Y Cyfarfod Llawn - Y Bumed Senedd
Plenary - Fifth Senedd
06/02/2019Cynnwys
Contents
Cyfarfu’r Cynulliad am 13:30 gyda’r Llywydd (Elin Jones) yn y Gadair.
The Assembly met at 13:30 with the Llywydd (Elin Jones) in the Chair.
Galw'r Aelodau i drefn.
I call Members to order.
Yr eitem gyntaf ar ein hagenda ni y prynhawn yma yw'r cwestiynau i'r Gweinidog Addysg, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Lynne Neagle.
The first item on our agenda this afternoon is questions to the Minister for Education, and the first question is from Lynne Neagle.
1. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am drafodaethau Llywodraeth Cymru ag awdurdodau lleol yng Ngwent ynghylch darpariaeth y gwasanaeth SenCom? OAQ53347
1. Will the Minister provide an update on Welsh Government discussions with local authorities in Gwent about the provision of the SenCom service? OAQ53347
Thank you, Lynne, for your continuing work on this important subject.
Working on a regional basis can help ensure resources and expertise are targeted effectively to support learners with additional learning needs. I have asked my officials to engage with SenCom to understand the potential impact on learners of Newport’s proposed withdrawal from that service.
Diolch, Lynne, am eich gwaith parhaus ar y pwnc pwysig hwn.
Gall gweithio ar sail ranbarthol helpu i sicrhau bod adnoddau ac arbenigedd yn cael eu targedu'n effeithiol i gefnogi dysgwyr ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Rwyf wedi gofyn i fy swyddogion ymgysylltu â SenCom i ddeall yr effaith bosibl ar ddysgwyr pe bai Casnewydd yn tynnu'n ôl o'r gwasanaeth hwnnw.
Minister, I continue to be dismayed at the apparent willingness of Newport City Council—a Labour council—to jeopardise services for a very vulnerable group of children and young people by their withdrawal from the effective and highly specialised regional SenCom service. Newport are now, belatedly, undertaking some consultation with families, but parents have complained about letters being sent out only in English, in small print, and too late for parents to attend important consultation events. Would the Minister agree with me that in order for consultation to be meaningful, it needs to be timely, in a language parents can understand, including minority ethnic parents, and in a format that is accessible to parents who themselves have a sensory impairment? And do you share my continued concern at the way Newport City Council is handling this planned change to services for children with a sensory impairment?
Weinidog, rwy’n parhau i gael fy siomi gan barodrwydd ymddangosiadol Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd—cyngor Llafur—i beryglu gwasanaethau ar gyfer grŵp bregus iawn o blant a phobl ifanc, drwy dynnu'n ôl o'r gwasanaeth SenCom rhanbarthol effeithiol ac arbenigol iawn. Mae Casnewydd, o’r diwedd, yn gwneud rhywfaint o ymgynghori â theuluoedd, ond mae rhieni wedi cwyno bod llythyrau yn cael eu hanfon yn uniaith Saesneg, mewn print mân, ac yn rhy hwyr i rieni fynychu digwyddiadau ymgynghori pwysig. A fyddai'r Gweinidog yn cytuno â mi, er mwyn i’r ymgynghoriad fod yn un ystyrlon, fod angen iddo fod yn amserol, mewn iaith y gall rhieni ei deall, gan gynnwys rhieni o leiafrifoedd ethnig, ac mewn fformat sy'n hygyrch i rieni sydd â nam ar eu synhwyrau eu hunain? A ydych yn rhannu fy mhryder parhaus ynglŷn â’r ffordd y mae Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd yn ymdrin â'r newid arfaethedig hwn i wasanaethau ar gyfer plant â nam ar y synhwyrau?
Lynne, it is absolutely critical that those families who are in receipt of this service are engaged with properly and that the individual interests of individual learners is never forgotten. And I would agree with you absolutely that any consultation with families needs to be meaningful, and that cannot be meaningful if parents are unable to engage in that. As I have said, in my original answer to you, my officials will continue to seek reassurances from Newport and, indeed, other local authorities who may be impacted by this proposal, to ensure that the learning needs of those individual children and young people are not jeopardised.
Lynne, mae'n hollbwysig ymgysylltu’n briodol â’r teuluoedd sy'n cael y gwasanaeth hwn, ac na chaiff diddordebau unigol dysgwyr unigol eu hanghofio ar unrhyw adeg. A buaswn yn cytuno'n llwyr â chi fod angen i unrhyw ymgynghoriad â theuluoedd fod yn ystyrlon, ac ni all fod yn ystyrlon os na all rhieni gymryd rhan. Fel y dywedais yn fy ateb gwreiddiol i chi, bydd fy swyddogion yn parhau i geisio sicrwydd gan Gasnewydd, ac yn wir, gan awdurdodau lleol eraill a allai gael eu heffeithio gan y cynnig hwn, i sicrhau nad yw anghenion dysgu'r plant a'r bobl ifanc hynny'n cael eu peryglu.
Minister, I just heard your previous answer to my colleague. You may be aware that I asked for a statement on this issue on 11 December, and was told by the leader of the house that you were in discussion with Newport City Council about the rationale for the withdrawal of the service and that you would report back. Since then, many charities, such as the Royal National Institute of Blind People Cymru, Wales Council for the Blind, Guide Dogs Cymru and Sight Cymru have raised concerns that Newport's decision could lead to a postcode lottery of this provision. Councillors from all parties in Monmouthshire unanimously backed a motion to oppose Newport City Council's decision, deeply regretting the level of uncertainty it has created around this essential support network. Minister, what action will you take to ensure that services for these vulnerable children in south-east Wales are protected, please?
Diolch, Lywydd. Weinidog, clywais eich ateb blaenorol i fy nghyd-Aelod. Efallai eich bod yn ymwybodol fy mod wedi gofyn am ddatganiad ar y mater hwn ar 11 Rhagfyr, a bod arweinydd y tŷ wedi dweud wrthyf eich bod yn trafod gyda Chyngor Dinas Casnewydd ynglŷn â'r rhesymeg dros gael gwared ar y gwasanaeth ac y byddech yn adrodd yn ôl. Ers hynny, mae sawl elusen, fel Sefydliad Cenedlaethol Brenhinol Pobl Ddall Cymru, Cyngor Cymru i'r Deillion, Cŵn Tywys Cymru a Sight Cymru wedi mynegi pryderon y gallai penderfyniad Casnewydd arwain at loteri cod post ar gyfer y ddarpariaeth hon. Cafwyd cefnogaeth unfrydol gan gynghorwyr o bob plaid yn Sir Fynwy i gynnig i wrthwynebu penderfyniad Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd, gan fynegi cryn siom ynglŷn â lefel yr ansicrwydd y mae wedi’i greu mewn perthynas â’r rhwydwaith hanfodol hwn o gymorth. Weinidog, pa gamau y byddwch yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod y gwasanaethau ar gyfer y plant agored i niwed hyn yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru yn cael eu diogelu, os gwelwch yn dda?
Well, I can assure the Member that I wrote to Councillor Debbie Wilcox, the leader of Newport City Council, back in November, seeking reassurances. A response was received from the said council in December, and the council stated that they were confident that they will leave a significant and well-funded service that should be more than able to maintain the current levels of delivery to the remaining four local authorities. However, as you will have heard from Lynne Neagle, the situation is fluid, continues to change. Newport council are belatedly now engaging with parents of children who use this service, but, again, as we've heard from Lynne Neagle, the quality of that consultation exercise is at best questionable, and my officials continue to liaise with Newport City Council over their actions on this particular service.
Wel, gallaf roi sicrwydd i’r Aelod fy mod wedi ysgrifennu at y cynghorydd Debbie Wilcox, arweinydd Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd, yn ôl ym mis Tachwedd, i ofyn am sicrwydd. Cefais ymateb gan y cyngor hwnnw ym mis Rhagfyr, a dywedodd y cyngor eu bod yn hyderus y byddant yn gadael gwasanaeth sylweddol a ariennir yn briodol ac a ddylai fod â mwy na digon o allu i gynnal y lefelau darparu presennol i'r pedwar awdurdod lleol sydd ar ôl. Fodd bynnag, fel y clywsoch gan Lynne Neagle, mae'r sefyllfa'n ansefydlog, ac yn parhau i newid. Mae cyngor Casnewydd, o’r diwedd, yn ymgysylltu â rhieni plant sy'n defnyddio'r gwasanaeth hwn, ond unwaith eto, fel y clywsom gan Lynne Neagle, mae ansawdd yr ymarfer ymgynghori hwnnw yn amheus ar y gorau, ac mae fy swyddogion yn parhau i siarad gyda Chyngor Dinas Casnewydd ynglŷn â’u camau gweithredu mewn perthynas â'r gwasanaeth penodol hwn.
Minister, I know your strong personal commitment to this and to ensuring that all learners across the whole country have the very rich education experience that they have a right to expect. I share Lynne Neagle's absolute dismay at the actions of Newport City Council. I feel that Newport City Council is turning its back on some of the most vulnerable learners in the country and acting in an entirely cavalier fashion, without any real care or consideration for the impact that this is having on learners across the whole of the Gwent region. It is a tragedy that, at the time of your consulting on the code for additional learning needs, this is taking place and causing such distress for people in the region. Minister, my question to you is this: how can you as a Welsh Government ensure that we have the structures in place in the future to ensure that councils are unable to cause this distress, unable to act in this way, and unable to turn their backs on the needs of some of the most vulnerable people in our society?
Weinidog, rwy’n ymwybodol o’ch ymrwymiad personol cryf i hyn ac i sicrhau bod pob dysgwr ledled y wlad yn cael y profiad addysg cyfoethog iawn y mae ganddynt hawl i'w ddisgwyl. Rhannaf siom llwyr Lynne Neagle ynglŷn â gweithredoedd Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd. Teimlaf fod Cyngor Dinas Casnewydd yn troi ei gefn ar rai o'r dysgwyr mwyaf agored i niwed yn y wlad ac yn ymddwyn mewn ffordd gwbl ddi-hid, heb unrhyw ofal go iawn neu ystyriaeth o’r effaith y mae hyn yn ei chael ar ddysgwyr ar draws rhanbarth Gwent. Ar adeg pan ydych yn ymgynghori ar y cod ar gyfer anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, mae'n drasiedi fod hyn yn digwydd ac yn peri cymaint o ofid i bobl yn y rhanbarth. Weinidog, dyma fy nghwestiwn i chi: sut y gallwch chi fel Llywodraeth Cymru sicrhau bod y strwythurau gennym yn y dyfodol i sicrhau na all cynghorau beri’r gofid hwn, na allant ymddwyn yn y modd hwn, ac na allant droi eu cefnau ar anghenion rhai o'r bobl fwyaf agored i niwed yn ein cymdeithas?
The concern that I have is that SenCom services, which, as everybody has recognised, is a service that delivers on a regional basis to a very specific group of children and young people with very specific additional learning needs, actually has been, I would argue, an example of very good practice—of local authorities pooling their resources, working together, to ensure a strong, sustainable service. Now, the fact that Newport has made these decisions—which they are entitled to do—demonstrates how we will have to look again at how we encourage and support local authorities to work on a regional basis where there are proven advantages for doing so, and I continue to have such discussions with my colleague the Minister for Housing and Local Government.
Fy mhryder i yw bod gwasanaethau SenCom, sydd, fel y mae pawb wedi’i gydnabod, yn wasanaeth sy'n darparu ar sail ranbarthol i grŵp penodol iawn o blant a phobl ifanc gydag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol penodol iawn, wedi bod yn enghraifft o arfer da iawn, buaswn yn dadlau—o awdurdodau lleol yn cyfuno eu hadnoddau, yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd i sicrhau gwasanaeth cryf a chynaliadwy. Nawr, mae'r ffaith bod Casnewydd wedi gwneud y penderfyniadau hyn—ac mae ganddynt hawl i'w gwneud—yn dangos sut y bydd yn rhaid inni ailedrych ar sut rydym yn annog ac yn cynorthwyo awdurdodau lleol i weithio ar sail ranbarthol lle ceir manteision profedig o wneud hynny. Ac rwy'n parhau i gael trafodaethau o'r fath gyda fy nghyd-Aelod, y Gweinidog Tai a Llywodraeth Leol.
Nid yw John Griffiths yn y Siambr i ofyn cwestiwn 2.
