Y Cyfarfod Llawn
Plenary
20/03/2024Cynnwys
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 Dirprwy Lywydd (David Rees) yn y Gadair.
The Senedd met in the Chamber and by video-conference at 13:30 with the Deputy Presiding Officer (David Rees) in the Chair.
Prynhawn da a chroeso, bawb, i Gyfarfod Llawn heddiw. Yr eitem gyntaf o fusnes heddiw yw enwebu Prif Weinidog o dan Reol Sefydlog 8. A oes unrhyw enwebiadau ar gyfer penodi Prif Weinidog?
Good afternoon and welcome to this afternoon's Plenary meeting. The first item of business today is the nomination of the First Minister under Standing Order 8. Are there any nominations for the appointment of First Minister?
I nominate Vaughan Gething.
Rwy'n enwebu Vaughan Gething.
A oes unrhyw enwebiadau eraill?
Are there any other nominations?
As chair of the Welsh Conservative group, I nominate Andrew R.T. Davies.
Fel cadeirydd grŵp y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, rwy'n enwebu Andrew R.T. Davies.
A oes unrhyw enwebiadau eraill?
Are there any further nominations?
Dirprwy Lywydd, enwebaf, I nominate, Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Deputy Presiding Officer, I nominate Rhun ap Iorwerth.
No others? [Laughter.]
Neb arall? [Chwerthin.]
Gan fod tri enwebiad, byddaf yn cynnal pleidlais trwy alw cofrestr ac yn gwahodd pob Aelod sydd yn bresennol i bleidleisio dros ymgeisydd. Byddaf yn galw pob Aelod sy'n bresennol yn nhrefn yr wyddor. Dywedwch enw'r ymgeisydd yr ydych yn ei gefnogi'n glir pan gewch chi eich galw, neu dywedwch yn glir eich bod yn dymuno ymatal. Yn unol â Rheol Sefydlog 8.2, ni chaniateir i'r Llywydd nac i finnau bleidleisio.
As there are now three nominations, I will conduct a vote by roll call and invite each Member present to vote for a candidate. I will call each Member present in alphabetical order. Please clearly state the name of the candidate that you support when I call your name, or indicate clearly that you wish to abstain. In accordance with Standing Order 8.2, neither the Presiding Officer nor I are permitted to vote.
Right, let's start. Mick Antoniw.
Iawn, gadewch inni ddechrau. Mick Antoniw.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Mabon ap Gwynfor.
Mabon ap Gwynfor.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth. [Laughter.]
Rhun ap Iorwerth. [Chwerthin.]
Natasha Asghar.
Natasha Asghar.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Hannah Blythyn.
Hannah Blythyn.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Dawn Bowden.
Dawn Bowden.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Jayne Bryant.
Jayne Bryant.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Cefin Campbell.
Cefin Campbell.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Hefin David.
Hefin David.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Alun Davies.
Alun Davies.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies. [Laughter.]
Andrew R.T. Davies. [Chwerthin.]
Gareth Davies.
Gareth Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Paul Davies.
Paul Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Jane Dodds.
Jane Dodds.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Mark Drakeford.
Mark Drakeford.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
James Evans is absent. Rebecca Evans.
Mae James Evans yn absennol. Rebecca Evans.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Janet Finch-Saunders.
Janet Finch-Saunders.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Luke Fletcher.
Luke Fletcher.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Peter Fox.
Peter Fox.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Heledd Fychan.
Heledd Fychan.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Russell George is absent. Vaughan Gething.
Mae Russell George yn absennol. Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Tom Giffard.
Tom Giffard.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
John Griffiths.
John Griffiths.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Lesley Griffiths.
Lesley Griffiths.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Llyr Gruffydd.
Llyr Gruffydd.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Siân Gwenllian.
Siân Gwenllian.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Mike Hedges.
Mike Hedges.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Vikki Howells.
Vikki Howells.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Altaf Hussain.
Altaf Hussain.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Jane Hutt.
Jane Hutt.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Huw Irranca-Davies.
Huw Irranca-Davies.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Mark Isherwood.
Mark Isherwood.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Joel James.
Joel James.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Julie James.
Julie James.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Delyth Jewell.
Delyth Jewell.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Laura Anne Jones.
Laura Anne Jones.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Samuel Kurtz.
Samuel Kurtz.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Jeremy Miles.
Jeremy Miles.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Darren Millar is absent. Eluned Morgan.
Mae Darren Millar yn absennol. Eluned Morgan.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Julie Morgan.
Julie Morgan.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Sarah Murphy.
Sarah Murphy.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Lynne Neagle.
Lynne Neagle.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Peredur Owen Griffiths.
Peredur Owen Griffiths.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhianon Passmore is absent. Adam Price.
Mae Rhianon Passmore yn absennol. Adam Price.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Jenny Rathbone is absent. Sam Rowlands.
Mae Jenny Rathbone yn absennol. Sam Rowlands.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Andrew R.T. Davies.
Jack Sargeant.
Jack Sargeant.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Ken Skates.
Ken Skates.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Carolyn Thomas.
Carolyn Thomas.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Lee Waters.
Lee Waters.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Joyce Watson.
Joyce Watson.
Vaughan Gething.
Vaughan Gething.
Buffy Williams is absent. Sioned Williams.
Mae Buffy Williams yn absennol. Sioned Williams.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
Rhun ap Iorwerth.
I think I missed out Mark Drakeford, didn't I? No. Oh, I did have it, yes.
Rwy'n credu imi fethu Mark Drakeford, oni wneuthum? Na. O, fe'i cefais, do.
Byddwn y nawr yn aros i'r Clerc gadarnhau canlyniad y bleidlais.
We will now pause for the Clerk to confirm the result of the vote.
Could we ask for a recount?
A gawn ni ofyn am ailgyfrif?
You could ask, but you won't get—[Laughter.]—not unless the figures—.
Gallech ofyn, ond ni chewch—[Chwerthin.]—nid oni bai fod y ffigurau—.
Trefn. Dyma ganlyniad y bleidlais a gynhaliwyd drwy alw'r gofrestr. Rwyf felly'n datgan bod Vaughan Gething wedi cael ei enwebu i'w benodi'n Brif Weinidog Cymru. Yn unol ag adran—
Order. This is the result of the vote taken by roll call. I therefore declare that Vaughan Gething is nominated for appointment as First Minister of Wales. In accordance with section—
Forty-seven. Is that—? Right, okay. Just checking. In accordance with section 47(4) of the Government of Wales Act 2006, I will now recommend to His Majesty the appointment of Vaughan Gething as First Minister. I invite Vaughan Gething to address the Senedd. [Applause.]
Pedwar deg saith. A yw hynny—? Iawn, o'r gorau. Dim ond gwirio. Yn unol ag adran 47(4) o Ddeddf Llywodraeth Cymru 2006, byddaf nawr yn argymell penodiad Vaughan Gething yn Brif Weinidog i’w Fawrhydi. Rwy’n gwahodd Vaughan Gething i annerch y Senedd. [Cymeradwyaeth.]
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, a diolch i'r Aelodau sydd wedi cefnogi fy enwebiad heddiw.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you to the Members who have supported my nomination today.
My sincere thanks to fellow Members who have supported my nomination today. I am particularly grateful to my predecessor, Mark Drakeford, for his nomination, and for the support that he has offered me not just in recent days, but through the many years that we have worked so closely together. I don't think any of us would ever want to live through those dark days of the pandemic again. But, like other colleagues here, I was incredibly grateful to have Mark as our First Minister through that time. History will rightly judge Mark for the compassionate, collegiate and ethical leadership that shone through those dark days for our nation. It is said that no legacy is so rich as honesty. Mark's leadership is characterised by those words. Yesterday's contribution placed that firmly on the record once more. So, can I today one again say 'diolch yn fawr', Mark, for everything that you have done for Wales? [Applause.]
Now, during Mark's contribution following his election nomination as First Minister, he recalled how, on difficult days, Rhodri Morgan would utter the words, 'Tin hat on', moments before heading into First Minister's questions. This was in December 2018, and I remember Mark asking his watching family to make sure that Father Christmas would deliver him a tin hat that year. So, to my relatives watching on today, I'd really rather not wait until Christmas; sometime in the next three weeks would be ideal.
But, Dirprwy Lywydd, as we look back at those stories of the people who have shaped devolution in its first quarter century, it is striking that there are now growing numbers of people here in Wales who have never known a time without it. In my slightly misspent youth, I included some time campaigning in the Yes for Wales movement that helped to win the referendum that made days like today possible. For a growing number of Members in this Chamber, devolution—Welsh solutions to Welsh problems and opportunities—has been a constant feature of our adult lives. In recent years, we have pushed the boundaries of what is possible with devolution. We did it, for example, to keep Wales safe. But in that same period, we have seen unprecedented hostility towards democratic Welsh devolution from a UK Government that is determined to undermine, frustrate and bypass the Welsh Government and this Senedd. As well as leaving Wales with less say over less money, it is deeply corrosive, wasteful and undemocratic.
As First Minister, I look forward to standing up for Wales and for devolution in the weeks and months to come, but I relish the opportunity to co-operate for Wales with a new UK Government that invests in partnership and in Wales’s future. I relish it because, like so many Members and friends here today, I want Wales to thrive in the sunshine that hope and social justice can offer all of us, no matter what our background, what we look like or who we love.
Diolch o galon i'm cyd-Aelodau sydd wedi cefnogi fy enwebiad heddiw. Rwy’n arbennig o ddiolchgar i’m rhagflaenydd, Mark Drakeford, am ei enwebiad, ac am y gefnogaeth y mae wedi’i chynnig i mi nid yn unig yn y dyddiau diwethaf, ond dros y blynyddoedd lawer yr ydym wedi gweithio mor agos gyda’n gilydd. Ni chredaf y byddai unrhyw un ohonom byth yn dymuno byw drwy ddyddiau tywyll y pandemig eto. Ond fel cyd-Aelodau eraill yma, roeddwn yn hynod ddiolchgar i gael Mark fel ein Prif Weinidog drwy’r cyfnod hwnnw. Bydd hanes, yn gywir ddigon, yn cofio Mark am yr arweinyddiaeth dosturiol, golegol a moesegol a ddisgleiriodd drwy’r dyddiau tywyll hynny i’n cenedl. Dywedir nad oes unrhyw waddol mor gyfoethog â gonestrwydd. Nodweddir cyfnod Mark yn arweinydd gan y geiriau hynny. Roedd cyfraniad ddoe yn nodi hynny’n glir ar y cofnod unwaith eto. Felly, a gaf i ddiolch yn fawr unwaith eto heddiw, Mark, am bopeth rydych wedi'i wneud dros Gymru? [Cymeradwyaeth.]
Nawr, yng nghyfraniad cyntaf Mark yn dilyn ei enwebiad yn Brif Weinidog, soniodd sut, ar ddiwrnodau anodd, y byddai Rhodri Morgan yn dweud y geiriau, 'Tin hat on', eiliadau cyn mynd i ateb y cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog. Roedd hyn ym mis Rhagfyr 2018, ac rwy'n cofio Mark yn gofyn i’w deulu, a oedd yn gwylio, wneud yn siŵr y byddai Siôn Corn yn dod â helmed dun iddo y flwyddyn honno. Felly, i fy mherthnasau i sy'n gwylio heddiw, byddai'n well gennyf beidio ag aros tan y Nadolig; byddai rhywbryd yn ystod y tair wythnos nesaf yn wych.
Ond Ddirprwy Lywydd, wrth inni edrych yn ôl ar y straeon hynny am y bobl sydd wedi llywio datganoli yn ei chwarter canrif cyntaf, mae'n nodedig fod niferoedd cynyddol o bobl yma yng Nghymru bellach nad ydynt erioed wedi gweld amser hebddo. Yn fy ieuenctid afradlon braidd, treuliais rywfaint o amser yn ymgyrchu ar ran mudiad Ie dros Gymru, a helpodd i sicrhau'r refferendwm a wnaeth ddyddiau fel heddiw'n bosibl. I nifer cynyddol o Aelodau yn y Siambr hon, mae datganoli—atebion Cymreig i broblemau a chyfleoedd Cymreig—wedi bod yn nodwedd gyson o’n bywydau fel oedolion. Yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, rydym wedi gwthio ffiniau’r hyn sy’n bosibl gyda datganoli. Fe wnaethom hynny, er enghraifft, i gadw Cymru’n ddiogel. Ond yn yr un cyfnod, rydym wedi gweld gelyniaeth ddigynsail tuag at ddatganoli democrataidd yng Nghymru gan Lywodraeth y DU sy’n benderfynol o danseilio, rhwystro a diystyru Llywodraeth Cymru a’r Senedd hon. Yn ogystal â gadael Cymru â llai o lais dros lai o arian, mae’n hynod gyrydol, yn wastraffus ac yn annemocrataidd.
Fel Prif Weinidog, edrychaf ymlaen at sefyll dros Gymru a datganoli yn yr wythnosau a’r misoedd i ddod, ond rwy’n edrych ymlaen at y cyfle i gydweithio dros Gymru gyda Llywodraeth DU newydd sy’n buddsoddi mewn partneriaeth ac yn nyfodol Cymru. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen oherwydd, fel cymaint o Aelodau a ffrindiau yma heddiw, rwyf am i Gymru ffynnu yn yr heulwen y gall gobaith a chyfiawnder cymdeithasol eu cynnig i bob un ohonom, ni waeth beth fo'n cefndir, sut rydym yn edrych na phwy rydym yn eu caru.
Mae Cymru yn haeddu mwy nag ysbeidiau heulog.
Wales deserves more than just sunny spells.
From sunny intervals, where hope too often feels hard to find, we can embrace fresh optimism and new ambition for a fairer Wales, built by all of us.
Dirprwy Lywydd, I have spoken in recent days about my determination to offer a listening ear and the hand of friendship to anyone in this Senedd, and beyond, where we share that ambition for our country’s future. Delivering on the needs of the people of Wales requires collective commitment to listening. In the face of new forces of division, restoring trust and recovering dignity in the way that we speak to one another is more important than ever. Those who seek to amplify nasty populism are hungry for a disunited Wales. Our task, I believe, is to prevent the victory of division and hate, by building bridges, by listening, by recreating a bond of trust between people and power. These are the ingredients of a kinder and more effective politics—one where we overcome the ruthless efforts to make our warm nation turn cold.
As First Minister, I will bring together a Government that constantly makes the positive case for progressive politics, to remind people that only through coming together can we achieve for the many. So, I choose to make a stand for positivity, to never fan the flames that are hurtful to people and damage our standing in the world, to stand for a set of ideas and policy innovations that are rooted in Welsh values, to stand for a leadership grounded not in bitterness, resentment or the fruitless search for a past that never was, but a leadership based on hope, to advance the case for human rights, for solidarity, and for a commitment to play a collective international role in addressing the challenges that we face.
Dirprwy Lywydd, I cannot let this election nomination pass without saying something about its historic significance. I am, after all, the first elected leader of my party and, indeed, my country with an ‘ap’ in their name. [Laughter.] We have, of course, today voted also to ensure that Wales becomes the first nation anywhere in Europe to be led by a black person. It is a matter of pride, I believe, for a modern Wales, but also a daunting responsibility for me, and one that I do not take lightly. But, today, we can also expect a depressingly familiar pattern to emerge, with abuse on social media, racist tropes disguised with polite language, people questioning my motives, and, yes, they will still question or deny my nationality, whilst others will question why I am playing the race card. To those people, I say once more: it is very easy not to care about identity when your own has never once been questioned or held you back. I believe the Wales of today and the future will be owned by all those decent people who recognise that our Parliament and our Government should look like our country, people who recognise that our hope and ambition for the future relies on unleashing the talent of all of us, a Wales that recognises that we can celebrate our differences and take pride in all those things that draw us together and make us who we are. That is the Wales that I want to lead, a Wales full of hope, ambition and unity. Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Diolch, bawb. [Applause.]
O ysbeidiau heulog, lle mae'n aml yn anodd bod yn obeithiol, gallwn groesawu optimistiaeth o’r newydd ac uchelgais newydd ar gyfer Cymru decach, wedi’i hadeiladu gan bob un ohonom.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, rwyf wedi sôn yn ystod y dyddiau diwethaf fy mod yn benderfynol o gynnig clust i wrando a chyfeillgarwch i unrhyw un yn y Senedd hon, a thu hwnt, lle rydym yn rhannu uchelgais ar gyfer dyfodol ein gwlad. Er mwyn diwallu anghenion pobl Cymru, mae angen ymrwymiad cyfunol i wrando. Yn wyneb grymoedd newydd ymrannol, mae adfer ymddiriedaeth ac adennill urddas yn y ffordd y siaradwn â’n gilydd yn bwysicach nag erioed. Mae'r rheini sy'n ceisio lledaenu poblyddiaeth annymunol yn dyheu am Gymru ranedig. Credaf mai ein tasg ni yw atal buddugoliaeth ymraniad a chasineb, drwy adeiladu pontydd, drwy wrando, drwy ail-greu ymddiriedaeth rhwng pobl a phŵer. Dyma gynhwysion gwleidyddiaeth fwy caredig a mwy effeithiol—un lle rydym yn goresgyn yr ymdrechion diflino i wneud i’n cenedl gynnes droi’n oer.
Fel Prif Weinidog, byddaf yn dod â Llywodraeth ynghyd sy’n dadlau'r achos cadarnhaol yn gyson dros wleidyddiaeth flaengar, i atgoffa pobl mai dim ond drwy ddod at ein gilydd y gallwn gyflawni ar gyfer y lliaws. Felly, rwy'n dewis gwneud safiad dros bositifrwydd, i beidio byth â megino'r fflamau sy’n niweidiol i bobl ac sy'n niweidio ein henw da yn y byd, i sefyll o blaid set o syniadau a datblygiadau polisi arloesol sydd wedi’u gwreiddio yng ngwerthoedd Cymru, i sefyll o blaid arweinyddiaeth sy'n seiliedig nid ar chwerwder, dicter neu'r ymdrech ofer i ail-greu gorffennol na fu erioed, ond arweinyddiaeth sy'n seiliedig ar obaith, i hyrwyddo'r achos dros hawliau dynol, dros undod, a thros ymrwymiad i chwarae rhan ryngwladol ar y cyd wrth fynd i'r afael â'r heriau sy'n ein hwynebu.
Ddirprwy Lywydd, ni allaf adael i'r enwebiad hwn fynd heibio heb ddweud rhywbeth am ei arwyddocâd hanesyddol. Fi, wedi’r cyfan, yw arweinydd etholedig cyntaf fy mhlaid, ac yn wir, fy ngwlad, gydag ‘ap’ yn eu henw. [Chwerthin.] Wrth gwrs, rydym wedi pleidleisio heddiw hefyd i sicrhau mai Cymru yw’r genedl gyntaf yn unrhyw le yn Ewrop i gael ei harwain gan unigolyn du. Rwy'n credu ei fod yn destun balchder i'r Gymru fodern, ond mae hefyd yn gyfrifoldeb dwys i mi, ac un nad wyf yn ei gymryd yn ysgafn. Ond heddiw, gallwn ddisgwyl hefyd i batrwm torcalonnus o gyfarwydd ddod i’r amlwg, gyda chamdriniaeth ar y cyfryngau cymdeithasol, ystrydebau hiliol wedi’u cuddio ag iaith gwrtais, pobl yn cwestiynu fy nghymhellion, a byddant, fe fyddant yn dal i gwestiynu neu wadu fy nghenedligrwydd, tra bydd eraill yn cwestiynu pam fy mod yn chwarae'r cerdyn hil. Wrth y bobl hynny, dywedaf unwaith eto: mae'n hawdd iawn peidio â malio am hunaniaeth pan nad yw eich un chi erioed wedi'i chwestiynu nac wedi eich dal yn ôl. Credaf y bydd Cymru heddiw ac yn y dyfodol yn eiddo i’r holl bobl weddus hynny sy’n cydnabod y dylai ein Senedd a’n Llywodraeth edrych fel ein gwlad, pobl sy’n cydnabod bod ein gobaith a’n huchelgais ar gyfer y dyfodol yn dibynnu ar ryddhau talent pob un ohonom, Cymru sy’n cydnabod y gallwn ddathlu ein gwahaniaethau ac ymfalchïo yn yr holl bethau sy’n ein dwyn ynghyd ac yn ein gwneud yr hyn ydym. Dyna’r Gymru rwyf am ei harwain, Cymru sy’n llawn gobaith, uchelgais ac undod. Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Diolch, bawb. [Cymeradwyaeth.]
Vaughan, may I wish you all the best in your new role as First Minister of this Senedd and of Wales. Good luck. But for clarity purposes, I now wish to record the votes. There were 51 votes cast: 27 in favour of Vaughan Gething, 13 in favour of Andrew R.T. Davies and 11 in favour of Rhun ap Iorwerth, with no abstentions. Thank you.
Vaughan, a gaf i ddymuno’n dda i chi yn eich rôl newydd fel Prif Weinidog y Senedd hon a Chymru. Pob lwc. Ond er eglurder, hoffwn gofnodi'r pleidleisiau. Bwriwyd 51 pleidlais: 27 o blaid Vaughan Gething, 13 o blaid Andrew R.T. Davies, ac 11 o blaid Rhun ap Iorwerth, gyda neb yn ymatal. Diolch.
Yr eitem nesaf yw cwestiynau amserol, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Jane Dodds.
The next item is the topical questions, and the first question is from Jane Dodds.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am yr Adolygiad Ymarfer Plant i farwolaeth Kaylea Titford? TQ1029
1. Would the Minister make a statement on the Child Practice Review into the death of Kaylea Titford? TQ1029
I thank the Member for that question. Kaylea, very sadly, died just after her sixteenth birthday in tragic circumstances, and her parents were convicted of her manslaughter and are now in prison. The child practice review will help us learn what more we can do to improve multi-agency safeguarding practice to protect children and young people.
Diolch i’r Aelod am ei chwestiwn. Bu farw Kaylea, yn drist iawn, mewn amgylchiadau trasig ychydig ar ôl ei phen-blwydd yn un ar bymtheg oed, a chafwyd ei rhieni’n euog o’i dynladdiad, ac maent bellach yn y carchar. Bydd yr adolygiad ymarfer plant yn ein helpu i ddysgu beth arall y gallwn ei wneud i wella arferion diogelu amlasiantaethol i amddiffyn plant a phobl ifanc.
Thank you so much, Minister.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Weinidog.
Diolch yn fawr am yr ymateb.
Thank you for the response.
I know how committed you are to children and young people and to their protection. I just really want to say a few words about Kaylea, because it's so difficult in these circumstances to often remember that there is a child here who has died. Kaylea was 16. She was described as wonderful, fun, determined and headstrong—and I do like this—she would not accept dietary advice when delivered in a condescending way. I think we can all relate to that, can't we? However, sadly, Kaylea died, aged 16, at 22 stone, and the conditions that she died in, when found, were described as being unfit for an animal. We must never forget that the people responsible for this, as you quite rightly say, Minister, were her parents.
However, there are two elements here that I would like to raise. The first is one that I've raised before, which is about multi-agency working, which failed Kaylea, and also failed another child who died in Wales, Logan Mwangi. Multi-agency working is something that is so important and, yet, because the agencies didn't communicate well, they lost track of her, and it's really important that we learn from this lack of multi-agency focus. But the second one is around the child practice review and this is a systemic issue. It's about the governance. Who is responsible for monitoring the actions from child practice reviews? We know that there is a new process that is being developed called a single unified safeguarding review, which should be starting next month, April 2024, but there are no details available for that.
Now, if we are to keep children and young people across Wales safe, we have to have a process that ensures there is responsibility for not only learning from those actions and holding people to account for them, but also ensures that we absolutely move those forward to ensure that people like Kaylea don't die in these circumstances again. So, I would like to ask you, Minister: how are you and the Government going to ensure that we have better multi-agency working and that we have a system that meets the needs of these very vulnerable children and young people? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Rwy'n gwybod pa mor ymroddedig ydych chi i blant a phobl ifanc, ac i’w diogelwch. Hoffwn ddweud ychydig eiriau am Kaylea, gan ei bod yn aml mor anodd cofio yn yr amgylchiadau hyn fod yma blentyn sydd wedi marw. Roedd Kaylea yn 16. Fe'i disgrifiwyd fel unigolyn bendigedig, hwyliog, penderfynol a phengaled—ac rwy'n hoffi hyn—ni fyddai'n derbyn cyngor dietegol pan fyddai'n cael ei gyflwyno mewn ffordd nawddoglyd. Credaf y gall pob un ohonom uniaethu â hynny, oni allwn? Fodd bynnag, yn anffodus, bu farw Kaylea, yn 16 oed, yn 22 stôn, a disgrifiwyd yr amodau y bu farw ynddynt, pan ddaethpwyd o hyd iddi, fel rhai a fyddai'n anaddas i anifail. Mae'n rhaid inni beidio byth ag anghofio mai’r bobl a oedd yn gyfrifol am hyn, fel y dywedwch, yn gywir ddigon, Weinidog, oedd ei rhieni.
