraeth, Prif Weinidog, i atal y gaeaf hwn o anfodlonrwydd rhag parhau i'r gwanwyn ac i'r haf? Ai eich polisi yw eich bod chi'n mynd i gynnig y taliad untro y gwnaethoch chi gyfeirio ato yn achos gweithlu'r GIG i'r gweithlu addysgu, er enghraifft? Ond, hyd yn oed os ydych chi, yna oni fyddech chi'n derbyn nad yw hynny'n mynd i'r afael â'r pwynt canolog am yr anghydfod cyflog cyhoeddus hwn, sef cyn belled ag y bo undebau'r gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn y cwestiwn, ei fod yn dod ar ôl degawd o erydu tâl mewn termau real? Ac ydych chi'n barod i gydnabod, yn achos yr undebau iechyd ac athrawon, bod argymhellion y corff adolygu cyflogau yn ymwneud â thystiolaeth a dderbyniwyd ddiwedd 2021, dechrau 2022, cyn rhyfel Rwsia-Wcráin pan oedd chwyddiant tua 4 y cant? Erbyn i chi dderbyn yr argymhellion, roedd costau byw eisoes yn agosáu at 10 y cant, felly onid oes dadl, Prif Weinidog, dros ofyn i'r cyrff cyflogau ailystyried eu gwaith, ac i chi fel Llywodraeth gytuno i gyd-fynd ag unrhyw ddyfarniad uwch pe baen nhw'n gwneud hynny ar y sail honno?
Llywydd, first of all, on this, we absolutely recognise the impact that a decade of austerity has had on the pay packets of public sector workers. They are paid less in real terms today than they were 10 years ago, and the impact of inflation has amplified that impact in the lives of families in many parts of Wales. So, of course we understand why people who have never been on strike before feel compelled to take that action.
In the discussions that we had with our trade union colleagues in the health field—and by the way, I don’t accept the leader of Plaid Cymru’s characterisation of those talks as having failed—but in those talks, we put three different aspects on the table for discussion. One of those was how we could act together to re-inject confidence in the pay review process. Now, amongst the ideas that we would be prepared to put on the table would be to see how, in future, trigger points could be built in to the pay review process, so that, if events happened beyond the determination that need to reopen the determination, there would be an agreed path that everybody would understand to make that happen. Whether it is possible to do that retrospectively to the pay review body’s operation for the last financial year, I’m not so sure, but putting new life and new confidence into the process I think is a very important point, and I think the leader of Plaid Cymru’s right to make it.
Llywydd, yn gyntaf oll, ar hyn, rydym ni'n llwyr gydnabod yr effaith y mae degawd o gyni cyllidol wedi ei chael ar becynnau cyflog gweithwyr yn y sector cyhoeddus. Maen nhw'n cael llai o dâl mewn termau real heddiw nag yr oedden nhw 10 mlynedd yn ôl, ac mae effaith chwyddiant wedi cynyddu'r effaith honno ym mywydau teuluoedd mewn sawl rhan o Gymru. Felly, wrth gwrs rydyn ni'n deall pam mae pobl sydd erioed wedi bod ar streic o'r blaen yn teimlo rheidrwydd i gymryd y cam hwnnw.
Yn y trafodaethau a gawsom gyda'n cydweithwyr yn yr undebau llafur ym maes iechyd—a gyda llaw, nid wyf i'n derbyn portread arweinydd Plaid Cymru o'r trafodaethau hynny fel rhai sydd wedi methu—ond yn y trafodaethau hynny, fe wnaethon ni roi tair gwahanol agwedd ar y bwrdd i'w trafod. Un o'r rheini oedd sut y gallem weithredu gyda'n gilydd i ailgyflwyno hyder yn y broses adolygu cyflogau. Nawr, ymhlith y syniadau y bydden ni'n barod i'w rhoi ar y bwrdd fyddai gweld sut, yn y dyfodol, y gellid ymgorffori sbardunau yn y broses adolygu cyflogau, fel pe bai digwyddiadau'n digwydd y tu hwnt i'r penderfyniad sy'n golygu bod angen ailagor y penderfyniad, y byddai llwybr cytûn y byddai pawb yn ei ddeall i wneud i hynny ddigwydd. Pa un a yw'n bosibl gwneud hynny'n ôl-weithredol i weithrediad y corff adolygu cyflogau ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol ddiwethaf, nid wyf i mor siŵr, ond rwy'n credu bod rhoi bywyd newydd a hyder newydd i'r broses yn bwynt pwysig iawn, ac rwy'n credu bod arweinydd Plaid Cymru yn iawn i'w wneud ef.
I would urge him to look at that possibility for this financial year as well. One of the other issues that you did bring to the table, which was welcome, was the role of agency staff. Now, we saw the figures from the Royal College of Physicians that show that the total bill in the last financial year was £260 million. Do you accept the logic of the unions that, offering a significantly higher pay rise would reduce that agency bill? It’s an investment that would pay dividends, whereas at the moment, it’s a perniciously false economy. At the very least, should we not be creating a publicly owned staff agency for the NHS so that we can strip out profit and the exorbitant costs of private sector agencies? The last Labour Government in Westminster did this through the creation of NHS Professionals, a publicly owned national staff bank owned by the Department of Health, which reinvests surpluses back in the NHS. Couldn’t we combine that with the judicious use of milestones for capping and reducing the use of private agencies over time as part of a national workforce plan, which gets to grip with the longer term crisis of retention and recruitment that I referred to?
Byddwn yn ei annog i edrych ar y posibilrwydd hwnnw ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol hon hefyd. Un o'r materion eraill y gwnaethoch chi eu rhoi ar y bwrdd, a oedd i'w groesawu, oedd swyddogaeth staff asiantaeth. Nawr, gwelsom y ffigurau gan Goleg Brenhinol y Meddygon sy'n dangos mai £260 miliwn oedd cyfanswm y bil yn y flwyddyn ariannol ddiwethaf. A ydych chi'n derbyn rhesymeg yr undebau y byddai cynnig codiad cyflog sylweddol uwch yn lleihau'r bil asiantaeth hwnnw? Mae'n fuddsoddiad a fyddai'n talu ar ei ganfed, ond ar hyn o bryd, mae'n arbediad di-sail niweidiol. Oni ddylem, o leiaf, fod yn creu asiantaeth staff sy'n eiddo cyhoeddus ar gyfer y GIG fel y gallwn ni gael gwared ar elw a chostau afresymol asiantaethau sector preifat? Gwnaeth y Llywodraeth Lafur ddiwethaf yn San Steffan hyn drwy greu NHS Professionals, cronfa staff genedlaethol sy'n eiddo i'r cyhoedd o dan yr Adran Iechyd, sy'n ailfuddsoddi arian dros ben yn ôl yn y GIG. Oni allem ni gyfuno hwnnw gyda'r defnydd doeth o gerrig milltir ar gyfer capio a lleihau'r defnydd o asiantaethau preifat dros amser yn rhan o gynllun gweithlu cenedlaethol, sy'n mynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng tymor hwy o gadw a recriwtio y cyfeiriais ato?
Llywydd, the first thing I want to do is to pay tribute to the work of agency staff. I’m worried about the tone of some of this debate that suggests that, somehow, agency staff are the problem in the NHS. The NHS absolutely depends upon agency staff. So, I’m not saying that the leader of Plaid Cymru did it, but I do hear in the wider debate some sort of sense that agency staff are somehow to blame, and actually, we depend on agency staff all the time. We wish to depend on fewer agency staff in the future—that is common ground. We put that on the table in the discussions with our health union colleagues last week.
It is not as simple as saying that there is £260 million to be saved; a great deal of that would be paid for people who would be in work on a non-agency basis. There is some increment that you can squeeze out of that sum, and that is an important thing for us to try to do. The bank system is a publicly provided way in which people can work on shifts where they would not normally be employed, and there may be, in the discussions we’ll have with our trade unions colleagues, more that we can do in that area. There will always be a role for agency workers to cover short-term absences, when we know that, sometimes, people will be away for training and other things, and if we didn't have them—if we didn't have them—the system would be under an even greater pressure than it is today.
Llywydd, y peth cyntaf yr wyf i eisiau ei wneud yw talu teyrnged i waith staff asiantaeth. Rwy'n poeni am gywair rhywfaint o'r drafodaeth hon sy'n awgrymu, rywsut, mai staff asiantaeth yw'r broblem yn y GIG. Mae'r GIG yn dibynnu'n llwyr ar staff asiantaeth. Felly, nid wyf i'n dweud bod arweinydd Plaid Cymru wedi ei wneud, ond rwy'n clywed yn y drafodaeth ehangach rhyw fath o synnwyr fod staff asiantaeth rywsut ar fai, ac mewn gwirionedd, rydyn ni'n dibynnu ar staff asiantaeth drwy'r amser. Rydyn ni'n dymuno dibynnu ar lai o staff asiantaeth yn y dyfodol—mae hwnnw'n dir cyffredin. Fe wnaethom roi hynny ar y bwrdd yn y trafodaethau gyda'n cydweithwyr yn yr undebau iechyd yr wythnos diwethaf.
Nid yw mor syml â dweud bod £260 miliwn i'w arbed; byddai llawer iawn o hynny yn cael ei dalu am bobl a fyddai mewn gwaith heb fod drwy asiantaeth. Ceir rhywfaint o gynyddran y gallwch chi ei wasgu allan o'r swm hwnnw, ac mae hynny'n beth pwysig i ni geisio ei wneud. Mae'r system gronfa yn ffordd a ddarperir yn gyhoeddus lle gall pobl weithio ar shifftiau pryd na fydden nhw'n cael eu cyflogi fel rheol, ac efallai, yn y trafodaethau y byddwn ni'n eu cael gyda'n cydweithwyr yn yr undebau llafur, y bydd mwy y gallwn ni ei wneud yn y maes hwnnw. Bydd swyddogaeth bob amser i weithwyr asiantaeth weithio yn ystod absenoldebau byrdymor, pan fyddwn ni'n gwybod, weithiau, y bydd pobl i ffwrdd ar gyfer hyfforddiant a phethau eraill, a phe na bai gennym ni nhw—pe na bai gennym ni nhw—byddai'r system o dan fwy fyth o bwysau nag y mae heddiw.
But the point is, First Minister, that that agency doesn't have to be within the private sector, does it, it could be within the public sector.
Now, could I turn to another matter that has already been referred to, the UK Government's veto over the gender recognition reform Bill in Scotland? Do you agree with me that this sets a very dangerous precedent, not only in terms of your own Government's aspirations, which we share, to bring forward similar legislation here, but also in terms of devolution more generally and the use of, in our case, section 114, I believe, in the Government of Wales Act 2006? If you do share that view, will you be urging Welsh Labour MPs to vote against the Secretary for State for Scotland's Order when it's debated on the floor of the House of Commons? If that parliamentary procedure is unsuccessful, are you prepared to consider, at least, the Welsh Government intervening in the legal action that the Scottish Government has indicated that they intend bringing at the Supreme Court, because of this wider principle, not just in terms of the rights of the trans community, but also in terms of our democracy here? And, as a matter of principle, given that Sir Keir Starmer has said he disagrees with the application of the new rules to 16 and 17-year-olds—against the views, it has to be said, of the Labour Party in Scotland—can you set out what is the position of the Labour Party here in Wales in relation to that matter?
Ond y pwynt yw, Prif Weinidog, nad oes rhaid i'r asiantaeth honno fod yn y sector preifat, nac oes, gallai fod yn y sector cyhoeddus.
Nawr, a gaf i droi at fater arall y cyfeiriwyd ato eisoes, sef feto Llywodraeth y DU ar Fil diwygio cydnabod rhywedd yn yr Alban? A ydych chi'n cytuno â mi bod hyn yn creu cynsail peryglus iawn, nid yn unig o ran dyheadau eich Llywodraeth chi, yr ydym ni'n eu rhannu, i gyflwyno deddfwriaeth debyg yma, ond hefyd o ran datganoli yn fwy cyffredinol a'r defnydd o adran 114, yn ein hachos ni, rwy'n credu, yn Neddf Llywodraeth Cymru 2006? Os ydych chi'n rhannu'r farn honno, a fyddwch chi'n annog ASau Llafur Cymru i bleidleisio yn erbyn Gorchymyn Ysgrifennydd Gwladol yr Alban pan fydd yn cael ei drafod ar lawr Tŷ'r Cyffredin? Os bydd y weithdrefn seneddol honno'n aflwyddiannus, a ydych chi'n barod i ystyried, o leiaf, Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymyrryd yn y camau cyfreithiol y mae Llywodraeth yr Alban wedi nodi y mae'n bwriadu eu cymryd yn y Goruchaf Lys, oherwydd yr egwyddor ehangach hon, nid yn unig o ran hawliau'r gymuned draws, ond hefyd o ran ein democratiaeth yma? Ac, fel mater o egwyddor, o gofio bod Syr Keir Starmer wedi dweud ei fod yn anghytuno â gwneud y rheolau newydd yn berthnasol i bobl ifanc 16 ac 17 oed—yn groes, mae'n rhaid dweud, i farn y Blaid Lafur yn yr Alban—a allwch chi nodi beth yw safbwynt y Blaid Lafur yma yng Nghymru o ran y mater hwnnw?
There are a series of questions there, Llywydd, and I'll try and attend to as many as I can. On the biggest question of all, I do agree with the leader of Plaid Cymru; I think the UK Government's decision to use powers that have never been used in the whole history of devolution is a very dangerous moment, and I agree with the First Minister of Scotland that this could be a very slippery slope indeed. The reason why I say that is because, I'm afraid, we have the precedent of what has happened to the Sewel convention in front of us. The Sewel convention was never breached, not once, by Conservative Governments, as well as Labour Governments, for nearly 20 years. Since the first breach of it, we now see, as the Williams and McAllister commission, in their interim report, said, the breach of Sewel becoming almost normalised. I think, by the end of this year, it will have been breached more than 10 times. Now, that just tells you that, once you've done this once, using it again becomes easier, and the second time leads to the third time very rapidly.
That is why I really regret the UK Government's decision to act in this way, but it's part of a wider pattern, Llywydd, of this UK Government. If you find yourself in a different position to somebody else, instead of sitting down, instead of trying to negotiate, instead of trying to find an agreed way forward, you simply use the force you have to overcome them. If you don't like strikers, then you pass a law to stop people striking. If you don't like protesters, you pass a law that criminalises protesters before they've even done anything at all. And if you don't like an Act passed in another Parliament, you use the force you have in your Parliament to overcome what the other Parliament has done. It's a repeated pattern that you see with this Government, and in this instance it quite certainly throws up enormous constitutional ramifications.
Will we associate ourselves with any Supreme Court case? Well, we've shown a willingness to do that in the past. It's premature for me to say how we might be able to do that, given that there isn't a case yet there, but, as the Member will know, we have previously made sure that Welsh interests were represented in the Supreme Court when there were matters of constitutional significance to Wales at stake, and we would certainly be prepared to do that again.
Mae cyfres o gwestiynau yn y fan yna, Llywydd, ac fe wnaf i geisio rhoi sylw i gynifer ag y gallaf. Ar y cwestiwn mwyaf oll, rwy'n cytuno ag arweinydd Plaid Cymru; rwy'n credu bod penderfyniad Llywodraeth y DU i ddefnyddio pwerau sydd erioed wedi cael eu defnyddio yn holl hanes datganoli yn foment beryglus iawn, ac rwy'n cytuno â Phrif Weinidog yr Alban y gallai hwn fod yn llethr llithrig dros ben. Y rheswm pam rwy'n dweud hynny yw oherwydd, mae gen i ofn, bod gennym gynsail sef yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd i gonfensiwn Sewel o'n blaenau. Ni aethpwyd yn groes i gonfensiwn Sewel erioed, nid unwaith, gan Lywodraethau Ceidwadol, yn ogystal â Llywodraethau Llafur, am bron i 20 mlynedd. Ers yr achos cyntaf o fynd yn groes iddo, rydyn ni bellach yn gweld, fel y dywedodd comisiwn Williams a McAllister, yn eu hadroddiad interim, bod mynd yn groes i Sewel bron wedi'i normaleiddio. Rwy'n credu, erbyn diwedd eleni, y bydd 10 o achosion pan aethpwyd yn groes iddo. Nawr, mae hynny'n dweud wrthoch chi, ar ôl i chi wneud hyn unwaith, daw ei ddefnyddio eto'n haws, ac mae'r eildro yn arwain at y trydydd tro yn gyflym iawn.
Dyna pam yr wyf i wir yn gresynu at benderfyniad Llywodraeth y DU i ymddwyn fel hyn, ond mae'n rhan o batrwm ehangach, Llywydd, Llywodraeth hon y DU. Os ydych chi'n cael eich hun mewn sefyllfa wahanol i rywun arall, yn hytrach nag eistedd i lawr, yn hytrach na cheisio trafod, yn hytrach na cheisio dod o hyd i ffordd ymlaen y cytunir arni, y cwbl rydych chi'n ei wneud yw defnyddio'r grym sydd gennych chi i'w goresgyn. Os nad ydych chi'n hoffi streicwyr, yna rydych chi'n pasio deddf i atal pobl rhag streicio. Os nad ydych chi'n hoffi protestwyr, rydych chi'n pasio deddf sy'n gwneud protestwyr yn droseddwyr cyn iddyn nhw hyd yn oed wneud unrhyw beth o gwbl. Ac os nad ydych chi'n hoffi Deddf a basiwyd mewn Senedd arall, rydych chi'n defnyddio'r grym sydd gennych chi yn eich Senedd chi i oresgyn yr hyn y mae'r Senedd arall wedi ei wneud. Mae'n batrwm ailadroddus yr ydych chi'n ei weld gyda'r Llywodraeth hon, ac yn yr achos hwn mae'n eithaf sicr yn creu goblygiadau cyfansoddiadol enfawr.
A wnawn ni gysylltu ein hunain ag unrhyw achos yn y Goruchaf Lys? Wel, rydyn ni wedi dangos parodrwydd i wneud hynny yn y gorffennol. Mae'n rhy gynnar i mi ddweud sut y gallem ni allu gwneud hynny, o gofio nad oes achos yno eto, ond, fel y bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod, rydym ni wedi gwneud yn siŵr o'r blaen bod buddiannau Cymru yn cael eu cynrychioli yn y Goruchaf Lys pan oedd materion o arwyddocâd cyfansoddiadol i Gymru yn y fantol, a bydden ni'n sicr yn barod i wneud hynny eto.
3. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am ddarparu ysbyty cymunedol gogledd sir Ddinbych? OQ58958
3. Will the First Minister make a statement on the delivery of the north Denbighshire community hospital? OQ58958
I thank the Member for that question, Llywydd. Successive Welsh Governments have supported the local health board's ambition to take forward plans for a north Denbighshire community hospital. Escalating costs and falling capital budgets mean that the plan has to be considered in the context of health and social care investments across the whole of north Wales.
Diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn yna, Llywydd. Mae Llywodraethau Cymru olynol wedi cefnogi uchelgais y bwrdd iechyd lleol i fwrw ymlaen â chynlluniau ar gyfer ysbyty cymunedol yng ngogledd sir Ddinbych. Mae costau cynyddol a chyllidebau cyfalaf sy'n lleihau yn golygu bod yn rhaid ystyried y cynllun yng nghyd-destun buddsoddiadau iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol ar draws y gogledd yn gyfan gwbl.
Thank you for that response, First Minister. I want to be the first to acknowledge the fact that the Welsh Government has indeed supported this project historically, and I would like to see this project delivered.
I met just last week with the leader of Denbighshire County Council and, as you will know, one of their key priorities is the delivery of this project, not just because of the impact that it will have on nearby Glan Clwyd Hospital, and the communities that it will serve between Abergele and Prestatyn, but also because of the enormous regeneration impact that this project can have in the town of Rhyl, which, again, has been a focus of the Welsh Government in the past. I appreciate that money is tight. I acknowledge fully that the costs of the project have risen. But, given the importance of this project, given the pressure that's currently out there that the NHS is facing, particularly in north Wales and at Glan Clwyd, can I implore the Welsh Government and for you personally to intervene, to take another look at this project, because I think it is important, for the people of north Denbighshire and beyond, that it is delivered?
Diolch am yr ymateb yna, Prif Weinidog. Hoffwn fod y cyntaf i gydnabod y ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru, yn wir, wedi cefnogi'r prosiect hwn yn hanesyddol, a hoffwn weld y prosiect hwn yn cael ei gyflawni.
Cefais gyfarfod yr wythnos diwethaf gydag arweinydd Cyngor Sir Ddinbych ac, fel y byddwch yn gwybod, un o'u blaenoriaethau allweddol yw cyflawni'r prosiect hwn, nid yn unig oherwydd yr effaith y bydd yn ei chael ar Ysbyty Glan Clwyd cyfagos, a'r cymunedau y bydd yn eu gwasanaethu rhwng Abergele a Phrestatyn, ond hefyd oherwydd yr effaith adfywio enfawr y gall y prosiect hwn ei chael yn nhref y Rhyl, sydd, eto, wedi bod yn bwyslais i Lywodraeth Cymru yn y gorffennol. Rwy'n sylweddoli bod arian yn dynn. Rwy'n cydnabod yn llawn bod costau'r prosiect wedi cynyddu. Ond, o ystyried pwysigrwydd y prosiect hwn, o ystyried y pwysau sy'n bodoli ar hyn o bryd y mae'r GIG yn ei wynebu, yn enwedig yn y gogledd ac yng Nglan Clwyd, a gaf i erfyn ar Lywodraeth Cymru ac arnoch chi'n bersonol i ymyrryd, i gymryd golwg arall ar y prosiect hwn, oherwydd rwy'n credu ei fod yn bwysig, i bobl gogledd sir Ddinbych a thu hwnt, ei fod yn cael ei gyflawni?
Well, Llywydd, I thank Darren Millar for the way in which he put that question and for his recognition of the context within which decisions about the scheme have to be taken. I'm keen to assure him that the Welsh Government continues to be directly engaged in all of this. The health Minister herself met with the health board and the local authority in the run-up to Christmas. That meeting agreed that two pieces of work needed to be carried out. The health board does need to undertake a prioritisation exercise. There are schemes right across the whole of north Wales, and just as the Member has this afternoon, absolutely in line with his responsibilities, spoken up for his community and his constituency, so we receive similar letters and representations on the part of many other schemes across the whole of north Wales. So, the board must decide where its own priorities lie. And secondly, in that meeting, it was also agreed that the whole scheme should be put in front of the regional partnership board, for them to discuss it as well.
Now, the Minister's senior officials wrote yesterday to the health board again, and to the local authority, asking them for an update on those two pieces of work. Because, for the Minister to be able to consider the business case again, that can only happen when we have those two very important pieces of contextual information. But I want to provide an assurance to Darren Millar, Llywydd, that the Minister has been directly involved, remains directly involved, and, as soon as we have those replies, she will be able to consider the whole position once again.
Wel, Llywydd, diolch i Darren Millar am y ffordd y gofynnodd y cwestiwn yna ac am ei gydnabyddiaeth o'r cyd-destun y mae'n rhaid gwneud penderfyniadau ynglŷn â'r cynllun ynddo. Rwy'n awyddus i'w sicrhau bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i ymwneud yn uniongyrchol â hyn i gyd. Cyfarfu'r Gweinidog iechyd ei hun gyda'r bwrdd iechyd a'r awdurdod lleol yn y cyfnod cyn y Nadolig. Cytunodd y cyfarfod hwnnw bod angen cyflawni dau ddarn o waith. Mae angen i'r bwrdd iechyd gynnal ymarfer blaenoriaethu. Ceir cynlluniau ar draws y gogledd i gyd, ac yn union fel y mae'r Aelod y prynhawn yma, yn cyd-fynd yn llwyr â'i gyfrifoldebau, wedi siarad dros ei gymuned a'i etholaeth, felly hefyd yr ydyn ni'n cael llythyrau a sylwadau tebyg ar ran llawer o gynlluniau eraill ar draws y gogledd i gyd. Felly, mae'n rhaid i'r bwrdd benderfynu beth yw ei flaenoriaethau ei hun. Ac yn ail, yn y cyfarfod hwnnw, cytunwyd hefyd y dylid rhoi'r cynllun cyfan gerbron y bwrdd partneriaeth rhanbarthol, iddyn nhw ei drafod hefyd.
Nawr, ysgrifennodd uwch swyddogion y Gweinidog ddoe at y bwrdd iechyd eto, ac at yr awdurdod lleol, yn gofyn iddyn nhw am yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am y ddau ddarn o waith hynny. Oherwydd, er mwyn i'r Gweinidog allu ystyried yr achos busnes eto, gall hynny ddigwydd dim ond pan fydd gennym ni'r ddau ddarn pwysig iawn hynny o wybodaeth gyd-destunol. Ond hoffwn roi sicrwydd i Darren Millar, Llywydd, bod y Gweinidog wedi chwarae rhan uniongyrchol, yn parhau i chwarae rhan uniongyrchol, a chyn gynted ag y byddwn ni'n cael yr atebion hynny, bydd yn gallu ystyried y sefyllfa gyfan unwaith eto.
I've also been meeting with the leader of Denbighshire and officers and I was shocked now at the cost—due to inflationary pressures, it could be an £82 million capital build. I understand that capital funding has been cut by 11 per cent over the next few years, and that the borrowing limit for Wales has been restricted as well by the UK Government. We do need to do something, as Darren Millar has said, and I know the leader of Denbighshire is also really concerned. I understand it's a complex issue. So, First Minister, do you agree with me that it is also a social care issue, as well as an NHS issue, and that we should look at the borrowing cap from UK Government being lifted, so that we can do more work like this, as it's really needed in Wales for capital projects such as this one? Thank you.
Rwyf innau hefyd wedi bod yn cyfarfod ag arweinydd sir Ddinbych a swyddogion a chefais fy synnu nawr gan y gost—oherwydd pwysau chwyddiant, gallai fod yn adeiladu ag arian cyfalaf gwerth £82 miliwn. Rwy'n deall bod cyllid cyfalaf wedi cael ei dorri 11 y cant dros y blynyddoedd nesaf, a bod terfyn benthyca Cymru wedi cael ei gyfyngu gan Lywodraeth y DU hefyd. Mae angen i ni wneud rhywbeth, fel y mae Darren Millar wedi ei ddweud, a gwn fod arweinydd sir Ddinbych yn bryderus iawn hefyd. Rwy'n deall ei fod yn fater cymhleth. Felly, Prif Weinidog, a ydych chi'n cytuno â mi ei fod hefyd yn fater gofal cymdeithasol, yn ogystal â mater GIG, ac y dylen ni edrych ar ddiddymu cap benthyg Llywodraeth y DU, fel y gallwn ni wneud mwy o waith fel hyn, gan fod ei wir angen yng Nghymru ar gyfer prosiectau cyfalaf fel hwn? Diolch.
Well, Llywydd, the Member makes some important points, and it is exactly because of those points, that this is a community hospital where social care will be a very important part of the context within which it works, that the regional partnership board has been asked to consider the project. So, I agree with the point she made there.
On the borrowing limit points, I would have hoped that this would be something where we might have common cause across the Chamber here. In 2016, we reached an agreement with the UK Government as to how we would take on our fiscal responsibilities. It set out the borrowing limit of the Welsh Government, the operation of the Welsh reserve. Those figures have never been updated. Our budget is 40 per cent larger in cash terms than it was in 2016, but we're managing it with the same limits that were right for 2016. If they were simply uprated in line with inflation, if their real value didn’t change, but their real value was sustained, then that would give us some additional flexibility around borrowing limits and how we manage the Welsh Government’s money in a sensible way. I think that’s all we’re suggesting. It’s what the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggested in their report on the operation of the fiscal framework. I’m quite sure that, in the very long list of things that UK Government has to think about, this is probably not near the top of it, but it’s just a sensible thing that they could do that would make a difference in sensible use of public money.
Wel, Llywydd, mae'r Aelod yn gwneud rhai pwyntiau pwysig, ac oherwydd y pwyntiau hynny'n union, bydd hwn yn ysbyty cymunedol lle bydd gofal cymdeithasol yn rhan bwysig iawn o'r cyd-destun y mae'n gweithio ynddo, a gofynnwyd i'r bwrdd partneriaeth rhanbarthol ystyried y prosiect. Felly, rwy'n cytuno gyda'r pwynt a wnaeth hi yn y fan yna.
O ran y pwyntiau terfyn benthyg, byddwn wedi gobeithio y byddai hyn yn rhywbeth a allai fod yn achos cyffredin i ni ar draws y Siambr yma. Yn 2016, daethom i gytundeb gyda Llywodraeth y DU o ran sut y bydden ni'n ymgymryd â'n cyfrifoldebau cyllidol. Roedd yn nodi terfyn benthyg Llywodraeth Cymru, gweithrediad cronfa wrth gefn Cymru. Nid yw'r ffigurau hynny erioed wedi cael eu diweddaru. Mae ein cyllideb 40 y cant yn fwy o ran arian parod nag yr oedd yn 2016, ond rydym ni'n ei rheoli gyda'r un terfynau a oedd yn iawn ar gyfer 2016. Pe baen nhw'n cael eu huwchraddio'n syml yn unol â chwyddiant, pe na bai eu gwerth go iawn yn newid, ond eu gwir werth yn cael ei gynnal, yna byddai hynny'n rhoi rhywfaint o hyblygrwydd ychwanegol i ni ynghylch terfynau benthyg a sut rydyn ni'n rheoli arian Llywodraeth Cymru mewn ffordd synhwyrol. Rwy'n credu mai dyna'r cwbl rydyn ni'n ei awgrymu. Dyma'r hyn a awgrymodd y Sefydliad Astudiaethau Cyllidol yn ei adroddiad ar weithrediad y fframwaith cyllidol. Rwy'n eithaf sicr, ar y rhestr faith iawn o bethau y mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth y DU feddwl amdanyn nhw, ei bod hi'n debyg nad yw hyn yn agos at ei frig, ond mae'n beth synhwyrol y gallen nhw ei wneud a fyddai'n gwneud gwahaniaeth o ran defnydd synhwyrol o arian cyhoeddus.
4. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am gefnogaeth Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer Dechrau'n Deg? OQ58938
4. Will the First Minister provide an update on Welsh Government support for Flying Start? OQ58938
Flying Start is the Welsh Government’s flagship early years programme. It continues to make a real difference to the lives of children in some of our most disadvantaged communities, and we have reaffirmed our commitment to support the programme throughout the term of this Government.