John Griffiths is not in the Chamber to ask question 2.
Ni ofynnwyd cwestiwn 2 [OAQ53370].
Question 2 [OAQ53370] not asked.
Ac felly fe wnawn ni symud i gwestiynau gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Mohammad Asghar.
And therefore we will move to questions from the party spokespeople. The Conservative spokesperson, Mohammad Asghar.
Thank you, Madam Presiding Officer. Concerns have been expressed that, at present, investment in skills and adult education is too heavily focused on young adults, to the detriment of people aged 25 and over. By 2022, a third of the Welsh workforce will be aged over 50, so adult learning is much more important than ever in Wales. Minister, what are you doing to extend part-time and flexible modes of education, which provide an essential route for many adults who would otherwise be unable to access education in Wales?
Diolch, Lywydd. Mynegwyd pryderon fod buddsoddiad mewn sgiliau ac addysg oedolion ar hyn o bryd yn canolbwyntio gormod ar oedolion ifanc, ar draul pobl 25 oed a hŷn. Erbyn 2022, bydd traean o weithlu Cymru dros 50 oed, felly mae dysgu oedolion yn llawer pwysicach nag erioed yng Nghymru. Weinidog, beth rydych yn ei wneud i ymestyn modelau addysg rhan-amser a hyblyg, sy'n darparu llwybr hanfodol i lawer o oedolion na fyddent fel arall yn gallu cael mynediad at addysg yng Nghymru?
Well, firstly, I'm sure that the Member has inadvertently suggested that prioritising the needs of younger learners in further education over those of others is not something that he supports. I'm sure the Member would want us to continue to ensure that learners of post-compulsory age—17 onwards—continue to enjoy provision. But he makes a valuable point—that we need to ensure that learners, throughout their lifetime, have an opportunity to upskill, learn new skills or engage in education to improve their employment prospects. That's why you will be aware, I am sure, of my commitment with the new First Minister to explore the concept of ensuring that Wales becomes a second-chance nation and that every learner has an opportunity to engage in education at various points in their life. Of course, I am delighted that, as a result, for instance, of our changes to higher education support, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of part-time learners registering with the Open University in Wales this year, which is in stark contrast to the numbers that continue to decline across the border in England.
Wel, yn gyntaf, rwy'n siŵr fod yr Aelod wedi awgrymu heb feddwl gwneud hynny nad yw blaenoriaethu anghenion dysgwyr iau mewn addysg bellach dros anghenion pobl eraill yn rhywbeth y mae'n ei gefnogi. Rwy'n siŵr y byddai'r Aelod am i ni barhau i sicrhau bod dysgwyr o oedran ôl-orfodol—17 a hŷn—yn parhau i elwa o'r ddarpariaeth. Ond mae'n gwneud pwynt gwerthfawr—fod angen inni sicrhau bod dysgwyr, drwy gydol eu hoes, yn cael cyfle i uwchsgilio, dysgu sgiliau newydd neu gael addysg i wella eu rhagolygon cyflogaeth. Dyna pam y byddwch yn ymwybodol, rwy'n siŵr, o fy ymrwymiad gyda'r Prif Weinidog newydd i archwilio'r cysyniad o sicrhau bod Cymru'n dod yn genedl ail gyfle a bod gan bob dysgwr gyfle i gael addysg ar wahanol adegau yn eu bywydau. Wrth gwrs, rwy'n falch, o ganlyniad i'n newidiadau i gymorth addysg uwch, er enghraifft, ein bod wedi gweld cynnydd dramatig yn nifer y dysgwyr rhan-amser sy'n cofrestru gyda'r Brifysgol Agored yng Nghymru eleni, mewn gwrthgyferbyniad llwyr â'r niferoedd sy'n parhau i ostwng dros y ffin yn Lloegr.
Thank you, Minister. But concerns have been raised about the lack of awareness of the financial support available for part-time students and greater debt aversion amongst mature students as contributing factors in any reduction in demand for part-time provision. Student Finance Wales focuses heavily on young people, resulting in a deficit of important information, advice and guidance for current and potential mature students. What are you doing, Minister, to ensure that part-time learners are treated fairly and on an equal basis so that part-time finance options are publicised as prominently as full-time ones in Wales?
Diolch, Weinidog. Ond mynegwyd pryderon ynghylch diffyg ymwybyddiaeth o'r gefnogaeth ariannol sydd ar gael i fyfyrwyr rhan-amser a mwy o amharodrwydd i fynd i ddyled ymhlith myfyrwyr hŷn fel ffactorau cyfrannol mewn unrhyw ostyngiad yn y galw am ddarpariaeth ran-amser. Mae Cyllid Myfyrwyr Cymru yn rhoi llawer o ffocws ar bobl ifanc, gan arwain at ddiffyg gwybodaeth bwysig, cyngor a chanllawiau ar gyfer myfyrwyr hŷn presennol a darpar fyfyrwyr hŷn. Beth rydych yn ei wneud, Weinidog, i sicrhau y caiff dysgwyr rhan-amser eu trin yn deg ac yn gyfartal fel fod opsiynau cyllid rhan-amser yn cael cyhoeddusrwydd mor amlwg â rhai amser llawn yng Nghymru?
Well, Oscar, I would argue that the results speak for themselves. We have seen an increase of 35 per cent this year in the registrations for part-time degree courses with the Open University alone here in Wales. The Welsh Government engaged last year with a highly successful public information and advertising regime. In terms of reach and outputs, it's actually the most successful Welsh Government advertising programme ever undertaken—even more successful than the organ donation publicity campaign. What's important to me is that we look to support part-time learners in other areas, not just simply those who are studying at a degree level. We've made a big impact at degree level. We need to now make sure that those adults who want to study below degree level also have the opportunity. I'm currently considering the report that was commissioned by the previous Minister around Adult Learning Wales and we'll be looking to explore with our colleagues in FE what more we can do to ensure that part-time learning at all levels becomes a reality for many more Welsh citizens who wish to pursue it.
Wel, Oscar, buaswn yn dadlau bod y canlyniadau'n siarad drostynt eu hunain. Rydym wedi gweld cynnydd o 35 y cant eleni mewn cofrestriadau ar gyfer cyrsiau gradd rhan-amser gyda'r Brifysgol Agored yn unig yma yng Nghymru. Y llynedd, ymgysylltodd Llywodraeth Cymru â chyfundrefn hysbysebu a gwybodaeth gyhoeddus hynod lwyddiannus. O ran cyrhaeddiad ac allbynnau, hon yw'r rhaglen hysbysebu fwyaf llwyddiannus a gyflawnwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru erioed mewn gwirionedd—hyd yn oed yn fwy llwyddiannus na'r ymgyrch gyhoeddusrwydd rhoi organau. Yr hyn sy'n bwysig i mi yw ein bod yn ceisio cefnogi dysgwyr rhan-amser mewn meysydd eraill, nid y rheini sy'n astudio ar lefel gradd yn unig. Rydym wedi cael effaith fawr ar lefel gradd. Bellach, mae angen inni sicrhau bod yr oedolion sydd am astudio ar lefel is na lefel gradd yn cael cyfle i wneud hynny hefyd. Ar hyn o bryd, rwy'n ystyried yr adroddiad a gomisiynwyd gan y Gweinidog blaenorol ar Addysg Oedolion Cymru a byddwn yn ceisio archwilio gyda'n cymheiriaid ym maes addysg bellach beth arall y gallwn ei wneud i sicrhau bod dysgu rhan-amser ar bob lefel yn dod yn realiti i lawer mwy o ddinasyddion Cymru sy'n awyddus i ymgymryd â hynny.
Thank you, Minister. I've got no doubt that you're doing a wonderful job in your own post, but new data published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency show that a number of both EU and non-EU students attending British universities has risen nicely. In 2017 and 2018, over 458,000 students attended British universities—a rise of 16,000 over the previous years, and 20,000 since the year of the EU referendum. On a good note, Minister, will you join me in welcoming this news, which has been achieved, as the BBC would say, 'despite Brexit'?
Diolch, Weinidog. Nid oes amheuaeth gennyf eich bod yn gwneud gwaith gwych yn eich rôl eich hun, ond mae data newydd a gyhoeddwyd gan yr Asiantaeth Ystadegau Addysg Uwch yn dangos bod nifer myfyrwyr o'r UE a myfyrwyr nad ydynt o'r UE sy'n mynychu prifysgolion Prydain wedi codi. Yn 2017 a 2018, mynychodd dros 458,000 o fyfyrwyr brifysgolion ym Mhrydain—cynnydd o 16,000 ar y blynyddoedd blaenorol, ac 20,000 ers blwyddyn refferendwm yr UE. Ar nodyn cadarnhaol, Weinidog, a wnewch chi ymuno â mi i groesawu'r newyddion hwn, sydd wedi'i gyflawni, fel y byddai'r BBC yn ei ddweud, 'er gwaethaf Brexit'?
First of all, can I take this opportunity, Presiding Officer, to let people know that Wales's universities and FE colleges are open to business? We greatly appreciate the contributions that are made by European members of faculty and European and indeed non-European foreign students who come to study here in Wales. I hope many more of them will continue to do so.
But the Member does really need to listen to Universities Wales and to ColegauCymru about the real and present threats that Brexit poses to our FE and HE sector. The member, in ignoring those, actually is being reckless with the future of this very important sector. Undoubtedly—undoubtedly—Brexit, in whatever form it takes, will impact upon that sector and it will not do so positively.
Yn gyntaf, a gaf fi gymryd y cyfle hwn, Lywydd, i roi gwybod i bobl fod prifysgolion a cholegau addysg bellach Cymru yn agored i fusnes? Rydym yn gwerthfawrogi'n fawr y cyfraniadau a wneir gan aelodau staff Ewropeaidd, a myfyrwyr Ewropeaidd, ac yn wir, myfyrwyr nad ydynt o Ewrop sy'n dod i astudio yma yng Nghymru. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd llawer ohonynt yn parhau i wneud hynny.
Ond mae angen i'r Aelod wrando ar Prifysgolion Cymru a ColegauCymru mewn perthynas â'r bygythiadau gwirioneddol a achosir gan Brexit i'n sector AB ac AU. Mae'r Aelod, wrth eu hanwybyddu, yn bod yn ddi-hid gyda dyfodol y sector tra phwysig hwn. Heb amheuaeth—heb amheuaeth— bydd Brexit, ar ba ffurf bynnag y bydd yn digwydd, yn effeithio ar y sector, ac nid mewn ffordd gadarnhaol.
Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Siân Gwenllian.
The Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Siân Gwenllian.
Diolch, Llywydd. Dwi am ddechrau lle gorffennais i y tro diwethaf i mi gael sgwrs efo chi ar draws y Siambr, sef efo'r frawddeg anffodus a oedd yn eich Papur Gwyn yr wythnos diwethaf am ddysgu Saesneg mewn ysgolion a lleoliadau meithrin. Dwi ddim yn mynd i fynd dros yr un un tir eto, a dwi'n falch iawn eich bod chi wedi gwneud tro pedol ar y mater yma ac na fydd newid polisi fel yr awgrymodd Gweinidog y Gymraeg wrth ateb fy nghwestiynau i yma ddydd Mercher diwethaf ac fel cafodd ei gadarnhau mewn datganiad byr a ymddangosodd ar wefan y Llywodraeth ddydd Llun.
Ond mae yna gwestiynau pellach yn codi yn fy meddwl i yn sgil y ffiasgo yma. Mae'n amlwg mai camgymeriad oedd cynnwys y frawddeg, ond sut yn y byd y caniatawyd i frawddeg a fyddai wedi golygu newid polisi syfrdanol i ymddangos mewn Papur Gwyn yn y lle cyntaf? Onid ydy cyhoeddiadau pwysig fel Papurau Gwyn yn cael eu darllen a'u hailddarllen drosodd a throsodd er mwyn osgoi camgymeriadau sylfaenol? Onid oes proses i sicrhau cysondeb gyda pholisïau craidd y Llywodraeth?
