Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
07/06/2023Cynnwys
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 sesiwn lawn o'r Senedd. Y cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd sydd gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni'r prynhawn yma, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Sioned Williams.
Good afternoon and welcome to this Plenary meeting of the Senedd. The first item is questions to the Minister for Climate Change, and the first question is from Sioned Williams.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi diweddariad ar strategaeth y Llywodraeth i wella’r amgylchfyd trefol yng Ngorllewin De Cymru? OQ59611
1. Will the Minister provide an update on the Government's strategy to improve the urban environment in South Wales West? OQ59611
Diolch, Sioned. We are shaping healthier urban environments through our Transforming Towns programme. Green infrastructure is encouraged in placemaking support proposals, improving biodiversity, quality of life, whilst helping tackle climate change. We continue to support the enhancement of community green spaces where people live and work through our Local Places for Nature projects.
Diolch, Sioned. Rydym yn creu amgylcheddau trefol iachach drwy ein rhaglen Trawsnewid Trefi. Anogir seilwaith gwyrdd mewn cynigion am gymorth i greu lleoedd, gan wella bioamrywiaeth, ansawdd bywyd, wrth helpu i fynd i'r afael â newid hinsawdd. Rydym yn parhau i gefnogi'r gwaith o wella mannau gwyrdd cymunedol lle mae pobl yn byw ac yn gweithio drwy ein prosiectau Lleoedd Lleol ar gyfer Natur.
Diolch, Weinidog. Recently published research by Professor Ross Cameron of the University of Sheffield highlights the environmental importance of natural gardens. They play a vital role in cooling urban areas, absorbing rain, thereby reducing the risk of flash flooding, and offering much needed refuge, of course, for wildlife. The report outlines some of the trends of garden design and maintenance that are damaging for the urban environment, and one of these is the use of artificial grass. Artificial grass is made of plastic and other synthetic materials, which, despite the perception of being maintenance free, requires regular cleaning and has a life span of eight to 15 years, after which sustainable disposal can be challenging. Aside from reducing the benefits of natural gardens, using artificial grass carries other environmental implications, such as hindering the habitat of earthworms and insects, while the leaching of microplastics can harm wildlife.
I wrote to Swansea Council, in my region, about this issue after being alerted to the fact that artificial grass had been used in the city regeneration work. They answered saying that this would not be used by the council in the public realm, even on a temporary basis, going forward. So, will you commit, today, Minister, to following the good example of Swansea Council by committing to the banning of the use of artificial grass in spaces over which the Government has control, with the exception of sports fields? And will you also consider supporting some of the suggestions by Professor Cameron, such as providing financial incentives to encourage and reward sustainable garden management?
Diolch, Weinidog. Mae ymchwil a gyhoeddwyd yn ddiweddar gan yr Athro Ross Cameron o Brifysgol Sheffield yn tynnu sylw at bwysigrwydd amgylcheddol gerddi naturiol. Maent yn chwarae rhan hanfodol yn oeri ardaloedd trefol, yn amsugno glaw, ac felly'n lleihau'r perygl o fflachlifoedd, ac yn cynnig lloches sydd ei hangen yn fawr ar fywyd gwyllt. Mae'r adroddiad yn amlinellu rhai o dueddiadau cynllunio a chynnal a chadw gerddi sy'n niweidiol i'r amgylchedd trefol, ac un o'r rhain yw'r defnydd o laswellt artiffisial. Gwneir glaswellt artiffisial o blastig a deunyddiau synthetig eraill, sydd angen ei lanhau'n rheolaidd, er gwaethaf y canfyddiad nad oes angen gwaith cynnal a chadw arno, ac mae ganddo oes o wyth i 15 mlynedd, ac ar ôl hynny, gall fod yn heriol cael gwared arno mewn modd cynaliadwy. Yn ogystal â lleihau manteision gerddi naturiol, mae canlyniadau amgylcheddol eraill i ddefnyddio glaswellt artiffisial, megis amharu ar gynefin pryfed genwair a phryfed, a gall trwytholchi microplastigau niweidio bywyd gwyllt.
Ysgrifennais at Gyngor Abertawe, yn fy rhanbarth, am y mater hwn ar ôl clywed bod glaswellt artiffisial wedi'i ddefnyddio yng ngwaith adfywio'r ddinas. Fe wnaethant ateb gan ddweud na fyddai'r cyngor yn ei ddefnyddio ar dir cyhoeddus, hyd yn oed dros dro, wrth symud ymlaen. Felly, a wnewch chi ymrwymo, heddiw, Weinidog, i ddilyn esiampl dda Cyngor Abertawe drwy ymrwymo i wahardd glaswellt artiffisial mewn lleoedd sydd o dan reolaeth y Llywodraeth, ac eithrio caeau chwaraeon? Ac a wnewch chi hefyd ystyried cefnogi rhai o awgrymiadau'r Athro Cameron, megis darparu cymhellion ariannol i annog a gwobrwyo rheolaeth gynaliadwy ar erddi?
Thank you, Sioned. It's a really important question for a number of reasons. Artificial grass really does have a very, very bad effect on the local sustainability of a large number of areas in Wales. As you rightly said, there is a short-term focus on, maybe, it being lower maintenance, but, actually, weeds come up through artificial grass. It can be very difficult to clean, if an animal has been on it, and, actually, there are quite worrying reports from a number of university sources, saying that the toxicity coming off artificial grass, if it's played on by children and so on, is quite alarming. So, actually, I really do think we need to get a public information campaign going about why it isn't the short-term solution it looks like for people. I've also noticed a slightly worrying tendency for artificial hedges and pots and things. You only have to look at those after one autumn of rain to see that they've leached the colour out of them and they've gone into the environment. So, I think it really is an important issue. We will be looking at all of our guidance and working with our local authorities to make sure that it isn't used in any publicly funded space, but I also want to get a piece of evidence going to (a), do a public information campaign about the problems with artificial grass, and (b), explore whether our new single-use plastics Bill, which got the royal seal—. I was at the sealing ceremony on Monday, and I hope it's on its way to you, if it hasn't arrived already, Llywydd. That gave us the ability to add in other plastics for banning, so I really want to explore proactively whether it's possible to do it through that route as well.
Diolch yn fawr, Sioned. Mae'n gwestiwn pwysig iawn am sawl rheswm. Mae glaswellt artiffisial yn cael effaith wael iawn ar gynaliadwyedd lleol nifer fawr o ardaloedd yng Nghymru. Fel y dywedoch chi, yn gwbl gywir, mae ffocws tymor byr ar y syniad fod angen llai o gynnal a chadw arno efallai, ond mewn gwirionedd, mae chwyn yn tyfu drwy laswellt artiffisial. Gall fod yn anodd iawn ei lanhau, os oes anifail wedi bod arno, ac mewn gwirionedd, mae adroddiadau o nifer o ffynonellau prifysgol yn peri cryn bryder gan eu bod yn dweud y gall glaswellt artiffisial fod yn wenwynig os yw plant yn chwarae arno ac ati. Felly, mewn gwirionedd, rwy'n credu'n wirioneddol fod arnom angen ymgyrch gwybodaeth i'r cyhoedd ynglŷn â pham nad yw'n ateb tymor byr effeithiol i bobl mewn gwirionedd. Rwy'n pryderu hefyd am y duedd i gael gwrychoedd a photiau artiffisial ac ati. Nid oes ond angen ichi edrych ar y rhain ar ôl un hydref o law i weld bod y lliw wedi llifo allan ohonynt ac i'r amgylchedd. Felly, credaf ei fod wir yn fater pwysig. Byddwn yn edrych ar ein holl ganllawiau ac yn gweithio gyda'n hawdurdodau lleol i sicrhau nad yw'n cael ei ddefnyddio mewn unrhyw le a ariennir yn gyhoeddus, ond rwy'n awyddus i gael tystiolaeth hefyd er mwyn (a), cynnal ymgyrch wybodaeth i'r cyhoedd ynglŷn â'r problemau gyda glaswellt artiffisial, a (b), archwilio a yw ein Bil cynhyrchion plastig untro, a gafodd gymeradwyaeth frenhinol—. Roeddwn yn y seremoni gymeradwyo ddydd Llun, a gobeithio ei fod ar ei ffordd atoch, os nad yw wedi cyrraedd yn barod, Lywydd. Mae hwnnw wedi rhoi'r gallu inni ychwanegu plastigau eraill i'w gwahardd, felly rwy'n awyddus iawn i fynd ati'n rhagweithiol i archwilio a oes modd ei wneud drwy'r llwybr hwnnw hefyd.
In 2007, the world passed a little noticed but critical landmark, the point at which, for the first time in history, more humans were living in towns and cities than in the countryside. In Wales, two thirds of us live in urban areas. It is therefore vital that we do all we can to improve the urban environment. That means not just tackling air pollution in our towns and cities or tackling the travesty that is the dumping of sewage into rivers like the Towy and the Ogmore, but also improving access to green spaces in our urban areas. Minister, what steps are you taking to protect green spaces in urban areas and ensure that every community has free and ready access to such spaces?
Yn 2007, heb yn wybod i lawer, pasiodd y byd garreg filltir hollbwysig, sef y pwynt lle roedd mwy o bobl am y tro cyntaf erioed yn byw mewn trefi a dinasoedd nag yng nghefn gwlad. Yng Nghymru, mae dwy ran o dair ohonom yn byw mewn ardaloedd trefol. Mae'n hanfodol, felly, ein bod yn gwneud popeth yn ein gallu i wella'r amgylchedd trefol. Mae hynny'n golygu nid yn unig mynd i'r afael â llygredd aer yn ein trefi a'n dinasoedd, neu'r arfer gwarthus o ddympio carthion i afonydd fel afon Tywi ac afon Ogwr, ond hefyd, gwella mynediad at fannau gwyrdd yn ein hardaloedd trefol. Weinidog, pa gamau rydych yn eu cymryd i amddiffyn mannau gwyrdd mewn ardaloedd trefol a sicrhau bod gan bob cymuned fynediad agored a chyfleus at fannau o'r fath?
Thank you, Altaf. It's a very important point. It's very much front and centre of our Transforming Towns initiative, where we look to create green infrastructure, as it's called. Green infrastructure is where there's a network of natural and semi-natural areas and features that contribute to high-quality environments, particularly important in urban and peri-urban spaces. One of the things I didn't respond to in Sioned's initial question was the issue about financial incentives to get people to have sustainable gardens. We're very keen to ensure that it's easier to do the right thing than it is to do the wrong thing, across Wales. My colleague Joyce Watson has on a number of occasions in the Senedd raised the fact that, actually, strictly speaking, you need planning consent to pave over a front area in an urban environment. It's not very often enforced in Wales, but we have been writing out to local authorities regularly to remind them that they need to consider the run-off point from that, because it's not just about biodiversity; it's actually about sustainable water systems as well, so it's very important for that.
We need to find a socially inclusive way of making sure that people have access to green spaces, not if you're just lucky enough to have a garden—you obviously ought to use that in the most sustainable way possible—but, also, we need to make sure that everyone in an urban or peri-urban area has access to that kind of sustained green space. You simply cannot do that by having hard-paved or, indeed, artificial grass areas—that just does not produce the same quality in the environment. So, we need, as I said to Sioned, to look at a range of interventions that we can undertake, and I personally would be looking very seriously to see whether we could actually do an education campaign to make people understand the problems, and then actually look to see if we can include it in a ban.
Diolch yn fawr, Altaf. Mae'n bwynt pwysig iawn. Mae'n rhan flaenllaw o'n menter Trawsnewid Trefi, lle rydym yn ceisio creu seilwaith gwyrdd, fel y'i gelwir. Seilwaith gwyrdd yw lle mae rhwydwaith o nodweddion ac ardaloedd naturiol a lled-naturiol yn cyfrannu at amgylcheddau o ansawdd uchel, sy'n arbennig o bwysig mewn ardaloedd trefol ac ardaloedd o gwmpas trefi. Un o'r pethau na ymatebais iddynt yng nghwestiwn cychwynnol Sioned oedd y mater ynghylch cymhellion ariannol i annog pobl i gael gerddi cynaliadwy. Rydym yn awyddus iawn i sicrhau ei bod yn haws gwneud y peth iawn na'r peth anghywir, ledled Cymru. Mae fy nghyd-Aelod, Joyce Watson, wedi codi'r ffaith ar sawl achlysur yn y Senedd fod angen caniatâd cynllunio arnoch i balmantu dros yr ardal o flaen eich tŷ mewn amgylchedd trefol. Nid yw'n rheol sy'n cael ei gorfodi'n aml yng Nghymru, ond rydym wedi bod yn ysgrifennu at awdurdodau lleol yn rheolaidd i'w hatgoffa bod angen iddynt ystyried dŵr ffo mewn perthynas â hynny, gan fod hyn yn ymwneud â mwy na bioamrywiaeth yn unig; mae'n ymwneud â systemau dŵr cynaliadwy hefyd, felly mae'n bwysig iawn ar gyfer hynny.
Mae angen inni ddod o hyd i ffordd gymdeithasol gynhwysol o sicrhau bod gan bobl fynediad at fannau gwyrdd, nid yn unig os ydych yn ddigon ffodus i gael gardd—mae'n amlwg y dylech ddefnyddio honno yn y ffordd fwyaf cynaliadwy posibl—ond hefyd, mae angen inni sicrhau bod gan bawb mewn ardal drefol neu o gwmpas trefi fynediad parhaus at y math hwnnw o fan gwyrdd. Yn syml, ni allwch wneud hynny drwy gael ardaloedd sydd wedi'u palmantu, neu'n wir, wedi'u gorchuddio â glaswellt artiffisial—nid yw hynny'n cynhyrchu'r un ansawdd yn yr amgylchedd. Felly, mae angen inni edrych, fel y dywedais wrth Sioned, ar ystod o ymyriadau y gallwn eu gwneud, ac yn bersonol, byddwn yn edrych o ddifrif i weld a allem gynnal ymgyrch addysg i wneud i bobl ddeall y problemau, ac edrych wedyn i weld a allwn ei gynnwys mewn gwaharddiad.
2. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad ar gynlluniau’r Llywodraeth i wella cysylltiadau trafnidiaeth dros y Fenai? OQ59621
2. Will the Minister make a statement on the Government's plans to improve transport links across the Menai Strait? OQ59621
Diolch am y cwestiwn.
Thank you for the question.
I have asked the north Wales transport commission to consider the resilience of access to and from Ynys Môn in addition to its original remit. The commission's interim report is due to be published this week, with final recommendations to follow in the autumn.
Rwyf wedi gofyn i gomisiwn trafnidiaeth gogledd Cymru ystyried gwytnwch mynediad i ac o Ynys Môn yn ychwanegol at ei gylch gwaith gwreiddiol. Disgwylir i adroddiad interim y comisiwn gael ei gyhoeddi yr wythnos hon, gydag argymhellion terfynol i ddilyn yn yr hydref.
Diolch am yr ateb yna. Dwi'n edrych ymlaen i weld yr adroddiad yna. Mae yna ddwy bont, wrth gwrs, ar hyn o bryd. Mi fuaswn i'n licio gofyn am sicrwydd, yn gyntaf, y bydd popeth yn cael ei wneud i leihau'r trafferthion yn lleol wrth wneud y gwaith trwsio ar y Fenai. Mae yna oleuadau traffig rŵan; mi fuaswn i'n licio sicrwydd y bydd y cyfyngiadau am gyfnodau mor fyr â phosib.
Ond mae dwy. At yr ail bont—. Mi fyddwn i'n licio estyn fy nghydymdeimlad dwysaf at deulu'r dyn fu farw mewn damwain ar 23 Mai. Mae diogelwch, wrth gwrs, yn un o'r prif ddadleuon, ynghyd â gwytnwch, dros yr angen am drydedd bont. Beth ddigwyddodd yn yr achos yma—pont Britannia wedi ei chau am naw awr, pobl yn methu â chyrraedd Ysbyty Gwynedd, disgyblion ysgol yn methu â chyrraedd ar gyfer arholiadau TGAU a lefel A. Mae'n rhaid i ni ddatrys y sefyllfa o ran gwytnwch. Dwi wedi ysgrifennu at y Gweinidog, yn argymell, fel cam cychwynnol, er bod dal angen y drydedd bont, rhoi system zipper yn ei lle, lle mae yna rwystr yn cael ei osod, i ganiatáu dwy lôn o draffig i un cyfeiriad un bore, yna symud y rhwystr er mwyn cael llif traffig y ffordd arall gyda'r nos. A gaf i sicrwydd gan y Gweinidog fod gwaith yn cael ei wneud i edrych ar hynny yn ddifrifol?
Thank you for that response. I look forward to seeing that report. There are two bridges, of course, at the moment. I would like to ask for an assurance, first of all, that everything will be done to reduce difficulties locally in doing the work on the Menai bridge. There are traffic lights now; I would like an assurance that the restrictions will be in place for as brief a period as possible.
But there are two. As regards the second bridge—. I would like to extend my sincerest condolences to the family of a man who died in an accident on 23 May. Safety, of course, is one of the main arguments, along with resilience, in the case for a third crossing. What happened in this case was that the Britannia bridge was closed for nine hours, and people couldn't get to Ysbyty Gwynedd, school pupils couldn't get to their GCSE and A-level examinations. We must resolve this situation in terms of resilience. I've written to the Minister, recommending, as an initial step, although we do need that third crossing, having a zipper system in place, where a barrier is placed to allow two lanes of traffic in one direction in the morning, and then moving that barrier so that traffic can move in the other direction in the evening. Can I have an assurance from the Minister that work is being done to look at that seriously?
Thank you. I too would like to pass on my sympathy to the family of the person who died on the bridge.
We absolutely are looking at the issues that Rhun ap Iorwerth sets out. As he knows, we've asked the Burns commission specifically to look on this. We have also commissioned a study into resilience and traffic flow issues on the Britannia bridge, and the potential impact this will have on the carriage layout. We specifically looked, as he has suggested, at the examples of the Golden Gate zipper bridge, and the Tamar crossing. And in fact, we've been in touch with the company, Tamar Crossings, and National Highways, who operate the tidal flow of traffic on the Tamar bridge and the Saltash tunnel in Plymouth. And traffic and operational information that we've gathered has been passed on to the north Wales transport commission for them to consider. So, I agree with him—I think the zipper situation looks interesting and, potentially, very useful in the context of Ynys Môn, and that work is ongoing.
Diolch. Hoffwn innau hefyd gydymdeimlo â theulu'r unigolyn a fu farw ar y bont.
Rydym yn sicr yn edrych ar y materion a nodwyd gan Rhun ap Iorwerth. Fel y gŵyr, rydym wedi gofyn i gomisiwn Burns edrych yn benodol ar hyn. Rydym hefyd wedi comisiynu astudiaeth i faterion gwytnwch a llif traffig ar bont Britannia, a'r effaith bosibl y bydd hyn yn ei chael ar gynllun y gerbytffordd. Fe wnaethom edrych yn benodol, fel yr awgrymodd, ar enghreifftiau'r system 'zipper' ar bont y Golden Gate, a phont Tamar. Ac mewn gwirionedd, rydym wedi bod mewn cysylltiad â'r cwmni, Tamar Crossings, a National Highways, sy'n gweithredu'r system draffig llanw a thrai ar bont Tamar a thwnnel Saltash yn Plymouth. Ac rydym wedi rhoi'r wybodaeth am draffig a'r wybodaeth weithredol rydym wedi'i chasglu i gomisiwn trafnidiaeth gogledd Cymru er mwyn iddynt ei hystyried. Felly, rwy'n cytuno ag ef—credaf fod system 'zipper' yn edrych yn ddiddorol, ac o bosibl, yn ddefnyddiol iawn yng nghyd-destun Ynys Môn, ac mae'r gwaith hwnnw'n mynd rhagddo.
I also extend my condolences, of course, to the family of the bereaved.
The Welsh Government carried out a consultation in 2007 over proposals that included eight options for easing traffic congestion to and from Anglesey, including a new bridge. Reports were published in 2008, 2009, 2011, and a strategic business case was submitted in 2016, which found the scheme would meet local and national needs, including journey times, reliability and access for non-vehicle road users. This need has been intensified by the announcement of the Anglesey free port. In 2017, the previous First Minister told me the Welsh Government's aim was to see the third Menai crossing open in 2022. Then, earlier this year, the Welsh Government announced it was scrapping more than 50 road-building projects, including plans for a third Menai bridge. At a press conference last month, however, the First Minister said, 'The Menai crossing remains a project we continue to explore.' Last Friday, I met again with Ynys Môn's MP, Virginia Crosbie, and businesses in the Menai Bridge area, who raised with us issues including traffic, parking and a need for a third Menai crossing. How will you therefore engage with them regarding this, as the Welsh Government continues to make up its mind about what it is going to do?
Rwyf innau hefyd yn cydymdeimlo â'r teulu sydd mewn profedigaeth.
Cynhaliodd Llywodraeth Cymru ymgynghoriad yn 2007 ar gynigion a oedd yn cynnwys wyth opsiwn ar gyfer lleddfu tagfeydd traffig i ac o Ynys Môn, gan gynnwys pont newydd. Cyhoeddwyd adroddiadau yn 2008, 2009, 2011, a chyflwynwyd achos busnes strategol yn 2016, a ganfu y byddai'r cynllun yn diwallu anghenion lleol a chenedlaethol, gan gynnwys amseroedd teithio, dibynadwyedd a mynediad ar gyfer defnyddwyr ffordd nad ydynt yn defnyddio cerbydau. Mae'r angen hwn wedi'i ddwysáu gan y cyhoeddiad am borthladd rhydd Ynys Môn. Yn 2017, dywedodd y Prif Weinidog blaenorol wrthyf mai nod Llywodraeth Cymru oedd gweld trydedd bont dros y Fenai yn agor yn 2022. Yna, yn gynharach eleni, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru ei bod yn rhoi'r gorau i fwy na 50 o brosiectau adeiladu ffyrdd, gan gynnwys cynlluniau ar gyfer trydedd bont dros y Fenai. Mewn cynhadledd i'r wasg y mis diwethaf, fodd bynnag, dywedodd y Prif Weinidog fod 'trydedd bont dros y Fenai yn brosiect rydym yn parhau i'w archwilio.' Ddydd Gwener diwethaf, cyfarfûm eto ag AS Ynys Môn, Virginia Crosbie, a busnesau yn ardal Porthaethwy, a gododd faterion gyda ni a oedd yn cynnwys parcio a'r angen am drydedd bont dros y Fenai. Sut felly y byddwch yn ymgysylltu â hwy ynghylch hyn, wrth i Lywodraeth Cymru barhau i geisio penderfynu beth i'w wneud?
Well, thank you for taking us through the history of the bridge and the discussion of options to replace it. As Mark Isherwood knows, we published our roads review and our amended roads policy statement, which he welcomed insofar as it applied to the red route in Flintshire. We've consistently applied that same lens across all road schemes, not just ones that he wants to scrap, but all of them, and we've tried to apply that logic consistently. And that, as he said, suggested that a third crossing wasn't justified, but it did set out a series of other alternatives. And that's why I've asked the Burns commission to look seriously at that, in the context of its study of north Wales as a whole, which was indeed part of the recommendations of the Sir Peter Hendy union connectivity review, commissioned by his Government. So, I think it's good that we've worked together to take forward those recommendations. And I would expect, once the interim report is published this week, that all stakeholders across north Wales will engage with the commission to feed in their ideas, and there's an opportunity for all elected Members, and other stakeholders, to do that.
Wel, diolch am fynd â ni drwy hanes y bont a'r drafodaeth ynghylch beth i'w roi yn ei lle. Fel y gŵyr Mark Isherwood, fe wnaethom gyhoeddi ein hadolygiad ffyrdd a'n datganiad polisi diwygiedig ar ffyrdd, a gafodd ei groesawu ganddo i'r graddau ei fod yn berthnasol i'r llwybr coch yn sir y Fflint. Rydym wedi defnyddio'r un lens yn gyson wrth ystyried pob cynllun ffyrdd, nid y rhai y mae'n dymuno cael gwared arnynt yn unig, ond pob un ohonynt, ac rydym wedi ceisio cymhwyso'r rhesymeg honno'n gyson. Ac roedd hynny, fel y dywedodd, yn awgrymu nad oedd cyfiawnhad dros drydedd bont, ond nododd gyfres o ddewisiadau amgen eraill. A dyna pam fy mod wedi gofyn i gomisiwn Burns edrych o ddifrif ar hynny, yng nghyd-destun ei astudiaeth o ogledd Cymru yn gyfan, a oedd, yn wir, yn rhan o argymhellion adolygiad cysylltedd yr undeb gan Syr Peter Hendy, a gomisiynwyd gan ei Lywodraeth ef. Felly, credaf ei bod yn dda ein bod wedi gweithio gyda'n gilydd i ddatblygu'r argymhellion hynny. A phan gaiff yr adroddiad interim ei gyhoeddi yr wythnos hon, byddwn yn disgwyl y bydd yr holl randdeiliaid ledled gogledd Cymru yn ymgysylltu â'r comisiwn i fwydo eu syniadau i mewn, ac mae cyfle i'r holl Aelodau etholedig, a rhanddeiliaid eraill, wneud hynny.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Questions now from party spokespeople. The Conservative spokesperson, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, six of the UK's top 20 most polluted rivers are here in Wales—the Rivers Teifi, Usk, Wye, Towy, the Menai strait and the River Taff. Now, according to Natural Resources Wales, sewage pollution is the top pollutant in Welsh bathing waters. Locals and visitors have been taking to the waters during this glorious weather, and I know that you're fully aware of your own responsibility and wish to ensure that it is safe for people. Now, since 2016, there have been around 450,000 storm overflow discharges in Wales. Since 2016, NRW has only sent out—only sent out, and I say that loosely—350 warning letters to Welsh Water, but, as a result of sending out 350 warning letters, Welsh Water have only been prosecuted six times. Now, that strikes me as a massive enforcement failure. What steps will you take to independently assess whether NRW have actually been taking their own responsibilities seriously and that they have been enforcing correctly?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, mae chwech o 20 afon fwyaf llygredig y DU yma yng Nghymru—afonydd Teifi, Wysg, Gwy, Tywi, Menai a Thaf. Nawr, yn ôl Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, llygredd carthion yw'r llygrydd mwyaf yn nyfroedd ymdrochi Cymru. Mae pobl leol ac ymwelwyr wedi bod yn heidio i'r dyfroedd yn ystod y tywydd gogoneddus hwn, a gwn eich bod yn gwbl ymwybodol o'ch cyfrifoldeb eich hun ac yn dymuno sicrhau eu bod yn ddiogel i bobl. Nawr, ers 2016, mae oddeutu 450,000 o ollyngiadau gorlifoedd storm wedi bod yng Nghymru. Ers 2016, nid yw CNC ond wedi anfon—ond wedi anfon, ac rwy'n dweud hynny'n amwys—350 o lythyrau rhybuddio at Dŵr Cymru, ond o ganlyniad i anfon 350 o lythyrau rhybuddio, dim ond chwe gwaith y mae Dŵr Cymru wedi cael eu herlyn. Nawr, ymddengys i mi fod hynny'n fethiant enfawr o ran gorfodaeth. Pa gamau y byddwch yn eu cymryd i asesu'n annibynnol a yw CNC wedi bod o ddifrif ynghylch eu cyfrifoldebau eu hunain a'u bod wedi bod yn gorfodi'n gywir?
Thank you, Janet. I'm afraid there's a very fundamental misunderstanding of the correlation between warning letters and prosecutions in your question. Obviously, NRW will prosecute somebody who isn't doing the right remedial actions. You don't prosecute somebody who's done something and then takes the right remedial actions. Prosecution is the last step where no other remedy is available.
But, turning to the substantive point, which is the question of what we are going to do about improving the water quality of the rivers—which prosecution is never going to do, actually; it's just a last stand for somebody who really isn't doing the right thing—what we need to do is to get people to do the right thing. You consistently list the things that are happening in our rivers, but you always leave out land use and agricultural pollution. Land use and agricultural pollution are big contributors to the river pollution that we experience right across Wales. There's no point in shaking your head at me, it just is; it's a matter of data. It is a combination of a whole series of things in every river in Wales. I can produce, and I'm very happy to circulate, Llywydd, for the Senedd the analysis on each river in Wales and what the top polluter is on each river in Wales, and then a sliding scale of what the issues are. But the point is it doesn't matter. We have to fix all of the issues. So, we've been running a series, as you know, of summits and then task and finish groups coming out of the summits, where each sector has looked to put its own house in order and not throw brickbats at the others.
So, the First Minister has been very clear—and all of the sectors signed up to this—that what you have to do is look to see what your sector can do to improve its problems in contributing to water pollution. So, that is, of course, the water companies, and we're in the middle of the price review, which the UK Government needs to pay particular attention to because, at the moment, it's still insisting on bill payers picking up the tab for that and that's clearly the wrong way to do it. But of course, we have to make the investment that we need for our water reserves to be right for a whole range of reasons—water quality is one of them. But actually, we're about to face what is probably a very hot summer and a very dry summer, so we've already stood up our drought teams, for example.
So, these are very complex things. It's far too simplistic to say that if NRW were to prosecute everyone they sent a warning letter to, the problem would be solved overnight. It quite clearly would not. So, I would say to you: engage with the process, engage with the active participation of each of the sectors to put their own house in order, and that includes land use and agriculture; it includes water; it includes house builders; it includes food producers; it includes absolutely everyone who relies on and contributes to our water quality in Wales, because without everyone doing it, we will not get to where we want to be.
Diolch yn fawr, Janet. Mae arnaf ofn fod eich cwestiwn yn cynnwys camddealltwriaeth sylfaenol iawn o'r gydberthynas rhwng llythyrau rhybuddio ac erlyniadau. Yn amlwg, bydd CNC yn erlyn rhywun nad ydynt yn cymryd y camau unioni cywir. Nid ydych yn erlyn rhywun sydd wedi gwneud rhywbeth ac yna'n cymryd y camau unioni cywir. Erlyn yw'r cam olaf pan nad oes ateb arall ar gael.
Ond os caf droi at y prif bwynt, sef y cwestiwn ynghylch yr hyn rydym yn mynd i'w wneud ynglŷn â gwella ansawdd dŵr yr afonydd—nad yw erlyn byth yn mynd i'w wneud; nid yw hynny ond yn gam olaf i rywun nad ydynt yn gwneud y peth iawn—yr hyn y mae angen i ni ei wneud yw sicrhau bod pobl yn gwneud y peth iawn. Rydych yn rhestru'r pethau sy'n digwydd yn ein hafonydd yn gyson, ond rydych bob amser yn anghofio sôn am ddefnydd tir a llygredd amaethyddol. Mae defnydd tir a llygredd amaethyddol yn gyfranwyr mawr at lygredd afonydd ledled Cymru. Nid oes pwynt ysgwyd eich pen, mae'n ffaith; mae'n fater o ddata. Mae'n gyfuniad o gyfres gyfan o bethau ym mhob afon yng Nghymru. Gallaf gynhyrchu, ac rwy'n hapus iawn i rannu gyda'r Senedd, Lywydd, y dadansoddiad o bob afon yng Nghymru a beth yw'r llygrwr mwyaf ym mhob afon yng Nghymru, ac yna'r raddfa gyfan o broblemau. Ond y pwynt yw nad oes ots. Mae'n rhaid inni ddatrys yr holl broblemau. Felly, fel y gwyddoch, rydym wedi bod yn cynnal cyfres o uwchgynadleddau ac yna grwpiau gorchwyl a gorffen yn dilyn yr uwchgynadleddau, lle mae pob sector wedi ceisio cael trefn arnynt eu hunain yn hytrach na thaflu bai ar y lleill.