Dechrau'n Deg yw rhaglen blynyddoedd cynnar flaenllaw Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae'n parhau i wneud gwahaniaeth gwirioneddol i fywydau plant yn rhai o'n cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig, ac rydym ni wedi ailddatgan ein hymrwymiad i gefnogi'r rhaglen drwy gydol tymor y Llywodraeth hon.
Thank you, First Minister. I’m convinced of the benefits of Flying Start. It stops children starting formal schooling with a developmental age substantially below their actual age. We have seen in England the PM scrapping changes to the childcare system drawn up by his predecessor. In non-homogenous areas, lower super-output areas result in missed pockets of poverty. Does the Government plan a reappraisal, based upon the 2021 census results, with a view to identifying the child poverty being missed?
Diolch. Rwyf i wedi fy argyhoeddi o fanteision Dechrau'n Deg. Mae'n atal plant rhag dechrau addysg ffurfiol ag oedran datblygiadol sy'n sylweddol is na'u hoedran go iawn. Rydym ni wedi gweld yn Lloegr y Prif Weinidog yn diddymu newidiadau i'r system gofal plant a luniwyd gan ei ragflaenydd. Mewn ardaloedd nad ydynt yn unffurf, mae ardaloedd uwch-allbwn is yn arwain at bocedi o dlodi sy'n cael eu methu. A yw'r Llywodraeth yn bwriadu cynnal ailarfarniad, yn seiliedig ar ganlyniadau cyfrifiad 2021, gyda'r bwriad o nodi'r tlodi plant sy'n cael ei fethu?
I completely agree with Mike Hedges, Llywydd, about the fantastic work that has been done by the Flying Start programme, and it's one of the benefits of devolution that we've been able to sustain that programme now for what will soon be 20 years. And of course its expansion forms part of the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru, and we have already seen the fruits of that—2,000 more children already benefitting from Flying Start—and we’ve agreed on the next phase as well, which will come into being from 1 April. Over time, that will see the childcare aspect of Flying Start universally available to all children from the age of two onwards, so there are plans in hand to do much of what Mike Hedges has asked. In the meantime we have Flying Start outreach, which is an ability for local authorities to offer Flying Start help to those families who don’t fall within its geographical boundaries, and it’s always a dilemma of geographically based programmes that there will be people outside those geographies who would equally have benefitted from the service that Flying Start provides. The agreement that we have with Plaid Cymru, the £46 million additional that we will invest as a result, will go a long way to answering the points the Member has made.
Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â Mike Hedges, Llywydd, am y gwaith ardderchog sydd wedi cael ei wneud gan raglen Dechrau'n Deg, ac mae'n un o fanteision datganoli ein bod ni wedi gallu cynnal y rhaglen honno bellach am gyfnod a fydd yn 20 mlynedd cyn bo hir. Ac wrth gwrs mae ei ehangu'n rhan o'r cytundeb cydweithredu â Phlaid Cymru, ac rydyn ni eisoes wedi gweld ffrwyth hynny—2,000 yn fwy o blant eisoes yn elwa ar Dechrau'n Deg—ac rydyn ni wedi cytuno ar y cam nesaf hefyd, a fydd yn dod i fodolaeth o 1 Ebrill. Dros amser, bydd hynny'n arwain at wneud elfen gofal plant Dechrau'n Deg ar gael yn gyffredinol i bob plentyn o ddwy oed ymlaen, felly mae cynlluniau ar y gweill i wneud llawer o'r hyn y mae Mike Hedges wedi ei ofyn. Yn y cyfamser mae gennym ni allgymorth Dechrau'n Deg, sy'n allu i awdurdodau lleol gynnig cymorth Dechrau'n Deg i'r teuluoedd hynny nad ydyn nhw o fewn ei ffiniau daearyddol, ac mae bob amser yn benbleth i raglenni sy'n seiliedig ar ddaearyddiaeth y bydd pobl y tu allan i'r daearyddiaethau hynny a fyddai wedi elwa'r un faint ar y gwasanaeth y mae Dechrau'n Deg yn ei darparu. Bydd y cytundeb sydd gennym ni gyda Phlaid Cymru, y £46 miliwn yn ychwanegol y byddwn ni'n ei fuddsoddi o ganlyniad, yn mynd ymhell i ateb y pwyntiau y mae'r Aelod wedi eu gwneud.
First Minister, the Flying Start scheme was introduced back in 2007 as one of the Government’s top priorities for tackling poverty in Wales, but currently Wales has the highest rate of children living in poverty compared to the rest of the nations in the UK. First Minister, this is quite frankly unacceptable and a damning record of 25 years of Labour Government here in Wales. So, what actions are you going to take to make sure that Flying Start is supported properly going forward, and when will we finally see real results and an end to the postcode lottery, particularly for my constituents in Denbighshire?
Prif Weinidog, cyflwynwyd cynllun Dechrau'n Deg yn ôl yn 2007 fel un o brif flaenoriaethau'r Llywodraeth ar gyfer mynd i'r afael â thlodi yng Nghymru, ond ar hyn o bryd Cymru sydd â'r gyfradd uchaf o blant sy'n byw mewn tlodi o'i chymharu â gweddill gwledydd y DU. Prif Weinidog, mae hyn yn gwbl annerbyniol ac yn record ddamniol o 25 mlynedd o Lywodraeth Lafur yma yng Nghymru. Felly, pa gamau ydych chi'n mynd i'w cymryd i wneud yn siŵr bod Dechrau'n Deg yn cael ei gefnogi'n iawn yn y dyfodol, a phryd fyddwn ni'n gweld canlyniadau go iawn o'r diwedd a diwedd ar y loteri cod post, yn enwedig i fy etholwyr i yn sir Ddinbych?
Well, Llywydd, I still manage to be amazed that a Conservative Member is willing to stand up here and criticise the growth in child poverty when his own Government—his own Government—publishes documents alongside their budget saying that the actions they have taken will lead directly—directly—to thousands and thousands more children across the United Kingdom living in poverty. Does he not feel any sense of shame that he represents a party that takes decisions deliberately, knowingly, that lead to children being in poverty? Here in Wales we do everything we can to mitigate that impact, and it’s right—the hill to reduce child poverty gets steeper with every year of austerity and cuts to public services that his Government introduces. But Flying Start is a flagship programme that has done fantastic work and continues to do fantastic work in many, many families right across Wales. Twenty-seven per cent of children in Wales benefit from it, and as a result of an agreement between my party and Plaid Cymru, even more families will benefit from it in future.
Wel, Llywydd, rwy'n dal i gael fy rhyfeddu bod Aelod Ceidwadol yn fodlon sefyll i fyny yma a beirniadu'r twf mewn tlodi plant pan fo'i Lywodraeth ei hun—ei Lywodraeth ei hun—yn cyhoeddi dogfennau ochr yn ochr â'u cyllideb yn dweud y bydd y camau y maen nhw wedi eu cymryd yn arwain yn uniongyrchol—yn uniongyrchol—at filoedd ar filoedd yn fwy o blant ledled y Deyrnas Unedig yn byw mewn tlodi. Onid yw'n teimlo unrhyw synnwyr o gywilydd ei fod yn cynrychioli plaid sy'n gwneud penderfyniadau'n fwriadol, yn bwrpasol, sy'n arwain at roi plant mewn tlodi? Yma yng Nghymru, rydyn ni'n gwneud popeth o fewn ein gallu i liniaru'r effaith honno, ac mae'n iawn—mae'r mynydd i leihau tlodi plant yn mynd yn fwy serth gyda phob blwyddyn o gyni cyllidol a thoriadau i wasanaethau cyhoeddus y mae ei Lywodraeth ef yn eu cyflwyno. Ond mae Dechrau'n Deg yn rhaglen flaenllaw sydd wedi gwneud gwaith ardderchog ac sy'n parhau i wneud gwaith ardderchog mewn llawer iawn o deuluoedd ledled Cymru. Mae dau ddeg saith y cant o blant yng Nghymru yn elwa arno, ac yn sgil cytundeb rhwng fy mhlaid i a Phlaid Cymru, bydd hyd yn oed mwy o deuluoedd yn elwa arno yn y dyfodol.
5. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am ymdrechion i fynd i’r afael â thlodi gwledig yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru? OQ58975
5. Will the First Minister make a statement on efforts to tackle rural poverty in Mid and West Wales? OQ58975
Llywydd, eleni rydyn ni’n darparu cymorth gwerth £1.6 biliwn drwy raglenni sy’n diogelu cartrefi difreintiedig. Yn benodol, rydyn ni’n rhoi cymorth i gartrefi yng nghefn gwlad nad ydyn nhw ar y grid, buddsoddi mewn mentrau bwyd cymunedol a darparu canolfannau clyd. Mae hyn yn helpu pobl sy’n ei chael hi’n anodd talu costau bwyd a chadw’n gynnes.
Llywydd, this year we are providing support worth £1.6 billion in programmes that protect disadvantaged households. In particular, we are providing support to rural households that use off-grid energy, investing in community food initiatives and providing warm hubs. This supports people who are struggling with food costs and keeping warm.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Yn ôl Canolfan Polisi Cyhoeddus Cymru, mae tlodi gwledig yn aml yn cael ei guddio o dan yr wyneb gan gyfoeth cymharol ein hardaloedd gwledig ni, a gan ddiwylliant o hunan-ddibyniaeth. Fel y dywedais i yn nadl Plaid Cymru ar dlodi plant cyn gwyliau'r Nadolig, mae aelwydydd ar draws y canolbarth a'r gorllewin yn fwy agored i dlodi oherwydd nifer o ffactorau fel incwm is na'r cyfartaledd, hefyd diffyg mynediad at wasanaethau a thrafnidiaeth gyhoeddus, lefelau anghymesur o dlodi tanwydd a thlodi bwyd, rhenti uwch a diffyg tai fforddiadwy.
Nawr, rydym ni'n gwybod bod y rhai sy'n byw mewn ardaloedd gwledig fel arfer yn gwario rhyw 10 i 20 y cant yn fwy ar nwyddau a gwasanaethau bob dydd, o gymharu â rhai sydd yn byw mewn ardaloedd trefol. O ganlyniad, mae amddifadedd ar gynnydd yn ein cymunedau ni, gyda phump allan o'r chwe awdurdod lleol sydd â'r lefelau uchaf o dlodi plant yn yr ardaloedd gwledig yng Nghymru. A yw'r Prif Weinidog yn cytuno â mi felly fod cymunedau gwledig yn wynebu heriau unigryw, ac a yw e'n barod i ymrwymo i gynnal ymchwil pellach i'r mater er mwyn datblygu strategaeth i fynd i'r afael â lefelau cynyddol o dlodi gwledig?
Thank you very much. According to the Wales Centre for Public Policy, rural poverty is often hidden under the surface by the comparative wealth of our rural areas, and a culture of self-reliance. As I said in the Plaid Cymru debate on child poverty before the Christmas recess, households across mid and west Wales are more vulnerable to poverty because of a number of factors such as lower than average incomes, lack of access to services and public transport, disproportionate levels of fuel poverty and food poverty, higher rents and a lack of affordable housing.
Now, we know that those who live in rural areas usually spend around 10 to 20 per cent more on everyday services and products, as compared to those who live in urban areas. As a result, deprivation is increasing in our communities, with five out of the six local authorities that have the highest levels of child poverty being located in those rural areas in Wales. Does the First Minister agree with me therefore that rural communities face unique challenges, and is he willing to commit to undertaking further research into this issue to develop a strategy to tackle increasing levels of rural poverty?
Wrth gwrs, Llywydd, dwi'n cydnabod bod yna ffactorau sy'n unigryw i bobl sy'n byw yng nghefn gwlad, a gallaf gytuno â beth ddywedodd yr Aelod: ambell waith, mae'n anodd gweld tlodi mewn rhai cymunedau gwledig. Wrth gwrs, mae pob rhan o Gymru yn wynebu sialens ar hyn o bryd—pa un ai eich bod chi'n byw yn y Cymoedd, eich bod chi'n byw yng nghanol Caerdydd, mae sialensau unigryw i'w cael ym mhob man. Gallaf ddweud wrth yr Aelod y bydd cynllun yn dod lan. Mae'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol yn gweithio ar hyn o bryd ar bethau ymarferol y gallwn ni eu gwneud i helpu, yn enwedig ym maes tlodi plant.
Yn y cyfamser, wrth gwrs, mae nifer o bethau pwysig rydym ni'n eu gwneud yn barod. Prydau bwyd am ddim yn ein hysgolion—mae hwnna'n mynd i fod yn help mawr i blant ble bynnag maen nhw'n byw yng Nghymru. Ac yn rhanbarth yr Aelod, ar ôl lansiad y polisi nôl ym mis Medi diwethaf, mae 10,000 o ddisgyblion newydd wedi dod i mewn i'r cynllun yna, a chyn diwedd mis Ebrill bydd y nifer yn cynyddu i 13,000 o blant yn y rhanbarth hefyd.
Of course, Llywydd, I recognise that there are certain factors that are unique to people living in rural areas, and I can agree with what the Member said: it is sometimes difficult to identify poverty in some of our rural communities. Of course, every part of Wales is facing a challenge at the moment—whether you live in the Valleys, in the centre of Cardiff, there are unique challenges in all parts of Wales. I can tell the Member that a plan will be drawn up. The Minister for Social Justice is currently working on practical steps that we can take to help, particularly in the area of child poverty.
In the meantime, of course, there are a number of important things that are already in place. Free meals in our schools—that will be of great assistance to children wherever they live in Wales. And certainly within the Member's region, following the launch of the policy back in September of last year, there are 10,000 new pupils that have been captured under that programme, and by the end of April that number will increase to 13,000 children in the region too.
6. Beth yw blaenoriaethau Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer gofal sylfaenol yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru? OQ58976
6. What are the Welsh Government's priorities for primary care in Mid and West Wales? OQ58976
I thank the Member for that question, Llywydd. In the first part of this Senedd term, we are in the process of agreeing new, reformed contracts with all four branches of primary care across Wales. Our priority is to secure maximum value from those contracts for patients, in terms of access, service sustainability and quality of care.
Diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn yna, Llywydd. Yn rhan gyntaf tymor y Senedd hon, rydyn ni wrthi'n cytuno ar gytundebau newydd, diwygiedig gyda phob un o'r pedair cangen o ofal sylfaenol ledled Cymru. Ein blaenoriaeth yw sicrhau'r gwerth mwyaf posibl o'r contractau hynny i gleifion, o ran mynediad, cynaliadwyedd gwasanaethau ac ansawdd gofal.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am yr ateb.
Thank you very much for the response.
One aspect of primary care that I think most people know that I'm really concerned about is teeth, and particularly the teeth of our children across Wales. I understand that we don't have data about how many children are actually waiting for an NHS dentist. The only health boards that we've been able to get data from, having asked them specifically, were from Powys and from Cardiff. And, in Powys, a staggering 800 children are recorded as needing, and waiting for, NHS dental care. I met with a mother the other day who had had a phone call from her dentist to tell her that her children could no longer access that particular dentist, because they were switching to private care.63
First Minister, we understand many of the pressures that our dentists are under, but surely in this Siambr, we must be worried about the teeth of our children. So, could I ask you: when will we be getting data on the number of children across Wales who are waiting for an NHS dentist? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Un agwedd ar ofal sylfaenol yr wyf i'n credu bod y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn gwybod fy mod i'n poeni'n fawr amdani yw dannedd, ac yn enwedig dannedd ein plant ledled Cymru. Rwy'n deall nad oes gennym ni ddata am faint o blant sy'n aros am ddeintydd y GIG mewn gwirionedd. Yr unig fyrddau iechyd yr ydyn ni wedi gallu cael data ganddyn nhw, ar ôl gofyn iddyn nhw'n benodol, oedd Powys a Chaerdydd. Ac, ym Mhowys, cofnodir bod nifer syfrdanol o 800 o blant angen, ac yn aros am ofal deintyddol y GIG. Fe wnes i gyfarfod â mam ychydig ddiwrnodau yn ôl a oedd wedi cael galwad ffôn gan ei deintydd i ddweud wrthi na allai ei phlant ddefnyddio'r deintydd penodol hwnnw mwyach, gan eu bod nhw'n newid i ofal preifat.63
Prif Weinidog, rydyn ni'n deall llawer o'r pwysau sydd ar ein deintyddion, ond heb os nac oni bai mae'n rhaid i ni, yn y Siambr hon, boeni am ddannedd ein plant. Felly, a gaf i ofyn i chi: pryd fyddwn ni'n cael data ar nifer y plant ledled Cymru sy'n aros am ddeintydd y GIG? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Llywydd, I can't offer the Member an answer to that question, because I think it's actually quite a difficult question to answer, because you are trying to find children who don't do something rather than children who do. In terms of children who do something, then in Powys, since the new contract came to be used by dentists, there have been 1,100 new appointments for children in the last eight months. In the whole of the Member's region, 5,500 new children's appointments have been available in that period, and there is more to come.
So, while we absolutely want to do more, we want to diversify the profession so that there are different ways in which care for our children in the dental field can be provided. When the Minister made her statement on the new contract back in June of last year, we anticipated around 120,000 new appointments in NHS dentistry in Wales; we will exceed that with a quarter of the year still to go. So, while the position remains challenging in many parts of Wales, in the Member's own region, taking Hywel Dda and Powys together, there will be over 13,000 new appointments that weren't available last year that will already have been undertaken this year, with more to come.
Llywydd, ni allaf gynnig ateb i'r cwestiwn hwnnw i'r Aelod, gan fy mod i'n meddwl ei fod yn gwestiwn eithaf anodd ei ateb mewn gwirionedd, gan eich bod chi'n ceisio dod o hyd i blant nad ydyn nhw yn gwneud rhywbeth yn hytrach na phlant sydd yn gwneud rhywbeth. O ran plant sy'n gwneud rhywbeth, yna ym Mhowys, ers i'r contract newydd ddechrau cael ei ddefnyddio gan ddeintyddion, bu 1,100 o apwyntiadau newydd ar gael i blant yn yr wyth mis diwethaf. Yn holl ranbarth yr Aelod, mae 5,500 o apwyntiadau plant newydd wedi bod ar gael yn y cyfnod hwnnw, ac mae mwy i ddod.
Felly, er ein bod ni'n sicr eisiau gwneud mwy, rydyn ni eisiau arallgyfeirio'r proffesiwn fel bod gwahanol ffyrdd y gellir darparu gofal i'n plant yn y maes deintyddol. Pan wnaeth y Gweinidog ei datganiad ar y contract newydd yn ôl ym mis Mehefin y llynedd, roedden ni'n rhagweld tua 120,000 o apwyntiadau newydd ym maes deintyddiaeth y GIG yng Nghymru; byddwn yn rhagori ar hynny gyda chwarter y flwyddyn yn dal i fynd. Felly, er bod y sefyllfa'n parhau i fod yn heriol mewn sawl rhan o Gymru, yn rhanbarth yr Aelod ei hun, o gymryd Hywel Dda a Phowys gyda'i gilydd, bydd dros 13,000 o apwyntiadau newydd nad oeddent ar gael y llynedd a fydd eisoes wedi cael eu defnyddio eleni, gyda mwy i ddod.
7. A wnaiff y Prif Weinidog ddatganiad am fynediad at feddygfeydd yn Nwyrain De Cymru? OQ58977
7. Will the First Minister make a statement on access to GP surgeries in South Wales East? OQ58977
Llywydd, despite the enormous pressures facing the sector, access to GP surgeries has improved in every year since standards were first agreed in 2019. Eighty-nine per cent of practices across Wales now achieve all the standards, and those standards will become mandatory in April of this year.
Llywydd, er gwaethaf y pwysau enfawr y mae'r sector yn ei wynebu, mae mynediad at feddygfeydd meddyg teulu wedi gwella ym mhob blwyddyn ers i safonau gael eu cytuno gyntaf yn 2019. Mae wyth deg naw y cant o feddygfeydd ledled Cymru yn bodloni'r holl safonau erbyn hyn, a bydd y safonau hynny'n dod yn orfodol ym mis Ebrill eleni.
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Constituents have contacted me with concern about news that two different surgeries in my region are set to close. The Aber Medical Centre was proposing to close its Bedwas surgery, which would leave patients in Bedwas, Trethomas and Machen going to Abertridwr or Llanbradach, and those wouldn't be straightforward journeys, if you don't have a car, particularly if you're unwell and not feeling up to a lengthy journey. I've also heard that Crickhowell Group Practice have applied to close their branch surgery in Gilwern.
I'm concerned about a worrying pattern here—in Caerphilly, certainly. Penyrheol, Lansbury Park and Gilfach surgeries have closed in recent years; the story seems to be the same over the region. Can you appreciate, Prif Weinidog, why so many people are worried these closures will inevitably lead to upheaval for patients, longer waiting times, and more pressure on GPs? And what is your Government doing, please, to advise health boards about the need to improve and not worsen the patient experience? Because, surely, it's in nobody's interest for so many surgeries to potentially be closing.
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Mae etholwyr wedi cysylltu â mi gyda phryder am newyddion bod dwy wahanol feddygfa yn fy rhanbarth i ar fin cau. Roedd Canolfan Feddygol Aber yn bwriadu cau ei meddygfa ym Medwas, a fyddai'n golygu bod cleifion ym Medwas, Tretomas a Machen yn gorfod mynd i Abertridwr neu Lanbradach, ac ni fyddai'r rheini'n deithiau rhwydd, os nad oes gennych chi gar, yn enwedig os ydych chi'n sâl a ddim yn teimlo y gallwch chi ymdopi â thaith hir. Rwyf i hefyd wedi clywed bod Practis Grŵp Crucywel wedi gwneud cais i gau eu meddygfa gangen yng Ngilwern.
Rwy'n pryderu am batrwm pryderus yma—yng Nghaerffili, yn sicr. Mae meddygfeydd Penyrheol, Parc Lansbury a Gilfach wedi cau yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf; mae'n ymddangos bod y stori yr un fath ar draws y rhanbarth. A allwch chi werthfawrogi, Prif Weinidog, pam mae cymaint o bobl yn poeni y bydd cau'r meddygfeydd hyn yn arwain yn anochel at dryblith i gleifion, amseroedd aros hwy, a mwy o bwysau ar feddygon teulu? A beth mae eich Llywodraeth yn ei wneud, os gwelwch yn dda, i gynghori byrddau iechyd ynghylch yr angen i wella a pheidio â gwaethygu profiad y claf? Oherwydd, siawns nad yw o fudd i neb fod cymaint o feddygfeydd o bosib yn cau.
Well, Llywydd, change is inevitable in the health service. Some surgeries close, new surgeries open. It's been like that since 1948. There are more directly managed services in Wales now than there were before, and that's a reflection of the changing nature of the profession, as the old model, the principle of a practice-owned model, becomes less attractive to new doctors entering general practice. I would expect Aneurin Bevan health board to deal with any changes sensitively, to make sure that they are in contact with their local patient populations, and to do what needs to be done if there are access issues that emerge as a result. Patterns of access are changing as well, Llywydd. In future, a far higher proportion of consultations will take place remotely, by telephone, or by video call. We can't expect the NHS to be set in aspic—it never has. Change has to be handled sensitively, but change is inevitable, and change actually can make things better, as well as sometimes making things more difficult.
Wel, Llywydd, mae newid yn anochel yn y gwasanaeth iechyd. Mae rhai meddygfeydd yn cau, mae meddygfeydd newydd yn agor. Mae hi wedi bod felly ers 1948. Mae mwy o wasanaethau a reolir yn uniongyrchol yng Nghymru nawr nag yr oedd o'r blaen, ac mae hynny'n adlewyrchiad o natur newidiol y proffesiwn, wrth i'r hen fodel, yr egwyddor o fodel eiddo i bractis, ddod yn llai deniadol i feddygon newydd sy'n dechrau ymarfer cyffredinol. Byddwn yn disgwyl i fwrdd iechyd Aneurin Bevan ymdrin ag unrhyw newidiadau mewn modd sensitif, i wneud yn siŵr eu bod mewn cysylltiad â'u poblogaethau cleifion lleol, ac i wneud yr hyn y mae angen ei wneud os oes problemau mynediad sy'n dod i'r amlwg o ganlyniad. Mae patrymau mynediad yn newid hefyd, Llywydd. Yn y dyfodol, bydd cyfran uwch o lawer o ymgynghoriadau yn digwydd o bell, dros y ffôn, neu drwy alwad fideo. Allwn ni ddim disgwyl i'r GIG gael ei gadw mewn asbig—ni wnaed hynny erioed. Mae'n rhaid ymdrin â newid mewn modd sensitif, ond mae newid yn anochel, ac mewn gwirionedd gall newid wneud pethau'n well, yn ogystal â gwneud pethau'n fwy anodd weithiau.
Cwestiwn 8 yn olaf—Sarah Murphy.
Finally, question 8—Sarah Murphy.
8. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru'n mynd i'r afael â thlodi digidol? OQ58951
8. How is the Welsh Government tackling digital poverty? OQ58951
Llywydd, tackling digital exclusion is a social justice and inequality priority for Government. Our digital inclusion and health programme, Digital Communities Wales, supports organisations across all communities and sectors to help people maximise the opportunities digital can offer. Over 125,200 people have received support for basic digital skills, motivation and confidence.
Llywydd, mae mynd i'r afael ag allgáu digidol yn flaenoriaeth cyfiawnder cymdeithasol ac anghydraddoldeb i'r Llywodraeth. Mae ein rhaglen cynhwysiant ac iechyd digidol, Cymunedau Digidol Cymru, yn cefnogi sefydliadau ar draws pob cymuned a sector i helpu pobl i fanteisio i'r eithaf ar y cyfleoedd y gall digidol eu cynnig. Mae dros 125,200 o bobl wedi derbyn cymorth ar gyfer sgiliau digidol sylfaenol, ysgogiad a hyder.
Thank you, First Minister. Digital poverty is an issue that I deeply care about. I think the true implications were very much brought into the mainstream during the pandemic, when we relied on all things digital to connect with one another during lockdowns, or used digital appliances to work from home or school. That said, we continue to see its impact now during the cost-of-living crisis, because so much of the support and resources that people need to access are online, and people are being excluded due to the costs because we know that as budgets become tight, broadband is likely to be the thing that gets turned off in homes. At one point, there was this assumption that broadband and digital tech was a luxury, but the reality is that it's a necessity, and for some people they are missing out due to a lack of means.
I know that tackling digital exclusion is a priority for this Government, and I'm pleased to see within the digital strategy for Wales that the Welsh Government is working collaboratively with the Digital Poverty Alliance to end digital poverty by 2030, and in partnership with the Good Things Foundation on the national databank initiative that provides free mobile data, texts and calls to people in need.
I've also been liaising with the Bridgend Association of Voluntary Organisations, and a Welsh broadband company, Ogi, who are delivering high-speed broadband across Porthcawl—[Interruption.]—and Caerphilly to see if there is any scope to provide Wi-Fi at warm banks across Bridgend. So, will the First Minister provide an update on the roll-out of the warm hubs across Bridgend? What assessment has been done to see if we can incorporate having high-speed broadband access into those hubs to create that legacy of access for our communities?
Diolch, Prif Weinidog. Mae tlodi digidol yn fater sy'n bwysig iawn i mi. Rwy'n credu y daethpwyd â'r gwir oblygiadau i'r brif ffrwd yn sicr yn ystod y pandemig, pan oedden ni'n dibynnu ar bob peth digidol i gysylltu â'n gilydd yn ystod y cyfyngiadau symud, neu'n defnyddio offer digidol i weithio gartref neu'r ysgol. Wedi dweud hynny, rydyn ni'n parhau i weld ei effaith nawr yn ystod yr argyfwng costau byw, gan fod cymaint o'r cymorth a'r adnoddau y mae angen i bobl gael gafael arnyn nhw ar-lein, ac mae pobl yn cael eu heithrio oherwydd y costau gan ein bod ni'n gwybod wrth i gyllidebau fynd yn dynn, ei bod yn debygol mai band eang fydd y peth sy'n cael ei ddiffodd mewn cartrefi. Ar un adeg, roedd y dybiaeth hon fod band eang a thechnoleg ddigidol yn foethusrwydd, ond y gwir yw ei fod yn anghenraid, ac i rai pobl maen nhw ar eu colled oherwydd diffyg modd.
Gwn fod mynd i'r afael ag allgáu digidol yn flaenoriaeth i'r Llywodraeth hon, ac rwy'n falch o weld yn y strategaeth ddigidol i Gymru bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio ar y cyd â'r Gynghrair Tlodi Digidol i roi terfyn ar dlodi digidol erbyn 2030, ac mewn partneriaeth â'r Good Things Foundation ar y fenter cronfa ddata genedlaethol sy'n darparu data symudol, negeseuon testun a galwadau am ddim i bobl mewn angen.
Rwyf i hefyd wedi bod mewn cysylltiad â Chymdeithas Mudiadau Gwirfoddol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr, a chwmni band eang yng Nghymru, Ogi, sy'n darparu band eang cyflym ar draws Porthcawl—[Torri ar draws.] —a Chaerffili i weld a oes unrhyw le i ddarparu Wi-Fi mewn canolfannau cynnes ar draws Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr. Felly, a wnaiff y Prif Weinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ar gyflwyno'r canolfannau cynnes ar draws Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr? Pa asesiad a wnaed i weld a allwn ni ymgorffori mynediad at fand eang cyflym yn y canolfannau hynny i greu'r etifeddiaeth honno o fynediad i'n cymunedau?
Well, Llywydd, the Cabinet committee on the cost of living heard direct evidence from organisations in the field about the way in which families faced with so many pressures on their budgets often feel that it is the digital spend they make that has to go first, and yet, in an increasingly digital world, that causes them all sorts of other difficulties, so the points the Member makes are very well made and important.
In terms of warm hubs, there are over 300 warm hubs now across Wales, and those are just the ones we know about. I think it has been the most amazing, spontaneous effort that we have seen from so many community groups, sports clubs, faith groups, as well as public bodies, to respond to the needs that people see during this winter.
I do know that in Bridgend all the local authority-sponsored warm spaces do have digital access, and together with the Welsh Local Government Association, we are currently surveying digital connectivity at warm hubs across Wales, so that we are in a better position in the future to make sure that the important points that the Member has made this afternoon can be attended to.