A'r cwestiwn arall sy'n codi ydy: pam y byddai unrhyw un yn yr adran addysg yn ychwanegu'r fath frawddeg a sut ydych chi am wneud yn siŵr fod yr holl swyddogion addysg yn gyfarwydd â pholisïau sydd wedi cael eu cydnabod ers degawdau fel y rhai cywir ar gyfer dysgu Cymraeg i blant o dan saith oed? Dyna'i gyd y gallaf fi ei ddweud ydy bod y llanast yma'n tanseilio eich hygrededd chi fel Gweinidog, gweision sifil yr adran addysg a'r Llywodraeth yma.
Thank you, Llywydd. I want to start where I left off the last time I had a conversation with you across this Chamber, namely with this very unfortunate sentence in your White Paper, published last week, about teaching English in nursery settings and nursery schools. I’m not going to rehearse the same issues again, and I’m very pleased that you have carried out a u-turn on this issue and that there will be no change of policy, as the Minister for the Welsh language suggested in answering my questions last Wednesday and as was confirmed in a brief statement that appeared on the Government’s website on Monday.
But there are further questions arising in my mind in the wake of this fiasco. It’s clear that the inclusion of the sentence was an error, but how on earth did that sentence, which would have meant a substantial and shocking change of policy, appear in the White Paper in the first place? Are important publications like White Papers not read and re-read time and time again in order to avoid fundamental mistakes such as this one? Isn’t there a process in place to ensure consistency with the Government’s core policies?
The other question arising is: why would anyone in the education department add such a sentence? How will you ensure that all your education officials are familiar with policies that have been recognised over decades as being the right ones for teaching Welsh to children under seven years of age? All I can say is that this mess has undermined your credibility as Minister and that of the civil servants of the education department and this Government.
There was never any change in policy. I said that in questions last week. It was reiterated by the Welsh language Minister the following day, and I am very pleased that we have issued a detailed clarification in which I have made clear that immersion will continue in different schools and different settings.
So, if I can, Presiding Officer, for the record here this afternoon: our proposals in the new curriculum will still enable schools and settings such as the meithrin to fully immerse children in the Welsh language and I'm very grateful to both officials at meithrin and UCAC for their support in this area.
Ni fu unrhyw newid yn y polisi. Dywedais hynny yn ystod y sesiwn gwestiynau yr wythnos diwethaf. Ailadroddwyd hynny gan Weinidog y Gymraeg y diwrnod wedyn, ac rwy'n falch iawn ein bod wedi cyhoeddi eglurhad manwl lle dywedais yn glir y bydd trochi'n parhau mewn gwahanol ysgolion a lleoliadau gwahanol.
Felly, os caf, Lywydd, ar gyfer y cofnod yma y prynhawn yma: bydd ein cynigion yn y cwricwlwm newydd yn dal i alluogi ysgolion a lleoliadau fel ysgolion meithrin i drochi plant yn llawn yn y Gymraeg ac rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i swyddogion ysgolion meithrin ac UCAC am eu cefnogaeth yn hyn o beth.
Diolch yn fawr am yr eglurder yna, ond dydych chi ddim yn ateb y cwestiwn ynglŷn â sut yn y byd gwnaeth y fath frawddeg ymddangos yn y lle cyntaf.
Dwi'n mynd i droi at agweddau eraill ar eich Papur Gwyn chi, os caf i. Mae o'n nodi y bydd angen deddfwriaeth sylfaenol ar gyfer rhai materion penodol, gan gynnwys y chwe maes dysgu a phrofiad. Un o'r chwech hynny ydy'r dyniaethau, ac rydych chi'n rhestru'r dyniaethau fel hanes, daearyddiaeth, addysg grefyddol, busnesau ac astudiaethau cymdeithasol. Rŵan, dwi wedi eich clywed chi sawl tro yn trafod pwysigrwydd dysgu hanes Cymru i'n plant ni, a dwi'n credu ein bod ni'n rhannu'r un weledigaeth o gwmpas hynny. A fyddwch chi, felly, yn ystyried ychwanegu hanes Cymru i'r rhestr o bynciau o dan y pennawd 'dyniaethau'? Byddai hanes Cymru wedyn yn ymddangos ar wyneb y Bil, ac fe fyddai'n golygu ei bod hi'n statudol i bob ysgol yng Nghymru gyflwyno hanes Cymru fel rhan o'r cwricwlwm newydd.
Thank you for providing that clarity, but you haven’t answered the question as to how on earth such a sentence appeared in the first place.
I’ll turn now to other aspects of your White Paper, if I may. It does note that primary legislation will be required for certain issues, including the six areas of learning and experience. One of those is the humanities, and you list the humanities as history, geography, religious education, business and social studies. I’ve heard you on a number of occasions discussing the importance of teaching Welsh history to our children, and I believe that we share the same vision in that area. Will you, therefore, consider adding the history of Wales to that list of subjects under the 'humanities' heading? The history of Wales would then appear on the face of the Bill and it would mean that it would be a statutory requirement for every school in Wales to introduce Welsh history as part of the new curriculum.
Let me be absolutely clear again: it is absolutely my expectation and my intention that all children should learn their own local history, the history of their nation, and the place of their nation in world history and the contribution of our country to world history and world events. The concept behind the curriculum, especially in the humanities, is a focus on the local at the very youngest age, and growing out from the local, which will give our children an understanding not only of their place in their community, but their community's place in our nation, and, indeed, the world. That is the focus. But I have to say I am concerned that this idea that the Welsh dimension can only ever be delivered through the history curriculum—it's truly worrying for me, because, actually, what I want out of this curriculum is not just children to learn about Welsh history. I want children to learn about Welsh literature, I want children to learn about Welsh musicians, I want people to learn about Welsh scientists. And the Member will know, from reading the White Paper, that, actually, a Welsh dimension will be a cross-cutting theme, not just in the humanities AOL—it is a cross-cutting theme for the entirety of our curriculum.
Gadewch imi ddweud yn gwbl glir unwaith eto: mae'n ddisgwyliad ac yn fwriad gennyf y dylai pob plentyn ddysgu eu hanes lleol eu hunain, hanes eu cenedl, a lle eu cenedl yn hanes y byd a chyfraniad ein gwlad i hanes y byd a digwyddiadau'r byd. Y cysyniad sydd wrth wraidd y cwricwlwm, yn enwedig yn y dyniaethau, yw ffocws ar y lleol o'r oed ieuengaf, a thyfu allan o'r lleol, a fydd yn rhoi dealltwriaeth i'n plant nid yn unig o'u lle yn eu cymuned, ond o le eu cymuned yn ein cenedl, ac yn wir, yn y byd. Dyna'r ffocws. Ond mae'n rhaid imi ddweud fy mod yn pryderu ynghylch y syniad hwn mai drwy'r cwricwlwm hanes yn unig y gellir darparu'r dimensiwn Cymreig—mae'n peri cryn bryder i mi, oherwydd mewn gwirionedd, hoffwn i blant ddysgu mwy na hanes Cymru yn unig o'r cwricwlwm hwn. Rwyf am i blant ddysgu am lenyddiaeth Cymru, rwyf am i blant ddysgu am gerddorion Cymru, rwyf am i bobl ddysgu am wyddonwyr Cymru. A bydd yr Aelod yn gwybod, o ddarllen y Papur Gwyn, y bydd dimensiwn Cymreig yn thema drawsbynciol mewn gwirionedd, nid yn unig ym maes dysgu'r dyniaethau—mae'n thema drawsbynciol ar gyfer ein cwricwlwm yn ei gyfanrwydd.
Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rydw i'n cytuno'n llwyr efo chi, ond dydy hynny ddim yn ddadl dros beidio â chynnwys hanes Cymru fel pwnc penodol o dan y rhestr hir sydd gennych chi o dan y teitl 'dyniaethau'.
I droi hefyd at agwedd arall ar y cwricwlwm newydd—a dwi'n dyfynnu—mi fydd y cwricwlwm yn rhoi
'rhyddid i ymarferwyr ddefnyddio eu proffesiynoldeb a'u crebwyll i ddiwallu anghenion dysgwyr'.
Dyna ydy hanfod gweledigaeth Donaldson, mewn gwirionedd, yntê? Mae'r Papur Gwyn yn mynd ymlaen wedyn i ddweud y bydd yna lai o fanylder mewn deddfwriaeth o ran cynnwys y cwricwlwm na sydd yna ar hyn o bryd, ac y bydd cynnwys y meysydd dysgu a phrofiad yn cael ei amlinellu mewn canllawiau statudol.
Rŵan, rydym ni'n gwybod y bydd y cwricwlwm a'r trefniadau asesu newydd yn cael eu cyhoeddi ym mis Ebrill er mwyn cael adborth. Beth mae llawer o athrawon yn holi ydy: pryd bydd y canllawiau atodol ar gael a pha mor fanwl fydd y rheini? Mae llawer o athrawon yn dadlau bod angen arweiniad a chanllawiau clir a manwl ac maen nhw'n gofidio na fydd hynny ar gael.
Thank you very much. I agree entirely with you, but that’s not an argument for not including the history of Wales as a specific subject under that long list that you have under the heading of 'humanities'.
In turning to another aspect of the new curriculum—and I quote—the curriculum will provide
'freedom for practitioners to use their professionalism and creativity to meet the needs of all learners'.
That is at the heart of the Donaldson vision, if truth be told. The White Paper goes on to say that there will be less detail in legislation, in terms of the content of the curriculum, than is the case at the moment, and that the content of the areas of learning and experience will be set out in statutory guidance.
We know that the curriculum and the new assessment arrangements will be published in April for feedback. What many teachers are asking is: when will the supplementary guidance be available and how detailed will that guidance be? Many teachers argue that they need clear and detailed guidance, and they fear that that won’t be available.
The Member is absolutely right; the individual AOLE progression steps and 'what matters' statements will be published in Easter. We are doing that in a format that will allow practitioners and, indeed, any interested parties to feed back. I would accept that there is a balance to be struck between becoming so prescriptive in that guidance that we actually might as well stay where we are, because the nature of the curriculum won't have changed at all if we're to provide long lists of things we expect teachers to do.
You will be aware, from Graham Donaldson's original report, that the way in which our curriculum is currently structured robs teachers of their creativity to truly meet the needs of their individual students. Now, clearly, we will have to provide—in, perhaps, an inelegant way—some scaffolding for the teaching profession, but we cannot, and I will not, fall into the trap of giving to our teachers long lists of prescribed things that I expect them to teach, because to do so would be to fail the vision of what we're trying to do for our curriculum for our young people.
Mae'r Aelod yn llygad ei lle; bydd camau cynnydd unigol y Meysydd Dysgu a Phrofiad a'r datganiadau ynghylch 'beth sy'n bwysig' yn cael eu cyhoeddi dros y Pasg. Rydym yn gwneud hynny mewn fformat a fydd yn caniatáu i addysgwyr, ac yn wir, unrhyw un â diddordeb i roi adborth. Buaswn yn derbyn bod cydbwysedd i'w gael rhwng dod mor ragnodol yn y canllawiau hynny fel y byddai cystal inni aros lle rydym, gan na fydd natur y cwricwlwm wedi newid o gwbl pe baem yn darparu rhestrau hirfaith o bethau rydym yn disgwyl i athrawon eu gwneud.
Fe fyddwch yn gwybod o adroddiad gwreiddiol Graham Donaldson, fod y ffordd y mae ein cwricwlwm wedi'i strwythuro ar hyn o bryd yn rhwystro creadigrwydd athrawon rhag gallu diwallu anghenion eu myfyrwyr unigol. Nawr, yn amlwg, bydd yn rhaid inni ddarparu—mewn ffordd anghelfydd, efallai—sgaffaldiau ar gyfer y proffesiwn addysgu, ond ni allwn, ac ni fyddaf, yn syrthio i'r fagl o roi rhestrau hir i'n hathrawon o bethau rhagnodedig rwy'n disgwyl iddynt eu haddysgu, gan y byddai gwneud hynny'n gwneud cam â'r weledigaeth o'r hyn y ceisiwn ei wneud gyda'n cwricwlwm ar gyfer ein pobl ifanc.
Llefarydd UKIP, Michelle Brown.
UKIP spokesperson, Michelle Brown.
Thank you, Presiding Officer. Good afternoon, Minister. Minister, you've recently announced a new sex and relationships education regime, which is to be imposed on schools and that parents won't be able to opt their child out of. Will you make sure that the new SRE curriculum covers identifying what constitutes abuse, why it's wrong, how to prevent it, and what to do if it happens?