Felly, mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi dweud yn glir iawn—ac fe wnaeth pob un o'r sectorau ymrwymo i hyn—mai'r hyn sy'n rhaid i chi ei wneud yw edrych i weld beth y gall eich sector ei wneud i wella ei broblemau'n cyfrannu at lygredd dŵr. Felly, wrth gwrs, mae hynny'n golygu y cwmnïau dŵr, ac rydym yng nghanol yr adolygiad pris dŵr y mae angen i Lywodraeth y DU roi sylw arbennig iddo, oherwydd ar hyn o bryd, mae'n dal i fynnu bod talwyr biliau yn talu am hynny, ac yn amlwg, dyna'r ffordd anghywir o wneud hyn. Ond wrth gwrs, mae'n rhaid inni wneud y buddsoddiad sydd ei angen arnom er mwyn i'n cronfeydd dŵr fod yn iawn am ystod eang o resymau—ac mae ansawdd dŵr yn un ohonynt. Ond mewn gwirionedd, rydym ar fin wynebu haf poeth iawn a sych iawn, felly rydym eisoes wedi paratoi ein timau sychder, er enghraifft.
Felly, mae'r rhain yn bethau cymhleth iawn. Mae'n llawer rhy syml dweud y byddai'r broblem wedi'i datrys dros nos pe bai CNC yn erlyn pawb y maent yn anfon llythyr rhybuddio atynt. Yn amlwg, nid yw hynny'n wir. Felly, byddwn yn dweud wrthych chi: ymgysylltwch â'r broses, ymgysylltwch â chyfranogiad gweithredol pob un o'r sectorau i gael trefn arnynt eu hunain, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys defnydd tir ac amaethyddiaeth; mae'n cynnwys dŵr; mae'n cynnwys adeiladwyr tai; mae'n cynnwys cynhyrchwyr bwyd; mae'n cynnwys pawb sy'n dibynnu ar ac yn cyfrannu at ansawdd ein dŵr yng Nghymru, oherwydd os nad yw pawb yn gwneud hyn, ni fyddwn yn cyrraedd lle rydym yn dymuno'i gyrraedd.
Thank you, but I think you've missed my question: 350 warning letters went to water companies, so, at the end of the day, perhaps the Minister wants to elaborate and tell me how many farmers you've sent warning letters to about pollution.
Now, when you hear that almost 0.5 million discharges have resulted in only six prosecutions, there can be little confidence in your own regulatory and enforcement regime. In fact, this is a problem that the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee noted last year when we stated:
'NRW must be able to respond timely and effectively to pollution incidents, and must be prepared to take enforcement action when permit breaches occur.'
You're not telling me that only six permit breaches have occurred in Wales. Even Dr Christian Dunn from Bangor University has said that altering the rules around sewage pollution would create rapid change. He wants water bosses to face criminal investigations if a company is responsible for dumping raw sewage into rivers and seas. I agree with the principle of tougher enforcement action if it saves our rivers. Do you?
Diolch, ond credaf eich bod wedi methu ateb fy nghwestiwn: anfonwyd 350 o lythyrau rhybuddio at gwmnïau dŵr, felly, yn y pen draw, efallai yr hoffai'r Gweinidog ymhelaethu a dweud wrthyf faint o ffermwyr rydych wedi anfon llythyrau rhybuddio atynt mewn perthynas â llygredd.
Nawr, pan glywch fod bron i 0.5 miliwn o ollyngiadau wedi arwain at chwe erlyniad yn unig, ni all fod llawer o hyder yn eich cyfundrefn reoleiddio a gorfodi eich hun. Mewn gwirionedd, mae hon yn broblem a nododd y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, yr Amgylchedd a Seilwaith y llynedd, pan ddywedasom fod:
'rhaid i Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru allu ymateb mewn modd amserol ac effeithiol i ddigwyddiadau llygredd, a rhaid iddo fod yn barod i gymryd camau gorfodi pan fydd achosion o dorri trwydded yn digwydd.'
Nid ydych yn dweud wrthyf mai dim ond chwe achos o dorri trwyddedau sydd wedi digwydd yng Nghymru. Mae hyd yn oed Dr Christian Dunn o Brifysgol Bangor wedi dweud y byddai newid y rheolau ynghylch llygredd carthion yn creu newid cyflym. Mae'n awyddus i benaethiaid cwmnïau dŵr wynebu ymchwiliadau troseddol os yw cwmni'n gyfrifol am ddympio carthion amrwd mewn afonydd a moroedd. Rwy'n cytuno â'r egwyddor o gamau gorfodi llymach os yw hynny'n arbed ein hafonydd. A ydych chi?
Well, I think perhaps, Janet, you could actually listen to the answer instead of just reading out the question that you've got in front of you. I've just told you what we are doing in Wales to tackle our water quality. It was pretty straightforward stuff. So, of course I care about it—you know perfectly well that I do. But I am telling you that that is not the only solution—just prosecuting the water companies. You do not want me to prosecute everyone who has committed a pollution incident in Wales. We would commit huge amounts of resources to the prosecutions and it would have little or no effect on the actual water quality. You do not feed a pig by weighing it.
So, you have to get to the root cause of the problem. The root cause of the problem is that every single sector in Wales contributes something to water pollution and water quality. Every single sector in Wales has to pull its weight in putting that right. That absolutely includes NRW and both water companies, but it also includes all of the land users right along the banks of every single one of our catchments—every single one of them. So, that means the house builders, the councils, the parks, the farmers—absolutely everyone. All of those people must play their part in reducing pollution. I can show you the statistics if you like, but apart from one river in Wales, the top polluter for all of our rivers is agricultural land use. There's no getting away from that—it's the raw data; there's no getting away from it.
But of course the water companies have to play their part—of course they do. And as I said to you, we're in the middle of the price review. They have to be able to pay to be able to play their part; they have to be able to invest to be able to play their part, and unless the UK Government changes its stance on what that investment programme will look like, then the water companies will not be able to invest at the level they should be able to invest in any part of the UK. Because the current plan from the UK Government is that all that investment will go on to bills and the companies that are polluting that are dividend payers—which Welsh Water is not, of course—will then still be able to pay dividends out despite the fact they haven't got themselves into the position they want to be in. So, rather than concentrate on the end, on which I completely agree with you—people who do not put their house in order should be prosecuted, but we need them to put their house in order; I agree with that—people need to put their house in order. But, instead of concentrating on beating them with a stick, you need to concentrate on putting them into a position where they can in fact tackle the pollution at the front end.
Wel, Janet, rwy'n credu efallai y gallech wrando ar yr ateb yn hytrach na dim ond darllen y cwestiwn sydd gennych o'ch blaen. Rwyf newydd ddweud wrthych beth rydym yn ei wneud yng Nghymru i fynd i'r afael ag ansawdd ein dŵr. Roedd yn eithaf syml. Felly, wrth gwrs, rwy'n poeni am hyn—fe wyddoch yn iawn fy mod. Ond rwy'n dweud wrthych nad dyna'r unig ateb—dim ond erlyn y cwmnïau dŵr. Nid ydych am imi erlyn pawb sydd wedi cyflawni trosedd llygredd yng Nghymru. Byddem yn ymrwymo llawer iawn o adnoddau i'r erlyniadau, ac ni fyddent yn cael fawr o effaith, os o gwbl, ar ansawdd y dŵr. Nid ydych yn bwydo mochyn drwy ei bwyso.
Felly, mae'n rhaid ichi fynd at achos sylfaenol y broblem. Achos sylfaenol y broblem yw bod pob un sector yng Nghymru yn cyfrannu rhywfaint at lygredd dŵr ac ansawdd dŵr. Mae'n rhaid i bob un sector yng Nghymru chwarae ei ran wrth unioni hynny. Mae hynny'n sicr yn cynnwys CNC a'r ddau gwmni dŵr, ond mae hefyd yn cynnwys yr holl ddefnyddwyr tir ar hyd glannau pob un o'n dalgylchoedd—pob un ohonynt. Felly, golyga hynny yr adeiladwyr tai, y cynghorau, y parciau, y ffermwyr—pob un ohonynt. Mae'n rhaid i bob un o'r bobl hynny chwarae eu rhan i leihau llygredd. Gallaf ddangos yr ystadegau i chi os hoffech, ond ar wahân i un afon yng Nghymru, y llygrwr mwyaf ar gyfer ein holl afonydd yw defnydd tir amaethyddol. Nid oes dianc rhag y ffaith honno—dyna'r data amrwd; ni ellir gwadu hynny.
Ond wrth gwrs, mae'n rhaid i'r cwmnïau dŵr chwarae eu rhan—wrth gwrs hynny. Ac fel y dywedais wrthych, rydym yng nghanol yr adolygiad pris dŵr. Mae'n rhaid iddynt allu talu er mwyn gallu chwarae eu rhan; mae'n rhaid iddynt allu buddsoddi i allu chwarae eu rhan, ac oni bai bod Llywodraeth y DU yn newid ei safbwynt ar sut olwg fydd ar y rhaglen fuddsoddi honno, ni fydd y cwmnïau dŵr yn gallu buddsoddi ar y lefel y dylent allu buddsoddi mewn unrhyw ran o'r DU. Oherwydd y cynllun presennol gan Lywodraeth y DU yw y bydd yr holl fuddsoddiad hwnnw'n mynd ar y biliau, a bydd y cwmnïau sy'n llygru ac sy'n talu difidendau—nad yw Dŵr Cymru yn ei wneud, wrth gwrs—yn dal i allu talu difidendau er nad ydynt wedi llwyddo i gyrraedd y sefyllfa yr hoffent fod ynddi. Felly, yn hytrach na chanolbwyntio ar y diben, ac rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â chi ar hynny—dylid erlyn pobl nad ydynt yn cael trefn arnynt eu hunain, ond mae arnom angen iddynt gael trefn arnynt eu hunain; rwy'n cytuno â hynny—mae angen i bobl gael trefn arnynt eu hunain. Ond yn hytrach na chanolbwyntio ar eu cosbi, mae angen ichi ganolbwyntio ar eu rhoi mewn sefyllfa lle gallant fynd i'r afael â'r llygredd ar y rheng flaen.
Thank you. I have to say I actually disagree with your answer. It's not that I haven't listened to your answer, I have to agree with Dr Christian Dunn. Now, be that larger fines or criminal convictions, I believe it is timely to look at strengthening the current regulations when it comes to how water companies are operating. Nobody here should be able to defend 0.5 million situations. We need decisive action that proves that your Welsh Government is using its might in the fight against sewage. The Welsh Government needs to plunge the block on progress. Now, you yourself, Minister, promised us a report on storm overflows by March 2023. I am correct that we're now in June. Three months later, we are still waiting. Why, and for how much longer?
Minister, whilst you dismissed the fact that water companies should be facing tougher penalties and more prosecutions, will you at least have a look and review the side of NRW that is actually carrying out this enforcement action, just to see whether any actual enforcement fines have been missed? Thank you.
Diolch. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud fy mod yn anghytuno â'ch ateb. Nid fy mod heb wrando ar eich ateb, ond mae'n rhaid imi gytuno â Dr Christian Dunn. Nawr, boed hynny'n ddirwyon uwch neu'n euogfarnau troseddol, credaf ei bod yn amserol ystyried cryfhau'r rheoliadau presennol o ran sut mae cwmnïau dŵr yn gweithredu. Ni ddylai unrhyw un yma allu amddiffyn 0.5 miliwn o sefyllfaoedd. Mae angen camau pendant arnom sy'n profi bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn defnyddio'i grym yn y frwydr yn erbyn carthion. Mae angen i Lywodraeth Cymru gael gwared ar y rhwystr rhag cynnydd. Nawr, fe wnaethoch addo adroddiad i ni, Weinidog, ar orlifoedd storm erbyn mis Mawrth 2023. Rwy'n iawn i ddweud ei bod bellach yn fis Mehefin. Dri mis yn ddiweddarach, rydym yn dal i aros. Pam, ac am faint eto?
Weinidog, er ichi ddiystyru'r ffaith y dylai cwmnïau dŵr wynebu cosbau llymach a mwy o erlyniadau, a wnewch chi o leiaf edrych ac adolygu'r ochr o CNC sy'n cyflawni'r camau gorfodi hyn, er mwyn gweld a oes unrhyw ddirwyon gorfodi wedi'u methu? Diolch.
I'm very happy, Janet, to circulate to all Members of the Senedd the list of enforcement actions that have been taken by NRW. I'll very happily do that. But, just for you to understand what I'm talking about in terms of the contribution towards pollution, I have the list here. So, by SAC catchment: eastern Cleddau, by percentage, water 11 per cent, rural land use 84 per cent, storm overflows 2 per cent, 'other' 2 per cent, for example; western Cleddau, 22 per cent water, 65 per cent pollution, 5 per cent storm overflows, 8 per cent other; Dee, 34, 48, 11; Teifi 66, 30—that's the one that's different—3, 1; Usk, 21, 67, 1, 11; Wye, 23, 72, 2, 3. So, you're tilting at the wrong windmill.
Rwy'n fwy na pharod, Janet, i ddarparu rhestr i holl Aelodau'r Senedd o'r camau gorfodi a gymerwyd gan CNC. Rwy'n fwy na pharod i wneud hynny. Ond er mwyn ichi ddeall yr hyn rwy'n sôn amdano o ran y cyfraniad tuag at lygredd, mae'r rhestr gennyf yma. Felly, yn ôl dalgylch ACA: afon Cleddau Ddu, yn ôl canran, dŵr 11 y cant, defnydd tir gwledig 84 y cant, gorlifoedd storm 2 y cant, 2 y cant 'arall', er enghraifft; afon Cleddau Wen, dŵr 22 y cant, 65 y cant llygredd, gorlifoedd storm 5 y cant, 8 y cant arall; afon Dyfrdwy, 34, 48, 11; afon Teifi 66, 30—dyna'r un sy'n wahanol—3, 1; afon Wysg, 21, 67, 1, 11; afon Gwy, 23, 72, 2, 3. Felly, rydych yn cwyno am y peth anghywir.
[Inaudible.]—enforcements have gone out to farmers, then. Answer the question.
[Anghlywadwy.]—mae hysbysiadau gorfodi wedi mynd allan i ffermwyr, felly. Atebwch y cwestiwn.
Farmers don't need a permit, of course, and that's one of the things we're currently looking at. If your party wants to suggest that all land-use users need to have a permit to put stuff on their land, you go ahead. I'd love for one of your spokespeople to get up right now and tell me that you think farmers should have a permit for putting stuff on their land.
Nid oes angen trwydded ar ffermwyr, wrth gwrs, a dyna un o'r pethau rydym yn edrych arnynt ar hyn o bryd. Os yw eich plaid am awgrymu bod angen i bob defnyddiwr tir gael trwydded i roi pethau ar eu tir, cerwch amdani. Byddwn wrth fy modd pe bai un o'ch llefarwyr yn codi ac yn dweud wrthyf eich bod yn credu y dylai ffermwyr gael trwydded i roi pethau ar eu tir.
I asked a question.
Fe ofynnais gwestiwn.
They can't be prosecuted because they don't need a permit, Janet.
Ni ellir eu herlyn am nad oes angen trwydded arnynt, Janet.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Delyth Jewell.
The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Delyth Jewell.
Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to ask you, please, about some national issues that I think arise from what's happening in Ffos-y-fran mine in Merthyr. A few weeks ago, the local authority rejected an application for an opencast mine to continue operating. Campaigners, in the weeks since, have released footage seeming to show that mining has continued, and, last week, the local authority said that an enforcement notice had been given to the company, saying that it had to cease mining. But that will take effect on the twenty-seventh of this month, and the developer will then have an extra 28 days to comply, and there's the possibility of an appeal. So, there is a minimum of, I think, 56—. Well, from when the enforcement notice was released, there would have been a 56-day minimum period where more mining could continue past that date. Now, I realise you can't comment on individual cases like that, but could you set out whether you think, keeping in mind what's happened in Merthyr, the planning system we have is fit for purpose in that context, where a local authority can make a decision based partly on responding to the climate emergency, and a developer can find so many ways of ignoring or circumnavigating that decision?
Diolch, Lywydd. Hoffwn eich holi, os gwelwch yn dda, am rai materion cenedlaethol y credaf eu bod yn codi o'r hyn sy'n digwydd ym mhwll glo Ffos-y-fran ym Merthyr Tudful. Ychydig wythnosau yn ôl, gwrthododd yr awdurdod lleol gais i bwll glo brig barhau i weithredu. Mae ymgyrchwyr, yn yr wythnosau ers hynny, wedi rhyddhau lluniau sy'n dangos yn ôl pob golwg fod y gwaith cloddio wedi parhau, a'r wythnos diwethaf, dywedodd yr awdurdod lleol fod hysbysiad gorfodi wedi'i roi i'r cwmni, yn dweud bod yn rhaid iddynt roi'r gorau i gloddio. Ond bydd hwnnw'n dod i rym ar y seithfed ar hugain o'r mis hwn, ac yna bydd gan y datblygwr 28 diwrnod arall i gydymffurfio, ac mae posibilrwydd o apêl. Felly, rwy'n credu bod o leiaf 56—. Wel, o'r adeg y rhoddwyd yr hysbysiad gorfodi, byddai isafswm o 56 diwrnod wedi bod lle gallai mwy o gloddio barhau ar ôl y dyddiad hwnnw. Nawr, rwy'n sylweddoli na allwch wneud sylw ar achosion unigol fel hwn, ond a gan gadw mewn cof yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd ym Merthyr Tudful, wnewch chi nodi p'un a ydych chi'n credu fod y system gynllunio sydd gennym yn addas i'r diben yn y cyd-destun hwnnw, lle gall awdurdod lleol wneud penderfyniad yn rhannol ar sail ymateb i'r argyfwng hinsawdd, ac y gall datblygwr ddod o hyd i gynifer o ffyrdd o anwybyddu neu osgoi'r penderfyniad hwnnw?
I can't comment on that case. It's an ongoing case and, actually, the Welsh Ministers are party to the case. So, I can't.
But, it is a general tenet of planning law—and it's very difficult indeed to change this—that if you have an extant licence and you're subject to an appeal, you can continue to do the activity that you are appealing against while the appeal goes ahead. That is a standard point in planning law across the whole of the UK, as far as I know—I think it's true in Scotland as well—and for obvious reasons. Because, if you're building a house extension and a local authority serves an enforcement notice on you and you appeal that, you can continue to build that extension. It's not until the appeal comes to its end and is clarified by the court that you understand what the position is. It doesn't act as an injunction, effectively. So, that is just the standard position.
There are a number of other frustrating things about the planning system, which we are actively looking at. We have managed to change it for some of our new building regulations, but not for older ones. For example, once you start building a planning consent, you can carry on building it to the same standard for 100 years. We've managed to change that for new building regulations, but not for older ones. What we're looking to do is to try and make sure that you have some certainty when you get planning consent that you can build what you've been consented—because that's the problem, isn't it—and then if the rules change three years down the line and you're starting a new bit of the planning, that you have to comply with the new regulations. But you can see that if you're two thirds of the way through building a house, you can't retrofit it because the rules changed a third of the way in. So, it's a problem. I agree it's a problem. We are exploring a number of ways across Wales to see if we can clarify and simplify that, but it continues to be a problematic area.
Ni allaf wneud sylwadau ar yr achos hwnnw. Mae'n achos parhaus, ac mewn gwirionedd, mae Gweinidogion Cymru yn barti yn yr achos. Felly, ni allaf wneud hynny.
Ond mae'n un o egwyddorion cyffredinol cyfraith gynllunio—ac mae'n anodd iawn newid hyn—os oes gennych drwydded fyw a'ch bod yn destun apêl, y gallwch barhau â'r gweithgarwch rydych yn apelio yn ei erbyn tra bo'r apêl yn mynd rhagddi. Mae hwnnw'n bwynt safonol mewn cyfraith gynllunio ledled y DU gyfan, hyd y gwn i—credaf ei fod yn wir yn yr Alban hefyd—ac am resymau amlwg. Oherwydd, os ydych yn adeiladu estyniad ar dŷ ac mae awdurdod lleol yn rhoi hysbysiad gorfodi i chi ac rydych yn apelio yn ei erbyn, gallwch barhau i adeiladu'r estyniad hwnnw. Nid ydych yn gwybod beth yw'r sefyllfa tan i'r apêl ddod i ben a chael ei hegluro gan y llys. Nid yw'n gweithredu fel gwaharddeb, i bob pwrpas. Felly, dyna'r sefyllfa safonol.
Mae nifer o bethau rhwystredig eraill am y system gynllunio, ac rydym wrthi'n edrych arnynt. Rydym wedi llwyddo i'w newid ar gyfer rhai o'n rheoliadau adeiladu newydd, ond nid ar gyfer rhai hŷn. Er enghraifft, ar ôl ichi ddechrau adeiladu caniatâd cynllunio, gallwch barhau i'w adeiladu i'r un safon am 100 mlynedd. Rydym wedi llwyddo i newid hynny ar gyfer rheoliadau adeiladu newydd, ond nid ar gyfer rhai hŷn. Yr hyn rydym yn bwriadu ei wneud yw ceisio sicrhau bod gennych rywfaint o sicrwydd pan gewch ganiatâd cynllunio y gallwch adeiladu'r hyn rydych wedi cael caniatâd i'w adeiladu—oherwydd dyna'r broblem, ynte—ac yna, os yw'r rheolau'n newid dair blynedd yn ddiweddarach a'ch bod yn dechrau ar ddarn newydd o'r cynllunio, fod yn rhaid ichi gydymffurfio â'r rheoliadau newydd. Ond os ydych ddwy ran o dair o'r ffordd drwy'r broses o adeiladu tŷ, gallwch weld na allwch ei ôl-osod gan fod y rheolau wedi newid draean o'r ffordd i mewn. Felly, mae'n broblem. Rwy'n cytuno bod hynny'n broblem. Rydym yn archwilio nifer o ffyrdd ledled Cymru i weld a allwn symleiddio hynny a'i wneud yn gliriach, ond mae'n parhau i fod yn faes problemus.
Thank you for that, Minister. I wonder if thought could be given to seeing, where decisions are made planning-wise that are in the context of the climate and nature emergency, whether any change could be made or whether there's a global precedent for something like that happening. It would be interesting to know.
I'd like to ask you as well about the reclamation of land that's contaminated in cases like this—again, not specifically about this case, but arising from it. It's been known for years in this case—again, this case in Merthyr—that the mine was going to close, and there had been an understanding that millions should have been set aside for restoring the land and so on. After any project like this there should be training and transitioning provided for as well for the workforce. In Ffos-y-fran, there are significant questions as to whether there's enough money that is left for that restoration. My question to you is, on a national scale, firstly, please, how the Government prioritises the development of training programmes that would enable workers in fossil fuel-dependant sectors to transition into new jobs, and finally, what changes you think should be made—again, to the planning system—to ensure that developers are compelled to put right the damage done to land at the end of large-scale projects like this. I know this is something that you do care a lot about. Diolch.
Diolch, Weinidog. Tybed a ellid rhoi ystyriaeth i edrych, lle caiff penderfyniadau cynllunio eu gwneud yng nghyd-destun yr argyfwng hinsawdd a natur, i weld a ellid gwneud unrhyw newid neu p'un a oes cynsail byd-eang i rywbeth o'r fath. Byddai'n ddiddorol gwybod.
Hoffwn ofyn i chi hefyd am adfer tir halogedig mewn achosion fel hyn—unwaith eto, nid yn benodol am yr achos hwn, ond yn deillio ohono. Mae wedi bod yn hysbys ers blynyddoedd yn yr achos hwn—unwaith eto, yr achos hwn ym Merthyr Tudful—fod y pwll glo'n mynd i gau, a chafwyd dealltwriaeth y dylai miliynau fod wedi'u neilltuo ar gyfer adfer y tir ac yn y blaen. Ar ôl unrhyw brosiect o'r fath, dylid darparu hyfforddiant a chyfnod pontio ar gyfer y gweithlu hefyd. Yn Ffos-y-fran, ceir cwestiynau pwysig ynglŷn ag a oes digon o arian ar ôl ar gyfer y gwaith adfer hwnnw. Fy nghwestiwn i chi yw, ar raddfa genedlaethol, yn gyntaf, os gwelwch yn dda, sut mae'r Llywodraeth yn blaenoriaethu datblygiad rhaglenni hyfforddi a fyddai'n galluogi gweithwyr mewn sectorau sy'n dibynnu ar danwydd ffosil i bontio i swyddi newydd, ac yn olaf, pa newidiadau y credwch y dylid eu gwneud—unwaith eto, i'r system gynllunio—i sicrhau bod datblygwyr yn cael eu gorfodi i unioni'r difrod a wneir i dir pan ddaw prosiectau mawr fel hwn i ben. Gwn fod hyn yn rhywbeth sy'n agos at eich calon. Diolch.
Thank you very much for that, Delyth. There are a number of things there. We've just issued, via Vaughan Gething's department but in conjunction with me and with my colleague Jeremy Miles, the net-zero skills plan, and that has sections in it about how to proactively retrain people who are in industries we know we want to phase out, so that we get the just transition that we talk about. We aren't in the business of putting whole communities out of work, as was done in the past, as industries change. So, we absolutely are looking to see how we can get those training programmes and opportunities in place. We talk constantly with the incoming green infrastructure bodies about how they can be sure to be recruiting people coming out of old industries and so on. So, we're absolutely looking very proactively at that.
In terms of the remediation of contaminated land brought about by industrial use, unfortunately we are often stuck with contracts that were signed back in the day when life was a very different thing. Again, I'm very carefully not commenting on the specific case, but there are a range of issues—where opportunities have been sold on or where accounts have not been maintained or where single-purpose vehicles have gone out of business, and so on, where company bonds are no longer effective—that we need to learn from. But it is extremely difficult to do that retrospectively. You can do it on an ongoing basis from now, but unfortunately a lot of those were things that were signed off in the previous century, so it's very difficult to see how you can change them proactively upfront.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Delyth. Mae nifer o bethau yno. Rydym newydd gyhoeddi, drwy adran Vaughan Gething, ond ar y cyd â minnau a fy nghyd-Aelod Jeremy Miles, y cynllun sgiliau sero net, sy'n cynnwys adrannau ar sut i fynd ati'n rhagweithiol i ailhyfforddi pobl sydd mewn diwydiannau y gwyddom ein bod yn dymuno dod â nhw i ben yn raddol, fel ein bod yn cael y pontio teg rydym yn sôn amdano. Nid ydym yn dymuno rhoi cymunedau cyfan allan o waith, fel y gwnaed yn y gorffennol, wrth i ddiwydiannau newid. Felly, rydym yn sicr yn edrych i weld sut y gallwn sicrhau bod rhaglenni hyfforddi a chyfleoedd ar waith. Rydym yn siarad yn gyson â'r cyrff seilwaith gwyrdd sy'n dod i mewn ynglŷn â sut y gallant fod yn sicr eu bod yn recriwtio pobl sy'n dod o hen ddiwydiannau ac yn y blaen. Felly, rydym yn sicr yn mynd ati'n rhagweithiol iawn i edrych ar hynny.
O ran adfer tir halogedig sy'n deillio o ddefnydd diwydiannol, yn anffodus, rydym yn aml yn rhwym i gontractau a lofnodwyd amser maith yn ôl pan oedd bywyd yn wahanol iawn. Unwaith eto, rwy'n ofalus iawn i beidio â gwneud sylw ar yr achos penodol, ond mae ystod o faterion—lle mae cyfleoedd wedi cael eu gwerthu, neu ble nad yw cyfrifon wedi'u cynnal, neu ble mae cyfryngau at ddibenion arbennig wedi mynd allan o fusnes, ac yn y blaen, lle nad yw bondiau cwmnïau mewn grym mwyach—y mae angen inni ddysgu oddi wrthynt. Ond mae'n eithriadol o anodd gwneud hynny'n ôl-weithredol. Gallwch ei wneud ar sail barhaus o hyn ymlaen, ond yn anffodus, roedd llawer o'r rheini'n bethau a gymeradwywyd yn y ganrif ddiwethaf, felly mae'n anodd iawn gweld sut y gallwch eu newid yn rhagweithiol ymlaen llaw.
3. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am lygredd yn Afon Tawe? OQ59590
3. Will the Minister make a statement on pollution in the River Tawe? OQ59590
Thank you, Mike. Protecting and enhancing our water environment is a priority for the Government. We are improving water quality by moving towards designation of inland bathing waters, strengthening river water quality monitoring and by maximising the benefits for nature through sustainable drainage systems. Natural Resources Wales is undertaking a project in the River Tawe to improve water quality, targeting the Swansea bay opportunity catchment.
Diolch yn fawr, Mike. Mae diogelu a gwella ein hamgylchedd dŵr yn flaenoriaeth i'r Llywodraeth. Rydym yn gwella ansawdd dŵr drwy symud tuag at ddynodi dyfroedd ymdrochi mewndirol, cryfhau prosesau monitro ansawdd dŵr afonydd a thrwy sicrhau'r buddion mwyaf posibl i natur drwy systemau draenio cynaliadwy. Mae Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru yn cynnal prosiect yn afon Tawe i wella ansawdd dŵr, gan dargedu dalgylch cyfle bae Abertawe.
Thank you. I have previously raised the problem of raw sewage entering from the Trebanos treatment works. People will probably be pleased to hear that I'm not going to do that again today. But we're in a period of prolonged dry weather, meaning water levels are unusually low. From American studies, we know that excessive phosphorus in surface water can cause explosive growth of aquatic plants and algae. This can lead to a variety of water quality problems, including low dissolved oxygen concentration, which can cause fish to die and harms other aquatic life. The link between agriculture, excess phosphorus and excess algal growth in freshwater ecosystems is well established. What action is the Welsh Government taking to measure and reduce phosphate levels in the River Tawe?
Diolch. Rwyf eisoes wedi codi problem carthion amrwd o safle trin gwastraff Trebanos. Mae'n debyg y bydd pobl yn falch o glywed nad wyf am wneud hynny eto heddiw. Ond rydym mewn cyfnod hir o dywydd sych, sy'n golygu bod lefelau dŵr yn anarferol o isel. O astudiaethau Americanaidd, gwyddom y gall ffosfforws gormodol mewn dŵr wyneb achosi twf sylweddol mewn planhigion dyfrol ac algâu. Gall hyn arwain at amrywiaeth o broblemau ansawdd dŵr, gan gynnwys crynodiadau isel o ocsigen tawdd, a all achosi i bysgod farw a niweidio bywyd dyfrol arall. Mae'r cysylltiad rhwng amaethyddiaeth, ffosfforws gormodol a thwf algâu gormodol mewn ecosystemau dŵr croyw yn dra hysbys. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i fesur a lleihau lefelau ffosffad yn afon Tawe?
Thank you very much, Mike. Natural Resources Wales monitors the River Tawe's condition under the water framework directive regulations. The latest data from the Tawe has 'good' ecological status and I'm very pleased to say that Swansea bay also achieved an overall bathing water quality classification of 'good' in 2022 for the fourth consecutive year. At this point, Llywydd, I should say that that's obviously my own constituency as well.
NRW is working closely with Dŵr Cymru and Swansea Council to promote the green infrastructure solutions to reduce the silt pollution from construction sites, domestic misconnections, and impact on water quality from contaminated land. They will also increase the capacity of the main sewer system and help reduce the combined sewer overflow discharges right along the Tawe basin, Mike. Of the 58 water assets that discharge to the Tawe and its tributaries, 29 of them are scheduled for full investigation under the storm overflow assessment framework, seven of them have completed investigations and 22 are scheduled for completion during this investment period, so that's up to 2025 and then there'll be another plan for post 2025. I know you already know that. And I know you know about the Trebanos works as well.
We've already stood up the drought action group for Wales. It's a timely reminder, Llywydd, that while we're all enjoying the very lovely weather that we've had over the last two weeks, I'm sure you will have noticed that water consumption goes up during periods of that sort, and whilst we were very lucky over this winter and most of our reservoirs were completely replenished or very nearly replenished, it really does not take very much for them to be back into the condition they were last year. There's apparently double the possibility of a very hot summer than usual this year. Although we're not currently predicting prolonged dry spells to go with that hot weather, it is a very timely reminder to people that husbanding water resources is something that you should do as a matter of course, all the time, because otherwise we will have severe problems, as Mike has outlined.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Mike. Mae Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru yn monitro cyflwr afon Tawe o dan y rheoliadau cyfarwyddeb fframwaith dŵr. Mae statws ecolegol 'da' i'r data diweddaraf o afon Tawe ac rwy'n falch iawn o ddweud bod bae Abertawe hefyd wedi cael dosbarthiad ansawdd dŵr ymdrochi cyffredinol 'da' yn 2022 am y bedwaredd flwyddyn yn olynol. Ar y pwynt hwn, Lywydd, dylwn ddweud mai fy etholaeth i yw honno wrth gwrs.