Wel, Llywydd, clywodd pwyllgor y Cabinet ar gostau byw dystiolaeth uniongyrchol gan sefydliadau yn y maes am y ffordd y mae teuluoedd sy'n wynebu cymaint o bwysau ar eu cyllidebau yn aml yn teimlo mai'r gwariant digidol y maen nhw'n ei wneud sy'n gorfod mynd yn gyntaf, ac eto, mewn byd cynyddol ddigidol, mae hynny'n achosi pob math o anawsterau eraill iddyn nhw, felly mae'r pwyntiau y mae'r Aelod yn eu gwneud yn cael eu gwneud yn dda iawn ac yn bwysig.
O ran canolfannau cynnes, ceir dros 300 o ganolfannau cynnes ledled Cymru erbyn hyn, a dim ond y rhai yr ydym ni'n gwybod amdanyn nhw yw'r rheini. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n ymdrech fwyaf anhygoel, digymell yr ydym ni wedi ei gweld gan gymaint o grwpiau cymunedol, clybiau chwaraeon, grwpiau ffydd, yn ogystal â chyrff cyhoeddus, i ymateb i'r anghenion y mae pobl yn eu gweld yn ystod y gaeaf hwn.
Gwn fod gan bob man cynnes a noddir gan yr awdurdod lleol ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr fynediad digidol, ac ynghyd â Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, rydyn ni wrthi'n arolygu cysylltedd digidol mewn canolfannau cynnes ledled Cymru, fel ein bod ni mewn sefyllfa well yn y dyfodol i wneud yn siŵr y gellir rhoi sylw i'r pwyntiau pwysig y mae'r Aelod wedi eu gwneud y prynhawn yma.
Diolch yn fawr i'r Prif Weinidog.
Pwynt o drefn nawr yn deillio allan o'r cwestiynau gan Darren Millar.
Thank you very much to the First Minister.
A point of order emanating from the questions by Darren Millar.
Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to raise a point of order, if I may, in relation to comments made by the First Minister during his exchange with the leader of the opposition during First Minister's questions.
The First Minister indicated that the annual accounts for Cardiff International Airport Limited were in the public domain, and published every March. He indicated also that the accounts for the last financial year were already in the public domain. However, as any Member can see by simply clicking onto the Companies House website and looking at the airport's page, this is not the case. The accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022 have not yet been published and, in fact, are overdue. I'm sure the First Minister did not wish to mislead the Senedd during his exchange, and had he been aware of these facts, I'm sure that his comments would have been rather different.
Diolch, Llywydd. Hoffwn godi pwynt o drefn, os caf, o ran sylwadau a wnaed gan y Prif Weinidog yn ystod ei drafodaeth ag arweinydd yr wrthblaid yn ystod cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog.
Nododd y Prif Weinidog bod y cyfrifon blynyddol ar gyfer Maes Awyr Rhyngwladol Caerdydd Cyfyngedig yn gyhoeddus, ac yn cael eu cyhoeddi bob mis Mawrth. Nododd hefyd bod y cyfrifon ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol ddiwethaf eisoes wedi'u cyhoeddi. Fodd bynnag, fel y gall unrhyw Aelod ei weld dim ond trwy glicio ar wefan Tŷ'r Cwmnïau ac edrych ar dudalen y maes awyr, nid yw hyn yn wir. Nid yw'r cyfrifon ar gyfer y flwyddyn a ddaeth i ben ar 31 Mawrth 2022 wedi eu cyhoeddi eto ac, a dweud y gwir, maen nhw'n hwyr. Rwy'n siŵr nad oedd y Prif Weinidog yn dymuno camarwain y Senedd yn ystod ei drafodaeth, a phe bai wedi bod yn ymwybodol o'r ffeithiau hyn, rwy'n siŵr y byddai ei sylwadau wedi bod yn dra gwahanol.
Llywydd, of course, I'm absolutely happy to investigate the points the Member has made. I don't make up answers in front of the Senedd; I rely on the information that I'm provided with. The information I had in front of me quite definitely said that the accounts would be lodged with Companies House in March of this year. I'm absolutely happy to look at the point the Member makes, and if the record needs to be corrected, then of course it will be.
Llywydd, wrth gwrs, rwy'n sicr yn hapus i ymchwilio i'r pwyntiau y mae'r Aelod wedi'u gwneud. Dydw i ddim yn creu atebion o flaen y Senedd; rwy'n dibynnu ar y wybodaeth sy'n cael ei darparu i mi. Roedd y wybodaeth a oedd gen i o fy mlaen yn eithaf pendant yn dweud y byddai'r cyfrifon yn cael eu cyflwyno i Dŷ'r Cwmnïau ym mis Mawrth eleni. Rwy'n sicr yn hapus i edrych ar y pwynt mae'r Aelod yn ei wneud, ac os oes angen cywiro'r cofnod, yna wrth gwrs fe gaiff hynny ei wneud.
Thank you for that exchange.
Diolch am y sylwadau hynny.
Y datganiad a chyhoeddiad busnes sydd nesaf. Felly, y Trefnydd i wneud hwnnw—Lesley Griffiths.
The business statement and announcement is next, and I call on the Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths.
Diolch, Llywydd. There are four changes to this week's business. The Minister for Climate Change will make a statement on flooding after the business statement and announcement, and that will be followed by a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services to update Members on her meeting with the NHS trade unions. To accommodate this, the oral statement on Ukraine has been postponed until next week. Finally, the debate on the legislative consent memorandum on the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill has been postponed until 14 February. Draft business for the next three weeks is set out on the business statement and announcement, which can be found amongst the meeting papers available to Members electronically.
Diolch, Llywydd. Mae pedwar newid i'r busnes yr wythnos hon. Bydd y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd yn gwneud datganiad ar lifogydd wedi'r datganiad busnes a'r cyhoeddiad, a bydd datganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ar ôl hynny i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Aelodau ar ei chyfarfod ag undebau llafur y GIG. Er mwyn rhoi amser ar gyfer hyn, mae'r datganiad llafar ar Wcráin wedi'i ohirio tan yr wythnos nesaf. Yn olaf, mae'r drafodaeth ar y memorandwm cydsyniad deddfwriaethol ar y Bil Tai Cymdeithasol (Rheoleiddio) wedi'i gohirio tan 14 Chwefror. Mae busnes drafft ar gyfer y tair wythnos nesaf wedi'i nodi ar y datganiad busnes a'r cyhoeddiad, sydd i'w weld ymhlith papurau'r cyfarfod sydd ar gael i'r Aelodau yn electronig.
Minister, could I ask for a statement, please, from the health Minister about the detrimental effect the Welsh Government's failure to recruit a sufficient number of GPs is having on my constituents in Monmouthshire? I know my colleague Delyth Jewell raised this earlier in one of her questions about the GPs that are retiring and leaving their practice, and I completely accept the First Minister's response when he mentioned that healthcare is changing in Wales. But, I would like a statement from the Minister for health about what action she is taking to address the serious shortage of GPs in Wales, which is causing concern, and will potentially cause considerable inconvenience and distress to a lot of elderly and vulnerable people across my region, particularly in the area of Gilwern, who may not be able to access the healthcare they need and deserve.
And if I can be so bold as to ask for a second statement as well, please. May I ask for a statement from the Minister for health about plans to reduce financial help for some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in Wales—towards the cost of their NHS glasses, to be specific? I understand the proposal is to actually lower the current amount of a £39.10 contribution for children and adults on some benefits to be now £22 going forward. The Welsh Government claims the amount was agreed with a group that represents optometrists in Wales. However, Optometry Wales say that, as a negotiating team, they were not in favour of supporting the changes to the voucher system proposed by the Welsh Government. Indeed, in a statement, they say the plans have caused significant concerns, with practitioners worried about the level of support patients on means-tested benefits will have, and be able to access, under the new contract. They go on to say patient choice is likely to be reduced as a result of these changes, and that practices might struggle to offer what they do now within the voucher range. So, could we have a statement from the Minister for health about this reduction in an important patient benefit, and the impact of this policy decision on patients, given the current economic circumstances, and for those also in domiciliary care? Thanks, Minister.
Gweinidog, a gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad, os gwelwch yn dda, gan y Gweinidog iechyd am yr effaith niweidiol mae methiant Llywodraeth Cymru i recriwtio digon o feddygon teulu yn ei gael ar fy etholwyr yn sir Fynwy? Rwy'n gwybod bod fy nghyd-Aelod Delyth Jewell wedi codi hyn yn gynharach yn un o'i chwestiynau ynghylch y meddygon teulu sy'n ymddeol ac sy'n gadael eu practisau, ac rwy'n derbyn ymateb y Prif Weinidog yn llwyr pan soniodd fod gofal iechyd yn newid yng Nghymru. Ond, hoffwn i ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd am ba gamau y mae hi'n eu cymryd i ymdrin â'r prinder difrifol o feddygon teulu yng Nghymru, sy'n achosi pryder, a bydd o bosibl yn achosi cryn anghyfleustra a gofid i lawer o bobl oedrannus a phobl agored i niwed ar draws fy rhanbarth i, yn enwedig yn ardal Gilwern, na fydd efallai'n gallu cael y gofal iechyd y maen nhw ei angen ac yn ei haeddu.
Ac os caf i fentro â gofyn am ail ddatganiad hefyd, os gwelwch yn dda. A gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd am gynlluniau i leihau'r cymorth ariannol i rai o'r bobl dlotaf a mwyaf bregus yng Nghymru—tuag at gost eu sbectol yn y GIG, i fod yn benodol? Rwy'n deall mai'r cynnig mewn gwirionedd yw gostwng y cyfraniad presennol o £39.10 i blant ac oedolion ar rai budd-daliadau i fod yn £22 nawr o hyn ymlaen. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn honni bod y swm wedi'i gytuno gyda grŵp sy'n cynrychioli optometryddion yng Nghymru. Ond mae Optometreg Cymru yn dweud nad oedden nhw, fel tîm trafod, o blaid cefnogi'r newidiadau i'r system dalebau sydd wedi'i chynnig gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Yn wir, mewn datganiad, maen nhw'n dweud bod y cynlluniau wedi achosi pryderon sylweddol, gydag ymarferwyr yn poeni am lefel y gefnogaeth y bydd cleifion ar fudd-daliadau sy'n seiliedig ar brawf modd yn gallu ei chael ac yn gallu manteisio arni, o dan y contract newydd. Maen nhw'n mynd ymlaen i ddweud bod dewis cleifion yn debygol o gael ei leihau o ganlyniad i'r newidiadau hyn, ac y gallai practisau ei chael hi'n anodd cynnig yr hyn maen nhw'n ei wneud nawr o fewn ystod y talebau. Felly, a gawn ni datganiad gan y Gweinidog iechyd am y gostyngiad hwn mewn budd pwysig i gleifion, ac effaith y penderfyniad polisi hwn ar gleifion, o ystyried yr amgylchiadau economaidd presennol, ac i'r rhai sydd hefyd mewn gofal cartref? Diolch.
In relation to your first point around the number of GPs, the Minister for Health and Social Services continues to do a great deal of work in bringing forward more trainee GPs every year. I think you will see that year on year over the past few years that has absolutely been the case. The Minister obviously also works very hard and very closely with our health boards, because it is a matter for the health boards to ensure there are enough GPs for the local population.
In response to your second request around the voucher system in relation to NHS glasses et cetera, again, the Minister is looking at optometry as a whole; we're looking at new contracts for optometrists. You quoted one person that wasn't in favour; I would imagine the Minister will have looked at all the responses she had and decided on the most appropriate way forward.
O ran eich pwynt cyntaf ynghylch nifer y meddygon teulu, mae'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol yn parhau i wneud llawer iawn o waith i gyflwyno mwy o feddygon teulu dan hyfforddiant bob blwyddyn. Rwy'n credu y gwelwch chi, blwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, bod hyn yn sicr wedi bod yn wir. Mae'n amlwg bod y Gweinidog hefyd yn gweithio'n galed iawn ac yn agos iawn gyda'n byrddau iechyd, gan mai mater i'r byrddau iechyd yw sicrhau bod digon o feddygon teulu i'r boblogaeth leol.
Mewn ymateb i'ch ail gais ynghylch y system dalebau o ran sbectolau'r GIG ac ati, unwaith eto, mae'r Gweinidog yn ystyried optometreg yn ei chyfanrwydd; rydyn ni'n ystyried contractau newydd ar gyfer optometryddion. Fe wnaethoch chi ddyfynnu un person nad oedd o blaid; byddwn i'n dychmygu y bydd y Gweinidog wedi ystyried yr holl ymatebion a gafodd a phenderfynu ar y ffordd fwyaf priodol o fwrw ymlaen.
A gaf i ofyn, os gwelwch yn dda, Trefnydd, am ddatganiad llafar gan y Gweinidog dros y celfyddydau a chwaraeon o ran dyfodol gwasanaethau sydd ddim yn statudol yn y meysydd diwylliant a chwaraeon? Yn benodol felly, rydyn ni'n gweld ar y funud nifer o awdurdodau lleol yn ymgynghori o ran newidiadau arfaethedig yn sgil y setliad ariannol, a dwi yn pryderu'n fawr o weld nifer o amgueddfeydd, ac hefyd o ran chwaraeon ac ati, ymysg y toriadau hynny, gan eu bod nhw ddim yn statudol. Felly, mi fyddai hi'n fuddiol, yng nghyd-destun y cytundeb cydweithio sydd rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a Phlaid Cymru hefyd, a'r strategaeth ddiwylliannol yn honna, i gael diweddariad o ran yr hyn y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud er mwyn cefnogi'r awdurdodau lleol sydd yn wynebu'r penderfyniadau anodd eithriadol yma sydd yn codi pryder o ran dyfodol diwylliant a chwaraeon ledled y wlad.
May I ask, Trefnydd, for an oral statement from the Minister for arts and sport on the future of services that are not statutory in the areas of culture and sport? Specifically, we are seeing a number of local authorities consulting on proposed changes as a result of the financial settlement, and I am deeply concerned seeing many museums and sports facilities being proposed among those cuts as they're not statutory services. It would be very beneficial, in the context of the co-operation agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, and the cultural strategy within that, to have an update in terms of what the Welsh Government is doing to support local authorities who are facing these exceptionally difficult decisions that raise concerns about the future of culture and sport across the country.
Thank you. Whilst local authorities, I think in general, would say they had a better settlement than they had anticipated, clearly there are some very difficult choices to be made by our local authorities, and of course, it's always the services that they don't have a statutory responsibility for that are the first to be looked at when it comes to cuts. The Deputy Minister for culture works very closely with the local authorities to see what can be done, but we do appreciate there are very difficult options to be explored. I'm sure the designated Member, which I think is probably Siân Gwenllian, will have a further conversation with the Minister.
Diolch. Er y byddai awdurdodau lleol, rwy'n credu yn gyffredinol, yn dweud bod ganddyn nhw setliad gwell nag yr oedden nhw wedi'i ragweld, yn amlwg mae rhai dewisiadau anodd iawn i'w gwneud gan ein hawdurdodau lleol, ac wrth gwrs, y gwasanaethau nad oes ganddyn nhw gyfrifoldeb statudol amdanyn nhw, yw'r cyntaf bob amser i gael eu hystyried pan ddaw hi at doriadau. Mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog diwylliant yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda'r awdurdodau lleol i weld beth y mae modd ei wneud, ond rydyn ni'n gwerthfawrogi bod dewisiadau anodd iawn i'w harchwilio. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd yr Aelod dynodedig, Siân Gwenllian siŵr o fod, rwy'n credu, yn cael sgwrs arall gyda'r Gweinidog.
I'm asking for a Government statement on basic farm payments. I'm asking for a statement providing an update on the provision of basic farm payments and explaining why the Welsh Government is opposed to the Farmers Union of Wales proposal to cap basic farm payments.
I'm also asking for a statement to provide an update on proposals regarding the remediation of cladding on buildings. I have a constituent who believes the solution is simple, and that it just needs the Welsh Government to implement sections 116 to 125 of the Building Safety Act 2022. He further believes that the problem is being solved in England. I'm requesting an update in the statement on how developers like Bellway are working with residents on developments such as Altamar and the progress being made.
Rwy'n gofyn am ddatganiad gan y Llywodraeth ar daliadau fferm sylfaenol. Rwy'n gofyn am ddatganiad yn rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am ddarparu taliadau fferm sylfaenol ac yn egluro pam mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwrthwynebu cynnig Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru i gapio taliadau fferm sylfaenol.
Rwy'n gofyn hefyd am ddatganiad i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf ar gynigion ynglŷn â chyweirio cladin ar adeiladau. Mae gennyf i etholwr sy'n credu bod y datrysiad yn syml, a bod ond angen i Lywodraeth Cymru weithredu adrannau 116 i 125 o Ddeddf Diogelwch Adeiladau 2022. Ar ben hyn, mae'n credu bod y broblem yn cael ei datrys yn Lloegr. Rwy'n gofyn am yr wybodaeth ddiweddaraf yn y datganiad am sut mae datblygwyr fel Bellway yn gweithio gyda thrigolion ar ddatblygiadau fel Altamar a'r cynnydd sy'n cael ei wneud.
Thank you. The Member will be aware that we are currently looking at bringing forward the sustainable farming scheme, and that there will be a transition from the basic payment scheme to the sustainable farming scheme. One thing we are looking at within the SFS is whether capping payments should be brought in as part of SFS, to ensure that funding is distributed in a fair way. I would not say I was opposed to it at all, but obviously we are now going from the basic payment scheme to SFS. Potential payment options of SFS will be looked at and presented in the final scheme proposals, which won't be until much later this year.
In relation to the cladding on buildings request, you'll be aware that the Minister for Climate Change, who's got responsibility for this, is continuing to work very closely with developers and with leaseholders. My understanding is that formal documentation with the Home Builders Federation has now been shared and further comments are being awaited from developers.
Diolch. Bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol ein bod ni'n edrych ar hyn o bryd ar gyflwyno'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy, ac y bydd pontio o gynllun y taliad sylfaenol i'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy. Un peth yr ydym ni'n ei ystyried o fewn y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy yw a ddylai capio taliadau gael ei gyflwyno yn rhan o'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy, er mwyn sicrhau bod cyllid yn cael ei ddosbarthu mewn ffordd deg. Ni fyddwn i'n dweud fy mod i'n gwrthwynebu'r peth o gwbl, ond yn amlwg rydyn ni nawr yn mynd o'r cynllun taliadau sylfaenol i'r cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy. Bydd dewisiadau talu posibl y cynllun ffermio cynaliadwy yn cael eu hystyried a'u cyflwyno yng nghynigion terfynol y cynllun, na fydd tan lawer yn hwyrach eleni.
O ran y cais cladin adeiladau, byddwch chi'n ymwybodol bod y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd, sydd â'r cyfrifoldeb am hyn, yn parhau i weithio'n agos iawn gyda datblygwyr a gyda lesddalwyr. Fy nealltwriaeth i yw bod dogfennau ffurfiol gyda'r Ffederasiwn Adeiladwyr Cartrefi nawr wedi cael eu rhannu ac mae disgwyl sylwadau pellach gan ddatblygwyr.
I would like to request a statement from the Minister for Climate Change on actions the Welsh Government are taking to accelerate energy efficiency improvements to Wales's social housing stock. Recently, Friends of the Earth Cymru unveiled their list of the coldest neighbourhoods in Wales. They calculated the energy crisis hotspots using statistics on consumption and fuel price. These results were combined with neighbourhood-level data from the Welsh index of multiple deprivation to identify those areas with above-average energy costs and below-average incomes. This revealed the coldest neighbourhoods where homes were hardest to heat. In my region of South Wales West, we saw three neighbourhoods ranking in the top-10 coldest. Trefnydd, local authorities are spending millions on improvements to social housing, yet homes in these communities remain amongst the hardest to heat in Europe. As Russia's illegal war in Ukraine continues to fuel the energy crisis, and as Wales is plunged into an Arctic freeze, it is therefore an opportune time for the Welsh Government to outline what actions it is taking to improve the energy efficiency of social housing stock in the coldest neighbourhoods in Wales. I therefore request a statement from the Minister for Climate Change as soon as possible. Thank you.
Hoffwn i ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd am gamau mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i gyflymu gwelliannau effeithlonrwydd ynni i stoc tai cymdeithasol Cymru. Yn ddiweddar, dadorchuddiodd Cyfeillion y Ddaear Cymru eu rhestr o gymdogaethau oeraf Cymru. Gwnaethon nhw gyfrifo'r mannau argyfwng ynni mwyaf problemus gan ddefnyddio ystadegau ar ddefnydd a phris tanwydd. Cafodd y canlyniadau hyn eu cyfuno â data lefel cymdogaeth o fynegai Cymru o amddifadedd lluosog i nodi'r ardaloedd hynny â chostau ynni uwch na'r cyfartaledd ac incwm is na'r cyfartaledd. Datgelodd hyn y cymdogaethau oeraf lle'r oedd y cartrefi anoddaf eu gwresogi. Yn fy rhanbarth i yng Ngorllewin De Cymru, roedd tair cymdogaeth wedi'i cynnwys ymhlith y 10 oeraf. Trefnydd, mae awdurdodau lleol yn gwario miliynau ar welliannau i dai cymdeithasol, ac eto mae cartrefi yn y cymunedau hyn yn parhau i fod ymhlith y rhai anoddaf i'w gwresogi yn Ewrop. Wrth i ryfel anghyfreithlon Rwsia yn Wcráin barhau i waethygu'r argyfwng ynni, ac wrth i Gymru fynd i gyfnod rhewllyd o'r Arctig, mae'n gyfnod amserol felly i Lywodraeth Cymru amlinellu pa gamau mae'n eu cymryd i wella effeithlonrwydd ynni stoc dai cymdeithasol yn y cymdogaethau oeraf yng Nghymru. Felly, rwy'n gofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd cyn gynted â phosibl. Diolch.
Thank you. I think the Welsh Government has a very good story to tell about the improvements that we've made to a great number of houses within our housing stock. You'll be aware that, here in Wales, we have some very old housing stock, which has certainly required a great deal of refurbishment. What the Minister has is a rolling programme of schemes that she works closely with local authorities on in relation to energy efficiency.
Diolch. Rwy'n credu bod gan Lywodraeth Cymru stori dda iawn i'w hadrodd am y gwelliannau yr ydym ni wedi'u gwneud i nifer fawr o dai o fewn ein stoc dai. Byddwch chi'n ymwybodol bod gennym ni stoc dai hen iawn yma yng Nghymru, ac mae wedi bod angen llawer iawn o waith adnewyddu, yn sicr. Yr hyn sydd gan y Gweinidog yw rhaglen dreigl o gynlluniau y mae hi'n gweithio'n agos gydag awdurdodau lleol arni o ran effeithlonrwydd ynni.
I'd like to request a statement, please, on women's safety in urban areas after dark. I've raised the point before about the need for adequate lighting near railway stations and bus stops. I'm concerned that a second local authority in my region has decided to switch off street lights overnight. Newport is set to follow Caerphilly in doing this. I've raised before a number of times the worry that's felt by women, by older people, and those less steady on their feet as well, about how walking about in the dark and not being able to do this would impinge on their freedom in the evenings. This decision could, in effect, imprison many groups of people in their homes after a certain time, and there are worries about crime rates as well. Can a statement please reiterate the importance of safeguarding women's safety in our towns and cities, and could it outline what advice is given to local authorities on this issue, please? Diolch.
Hoffwn i ofyn am ddatganiad, os gwelwch yn dda, ar ddiogelwch menywod mewn ardaloedd trefol ar ôl iddi dywyllu. Rwyf i wedi codi'r pwynt o'r blaen bod angen digon o oleuadau ger gorsafoedd rheilffordd a safleoedd bysiau. Rwy'n bryderus bod ail awdurdod lleol yn fy rhanbarth i wedi penderfynu diffodd goleuadau stryd dros nos. Mae disgwyl i Gasnewydd ddilyn Caerffili wrth wneud hyn. Rwyf i wedi codi sawl gwaith cyn hyn y pryder y mae menywod, pobl hŷn, a'r rhai llai sicr ar eu traed hefyd yn teimlo, ynghylch sut y byddai cerdded o gwmpas yn y tywyllwch a methu gwneud hyn yn amharu ar eu rhyddid gyda'r nos. Gallai'r penderfyniad hwn, i bob pwrpas, gaethiwo llawer o grwpiau o bobl i'w cartrefi ar ôl amser penodol, ac mae pryderon am gyfraddau troseddu hefyd. A all datganiad ailbwysleisio pwysigrwydd diogelu menywod yn ein trefi a'n dinasoedd, ac a allai amlinellu pa gyngor sy'n cael ei roi i awdurdodau lleol ar y mater hwn, os gwelwch yn dda? Diolch.
Thank you. I think you raise a very important point. When you started to ask me that question, you automatically think, as you say, about women and safety, but I think the point you raise about people who may not be as secure on their feet as many of us are also can impose some real concerns. I will certainly ask the Minister for Social Justice to bring forward a written statement, particularly around the guidance that's given to local authorities.
Diolch. Rwy'n credu eich bod chi'n codi pwynt pwysig iawn. Pan ddechreuoch chi ofyn y cwestiwn yna i mi, rydych chi'n meddwl yn awtomatig, fel yr ydych chi'n ei ddweud, am fenywod a diogelwch, ond rwy'n credu bod y pwynt yr ydych chi'n ei godi am bobl nad ydyn nhw o bosibl mor sicr ar eu traed, fel y mae llawer ohonom ni, hefyd yn gallu peri rhai pryderon gwirioneddol. Yn sicr, fe wnaf i ofyn i'r Gweinidog Cyfiawnder Cymdeithasol gyflwyno datganiad ysgrifenedig, yn enwedig ynghylch y canllawiau sy'n cael eu rhoi i awdurdodau lleol.
Minister, you'll be aware that, on Friday, the south Wales coroner made a ruling that two nurses who died as a consequence of contracting COVID at work died of an industrial disease. This will clearly have some significant repercussions for the approach of the Welsh Government in dealing with these matters. I've raised issues around public service workers in my own constituency who have had long COVID and have suffered as a consequence of that, and I'd like to ask for a statement from the health Minister on how the Welsh Government will respond to this coroner's ruling.
Also, last week, Minister, I visited Llys yr Efail in Blaina. It's a sheltered housing scheme, and I met several residents there who've been asked to contribute towards the heating costs of communal areas. We know that people are already suffering as a consequence of the Tory cost-of-living crisis, and we are also aware that some of the people who live in sheltered hosing are the more vulnerable parts of our community. Would the Welsh Government be able to look at how any support might be provided from here to ensure that some of our most vulnerable people don't have this issue facing them as a consequence of Conservative Party failure?
Gweinidog, byddwch chi'n ymwybodol i grwner de Cymru wneud dyfarniad ddydd Gwener bod dwy nyrs a fu farw o ganlyniad i ddal COVID yn y gwaith wedi marw o glefyd diwydiannol. Yn amlwg bydd hyn yn cael rhywfaint o effeithiau sylweddol ar ddull gweithredu Llywodraeth Cymru wrth ymdrin â'r materion hyn. Rwyf i wedi codi materion yn ymwneud â gweithwyr gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yn fy etholaeth i fy hun sydd wedi cael COVID hir ac wedi dioddef o ganlyniad i hynny, a hoffwn i ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd ar sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymateb i ddyfarniad y crwner hwn.
Hefyd, wythnos diwethaf, Gweinidog, ymwelais â Llys yr Efail yn y Blaenau. Cynllun tai gwarchod ydyw, a chwrddais â nifer o breswylwyr yno sydd wedi cael cais i gyfrannu tuag at gostau gwresogi ardaloedd cymunedol. Rydym ni'n gwybod bod pobl eisoes yn dioddef o ganlyniad i argyfwng costau byw'r Torïaid, ac rydym ni hefyd yn ymwybodol mai rhai o'r bobl sy'n byw mewn tai gwarchod yw'r rhannau mwy agored i niwed o'n cymuned. A fyddai modd i Lywodraeth Cymru ystyried sut y byddai modd darparu unrhyw gymorth yma er mwyn sicrhau nad yw rhai o'n pobl fwyaf agored i niwed yn wynebu'r broblem hon o ganlyniad i fethiant y Blaid Geidwadol?
Thank you. My initial answer to your first request is that I know the Minister for Health and Social Services is looking with the health board at the detail of the ruling that came forward to understand what broader lessons may need to be learned. It was deeply concerning to hear that report last week in relation to the two nurses.
On your second point around costs facing people who live in sheltered accommodation and being requested to put funding forward towards the cost of heating communal areas, I know the Minister for Climate Change is very aware of these concerns. Obviously, housing associations themselves are under pressures around increasing costs, and extra-care accommodation and older person's housing are also under the same pressures as everybody else. I know the Minister is working closely with them and has made some recent announcements. Obviously, the Welsh Government is absolutely committed to doing all we can to support the people of Wales in these very challenging times.
Diolch. Fy ateb cychwynnol i'ch cais cyntaf yw fy mod i'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol yn ystyried gyda'r bwrdd iechyd fanylion y dyfarniad a gafodd ei gyflwyno er mwyn deall pa wersi ehangach y gallai fod angen eu dysgu. Roedd yn destun pryder mawr clywed yr adroddiad hwnnw yr wythnos ddiwethaf am y ddwy nyrs.
O ran eich ail bwynt ynghylch costau y mae pobl sy'n byw mewn llety gwarchod yn eu hwynebu a bod gofyn iddyn nhw roi arian tuag at y gost o wresogi ardaloedd cymunedol, rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd yn ymwybodol iawn o'r pryderon hyn. Yn amlwg, mae cymdeithasau tai eu hunain dan bwysau ynghylch costau cynyddol, ac mae llety gofal ychwanegol a thai pobl hŷn hefyd dan yr un pwysau â phawb arall. Rwy'n gwybod bod y Gweinidog yn gweithio'n agos gyda nhw ac wedi gwneud rhai cyhoeddiadau yn ddiweddar. Yn amlwg, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo'n llwyr i wneud popeth o fewn ein gallu ni i gefnogi pobl yng Nghymru yn ystod y cyfnod heriol iawn hwn.
Good afternoon, Minister. You may recall that, on 15 November, during the business statement, I called for a Welsh Government statement outlining the full economic costings of the introduction of the default 20 mph speed limit in Wales. I requested this on the back of a letter that all councillors in Wales received from the Government outlining that the 20 mph speed limit change would save the public purse around £100 million in the first year. But, what it failed to do was outline the economic cost to Wales of around £4.5 billion, which is from the Welsh Government's own explanatory memorandum. On 15 November, you did state, and I quote:
'I will ask the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to come forward with a written statement on that issue.'