Fodd bynnag, mae dwy elfen yma yr hoffwn eu codi. Mae’r cyntaf yn un yr wyf wedi’i chodi o’r blaen, sy’n ymwneud â gwaith amlasiantaethol, a wnaeth gam â Kaylea, ac a wnaeth gam â phlentyn arall a fu farw yng Nghymru, Logan Mwangi. Mae gwaith amlasiantaethol yn rhywbeth sydd mor bwysig, ac eto, am na wnaeth yr asiantaethau gyfathrebu'n dda, fe wnaethant golli golwg arni, ac mae'n bwysig iawn ein bod yn dysgu o'r diffyg ffocws amlasiantaethol hwn. Ond mae'r ail elfen yn ymwneud â'r adolygiad ymarfer plant, ac mae hwn yn fater systemig. Mae'n ymwneud â llywodraethu. Pwy sy'n gyfrifol am fonitro'r camau gweithredu yn dilyn adolygiadau ymarfer plant? Gwyddom fod proses newydd yn cael ei datblygu o’r enw adolygiad diogelu unedig sengl, a ddylai fod yn dechrau fis nesaf, mis Ebrill 2024, ond nid oes unrhyw fanylion ar gael ar gyfer hynny.
Nawr, os ydym am gadw plant a phobl ifanc ledled Cymru yn ddiogel, mae’n rhaid inni gael proses sy’n sicrhau y ceir cyfrifoldeb nid yn unig am ddysgu o’r camau hynny a dwyn pobl i gyfrif amdanynt, ond sydd hefyd yn sicrhau ein bod yn eu rhoi ar waith yn llawn er mwyn sicrhau nad yw pobl fel Kaylea yn marw yn yr amgylchiadau hyn eto. Felly, hoffwn ofyn i chi, Weinidog: sut rydych chi a’r Llywodraeth yn mynd i sicrhau bod gennym weithio amlasiantaethol gwell, a bod gennym system sy’n diwallu anghenion y plant a’r bobl ifanc hyn sy’n agored iawn i niwed? Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Daeth Paul Davies i’r Gadair.
Paul Davies took the Chair.
Thank you, Jane. I think we do all remember we are talking about a tragedy today, where a young woman died just days after her sixteenth birthday. I think it's very important that we respect, in our debates today, the fact that a unique life has been lost and we must approach our discussion here sensitively.
As you've said, Jane, Kaylea's parents have been convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence and are serving long prison sentences. They bear the responsibility for her death. I think it's important for the Senedd to hear about what the judge said during sentencing of this case. He said:
'Help was there for the taking. It was there for the asking. It had been given before.... The failure to get any help at all, even from Kaylea’s GP, was particularly significant in the crucial lockdown months leading to Kaylea’s death.'
We do know that the COVID-19 pandemic did exacerbate her isolation and this reduced opportunities for help to be made available to the family, but I don't think it's clear how much, if any, of this help would have been taken up.
You rightly identify the importance of multi-agency working, and the learning identified from the reviews is shared currently via several routes, regional safeguarding board meetings, comprising key stakeholders, board websites and briefings, and it is used to inform multi-agency training across the region. Since the sad death of the other child that you referred to, advances have been made in terms of that working.
We do have our current programme of work to develop a single unified safeguarding review, including the development of a repository of child practice reviews, which will also include adult practice reviews and other safeguarding reviews. This will further strengthen our ability nationally to learn from and address recommendations from safeguarding reviews as part of the continuous improvement of multi-agency practice.
What we must do is learn from each unique set of circumstances, improve inter-agency working and information exchange, and we must improve the skill base and decision making of those on the front line. I think that is absolutely crucial, and that's why we have a practice framework that we have introduced as part of our transformation of children's services. I think all the things that we are doing in that transformation agenda will help address these issues.
But, basically, I want to say, my greatest sympathies to her family and we need to approach this very sensitively.
Diolch, Jane. Rwy'n credu bod pob un ohonom yn cofio ein bod yn sôn am drasiedi heddiw, lle bu farw menyw ifanc ychydig ddyddiau yn unig ar ôl ei phen-blwydd yn un ar bymtheg oed. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig iawn inni barchu, yn ein dadleuon heddiw, y ffaith bod bywyd unigryw wedi’i golli a bod yn rhaid inni gynnal ein trafodaeth yma mewn modd sensitif.
Fel rydych wedi’i ddweud, Jane, mae rhieni Kaylea wedi’u cael yn euog o ddynladdiad drwy esgeulustod difrifol, ac maent yn bwrw dedfrydau hir o garchar. Nhw sy'n gyfrifol am ei marwolaeth. Credaf ei bod yn bwysig i’r Senedd glywed am yr hyn a ddywedodd y barnwr wrth roi'r ddedfryd yn yr achos hwn. Dywedodd:
'Roedd cymorth ar gael. Roedd yno ar eu cyfer. Roedd wedi'i roi o'r blaen.... Roedd y methiant i gael unrhyw gymorth o gwbl, hyd yn oed gan feddyg teulu Kaylea, yn arbennig o arwyddocaol yn y misoedd allweddol cyn marwolaeth Kaylea yn ystod y cyfyngiadau symud.'
Gwyddom fod pandemig COVID-19 wedi gwaethygu ei hynysigrwydd a bod hyn wedi lleihau’r cyfleoedd i sicrhau bod cymorth ar gael i’r teulu, ond ni chredaf ei bod yn glir faint o’r cymorth hwn, os o gwbl, a fyddai wedi cael ei dderbyn.
Rydych yn nodi, yn gywir ddigon, pa mor bwysig yw gwaith amlasiantaethol, ac mae’r hyn a ddysgwyd o’r adolygiadau yn cael ei rannu ar hyn o bryd drwy sawl llwybr, cyfarfodydd byrddau diogelu rhanbarthol, sy’n cynnwys rhanddeiliaid allweddol, gwefannau byrddau a sesiynau briffio, ac fe'i defnyddir i lywio hyfforddiant amlasiantaethol ar draws y rhanbarth. Ers marwolaeth dorcalonnus y plentyn arall y cyfeirioch chi ato, mae cynnydd wedi’i wneud ar y gwaith hwnnw.
Mae gennym ein rhaglen waith gyfredol i ddatblygu adolygiad diogelu unedig sengl, gan gynnwys datblygu storfa o adolygiadau ymarfer plant, a fydd hefyd yn cynnwys adolygiadau ymarfer oedolion ac adolygiadau diogelu eraill. Bydd hyn yn cryfhau ymhellach ein gallu, yn genedlaethol, i ddysgu gan a mynd i’r afael ag argymhellion a wneir mewn adolygiadau diogelu fel rhan o welliant parhaus ymarfer amlasiantaethol.
Yr hyn y mae'n rhaid i ni ei wneud yw dysgu o bob set unigryw o amgylchiadau, gwella gwaith rhyngasiantaethol a chyfnewid gwybodaeth, ac mae'n rhaid inni wella sylfaen sgiliau a sgiliau gwneud penderfyniadau’r rheini ar y rheng flaen. Credaf fod hynny’n gwbl hanfodol, a dyna pam fod gennym fframwaith ymarfer a gyflwynwyd gennym fel rhan o’n gwaith o drawsnewidiad gwasanaethau plant. Credaf y bydd yr holl bethau a wnawn yn yr agenda drawsnewid honno'n helpu i fynd i’r afael â’r materion hyn.
Ond yn y bôn, hoffwn ddweud fy mod yn cydymdeimlo'n llwyr â'i theulu, a bod angen inni ymdrin â hyn mewn modd sensitif iawn.
I'd just like to put on record my sadness at this event. I'm aware that it's not the first time that this has been raised in the Senedd. Holding the social services portfolio for the Welsh Conservatives, I've seen first-hand that this is not the only case that we've seen in Wales. We've seen the case of Kaylea Titford, which we're speaking about now, but also Logan Mwangi, which we've also discussed in this Senedd Chamber to a fair degree, shall we say?
With Kaylea Titford, Logan Mwangi, there's a theme developing here, isn't there, Deputy Minister? I've long called for, and my party have called for, a Wales-wide review of children's services, across the 22 local authorities, to encompass all of these issues that we're speaking about today, to make sure that no child slips through the net here in Wales and that we're giving the local authorities all the opportunities to have the chance to address these concerns and stop any potential future cases occurring in Wales.
Now, obviously, we've just elected a new First Minister of Wales. I'm not sure whether you'll be the holder of the post in the future or it'll be a potential successor, but will you commit in your role now or your potential successor's role to conducting a Wales-wide review of children's services? Because I believe that Wales is the only outlier in this situation. The Scottish Government and the UK Government for England have commissioned nationwide reviews of their children's services, so why should Wales be the only outlier in this situation? We can talk about policy boards, we can talk about frameworks and all the safeguards in place that currently exist, but what's wrong with having a nationwide review, in line with what Scotland and England have already done? I look at these cases and they're tragic, and we know that the people who have carried out this neglect are facing justice, as they currently are, but what's wrong with having a Wales-wide review, just to make sure that no child slips through the net in Wales and we can, indeed, try our best to stop any future cases developing, such as this and the Logan Mwangi case that we saw in Bridgend? Thank you.
Hoffwn gofnodi fy nhristwch ynghylch y digwyddiad hwn. Rwy’n ymwybodol nad dyma’r tro cyntaf i hyn gael ei godi yn y Senedd. A minnau'n gyfrifol am bortffolio gwasanaethau cymdeithasol y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, rwyf wedi gweld drosof fy hun nad dyma'r unig achos a welsom yng Nghymru. Rydym wedi gweld achos Kaylea Titford, yr ydym yn sôn amdano nawr, ond hefyd achos Logan Mwangi, yr ydym hefyd wedi'i drafod gryn dipyn yn Siambr y Senedd hon.
Gyda Kaylea Titford, Logan Mwangi, mae thema'n datblygu yma, onid oes, Ddirprwy Weinidog? Rwyf wedi galw ers tro, ac mae fy mhlaid wedi galw am adolygiad Cymru gyfan o wasanaethau plant, ar draws y 22 awdurdod lleol, i ystyried pob un o’r materion y soniwn amdanynt heddiw, er mwyn sicrhau nad oes unrhyw blentyn yn llithro drwy’r rhwyd yma yng Nghymru a’n bod yn rhoi’r holl gyfleoedd i’r awdurdodau lleol gael y cyfle i fynd i’r afael â’r pryderon hyn ac atal unrhyw achosion posibl rhag codi yng Nghymru yn y dyfodol.
Nawr, yn amlwg, rydym newydd ethol Prif Weinidog newydd Cymru. Nid wyf yn siŵr a fyddwch yn dal yn eich rôl yn y dyfodol, neu a fydd yn olynydd posibl, ond a wnewch chi ymrwymo yn eich rôl nawr neu rôl eich olynydd posibl i gynnal adolygiad Cymru gyfan o wasanaethau plant? Oherwydd credaf mai Cymru yw’r unig eithriad yn y sefyllfa hon. Mae Llywodraeth yr Alban a Llywodraeth y DU ar gyfer Lloegr wedi comisiynu adolygiadau cenedlaethol o’u gwasanaethau plant, felly pam y dylai Cymru fod yr unig eithriad yn y sefyllfa hon? Gallwn sôn am fyrddau polisi, gallwn sôn am fframweithiau a’r holl fesurau diogelu sydd ar waith ar hyn o bryd, ond beth sydd o’i le ar gael adolygiad cenedlaethol, yn unol â’r hyn y mae’r Alban a Lloegr wedi’i wneud yn barod? Rwy'n edrych ar yr achosion hyn, ac maent yn drasig, a gwyddom fod y bobl sy'n gyfrifol am yr esgeulustod o flaen eu gwell, ond beth sydd o’i le ar gael adolygiad Cymru gyfan er mwyn sicrhau nad oes unrhyw blentyn yn llithro drwy’r rhwyd yng Nghymru, ac y gallwn wneud ein gorau glas i atal unrhyw achosion rhag datblygu yn y dyfodol, fel yr achos hwn ac achos Logan Mwangi a welsom ym Mhen-y-bont ar Ogwr? Diolch.
Thank you very much, Gareth, for that contribution and for your condolences about this awful situation. I would like to point out to you, Gareth, that many of the issues in this case are related to health, because I'm sure that you're aware that Kaylea did have specific health problems, and to have a Wales-wide review of children's services would not adequately address the issues that we've been talking about. The health issues that have been raised in relation to this case are actually things that we are making considerable progress on since Kaylea, sadly, died, in relation to weight management, and also in our transformation programme.
So, we have undertaken several reviews, and when I talked about the tragic death of Logan, I listed at length the number of reviews that we've had in Wales, looking at these issues. In October 2022 we asked Care Inspectorate Wales to lead on a multi-agency rapid review of decision making in relation to child protection and this report identified both areas of good practice and areas where learning can take place, and that's been considered as part of our transformation agenda. So, we're certainly prepared to do reviews and have done many reviews, but our commitment to addressing these issues is absolutely paramount. And I think it's also important to note that we do actually anticipate, in 2024, an increase in the number of child practice reviews that are published, because information from regional safeguarding boards confirms that this is linked with the fact that child practice reviews were delayed and paused between 2020 and 2022 because of the pandemic. And the demands that there were on multi-agency services during the pandemic meant that these child practice reviews didn't take place and haven't been published. So, we anticipate there being some more of those appearing now. But each one, as I've said before, I think we have to treat individually, and take on board the learning from those reviews and work to make a system where these events are less likely to happen.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am eich cyfraniad, Gareth, ac am eich cydymdeimlad yn y sefyllfa ofnadwy hon. Hoffwn nodi, Gareth, fod llawer o’r materion yn yr achos hwn yn ymwneud ag iechyd, gan fy mod yn siŵr eich bod yn ymwybodol fod gan Kaylea broblemau iechyd penodol, ac ni fyddai adolygiad o wasanaethau plant ledled Cymru yn mynd i'r afael yn ddigonol â'r materion y buom yn sôn amdanynt. Mewn gwirionedd, rydym yn gwneud cynnydd sylweddol ar y materion iechyd a godwyd mewn perthynas â’r achos hwn ers i Kaylea farw, o ran rheoli pwysau, a hefyd yn ein rhaglen trawsnewid.
Felly, rydym wedi cynnal sawl adolygiad, a phan soniais am farwolaeth drasig Logan, rhestrais y nifer helaeth o adolygiadau a gawsom yng Nghymru i edrych ar y materion hyn. Ym mis Hydref 2022, fe wnaethom ofyn i Arolygiaeth Gofal Cymru arwain adolygiad cyflym amlasiantaethol o benderfyniadau mewn perthynas ag amddiffyn plant, a nododd yr adroddiad hwn feysydd o arferion da a meysydd lle gellir dysgu, ac mae hynny wedi’i ystyried fel rhan o'n hagenda trawsnewid. Felly, rydym yn sicr yn barod i gynnal adolygiadau, ac rydym wedi cynnal llawer o adolygiadau, ond mae ein hymrwymiad i fynd i'r afael â'r materion hyn yn hollbwysig. A chredaf ei bod hefyd yn bwysig nodi ein bod yn rhagweld cynnydd, yn 2024, yn nifer yr adolygiadau ymarfer plant a gyhoeddir, gan fod gwybodaeth gan fyrddau diogelu rhanbarthol yn cadarnhau bod hyn yn gysylltiedig â’r ffaith bod adolygiadau ymarfer plant wedi’u gohirio ac wedi eu hatal rhwng 2020 a 2022 oherwydd y pandemig. Ac roedd y pwysau ar wasanaethau amlasiantaethol yn ystod y pandemig yn golygu na chynhaliwyd yr adolygiadau ymarfer plant hyn, ac nad ydynt wedi'u cyhoeddi. Felly, rydym yn rhagweld y bydd mwy o'r rheini'n ymddangos nawr. Ond fel y dywedais o'r blaen, credaf fod yn rhaid inni ymdrin â phob un yn unigol, ac ystyried yr hyn a ddysgir o'r adolygiadau hynny a gweithio i greu system lle mae'r digwyddiadau hyn yn llai tebygol o ddigwydd.
Kaylea was disabled. She had spina bifida and used a wheelchair—those health problems that you mentioned. The report of the child practice review into her tragic death said that there was no assessment of the likelihood that she could suffer significant harm during the pandemic, and I quote:
'the evidence of the way she died permits us to conclude the contributory impact of extended quarantine...was multiple and complex, exacerbating her vulnerabilities and reducing the supportive infrastructure upon which she relied.'
This awful case really highlights how disabled people's rights were neglected and denied during the pandemic, and this came out very strongly in the evidence of disabled people's organisations to the UK COVID inquiry when it sat in Wales over the last weeks. So, does the Government acknowledge their responsibility, therefore, in the resulting suffering that occurred as a result of its conscious suspension of disabled people's rights? How can it demonstrate that lessons have been learnt for the future? And what reassurances can the Government provide us in light of the financial constraints to this year's budget that social services are sufficiently resourced to ensure that all of our citizens are properly cared for and safeguarded? Diolch.
Roedd Kaylea yn anabl. Roedd ganddi spina bifida ac roedd hi'n defnyddio cadair olwyn—y problemau iechyd hynny y sonioch chi amdanynt. Dywedodd adroddiad yr adolygiad ymarfer plant o'i marwolaeth drasig na wnaed asesiad o’r tebygolrwydd y gallai ddioddef niwed sylweddol yn ystod y pandemig, a dyfynnaf:
'roedd y dystiolaeth o'r ffordd y bu farw yn ein galluogi i ddod i'r casgliad fod effeithiau gyfrannol cwarantîn estynedig…yn niferus a chymhleth, gan waethygu ei bregusrwydd a lleihau'r seilwaith cefnogol yr oedd hi'n dibynnu arno.'
Mae’r achos ofnadwy hwn yn amlygu'n glir sut y cafodd hawliau pobl anabl eu hesgeuluso a’u gwadu yn ystod y pandemig, a daeth hyn i’r amlwg yn gryf iawn yn nhystiolaeth sefydliadau pobl anabl i ymchwiliad COVID y DU yn ystod ei sesiynau yng Nghymru dros yr wythnosau diwethaf. Felly, a yw’r Llywodraeth yn cydnabod ei chyfrifoldeb am y dioddefaint a ddigwyddodd o ganlyniad i’r ffordd yr aeth ati'n fwriadol i atal hawliau pobl anabl? Sut y gall ddangos bod gwersi wedi’u dysgu ar gyfer y dyfodol? A pha sicrwydd y gall y Llywodraeth ei roi i ni yng ngoleuni’r cyfyngiadau ariannol ar y gyllideb eleni fod gan wasanaethau cymdeithasol ddigon o adnoddau i sicrhau bod ein holl ddinasyddion yn cael y gofal a’r amddiffyniad priodol? Diolch.
Thank you, Sioned, for those comments. Certainly, I think we do accept that disabled people did suffer during the pandemic, and disabled people's rights are something that we're obviously very concerned about and want to address. I think, reading through the report, there were some ways in which great efforts were made, before this tragic series of circumstances happened, for Kaylea to live a very full life, and I'm sure you read about the contact that was made with her continuously during the pandemic by the school. But there's no doubt that the fact that she was isolated there, was not able to attend a hub—. So, I think people in the neighbourhood noticed that she wasn't around, but then that was COVID, so they didn't expect her to be around. So, I think there were circumstances that meant the awful circumstances that were occurring weren't known to people and weren't noticed.
But, in terms of addressing the issues that you raise, which are health issues, about the fact that she suffered from spina bifida, where there is undoubtedly an issue related to weight and it's really important that weight is controlled and monitored, in 2021, we published the all-Wales weight management pathway for children, young people and families. The underpinning principles of the pathway are that it's person centred and proportionate to need. This pathway provides the opportunity for a multidisciplinary team to be created in health that would regularly assess and review needs in relation to weight management. I think it's important to make the point that, since Kaylea's terrible death, we have made progress in terms of the weight management that is so important.
Also, there were many missed appointments in Kaylea's life, and the health service's response to missed appointments in Kaylea's case is being addressed in the NHS national safeguarding services action plan. I think we've just got to do everything we can to reduce the risks to children and to disabled children and to protect them from harm. But, sadly, we cannot entirely eliminate the risks, and, sadly, we cannot prevent child homicide altogether, but we've just got to do our utmost. I think she makes a really important point about disabled children and what we must do about them.
Diolch am eich sylwadau, Sioned. Yn sicr, rwy'n credu ein bod yn derbyn bod pobl anabl wedi dioddef yn ystod y pandemig, ac mae hawliau pobl anabl yn amlwg yn fater yr ydym yn bryderus iawn yn ei gylch ac yn awyddus i fynd i'r afael ag ef. Wrth ddarllen drwy’r adroddiad, rwy'n credu bod rhai ffyrdd y gwnaed ymdrechion mawr, cyn y gyfres drasig hon o amgylchiadau, i Kaylea fyw bywyd llawn iawn, ac rwy’n siŵr eich bod wedi darllen am y cyswllt a wnaed gyda hi yn barhaus yn ystod y pandemig gan yr ysgol. Ond nid oes unrhyw amheuaeth ynglŷn â'r ffaith ei bod wedi'i hynysu yno, nad oedd wedi gallu mynychu hyb—. Felly, credaf fod pobl yn y gymdogaeth wedi sylwi nad oedd hi o gwmpas, ond oherwydd COVID, nid oeddent yn disgwyl iddi fod o gwmpas. Felly, credaf fod yr amgylchiadau wedi golygu nad oedd yr amgylchiadau ofnadwy a oedd yn digwydd yn hysbys i bobl ac na sylwyd arnynt.
Ond o ran mynd i'r afael â'r materion a godwch, sy'n faterion iechyd, a'r ffaith ei bod yn dioddef o spina bifida, lle mae yna broblem heb os sy'n ymwneud â phwysau, ac mae'n bwysig iawn fod pwysau'n cael ei reoli a'i fonitro, yn 2021, fe wnaethom gyhoeddi llwybr rheoli pwysau Cymru gyfan ar gyfer plant, pobl ifanc a theuluoedd. Egwyddorion sylfaenol y llwybr yw ei fod yn canolbwyntio ar yr unigolyn ac yn gymesur ag angen. Mae'r llwybr hwn yn rhoi cyfle i greu tîm amlddisgyblaethol ym maes iechyd a fyddai'n asesu ac yn adolygu anghenion yn rheolaidd mewn perthynas â rheoli pwysau. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig gwneud y pwynt ein bod wedi gwneud cynnydd o ran rheoli pwysau ers marwolaeth ofnadwy Kaylea, ac mae hynny mor bwysig.
Hefyd, cafodd llawer o apwyntiadau eu colli ym mywyd Kaylea, ac mae ymateb y gwasanaeth iechyd i apwyntiadau a gollwyd yn achos Kaylea yn cael sylw yng nghynllun gweithredu gwasanaeth diogelu cenedlaethol y GIG. Credaf fod yn rhaid inni wneud popeth a allwn i leihau'r risgiau i blant ac i blant anabl a'u hamddiffyn rhag niwed. Ond yn anffodus, ni allwn ddileu'r risgiau'n llwyr, ac yn anffodus, ni allwn atal lladd plant yn gyfan gwbl, ond mae'n rhaid inni wneud ein gorau glas. Credaf ei bod yn gwneud pwynt pwysig iawn ynglŷn â phlant anabl a'r hyn y mae'n rhaid i ni ei wneud yn eu cylch.
Diolch i'r Dirprwy Weinidog.
Fe symudwn ni ymlaen nawr i'r cwestiwn amserol nesaf, sydd i'w ofyn gan David Rees. Oherwydd bod yr amser yn brin, byddaf yn galw un Aelod o bob grŵp. David Rees.
I thank the Deputy Minister.
We will move now to our next topical question, to be asked by David Rees. Because time is short, I will call one Member from each group. David Rees.
2. Pa drafodaethau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u cael gyda Tata yn dilyn y cyhoeddiad i gau'r ffyrnau golosg ym Mhort Talbot? TQ1034
2. What discussions has the Welsh Government had with Tata following the announcement to close the coke ovens at Port Talbot? TQ1034
Diolch am y cwestiwn.
Thank you for the question.
Following Monday's announcement, I discussed the matter with the Tata Steel UK chief executive on the same day. This is obviously deeply disappointing news. However, we have regularly been made aware by the company and trade unions of the concerns over the operational safety of the coke ovens. Clearly, operational safety matters for workers must take precedence.