Mae CNC yn gweithio'n agos gyda Dŵr Cymru a Chyngor Abertawe i hyrwyddo'r atebion seilwaith gwyrdd i leihau llygredd silt o safleoedd adeiladu, camgysylltiadau domestig, ac effaith ar ansawdd dŵr o dir halogedig. Byddant hefyd yn cynyddu capasiti'r brif system garthffosydd ac yn helpu i leihau'r gollyngiadau gorlif carthffosydd cyfun ar hyd basn afon Tawe, Mike. O'r 58 o asedau dŵr sy'n mynd i mewn i afon Tawe a'i llednentydd, mae 29 ohonynt yn mynd i fod yn destun ymchwiliad llawn o dan y fframwaith asesu gorlifoedd storm, cwblhawyd ymchwiliad ar saith ohonynt ac mae 22 i'w cwblhau yn ystod y cyfnod buddsoddi hwn, sef hyd at 2025 ac yna bydd cynllun arall ar gyfer y cyfnod ar ôl 2025. Rwy'n gwybod eich bod eisoes yn gwybod hynny. Ac rwy'n gwybod eich bod yn gwybod am y gwaith yn Nhrebanos hefyd.
Rydym eisoes wedi cryfhau'r grŵp gweithredu ar sychder ar gyfer Cymru. Mae'n ein hatgoffa'n amserol, Lywydd, er ein bod i gyd yn mwynhau'r tywydd hyfryd iawn a gawsom dros y pythefnos diwethaf, rwy'n siŵr y byddwch wedi sylwi bod y defnydd o ddŵr yn cynyddu yn ystod cyfnodau o'r fath, ac er inni fod yn lwcus iawn dros y gaeaf a bod y rhan fwyaf o'n cronfeydd dŵr wedi ail-lenwi'n llwyr neu bron iawn, nid yw'n cymryd llawer iawn iddynt fod yn ôl i'r cyflwr roeddent ynddo y llynedd. Mae'n debyg fod dwywaith na'r arfer o bosibilrwydd y cawn haf poeth iawn eleni. Er nad ydym ar hyn o bryd yn rhagweld cyfnodau sych hir i fynd gyda'r tywydd poeth hwnnw, mae'n atgoffa pobl yn amserol iawn fod gofalu am adnoddau dŵr yn rhywbeth y dylech ei wneud fel mater o drefn drwy'r amser, oherwydd fel arall bydd gennym broblemau difrifol, fel y mae Mike wedi'i amlinellu.
I agree with you, Minister, and others in this Chamber that river pollution does need to be addressed, and I agree with the comments of the First Minister that no single measure will solve this problem. I'm very interested in the work that's been going on within the summits that you've been having, because you've said to this Chamber on a number of occasions that there have been measures identified to deal with water pollution and how we can address it through natural measures and others. I'd like to know if you could outline what measures they are and when they're going to be implemented, because the sooner that we can do that, we can clean up our rivers and also unblock the planning system across Wales.
Rwy'n cytuno gyda chi, Weinidog, ac eraill yn y Siambr hon fod angen mynd i'r afael â llygredd afonydd, ac rwy'n cytuno â sylwadau'r Prif Weinidog na ellir datrys y broblem hon drwy un mesur yn unig. Mae gennyf ddiddordeb mawr yn y gwaith sydd wedi bod yn digwydd yn yr uwchgynadleddau rydych wedi bod yn eu cael, oherwydd rydych wedi dweud wrth y Siambr hon ar sawl achlysur fod mesurau wedi'u nodi i ymdrin â llygredd dŵr a sut y gallwn fynd i'r afael ag ef trwy fesurau naturiol ac yn y blaen. Hoffwn wybod a allech chi amlinellu pa fesurau ydynt a phryd y cânt eu gweithredu, oherwydd po gynharaf y gallwn wneud hynny, y cynharaf y gallwn lanhau ein hafonydd a dadflocio'r system gynllunio ledled Cymru.
Thank you very much. It's very difficult to do that globally for Wales because, obviously, each catchment has a different set of solutions. But, by and large, the river basin management plans that we have in Wales give us a mechanism to identify and prioritise actions on the particular catchment. Then we have a whole series of working groups and action plans from the better river management quality groups and the nutrient management boards that work on all of our special areas of conservation rivers across Wales. Each of those has an action plan, signed up to at the summit, to work on the specific river catchment that they're looking at. So, those actions are ongoing.
The summit process is a summit chaired by the First Minister approximately twice a year. It's not exactly accurately twice a year, but approximately twice a year, co-chaired by me and Lesley Griffiths. And then there are individual action groups chaired by myself or Lesley Griffiths or the chair of Natural Resources Wales, on an ongoing basis, to make sure that the action plan is kept fresh and alive and that we're learning from each other. We also have a system in place to make sure that we aren't reinventing the wheel, so that nutrient management boards understand what each of them is doing and if they have work that can be shared across the piece then that's shared, and then we come together at the summit to make sure that the learning is shared across Wales.
As I've said on a number of occasions, multiple interventions are necessary. We are re-meandering, for example, in some areas where faster water flows, which were thought to be the solution at the end of the twentieth century, have proved to be very problematic. We have all the work that we are doing on combined sewage outflows, and some of the remediation that I just talked to Mike about on the Tawe is happening on a number of rivers across Wales. But we also have to address agricultural and land-use pollution, pollution from house builders, so we've got the sustainable drainage systems regime for that. One of the big issues we have is that we've allowed house building for years without a proper contribution to the sewerage network to go with those houses. And a lot of our cities are built on Victorian sewerage networks, which are not fit for purpose. So, you know, there isn't a short answer to your question; it's a complex set of intertwined actions right across Wales that we're working on to get us to where we all want to be.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Mae'n anodd iawn gwneud hynny'n gyffredinol i Gymru oherwydd, yn amlwg, mae gan bob dalgylch set wahanol o atebion. Ond at ei gilydd, mae'r cynlluniau rheoli basn afon sydd gennym yng Nghymru yn cynnig mecanwaith inni allu nodi a blaenoriaethu camau gweithredu ar y dalgylch penodol. Yna mae gennym gyfres gyfan o weithgorau a chynlluniau gweithredu gan y grwpiau rheoli ansawdd afonydd yn well a'r byrddau rheoli maethynnau sy'n gweithio ar ein holl afonydd ardaloedd cadwraeth arbennig ledled Cymru. Mae gan bob un o'r rheini gynllun gweithredu, a gymeradwywyd yn yr uwchgynhadledd, i weithio ar ddalgylch penodol yr afon y maent yn edrych arni. Felly, mae'r camau hynny'n parhau.
Proses yr uwchgynadleddau yw cynnal uwchgynhadledd dan gadeiryddiaeth y Prif Weinidog tua dwywaith y flwyddyn. Nid yw'n union ddwywaith y flwyddyn, ond tua dwywaith y flwyddyn, yn cael ei gyd-gadeirio gennyf fi a Lesley Griffiths. Ac yna ceir grwpiau gweithredu unigol dan fy nghadeiryddiaeth i neu Lesley Griffiths neu gadeirydd Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, ar sail barhaus, i sicrhau bod y cynllun gweithredu'n cael ei gadw'n ffres ac yn fyw a'n bod yn dysgu oddi wrth ein gilydd. Mae gennym hefyd system ar waith i sicrhau nad ydym yn ailddyfeisio'r olwyn, fel bod byrddau rheoli maethynnau yn deall yr hyn y mae pob un ohonynt yn ei wneud ac os oes ganddynt waith y gellir ei rannu rhwng pawb, ei fod yn cael ei rannu, ac yna down at ein gilydd yn yr uwchgynhadledd i sicrhau bod y gwersi'n cael eu dysgu ledled Cymru.
Fel y dywedais ar sawl achlysur, mae angen ymyriadau lluosog. Rydym yn newid ystum afonydd, er enghraifft, mewn rhai ardaloedd lle ceir llifoedd dŵr cyflymach, y tybid eu bod yn ateb y broblem ar ddiwedd yr ugeinfed ganrif, ond sydd bellach wedi profi'n broblemus iawn. Mae gennym yr holl waith a wnawn ar orlifoedd carthffosiaeth cyfun, ac mae rhywfaint o'r gwaith adfer y soniais wrth Mike amdano ar y Tawe yn digwydd ar nifer o afonydd ledled Cymru. Ond mae'n rhaid inni fynd i'r afael â llygredd amaethyddol a defnydd tir, a llygredd adeiladwyr tai, felly mae gennym drefn systemau draenio cynaliadwy ar gyfer hynny. Un o'r problemau mawr sydd gennym yw ein bod ers blynyddoedd wedi caniatáu i dai gael eu hadeiladu heb gyfraniad priodol i'r rhwydwaith carthffosiaeth i fynd gyda'r tai hynny. Ac mae llawer o'n dinasoedd wedi'u hadeiladu ar rwydweithiau carthffosiaeth Fictoraidd nad ydynt yn addas i'r diben. Felly, wyddoch chi, nid oes ateb byr i'ch cwestiwn; rydym yn gweithio ar set gymhleth o gamau gweithredu ledled Cymru i fynd â ni i ble mae pawb ohonom eisiau bod.
Good afternoon, Minister. I note your responses to Janet Finch-Saunders, and I do think there is cross-party support for the position that you and the First Minister have taken, which is that all of the agencies are responsible for river pollution; there isn't one that we should single out and attack. And I note that the First Minister has said that he doesn't want to hear that another group is to blame, and I think there is cross-party support for that. I also agree, and I think most of us would agree, that it's about proactive action as well as reactive action. So, I wonder if I could ask you—and I do stand here a little bit in my tin hat—about the review for funding for NRW, because ultimately, in terms of the reactive responses, they are responsible, as I understand. We do know that they are struggling, so I wonder if you could just give us some information around the funding and the review that's going on around their ability to be able to carry that out effectively. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Prynhawn da, Weinidog. Rwy'n nodi eich ymatebion i Janet Finch-Saunders, ac rwy'n credu bod cefnogaeth drawsbleidiol i'r safbwynt rydych chi a'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i gymryd, sef bod yr holl asiantaethau yn gyfrifol am lygredd afonydd; ni ddylem neilltuo un i'w geryddu. Ac rwy'n nodi bod y Prif Weinidog wedi dweud nad yw am glywed mai grŵp arall sydd ar fai, ac rwy'n credu bod cefnogaeth drawsbleidiol i hynny. Rwyf hefyd yn cytuno, ac rwy'n credu y byddai'r rhan fwyaf ohonom yn cytuno, ei fod yn ymwneud â gweithredu rhagweithiol yn ogystal â gweithredu adweithiol. Felly, tybed a gaf fi ofyn i chi—ac rwy'n sefyll yma yn fy het dun braidd—am yr adolygiad ar gyfer cyllid i CNC, oherwydd yn y pen draw, o ran ymatebion adweithiol, nhw sy'n gyfrifol, fel rwy'n deall. Rydym yn gwybod eu bod yn ei chael hi'n anodd, felly tybed a allech chi roi rhywfaint o wybodaeth i ni am yr arian a'r adolygiad sy'n digwydd ynghylch eu gallu i allu cyflawni hynny'n effeithiol. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Certainly, Jane. A very good question, as well. We did a baseline review with NRW that allowed them to give us unit costs for the very first time. And off the back of the unit costs, we've been able to work with them to build up what is possible with what level of funding across the piece. We've been able to help them prioritise what they should prioritise, given the funding envelope. We've just come through the worst budget round that I've ever experienced in the Welsh Government, so it's obviously in that context.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of being one of the invited speakers at the launch of NRW's new corporate plan. I don't say this lightly, Llywydd, because corporate plans are often a difficult read—something you approach with a heavy heart, late at night, that you have to get through—but it's genuinely an uplifting read. That and the new corporate plan for Bannau Brycheiniog, I hope, are the new standard for corporate plans. If Members haven't read it, it's genuinely worth reading. It is actually quite a page turner; I started with a heavy heart and found that I was actively enjoying reading it. And it's because they've done it completely differently; they've put their visions and their mission front and centre of it and then they've talked about nature and people thriving together all the way through, and they've related each one of their activities back to it in a way that I think has really put a bit of oomph and hope through the whole of the organisation, rather than the kind of embattled feel that they had before, and I really welcome that. I think that is as a result of an improved relationship with NRW, because of the joint working that we've done. NRW are wholly owned by the Welsh Government; we're not adversaries, they're our delivery arm. And I think the new relationship with them has really made a difference. So, on an ongoing basis, we will continue to review where they put their resource and how we can feed more resource in. My colleague Lesley Griffiths has just put more resource in for the agricultural pollution regulations monitoring, for example. And together, I think we can get our set of priorities calibrated in the right way.
Yn sicr, Jane. Cwestiwn da iawn hefyd. Fe wnaethom adolygiad sylfaenol gyda CNC a oedd yn caniatáu iddynt roi costau uned i ni am y tro cyntaf erioed. Ac yn sgil costau'r uned, rydym wedi gallu gweithio gyda nhw i adeiladu'r hyn sy'n bosibl gyda pha lefel o gyllid yn gyffredinol. Rydym wedi gallu eu helpu i flaenoriaethu'r hyn y dylent ei flaenoriaethu, o ystyried yr amlen ariannu. Rydym newydd ddod drwy'r rownd gyllidebol waethaf a brofais erioed yn Llywodraeth Cymru, felly mae'n amlwg yn digwydd yn y cyd-destun hwnnw.
Ddoe, cefais y fraint o fod yn un o'r siaradwyr gwadd yn lansiad cynllun corfforaethol newydd CNC. Nid wyf yn dweud hyn yn ysgafn, Lywydd, oherwydd mae cynlluniau corfforaethol yn aml yn anodd eu darllen—rhywbeth rydych chi'n ei wneud gyda chalon drom yn hwyr yn y nos, rhywbeth sy'n rhaid i chi fynd drwyddo—ond o ddifrif, mae'n galonogol iawn. Hynny a'r cynllun corfforaethol newydd ar gyfer Bannau Brycheiniog, gobeithio, yw'r safon newydd ar gyfer cynlluniau corfforaethol. Os nad yw'r Aelodau wedi ei ddarllen, mae'n werth ei ddarllen. Mewn gwirionedd, mae'n gyffrous iawn; dechreuais gyda chalon drom a chanfod fy mod yn mwynhau ei ddarllen. Ac mae hynny oherwydd eu bod wedi ei wneud yn hollol wahanol; maent wedi rhoi eu gweledigaeth a'u cenhadaeth yn y canol ac yna wedi siarad am natur a phobl yn ffynnu gyda'i gilydd yr holl ffordd drwodd, ac maent wedi cysylltu pob un o'u gweithgareddau yn ôl at hynny mewn ffordd sydd, yn fy marn i, wedi rhoi tipyn o hwb a gobaith i'r sefydliad cyfan, yn hytrach na'r math o deimlad rhwystredig a oedd i'w deimlo o'r blaen, ac rwy'n croesawu hynny'n fawr. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n deillio o berthynas well gyda CNC, oherwydd y cydweithio a fu rhyngom. Mae CNC yn eiddo i Lywodraeth Cymru yn llwyr; nid ydym yn elynion, nhw yw ein braich sy'n cyflenwi. Ac rwy'n credu bod y berthynas newydd â nhw wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth go iawn. Felly, ar sail barhaus, byddwn yn parhau i adolygu lle maent yn rhoi eu hadnoddau a sut y gallwn fwydo mwy o adnoddau i mewn. Mae fy nghyd-Aelod Lesley Griffiths newydd roi mwy o adnoddau i mewn ar gyfer monitro'r rheoliadau llygredd amaethyddol, er enghraifft. A chyda'n gilydd, rwy'n credu y gallwn gael ein set o flaenoriaethau wedi'u graddnodi yn y ffordd iawn.
You've given us a weather forecast for the summer and a reading list for the summer now, Minister. [Laughter.]
Rydych chi wedi rhoi rhagolwg tywydd i ni ar gyfer yr haf a rhestr ddarllen ar gyfer yr haf nawr, Weinidog. [Chwerthin.]
Cwestiwn 4, Russell George.
Question 4, Russell George.
4. Pa asesiad y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'i wneud o fanteision amgylcheddol saethu anifeiliaid hela? OQ59591
4. What assessment has the Minister made of the environmental benefits of shooting game? OQ59591
Thank you, Russell. The Welsh Government does not support shooting of live animals or birds as a leisure activity. However, we absolutely understand that the control of certain species is sometimes necessary for wildlife management purposes such as to prevent serious damage to sensitive sites or species.
Diolch yn fawr, Russell. Nid yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi saethu anifeiliaid neu adar byw fel gweithgaredd hamdden. Fodd bynnag, rydym yn deall yn iawn fod angen rheoli rhywogaethau penodol weithiau at ddibenion rheoli bywyd gwyllt, er enghraifft i atal niwed difrifol i safleoedd neu rywogaethau sensitif.
Thank you for your answer, Minister. A few weeks ago during my colleague James Evans's short debate on shooting and conservation, I intervened on you to ask you a straightforward question and you said to me that you would come to answer my question later in your contribution. You then went on not to answer my question and refused to take a second intervention. So, I hope that I can now ask you the same question again. So, yes, of course I'm aware of responses to my colleagues and others when you've outlined that you don't and the Welsh Government doesn't support activities linked with shooting. However, I know that there are a number of events that the Welsh Government does support. The Welsh Government supports a number of agricultural shows that are linked to the shooting of game, so the Welsh Government does financially support events that are connected to the shooting of game. So, can I ask for some clarification on what the Welsh Government's policy is on financially supporting events connected with the shooting of live game?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Ychydig wythnosau yn ôl yn ystod dadl fer fy nghyd-Aelod James Evans ar saethu a chadwraeth, ymyrrais arnoch i ofyn cwestiwn syml i chi ac fe wnaethoch chi ddweud wrthyf y byddech yn ateb fy nghwestiwn yn ddiweddarach yn eich cyfraniad. Yna fe aethoch ymlaen i beidio ag ateb fy nghwestiwn a gwrthod cymryd ail ymyriad. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio nawr y gallaf ofyn yr un cwestiwn i chi eto. Felly, ydw, wrth gwrs, rwy'n ymwybodol o ymatebion i fy nghyd-Aelodau ac eraill pan ydych chi wedi amlinellu nad ydych chi ac nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi gweithgareddau sy'n gysylltiedig â saethu. Fodd bynnag, gwn fod nifer o ddigwyddiadau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cefnogi. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi nifer o sioeau amaethyddol sy'n gysylltiedig â saethu anifeiliaid hela, felly mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi cefnogaeth ariannol i ddigwyddiadau sy'n gysylltiedig â saethu anifeiliaid hela. Felly, a gaf fi ofyn am rywfaint o eglurhad ar beth yw polisi Llywodraeth Cymru ar gefnogaeth ariannol i digwyddiadau sy'n gysylltiedig â saethu anifeiliaid hela?
We absolutely do provide support for the game meat industry, which is an important industry in Wales and the rural environment, and the Welsh Government has supported that for some years. I personally think, and I think quite a lot of people in Wales think, there's a big difference between having to kill something because you want to eat it or put it into the food chain and taking some pleasure or leisure activity part in that. I think there's quite a big dividing line between those two things, and that is the distinction I was drawing, Russell. So, I personally do not think that it is edifying to watch somebody actively enjoy killing something. If you have to kill it, for various reasons, then you should do so with a heavy heart, and that is the position that I currently maintain. That does not mean we do not support a game meat industry in Wales; of course we do. Of course, we support a large number of meat industries, which require the killing of animals in order to exist, but we think that those animals should be killed as swiftly and as humanely as possible, and not because you're enjoying yourself.
Rydym yn darparu cefnogaeth i'r diwydiant helgig, sy'n ddiwydiant pwysig yng Nghymru a'r amgylchedd gwledig, ac mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cefnogi hynny ers rhai blynyddoedd. Fy marn bersonol i, a barn cryn dipyn o bobl yng Nghymru rwy'n credu, yw bod gwahaniaeth mawr rhwng gorfod lladd rhywbeth am eich bod eisiau ei fwyta neu ei roi yn y gadwyn fwyd a chael rhyw bleser neu weithgaredd hamdden o wneud hynny. Rwy'n meddwl bod llinell eithaf clir rhwng y ddau beth, a dyna'r gwahaniaeth roeddwn i'n ei ddarlunio, Russell. Felly, yn bersonol, nid wyf yn credu bod gwylio rhywun yn mwynhau lladd rhywbeth yn fuddiol. Os oes raid i chi ei ladd, am wahanol resymau, dylech wneud hynny gyda chalon drom, a dyna yw fy safbwynt i ar hyn o bryd. Nid yw hynny'n golygu nad ydym yn cefnogi diwydiant helgig yng Nghymru; wrth gwrs ein bod. Wrth gwrs, rydym yn cefnogi nifer fawr o ddiwydiannau cig, sy'n galw am ladd anifeiliaid er mwyn bodoli, ond credwn y dylid lladd yr anifeiliaid hynny mor gyflym ac mor drugarog â phosibl, ac nid oherwydd eich bod yn mwynhau eich hun.
Mae cwestiwn 5 [OQ59618] wedi'i dynnu'n ôl. Cwestiwn 6, Tom Giffard.
Question 5 [OQ59618] has been withdrawn. Question 6, Tom Giffard.
6. Pa ffactorau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu hystyried wrth gyfrifo targedau adeiladu tai? OQ59606
6. What factors does the Welsh Government consider when calculating house building targets? OQ59606
Thank you, Tom. It's the responsibility of each local planning authority to assess the need for housing in their area and, based on this evidence, to establish a housing requirement within their local development plan.
Diolch yn fawr, Tom. Cyfrifoldeb pob awdurdod cynllunio lleol yw asesu'r angen am dai yn eu hardal. ac yn seiliedig ar y dystiolaeth hon, sefydlu gofyniad tai o fewn eu cynllun datblygu lleol.
Thank you, Minister, for your answer, and you'll know, I'm sure, the Welsh Government estimated between 6,200 and 8,300 additional dwellings will need to be built annually just to meet current housing demand. But with significant historic lack of supply in the market, it does raise the question of whether that target is ambitious enough in the first place. Even so, some councils are still consistently even failing to hit these house building targets. For instance, Bridgend County Borough Council promised in their LDP to build 505 homes per year, but, since the publication of that LDP, they've failed to hit that target once, and, last year, only managed half of it. And we know the consequences of that inaction, Minister: a lack of supply in the market drives up the cost of new homes for people, particularly younger people, who desperately need them, who want to start their lives and get on the housing ladder. But, to me, it doesn't seem to be that there are many consequences for councils from the Welsh Government for those councils that don't meet those LDP obligations that they've set out in the first place, so what action have you taken against councils who consistently fail to meet those LDP targets, where they're unwilling or unable to do that, and what consideration have you given to encouraging councils, if they get to the end of an LDP process and they've not met the target they've set out, to force them to put even more houses into their next LDP? Thank you.
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog, ac fe fyddwch yn gwybod, rwy'n siŵr, y bydd angen adeiladu rhwng 6,200 ac 8,300 o anheddau ychwanegol bob blwyddyn i ateb y galw presennol am dai. Ond gyda phrinder cyflenwad sylweddol yn y farchnad yn hanesyddol, mae'n codi'r cwestiwn a yw'r targed hwnnw'n ddigon uchelgeisiol yn y lle cyntaf. Er hynny, mae rhai cynghorau'n dal i fethu cyrraedd y targedau adeiladu tai hyn yn gyson. Er enghraifft, addawodd Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr yn eu CDLl y byddent yn adeiladu 505 o gartrefi y flwyddyn, ond ers cyhoeddi'r CDLl hwnnw, maent wedi methu cyrraedd y targed un waith, a'r llynedd, dim ond eu hanner y llwyddwyd i'w hadeiladu. Ac rydym yn gwybod beth yw canlyniadau diffyg gweithredu o'r fath, Weinidog: mae prinder cyflenwad yn y farchnad yn cynyddu cost cartrefi newydd i bobl, yn enwedig pobl iau, sydd eu hangen yn fawr, pobl iau sydd am ddechrau eu bywydau a chael troed ar yr ysgol dai. Ond i mi, nid yw'n ymddangos bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn creu llawer o ganlyniadau i gynghorau nad ydynt yn bodloni'r rhwymedigaethau CDLl a nodwyd ganddynt yn y lle cyntaf, felly pa gamau a gymerwyd gennych yn erbyn cynghorau sy'n methu cyrraedd y targedau CDLl hynny'n gyson, lle maent yn anfodlon neu'n methu gwneud hynny, a pha ystyriaeth a roddwyd gennych i annog cynghorau, os ydynt yn cyrraedd diwedd y broses CDLl a'u bod heb gyrraedd y targed a nodwyd ganddynt, er mwyn eu gorfodi i roi hyd yn oed mwy o dai yn eu CDLl nesaf? Diolch.
Thank you, Tom. That's quite a complicated set of interventions that we undertake. The LDP estimate for housing is, of course, for all housing, combined-use housing. So, we then divide it into what we fund—so, the houses we fund are houses for social rent and some affordable and mixed-use housing—and houses that are brought forward by the private sector, some of which also, of course, become social or affordable housing.
We did an exercise with every local authority in Wales over the last couple of years—it might have been three; I don't quite remember, but over the last few years—where we went through the allocated housing land in each LDP and asked why it wasn't possible to bring it forward, because in some LDPs there had been land allocated that hadn't been brought forward for very many years, and it became obvious that this was land that was never going to be suitable for housing. In places where we found that the land was suitable for housing but had barriers—so, it had contaminated land, or it had specific access problems and so on—we put two grant-funded schemes in place: so, the stalled sites funding and the—I can't remember the other one—contaminated land one—it's not called that, but that's what it's for—basically to de-risk some of the land to be able to bring it forward.
But we've also been working—. Because of the phosphates issue in Wales, we have a large number of planning applications stuck behind the phosphates issue. We've been working with the house builders in Wales, and with local authorities affected—I don't think Bridgend is one of those, but, anyway, quite a few authorities in Wales are—to work out how we can bring those sites forward with specific solutions to those kinds of issues on those sites. And then we ask the local authorities to revisit their LDPs and redo their local housing assessment allocation if we think it's not working in the way that it ought to. So, there are a number of different interventions that we undertake to assist the local authority to make sure that it does have the right allocations in its land in a sustainable way and that enable us to bring it forward.
And then the last thing is that we've been working with central Government for pretty much the whole of this Senedd's life trying to bring forward a vacant land tax. That's proved far more problematic than we'd hoped, because what we hoped was to be able to make sure that people didn't land bank, and so that allocated sites for LDPs actually were actively being progressed, rather than land banked against increased prices.
Diolch yn fawr, Tom. Rydym yn cyflawni set eithaf cymhleth o ymyriadau. Mae amcangyfrif y CDLl ar gyfer tai ar gyfer pob math o dŷ, wrth gwrs, tai defnydd cyfunol. Felly, rydym yn ei rannu yn ôl yr hyn rydym yn ei ariannu—felly, tai ar gyfer rhent cymdeithasol a rhai tai fforddiadwy a defnydd cymysg yw'r tai rydym yn eu hariannu—a thai sy'n cael eu cyflwyno gan y sector preifat, gyda rhai o'r rheini hefyd, wrth gwrs, yn dod yn dai cymdeithasol neu dai fforddiadwy.
Fe gynhaliwyd ymarfer gyda phob awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf—neu dair efallai; nid wyf yn cofio'n iawn, ond dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf—lle'r aethom drwy'r tir a ddyrannwyd ar gyfer tai ym mhob CDLl a gofyn pam nad oedd yn bosibl ei ddwyn ymlaen, oherwydd mewn rhai CDLlau roedd tir wedi'i ddyrannu nad oedd wedi cael ei ddwyn ymlaen ers blynyddoedd lawer, a daeth yn amlwg mai tir oedd hwn nad oedd byth yn mynd i fod yn addas ar gyfer tai. Mewn mannau lle gwelsom fod y tir yn addas ar gyfer tai ond bod rhwystrau'n bodoli—felly, fod tir yn halogedig, neu fod yna broblemau mynediad penodol ac ati—rhoesom ddau gynllun grant ar waith: felly, y cyllid safleoedd segur a'r—ni allaf gofio'r llall—yr un tir halogedig—nid yw'n cael ei alw'n hynny, ond dyna beth yw ei bwrpas—yn y bôn i ddadrisgio rhywfaint o'r tir er mwyn gallu ei ddwyn ymlaen.
Ond rydym hefyd wedi bod yn gweithio—. Oherwydd y broblem ffosffadau yng Nghymru, mae gennym nifer fawr o geisiadau cynllunio yn methu symud ymlaen oherwydd y broblem ffosffadau. Rydym wedi bod yn gweithio gyda'r adeiladwyr tai yng Nghymru, a chydag awdurdodau lleol sydd wedi'u heffeithio—nid wyf yn credu bod Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr yn un o'r rheini, ond beth bynnag, cryn dipyn o awdurdodau yng Nghymru—i ddarganfod sut y gallwn ddwyn y safleoedd hynny ymlaen gydag atebion penodol i'r mathau hynny o broblemau ar y safleoedd hynny. Ac yna rydym yn gofyn i'r awdurdodau lleol ailedrych ar eu CDLlau ac ail-wneud eu dyraniad asesiad tai lleol os credwn nad yw'n gweithio yn y ffordd y dylai. Felly, rydym yn cyflawni nifer o ymyriadau gwahanol i gynorthwyo'r awdurdod lleol i sicrhau bod ganddo'r dyraniadau cywir yn ei dir mewn ffordd sy'n gynaliadwy ac sy'n ein galluogi i ddwyn y rhain ymlaen.
Wedyn, y peth olaf yw ein bod wedi bod yn gweithio gyda'r Llywodraeth ganolog dros gyfnod y Senedd hon i geisio cyflwyno treth ar dir gwag. Mae hynny wedi profi'n llawer mwy problemus nag y gobeithiem, oherwydd roeddem wedi gobeithio gallu sicrhau nad oedd pobl yn bancio tir, ac fel bod safleoedd a ddyrannwyd ar gyfer CDLlau yn mynd rhagddynt mewn gwirionedd, yn hytrach na bod tir yn cael ei fancio yn erbyn prisiau uwch.
7. Pa gynnydd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud o ran gwella diogelwch ar y ffyrdd yng ngogledd Sir Ddinbych? OQ59602
7. What progress has the Welsh Government made on improving road safety in north Denbighshire? OQ59602
Thank you. As the Member knows, Denbighshire council as the highway authority is responsible for road safety in their county. Since 2019, we have provided them with over £1 million of road safety funding. This year, their funding will include over £197,000 to implement the new default 20 mph speed limit—the biggest road safety initiative in a generation.
Diolch. Fel y gŵyr yr Aelod, mae Cyngor Sir Ddinbych, fel yr awdurdod priffyrdd, yn gyfrifol am ddiogelwch ar y ffyrdd yn eu sir. Ers 2019, rydym wedi darparu dros £1 filiwn o gyllid diogelwch ffyrdd iddynt. Eleni, bydd eu cyllid yn cynnwys dros £197,000 i weithredu'r terfyn cyflymder 20 mya diofyn newydd—y cynllun diogelwch ffyrdd mwyaf mewn cenhedlaeth.
Thank you very much for your response, Deputy Minister, this afternoon. The reason I ask this question is because I want to raise the issue of the B5119, and if you’re thinking, ‘Well, what’s the B5119?’, it’s known locally as the dizzy bends, and it’s a narrow road that links Rhyl and Prestatyn. The area has seen significant housing development over the last 25, 30 years, but the road itself hasn’t been developed since the days of horse and cart, unfortunately. So, as a result of the development, obviously as a consequence of that, we’ve seen the increase of traffic using the B5119. I know, as a Welsh Government, you’ve committed to banning road building under the roads review, but I just want to distinguish the difference between road building and road safety, and what negotiations you could possibly have with Denbighshire County Council to make widening the road and road safety improvements a possibility for the B5119, as over the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in near misses and a fatality that unfortunately happened last year. So, on behalf of my constituents, can I ask you what possibilities we can look at in terms of improving that road safety for the dizzy bends, as we call it locally?