Since then, we have seen numerous news articles, including from the BBC and WalesOnline, outlining the £4.5 billion hit to the economy. So, I wonder, Minister, when we should anticipate seeing this statement that you committed to on 15 November.
Prynhawn da, Gweinidog. Efallai eich bod chi'n cofio fy mod i, ar 15 Tachwedd, yn ystod y datganiad busnes, wedi galw am ddatganiad gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn amlinellu costau economaidd llawn cyflwyno'r terfyn cyflymder diofyn o 20 mya yng Nghymru. Gofynnais i am hyn yn sgil llythyr a gafodd pob cynghorydd yng Nghymru gan y Llywodraeth yn amlinellu y byddai'r newid terfyn cyflymder o 20 mya yn arbed tua £100 miliwn i bwrs y wlad yn y flwyddyn gyntaf. Fodd bynnag, methodd ag amlinellu'r gost economaidd i Gymru o tua £4.5 biliwn, sydd o femorandwm esboniadol Llywodraeth Cymru ei hun. Ar 15 Tachwedd, gwnaethoch chi ddatgan, a dyfynnaf:
'Byddaf i'n gofyn i'r Dirprwy Weinidog Newid Hinsawdd gyflwyno datganiad ysgrifenedig ar y mater hwnnw.'
Ers hynny, rydym ni wedi gweld nifer o erthyglau newyddion, gan gynnwys gan y BBC a WalesOnline, yn amlinellu'r ergyd o £4.5 biliwn i'r economi. Felly, tybed, Gweinidog, pryd y dylen ni ddisgwyl gweld y datganiad hwn y gwnaethoch chi ymrwymo iddo ar 15 Tachwedd.
I will certainly go back to what I said to you on 15 November and speak to the Deputy Minister to see when he can bring forward that statement.
Fe wnaf yn sicr fynd yn ôl at yr hyn a ddywedais i wrthych chi ar 15 Tachwedd a siarad â'r Dirprwy Weinidog i weld pryd y gall ef gyflwyno'r datganiad hwnnw.
A gaf i ofyn am ddatganiad brys gan y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol am yr ymgynghoriad sy'n digwydd ar hyn o bryd gan Bwyllgor Gwasanaethau Iechyd Arbenigol Cymru, er bod hi'n anodd iawn dod o hyd i wybodaeth am yr ymgynghoriad, ynglŷn â newidiadau sy'n cael eu cynnig i wasanaethau ffrwythlondeb yng Nghymru? Dwi'n ofni, er bod yr ymgynghoriad yn dal i barhau, ac wedi cael ei ymestyn rywfaint, fod yna benderfyniad gwael iawn ar fin cael ei wneud yn fan hyn, allai fod yn niweidiol iawn ac yn gam yn ôl o'r system sydd gennym ni ar hyn o bryd. Ar hyn o bryd, mae merched o dan 40 yn cael dau gylched llawn, a'r cynnig ydy mynd i un, er bod NICE yn argymell tri. Fyddai yna ddim cefnogaeth o gwbl i ferched rhwng 40 a 42 yng Nghymru. Mae yna un gylched ar gael ar hyn o bryd. A dwi hefyd yn ymwybodol bod yna beryglon o ran rhwystrau ychwanegol ar gyfer pobl sengl a chyplau un rhyw hefyd. Rŵan, mi ydyn ni yma mewn peryg fan hyn o gau y drws ar nifer fawr o ferched ar yr adeg pan fyddan nhw fwyaf ei angen o. Mae yna siom, mae yna syndod. Mae rhwydwaith ffrwythlondeb Cymru yn dweud ein bod ni mewn lle da ar hyn o bryd a bod hyn yn hynod o siomedig. Mi ddylem ni fod yn chwilio am ffyrdd o helpu pobl ar eu siwrnai i feichiogrwydd, ond mae'r cynlluniau yma yn sicr yn gam yn ôl.
May I ask for an urgent statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services about the consultation currently underway by the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee, even though it's very difficult to find information about the consultation regarding changes proposed to fertility treatment in Wales? I'm concerned, although the consultation is still ongoing, and has been extended, that a very poor decision is about to be made in this regard, that could be damaging and could be a retrograde step in terms of the system we currently have. At the moment, women under 40 can have two full cycles, and the proposal is to reduce that to one, even though NICE recommends three cycles. There would be no support at all for women between 40 and 42 years of age in Wales. There is one cycle currently available. And I'm also aware that there are dangers in terms of additional barriers to single people and same-sex couples too. We are in danger here of closing the door on a number of women at a time when they most need this provision. There's disappointment, there's surprise. The Wales fertility network says that we are in a good place at the moment and that this is very disappointing. We should be seeking ways of helping people on their journey to pregnancy, but these plans certainly are a retrograde step.
I absolutely agree with you that we should be providing that support to anyone who wants to have a family, and people who particularly have got fertility issues. You mentioned there was a consultation, and I am aware that the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee are currently reviewing the policy and considering how to strengthen the support provided for a range of women's health conditions more broadly, but that obviously does include the role of wider professionals looking at fertility issues. So, I don't think a statement at the moment—. I think we should await the responses, but I would urge everybody to put forward their views.
Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â chi y dylem ni fod yn darparu'r gefnogaeth honno i unrhyw un sydd eisiau cael teulu, ac yn arbennig pobl sydd wedi cael problemau ffrwythlondeb. Gwnaethoch chi grybwyll bod ymgynghoriad, ac rwy'n ymwybodol bod Pwyllgor Gwasanaethau Iechyd Arbenigol Cymru wrthi'n adolygu'r polisi ac yn ystyried sut i gryfhau'r cymorth sy'n cael ei ddarparu ar gyfer amrywiaeth o gyflyrau iechyd menywod yn ehangach, ond mae hynny'n amlwg yn cynnwys rhan gweithwyr proffesiynol ehangach sy'n ystyried materion ffrwythlondeb. Felly, dydw i ddim yn credu y dylid cael datganiad ar hyn o bryd—. Rwy'n credu y dylem ni aros am yr ymatebion, ond byddwn i'n annog pawb i gyflwyno'u barn.
I call for a statement from the Minister for Health and Social Services on Welsh Government support for GP practices to implement the new GP contract in Wales, starting this year. For example, the single consulting room, cramped and crowded workspace and restricted waiting room at Hanmer surgery, near the Shropshire border in north-east Wales, means that their GP is unable to comply with the new regulations. He's been seeking to develop a purpose-built premises, fit for the demands of the twenty-first century and the increasing GP contractual obligations required by Welsh Government since 2012. A nearby site was identified over a decade ago. We know that an investigation into governance and leadership at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is currently taking place, and Hanmer surgery patients action group states that the constant changes in personnel within the health board's east area team and primary care senior management has resulted in obfuscation, misinformation and a lack of continuity and information flow on a situation that should have received urgent attention, and that the real issue is the total lack of communication from the health board and the apparent lack of any appreciation of the situation. Promises have been made but never fulfilled, they say—no information from a meeting on 11 November, no monthly updates, as promised in November. There is just no engagement and absolutely no accountability. This is an example, and I call for an urgent statement accordingly, not just on this case but on the wider implications for primary care services in that area.
Rwy'n galw am ddatganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ar gymorth Llywodraeth Cymru i bractisau meddygon teulu er mwyn gweithredu'r cytundeb meddygon teulu newydd yng Nghymru, gan ddechrau eleni. Er enghraifft, mae'r unig ystafell ymgynghori, gofod gwaith cyfyng a gorlawn ac ystafell aros gyfyngedig ym meddygfa Hanmer, ger y ffin â sir Amwythig yng ngogledd-ddwyrain Cymru, yn golygu nad yw eu meddyg teulu'n gallu cydymffurfio â'r rheoliadau newydd. Mae ef wedi bod yn ceisio datblygu safle pwrpasol, sy'n addas ar gyfer gofynion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain a'r cynnydd yn y rhwymedigaethau cytundebol gan feddygon teulu sydd eu hangen ar Lywodraeth Cymru ers 2012. Cafodd safle cyfagos ei nodi dros ddegawd yn ôl. Rydym ni'n gwybod bod ymchwiliad i lywodraethiant ac arweinyddiaeth ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr yn cael ei gynnal ar hyn o bryd, ac mae grŵp gweithredu cleifion Hanmer yn dweud bod y newidiadau cyson mewn personél o fewn tîm ardal ddwyreiniol y bwrdd iechyd ac uwch reolwyr gofal sylfaenol wedi arwain at gymylu, camwybodaeth a diffyg dilyniant a llif gwybodaeth ar sefyllfa a ddylai fod wedi cael sylw brys, A'r gwir broblem, yn ôl pob golwg, yw'r diffyg cyfathrebu llwyr gan y Bwrdd Iechyd ac nad ydynt wedi deall y sefyllfa. Mae addewidion wedi'u gwneud ond byth wedi eu cyflawni, yn ôl y sôn—dim gwybodaeth o gyfarfod ar 11 Tachwedd, dim diweddariadau misol, fel y cafodd ei haddo ym mis Tachwedd. Nid oes unrhyw ymgysylltu a dim atebolrwydd o gwbl. Mae hyn yn enghraifft, ac rwy'n galw am ddatganiad brys yn unol â hynny, nid yn unig o ran yr achos hwn ond ar y goblygiadau ehangach i wasanaethau gofal sylfaenol yn y maes hwnnw.
Thank you. Well, as you referred in your question, there is a new GP contract coming forward this year, and that's just part of that rolling programme, really, of reform that we have here in Wales of our primary care services. You may be aware that Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have a new director of primary care, and I would urge you to write to her—Rachel Page—to see, on that specific case, if she can bring that to a favourable conclusion.
Diolch. Wel, fel y cyfeirioch chi ato yn eich cwestiwn, mae yna gytundeb meddygon teulu newydd yn cael ei gyflwyno eleni, ac mae hynny ond yn rhan o'r rhaglen dreigl honno, mewn gwirionedd, o ddiwygio sydd gennym ni yma yng Nghymru o'n gwasanaethau gofal sylfaenol. Efallai eich bod chi'n ymwybodol bod gan Fwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr gyfarwyddwr gofal sylfaenol newydd, a byddwn i'n eich annog chi i ysgrifennu ati—Rachel Page—i weld, ar yr achos penodol hwnnw, os gall hi ddwyn hynny i gasgliad ffafriol.
Trefnydd, I'd like to ask for a Government statement this afternoon on the news that senior Denbighshire county councillors have been meeting in private to discuss reductions in care home fees that will take the county's offering to below some other north Wales authorities and affect some of the most vulnerable people in my constituency. The chair of Care Forum Wales, Mario Kreft said, and I quote:
'Instead of hiding behind closed doors, the discussion should take place in an open and transparent way. There is no credible commercial reason why the report about this matter should be considered in private, but it's clear that senior figures on the council, including the leader...want to avoid proper scrutiny by the public of Denbighshire and the press. It's shameful. What have they got to hide?
'All this will be utterly meaningless unless Denbighshire's cabinet reverses this contemptible betrayal of vulnerable people and finally decides to pay fair fees that enable care homes to provide sustainable care and to reward hard-working, dedicated front-line staff with better wages.'
He added,
'If Denbighshire fails to do the right thing this time, the cabinet should resign en bloc and hang their heads in shame because this is discrimination against people with dementia who don't have a voice.'
He went on to say,
'I understand certain individuals have personal political ambitions, but hiding behind a veil of secrecy is totally unacceptable when the likely result is going to put further financial pressure with a stealth tax on loving families.'
Does the Welsh Government agree with Mr Kreft's comment?
Trefnydd, hoffwn i ofyn am ddatganiad gan y Llywodraeth y prynhawn yma ar y newyddion bod uwch gynghorwyr sir Ddinbych wedi bod yn cwrdd yn breifat i drafod gostyngiadau mewn ffioedd cartrefi gofal fydd yn mynd â'r hyn y mae'r sir yn ei gynnig yn is na rhai o awdurdodau eraill y gogledd ac yn effeithio ar rai o'r bobl fwyaf agored i niwed yn fy etholaeth. Dywedodd cadeirydd Fforwm Gofal Cymru, Mario Kreft, ac rwy'n dyfynnu:
'Yn lle cuddio y tu ôl i ddrysau caeedig, dylai'r drafodaeth ddigwydd mewn ffordd agored a thryloyw. Does dim rheswm masnachol credadwy pam y dylai'r adroddiad ar y mater hwn gael ei ystyried yn breifat, ond mae'n amlwg bod uwch ffigyrau ar y cyngor, gan gynnwys yr arweinydd...eisiau osgoi craffu priodol gan gyhoedd sir Ddinbych a'r wasg. Mae'n gywilyddus. Beth sydd ganddyn nhw i'w guddio?
'Bydd hyn i gyd yn gwbl ddiystyr oni bai bod cabinet sir Ddinbych yn gwrthdroi'r brad dirmygus hwn o bobl agored i niwed ac yn penderfynu talu ffioedd teg o'r diwedd sy'n galluogi cartrefi gofal i ddarparu gofal cynaliadwy a gwobrwyo staff rheng flaen ymrwymedig â chyflogau gwell.'
Ychwanegodd,
'Os yw sir Ddinbych yn methu â gwneud y peth iawn y tro hwn, dylai'r cabinet ymddiswyddo yn gyfan gwbl a chywilyddio, oherwydd dyma wahaniaethu yn erbyn pobl â dementia sydd heb lais.'
Aeth ymlaen i ddweud,
'Rwy'n deall bod gan rai unigolion uchelgeisiau gwleidyddol personol, ond mae cuddio y tu ôl i len o gyfrinachedd yn gwbl annerbyniol pan fo'r canlyniad tebygol yn mynd i roi pwysau ariannol arall gyda threth lechwraidd ar deuluoedd cariadus.'
Ydy Llywodraeth Cymru'n cytuno â sylw Mr Kreft?
You asked for an urgent statement, and I don't think that would be appropriate. This is a matter for Denbighshire County Council. What I would agree with is that as much transparency as possible, I think, is the way forward for every local authority in Wales when they make decisions.
Fe wnaethoch chi alw am ddatganiad brys, a dydw i ddim o'r farn y byddai hynny'n briodol. Mater i Gyngor Sir Ddinbych yw hwn. Yr hyn y byddwn i'n cytuno ag ef yw mai bod â chymaint o dryloywder â phosibl, rwy'n credu, yw'r ffordd ymlaen i bob awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru o ran gwneud eu penderfyniadau.
Diolch i'r Trefnydd.
I thank the Trefnydd.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, yw'r datganiad gan y Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd ar lifogydd, a dwi'n galw ar y Gweinidog i wneud ei datganiad—Julie James.
The next item is the statement by the Minister for Climate Change on flooding, and I call on the Minister to make her statement—Julie James.
Diolch, Llywydd. Over the past week, Wales has been impacted by continuous heavy rain. In some locations, we have seen over six weeks' rain in the first two weeks of the year. This fell on already saturated ground, increasing surface water run-off and resulting in very high river levels across Wales. Since Wednesday, Natural Resources Wales have issued 50 flood warnings and 95 flood alerts. This is yet more evidence that our weather is becoming increasingly volatile and it is due to climate change. Rainfall events are becoming more severe and intense, and they are occurring more regularly.
Sadly, we have received reports of 84 properties being impacted by flooding, as well as impacts on both rail and road. Flooding is a distressing experience for residents, business owners and communities as a whole, but especially so for householders who have seen their homes flooded. My thoughts, and those of my colleagues, are with all those who have been affected. Under such circumstances, I implore householders to double-check their insurance cover and look into the flood risk to their property. We know that levels of understanding and preparedness vary greatly amongst our communities. It is important that all residents know where to access flood information, such as Natural Resources Wales's 'check your flood risk' web pages, and we continue to work our risk management authorities to increase flood awareness.
But whilst there have been impacts, we should keep in mind that the flooding could have been much worse without the efforts of the emergency services, local authorities, NRW staff, transport agencies, and volunteers. It is sometimes easy to forget, but all of our infrastructure requires people to maintain it and keep it functioning, especially during severe weather. Without their efforts, the impacts to our communities could have been much worse. On behalf of the Government, I want to express my gratitude to all those who helped in the response to the recent event.
But it is important to remember also that risk management authorities don't just respond to floods. They are constantly working to improve our flood risk management infrastructure, investing in new schemes supported by Welsh Government funding, while continuously working to improve our historic assets. They must also deal with the legacy of our mining heritage, such as disused coal tips, in the face of increasing risk from climate change.
During the previous Senedd term, the Welsh Government invested £390 million in flood and coastal erosion risk management. This has helped to reduce the risk of flooding for over 47,000 properties, by creating and managing infrastructure that would have been tested in recent weeks. We will always strive to do more. Our programme for government has a clear and ambitious target: we will provide additional flood protection to over 45,000 homes in Wales. This will not be an easy task, and requires significant investment. As we look to meet this target, I am pleased to confirm that our coastal risk management programme continues to deliver at pace. We have five coastal schemes currently in construction, at Porthcawl, Colwyn Bay, Penrhyn Bay, Aberdyfi and Mumbles. Two further schemes at Rhyl and Prestatyn, totalling £92 million, were awarded their construction funding in December, and we will see a further six schemes approaching construction over the next year, including Cardiff, Aberaeron and Hirael bay.
We don't just invest in large schemes. This year, our small-scale works grant received 90 different applications, totalling £3.8 million. The scheme provides local authorities with funding to address smaller, more discrete flooding problems. We estimate that 3,100 properties will benefit from this grant funding. We are also increasing our investment in natural flood risk management. One of our programme for government commitments was to deliver nature-based solutions in all major river catchments. We are investing more than £3 million through our natural flood management programme, as we look to utilise natural processes to store, slow and infiltrate flood waters to reduce flood risk. We estimate this will benefit around 800 properties, whilst also providing much wider benefits such as improved water quality, wildlife habitats and better land management.
For coal tip safety, we continue to deliver a programme of work in collaboration with our partners. We are committed to introducing new legislation during this Senedd to establish a consistent approach to the management, monitoring and oversight of disused tips throughout Wales. This will help protect communities and ensure people can feel safe and secure in their own homes. We continue to commission the Coal Authority to inspect higher rated disused coal tips. The fifth round of inspections is currently in progress. We have a funding programme in place to support local authorities to carry out any maintenance and capital works that have been identified from the inspection programme. For example, our funding is supporting RCT's tip remediation works on the Tylorstown tip. And last week, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council also announced it has commenced work to improve the management of surface water drainage at Wattstown national tip.
And we are not complacent. While we constantly invest in new flood schemes, we know we must learn from every flood event. This is because we are constantly seeking to improve our ways of working. The Wales independent flood and coastal erosion committee, chaired by Mr Martin Buckle, has taken forward two separate reviews prescribed by our national strategy for flood and coastal risk management. The first review considered the resource challenges faced by our risk management authorities. The review found that, despite sustained, ongoing investment, the flood risk management sector was experiencing a skills gap. This skills gap was evident in both the public and private sectors. The report includes recommendations on how this issue can be addressed, and I look forward to working with the committee to develop options to address this challenge.
The committee's second review was into the current legislation that underpins our flood risk management policy. The extreme nature of the 2020-21 storms has stepped up the debate around delivery, particularly with regard to roles and responsibilities. I recognise that the legislation around flood risk management is robust, but not perfect. I will continue to work with the committee on any potential improvements that can be made as we seek to address the challenges posed by climate change.
Llywydd, this has been a challenging week for all of the people and organisations who work to keep us safe from flooding, but especially for those householders and businesses who have been impacted. My thoughts are with them at this time. Diolch.
Diolch, Llywydd. Dros yr wythnos ddiwethaf, mae glaw trwm parhaus wedi effeithio ar Gymru. Mewn rhai mannau, fe welsom ni dros chwe wythnos o law yn ystod pythefnos cyntaf y flwyddyn. Disgynnodd hwnnw ar dir a oedd eisoes yn ddirlawn, gan gynyddu dŵr ar yr wyneb, gan arwain at lefelau uchel iawn yn yr afonydd ledled Cymru. Ers dydd Mercher, mae Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru wedi cyhoeddi 50 o rybuddion llifogydd a 95 rhybudd llifogydd. Dyna fwy o dystiolaeth eto bod ein tywydd ni'n mynd yn fwyfwy cyfnewidiol ac oherwydd newid hinsawdd y mae hynny. Mae digwyddiadau glaw yn mynd yn fwy difrifol a dwys, ac maen nhw'n digwydd yn fwy rheolaidd.
Yn anffodus, rydym ni wedi cael adroddiadau bod llifogydd wedi effeithio ar 84 o dai, yn ogystal ag effeithiau ar y rheilffyrdd a'r ffyrdd. Mae llifogydd yn brofiad dirdynnol i drigolion, perchnogion busnesau a chymunedau yn gyffredinol, ond yn enwedig felly i berchnogion tai sydd wedi gweld eu cartrefi yn gorlifo â dŵr. Mae fy meddyliau, a meddyliau fy nghydweithwyr, gyda phawb yr effeithiwyd arnyn nhw. O dan y fath amgylchiadau, rwy'n erfyn ar berchnogion tai i wirio eu hyswiriant eto ac ymchwilio i'r risg o lifogydd i'w tŷ. Fe wyddom ni fod lefelau dealltwriaeth a pharodrwydd yn amrywio yn fawr ymysg ein cymunedau. Mae hi'n bwysig bod pob preswylydd yn gwybod ble i gael gafael ar wybodaeth am lifogydd, fel tudalennau gwe 'gweld eich risg llifogydd' Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, ac rydym ni'n parhau i weithio gyda'n hawdurdodau rheoli risg i gynyddu ymwybyddiaeth am lifogydd.
Ond er bod effeithiau wedi bod, fe ddylem ni gadw mewn cof y gallai'r llifogydd fod waeth o lawer heb ymdrechion y gwasanaethau brys, awdurdodau lleol, staff CNC, asiantaethau trafnidiaeth, a gwirfoddolwyr. Mae hi'n hawdd anghofio weithiau, ond mae ein seilwaith ni i gyd yn ddibynnol ar bobl i'w gynnal a'i gadw'n weithredol, yn enwedig yn ystod y tywydd garw. Heb eu hymdrechion nhw, fe allai'r effeithiau i'n cymunedau ni fod yn llawer gwaeth. Ar ran y Llywodraeth, rwyf i am ddiolch o galon i bawb a helpodd yn yr ymateb i'r digwyddiadau diweddar.
Ond mae hi'n bwysig cofio hefyd nad ymateb i lifogydd yn unig mae'r awdurdodau rheoli risg. Maen nhw'n gweithio trwy'r amser i wella ein seilwaith rheoli perygl llifogydd, gan fuddsoddi mewn cynlluniau newydd a gefnogir gan gyllid Llywodraeth Cymru, gan weithio yn barhaus i rymuso ein hasedau hanesyddol ni. Mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw ymdrin hefyd ag etifeddiaeth ein treftadaeth lofaol, megis tomenni glo segur, yn wyneb perygl cynyddol newid hinsawdd.
Yn ystod y tymor Seneddol blaenorol, fe fuddsoddodd Llywodraeth Cymru £390 miliwn mewn rheoli risg llifogydd ac erydu arfordirol. Mae hyn wedi helpu i leihau'r risg o lifogydd i dros 47,000 o dai, drwy greu a rheoli seilwaith a fyddai wedi cael ei brofi yn ystod yr wythnosau diwethaf. Fe fyddwn ni'n ymdrechu bob amser i wneud rhagor. Mae gan ein rhaglen lywodraethu nod eglur ac uchelgeisiol: fe fyddwn ni'n darparu amddiffyniad ychwanegol rhag llifogydd i dros 45,000 o gartrefi yng Nghymru. Nid tasg rwydd fydd honno, ac mae angen buddsoddiad sylweddol ynddi. Wrth i ni geisio cyrraedd y nod hwn, rwy'n falch o gadarnhau bod ein rhaglen rheoli risg arfordirol yn parhau i gyflawni ar gyflymder. Mae gennym ni bum cynllun arfordirol sy'n cael eu hadeiladu ar hyn o bryd, ym Mhorthcawl, Bae Colwyn, Bae Penrhyn, Aberdyfi a'r Mwmbwls. Dyfarnwyd cyllid adeiladu i ddau gynllun arall yn y Rhyl a Phrestatyn, sef cyfanswm o £92 miliwn, ac fe fyddwn ni'n gweld chwe chynllun arall yn nesáu at y gwaith adeiladu dros y flwyddyn nesaf, gan gynnwys Caerdydd, Aberaeron a Bae Hirael.
Nid dim ond buddsoddi mewn cynlluniau mawr yr ydym ni. Eleni, fe dderbyniodd ein grant gwaith ar raddfa fach 90 o wahanol geisiadau, sef cyfanswm o £3.8 miliwn. Mae'r cynllun yn rhoi arian i awdurdodau lleol fynd i'r afael â phroblemau llifogydd sydd o faint llai, a mwy ar wahân. Rydym ni'n amcangyfrif y bydd 3,100 o dai yn elwa ar y cyllid grant hwn. Rydym ni'n cynyddu ein buddsoddiad mewn rheoli risg llifogydd naturiol hefyd. Un o'n rhaglenni ar gyfer ymrwymiadau'r llywodraeth oedd darparu atebion ar sail y byd naturiol ym mhob un o brif ddalgylchoedd yr afonydd. Rydym ni'n buddsoddi mwy na £3 miliwn trwy ein rhaglen rheoli llifogydd yn naturiol, wrth i ni geisio defnyddio prosesau naturiol i storio, arafu ac ymdreiddio dyfroedd llifogydd i leihau perygl llifogydd. Rydym ni'n amcangyfrif y bydd hynny o fudd i tua 800 o dai, gan ddarparu buddion llawer ehangach hefyd megis gwell ansawdd dŵr, cynefinoedd bywyd gwyllt a rheoli tir mewn ffyrdd amgen.
O ran diogelwch tomenni glo, rydym yn parhau i ddarparu rhaglen waith ar y cyd â'n partneriaid. Rydym wedi ymrwymo i gyflwyno deddfwriaeth newydd yn ystod y Senedd hon i sefydlu dull cyson o reoli, monitro a goruchwylio tomenni segur ledled Cymru. Fe fydd hyn yn helpu i ddiogelu cymunedau a sicrhau bod pobl yn gallu teimlo yn ddiogel yn eu cartrefi eu hunain. Rydym ni'n parhau i gomisiynu'r Awdurdod Glo i archwilio tomenni glo segur ystyriaeth uwch. Mae'r bumed rownd o arolygiadau ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd. Mae gennym ni raglen ariannu ar waith i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol i wneud unrhyw waith cynnal a chadw a chyfalaf a nodwyd o'r rhaglen arolygu. Er enghraifft, mae ein cyllid ni'n cefnogi gwaith adfer tipiau Rhondda Cynon Taf ar domen Pendyrus. Ac wythnos ddiwethaf, cyhoeddodd Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf ei fod wedi dechrau ar y gwaith o wella rheolaeth draeniad dŵr wyneb yn nhomen Aberllechau.
Ac nid ydym ni'n llaesu dwylo. Er ein bod ni'n buddsoddi mewn cynlluniau llifogydd newydd yn gyson, rydym ni'n gwybod ei bod hi'n rhaid i ni ddysgu oddi wrth bob achos o lifogydd. Mae hyn oherwydd ein bod ni'n ceisio gwella ein ffyrdd ni o weithio trwy'r amser. Mae pwyllgor llifogydd ac erydu arfordirol annibynnol Cymru, dan gadeiryddiaeth Mr Martin Buckle, wedi bwrw ymlaen â dau wahanol adolygiad rhagnodol ar gyfer ein strategaeth genedlaethol i reoli perygl llifogydd ac arfordirol. Roedd yr adolygiad cyntaf o'r farn fod heriau o ran adnoddau yn wynebu ein hawdurdodau rheoli risg ni. Roedd yr adolygiad yn canfod bod y sector rheoli risg llifogydd, er gwaethaf buddsoddiad parhaus, yn gweld bwlch o ran sgiliau. Roedd y bwlch sgiliau hwn yn amlwg yn y sectorau cyhoeddus a phreifat. Mae'r adroddiad yn cynnwys argymhellion ynglŷn â sut y gellir mynd i'r afael â'r mater hwn, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weithio gyda'r pwyllgor i ddatblygu dewisiadau i fynd i'r afael â'r her hon.
Roedd ail adolygiad y pwyllgor ynghylch ddeddfwriaeth bresennol sy'n rhoi sail i'n polisi rheoli perygl llifogydd ni. Mae natur eithafol stormydd 2020-21 wedi cynyddu'r ddadl ynghylch cyflawni, yn enwedig o ran swyddogaethau a chyfrifoldebau. Rwy'n cydnabod bod y ddeddfwriaeth ynglŷn â rheoli risg llifogydd yn gadarn, ond nid yw hi'n berffaith. Rwyf i am barhau i weithio gyda'r pwyllgor ar unrhyw welliannau posibl y gellir eu gwneud nhw wrth i ni geisio mynd i'r afael â'r heriau a achosir gan newid hinsawdd.
Llywydd, mae hon wedi bod yn wythnos heriol i'r holl bobl a mudiadau sy'n gweithio i'n cadw ni'n ddiogel rhag llifogydd, ond yn arbennig i'r deiliaid tai a'r busnesau hynny yr effeithiwyd arnynt. Rwy'n meddwl amdanyn nhw ar hyn o bryd. Diolch.
Janet Finch-Saunders.
Janet Finch-Saunders.
Diolch, Llywydd, and a happy new year.
Wales, of course, is not alone in being hit very hard as climate change continues to worsen, and that, in effect, causes a lot of the problems that you've mentioned in terms of flooding. Last week alone, on just one evening, a total of 27 flood warnings and 43 flood alerts were issued as downpours flooded fields and closed many of our roads. As Dr Paul Jennings said on Sunday,
'Our roads, railways and settlements are hopelessly inadequate to face the challenges ahead'.