Yn dilyn y cyhoeddiad ddydd Llun, trafodais y mater gyda phrif weithredwr Tata Steel UK ar yr un diwrnod. Mae hwn yn amlwg yn newyddion hynod siomedig. Fodd bynnag, mae’r cwmni a'r undebau llafur wedi codi’r pryderon ynghylch diogelwch gweithredol y ffyrnau golosg yn rheolaidd gyda ni. Yn amlwg, rhaid rhoi blaenoriaeth i faterion diogelwch gweithredol i weithwyr.
Can I thank the First Minister elect for that answer? To me, I drive home from this place regularly every night; I pass the coke ovens. It'll be something to see them not working anymore. To me, that's something I will see, but, to the workers in those coke ovens and to the workers across the heavy end of the plant, there'll be huge anxiety and worry about their futures, and their families will worry and the wider community will worry, because what is the knock-on effect of all these closures? This happens when the statutory consultation process has not yet completed, the trade union negotiations with Tata themselves about what they can do to support workers for redeployment, or maybe those who, actually, may find themselves redundant, have not yet concluded. So, there's still much in what I call the ether yet, because decisions haven't been made, and anxieties are going to rise and we're going to have serious concerns over the future.
So, whilst I welcome the answer yesterday given by the then First Minister regarding the additional funding to support workers to train and reskill and gain those qualifications so they can move into new opportunities, there is still much to be done for many, many workers that are still employed by Tata. So, what plans have you managed to prepare to support workers into new employment, perhaps even looking at mechanisms to share funding or match fund job opportunities in businesses across the region? What opportunities have you identified for bringing new job opportunities into the region, so that those who may find themselves no longer employed by Tata—and that includes the contractors and the supply workforce; they're going to be just as badly affected—so they can move into work more quickly? Because this decision has accelerated the announcement of 19 January. The heavy end was due to partly close at the end of June, totally by the end of this year. We are months away from that and we are now seeing coke ovens shutting down today, actually, and blast furnace 5 dependant upon imported coke, if they can actually acquire it, and then blast furnace 4 possibly coming down at the end of October. So, it is important we now get action to ensure that those workers, those families, the communities that they live in, are actually reassured that we are looking after them in their future.
A gaf i ddiolch i'r darpar Brif Weinidog am yr ateb hwnnw? Rwy’n gyrru adref o'r lle hwn bob nos; rwy'n pasio'r ffyrnau golosg. Bydd yn drueni peidio â’u gweld yn gweithio mwyach. I mi, mae'n drueni na fyddaf yn gweld hynny mwyach, ond i'r gweithwyr yn y ffyrnau golosg a'r gweithwyr ar ben trwm y gwaith, bydd pryder enfawr am eu dyfodol, bydd eu teuluoedd yn poeni, a bydd y gymuned ehangach yn poeni, oherwydd beth fydd sgil-effaith yr holl gau? Mae hyn yn digwydd pan nad yw’r broses ymgynghori statudol wedi’i chwblhau eto, pan nad yw negodiadau’r undebau llafur â Tata eu hunain wedi'u cwblhau mewn perthynas â’r hyn y gallant ei wneud i gefnogi adleoli gweithwyr, neu efallai’r rhai a allai wynebu diweithdra. Felly, mae llawer yn y fantol o hyd oherwydd nid oes penderfyniadau wedi eu gwneud, ac mae pryderon yn mynd i gynyddu a bydd gennym bryderon difrifol am y dyfodol.
Felly, er fy mod yn croesawu’r ateb a roddodd y Prif Weinidog ar y pryd ddoe ynghylch y cyllid ychwanegol i gefnogi gweithwyr i hyfforddi, ailsgilio ac ennill y cymwysterau hynny er mwyn iddynt allu symud ymlaen at gyfleoedd newydd, mae llawer i’w wneud o hyd i lawer iawn o weithwyr sy'n dal i gael eu cyflogi gan Tata. Felly, pa gynlluniau y llwyddoch chi i’w paratoi i gefnogi gweithwyr i mewn i gyflogaeth newydd, gan edrych ar fecanweithiau i rannu cyllid neu arian cyfatebol ar gyfer cyfleoedd swyddi efallai mewn busnesau ar draws y rhanbarth? Pa gyfleoedd a nodwyd gennych ar gyfer denu cyfleoedd swyddi newydd i’r rhanbarth, fel y gall y rheini a allai gael eu diswyddo gan Tata—mae hynny’n cynnwys y contractwyr a’r gweithlu cyflenwi; byddant hwy’n cael eu heffeithio yr un mor ddrwg—fel y gallant ddod o hyd i waith yn gyflymach? Oherwydd mae'r penderfyniad hwn wedi cyflymu cyhoeddiad 19 Ionawr. Roedd y pen trwm i fod i gau'n rhannol ddiwedd mis Mehefin ac yn gyfan gwbl erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn hon. Mae misoedd nes hynny ac rydym yn gweld ffyrnau golosg yn cau heddiw, mewn gwirionedd, ac roedd ffwrnais chwyth 5 yn dibynnu ar fewnforio golosg, os gallant ei gaffael mewn gwirionedd, ac yna mae'n bosibl y bydd ffwrnais chwyth 4 yn dod i lawr ddiwedd mis Hydref. Felly, mae’n bwysig ein bod yn gweithredu nawr i roi sicrwydd i’r gweithwyr, y teuluoedd, y cymunedau y maent yn byw ynddynt, y byddwn yn gofalu amdanynt yn y dyfodol.
Thank you for the comments and the questions. I think there are two distinct parts to this: there’s the immediate impact of the coke oven closure, and there’s the wider challenge over the plans that Tata have for the future and the potential consequence of those, and I understand why people will be anxious about both of those.
So, in the conversations we’ve had with Tata, they’ve been clear that the current workforce around the coke ovens will be gainfully employed for some time to come. The challenge comes in the consultation that is still ongoing, and not completed, about how long-term that is, what sort of redeployment is available. There’s the safe shutdown of the coke ovens as well. It’s not something where you can simply flick a switch and it’s safely shut down; it’s quite a complex engineering challenge to safely decommission, and there is then the challenge about that broader piece. So, actually, we’ve been clear in our conversations with both trade unions and the company that there is enough coke available to maintain the blast furnaces to the current plan that Tata have so that doesn’t risk blast furnace 4 and its ability to operate into the autumn. They will now need to acquire more coke. So, that should be helpful.
The second part around what may happen now is complicated, because there is an unfinished set of negotiations that are taking place. So, we are looking, of course, at the wider economy and what the current opportunities are for the direct workforce and for contractors, and for potentially the indirectly affected group of workers. That is both about employment that exists within the wider market as well as the potential for new jobs.
Part of the reason why we have talked about the timing of any changes is that the opportunity to bring in new employment of a commensurate level, bearing in mind the wages that workers at Tata and contractors have, is part of our anxiety about the pace of any change. For this particular set of workers—and there are potentially hundreds of jobs affected as part of the consultation—that’s an easier challenge to manage. There are still a number of workers who have decent work available. But it’s actually whether the reskilling and retraining can take place. I’m confident we can provide within our current budget support for that to happen and we can co-ordinate that both with Jobcentre Plus if required, if there are people leaving the workforce, and, indeed, with the local authority as well.
The larger challenge still remains about the wider set of negotiations that are taking place at the moment, if there are people who wish to leave on voluntary terms, what those terms might be, but, actually, the end result of the ongoing negotiations. We won’t know that in the next week or two. So, this isn’t going to be something that’s going to be dealt with in a matter of the initial 45 days; it’ll take longer than that. So, I can’t give the Member a definitive view on future employment, I can’t give the Member a definitive view of the current position, because none of those conversations are complete. What I can give the Member assurance of is that, if this group of workers find themselves unemployed, there is support available from the Welsh Government and partners, and an ongoing commitment from the Government I expect to lead on making sure that we carry on making the case and making the argument for the best transition possible, both for workers, the wider economy, and, indeed, our own climate ambitions.
Diolch am y sylwadau a'r cwestiynau. Rwy’n credu bod yna ddwy ran wahanol i hyn: effaith uniongyrchol cau’r ffwrn olosg, a’r her ehangach ynghylch y cynlluniau sydd gan Tata ar gyfer y dyfodol a chanlyniadau posibl y rheini, ac rwy’n deall pam y bydd pobl yn bryderus ynghylch y ddau beth.
Felly, yn y sgyrsiau a gawsom gyda Tata, maent wedi bod yn glir y bydd y gweithlu presennol o amgylch y ffyrnau golosg yn cael eu cyflogi'n fuddiol am beth amser i ddod. Mae’r her yn ymwneud â’r ymgynghoriad sy’n dal i fynd rhagddo, ac sydd heb ei gwblhau, ynglŷn â pha mor hirdymor fydd hynny, pa fath o adleoli sydd i'w gael. Mae mater cau'r ffyrnau golosg yn ddiogel yn codi hefyd. Nid yw'n rhywbeth lle gallwch chi bwyso botwm a'i gau'n ddiogel; mae’n her beirianyddol eithaf cymhleth i ddatgomisiynu’n ddiogel, ac mae yna her mewn perthynas â’r gwaith ehangach hwnnw. Felly, mewn gwirionedd, rydym wedi bod yn glir yn ein sgyrsiau â'r undebau llafur a'r cwmni fod digon o olosg ar gael i gynnal y ffwrneisi chwyth yn unol â’r cynllun presennol sydd gan Tata, fel nad yw'n peryglu ffwrnais chwyth 4 a'i gallu i weithredu tan yr hydref. Bydd angen iddynt gaffael mwy o olosg nawr. Felly, dylai hynny fod o gymorth.
Mae’r ail ran ynghylch yr hyn a all ddigwydd nawr yn gymhleth, oherwydd mae yna set anorffenedig o drafodaethau yn mynd rhagddynt. Felly, rydym yn edrych, wrth gwrs, ar yr economi ehangach a beth yw'r cyfleoedd sydd ar gael ar hyn o bryd i’r gweithlu uniongyrchol ac i gontractwyr, ac o bosibl, i’r grŵp o weithwyr yr effeithir arnynt yn anuniongyrchol. Mae hynny’n ymwneud â chyflogaeth sy’n bodoli o fewn y farchnad ehangach yn ogystal â’r potensial ar gyfer swyddi newydd.
Rhan o’r rheswm pam ein bod wedi sôn am amseriad unrhyw newidiadau yw bod y cyfle i gyflwyno cyflogaeth newydd ar lefel gymesur, gan gofio’r cyflogau y mae gweithwyr Tata a chontractwyr yn eu cael, yn rhan o’n pryder ynghylch cyflymder unrhyw newid. Ar gyfer y set benodol hon o weithwyr—ac mae’n bosibl y bydd cannoedd o swyddi’n cael eu heffeithio fel rhan o’r ymgynghoriad—mae honno’n her haws i’w rheoli. Mae gwaith gweddus ar gael i nifer o weithwyr. Ond mae’n ymwneud mewn gwirionedd â pha un a all yr ailsgilio a'r ailhyfforddi ddigwydd. Rwy'n hyderus y gallwn ddarparu cymorth o fewn ein cyllideb bresennol i hynny ddigwydd a gallwn gydlynu hynny gyda'r Ganolfan Byd Gwaith os oes angen, os oes pobl yn gadael y gweithlu, ac yn wir, gyda'r awdurdod lleol hefyd.
Mae’r her fwy yn parhau mewn perthynas â’r set ehangach o drafodaethau sy’n mynd rhagddynt ar hyn o bryd, os oes pobl sy’n dymuno gadael ar delerau gwirfoddol, beth y gallai’r telerau hynny fod, a chanlyniad terfynol y trafodaethau sy’n mynd rhagddynt. Ni fyddwn yn gwybod hynny yn yr wythnos neu ddwy nesaf. Felly nid yw hyn yn mynd i fod yn rhywbeth a fydd yn cael ei ddatrys yn ystod y 45 diwrnod cyntaf; fe fydd yn cymryd mwy o amser na hynny. Felly, ni allaf roi golwg bendant i’r Aelod ar gyflogaeth yn y dyfodol, ni allaf roi golwg bendant i’r Aelod ar y sefyllfa bresennol, oherwydd nid oes yr un o’r sgyrsiau hynny wedi'u cwblhau. Os yw’r grŵp hwn o weithwyr yn wynebu diweithdra, gallaf roi sicrwydd i'r Aelod fod cymorth ar gael gan Lywodraeth Cymru a phartneriaid, ac ymrwymiad parhaus gan y Llywodraeth rwy'n disgwyl ei harwain i sicrhau ein bod yn parhau i ddadlau dros y pontio gorau posibl, ar gyfer gweithwyr, yr economi ehangach, ac yn wir, ein huchelgeisiau hinsawdd ein hunain.
Minister, while this news is a huge blow for the workforce, their families and their entire community, it is not unexpected. I recall meeting with the directors of Tata when I was first elected in 2015, and they discussed issues around the life of the plant and talked about the need for investment. Since that time, what has the Welsh Government done to work with Tata and the UK Government to secure the longevity of steel making at Port Talbot?
Weinidog, er bod y newyddion hwn yn ergyd enfawr i’r gweithlu, eu teuluoedd, a’u cymunedau cyfan, nid yw’n annisgwyl. Rwy’n cofio cyfarfod â chyfarwyddwyr Tata pan gefais fy ethol gyntaf yn 2015, a buont yn trafod materion yn ymwneud ag oes y safle ac yn sôn am yr angen am fuddsoddi. Ers hynny, beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i wneud i weithio gyda Tata a Llywodraeth y DU i sicrhau hirhoedledd cynhyrchiant dur ym Mhort Talbot?
Since that time, since I came into current post as Minister for the Economy, there has been a regular dialogue with trade unions, with the company, and indeed with the UK Government, as far as that’s been possible. It is one of my genuine frustrations—and it should be a frustration for Welsh Conservatives too—that there hasn't been a more engaged conversation with successive UK Ministers. We would be in a much better position, even with our differences between the Welsh Government and the UK Government, if there was more regular dialogue and a willingness to talk more openly. The transition board is actually a creation to manage a decline that this whole Senedd has said it doesn't want to see happen, in the way that it's currently outlined and proposed and part of the negotiation that is taking place.
I think we would all be in a better place if we could have had earlier access to trusted conversations. And it's worth just pointing out that the Welsh Government has never broken a confidence when it comes to a commercially sensitive conversation. We would have been in a better place to understand the levers that are available to the UK Government and to us, but also whether we share the ultimate end ambition, because I do think there is a healthy future for steel making in the UK. Electric arc will be part of that, but actually having primary steel-making capability is of essential, sovereign importance for the UK, and the current plan risks that. And I find it hard to believe that there are Conservative Members in this Chamber and, indeed, further afield, who are willing to take that risk on our future sovereign capability and the potential for green prosperity in the future. With a new regeneration of the way our economy works, it will still require steel to make sure we can deliver it. We can either make that steel here in Wales, or we can import it from somewhere else, with all the jobs and economic benefit that go with it.
Ers i mi ddod i fy swydd bresennol fel Gweinidog yr Economi, mae deialog reolaidd wedi bod gydag undebau llafur, gyda’r cwmni, ac yn wir, gyda Llywodraeth y DU cyn belled ag y bu hynny’n bosibl. Un o’r pethau sy’n peri rhwystredigaeth wirioneddol i mi—a dylai fod yn peri rhwystredigaeth i'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig hefyd—yw’r ffaith nad oes sgwrs fwy ymgysylltiedig wedi bod â Gweinidogion olynol y DU. Byddem mewn sefyllfa lawer gwell, hyd yn oed gyda’r gwahaniaethau rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a Llywodraeth y DU, pe bai mwy o ddeialog rheolaidd a pharodrwydd i siarad yn fwy agored. Mewn gwirionedd, mae'r bwrdd pontio yn greadigaeth i reoli dirywiad y mae'r Senedd hon wedi dweud nad yw eisiau ei weld yn digwydd, yn y ffordd y mae wedi'i amlinellu a'i gynnig ar hyn o bryd ac fel rhan o'r negodi sy'n digwydd.
Rwy'n credu y byddem i gyd mewn lle gwell pe gallem fod wedi cael sgyrsiau dibynadwy yn gynt. Ac mae'n werth nodi nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru erioed wedi torri addewid mewn perthynas â thrafodaethau sy’n fasnachol sensitif. Byddem wedi bod mewn lle gwell i ddeall yr ysgogiadau sydd ar gael i Lywodraeth y DU ac i ni, ond hefyd i ddeall a ydym yn rhannu’r un uchelgais yn y pen draw, oherwydd rwy’n credu bod dyfodol iach i gynhyrchiant dur yn y DU. Bydd ffwrneisi arc trydan yn rhan o hynny, ond mewn gwirionedd mae’r galluogrwydd i wneud dur sylfaenol o bwysigrwydd sofran hanfodol i’r DU, ac mae’r cynllun presennol yn peryglu hynny. Ac rwy’n ei chael hi'n anodd credu bod yna Aelodau Ceidwadol yn y Siambr hon, ac yn wir, ymhellach i ffwrdd, sy’n fodlon cymryd y risg honno mewn perthynas â’n galluogrwydd sofran yn y dyfodol a’r potensial ar gyfer ffyniant gwyrdd yn y dyfodol. Gydag ailgynhyrchu'r ffordd y mae ein heconomi’n gweithio o'r newydd, bydd yn dal i fod angen dur i'w gyflawni. Gallwn naill ai wneud y dur hwnnw yma yng Nghymru, neu gallwn ei fewnforio o rywle arall gyda’r holl swyddi a’r budd economaidd i gyd-fynd â hynny.
For the record, I'd just like to declare that I'm a member of one of the sub-groups of the Port Talbot transition board. This, of course, is devastating news, and the feeling of anxiety, as has already been set out by Dai Rees, amongst the community and workforce is palpable. And I completely understand why the Minister is unable to give detailed answers as to where we go from here, but that doesn't help the anxiety that is felt amongst the workforce and wider community.
Now, of course, we welcome the information we received yesterday about further investment in support packages and retraining. I haven't seen much detail, though, come through on that. So, some detail on that would be much appreciated, because I have no doubt that as a Senedd we are committed to our mission to save the Welsh steel industry, but what we need to do now, of course, is to ensure that information about what support is available trails down to the workforce and wider community. And also what does this mean not just for that directly employed workforce, but some of those contractors as well who rely on Tata Steel for their job security? I completely agree with the Minister that safety is paramount, but so too are assurances on livelihoods.
Ar gyfer y cofnod, hoffwn ddatgan fy mod yn aelod o un o is-grwpiau bwrdd pontio Port Talbot. Mae hwn, wrth gwrs, yn newyddion trychinebus, ac mae'r teimlad o bryder, fel sydd eisoes wedi'i nodi gan Dai Rees, yn y gymuned a'r gweithlu yn amlwg. Ac rwy'n deall yn llwyr pam nad yw'r Gweinidog yn gallu rhoi atebion manwl ynghylch ble rydym yn mynd o'r fan hon, ond nid yw hynny'n helpu'r pryder sy'n cael ei deimlo ymhlith y gweithlu a'r gymuned ehangach.
Nawr, wrth gwrs, rydym yn croesawu'r wybodaeth a gawsom ddoe am fuddsoddiad pellach mewn pecynnau cymorth ac ailhyfforddi. Fodd bynnag, nid wyf wedi gweld llawer o fanylion ar hynny. Felly, byddwn yn gwerthfawrogi rhywfaint o fanylion am hynny yn fawr, oherwydd nid oes gennyf unrhyw amheuaeth ein bod ni fel Senedd wedi ymrwymo i'n cenhadaeth i achub diwydiant dur Cymru, ond yr hyn y mae angen i ni ei wneud nawr, wrth gwrs, yw sicrhau bod gwybodaeth am ba gymorth sydd ar gael yn cyrraedd y gweithlu a'r gymuned ehangach. A hefyd beth mae hyn yn ei olygu nid yn unig i'r gweithlu a gyflogir yn uniongyrchol, ond hefyd i rai o'r contractwyr sy'n dibynnu ar Tata Steel o ran sicrwydd swyddi? Rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â'r Gweinidog fod diogelwch yn hollbwysig, ond mae sicrwydd mewn perthynas â bywoliaeth hefyd yn bwysig.
I think there are perhaps two or three points. The first is that there will be more detail and a written statement on that additional support. The more specific circumstance around this individual group of workers still relies on the conversation and the negotiation that is yet to be completed between the company and the recognised trade unions. And we need to be supportive and enabling of that, making it clear that we expect—as I have done consistently—a genuinely meaningful consultation that first looks at opportunities to retain the workforce, rather than looking for opportunities to downsize and shrink the workforce. So, a meaningful consultation and the way in which the company engages really does matter, and it helps if more Members across the Chamber make it clear that that's the common expectation, not just the Government's.
The second point around the broader future I think is one that still goes back to the wider conversation that is yet to conclude. We can and will put more resource into supporting workers with the transition that takes place if there is dislocation in their work, but I still think that anxiety is not something that we can remove whilst the ongoing consultation is there, while there isn't clarity about the future. But I still think there really is genuine and realistic hope for the future, and it's important not to lose sight of that. So, when we have the next transition board meeting next week, there will be both an update on what has taken place on this issue, I expect, but also about the broader picture too.
And I have made it clear in each of my meetings with the Tata leadership, and I didn't just meet the—. Last week, I met the chief exec of Tata Steel UK and the week before I met the chief exec of Tata Steel UK and the chief exec of Tata Global from Mumbai. I was very clear about the need to ensure that there is a future for the workforce, that promises are kept to apprentices, and equally that there's a recognition of Tata's responsibility to contractors. For some of those contractors, their business will be reliant on Tata—not a fraction of their business, but a very large part of it. Some of them may even be single suppliers. And Tata know who those contractors are, they understand what those businesses are. It's part of the point that I made in the previous transition board about understanding who they are and sharing that information sooner rather than later, so that the businesses know about the potential impact, but also the Welsh Government, Jobcentre Plus and, indeed, the local authorities know who those businesses are, where they're located and what potential help and support there is. Finding out that identity too late in the day could compromise a business, could compromise the viability of those businesses and have a significant impact on what they're able to do. So, that is very much the conversation we're having, as you would expect us to do.
My concern isn't that we're having a reasonable conversation—I want more information as soon as possible—it is still about the choices to be made in the coming months, and, in particular, whether we can maintain a final blast furnace that is still functioning through autumn this year, and the longer term future that this Government is committed to advocating for and making the case for, with new investment that can only come with a change at UK level.
Rwy'n credu efallai fod yna ddau neu dri phwynt. Y cyntaf yw y bydd yna fwy o fanylion a datganiad ysgrifenedig ar y cymorth ychwanegol. Mae'r amgylchiadau mwy penodol ynghylch y grŵp unigol hwn o weithwyr yn dal i ddibynnu ar y trafodaethau a'r negodi sydd eto i'w gwblhau rhwng y cwmni a'r undebau llafur cydnabyddedig. Ac mae angen i ni fod yn gefnogol a galluogi hynny, gan ei gwneud yn glir ein bod yn disgwyl—fel rwyf wedi'i wneud yn gyson—ymgynghoriad gwirioneddol ystyrlon sy'n edrych yn gyntaf ar gyfleoedd i gadw'r gweithlu, yn hytrach na chwilio am gyfleoedd i leihau a chrebachu'r gweithlu. Felly, mae ymgynghoriad ystyrlon, a'r ffordd y mae'r cwmni'n ymgysylltu yn bwysig, a byddai'n helpu pe bai mwy o Aelodau ar draws y Siambr yn ei gwneud yn glir mai dyna yw'r disgwyl yn gyffredinol, ac nid disgwyliad y Llywodraeth yn unig.
Credaf fod yr ail bwynt ynghylch y dyfodol ehangach yn un sy'n dod yn ôl at y sgwrs ehangach sydd eto i'w chwblhau. Fe allwn ac fe fyddwn yn darparu mwy o adnoddau i gefnogi gweithwyr gyda'r pontio a fydd yn digwydd os oes dadleoli yn eu gwaith, ond rwy'n dal i gredu na allwn gael gwared ar orbryder tra bo'r ymgynghoriad yn dal i fynd rhagddo, tra nad oes eglurder am y dyfodol. Ond rwy'n dal i feddwl bod gobaith gwirioneddol a realistig ar gyfer y dyfodol, ac mae'n bwysig peidio â cholli golwg ar hynny. Felly, yng nghyfarfod nesaf y bwrdd pontio yr wythnos nesaf, rwy'n disgwyl y bydd diweddariad ar yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd ar y mater hwn, ond hefyd mewn perthynas â'r darlun ehangach.