Diolch, Lywydd. Prynhawn da, Weinidog. Weinidog, yn ddiweddar, fe gyhoeddoch chi gyfundrefn addysg rhyw a chydberthynas newydd, a fydd yn orfodol i ysgolion heb fodd i rieni optio eu plentyn allan ohoni. A wnewch chi sicrhau bod y cwricwlwm Addysg Rhyw a Chydberthynas newydd yn cynnwys nodi beth a olygir wrth gam-drin, pam ei fod yn anghywir, sut i'w atal, a beth i'w wneud os bydd yn digwydd?
First, the Member is wrong to say that I'm denying parents the right to withdraw. If the Member has read the White Paper, she will be aware that there are specific questions in the White Paper about how we tackle the issue of the right to withdraw from such lessons. But I can give the Member absolute reassurance that in ensuring that our children learn about relationships and sexuality, they will learn about issues such as consent, domestic violence, what constitutes a healthy relationship, and where to obtain help if they find themselves in a situation where they are concerned about their safety.
Yn gyntaf, mae'r Aelod yn anghywir yn dweud fy mod yn gwrthod yr hawl i rieni eithrio'u plant. Os yw'r Aelod wedi darllen y Papur Gwyn, fe fydd yn gwybod bod y Papur Gwyn yn cynnwys cwestiynau penodol ynglŷn â sut yr ymdriniwn â'r hawl i eithrio plant o wersi o'r fath. Ond gallaf roi sicrwydd llwyr i'r Aelod, wrth sicrhau bod ein plant yn dysgu am rywioldeb a chydberthynas, y byddant yn dysgu am faterion fel cydsyniad, trais domestig, beth yw perthynas iach, a lle i gael cymorth os ydynt mewn sefyllfa lle maent yn pryderu am eu diogelwch.
Thank you for that answer, Minister. Recently, we've seen the first ever conviction involving a parent performing or allowing female genital mutilation to be performed on their child. Despite years of this abuse taking place and it having been made illegal a long time ago, the UK and Welsh Governments and the institutions under their control have been ineffective at preventing it and dealing with it when it does happen. Do you agree with me that the one way we may be able to help prevent FGM in Wales is by highlighting it as a specific issue when it comes to SRE? A vague message about making sure people respect your body will not be effective in this scenario. It needs highlighting as a specific issue in its own right, doesn't it?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Yn ddiweddar, rydym wedi gweld yr euogfarn gyntaf mewn perthynas â rhiant yn anffurfio neu'n caniatáu i organau cenhedlu eu plentyn gael eu hanffurfio. Er bod y math hwn o gam-drin wedi bod yn digwydd ers blynyddoedd, ac er iddo gael ei wneud yn anghyfreithlon amser maith yn ôl, mae Llywodraeth y DU a Llywodraeth Cymru a sefydliadau o dan eu rheolaeth wedi bod yn aneffeithiol o ran ei atal a mynd i'r afael ag ef pan fydd yn digwydd. A ydych yn cytuno â mi mai'r unig ffordd efallai y gallem helpu i atal anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod yng Nghymru yw drwy ei amlygu fel problem benodol mewn perthynas ag addysg rhyw a chydberthynas? Ni fydd neges amwys am sicrhau bod pobl yn parchu eich corff yn effeithiol yn y senario hon. Mae angen ei hamlygu fel problem benodol, onid oes?
Obviously, female genital mutilation is a form of abuse, pure and simple, and it is illegal in our nation. As I said, the Member will have to wait for the individual AOLEs to be published, but we are not going to be in a position where we are listing long, long lists of individual specific subjects. But schools, crucially, have a role to play in supporting, protecting and preventing female genital mutilation, which is why, before summer recess every year, I write to all schools to remind them of their responsibilities and what they can do as summer holidays approach—which is often a danger time for many of our female students, when they may be at risk from this process and procedure—to actually remind them of their responsibilities, what to look out for, danger signs, and crucially what they should do about it if they are worried about any individual child in their school.
Yn amlwg, y gwir amdani yw bod anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod yn ffurf ar gam-drin, ac mae'n anghyfreithlon yn ein gwlad. Fel y dywedais, bydd yn rhaid i'r Aelod aros tan y caiff y Meysydd Dysgu a Phrofiad unigol eu cyhoeddi, ond ni fyddwn mewn sefyllfa lle byddwn yn creu rhestrau hir o bynciau penodol unigol. Ond yn hollbwysig, mae gan ysgolion rôl i'w chwarae yn cefnogi, diogelu ac atal anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod, a dyna pam, cyn toriad yr haf bob blwyddyn, rwy'n ysgrifennu at bob ysgol i'w hatgoffa am eu cyfrifoldebau a beth y gallant ei wneud wrth i wyliau'r haf agosáu—sy'n aml yn amser perygl i lawer o'n myfyrwyr benywaidd, pan allent fod mewn perygl o wynebu'r broses a'r driniaeth hon—i'w hatgoffa am eu cyfrifoldebau, beth i edrych amdano, yr arwyddion o berygl, ac yn hollbwysig, beth y dylent ei wneud ynglŷn â'r peth os ydynt yn poeni am unrhyw blentyn unigol yn eu hysgol.
I understand what you said about not wanting to impose on teachers a long list of items to teach—I understand where you're coming from there, Minister—but FGM is such a horrific abuse of a girl. It's now being undertaken on babies, because, and I quote,
'The girls are unable to report, the cut heals quicker and prosecution is much harder once evidence comes to light and the girl is older.'
That's the end of the quote. So, simply telling girls in school that they should report anyone trying to do it isn't going to work. Increasingly FGM is happening here in Wales, in the UK, so just keeping a note of those girls who are likely to go on holiday and have it done abroad—they might have had it done to them as babies. The whole point is, I would suggest, to educate the next generation of citizens in this country, every single one of them, in SRE, that female genital mutilation is horrific and it cannot be tolerated. Do it right at the word go. Get rid of that acceptance of it in a small part of our community. The charity Barnardo's says that community engagement is key to ending the crime of FGM. So, will you help solve this problem through educating future generations that FGM exists and can't be tolerated?
Deallaf yr hyn a ddywedoch ynglŷn â pheidio â dymuno rhoi rhestr hir o eitemau i athrawon eu haddysgu—deallaf eich safbwynt yn hynny o beth, Weinidog—ond mae anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod yn enghraifft mor erchyll o gam-drin merch. Mae bellach yn digwydd i fabanod, oherwydd, a dyfynnaf,
Nid yw'r merched yn gallu rhoi gwybod i unrhyw un, mae'r clwyfau'n cau'n gynt ac mae erlyn yn llawer anos pan ddaw tystiolaeth i'r amlwg pan fo'r ferch yn hŷn.
Dyna ddiwedd y dyfyniad. Felly, nid yw dweud wrth ferched yn yr ysgol y dylent roi gwybod am unrhyw un sy'n ceisio ei wneud yn mynd i weithio. Mae anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod yn rhywbeth sy'n digwydd yn amlach yma yng Nghymru, yn y DU, felly nid yw cadw cofnod o'r merched sy'n debygol o fynd ar wyliau a'i gael wedi'i wneud dramor—efallai ei fod wedi digwydd iddynt pan oeddent yn fabanod. Buaswn yn awgrymu mai'r holl bwynt yw addysgu'r genhedlaeth nesaf o ddinasyddion yn y wlad hon, pob un ohonynt, yn y gwersi Addysg Rhyw a Chydberthynas, fod anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod yn erchyll ac na ddylid ei oddef. Gwneud hynny'n iawn o'r cychwyn cyntaf. Sicrhau nad yw'n cael ei dderbyn mewn rhan fach o'n cymuned. Dywed elusen Barnardo's fod ymgysylltiad cymunedol yn allweddol er mwyn rhoi diwedd ar drosedd anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod. Felly, a wnewch chi helpu i ddatrys y broblem hon drwy addysgu cenedlaethau'r dyfodol fod anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod yn bodoli ac na ddylid ei oddef?
It will not be tolerated, and education has an important part to play in that, but so do many other agencies. The Member raises the issue of FGM in baby girls. Clearly, that is an issue for midwives and the national health service to address. But let me be absolutely clear again: across the Government, across all departments, we recognise FGM as a terrible form of abuse and we will work collectively together to end it.
Ni fydd yn cael ei oddef, ac mae gan addysg ran bwysig i'w chwarae yn hynny, ond mae gan lawer o asiantaethau eraill ran bwysig i'w chwarae hefyd. Mae'r Aelod yn codi mater anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod mewn perthynas â babanod benywaidd. Yn amlwg, mae hwnnw'n fater i fydwragedd a'r gwasanaeth iechyd gwladol fynd i'r afael ag ef. Ond gadewch i mi ddweud yn gwbl glir unwaith eto: ar draws y Llywodraeth, ar draws pob adran, rydym yn cydnabod bod anffurfio organau cenhedlu benywod yn ffurf erchyll ar gam-drin a byddwn yn gweithio ar y cyd gyda'n gilydd i roi diwedd arno.
Cwestiwn 3, Hefin David.
Question 3, Hefin David.
Diolch, Llywydd. I understand you've grouped questions 3 and 5. Is that correct?
Diolch, Lywydd. Deallaf eich bod wedi grwpio cwestiynau 3 a 5. A yw hynny'n gywir?
Yes.
Ydi.
3. Pa gamau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cymryd i sicrhau y clywir lleisiau pobl ifanc wrth ddatblygu Cwricwlwm Cymru, Cwricwlwm am Oes? OAQ53348
3. What steps has the Minister taken to ensure that young people's voices are heard in the development of A Curriculum for Wales, A Curriculum for Life? OAQ53348
5. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am ddatblygu Cwricwlwm Cymru, Cwricwlwm am Oes? OAQ53349
5. Will the Minister make a statement on the development of A Curriculum for Wales, A Curriculum for Life? OAQ53349
Thank you, Hefin. In answering both question 3 and 5, I can assure you that the views of children and young people are essential to our curriculum reform process. We've already engaged with them on key developments such as e-portfolios, online assessments and the relationship and sexuality education programme that we will put on the face of the Bill. Pioneer schools have engaged with learners during the curriculum development and we will continue to involve them fully in the feedback process. There is a children and young people's version of the White Paper and their views will be essential in getting our new curriculum right.
Diolch, Hefin. Wrth ateb cwestiynau 3 a 5, gallaf roi sicrwydd i chi fod barn plant a phobl ifanc yn hanfodol i'r broses o ddiwygio ein cwricwlwm. Rydym eisoes wedi ymgysylltu â hwy ar ddatblygiadau allweddol megis e-bortffolios, asesiadau ar-lein a'r rhaglen addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb y byddwn yn ei rhoi ar wyneb y Bil. Mae ysgolion arloesi wedi ymgysylltu â dysgwyr yn ystod y broses o ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm a byddwn yn parhau i'w cynnwys yn llawn yn y broses adborth. Mae gennym fersiwn o'r Papur Gwyn ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc a bydd eu barn yn hanfodol er mwyn sicrhau bod ein cwricwlwm newydd yn addas.
In spite of those great steps, the children's commissioner has been critical that the voices of children haven't been heard enough in the development of the new curriculum. I hosted an event last week at the Pierhead building on Tuesday with Caerphilly Youth Forum, where they submitted a petition that said that they wanted to make sure that 'curriculum for life' lessons were compulsory in the new curriculum. They feel the current curriculum is failing to provide them with the life skills that they need. The Children's Society have also recommended that child well-being be a central part of the new curriculum, and the general feeling among those people I spoke to is that still more could be done to involve children's voices in the development of the curriculum. Therefore, what progress is she making?
Er gwaethaf y camau mawr hynny, mae'r comisiynydd plant wedi bod yn feirniadol nad yw lleisiau plant wedi cael eu clywed yn ddigonol wrth ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm newydd. Cynhaliais ddigwyddiad yr wythnos diwethaf yn adeilad y Pierhead ddydd Mawrth gyda Fforwm Ieuenctid Caerffili, lle cyflwynwyd deiseb ganddynt a ddywedai eu bod yn awyddus i sicrhau bod gwersi 'cwricwlwm am oes' yn orfodol yn y cwricwlwm newydd. Maent yn teimlo nad yw'r cwricwlwm presennol yn darparu'r sgiliau bywyd sydd eu hangen arnynt. Mae Cymdeithas y Plant hefyd wedi argymell bod lles y plentyn yn rhan ganolog o'r cwricwlwm newydd, a'r teimlad cyffredinol ymhlith y bobl y siaradais â hwy yw y gellid gwneud mwy eto i gynnwys lleisiau plant yn y broses o ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm. Felly, pa gynnydd y mae hi'n ei wneud?