There's no denying there has been considerable investment. Between 2016 and 2021, the Welsh Government invested £390 million in helping to manage flood risk, and this financial year it is true that revenue funding for the flood risk management and water revenue BEL increased by around £12 million, whilst capital funding increased by £21 million. Nonetheless, Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, has made it very clear that more sustainable investment is now needed, as responding to flooding incidents is now actually having a direct negative impact on councils' resources. He has made the cost of not having that investment very clear. Over 20 properties were flooded, unfortunately, through culverts being overwhelmed because of the volume of water, because of debris washed off the mountains. So, it goes to show they do still need that investment. Rhondda is a prime example of the situation that we have in Wales that needs turning on its head. Whilst more than £14 million has been spent on infrastructure upgrades in Rhondda Cynon Taf since storm Dennis in 2020, £20 million has been spent just on storm repairs over the same time period. Now, as a climate change committee, we've made this very clear in several reports. The Welsh Government should change its approach to revenue allocation for local authorities and take account of current and projected future flood risk. So, Minister, can you clarify that revenue allocation for local authorities in 2023-24 will be based on both current and a new projected flood risk?
We are now eight months on from the announcement of an independent review of flooding events across Wales during the winter of 2021. Professor Elwen Evans KC has been tasked with establishing key findings, shared concerns, lessons learned, successes and good practice, as well as identifying areas for improvement. So, has Professor Evans indicated by when the review will conclude, and has she given any preliminary recommendations for the Welsh Parliament to consider now? Undoubtedly, there are lessons we can all learn and measures that we must all take some responsibility for. However, we do need to see that review.
We have hundreds of ordinary watercourses across Wales where riparian owners have absolutely no idea what their own responsibilities are. In fact, in my own constituency, there are sections of riverside land with no identified owners. So, riparian responsibilities are going ignored. There is a risk to overlooking tributaries and streams. But, as we know in Aberconwy, they can actually be the real cause of some devastating flooding. So, what action are you going to take to ensure that all riparian owners are identified and that they know their duties and their duties are upheld?
Finally, as you will be aware, the Welsh Government has spent £4.25 million on Gilestone Farm. My colleague James Evans MS courageously captured first-hand evidence of the site during a storm, which now shows it almost completely under water. So, Minister, can you explain how on earth can it be safe for your Welsh Government to host events there and whether, in your procuring of this—[Interruption.] Sorry, I'm speaking to the Minister, not the Deputy. And whether flood risk was considered at any point before you made such an investment. Diolch, Llywydd.
Diolch, Llywydd, a blwyddyn newydd dda.
Nid yw Cymru, wrth gwrs, ar ei phen ei hun yn cael ei tharo yn galed iawn wrth i newid hinsawdd barhau i waethygu, ac mae hynny, i bob pwrpas, yn achosi llawer o'r problemau y gwnaethoch chi eu crybwyll o ran llifogydd. Dim ond wythnos diwethaf, ar un noson yn unig, fe gyhoeddwyd cyfanswm o 27 o rybuddion llifogydd a 43 o rybuddion llifogydd wrth i gaeau orlifo gan gau llawer o'n ffyrdd. Fel dywedodd Dr Paul Jennings ddydd Sul,
'Mae ein ffyrdd, rheilffyrdd a'n haneddiadau ni'n echrydus o annigonol i wynebu'r heriau sydd o'n blaenau ni'.
Ni ellir amau'r buddsoddiad sylweddol sydd wedi bod. Rhwng 2016 a 2021, fe fuddsoddodd Llywodraeth Cymru £390 miliwn i helpu i reoli'r perygl o lifogydd, a'r flwyddyn ariannol hon mae hi'n wir fod cyllid refeniw ar gyfer rheoli risg llifogydd a refeniw dŵr BEL wedi cynyddu tua £12 miliwn, tra bod cyllid cyfalaf wedi cynyddu £21 miliwn. Er hynny, mae Andrew Morgan, arweinydd cyngor Rhondda Cynon Taf, wedi dweud yn blaen iawn fod angen buddsoddiad mwy cynaliadwy erbyn hyn, gan fod yr ymateb i ddigwyddiadau llifogydd bellach yn cael effaith ddinistriol yn uniongyrchol ar adnoddau'r cynghorau. Mae hyn wedi gwneud y gost o beidio â gwneud y buddsoddiad hwnnw'n amlwg iawn. Cafodd dros 20 o dai eu gorlifo, yn anffodus, oherwydd ceuffos yn methu ag ymdopi â swm y dŵr, oherwydd malurion a gafodd eu golchi i lawr o'r mynyddoedd. Felly, mae'n hynny'n amlygu eu bod nhw'n dal i fod ag angen am y buddsoddiad hwnnw. Mae Rhondda yn enghraifft wych o'r sefyllfa sydd gennym ni yng Nghymru y mae angen ei gwyrdroi. Tra bod dros £14 miliwn wedi cael ei wario ar uwchraddio seilwaith yn Rhondda Cynon Taf ers storm Dennis yn 2020, mae £20 miliwn wedi cael ei wario ar atgyweirio ar ôl stormydd dros yr un cyfnod. Nawr, yn y pwyllgor newid hinsawdd, rydyn ni wedi gwneud hyn yn eglur iawn mewn sawl adroddiad. Fe ddylai Llywodraeth Cymru newid ei dull o ddyrannu refeniw ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol ac ystyried y perygl presennol o lifogydd a'r hyn a ragamcanir yn y dyfodol. Felly, Gweinidog, a wnewch chi egluro y bydd dyraniad refeniw ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol yn 2023-24 ar sail risg llifogydd ar hyn o bryd a risg a ragwelir?
Mae wyth mis wedi bod erbyn hyn ers cyhoeddiad adolygiad annibynnol o achosion llifogydd ledled Cymru yn ystod gaeaf 2021. Yr Athro Elwen Evans KC sydd â'r gorchwyl o sefydlu canfyddiadau allweddol, rhannu pryderon, y gwersi a ddysgwyd, llwyddiannau ac arfer da, yn ogystal â nodi meysydd ar gyfer gwelliant. Felly, a yw'r Athro Evans wedi dweud pa bryd y daw'r adolygiad i ben, ac a yw hi wedi rhoi unrhyw argymhellion rhagarweiniol i Senedd Cymru eu hystyried nawr? Yn ddiamau, fe geir gwersi y gallwn ni i gyd ddysgu ohonyn nhw a mesurau y mae'n rhaid i bob un ohonom ni gymryd rhywfaint o gyfrifoldeb amdanyn nhw. Eto i gyd, mae angen i ni gael gweld yr adolygiad hwnnw.
Mae gennym ni gannoedd o gyrsiau dŵr cyffredin ledled Cymru lle nad oes gan berchnogion glannau afon syniad o gwbl beth yw eu cyfrifoldebau nhw'n unigol. Yn wir, yn fy etholaeth fy hun, mae darnau o dir ar lan yr afon heb unrhyw berchnogion dynodedig o gwbl. Felly, fe gaiff cyfrifoldebau am lannau afonydd eu hanwybyddu. Mae perygl o anwybyddu llednentydd a nentydd. Ond, fel gwyddom ni yn Aberconwy, fe allai'r rhain fod yn achosi rhai llifogydd gwir ddinistriol. Felly, pa gamau a fyddwch chi'n eu cymryd i sicrhau y bydd pob perchennog glannau afon yn cael ei nodi a'u bod nhw'n gwybod beth yw eu dyletswyddau a bod eu dyletswyddau'n cael eu cynnal?
Yn olaf, fel gwyddoch chi, mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi gwario £4.25 miliwn ar Fferm Gilestone. Gyda dewrder, fe wnaeth fy nghyd-Aelod yn y Senedd James Evans ffilmio tystiolaeth uniongyrchol o'r safle mewn storm, sydd yn dangos ei fod bron yn llwyr dan ddŵr erbyn hyn. Felly, Gweinidog, a wnewch chi esbonio sut ar wyneb y ddaear y gall hi fod yn ddiogel i Lywodraeth Cymru gynnal digwyddiadau yno ac, yn eich gwaith chi o'i gaffael—[Torri ar draws.] Mae'n ddrwg gen i, gyda'r Gweinidog yr wyf i'n siarad, nid gyda'r Dirprwy. Ac a ystyriwyd y perygl o lifogydd ar unrhyw adeg cyn i chi wneud buddsoddiad o'r fath. Diolch, Llywydd.
Thank you, Janet. So, on the budget issues, I can tell you that the impact of the investments that we have made has been very considerable. So, for example, over the course of the most recent heavy rainfall, the flood defences in Rhondda Cynon Taf, which you referenced, prevented flooding to over 800 properties. The recently completed defence schemes in Park Lane, Aberdare, and Nant y Pentre alone reduced the risk to over 320 properties, and the defences in Rhydyfelin, Abercynon and Mountain Ash provided protection to 133, 123 and 144 properties respectively. The flood gates also helped reduce the risk for properties in Edward Street in Ystrad Mynach and a number of others. We will invest over £71 million in flood and coastal risk management this year, which is the highest annually ever, and the three-year capital budget totals £102 million to allow us to better plan our investment.
But, the bottom line, Janet, is that if we didn't have to pay for the coal tip safety programme, which is the responsibility of the UK Government, we would have many hundreds of millions of pounds more. So, the best thing you could do for your constituents and the people of Wales is to get the Government at UK level, which is run by your party, to step up to its really serious—really serious—obligations to protect all of the people of the UK from the difficulties of coal tip safety. Those coal tips are a legacy of all our shared industrial past, not of the Welsh devolved Government. It is an outrage that the UK Government does not do that, and I absolutely defy you to tell me that we should move budget from somewhere else when we've got to cover off a programme that the UK Government should quite clearly be paying for. So, I'll take no lessons from you on how to do budgeting, for that or anything else.
In terms of the inquiries, that's part of our co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru. That is a conversation that is ongoing. Elwen Evans has to be allowed to complete her inquiry as it goes ahead. No doubt, the spokesperson from Plaid Cymru will want to go into that further, Llywydd, so I won't go into that in any greater detail.
Diolch i chi, Janet. Felly, o ran materion y gyllideb, fe allaf ddweud wrthych chi fod effaith y buddsoddiadau a wnaethom ni wedi bod yn sylweddol iawn. Er enghraifft, yn ystod y glaw trwm diweddaraf, roedd yr amddiffynfeydd llifogydd yn Rhondda Cynon Taf, yr oeddech chi'n cyfeirio atyn nhw, yn atal llifogydd i dros 800 o gartrefi. Yn ddiweddar, ar eu pennau eu hunain, gwnaeth cynlluniau amddiffyn Park Lane, Aberdâr, a Nant y Pentre leihau'r risg i dros 320 o dai, a rhoddodd yr amddiffynfeydd yn Rhydyfelin, Abercynon ac Aberpennar amddiffyniad i 133, 123 a 144 o dai yn y drefn honno. Cynorthwyodd y llifddorau hefyd wrth leihau'r risg i eiddo yn Stryd Edward yn Ystrad Mynach a nifer o rai eraill. Fe fyddwn ni'n buddsoddi dros £71 miliwn mewn rheoli peryglon o lifogydd ac arfordirol eleni, sef y swm blynyddol mwyaf erioed, ac mae cyfanswm y gyllideb gyfalaf tair blynedd o £102 miliwn yn ein galluogi ni i gynllunio ein buddsoddiad ni'n well.
Ond, diwedd y gân, Janet, yw pe na fyddai raid i ni dalu am raglen ddiogelwch y tomenni glo, sy'n gyfrifoldeb i Lywodraeth y DU, fe fyddai gennym ni gannoedd lawer o filiynau o bunnoedd yn rhagor. Felly, y peth gorau y gallech chi ei wneud i'ch etholwyr a phobl Cymru yw cael y Llywodraeth ar lefel y DU, sy'n cael ei rhedeg gan eich plaid chi, i wneud ei dyletswyddau gwirioneddol ddifrifol—gwirioneddol ddifrifol—o ran ei rhwymedigaethau i amddiffyn holl bobl y DU rhag anawsterau oherwydd peryglon tomenni glo. Mae'r tomenni glo hyn yn waddol ein gorffennol diwydiannol cyffredin ni, nid i Lywodraeth ddatganoledig Cymru. Gwarth o beth yw nad yw Llywodraeth y DU yn gwneud felly, ac rwy'n rhyfeddu atoch yn ddweud wrthyf i y dylem ni symud cyllideb o rywle arall pan fo'n rhaid i ni dalu am raglen y dylai Llywodraeth y DU fod yn talu amdani yn gwbl amlwg. Felly, nid wyf i am gymryd unrhyw wersi oddi wrthych chi ynglŷn â sut i lunio cyllidebau, ar gyfer hyn nac unrhyw beth arall.
O ran yr ymholiadau, mae hynny'n rhan o'n cytundeb cydweithredu gyda Phlaid Cymru. Mae honno'n sgwrs sy'n parhau. Mae'n rhaid i Elwen Evans allu cwblhau ei hymchwiliad wrth iddo fynd rhagddo. Yn ddiamau, fe fydd llefarydd Plaid Cymru yn awyddus i ymhelaethu eto ar hynny, Llywydd, felly ni fyddaf i'n manylu ar hynny o gwbl.
Well, good timing. Heledd Fychan.
Wel, amseru da. Heledd Fychan.
Diolch Llywydd. I welcome the statement today from the Minister, and in particular, my thoughts are also with those who were devastated by flooding. For any of us who have seen it first-hand, it is absolutely devastating. And, there are people to whom it has happened time and time again. Last week, there were two properties in my region that were affected twice—on Thursday and Saturday—and it’s just soul destroying. So, I think all of my statements today are made thinking of those people who can’t sleep every time it rains heavily now—that concern. And also for those businesses that can’t have insurance, or residents who simply have been costed out of insurance, despite a flood Re and such schemes.
Diolch Llywydd. Rwy'n croesawu datganiad heddiw gan y Gweinidog, ac yn arbennig, rwy'n meddwl am bob un sydd wedi dioddef difrod yn sgil lifogydd. I unrhyw rai ohonom ni sydd wedi gweld hynny'n uniongyrchol, mae'n beth cwbl ddinistriol. Ac, mae yna bobl y mae hyn wedi digwydd iddyn nhw dro ar ôl tro. Wythnos diwethaf, effeithiwyd ar ddau dŷ yn fy rhanbarth i ddwy waith—ddydd Iau a dydd Sadwrn—ac mae hynny'n gwbl anrheithiol. Felly, rwy'n credu bod pob un o'r datganiadau a wnaf i heddiw yn cael eu gwneud gyda'r bobl hynny mewn cof nad ydyn nhw'n gallu cysgu nawr bob tro mae hi'n glawio yn drwm—am y pryder hwnnw. A'r busnesau hynny hefyd nad ydyn nhw'n gallu cael yswiriant, a thrigolion nad ydynt yn gallu fforddio yswiriant, i bob pwrpas, er gwaethaf Flood Re a chynlluniau o'r fath.
I would like to ask a number of questions, please, Minister, because as we’ve said, this is an issue that is going to continue to affect communities across Wales because of the climate emergency. This isn’t something that is concerning for the future, but is evidence of climate change and its impact now. And we must do more, I believe, to support those living in at-risk communities.
You referenced the independent review rather than the inquiry. There is a distinction; I fought very hard for an inquiry, but was pleased that we were able to at least secure a review. But I would like clarity, Minister, in terms of how elected representatives will be able to submit evidence in terms of that review. I think it is crucial that work moves forward, and I know communities that have been affected yet again. Some of these that were devastated in 2020 and 2021 will, of course, want to submit more recent evidence, especially when there has been work, but that hasn’t perhaps proved successful.
Secondly, I would like to ask—. Following the devastating flooding of 2020, your predecessor emphasised the need for a national conversation and for greater support to be available for communities to become more resilient. I would like to ask: where is that direct support? Because the experience of communities across Wales that I’ve been speaking to is that it’s very ad hoc, it’s up to them, where you have people who are very proactive or may have expertise in this area, who are able to lead that as volunteers. There are some very effective schemes in place with flood action groups, but perhaps for communities that are more vulnerable and perhaps don’t have that expertise, they feel that they’re being left without that support. And something that was questioned at the time was, yes, we agree that a national conversation is needed, we won’t be able to protect every home and business, unfortunately, but how do we have that national conversation, and who is going to lead that conversation? Because two years on, it hasn’t happened, and I think we urgently need that.
We’ve referenced before as a party the need for a Welsh flood forum as we see a national flood forum in England, a Scottish flood forum in Scotland, and what they do is go into communities to help with setting up things like flood action groups and providing that emergency response on the ground. That includes counselling, support and advice around housing and all sorts of things, because what we are also seeing now in many of the communities affected in 2020 and 2021 are perhaps the impact, because homes weren’t dried out properly; people couldn’t afford it because they didn’t have insurance, and that’s now creating huge health problems in terms of respiratory diseases. So, therefore, there is that need, I think, on the ground for a direct response. So, I would like to know where that national conversation is, who’s going to be leading on that, and how that is going to facilitate, then, that resilience. Because I think just repeating ‘communities need to become more resilient’ doesn’t actually help them in terms of becoming resilient, and I don’t think it will take a lot of funding in terms of that support.
Another point I would like to raise is what you referenced in terms of the skills gap, and this was also emphasised by Audit Wales in their report published before Christmas. Worryingly, it stated in that report that some local authorities aren’t even able to put in bids for the funding that is available, because they don’t have the staff and the expertise to develop those bids. Therefore, Audit Wales emphasised—quite a rare thing to say in the Senedd—that this isn’t a matter that the funding isn’t available; the funding is there, but local authorities aren’t able to apply for the funding because of the skills gap. And worryingly as well, not all local authorities across Wales are able to implement the schemes either, which means that they’re not able to avail of the funding through the co-operation agreement. Therefore, how are we addressing the skills gap you reference here? But, when we will receive an update as a Senedd, and are we assured that Natural Resources Wales have the number of staff to deal with flooding? They mentioned that, after the 2020 floods, at least 70 more staff members were needed. Are we assured that they have those staff in place, and how are we going to ensure that we are doing everything possible to ensure that no-one goes through flooding unnecessarily? Diolch.
Fe hoffwn i ofyn nifer o gwestiynau, os gwelwch chi'n dda, Gweinidog, oherwydd fel rydym ni wedi dweud, mater yw hwn a fydd yn parhau i effeithio ar gymunedau ledled Cymru oherwydd yr argyfwng hinsawdd. Nid rhywbeth yw hyn sy'n peri pryder i'r dyfodol, ond tystiolaeth o newid hinsawdd a'i effaith nawr. Ac mae'n rhaid i ni wneud mwy, rwy'n credu, i gefnogi'r rhai sy'n byw mewn cymunedau sydd mewn perygl.
Roeddech chi'n cyfeirio at yr adolygiad annibynnol yn hytrach na'r ymchwiliad. Mae yna wahaniaeth; fe wnes i frwydro yn galed iawn am ymchwiliad, ond roeddwn i'n falch ein bod ni wedi gallu sicrhau adolygiad o leiaf. Ond fe hoffwn i gael eglurder, Gweinidog, o ran sut y bydd cynrychiolwyr etholedig yn gallu cyflwyno tystiolaeth o ran yr adolygiad hwnnw. Rwyf i o'r farn ei bod hi'n hanfodol bod y gwaith yn symud yn ei flaen, ac rwy'n gwybod am gymunedau yr effeithiwyd arnyn nhw unwaith eto. Wrth gwrs, fe fydd rhai o'r rhain a gafodd eu effeithio'n ofnadwy yn 2020 a 2021 yn awyddus i gyflwyno tystiolaeth fwy diweddar, yn enwedig pan fo gwaith wedi bod, ond hwnnw efallai heb fod yn llwyddiant.
Yn ail, fe hoffwn i ofyn—. Yn dilyn llifogydd dinistriol 2020, fe bwysleisiodd eich rhagflaenydd yr angen am sgwrs genedlaethol a bod mwy o gefnogaeth ar gael i gymunedau allu bod yn fwy cadarn. Fe hoffwn i ofyn: ble mae'r gefnogaeth uniongyrchol honno? Oherwydd profiad cymunedau yr wyf i wedi bod yn siarad â nhw ledled Cymru yw ei bod, am y tro, i raddau helaeth, yn gyfrifoldeb arnyn nhw, lle mae gennych chi bobl sy'n rhagweithiol iawn neu sydd ag arbenigedd yn y maes hwn, sy'n gallu arwain hynny wrth wirfoddoli. Fe geir rhai cynlluniau effeithiol iawn ar waith gyda grwpiau sy'n gweithredu o ran llifogydd, ond mewn rhai cymunedau sy'n fwy agored i niwed efallai nad yw'r arbenigedd hwnnw yno, maen nhw'n teimlo eu bod nhw'n cael eu gadael yn amddifad o'r cymorth hwnnw. A rhywbeth a gafodd ei amau ar y pryd oedd, ydym, rydym ni'n cytuno bod angen sgwrs genedlaethol, ond na fyddwn ni'n gallu diogelu pob cartref a busnes, yn anffodus, ond sut mae cael y sgwrs genedlaethol honno, a phwy sy'n mynd i arwain y sgwrs honno? Oherwydd ddwy flynedd yn ddiweddarach, nid yw honno wedi digwydd, ac rwyf i o'r farn fod angen honno arnom ni ar fyrder.
Mae ein plaid ni wedi cyfeirio o'r blaen at yr angen am fforwm llifogydd Cymru pan welwn ni fforwm llifogydd cenedlaethol yn Lloegr, a fforwm llifogydd yn yr Alban, a'r hyn y maen nhw'n ei wneud yw mynd i gymunedau i helpu i sefydlu pethau fel grwpiau gweithredu llifogydd a darparu ymateb brys fel hyn ar lawr gwlad. Mae hynny'n cynnwys cwnsela, cefnogaeth a chyngor ynghylch tai a phob math o bethau eraill, oherwydd yr hyn yr ydym ni'n ei weld hefyd nawr efallai mewn llawer o'r cymunedau yr effeithiwyd arnynt yn 2020 a 2021 yw'r effaith, oherwydd na chafodd cartrefi pobl eu sychu yn briodol; nid oedd pobl yn gallu fforddio hynny oherwydd nad oedd ganddyn nhw yswiriant, ac mae hynny'n creu problemau iechyd enfawr o ran clefydau anadlol. Felly, mae'r angen hwnnw, rwy'n credu, ar lawr gwlad i fod ag ymateb sy'n uniongyrchol. Felly, fe hoffwn i wybod am y sefyllfa o ran y sgwrs genedlaethol honno, pwy fydd yn arwain honno, a sut fydd honno'n hwyluso'r cadernid hwnnw wedyn. Oherwydd rwyf i o'r farn nad yw ailadrodd 'mae angen i gymunedau fod yn fwy cadarn' mewn gwirionedd yn eu helpu nhw o ran bod yn fwy cadarn, ac nid wyf i'n credu y byddai'n cymryd llawer o gyllid o ran y gefnogaeth honno.
Pwynt arall yr hoffwn ei godi yw'r hyn yr oeddech chi'n cyfeirio ato o ran bwlch sgiliau, ac fe gafodd hynny ei bwysleisio hefyd gan Archwilio Cymru yn eu hadroddiad a gyhoeddwyd cyn y Nadolig. Yn bryderus iawn, roedd yr adroddiad hwnnw'n dweud nad yw rhai awdurdodau lleol hyd yn oed yn gallu cyflwyno ceisiadau am y cyllid sydd ar gael, oherwydd nad oes ganddyn nhw'r staff na'r arbenigedd i ddatblygu'r ceisiadau hynny. Roedd Archwilio Cymru yn pwysleisio, felly—peth anghyffredin iawn i'w ddweud yn y Senedd—nad mater o ran diffyg cyllid ar gael yw hwn; mae'r arian ar gael, ond nid yw awdurdodau lleol yn gallu gwneud cais am yr arian oherwydd y bwlch sgiliau. Ac yn bryderus hefyd, nid yw pob awdurdod lleol ledled Cymru yn gallu gweithredu'r cynlluniau ychwaith, sy'n golygu nad ydyn nhw'n gallu manteisio ar y cyllid trwy'r cytundeb cydweithredu. Felly, sut rydym ni am fynd i'r afael â'r bwlch sgiliau yr ydych chi'n cyfeirio ato yma? Ond, pan fyddwn ni'n cael ein diweddaru yn y Senedd, ac a ydym ni'n sicr bod gan Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru'r niferoedd o staff i ymdrin â llifogydd? Roedden nhw'n crybwyll, ar ôl llifogydd 2020, bod angen o leiaf 70 aelod arall o staff eto. A oes sicrwydd gennym ni fod y staff ganddyn nhw yn eu lle, a sut fyddwn ni'n sicrhau ein bod nhw'n gwneud popeth posibl i sicrhau nad oes neb yn profi llifogydd yn ddiangen? Diolch.
Diolch, Heledd. Just in terms of the review, as was part of the discussion between us, there are a number of different types of review going on. I just referenced the two by the flood and coastal erosion committee, for example. So, Professor Elwen Evans KC's review fits into a pattern of other pieces of work that are going on, so just to reassure that it's not intended to be a catch-all, and I know you know that.
She will be writing out to relevant elected representatives asking them for input at an appropriate time in her review. She's got to be allowed to get on with it, it's independent, obviously, although it's been commissioned jointly between us under the co-operation agreement. I anticipate that that will not be very much longer now, and it's up to her how she does that, though the terms of reference are pretty clear that she has to do that. I would be very surprised indeed if the Rhondda area wasn't a part of that, because that's obviously where much of the flooding has just occurred, and this is a review that we want to learn lessons from, not just from the past, but ongoing. I'm sure that there will be other many-times impacted areas of Wales that she'll want to discuss with elected representatives there. So, I anticipate that happening shortly. I don't have the actual date on me—well, I don't know the actual date, it's up to her, but that was something that she certainly discussed with myself and the designated Member for this purpose, so I'm sure that that's on its way.
What we want to do is learn lessons from those sets of reviews about how things are working on the ground and what improvements there will need to be. We know that there will need to be improvements, we wouldn't be asking for the reviews if we thought everything was tremendous. So, we will be wanting to look at those, digest them and then come forward with a set of improvements. One of the things that we are looking at is this whole flood awareness issue, so, again, I want to pay tribute to the people who've been out in all weathers across Wales from every single responder service, including NRW. I think we forget a little bit that the hard resource that we see in the river, the intervention, requires those people to be out making sure that it works. So, I do want to just make sure that we acknowledge the difficulty of their working conditions.
But also, it's just heartbreaking to have your house flooded, never mind if it's happening twice in three days. We absolutely know that, and that's why we've got this big investment programme, and, again, we've got an agreement in the co-operation agreement to put the coastal risk programme up—sorry, I've suddenly got a frog in my throat, excuse me—and that's very welcome. What is very good to see is that, in the response coming back from the local authorities this time, the properties the had been protected were protected. So, it's not like it didn't work, it's just that it's getting worse, so more properties keep getting into the flooding area. But the ones that were at risk last time and had the flood defences put in were protected, so that's something to be grateful for, although, as we see, climate change is accelerating, so we need to expand the programme.
I don't have any problem at all with the suggestion about looking at flood action groups, only to say that we are just waiting on the review outcomes so that we can go through them, and I'm sure that that will be one of the things that we consider. The skills gap is also something we've been considering, as is the insurance. Vaughan Gething and I met to discuss the issues around insurance, particularly commercial insurance, very recently. I think it might have been yesterday, but my time sense is terrible, it might have been the day before—well, it wouldn't have been the day before, would it, so it was probably Monday or Friday, anyway. We will be approaching the UK Government about putting in place a similar scheme for businesses, although it's more complicated for commercial properties. I don't know why I'm suddenly coughing. [Interruption.] So, I share your concern and want to reassure you that we are doing what you've asked. Sorry.
Diolch, Heledd. Dim ond o ran yr adolygiad, a oedd yn rhan o'r drafodaeth a fu rhyngom ni, fe geir nifer o wahanol fathau o adolygiad yn digwydd ar hyn o bryd. Fe gyfeiriais i at y ddau gan y pwyllgor llifogydd ac erydu arfordirol, er enghraifft. Felly, mae adolygiad yr Athro Elwen Evans KC yn dilyn patrwm darnau eraill o waith sy'n digwydd, felly dim ond ar gyfer tawelu meddyliau nad y bwriad yw i hwnnw gwmpasu popeth, ac fe wn i eich bod chi'n gwybod hynny.
Fe fydd hi'n ysgrifennu at gynrychiolwyr etholedig perthnasol yn gofyn iddyn nhw am fewnbwn ar gam priodol yn ei hadolygiad hi. Mae'n rhaid i ni ganiatáu iddi hi fwrw ymlaen, mae'r adolygiad yn annibynnol, yn amlwg, er iddo gael ei gomisiynu ar y cyd rhyngom ni yn unol â'r cytundeb cydweithredu. Rwy'n rhagweld na fydd hi'n cymryd llawer mwy i hwnnw ddod nawr, a mater iddi hi yw sut y bydd hi'n gwneud hynny, er bod y cylch gwaith yn eglur iawn ei bod hi'n ofynnol iddi wneud hynny. Fe fyddwn i'n synnu'n fawr yn wir pe na fyddai ardal y Rhondda yn rhan o'r adolygiad hwnnw, oherwydd yn amlwg dyna ble roedd llawer o'r llifogydd diweddar iawn, ac mae hwn yn adolygiad yr ydym ni'n awyddus i ddysgu gwersi ohono, nid dim ond o'r gorffennol yn unig, ond trwy'r amser. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd yna ardaloedd eraill yng Nghymru yr effeithiwyd arnyn nhw sawl gwaith y bydd angen eu trafod gyda chynrychiolwyr etholedig yn y mannau hynny. Felly, rwy'n rhagweld y bydd hynny'n digwydd yn fuan. Nid oes gennyf i ddyddiad gwirioneddol yma—wel, ni wn i am y dyddiad gwirioneddol, mater iddi hi yw hwnnw, ond, yn sicr fe drafodwyd hynny gyda'r Aelod dynodedig a minnau at y diben hwn, felly rwy'n siŵr bod yr adolygiad ar ei ffordd.