Ac rwyf wedi dweud yn glir ym mhob un o fy nghyfarfodydd gydag arweinwyr Tata, ac nid dim ond cyfarfod â'r—. Yr wythnos diwethaf, cyfarfûm â phrif weithredwr Tata Steel UK, a'r wythnos cynt, cyfarfûm â phrif weithredwr Tata Steel UK a phrif weithredwr Tata Global o Mumbai. Roeddwn yn glir iawn ynghylch yr angen i sicrhau bod yna ddyfodol i'r gweithlu, fod addewidion yn cael eu cadw i brentisiaid, ac yn yr un modd fod cydnabyddiaeth o gyfrifoldeb Tata i gontractwyr. I rai o'r contractwyr hynny, mae eu busnes yn ddibynnol ar Tata—nid ffracsiwn o'u busnes, ond rhan fawr iawn ohono. Efallai fod rhai ohonynt yn gyflenwyr sengl hyd yn oed. Ac mae Tata yn gwybod pwy yw'r contractwyr hynny, maent yn deall beth yw'r busnesau hynny. Mae'n rhan o'r pwynt a wneuthum yn y bwrdd pontio blaenorol ynghylch deall pwy ydynt a rhannu'r wybodaeth honno yn gynt yn hytrach nag yn hwyrach, fel bod y busnesau'n gwybod am yr effaith bosibl, ond hefyd fel bod Llywodraeth Cymru, y Ganolfan Byd Gwaith, ac yn wir, yr awdurdodau lleol yn gwybod pwy yw'r busnesau hynny, lle maent wedi'u lleoli a pha gymorth a chefnogaeth bosibl sydd ar gael. Gallai darganfod pwy ydynt yn rhy hwyr beryglu busnes, gallai beryglu hyfywedd y busnesau hynny a chael effaith sylweddol ar yr hyn y gallant ei wneud. Felly, dyna'r sgwrs rydym yn ei chael, fel y byddech chi'n disgwyl i ni ei wneud.
Fy mhryder i yw nad ydym yn cael sgwrs resymol—rwyf eisiau mwy o wybodaeth cyn gynted â phosibl—mae'n dal i ymwneud â'r dewisiadau sydd i'w gwneud dros y misoedd nesaf, ac yn fwyaf arbennig, a allwn gynnal un ffwrnais chwyth sy'n parhau'n weithredol hyd at yr hydref eleni, a'r dyfodol mwy hirdymor y mae'r Llywodraeth hon wedi ymrwymo i frwydro drosto ac i ddadlau'r achos drosto, gyda buddsoddiad newydd sydd ond yn bosibl gyda newid ar lefel y DU.
Ac yn olaf, Jack Sargeant.
And finally, Jack Sargeant.
Diolch, Llywydd dros dro. The news coming from Port Talbot is extremely disappointing for Port Talbot and for steel communities across Cymru, and I say to the Member who represents the area: Shotton stands in solidarity with the workforce at Port Talbot and their families. As the Prif Weinidog has said before, the ability to produce virgin steel is something that is vitally important to the Welsh economy, and that is reflected in UK Labour's promised £3 billion to reinvigorate the UK steel industry. I wonder if the First Minister shares my concerns that this announcement ahead of any general election undermines an incoming Labour Government and their ability to invest in this important industry. And would you use your office as First Minister to urge Tata Steel to halt these plans and await the outcome of that much-needed general election? Diolch.
Diolch, Lywydd dros dro. Mae'r newyddion o Bort Talbot yn hynod siomedig i Bort Talbot ac i gymunedau dur ledled Cymru, a hoffwn ddweud wrth yr Aelod sy'n cynrychioli'r ardal: mae Shotton yn sefyll gyda'r gweithlu ym Mhort Talbot a'u teuluoedd. Fel y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi'i ddweud o'r blaen, mae'r gallu i gynhyrchu dur crai yn rhywbeth sy'n hanfodol bwysig i economi Cymru, ac mae hynny'n cael ei adlewyrchu yn addewid Llafur y DU o £3 biliwn i adfywio diwydiant dur y DU. Tybed a yw'r Prif Weinidog yn rhannu fy mhryderon fod y cyhoeddiad hwn cyn unrhyw etholiad cyffredinol yn tanseilio Llywodraeth Lafur newydd a'u gallu i fuddsoddi yn y diwydiant pwysig hwn. A wnewch chi ddefnyddio eich swydd fel Prif Weinidog i annog Tata Steel i oedi'r cynlluniau hyn ac i aros am ganlyniad yr etholiad cyffredinol mawr ei angen hwnnw? Diolch.
I think it is important to remake the case for a different future, and to be really clear about this Government's position—in fact, the position this whole Senedd took in the debate we had just a few weeks ago. I constantly restate the position of the Welsh Government: that we do not want irreversible choices made, that we want to see a blast furnace that is still running through the general election, whenever it comes. And that remains our position.
The challenge always is what takes place in the negotiation, what takes place with the business itself and, indeed, the requirements that Tata have to reorder and rework the orders they have. Because they know that if they lose customers, then those customers will go somewhere else and they won't come back. That's important for the business, and, of course, it's crucial for the workforce as well. So, there is something here about the transition time that is available, and that is in the business itself's interest, but also about making the case that there is a significant additional investment. And in fact, our UK Labour colleagues have been clear that an incoming UK Labour Government would make the £3 billion available over five years, not 10. So, actually, the front-loading of that investment is a bigger and clearer signal.
And, as I've said, there will be ambitions for the future of the UK and for Wales that will need more steel, not less. I am very clear, as indeed is the whole Government, that we want that steel to be made here in Wales as far as possible; we want the jobs that come with that and we want the opportunities that come with that wider economic infrastructure. And when we talk about green prosperity, we're very clear that steel is part of it. Not steel made to different standards in other parts of the world and transferred into Wales for rolling and introduction; that would be the worst economic future, and I'm very clear that that is not the path that we will ever advocate.
Rwy'n credu ei bod yn bwysig ail-wneud yr achos dros ddyfodol gwahanol, a bod yn glir iawn am safbwynt y Llywodraeth hon—mewn gwirionedd, y safbwynt a gymerodd y Senedd gyfan hon yn y ddadl a gawsom ychydig wythnosau yn ôl. Rwy'n ailddatgan safbwynt Llywodraeth Cymru yn gyson: nid ydym eisiau i ddewisiadau na ellir eu gwrthdroi gael eu gwneud, ac rydym eisiau gweld ffwrnais chwyth a fydd yn dal i weithredu drwy'r etholiad cyffredinol, pryd bynnag y daw. A dyna yw ein safbwynt ni o hyd.
Mae'r her bob amser yn ymwneud â'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn y negodiadau, yr hyn sy'n digwydd gyda'r busnes ei hun, ac yn wir, y gofynion sydd ar Tata i aildrefnu ac ailweithio'r archebion sydd ganddynt. Oherwydd maent yn gwybod, os byddant yn colli cwsmeriaid, bydd y cwsmeriaid hynny'n mynd i rywle arall ac ni fyddant yn dychwelyd. Mae hynny'n bwysig i'r busnes, ac wrth gwrs, mae'n hanfodol i'r gweithlu hefyd. Felly, mae yna rywbeth yma am yr amser pontio sydd ar gael, ac mae hynny er budd y busnes ei hun, ond mae hefyd yn ymwneud â dadlau'r achos dros fuddsoddiad ychwanegol sylweddol. Ac mewn gwirionedd, mae ein cyd-Aelodau Llafur y DU wedi bod yn glir y byddai Llywodraeth Lafur newydd yn y DU yn sicrhau bod y £3 biliwn ar gael dros bum mlynedd, nid 10. Felly, ceir arwydd mwy a chliriach mewn gwirionedd y bydd y buddsoddiad hwnnw'n cael ei wneud yn gynt.
Ac fel y dywedais, bydd yna uchelgeisiau ar gyfer dyfodol y DU a Chymru a fydd angen mwy o ddur, nid llai. Rwy'n glir iawn, fel y mae'r Llywodraeth gyfan yn wir, ein bod eisiau i'r dur hwnnw gael ei wneud yma yng Nghymru cyn belled ag y bo modd; rydym eisiau'r swyddi sy'n dod gyda hynny ac rydym eisiau'r cyfleoedd sy'n dod gyda'r seilwaith economaidd ehangach hwnnw. A phan fyddwn yn siarad am ffyniant gwyrdd, rydym yn glir iawn fod dur yn rhan ohono. Nid dur sydd wedi'i gynhyrchu i wahanol safonau mewn rhannau eraill o'r byd a'i fewnforio i Gymru i gael ei rolio a'i gyflwyno; dyna fyddai'r dyfodol economaidd gwaethaf, ac rwy'n glir iawn na fyddwn byth yn dadlau dros y llwybr hwnnw.
Diolch i'r Prif Weinidog Etholedig.
I thank the First Minister Elect.
Fe symudwn ni ymlaen nawr i eitem 2 ar ein hagenda, sef cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Newid Hinsawdd. Ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf yn cael ei ofyn gan Ken Skates.
We will move now to item 2 on our agenda, questions to the Minister for Climate Change. And the first question is from Ken Skates.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am effaith newid hinsawdd ar y rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth? OQ60856
1. Will the Minister make a statement on the impact of climate change on the transport network? OQ60856
Yes, I think we're already seeing the effects of extreme weather and climate change on all our transport networks and it's essential that we urgently take steps to prepare for the increasing risks, building on some of the good work already under way.
Gwnaf, rwy'n credu ein bod eisoes yn gweld effeithiau tywydd eithafol a newid hinsawdd ar ein holl rwydweithiau trafnidiaeth ac mae'n hanfodol ein bod yn cymryd camau ar frys i baratoi ar gyfer y peryglon cynyddol, gan adeiladu ar beth o'r gwaith da sydd eisoes ar y gweill.
Thank you, Minister. And it used to be that we'd only have to contend with leaves on the lines and light snowfalls on the roads, but these days, they get battered by persistent and heavy storms and by heavy rainfall. As somebody who appreciates and understands the climate emergency far more than most, would you agree that we need to futureproof our infrastructure, including transport infrastructure, for the challenges that we will face in the coming years?
Diolch yn fawr, Weinidog. Ac yn y gorffennol, nid oeddem ond yn gorfod mynd i'r afael â dail ar y rheilffyrdd ac eira ysgafn ar y ffyrdd, ond y dyddiau hyn, rydym yn gweld stormydd parhaus a thrwm, a glaw trwm yn effeithio arnynt. Fel rhywun sy'n derbyn ac yn deall yr argyfwng hinsawdd yn llawer mwy na'r rhan fwyaf, a fyddech chi'n cytuno bod angen inni ddiogelu ein seilwaith ar gyfer y dyfodol, gan gynnwys seilwaith trafnidiaeth, ar gyfer yr heriau y byddwn yn eu hwynebu yn y blynyddoedd i ddod?
Thank you. Absolutely. Futureproofing is critical. We both have to adapt to the climate change we are now facing because of the carbon already emitted, as well as mitigating future emissions to stop it getting worse. And to that end, I was very encouraged yesterday by Rhondda Cynon Taf's publication of its revised plans for the Llanharan bypass, which was rejected by the roads review panel, but, working really constructively with Transport for Wales, they've redesigned the scheme, halving its embedded carbon, avoiding all loss of ancient woodland, halving its damage on habitats, and producing a scheme with half the footprint and a lower cost to build and maintain. So, that just shows that, far from banning road building, we are launching a new chapter of road building, where we are leading the way, and I look forward to seeing that example of Rhondda Cynon Taf taken up by other local authorities as well.
And of course, the railways are also under significant strain, and the cost of dealing with our railways, which, as we know, a large number of them are on the coast, is going to be huge in the years to come. I think it does give us some pause for thought in how we design our ambition for the full devolution of rail to the Senedd and the Welsh Government, because unless we're careful we're taking on a massive maintenance and adaptation liability. So, this is going to be a far-reaching issue in the years to come, and will cost us more and more money, which again is why the roads review was important: to put more money into maintenance and adaptation.
Diolch. Yn sicr. Mae diogelu ar gyfer y dyfodol yn hanfodol. Mae'n rhaid inni addasu i'r newid hinsawdd rydym yn ei wynebu nawr oherwydd y carbon sydd eisoes wedi cael ei allyrru, yn ogystal â lliniaru allyriadau yn y dyfodol i sicrhau nad yw'n gwaethygu. Ac i'r perwyl hwnnw, cefais fy nghalonogi'n fawr ddoe gan y ffaith bod Rhondda Cynon Taf wedi cyhoeddi ei gynlluniau diwygiedig ar gyfer ffordd osgoi Llanharan, a wrthodwyd gan y panel adolygu ffyrdd, ond gan weithio'n adeiladol iawn gyda Trafnidiaeth Cymru, maent wedi ail-lunio'r cynllun, gan haneru ei garbon corfforedig, ac osgoi colli unrhyw goetir hynafol, haneru ei niwed i gynefinoedd, a chynhyrchu cynllun gyda hanner yr ôl troed carbon sy'n costio llai i'w adeiladu a'i gynnal. Felly, mae hynny'n dangos, yn hytrach na gwahardd adeiladu ffyrdd, ein bod yn lansio pennod newydd o adeiladu ffyrdd, lle rydym yn arwain y ffordd, ac edrychaf ymlaen at weld awdurdodau lleol eraill yn dilyn esiampl Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Ac wrth gwrs, mae'r rheilffyrdd dan straen sylweddol hefyd, ac mae'r gost o fynd i'r afael â'n rheilffyrdd, gyda nifer fawr ohonynt ar yr arfordir fel y gwyddom, yn mynd i fod yn enfawr yn y blynyddoedd i ddod. Rwy'n credu bod y ffordd y cynlluniwn ein huchelgais ar gyfer datganoli rheilffyrdd yn llawn i'r Senedd a Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhywbeth i feddwl yn galed amdano, oherwydd oni bai ein bod yn ofalus byddwn yn mabwysiadu rhwymedigaeth cynnal a chadw ac addasu enfawr. Felly, bydd hwn yn fater pellgyrhaeddol yn y blynyddoedd i ddod, a bydd yn costio mwy a mwy o arian i ni, a dyna pam, unwaith eto, fod yr adolygiad ffyrdd yn bwysig: er mwyn darparu mwy o arian ar gyfer gwaith cynnal a chadw ac addasu.
As a result of the climatic changes and inclement weather, we've seen in the Conwy valley, in the year to December 2023, 178 trains cancelled. Out of the cancellations, 36 were due to unit shortages, while the other 142 were due to flooding. The A470 trunk road in the Conwy valley is often subject to closure as a result of frequent heavy rainfall. It used to be when we had a serious flood; now, heavy, frequent rainfall can actually cause real problems on that road. The section between Tal-y-cafn and Llanrwst is often shut due to floods and water bursts. In fact, in the last 24 hours, we've seen the road completely blocked off at Maenan, so that people can't get through now to the Conwy valley or to, say, Llanrwst, as a result of heavy rainfall and flooding on the road.
I have spoken previously about the need for us to improve the safety and resilience of the transport infrastructure in the Conwy valley, but we are still hoping for some to come forward. What assurances can you give the residents of Aberconwy that Transport for Wales and the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent will work with our local authority environment, roads and facilities department to improve the resilience of the railway line and the A470 in the Conwy valley? Thank you.
O ganlyniad i'r newidiadau hinsawdd a'r tywydd garw, rydym wedi gweld yn nyffryn Conwy, yn y flwyddyn hyd at fis Rhagfyr 2023, fod 178 o drenau wedi cael eu canslo. O'r rheini, cafodd 36 eu canslo o ganlyniad i brinder unedau, tra bod y 142 arall wedi cael eu canslo o ganlyniad i lifogydd. Mae cefnffordd yr A470 yn Nyffryn Conwy yn aml yn gorfod cau o ganlyniad i law trwm. Roedd hynny'n arfer digwydd pan oeddem yn cael llifogydd difrifol; nawr, gall glawiadau trwm, mynych achosi problemau go iawn ar y ffordd honno. Mae'r darn rhwng Tal-y-cafn a Llanrwst yn aml ar gau oherwydd llifogydd a dŵr yn gorlifo. Yn wir, yn ystod y 24 awr ddiwethaf, mae'r ffordd wedi'i chau'n llwyr ym Maenan, felly ni all pobl fynd i ddyffryn Conwy na Llanrwst, er enghraifft, o ganlyniad i law trwm a llifogydd ar y ffordd.
Rwyf wedi siarad o'r blaen am yr angen i ni wella diogelwch a gwytnwch seilwaith trafnidiaeth yn nyffryn Conwy, ond rydym yn dal i obeithio gweld hynny'n digwydd. Pa sicrwydd y gallwch ei roi i drigolion Aberconwy y bydd Trafnidiaeth Cymru ac Asiant Cefnffyrdd Gogledd a Chanolbarth Cymru yn gweithio gydag adran amgylchedd, ffyrdd a chyfleusterau'r awdurdod lleol i wella gwytnwch y rheilffordd a'r A470 yn nyffryn Conwy? Diolch.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer took the Chair.
Thank you. Well, the Member rightly points out the range of impacts we're seeing already from man-made climate change, which is why we are taking action to tackle it. And I would say again that I welcome the support on the Conservative benches for reaching our net-zero targets and for going faster, but they also have to follow through, then, on the projects that flow from that to actually tackle the problem at source. And so far, every time we've brought forward action to tackle climate change, they've opposed it. Those two things stand in direct contradiction with each other. So, she is absolutely right to be concerned and alarmed about the impact on our communities from the more unpredictable weather. Last year was the hottest year on record, and this is only going to get worse, but we have to, together, muster the will to tackle this, rather than just mopping up the problem after it has been. We are, later this year, publishing a new national climate resilience strategy, and we are looking at bids currently to the roads resilience fund, and this is going to be an increasingly important issue in the future.
Diolch. Wel, mae'r Aelod yn tynnu sylw yn briodol at yr ystod o effeithiau rydym eisoes yn eu gweld o ganlyniad i newid hinsawdd a achosir gan bobl, a dyna pam ein bod yn gweithredu i fynd i'r afael ag ef. A hoffwn ddweud eto fy mod yn croesawu'r gefnogaeth ar feinciau'r Ceidwadwyr i gyrraedd ein targedau sero net ac i symud yn gyflymach, ond mae'n rhaid iddynt gefnogi'r prosiectau sy'n llifo o hynny wedyn i fynd i'r afael â gwraidd y broblem. A hyd yn hyn, bob tro y cyflwynwyd camau gennym i fynd i'r afael â newid hinsawdd, maent wedi eu gwrthwynebu. Mae'r ddau beth hyn yn gwrthgyferbynnu'n uniongyrchol â'i gilydd. Felly, mae'n iawn iddi fod yn bryderus a gofidus ynghylch effaith tywydd mwy anrhagweladwy ar ein cymunedau. Y llynedd oedd y flwyddyn boethaf erioed, ac ni fydd hyn ond yn gwaethygu, ond mae'n rhaid inni danio'r ewyllys i fynd i'r afael â hyn gyda'n gilydd, yn hytrach na dim ond mopio'r broblem wedi iddi ddigwydd. Yn ddiweddarach eleni, byddwn yn cyhoeddi strategaeth genedlaethol newydd ar gyfer gwrthsefyll newid hinsawdd, ac rydym yn edrych ar geisiadau i'r gronfa ffyrdd cydnerth ar hyn o bryd, a bydd hwn yn fater cynyddol bwysig yn y dyfodol.
I'm seeing more landslides, subsidence, stones and rocks appearing on roads and potholes growing. I'm really concerned about the resilience of the local network. There used to be grant funding for locally maintained roads, which has stopped, and I know one authority that has no funding left this financial year to fill potholes, basically, so they're waiting until April before they can continue. It's so dire.
I know there is competing funding pressures for capital resources, for schools, for housing. Highways are usually the last on the list to get funded. So, I'd like to ask you, Deputy Minister: do you think we need to have a basic limit, so that we can keep maintaining our roads? And also, do you agree that landowners also need to take responsibility for their ditches and drains to ensure that they don't actually drain onto the highways, as well, going forward?
Rwy'n gweld mwyfwy o dirlithriadau, ymsuddiant, cerrig a chreigiau'n ymddangos ar ffyrdd a thyllau yn y ffyrdd yn tyfu. Rwy'n poeni'n fawr am gydnerthedd y rhwydwaith lleol. Yn y gorffennol, roedd yna gyllid grant ar gyfer ffyrdd a gynhelir yn lleol, ac mae wedi dod i ben, ac rwy'n gwybod am un awdurdod nad oes ganddo unrhyw gyllid ar ôl yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon i lenwi tyllau yn y ffyrdd, felly mae'n rhaid iddynt aros tan fis Ebrill cyn y gallant barhau. Mae'n ofnadwy.
Rwy'n gwybod bod pwysau cyllidol yn cystadlu am adnoddau cyfalaf, ar gyfer ysgolion, ar gyfer tai. Fel arfer, priffyrdd sydd ar waelod y rhestr i gael eu hariannu. Felly, hoffwn ofyn i chi, Ddirprwy Weinidog: a ydych chi'n credu bod angen i ni gael terfyn sylfaenol, fel y gallwn barhau i gynnal ein ffyrdd? A hefyd, a ydych chi'n cytuno bod angen i dirfeddianwyr hefyd gymryd cyfrifoldeb am eu ffosydd a'u draeniau i sicrhau nad ydynt yn gorlifo ar y priffyrdd yn y dyfodol?
Yes, the pressure is there on all transport networks—road, rail and active travel—and, as I said, it's going to get more intense. We do have funding for the resilient roads fund, and I think this is going to be an increasingly important part of the way that we are dealing with climate change. As I said, over time, by redirecting funding from new roads that we don't maintain, we need to spend more on maintaining the roads we have and adapting the infrastructure to cope. A good example of that recently was the new Dyfi bridge, just north of Machnylleth, where, as a result of the assessment of flooding, the viaduct design was made longer. So, that's now a key part of our thinking as we design new schemes. But she is right, there's a range of responsibilities for this, and maintenance has never been a terribly sexy issue, as she points out, and all of us need to understand that more money needs to be directed towards that.
Mae yna bwysau ar bob rhwydwaith trafnidiaeth—ffyrdd, rheilffyrdd a theithio llesol—ac fel y dywedais, bydd y sefyllfa'n dwysáu. Mae gennym gyllid ar gyfer y gronfa ffyrdd cydnerth, ac rwy'n credu y bydd hon yn rhan gynyddol bwysig o'r ffordd yr awn i'r afael â newid hinsawdd. Fel y dywedais, dros amser, drwy ailgyfeirio cyllid o ffyrdd newydd nad ydym yn eu cynnal, mae angen inni wario mwy ar gynnal a chadw'r ffyrdd sydd gennym ac addasu'r seilwaith i ymdopi. Enghraifft dda o hynny yn ddiweddar yw pont newydd Dyfi, i'r gogledd o Fachynlleth, lle cafodd cynllun y draphont ei wneud yn hwy o ganlyniad i'r asesiad o lifogydd. Felly, mae hynny bellach yn rhan allweddol o'n meddylfryd wrth i ni lunio cynlluniau newydd. Ond mae hi'n iawn, mae yna ystod o gyfrifoldebau ar gyfer hyn, ac nid yw cynnal a chadw erioed wedi bod yn fater deniadol iawn, fel y noda, ac mae angen i bob un ohonom ddeall bod angen cyfeirio mwy o arian tuag at hynny.
2. Sut mae'r Llywodraeth yn sicrhau ei bod yn cyflawni ei hymrwymiad i Gymru ddod yn garbon niwtral? OQ60878
2. How is the Government ensuring that it fulfils its commitment to Wales becoming carbon neutral? OQ60878
Thank you. Wales has a target of reaching net zero by 2050. Net zero is more ambitious than carbon neutrality. Our target is supported by interim targets and carbon budgets, which this and future Governments must adhere to. The plan for the current carbon budget, 'Net Zero Wales', was published in 2021.
Diolch. Mae gan Gymru darged i gyrraedd sero net erbyn 2050. Mae sero net yn fwy uchelgeisiol na charbon niwtral. Cefnogir ein targed gan dargedau dros dro a chyllidebau carbon y mae'n rhaid i Lywodraethau'r dyfodol gydymffurfio â nhw. Cyhoeddwyd y cynllun ar gyfer y gyllideb garbon bresennol, 'Cymru Sero Net', yn 2021.
Diolch yn fawr am yr ateb yna, Weinidog.
Thank you for that response, Minister.
In light of the Stage 3 debate we had yesterday, and also a petition that was discussed in Petitions Committee on Monday, I want to get your views on the balance between large-scale solar developments and sites of special scientific interest. What protections are there now in the new Bill, as amended yesterday? And talking to the petitioners against the development on the Gwent levels, there were two other things that were raised with the committee Chair, Jack Sargeant, and myself. Could you confirm when you will publish the guidance on chapter 6 of the new Wales planning policy? And when will you also publish the post-construction monitoring study that I'm led to believe is ready for publication?