Absolutely. I would absolutely agree with the Member that this is a process that will need to continue. The strategic stakeholder group representing children and young people has been set up specifically to take account of the views of children and young people in the reform journey, and that includes additional learning needs children, young carers, elective home education—so there are lots and lots of voices that can feed into that process. The overall aim of that group is to strengthen how we communicate and engage with children and young people to help us identify what is the best way we can actually do that and make it meaningful for everybody involved. In addition, we've been working with colleagues from the new youth Parliament, because again, I believe that is another useful forum that we can use to inform our feedback during the curriculum design process. I look forward to working with the 60 newly elected members to engage them in that.
Yn sicr. Buaswn yn cytuno'n llwyr gyda'r Aelod fod hon yn broses y bydd angen iddi barhau. Mae'r grŵp rhanddeiliaid strategol sy'n cynrychioli plant a phobl ifanc wedi'i sefydlu'n benodol i ystyried barn plant a phobl ifanc yn ystod y daith ddiwygio, ac mae hynny'n cynnwys plant ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, gofalwyr ifanc, addysg ddewisol yn y cartref—felly mae llawer iawn o leisiau yn gallu bwydo i mewn i'r broses honno. Nod cyffredinol y grŵp hwnnw yw cryfhau'r modd y cyfathrebwn ac yr ymgysylltwn â phlant a phobl ifanc i'n helpu i nodi'r ffordd orau y gallwn wneud hynny a sicrhau bod hynny'n ystyrlon ar gyfer pawb sy'n rhan o'r broses. Yn ychwanegol at hynny, rydym wedi bod yn gweithio gyda chymheiriaid o'r Senedd ieuenctid newydd, oherwydd unwaith eto, credaf fod hwnnw'n fforwm defnyddiol arall y gallwn ei ddefnyddio i lywio ein hadborth yn ystod y broses o lunio'r cwricwlwm. Edrychaf ymlaen at weithio gyda'r 60 aelod etholedig newydd i'w cynnwys yn y broses honno.
Further to the development of the new curriculum, the Minister will be aware of the criticism from the Welsh Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Education in Wales, in which they said the curriculum's development was
'generic, poorly defined and weak on knowledge and skills development'.
She came to the Children, Young People and Education Committee on 10 January and said that ADEW had not attended a consultation meeting on the development of the new curriculum to express these concerns directly since 2017. With that in mind, what progress has she made in rebuilding relationships with ADEW, and has she had any further meetings to address those concerns?
Yn ychwanegol at y broses o ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm newydd, bydd y Gweinidog yn ymwybodol o'r feirniadaeth gan Gymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru a Chymdeithas Cyfarwyddwyr Addysg Cymru, lle roeddent yn dweud bod datblygiad y cwricwlwm yn
generig, wedi'i ddiffinio'n wael ac yn wan o ran gwybodaeth a datblygu sgiliau.
Daeth at y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg ar 10 Ionawr a dywedodd nad oedd Cymdeithas Cyfarwyddwyr Addysg Cymru wedi mynychu cyfarfod ymgynghori ar y broses o ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm newydd i fynegi'r pryderon hyn yn uniongyrchol ers 2017. Gyda hynny mewn golwg, pa gynnydd a wnaed ganddi ar ailadeiladu cysylltiadau gyda Chymdeithas Cyfarwyddwyr Addysg Cymru, ac a yw hi wedi cael unrhyw gyfarfodydd pellach i fynd i'r afael â'r pryderon hynny?
As I said, what was disappointing about that is that not only had the opportunity not been taken by ADEW to contribute their concerns during formal stakeholder meetings, but I meet regularly with the leadership of the WLGA and, indeed, ADEW, and none of those concerns had been expressed to me. I'm aware that those concerns have not been expressed to the previous Cabinet Secretary for local government either. So, it was disappointing to see the evidence that had been given to CYPE. I'm pleased to say that, at the most recent stakeholder board, both the WLGA and ADEW were represented.
Fel y dywedais, yr hyn oedd yn siomedig am hynny yw nid yn unig fod Cymdeithas Cyfarwyddwyr Addysg Cymru heb fanteisio ar y cyfle i fynegi eu pryderon yn ystod cyfarfodydd ffurfiol y rhanddeiliaid, ond rwy'n cyfarfod yn rheolaidd ag arweinwyr Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru, ac yn wir, Cymdeithas Cyfarwyddwyr Addysg Cymru, ac ni fynegwyd unrhyw un o'r pryderon hynny wrthyf. Rwy'n ymwybodol na fynegwyd y pryderon hynny wrth Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet blaenorol dros lywodraeth leol ychwaith. Felly, roedd yn siomedig gweld y dystiolaeth a roddwyd i'r Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg. Rwy'n falch o ddweud bod CLlLC a CCAC wedi eu cynrychioli yn y cyfarfod diweddaraf o fwrdd y rhanddeiliaid.
Minister, I was encouraged to hear about some of the direct consultation mechanisms you are using to get the views of young people on the curriculum and its development, and I applaud what you've done there. I would like to hear whether anything's been done with the school councils, because they're in a very good place to do some really deep deliberative work where they actually take control of the process and consult with their members—the pupils in those schools—and then feed through to the Welsh Government their views, rather than be part of a very controlled, narrow, specific process of a number of questions, for instance.
Weinidog, roedd yn galonogol clywed am rai o'r mecanweithiau ymgynghori uniongyrchol rydych yn eu defnyddio i wrando ar farn pobl ifanc ar y cwricwlwm a'r broses o'i ddatblygu, a chymeradwyaf yr hyn rydych wedi'i wneud yn hynny o beth. Hoffwn wybod a wnaethpwyd unrhyw beth gyda'r cynghorau ysgol, gan eu bod mewn sefyllfa dda iawn i wneud gwaith ystyried manwl lle maent yn rheoli'r broses ac yn ymgynghori â'u haelodau—y disgyblion yn yr ysgolion hynny—wedyn yn bwydo'u barn drwodd i Lywodraeth Cymru, yn hytrach na bod yn rhan o broses reoledig, gul, benodol o nifer o gwestiynau, er enghraifft.
And that's exactly what the strategic stakeholder group for children and young people will be doing to look at the most effective ways and meaningful ways that we can engage with that group. I'm also interested in ensuring that children who are in education provision not in school also have an opportunity to feed in. So, for instance, we'll also be exploring with our youth service colleagues about how people who engage with and use the youth services, who perhaps sometimes aren't in formal school education, can also feed in. We want to hear from all children—as many children and young people as we can—in a variety of settings so that their voices can be heard.
A dyna'n union y bydd y grŵp rhanddeiliaid strategol ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc yn ei wneud i edrych ar y ffyrdd mwyaf effeithiol ac ystyrlon y gallwn ymgysylltu â'r grŵp hwnnw. Mae gennyf ddiddordeb hefyd mewn sicrhau bod plant sydd mewn darpariaeth addysg y tu allan i'r ysgol hefyd yn cael cyfle i gyfrannu. Felly, er enghraifft, gyda'n cydweithwyr yn y gwasanaeth ieuenctid, byddwn hefyd yn archwilio sut y gellir sicrhau cyfraniad gan bobl sy'n ymgysylltu â'r gwasanaethau ieuenctid ac yn eu defnyddio er nad ydynt mewn addysg ffurfiol mewn ysgolion o bosibl. Rydym am glywed gan bob plentyn—cynifer o blant a phobl ifanc ag y gallwn—mewn amrywiaeth o leoliadau fel y gellir clywed eu lleisiau.
Minister, it does seem ironic that we spend a lot of time in this Chamber talking about listening more to young people, and, indeed, as you've just mentioned in your previous answer, the establishment of a Youth Parliament, which we all welcome and want to see developed to its fullest extent. You mentioned that you think the Youth Parliament would be a vehicle for greater involving pupils' and young people's thoughts on the curriculum and wider issues. I wonder if you could elaborate a little bit more on how you'd envisage that might happen in practice in terms of developing the curriculum.
Weinidog, mae'n eironig ein bod yn treulio llawer o amser yn y Siambr hon yn sôn am wrando mwy ar bobl ifanc, ac yn wir, fel rydych newydd ei grybwyll yn eich ateb blaenorol, sefydlu Senedd Ieuenctid, rhywbeth y mae pob un ohonom yn ei groesawu ac yn awyddus i'w weld yn cael ei ddatblygu i'r eithaf. Fe sonioch eich bod yn credu y byddai'r Senedd Ieuenctid yn ffordd o sicrhau bod syniadau disgyblion a phobl ifanc ynglŷn â'r cwricwlwm a materion ehangach yn chwarae mwy o ran. Tybed a allwch ymhelaethu ychydig mwy ynglŷn â sut y byddech yn rhagweld y gallai hynny ddigwydd yn ymarferol mewn perthynas â datblygu'r cwricwlwm.
Well, I think the Youth Parliament is an exciting new vehicle that we can feed into our work. The introductory meeting of the full Youth Parliament, I understand, will be during the February half term, where each of the 60 Members, I think, has a certain allotted amount of time to discuss issues that are important to them. I hope some of them will choose to talk about the curriculum. It's not for me to dictate to those Members what they spend their time doing; it is for them to decide what they spend their time doing. But the offer is open and I would be very keen to engage with them on the issue of the curriculum. It might not be for the whole Youth Parliament to do that, but there may be a particular group of young people who are interested in the Youth Parliament who want to engage on this issue and my door is open to that engagement should they wish to pursue it.
Wel, credaf fod y Senedd Ieuenctid yn gyfrwng newydd cyffrous y gallwn ei fwydo i mewn i'n gwaith. Deallaf y bydd cyfarfod rhagarweiniol y Senedd Ieuenctid lawn yn cael ei gynnal yn ystod hanner tymor mis Chwefror, lle bydd cyfnod penodol o amser, rwy'n credu, wedi'i neilltuo i bob un o'r 60 Aelod drafod materion sy'n bwysig iddynt. Rwy'n gobeithio y bydd rhai ohonynt yn dewis siarad am y cwricwlwm. Nid fy lle i yw dweud wrth yr Aelodau beth y dylent dreulio'u hamser yn ei wneud; eu cyfrifoldeb hwy yw penderfynu beth y maent yn treulio'u hamser yn ei wneud. Ond mae'r cynnig yn agored a buaswn yn awyddus iawn i ymgysylltu â hwy ar fater y cwricwlwm. Efallai na fydd y Senedd Ieuenctid gyfan yn gwneud hynny, ond efallai y bydd grŵp penodol o bobl ifanc sydd â diddordeb yn y Senedd Ieuenctid yn awyddus i ymgysylltu ar y mater hwn ac mae fy nrws ar agor i ymgysylltu â hwy os ydynt yn dymuno gwneud hynny.
4. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am gefnogaeth Llywodraeth Cymru i addysg oedolion ym Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni? OAQ53338
4. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh Government support for adult education in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney? OAQ53338
Thank you, Dawn. We're committed to ensuring adults across Wales have access to the essential skills they need to thrive in our society and economy. In Merthyr and Rhymney we directly fund the local authority, college and Adult Learning Wales to deliver a range of provision for adults in the region.
Diolch, Dawn. Rydym wedi ymrwymo i sicrhau bod mynediad gan oedolion ledled Cymru at y sgiliau hanfodol sydd eu hangen arnynt i ffynnu yn ein cymdeithas a'n heconomi. Ym Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni, rydym yn ariannu'r awdurdod lleol, y coleg ac Addysg Oedolion Cymru yn uniongyrchol i ddarparu ystod o ddarpariaeth ar gyfer oedolion yn y rhanbarth.