Diolch yn fawr iawn am eich ymateb y prynhawn yma, Ddirprwy Weinidog. Y rheswm rwy'n gofyn y cwestiwn yw oherwydd fy mod eisiau codi mater y B5119, ac os ydych chi'n meddwl, 'Wel, beth yw'r B5119?', caiff ei hadnabod yn lleol fel y 'dizzy bends', a ffordd gul yw hi sy'n cysylltu'r Rhyl a Phrestatyn. Mae'r ardal wedi gweld cryn dipyn o ddatblygiadau tai dros y 25, 30 mlynedd diwethaf, ond nid yw'r ffordd ei hun wedi'i datblygu ers dyddiau ceffyl a chert, yn anffodus. Felly, o ganlyniad i'r datblygiad, yn amlwg o ganlyniad i hynny, rydym wedi gweld cynnydd yn y traffig sy'n defnyddio'r B5119. Fel Llywodraeth Cymru, gwn eich bod wedi ymrwymo i wahardd adeiladu ffyrdd o dan yr adolygiad ffyrdd, ond rwyf am wahaniaethu rhwng adeiladu ffyrdd a diogelwch ffyrdd, a pha drafodaethau y gallech eu cael gyda Chyngor Sir Ddinbych i wneud gwelliannau diogelwch a lledu'r ffordd yn bosibl ar gyfer y B5119, gan ein bod, dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf, wedi gweld cynnydd yn nifer y digwyddiadau a ddaeth yn agos at fod yn ddamweiniau difrifol, a marwolaeth a ddigwyddodd y llynedd, yn anffodus. Felly, ar ran fy etholwyr, a gaf fi ofyn i chi ynglŷn â'r posibilrwydd o edrych ar wella diogelwch ffordd y 'dizzy bends', fel rydym yn ei galw'n lleol?
Thank you very much for the question. Every time I hear the Conservative benches misrepresenting our policy I get a case of the dizzy bends. Just to be explicit, for the fifteenth time, we are not banning road building. We are building new roads now, we will continue to build new roads, we've agreed with Gwynedd Council to build a new road in Llanbedr. So, I appreciate it's a nice little issue for them to put on social media, but it is completely untrue. The Member doesn't even blush when he trots out this misrepresentation time and time again. It's not true. Just to be very clear, okay? We're not banning new roads. So I hope that that is now understood by all.
We are applying a new roads policy based on the independent roads review, and in cases of road safety, it says that we need to go through a process, and one of the first things we should be doing, before looking to infrastructure changes like widening roads, he says, or increasing the speed of roads, we should be looking to cut the speed of roads as a first step to make roads safer and to reduce the likelihood of cars crashing.
Now, I believe this is a road that is the responsibility of the local authority, and he needs to address the road safety concerns with them, and they're able to apply to us in the normal way, within our new roads policy framework, which does not include banning new roads.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am y cwestiwn. Bob tro y clywaf feinciau'r Ceidwadwyr yn camddisgrifio ein polisi, rwy'n cael pwl o bendro hefyd. I fod yn glir, am y pymthegfed tro, nid ydym yn gwahardd adeiladu ffyrdd. Rydym yn adeiladu ffyrdd newydd nawr, byddwn yn parhau i adeiladu ffyrdd newydd, rydym wedi cytuno â Chyngor Gwynedd i adeiladu ffordd newydd yn Llanbedr. Felly, rwy'n sylweddoli ei fod yn fater bach braf iddynt ei roi ar gyfryngau cymdeithasol, ond mae'n hollol anghywir. Nid oes gan yr Aelod unrhyw gywilydd ei fod yn stribedu'r camargraffiadau hyn dro ar ôl tro. Nid yw'n wir. I fod yn glir iawn, o'r gorau? Nid ydym yn gwahardd ffyrdd newydd. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio bod pawb yn deall hynny nawr.
Rydym yn cymhwyso polisi ffyrdd newydd yn seiliedig ar yr adolygiad ffyrdd annibynnol, ac mewn achosion o ddiogelwch ar y ffyrdd, mae'n dweud bod angen inni fynd trwy broses, ac un o'r pethau cyntaf y dylem ei wneud, cyn edrych ar newidiadau seilwaith fel lledu ffyrdd, mae'n dweud, neu gynyddu cyflymder ar ffyrdd, yw y dylem edrych ar dorri cyflymder ffyrdd fel cam cyntaf i wneud ffyrdd yn fwy diogel ac i leihau'r tebygolrwydd o ddamweiniau.
Nawr, rwy'n credu mai cyfrifoldeb yr awdurdod lleol yw'r ffordd hon, ac mae angen iddo drafod pryderon ynghylch diogelwch gyda nhw, ac fe allant hwy wneud cais i ni yn y ffordd arferol, o fewn ein fframwaith polisi ffyrdd newydd, nad yw'n cynnwys gwahardd ffyrdd newydd.
8. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am sut fydd cynlluniau datblygu strategol y dyfodol yn effeithio ar broses cynlluniau datblygu lleol yng Ngogledd Cymru? OQ59612
8. Will the Minister make a statement on how future strategic development plans will affect the local development plan process in North Wales? OQ59612
Diolch am y cwestiwn, Llyr.
Thank you for the question, Llyr.
Local planning authorities have a duty to prepare a local development plan, as set out in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. Following adoption of a strategic development plan by a corporate joint committee, local planning authorities within that region will be required to prepare a lighter touch LDP.
Mae dyletswydd ar awdurdodau cynllunio lleol i baratoi cynllun datblygu lleol, fel y nodir yn Neddf Cynllunio a Phrynu Gorfodol 2004. Ar ôl mabwysiadu cynllun datblygu strategol gan gyd-bwyllgor corfforedig, bydd gofyn i awdurdodau cynllunio lleol yn yr ardal honno baratoi CDLl llai manwl.
Yes, thank you for that, because a lot of people are asking how things might be different in a future scenario. Because you will know about the current impasse in Wrexham, where Wrexham council now finds itself in a position where a consortium of developers, actually, have issued a legal challenge against the council for voting not to adopt its LDP. Now, the council will be voting again next week on whether to reverse that earlier decision because, now, of the threat that a judge could force the LDP on them against the wishes of democratically elected representatives, and what that says about the concept of local democracy, I’m not sure. Will you accept that this mess has been a long time in the making? I’ve raised it—I raised it back in 2012, of course, when the Welsh Government and the planning inspectorate first refused, or insisted that the council submit a second LDP. I’m coming back again to a point that was touched upon earlier in relation to numbers of houses; they were forced to inflate the numbers of housing in the LDP. Now, those have turned out to be totally at odds with reality. Wrexham’s population is decreasing, not increasing, and to many local people, in the current circumstances, they feel that the Welsh Government, the planning inspectorate, are working hand in glove with large property developers to force this housing on a community that clearly doesn't want it. So, will you accept some responsibility for this mess? And, more importantly, in light of what's coming down the line with a lighter touch LDP, et cetera, will you work with the council to try and resolve this situation, rather than what feels like just allowing developers to have their way?
Ie, diolch am hynny, oherwydd mae llawer o bobl yn gofyn sut y gallai pethau fod yn wahanol mewn senario yn y dyfodol. Oherwydd fe fyddwch yn gwybod am y cyfyngder presennol yn Wrecsam, lle mae cyngor Wrecsam bellach mewn sefyllfa lle mae consortiwm o ddatblygwyr wedi cyhoeddi her gyfreithiol yn erbyn y cyngor am bleidleisio i beidio â mabwysiadu ei CDLl. Nawr, bydd y cyngor yn pleidleisio eto yr wythnos nesaf i weld a ddylid gwrthdroi'r penderfyniad cynharach hwnnw oherwydd y bygythiad nawr y gallai barnwr orfodi'r CDLl arnynt yn erbyn dymuniadau cynrychiolwyr a etholwyd yn ddemocrataidd, a beth mae hynny'n ei ddweud am y cysyniad o ddemocratiaeth leol, nid wyf yn siŵr. A wnewch chi dderbyn bod y llanast hwn wedi bod yn cyniwair ers amser hir? Rwyf wedi ei godi—fe wneuthum ei godi nôl yn 2012 pan wrthododd Llywodraeth Cymru a'r arolygiaeth gynllunio am y tro cyntaf, neu pan wnaethant fynnu bod y cyngor yn cyflwyno ail CDLl. Rwy'n dod yn ôl eto at bwynt a grybwyllwyd yn gynharach mewn perthynas â niferoedd tai; fe'u gorfodwyd i chwyddo nifer y tai yn y CDLl. Nawr, mae'r rheini'n hollol groes i realiti. Mae poblogaeth Wrecsam yn gostwng, nid yn cynyddu, ac i lawer o bobl leol, yn yr amgylchiadau presennol, maent yn teimlo bod Llywodraeth Cymru, yr arolygiaeth gynllunio, yn gweithio law yn llaw â datblygwyr eiddo mawr i orfodi'r tai hyn ar gymuned nad yw'n dymuno eu cael. Felly, a wnewch chi dderbyn rhywfaint o gyfrifoldeb am y llanast hwn? Ac yn bwysicach fyth, yng ngoleuni'r hyn sy'n dod gyda CDLl llai manwl ac ati, a wnewch chi weithio gyda'r cyngor i geisio datrys y sefyllfa hon, yn hytrach na'r hyn sy'n teimlo fel caniatáu i ddatblygwyr gael eu ffordd?
So, Llyr, I would very much like to have a discussion with you about where we are on the Wrexham LDP, but I fear, Llywydd, that we are right in the middle of a series of judicial review processes, which the Welsh Government is a party to. Therefore, I fear that I cannot discuss it on the floor of the Senedd. But, if the Member wants to request a private conversation with me, I am more than happy to do that. I will say this, though, Llyr: I don't think that your characterisation of what's happened in Wrexham is entirely fair, and I would very much like the opportunity to have a proper discussion with you about it.
Llyr, hoffwn yn fawr iawn gael trafodaeth gyda chi ynglŷn â ble rydym arni gyda CDLl Wrecsam, ond rwy'n ofni, Lywydd, ein bod yng nghanol cyfres o brosesau adolygiadau barnwrol y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn barti iddynt. Felly, rwy'n ofni na allaf ei drafod ar lawr y Senedd. Ond os yw'r Aelod am ofyn am sgwrs breifat gyda mi, rwy'n fwy na pharod i wneud hynny. Er hynny, rwy'n dweud hyn, Llyr: nid wyf yn credu bod eich disgrifiad o'r hyn sydd wedi digwydd yn Wrecsam yn gwbl deg, a hoffwn yn fawr iawn gael cyfle i gael trafodaeth iawn gyda chi yn ei gylch.
Ac yn olaf cwestiwn 9. Cefin Campbell.
And finally question 9. Cefin Campbell.
9. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am ddatblygu gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd yng Nghanolbarth a Gorllewin Cymru? OQ59604
9. Will the Minister make a statement on the development of rail services in Mid and West Wales? OQ59604
Diolch. Transport for Wales is taking forward work under the co-operation agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru on transport links between north and south Wales, including travel corridors on the west coast of Wales, on an integrated transport system for north-west Wales, and on our metro developments.
Diolch. Mae Trafnidiaeth Cymru yn bwrw ymlaen â gwaith o dan y cytundeb cydweithio rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a Phlaid Cymru ar gysylltiadau trafnidiaeth rhwng gogledd a de Cymru, gan gynnwys coridorau teithio ar arfordir gorllewin Cymru, ar system drafnidiaeth integredig ar gyfer gogledd-orllewin Cymru, ac ar ein datblygiadau metro.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rydw i am ganolbwyntio’n benodol ar station Sanclêr yn sir Gaerfyrddin, ond mi ddof i yn ôl at hynny mewn eiliad. Mi fyddwn ni i gyd yn y Siambr yma yn deall, wrth gwrs, bwysigrwydd datblygu rheilffyrdd yng nghanolbarth a gorllewin Cymru, er mwyn cysylltu pobl â’r ardaloedd gwledig yma. Mae’n bwysig am nifer o resymau, wrth gwrs, ac rydyn ni wedi eich clywed chi’n sôn am hynny sawl gwaith.
Mae’n mynd i annog pobl i ddefnyddio llai o geir os gallwn ni uwchraddio ein gorsafoedd ni yn yr ardaloedd yma a datblygu mwy o reilffyrdd. Mae hefyd yn ymateb i’r agenda argyfwng newid hinsawdd. Hefyd, mae’n mynd i fod yn hwb i’r economi leol, gan gynnwys twristiaeth, wrth gwrs, ac yn annog mwy o deithio llesol. Felly, o safbwynt gorsaf Sanclêr yn benodol, dwi’n deall bod yna amcangyfrif o’r costau wedi digwydd, a bod tua hanner y costau hynny wedi cael eu cyfrannu yn barod gan adran drafnidiaeth San Steffan. Felly, mae yna fwlch ar ôl, o ryw £6 miliwn, yn ôl beth rydw i’n ei ddeall. Felly, beth yw’r diweddaraf—os gallwch chi rannu hynny gyda ni—o ran cyfraniad Llywodraeth Cymru i gwrdd â’r costau yma, er mwyn sicrhau bod gorsaf ffit i bwrpas gyda ni yn Sanclêr?
Thank you very much. I want to focus specifically on the St Clears station in Carmarthenshire, but I will return to that in just a second. Everyone in this Chamber will understand, of course, the importance of developing the railway in mid and west Wales in order to connect people in these rural areas. It's important for many reasons, of course, and we've heard you talk about that on a number of occasions.
It will encourage people to make less use of private vehicles if we can upgrade our stations in these areas and develop the railway. It will also respond to the climate emergency agenda. It will also boost the economy, including tourism, of course, and will encourage more active travel. So, in terms of St Clears station specifically, I know that an estimate of costs has been made, and around half of the costs have already been contributed by the Westminster department for transport. But there is a gap of some £6 million, as I understand it. So, what's the latest news—if you could share that with us—in terms of the Welsh Government's contribution to meet these costs in order to ensure that there is a fit-for-purpose station in St Clears?
Thank you. Well, as the Member has said, the Welsh Government want to see a station in St Clears as part of an upgrade of our overall public transport system, for the reasons that he very articulately set out. He's also right that the costs of the St Clears proposal have increased significantly, as indeed have all infrastructure projects, and our capital budget has simultaneously been cut by 8 per cent in real terms by the Conservative Government as part of their chosen austerity drive. So, there is a gap, as you said.
We are in discussions with Hywel Dda health board, as part of their planning for a new west Wales hospital. A station in St Clears could be an important part of that, and how we look to include that within the planning and the budgeting of that hospital—. But in the short term, we do have a financial gap without a very clear way of addressing it. These are conversations that are ongoing with Network Rail and the UK Government.
Diolch. Wel, fel y dywedodd yr Aelod, mae Llywodraeth Cymru eisiau gweld gorsaf yn Sanclêr fel rhan o'r broses o uwchraddio ein system drafnidiaeth gyhoeddus gyffredinol, am y rhesymau a nododd yn glir iawn. Mae hefyd yn iawn fod costau cynnig Sanclêr wedi cynyddu'n sylweddol, fel pob prosiect seilwaith yn wir, ac mae ein cyllideb gyfalaf ar yr un pryd wedi'i thorri 8 y cant mewn termau real gan y Llywodraeth Geidwadol fel rhan o'r cyni ariannol y maent yn dewis mynd ar ei drywydd. Felly, mae yna fwlch, fel y dywedoch chi.
Rydym mewn trafodaethau gyda bwrdd iechyd Hywel Dda, yn rhan o'u cynlluniau ar gyfer ysbyty newydd yng ngorllewin Cymru. Gallai gorsaf yn Sanclêr fod yn rhan bwysig o hynny, a sut y ceisiwn gynnwys hynny yng nghynlluniau a chyllideb yr ysbyty hwnnw—. Ond yn y tymor byr, mae gennym fwlch ariannol heb ffordd glir iawn o fynd i'r afael ag ef. Mae'r rhain yn sgyrsiau sydd ar y gweill gyda Network Rail a Llywodraeth y DU .
Diolch i'r Dirprwy Weinidog a'r Gweinidog.
I thank the Deputy Minister and the Minister.
Yr eitem nesaf, felly, fydd y cwestiynau i Weinidog y Gymraeg ac Addysg, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Peredur Owen Griffiths.
The next item, therefore is questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, and the first question is from Peredur Owen Griffiths.
1. Pa gynlluniau sydd gan y Llywodraeth ar waith i hybu addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg? OQ59616
1. What plans does the Government have in place to promote Welsh-medium education? OQ59616
Mae hybu addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg yn greiddiol i’n strategaeth 'Cymraeg 2050'. Rwyf wedi cytuno cynlluniau strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg yr holl awdurdodau lleol i gefnogi’r gwaith hwn. Rŷn ni’n gweithredu cynllun gweithlu Cymraeg uchelgeisiol ac yn ariannu gwaith partneriaid a phrosiectau amrywiol i gefnogi gweithgarwch hybu ledled y wlad.
The promotion of Welsh-medium education underpins our 'Cymraeg 2050' strategy. I have agreed local authority Welsh in education strategic plans to support this work. We are implementing an ambitious Welsh workforce plan and funding organisations and various projects to support promotion activity across the country.
Diolch yn fawr am yr ateb yna. Rydw i’n gobeithio bod data cyfrifiad 2021, yn ogystal â’r rhybuddion a roddwyd yn y pwyllgor diwylliant a’r Gymraeg yn ddiweddar, yn symbyliad i weithredu o ran addysg drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg a dysgu’r iaith Gymraeg. Does dim digon o athrawon cyfrwng Cymraeg ac athrawon i ddysgu’r Gymraeg yn dod i mewn i weithio yn ein hysgolion a’n colegau. Ar ben hynny, mae nifer y siaradwyr Cymraeg yn dirywio, yn ôl ffigurau’r cyfrifiad. Yn anffodus, mae’r duedd ar i lawr yn arbennig o amlwg ymhlith pobl ifanc yn fy rhanbarth i, yn enwedig ym Mlaenau Gwent. Heb os, bydd y targed o gyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050 yn anoddach i'w gyrraedd neu yn cael ei fethu heb gamau radical a mwy uchelgeisiol. Weinidog, ydych chi'n cydnabod bod y sefyllfa yn bryderus fel ag y mae ar hyn o bryd ac ydych chi'n hyderus y gellir troi cornel i weld pethau yn gwella? Hefyd, sut ydych chi'n bwriadu mynd i'r afael, yn benodol yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru, â'r prinder difrifol o athrawon cyfrwng Cymraeg a'r athrawon sy'n dysgu Cymraeg sy'n bodoli mewn addysg gynradd ac uwchradd? Diolch.
Thank you very much for that response. I hope that the census data of 2021, as well as the warnings set out in the culture and Welsh language committee, will be an incentive to take action with regard to Welsh-medium education and the learning of the Welsh language. There aren't enough teachers to teach the Welsh language and Welsh-medium teachers to teach in our schools and colleges. On top of that, the number of Welsh speakers is declining, according to the census figures. Unfortunately, the downward trend is particularly prominent amongst young people in my region, particularly in Blaenau Gwent. Without a doubt, the target of reaching a million Welsh speakers by 2050 will be harder to meet or will be missed entirely without radical steps being taken and more ambitious steps being taken. Minister, do you acknowledge that the situation is concerning as it currently stands, and are you confident that we can turn a corner to see the situation improving? Also, how do you intend to tackle, particularly in south-east Wales, the shortage of Welsh-medium teachers and teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh that exists in primary and second education? Thank you.
Diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn. Mae'r ffigurau yn y cyfrifiad, wrth gwrs, yn dangos gostyngiad mewn rhai grwpiau oedran, ond fel mae'r Aelod yn gwybod, rŷn ni hefyd wedi bod yn edrych ar ddata trwy'r arolwg cenedlaethol sydd yn dangos, am y tro cyntaf erioed, yn yr un cyfnod gynnydd yn y rhifau. Felly, mae'n rhaid mynd i waith i edrych ar beth mae'r data o'r ddwy ffynhonnell yn ei ddweud wrthyn ni. Rŷn ni wedi cytuno gyda'r ystadegydd cenedlaethol swyddogol fod cynllun gwaith yn mynd i'r afael â hynny. Mae'n bwysig iawn bod gennym ni ddata dibynadwy fel Llywodraeth, ac sydd yn deall y cyd-destun. Felly, mae'r gwaith yna'n waith pwysig iawn.
Ond roeddwn i'n siomedig, wrth gwrs, yng nghanlyniadau'r cyfrifiad, er efallai fod esboniad ehangach iddyn nhw. Rwyf i yn ffyddiog bod gennym ni gynllun da er mwyn cyrraedd y nod, sydd yn nod heriol, fel mae'r Aelod yn cydnabod, yn nod uchelgeisiol yn sicr. Mae rhifau athrawon, wrth gwrs, yn gwbl greiddiol i lwyddiant strategaeth addysg Gymraeg. Mae cynyddu nifer yr athrawon cyfrwng Cymraeg yn hanfodol os ŷn ni eisiau gweld mwy o ddysgwyr mewn addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg. Mae gennym ni gynllun 10 mlynedd, a diolch i'r holl bartneriaid a rhanddeiliaid sydd wedi cydweithio gyda ni ar hynny, gyda llawer o gamau creadigol yn hynny.
Mae'r Aelod yn iawn i ddweud bod ardaloedd o fewn ei rhanbarth ef yn ardaloedd lle mae'r gostyngiad yn ymddangos, o leiaf, fel ei fod e ar ei waethaf, felly mae gwaith penodol i'w wneud yn hynny o beth. Rŷn ni'n falch fy mod i wedi gallu cymeradwyo cyllid ar gyfer pencampwr hyrwyddo addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg rhanbarthol newydd i weithio yn benodol yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru. Mae hwn yn gydweithrediad rhwng yr awdurdodau lleol a'r mentrau iaith, ac os bydd hynny'n llwyddiannus, byddwn ni'n edrych i ehangu hynny yn genedlaethol.
I thank the Member for the question. The census figures, of course, do demonstrate a decline in some age groups, but as the Member will know, we've also been looking at the national survey data, which shows, for the first time, in the same period, an increase in numbers. So, we need to do some work to look at what the data from both sources tell us. We've agreed with the official national statistician that there will be a work programme undertaken to tackle that. It's very important that we have reliable data as a Government, so that we can understand the context. So, that work is very important indeed.
I was, of course, disappointed with the census results, although there might be broader reasons for them. I am confident that we have a good plan in place to reach that challenging target, as the Member recognises, it is very ambitious. Teacher numbers, of course, are at the heart of the success of the Welsh-medium education strategy. Increasing the number of Welsh-medium teachers is crucial if we want to see more learners in Welsh-medium education. We have a 10-year plan, and thanks to all the partners and stakeholders who've worked with us on that, a number of creative steps have been taken.
The Member is right in saying that there are areas within his region where that decline appears to be at its worst, so there's specific work to be done in that regard. We're pleased to have been able to approve funding for a Welsh-medium education promotion champion to work regionally, focused specifically on the south-east of Wales. This is in collaboration between the mentrau iaith and the local authorities, and if that is successful, we will look to expand that at a national level.
Weinidog, weithiau mae yn teimlo fel ein bod ni'n syrthio i'r fagl o feddwl bod y Gymraeg ar fin marw pan, mewn gwirionedd, fo'r ffigurau a gyhoeddwyd gan bapur newydd The Scotsman yn dangos bod dros 15 gwaith yn fwy o siaradwyr Cymraeg nag sydd o siaradwyr Gaeleg yr Alban, ac mae gan Gymru tua hanner poblogaeth yr Alban. Felly, mae gwir angen i ni fod yn fwy optimistaidd am yr iaith a'i dyfodol, yn enwedig wrth i ni symud tuag at Cymraeg 2050. Gyda hyn mewn golwg, sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn edrych i fod yn fwy cadarnhaol ac optimistaidd yn ei hiaith ei hun wrth iddi geisio annog mwy o athrawon i ymuno â'r gweithlu ac addysgu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg? Diolch.
Minister, sometimes it does feel that we're falling into the trap of thinking that Welsh is about to die out, when, truth be told, figures published by The Scotsman newspaper demonstrate that there are over 15 times more Welsh speakers than there are of Scottish Gaelic, and Wales has almost half the population of Scotland. So, we do need to be more optimistic about the language and its future, particularly as we move towards Cymraeg 2050. With this in mind, how is the Welsh Government looking to be more positive and optimistic in its own wording when it tries to encourage more teachers to join the workforce and teach through the medium of Welsh? Thank you.
Rwy'n optimist wrth reddf, felly'n cytuno â beth mae'r Aelod newydd ei ddweud. Mae'n bwysig, rwyf i'n credu, er ein bod ni'n trafod yn aml yr heriau sy'n wynebu recriwtio, er enghraifft, ein bod ni hefyd yn dathlu'r cyfraniad mae athrawon yn gallu ei wneud a'r galw sydd angen arnom ni ar gyfer athrawon i ddysgu trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, ac yn annog pobl i ddod i mewn i'r proffesiwn, gan fod dysgu yn un o'r proffesiynau prin hynny lle gallwch chi gael effaith sylweddol iawn ar gwrs bywyd cannoedd a miloedd o bobl, efallai, ac annog mwy a mwy o bobl i ddysgu'r Gymraeg.
I am an optimist by nature, so I agree with what the Member has just said. I think it is important, although we often discuss the challenges in terms of recruitment and so on, that we also celebrate the contribution that teachers can make and the demand for Welsh-medium teachers, and that we encourage people to come into the profession, because teaching is one of those rare professions where you can have a very substantial impact on the course of hundreds if not thousands of lives and encourage people to learn Welsh.
2. Sut mae'r Gweinidog yn gweithio gyda'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd i hyrwyddo teithio llesol mewn ysgolion? OQ59598
2. How is the Minister working with the Minister for Climate Change to promote active travel in schools? OQ59598
Mae ei gwneud hi'n bosib i fwy o blant gerdded a mynd ar sgwter neu feic i’r ysgol yn flaenoriaeth allweddol i Lywodraeth Cymru, ac rŷn ni’n gweithio’n agos ar draws adrannau a chyda phartneriaid eraill i gyflawni’r amcan hwn.
Enabling more children to walk, scoot and cycle to school is a key priority for the Welsh Government, and we are working closely across departments and with other partners to achieve this aim.
Diolch, Weinidog. Ymwelais yn ddiweddar ag Ysgol Gynradd Pencoed—enghraifft arall o'r buddsoddiad mwyaf erioed mewn ysgolion yn Ogwr, a ledled Cymru, yn wir. Wrth imi gyrraedd, gwelais 30 neu fwy o feiciau a sgwteri yn y storfa bob tywydd o flaen yr ysgol. Eglurodd y pennaeth, Mr Raymond, fod staff a llywodraethwyr yr ysgol yn gweithio gyda rhieni a'r plant i annog cerdded, beicio a sgwtera i'r ysgol. Mae hyn yn digwydd yn amlach nawr, diolch i fuddsoddiad enfawr Llywodraeth Cymru mewn llwybrau diogel i'r ysgol a chyfleusterau teithio llesol mewn ysgolion hefyd. Ond mae angen inni wneud mwy. Mae angen inni gael pob ysgol yn gwneud mwy o hyn, ac mae angen i'n holl blant, ac athrawon a llywodraethwyr a rhieni, fod yn rhan ohono. Felly, wrth inni ddathlu canfed Wythnos Genedlaethol y Beic, sy'n nodi canrif o ddathlu beicio bob dydd i bawb, pa neges fydd y Gweinidog yn ei hanfon i ysgolion ledled Cymru, a pha gamau mwy ymarferol y gall Llywodraeth Cymru eu cymryd fel bod ein disgyblion yn cael y manteision i'w hiechyd, y manteision lles, mae llai o congestion ar ein ffyrdd oherwydd school runs, ac mae'n haer yn lanach i bawb?
Thank you, Minister. I recently visited Pencoed Primary School—another example of the largest ever investment in schools in Ogmore, and across Wales, indeed. As I arrived, I saw 30 or more bikes and scooters in the all-weather storage outside the school. The head, Mr Raymond, explained that staff and governors at the school are working with parents and the children to encourage walking, cycling and scooting to school. This happens more often now, thanks to huge investment made by the Welsh Government in safe routes to school and active travel facilities in schools too. But we need to do more. We need to get every school to do more of this, and all of our children, and teachers and governors and parents, have to be a part of that. So, as we celebrate the hundredth National Bike Week, which celebrates a centenary of cycling every day for everyone, what message will the Minister send to schools across Wales, and what further practical steps can the Welsh Government take so that our pupils derive the benefits to their health and well-being, there is less congestion on our roads because there will be fewer school runs, and our air is cleaner for everyone?
Diolch i Huw Irranca-Davies am y cyfle i allu annog ein hysgolion ni ar draws Cymru i wneud popeth y gallan nhw i annog, nid jest disgyblion, ond fel mae e'n ei ddweud mor bwysig yn ei gwestiwn, staff ysgol hefyd, llywodraethwyr, a'r gymuned ehangach hefyd, wrth eu bod nhw'n ymwneud â'r ysgol, i ddefnyddio ffyrdd amgen o allu cyrraedd yr ysgol. A gaf i ddiolch iddo fe am y gwaith y mae e wedi ei wneud fel cadeirydd y grŵp trawsbleidiol ar hyn o beth hefyd, sydd wedi ysgogi llawer o'r pethau sydd gyda ni mewn golwg—buddsoddiad mewn i ysgolion yn fwyfwy dibynnol ar gael cynlluniau active travel o'r math y mae e'n sôn amdanyn nhw, ond hefyd adnoddau newydd ar Hwb i gefnogi ysgolion a chymuned ysgolion i allu gwneud popeth y gallan nhw yn y ffordd y mae e'n ei ddweud yn ei gwestiwn, a'r buddsoddiad gwych, rwy'n credu, yng nghynllun School Streets, sy'n gwneud gwahaniaeth sylweddol, dwi'n gobeithio, er mwyn ei gwneud hi'n haws i ysgolion ddenu trafnidiaeth llesol i'r ysgol? A gaf i hefyd ddiolch iddo fe am ein hatgoffa ni ei bod hi'n Wythnos y Beic? Byddaf i'n seiclo i'r gwaith yfory, er mwyn dathlu'r wythnos honno.
I thank Huw Irranca-Davies for the opportunity to encourage our schools across Wales to do everything that they can to encourage not just pupils, but, as he said so very importantly in his question, school staff too, governors, and the wider community too, in their engagement with the school, to use alternative forms of transport in accessing the school. And may I thank him for the work that he's been doing as chair of the cross-party group in this area, which has encouraged many of the things that we have in mind—investment in schools is more and more reliant on having active travel programmes of the kind that he described in place, but also new resources on Hwb to support schools and the school community to do everything that they can in the way that he set out in his question, and the excellent investment in the School Streets programme, which is making a significant difference, I hope, to make it easier for schools to make use of active travel to school? And may I also thank him for reminding us that it's Bike Week? I'll be cycling to work tomorrow to celebrate that week.
Minister, while any move to encourage active travel by school pupils is to be welcomed, we also have to address the fact that, quite often, safe active travel routes don't exist for many children. I have often raised the fact that, in my own village of Pen-y-fai, we have very few safe active travel routes. We also have an issue where pupils living within the walking or wheeling distance of a school are not guaranteed entry into that school, with the allocated school often unsuitable for active travel for younger children. Minister, how are the Welsh Government working across departments, in collaboration with local authorities, to ensure that active travel is a viable option for Welsh school pupils?