Yng ngoleuni'r ddadl Cyfnod 3 a gawsom ddoe, a hefyd deiseb a drafodwyd yng nghyfarfod y Pwyllgor Deisebau ddydd Llun, hoffwn glywed eich barn ar y cydbwysedd rhwng datblygiadau solar ar raddfa fawr a safleoedd o ddiddordeb gwyddonol arbennig. Pa amddiffyniadau sydd yn y Bil newydd nawr, fel y'i diwygiwyd ddoe? Ac wrth siarad â'r deisebwyr yn erbyn y datblygiad ar wastadeddau Gwent, codwyd dau fater arall gyda Chadeirydd y pwyllgor, Jack Sargeant, a minnau. A allwch chi gadarnhau pryd y byddwch chi'n cyhoeddi'r canllawiau ar bennod 6 o bolisi cynllunio newydd Cymru? A pha bryd y byddwch chi'n cyhoeddi'r astudiaeth fonitro ar ôl adeiladu sydd, yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, yn barod i gael ei chyhoeddi?
Yes, that's a very excellent question, and there is always, isn't there, a balance to be struck between protecting designated landscapes of all sorts, whether they're SSSIs or we have several other designations, obviously, as well, and getting the renewables that we want and the infrastructure that we want in Wales. I think we have got to strike that balance in a very judicious way. So, we have actually, very recently as a Senedd, through our strengthening of the statutory instrument that governs designated landscapes, strengthened the protection for designated landscapes against any development at all.
One of the things I said during that debate was that I thought it was very much the case that if you stopped Mr and Mrs Jones some place in Wales and asked them whether you could pave something in a designated landscape, they would be astonished to find that you in fact could. So, we've very much strengthened that as a Senedd. That went through unanimously. I'm very pleased to say that. And that's about trying to find the right balance between what's allowed and what isn't allowed in a designated landscape.
A solar farm is a complex issue there, because solar farms are generally regarded as not permanent because they are less than 50 years, usually, as the length of the solar farm. I think 50 years is quite permanent; it will certainly see me out. So, you know, that's quite permanent from my point of view. But you can design a solar farm, and I have seen several examples of this around Wales, so that it's very high up off the ground, that it has pivoting panels, it's surrounded by trees or other protected landscapes—not necessarily trees, but peatland or whatever—and actually has a pretty species-rich meadow underneath it, for example. So, it's hard to answer your question very specifically, because it depends on the type of solar farm we're talking about, the structure that's there, and all of the things.
I obviously can't comment on individual planning applications for obvious reasons, but we have been encouraging the solar farm industry in particular to design their solar farms in a way that means that if they are on land—on roofs of buildings is also excellent—but if they are on land, that that land is not neutralised in any way, that it's actually able to support other things. And that can be anything from grazing to flower-rich meadows, which I've seen. I've seen all kinds of things under them. You do, however, still see solar farms that are so close to the ground that they've pretty much killed the land underneath. That's probably not quite the right word, but they've made it much harder to have it as producing anything at all. We have been actively discouraging that as a design, and that's already in 'Planning Policy Wales'.
We keep all planning policy under review and, in particular, we try to keep it under review for emerging technologies. I'm no expert in this, but as I understand it, on the design of solar panels, it's much easier to make them tilt towards the sun all the time, for example, and therefore the land underneath isn't permanently shaded and so on. So, I can't answer your question about specific designated landscapes, but I can tell you those three things: we've strengthened the guidance, we work with the solar farm operators to try and get the best design, and 'Planning Policy Wales' already has a large number of those things, though we keep it under review all the time.
Mae hwnnw'n gwestiwn ardderchog, ac mae angen sicrhau cydbwysedd bob amser, onid oes, rhwng gwarchod tirweddau dynodedig o bob math, boed yn SoDdGA neu mae gennym nifer o ddynodiadau eraill hefyd wrth gwrs, a sicrhau'r ynni adnewyddadwy yr ydym ei eisiau a'r seilwaith yr ydym ei eisiau yng Nghymru. Rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid inni sicrhau'r cydbwysedd hwnnw mewn ffordd ddoeth iawn. Felly, yn ddiweddar iawn, fel Senedd, rydym wedi cryfhau'r offeryn statudol sy'n llywodraethu tirweddau dynodedig, a thrwy hynny wedi cryfhau'r amddiffyniad i dirweddau dynodedig yn erbyn unrhyw ddatblygiadau o gwbl.
Un o'r pethau a ddywedais yn ystod y ddadl honno oedd fy mod yn credu, pe byddech yn gofyn i Mr a Mrs Jones yn rhywle yng Nghymru a allech chi balmantu dros rywbeth mewn tirwedd ddynodedig, y byddent yn synnu clywed y gallech chi wneud hynny mewn gwirionedd. Felly, rydym wedi cryfhau hynny fel Senedd. Cafodd ei dderbyn yn unfryd. Rwy'n falch iawn o ddweud hynny. Ac mae'n ymwneud â cheisio dod o hyd i'r cydbwysedd cywir rhwng yr hyn a ganiateir a'r hyn nas caniateir mewn tirwedd ddynodedig.
Mae ffermydd solar yn fater cymhleth, oherwydd yn gyffredinol ystyrir nad yw ffermydd solar yn barhaol oherwydd eu bod yn para llai na 50 mlynedd, fel arfer. Rwy'n credu bod 50 mlynedd yn eithaf parhaol; yn sicr bydd yn para'n hwy nag y gwnaf i. Felly, wyddoch chi, mae hynny'n eithaf parhaol yn fy marn i. Ond gallwch lunio fferm solar, ac rwyf wedi gweld sawl enghraifft o hyn o gwmpas Cymru, fel ei bod gryn dipyn yn uwch na lefel y ddaear, fel bod ganddi baneli sy'n troi, gyda choed neu dirweddau gwarchodedig eraill o'i hamgylch—nid coed o reidrwydd, ond mawndir neu beth bynnag—a bod ganddi ddôl llawn rhywogaethau oddi tani, er enghraifft. Felly, mae'n anodd ateb eich cwestiwn yn benodol iawn, oherwydd mae'n dibynnu ar y math o fferm solar y siaradwn amdani, y strwythur sydd yno ac yn y blaen.
Ni allaf wneud sylwadau ar geisiadau cynllunio unigol am resymau amlwg, ond rydym wedi bod yn annog y diwydiant ffermydd solar yn arbennig i lunio eu ffermydd solar mewn ffordd sy'n golygu, os ydynt ar dir—mae ar doeau adeiladau yn ardderchog hefyd—ond os ydynt ar dir, nad yw'r tir hwnnw wedi'i niwtraleiddio mewn unrhyw ffordd, a'i fod yn gallu cynnal pethau eraill. A gall hynny fod yn unrhyw beth o bori i ddolydd llawn blodau, fel y gwelais. Rwyf wedi gweld pob math o bethau oddi tanynt. Fodd bynnag, rydych chi'n dal i weld ffermydd solar sydd mor agos at y ddaear nes eu bod wedi lladd y tir oddi tano fwy neu lai. Mae'n debyg nad dyna'r gair cywir, ond maent wedi'i gwneud yn llawer anos iddo gynhyrchu unrhyw beth o gwbl. Rydym wedi bod yn annog pobl i wrthod cynlluniau o'r fath, ac mae hynny eisoes wedi'i nodi yn 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru'.
Rydym yn parhau i adolygu pob polisi cynllunio, ac yn fwyaf arbennig, rydym yn ceisio eu hadolygu ar gyfer technolegau sy'n dod i'r amlwg. Nid wyf yn arbenigwr ar hyn, ond yn ôl yr hyn a ddeallaf, mewn perthynas â chynllun paneli solar, mae'n llawer haws gwneud iddynt ogwyddo tuag at yr haul drwy'r amser, er enghraifft, ac felly nid yw'r tir oddi tanynt yn cael ei gysgodi'n barhaol ac yn y blaen. Felly, ni allaf ateb eich cwestiwn am dirweddau dynodedig penodol, ond gallaf ddweud tri pheth wrthych: rydym wedi cryfhau'r canllawiau, rydym yn gweithio gyda gweithredwyr ffermydd solar i geisio sicrhau'r cynllun gorau, ac mae gan 'Polisi Cynllunio Cymru' nifer fawr o'r pethau hynny eisoes, er ein bod yn ei adolygu'n barhaus drwy'r amser.
How is building more gas-powered power stations, as suggested by the Conservatives at Westminster, going to help us towards reaching the carbon neutral target? We're seeing climate change affecting our weather continually. Does the Minister agree how important the Swansea tidal lagoon is and will the Minister continue to press for the Swansea tidal lagoon to be built as we discover that gas gets more and more expensive with time?
Sut mae adeiladu mwy o orsafoedd pŵer nwy, fel yr awgrymwyd gan y Ceidwadwyr yn San Steffan, yn mynd i'n helpu tuag at gyrraedd y targed carbon niwtral? Rydym yn gweld newid hinsawdd yn effeithio ar ein tywydd yn barhaus. A yw'r Gweinidog yn cytuno bod morlyn llanw Abertawe yn bwysig iawn ac a wnaiff y Gweinidog barhau i bwyso am adeiladu morlyn llanw Abertawe wrth inni weld bod nwy yn mynd yn fwyfwy costus gydag amser?
Quite clearly, Mike, I absolutely agree with you that building gas-fired power stations doesn't contribute to anything at all other than increased climate change and increased heating. We've just seen, year on year, really quite scarily, each year being hotter than the year before. This is the hottest year on record. Last year was the hottest year on record; before that, the year before was the hottest on record. We've also just had the wettest February on record. These things are not not happening to us—they're happening to us as we speak. We've seen droughts in Wales—who would have thought we would ever see a drought in Wales? These things are real; they are really real. And so, of course, what we have to do, therefore, is stop using fossil fuels.
We have to do active things to actually help the climate emergency. As my colleague Lee Waters just said, it’s all very well for the Conservative benches to tell us that they agree with this, but they always oppose everything we try to do about it. You have to actually, in the end, put your money where your mouth is. Building more gas-fired power stations is just not at all what we should be doing. Instead, we should be exploiting tidal energy. We live on an island surrounded by the most extraordinary seas—they are capable of powering the whole of Europe. Of course we should be doing that.
I was absolutely delighted to be at the marine energy conference in Swansea last Wednesday, and I was able to announce that the Welsh Government has fulfilled its programme for government commitment to hold the tidal lagoon challenge. The challenge is a £750,000 grant fund, which will reduce or remove barriers to the tidal lagoon development. We had a strong set of applications, and I had the real privilege of announcing the winners of those applications. We now have three projects ongoing across Wales looking to see how we can accelerate the development of a tidal lagoon, not just in Swansea, which I would very much like to see, but actually in all of the other areas of Wales that would suit tidal lagoon development.
Yn amlwg, Mike, rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â chi nad yw adeiladu gorsafoedd pŵer nwy yn cyfrannu at unrhyw beth o gwbl heblaw mwy o newid hinsawdd a mwy o gynhesu. Yn eithaf brawychus, rydym newydd weld, flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn, fod pob blwyddyn yn boethach na'r flwyddyn flaenorol. Dyma'r flwyddyn boethaf erioed. Y llynedd oedd y flwyddyn boethaf erioed; cyn hynny, y flwyddyn cynt oedd y boethaf a gofnodwyd. Rydym hefyd newydd gael y mis Chwefror gwlypaf a gofnodwyd. Mae'r pethau hyn yn digwydd i ni—maent yn digwydd i ni wrth i ni siarad. Rydym wedi gweld sychder yng Nghymru—pwy fyddai wedi meddwl y byddem yn gweld sychder yng Nghymru? Mae'r pethau hyn yn real; maent yn wirioneddol real. Ac felly, wrth gwrs, yr hyn sy'n rhaid i ni ei wneud yw rhoi'r gorau i ddefnyddio tanwydd ffosil.
Mae'n rhaid i ni wneud pethau gweithredol i helpu'r argyfwng hinsawdd. Fel y dywedodd fy nghyd-Aelod, Lee Waters, un peth yw i feinciau'r Ceidwadwyr ddweud wrthym eu bod yn cytuno â hyn, ond maent bob amser yn gwrthwynebu popeth y ceisiwn ei wneud yn ei gylch. Mae'n rhaid i chi, yn y pen draw, roi eich arian ar eich gair. Ni ddylem fod yn adeiladu mwy o orsafoedd pŵer nwy o gwbl. Yn hytrach, dylem fod yn manteisio ar ynni'r llanw. Rydym yn byw ar ynys sydd wedi'i hamgylchynu gan y moroedd mwyaf eithriadol—gallant bweru Ewrop gyfan. Wrth gwrs y dylem fod yn gwneud hynny.
Roeddwn falch iawn o fod yn y gynhadledd ynni morol yn Abertawe ddydd Mercher diwethaf, ac roeddwn yn gallu cyhoeddi bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cyflawni ei hymrwymiad rhaglen lywodraethu i gynnal her y morlyn llanw. Cronfa grant o £750,000 yw'r her, i leihau neu ddileu rhwystrau i ddatblygiad y morlyn llanw. Roedd gennym set gref o geisiadau, a chefais y fraint wirioneddol o gyhoeddi enillwyr y ceisiadau hynny. Bellach mae gennym dri phrosiect yn mynd rhagddynt ledled Cymru i weld sut y gallwn gyflymu datblygiad morlyn llanw, nid yn unig yn Abertawe, rhywbeth yr hoffwn ei weld yn fawr iawn, ond ym mhob ardal arall yng Nghymru a fyddai'n addas ar gyfer datblygu morlyn llanw.
Minister, we all want a cleaner and greener Wales. I think it's disingenuous to say anything else, but as the UK Government has recognised, you have to take the public with you on that journey and ensure that it does not financially punish them. So, on that, Minister, will the Welsh Government be making some common-sense decisions, like the UK Government have, to ensure that the Welsh people aren't financially punished on this journey to net zero?
Weinidog, rydym i gyd eisiau Cymru lanach a gwyrddach. Rwy'n credu ei bod yn anonest dweud unrhyw beth arall, ond fel y mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi cydnabod, mae'n rhaid i chi ddod â'r cyhoedd gyda chi ar y daith honno a sicrhau nad yw'n eu cosbi'n ariannol. Felly, ar hynny, Weinidog, a fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud penderfyniadau synnwyr cyffredin, fel Llywodraeth y DU, i sicrhau nad yw pobl Cymru'n cael eu cosbi'n ariannol ar y daith hon tuag at sero net?
I don’t think a Conservative Government has made any decisions that I could recommend to the Welsh public on any kind of carbon neutrality, so, the answer to that is ‘no’.
Nid wyf yn credu bod Llywodraeth Geidwadol wedi gwneud unrhyw benderfyniadau y gallwn eu hargymell i'r cyhoedd yng Nghymru ar unrhyw fath o ateb carbon niwtral, felly'r ateb i hynny yw 'na'.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau, ac yn gyntaf, llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, Natasha Asghar.
Questions now from the party spokespeople, and first, the Welsh Conservative spokesperson, Natasha Asghar.
Thank you so much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Deputy Minister, can I just take this opportunity to say thank you for finally plucking up the courage to speak with some of the anti-blanket-20-mph protestors at the Welsh Parliament last week? I've been informed by the attendees that the meeting was certainly interesting and that it was tense at times as well, with you apparently branding some of the group, and I quote, 'childish'. Do you honestly believe, Deputy Minister, that this is the way that politicians should be speaking to the people who we have been elected to serve?
Forever the patronising politician, you also, apparently, told the group that the 20 mph scheme was required to, and I quote for everyone's benefit, 're-educate Welsh drivers'. That's quite a staggering comment there, Deputy Minister. But perhaps the most interesting part of the meeting is when you apparently said that the 20 mph policy would be changed if fatalities aren't reduced. So, Deputy Minister, as delighted as I would be to see this policy axed once and for all, given that you're about to skip off into the sunset, how can you go ahead and make commitments like this, or was this simply a case of you telling people what they wanted to hear in order to get out of the meeting quicker?
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Ddirprwy Weinidog, a gaf i achub ar y cyfle hwn i ddweud diolch am fagu dewrder o'r diwedd i siarad â rhai o'r protestwyr gwrth-20 mya cyffredinol yn Senedd Cymru yr wythnos diwethaf? Clywais gan y mynychwyr fod y cyfarfod yn sicr yn ddiddorol a'i fod yn llawn tensiwn ar brydiau hefyd, gyda chi mae'n tebyg yn galw rhai o'r grŵp, ac rwy'n dyfynnu, yn 'blentynaidd'. A ydych chi'n credu'n onest, Ddirprwy Weinidog, mai dyma'r ffordd y dylai gwleidyddion siarad â'r bobl y cawsom ein hethol i'w gwasanaethu?
Fel gwleidydd nawddoglyd, fe wnaethoch chi ddweud wrth y grŵp hefyd, mae'n debyg, fod angen y cynllun 20 mya i, ac rwy'n dyfynnu er budd pawb, 'ailaddysgu gyrwyr Cymru'. Mae hwnnw'n sylw eithaf syfrdanol, Ddirprwy Weinidog. Ond efallai mai rhan fwyaf diddorol y cyfarfod oedd pan ddywedoch chi y byddai'r polisi 20 mya yn cael ei newid os na fydd nifer y marwolaethau'n lleihau. Felly, Ddirprwy Weinidog, er yr hoffwn yn fawr weld y polisi hwn yn cael ei ddileu unwaith ac am byth, o ystyried eich bod ar fin gadael y rôl, sut y gallwch chi fwrw ymlaen a gwneud ymrwymiadau fel hyn, neu a oedd yn fater o ddweud wrth bobl beth roeddent eisiau ei glywed er mwyn gadael y cyfarfod yn gyflymach?
Well, Dirprwy Lywydd, I certainly won't miss this. I've been reflecting on the level of scrutiny during my time as a Minister as I prepare to return to the backbenches, and I must say that the scrutiny from the Conservatives has been really poor. I think there are a number of areas where we could legitimately be tested and challenged, and I welcome challenge. Instead, we have a regular rant, designed for social media, which does nothing to scrutinise, populated by sneers and personal derogatory remarks, which I think is beneath this Chamber. But I've now given up expecting any better.
In terms of her very partial account of a private conversation I had with the petitioners and the organiser of the most recent protest, it actually was a very cordial, constructive half an hour or more conversation. In terms of me saying they were childish, I think that, at one point, when one of them was constantly interrupting me, I said, 'That was childish, and we should have a mature conversation', which we did. So, she's quoting selectively from a private conversation, and inaccurately.
As I've said publicly, we are monitoring the roll-out of this policy. We are following the evidence. The evidence has been clear that this will reduce speeds, reduce collisions, save lives, and improve local neighbourhoods. And the results of the first six months bear that out: speeds are down, the number of people travelling within the speed enforcement threshold is over 90 per cent. So, I'm very encouraged by how it's going. The opinion poll tracking is also showing attitudes beginning to change, as indeed we anticipated they would when we set out on this path. This is a difficult area of policy development, and, again, back to the earlier question, when it comes to decisions to tackle climate change, you need to show bold leadership. And again, the Conservatives sneer at every attempt to do that.
I'm proud of what we're doing. I'm proud of my record as a Minister. I'm very grateful to have in the Chamber this afternoon members of my private office and my special adviser team, who have supported me over the last three years. I think we have been willing to tackle some of the difficult issues, which the future generations Act tells us we must—and the Conservatives supported that as well. Time will tell. It will need tweaking, it will need altering, it will need adjusting, and that's absolutely what we're doing through the review. I'm confident that, in time, we will see that this will be seen to be the right thing, and, once again, she will be seen to be on the wrong side of history.
Wel, Ddirprwy Lywydd, yn sicr ni fyddaf yn gweld colli hyn. Rwyf wedi bod yn ystyried lefel y craffu yn ystod fy nghyfnod fel Gweinidog wrth imi baratoi i ddychwelyd i'r meinciau cefn, ac mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod y craffu gan y Ceidwadwyr wedi bod yn wael iawn. Rwy'n credu bod nifer o feysydd lle gallem gael ein profi a'n herio'n briodol, ac rwy'n croesawu her. Yn hytrach, clywn refru rheolaidd, wedi'i gynllunio ar gyfer y cyfryngau cymdeithasol, nad yw'n cyflawni unrhyw graffu, ac yn llawn o sarhad a sylwadau personol difrïol, sydd islaw'r Siambr hon yn fy marn i. Ond rwyf wedi rhoi'r gorau i ddisgwyl gwell.
Ar ei chyfrif rhannol iawn o sgwrs breifat a gefais gyda'r deisebwyr a threfnydd y brotest ddiweddaraf, roedd yn sgwrs hanner awr neu fwy adeiladol a chalonogol iawn mewn gwirionedd. O ran dweud eu bod yn blentynnaidd, ar un pwynt, pan oedd un ohonynt yn torri ar fy nhraws yn barhaus, rwy'n credu imi ddweud, 'Roedd hynny'n blentynnaidd, a dylem gael sgwrs aeddfed', ac fe gawsom un. Felly, mae hi'n dyfynnu'n ddetholus ac yn anghywir o sgwrs breifat.
Fel y dywedais yn gyhoeddus, rydym yn monitro'r broses o gyflwyno'r polisi hwn. Rydym yn dilyn y dystiolaeth. Mae'r dystiolaeth wedi bod yn glir y bydd hyn yn gostwng cyflymder, yn lleihau nifer y gwrthdrawiadau, yn achub bywydau, ac yn gwella cymdogaethau lleol. Ac mae canlyniadau'r chwe mis cyntaf yn cadarnhau hynny: mae cyflymder wedi gostwng, mae nifer y bobl sy'n teithio o fewn y trothwy cyflymder gorfodol dros 90 y cant. Felly, rwy'n falch iawn o sut mae'n mynd. Mae'r arolygon barn hefyd yn dangos bod agweddau'n dechrau newid, fel y rhagwelwyd y byddent pan ddechreuasom ar y llwybr hwn. Mae hwn yn faes datblygu polisi anodd, ac unwaith eto, yn ôl at y cwestiwn cynharach, o ran penderfyniadau i fynd i'r afael â newid hinsawdd, mae angen i chi ddangos arweinyddiaeth eofn. Ac unwaith eto, mae'r Ceidwadwyr yn sarhau pob ymgais i wneud hynny.
Rwy'n falch o'r hyn a wnawn. Rwy'n falch iawn o fy nghyflawniad fel Gweinidog. Rwy'n falch iawn fod aelodau o fy swyddfa breifat a fy nhîm cynghorwyr arbennig yn y Siambr y prynhawn yma, tîm sydd wedi fy nghefnogi dros y tair blynedd diwethaf. Rwy'n credu ein bod wedi bod yn barod i fynd i'r afael â rhai o'r materion anodd, fel y mae Deddf cenedlaethau'r dyfodol yn dweud wrthym fod yn rhaid i ni ei wneud—ac fe gefnogodd y Ceidwadwyr honno hefyd. Amser a ddengys. Bydd angen mân newidiadau, bydd angen ei addasu, bydd angen ei fireinio, a dyna'n bendant a wnawn drwy'r adolygiad. Rwy'n hyderus, ymhen amser, y byddwn yn gweld mai dyma'r peth iawn i'w wneud, ac unwaith eto, fe welir ei bod hi ar yr ochr anghywir i hanes.
Deputy Minister, this is probably the last time you and I are going to go head to head in this Chamber on transport topics. With all due respect, I appreciate everything that you've just said there. However, you cannot deny and you cannot ignore that just under 0.5 million people have gone ahead to sign a petition wanting to rescind your ludicrous policy.
You've held this role since May 2021, and have really made your mark in that time—I'd argue, for the wrong reasons, and I'm sure you won't like me saying this. So, before you jump into your chauffeur-driven car for one last time, in relation to what you've just said, are you honestly, genuinely proud of your record when it comes to transport in Wales? Because, honestly, I'd say the public really does think the opposite.
Ddirprwy Weinidog, mae'n debyg mai dyma'r tro olaf y byddwch chi a minnau'n mynd benben yn y Siambr hon ar bynciau trafnidiaeth. Gyda phob parch, rwy'n gwerthfawrogi popeth a ddywedoch chi. Ond ni allwch wadu ac ni allwch anwybyddu bod ychydig o dan 0.5 miliwn o bobl wedi llofnodi deiseb yn galw am ddiddymu eich polisi hurt.
Rydych chi wedi bod yn y rôl hon ers mis Mai 2021, ac wedi gwneud eich marc yn yr amser hwnnw—am y rhesymau anghywir, byddwn i'n dadlau, ac rwy'n siŵr na fyddwch chi'n hoffi imi ddweud hyn. Felly, cyn i chi neidio i mewn i'ch car sy'n cael ei yrru gan chauffeur am un tro olaf, ar yr hyn rydych chi newydd ei ddweud, a ydych chi o ddifrif yn wirioneddol falch o'ch cyflawniad ym maes trafnidiaeth yng Nghymru? Oherwydd, yn onest, byddwn i'n dweud bod y cyhoedd yn meddwl i'r gwrthwyneb.