Yr hyn yr ydym ni'n dymuno ei wneud yw dysgu gwersi o'r setiau hynny o adolygiadau ynglŷn â sut mae pethau yn gweithio ar lawr gwlad a pha welliannau fydd eu hangen. Rydym ni'n gwybod y bydd angen gwelliannau, ni fyddem wedi gofyn am adolygiadau pe byddem ni'n credu bod popeth yn rhagorol. Felly, fe fyddwn ni'n dymuno edrych ar y rhain, pori drostyn nhw a chyflwyno cyfres o welliannau wedyn. Un o'r pethau yr ydym ni'n eu hystyried yw'r holl fater hwn o ymwybyddiaeth am lifogydd, felly, unwaith eto, fe hoffwn i roi teyrnged i'r bobl sydd wedi bod allan ym mhob tywydd ledled Cymru o bob un o'r gwasanaethau ymatebwyr, yn cynnwys CNC. Rwy'n credu ein bod ni'n anghofio rhywfaint o'r adnodd gwirioneddol a welwn ni yn yr afon, sef yr ymyrraeth, yn gofyn i'r bobl hyn fod allan yn sicrhau ei fod yn gweithio. Felly, fe hoffwn ni wneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n cydnabod anhawster eu hamodau gwaith.
Ond hefyd, peth torcalonnus yw cael llifogydd yn eich cartref, heb sôn am i'r peth ddigwydd ddwywaith mewn tridiau. Rydym ni'n llwyr gydnabod hynny, a dyna pam mae'r rhaglen fuddsoddi fawr hon gennym ni, ac, unwaith eto, mae gennym ni gytundeb yn y cytundeb cydweithredu i sefydlu'r rhaglen risg arfordirol—mae'n ddrwg gen i, rwyf wedi mynd yn grug yn sydyn, esgusodwch fi—ac mae hynny i'w groesawu yn fawr. Yr hyn sy'n dda iawn i'w weld, yn yr ymateb sy'n dod gan yr awdurdodau lleol y tro hwn, yw bod y tai a amddiffynnwyd wedi cael eu diogelu. Felly, nid yw hi fel pe bai hynny heb weithio, dim ond bod llifogydd yn gwaethygu, felly mae mwy o dai eto yn cael eu nodi mewn ardaloedd lle ceir llifogydd. Ond roedd y rhai a oedd mewn perygl y tro diwethaf ac a gafodd yr amddiffynfeydd rhag llifogydd wedi cael eu diogelu, felly mae hynny'n rhywbeth i fod yn ddiolchgar amdano, er, fel rydym ni'n ei weld, mae newid hinsawdd yn cyflymu, felly mae angen i ni ehangu'r rhaglen hon.
Nid oes gennyf i unrhyw broblem o gwbl gyda'r awgrym ynglŷn ag edrych ar grwpiau gweithredu llifogydd, dim ond dweud ein bod ni'n aros am ganlyniadau'r adolygiad ar gyfer mynd trwyddyn nhw, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd hwnnw'n un o'r pethau y byddwn ni'n rhoi ystyriaeth iddyn nhw. Mae'r bwlch sgiliau yn rhywbeth yr ydym ni wedi bod yn ei ystyried hefyd, fel yswiriant. Fe wnaeth Vaughan Gething a minnau gyfarfod i drafod materion yswiriant, yn enwedig yswiriant masnachol, yn ddiweddar iawn. Rwy'n credu efallai mai ddoe oedd hi, ond mae fy synnwyr i o amser yn ofnadwy, efallai mai echdoe oedd hi—wel, nid echdoe a fyddai hi chwaith, felly mae'n debyg mai dydd Llun neu ddydd Gwener oedd hi, beth bynnag am hynny. Rydym ni am fynd at Lywodraeth y DU i drafod sefydlu cynllun tebyg ar gyfer busnesau, er y byddai hynny'n fwy cymhleth ar gyfer eiddo masnachol. Rwy'n pesychu yn sydyn, heb wybod pam. [Torri ar draws.] Felly, rwy'n rhannu eich pryderon chi ac yn awyddus i'ch sicrhau chi ein bod ni'n gwneud yr hyn y gwnaethoch chi ofyn yn ei gylch. Mae'n ddrwg gen i.
Thank you for that statement, Minister. In December, the Red Cross launched its new report, 'Every time it rains', which highlighted that more needs to be done to support communities to better prepare for and recover from flooding. The report raises several points, but most concerning for me were the findings that awareness of flood risk among those living in areas that are at risk of flooding is low, as you've mentioned, Minister. Lack of awareness impacts on many households having inadequate flood insurance and leads people to being unaware of the actions that they can take to prepare for a worst-case scenario.
Some communities, like Afon Village in my constituency, have flood volunteer groups, who help alert residents to flood risk, liaise with authorities on blockages in rivers and give out information on what to do with valuables, amongst many other things. We've seen, over the last few years, that flooding and extreme weather events are increasingly becoming the norm, and the emotional and financial cost after a devastating event can be huge, so resources can be better placed in building resilience in the first place. So, what actions are the Welsh Government taking to ensure that those living in areas at risk of flooding in Wales know what to do to prepare for a flood? You've mentioned the review, but what more can be done to promote flood volunteer groups to expand to include more communities that are now at risk?
Diolch i chi am y datganiad hwn, Gweinidog. Ym mis Rhagfyr, lansiodd y Groes Goch ei adroddiad newydd, 'Every time it rains', a oedd yn tynnu sylw at yr angen i wneud mwy i gefnogi cymunedau i baratoi yn well ar gyfer llifogydd ac adfer ohonyn nhw. Mae'r adroddiad yn codi sawl pwynt, ond y mwyaf pryderus yn fy marn i oedd y canfyddiadau bod ymwybyddiaeth o berygl llifogydd ymhlith y rhai sy'n byw mewn ardaloedd sydd mewn perygl o lifogydd yn isel, fel rydych chi wedi sôn, Gweinidog. Mae diffyg ymwybyddiaeth yn effeithio ar lawer o aelwydydd o ran bod ag yswiriant llifogydd sy'n annigonol ac yn arwain pobl i ddiffyg ymwybyddiaeth o'r camau y gallan nhw eu cymryd i baratoi ar gyfer y sefyllfa waethaf bosibl.
Mae gan rai cymunedau, fel Pentref Afon yn fy etholaeth i, grwpiau o wirfoddolwyr llifogydd, sy'n helpu i dynnu sylw trigolion at berygl llifogydd, a chysylltu ag awdurdodau ar rwystrau mewn afonydd a rhoi gwybodaeth ynglŷn â'r hyn i'w wneud gyda phethau gwerthfawr, ymhlith llawer o bethau eraill. Rydym ni wedi gweld, dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, bod llifogydd a thywydd eithafol yn dod yn gynyddol arferol, ac fe all y gost emosiynol ac ariannol ar ôl digwyddiad dinistriol fod yn enbydus, felly fe ellid rhoi'r adnoddau mewn sefyllfa well o ran meithrin cadernid yn y man cychwynnol. Felly, pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod y rhai sy'n byw mewn ardaloedd sydd mewn perygl o lifogydd yng Nghymru yn gwybod beth i'w wneud i baratoi ar gyfer llifogydd? Rydych chi wedi sôn am yr adolygiad, ond beth arall y gellir ei wneud i annog grwpiau llifogydd gwirfoddol i ehangu er mwyn cynnwys mwy o gymunedau sydd mewn perygl erbyn hyn?
Thank you, Jayne. I will be meeting the British Red Cross very shortly to discuss their report with them; we're very interested in the findings. And indeed, we're interested in working with all groups right across Wales who've got something to add to this plan of action, really, because there's no argument with any of us that we need to do this as fast as possible, and we need to employ every single lever we have to make sure that people are as flood aware as they possibly can be, and that, if they are flooded out, they absolutely understand what to do to recover as fast as possible and who to reach out to for support. But that needs to also be happening—. As soon as you know you're in a flood-risk property, you need to be able to understand what needs to happen to get the protection that you require. So, I absolutely agree with you. I'm meeting them shortly to discuss it. I'd be more than happy to discuss that meeting with you once it's happened.
Diolch i chi, Jayne. Fe fyddaf i'n cwrdd â'r Groes Goch Brydeinig yn fuan iawn i drafod eu hadroddiad gyda nhw; mae gennym ni ddiddordeb mawr yn y canfyddiadau. Ac yn wir, mae gennym ni ddiddordeb mewn gweithio gyda phob grŵp yn iawn ledled Cymru sydd â rhywbeth i'w ychwanegu at y cynllun gweithredu hwn, mewn gwirionedd, oherwydd nid oes unrhyw ddadl gan unrhyw un ohonom ni ynglŷn â'r angen i ni wneud hyn mor gyflym â phosibl, ac mae angen i ni ddefnyddio pob un ysgogiad sydd gennym i sicrhau bod pobl mor ymwybodol o lifogydd ag y gallan nhw fod, a'u bod nhw, os ydyn nhw'n cael llifogydd, yn deall yn union beth i'w wneud i adfer mor gyflym â phosib a phwy i ofyn iddyn nhw am gefnogaeth. Ond mae angen i hynny fod yn digwydd hefyd—. Cyn gynted ag y byddwch chi'n gwybod eich bod chi mewn tŷ sydd mewn perygl o lifogydd, mae angen i chi allu deall beth fydd angen iddo ddigwydd er mwyn bod â'r amddiffyniadau y mae eu hangen arnoch chi. Felly, rwy'n cytuno â chi'n gyfan gwbl. Fe fyddaf i'n cyfarfod â nhw'n fuan i drafod y mater. Fe fyddaf i'n fwy na pharod i drafod y cyfarfod hwnnw gyda chi pan fydd hwnnw wedi bod.
Minister, the floods that have, yet again, devastated people's lives don't just take a toll on carpets and wallpaper. When dirty water is cleaned away, the stains aren't just physical. People are left traumatised, frightened and unsure of what the next heavy rainfall will bring. We've already heard from Jayne Bryant that the red cross's report, 'Every time it rains', talks about the need to increase awareness of flood risks. I do commend the report to you.
I'd like to press you, please, on what psychological support will be offered to people who've been flooded again. I know of at least one street in my region where flooding has been caused by the same reason as in early 2020: a blocked culvert. If the same thing keeps happening, how can these residents trust that their properties will be safe in the future? And finally, what counselling services will be made available in schools in affected areas, please, because particularly very little children can find these incidents really deeply damaging? Thank you.
Gweinidog, mae'r llifogydd sydd, unwaith eto, wedi dinistrio bywydau pobl nid yn unig yn difrodi carpedi a phapur wal. Pan fydd dŵr budr yn cael ei lanhau i ffwrdd, nid staeniau ffisegol yn unig sydd ar ôl. Mae pobl yn cael eu gadael gydag archoll, maen nhw'n ofnus ac yn ansicr o'r hyn a ddaw yn sgil y glaw trwm nesaf. Rydym ni wedi clywed eisoes gan Jayne Bryant bod adroddiad y Groes Goch, 'Every time it rains', yn sôn am yr angen i gynyddu ymwybyddiaeth o beryglon llifogydd. Rwy'n cymeradwyo'r adroddiad i chi.
Fe hoffwn i bwyso arnoch chi, os gwelwch chi'n dda, ynglŷn â'r pha gymorth seicolegol a gaiff ei gynnig i bobl sydd wedi dioddef llifogydd unwaith eto. Fe wn am o leiaf un stryd yn fy rhanbarth i lle cafodd llifogydd eu hachosi gan yr un rheswm ag yn gynnar yn 2020: ceuffos wedi blocio. Os bydd yr un peth yn parhau i ddigwydd, sut all y trigolion hyn ymddiried y bydd eu tai nhw'n ddiogel yn y dyfodol? Ac yn olaf, pa wasanaethau cwnsela a fydd ar gael mewn ysgolion mewn ardaloedd a effeithiwyd, os gwelwch chi'n dda, oherwydd mae plant bach iawn yn arbennig yn canfod y digwyddiadau hyn yn wirioneddol andwyol iawn? Diolch i chi.
Thank you, Delyth. That is absolutely right. I've met myself with many of the families that have been affected, and it's absolutely right that they are very severely impacted. One family told me that their three-year-old was very scared every time it rained even normally because they'd been flooded and she was worried about it. So, it's a real problem.
The first thing to do is to make sure that we manage to get a programme in place that extends the flood protection to properties, so that we can minimise that risk as much as is humanly possible. I will certainly speak to my colleague Jeremy Miles about doing something in the schools in particularly affected areas—I think that's a very good idea, to just discuss exactly how the children feel about it and what can be done. So, I'm certainly very happy to do that.
We have got the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales—I should have mentioned earlier—also looking at this from the point of view of resilience for infrastructure. But infrastructure includes social infrastructure as well, so I'd be very interested to see what they come up with. We are very aware of the society and community impacts of this. This isn't just, as you say, about carpets and so on, although that can be pretty devastating. It is absolutely about the psychological effect of having your home no longer feel like your home, so we certainly do get that.
I've visited a number of homes that have been flooded and people have kept a small mark on the wall to show where it got to, because it's traumatising for them. So, I completely accept that, Delyth, and I think we really do want to work with our communities to make sure (a) that they're as resilient as possible, and (b) that the recovery process is as fast as is humanly possible. And I've already mentioned that we'll be working with the UK Government to do something about the insurance situation. The Flood Re insurance is available for domestic properties, but, actually, it's got a time limit on it, so we need to make sure that there's another programme in place. And as I said, commercial property currently isn't covered by it, and there's a range of issues around the difficulty of that. But that shouldn't be impossible to overcome, so we've asked for meetings with the insurance sector about how to do that, in conjunction with the UK Government, because, frankly, the market isn't big enough in Wales for us to be able to make any impact, so we'll work with them to make sure that we can get a suitable scheme in place. In the meantime, we've asked our local authorities to assess the damage for local businesses and to work with them to make sure they can recover.
Diolch i chi, Delyth. Mae hynny'n gwbl gywir. Rwyf i wedi cyfarfod yn bersonol gyda nifer o'r teuluoedd sydd wedi cael eu heffeithio, ac mae hi'n gwbl gywir eu bod nhw wedi cael eu dylanwadu mewn ffordd ddifrifol iawn. Dywedodd un teulu wrthyf i fod eu plentyn tair oed yn bryderus iawn bob tro yr oedd hi'n bwrw glaw hyd yn oed yn arferol am eu bod nhw wedi cael llifogydd ac roedd hi'n poeni am hynny. Felly, mae hi'n broblem wirioneddol.
Y peth cyntaf i'w wneud yw sicrhau ein bod ni'n llwyddo i gael rhaglen ar waith sy'n ehangu amddiffyniad rhag llifogydd i dai, er mwyn lleihau'r perygl o hynny gymaint ag y gallwn ni. Fe fyddaf yn sicr o siarad â'm cydweithiwr Jeremy Miles ynglŷn â gwneud rhywbeth yn yr ysgolion mewn ardaloedd a gafodd eu heffeithio yn arbennig—rwy'n credu bod hwnnw'n syniad da iawn, sef trafod yn union sut mae'r plant yn teimlo ynghylch hyn a'r hyn a ellir ei wneud. Felly, rwy'n sicr yn hapus iawn i wneud hynny.
Mae Comisiwn Seilwaith Cenedlaethol Cymru gennym ni—fe ddylwn i fod wedi sôn amdano'n gynharach—sydd hefyd yn edrych ar hyn o safbwynt cadernid ar gyfer seilwaith. Ond mae seilwaith yn cynnwys seilwaith cymdeithasol hefyd, felly fe fydd hi'n dda iawn gennyf i gael gwybod beth fydden nhw'n ei gynnig. Rydym ni'n ymwybodol iawn o effeithiau hyn yn gymdeithasol a chymunedol. Nid, fel y dywedwch chi, am garpedi ac ati yw hyn, er y gall hynny fod yn ddinistriol iawn. Mae hyn yn sicr yn ymwneud ag effaith seicolegol cael eich amddifadu o ymdeimlad o gartref, felly rydym ni'n sicr yn amgyffred hynny.
Rwyf i wedi ymweld â nifer o gartrefi sydd wedi gweld llifogydd ac mae pobl wedi rhoi marc bach ar y wal i ddangos i le y cyrhaeddodd, am fod hynny wedi cael cymaint o effaith arnyn nhw. Felly, rwy'n derbyn hynny'n llwyr, Delyth, ac rwy'n credu ein bod ni wir yn awyddus i weithio gyda'n cymunedau i wneud yn siŵr (a) eu bod nhw mor gadarn â phosibl, a (b) bod y broses adfer mor gyflym â phosibl. Ac rwyf i wedi sôn eisoes y byddwn ni'n gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU i wneud rhywbeth am y sefyllfa o ran yswiriant. Mae yswiriant Flood Re ar gael ar gyfer tai domestig, ond, mewn gwirionedd, mae terfyn amser yn hynny o beth, felly mae angen i ni wneud yn siŵr bod rhaglen arall yn ei lle. Ac fel y dywedais i, nid yw eiddo masnachol yn cael ei gynnwys yn hynny ar hyn o bryd, ac fe geir amrywiaeth o faterion sy'n peri anhawster ynglŷn â hynny. Ond ni ddylai hynny fod yn amhosib ei oresgyn, ac felly rydym ni wedi gofyn am gyfarfodydd gyda'r sector yswiriant ynglŷn â dulliau o wneud hynny, ar y cyd â Llywodraeth y DU, oherwydd, a dweud y gwir, nid yw'r farchnad yn ddigon eang yng Nghymru i ni allu bod ag unrhyw ddylanwad, felly fe wnawn ni weithio gyda nhw i sicrhau ein bod ni'n gallu rhoi cynllun addas ar waith. Yn y cyfamser, rydym ni wedi gofyn i'n hawdurdodau lleol asesu'r difrod i fusnesau lleol a gweithio gyda nhw i wneud yn siŵr y gallan nhw gael eu hadfer.
Minister, over the weekend areas in Newport East saw flooding, such as Llanwern, Langstone and St Julians, which unfortunately is not an uncommon occurrence, and it has become more frequent over the last few years, with many residents and businesses contacting myself and my office. One of the issues, which I’m sure you’re familiar with, Minister, is finding out who is responsible and who is accountable for flooding when it comes to land use and land management, and very often it’s difficult for householders and businesses to achieve that. On the one hand it’s Natural Resources Wales, it’s possibly Welsh Water, possibly Network Rail, local authorities, private development, and I just wonder, Minister, whether there’s anything you’re considering in terms of bringing potential organisations with responsibilities together in those sorts of circumstances to bottom out who is responsible, because it's an ongoing situation, it’s not a one-off, and it needs to be resolved for the future.
One other matter, Minister—you mentioned the use of the natural environment, which I think is excellent and needs to be done to a greater extent. We’ve seen some attempts to manage hard surfaces in urban areas—householders' and others'—is there any more that you’re considering, so that we have fewer of those hard surfaces that allow water to immediately run off, rather than to absorb, hold and slowly release?
Gweinidog, dros y penwythnos mewn ardaloedd yn Nwyrain Casnewydd, fel Llanwern, Langstone a St Julians, gwelwyd llifogydd ac nid digwyddiad anghyffredin mohonyn nhw'n anffodus, sydd wedi mynd yn fwy tebygol dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, gyda llawer o drigolion a busnesau yn cysylltu â mi a'm swyddfa i. Un o'r materion yr ydych chi'n siŵr o fod yn gyfarwydd â nhw, Gweinidog, yw canfod pwy sy'n gyfrifol a phwy sy'n atebol am lifogydd o ran defnydd tir a rheoli tir, ac yn aml iawn mae hi'n anodd i berchnogion tai a busnesau wneud hynny. Ar y naill law Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru sydd â chyfrifoldeb, neu Ddŵr Cymru o bosibl, neu Network Rail, yr awdurdodau lleol, datblygwyr preifat, a tybed, Gweinidog, a oes unrhyw beth yr ydych chi'n ei ystyried o ran dod â sefydliadau sydd â chyfrifoldebau o bosibl at ei gilydd mewn amgylchiadau fel hyn i ddarganfod pwy sy'n gyfrifol, oherwydd mae honno'n sefyllfa sy'n parhau, nid digwyddiad untro, ac mae angen datrys hyn i'r dyfodol.
Un mater arall, Gweinidog—fe wnaethoch chi sôn am y defnydd o'r amgylchedd naturiol, sy'n rhagorol yn fy marn i ac mae angen gwneud hynny'n fwy eang. Rydym ni wedi gweld rhai ymdrechion i reoli arwynebau caled mewn ardaloedd trefol—rhai deiliaid tai ac eraill—a ydych chi'n ystyried unrhyw rai eraill, fel bydd cyfran lai o'r arwynebau caled hyn sy'n caniatáu i'r dŵr redeg i ffwrdd yn syth, yn hytrach na'i amsugno, ei gadw a'i ollwng dros amser hir?
Thank you, John. I agree it’s a complex picture, if you like, of who’s responsible for what. But, actually, if you’re a householder who’s experienced flooding, you should contact your local authority, and they should be perfectly capable of putting you through to anyone else, but it will be them for 98 per cent of people. It will only be people who have very specific circumstances who will not be being helped by the local authority in the first instance. So, it definitely is the local authority.
The local authority also needs to contact us—I notice that Newport isn’t on my list, I’m afraid. So, they need to make sure that they’re contacting us as the flood management authority to make sure that they’re taking advantage of Welsh Government assistance as well, and I’ll certainly make sure that we do that the other way round in this instance.
The other thing is to say that we are very keen to make sure that people are as resilient as possible in the run-up, in that they understand where to look for the flood alerts and how to make sure that they know what’s coming. So, obviously, most people access social media for news and TV news and so on. The weather reports were pretty straightforward; unless you were just not looking at anything at all, you would have seen them. But you wouldn’t necessarily have known where to look to see if your particular street was impacted, so I agree with you that we need to do a lot more to make sure that people understand how to get those alerts. We will be working with the local authorities to make sure that we can get an alert system in place for properties that are impacted. It’s a difficulty, because there’s no getting away from the fact that this effect is spreading out.
So, I’m very pleased that the work that we’ve already done in communities that were experiencing flooding has worked, they’re protected, but you can see that climate change is accelerating. These have been extreme weather events, and we all remember that we've had the driest summer we’ve ever had just gone, so this water is impacting on land that has become suddenly saturated. That is a real problem in terms of how the land reacts to that impact of water. We’re really only just understanding ourselves what some of the impacts of that are for some of our land. So, we’ll need to work with our populations to make sure that we’re on top of that, and I’ve already referenced a number of the reviews that are taking place—because we’ve seen it coming, we’ve got the reviews in place, so we need to get those now, the results of those, so that we can work through them.
If you have very specific instances, John, of constituents, do please write in and let me know. There may be specific circumstances that we can address more particularly.
Diolch, John. Rwy'n cytuno bod hwn yn ddarlun cymhleth, os hoffech chi, o ran pwy sy'n gyfrifol am beth. Ond, mewn gwirionedd, os ydych chi'n ddeiliaid tŷ sydd â phrofiad o lifogydd, fe ddylech chi gysylltu â'ch awdurdod lleol, ac fe ddylen nhw fod yn berffaith alluog i'ch rhoi chi mewn cysylltiad ag unrhyw un arall, ond y nhw a fydd yn gyfrifol am 98 y cant o'r boblogaeth. Dim ond rhai mewn amgylchiadau arbennig iawn na fydd yn derbyn cymorth gan yr awdurdod lleol yn y lle cyntaf. Felly, yr awdurdod lleol yw'r man cychwyn yn bendant.
Mae angen i'r awdurdod lleol gysylltu gyda ni hefyd—rwy'n sylwi nad yw Casnewydd ar fy rhestr i, mae arnaf i ofn. Felly, mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw sicrhau eu bod nhw'n cysylltu â ni sef yr awdurdod sy'n rheoli llifogydd i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n cymryd mantais o gymorth gan Lywodraeth Cymru hefyd, ac yn sicr fe fyddaf i'n gwneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n gwneud hynny o'r pen arall yn yr achos hwn.
Y peth arall i'w ddweud yw ein bod ni'n awyddus iawn i sicrhau bod pobl mor wydn â phosib yn y cyfnod o flaen y llifogydd, sef eu bod nhw'n deall lle i chwilio am rybuddion llifogydd a sut i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n gwybod beth sydd ar ddod. Felly, yn amlwg, mae'r rhan fwyaf o bobl yn gallu defnyddio'r cyfryngau cymdeithasol ar gyfer newyddion a newyddion teledu ac ati. Roedd adroddiadau tywydd yn ddigymhlethdod; heb i chi fod heb edrych ar unrhyw beth o gwbl, fe fyddech chi wedi gweld y rhain. Ond ni fyddech chi wedi gwybod ble i edrych o reidrwydd ar gyfer gweld a fyddai eich stryd chi eich hun yn cael ei heffeithio arni, ac felly rwy'n cytuno â chi bod angen i ni wneud llawer mwy i wneud yn siŵr bod pobl yn deall sut i gael y rhybuddion hynny. Fe fyddwn ni'n gweithio gyda'r awdurdodau lleol i wneud yn siŵr y gallwn gael system rybuddio ar waith ar gyfer tai sy'n cael eu heffeithio arnyn nhw. Mae hwnnw'n anhawster, oherwydd ni ellir dianc rhag y ffaith fod yr effaith hon yn mynd ar led.
Felly, rwy'n falch iawn fod y gwaith a wnaethom ni eisoes mewn cymunedau a oedd yn cael llifogydd wedi gweithio, maen nhw'n cael eu hamddiffyn, ond fe allwch chi weld bod newid hinsawdd yn cyflymu. Mae'r rhain wedi bod yn ddigwyddiadau tywydd eithafol, ac rydym ni i gyd yn cofio ein bod ni wedi cael yr haf sychaf a welsom ni erioed, felly mae'r dŵr hwn yn effeithio ar dir a aeth yn orlawn o ddŵr yn sydyn. Mae honno'n broblem wirioneddol o ran sut mae'r tir yn ymateb i effaith dŵr fel hyn. Dim ond dechrau deall ein hunain ydym ni mewn gwirionedd o ran rai o'r effeithiau hynny i beth o'n tir. Felly, fe fydd angen i ni weithio gyda'n poblogaethau i wneud yn siŵr ein bod ni'n rheoli hynny, ac rwyf i wedi cyfeirio eisoes at nifer o'r adolygiadau sy'n digwydd—oherwydd ein bod ni wedi gweld hyn yn dod, mae adolygiadau hyn yn digwydd gennym ni, felly mae angen i ni gael y rhain nawr, a chasgliadau'r rhain, fel gallwn ni weithio drwyddyn nhw.
Os oes gennych achosion neilltuol iawn, John, o etholwyr, ysgrifennwch ataf i a gadewch i mi wybod. Efallai y bydd amgylchiadau neilltuol y gallwn ni fynd i'r afael â nhw mewn ffordd fwy penodol.
Finally, Carolyn Thomas.
Ac yn olaf, Carolyn Thomas.
Diolch. I welcome this statement, and also the investment in coastal defence in north Wales, which is significant. Flooding, like rainfall, impacts on our highway infrastructure, roads, bridges and pavements, and we’ve seen what’s happened in north Wales, with landslides in Flintshire, Newbridge and Llanerch Bridge that have cost millions to put right. Heavy rainfall also power washes away highway services, causes potholes and blocked gullies, which are a nightmare for local authorities, as you’ve mentioned, and residents alike. I was disappointed to see that the resilient roads fund, which was £20 million, has now been cut to zero in the draft budget. I saw that £20 million has now gone to local government for decarbonisation, and I'm just wondering if it's the same funding, but being shifted. And also would you consider a slice of the local transport fund being used possibly for local authorities towards resilience? Thank you.
Diolch. Rwy'n croesawu'r datganiad hwn, a'r buddsoddiad mewn amddiffyn arfordirol yn y gogledd hefyd, sy'n sylweddol. Mae llifogydd, fel glaw, yn effeithio ar seilwaith ein priffyrdd ni, ein ffyrdd ni, ein pontydd a'n palmentydd ni, ac rydym ni wedi gweld beth sydd wedi digwydd yn y gogledd, gyda thirlithriadau yn sir y Fflint, Trecelyn a Phont Llanerch sydd wedi costio miliynau i'w hadfer. Mae glaw trwm yn golchi gwasanaethau priffyrdd i ffwrdd, yn achosi tyllau yn y ffyrdd a blocio'r cwteri, sy'n hunllefus i awdurdodau lleol, fel gwnaethoch chi sôn, a thrigolion fel ei gilydd. Fe gefais i fy siomi o weld bod y gronfa ffyrdd cydnerth, a oedd yn £20 miliwn, wedi cael ei thorri i ddim erbyn hyn yn y gyllideb ddrafft. Fe welais fod £20 miliwn wedi mynd i lywodraeth leol erbyn hyn ar gyfer datgarboneiddio, ac rwy'n meddwl tybed ai'r un cyllid yw hwnnw, wedi cael ei symud. A hefyd a fyddech chi'n ystyried tamaid o'r gronfa drafnidiaeth leol i'w defnyddio o bosib ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol ar gyfer gwytnwch? Diolch i chi.
I'm not too sure which budget you're referring to there, Carolyn, I'm afraid. So, there's a very specific flood management budget, and it's ring-fenced for flood management for NRW. Local authorities have it as part of the revenue support grant, but they are expected to put a programme in place. So, I'm happy to discuss the specifics with you there. But it's not a mix and match of budgets—it's a very specific budget.
I just wanted to say—actually, in response to John Griffiths as well as to yourself—there is already in place in Wales the need to actually obtain planning consent to pave over your front garden. This is widely ignored, I have to say, and I'm planning to remind local authorities that that's the case. And I do think we need to have a programme of awareness and alertness for people to understand what happens if they make their front gardens impermeable. Joyce Watson has been talking about this for many years now, but I think it's becoming more and more obvious that people need to understand their own contribution to some of the things that are happening locally to them. If you stop your garden being able to absorb water, that water just pours straight into the gullies, taking with it anything that it's picked up along the way, and it causes the kind of blockages that you're talking about. So, I do think people need to be aware of that. If you want to park a car on your front garden and that's what it's for, there are many permeable surfaces that are perfectly appropriate for that, and allow some kind of biodiversity to thrive as well. It's not necessary to put a hard paving on it.
But we are working very closely with our local authorities, Carolyn, to understand what the wider impact of the flooding and the extreme weather events that we've had will be. This, unfortunately, is not going to be an isolated incident. We know that last year was the warmest year on record. It's also rapidly becoming the wettest winter on record. So, I'm afraid this is a real measure of the times we live in, and we will have to find ways of becoming much more resilient, both in our relationships and in our response.