Weinidog, er bod croeso i unrhyw ymgais i annog teithio llesol gan ddisgyblion ysgol, mae’n rhaid inni hefyd fynd i’r afael â’r ffaith, yn aml iawn, nad yw llwybrau teithio llesol diogel yn bodoli i lawer o blant. Rwy'n aml wedi codi’r ffaith, yn fy mhentref fy hun, Pen-y-fai, mai ychydig iawn o lwybrau teithio llesol diogel sydd gennym. Mae gennym broblem hefyd lle nad oes sicrwydd y bydd disgyblion sy’n byw o fewn pellter cerdded neu feicio i ysgol yn cael eu derbyn i’r ysgol honno, gyda’r ysgol a ddynodwyd ar eu cyfer yn aml yn anaddas ar gyfer teithio llesol i blant iau. Weinidog, sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio ar draws adrannau, mewn cydweithrediad ag awdurdodau lleol, i sicrhau bod teithio llesol yn opsiwn ymarferol i’n disgyblion ysgol?
I refer Altaf Hussain to the answer I just gave to Huw Irranca-Davies, which I think sets out the steps that we are taking. On the question about routes to school and making it easy for people to be able to use walking, cycling and scooting to get to the physical location of the school, we're encouraging local authorities—he asked me what we're doing with local authorities—we're encouraging local authorities to introduce School Streets, which I just mentioned in my answer to Huw Irranca-Davies. And they involve road closures around schools at the start and the end of the school day, in order to improve conditions for walking and cycling and scooting, reducing air pollution, obviously, improving road safety, also obviously. We've funded authorities to bring forward plans to do this; 13 authorities have been awarded funding to do that, and we've invested almost £5 million on those plans. I think it's a very exciting development, to make it as easy as possible for people to get to school using active travel options.
Cyfeiriaf Altaf Hussain at yr ateb rwyf newydd ei roi i Huw Irranca-Davies, sy'n nodi’r camau rydym yn eu cymryd. Ar y cwestiwn am lwybrau i'r ysgol a'i gwneud yn hawdd i bobl allu cerdded, beicio a sgwtera i gyrraedd lleoliad ffisegol yr ysgol, rydym yn annog awdurdodau lleol—gofynnodd imi beth a wnawn gydag awdurdodau lleol—i gyflwyno Strydoedd Ysgolion, rhywbeth rwyf newydd ei grybwyll yn fy ateb i Huw Irranca-Davies. Ac maent yn ymwneud â chau ffyrdd o amgylch ysgolion ar ddechrau ac ar ddiwedd y diwrnod ysgol, er mwyn gwella amodau ar gyfer cerdded a beicio a sgwtera, lleihau llygredd aer, yn amlwg, gwella diogelwch ffyrdd, hefyd yn amlwg. Fe wnaethom ariannu awdurdodau i gyflwyno cynlluniau i wneud hyn; mae 13 o awdurdodau wedi cael cyllid i wneud hynny, ac rydym wedi buddsoddi bron i £5 miliwn yn y cynlluniau hynny. Rwy’n meddwl ei fod yn ddatblygiad cyffrous iawn, i’w gwneud mor hawdd â phosibl i bobl gyrraedd yr ysgol gan ddefnyddio opsiynau teithio llesol.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr yn gyntaf—Laura Anne Jones.
Questions now from party spokespeople. The Conservative spokesperson first of all—Laura Anne Jones.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, I want to ask you about a seemingly hidden crisis within our Welsh schools. Thousands of violent incidents in primary schools, and hundreds in secondary schools, have been recorded in Wales. The University of Roehampton, in London, recently published a report into violence towards teaching and classroom assistants in mainstream UK schools. The report found that 53 per cent of teachers and TAs had experienced physical violence in a year, and 60 per cent had experienced verbal abuse. After submitting freedom of information requests to all the councils in Wales, my office and I managed to find the Welsh results; however, there were a few councils where it wasn't possible. Minister, since 2018-19, there have been 3,872 violent incidents recorded in our schools across Wales that we know of, and this doesn't include verbal abuse. My question to you is: why hasn't the Welsh Government addressed this issue and has allowed it to escalate in this manner?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, rwyf am ofyn ichi am argyfwng sy’n ymddangos fel pe bai’n gudd yn ein hysgolion yng Nghymru. Mae miloedd o achosion o drais mewn ysgolion cynradd a channoedd o achosion mewn ysgolion uwchradd wedi'u cofnodi yng Nghymru. Yn ddiweddar, cyhoeddodd Prifysgol Roehampton yn Llundain adroddiad ar drais tuag at gynorthwywyr addysgu a chynorthwywyr dosbarth yn ysgolion prif ffrwd y DU. Canfu’r adroddiad fod 53 y cant o athrawon a chynorthwywyr addysgu wedi profi trais corfforol mewn blwyddyn, a bod 60 y cant wedi profi cam-drin geiriol. Ar ôl cyflwyno ceisiadau rhyddid gwybodaeth i holl gynghorau Cymru, llwyddodd fy swyddfa a minnau i ddod o hyd i’r canlyniadau yng Nghymru; fodd bynnag, ni fu hynny'n bosibl yn achos rhai cynghorau. Weinidog, ers 2018-19, mae 3,872 o ddigwyddiadau treisgar, y gwyddom amdanynt, wedi’u cofnodi yn ein hysgolion ledled Cymru, ac nid yw hyn yn cynnwys cam-drin geiriol. Fy nghwestiwn i chi yw: pam nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi mynd i’r afael â’r mater hwn ac wedi caniatáu iddo waethygu yn y ffordd hon?
She'll know from her work on the committee that the Government has been working with teaching unions in relation to this very question, and it is an important question. What has not been entirely clear is the scale of the issue. She has some figures there, but, as she points out herself, it's not entirely clear that that is the full picture, or that what is being reported reflects the context as well. I had a meeting yesterday, actually, where I discussed with teaching unions, with the Welsh Local Government Association, with local authorities, what we can do to understand both the scale of the issue—. She'll remember from the correspondence that the committee received from Unison that they had a survey that showed 41 per cent of their members had some experience, across a range of behaviours. And this had not, in fact, been discussed previously at the school partnership forum, so I asked for it to be brought forward. We had a good and positive discussion yesterday. There are some emerging themes about why there may be an increase in the numbers, and there certainly is a trend to show an increase. What isn't yet clear is exactly the reasons why, and the exact scale of it, but we are working with our partners to understand that and make sure that the support is there for teachers, if it's not already there.
Bydd hi’n gwybod o’i gwaith ar y pwyllgor fod y Llywodraeth wedi bod yn gweithio gydag undebau athrawon mewn perthynas â’r union gwestiwn hwn, ac mae’n gwestiwn pwysig. Yr hyn nad yw wedi bod yn gwbl glir yw maint y broblem. Mae ganddi rai ffigurau yno, ond fel y mae’n nodi ei hun, nid yw’n gwbl glir mai dyna’r darlun llawn, na bod yr hyn sy’n cael ei adrodd yn adlewyrchu’r cyd-destun hefyd. Cefais gyfarfod ddoe lle trafodais ag undebau athrawon, gyda Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, gydag awdurdodau lleol, yr hyn y gallwn ei wneud i ddeall maint y broblem—. Fe fydd hi'n cofio o'r ohebiaeth a dderbyniodd y pwyllgor gan Unsain fod ganddynt arolwg a ddangosodd fod gan 41 y cant o'u haelodau rywfaint o brofiad ar draws ystod o ymddygiadau. Ac nid oedd hyn wedi cael ei drafod yn flaenorol yn y fforwm partneriaeth ysgolion, felly, gofynnais iddo gael ei ddwyn ymlaen. Cawsom drafodaeth dda a chadarnhaol ddoe. Mae rhai themâu’n dod i’r amlwg ynghylch pam y gallai fod cynnydd yn y niferoedd, ac yn sicr mae tuedd i ddangos cynnydd. Yr hyn nad yw’n glir eto yw’r union resymau pam, a’i union faint, ond rydym yn gweithio gyda’n partneriaid i ddeall hynny a gwneud yn siŵr fod cymorth yno i athrawon, os nad yw yno eisoes.
Thank you, Minister, and I'm glad that something is finally starting to be done about it, because, with Wales already experiencing a Welsh Government-made teaching number crisis, thanks to consecutive lacklustre Welsh Government efforts, it is clear to me that violence is going to push people away from the profession. Minister, instead of bringing the issue to the fore, your Government has allowed it to quietly spiral in the background for decades now. To make this worse, in Wales, we have no reporting standard—which I'm sure you'll be aware of from your meetings yesterday—and no requirement to report abuse or violence in the classroom. So, Minister, the stats I read out to you are just the tip of the iceberg, and the actual picture, as you said just now, is probably far, far worse. So, why hasn't the Government introduced a reporting standard across Wales, and why is there no requirement yet to even report violent incidents in the classroom?
Diolch, Weinidog, ac rwy’n falch fod rhywbeth yn dechrau cael ei wneud yn ei gylch o’r diwedd, oherwydd gyda Chymru eisoes yn profi argyfwng gyda niferoedd athrawon a achoswyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru, diolch i ymdrechion di-fflach Llywodraethau olynol yng Nghymru, mae’n amlwg i mi fod trais yn mynd i wthio pobl oddi wrth y proffesiwn. Weinidog, yn lle dod â’r mater i’r amlwg, mae eich Llywodraeth wedi caniatáu iddo waethygu’n dawel yn y cefndir ers degawdau bellach. I wneud hyn yn waeth yng Nghymru, nid oes gennym unrhyw safon adrodd—fel rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn gwybod o'ch cyfarfod ddoe—na gofyniad i adrodd am gamdriniaeth neu drais yn yr ystafell ddosbarth. Felly, Weinidog, mae mwy i’r ystadegau hyn a ddarllenais i chi nag a welir, ac mae’r darlun gwirioneddol, fel y dywedoch chi nawr, yn llawer iawn gwaeth yn ôl pob tebyg. Felly, pam nad yw'r Llywodraeth wedi cyflwyno safon adrodd ledled Cymru, a pham nad oes gofyniad hyd yma i adrodd am achosion o drais, hyd yn oed, yn yr ystafell ddosbarth?
Well, they are reported; the question is what they're being reported as. And there will be, certainly, examples when they are not reported. So, I obviously accept that. That is a feature of reporting requirements across the board in other contexts as well. What we need to understand is what is the scale of the issue and why is it happening. There are particular pressures in schools at the moment, partly caused by the response to COVID and some behaviour challenges that have arisen, no doubt, as a consequence of that. What we need to do is work together with our partners to understand the issue in its entirety, so that we can respond fully then, and that's obviously what we're doing, as I mentioned.
Wel, maent yn cael eu hadrodd; y cwestiwn yw sut maent yn cael eu hadrodd, ac yn sicr, bydd yna enghreifftiau lle na chânt eu hadrodd. Felly, rwy’n amlwg yn derbyn hynny. Mae hynny’n nodwedd o ofynion adrodd yn gyffredinol mewn cyd-destunau eraill hefyd. Yr hyn y mae angen inni ei ddeall yw beth yw maint y broblem a pham ei fod yn digwydd. Mae pwysau arbennig ar ysgolion ar hyn o bryd, yn rhannol oherwydd yr ymateb i COVID, ac mae yna heriau ymddygiad wedi codi o ganlyniad i hynny, heb os. Yr hyn y mae angen inni ei wneud yw cydweithio â’n partneriaid i ddeall y broblem yn ei chyfanrwydd, fel y gallwn ymateb yn llawn bryd hynny, ac yn amlwg dyna rydym yn ei wneud, fel y soniais.
Thank you, Minister. I know you're always keen for me to bring ideas to the floor of the Senedd to help you, so here we go. You said here, just now, that we need to understand the scale of the problem. So, why don't you host a national summit on violence in schools, secondly, issue new guidance to teachers, staff and school leaders, (3) reform exclusion procedures, so that pupils who are excluded then go on to receive the support they actually need, (4) ensure extra funding for meaningful interventions to support victims and perpetrators of violence, and (5) create a national helpline to support teachers and staff who are afraid to report violence and disruption? So, Minister, will you agree to look at those suggestions that I have made today, and finally give the issue the attention this clearly deserves? Our students deserve better, and our teachers deserve better. Thank you.
Diolch, Weinidog. Rwy'n gwybod eich bod bob amser yn awyddus imi ddod â syniadau i'r Senedd i'ch helpu, felly dyma ni. Fe ddywedoch chi yma, nawr, fod angen inni ddeall maint y broblem. Felly, pam na wnewch chi gynnal uwchgynhadledd genedlaethol ar drais mewn ysgolion, ac yn ail, cyhoeddi canllawiau newydd i athrawon, staff ac arweinwyr ysgol; (3) diwygio gweithdrefnau gwahardd, fel bod pobl sy'n cael eu gwahardd wedyn yn mynd ymlaen i gael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt; (4) sicrhau cyllid ychwanegol ar gyfer ymyriadau ystyrlon i gefnogi dioddefwyr a chyflawnwyr trais, a (5) creu llinell gymorth genedlaethol i gefnogi athrawon a staff sy'n ofni adrodd am drais ac aflonyddwch. Felly, Weinidog, a wnewch chi gytuno i edrych ar yr awgrymiadau a wnaed gennyf heddiw, ac yn olaf, rhoi'r sylw y mae'n ei haeddu i’r mater? Mae ein myfyrwyr yn haeddu gwell, ac mae ein hathrawon yn haeddu gwell. Diolch.
Well, thank you to the Member for bringing some positive suggestions to the discussion; I absolutely welcome the new tone in her contribution. So, what we will be doing is working with our partners who are the experts in the field on this—so, with our teaching union partners, with our local education authority partners, and with other experts, to understand the points that I made earlier in my previous answers to the Member. It is an important issue, and we all want to understand, together, what is happening and why, so that we can have an informed response to that.
She made a particular point about exclusions. She'll know that, earlier in the week, I issued the attendance guidance for consultation. Alongside that, there is already work happening in relation to exclusions to refresh that guidance, and it will encompass some of the points that she's actually made today. So, that work is already under way, and I'll be very happy to update the Senedd on that work in due course.
Wel, diolch i’r Aelod am ddod ag awgrymiadau cadarnhaol i’r drafodaeth; rwy’n croesawu’n llwyr y cywair newydd yn ei chyfraniad. Felly, yr hyn y byddwn yn ei wneud yw gweithio ar hyn gyda'n partneriaid, sy'n arbenigwyr yn y maes—felly, gyda'n partneriaid yn yr undebau athrawon, gyda'n partneriaid yn yr awdurdodau addysg lleol, a chydag arbenigwyr eraill, i ddeall y pwyntiau a wneuthum yn fy atebion blaenorol i’r Aelod yn gynharach. Mae’n fater pwysig, ac mae pob un ohonom eisiau deall, gyda’n gilydd, beth sy’n digwydd a pham, fel y gallwn gael ymateb gwybodus i hynny.
Gwnaeth bwynt penodol am waharddiadau. Fe fydd hi'n gwybod fy mod, yn gynharach yn yr wythnos, wedi cyhoeddi'r canllawiau presenoldeb ar gyfer ymgynghoriad. Ochr yn ochr â hynny, mae gwaith eisoes yn digwydd mewn perthynas â gwaharddiadau i adnewyddu’r canllawiau hynny, a bydd yn cwmpasu rhai o’r pwyntiau y mae hi wedi’u gwneud heddiw. Felly, mae’r gwaith hwnnw eisoes ar y gweill, a byddaf yn hapus iawn i roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i’r Senedd am y gwaith hwnnw maes o law.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru nawr—Sioned Williams.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson now—Sioned Williams.
Diolch, Llywydd. Prynhawn da, Gweinidog. Mae data HESA ar gyfer 2021-22, a gafodd ei ryddhau yn ddiweddar, yn dangos sector addysg uwch yng Nghymru sy'n ei chael hi'n anodd ymdopi â chostau cynyddol. Mae diwedd y flwyddyn academaidd hon wedi'i ddominyddu gan bryderon am brisiau ynni a chwyddiant cynyddol, gweithredu diwydiannol dros gyflogau a phensiynau, pryderon ynghylch caledi myfyrwyr, ac mae gwerth y cap ffioedd cartref yng Nghymru yn gostwng yn gyflym felly, a’r sector wedi bod yn gorfod torri gwariant a gwneud arbedion yn wyneb rhewi’r ffioedd ers nifer o flynyddoedd. Canlyniad anorfod hyn yw bod staff yn wynebu gorfod gwneud mwy heb y cynnydd cymesur mewn cyflog nag adnoddau. Dim ond trwy gynyddu incwm trwy recriwtio y gall darparwyr gadw’u capasiti presennol nhw, ond heb y gallu i fuddsoddi er mwyn sicrhau bod myfyrwyr yn cael profiad o ansawdd da, mae’n gylch dieflig.
All y Gweinidog, felly, amlinellu pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â'r bwlch incwm gwariant pryderus yma sy’n cael ei arddangos yn y ffigurau HESA ar gyfer prifysgolion Cymru? Sut ŷch chi’n mynd i gefnogi sefydliadau addysg uwch yng Nghymru i’r dyfodol yn sgil hyn?
A, Llywydd, dylwn i fod wedi datgan diddordeb bod fy ngŵr yn gyflogedig gan Brifysgol Abertawe.
Thank you, Llywydd. Good afternoon, Minister. The Higher Education Statistics Agency data for 2021-22, which was released recently, shows a further education sector in Wales that finds it difficult to cope with increased costs. The end of this academic year has been dominated by concerns about energy prices and inflation, industrial action over wages and pensions, concerns about hardship among students, and the value of the home fees cap in Wales is declining swiftly, and the sector has been having to cut back on expenditure to make savings in the face of frozen fees for several years. The inevitable result of this is that staff have to face doing more without the proportionate increase in wages or resources. It’s only through increasing income through recruitment that providers can maintain their current capacity, but without the ability to invest to ensure that students receive a high-quality experience, it is a vicious cycle.
So, can the Minister outline what steps the Welsh Government is taking to tackle this income gap, this concerning gap, which is demonstrated in the HESA figures for universities in Wales? How are you going to support higher education institutions in Wales as a result of this in future?
And, Llywydd, I should have declared an interest that my husband is employed by Swansea University.
Wel, dwi ddim yn gwybod os oedd yr Aelod yn fy meirniadu i am beidio â chynyddu ffioedd, ond dwi ddim yn bwriadu cynyddu ffioedd. Mae’n gyfnod anodd i fyfyrwyr ar hyn o bryd, ac felly rwy’n sicr bod angen cefnogi sefydliadau, ond mae hefyd eisiau sicrhau nad yw myfyrwyr yn talu hefyd yn ychwanegol. Felly, mae cyllideb eleni i’r sector dros ryw £212 miliwn i’r sector, felly mae'n gyllideb sylweddol iawn. Rŷn ni wedi gwneud ein gorau glas i sicrhau, o fewn y pwysau aruthrol sydd ar gyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru, ein bod ni’n parhau i flaenoriaethu buddsoddi mewn sefydliadau addysg uwch, a dyna beth rŷn ni wedi’i wneud eleni. Dwi ddim am eiliad yn tanystyru’r pwyntiau y mae’r Aelod yn eu gwneud; maen nhw’n bwyntiau pwysig. Mae pwysau ar sefydliadau, fel sydd ar bob rhan arall o’n gwasanaethau ni a’n cymdeithas a’n heconomi ni. Dwi mewn trafodaeth gyson gyda’r is-gangellorion ar hyn o bryd i weld beth yw goblygiadau, beth yw implications, hyn, a beth mwy y gallwn ni ei wneud ar y cyd i weithredu efallai mewn ffyrdd gwahanol, er mwyn cydnabod bod y pwysau ariannol gyda ni yn bwysau real iawn, ac mae’r trafodaethau hynny wedi bod yn rhai creadigol a chalonogol ac yn mynd i barhau.
Well, I don’t know if the Member was criticising me for not increasing fees; I don’t intend to do so. It’s a difficult time for students at the moment, and I’m certain that we need to support institutions, but we also need to ensure that students don’t pay more too. So, the budget for the sector this year is around some £212 million, so it is a very substantial budget. We’ve done our very best to ensure, given the huge pressures on Welsh Government budgets, that we continue to prioritise investment in our higher education institutions, and that’s what we have done this year. I don’t for a moment doubt the points that the Member has made; they are important points. There is pressure on our institutions, as there is elsewhere in society and our economy. I am in ongoing discussions with our vice-chancellors at the moment to see what the implications of this are, and what more we can do together in order to work differently, recognising that the financial pressures upon us are very real indeed, and those discussions have been creative and encouraging and will continue.
Diolch. The Government’s youth work strategy states clearly the important role of youth work to Wales, to promote and actively encourage opportunities for all young people, in order that they may fulfil the potential as empowered individuals and as members of groups and the community, thereby improving their life chances. Welsh Government have invested in this strategy and its youth work implementation board is committed to promoting youth work as a profession and as a career. It’s therefore concerning and disappointing that Wrexham university has officially withdrawn its undergraduate youth and community work programme, and, as a result of this, there is now no coherent route from the level 3 youth work support qualification to professional qualification in north and mid Wales; only a Master of Arts provision will remain. There’s widespread concern about this in the sector; the MA, they say, is unsuitable for many of the potential undergraduate candidates who come up through work in their local communities. Graduates from Wrexham mostly go on to practice in the north of Wales, and training elsewhere runs the risk of them remaining in the south of Wales or even elsewhere in the UK, and then also, of course, unable to benefit from local Welsh-medium opportunities across the region. So, could you please outline what discussions you’ve had with Wrexham university regarding the withdrawal of this undergraduate programme, and what assessment has been made by the Government of how the withdrawal impacts the number of undergraduates who go on to practice professional youth and community work in north and mid Wales?
Diolch. Mae strategaeth gwaith ieuenctid y Llywodraeth yn datgan yn glir pa mor bwysig yw rôl gwaith ieuenctid i Gymru, i hyrwyddo ac annog cyfleoedd ar gyfer pob person ifanc, er mwyn iddynt allu cyflawni’r potensial i fod yn unigolion sydd wedi’u grymuso, ac fel aelodau o grwpiau a’r gymuned, a thrwy hynny wella eu cyfleoedd bywyd. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi buddsoddi yn y strategaeth hon ac mae ei bwrdd gweithredu ar waith ieuenctid wedi ymrwymo i hyrwyddo gwaith ieuenctid fel proffesiwn ac fel gyrfa. Mae’n destun pryder a siom felly fod prifysgol Wrecsam wedi cael gwared ar ei rhaglen israddedig ar waith ieuenctid a chymunedol yn swyddogol, ac o ganlyniad i hyn, nid oes llwybr cydlynol bellach o’r cymhwyster cymorth gwaith ieuenctid lefel 3 i gymhwyster proffesiynol yng ngogledd a chanolbarth Cymru; darpariaeth MA yn unig fydd yn parhau. Mae pryder eang am hyn yn y sector; mae'r MA, meddent, yn anaddas i lawer o'r ymgeiswyr israddedig posibl sy'n dod i fyny trwy waith yn eu cymunedau lleol. Mae graddedigion o Wrecsam gan amlaf yn mynd ymlaen i ymarfer yng ngogledd Cymru ac mae hyfforddiant mewn mannau eraill yn creu risg y byddant yn aros yn ne Cymru, neu yn rhywle arall yn y DU hyd yn oed, ac yna hefyd, wrth gwrs, yn methu manteisio ar gyfleoedd cyfrwng Cymraeg lleol ar draws y rhanbarth. Felly, a fyddech cystal ag amlinellu pa drafodaethau a gawsoch gyda phrifysgol Wrecsam ynglŷn â chael gwared ar y rhaglen israddedig hon, a pha asesiad a wnaed gan y Llywodraeth o sut mae ei dileu yn effeithio ar nifer yr israddedigion sy’n mynd ymlaen i ymarfer gwaith ieuenctid a chymunedol proffesiynol yng ngogledd a chanolbarth Cymru?
Well, the Member’s right to point out that supporting and strengthening youth work provision across Wales is a priority for me as a Minister, but also it’s a cross-Government priority. It’s part of our programme for government, and that involves a number of things. It involves seeking to review the funding structure for youth work provision right across Wales, which is, I think, variable in different parts of Wales. We’ve made significant financial commitments as well to the sector. The work of the implementation board is really extremely valuable, and continues to help lead the way through the reforms that we are seeking to undertake, and we’re also—as the Member will know—looking at the legislative basis for youth work service provision right across Wales. I have not myself had discussions in relation to the particular undergraduate course that she refers to in her question. Obviously, the provision of courses is a matter for universities as autonomous institutions themselves, but I will seek to find out more in relation to that particular course, and I’m very happy to write to the Member in light of that.
Wel, mae’r Aelod yn iawn i nodi bod cefnogi a chryfhau’r ddarpariaeth gwaith ieuenctid ledled Cymru yn flaenoriaeth i mi fel Gweinidog, ond mae hefyd yn flaenoriaeth drawslywodraethol. Mae’n rhan o’n rhaglen lywodraethu, ac mae a wnelo hynny â nifer o bethau. Mae'n ymwneud â cheisio adolygu'r strwythur ariannu ar gyfer darpariaeth gwaith ieuenctid ledled Cymru, sy'n amrywio mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru, rwy'n credu. Rydym hefyd wedi gwneud ymrwymiadau ariannol sylweddol i’r sector. Mae gwaith y bwrdd gweithredu yn wirioneddol werthfawr, ac yn parhau i helpu i arwain y ffordd drwy’r diwygiadau y ceisiwn eu cyflawni, ac rydym hefyd—fel y bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod—yn edrych ar y sail ddeddfwriaethol ar gyfer y ddarpariaeth o wasanaethau gwaith ieuenctid ledled Cymru. Nid wyf wedi cael trafodaethau mewn perthynas â’r cwrs israddedig penodol y mae’n cyfeirio ato yn ei chwestiwn. Yn amlwg, mater i brifysgolion fel sefydliadau ymreolaethol eu hunain yw darparu cyrsiau, ond fe geisiaf ddarganfod mwy mewn perthynas â’r cwrs penodol hwnnw, ac rwy’n hapus iawn i ysgrifennu at yr Aelod yn sgil hynny.
3. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am ddefnyddio asiantaethau i ddarparu cynorthwywyr addysgu mewn ysgolion? OQ59593
3. Will the Minister make a statement on the use of agencies to provide teaching assistants in schools? OQ59593
Gwnaf yn wir. Fel sy'n wir am bob mater staffio, wrth gwrs, ysgolion sy'n gyfrifol am benderfynu sut i recriwtio cynorthwywyr addysgu. Bydd eu penderfyniadau nhw yn wahanol yn ôl anghenion unigol yr ysgol a'i dysgwyr. Gall ysgolion gyflogi staff cyflenwi yn uniongyrchol neu drwy eu hawdurdod lleol neu asiantaeth gyflogi.
I will indeed. As with all staffing matters, of course, schools are responsible for making decisions on how they recruit teaching assistants. Decisions will differ depending on the individual needs of the school and its learners. Schools are able to employ cover staff directly or they can engage them via their local authority or an employment agency.
In February 2022, you announced the creation of a teaching assistant professional learning steering group to develop further resources for school leaders and governors on the deployment of TAs. I understand that the steering group has been considering the issue of minimum entry requirements for TAs as part of its work—if you can confirm that's the case. And it's been brought to my attention from a constituent of mine that some agencies are advertising TA vacancies in schools for pupils with ALN that require no qualifications at all, and we are a little concerned about that. Can you please comment on this and provide an update on the work of the steering group on the issue of minimum entry requirements, and when that steering group is likely to report on that issue?
Ym mis Chwefror 2022, fe wnaethoch gyhoeddi eich bod yn creu grŵp llywio dysgu proffesiynol i gynorthwywyr addysgu er mwyn datblygu adnoddau pellach ar gyfer arweinwyr a llywodraethwyr ysgolion ar ddefnyddio cynorthwywyr addysgu. Deallaf fod y grŵp llywio wedi bod yn ystyried isafswm gofynion mynediad ar gyfer cynorthwywyr addysgu fel rhan o’i waith—os gallwch gadarnhau hynny. Ac fe dynnodd etholwr fy sylw at y ffaith bod rhai asiantaethau yn hysbysebu swyddi cynorthwywyr addysgu mewn ysgolion ar gyfer disgyblion ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol nad ydynt yn galw am unrhyw gymwysterau o gwbl, ac rydym ychydig yn bryderus ynglŷn â hynny. A wnewch chi roi sylwadau ar hyn os gwelwch yn dda a rhoi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am waith y grŵp llywio ar fater isafswm y gofynion mynediad, a phryd mae’r grŵp llywio’n debygol o adrodd ar y mater hwnnw?
We had a discussion yesterday, in fact, at the meeting that I referred to yesterday in relation to the progress that is being made by that group, and it's very much got teaching assistants at the heart of it and leading some aspects of it, which I think is a really important feature of it. It's been looking at a range of aspects. Deployment is one aspect, and terms and conditions more broadly, and how we can standardise an approach to recruitment, employment and deployment between the different local authorities in Wales. And, as the Member was asking in his question, a significant part of the work has been enhancing professional learning and training for teaching assistants. Teaching assistants now have the same entitlement as teachers to the national professional learning entitlement, and the funding that is made available to schools to support professional learning now takes account of the number of teaching assistants on the school roll, as well as the number of teachers. So, there is a marked shift, I think, in the support provided to teaching assistants from a professional learning perspective. The group is also looking at questions to do with qualifications, as the Member knows. We already have a training programme through the teaching assistants learning pathway, which provides career progression for teaching assistants. One of the considerations is around professional qualifications more broadly. I'm afraid I don't know the date for the report on that aspect off the top of my head, but I'm happy to provide the Member with that particular piece of information separately. He'll remember that I gave an update to the Senedd on the work of the workforce implementation group more broadly a few months ago, and I'll be looking to do that periodically over coming months as well.
Cawsom drafodaeth ddoe mewn gwirionedd, yn y cyfarfod y cyfeiriais ato mewn perthynas â'r cynnydd sy'n cael ei wneud gan y grŵp hwnnw, ac mae cynorthwywyr addysgu yn ganolog iddo ac yn arwain rhai agweddau arno, sydd, yn fy marn i, yn nodwedd wirioneddol bwysig ohono. Mae wedi bod yn edrych ar ystod o agweddau. Mae defnydd yn un agwedd, a thelerau ac amodau yn fwy eang, a sut y gallwn safoni dull o recriwtio, cyflogi a defnyddio rhwng y gwahanol awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru, ac fel y gofynnodd yr Aelod yn ei gwestiwn, rhan sylweddol o’r gwaith yw gwella dysgu proffesiynol a hyfforddiant ar gyfer cynorthwywyr addysgu. Mae gan gynorthwywyr addysgu bellach yr un hawl ag athrawon i’r hawl dysgu proffesiynol cenedlaethol, ac mae’r cyllid sydd ar gael i ysgolion i gefnogi dysgu proffesiynol bellach yn ystyried nifer y cynorthwywyr addysgu ar gofrestr yr ysgol, yn ogystal â nifer yr athrawon. Felly, rwy'n credu bod newid amlwg yn y cymorth a ddarperir i gynorthwywyr addysgu o safbwynt dysgu proffesiynol. Mae’r grŵp hefyd yn edrych ar gwestiynau’n ymwneud â chymwysterau, fel y gŵyr yr Aelod. Mae gennym eisoes raglen hyfforddi trwy lwybr dysgu cynorthwywyr addysgu, sy’n darparu modd i gynorthwywyr addysgu gamu ymlaen yn eu gyrfa. Mae un o'r ystyriaethau'n ymwneud â chymwysterau proffesiynol yn ehangach. Mae arnaf ofn nad wyf yn cofio dyddiad yr adroddiad ar yr agwedd honno, ond rwy'n hapus i ddarparu'r wybodaeth benodol honno ar wahân i'r Aelod. Fe fydd yn cofio imi roi diweddariad i’r Senedd am waith grŵp gweithredu’r gweithlu yn ehangach ychydig fisoedd yn ôl, a byddaf yn ceisio gwneud hynny o bryd i’w gilydd dros y misoedd nesaf hefyd.