I'm not really sure what the question is there. I actually travel most days on my bike to work. But as it happens, I am going to go home by car tonight, because I have a large picture to take with me—I hope that's permissible. The point stands: yes, of course, this policy is contentious. Absolutely, there are lots of people who are opposed to it, and they signed a petition, which was riddled with inaccuracies, based a lot on the misinformation that her and her party put out, and are still putting out, and telling lies about our policies. I see again last week she is saying that we have banned road building in Wales, when clearly that is not factually true. And again, yesterday, we showed how we're going to adopt road schemes to make them fit for the future. We're not banning road schemes. I wish she would ban lying. I wish she would reflect on the contribution she makes to crying hate towards politicians when she contributes to a poisonous culture of language and misinformation. I think that is appalling. [Interruption.] This—
Nid wyf yn siŵr iawn beth yw'r cwestiwn yn y fan honno. Ar y rhan fwyaf o ddyddiau rwy'n teithio ar fy meic i'r gwaith. Ond fel mae'n digwydd, rwy'n mynd adref mewn car heno, am fod gennyf lun mawr i'w gario gyda fi—gobeithio bod hynny wedi'i ganiatáu. Mae'r pwynt yn aros: ydy, wrth gwrs bod y polisi hwn yn ddadleuol. Yn bendant, mae yna lawer o bobl sy'n ei wrthwynebu, ac fe wnaethant lofnodi deiseb, a oedd yn frith o gamgymeriadau, yn seiliedig i raddau helaeth ar y gamwybodaeth y mae hi a'i phlaid wedi'i lledaenu, ac yn dal i'w lledaenu, a'r celwyddau am ein polisïau. Rwy'n gweld eto yr wythnos diwethaf ei bod yn dweud ein bod wedi gwahardd adeiladu ffyrdd yng Nghymru, pan fo'n amlwg nad yw hynny'n ffeithiol wir. Ac eto, ddoe, fe wnaethom ddangos sut byddwn yn mabwysiadu cynlluniau ffyrdd i'w gwneud yn addas ar gyfer y dyfodol. Nid ydym yn atal cynlluniau ffyrdd. Hoffwn pe bai hi'n atal y celwydd. Hoffwn pe bai'n ystyried y cyfraniad y mae'n ei wneud tuag at anelu casineb tuag at wleidyddion pan fo'n cyfrannu at ddiwylliant gwenwynig o iaith a chamwybodaeth. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n warthus. [Torri ar draws.] Mae'r—
Deputy Minister, I think the language needs to be very careful in the contributions—[Interruption.]—on all sides, I agree. But I do not think that the Member is encouraging hate whatsoever, and I think that should be withdrawn.
Ddirprwy Weinidog, rwy'n credu bod angen i'r iaith fod yn ofalus iawn yn y cyfraniadau—[Torri ar draws.]—ar bob ochr, rwy'n cytuno. Ond nid wyf yn credu bod yr Aelod yn annog casineb o gwbl, ac rwy'n credu y dylid tynnu hynny'n ôl.
Well, I'm afraid that is a highly debatable point. In my view, the tone and nature—[Interruption.] The tone and nature of the contributions contribute to a personalising of this debate, which then fuels online campaigns, which are fuelled by the misinformation that Natasha Asghar continues to put out, and that has consequences for each of us, Dirprwy Lywydd. I won't withdraw, I'm afraid, because I have faced the direct consequence of that. This is a controversial and contentious policy, and, over time, I think it will be proven to be the right one.
Wel, rwy'n ofni bod hwnnw'n bwynt hynod ddadleuol. Yn fy marn i, mae cywair a natur—[Torri ar draws.] Mae cywair a natur y cyfraniadau yn cyfrannu at wneud y ddadl hon yn bersonol, sydd wedyn yn tanio ymgyrchoedd ar-lein, sy'n cael eu tanio gan y gamwybodaeth y mae Natasha Asghar yn parhau i'w rhoi allan, ac sydd â chanlyniadau i bob un ohonom, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Mae arnaf ofn na wnaf ei dynnu'n ôl oherwydd rwyf wedi wynebu canlyniad uniongyrchol hynny. Mae hwn yn bolisi dadleuol, a dros amser, rwy'n credu y profir ei fod yn gywir.
We will discuss this point further. You have one final question, Natasha.
Fe wnawn drafod y pwynt ymhellach. Mae gennych un cwestiwn olaf, Natasha.
Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Deputy Minister, I'll be honest with you, I'm quite disgusted by your comment just there. The fact that you've blamed me for hate—are you actually joking? But let's get back down to the questions, because, ultimately, that's what we're here to do. I want to go on a trip down memory lane and actually look at the record that you've created here in Wales in your time as Deputy Minister.
Let's start with No. 1. You've imposed blanket 20 mph speed limits across the country despite the public—[Interruption.] With all due respect, Minister, and I'm going to remind you again, this was reported to the standards commissioner, who actually said in his report that anyone who has a problem with the word 'blanket' needs to tolerate it. Once and for all—there's no hate included—tolerate it. [Interruption.]
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Ddirprwy Weinidog, rwyf am fod yn onest gyda chi, rwy'n ffieiddio at eich sylw yn y fan honno. Mae'r ffaith eich bod wedi fy meio i am gasineb—a ydych chi o ddifrif? Ond gadewch inni fynd yn ôl at y cwestiynau, oherwydd, yn y pen draw, dyna beth rydym yma i'w wneud. Rwyf am fynd ar daith i lawr lôn atgofion ac edrych ar eich cyflawniad yma yng Nghymru yn eich amser fel Dirprwy Weinidog.
Gadewch inni ddechrau gyda Rhif 1. Rydych chi wedi gosod terfynau cyflymder 20 mya cyffredinol ledled y wlad er gwaethaf—[Torri ar draws.] Gyda phob parch, Weinidog, ac rwy'n mynd i'ch atgoffa chi eto, adroddwyd am hyn wrth y comisiynydd safonau, a ddywedodd yn ei adroddiad mewn gwirionedd fod angen i unrhyw un sydd â phroblem gyda'r gair 'cyffredinol' ei oddef. Unwaith ac am byth—nid oes unrhyw gasineb ynghlwm wrth hynny—goddefwch ef. [Torri ar draws.]
Can I remind Members, please, on all sides, that they should ensure their voices are kept at a reasonable level, and that contributions are respectful of all others?
A gaf i atgoffa'r Aelodau, os gwelwch yn dda, ar bob ochr, y dylent sicrhau bod eu lleisiau'n cael eu cadw ar lefel resymol, a bod cyfraniadau'n parchu pawb arall?
Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Your policy is delivering a £9 billion blow to our economy, slowing people down and costing £33 million to implement.
Secondly, you're introducing congestion charges, which are going to be looming over people's heads, squeezing even more money out of people at a time when they are already having to tighten their belts.
Thirdly, banning road building in Wales, regardless of what your colleagues may say, is denying communities of much-needed infrastructure and making Wales a less attractive place to do business. This is a fact. You've also gone ahead and made room for £3 million of funding for your former employer, Sustrans, over the last three years at a time when budgets are allegedly tighter than ever. [Interruption.] It's true. The slashing of vital funding has gone ahead for our bus sector, resulting in drastic cuts in services and alterations, leaving people from all corners of Wales stranded and isolated. We've also seen the pumping of obscene amounts of taxpayers' cash into Transport for Wales, which is still failing to deliver a reliable, effective service. And, also, Deputy Presiding Officer, there's been a continuos amount—millions of pounds again—spent straight from the public purse propping up Cardiff Airport.
Deputy Minister, these are just some of the items at the tip of iceberg; the list of blunders does go on. So, in light of what I've just said, do you want to revise your previous answers? Because this is a record to be ashamed of and really not proud of.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Mae eich polisi yn sicrhau ergyd o £9 biliwn i'n heconomi, yn arafu pobl ac yn costio £33 miliwn i'w weithredu.
Yn ail, rydych chi'n cyflwyno taliadau tagfeydd, sy'n mynd i fod yn hofran uwchben pobl, gan wasgu hyd yn oed mwy o arian allan o bobl ar adeg pan fyddant eisoes yn gorfod tynhau eu gwregysau.
Yn drydydd, mae gwahardd adeiladu ffyrdd yng Nghymru, ni waeth beth mae eich cyd-Aelodau yn ei ddweud, yn amddifadu cymunedau o seilwaith mawr ei angen ac yn gwneud Cymru'n lle llai deniadol i wneud busnes. Mae hynny'n ffaith. Rydych hefyd wedi bwrw ymlaen i wneud lle i £3 miliwn o gyllid i'ch cyn-gyflogwr, Sustrans, dros y tair blynedd diwethaf ar adeg pan honnir bod cyllidebau'n dynnach nag erioed. [Torri ar draws.] Mae'n wir. Mae cyllid hanfodol wedi ei dorri i'n sector bysiau, gan arwain at doriadau sylweddol i wasanaethau a newidiadau, gan adael pobl o bob cwr o Gymru wedi'u hynysu. Rydym hefyd wedi gweld symiau anweddus o arian trethdalwyr yn cael ei bwmpio i mewn i Trafnidiaeth Cymru, sy'n dal i fethu darparu gwasanaeth dibynadwy ac effeithiol. A hefyd, Ddirprwy Lywydd, cafodd swm parhaus—miliynau o bunnoedd eto—ei wario'n syth o'r pwrs cyhoeddus i gynnal Maes Awyr Caerdydd.
Ddirprwy Weinidog, dim ond rhai o'r eitemau ar frig y mynydd iâ yw'r rhain; mae'r rhestr o gamau gweigion yn parhau. Felly, yng ngoleuni'r hyn a ddywedais nawr, a ydych chi am adolygu eich atebion blaenorol? Oherwydd dyma gyflawniad i fod â chywilydd ohono ac yn ddim byd o gwbl i fod yn falch ohono.
I think continually repeating misinformation, false information and lies in our democratic Chamber is lamentable, and that is something to be ashamed of. This is not a blanket policy. We have not banned road building. We are not shovelling money into Transport for Wales. We are funding an upgrade for the first time since Victorian times in the most populous part of Wales to create a turn-up-and-go service, which her party supported. I have not funneled money into my previous employer. The record will show that the charity receives money from all Governments, of all colours, across the UK. It received funding before I joined them, and I've not worked for them for 10 years. And this funding she is referring to is funding for work in schools. The suggestion, which again has been taken up by online trolls, is that I am getting personal benefit from this. These kinds of remarks, and this misinformation that she keeps peddling, contribute to that culture of hate and are directed at individual populations. She needs to have some responsibility for the consequences of the words and the language she uses and the way in which she constantly speaks in this Chamber in a really unpleasant and personal way.
As I say, I shan't be missing these exchanges, but they do not add to the edification of our democracy and they don't hold me to account. There's a lot you could have said today about the way we brought in the 20 mph speed limit that would be fair criticisms. There's a lot you can say about the way that the metro project costs are increasing. There's a lot you can say about the subsidy for Cardiff Airport. There are plenty of things where there is honest debate to be had and a record to be properly scrutinised, which is the job of this Senedd. She has never partaken in any serious scrutiny. She just stands up and gives abuse.
Rwy'n credu bod ailadrodd camwybodaeth, gwybodaeth ffug a chelwyddau'n barhaus yn ein Siambr ddemocrataidd yn druenus, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth i fod â chywilydd ohono. Nid yw hwn yn bolisi cyffredinol. Nid ydym wedi gwahardd adeiladu ffyrdd. Nid ydym yn taflu arian tuag at Trafnidiaeth Cymru. Rydym yn ariannu uwchraddio am y tro cyntaf ers oes Fictoria yn y rhan fwyaf poblog o Gymru i greu gwasanaeth 'cyrraedd a theithio' a gefnogwyd gan ei phlaid hi. Nid wyf wedi rhoi arian i fy nghyflogwr blaenorol. Bydd y cofnod yn dangos bod yr elusen yn derbyn arian gan bob Llywodraeth o bob lliw ar draws y DU. Câi gyllid cyn i mi ymuno â nhw, ac nid wyf wedi gweithio iddynt ers 10 mlynedd. Ac mae'r cyllid y mae'n cyfeirio ato yn ariannu gwaith mewn ysgolion. Yr awgrym, sydd unwaith eto wedi cael ei adleisio gan y trolwyr ar-lein, yw fy mod yn cael budd personol o hyn. Mae'r mathau hyn o sylwadau, a'r gamwybodaeth y mae'n parhau i'w lledaenu, yn cyfrannu at ddiwylliant o gasineb ac yn cael eu cyfeirio at boblogaethau unigol. Mae angen iddi ysgwyddo cyfrifoldeb am ganlyniadau'r geiriau a'r iaith y mae'n ei defnyddio a'r ffordd y mae'n siarad yn y Siambr hon yn gyson mewn ffordd annymunol a phersonol iawn.
Fel y dywedais, ni fyddaf yn gweld colli'r dadleuon hyn, ond nid ydynt yn ychwanegu at hybu ein democratiaeth ac nid ydynt yn fy nwyn i gyfrif. Mae llawer y gallech fod wedi'i ddweud heddiw am y ffordd y gwnaethom gyflwyno'r terfyn cyflymder 20 mya a fyddai'n feirniadaeth deg. Mae llawer y gallwch ei ddweud am y ffordd y mae costau'r prosiect metro yn cynyddu. Mae llawer y gallwch ei ddweud am y cymhorthdal i Faes Awyr Caerdydd. Mae digon o bethau lle mae dadl onest i'w chael a chyflawniad i'w graffu'n briodol, a dyna yw gwaith y Senedd hon. Nid yw'r Aelod erioed wedi cyflawni unrhyw graffu difrifol. Y cyfan y mae'n ei wneud yw codi ar ei thraed a difrïo.
Before I move on, can I highlight the point—? I think it is important what the Deputy Minister said. It is the responsibility of all of us to ensure that our tone and our language is respectful of everyone, not just in this Chamber, but outside this Chamber as well, so that our conduct is not being used as a means for others to attack representatives, whether it's in this Chamber, or even in council chambers and elsewhere. It is an important responsibility we all have in our contributions. For the record, I will also note and review what has been said this afternoon and will get back to all involved.
Cyn imi symud ymlaen, a gaf i dynnu sylw at y pwynt—? Rwy'n credu bod yr hyn a ddywedodd y Dirprwy Weinidog yn bwysig. Cyfrifoldeb pob un ohonom yw sicrhau bod ein cywair a'n hiaith yn parchu pawb, nid yn unig yn y Siambr hon, ond y tu allan i'r Siambr hon hefyd, fel nad yw ein hymddygiad yn cael ei ddefnyddio fel modd i eraill ymosod ar gynrychiolwyr, boed hynny yn y Siambr hon, neu hyd yn oed yn siambrau cynghorau a mannau eraill. Mae gan bawb ohonom gyfrifoldeb pwysig yn ein cyfraniadau. Ar gyfer y cofnod, rwyf am nodi ac adolygu'r hyn a ddywedwyd y prynhawn yma ac fe ddeuaf yn ôl at bawb sy'n gysylltiedig â'r mater.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Delyth Jewell.
The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Delyth Jewell.
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister, I'd like to say again what a pleasure it's been to shadow you in this role. I hope it will continue. During your tenure thus far, this Senedd has declared both climate and nature emergencies. Now, I'm proud that these were Plaid Cymru motions, but they belong to our Senedd. I know how deeply you understand the need to tackle these crises together. So, do you think that we're getting the balance right? With the Infrastructure (Wales) Bill soon to pass against the backdrop of large-scale renewable energy developments being proposed or ongoing at sites across Wales, like solar farms on sites of special scientific interest, we are going into a time of greater peril. Do you feel confident that the Welsh Government has got this balance right, and how can the incoming Cabinet ensure the balance is both found and safeguarded?
Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Weinidog, hoffwn ddweud eto cymaint o bleser yw hi wedi bod i'ch cysgodi yn y rôl hon. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yn parhau. Yn ystod eich cyfnod yn y swydd hyd yma, mae'r Senedd hon wedi datgan argyfyngau hinsawdd a natur. Nawr, rwy'n falch mai cynigion Plaid Cymru oedd y rhain, ond maent yn perthyn i'n Senedd. Rwy'n gwybod pa mor ddwfn yw eich dealltwriaeth o'r angen i fynd i'r afael â'r argyfyngau hyn gyda'n gilydd. Felly, a ydych chi'n meddwl ein bod yn cael y cydbwysedd yn iawn? Gyda'r Bil Seilwaith (Cymru) yn pasio'n fuan yn erbyn cefndir o ddatblygiadau ynni adnewyddadwy ar raddfa fawr sy'n cael eu cynnig neu sy'n mynd rhagddynt ar safleoedd ledled Cymru, fel ffermydd solar ar safleoedd o ddiddordeb gwyddonol arbennig, rydym yn dechrau ar gyfnod mwyfwy peryglus. A ydych chi'n teimlo'n hyderus fod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cael y cydbwysedd hwn yn iawn, a sut y gall y Cabinet newydd sicrhau bod y cydbwysedd yn cael ei daro a'i ddiogelu?
It's an excellent question, Delyth, and it's been a real pleasure to have worked with you over these years as well, because we have had robust disagreements but also we have found much to be united about, and that's as it should be.
I think that is a really difficult balance to strike. We have tried very hard to get that balance right. We both want the investment, the jobs and the renewables that come with the industries we're talking about, and, frankly, we have a unique opportunity to be at the front of a global industry in floating wind here, which, given the conversation about Tata earlier, just makes you realise how much that investment is needed. But, of course, while we do that, we have an absolute obligation to make sure that that new industry is deployed in a way that is environmentally sustainable, does no harm and, actually, brings good to our world. There's no point in deploying floating wind if what it does is drag up the Celtic sea floor, for example. So, we have to be really careful about that.
We've developed a whole series of things around data capture, working with the Crown Estate, on the way that the contracts have been deployed, on the way that Natural Resources Wales has worked as part of its review of marine licensing, for example, on how we get the data, so that we can have a trial deploy and, actually, fail, so that if that data was to show that something had been wrongly placed it could be moved. I'm very keen to do that because, otherwise, we would have to wait until we had 10 years of data and we would lose that global race. But I'm also very keen to make sure that the treasures that we have in the marine environment around us are protected in that way, and we've worked hard to do that. There will be much more to do, as that data becomes available, to make sure that we do have those protections in place. But I think we've set ourselves on the right track for that, and I think the infrastructure Bill is a real piece of evidence that we're putting our money where our mouth is.
Mae'n gwestiwn ardderchog, Delyth, ac mae wedi bod yn bleser mawr gweithio gyda chi dros y blynyddoedd hyn hefyd, oherwydd rydym wedi anghytuno'n rymus ond hefyd rydym wedi dod o hyd i lawer i fod yn unedig yn ei gylch, a dyna fel y dylai fod.
Rwy'n credu ei fod yn gydbwysedd anodd iawn i'w daro. Rydym wedi ymdrechu'n galed i gael y cydbwysedd yn iawn. Rydym eisiau'r buddsoddiad, y swyddi a'r ynni adnewyddadwy sy'n dod gyda'r diwydiannau y siaradwn amdanynt, ac a dweud y gwir, mae gennym gyfle unigryw i fod ar y blaen mewn diwydiant byd-eang o ran gwynt arnofiol yma, sydd, o ystyried y sgwrs am Tata yn gynharach, yn gwneud i chi sylweddoli'r angen am y buddsoddiad hwnnw. Ond wrth gwrs, tra byddwn yn gwneud hynny, mae gennym rwymedigaeth absoliwt i sicrhau bod y diwydiant newydd hwnnw'n cael ei weithredu mewn ffordd sy'n amgylcheddol gynaliadwy, nad yw'n gwneud niwed ac sy'n dod â daioni i'n byd. Nid oes diben defnyddio gwynt arnofiol os mai'r hyn a wna yw niweidio gwely'r môr Celtaidd, er enghraifft. Felly, mae'n rhaid i ni fod yn ofalus iawn ynglŷn â hynny.
Rydym wedi datblygu cyfres o bethau sy'n ymwneud â chasglu data, gan weithio gydag Ystad y Goron, ar y ffordd y mae'r contractau wedi'u gweithredu, ar y ffordd y mae Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru wedi gweithio fel rhan o'i adolygiad o drwyddedu morol, er enghraifft, ar sut y cawn y data, fel y gallwn dreialu gweithredu, a phe bai'r data hwnnw'n dangos bod rhywbeth wedi'i osod yn anghywir, fod modd ei symud mewn gwirionedd. Rwy'n awyddus iawn i wneud hynny oherwydd, fel arall, byddai'n rhaid i ni aros nes bod gennym 10 mlynedd o ddata a byddem yn colli'r ras fyd-eang. Ond rwyf hefyd yn awyddus iawn i sicrhau bod y trysorau sydd gennym yn yr amgylchedd morol o'n cwmpas yn cael eu diogelu yn y ffordd honno, ac rydym wedi gweithio'n galed i wneud hynny. Bydd llawer mwy i'w wneud, wrth i'r data hwnnw ddod ar gael, i sicrhau bod gennym amddiffyniadau ar waith. Ond rwy'n credu ein bod wedi gosod ein hunain ar y trywydd iawn ar gyfer hynny, ac rwy'n credu bod y Bil seilwaith yn dystiolaeth wirioneddol ein bod yn rhoi ein harian ar ein gair.
Diolch am hwnna, Weinidog.
Thank you for that, Minister.
I am the proud species champion of the shrill carder bee, which has its habitat, of course, in the Gwent levels, and that is only one species at risk of extinction. One in 6 of our species face this threat. Wales is now, as you know, one of the most nature-depleted countries on the planet, and our environment is under increasing threats from human activities, from drivers like pollution, climate change, resource exploitation. They place enormous pressure on our precious imperiled natural world. Now, enforcement powers aren't robust enough to deal with the scale and extent of environmental law breaches across Wales. Private companies have undertaken illegal toxic sludge dumping on protected sites, water companies have illegally released sewage into Welsh water courses, without so much as a slap on the wrist, if you would talk about it in those terms. The situation is dire. I know that you care about this a great deal, Minister. Now, the upcoming Bill on environmental governance will, I hope, get to grips with the situation. But could you set out how the Welsh Government will ensure that effective repercussions are there for those who disregard environmental legislation in Wales and that these individuals are brought to justice? And is that something that you would like to see as part of your legacy, thus far, in this role?
Rwy'n hyrwyddwr rhywogaethau balch ar ran y gardwenynen feinlas, sydd â'i chynefin ar wastadeddau Gwent, a dim ond un o'r rhywogaethau sydd mewn perygl o ddiflannu yw honno. Mae un o bob chwech o'n rhywogaethau yn wynebu'r bygythiad hwn. Bellach, fel y gwyddoch, mae Cymru yn un o'r gwledydd lle mae natur wedi dirywio fwyaf ar y blaned, ac mae ein hamgylchedd dan fygythiad cynyddol yn sgil gweithgarwch dynol, a phethau fel llygredd, newid hinsawdd, ecsbloetio adnoddau. Maent yn rhoi pwysau enfawr ar ein byd naturiol gwerthfawr sy'n wynebu perygl. Nawr, nid yw pwerau gorfodi yn ddigon cadarn i ymdrin â graddfa a maint y troseddau amgylcheddol ledled Cymru. Mae cwmnïau preifat wedi bod yn dympio slwtsh gwenwynig anghyfreithlon ar safleoedd gwarchodedig, mae cwmnïau dŵr wedi rhyddhau carthion yn anghyfreithlon i gyrsiau dŵr Cymru, heb gymaint â slap ar yr arddwrn, os ydych chi am siarad amdano yn y termau hynny. Mae'r sefyllfa'n enbyd. Rwy'n gwybod eich bod yn poeni'n arw am hyn, Weinidog. Nawr, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y Bil sydd ar ffordd ar lywodraethiant amgylcheddol yn mynd i'r afael â'r sefyllfa. Ond a allwch chi nodi sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau bod canlyniadau effeithiol ar waith i'r rhai sy'n diystyru deddfwriaeth amgylcheddol yng Nghymru a bod yr unigolion hyn yn cael eu dwyn gerbron llys? Ac a yw hynny'n rhywbeth yr hoffech ei weld fel rhan o'ch gwaddol hyd yma yn y rôl hon?