Dydw i ddim yn rhy siŵr pa gyllideb rydych chi'n cyfeirio ati yn y fan yna, Carolyn, mae gen i ofn. Felly mae yna gyllideb benodol iawn i reoli llifogydd, ac mae hi wedi'i chlustnodi ar gyfer rheoli llifogydd ar gyfer CNC. Mae awdurdodau lleol yn ei chael fel rhan o'r grant cynnal refeniw, ond mae disgwyl iddyn nhw roi rhaglen ar waith. Felly, rwy'n hapus i drafod y manylion gyda chi yn y fan yna. Ond nid yw'n gymysgedd o gyllidebau—mae'n gyllideb benodol iawn.
Roeddwn i eisiau dweud—mewn gwirionedd, mewn ymateb i John Griffiths yn ogystal ag i chi—mae eisoes ar waith yng Nghymru yr angen i gael caniatâd cynllunio i osod palmant dros eich gardd flaen, mewn gwirionedd. Mae hyn yn cael ei anwybyddu'n eang, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud, ac rwy'n bwriadu atgoffa awdurdodau lleol bod hynny'n wir. Ac rwy'n credu bod angen i ni gael rhaglen o ymwybyddiaeth a rhybuddio fel bod pobl yn deall beth fydd yn digwydd os byddan nhw'n gwneud eu gerddi blaen yn anathraidd. Mae Joyce Watson wedi bod yn sôn am hyn ers blynyddoedd bellach, ond rwy'n credu ei fod yn dod yn fwy ac yn fwy amlwg bod angen i bobl ddeall eu cyfraniad eu hunain i rai o'r pethau sy'n digwydd yn lleol iddyn nhw. Os ydych chi'n atal eich gardd rhag gallu amsugno dŵr, mae'r dŵr hwnnw'n arllwys yn syth i mewn i'r gwteri, ac yn mynd ag unrhyw beth y mae'n ei godi ar hyd y ffordd gydag ef, ac mae'n achosi'r math o flociau yr ydych chi'n sôn amdanyn nhw. Felly, rwy'n credu bod angen i bobl fod yn ymwybodol o hynny. Os ydych chi eisiau parcio car ar eich gardd flaen a dyna beth yw ei bwrpas, mae yna lawer o arwynebau athraidd sy'n gwbl briodol ar gyfer hynny, ac sy'n caniatáu i ryw fath o fioamrywiaeth ffynnu hefyd. Does dim angen rhoi palmant caled arni.
Ond rydym yn gweithio'n agos iawn gyda'n hawdurdodau lleol, Carolyn, i ddeall beth fydd effaith ehangach y llifogydd a'r tywydd eithafol rydyn ni wedi'u cael. Nid yw hyn, yn anffodus, yn mynd i fod yn ddigwyddiad ynysig. Gwyddom mai llynedd oedd y flwyddyn gynhesaf ar gofnod. Mae hefyd yn prysur ddod y gaeaf gwlypaf ar gofnod. Felly, mae gen i ofn bod hwn yn fesur go iawn o'r cyfnod yr ydym ni'n byw ynddo, a bydd yn rhaid i ni ddod o hyd i ffyrdd o ddod yn llawer mwy cydnerth, yn ein perthynas ac yn ein hymateb.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
Thank you, Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf felly yw'r datganiad gan y Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol ar y diweddariad ar gyfarfod ag undebau llafur y gwasanaeth iechyd, a'r Gweinidog, felly, i wneud ei datganiad—Eluned Morgan.
The next item is a statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services, an update on meeting with the NHS trade unions, and I call on the Minister to make the statement—Eluned Morgan.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I'd like to take this opportunity to update Members following my meeting on 12 January with the NHS trade unions. I wrote to the unions on 6 January in advance of the meeting, inviting them to discuss a package of measures aiming to find a way to offer some additional reward to the workforce so they felt able to call off their industrial action. I suggested that the discussion could include a potential package including: on pay, a non-consolidated award funded through this year’s Welsh Government budget; ways in which we can move forward on the issues highlighted in the staff welfare project and reducing agency spend; and ways in which we can work together to restore confidence in the pay review body process.
Hard choices have been required to find the money for the proposed one-off cash payment. We will have to draw on our reserves and reorder spend from across Government if trade unions want to take up this opportunity. If we use this money now to increase pay, it means we can’t use it for other purposes, but we are confident that this is the right thing to do and would put more money into the pockets of NHS workers this winter, many of whom are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
The autumn statement was a missed opportunity for the UK Government to give hard-working public sector workers a pay rise in 2022-23, and to prevent widespread disruptive industrial action across the United Kingdom. The 2022-23 'Agenda for Change' pay award, which has been implemented, provided a 7.5 per cent pay rise on average for the lowest-paid staff—those on bands 1 to 4—which make up nearly half of the 'Agenda for Change' workforce. For staff at the top of bands 6 and 7, the award was equivalent to a 4 per cent pay rise. Unfortunately, our financial settlement falls far short of what is needed to provide the consolidated pay awards that the unions have been campaigning for on behalf of their members. So, we're not in a position to increase the consolidated pay award already given.
Last week’s meeting was attended by representatives of the Royal College of Nursing, GMB, Unite, Unison, the British Association of Occupational Therapists, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapists, the Society of Radiographers, the Royal College of Midwives and the British Medical Association. I'd like to give thanks to those who attended the meeting. There was a great deal of recognition in that meeting of the position that we find ourselves in in Wales, and an acknowledgement that we are making efforts to end this dispute, unlike the approach being taken in England.
I was realistic in terms of my expectations for that meeting, and whilst the trade unions felt that a one off non-consolidated payment was not enough to stop industrial action, the trade unions agreed to go away, and, as a collective, consider next steps. Whilst I have heard back from the chair of the health trade unions this morning, we agreed, as a collective, to not give a running commentary on the discussions, and I will respect that agreement. I will continue to engage with trade unions.
Unlike the UK Government, we are not responding to the strikes by bringing forward new, draconian laws that would trample over the devolution settlement and restrict workers' rights further.
There are currently strikes planned in the Welsh NHS. The RCN and GMB—the Welsh ambulance service—have already taken industrial action, and the Royal College of Midwives and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy have a mandate for strike action, but have not yet announced dates. Unite—the Welsh ambulance service—will be striking this week and next, on 19 and 23 January. The RCN have now also announced two additional days of strike action on 6 and 7 February. We are committed to working with our trade unions, with a view to ending this industrial action within the means available to us.
We recognise and respect the strength of feeling demonstrated by NHS staff members in these ballots, and through the industrial action taken, but we are committed to working in social partnership with unions to explore a way to resolve the current dispute over pay. I reminded the unions in the meeting that the clock is ticking on this matter. In order to get the money into NHS pay packets this financial year, we must come to an agreement by around the mid to the end of February. Diolch.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Hoffwn fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn i roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i'r Aelodau yn dilyn fy nghyfarfod ar 12 Ionawr gydag undebau llafur y GIG. Ysgrifennais at yr undebau ar 6 Ionawr cyn y cyfarfod, gan eu gwahodd i drafod pecyn o fesurau sydd â'r nod o ddod o hyd i ffordd o gynnig rhywfaint o dâl ychwanegol i'r gweithlu fel eu bod yn teimlo eu bod yn gallu dileu eu gweithredu diwydiannol. Awgrymais y gallai'r drafodaeth gynnwys pecyn posib gan gynnwys: ar gyflog, dyfarniad anghyfunol wedi'i ariannu drwy gyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru eleni; ffyrdd y gallwn ni symud ymlaen ar y materion a amlygwyd yn y prosiect lles staff a lleihau'r gwariant ar asiantaethau; a ffyrdd y gallwn ni weithio gyda'n gilydd i adfer hyder ym mhroses y corff adolygu cyflogau.
Roedd angen dewisiadau anodd er mwyn dod o hyd i'r arian ar gyfer y taliad arian parod untro arfaethedig. Bydd yn rhaid i ni ddefnyddio ein cronfeydd wrth gefn ac aildrefnu gwariant o bob rhan o'r Llywodraeth os yw undebau llafur am fanteisio ar y cyfle hwn. Os byddwn yn defnyddio'r arian hwn nawr i gynyddu cyflogau, mae'n golygu na allwn ni ei ddefnyddio at ddibenion eraill, ond rydym yn hyderus mai dyma'r peth iawn i'w wneud a byddai'n rhoi mwy o arian ym mhocedi gweithwyr y GIG y gaeaf hwn, llawer ohonyn nhw'n ei chael hi'n anodd gyda'r argyfwng costau byw.
Roedd datganiad yr hydref yn gyfle a gollwyd i Lywodraeth y DU roi codiad cyflog yn 2022-23 i weithwyr y sector cyhoeddus sy'n gweithio'n galed, ac atal gweithredu diwydiannol aflonyddgar eang ledled y Deyrnas Unedig. Rhoddodd dyfarniad cyflog 'Agenda ar gyfer Newid' 2022-23, sydd wedi'i weithredu, godiad cyflog o 7.5 y cant ar gyfartaledd i'r staff sy'n derbyn y cyflogau isaf—y rhai hynny ar fandiau 1 i 4—sy'n ffurfio bron i hanner y gweithlu 'Agenda ar gyfer Newid'. I staff ar frig bandiau 6 a 7, roedd y dyfarniad yn cyfateb i godiad cyflog o 4 y cant. Yn anffodus, nid yw ein setliad ariannol yn ddigon ar gyfer yr hyn sydd ei angen i roi'r dyfarniadau cyflog cyfunol y mae'r undebau wedi bod yn ymgyrchu drostynt ar ran eu haelodau. Felly, nid ydym mewn sefyllfa i gynyddu'r dyfarniad cyflog cyfunol a roddwyd eisoes.
Daeth cynrychiolwyr o'r Coleg Nyrsio Brenhinol, GMB, Unite, Unison, Cymdeithas Therapyddion Galwedigaethol Prydain, Cymdeithas Siartredig y Ffisiotherapyddion, Cymdeithas y Radiograffwyr, Coleg Brenhinol y Bydwragedd a'r Gymdeithas Feddygol Brydeinig i'r cyfarfod yr wythnos diwethaf. Hoffwn ddiolch i'r rhai a ddaeth i'r cyfarfod. Roedd llawer o gydnabyddiaeth yn y cyfarfod hwnnw o'r sefyllfa yr ydym yn ein cael ein hunain ynddi yng Nghymru, a chydnabyddiaeth ein bod yn gwneud ymdrechion i ddod â'r anghydfod hwn i ben, yn wahanol i'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn Lloegr.
Roeddwn i'n realistig o ran fy nisgwyliadau ar gyfer y cyfarfod hwnnw, ac er bod yr undebau llafur yn credu nad oedd taliad untro anghyfunol yn ddigon i atal gweithredu diwydiannol, cytunodd yr undebau llafur i fynd i ffwrdd ac ystyried y camau nesaf ar y cyd. Er fy mod wedi clywed yn ôl gan gadeirydd yr undebau llafur iechyd y bore yma, fe gytunon ni, ar y cyd, i beidio â rhoi sylwebaeth gyson ar y trafodaethau, a byddaf yn parchu'r cytundeb hwnnw. Byddaf yn parhau i ymgysylltu ag undebau llafur.
Yn wahanol i Lywodraeth y DU, nid ydym yn ymateb i'r streiciau drwy gyflwyno deddfau newydd, llym a fyddai'n sathru ar y setliad datganoli ac yn cyfyngu ar hawliau gweithwyr ymhellach.
Ar hyn o bryd mae streiciau wedi'u cynllunio yn y GIG yng Nghymru. Mae'r RCN a GMB—gwasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru—eisoes wedi gweithredu'n ddiwydiannol, ac mae gan Goleg Brenhinol y Bydwragedd a Chymdeithas Siartredig Ffisiotherapi fandad ar gyfer streic, ond dydyn nhw ddim wedi cyhoeddi dyddiadau eto. Bydd Unite—gwasanaeth ambiwlans Cymru—yn streicio yr wythnos hon a'r nesaf, ar 19 a 23 Ionawr. Mae'r RCN bellach hefyd wedi cyhoeddi dau ddiwrnod ychwanegol o streicio ar 6 a 7 Chwefror. Rydym wedi ymrwymo i weithio gyda'n hundebau llafur, gyda'r bwriad o roi diwedd ar y gweithredu diwydiannol hwn o fewn y dulliau sydd ar gael i ni.
Rydym yn cydnabod ac yn parchu cryfder y teimladau a ddangoswyd gan aelodau staff y GIG yn y pleidleisiau hyn, a thrwy'r camau diwydiannol a gymerwyd, ond rydym wedi ymrwymo i weithio mewn partneriaeth gymdeithasol ag undebau i ystyried ffordd o ddatrys yr anghydfod presennol dros gyflog. Atgoffais yr undebau yn y cyfarfod bod y cloc yn tician ar y mater hwn. Er mwyn cael yr arian i becynnau cyflog y GIG y flwyddyn ariannol hon, mae'n rhaid i ni ddod i gytundeb erbyn tua chanol i ddiwedd Chwefror. Diolch.
Can I thank you, Minister, for your statement this afternoon? You are in a very difficult position; that's something I would accept. And I appreciate how tough these negotiations are for you, Minister; it's not easy at all. And it is regrettable, as you will agree as well—and as the RCN will agree—it is regrettable that we've got a further announcement of strike action in February.
You mention in your statement, Minister, ways in which we can work together to restore confidence in the pay review body process. So, can I ask you for your assessment of that? What is your assessment of the pay review body process, please?
You also mentioned payments—the one-off payments—and I appreciate that you said you worked across Government to look where you could find that additional funding. But that won't do anything, I would suggest, to stabilise the workforce, or attract people into the profession, which is a large part of the issues that we're talking about. Or do you think I'm wrong in making that assessment?
You said in your statement, Minister, this afternoon, that,
'Unlike the UK Government, we are not responding to the strikes by bringing forward new, draconian laws that would trample over the devolution settlement and restrict workers' rights further.'
Now, in your oral statement last week, you stated that the impact on capacity as a result of recent industrial action has placed additional pressures on our system. So, you must therefore agree with the International Labour Organization, which the TUC subscribes to, that minimum service levels are a proportionate way of balancing the right to strike with the need to maintain vital services, such as health services.
Minister, the other issue, of course, is taking the pressure off our Welsh NHS, and we've seen how successful surgical hubs are in England. Where they've been introduced, we've seen the two-year wait virtually being eliminated in England, yet, in Wales, we've still got tens of thousands of people waiting for over two years for treatment. Now, I think that, last week, you almost lost your temper with me, Minister, saying, 'Look, you keep banging on about surgical hubs; well, we've got them, they exist.' But the reason I'm asking is because that's your response yourself—you've been saying that for some months to me—'They exist, they exist.' But in freedom of information requests, in a written response to Andrew R.T. Davies at the end of November, just less than eight weeks ago, you responded to him,
'At present, there are no dedicated surgical hubs across Wales.'
So, this is why I keep raising this with you, Minister, because we do get different answers on that point.
And my final question to you, Minister, is, quite simply: do you think you will resolve the pay dispute any time soon?
A gaf i ddiolch i chi, Gweinidog, am eich datganiad y prynhawn yma? Rydych chi mewn sefyllfa anodd iawn; mae hynny'n rhywbeth y byddwn i'n ei dderbyn. Ac rwy'n sylweddoli pa mor anodd yw'r trafodaethau hyn i chi, Gweinidog; dydi hyn ddim yn hawdd o gwbl. Ac mae'n destun gofid, fel y byddwch chi'n cytuno hefyd—ac fel y bydd yr RCN yn cytuno—mae'n destun gofid ein bod ni wedi cael cyhoeddiad arall am streicio ym mis Chwefror.
Rydych chi'n sôn yn eich datganiad, Gweinidog, am ffyrdd y gallwn ni weithio gyda'n gilydd i adfer hyder ym mhroses y corff adolygu cyflogau. Felly, a gaf i ofyn i chi am eich asesiad chi o hynny? Beth yw eich asesiad o broses y corff adolygu cyflogau, os gwelwch yn dda?
Fe wnaethoch chi hefyd sôn am daliadau—y taliadau untro—ac rwy'n gwerthfawrogi eich bod wedi dweud eich bod wedi gweithio ar draws y Llywodraeth i edrych ble y gallech chi ddod o hyd i'r cyllid ychwanegol hwnnw. Ond ni fydd hynny'n gwneud dim, byddwn i'n ei awgrymu, i sefydlogi'r gweithlu, na denu pobl i'r proffesiwn, sy'n rhan fawr o'r materion yr ydyn ni'n sôn amdanyn nhw. Neu ydych chi'n credu fy mod i'n anghywir wrth wneud yr asesiad hwnnw?
Fe ddywedoch chi yn eich datganiad, Gweinidog, y prynhawn yma,
'Yn wahanol i Lywodraeth y DU, nid ydym yn ymateb i'r streiciau drwy gyflwyno deddfau newydd, llym a fyddai'n sathru ar y setliad datganoli ac yn cyfyngu ar hawliau gweithwyr ymhellach.'
Nawr, yn eich datganiad llafar yr wythnos diwethaf, fe ddywedoch chi fod yr effaith ar gapasiti o ganlyniad i weithredu diwydiannol diweddar wedi rhoi pwysau ychwanegol ar ein system. Felly, mae'n rhaid eich bod chi felly yn cytuno â'r Sefydliad Llafur Rhyngwladol, y mae'r TUC yn tanysgrifio iddo, bod lefelau isafswm gwasanaeth yn ffordd gymesur o gydbwyso'r hawl i streicio â'r angen i gynnal gwasanaethau hanfodol, fel gwasanaethau iechyd.
Gweinidog, y mater arall, wrth gwrs, yw tynnu'r pwysau oddi ar GIG Cymru, ac rydyn ni wedi gweld pa mor llwyddiannus y mae hybiau llawfeddygol yn Lloegr. Lle maen nhw wedi cael eu cyflwyno, rydyn ni wedi gweld y rhestr aros dwy flynedd o hyd mwy neu lai yn cael ei dileu yn Lloegr, ond eto, yng Nghymru, mae gennym ddegau o filoedd o bobl yn dal i aros am dros ddwy flynedd am driniaeth. Nawr, rwy'n credu, yr wythnos diwethaf, y bu bron i chi golli eich tymer gyda mi, Gweinidog, gan ddweud, 'Edrychwch, rydych chi'n cadw sôn am hybiau llawfeddygol; wel, mae gynnon ni nhw, maen nhw'n bodoli.' Ond y rheswm rwy'n gofyn yw oherwydd dyna eich ymateb eich hun—rydych chi wedi bod yn dweud hynny ers rhai misoedd i mi—'Maen nhw'n bodoli, maen nhw'n bodoli.' Ond mewn ceisiadau rhyddid gwybodaeth, mewn ymateb ysgrifenedig i Andrew R.T. Davies ddiwedd mis Tachwedd, llai nag wyth wythnos yn ôl, fe wnaethoch chi ymateb iddo gan ddweud,
'Ar hyn o bryd, nid oes hybiau llawfeddygol pwrpasol ledled Cymru.'
Felly, dyma pam rwy'n cadw codi hyn gyda chi, Gweinidog, oherwydd rydyn ni'n cael atebion gwahanol ar y pwynt hwnnw.
A fy nghwestiwn olaf i chi, Gweinidog, yn syml iawn, yw: ydych chi'n credu y byddwch chi'n datrys yr anghydfod cyflog cyn bo hir?
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.
Thanks very much, Russell, and thanks for your understanding that this is a very tough negotiation and a very difficult time for all of those working in the NHS.
You asked about the confidence in the pay review body process. I think there are things that can change. I'm obviously very keen to hear what the NHS unions think in terms of what could be improved, but one thing that is very clear to me is that, when the pay review body took the temperature of inflation, they took it at the beginning of the year. And that was at a time when inflation was at about 6 per cent or so, and it was just after the war started in Ukraine, so we hadn't seen the impact that early in the year. So, I think there is a really good case to be made for making sure that you can somehow perhaps have some kind of mechanism whereby if it goes above a certain thing, you can revisit. So, I think there is room for us to think around some very practical issues like that.
In terms of stabilising the workforce, you'll be aware that more people work in the NHS today than have ever worked before. We are still recruiting and, tomorrow, I will be issuing a statement in terms of how Health Education and Improvement Wales will be training the future workforce, in terms of what they have planned in the next years.
In terms of the minimum service levels, I think we've got to be absolutely clear what we're talking about here. The people who go into the NHS are not irresponsible people; they are people who are committed to public service, and they are the ones who help to determine what the derogations are. So, you won't see people, irrespective of what's going on in the strikes, walking out of the ITU service, or those areas that are absolutely critical for care. So, effectively, those derogations are the minimum levels of service. But I think it's absolutely right to make sure that people understand that the right to strike is something that has been hard fought for, and something that we as a Labour Party certainly sign up to.
In terms of surgical hubs, I think there is a bit of confusion around this, because the definitions are slightly different. So, you could argue, for example, that Abergele, which is a ring-fenced place, where it's not knocked out by what happens in relation to A&E, is a surgical hub. We haven't labelled it as such, but that, effectively, is what it is. We now have the Vanguard centre in Cardiff, which is a new centre, and is definitely ring-fenced and won't be knocked out by A&E. So, that's my definition of what a surgical hub is. I'm not quite sure what yours is, but that's mine—is it going to be knocked out by things just flowing through the doors, and will it knock out the planned care? And obviously, there's a new facility in Llanelli, which is really up and running, and only just opened. So, we are doing things, and we've got, again, a ring-fenced facility that won't be knocked out by the urgent care that comes through the door.
I think you've got to be really careful here as well, though, Russell, just to understand that it is so much easier if you live in a big city to have two hospitals, where one is A&E and the other one you can have as separate, then it doesn't get knocked out by what comes through the front door. We're already doing that. In Cardiff, we can do it. You've got the Heath, but then you've got Llandough, where they can just get on with things. In Swansea, they've effectively got three hospitals and now they're starting to say, 'Look, I'll tell you what, most of the orthopaedic we'll put into Neath, so we'll keep it away.' There are always going to be complex cases where you're going to need—. For example, if you've got somebody who needs a hip operation, but they've also got a heart problem, you can't do that in a ring-fenced hub because you need somebody who's an expert in hearts quite near. So, the complex cases are always going to have to be in the big hospitals. The problem we have in Wales is that we've got lots—it's not a problem, it's a good thing—we've got lots and lots of hospitals, but because of the geography of the area you can't have more than one. So, if you want more planned care centres, we would have to switch off some of the A&E. That's very difficult when you live in such a spread-out area. In England, because populations tend to live in big cities and big urban centres, it's much easier for them to whip through things with those separations. That is much more difficult in Wales.
Diolch yn fawr, Russell, a diolch am eich dealltwriaeth bod hon yn drafodaeth anodd iawn ac yn gyfnod anodd iawn i bawb sy'n gweithio yn y GIG.
Fe wnaethoch chi ofyn am yr hyder ym mhroses y corff adolygu cyflogau. Rwy'n credu bod yna bethau all newid. Rwy'n amlwg yn awyddus iawn i glywed beth mae undebau'r GIG yn ei feddwl o ran yr hyn y gellid ei wella, ond un peth sy'n amlwg iawn i mi yw, pan wnaeth y corff adolygu cyflogau gymryd mesuriad o chwyddiant, eu bod wedi gwneud hynny ar ddechrau'r flwyddyn. Ac roedd hynny ar adeg pan oedd chwyddiant tua 6 y cant, ac roedd ychydig ar ôl i'r rhyfel ddechrau yn Wcráin, felly doedden ni ddim wedi gweld yr effaith mor gynnar â hynny yn y flwyddyn. Felly, rwy'n credu bod achos da iawn i'w wneud dros sicrhau eich bod yn gallu rhywsut efallai cael rhyw fath o ddull lle os yw'n mynd uwchben peth penodol, gallwch ailedrych ar hynny. Felly, rwy'n credu bod lle i ni feddwl am rai materion ymarferol iawn fel yna.
O ran sefydlogi'r gweithlu, byddwch yn ymwybodol bod mwy o bobl yn gweithio yn y GIG heddiw nag sydd erioed wedi gweithio ynddo o'r blaen. Rydym yn dal i recriwtio ac, yfory, byddaf yn cyhoeddi datganiad o ran sut y bydd Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru yn hyfforddi gweithlu'r dyfodol, o ran yr hyn sydd ganddyn nhw wedi'i gynllunio yn y blynyddoedd nesaf.
O ran y lefelau gwasanaeth lleiaf, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i ni fod yn hollol glir beth rydyn ni'n sôn amdano fan hyn. Nid yw'r bobl sy'n mynd i mewn i'r GIG yn bobl anghyfrifol; maen nhw'n bobl sydd wedi ymrwymo i wasanaeth cyhoeddus, a nhw yw'r rhai sy'n helpu i benderfynu beth yw'r rhanddirymiadau. Felly, ni fyddwch yn gweld pobl, waeth beth sy'n digwydd yn y streiciau, yn cerdded allan o'r gwasanaeth uned therapi dwys, neu'r meysydd hynny sy'n gwbl hanfodol ar gyfer gofal. Felly, i bob pwrpas, y rhanddirymiadau hynny yw'r lefelau lleiaf o wasanaeth. Ond rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n gwbl iawn i sicrhau bod pobl yn deall bod yr hawl i streicio yn rhywbeth y brwydrwyd yn galed amdano, ac yn rhywbeth yr ydyn ni fel Plaid Lafur yn sicr yn ei gefnogi.
O ran hybiau llawfeddygol, rwy'n credu bod ychydig o ddryswch ynghylch hyn, oherwydd mae'r diffiniadau ychydig yn wahanol. Felly, gallech chi ddadlau, er enghraifft, fod Abergele, sy'n lle wedi'i glustnodi, lle na fydd yr hyn sy'n digwydd mewn perthynas ag adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys yn effeithio arno, yn hyb llawfeddygol. Dydyn ni ddim wedi ei labelu felly, ond, i bob pwrpas, dyna beth yw e. Mae gennym ni nawr y ganolfan Vanguard yng Nghaerdydd, sy'n ganolfan newydd, ac yn bendant wedi'i chlustnodi ac ni effeithir arni gan adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys. Felly, dyna fy niffiniad i o beth yw hyb llawfeddygol. Dydw i ddim yn hollol siŵr beth yw eich un chi, ond dyna yw fy un i—a effeithir arno gan bethau dim ond yn llifo drwy'r drysau, ac a fydd yn effeithio ar ofal a gynlluniwyd? Ac yn amlwg, mae cyfleuster newydd yn Llanelli, sy'n gwbl weithredol, a dim ond newydd agor. Felly, rydyn ni yn gwneud pethau, ac mae gennym, eto, gyfleuster wedi'i glustnodi na fydd gofal brys sy'n dod drwy'r drws yn effeithio arno.
Rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid i chi fod yn ofalus iawn yn y fan yma hefyd, er hynny, Russell, i ddeall ei bod hi'n gymaint haws os ydych chi'n byw mewn dinas fawr i fod â dau ysbyty, lle mae gan un adran damweiniau ac achosion brys ac yn yr un arall gallwch chi ei gael fel un ar wahân, yna nid yw'r hyn sy'n dod trwy'r drws ffrynt yn effeithio arno. Rydyn ni eisoes yn gwneud hynny. Yng Nghaerdydd, gallwn ni wneud hynny. Mae gennych chi Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru, ond wedyn mae gennych chi Llandochau, lle maen nhw'n gallu bwrw ymlaen â phethau. Yn Abertawe, mae ganddyn nhw dri ysbyty i bob pwrpas a nawr maen nhw'n dechrau dweud, 'Edrychwch, fe ddyweda i wrthych chi beth, fe wnawn ni roi'r rhan fwyaf o'r gwaith orthopedig yng Nghastell-nedd, felly byddwn ni'n ei gadw draw.' Bydd achosion cymhleth bob amser lle bydd angen i chi—. Er enghraifft, os oes gennych chi rywun sydd angen llawdriniaeth ar ei glun, ond sydd hefyd â phroblem gyda'r galon, allwch chi ddim gwneud hynny mewn hyb wedi'i glustnodi oherwydd mae angen rhywun sy'n arbenigwr mewn calonnau yn eithaf agos. Felly, mae'r achosion cymhleth wastad yn mynd i orfod bod yn yr ysbytai mawr. Y broblem sydd gennym yng Nghymru yw bod gennym lawer—dydy hyn ddim yn broblem, mae'n beth da—mae gennym lawer iawn o ysbytai, ond oherwydd daearyddiaeth yr ardal allwch chi ddim bod â mwy nag un. Felly, os ydych chi eisiau mwy o ganolfannau gofal wedi'u cynllunio, byddai'n rhaid i ni ddileu rhai o'r adrannau damweiniau ac achosion brys. Mae hynny'n anodd iawn pan ydych chi'n byw mewn ardal wasgaredig iawn. Yn Lloegr, oherwydd bod poblogaethau yn tueddu i fyw mewn dinasoedd mawr a chanolfannau trefol mawr, mae'n llawer haws iddyn nhw fynd yn gyflym drwy bethau gyda'r gwahaniadau hynny. Mae hynny'n llawer anoddach yng Nghymru.
I'll begin in a constructive way with those areas where I agree with the Minister. On non-pay issues, I'm pleased that there's serious focus on staff welfare and that reducing agency costs is a part of what Government sees as the way forward, although I couldn't quite get the First Minister's attitude today, when he seemed to be defending the structures through which agency working currently happens. What we're saying is take the private profit out of it, so that that money can be fed back into the health service. I also very much agree with the Minister in condemning the actions of the UK Government regarding the legislation that's been brought in to limit the right to strike.
But, as much as I agree also with Welsh Government's opinions about the level of public spending from UK Government—we need to see that level increase—Welsh Government cannot hide away from its own responsibilities to resolve the problem that we face currently, which is that we have thousands upon thousands of public workers in the health sector, and elsewhere too now, that are taking industrial action because they feel that they have no other option. They gave opportunities to resolve this sooner.
In terms of the offer of a one-off, non-consolidated payment, it's clear that's not going to be accepted by the unions. The GMB are making it clear that their members would not accept a one-off payment, the RCN are also saying that it's not good enough. In real terms, cuts have been consolidated, real-term cuts in pay have been consolidated and reinforced for a decade and more, and we've got to break that cycle. You know what? This isn't happening at a very good time. Government finances are tight. But the truth is that the finances of our health workers are tight too, and they've been getting tighter and tighter. There was an opportunity in recent years to break that cycle when there was a little bit more flexibility in the system.