Can I thank Hefin David for tabling this question? As a former agency teaching assistant myself, as the Minister knows, I'm particularly pleased that you tabled this today. If the Minister will indulge me on a short but brisk walk down memory lane, Minister, you'll have a seen a very happy time for me, but one instance in particular I just wanted to draw your attention to today. Obviously, as a teaching assistant employed by an agency, I was paid on a daily rate, and on one particular day it snowed and the headteacher had judged it to be unsafe and so had sent the children home at lunch time. What that meant was that I was only paid half a day's pay on that day, which really threw off, obviously, weekly budgets and other considerations, and I had had all the same expenses in travelling back and forth to the school on that day as well. Obviously, I understand that you haven't got powers over employment law, but you do have powers over guidance that you can issue to headteachers and school leaders when making decisions like that. So, can I ask what steps you've taken in this field to ensure that no other teaching assistants in the future have to go through what I went through, all those years ago?
A gaf fi ddiolch i Hefin David am gyflwyno’r cwestiwn hwn? Fel cyn gynorthwyydd addysgu asiantaeth fy hun, fel y gŵyr y Gweinidog, rwy’n arbennig o falch eich bod wedi cyflwyno hyn heddiw. Os gwnaiff y Gweinidog ganiatáu imi fynd ar daith fer a chyflym ar hyd llwybr atgofion, Weinidog, fe fyddwch wedi gweld amser hapus iawn i mi, ond roeddwn am dynnu eich sylw at un enghraifft yn arbennig heddiw. Yn amlwg, fel cynorthwyydd addysgu a gyflogid gan asiantaeth, cawn fy nhalu ar gyfradd ddyddiol, ac ar un diwrnod penodol, fe wnaeth hi fwrw eira ac roedd y pennaeth wedi barnu ei bod yn anniogel ac felly, fe wnaeth anfon y plant adref amser cinio. Roedd hynny'n golygu mai dim ond hanner diwrnod o dâl a gefais y diwrnod hwnnw, a oedd yn effeithio ar gyllidebau wythnosol ac ystyriaethau eraill, yn amlwg, ac roedd gennyf yr un costau teithio i ac o’r ysgol ar y diwrnod hwnnw. Yn amlwg, rwy’n deall nad oes gennych bwerau dros gyfraith cyflogaeth, ond mae gennych bwerau dros ganllawiau y gallwch eu rhoi i benaethiaid ac arweinwyr ysgolion wrth wneud penderfyniadau fel hynny. Felly, a gaf fi ofyn pa gamau a roddwyd ar waith gennych yn y maes hwn i sicrhau na fydd yn rhaid i unrhyw gynorthwywyr addysgu eraill yn y dyfodol gael yr un profiad â mi, yr holl flynyddoedd hynny yn ôl?
The Member makes a very important point, and more powerfully so for having been based on his own experience of it, of course. He's right to say I don't have direct powers in relation to it, but the reason I launched this work programme over a year ago is because of stories like the Member has just given and experience of variable practice, both between schools and certainly between local education authorities as well. The point of the work is to result in guidance in relation to many of those questions, questions to do with terms and conditions, progression, but also that will provide a basis, I think, for us to be able to progress on the question of pay as well, which is absolutely paramount, both from the experience of each individual teaching assistant, but also to make sure that we have a teaching assistant workforce to do the fantastic work that they do in our schools.
Mae’r Aelod yn gwneud pwynt pwysig iawn, ac yn fwy pwerus felly am ei fod wedi’i seilio ar ei brofiad ei hun ohono, wrth gwrs. Mae'n iawn i ddweud nad oes gennyf bwerau uniongyrchol mewn perthynas â hynny, ond y rheswm pam y lansiais y rhaglen waith hon dros flwyddyn yn ôl yw oherwydd straeon fel yr un y mae'r Aelod newydd ei roi a phrofiadau o ymarfer sy'n amrywio rhwng ysgolion ac yn sicr rhwng awdurdodau addysg lleol hefyd. Pwynt y gwaith yw arwain at ganllawiau mewn perthynas â llawer o’r cwestiynau hynny, cwestiynau’n ymwneud â thelerau ac amodau, cynnydd gyrfaol, ond hefyd cwestiynau y credaf y byddant yn darparu sylfaen inni allu symud ymlaen ar fater tâl hefyd, sy’n hollbwysig, o brofiad pob cynorthwyydd addysgu unigol, ond hefyd i wneud yn siŵr fod gennym weithlu o gynorthwywyr addysgu i wneud y gwaith gwych y maent yn ei wneud yn ein hysgolion.
4. Sut mae'r Gweinidog yn gweithio gyda'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol i gefnogi ysgolion sy'n dymuno cynnal clybiau gwyliau? OQ59595
4. How is the Minister working with the Minister for Health and Social Services to support schools who wish to run holiday clubs? OQ59595
The Welsh Government continues to grow the school holiday enrichment programme, SHEP, and £4.85 million has been allocated for the programme for this year. The Deputy Minister for Social Services and I work closely to ensure alignment between SHEP and the Playworks holiday programme, which is run by play and childcare providers.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i dyfu rhaglen gwella gwyliau'r haf ac mae £4.85 miliwn wedi'i ddyrannu i'r rhaglen ar gyfer eleni. Mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a minnau yn gweithio'n agos i sicrhau cysondeb rhwng rhaglen gwella gwyliau'r haf a'r rhaglen wyliau Gwaith Chwarae, sy'n cael ei rhedeg gan ddarparwyr chwarae a gofal plant.
I'm grateful for that answer, Minister, and for the support you offer schools. Ysgol Pen Coch in Flintshire have an ambition as a school to run a holiday club as well, but they do, as a school, face additional challenges. I wonder, with what you've said there, is there any additional support the Welsh Government could provide schools, like Ysgol Pen Coch, to deliver holiday club provision. And I wonder whether you could ask either your officials in the education department or the Deputy Minister's officials in the health and social services department to look into the specific case of Ysgol Pen Coch. And if they could report back to me on that as well, that would be great.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar am yr ateb hwnnw, Weinidog, ac am y gefnogaeth rydych yn ei chynnig i ysgolion. Mae gan Ysgol Pen Coch yn sir y Fflint uchelgais fel ysgol i redeg clwb gwyliau hefyd, ond fel ysgol, maent yn wynebu heriau ychwanegol. Gyda'r hyn rydych wedi'i ddweud, tybed a oes unrhyw gefnogaeth ychwanegol y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru ei darparu i ysgolion, fel Ysgol Pen Coch, i sicrhau darpariaeth o glybiau gwyliau. Ac a wnewch chi ofyn naill ai i'ch swyddogion yn yr adran addysg neu i swyddogion y Dirprwy Weinidog yn yr adran iechyd a gwasanaethau cymdeithasol edrych ar achos penodol Ysgol Pen Coch. Ac os gallant adrodd yn ôl i mi ar hynny hefyd, byddai hynny'n wych.
I'm happy to do that, Llywydd. Generally speaking, where a school is interested in running a holiday club, they will contact their local authority in the first instance, and then local authorities can put them in contact with other providers who might be interested in working together with them. In terms of the Food and Fun school holiday enrichment programme, I'll make sure that my officials work with the Welsh Local Government Association to make sure that the school has whatever information that it needs in order to be able to take that forward.
Rwy'n hapus i wneud hynny, Lywydd. Yn gyffredinol, lle mae gan ysgol ddiddordeb mewn rhedeg clwb gwyliau, byddant yn cysylltu â'u hawdurdod lleol yn y lle cyntaf, ac yna gall awdurdodau lleol eu rhoi mewn cysylltiad â darparwyr eraill a allai fod â diddordeb mewn cydweithio â nhw. O ran y rhaglen gwella gwyliau'r haf, Bwyd a Hwyl, byddaf yn gwneud yn siŵr fod fy swyddogion yn gweithio gyda Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru i sicrhau bod gan yr ysgol unrhyw wybodaeth sydd ei hangen arni er mwyn gallu bwrw ymlaen â hynny.
I've also been contacted by constituents regarding Ysgol Pen Coch, which is the only publicly funded primary school for disabled children in Flintshire, where lots of the pupils have autism and related conditions or complex needs, and at which a holiday club would make a huge difference to the well-being of pupils and their families. However, as we've heard, this school, unlike other schools in the county, doesn't have provision for a holiday club, where, I'm told by constituents, this would be much more costly than in a mainstream school, and they lack the funding and the expertise, leaving parents and governors to take it on, which is unrealistic. And, as they say, children in specialist schools are being treated differently to children in mainstream schools, when their behaviours and improvements need this provision more and needs to be addressed. So, what, if any, specific requirement, therefore, exists for such provision within primary schools in general and in specialist primary schools for pupils with additional learning needs in particular?
Mae etholwyr wedi cysylltu â minnau hefyd ynglŷn ag Ysgol Pen Coch, sef yr unig ysgol gynradd a ariennir yn gyhoeddus ar gyfer plant anabl yn sir y Fflint, lle mae gan lawer o'r disgyblion awtistiaeth a chyflyrau cysylltiedig neu anghenion cymhleth, a lle byddai clwb gwyliau yn gwneud gwahaniaeth enfawr i les disgyblion a'u teuluoedd. Fodd bynnag, fel y clywsom, yn wahanol i ysgolion eraill yn y sir, nid oes gan yr ysgol hon ddarpariaeth clwb gwyliau, lle byddai hyn yn llawer drutach na mewn ysgol brif ffrwd yn ôl yr hyn y mae etholwyr yn ei ddweud wrthyf, ac nid oes ganddynt arian ac arbenigedd, gan adael rhieni a llywodraethwyr i'w weithredu, sy'n afrealistig. Ac fel maent yn ei ddweud, mae plant mewn ysgolion arbennig yn cael eu trin yn wahanol i blant mewn ysgolion prif ffrwd, pan fo angen rhagor o ddarpariaeth ar gyfer eu hymddygiad a'u gwelliannau, ac angen ei hasesu. Felly, pa ofyniad penodol, os o gwbl, sy'n bodoli ar gyfer darpariaeth o'r fath mewn ysgolion cynradd yn gyffredinol, ac mewn ysgolion cynradd arbenigol ar gyfer disgyblion ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn enwedig?
Well, I hope the answer that I just gave to Jack Sargeant provides some reassurance to the Member that I will ask my officials to work with the WLGA to support schools specifically, to understand what the particular barriers are and how best they can be addressed at a school level.
Wel, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yr ateb a roddais i Jack Sargeant yn rhoi rhywfaint o sicrwydd i'r Aelod y byddaf yn gofyn i fy swyddogion weithio gyda Chymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru i gefnogi ysgolion yn benodol, i ddeall beth yw'r rhwystrau arbennig a'r ffordd orau o fynd i'r afael â nhw ar lefel ysgolion.
5. Pa gynnydd sydd wedi ei wneud ar ddarparu cyfloedd trochi yn y Gymraeg i ddysgwyr oed ysgol yng Nghanol De Cymru? OQ59588
5. What progress has been made in providing immersion opportunities in the Welsh language for school age learners in South Wales Central? OQ59588
Rwyf wedi ymrwymo £6.6 miliwn dros weddill cyfnod y Senedd hon i ehangu darpariaethau trochi hwyr ar draws Cymru. Mae bron £1 filiwn yn cael ei buddsoddi dros gyfnod o dair blynedd i sefydlu darpariaethau newydd yn siroedd Rhondda Cynon Taf a Bro Morgannwg, ac i ehangu yn sylweddol y ddarpariaeth sydd yng Nghaerdydd.
I've committed £6.6 million over the reminder of this Senedd term to expand immersion provision across Wales. Almost £1 million is being invested over a three-year period to establish new provisions in Rhondda Cynon Taf and in the Vale of Glamorgan, and to significantly expand provision in Cardiff.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Dwi'n gwybod ein bod ni yn hollol gytûn o ran gwerth trochi. Rydyn ni i gyd wedi adlewyrchu’n flaenorol gweld pobl o Wcráin, er enghraifft, wedi manteisio ar hynny a dod yn hollol rugl yn y Gymraeg. Ond eto, mae yna amrywiaethau mawr ar y funud yn fy rhanbarth fy hun. Er enghraifft, ym Mro Morgannwg, diolch i'r buddsoddiad gan y Llywodraeth, mae'n bosib i blentyn fod am 12 wythnos mewn ysgol, o ddydd Llun i ddydd Iau, lle mae’r profiad yn Rhondda Cynon Taf ar y funud ydy efallai awr y diwrnod, sy'n wahaniaeth mawr. Felly, beth hoffwn weld ydy sut ydyn ni'n sicrhau bod trochi, a throchi gwirioneddol felly, er mwyn i blant a phobl ifanc gael y cyfle i fedru’r Gymraeg—. Sut ydyn ni'n sicrhau nad loteri cod post mo’r profiad hwnnw, a’n bod ni'n gallu rhoi’r un math o gynnig, boed ichi fod ym Mro Morgannwg, Caerdydd neu Rhondda Cynon Taf, sef y tair ardal o ran awdurdodau lleol yn fy rhanbarth i?
Thank you very much. I know that we are entirely agreed on the value of immersion. We've all reflected previously on people from Ukraine who have taken advantage of that provision and become fluent in the Welsh language. But there's huge variation in provision at the moment. In my own region, in the Vale of Glamorgan, thanks to the investment of the Welsh Government, a child can be for 12 weeks at school, from Monday to Thursday, whereas the experience in RCT at the moment is perhaps an hour a day, which is a huge difference. So, what I would like to see is how we ensure that immersion, and genuine immersion, so that children and young people can have the opportunity to be able to speak Welsh—. How can we ensure that it isn't a postcode lottery, and that we can provide the same kind of offer, be that in the Vale of Glamorgan, in Cardiff or RCT, which make up the three areas in terms of local authorities in my region?
Wel, y newyddion calonogol yw bod pob awdurdod wedi rhoi cynnig i mewn am ran o'r gyllideb hon, ac mae rhywfaint wedi'i ddyrannu i bob awdurdod. Ond y gwir plaen amdani yw bod pob rhan o Gymru mewn lle gwahanol yn eu siwrne o ran gallu darparu trochi hwyr. Mae rhai awdurdodau wedi bod yn gwneud hyn am ddegawdau, yn arloesi, ac mae eraill yn dilyn eu hesiampl nhw. Felly, dwi ddim yn credu ei bod hi'n realistig heddiw i ddisgwyl bod y ddarpariaeth yn gyson ym mhob rhan o Gymru, yn anffodus, ond beth hoffwn i weld fel rhan o'r darpariaethau yn y Bil—rŷn ni wedi bod yn ymgynghori ar hyn fel rhan o'r Papur Gwyn gyda Phlaid Cymru, fel mae'r Aelod yn gwybod—yw beth allwn ni wneud i sicrhau, ym mhob awdurdod lleol, fod trochi hwyr ar gael a bod awdurdodau'n hybu'n rhagweithiol fanteision hynny fel bod yr argaeledd yn amlycach i bobl a'r ddarpariaeth yn fwy cyson dros amser.
Well, the encouraging news is that every authority has bid for some of this funding, and a certain amount has been provided to every authority. But the truth is that every part of Wales is in a different place in terms of its journey in providing late immersion. Some authorities have been doing this for decades, and innovating, and others are following their example. So, I don't think it's realistic today to expect provision to be consistent across Wales, but what I would like to see as part of the provisions within the Bill—and we've been consulting on this as part of the White Paper along with Plaid Cymru, as the Member will know—is what we can do to ensure that late immersion is available in all local authorities and that local authorities proactively promote the benefits of that so that the availability is more prominent to people and that the provision is more consistent over time.
Minister, as if with perfect timing, the Chair has just come in from the culture, sport and Welsh language committee, as they've just issued a report on the ability of schools to, obviously, offer the Welsh education that allows the language to flourish in our school settings, and part of that report identifies the ability for teachers to take sabbaticals to build up their Welsh language skills. The figure that is estimated that would be required is in the region of 17,000 teachers across Wales signing up to that sabbatical programme. Is that a figure you recognise? And, if it is a figure the Government recognises, what efforts are you making to promote the ability for teachers to take those training opportunities and ultimately grow the ability for the Welsh language to be received either in English-medium schools, or obviously in Welsh language schools?
Weinidog, fel pe bai wedi amseru hynny'n berffaith, mae'r Cadeirydd newydd ddod i mewn o'r pwyllgor diwylliant, y Gymraeg a chwaraeon, gan eu bod newydd gyhoeddi adroddiad ar allu ysgolion i gynnig addysg Gymraeg sy'n caniatáu i'r iaith ffynnu yn ein lleoliadau ysgol, ac mae rhan o'r adroddiad hwnnw'n nodi'r gallu i athrawon gymryd cyfnod sabothol i feithrin eu sgiliau Cymraeg. Y ffigur yr amcangyfrifir y byddai ei angen yw oddeutu 17,000 o athrawon ledled Cymru i ymuno â'r rhaglen sabothol honno. A yw hwn yn ffigur rydych chi'n ei gydnabod? Ac os yw'n ffigur y mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei gydnabod, pa ymdrechion rydych chi'n eu gwneud i hyrwyddo'r gallu i athrawon fanteisio ar y cyfleoedd hyfforddi hynny ac yn y pen draw, i gynyddu'r gallu i'r Gymraeg gael ei derbyn naill ai mewn ysgolion cyfrwng Saesneg, neu mewn ysgolion Cymraeg wrth gwrs?
Well, the Member makes an important point at the end there that it's not solely about teachers in the Welsh-medium sector; it's also about teachers teaching Welsh in English-medium schools as well. I think we need to be clear that there's a range of need across the system. I don't accept that the only way of making sure we reach that target is through the sabbatical scheme, though I do accept that it's a significant contribution to the progress that we want to make, but it simply won't work in all circumstances, and it certainly isn't the only way of making that progress. Our commitment to the sabbatical scheme is absolutely clear; we've continued the funding for it, and I'll look to do that, obviously, in future years as well. When you go to see—. I've had the opportunity to go and talk to classes of teachers, in primary generally, who have experienced that opportunity not just to learn Welsh and to teach through Welsh, but that kind of approach to pedagogy through the medium of Welsh that they learn. It's absolutely fascinating to see it happening, and it's obviously a very successful way of being able to increase the numbers able to teach Welsh. But, as I say, it's only one of the ways of doing that.
Wel, mae'r Aelod yn gwneud pwynt pwysig ar y diwedd yno nad yw'n ymwneud ag athrawon yn y sector cyfrwng Cymraeg yn unig; mae hefyd yn ymwneud ag athrawon sy'n addysgu Cymraeg mewn ysgolion cyfrwng Saesneg. Rwy'n credu bod angen inni fod yn glir fod amrywiaeth o anghenion ar draws y system. Nid wyf yn derbyn mai'r unig ffordd o sicrhau ein bod yn cyrraedd y targed hwnnw yw drwy'r cynllun sabothol, er fy mod yn derbyn ei fod yn gyfraniad sylweddol i'r cynnydd rydym am ei wneud, ond ni fydd yn gweithio yn yr holl amgylchiadau, ac yn sicr nid dyma'r unig ffordd o wneud y cynnydd hwnnw. Mae ein hymrwymiad i'r cynllun sabothol yn gwbl glir; rydym wedi parhau'r cyllid ar ei gyfer, a byddaf yn ceisio gwneud hynny, yn amlwg, yn y blynyddoedd i ddod hefyd. Pan ewch i weld—. Rwyf wedi cael cyfle i fynd i siarad â dosbarthiadau o athrawon, yn yr ysgolion cynradd yn gyffredinol, sydd wedi profi'r cyfle nid yn unig i ddysgu Cymraeg ac i addysgu drwy'r Gymraeg, ond yr ymagwedd honno tuag at addysgeg drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg y maent yn ei dysgu. Mae'n hollol ddiddorol ei weld yn digwydd, ac mae'n amlwg yn ffordd lwyddiannus iawn o allu cynyddu'r niferoedd sy'n gallu addysgu'r Gymraeg. Ond fel rwy'n dweud, dim ond un o'r ffyrdd o wneud hynny yw hi.
Mae cwestiwn 6 [OQ59606] wedi'i dynnu'n ôl. Cwestiwn 7, Tom Giffard.
Question 6 [OQ59606] has been withdrawn. Question 7, Tom Giffard.
7. Sut mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau bod dysgwyr yn derbyn addysg Gymraeg o safon? OQ59605
7. How does the Welsh Government ensure that learners receive quality Welsh-medium education? OQ59605
Rŷn ni'n gweithio'n agos gydag awdurdodau lleol i'w cefnogi nhw yn gweithredu cynlluniau Cymraeg mewn addysg i sicrhau bod dysgwyr yng Nghymru â mynediad hafal i addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg o safon, ac mae gennym ni gynlluniau ar waith i sicrhau bod hynny'n digwydd.
We work closely with local authorities to support them in the implementation of their Welsh in education strategic plans to ensure that all learners in Wales have access to quality Welsh-medium education, and we have plans in place to ensure that that happens.
Diolch i chi am eich ateb, Gweinidog. Dwi'n gwybod eich bod chi'n cytuno gyda fi am bwysigrwydd addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg dda ym mhob cyfnod o fywyd. Byddwch yn ymwybodol o adroddiad Estyn o fis Tachwedd ar ddysgu oedolion mewn partneriaeth gymunedol yn Abertawe a amlygodd nad yw Cymraeg a diwylliant Cymru wedi'u hymgorffori yn y cwricwlwm yn Abertawe, a bod ychydig iawn o ddysgwyr yn ymarfer, defnyddio neu ddatblygu eu medrau Cymraeg fel rhan o'r ddarpariaeth, ac nad yw'r bartneriaeth yn arfarnu cyfraddau deilliant dysgwyr na chyrchfannau ar ddiwedd y cyfnod astudio. Rwy'n gwybod eich bod chi'n ymwybodol o bwysigrwydd cyrraedd y targed o filiwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg yng Nghymru, ond nid ydym ni'n mynd i gyrraedd y targed hynny oni bai bod hyn yn cael ei gymryd o ddifrif ledled y wlad, a hefyd yn Abertawe. Felly, pa gamau ydych chi wedi'u cymryd o ganlyniad i'r adroddiad hynny i sicrhau bod oedolion a phawb yn gallu siarad Cymraeg yn y ffordd maen nhw'n moyn?
Thank you very much for your response, Minister. I know that you agree with me about the importance of good quality Welsh-medium education at every stage of life, and you'll be aware of the Estyn report from November on teaching adults in a community partnership in Swansea, which highlighted that the Welsh language isn't incorporated in the curriculum in Swansea, that very few learners practise, use or develop their skills through the medium of Welsh as part of the provision there, and that the partnership doesn't evaluate learner outcomes and targets at the end of the study period. I know that you're aware of the importance of reaching the target of a million Welsh speakers in Wales, but we're not going to reach that target unless we take it seriously nationwide, including in Swansea in this instance. So, what steps have you taken as a result of that Estyn report to ensure that adults, and indeed everyone, can speak Welsh in the way that they want to?
Wel, mae'n bwysig i sicrhau bod ysgolion yn cael eu cefnogi gydag adnoddau a darpariaethau i allu diwallu anghenion y cwricwlwm, ac, fel mae'r Aelod yn gwybod, mae pob ysgol nawr sy'n dysgu'r cwricwlwm yn dysgu rhywfaint drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg, ac mae hynny'n digwydd am y tro cyntaf, felly mae hynny'n galonogol iawn. Beth rŷn ni eisiau ei weld fel rhan o'n cynlluniau—ac mae hyn yn y Papur Gwyn hefyd—yw bod mwy a mwy o gynnydd a mwy a mwy o ddarpariaeth ym mhob ysgol o ran addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg. Felly, mae hynny'n heriol, wrth gwrs, i allu cyflawni hynny, ond mae'n bwysig bod gennym ni'r nod uchelgeisiol hwnnw fel bod gan bob rhan o'r system y nod cyffredin hwnnw i'w wneud. Mae hynny'n cynnwys y rheini sydd â'u swyddogaeth i gefnogi ysgolion, yn cynnwys y consortia, y gwasanaethau gwella safonau ysgolion ac ati. Ac rŷn ni ar fin diwygio rhyw elfennau o sut rŷn ni'n ariannu darpariaeth i wella safonau addysg yn y Gymraeg, felly byddaf i yn gwneud datganiad maes o law ynglŷn â'r cynlluniau newydd rheini.
Well, it's important to ensure that schools are supported with resources and materials to deliver the curriculum, and, as the Member knows, every school that teaches the curriculum now teaches a proportion of their classes through the medium of Welsh, and that's very encouraging. What we want to see as part of our plans—and this is also included in the White Paper—is that there's more and more progress and more and more provision in all schools in terms of Welsh-medium education. It's challenging, of course, to deliver that, but it's important that we have that ambitious aim so that every part of the system has that shared goal. That includes those who have a function in supporting schools, including the consortia and the school improvement services and so on. We are about to reform some elements of how we fund provision in order to improve standards in the Welsh-medium sector, and I will be making a statement in due time on that.
8. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i leihau absenoldeb ysgol? OQ59620
8. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to reduce school absenteeism? OQ59620
We've invested £2.5 million in the education welfare service this year, to enable the service to provide earlier support, before issues escalate, and more intensive support to learners with high absence levels. In addition, draft attendance guidance to support schools and parents to improve learner attendance is out for consultation, as of the start of this week.
Rydym wedi buddsoddi £2.5 miliwn yn y gwasanaeth lles addysg eleni, er mwyn galluogi'r gwasanaeth i ddarparu cymorth cynharach, cyn i faterion waethygu, a chymorth mwy dwys i ddysgwyr â lefelau absenoldeb uchel. Yn ogystal, mae ymgynghoriad ar y gweill ers dechrau'r wythnos hon ar ganllawiau presenoldeb drafft i gefnogi ysgolion a rhieni i wella presenoldeb dysgwyr.
I've spoken to you about it numerous times, and we've heard it in the CYPE committee. Obviously, there's a multitude of reasons why there are such high levels of absenteeism, but one of the contributing factors is the lack of school transport and the cost of school transport. I'm just wondering if you could give a few comments on that, please.
Rwyf wedi siarad â chi sawl gwaith ynglŷn â hyn, ac rydym wedi clywed amdano yn y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg. Yn amlwg, mae nifer o resymau pam fod lefelau mor uchel o absenoldeb, ond un o'r ffactorau sy'n cyfrannu yw diffyg cludiant i'r ysgol a chost cludiant i'r ysgol. Tybed a allech chi wneud ychydig o sylwadau ar hynny, os gwelwch yn dda?
Well, as the Member will know, the Learner Travel Measure (Wales) 2008 provides certain minimum standards for transport requirements, and there is a review of that under way at the moment. The Member will also know about the work the Deputy Minister is doing in relation to bus services, for example, more broadly, which have been, obviously, very challenging and have been very concerning in the context of school transport in particular, and I know that he'll have more to say about that very shortly.
Wel, fel y gŵyr yr Aelod, mae Mesur Teithio gan Ddysgwyr (Cymru) 2008 yn darparu safonau gofynnol penodol ar gyfer gofynion trafnidiaeth, ac mae adolygiad o hynny ar y gweill ar hyn o bryd. Bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod hefyd am y gwaith y mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog yn ei wneud mewn perthynas â gwasanaethau bysiau yn fwy eang, er enghraifft, sydd wedi bod yn heriol iawn, yn amlwg, ac sydd wedi peri cryn bryder yng nghyd-destun cludiant i'r ysgol yn benodol, a gwn y bydd ganddo fwy i'w ddweud am hynny cyn bo hir.
9. Pa drafodaethau mae'r Gweinidog wedi cynnal am gyllid ysgolion yng Nghaerdydd? OQ59613
9. What discussions has the Minister held about school funding in Cardiff? OQ59613
Wel, yn enwedig mewn cyfnod sy'n heriol yn ariannol, mae'n hollbwysig defnyddio pob sianel cyfathrebu ac ymgysylltu yn hyn o beth. Rwy’n trafod yn agos gyda llywodraeth leol ar faterion cyllidebol ac yn cwrdd ag arweinwyr, drwy'r is-grŵp cyllid a grwpiau eraill, fel y bo'n briodol. Rwyf hefyd yn ymweld ag ysgolion er mwyn clywed drosof i fy hun am brofiadau penaethiaid o ran cyllid.
Well, particularly in financially challenging times, it is vital that all communication channels are used and are active. I engage closely with local government on budget issues and I meet leaders, through the finance sub-group and other groups, as appropriate. I also visit schools to listen first-hand to the funding experiences of headteachers.
Diolch, Weinidog. Darllenais i â diddordeb mawr yn ddiweddar am eich ymweliad ag Ysgol Mynydd Bychan a'r gwaith arloesol maen nhw'n ei wneud yna i ddatblygu diddordeb yng ngwleidyddiaeth Cymru fel rhan o'r cwricwlwm newydd. Mae nifer ohonom ni wedi cael cyfle i groesawu Ysgol Mynydd Bychan, ar sawl achlysur, i'r Senedd. Wrth gwrs, un o brif hanfodion sicrhau arfer dda yw cyllideb ddigonol. Yn ôl y sôn, mae tua 50 o ysgolion Caerdydd yn gweithredu bellach ar ddiffyg yn eu cyllideb. Pa gefnogaeth ymarferol ŷch chi'n gallu ei rhoi i sicrhau bod ysgolion yn gwella eu sefyllfa ariannol? Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you, Minister. I read with great interest recently about your visit to Ysgol Mynydd Bychan and the innovative work that they are doing there to develop an interest in Welsh politics as part of the new curriculum. Now, many of us have had an opportunity to welcome Ysgol Mynydd Bychan to the Senedd on a number of occasions. Of course, one of the main issues in terms of securing good practice is sufficient funding. Apparently, around 50 schools in Cardiff are now working at a deficit. What practical support can you provide to ensure that schools improve their financial situations? Thank you.
Mae'r Aelod yn gwybod bod y system sydd gennym ni yng Nghymru yn seiliedig ar y ffaith mai cynghorau lleol sydd yn ariannu ysgolion yn uniongyrchol. Ond, er mwyn darparu'r gefnogaeth ariannol i sicrhau bod hynny'n bosib, wrth gwrs mae Llywodraeth Cymru, llynedd, wedi cynyddu'r gyllideb i gynghorau lleol yn sylweddol, ac roedd hynny'n wir y flwyddyn gynt hefyd. Wrth gwrs, mae'r pwysau ar gyllideb ysgolion a chyllideb cynghorau ac ar gyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru yn hysbys i bawb erbyn hyn. Beth rŷn ni wedi'i wneud fel Llywodraeth yw sicrhau, pan gafwyd arian Barnett yn ddiweddar yn sgil penderfyniadau yn San Steffan—penderfyniadau cwbl annigonol, gyda llaw—gwnaethom ni sicrhau bod yr arian hynny yn mynd yn syth i gynghorau lleol i ddarparu ar gyfer ysgolion.
Beth rwyf wedi gallu ei wneud yn fy nghyllideb i, sydd hefyd yn cael ei defnyddio yn rhannol i ariannu ysgolion, yw sicrhau bod yr elfennau sydd o fewn fy nghyllideb, hynny yw, y PDG a'r arian sydd yn mynd i ysgolion i ddelio ag effeithiau COVID, sydd yn dal yn real yn ein hysgolion ni, naill ai wedi aros ar yr un lefel neu wedi cynyddu. Byddwn i'n hoffi bod gennym ni fel Llywodraeth fwy o gyllideb i allu gwario ar wasanaethau cyhoeddus yn gyffredinol. Yr unig ffordd o wneud hwnna yw sicrhau Llywodraeth wahanol yn San Steffan, sy'n barod i fuddsoddi ar draws y Deyrnas Gyfunol, a bod gennym ni arian, wedyn, i allu buddsoddi ymhellach yn ein hysgolion ni. Ond, yn y cyfamser, rŷn ni'n gwbl ymrwymedig i wneud y penderfyniadau mwyaf blaengar gallwn ni fel Llywodraeth, gyda'r gyllideb honno, ac i wario pob ceiniog gallwn ni ar ein hysgolion ni.
As the Member will know, the system we have in Wales is based on the fact that it's local authorities that fund schools directly. But, to provide the financial support to ensure that that is possible, of course, the Welsh Government, last year, had significantly increased the budget to local authorities, and that was true the previous year too. Of course, the pressure on school budgets and the budgets of councils and the budget of the Welsh Government is well known to everyone by now. What we have done as a Government is ensure that, when a Barnett consequential was received recently, as a result of decisions in Westminster—completely insufficient decisions, I have to say—we ensured that that additional funding went straight to local authorities to provide for schools.