Again, an excellent question, Delyth, and there are quite a few difficult nuances in there. So, the environmental governance proposals that will be brought forward by the Government—. I've taken the draft Bill a long way, so I'm pretty sure it will arrive in the current form. We're out to consultation at the moment. The initial signs from that consultation—it's by no means complete—are that it's landed well, that the people who've worked with us think we've done a good job of reflecting their concerns, and so on. So, I'm fairly certain that we'll have something that looks pretty much like what we've got. We will, of course, have some nuances from the consultation in there. That's aimed at public authorities, not private authorities. It will, I hope, capture the water companies as well. We would ask them to voluntarily be captured anyway. There's a little bit of a problem with the way their designation is, but I'm sure we can overcome that.
One of the things that I'm sure will be debated in this Senedd when that Bill goes through is what the penalties should be for public authorities that aren't doing what they should do. I, famously, am not a fan of fining people. There is a provision in the recycling legislation, for example, to fine councils that don't meet their recycling targets. My own view, and it's a personal view, and it's always been my view, is that taking money away from public authorities to try and make them do more is doomed to failure, because all you're doing is depriving them of the resource necessary to invest. So, I do think we have to look at that very carefully. But we do also have to hold the human resources of that authority to account, if you like, and make sure that they're doing the right thing. So, that, I hope, the Bill will balance. The authority would have to respond to the supervisory authority in an appropriate way and would have to mend its ways and put its house in order. So, I would be going down that road.
With private companies, that's much more nuanced. Sometimes a fine is what should be imposed because you're taking away a profit. However, there is still an issue about investment in order to not continue the pollution. So, there will be examples—I can think of actual examples—where we've had misconnections for sewers going into rivers, for example. Actually, what's required is an investment to reconnect that in the appropriate way. So, whilst I think nobody should profit from having done it wrongly, I do also think they should be able to have the resource necessary to put it right. I'm also not in the business of pushing people out of business so that people lose their jobs.
So, as always, it's about balance, isn't it? It's about hitting the balance between enforcing, naming and shaming, and putting it right, and making sure that people don't profit from it, which I think is a big deal too.
Unwaith eto, cwestiwn ardderchog, Delyth, ac mae cryn dipyn o wahanol bethau anodd yn codi. Felly, y cynigion llywodraethiant amgylcheddol a gaiff eu cyflwyno gan y Llywodraeth—. Rwyf wedi mynd â'r Bil drafft yn bell, felly rwy'n eithaf sicr y bydd yn cyrraedd ar ei ffurf bresennol. Rydym yn ymgynghori ar hyn o bryd. Yr arwyddion cychwynnol o'r ymgynghoriad hwnnw—nid yw'n gyflawn o bell ffordd—yw ei fod wedi ei gyflwyno'n dda, fod y bobl sydd wedi gweithio gyda ni yn meddwl ein bod wedi gwneud gwaith da ar adlewyrchu eu pryderon, ac yn y blaen. Felly, rwy'n eithaf sicr y bydd gennym rywbeth sy'n edrych yn debyg iawn i'r hyn sydd gennym. Wrth gwrs, bydd rhai elfennau gwahanol o'r ymgynghoriad yno. Mae hwnnw wedi'i anelu at awdurdodau cyhoeddus, nid awdurdodau preifat. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd yn cynnwys y cwmnïau dŵr hefyd. Byddem yn gofyn iddynt gael eu cynnwys yn wirfoddol beth bynnag. Mae ychydig o broblem gyda'u dynodiad, ond rwy'n siŵr y gallwn oresgyn hynny.
Rwy'n siŵr mai un o'r pethau y dadleuir yn eu cylch yn y Senedd pan fydd y Bil hwnnw'n mynd drwodd yw beth y dylai'r cosbau fod i awdurdodau cyhoeddus nad ydynt yn gwneud yr hyn y dylent ei wneud. Mae'n hysbys nad wyf yn cefnogi dirwyo pobl. Mae yna ddarpariaeth yn y ddeddfwriaeth ailgylchu, er enghraifft, i ddirwyo cynghorau nad ydynt yn cyrraedd eu targedau ailgylchu. Fy marn i erioed, a barn bersonol yw hi, yw bod mynd ag arian oddi wrth awdurdodau cyhoeddus i geisio gwneud iddynt wneud mwy yn sicr o fethu, gan mai'r cyfan a wnewch yw eu hamddifadu o'r adnoddau angenrheidiol i fuddsoddi. Felly, rwy'n credu bod yn rhaid inni edrych ar hynny'n ofalus. Ond mae'n rhaid inni hefyd ddwyn adnoddau dynol yr awdurdod hwnnw i gyfrif, os mynnwch, a sicrhau eu bod yn gwneud y peth iawn. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio, y bydd y Bil yn cydbwyso hynny. Byddai'n rhaid i'r awdurdod ymateb i'r awdurdod goruchwylio mewn ffordd briodol a byddai'n rhaid iddo wella'i ffyrdd a rhoi trefn ar bethau. Felly, byddwn i'n dilyn y llwybr hwnnw.
Gyda chwmnïau preifat, mae hynny'n fwy cymhleth. Weithiau, dirwy yw'r hyn y dylid ei orfodi oherwydd eich bod yn mynd ag elw. Fodd bynnag, mae problem o hyd ynglŷn â buddsoddi i beidio â pharhau'r llygredd. Felly, bydd yna enghreifftiau—gallaf feddwl am enghreifftiau go iawn—lle rydym wedi cael camgysylltiadau carthffosydd yn mynd i mewn i afonydd, er enghraifft. Mewn gwirionedd, yr hyn sydd ei angen yw buddsoddiad i'w hailgysylltu yn y ffordd briodol. Felly, er fy mod yn credu na ddylai unrhyw un elwa o fod wedi ei wneud yn anghywir, rwyf hefyd yn credu y dylent allu cael yr adnodd angenrheidiol i'w gywiro. Nid wyf ychwaith yn credu mewn gwthio pobl allan o fusnes fel bod pobl yn colli eu swyddi.
Felly, fel bob amser, mae'n ymwneud â chydbwysedd, onid yw? Mae'n ymwneud â tharo'r cydbwysedd rhwng gorfodi, enwi a chodi cywilydd, ac unioni, a sicrhau nad yw pobl yn elwa ohono, sy'n bwysig iawn hefyd yn fy marn i.
3. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am ddiwydiant ynni adnewyddadwy Cymru? OQ60886
3. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh renewable energy industry? OQ60886
Yes, thank you, Luke. We are determined to seize the opportunities from the transition to a renewable-based energy system. We are working with industry and the supply chain to create sustained economic benefits, retaining wealth and value in Wales. We are also leading the way through our public sector developer Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru.
Diolch yn fawr, Luke. Rydym yn benderfynol o fanteisio ar y cyfleoedd o'r pontio i system ynni adnewyddadwy. Rydym yn gweithio gyda diwydiant a'r gadwyn gyflenwi i greu buddion economaidd parhaus, gan gadw cyfoeth a gwerth yng Nghymru. Rydym hefyd yn arwain y ffordd drwy ein datblygwr sector cyhoeddus Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru.
Diolch am yr ateb, Weinidog.
Thank you for the response, Minister.
Of course, we know the Welsh Government is very active in this sector, but I wanted to specifically ask about the role of Government and public sector finance in de-risking renewable energy projects. One thing that came across very clear to me in the Marine Energy Wales conference, which the Minister mentioned earlier, was the sense of a need for Wales to have a coherent strategy in this specific area. So, for example, there were discussions around asset pooling and establishing dedicated assets to support budding technologies and the potential role, then, for Government here. So, some reflections from the Minister on that point would be very much welcome.
Wrth gwrs, gwyddom fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn weithgar iawn yn y sector hwn, ond roeddwn i eisiau gofyn yn benodol am rôl y Llywodraeth a chyllid y sector cyhoeddus wrth ddadrisgio prosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy. Un peth a oedd yn amlwg iawn i mi yng nghynhadledd Ynni Morol Cymru, y soniodd y Gweinidog amdani ynghynt, oedd yr ymdeimlad o angen i Gymru gael strategaeth gydlynol yn y maes hwn. Felly, er enghraifft, cafwyd trafodaethau ynghylch cronni asedau a sefydlu asedau pwrpasol i gefnogi technolegau newydd a'r rôl bosibl i Lywodraeth yma. Felly, byddai croeso mawr i syniadau gan y Gweinidog ar y pwynt hwnnw.
Yes, I agree. I really enjoyed their conference. I've spoken at it a number of times. One of the big issues not just, actually, for renewable energy, but for biodiversity and both the nature and climate emergencies, is how we can leverage in proper private sector fiance, which is readily available across the world, in a way that doesn't greenwash. So, I'm very keen that we don't just take money off companies who are prepared to continue to pollute the world as long as they can give us some cash and do something with it. But, we also must leverage in the proper private financing that actually will allow us to do all of the things that we want to do in the way we want to do them. There is no way the Government can do that with its own resources, even at UK level. So, we need to have that private sector finance. We need to have it in a way that's both sustainable, understandable and transparent. So, we do have people working on that.
I'm a very proud member of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. My colleague Lee Waters was very proud to sign that on our behalf while we were up at Glasgow at the COP. We co-operate with a large range of—terrible names—sub-regional, national and city governments. Dreadful name, but you take the point. I hate the name; we've been trying to think of a better one. If you say it in German, it's ICLEI; it's much better. So, we co-operate with them, and one of the things they are currently working on and we are actively working on with them is a project with the World Bank and a number of federal banks around the world to see how we can get that openness and transparency into that private sector capital so that we can leverage it in in a way that's both sustainable and transparent, but also makes the projects that we want to do financially viable for the first time.
Rwy'n cytuno. Fe wneuthum fwynhau eu cynhadledd yn fawr. Rwyf wedi siarad ynddi sawl gwaith. Un o'r cwestiynau mawr, nid yn unig i ynni adnewyddadwy, ond i fioamrywiaeth a'r argyfyngau natur a hinsawdd, yw sut y gallwn ddenu arian sector preifat go iawn, sydd ar gael yn rhwydd ledled y byd, mewn ffordd nad yw'n gwyrddgalchu. Felly, rwy'n awyddus iawn i sicrhau ein bod yn gwneud mwy na mynd ag arian oddi ar gwmnïau sy'n barod i barhau i lygru'r byd cyn belled â'u bod yn gallu rhoi rhywfaint o arian i ni a gwneud rhywbeth ag ef. Ond mae'n rhaid i ni hefyd ddenu cyllid preifat priodol i mewn a fydd yn caniatáu inni wneud yr holl bethau yr ydym am eu gwneud yn y ffordd yr ydym yn awyddus i'w gwneud. Nid oes unrhyw ffordd y gall y Llywodraeth wneud hynny gyda'i hadnoddau ei hun, hyd yn oed ar lefel y DU. Felly, mae angen i ni gael cyllid sector preifat. Mae angen i ni ei gael mewn ffordd sy'n gynaliadwy, yn ddealladwy ac yn dryloyw. Felly, mae gennym bobl sy'n gweithio ar hynny.
Rwy'n aelod balch iawn o Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance. Roedd fy nghyd-Aelod, Lee Waters, yn falch iawn o'i llofnodi ar ein rhan tra oeddem i fyny yn Glasgow yn y COP. Rydym yn cydweithio ag ystod eang o—enw ofnadwy—lywodraethau isranbarthol, cenedlaethol a dinesig. Enw ofnadwy, ond rydych chi'n deall y pwynt. Rwy'n casáu'r enw; rydym wedi bod yn ceisio meddwl am un gwell. Os ydych chi'n ei ddweud yn Almaeneg, ICLEI ydyw; mae'n llawer gwell. Felly, rydym yn cydweithredu â nhw, ac un o'r pethau y maent yn gweithio arno ar hyn o bryd ac yr ydym ni wrthi'n gweithio gyda nhw yw prosiect gyda Banc y Byd a nifer o fanciau ffederal ledled y byd i weld sut y gallwn gael didwylledd a thryloywder i gyfalaf sector preifat fel y gallwn ei ddenu i mewn mewn mewn ffordd sy'n gynaliadwy ac yn dryloyw, ond sydd hefyd yn gwneud y prosiectau yr ydym yn awyddus i'w gwneud yn ariannol hyfyw am y tro cyntaf.
We have some fantastic renewable energy opportunities in north Wales and projects under way to bring us to our net-zero goal. We have four turbine developers working on Morlais and the Anglesey tidal energy project. These contracts were awarded by the UK Government's Contracts for Difference renewable energy auction, which gives investors the confidence to invest in carbon-neutral electricity generation, meaning we can arrive at net zero faster than the markets would otherwise permit.
In other regions in the UK, there has been investment in other sources of renewable energy, such as geothermal energy in Cornwall. This investment has the potential to attract over £50 million of investment to north Wales and has significant local job opportunities. On a smaller, domestic basis too, we have some fantastic renewable energy firms in north Wales, such as Carbon Zero Renewables, based in St Asaph in my constituency, who install and maintain solar panels fitted to people's homes to keep them working at their maximum level of efficiency. So, can the Minister outline what the Welsh Government is doing in regard to diversifying the Welsh renewable energy market more broadly so that we don't put all of our eggs into the wind and solar basket?
Mae gennym gyfleoedd ynni adnewyddadwy gwych yng ngogledd Cymru a phrosiectau ar y gweill i'n helpu i gyrraedd ein nod sero net. Mae gennym bedwar datblygwr tyrbin yn gweithio ar brosiect Morlais a phrosiect ynni llanw Ynys Môn. Dyfarnwyd y contractau hyn gan arwerthiant ynni adnewyddadwy Contractau ar gyfer Gwahaniaeth Llywodraeth y DU, sy'n rhoi hyder i fuddsoddwyr fuddsoddi mewn cynhyrchiant trydan carbon niwtral, sy'n golygu y gallwn gyrraedd sero net yn gyflymach nag y byddai'r marchnadoedd yn ei ganiatáu fel arall.
Mewn rhanbarthau eraill yn y DU, cafwyd buddsoddiad mewn ffynonellau eraill o ynni adnewyddadwy, fel ynni geothermol yng Nghernyw. Mae gan y buddsoddiad hwn botensial i ddenu dros £50 miliwn o fuddsoddiad i ogledd Cymru ac mae ganddo gyfleoedd gwaith lleol sylweddol. Ar sail ddomestig lai o faint hefyd, mae gennym gwmnïau ynni adnewyddadwy gwych yng ngogledd Cymru, megis Carbon Zero Renewables, wedi'u lleoli yn Llanelwy yn fy etholaeth i, sy'n gosod ac yn cynnal a chadw paneli solar wedi'u gosod yng nghartrefi pobl i sicrhau eu bod yn parhau i weithio ar eu lefel fwyaf effeithlon. Felly, a all y Gweinidog amlinellu'r hyn y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud ar arallgyfeirio marchnad ynni adnewyddadwy Cymru yn ehangach fel nad ydym yn rhoi ein hwyau i gyd yn y fasged wynt a solar?
Yes, with great pleasure. So, I had a wonderful visit with my colleague Siân Gwenllian to a hydroelectric project in your patch, I think it was, Siân, which was a really excellent example of a community that had come together to harness the power of the waterfall there. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to walk all the way to the top, but I do plan to go back over the summer to do just that. It was a community that had come together themselves but were now being able to be helped by Ynni Cymru, which is why Siân and I were there, because we're encouraging, through our work with Ynni Cymru, through the co-operation agreement, communities all over Wales to come together to exploit whatever the renewable that would suit their community is, and that's a huge range of things, actually.
I also very recently visited the Deputy Presiding Officer's community in Skewen after a terrible flood from old coal workings, but that's actually meant that we have a project on geothermal energy coming out of ex-mine workings that we're working on with the Coal Authority. That's a community that was pretty traumatised by that flooding, and I'll never ever forget the yellow marks on the wall, well above my head height, for the flood that had come through. But, the water was warm, so it's been a really interesting piece of work, to work with how we can exploit what is an industrial heritage that can, and it was a conversation between the First Minister—the previous First Minister; that's an odd thing to say, isn't it?—at FMQs yesterday, about metal mines. These things can be hazardous to human health—I think it was a Member of your benches who brought the question—but they're also opportunities, and many of them are filled with warm water, and we are definitely looking at that.
I've just discussed tidal lagoons with my colleague Mike Hedges. I'm from Swansea; it's no secret that we would very much like a tidal lagoon in our area, and, of course, we have a number of others, which I won't mention now, but we have a huge number of others. I'm very, very, very proud of the Menter Môn project in the Morlais straits, which the First Minister, I, the then economy Minister, now First Minister, Vaughan Gething, and a number of others visited last summer to see the incredible amount of energy coming in from the tidal stream there.
On the AR6, it was more successful, you're right, and I was delighted to see that, but we are encouraging the UK Government to put more of a proportion of the next round of Contracts for Difference funding into non-wind projects, actually, so that we can get some of the marine projects in particular that we have across Wales, including the tidal stream projects both in the Menai straits and in Ramsey, down in Paul Davies's neck of the woods, better funding so that they can scale up.
Gyda phleser. Cefais ymweliad gwych gyda fy nghyd-Aelod Siân Gwenllian â phrosiect trydan dŵr yn eich ardal chi, rwy'n credu, Siân, enghraifft wych iawn o gymuned a oedd wedi dod at ei gilydd i harneisio grym y rhaeadr yno. Yn anffodus, nid oedd gennyf amser i gerdded yr holl ffordd i'r pen uchaf, ond rwy'n bwriadu dychwelyd dros yr haf i wneud hynny. Roedd yn gymuned a oedd wedi dod at ein gilydd eu hunain ond a oedd bellach yn gallu cael help gan Ynni Cymru, a dyna pam roedd Siân a minnau yno, oherwydd drwy ein gwaith gydag Ynni Cymru, drwy'r cytundeb cydweithio, rydym yn annog cymunedau ledled Cymru i ddod ynghyd i fanteisio ar beth bynnag yw'r ynni adnewyddadwy a fyddai'n gweddu i'w cymuned, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys ystod eang o bethau, mewn gwirionedd.
Yn ddiweddar iawn fe ymwelais â chymuned y Dirprwy Lywydd yn Sgiwen ar ôl llifogydd ofnadwy o hen bwll glo, ond mae hynny wedi golygu mewn gwirionedd fod gennym brosiect ar ynni geothermol yn deillio o hen weithfeydd yr ydym yn gweithio arno gyda'r Awdurdod Glo. Roedd honno'n gymuned a wynebodd gryn drawma yn sgil y llifogydd hynny, ac ni fyddaf yn anghofio'r marciau melyn ar y wal, ymhell uwch fy mhen, a nodai uchder y llifogydd. Ond roedd y dŵr yn gynnes, felly mae wedi bod yn ddiddorol iawn edrych ar sut y gallwn fanteisio ar yr hyn sy'n dreftadaeth ddiwydiannol a all, ac roedd yn sgwrs rhwng y Prif Weinidog—y Prif Weinidog blaenorol; mae'n od dweud hynny, onid yw?—yn y cwestiynau i'r Prif Weinidog ddoe, am fwyngloddiau metel. Gall y pethau hyn fod yn beryglus i iechyd pobl—rwy'n credu mai Aelod o'ch meinciau chi a ofynnodd y cwestiwn—ond maent yn gyfleoedd hefyd, ac mae llawer ohonynt yn llawn o ddŵr cynnes, ac rydym yn bendant yn edrych ar hynny.
Rwyf newydd drafod morlynnoedd llanw gyda fy nghyd-Aelod Mike Hedges. Rwy'n dod o Abertawe; nid yw'n gyfrinach y byddem yn hoffi morlyn llanw yn ein hardal, ac wrth gwrs, mae gennym nifer o rai eraill, nad wyf am sôn amdanynt nawr, ond mae gennym nifer fawr o rai eraill. Rwy'n falch iawn o broject Menter Môn yn y Fenai, y gwnaeth y Prif Weinidog a minnau, Gweinidog yr Economi ar y pryd, y Prif Weinidog bellach, Vaughan Gething, a nifer o rai eraill ymweld ag ef yr haf diwethaf i weld yr ynni anhygoel sy'n dod i mewn o'r ffrwd lanw yno.
Ar yr AR6, roedd yn fwy llwyddiannus, rydych chi'n iawn, ac roeddwn wrth fy modd yn gweld hwnnw, ond rydym yn annog Llywodraeth y DU i roi mwy o gyfran o'r rownd nesaf o gyllid Contractau ar gyfer Gwahaniaeth i brosiectau nad ydynt yn rhai gwynt mewn gwirionedd fel y gallwn gael gwell cyllid i rai o'r prosiectau morol yn enwedig sydd gennym ledled Cymru, gan gynnwys prosiectau ffrwd lanw yn y Fenai ac yn Swnt Dewi, i lawr yn ardal Paul Davies, er mwyn iddynt allu gweithredu ar raddfa fwy.
4. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am raglen buddsoddi i atal llifogydd Llywodraeth Cymru? OQ60860
4. Will the Minister provide an update on the Welsh Government's flood investment programme? OQ60860
Yes. Thank you, Jack. Yesterday, I published our flood and coastal erosion risk management programme 2024-25, unfortunately via written statement due to the pressure on Senedd time yesterday. I am delighted we are maintaining our record level of funding this year, at £75 million. This matches last year’s allocation as the highest ever annual spend on flood risk management in Wales to date.
Diolch yn fawr, Jack. Ddoe, cyhoeddais ein rhaglen rheoli perygl llifogydd ac erydu arfordirol 2024-25, drwy ddatganiad ysgrifenedig yn anffodus, oherwydd y pwysau ar amser y Senedd ddoe. Rwy'n falch iawn ein bod yn cynnal ein lefel uchaf erioed o gyllid eleni, sef £75 miliwn. Mae hyn yn cyfateb i'r dyraniad y llynedd fel y gwariant blynyddol uchaf erioed ar reoli perygl llifogydd yng Nghymru hyd yma.
I'm grateful to the Minister for that answer. As the Minister knows, I've been raising the issues of investment for flood prevention programmes in Sandycroft and Broughton pretty relentlessly in the Senedd over some time now, and I was pleased to see the written statement and the announcement of money, including providing Natural Resources Wales with £800,000 to carry out capital works in Sandycroft, and a further £60,000 for flood resilience plans in Sandycroft, Broughton and Bretton. Minister, can I thank you on behalf of these communities? Those communities and livelihoods were devastated by recent floods, and the money is very welcome, but it's now important to get the work carried out as quickly as possible, and I wonder if you would use your office within the Welsh Government to ensure this happens. Diolch yn fawr.
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Gweinidog am yr ateb hwnnw. Fel y gŵyr y Gweinidog, rwyf wedi bod yn codi buddsoddiad i raglenni atal llifogydd yn Sandycroft a Brychdyn yn eithaf di-baid yn y Senedd dros beth amser bellach, ac roeddwn yn falch o weld y datganiad ysgrifenedig a chyhoeddi arian, gan gynnwys darparu £800,000 i Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru i wneud gwaith cyfalaf yn Sandycroft, a £60,000 arall ar gyfer cynlluniau cydnerthedd llifogydd yn Sandycroft, Brychdyn a Bretton. Weinidog, a gaf i ddiolch i chi ar ran y cymunedau hyn? Cafodd y cymunedau hynny a bywoliaeth pobl eu difetha gan lifogydd yn ddiweddar, ac mae croeso mawr i'r arian, ond mae'n bwysig cyflawni'r gwaith cyn gynted â phosibl nawr, a tybed a wnewch chi ddefnyddio'ch swydd yn Llywodraeth Cymru i sicrhau bod hyn yn digwydd. Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you, Jack. I have to say I pay testimony to the sheer persistence of your enquiries on that. I very much like persistence—it's one of the qualities I feel I have myself, so I was very pleased to see that. I'm really pleased the announcement's been well received, and it really does demonstrate our continued commitment to this piece of work right across Wales. We work closely with the risk management authorities, the local authorities, to make sure that the schemes are delivered as quickly and efficiently as possible. There will have been business plans submitted, and I'm sure that we can continue to make sure that we ensure those schemes are delivered to programme. North Wales has an excellent record of delivering schemes both to budget and to programme, so I'm sure that will continue.
Diolch, Jack. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud fy mod yn tystio i ddyfalbarhad eich ymholiadau ar hynny. Rwy'n hoff iawn o ddyfalbarhad—mae'n un o'r nodweddion y credaf fy mod yn meddu arni fy hun, felly roeddwn yn falch iawn o weld hynny. Rwy'n falch iawn fod y cyhoeddiad wedi'i groesawu, ac mae'n dangos ein hymrwymiad parhaus i'r gwaith hwn ledled Cymru. Rydym yn gweithio’n agos gyda’r awdurdodau rheoli risg, yr awdurdodau lleol, i sicrhau bod y cynlluniau’n cael eu cyflawni mor gyflym ac mor effeithlon â phosibl. Bydd cynlluniau busnes wedi’u cyflwyno, ac rwy’n bendant y gallwn barhau i wneud yn siŵr ein bod yn sicrhau bod y cynlluniau hynny’n cael eu cyflawni yn unol â’r rhaglen. Mae gan ogledd Cymru hanes rhagorol o gyflawni cynlluniau yn unol â'r gyllideb a'r rhaglen, felly rwy'n siŵr y bydd hynny'n parhau.