A few weeks ago, before Christmas, we were told there was no flexibility at all, no reserves, no unallocated money. We know that's not true, and now we have an admission that there is an offer that can be made. But that offer has to be increased. That is the bottom line. We, as a party, have spelt out how we believe it can be increased, and increased to a point where we believe a deal, hopefully, can be struck. There's a feeling that I'm getting very clearly from the unions that Government isn't negotiating seriously enough. The Minister said today:
'we are making efforts to end this dispute, unlike the approach being taken in England.'
We were here for weeks and weeks, asking Welsh Government to negotiate and they were refusing to negotiate with the unions. Whilst in Scotland, again, strike action has been paused—it was paused initially, put back on the agenda, and now it's been paused again. And here, the Welsh Government was refusing to even negotiate, whilst we were seeing health workers out on the picket lines. We've spelt out how we believe it can be done, but the bottom line is it simply has to be done, and there is a way.
Fe ddechreuaf i mewn ffordd adeiladol gyda'r meysydd hynny lle rwy'n cytuno â'r Gweinidog. O ran materion heblaw am dâl, rwy'n falch bod pwyslais difrifol ar les staff a bod lleihau costau asiantaeth yn rhan o'r hyn y mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei weld fel y ffordd ymlaen, er na allwn ddeall agwedd y Prif Weinidog yn llwyr heddiw, pan oedd yn ymddangos ei fod yn amddiffyn y strwythurau y mae gwaith asiantaeth yn digwydd drwyddyn nhw ar hyn o bryd. Yr hyn rydyn ni'n ei ddweud yw tynnu'r elw preifat allan ohono, er mwyn gallu bwydo'r arian yna yn ôl i'r gwasanaeth iechyd. Rydw i hefyd yn cytuno'n gryf â'r Gweinidog wrth gondemnio gweithredoedd Llywodraeth y DU ynglŷn â'r ddeddfwriaeth sydd wedi ei chyflwyno i gyfyngu ar yr hawl i streicio.
Ond, er cymaint yr ydw i'n cytuno hefyd â barn Llywodraeth Cymru am lefel gwariant cyhoeddus gan Lywodraeth y DU—mae angen i ni weld y cynnydd yn y lefel honno—ni all Llywodraeth Cymru guddio rhag ei chyfrifoldebau ei hun i ddatrys y broblem sy'n ein hwynebu ar hyn o bryd, sef bod gennym filoedd ar filoedd ar filoedd o weithwyr cyhoeddus yn y sector iechyd, ac mewn mannau eraill hefyd nawr, sy'n gweithredu'n ddiwydiannol oherwydd eu bod yn teimlo nad oes ganddyn nhw opsiwn arall. Fe roddon nhw gyfleoedd i ddatrys hyn yn gynt.
O ran y cynnig o daliad anghyfunol untro, mae'n amlwg nad yw'n mynd i gael ei dderbyn gan yr undebau. Mae'r GMB yn ei gwneud hi'n glir na fyddai eu haelodau nhw'n derbyn taliad untro, mae'r RCN hefyd yn dweud nad yw'n ddigon da. Mewn termau real, mae toriadau wedi eu cyfuno, mae toriadau termau real mewn cyflogau wedi eu cyfuno a'u hatgyfnerthu ers degawd a mwy, ac mae'n rhaid i ni dorri'r cylch hwnnw. Wyddoch chi beth? Dydy hyn ddim yn digwydd ar amser da iawn. Mae cyllid y Llywodraeth yn brin. Ond y gwir amdani yw bod cyllid ein gweithwyr iechyd yn brin hefyd, ac maen nhw wedi bod yn mynd yn brinnach ac yn brinnach. Roedd cyfle yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf i dorri'r cylch hwnnw pan oedd ychydig mwy o hyblygrwydd yn y system.
Ychydig wythnosau yn ôl, cyn y Nadolig, cawsom wybod nad oedd yna hyblygrwydd o gwbl, dim arian wrth gefn, dim arian heb ei ddyrannu. Rydyn ni'n gwybod nad yw hynny'n wir, ac erbyn hyn mae gennym gyfaddefiad bod yna gynnig y gellir ei wneud. Ond mae'n rhaid cynyddu'r cynnig hwnnw. Dyna'r gwir amdani. Rydyn ni, fel plaid, wedi manylu ar sut rydyn ni'n credu y gellir ei gynyddu, a'i gynyddu i bwynt lle rydyn ni'n credu y gellir taro bargen, gobeithio. Mae yna deimlad yr wyf i'n ei gael yn glir iawn gan yr undebau nad yw'r Llywodraeth yn trafod yn ddigon difrifol. Dywedodd y Gweinidog heddiw:
'ein bod yn gwneud ymdrechion i ddod â'r anghydfod hwn i ben, yn wahanol i'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn Lloegr.'
Mi fuon ni yma am wythnosau ac wythnosau, yn gofyn i Lywodraeth Cymru drafod ac roedden nhw'n gwrthod trafod gyda'r undebau. Tra yn yr Alban, eto, mae gweithredu drwy streicio wedi ei oedi—cafodd ei oedi i ddechrau, ei roi yn ôl ar yr agenda, a nawr mae wedi ei oedi eto. Ac yma, roedd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwrthod hyd yn oed trafod, tra oedd gweithwyr iechyd i'w gweld allan ar y llinellau piced. Rydyn ni wedi manylu ar sut rydyn ni'n credu y gellir ei wneud, ond y gwir amdani yw bod yn rhaid gwneud hyn, ac mae yna ffordd.
Thanks very much. First of all, on the issue of agency workers, I think it's really important we put this into a context. So, 65 per cent of what we spend in the NHS is spent directly on staffing, and, of that, about 6 per cent is spent on agency workers. That's too much, and we need to bring it down. But what was clear to me—. I spent a bit of time in Withybush hospital on the weekend. Friday night, I was in Withybush with nurses, looking at what they're doing, and it was really interesting, because 50 per cent of the nurses on duty there—50 per cent—were agency nurses. So, we can take that away, but you'd have to shut the hospital; let's be absolutely clear. The interesting thing for me was that actually most of those agency workers had come from outside of Wales. So we're not talking generally about people who are NHS workers in Wales who go to an expensive agency; these were people who were coming in. I think it's really important that people understand that this is not something that is easy, because I'm not in the business of shutting hospitals, and if we try and go too quickly on this, that's going to be the consequence. I can't be doing that.
This is a time when we've got 7 per cent of NHS workers off sick, so we have to backfill that. These are not things that you can plan in advance. We didn't know we were going to have flu and COVID and everything else. We can plan to an extent, but actually there's just not enough people who are on bank to fill those spaces. [Interruption.] We have got an agency; it's called the bank. That's what it's called. You need to go and look at how the actual system works. We have banks. So we do use people from banks, but there's not enough of them. And don't talk to me about hiding from our responsibilities. We know that we have choices, and we have made choices.
I'm going to ask you to write these figures down, because it's really important that you understand how difficult it is to get to the amounts of money that you would want to put on the table to get to a consolidated—. Don't forget, this is not a one-off payment. This is not money that you can find this year—. But if you want to increase the pay of NHS workers by 1 per cent, you have to find £55 million, okay? So, in Wales, the number of people who pay the additional rate is 9,000. It's 9,000 people. If you put that up by 1p, you'd make £3 million. That's how much you'd get. So, you're miles away from the £55 million that you would need to get to a 1 per cent increase. So, you look then at the people who earn between £50,000—[Interruption.] Stop moaning; listen to me. If you look at the people who earn between £50,000 and £150,000, and you put their income tax up by 1p, you'd get to £33 million. Again, miles away from the £55 million for 1 per cent. So the only place you've got to go to get anywhere near—anywhere near—the 1 per cent, let alone the 17 per cent that the RCN are asking for, is the basic rate taxpayers. If you raised it by 1p, you'd get to £237 million, so that would be an increase of about 4.5 per cent. Asking the poorest members in Wales, who are up against it at the moment—. That's your approach; that's what you want to do. And, yes, we are making some political decisions, because we think people are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis at the moment. So, I think it's really important that people understand quite how difficult this is, because we have made a political decision, and we are not going to raise income tax for the poorest people in Wales at the moment.
It's really important also that people understand—. I'm not going to give a running commentary on the discussions, but you will understand that what we get in Wales in terms of increases in health is directly proportionate to what happens in England. What was really interesting is that, in 2008, we'd got to a point where we had met the EU average of the 14—. So, we compared ourselves to the 14 richest parts of the EU, and we'd met the EU average. But, between 2010 and 2019, in Britain, we saw an increase of 15 per cent. In the EU, it rose by 21 per cent. In Germany, it was by 39 per cent. The UK spent £40 billion less on healthcare than the European average. That meant that money didn't come to us, which means we couldn't put up the payments. And the answer is that, actually, austerity is a deliberate policy of the Tory Government over 10 years, and that is why nurses are so frustrated. And we understand that. We understand that. Because it's not today; it's an accumulation of 10 years of austerity, and that is your responsibility.
Diolch yn fawr. Yn gyntaf oll, ar fater gweithwyr asiantaeth, rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod ni'n rhoi hyn mewn cyd-destun. Felly, mae 65 y cant o'r hyn rydyn ni'n ei wario yn y GIG yn cael ei wario'n uniongyrchol ar staffio, ac, o hynny, mae tua 6 y cant yn cael ei wario ar weithwyr asiantaeth. Mae hynny'n ormod, ac mae angen i ni ei ostwng. Ond beth oedd yn glir i mi—. Fe dreuliais i dipyn o amser yn ysbyty Llwynhelyg ar y penwythnos. Nos Wener, roeddwn i yn Llwynhelyg gyda nyrsys, yn edrych ar beth maen nhw'n ei wneud, ac roedd yn ddiddorol iawn, oherwydd roedd 50 y cant o'r nyrsys ar ddyletswydd yno—50 y cant—yn nyrsys asiantaeth. Felly, gallwn ni ddileu hynny, ond byddai'n rhaid i chi gau'r ysbyty; gadewch i ni fod yn hollol glir. Y peth diddorol i mi oedd bod y rhan fwyaf o'r gweithwyr asiantaeth hynny mewn gwirionedd wedi dod o'r tu allan i Gymru. Felly dydyn ni ddim yn sôn yn gyffredinol am bobl sy'n weithwyr y GIG yng Nghymru sy'n mynd i asiantaeth ddrud; roedd y rhain yn bobl a oedd yn dod i mewn. Rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn bod pobl yn deall nad yw hyn yn rhywbeth sy'n hawdd, achos dydw i ddim yn y busnes o gau ysbytai, ac os byddwn ni'n trio mynd ati yn rhy gyflym ar hyn, dyna fydd y canlyniad. Fedra i ddim gwneud hynny.
Mae hwn yn gyfnod lle mae gennym ni 7 y cant o weithwyr y GIG i ffwrdd yn sâl, felly mae'n rhaid i ni ôl-lenwi hynny. Nid pethau y gallwch chi eu cynllunio ymlaen llaw yw'r rhain. Doedden ni ddim yn gwybod ein bod ni'n mynd i gael ffliw a COVID a phopeth arall. Gallwn ni gynllunio i raddau, ond mewn gwirionedd does dim digon o bobl ar ôl yn y gronfa i lenwi'r swyddi gwag hynny. [Torri ar draws.] Mae gennym ni asiantaeth; yr enw arni yw'r gronfa. Dyna mae'n cael ei alw. Mae angen i chi fynd i ystyried sut mae'r system go iawn yn gweithio. Mae gennym ni gronfeydd. Felly rydyn ni'n defnyddio pobl o gronfeydd, ond does dim digon ohonyn nhw. A pheidiwch â siarad â fi am guddio o'n cyfrifoldebau. Rydyn ni'n gwybod bod gennym ni ddewisiadau, ac rydyn ni wedi gwneud dewisiadau.
Rydw i'n mynd i ofyn i chi ysgrifennu'r ffigurau hyn i lawr, oherwydd mae'n bwysig iawn eich bod chi'n deall pa mor anodd yw hi i gyrraedd y swm o arian y byddech chi eisiau ei roi ar y bwrdd i gael taliad cyfunol. Cofiwch, nid taliad untro yw hwn. Nid arian y gallwch chi ddod o hyd iddo eleni yw hwn—. Ond os ydych chi eisiau cynyddu cyflog gweithwyr y GIG 1 y cant, mae'n rhaid i chi ddod o hyd i £55 miliwn, iawn? Felly yng Nghymru, nifer y bobl sy'n talu'r gyfradd ychwanegol yw 9,000. Mae'n 9,000 o bobl. Os byddech chi'n cynyddu honno 1c, byddech chi'n gwneud £3 miliwn. Dyna faint fyddech chi'n ei gael. Felly, rydych chi filltiroedd i ffwrdd o'r £55 miliwn y byddai ei angen i gael cynnydd o 1 y cant. Felly, rydych chi'n edrych wedyn ar y bobl sy'n ennill rhwng £50,000—[Torri ar draws.] Peidiwch â chwyno; gwrandewch arnaf i. Os ydych chi'n edrych ar y bobl sy'n ennill rhwng £50,000 a £150,000, ac rydych chi'n rhoi eu treth incwm i fyny 1c, byddech yn cael £33 miliwn. Eto, filltiroedd i ffwrdd o'r £55 miliwn am 1 y cant. Felly yr unig le mae'n rhaid i chi fynd i gael unrhyw le yn agos—unrhyw le yn agos—i'r 1 y cant, heb sôn am yr 17 y cant y mae'r RCN yn gofyn amdano, yw'r trethdalwyr cyfradd sylfaenol. Os byddech chi'n ei godi 1c, byddech chi'n cael £237 miliwn, felly byddai hynny'n gynnydd o tua 4.5 y cant. Gofyn i'r aelodau tlotaf yng Nghymru, sydd mewn trafferthion ar hyn o bryd—. Dyna'ch dull chi o weithredu; dyna beth rydych chi eisiau ei wneud. Ac ydyn, rydyn ni yn gwneud rhai penderfyniadau gwleidyddol, oherwydd rydyn ni'n credu bod pobl yn cael trafferthion gyda'r argyfwng costau byw ar hyn o bryd. Felly rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn bod pobl yn deall yn iawn pa mor anodd yw hyn, achos rydyn ni wedi gwneud penderfyniad gwleidyddol, a dydyn ni ddim yn mynd i godi treth incwm i bobl dlotaf Cymru ar hyn o bryd.
Mae'n bwysig iawn hefyd bod pobl yn deall—. Dydw i ddim yn mynd i roi sylwebaeth gyson ar y trafodaethau, ond fe fyddwch chi'n deall bod yr hyn rydyn ni'n ei gael yng Nghymru o ran cynnydd mewn iechyd yn union gymesur â'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn Lloegr. Yr hyn oedd yn ddiddorol iawn, yn 2008, ein bod wedi cyrraedd pwynt lle roedden ni wedi bodloni cyfartaledd yr UE o'r 14—. Felly, fe wnaethon ni gymharu ein hunain â'r 14 rhan gyfoethocaf o'r UE, ac roedden ni wedi bodloni cyfartaledd yr UE. Ond, rhwng 2010 a 2019, ym Mhrydain, gwelsom gynnydd o 15 y cant. Yn yr UE, cododd 21 y cant. Yn yr Almaen, roedd yn 39 y cant. Gwariodd y DU £40 biliwn yn llai ar ofal iechyd na'r cyfartaledd Ewropeaidd. Roedd hynny'n golygu na ddaeth arian atom ni, sy'n golygu nad oedden ni'n gallu cynyddu'r taliadau. A'r ateb yw bod cyni, mewn gwirionedd, yn bolisi bwriadol gan y Llywodraeth Dorïaidd dros 10 mlynedd, a dyna pam mae nyrsys mor rhwystredig. Ac rydyn ni'n deall hynny. Rydyn ni'n deall hynny. Oherwydd nid heddiw ydyw; mae'n groniad o 10 mlynedd o gyni, a'ch cyfrifoldeb chi yw hynny.
I talked to nurses on the picket line, because I wanted to hear their views as well, and they did say to me that it's not just about money, but it's also about work-life pressures as well. Many are doing 12-hour shifts. And there's a lack of flexibility as well, with childcare et cetera. They did also mention agency costs, and it upsets them if they know they're working with somebody who's paid more. They haven't got the experience on that ward as well, because you don't have the same people on the ward that they have, so they have to fill in for them as well.
I was really interested to hear about having a nationally owned bank, not just for nurses—I know you've mentioned it as well, actually, Eluned, before—but for social care workers and for teachers. You know, with austerity, all these strikes that are happening now, it would be really interesting. I'd love to hear more about your going on the night shift at Withybush hospital, because I think it's really interesting hearing the views of the nurses and to hear about what did you learn while you with there.
And this one-off payment—I know it's not what's needed, but, because we've got this current cost-of-living crisis and a lot of newly qualified nurses, that one-off payment would be really welcome. Talking to nurses, they would really welcome that, until we can get something sorted with the UK Government, to ensure that everybody, all these people working in public services, are properly paid and there's an end to austerity. So, I'd like to just hear your views on that, please. Thank you.
Siaradais i â nyrsys ar y llinell biced, oherwydd roeddwn i eisiau clywed eu barn nhw hefyd, ac fe wnaethon nhw ddweud wrthyf nad arian yn unig sy'n bwysig, ond mae hefyd yn ymwneud â phwysau bywyd-gwaith hefyd. Mae llawer yn gwneud shifftiau 12 awr. Ac mae diffyg hyblygrwydd hefyd, gyda gofal plant ac ati. Fe wnaethon nhw hefyd sôn am gostau asiantaeth, ac mae'n eu poeni nhw os ydyn nhw'n gwybod eu bod nhw'n gweithio gyda rhywun sy'n cael mwy o dâl. Does ganddyn nhw ddim y profiad ar y ward honno ychwaith, oherwydd does gennych chi ddim yr un bobl ar y ward ag sydd ganddyn nhw, felly mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw lenwi drostyn nhw hefyd.
Roedd gen i ddiddordeb mawr mewn clywed am fod â chronfa sy'n eiddo cenedlaethol i ni, nid yn unig i nyrsys—rwy'n gwybod eich bod wedi sôn am hyn hefyd, mewn gwirionedd, Eluned, o'r blaen—ond i weithwyr gofal cymdeithasol ac i athrawon. Wyddoch chi, gyda chyni, yr holl streiciau hyn sy'n digwydd nawr, byddai'n ddiddorol iawn. Byddwn i wrth fy modd yn clywed mwy amdanoch chi'n mynd ar y shifft nos yn ysbyty Llwynhelyg, oherwydd rwy'n credu ei bod yn ddiddorol iawn clywed barn y nyrsys a chlywed am yr hyn a ddysgoch chi tra oeddech chi yno.
A'r taliad untro hwn—rwy'n gwybod nad dyna sydd ei angen, ond, oherwydd bod gennym ni yr argyfwng costau byw presennol hwn a llawer o nyrsys sydd newydd gymhwyso, byddai croeso gwirioneddol i'r taliad untro hwnnw. Wrth siarad â nyrsys, bydden nhw wir yn croesawu hynny, tan y gallwn ni gael rhywbeth wedi'i drefnu gyda Llywodraeth y DU, i sicrhau bod pawb, yr holl bobl yma sy'n gweithio mewn gwasanaethau cyhoeddus, yn cael eu talu'n iawn a bod yna ddiwedd ar gyni. Felly, hoffwn glywed eich barn ar hynny, os gwelwch yn dda. Diolch.
Thanks very much, Carolyn. Certainly, we're very aware that it's not just about pay; there are lots of other issues around this, which is why I was really pleased to have been presented with the staff welfare project on Monday, by representatives of the trade union movement, just setting out the kinds of things where they'd really like to see us make some movement. And so, obviously, I'll be looking at that in detail, just to see how much further we can go with that.
On agency costs, we are determined to try and bear down on certainly the most expensive agencies. And, as you say, all of the health boards have their own banks. To what extent we could have a Welsh bank—. I mean, I don't think that's rocket science; it's something we could probably try and move towards.
In terms of the night shift in Withybush, I can't tell you how fascinating it was. It's really important not just to get a sense of it through reading about what the situation is and listening to people. When you actually see the pressure on the ground, when you actually see the number of in particular older people who shouldn't really be in hospital, because they've had their treatment and there are real issues with delayed transfers of care, it really makes a difference and hits home. Some of that information in relation to agency workers I found really very useful. I had no idea we had quite so many people coming in en masse from England, but of course it's a real issue of how we staff, especially hospitals that are perhaps further away from the big centres. So, it's a real challenge and it's not going to be easy to fix.
The other thing is, on the one-off payment, I think it's really important for people to understand, first of all, that this is money where we've asked all around Cabinet for people to slow down their spending this year. If we ask them to, if we get an agreement on this, we'll ask them to slow down spending and maybe push it into next year. So, this is not money that is easy to come by, this is not underspends; this is money that has already been allocated and we're asking a big favour of the rest of the Cabinet. And it's about reserves as well. There's a big risk with going into reserves. We don't know if we're going to get a new COVID variant that is going to bypass our vaccines next year. We would be taking a risk with this. So, this is really high-risk politics, but it's something we're prepared to do because we actually want to stand by our NHS workers. So, this would be a one-off payment, and it's not going to be on the table for very long, because the end of the financial year is coming very, very quickly, and if they want it in their pay packets, we've got to get it in at the start of March, which means that an agreement has to be made before that. So, the clock is ticking here. And, of course, we haven't taken the money away from anybody yet. Obviously, people would be more than happy to hold on to that. We're asking a really, really big favour of people, and taking a risk on reserves. So, we'd have to have a very good reason to be doing that, and obviously this is a negotiation.
Diolch yn fawr, Carolyn. Yn sicr, rydyn ni'n ymwybodol iawn nad yw'n ymwneud â chyflog yn unig; mae llawer o faterion eraill yn ymwneud â hyn, a dyna pam roeddwn i'n falch iawn o fod wedi cael fy nghyflwyno â'r prosiect lles staff ddydd Llun, gan gynrychiolwyr y mudiad undebau llafur, dim ond yn nodi'r mathau o bethau yr hoffen nhw ein gweld ni'n ymdrin â nhw. Ac felly, yn amlwg, mi fydda i'n edrych ar hynny'n fanwl, dim ond i weld faint ymhellach allwn ni fynd gyda hynny.
O ran costau asiantaeth, rydyn ni'n benderfynol o roi pwysau ar yr asiantaethau drutaf yn sicr. Ac, fel y dywedwch chi, mae gan bob un o'r byrddau iechyd eu cronfeydd eu hunain. I ba raddau y gallen ni gael cronfa Cymru—. Hynny yw, dydw i ddim yn credu bod hynny'n anodd iawn; mae'n rhywbeth y gallem ni geisio symud tuag ato mae'n debyg.
O ran y shifft nos yn Llwynhelyg, alla i ddim dweud wrthych pa mor ddiddorol oedd hynny. Mae'n bwysig iawn nid yn unig i gael synnwyr o'r peth trwy ddarllen am beth yw'r sefyllfa a gwrando ar bobl. Pan fyddwch chi mewn gwirionedd yn gweld y pwysau ar lawr gwlad, pan fyddwch chi mewn gwirionedd yn gweld nifer y bobl hŷn yn benodol na ddylen nhw fod yn yr ysbyty mewn gwirionedd, oherwydd eu bod wedi cael eu triniaeth ac mae problemau gwirioneddol gyda throsglwyddiadau gofal gohiriedig, mae wir yn gwneud gwahaniaeth ac yn taro deuddeg. Roedd rhywfaint o'r wybodaeth honno o ran gweithwyr asiantaeth yn ddefnyddiol iawn i mi. Doedd gen i ddim syniad bod gennym ni gymaint o bobl yn dod i mewn yn eu niferoedd o Loegr, ond wrth gwrs mae'n fater go iawn o sut rydyn ni'n staffio, yn enwedig ysbytai sydd efallai yn bellach i ffwrdd o'r canolfannau mawr. Felly, mae'n her go iawn ac nid yw'n mynd i fod yn hawdd ei datrys.
Y peth arall yw, ar y taliad untro, rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig iawn i bobl ddeall, yn gyntaf oll, mai arian yw hwn lle rydyn ni wedi gofyn o amgylch y Cabinet i gyd i bobl arafu eu gwariant eleni. Os gofynnwn iddyn nhw, os cawn ni gytundeb ar hyn, byddwn ni'n gofyn iddyn nhw arafu gwariant ac efallai ei wthio i'r flwyddyn nesaf. Felly, nid arian sy'n hawdd ei gael yw hwn, nid tanwariant yw hwn; mae hwn yn arian sydd eisoes wedi'i ddyrannu ac rydyn ni'n gofyn ffafr fawr gan weddill y Cabinet. Ac mae'n ymwneud â chronfeydd wrth gefn hefyd. Mae yna risg fawr gyda defnyddio cronfeydd wrth gefn. Dydyn ni ddim yn gwybod a ydyn ni am gael amrywiad COVID newydd sy'n mynd i osgoi ein brechlynnau y flwyddyn nesaf. Byddem yn cymryd risg gyda hyn. Felly, mae hyn yn wleidyddiaeth risg uchel iawn, ond mae'n rhywbeth rydyn ni'n barod i'w wneud oherwydd ein bod ni mewn gwirionedd eisiau cefnogi ein gweithwyr GIG. Felly, taliad untro fyddai hwn, ac nid yw'n mynd i fod ar y bwrdd yn hir iawn, oherwydd mae diwedd y flwyddyn ariannol yn dod yn gyflym iawn, iawn, ac os ydyn nhw eisiau hynny yn eu pecynnau cyflog, mae'n rhaid i ni ei gael i mewn ar ddechrau mis Mawrth, sy'n golygu bod yn rhaid gwneud cytundeb cyn hynny. Felly, mae'r cloc yn tician yn y fan yma. Ac, wrth gwrs, dydyn ni ddim wedi tynnu'r arian oddi ar neb eto. Yn amlwg, byddai pobl yn fwy na pharod i ddal eu gafael arno. Rydyn ni'n gofyn ffafr fawr iawn, iawn gan bobl, ac yn cymryd risg ar gronfeydd wrth gefn. Felly, byddai'n rhaid i ni gael rheswm da iawn dros wneud hynny, ac yn amlwg mae hon yn drafodaeth.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
I thank the Minister.
Eitem 5 y prynhawn yma yw'r datganiad gan Weinidog yr Economi ar flaenoriaethau economaidd a chysylltiadau Llywodraeth y DU. Galwaf ar y Gweinidog i wneud y datganiad—Vaughan Gething.
Item 5 this afternoon is a statement by the Minister for Economy on economic priorities and UK Government relations. I call on the Minister for Economy to make the statement—Vaughan Gething.
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I come to Plenary this afternoon having earlier on today had the first inter-ministerial group for business and industry meeting of this year. It was the first such meeting since spring last year. The Welsh Government is firmly committed to proper partnership working arrangements with the UK Government and other devolved nations, and we do so in the joint interests of Wales and the wider UK economy. I am cautiously optimistic that, having had discussions about the regularity and the importance of the IMG today, the new UK Government is showing signs of more meaningful engagement on our joint economic priorities. That is what the new Prime Minister indicated that he wanted when he met with the heads of devolved Governments in November last year. The proof, of course, will be in the action that is taken.
It is vital that we work collaboratively, in proper constructive partnership arrangements, to navigate the severe economic challenges we are facing. The UK begins 2023 on the brink of recession. People and businesses across the UK are under intense pressure from the cost-of-living crisis, with inflation expected to remain in double digits over the first half of this year. A toxic combination of Brexit, a lack of public and private investment, and the UK Government's disastrous early autumn mini budget has severely damaged the UK economy. This had led directly to a widespread expectation that living standards will fall, and fall by record amounts, across all parts of the UK. Productivity has been stagnant for more than a decade and the UK Government’s commitment to
'end the geographical inequality which is such a striking feature of the UK'
remains unfulfilled. The continuing but reduced support for high energy costs announced last week will provide some certainty for business after March. However, the new scheme does not protect against energy price volatility or match the higher level of comparative support offered in other European countries.
In Wales, collaboration and partnership are the cornerstone of our approach in Government. Wales has a stable, mature Government and a network of social partners that help us to make the right decisions. That doesn't mean that all decisions, of course, are easy. Together, we have developed a long-standing framework for future-focused inclusive economic growth, underpinned by our groundbreaking Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015; an economic strategy that has been revisited, refreshed and refocused, as we recover and reconstruct our economy in the aftermath of the pandemic; and a mission that has a clear commitment to social value, firmly rooted in a greener economy, with well-being, dignity, and fairness at its centre.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n dod i'r Cyfarfod Llawn y prynhawn yma ar ôl bod, yn gynharach heddiw, yng nghyfarfod cyntaf eleni o'r grŵp rhyngweinidogol ar gyfer busnes a diwydiant. Hwn oedd y cyfarfod cyntaf o'i fath ers gwanwyn y llynedd. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo'n llwyr i drefniadau gweithio mewn partneriaeth briodol gyda Llywodraeth y DU a chenhedloedd datganoledig eraill, ac rydym yn gwneud hynny er budd Cymru ac economi ehangach y DU. Rwy'n ofalus obeithiol, ar ôl cael trafodaethau am reoleidd-dra a phwysigrwydd yr IMG heddiw, bod Llywodraeth newydd y DU yn dangos arwyddion o ymgysylltu mwy ystyrlon ynghylch ein blaenoriaethau economaidd ar y cyd. Dyna awgrymodd Prif Weinidog newydd y DU ei fod eisiau pan wnaeth gyfarfod â phenaethiaid y Llywodraethau datganoledig ym mis Tachwedd y llynedd. Bydd y prawf, wrth gwrs, yn y camau a fydd yn cael eu cymryd.
Mae'n hanfodol ein bod yn gweithio ar y cyd, mewn trefniadau partneriaeth adeiladol iawn, i lywio drwy'r heriau economaidd difrifol yr ydym ni'n eu hwynebu. Mae'r DU yn dechrau 2023 ar drothwy dirwasgiad. Mae pobl a busnesau ledled y DU dan bwysau mawr yn sgil yr argyfwng costau byw, gyda disgwyl i chwyddiant aros mewn ffigurau dwbl dros hanner cyntaf eleni. Mae'r cyfuniad gwenwynig o Brexit, diffyg buddsoddiad cyhoeddus a phreifat, a chyllideb fach drychinebus Llywodraeth y DU ar ddechrau'r hydref wedi niweidio economi'r DU yn ddifrifol. Roedd hyn wedi arwain yn uniongyrchol at ddisgwyliad eang y byddai safo