What I have been able to do within my budget, which is also used partly to fund schools, is ensure that the elements that are within my budget, namely the PDG and the funding that goes to schools to deal with the impacts of COVID, which are still very real in our schools, either remained at the same level or has increased. I would like it very much if we as a Government had additional funding to spend on public services in general. The only way to do that is to ensure that we have a different Government in Westminster that is ready to invest across the United Kingdom, and then we will have funding to invest further in our schools. But, in the meantime, we are entirely committed to making the most progressive decisions that we can make as a Government, within that budget that we have, and spend every penny that we can on our schools.
As a birthday present for you, Vikki Howells, I've got to question 10. Question 10. [Laughter.]
Fel anrheg pen-blwydd i chi, Vikki Howells, rwyf wedi cyrraedd cwestiwn 10. Cwestiwn 10. [Chwerthin.]
Diolch, Llywydd.
Diolch, Lywydd.
10. Pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i hyrwyddo iechyd meddwl a llesiant i fyfyrwyr a staff yn y sector addysg bellach? OQ59589
10. What action is the Welsh Government taking to promote mental health and well-being for students and staff in the further education sector? OQ59589
May I wish the Member a happy birthday as well? Since 2019, over £17 million has been allocated to the further education sector to fund initiatives and projects to support the mental health and well-being of both learners and staff. In 2023-24, a further investment of £4 million will be allocated directly to FE institutions to continue to provide the support they need.
A gaf i ddymuno pen-blwydd hapus i'r Aelod hefyd? Ers 2019, mae dros £17 miliwn wedi'i ddyrannu i'r sector addysg bellach i ariannu cynlluniau a phrosiectau i gefnogi iechyd meddwl a lles dysgwyr a staff. Yn 2023-24, bydd buddsoddiad pellach o £4 miliwn yn cael ei ddyrannu'n uniongyrchol i sefydliadau addysg bellach i barhau i ddarparu'r cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt.
Thank you for your answer, Minister. I know the Welsh Government is planning a communications campaign to raise awareness of the groundbreaking '111 press 2' telephone mental health support service. What discussions have you had with colleagues in Government about developing resources that specifically can target students and staff within the education system, so that they are aware of the immediate one-stop shop service that '111 press 2' provides?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Gwn fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn cynllunio ymgyrch gyfathrebu i godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r gwasanaeth cymorth iechyd meddwl dros y ffôn arloesol, '111 Dewis 2'. Pa drafodaethau rydych chi wedi'u cael gyda chyd-Aelodau yn y Llywodraeth ynglŷn â datblygu adnoddau a all dargedu myfyrwyr a staff yn benodol yn y system addysg, fel eu bod yn ymwybodol o'r gwasanaeth siop un stop uniongyrchol y mae '111 Dewis 2' yn ei ddarparu?
That's a really important question. Thank you to Vikki Howells for raising it. I was recently in an FE college in north Wales actually when we made the announcement of the further investment, and it's clear to me that colleges are very creatively looking for new ways constantly to be able to highlight to their learners the availability of support that they themselves are providing, sometimes locally, sometimes on a national basis. The '111 press 2' service is, of course, an all-age service and is available to everyone for urgent mental health support and advice, and this includes students in further and higher education.
So, in answer to the Member's question, my officials will be working with the sector to raise awareness of the service, and importantly, I think, to make sure that there's an integrated approach, so that it's integrated with the full range of support available to students, which includes counselling services in colleges and also specialist projects like SilverCloud and Kooth Student. I think colleges have developed considerable expertise, actually, in tailoring well-being support to the specific needs of their students, and they've worked very collaboratively with each other to produce a very substantial, by this time, body of resources and professional learning for staff as well over the last few years.
Just to say the further education and higher education mental health advisory group, which is chaired by the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Well-being, is also considering how best to ensure a coherent approach to student well-being support, and that includes communicating the range of support to institutions and to students themselves.
Mae hwnnw'n gwestiwn pwysig iawn. Diolch i Vikki Howells am ei godi. Yn ddiweddar, roeddwn mewn coleg addysg bellach yng ngogledd Cymru pan wnaethom gyhoeddi'r buddsoddiad pellach, ac mae'n amlwg i mi fod colegau'n mynd ati'n gyson ac yn greadigol iawn i chwilio am ffyrdd newydd o dynnu sylw eu dysgwyr at y cymorth y maent yn ei ddarparu, weithiau'n lleol, weithiau'n genedlaethol. Mae'r gwasanaeth '111 Dewis 2', wrth gwrs, yn wasanaeth pob oed, ac mae ar gael i bawb ar gyfer cymorth a chyngor iechyd meddwl brys, ac mae hyn yn cynnwys myfyrwyr mewn addysg bellach ac addysg uwch.
Felly, i ateb cwestiwn yr Aelod, bydd fy swyddogion yn gweithio gyda'r sector i godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r gwasanaeth, ac yn bwysig, i sicrhau y defnyddir dull integredig, fel ei fod wedi'i integreiddio â'r ystod lawn o gymorth sydd ar gael i fyfyrwyr, sy'n cynnwys gwasanaethau cwnsela mewn colegau a phrosiectau arbenigol fel SilverCloud a Kooth Student. Credaf fod colegau wedi datblygu arbenigedd sylweddol yn teilwra cymorth llesiant i anghenion penodol eu myfyrwyr, ac maent wedi gweithio'n gydweithredol iawn â'i gilydd i gynhyrchu corff sylweddol iawn o adnoddau a deunydd dysgu proffesiynol i staff hefyd dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf.
Dylwn ddweud bod y grŵp cynghori ar iechyd meddwl mewn addysg bellach ac addysg uwch, sy'n cael ei gadeirio gan y Dirprwy Weinidog Iechyd Meddwl a Llesiant, hefyd yn ystyried y ffordd orau o sicrhau dull cydlynol o gefnogi lles myfyrwyr, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys cyfathrebu'r ystod o gymorth i sefydliadau ac i'r myfyrwyr eu hunain.
Yn olaf, cwestiwn 11, Sioned Williams.
Finally, question 11, Sioned Williams.
11. Pa gynlluniau sydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru i fynd i’r afael â chost y diwrnod ysgol? OQ59610
11. What plans does the Welsh Government have to tackle the cost of the school day? OQ59610
Mae ein grant hanfodion ysgol wedi gwneud gwahaniaeth mawr i lawer o deuluoedd incwm is ledled Cymru, gan helpu i leihau’r pryder ynghylch prynu gwisg a chyfarpar ysgol. Mae cyllid o £13.6 miliwn wedi ei ddarparu ar gyfer y grant hwn yn 2023-24.
Our school essentials grant has made a big difference to many lower income families across Wales, helping to reduce the worry surrounding the purchase of school uniform and equipment. Funding of £13.6 million has been made available for this grant in 2023-24.
Diolch, Weinidog. Rŷm ni wedi bod yn clywed mwy am brosiectau i ailddefnyddio gwisgoedd ysgol yn ddiweddar. Bu pedwar disgybl o Ysgol Maesteg yn cwrdd â'r Brenin ar ôl ennill gwobr gan y Prince's Trust am eu prosiect yn ailgylchu a chyfnewid gwisgoedd ysgol am ddim. Ond fe wnaeth arolwg a gomisiynwyd gan My Nametags ffeindio bod 1.4 miliwn o eitemau gwisg ysgol gwisgadwy yn cael eu taflu bob blwyddyn, gydag 81 y cant o rieni wastad yn prynu gwisgoedd ysgol newydd sbon, a hanner y rhai a holwyd yn dweud doedden nhw ddim eisiau i'w plant nhw wisgo dillad oedd wedi cael eu gwisgo o'r blaen.
Mae etholwr i mi, Laura Santiago, sy'n is-gadeirydd llywodraethwyr Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Trebannws, wedi bod mewn cysylltiad ynglŷn â siop gwisg ysgol ail law y mae hi a'i hysgol yn rhedeg, lle rŷch chi'n gallu prynu eitemau gwisg ysgol ar gyfer rhodd ariannol bach o'ch dewis, a'r holl elw yn mynd nôl i'r ysgol. Mae Laura yn dweud bod y fenter yn fodd o sicrhau nid yn unig bod gwisgoedd ysgol o ansawdd da ar gael i bawb am gost bach, ond mae hefyd yn cael effaith gadarnhaol, wrth gwrs, ar yr amgylchedd. Fodd bynnag, mae'n credu bod angen mwy o gefnogaeth ar gyfer y modd yma o brynu gwisg ysgol er mwyn lleihau costau a gwastraff. O ystyried dyhead y Llywodraeth i leihau costau'r diwrnod ysgol, a fyddech chi'n fodlon ystyried sefydlu ymgyrch genedlaethol i hyrwyddo a normaleiddio siopau gwisg ysgol fel hyn, fel bod rhieni ym mhob rhan o Gymru yn gallu fforddio gwisg ysgol a hefyd leihau gwastraff?
Thank you, Minister. We've been hearing more about projects to reuse school uniforms recently. Four pupils from Maesteg School met the King after winning an award by the Prince's Trust for their project recycling and exchanging school uniforms for free. But the review commissioned by My Nametags found that 1.4 million of items of wearable school uniform are thrown away every year, and that 81 per cent of parents always buy new school uniforms every year, and half of those surveyed said that they don't want their children to wear a uniform that had previously been worn.
A constituent of mine, Laura Santiago, who's vice-chair of governors at Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Trebannws, has been in touch about the second-hand school uniform shop that she and her school run, where you can buy items of school uniform and give a small donation of your choice, and all of the profit goes back to the school. Laura says that the initiative is a way to ensure not just that school uniforms of good quality are available to everyone for a small cost, but it has a positive impact, of course, on the environment. However, she feels that more support is needed for this way of buying school uniforms to reduce costs and waste. Bearing in mind the Government's ambition to reduce the cost of the school day, would you be willing to consider establishing a national campaign to promote and normalise school uniform shops like this, so that parents in all parts of Wales can ensure that they can afford a school uniform and reduce waste also?
Wel, mae'r Aelod yn gwneud pwynt pwysig, a llongyfarchiadau i Laura Santiago am y gwaith mae hi'n ei wneud yn ysgol Trebannws. Mae arfer dda iawn yn digwydd mewn llawer iawn o ysgolion yng Nghymru—dyna glywsom ni pan wnaethom ni ymgynghori ar y canllawiau gwisg ysgol yn ddiweddar. Roedd ymateb cryf iawn o blaid sicrhau bod ysgolion yn gwneud mwy a mwy o ran cyfnewidfeydd a siopau gwisgoedd ail law, o ran fforddiadwyedd, ond hefyd, fel mae'r Aelod yn ei ddweud, cynaliadwyedd. Mae hefyd yn gyfle gwych i adlewyrchu ethos yr ysgol. Yn aml iawn y disgyblion sy'n fwyaf brwdfrydig dros fod yn rhan o hyn, ac mae hynny'n beth calonogol iawn, rwy'n credu.
O ran sicrhau bod hyn yn cael ei ledaenu ar draws Cymru, dyna yn union pam rŷn ni wedi newid y canllawiau gwisg ysgol fel ei bod hi nawr yn ofynnol i ysgolion wneud hynny, a byddwn ni'n disgwyl i bob corff llywodraethol edrych ar hynny nawr, a sicrhau eu bod nhw'n dodi trefniadau yn eu lle.
Well, the Member makes an important point, and congratulations to Laura Santiago for the work that she's doing in Trebannws school. There is good practice in many schools in Wales—that's what we heard when we consulted on the school uniform guidance recently. There was a very strong response in terms of ensuring that schools do much more in terms of exchanges and second-hand clothing stores in terms of affordability, but also, as the Member said, sustainability too. It's also an excellent opportunity to reflect the ethos of the school. Very often the pupils are most enthusiastic to be part of this, and that's very encouraging indeed, I think.
In terms of ensuring that this is rolled out across Wales, that's exactly why we have changed the school uniform guidance, so it's now a requirement for schools to do that, and I would expect every governing body to look at that now and to ensure that they put arrangements in place.
Diolch yn fawr i'r Gweinidog.
I thank the Minister.
Does yna ddim cwestiynau amserol heddiw.
No topical questions have been accepted today.
Ond mae yna ddau ddatganiad 90 eiliad, y cyntaf gan Vikki Howells.
But there are two 90-second statements, the first of which is from Vikki Howells.
Diolch, Llywydd. Tyrone O'Sullivan was a giant of the Labour, trade union and co-operative movements. His passion and optimism for our Valleys was palpable. A secretary of the local branch of the National Union of Mineworkers, Tyrone led the workers' buyout of Tower colliery, the last deep pit in Wales. It was the mine in which he had worked all his life, the mine that had claimed the life of his father. When the UK Government closed the pit in 1994, the 239 workers pooled their redundancy and bought Tower. It was the final battle in the history of struggles between south Wales miners and Westminster, a struggle in which Tyrone had played a full part, a battle in which he led the miners to victory—a victory that kept the pit open, employing local people, putting money into the local economy. Indeed, Tower was one of the largest employers in Cynon Valley when it closed 13 years later. Tyrone then fulfilled his dream of placing a zipwire tourist attraction on the site.
It is fair to say that Tyrone dreamed big and achieved big. Sadly, he passed away on 28 May. Like many, I am proud to have worked with Tyrone and to have called him a friend. My sincere condolences are with his wife, Elaine, his family, and thoughts with all the lives of those who he touched and inspired. Rest in peace, Tyrone; we will ensure that your legacy lives on.
Diolch, Lywydd. Roedd Tyrone O'Sullivan yn un o gewri'r mudiad Llafur, yr undebau llafur a'r mudiad cydweithredol. Roedd ei angerdd a'i optimistiaeth dros ein Cymoedd yn amlwg. Pan oedd yn ysgrifennydd cangen leol Undeb Cenedlaethol y Glowyr, arweiniodd Tyrone bryniant pwll glo'r Tower gan y gweithwyr, sef y pwll dwfn olaf yng Nghymru. Dyma'r pwll glo lle bu'n gweithio ar hyd ei oes, y pwll glo a hawliodd fywyd ei dad. Pan gaeodd Llywodraeth y DU y pwll ym 1994, cyfunodd y 239 o weithwyr eu tâl dileu swydd, a phrynu pwll glo'r Tower. Hon oedd y frwydr olaf yn hanes y gwrthdaro rhwng glowyr de Cymru a San Steffan, brwydr y chwaraeodd Tyrone ran lawn ynddi, brwydr lle'r arweiniodd y glowyr i fuddugoliaeth—buddugoliaeth a gadwodd y pwll ar agor, yn cyflogi pobl leol, yn rhoi arian i'r economi leol. Yn wir, roedd pwll glo'r Tower yn un o'r cyflogwyr mwyaf yng Nghwm Cynon pan gaeodd 13 mlynedd yn ddiweddarach. Wedyn, gwireddodd Tyrone ei freuddwyd o agor atyniad weiren wib i dwristiaid ar y safle.
Mae'n deg dweud bod Tyrone wedi breuddwydio'n fawr ac wedi cyflawni llawer. Yn anffodus, bu farw ar 28 Mai. Fel llawer o bobl, rwy'n falch o fod wedi gweithio gyda Tyrone a'i alw'n ffrind. Rwy'n cydymdeimlo'n fawr â'i wraig, Elaine, ei deulu a phawb a gafodd eu cyffwrdd a'u hysbrydoli ganddo. Gorffwys mewn hedd, Tyrone; byddwn yn sicrhau bod dy waddol yn parhau.
Lord John Morris of Aberavon was not only a huge figure in Welsh political life, but also a strong advocate for Wales and its language.
Llywydd, yesterday in your tribute to him you highlighted how his early development in Cardigan moulded both his political views and his strong relationships with the agricultural world in Wales. Following his studies to become a solicitor, he became influential in the establishment of the Farmers Union of Wales, and never forgot the important role that agriculture plays in Welsh life and the Welsh economy. He then moved on into the world of politics, and on 8 October 1959 was elected as MP for my home constituency of Aberavon, and remained our MP for nearly 42 years. As the First Minister stated in his tribute, during that time John served in the Government in the 1960s, 1970s and 1990s, under three different Labour Prime Ministers—Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair.
Neither should we lose sight of his progression in his legal profession to QC, earning great respect amongst his peers. But after leaving the Commons he was made Baron Morris of Aberavon, and continued an active role in the House of Lords until his death this week. Many here will remember his visit to the Senedd and his speech commemorating the first Secretary of State for Wales, Jim Griffiths.
Now, throughout his political career he always believed in the decentralisation of government, stating on more than one occasion that the people in Whitehall didn’t always know what was best for Wales. As Secretary of State for Wales he introduced the first referendum on devolution in the 1970s, but was not deterred when that failed to secure the votes, and continued to work for devolution. He was undoubtedly a founding figure in the establishment of our Welsh Parliament, and we all sit here today as a consequence of that commitment.
Llywydd, on this occasion 90 seconds does not allow me to do justice to the distinguished career and contributions of John Morris to Welsh life, but we’ve all benefited from his beliefs and his actions, and I’m sure all of our thoughts today are with his wife Margaret and his family.
Roedd yr Arglwydd John Morris o Aberafan nid yn unig yn ffigwr enfawr ym mywyd gwleidyddol Cymru, roedd hefyd yn eiriolwr cryf dros Gymru a'i hiaith.
Lywydd, yn eich teyrnged iddo ddoe, fe dynnoch chi sylw at y ffordd y lluniodd ei fagwraeth gynnar yn Aberteifi ei farn wleidyddol a'i berthynas gref â'r byd amaeth yng Nghymru. Yn dilyn ei astudiaethau i ddod yn gyfreithiwr, daeth yn ffigur dylanwadol yn y gwaith o sefydlu Undeb Amaethwyr Cymru, ac nid anghofiodd y rôl bwysig y mae amaethyddiaeth yn ei chwarae ym mywyd Cymru ac economi Cymru. Symudodd ymlaen wedyn i fyd gwleidyddiaeth, ac ar 8 Hydref 1959, cafodd ei ethol yn AS dros fy etholaeth enedigol yn Aberafan, a pharhaodd yn AS i ni am bron i 42 mlynedd. Fel y dywedodd y Prif Weinidog yn ei deyrnged, yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw, gwasanaethodd John yn y Llywodraeth yn y 1960au, 1970au a'r 1990au, o dan dri Phrif Weinidog Llafur gwahanol—Harold Wilson, James Callaghan a Tony Blair.
Ni ddylem ychwaith golli golwg ar ei gynnydd yn ei broffesiwn cyfreithiol i fod yn Gwnsler y Frenhines, gan ennill cryn barch ymhlith ei gyfoedion. Ond ar ôl gadael Tŷ'r Cyffredin, fe'i gwnaed yn Farwn Morris o Aberafan, a pharhaodd â'i rôl weithredol yn Nhŷ'r Arglwyddi hyd ei farwolaeth yr wythnos hon. Bydd nifer yma yn cofio ei ymweliad â'r Senedd a'i araith i goffáu Ysgrifennydd Gwladol cyntaf Cymru, Jim Griffiths.
Nawr, drwy gydol ei yrfa wleidyddol, roedd bob amser yn credu mewn datganoli llywodraeth, gan nodi ar fwy nag un achlysur nad oedd pobl Whitehall bob amser yn gwybod beth oedd orau i Gymru. Fel Ysgrifennydd Gwladol Cymru, cyflwynodd y refferendwm cyntaf ar ddatganoli yn y 1970au, ond ni chafodd ei ddigalonni pan fethodd hynny sicrhau'r pleidleisiau, a pharhaodd i weithio dros ddatganoli. Heb os, roedd yn ffigwr hollbwysig yn hanes sefydlu Senedd Cymru, ac mae pob un ohonom yn eistedd yma heddiw o ganlyniad i'r ymrwymiad hwnnw.
Lywydd, ar yr achlysur hwn, nid yw 90 eiliad yn caniatáu imi wneud cyfiawnder â gyrfa a chyfraniadau nodedig John Morris i fywyd Cymru, ond mae pob un ohonom wedi elwa o'i gredoau a'i weithredoedd, ac rwy'n siŵr fod ein meddyliau heddiw gyda'i wraig Margaret a'i deulu.
Diolch i chi, John, am bopeth rydych chi wedi'i wneud dros Gymru.
Thank you, John, for everything that you have done for Wales.
Diolch yn fawr am y ddwy deyrnged yna.
Thank you very much for both of those tributes.
Eitem 5 yw'r eitem nesaf. Yr eitem hynny yw'r ddadl ar adroddiad y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, yr Amgylchedd a Seilwaith ar 'Strategaeth a chynllun gweithredu seilwaith gwefru cerbydau trydan Llywodraeth Cymru'. Dwi'n galw ar Heledd Fychan i wneud y cynnig.
Item 5 is next, a debate on the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee report, 'The Welsh Government’s EV charging infrastructure strategy and action plan'. I call on Heledd Fychan to move the motion.
Cynnig NDM8281 Heledd Fychan
Cynnig bod y Senedd:
Yn nodi adroddiad y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, yr Amgylchedd a Seilwaith: ‘Strategaeth a chynllun gweithredu seilwaith gwefru cerbydau trydan Llywodraeth Cymru’, a osodwyd ar 28 Mawrth 2023.
Motion NDM8281 Heledd Fychan
To propose that the Senedd:
Notes the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee report: ‘The Welsh Government’s EV charging infrastructure strategy and action plan’, laid on 28 March 2023.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Diolch, Llywydd, ac mae'n bleser gen i agor y ddadl hon heddiw, yn enwedig a finnau'n Gadeirydd dros dro ar y pwyllgor, ond yn lwcus o fod wedi bod yn rhan o sesiwn dystiolaeth ar y pwnc hwn. Hoffwn ddiolch o galon i'r holl randdeiliaid hynny a gyfrannodd at waith y pwyllgor, yn ogystal ag aelodau’r pwyllgor ac, wrth gwrs, y swyddogion sy'n cynorthwyo ein gwaith ni.
Thank you, Llywydd, and it's a pleasure for me to be able to open this debate today, particularly being an interim Chair of the committee, but I was fortunate to be part of an evidence session on this issue. I would like to thank all those stakeholders who contributed to the committee’s work, as well as the members of the committee and, of course, the officials who support our work.
Mae ein hadroddiad ar strategaeth Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer hyrwyddo cerbydau trydan wedi datgelu diffyg cynnydd siomedig, enghreifftiau o dorri addewidion, a diffyg uchelgais, sy'n destun pryder. Rydyn ni’n credu bod angen gweithredu ar frys i ymdrin â'r materion hyn a rhoi Cymru nôl ar y trywydd iawn.
Yn gynharach heddiw, cyhoeddodd y Dirprwy Weinidog y bydd £15 miliwn ar gael i helpu awdurdodau lleol i gynyddu nifer y cyfleusterau gwefru. Wrth gwrs, rydym yn croesawu'r cyhoeddiad hwn. Ond mae problemau yn y maes polisi hwn sy'n mynd y tu hwnt i gyllid. Roedd ein gwaith ni yn canolbwyntio ar strategaeth gwefru cerbydau trydan Llywodraeth Cymru a’r cynllun gweithredu cysylltiedig, a gyhoeddwyd yn 2021. Ac fel pwyllgor, roedden ni’n siomedig bod Llywodraeth Cymru, ddwy flynedd ar ôl cyhoeddi cynllun gweithredu 2021, wedi methu â hyd yn oed dechrau bwrw ymlaen â sawl cam allweddol.
Rwy’n ddiolchgar i’r Dirprwy Weinidog am ei ymateb i’n hadroddiad. Yn ôl ei arfer, mae wedi ymgysylltu â gwaith y pwyllgor yn adeiladol ac yn gadarnhaol. Er fy mod yn siomedig ei fod wedi gwrthod pedwar o'n 21 o argymhellion, dylai amseriad y cyhoeddiad cyllido ychydig oriau yn ôl dawelu unrhyw un sy'n amau effaith bosibl pwyllgorau'r Senedd, a phwysigrwydd gwaith craffu o'r fath.
Mi ddechreuaf drwy sôn am y strategaeth cerbydau trydan ei hun. Mae’r Dirprwy Weinidog yn dweud bod £26 miliwn wedi'i fuddsoddi mewn seilwaith gwefru ar hyd a lled Cymru ers cyhoeddi’r strategaeth, a bod hyn wedi arwain at gynnydd o 1,500, bron, yn nifer y pwyntiau gwefru cyhoeddus sydd ar gael, sef cynnydd o 120 y cant.
Mae'r ymateb hwn yn rhoi'r argraff bod hyn yn arwydd o gynnydd da, ond gwyddom nad yw hynny'n wir. Dim ond yr wythnos hon, yn ei adroddiad damniol, cyfeiriodd adroddiad y UK Climate Change Committee yn benodol at seilwaith gwefru EV, gan ddweud nad yw datblygu seilwaith yn digwydd yn ddigon cyflym i gefnogi'r newid i gerbydau trydan. Mae'n amlwg, felly, nad dim ond ein pwyllgor ni sy'n pryderu am y diffyg cynnydd.
Mae’r strategaeth yn nodi y bydd angen cynyddu nifer y mannau gwefru cyflym i fod rhwng 30,000 a 50,000 erbyn 2030. Hynny yw, bydd angen 10 gwaith mwy o wefrwyr yn ystod y saith mlynedd nesaf. Ond ni chafodd y pwyllgor ei ddarbwyllo y bydd y strategaeth na’r cynllun gweithredu yn gallu sicrhau y bydd hynny’n digwydd.
Y weledigaeth yn y strategaeth yw y bydd pawb sy'n defnyddio ceir a faniau trydan yng Nghymru yn hyderus, erbyn 2025, y bydd seilwaith gwefru cerbydau trydan ar gael iddyn nhw pan fydd arnyn nhw ei angen. Wel, dim ond dwy flynedd sydd ar ôl i gyrraedd y targed hwnnw, a dywedodd nifer o randdeiliaid fod llawer iawn i'w wneud yn ystod y cyfnod byr hwn. Ac er gwaethaf y buddsoddiad a wnaed hyd yma, tynnodd gyrwyr cerbydau trydan sylw at broblemau fel prinder mannau gwefru, gwefrwyr diffygiol, a phrinder gwybodaeth am y gwefrwyr.
Ein hargymhelliad cyntaf oedd y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru ailedrych ar y strategaeth gwefru cerbydau trydan yng ngoleuni’r newid ym mhatrymau’r defnydd o gerbydau trydan a’r twf mewn cerbydau trydan masnachol. Mae’r Gweinidog wedi gwrthod hyn oherwydd ei fod wedi’i argyhoeddi bod y strategaeth yn ddigon hyblyg i adlewyrchu’r newidiadau yn y modd y caiff cerbydau trydan eu defnyddio. Ond Ddirprwy Weinidog, byddwn yn gweld a oedd yn iawn i chi fod mor hyderus â hyn pan fyddwn ni'n cyrraedd dyddiad y targed yn 2025.
Mi symudaf rŵan at y cynllun gweithredu. Dwi'n meddwl ei bod yn deg dweud ein bod wedi ein synnu at y diffyg cynnydd o ran hyn. Mae'r cynllun gweithredu yn cynnwys naw o gamau gweithredu; dwy flynedd yn ddiweddarach, does dim cynnydd amlwg i'w weld yn achos pump ohonyn nhw, ac mae targedau a therfynau amser wedi'u methu yn barod.
Roedden ni wedi ein synnu nad oedd eglurhad dros beidio â chwblhau’r camau hyn. Mewn sawl achos, dywedodd Llywodraeth Cymru ei bod yn ystyried a ddylai fwrw ymlaen â chamau penodol, neu'n ystyried sut y dylai wneud hynny, a hynny fisoedd ar ôl y terfyn amser ar gyfer eu cwblhau. I’r pwyllgor, mae'r diffyg cynnydd yn tanseilio hygrededd y cynllun gweithredu ac yn bwrw amheuaeth ar ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru iddo.
Ac o ystyried y diffyg cynnydd truenus o ran y cynllun gweithredu, un o gyhoeddiadau mwyaf syfrdanol y Dirprwy Weinidog oedd hwnnw’n ymwneud â pharatoi cynllun arall, sef y cynllun cyflawni y tro hwn, yn hytrach na chynllun gweithredu.
Mae’r Dirprwy Weinidog wedi cynnwys fersiwn o’r cynllun cyflawni manwl hwn gyda’i ymateb, ac mae o'n gam mawr ymlaen o ran manylder a’r camau clir y mae angen eu cymryd i fod ag unrhyw obaith o wireddu’r weledigaeth yn y strategaeth cerbydau trydan. Mae’n sicr yn gam i'r cyfeiriad iawn. Ond ar ôl ychydig o flynyddoedd o lusgo traed, a ellid dweud bod y Dirprwy Weinidog felly wedi dod o hyd i’r ail gêr o’r diwedd?
Yn olaf, fe drof at rai argymhellion penodol. Mae’r Dirprwy Weinidog wedi gwrthod argymhelliad 12, sef y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru esbonio pam na chafodd y grŵp cysylltiadau ei sefydlu er iddynt ymrwymo i wneud hynny o dan gam 2 yn y cynllun gweithredu. Drwy beidio ag esbonio, mae’r Llywodraeth yn llwyddo i wneud dim ond un peth, sef tanseilio hygrededd y cynllun gweithredu. Dwi’n amau mai pwysau ar adnoddau a blaenoriaethau ydy’r rheswm, ond, os felly, dylai’r Dirprwy Weinidog ddweud hynny gan nad ydy o’n afresymol i’r pwyllgor ofyn am atebion yn y cyswllt hwn.
Cafodd argymhelliad 17 ei wrthod hefyd. Roedd yn gofyn i Lywodraeth Cymru egluro pam na chafodd gweithgor gweithredwyr mannau gwefru ei sefydlu yn 2021, fel roedd wedi ymrwymo iddo o dan gam 6 yn y cynllun gweithredu. Mae’r Dirprwy Weinidog yn dweud yn ei ymateb fod Llywodraeth Cymru a Trafnidiaeth Cymru wedi cytuno na ddylai’r grŵp gael ei sefydlu nes bod y cynllun cyflawni hwn ar waith. Wel, does dim esgus go iawn am hyn, Ddirprwy Weinidog, oherwydd y Llywodraeth sydd wedi penderfynu ar y camau gweithredu a’r terfynau amser ar gyfer eu cwblhau. Pa ddiben, felly, cael camau gweithredu a therfynau amser mewn cynllun gweithredu os nad oes gennych chi unrhyw fwriad i gadw atyn nhw? Allwch chi o leiaf egluro i’r Senedd pam mae hyn wedi digwydd?
Mi wnaf i gloi'r agoriad i'r ddadl hon gyda hynny o sylwadau. Dwi'n edrych ymlaen i glywed y cyfraniadau eraill ac ymateb y Dirprwy Weinidog. Diolch am y cyfle i wneud hynny heddiw.
Our report on the Welsh Government’s strategy for promoting electric vehicles has revealed a disappointing lack of progress, with examples of broken promises, and a worrying lack of ambition. We believe that urgent action is needed to address these issues and put Wales back on track.
Earlier today, the Deputy Minister announced that £15 million would be made available to help local authorities increase the number of charging facilities. Of course, we welcome this announcement. But there are problems in this policy area that go beyond funding. Our work focused on the Welsh Government’s electrical vehicle strategy and the accompanying action plan, which was published in 2021. As a committee, we were disappointed that, two years on from the publication of the 2021 action plan, the Welsh Government had failed even to start to make progress on several key actions.
I’m grateful to the Deputy Minister for his response to our report. As is customary, he has engaged with the committee's work constructively and positively. And while I am disappointed that he has rejected four of our 21 recommendations, the timing of today’s funding announcement a few hours ago should silence anyone who doubts the potential impact of Senedd committees and the importance of scrutiny of this kind.
I will start by talking about the EV strategy itself. The Deputy Minister points out that £26 million has been invested in charging infrastructure across Wales since the strategy was published, and this has led to an increase of nearly 1,500 in the number of public charging points available, which is an increase of 120 per cent.