Good afternoon, Minister.
Prynhawn da, Weinidog.
5. Pa ystyriaeth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'i rhoi i sicrhau cyfranogiad cymunedol mewn cynlluniau ynni adnewyddadwy? OQ60882
5. What consideration has the Welsh Government given to ensuring community involvement in renewable energy schemes? OQ60882
Thank you for that question, Jane. Local ownership and community involvement are front and centre of our energy policy. We've already achieved 97 per cent of our target of 1 GW of renewable energy to be locally owned by 2030. Our investment in local area energy plans provides further opportunity for communities to get involved in those schemes.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn, Jane. Mae perchnogaeth leol a chynnwys cymunedau yn rhan hollbwysig o'n polisi ynni. Rydym eisoes wedi cyflawni 97 y cant o'n targed i sicrhau bod 1 GW o ynni adnewyddadwy mewn perchnogaeth leol erbyn 2030. Mae ein buddsoddiad mewn cynlluniau ynni ardal leol yn rhoi cyfle pellach i gymunedau gymryd rhan yn y cynlluniau hynny.
Diolch yn fawr iawn am yr ymateb.
Thank you very much for the response.
You've addressed part of my question when you were referring to the scheme that you visited with Siân Gwenllian, but one of the key challenges, when we're transitioning to green energy, is making sure the benefits are felt by local communities, because too often the profits go from large renewable energy projects and they don't stay in the local area. There are some different approaches to providing tangible benefits to communities, for example Octopus Energy have their energy Fan Club, as in fan club—if you can't see me—which allows discounted energy bills to those who are affected by their wind turbines, and when the wind is blowing, they receive money off their bills. So, I just wondered what your view was on those large companies that are coming into areas—how you would feel about them offering discounts to communities on their energy bills, for a really chunky period of time, in order to allow communities to really benefit. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Rydych wedi ateb rhan o fy nghwestiwn wrth gyfeirio at y cynllun y buoch yn ymweld ag ef gyda Siân Gwenllian, ond un o’r heriau allweddol, pan fyddwn yn pontio i ynni gwyrdd, yw sicrhau bod y manteision yn cael eu teimlo gan gymunedau lleol, oherwydd yn rhy aml, mae'r elw'n mynd o brosiectau ynni adnewyddadwy mawr ac nid ydynt yn aros yn yr ardal leol. Ceir dulliau gwahanol o ddarparu buddion diriaethol i gymunedau, er enghraifft, mae gan Octopus Energy eu 'Fan Club' ynni, hynny yw, clwb ffaniau—os na allwch fy ngweld—sy’n caniatáu biliau ynni gostyngol i’r rhai yr effeithir arnynt gan eu tyrbinau gwynt, a phan fydd y gwynt yn chwythu, maent yn cael arian oddi ar eu biliau. Felly, tybed beth yw eich barn am y cwmnïau mawr hynny sy'n dod i ardaloedd—sut y byddech chi'n teimlo ynglŷn â'r syniad eu bod yn cynnig gostyngiadau i gymunedau ar eu biliau ynni, am gyfnod hir o amser, er mwyn galluogi cymunedau i elwa'n wirioneddol. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Thank you, Jane. I would love to do that, but it's not in the rules, unfortunately. Octopus has a particular exemption from the rules. We have been working with the UK Government for some time to make sure that we can reform the energy market in order to enable us to do just that. There is a real issue with renewable energy being linked to the marginal price of gas, which is why the energy bills are so high. There's no need to have that as the way that the energy market works, but it is the way it works at the moment.
So, we do a combination of things and, in fact, I must pay tribute to Adam Price, who's tried very hard to get this into the infrastructure Bill, for reasons I completely understand, and I'm looking forward to working with you, whatever hat I have on, to make sure that we can do that in the right policy way. But what we want to do is make sure that people actually own part of each generating renewable station, whatever it is, whatever form of renewable it is, not just wind—that people actually own part of it. Because if they own part of it, they can take some of the profit from it in the form of cheaper energy. If they don't own part of it, then you're restricted to community benefits. Community benefits can be amazing, they can do all kinds of regenerative things in your area, but they can't give you cheaper energy. Although, we have been able to agree with the renewables industry that what they could do is retrofit the houses, so that they would be more efficient and effective. So, that's something we're actively pursuing at the moment, as what's actually called the gold standard of community benefits that we've been working on for a little while. In the meantime, we've been working, through the co-operation agreement, on expanding community energy as much as we can right across Wales, because only by actually owning it can you make sure that the profits are not just wholly exploited.
Diolch, Jane. Byddwn wrth fy modd yn gwneud hynny, ond nid yw yn y rheolau, yn anffodus. Mae gan Octopus esemptiad penodol o'r rheolau. Rydym wedi bod yn gweithio gyda Llywodraeth y DU ers peth amser i sicrhau y gallwn ddiwygio’r farchnad ynni er mwyn ein galluogi i wneud hynny. Mae problem wirioneddol gyda'r ffaith bod ynni adnewyddadwy yn gysylltiedig â phris ymylol nwy, a dyna pam fod y biliau ynni mor uchel. Nid oes angen i'r farchnad ynni weithio yn y ffordd honno, ond dyna'r ffordd y mae'n gweithio ar hyn o bryd.
Felly, rydym yn gwneud cyfuniad o bethau, ac a dweud y gwir, mae'n rhaid imi dalu teyrnged i Adam Price, sydd wedi ymdrechu'n galed iawn i gynnwys hyn yn y Bil seilwaith, am resymau rwy'n eu deall yn llwyr, ac edrychaf ymlaen at weithio gyda chi, pa bynnag het y byddaf yn ei gwisgo, i sicrhau y gallwn wneud hynny yn y ffordd gywir o ran polisi. Ond yr hyn rydym am ei wneud yw sicrhau bod pobl yn berchen ar ran o bob gorsaf sy'n cynhyrchu ynni adnewyddadwy, ni waeth beth ydyw, ni waeth pa fath o ynni adnewyddadwy ydyw, nid ynni gwynt yn unig—fod pobl yn berchen ar ran ohoni. Oherwydd os ydynt yn berchen ar ran ohoni, gallant fwynhau rhywfaint o'r elw ohoni ar ffurf ynni rhatach. Os nad ydynt yn berchen ar ran ohoni, yna rydych wedi eich cyfyngu i fuddion cymunedol. Gall buddion cymunedol fod yn anhygoel, gallant wneud pob math o bethau adfywiol yn eich ardal, ond ni allant roi ynni rhatach i chi. Ond rydym wedi gallu cytuno â’r diwydiant ynni adnewyddadwy mai’r hyn y gallent ei wneud yw ôl-osod y tai, fel y byddent yn fwy effeithlon ac effeithiol. Felly, mae hynny'n rhywbeth rydym wrthi'n mynd ar ei drywydd ar hyn o bryd, yn ogystal â'r hyn a elwir yn safon aur buddion cymunedol y buom yn gweithio arni ers tro. Yn y cyfamser, rydym wedi bod yn gweithio, drwy'r cytundeb cydweithio, ar ehangu ynni cymunedol cymaint ag y gallwn ledled Cymru, gan mai dim ond drwy fod yn berchen arno y gallwch sicrhau nad yw'r elw i gyd yn cael ei ecsbloetio.
6. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i fynd i'r afael â digartrefedd ymhlith pobl ifanc? OQ60874
6. What is the Welsh Government doing to tackle youth homelessness? OQ60874
Thank you, Jayne. We are committed to tackling all forms of homelessness and are investing almost £220 million in homelessness prevention and support services next year. This includes over £7 million specifically targeted at early identification of youth homelessness and assistance to help young people develop the life skills they need to live independently.
Diolch, Jayne. Rydym wedi ymrwymo i fynd i'r afael â phob math o ddigartrefedd ac rydym yn buddsoddi bron i £220 miliwn mewn gwasanaethau cymorth ac atal digartrefedd y flwyddyn nesaf. Mae hyn yn cynnwys dros £7 miliwn wedi'i dargedu'n benodol at nodi digartrefedd ymysg pobl ifanc yn gynnar a chymorth i helpu pobl ifanc i ddatblygu'r sgiliau bywyd sydd eu hangen arnynt i fyw'n annibynnol.
Diolch, Weinidog. Neurodivergent young people, those who are autistic, dyslexic, dyspraxic and have other forms of neurodivergence, are at particular risk of youth homelessness. Research has shown that when neurodivergent young people become homeless, accessing services put them at further disadvantage. I recently met with End Youth Homelessness Cymru to discuss their new report 'Impossible to Navigate', which focuses on youth homelessness through the lens of neurodiversity. The report will be launched here in the Senedd on 17 April. There'll be an opportunity to speak to some of the peer researchers, and I encourage all colleagues to attend. Including neurodivergent young people as peer researchers from the very start of the research project adds real weight to its findings. Minister, what more can the Welsh Government do to increase accessibility and encourage co-production of youth homelessness services across Wales?
Diolch, Weinidog. Mae pobl ifanc niwrowahanol, pobl sy'n awtistig, dyslecsig, dyspracsig ac sydd â mathau eraill o niwrowahaniaeth, mewn perygl arbennig o ddod yn ddigartref. Mae ymchwil wedi dangos, pan fydd pobl ifanc niwrowahanol yn dod yn ddigartref, fod cael mynediad at wasanaethau yn eu rhoi dan fwy o anfantais. Cyfarfûm yn ddiweddar ag End Youth Homelessness Cymru i drafod eu hadroddiad newydd 'Impossible to Navigate’, sy’n canolbwyntio ar ddigartrefedd ymysg pobl ifanc drwy lens niwroamrywiaeth. Bydd yr adroddiad yn cael ei lansio yma yn y Senedd ar 17 Ebrill. Bydd cyfle i siarad â rhai o’r ymchwilwyr cymheiriaid, ac rwy’n annog pob un o fy nghyd-Aelodau i fynychu. Mae cynnwys pobl ifanc niwrowahanol fel ymchwilwyr cymheiriaid yn y prosiect ymchwil o'r cychwyn cyntaf yn rhoi hygrededd gwirioneddol i'w ganfyddiadau. Weinidog, beth arall y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud i gynyddu hygyrchedd ac annog cydgynhyrchu gwasanaethau digartrefedd ymysg ieuenctid ledled Cymru?
Thank you, Jayne. I'm very much aware of the report 'Impossible to Navigate', and I very much welcome its findings. We've funded End Youth Homelessness Cymru, in fact—£83,155 in 2023-24. Part of that funding was to run the youth focus groups that allowed the young people to feed into the research. I think it is absolutely central to our policy to have lived experience of the system, not just lived experience of homelessness—and I don't say 'just' in any pejorative way there—but actually of the system itself. And we've done a lot of work through our advisory panel, which had a large number of people on it with lived experience, not just on the experience of being homeless but the experience of interacting with the bureaucracy, if you like, in your attempt to recover from that position.
I think the new Bill that the Government will bring forward on ending homelessness will address much of this by embedding the co-production and lived experience parts of that in ongoing Government policy. And I think also the 'no wrong door' approach—which my colleague Lynne Neagle has championed for mental health, but which applies to all public services, of course—will also help. So, the new Bill, I hope, when it goes through the Senedd, will mean that no public authority in Wales can discharge anyone into homelessness, and that will mean that they will have to advocate on their behalf to help them through the system. So, we believe, because the young people told us so, that that would very much help, but there will be more that we can do, and I am looking forward to doing that.
Diolch, Jayne. Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn o adroddiad 'Impossible to Navigate', ac yn croesawu ei ganfyddiadau'n fawr. Rydym wedi ariannu End Youth Homelessness Cymru, mewn gwirionedd—£83,155 yn 2023-24. Roedd rhan o’r cyllid hwnnw ar gyfer cynnal y grwpiau ffocws ieuenctid a oedd yn caniatáu i’r bobl ifanc gyfrannu at yr ymchwil. Credaf fod cael profiad bywyd o'r system yn gwbl ganolog i'n polisi, nid profiad bywyd o ddigartrefedd yn unig—ac nid wyf yn dweud 'yn unig' mewn unrhyw ffordd ddifrïol—ond profiad o'r system ei hun. Ac rydym wedi gwneud llawer o waith drwy ein panel cynghori, a oedd yn cynnwys nifer fawr o bobl â phrofiad bywyd, nid yn unig y profiad o fod yn ddigartref ond y profiad o ryngweithio â'r fiwrocratiaeth, os mynnwch, yn eich ymdrech i ddod allan o'r sefyllfa honno.
Rwy'n credu y bydd y Bil newydd y bydd y Llywodraeth yn ei gyflwyno ar roi diwedd ar ddigartrefedd yn mynd i’r afael â llawer o hyn drwy wreiddio’r rhannau o hynny sy'n ymwneud â chydgynhyrchu a phrofiad bywyd ym mholisi parhaus y Llywodraeth. A chredaf hefyd y bydd y dull 'dim drws anghywir'—y mae fy nghyd-Aelod Lynne Neagle wedi'i hyrwyddo ar gyfer iechyd meddwl, ond sy'n berthnasol i bob gwasanaeth cyhoeddus, wrth gwrs—yn helpu hefyd. Felly, rwy'n gobeithio y bydd y Bil newydd, pan fydd yn mynd drwy’r Senedd, yn golygu na all unrhyw awdurdod cyhoeddus yng Nghymru ryddhau unrhyw un i ddigartrefedd, a bydd hynny’n golygu y bydd yn rhaid iddynt eirioli ar eu rhan i’w helpu drwy’r system. Felly, rydym yn credu y byddai hynny o gymorth mawr, am fod y bobl ifanc wedi dweud hynny wrthym, ond bydd mwy y gallwn ei wneud, ac edrychaf ymlaen at wneud hynny.
7. Beth mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i sicrhau ei bod yn cyflawni ei rhwymedigaethau amgylcheddol i bobl Sir Benfro? OQ60851
7. What is the Welsh Government doing to ensure it meets its environmental obligations to the people of Pembrokeshire? OQ60851
Thank you, Paul. Protecting our environment is a priority for the Government. We've provided the environmental regulator, Natural Resources Wales, with stringent powers to take action to regulate and enforce environmental controls at polluting activities, and the interim environmental protection assessor for Wales oversees the functioning of environmental law in Wales.
Diolch, Paul. Mae diogelu ein hamgylchedd yn flaenoriaeth i’r Llywodraeth. Rydym wedi rhoi pwerau llym i'r rheoleiddiwr amgylcheddol, Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru, i gymryd camau i reoleiddio a gorfodi rheolaethau amgylcheddol mewn achosion o lygru, ac mae asesydd interim diogelu'r amgylchedd Cymru yn goruchwylio gweithrediad cyfraith amgylcheddol yng Nghymru.
Thank you for that response. Now, you'll be aware of the serious environmental and public health concerns surrounding the Withyhedge landfill site in my constituency, where residents are still forced to live with horrendous odours coming from that site. Residents also have no confidence in the measures taken to monitor air quality in the area after it emerged that an employee of Dauson Environmental Group, the same group that owns the company that operates the Withyhedge site, is undertaking that monitoring work, which I find extremely worrying.
Now, I'm sure you can appreciate the concerns of residents, particularly given that this firm, as we all know, has a direct link to the incoming First Minister. Therefore, Minister, if you remain in your current role, would you be willing to meet with residents to hear their concerns and provide assurances that the Welsh Government meets its environmental obligations to the community? And what further steps can the Welsh Government take to resolve this issue for residents once and for all?
Diolch am eich ymateb. Nawr, fe fyddwch yn ymwybodol o'r pryderon amgylcheddol ac iechyd cyhoeddus difrifol mewn perthynas â safle tirlenwi Withyhedge yn fy etholaeth, lle mae trigolion yn dal i gael eu gorfodi i fyw gydag arogleuon erchyll o'r safle hwnnw. Nid oes gan drigolion unrhyw hyder ychwaith yn y camau a gymerwyd i fonitro ansawdd aer yn yr ardal wedi iddi ddod yn amlwg fod un o weithwyr Dauson Environmental Group, yr un grŵp sy’n berchen ar y cwmni sy’n gweithredu safle Withyhedge, yn gwneud y gwaith monitro, ac mae hynny’n peri cryn bryder i mi.
Nawr, rwy'n siŵr y gallwch ddeall pryderon trigolion, yn enwedig o ystyried bod gan y cwmni hwn, fel y gŵyr pob un ohonom, gysylltiad uniongyrchol â'r Prif Weinidog newydd. Felly, Weinidog, os byddwch yn parhau yn eich rôl bresennol, a fyddech yn fodlon cyfarfod â thrigolion i wrando ar eu pryderon, a rhoi sicrwydd fod Llywodraeth Cymru yn cyflawni ei rhwymedigaethau amgylcheddol i’r gymuned? A pha gamau pellach y gall Llywodraeth Cymru eu cymryd i ddatrys y mater hwn i drigolion unwaith ac am byth?
Thank you, Paul. I'm very well aware of it, as you know, and we had a brief discussion about it just very recently. My understanding is that there's an enforcement notice on the site and that that requires compliance by 6 April. A number of measures are being put in place to make sure that that isn't just a date—that it's possible to comply, if you like, by 6 April—and if that compliance isn't secured, then there will be severe consequences for that. But I do absolutely understand the residents' concerns. That's an area of the world I don't live in like you do, but I visit very often, as you know, and it's not something we should be putting up with.
So, I'm pleased that the enforcement has gone ahead. We will make sure that it's vigorously enforced. I have no idea who's going to be standing where I'm standing when we next meet, but I am absolutely certain that whoever that is would be more than happy to meet the residents, and to make sure that NRW has done everything it can within its powers to put that enforcement through.
Of course, we will be bringing forward the environmental protection and biodiversity target Bill—I'm sure that won't be its title in the end, but you know the Bill to which I refer. And I'm very keen, therefore, that that Bill should make sure that it puts additional obligations on local authorities and national park authorities, which are involved in this instance, to make sure that they co-operate with making sure we don't have the kind of environmental issues we've had at that landfill site. And there's no need for it. I've visited landfill sites through a long career in waste, not just while I've been here at the Senedd. I've worked in that part of—. I was an environmental governance lawyer for a very long time, and there is no need for a landfill site to be smelly or difficult. They should be well managed, they should be piped and they should be properly capped. So, I don't think there's any excuse for it, and I'm sure that the enforcement notice will be pushed vigorously, and I really hope so for the residents in that lovely area.
Diolch, Paul. Rwy'n ymwybodol iawn o'r mater, fel y gwyddoch, a chawsom drafodaeth fer amdano yn ddiweddar iawn. Fy nealltwriaeth i yw bod hysbysiad gorfodi ar y safle a bod angen cydymffurfio â hwnnw erbyn 6 Ebrill. Mae nifer o fesurau yn cael eu rhoi ar waith i sicrhau nad dyddiad yn unig mo hwnnw—ei bod yn bosibl cydymffurfio, os mynnwch, erbyn 6 Ebrill—ac os na cheir cydymffurfiaeth, y bydd canlyniadau difrifol i hynny. Ond rwy'n deall pryderon y trigolion yn llwyr. Mae'n ardal nad wyf yn byw ynddi fel rydych chi, ond rwy'n ymweld â hi'n aml iawn, fel y gwyddoch, ac nid yw'n rhywbeth y dylem fod yn ei oddef.
Felly, rwy'n falch fod y camau gorfodi wedi'u cymryd. Byddwn yn sicrhau bod yr hysbysiad yn cael ei orfodi’n llym. Nid oes unrhyw syniad gennyf pwy sy'n mynd i fod yn sefyll lle rwy'n sefyll pan fyddwn yn cyfarfod nesaf, ond rwy'n gwbl sicr y byddai pwy bynnag ydynt yn fwy na pharod i gyfarfod â'r trigolion, ac i sicrhau bod CNC wedi gwneud popeth o fewn eu pwerau i weithredu'r camau gorfodi hynny.
Wrth gwrs, byddwn yn cyflwyno Bil diogelu'r amgylchedd a'r targed bioamrywiaeth—nid dyna fydd ei deitl yn y pen draw, rwy'n siŵr, ond rydych chi'n gwybod pa Fil rwy'n ei feddwl. Ac rwy’n awyddus iawn, felly, fod y Bil hwnnw'n sicrhau ei fod yn rhoi rhwymedigaethau ychwanegol ar awdurdodau lleol ac awdurdodau parciau cenedlaethol yn yr achos hwn i sicrhau eu bod yn cydweithio er mwyn sicrhau nad ydym yn gweld y math o broblemau amgylcheddol a welsom ar y safle tirlenwi hwnnw. Ac nid oes ei angen. Rwyf wedi ymweld â safleoedd tirlenwi drwy yrfa hir ym maes gwastraff cyn imi ddod i'r Senedd. Rwyf wedi gweithio yn y rhan honno o—. Roeddwn yn gyfreithiwr llywodraethiant amgylcheddol am amser maith, ac nid oes angen i safle tirlenwi fod yn ddrewllyd nac yn anodd. Dylent gael eu rheoli'n dda, dylai fod pibellau yno a dylent fod wedi eu capio'n briodol. Felly, nid wyf yn credu bod unrhyw esgus dros hyn, ac rwy’n siŵr y bydd yr hysbysiad yn cael ei orfodi'n llym, ac rwy’n mawr obeithio hynny er lles y trigolion yn yr ardal hyfryd honno.
Ac yn olaf, cwestiwn 8, Janet Finch-Saunders.
And finally, question 8, Janet Finch-Saunders.
8. Pa fesurau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i fonitro a gwarchod llamhidyddion rhag bygythiadau fel mynd ynghlwm mewn rhwydi pysgota, llygredd cemegol a sŵn, hela, traffig cychod, a diffyg bwyd? OQ60865
8. What measures is the Welsh Government taking to monitor and protect harbour porpoises from threats such as entanglement in fishing nets, chemical and noise pollution, hunting, boat traffic, and lack of food? OQ60865
Thank you, Janet. A very important question. The Welsh Government are taking a range of steps to ensure harbour porpoises are protected from threats. This includes a commitment to deliver the bycatch mitigation initiative to reduce entanglement, the fisheries management plans to deliver sustainable fisheries that provide food, and robust management of our mobile species in special areas of conservation.
Diolch, Janet. Cwestiwn pwysig iawn. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhoi ystod o gamau ar waith i sicrhau bod llamhidyddion yn cael eu diogelu rhag bygythiadau. Mae hyn yn cynnwys ymrwymiad i gyflawni’r fenter lleihau sgilddalfa i leihau achosion o fynd ynghlwm mewn rhwydi pysgota, y cynlluniau rheoli pysgodfeydd i ddarparu pysgodfeydd cynaliadwy sy’n darparu bwyd, a rheolaeth gadarn ar ein rhywogaethau mudol mewn ardaloedd cadwraeth arbennig.
Thank you, Minister. I'm really proud, because I'm the harbour porpoise champion in Wales. Three sites off the coast of Wales and south-west England have been identified as important areas for these sea mammals. They have a combined area of 16,477 km, with water depths ranging from the shallower waters along the coast down to approximately 100m. The main threats to these porpoises include getting caught as bycatch in some fishing gear, and they are also sensitive to pollution and disturbance. Natural Resources Wales have consulted on possible special areas of conservation for them. Could you clarify what progress is being made with NRW to not only protect them, but to ensure that data is collected that can be used to monitor whether measures taken will be effective in the long term? Diolch.
Diolch, Weinidog. Rwy’n falch iawn, gan mai fi yw hyrwyddwr llamhidyddion Cymru. Mae tri safle oddi ar arfordir Cymru a de-orllewin Lloegr wedi’u nodi fel ardaloedd pwysig ar gyfer y mamaliaid morol hyn. Mae ganddynt arwynebedd cyfunol o 16,477 km, gan amrywio mewn dyfnder o'r dyfroedd bas ar hyd yr arfordir i oddeutu 100m. Mae’r prif fygythiadau i’r llamhidyddion hyn yn cynnwys cael eu dal fel sgilddalfa mewn offer pysgota, ac maent hefyd yn sensitif i lygredd ac aflonyddwch. Mae Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru wedi ymgynghori ar ardaloedd cadwraeth arbennig posibl ar eu cyfer. A allech chi egluro pa gynnydd sy’n cael ei wneud gyda CNC nid yn unig i’w diogelu, ond i sicrhau y cesglir data y gellir ei ddefnyddio wedyn i fonitro a fydd y camau a gymerwyd yn effeithiol yn y tymor hir? Diolch.