Thank you for that answer, Minister. I'm always impressed by the contribution adult education makes to the quality of life in my constituency and I know that you visited a class at Canolfan Soar on Monday, so you'll have seen that first-hand. There's no doubt that adult education brings valuable opportunities for learning but it's also great in delivering other Government priorities—friendship to overcome problems of loneliness and isolation, benefits to mental health, as well as keeping people active and healthy. Can I ask you, therefore, what further action the Welsh Government could take across portfolios to strengthen adult education services in our communities, not just as a mechanism to deliver education but also to deliver our well-being objectives?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Rwyf bob amser yn edmygu'r cyfraniad y mae addysg oedolion yn ei wneud i ansawdd bywyd yn fy etholaeth a gwn eich bod wedi ymweld â dosbarth yng Nghanolfan Soar ddydd Llun, felly byddwch wedi gweld hynny â'ch llygaid eich hun. Nid oes unrhyw amheuaeth fod addysg oedolion yn cynnig cyfleoedd gwerthfawr i ddysgu, ond mae hefyd yn wych am gyflawni blaenoriaethau eraill y Llywodraeth—cyfeillgarwch i oresgyn problemau unigrwydd ac arwahanrwydd, manteision iechyd meddwl, yn ogystal â chadw pobl yn egnïol ac yn iach. A gaf i ofyn i chi, felly, pa gamau gweithredu eraill y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru eu rhoi ar waith ar draws y portffolios i gryfhau gwasanaethau addysg oedolion yn ein cymunedau, nid fel mecanwaith i ddarparu addysg yn unig, ond hefyd i gyflawni ein hamcanion lles?
Well, Dawn, you're absolutely right. On Monday morning, I had the opportunity to visit Canolfan Soar to meet the history group that were studying the impact of immigration on the history of Merthyr. The participants of the group were telling me that not only did it help them address issues of loneliness, it gave them a reason to leave their house, it helped them to continue to engage intellectually in a wide range of subjects, which they felt improved their physical health as well as their mental health, and actually had enabled them to make connections with other individuals to pursue other activities, not just learning—so, new friendship circles that led to them undertaking other activities, which was incredibly valuable. Of course, all of this was happening, I think, in a way that was accessible and affordable, so nobody was put off from participating because of costs associated, and I think that's really important.
You'll be aware that the previous Minister commissioned a review into the future of Adult Learning Wales. I'm considering my options as a result of that review, but can I reassure you, as I said in answer to Oscar earlier, that I believe that everyone has a right to lifelong learning and I'm looking at innovative and new ways in which we can make that right a reality?
Wel, Dawn, rydych yn llygad eich lle. Fore Llun, cefais gyfle i ymweld â Chanolfan Soar i gyfarfod â'r grŵp hanes a oedd yn astudio effaith mewnfudo ar hanes Merthyr Tudful. Dywedodd cyfranogwyr y grŵp wrthyf ei fod nid yn unig yn gymorth iddynt fynd i'r afael â materion unigrwydd, roedd hefyd yn rhoi reswm iddynt adael y tŷ, roedd yn gymorth iddynt barhau i ymgysylltu'n ddeallusol ag amrywiaeth eang o bynciau, ac roeddent yn teimlo bod hynny'n gwella'u hiechyd corfforol yn ogystal â'u hiechyd meddwl, ac mewn gwirionedd, roedd wedi eu galluogi i wneud cysylltiadau ag unigolion eraill i fynd ar drywydd gweithgareddau eraill, nid dysgu yn unig—felly, cylchoedd newydd o gyfeillion sydd wedi arwain at fwrw iddi ar weithgareddau eraill, a oedd yn hynod o werthfawr. Wrth gwrs, roedd hyn oll yn digwydd mewn ffordd a oedd yn hygyrch ac yn fforddiadwy, felly nid oedd unrhyw un yn cael eu hatal rhag cymryd rhan oherwydd costau cysylltiedig, a chredaf fod hynny'n wirioneddol bwysig.
Fe fyddwch yn gwybod bod y Gweinidog blaenorol wedi comisiynu adolygiad o ddyfodol Addysg Oedolion Cymru. Rwy'n ystyried fy opsiynau o ganlyniad i'r adolygiad hwnnw, ond a gaf fi roi sicrwydd i chi, fel y dywedais mewn ateb i Oscar yn gynharach, fy mod yn credu bod gan bawb hawl i addysg gydol oes ac rwy'n edrych ar ffyrdd arloesol a newydd o wireddu'r hawl honno?
One issue that's been raised with me is that the courses that Merthyr college offer and are available to adult learners generally require full-time attendance and attendance in the daytime as well as in the evening. I just wonder—given the commitments that many adults will have for caring and employment, would the Minister agree with me that it would be desirable if Merthyr, and indeed other colleges, were better able to offer part-time courses that adults could attend in the evening to get these qualifications?
Un mater a ddaeth i fy sylw yw bod y cyrsiau a gynigir gan goleg Merthyr Tudful ac sydd ar gael i oedolion sy'n ddysgwyr yn galw at ei gilydd am bresenoldeb amser llawn a phresenoldeb yn ystod y dydd yn ogystal â gyda'r nos. O ystyried yr ymrwymiadau y bydd gan lawer o oedolion o ran gofalu a chyflogaeth, tybed a fyddai'r Gweinidog yn cytuno â mi y byddai'n wych pe bai gan goleg Merthyr Tudful, a cholegau eraill yn wir, fwy o allu i gynnig cyrsiau rhan-amser y gallai oedolion eu mynychu gyda'r nos i gael y cymwysterau hyn?
The Member makes a very fair point. We need to have a variety of ways and a variety of settings that individuals can engage, and I will be discussing with colleagues in FE about what more they can do to support part-time provision, making sure it is accessible to all of those who would wish to participate in it, and I look forward to, as I said, finding new and innovative ways in which we can increase the opportunities for part-time learning, so that as many people as want to have the opportunity to take that up. I think it's good for the individual, it's good for society and, ultimately, that will be good for our economy.
Mae'r Aelod yn gwneud pwynt teg iawn. Mae angen inni gael amrywiaeth o ffyrdd ac amrywiaeth o leoliadau i unigolion allu cymryd rhan, a byddaf yn cynnal trafodaethau gyda chymheiriaid ym maes addysg bellach ynglŷn â beth arall y gallant ei wneud i gefnogi darpariaeth ran-amser, gan sicrhau ei bod yn hygyrch i bawb sy'n dymuno cymryd rhan, ac edrychaf ymlaen, fel y dywedais, at ddod o hyd i ffyrdd newydd ac arloesol o gynyddu'r cyfleoedd ar gyfer dysgu rhan-amser, er mwyn sicrhau bod cymaint o bobl ag sy'n awyddus i wneud hynny yn cael cyfle i wneud hynny. Credaf fod hynny'n dda i'r unigolyn, yn dda i gymdeithas, ac yn y pen draw, bydd hynny'n dda i'n heconomi.
6. Sut y bydd y broses o ddiwygio'r cwricwlwm ysgol yn gwella canlyniadau addysgol mewn cymunedau o dan anfantais? OAQ53342
6. How will the reform of the school curriculum improve educational outcomes in disadvantaged communities? OAQ53342
Thank you, Dawn. The curriculum is being designed for all learners. Underpinning the development work is a belief that someone’s ability to benefit from education should not be determined ever by what their background is or where they live. This priority has been an important consideration in developing the new curriculum.
Diolch, Dawn. Mae'r cwricwlwm yn cael ei gynllunio ar gyfer pob dysgwr. Yn sail i'r gwaith datblygu, ceir cred na ddylai cefndir rhywun neu ble maent yn byw effeithio ar eu gallu i elwa o addysg. Mae'r flaenoriaeth hon wedi bod yn ystyriaeth bwysig wrth ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm newydd.
Thank you for that, Minister, and you'll know that, for many children in Wales, it is the support offered by their school that is the key to transforming their life opportunities and shaping their lives generally and developing their self-confidence. Would you therefore agree that, as we develop and implement the new curriculum, and as we think about the funding of our school services into the future, then tackling disadvantage must remain a core priority of education policies of this Government? And can you give me some practical examples of how this can be done?
Diolch, Weinidog, a byddwch yn gwybod, i lawer o blant yng Nghymru, fod y cymorth a gynigir gan eu hysgolion yn allweddol er mwyn trawsnewid eu cyfleoedd bywyd a rhoi siâp i'w bywydau yn gyffredinol a datblygu eu hunanhyder. A fyddech yn cytuno, felly, wrth inni ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm newydd a'i roi ar waith, ac wrth inni feddwl am gyllido ein gwasanaethau ysgol yn y dyfodol, fod angen sicrhau bod mynd i'r afael ag anfantais yn parhau i fod yn flaenoriaeth greiddiol i bolisïau addysg y Llywodraeth hon? Ac a allwch roi rhai enghreifftiau ymarferol i mi o sut y gellir gwneud hynny?
Well, Dawn, you're right that the curriculum will need to be supported by the school's wider support offers; it cannot be the curriculum alone that can tackle these issues. Issues such as inequality and disadvantage go beyond the scope of the curriculum, and must be considered more widely by individual schools, by individual local authorities, and, indeed, the Welsh Government itself. Breaking that cycle of poverty and disadvantage is a long-term commitment, and I've been very clear about my personal commitment to the pupil development grant for the remainder of this Assembly term, and look to increase other opportunities, for instance such as PDG Access, which look to address issues around the cost of the school day and how that can impact upon parents.
With regard to PDG, we're investing an unprecedented amount—over £190 million in 2018-19 and 2019-20—to support the education of children from our most disadvantaged communities.
Wel, Dawn, rydych yn llygad eich lle y bydd angen i'r cwricwlwm gael ei gefnogi gan gynigion cymorth ehangach yr ysgol; ni all y cwricwlwm fynd i'r afael â'r materion hyn ar ei ben ei hun. Mae materion megis anghydraddoldeb ac anfantais yn mynd y tu hwnt i gwmpas y cwricwlwm, ac mae'n rhaid i ysgolion unigol, awdurdodau lleol unigol, ac yn wir, Llywodraeth Cymru, eu hystyried yn ehangach. Mae torri'r cylch hwnnw o dlodi ac anfantais yn ymrwymiad hirdymor, ac rwyf wedi datgan yn glir fy ymrwymiad personol i'r grant datblygu disgyblion ar gyfer gweddill tymor y Cynulliad hwn, a cheisio cynyddu cyfleoedd eraill, megis Grant Datblygu Disgyblion - Mynediad, sy'n ceisio mynd i'r afael â materion yn ymwneud â chost y diwrnod ysgol a sut y gall effeithio ar rieni.
O ran y grant datblygu disgyblion, rydym yn buddsoddi swm digynsail—dros £190 miliwn yn 2018-19 a 2019-20—i gefnogi addysg plant yn ein cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig.
Minister, I'm very grateful for the response that you've just given, but will you recognise the tremendous role of the faith communities across Wales, which are working very closely, often, with schools to eliminate poverty amongst the families that they serve? There was an excellent event that was sponsored just yesterday by Huw Irranca-Davies with the Catholic Education Service, and I was amazed and impressed by the wealth of activity that just the Catholic Church in itself was undertaking with the schools that it serves. So, will you commend them, and what other work is the Welsh Government doing to engage with faith organisations more widely to help to address the poverty that some of our children find themselves in?
Weinidog, rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn am yr ymateb rydych newydd ei roi, ond a wnewch chi gydnabod rôl ardderchog cymunedau ffydd ledled Cymru, sy'n aml yn gweithio'n agos iawn gydag ysgolion i drechu tlodi ymhlith y teuluoedd y maent yn eu gwasanaethu? Cafwyd digwyddiad arbennig ddoe a noddwyd gan Huw Irranca-Davies gyda Gwasanaeth Addysg yr Eglwys Gatholig, ac roedd yn syndod ac yn rhyfeddod gweld y cyfoeth o weithgareddau y mae'r Eglwys Gatholig ei hun yn eu gwneud gyda'r ysgolion y mae'n eu gwasanaethu. Felly, a wnewch chi eu cymeradwyo, a pha waith arall y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i ymgysylltu'n ehangach â sefydliadau ffydd i helpu i drechu'r tlodi y mae rhai o'n plant yn byw ynddo?
First of all, can I say how sorry I was that I was unable to attend the event yesterday? But I'm very pleased that Steve Davies, the director of education in Welsh Government, was able to attend on my behalf, because we greatly appreciate the work of all voluntary organisations, faith based or non-faith based, that are committed to assisting our children. When I talk about a national mission for education, I mean that truly, because there isn't an individual or voluntary group that cannot add to the national mission and help us ensure that we raise standards in our schools and close that attainment gap. So, I'm very grateful to all those, including the Catholic churches, for the work that they are doing. I enjoy a very positive relationship with our faith school bodies, who will continue to help us develop our curriculum and, of course, play an important part in the Welsh education system in actually delivering education, as well as support services.