This response gives the impression that this is a sign of good progress, but we know that this isn’t the case. Only this week, in its damning report, the UK Climate Change Committee specifically focused on EV charging infrastructure, saying that the development of infrastructure is not happening quickly enough to support the transition to electric vehicles. It's clear, therefore, that it’s not just our committee that is concerned by the lack of progress.
The strategy states that the number of fast chargers needed will need to increase between 30,000 and 50,000 by 2030. That is, we will need a tenfold increase in chargers in the next seven years. But the committee was not convinced that the strategy or action plan will deliver these kinds of numbers.
The vision set out in the strategy is that all users of electric cars and vans in Wales will be confident by 2025 that they can access EV charging infrastructure when and where they need it. Well, we are only two years away from that target date, and several stakeholders pointed out that we have a long way to go in that short time. And despite the investment made to date, EV users and drivers highlighted problems with a lack of charging points, charging points not working, and the lack of information about the chargers.
Our first recommendation was that the Welsh Government should revisit the EV charging strategy in light of the changing patterns of EV usage and the growth of commercial EVs. The Minister has rejected this because he is satisfied that the strategy is sufficiently flexible to reflect changes in usage of EVs. But Deputy Minister, we will see whether you were right in being as confident as this when we reach that deadline in 2025.
I will move now to the action plan. I think that it’s fair to say that we were surprised at the lack of progress here. The action plan contains nine actions; two years on, there has been no discernible progress on five of them, and targets and deadlines have been missed already.
We were surprised that there was no explanation for why the actions were not delivered. In several cases, the Welsh Government said that it was considering whether to progress specific actions and how to do so, months after the deadline for them to be delivered had passed. For the committee, the lack of progress undermines the credibility of the action plan and has called into question the Welsh Government’s commitment to it.
And given the lamentable lack of progress on the action plan, one of the most surprising announcements from the Deputy Minister was about the creation of another plan—the delivery plan this time, rather than an action plan.
The Deputy Minister has provided a version of this detailed delivery plan with his response, and it is a big step forward in terms of the granularity of the plan and the clear steps that need to be taken to stand a chance of realising the vision in the EV strategy. It is certainly a step in the right direction. But after a couple of years of dawdling, is it possible that the Deputy Minister has finally found second gear?
Turning finally to specific recommendations, the Deputy Minister has rejected recommendation 12, that the Welsh Government should explain why it did not establish the connections group, even though this was promised under action 2 of the action plan. By not explaining, the Government succeeds in only one thing, namely undermining the credibility of the action plan. I suspect pressures on resources and priorities is the reason behind this, but if so, the Deputy Minister should come out and say so, as it is not unreasonable for the committee to seek an answer on this issue.
Recommendation 17 was also rejected. It asked the Welsh Government to explain why a charge point operator working group was not set up in 2021, as promised under action 6 of the action plan. The Deputy Minister says in his response that the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales agreed that the group shouldn’t be established until the delivery plan was in place. Well, there's no excuse for this, is there, Deputy Minister, because it's the Welsh Government that has decided on the actions and the deadlines for delivery. What's the point, therefore, of having actions and deadlines in an action plan if you have no intention of adhering to them? Could you at least explain to the Senedd why this has happened?
I'll conclude my opening remarks in this debate with those few comments. I look forward very much to hearing the other contributions and the response of the Deputy Minister. Thank you for the opportunity to do so today.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) took the Chair.
By January 2023, the number of charge points per 100,000 residents installed in Wales was 47, Scotland 69, and London 1,311. Those figures speak for themselves—[Interruption.] Sorry, Minister, but you are failing on this aspect. I'm here to scrutinise and challenge you, so let me finish, please, out of courtesy. You are failing to deliver and inspire a rapid roll-out of EV charging points in Wales. Unsurprisingly, and it was well put across by Heledd Fychan, the committee is concerned that the strategy may fail to achieve its vision that, by 2025, all users of electric cars and vans in Wales will be confident they can access EV charging infrastructure when and where they need it. A plan for one or two 50 kW rapid chargers on the strategic road network every 20 miles is now inadequate.
Olly Craughan, of DPD Group, discussed this strategy's lack of consideration for commercial vehicles. DPD group is decarbonising its fleet quickly, and they have nearly 3,000 EVs across the UK. The need for this strategy to cover commercial use is clear, yet you have rejected recommendation 1 and you just simply indicate that a plan for freight is being developed. Logistics UK have expressed their disappointment, especially as they find that 62 per cent of van operators plan to have decarbonised their van fleets by 2030. So, it would be beneficial to us and businesses operating in Wales if you could provide a date here today for the publication of the plan for freight and indicate what changes you're going to deliver.
Logistics UK have also highlighted that adopting electrical commercial vehicles means expanding depot charging, yet a third of companies interviewed have cited power supply infrastructure as one of their biggest challenges for delivering depot charging. Some operators reported estimated costs from their energy network operator of over £1 million for upgrading their energy supply to enable this charging. So, can you explain, Deputy Minister, how you are going to deliver a fair and equitable approach for funding electricity connections to enable the expansion of depot charging?
The WLGA have highlighted that, whilst equality issues are mentioned in the strategy, they're not really explored in depth. Dr Neil Lewis stated that 40 per cent people do not have off-road parking, which makes it difficult for them to even access charging for their EVs at an affordable rate. In 2020, I urged the Welsh Government to investigate how it could support the conversion of publicly available lamp posts into electric car charging points. It’s used all over the UK; they are using electric car charging points. Three years on, and it is a disgrace that there is only one lamp-post charging unit in the whole of Wales. When considering that London already has at least 7,000, the Labour Government has absolutely no excuse for such a lack of provision here. Clarity on what action you are taking now to address the crisis would be welcome, because as it stands, I am certainly not convinced that you are adhering to your own commitment in response to recommendation 3 that equality and social justice is being taken into account.
I would also like to highlight a very important statement in this report. Five of the nine actions were not delivered according to the timescales in the action plan, yet no explanation is given for why the actions were not delivered on time. The whole lack of progress undermines the credibility of your action plan, and actually calls into question the Welsh Government’s commitment to it at all.
In response to recommendation 6, you actually wrongly dispute the point. Connections group to report in the 2021 financial year: not delivered. Network of charging forecourts across Wales at approximately 20 miles across the SRN by 2025: not delivered. Review of policy and regulations by 2022 and updates made where appropriate to support EV uptake: not delivered. Establishment of a charge-point operator working group in 2021: not delivered.
You’ve rejected recommendation 7 that the Welsh Government should deliver on its commitment to review the KPIs annually, but clarify why.
I will conclude on a positive. I welcome the notes that draft amendments to building regs should be forthcoming and that these will mandate the provision of EV charge points for each new dwelling with an associated car parking space. But, Minister, you have a long, long way to go to actually put words into actions, and I think that we as a Senedd are asking that here today. Diolch.
Erbyn mis Ionawr 2023, nifer y mannau gwefru a osodwyd am bob 100,000 o drigolion yng Nghymru oedd 47, 69 yn Yr Alban, a 1,311 yn Llundain. Mae'r ffigurau hynny'n siarad drostynt eu hunain—[Torri ar draws.] Mae'n ddrwg gennyf, Weinidog, ond rydych yn methu yn hyn o beth. Rwyf yma i graffu arnoch a'ch herio, felly byddwch yn gwrtais a gadewch imi orffen, os gwelwch yn dda. Rydych yn methu cyflawni a sbarduno'r gwaith o gyflwyno mannau gwefru cerbydau trydan yn gyflym yng Nghymru. Fel y nododd Heledd Fychan yn graff, nid yw'n syndod fod y pwyllgor yn pryderu y gallai'r strategaeth fethu cyflawni ei gweledigaeth y bydd holl ddefnyddwyr ceir a faniau trydan yng Nghymru yn hyderus erbyn 2025 y gallant gael mynediad at seilwaith gwefru cerbydau trydan pan fydd ei angen arnynt ac yn y lleoedd y bydd ei angen arnynt. Mae cynllun ar gyfer un neu ddau fan gwefru chwim 50 kW bob 20 milltir ar y rhwydwaith ffyrdd strategol bellach yn annigonol.
Bu Olly Craughan, o grŵp DPD, yn trafod diffyg ystyriaeth y strategaeth i gerbydau masnachol. Mae grŵp DPD yn datgarboneiddio eu fflyd ar fyrder, ac mae ganddynt bron i 3,000 o gerbydau trydan ledled y DU. Mae'n amlwg fod angen i'r strategaeth hon gwmpasu defnydd masnachol, ond rydych wedi gwrthod argymhelliad 1, ac yn nodi'n unig fod cynllun ar gyfer cerbydau cludo nwyddau'n cael ei ddatblygu. Mae Logistics UK wedi mynegi eu siom, yn enwedig gan eu bod wedi canfod bod 62 y cant o weithredwyr faniau'n bwriadu datgarboneiddio eu fflydoedd o faniau erbyn 2030. Felly, byddai'n fuddiol i ni ac i fusnesau sy'n gweithredu yng Nghymru pe gallech roi dyddiad yma heddiw ar gyfer cyhoeddi'r cynllun ar gyfer cerbydau cludo nwyddau a nodi pa newidiadau y byddwch yn eu cyflawni.
Mae Logistics UK hefyd wedi tynnu sylw at y ffaith bod defnyddio cerbydau trydan masnachol yn golygu ehangu cyfleusterau gwefru mewn depos, ac eto, mae traean o'r cwmnïau a gafodd eu cyfweld wedi nodi seilwaith y cyflenwad pŵer fel un o'u heriau mwyaf rhag gallu gwefru mewn depos. Nododd rhai gweithredwyr gostau amcangyfrifedig gan eu gweithredwr rhwydwaith ynni o dros £1 filiwn i uwchraddio eu cyflenwad ynni i alluogi gwefru. Felly, a wnewch chi egluro, Ddirprwy Weinidog, sut ydych chi'n mynd i ddarparu dull teg a chyfartal o ariannu cysylltiadau trydan i alluogi depos i ehangu eu cyfleusterau gwefru?
Mae CLlLC wedi tynnu sylw at y ffaith nad yw materion cydraddoldeb, er eu bod yn cael eu crybwyll yn y strategaeth, yn cael eu harchwilio'n ddigon manwl. Dywedodd Dr Neil Lewis nad oes gan 40 y cant o bobl le i barcio oddi ar y ffordd, sy'n ei gwneud yn anodd iddynt allu gwefru eu cerbydau trydan ar gyfradd fforddiadwy. Yn 2020, pwysais ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ymchwilio i sut y gallai gefnogi'r gwaith o droi polion lamp cyhoeddus yn fannau gwefru ceir trydan. Mae'n digwydd ledled y Deyrnas Unedig; maent yn defnyddio mannau gwefru ceir trydan. Dair blynedd yn ddiweddarach, ac mae'n warthus mai dim ond un uned gwefru polyn lamp a geir yng Nghymru gyfan. O gofio bod o leiaf 7,000 i'w cael yn Llundain eisoes, nid oes gan y Llywodraeth Lafur unrhyw esgus o gwbl dros ddiffyg darpariaeth o'r fath yma. Byddai eglurder ynglŷn â pha gamau rydych yn eu cymryd ar hyn o bryd i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng i'w groesawu, oherwydd fel y saif pethau, yn sicr nid wyf i'n argyhoeddedig eich bod yn cadw at eich ymrwymiad eich hun mewn ymateb i argymhelliad 3 fod cydraddoldeb a chyfiawnder cymdeithasol yn cael eu hystyried.
Hoffwn dynnu sylw hefyd at ddatganiad pwysig iawn yn yr adroddiad hwn. Ni chyflawnwyd pump o'r naw cam gweithredu yn ôl yr amserlenni yn y cynllun gweithredu, ond eto, ni roddir esboniad pam na chafodd y camau gweithredu eu cyflawni ar amser. Mae'r diffyg cynnydd yn gyffredinol yn tanseilio hygrededd eich cynllun gweithredu, ac yn codi cwestiwn ynglŷn ag ymrwymiad Llywodraeth Cymru i'r mater.
Mewn ymateb i argymhelliad 6, rydych yn dadlau'r pwynt yn anghywir, mewn gwirionedd. Grŵp cysylltiadau i adrodd ym mlwyddyn ariannol 2021: nis cyflawnwyd. Rhwydwaith o orsafoedd gwefru ledled Cymru bob tua 20 milltir ar draws y rhwydwaith ffyrdd strategol erbyn 2025: nis cyflawnwyd. Adolygu polisi a rheoliadau erbyn 2022 a gwneud diweddariadau lle bo’n briodol, i gefnogi’r defnydd o gerbydau trydan: nis cyflawnwyd. Sefydlu gweithgor gweithredwyr mannau gwefru yn 2021: nis cyflawnwyd.
Rydych wedi gwrthod argymhelliad 7 y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru gyflawni ei hymrwymiad i adolygu’r dangosyddion perfformiad allweddol yn flynyddol, ond eglurwch pam.
Rwyf am gloi ar nodyn cadarnhaol. Rwy'n croesawu'r nodiadau y dylai diwygiadau drafft i reoliadau adeiladu fod ar y ffordd ac y bydd y rhain yn ei gwneud yn orfodol i ddarparu mannau gwefru cerbydau trydan ar gyfer pob annedd newydd sydd â lle parcio cysylltiedig. Ond Weinidog, mae gennych ffordd bell iawn i fynd i droi geiriau'n weithredoedd, a chredaf ein bod ni fel Senedd yn gofyn am hynny yma heddiw. Diolch.
You won’t be surprised to know that I'll take a slightly different tone in this debate, because I absolutely agree with the Welsh Government that the majority of electric vehicle charging infrastructure should be delivered by the private sector. The Welsh Government doesn’t run petrol stations, so why should they run electric charging points? I think this is very much something that is fundamental. The private sector needs to step up to the plate, and there are lots of ways in which—.
Ni fyddwch yn synnu y bydd gennyf safbwynt ychydig yn wahanol yn y ddadl hon, gan fy mod yn cytuno'n llwyr â Llywodraeth Cymru y dylai'r sector preifat ddarparu'r rhan fwyaf o'r seilwaith gwefru cerbydau trydan. Nid yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhedeg gorsafoedd petrol, felly pam y dylent redeg mannau gwefru cerbydau trydan? Credaf fod hyn yn rhywbeth sylfaenol iawn. Mae angen i'r sector preifat gamu i'r adwy, ac mae llawer o ffyrdd—.
I’m grateful to you for taking the intervention. I appreciate the point that you make about the private sector needing to step up to the plate. Indeed, it seems that they have in many respects, in order to fill some of the void that the Welsh Government has left. But wouldn’t you agree with me that if the Welsh Government has been given tens of millions of pounds to expand the roll-out of electric vehicle charging points, the paltry number of electric vehicle charging points provided by the Welsh Government is completely and totally unacceptable?
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i chi am dderbyn yr ymyriad. Rwy'n derbyn y pwynt a wnewch fod angen i'r sector preifat gamu i'r adwy. Yn wir, ymddengys eu bod wedi gwneud hynny mewn sawl ffordd, er mwyn llenwi peth o'r bwlch y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i adael. Ond onid ydych yn cytuno, os yw Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cael degau o filiynau o bunnoedd i gyflwyno mannau gwefru cerbydau trydan, fod y nifer pitw o fannau gwefru cerbydau trydan a ddarperir gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn gwbl annerbyniol?
No, I don’t. I agree that the private sector has installed electric charging points, and they’ve done it for perfectly valid commercial reasons, which is that they want people to visit their site, and therefore they are making it attractive to people who own electric vehicles. Supermarkets, for example, have started putting in electric vehicle charging points. I’m surprised that many of the hotels along some of the electric vehicle charging point deserts—for example, going up the A470—haven’t taken advantage of this opportunity to encourage more drivers to want to stop and eat at their hostelry while they’re charging their vehicle. That seems inexplicable to me, whether you’re a hotel, a pub, or a restaurant, that you haven’t jumped at this opportunity to increase your commercial opportunities. I think that the money that may have come from the UK Government needs to be used on different things, and I support the way the Welsh Government is approaching this.
So, we know from the evidence we took that the strategy to have the aspiration met by 2025, that all electric car and van users can be confident of access to electrical vehicle charging in time, is challenging and it's ambitious but pragmatic. So, I'm hoping that the Welsh Government will be able to elucidate in your response, Deputy Minister, that you think that that ambition is still doable. Because I think it's really important that we endeavour to encourage those who can afford to move to electric vehicles to do so when they're changing their vehicle in the normal manner. Because obviously, all that supports the climate emergency.
I want to focus in my remaining remarks on the more challenging issues around on-street parking in built-up areas, which I know has been identified as one of the two priorities of the electric vehicle charging infrastructure programme. So, at least half my constituents' homes don't have off-street parking. They either have a small garden at the front, or their house goes straight on to the street, with possibly not even enough for a rubbish bin, never mind a car to be parked there. And clearly, we need to avoid the perverse consequence of everybody who's got a front garden then converting it into a hard-standing garden, with all the sustainable drainage consequences that we rehearsed earlier in the climate change questions. So, much of the housing in Cardiff Central is terraced housing, similar to many Valleys properties, where, literally, they have no space big enough. And what I don't want to see is the proliferation of new pillars on pavements, which will be a hazard to people with pushchairs, to people with sight problems.
We need to have an alternative way of looking at this, in the context of the fact that all of us need to be thinking about considering whether or not we really actually need to have a private vehicle, rather than simply hiring a vehicle from a car club, as and when we need to use one. And obviously, in the context of an urban environment like Cardiff, that is a significant and important consideration. So, I want to know what discussions the Welsh Government has had with local authorities like Cardiff on how we can structure our electric vehicle charging points to be much more friendly to people to be able to play in the street, rather than having all these vehicles cluttering it up, and having centralised electric vehicle charging points overnight—maybe in commercial businesses' parking places, where they don't need to use them overnight because they're closed; they could extend it to a club of local community people, to enable them to do that there. It's about using urban spaces effectively, without causing other, perverse consequences. And it seems to me that that is quite a major challenge in the urban environment, and one that is worthy of a good deal more debate.
Nac ydw. Rwy'n cytuno bod y sector preifat wedi gosod mannau gwefru trydan, ac maent wedi gwneud hynny am resymau masnachol cwbl ddilys, sef am eu bod am i bobl ymweld â'u safle, ac felly maent yn eu gwneud yn ddeniadol i bobl sy'n berchen ar gerbydau trydan. Mae archfarchnadoedd, er enghraifft, wedi dechrau gosod mannau gwefru cerbydau trydan. Rwy'n synnu nad yw llawer o'r gwestai ar hyd peth o'r anialwch gwefru cerbydau trydan—ar hyd yr A470 er enghraifft—wedi manteisio ar y cyfle i annog mwy o yrwyr i aros a bwyta yn eu gwestai tra byddant yn gwefru eu cerbyd. Mae hynny'n anesboniadwy i mi, boed yn westy, yn dafarn, neu'n fwyty, nad ydych wedi achub ar y cyfle hwn i gynyddu eich cyfleoedd masnachol. Credaf fod angen defnyddio'r arian a allai fod wedi dod gan Lywodraeth y DU ar wahanol bethau, ac rwy'n cefnogi'r ffordd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud hyn.
Felly, gwyddom o'r dystiolaeth a gawsom fod y strategaeth i gyflawni'r dyhead erbyn 2025, y gall pob defnyddiwr car a fan drydan fod yn hyderus o gael mynediad amserol at fan gwefru cerbyd trydan, yn heriol ac yn uchelgeisiol, ond yn bragmatig. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gallu cadarnhau yn eich ymateb, Ddirprwy Weinidog, eich bod yn credu bod yr uchelgais hwnnw'n dal yn bosibl. Oherwydd credaf ei bod yn bwysig iawn ein bod yn ymdrechu i annog y rheini sy'n gallu fforddio newid i gerbydau trydan wneud hynny pan fyddant yn newid eu cerbyd yn y modd arferol. Oherwydd yn amlwg, mae hynny oll yn cefnogi'r ymdrech i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfwng hinsawdd.
Hoffwn ganolbwyntio yn fy sylwadau sy'n weddill ar y materion mwy heriol sy'n ymwneud â pharcio ar y stryd mewn ardaloedd adeiledig, y gwn ei fod wedi'i nodi fel un o'r ddwy flaenoriaeth yn rhaglen y seilwaith gwefru cerbydau trydan. Felly, nid oes lle i barcio oddi ar y stryd yng nghartrefi o leiaf hanner fy etholwyr. Mae ganddynt ardd fechan o flaen y tŷ, neu mae eu tŷ'n agor allan yn syth i'r stryd, heb ddigon o le i fin sbwriel, o bosibl, heb sôn am barcio car yno. Ac yn amlwg, mae angen inni osgoi canlyniad negyddol lle mae pawb sydd â gardd flaen yn ei phalmantu, gyda'r holl ganlyniadau cysylltiedig o ran draenio cynaliadwy a drafodwyd gennym yn gynharach yn y cwestiynau newid hinsawdd. Felly, mae llawer o'r tai yng Nghanol Caerdydd yn dai teras, yn debyg i lawer o eiddo yn y Cymoedd, lle nad oes ganddynt, yn llythrennol, unrhyw le sy'n ddigon mawr. A'r hyn nad wyf am ei weld yw llwyth o bileri newydd ar balmentydd, a fydd yn beryglus i bobl â phramiau, i bobl â nam ar eu golwg.
Mae angen inni gael ffordd wahanol o edrych ar hyn, yng nghyd-destun y ffaith bod angen i bob un ohonom ystyried a oes gwir angen cerbyd preifat arnom ai peidio, yn hytrach na llogi cerbyd o glwb ceir pan fo angen inni ddefnyddio un. Ac yn amlwg, yng nghyd-destun amgylchedd trefol fel Caerdydd, mae honno'n ystyriaeth sylweddol a phwysig. Felly, hoffwn wybod pa drafodaethau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cael gydag awdurdodau lleol fel Caerdydd ynglŷn â sut y gallwn strwythuro ein mannau gwefru cerbydau trydan i fod yn llawer mwy cyfeillgar i bobl allu chwarae ar y stryd, yn hytrach na chael yr holl gerbydau hyn yn llenwi'r stryd, a chael mannau gwefru cerbydau trydan canolog dros nos—efallai mewn mannau parcio i fusnesau masnachol, lle nad oes angen iddynt eu defnyddio dros nos am eu bod ar gau; gallent eu cynnig i glwb o bobl leol, er mwyn eu galluogi i wneud hynny yno. Mae'n ymwneud â defnyddio mannau trefol yn effeithiol, heb achosi canlyniadau negyddol i eraill. Ac ymddengys i mi fod honno'n her eithaf mawr yn yr amgylchedd trefol, ac yn un sy'n haeddu llawer mwy o drafod arni.
Hoffwn i ddiolch i'r tîm pwyllgor, i'n Cadeirydd, a'n Cadeirydd dros-dro am eu gwaith.
Fel dŷn ni wedi ei glywed yn barod, gyda’r angen i symud tuag at gludiant cynaliadwy yn dod yn bwnc o bwys byd-eang, mae mabwysiadu cerbydau trydan yn gyfle hollbwysig i leihau allyriadau carbon a sicrhau dyfodol gwyrddach. Nawr, dylen ni fod yng Nghymru mewn sefyllfa dda i arwain y ffordd o ran datblygu seilwaith cynhwysfawr o gerbydau trydan, ond, fel dŷn ni wedi ei glywed yn barod, mae'r realiti yn siomedig. Mae adroddiad y pwyllgor yn nodi’r diffygion difrifol o ran yr isadeiledd, fel sydd wedi cael ei grybwyll. Ar hyn o bryd, mae gan Gymru’r nifer isaf o ddyfeisiadau gwefru cyhoeddus a dyfeisiau cyflym neu uwch-gyflym o’r boblogaeth ym Mhrydain Fawr—gwnaf i ddim ailadrodd y ffigurau hynny. Ond mae’n amlwg, wedi dwy flynedd ers cyhoeddiad y cynllun gweithredu ar y pwnc yma yn 2021, tan heddiw, buaswn i wedi dweud, yn sicr, nad oedd cynnydd boddhaol wedi digwydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru ar sawl cam allweddol, ac mae yna dal nifer o bethau sydd angen cael eu gwneud. Mae'r newyddion heddiw am fuddsoddiad pellach o £15 miliwn yn rywbeth positif; mae hynna'n rywbeth, yn sicr, i'w groesawu. Mae angen cynllun clir er mwyn caniatáu bod hyn yn arwain at ganlyniadau clir er mwyn osgoi ailadrodd unrhyw gamgymeriadau sydd wedi digwydd dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf. A dwi'n siŵr bydd pawb yn y Siambr yma yn cytuno bod difrifwch yr argyfwng hinsawdd sydd yn ein wynebu ni nawr yn golygu nad oes gennym ni amser ar gyfer oedi pellach. Er mwyn cychwyn ar y daith hon, mae'n hanfodol bod yna gydweithredu a chyd-gysylltu effeithiol rhwng rhanddeiliaid perthnasol. Mae angen i Lywodraeth Cymru, i awdurdodau lleol, fel dŷn ni wedi clywed, ac asiantaethau trafnidiaeth weithio law yn llaw, gyda'r sector breifat hefyd, i greu is-adeiledd cynhwysfawr, tra bod angen cydweithio agos gyda'r darparwyr egni, er mwyn asesu capasiti perthnasol y grid.
Nawr, fel dŷn ni wedi clywed, mae partneriaid preifat yn mynd i fod yn rhywbeth eithriadol o bwysig yn hyn, megis drwy gynnig—. Ac efallai y dylen ni fod yn meddwl am annog partneriaid cyhoeddus preifat yn sgil hyn trwy gynnig argymhellion ariannol fel grantiau, credydau treth, gan fanteisio ar arbenigedd cyllid ac adnoddau'r ddau sector.
Mae angen hefyd asesu trylwyr ar ofynion y seilwaith gwefru. Rhaid inni ddadansoddi tirwedd a nodi lleoliadau addas ar gyfer gorsafoedd gwefru cerbydau trydan, yn seiliedig ar nifer o ffactorau megis dwysedd poblogaeth, fel mae Jenny newydd fod yn sôn amdano fe, coridorau trafnidiaeth, canolfannau trefol, ardaloedd preswyl, gweithleoedd, canolfannau manwerthu, mannau twristiaeth—mae yna gymaint o ffactorau sydd angen cael eu hystyried. Yn ogystal â hyn, mae'n hollbwysig bod darpariaeth gorsafoedd gwefru cyflym yr un mor amlwg ar draws ardaloedd gwledig ag y maent mewn ardaloedd dinesig. Ar ben hynny, dylai'r gorsafoedd gwefru hyn gael eu gosod mewn llefydd sydd wedi cael eu goleuo'n dda, gan flaenoriaethu hwylustod a diogelwch. Mae hwnna'n rhywbeth hollbwysig.
Rhaid i ni fod yn glir o ran y mathau o orsafoedd gwefru sydd eu hangen, gan ystyried y twf a ragwelir mewn cerbydau trydan yng Nghymru. Dylai hynny gynnwys cymysgedd o ddulliau i godi tâl, megis gorsafoedd codi tâl cyflym, gwefrwyr cyrchfan, a dulliau addas i godi tâl mewn mannau preswyl.
Nawr, dylai'r Llywodraeth gymryd rôl proactif, wrth gwrs, wrth annog defnyddio cerbydau trydan. Ar hyn o bryd, dim ond 0.17 y cant o'r holl gerbydau yng Nghymru sy'n drydanol, ac mae'n dangos pa mor angenrheidiol mae e i weld cynnydd sylweddol. Byddai cyflwyno cymhellion ariannol, eto fel grantiau credydau treth i unigolion, ar gyfer busnesau—. Mae cymaint o bethau sydd angen digwydd ar y cyd, ac mae angen rhoi hwb i'r nod hyn.
Nawr, dwi'n ymwybodol o amser, felly mi wnaf ddweud yn olaf am y cyd-destun o ba mor hollbwysig yw e ein bod ni yn gweithredu ar hyn. Rai wythnosau yn ôl, gwnaeth adroddiad diweddaraf y World Meteorological Organisation danlinellu bod y blaned yn beryglus o agos i gynhesu uwchben y targed o 1.5 gradd Celsius o fewn y degawd presennol. Dydy'r argyfwng hinsawdd ddim yn rhywbeth ar y gorwel bellach; mae yma nawr, ac mae'n effeithio ar ein bywydau gyda phob dydd sydd yn pasio. Felly, mae angen i ni gael system sydd ddim dim ond yn meddwl am y sector trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus—mae hwnna'n rhywbeth sy'n mynd i fod yn hollbwysig—ond gyda'r ffyrdd rydym ni'n byw ein bywydau, rhaid i hyn fod yn rhywbeth hollbwysig. A chyda hynny, Dirprwy Lywydd, mi wnaf i orffen. Diolch.
I'd like to thank the committee team, our Chair, and our interim Chair for their work.
And as we've already heard, with the need to move towards sustainable transport becoming ever more pertinent as a subject worldwide, the adoption of electric vehicles is a vital opportunity to reduce carbon emissions and ensure a greener future. Now, we in Wales should be in a good position to lead the way in developing a comprehensive infrastructure for electric vehicles, but, as we've already heard, the reality is disappointing. The committee report notes the serious deficiencies in terms of the infrastructure, as has been mentioned. At present, Wales has the lowest number of public charging points and fast or superfast chargers of the population in Great Britain—I won't rehearse those figures. But it is clear that, two years since the action plan on this issue was published in 2021, to date, I would say, certainly, that satisfactory progress hadn't been made by the Welsh Government on several key actions, and there are still a number of issues that need to be resolved. Today's news about a further investment of £15 million is very positive; that is certainly something to be welcomed. We need a clear plan to enable this to lead to clear outcomes, to avoid the repetition of mistakes that have taken place over the past two years. I'm sure that everyone in the Siambr today would agree that the seriousness of the climate crisis facing us now means that we have no time to waste. To begin that journey, it is crucial that there is effective collaboration and co-ordination between key stakeholders. The Welsh Government, local authorities, as we've already heard, and transport agencies must work hand in hand, with the private sector too, to create a comprehensive infrastructure, while there is a need for close collaboration with energy providers to assess relevant grid capacity.
Now, as we've heard, private partners are going to be exceptionally important in this, through, for example—. And perhaps we should be thinking about encouraging public/private partnerships as a result of this, for example, through offering financial incentives such as grants and tax credits, thus benefiting from the funding and resources expertise of both sectors.
We also need a thorough assessment of the needs of the charging infrastructure. We must analyse the landscape and identify appropriate locations for electric vehicle charging stations, based on a number of factors, such as population density, as Jenny's just talked about, transport corridors, urban centres, residential areas, workplaces, retail centres, and popular tourist destinations—there are so many factors that need to be considered here. In addition to this, it is vital that fast charging infrastructure is just as prominent in rural areas as it is in urban settings. On top of that, these charging stations should be positioned in areas that have been well lit, thereby prioritising convenience and safety. That is crucial.
We must be clear about the kinds of charging stations that we need, bearing in mind the predicted growth in the number of EVs in Wales. This should include a blend of methods of charging, such as fast charging stations, destination chargers, and appropriate charging methods in residential areas.
Now, the Government should take a proactive role, of course, in encouraging the use of electric vehicles. At present, only 0.17 per cent of all vehicles in Wales are electric. And that shows how vital it is that we see a significant increase. And introducing financial incentives, again, such as tax credit grants for individuals and for businesses—. There are so many things that must be done, and that must be aligned, and we need to give this aim a boost.
Now, I'm aware of time, so I'll say in conclusion how vital it is that we take steps to remedy the situation. A few weeks ago, the most recent report of the World Meteorological Organisation underlined that the planet is dangerously close to a temperature rise above the target of 1.5 degrees Celsius within the current decade. The climate crisis is not something that is beyond the horizon now; it is here now, and it is impacting our lives with every day that passes. So, we do need to have a system that doesn't just think about the public transport sector—that is going to be vital—but in terms of the way we live our lives, this has to be a crucial step that we take. And with those words, I'll conclude. Thank you.