Yn gyntaf, a gaf i ddweud fy mod yn flin iawn nad oedd modd i mi fynychu'r digwyddiad ddoe? Ond rwy'n falch iawn fod Steve Davies, cyfarwyddwr addysg Llywodraeth Cymru, wedi gallu mynychu ar fy rhan, gan ein bod yn werthfawrogol iawn o waith ein holl sefydliadau gwirfoddol, boed yn seiliedig ar ffydd neu fel arall, sydd wedi ymrwymo i helpu ein plant. Pan soniaf am genhadaeth genedlaethol ar gyfer addysg, rwy'n golygu hynny o ddifrif, gan nad oes grŵp unigol neu wirfoddol na allant ychwanegu at y genhadaeth genedlaethol a'n helpu i sicrhau ein bod yn codi safonau yn ein hysgolion ac yn cau'r bwlch cyrhaeddiad hwnnw. Felly, rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i bob un ohonynt, gan gynnwys yr eglwysi Catholig, am y gwaith a wnânt. Mae gennyf berthynas gadarnhaol iawn â chyrff ein hysgolion ffydd, a fydd yn parhau i'n helpu i ddatblygu ein cwricwlwm, ac wrth gwrs, yn chwarae rhan bwysig yn y system addysg yng Nghymru drwy ddarparu addysg, yn ogystal â gwasanaethau cymorth.
Minister, I was recently invited to visit the new school in the shadow of the Port Talbot steelworks, one of the most disadvantaged communities in Wales. Whilst the new building will help combat the disadvantages of crumbling facilities, it's the curriculum and how it's delivered that will help young people escape disadvantage. The steelworks are one of the region's biggest employers, and they have asked for involvement in the curriculum in order to ensure that young people have the skills needed by industry. Minister, are you involving industry in developing the new curriculum?
Weinidog, yn ddiweddar, cefais wahoddiad i ymweld a'r ysgol newydd yng nghysgod gwaith dur Port Talbot, un o'r cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig yng Nghymru. Er y bydd yr adeilad newydd yn helpu i fynd i'r afael ag anfanteision cyfleusterau'n dadfeilio, y cwricwlwm a sut y caiff ei ddarparu sy'n mynd i gynorthwyo pobl ifanc i ddianc rhag anfantais. Mae'r gwaith dur yn un o gyflogwyr mwyaf y rhanbarth, ac maent wedi gofyn am ran yn y cwricwlwm er mwyn sicrhau bod gan bobl ifanc y sgiliau sydd eu hangen ar ddiwydiant. Weinidog, a ydych yn cynnwys diwydiant wrth ddatblygu'r cwricwlwm newydd?
Caroline, that's precisely why we have to move away from the concept of a long list of what people have to do, because, clearly, in that community, ensuring that the young people have the skills to take advantage of opportunities from local employers will be very different from the kind of curriculum for, perhaps, people in deepest Radnorshire, my own constituency, who will not necessarily be looking to work in that particular steelworks. So, we do need to be able to allow our schools and our teachers to ensure that the curriculum is delivered in such a way as to meet the career aspirations and the employability options in individual areas.
We do engage with a number of organisations with regard to industry to allow them to help inform the development of our curriculum. And I'm very grateful to some of our big anchor companies who work so closely with schools in their individual areas, but I will ensure and ask officials once again what more we can do with partners to ensure that their voices are heard, and to understand from them what they can do to help us support education in their home area.
Caroline, dyna'n union pam y mae'n rhaid inni symud oddi wrth y cysyniad o restr hir o'r hyn y mae'n rhaid i bobl ei wneud, oherwydd, yn amlwg, yn y gymuned honno, bydd sicrhau bod gan bobl ifanc sgiliau i fanteisio ar gyfleoedd gan gyflogwyr lleol yn wahanol iawn i'r math o gwricwlwm ar gyfer pobl, efallai, yng nghanol Sir Faesyfed, fy etholaeth i, na fyddant o reidrwydd yn awyddus i weithio yn y gwaith dur penodol hwnnw. Felly, mae angen inni allu caniatáu i'n hysgolion a'n hathrawon sicrhau bod y cwricwlwm yn cael ei ddarparu mewn ffordd sy'n bodloni uchelgais gyrfa a'r dewisiadau cyflogadwyedd mewn ardaloedd unigol.
Rydym yn ymgysylltu â nifer o sefydliadau mewn perthynas â diwydiant i'w galluogi i helpu i lywio datblygiad ein cwricwlwm. Ac rwy'n ddiolchgar iawn i rai o'n cwmnïau angori mawr sy'n gweithio mor agos gydag ysgolion yn eu hardaloedd unigol, ond byddaf yn sicrhau ac yn gofyn i swyddogion unwaith eto beth arall y gallwn ei wneud gyda phartneriaid i sicrhau bod eu lleisiau'n cael eu clywed, ac i ddeall ganddynt beth y gallant ei wneud i'n helpu i gefnogi addysg yn eu hardaloedd.
7. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am flaenoriaethau cyllido yn y portffolio addysg? OAQ53350
7. Will the Minister make a statement on funding priorities in the education portfolio? OAQ53350
Thank you, Nick. I'm taking forward a number of priorities set out in 'Prosperity for All', primarily under the key theme of 'Ambitious and Learning'. Our 2019-20 budget continues to be committed to the success and well-being of every learner, regardless of their background or their personal circumstances.
Diolch, Nick. Rwy'n rhoi nifer o flaenoriaethau a nodir yn 'Ffyniant i Bawb' ar waith, yn bennaf o dan thema allweddol 'Cymru sy'n Uchelgeisiol ac sy'n Dysgu'. Mae ein cyllideb ar gyfer 2019-20 yn parhau i fod yn ymrwymedig i lwyddiant a lles pob dysgwr, ni waeth beth yw eu cefndir neu eu hamgylchiadau personol.
Diolch, Weinidog. Could you update us on the next phase of the twenty-first century schools programme? The new Monmouth Comprehensive School in my constituency is pretty much complete and being used and looks fantastic. You've probably had a visit there yourself. As part of the construction of that school, the constructors involved young people with an interest in engineering and construction in the process, and that's been a spin-off of the twenty-first century schools project in my area that wasn't anticipated originally.
Could you let us know when work will begin on developing schemes for other schools in my area, such as King Henry VIII, which is in quite a poor way structurally? And do you also envisage there being similar spin-offs in terms of allowing young people to be educated on the job, so to speak, and then possibly pursue careers in construction or civil engineering that they might not otherwise have done?
Diolch, Weinidog. A allwch roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf inni ar gam nesaf rhaglen ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain? Mae ysgol newydd Ysgol Gyfun Trefynwy yn fy etholaeth wedi'i chwblhau fwy neu lai, ac mae'n cael ei defnyddio ac yn edrych yn wych. Rydych wedi ymweld â'r lle eich hun mae'n siŵr. Fel rhan o'r gwaith o adeiladu'r ysgol honno, fe wnaeth yr adeiladwyr gynnwys pobl ifanc a oedd â diddordeb mewn peirianneg ac adeiladu yn rhan o'r broses, ac mae hynny'n rhywbeth sydd wedi deillio o brosiect ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain yn fy ardal na chafodd ei ragweld yn wreiddiol.
A allwch roi gwybod inni pryd fydd gwaith yn dechrau ar ddatblygu cynlluniau ar gyfer ysgolion eraill yn fy ardal, megis Ysgol Brenin Harri'r VIII, sydd mewn cyflwr strwythurol eithaf gwael? Ac a ydych yn rhagweld sgil-fanteision tebyg o ran galluogi pobl ifanc i ddysgu yn y gwaith, fel petai, a mynd ar drywydd gyrfa ym maes adeiladu neu beirianneg sifil, rhywbeth na fyddent wedi'i wneud fel arall o bosibl?
Thank you, Nick. I'm glad to hear about the progress of the school that you referred to. It's not an unexpected spin-off—it's a cunning plan. Indeed, in allocating contracts to companies to build our twenty-first century schools programme, there is an expectation, indeed a requirement, that they do engage with the schoolchildren of that school in the process of building that school, and that they also look to expand apprenticeship opportunities for older young people when undertaking that work. So, it's not a happy coincidence—it's planned for.
We are now coming to the end of our first phase of our twenty-first century schools programme band A, and we are already beginning to assess bids from local education authorities around their requirements for band B of the twenty-first century schools programme. And you will be aware that we have made this even more affordable for local authorities by upping the intervention rate. That is, Welsh Government will commit more capital to the band B programme, allowing local authorities to save on revenue costs associated with borrowing and to ensure that local authorities are able to be as ambitious as possible with their plans. It is they that put forward the schools, and I'm sure you'll be discussing with your colleagues in Monmouthshire whether King Henry will be one of those schools coming forward, and I look forward to receiving the recommendations from the independent capital investment board as regards what we will be able to do in Monmouthshire.
Of course, that's not the only programme that Monmouthshire County Council is benefiting from. The Welsh-medium programme is also something that Monmouthshire County Council has been very successful in bidding for and, of course, the Welsh Government covers 100 per cent of the cost of those new builds.
Diolch, Nick. Rwy'n falch o glywed am gynnydd yr ysgol y cyfeiriwch ati. Nid yw'n sgil-fantais annisgwyl—mae'n gynllun dyfeisgar. Yn wir, wrth ddyrannu contractau i gwmnïau i adeiladu rhaglen ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain, ceir disgwyliad, yn wir, gofyniad, eu bod yn ymgysylltu â phlant yr ysgol honno wrth adeiladu'r ysgol, ac y byddant hefyd yn ceisio ehangu cyfleoedd prentisiaeth i bobl ifanc hŷn wrth ymgymryd â'r gwaith hwnnw. Felly, nid cyd-ddigwyddiad hapus mohono—mae wedi'i gynllunio.
Rydym bellach yn dod tuag at ddiwedd cam cyntaf band A rhaglen ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain, ac rydym eisoes yn dechrau asesu cynigion gan awdurdodau addysg lleol mewn perthynas â'u gofynion ar gyfer band B rhaglen ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain. Ac fe fyddwch yn gwybod ein bod wedi gwneud hyn hyd yn oed yn fwy fforddiadwy i awdurdodau lleol drwy godi'r gyfradd ymyrraeth. Hynny yw, bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymrwymo mwy o gyfalaf i raglen band B, gan alluogi awdurdodau lleol i arbed ar gostau refeniw sy'n gysylltiedig â benthyca ac i sicrhau y gall awdurdodau lleol fod mor uchelgeisiol â phosibl gyda'u cynlluniau. Hwy sy'n cynnig yr ysgolion, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddwch yn trafod â'ch cydweithwyr yn Sir Fynwy i weld a fydd Ysgol Brenin Harri'r VIII yn un o'r ysgolion a gaiff eu cynnig, ac edrychaf ymlaen at gael argymhellion gan y bwrdd buddsoddi cyfalaf annibynnol o ran beth y gallwn ei wneud yn Sir Fynwy.
Wrth gwrs, nid dyna'r unig raglen y mae Cyngor Sir Fynwy yn elwa ohoni. Mae'r rhaglen cyfrwng Cymraeg hefyd yn rhywbeth y mae Cyngor Sir Fynwy wedi gwneud cais llwyddiannus amdani, ac wrth gwrs, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn talu 100 y cant o gost yr adeiladau newydd hynny.
Minister, I've received many representations from my local authority, trade unions, local communities regarding the minority ethnic achievement grant funding from the Welsh Government. I understand that you've kept the figure the same this year as last year and that you've given it out to four of the major cities in Wales to look at how that's distributed. But the demographics are changing across the towns and areas and local authorities, and therefore needs are changing. And what we are seeing in Neath Port Talbot in particular is a diminishing of the service as a consequence of the loss of funding. Will you re-look at the priorities for this grant to ensure that communities that deserve it and that benefit hugely from this grant are able to access it?
Weinidog, rwyf wedi cael llawer o sylwadau gan fy awdurdod lleol, undebau llafur, cymunedau lleol ynghylch arian y grant cyflawniad lleiafrifoedd ethnig gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Deallaf eich bod wedi cadw'r ffigur yr un fath eleni â'r llynedd a'ch bod wedi'i roi i bedair o'r dinasoedd mawr yng Nghymru er mwyn edrych ar sut y'i dosberthir. Ond mae'r ddemograffeg yn newid yn y trefi a'r ardaloedd a'r awdurdodau lleol, ac felly mae anghenion yn newid. A'r hyn a welwn yng Nghastell-nedd Port Talbot, yn arbennig, yw dirywiad yn y gwasanaeth o ganlyniad i golli cyllid. A wnewch chi ailedrych ar y blaenoriaethau ar gyfer y grant hwn er mwyn sicrhau bod y cymunedau sy'n ei haeddu ac sy'n elwa'n fawr ohono yn gallu ei gael?
Thank you, David. We are able to maintain levels of MEAG investment in the new financial year as in the previous financial year. We will be looking to undertake a piece of work on how to ensure that this money is indeed reaching those communities that need it the most and to look at the opportunities for a more sustainable basis for providing that funding going forward.
Diolch, David. Rydym yn gallu cynnal lefelau buddsoddiad y Grant Cyflawniad Lleiafrifoedd Ethnig yn y flwyddyn ariannol newydd, fel yn y flwyddyn ariannol flaenorol. Byddwn yn ceisio gwneud gwaith ar sut i sicrhau bod yr arian hwn yn cyrraedd y cymunedau sydd ei angen fwyaf ac i edrych ar y cyfleoedd i greu sail fwy cynaliadwy ar gyfer darparu'r cyllid hwnnw yn y dyfodol.
8. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am y dimensiwn Cymreig o fewn y cwricwlwm newydd? OAQ53364
8. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh dimension within the new curriculum? OAQ53364
Thank you, Llyr. Developing an understanding of the culture and history of Wales and its place in the wider world is an essential component of a young person’s learning journey across all the areas of learning and experience throughout their education. And I can assure you, this is not a tokenistic bolt-on to the curriculum; it is an essential.
Diolch, Llyr. Mae datblygu dealltwriaeth o ddiwylliant a hanes Cymru a'i lle yn y byd yn elfen hanfodol o daith ddysgu person ifanc ym mhob maes dysgu a phrofiad drwy gydol eu haddysg. A gallaf roi sicrwydd ichi, nid ychwanegiad symbolaidd at y cwricwlwm yw hwn; mae'n elfen hanfodol.
Diolch ichi am eich ateb. Rŷch chi, mewn ymatebion i Aelodau eraill y prynhawn yma, wedi’i gwneud hi’n glir eich bod chi’n sicr ddim eisiau darparu rhestr faith o bynciau a meysydd y dylid bod yn eu dysgu nhw. Dwi'n deall y sentiment ac yn cytuno i raddau helaeth â’r sentiment yna, ond yr hyn dwi’n stryglo rhywfaint gydag e wedyn yw sut, felly, ŷch chi’n mynd i daro’r cydbwysedd yna drwy sicrhau bod gan athrawon yr hyblygrwydd i ddysgu’r hyn y maen nhw’n teimlo sy’n addas yng nghyd-destun y meysydd profiad a dysgu tra ar yr un pryd, wrth gwrs, yn sicrhau bod disgyblion yng Nghymru yn dysgu'r agweddau hynny y mae angen iddyn nhw wybod amdanyn nhw, boed yng nghyd-destun hanes Cymru neu lenyddiaeth Gymreig, neu unrhyw agwedd ar y dimensiwn Cymreig. Mi sonioch chi am ryw sgaffald benodol yn gynharach. Ydy hynny’n awgrymu efallai y bydd yna restr fer ac nid rhestr faith? A allwch chi ymhelaethu?
Thank you for your response. In responses to other Members, you have made it clear that, certainly, you don't want to provide a long list of subjects and areas that should be taught, and I understand the sentiment and agree to a large extent with that, but what I'm struggling with is how then are you going to strike the balance in ensuring that teachers have the flexibility to teach what they think is suitable in the context of the areas of learning and experience while at the same time, of course, ensuring that pupils in Wales are learning those aspects that they need to know about, whether in the context of Welsh history or Welsh literature or any aspect of the Welsh dimension. You mentioned some specific scaffolding, earlier. Does that suggest that there will be a shortlist and not a long list? Could you expand on this?
Thank you very much, Llyr. Can I just provide you with some assurance that the humanities AoLE working group in particular has taken full account of the Cwricwlwm Cymreig report, as well as a range of experts, including Elin Jones, who has been very helpful in making sure that we get this right to ensure that both Wales and history and the Welsh dimension are reflected appropriately across the curriculum. What's important is that there will be, when we publish the areas of learning and experience and the statutory guidance—that will provide the scaffolding for individual school teachers, and it will be really important that there is guidance given at that stage about the necessity of having the Welsh dimension across all the AoLEs with, potentially, some practical examples of how that can happen.
Of course, what's really important with the curriculum as well is that this is about learning and experiences, and therefore, we would be expecting lots of Wales's bodies, such as Cadw and the national museum, to continue to help provide teachers with resources and the opportunity for Wales's children and young people, not just to sit in their classroom and experience the Welsh dimension but actually to be out and about and experiencing that in a very real way. But, again, that can't just be about history; that has to be about language, communication, culture, music, science. It cannot simply be the preserve of the humanities AoLE, otherwise, we will have missed this really important opportunity.
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Llyr. A gaf i ddarparu rhywfaint o sicrwydd ichi fod gweithgor Maes Dysgu a Phrofiad y dyniaethau yn arbennig wedi rhoi ystyriaeth lawn i adroddiad y Cwricwlwm Cymreig, yn ogystal â nifer o arbenigwyr, gan gynnwys Elin Jones, sydd wedi rhoi llawer o gymorth i sicrhau ein bod yn gwneud hyn yn iawn er mwyn sicrhau bod Cymru a hanes a'r dimensiwn Cymreig yn cael eu hadlewyrchu'n briodol ym mhob rhan o'r cwricwlwm. Yr hyn sy'n bwysig pan fyddwn yn cyhoeddi'r meysydd dysgu a phrofiad a'r canllawiau statudol yw y bydd hynny'n darparu'r sgaffaldiau ar gyfer athrawon ysgol unigol, a bydd yn bwysig iawn darparu'r canllawiau ar y cam hwnnw ynghylch yr angen i sicrhau dimensiwn Cymreig ym mhob Maes Dysgu a Phrofiad, gyda rhai enghreifftiau ymarferol, o bosibl, o sut y gall hynny ddigwydd.
Wrth gwrs, yr hyn sy'n wirioneddol bwysig gyda'r cwricwlwm hefyd yw bod hyn yn ymwneud â dysgu a phrofiadau, ac felly, byddem yn disgwyl i lawer o gyrff Cymru, megis Cadw a'r amgueddfa genedlaethol, barhau i helpu i ddarparu adnoddau i athrawon a chyfleoedd i blant a phobl ifanc Cymru, nid i eistedd yn eu hystafell ddosbarth a phrofi'r dimensiwn Cymreig, ond i fod allan yn ei brofi mewn ffordd real iawn. Ond unwaith eto, ni all hynny ymwneud â hanes yn unig; mae'n rhaid i hynny ymwneud ag iaith, cyfathrebu, diwylliant, cerddoriaeth, gwyddoniaeth. Ni ellir ei neilltuo ar gyfer Maes Dysgu a Phrofiad y dyniaethau, neu fel arall, byddwn wedi colli'r cyfle gwirioneddol bwysig hwn.
Ac yn olaf, Suzy Davies.
And finally, Suzy Davies.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Minister, in questions following your statement on the education White Paper last week, you observed that, and I quote:
'the focus tends to go onto qualifications'.
And, hopefully, your announcement on a single Welsh language curriculum will actually lead, in time, to better exam-based Welsh language attainment as well, but to the increasing use in all settings of the Welsh language as a means of communication so that those non-examinable means are going to be just as important if the Welsh language isn't stuck behind a school desk. So, how do you plan to get this across to school leaders who are already juggling very limited resources and, like it or not, will be focusing on getting good exam results out of their children?
Diolch yn fawr, Lywydd. Weinidog, yn y sesiwn gwestiynau yn dilyn eich datganiad ar y Papur Gwyn ar addysg yr wythnos diwethaf, fe ddywedoch, ac rwy'n dyfynnu:
y 'tueddir i ganolbwyntio ar gymwysterau'.
A bydd eich cyhoeddiad ar un cwricwlwm iaith Gymraeg, gobeithio, yn arwain gydag amser at well cyrhaeddiad iaith Gymraeg yn seiliedig ar arholiadau hefyd, ond at gynnydd yn y defnydd o'r Gymraeg ym mhob lleoliad fel modd o gyfathrebu fel bod y moddau hyn na ellir eu harholi yr un mor bwysig os nad yw'r Gymraeg yn sownd y tu ôl i ddesg ysgol. Felly, sut rydych yn bwriadu cyfleu hyn i arweinwyr ysgolion sydd eisoes yn ceisio ymdopi ag adnoddau cyfyngedig iawn, ac a fydd, hoffi hynny neu beidio, yn canolbwyntio ar sicrhau canlyniadau arholiadau da gan eu plant?
Well, of course, what's really important is that we will have a language continuum, which we will expect children to move along. What's really important is that that focus will be on using the language as a means of communication, not just something that you learn just to be able to write. And what we want to do is improve the linguistic ability of children in both languages to ensure that, when they leave school, as many of our young people as possible are completely bilingual and are able to use and enjoy the language both in the world of work and in society.
It's also about understanding, in some communities, the importance of those linguistic skills and recognising that these are valuable skills to have in the world of work. And therefore, being able to be able to do your childcare bilingually, by being able to be a healthcare professional bilingually, by being able to offer services bilingually, actually, there's a real—not only a cultural benefit to being a bilingual person—but, actually, there are real economic benefits to being a bilingual person. I think it's one of the ways in which we need to make the case and support that with good-quality Welsh language teaching. And that is a feature of our reform programme to ensure the experience of young people, where the medium of tuition is English in their schools— that their learning of the language is a positive one, delivered by a well-motivated, skilled and confident staff.
Wel, wrth gwrs, yr hyn sy'n wirioneddol bwysig yw y bydd gennym gontinwwm iaith, a byddwn yn disgwyl i blant symud ar hyd-ddo. Yr hyn sy'n wirioneddol bwysig yw y bydd y ffocws hwnnw ar ddefnyddio'r iaith fel modd o gyfathrebu, nid rhywbeth y byddwch yn ei ddysgu er mwyn gallu ysgrifennu'n unig. A'r hyn rydym am ei wneud yw gwella gallu ieithyddol plant yn y ddwy iaith i sicrhau, pan fyddant yn gadael yr ysgol, fod cymaint â phosibl o'n pobl ifanc yn gwbl ddwyieithog ac yn gallu defnyddio a mwynhau'r iaith yn y byd gwaith ac yn y gymdeithas.
Mae'n ymwneud hefyd â deall pwysigrwydd y sgiliau ieithyddol hynny mewn rhai cymunedau, a chydnabod bod y rhain yn sgiliau gwerthfawr i'w cael yn y byd gwaith. Ac felly, mae gallu sicrhau gofal plant yn ddwyieithog, gallu bod yn weithiwr gofal iechyd proffesiynol dwyieithog, gallu cynnig gwasanaethau yn ddwyieithog, mewn gwirionedd, yn wirioneddol—nid yn unig y ceir mantais ddiwylliannol yn sgil bod yn unigolyn dwyieithog—ond mewn gwirionedd, ceir manteision economaidd gwirioneddol i fod yn unigolyn dwyieithog. Credaf fod hynny'n un o'r ffyrdd y mae angen inni ddadlau'r achos a'i gefnogi gydag addysg Gymraeg o ansawdd da. Ac mae hynny'n nodwedd o'n rhaglen ddiwygio i sicrhau bod profiad pobl ifanc, sy'n cael eu haddysg drwy'r Saesneg yn eu hysgolion—fod eu profiad o ddysgu'r iaith yn un cadarnhaol, ac wedi'i ddarparu gan staff brwdfrydig, medrus a hyderus.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
Thank you to the Minister.
Mae'r cwestiynau nesaf i'r Gweinidog Iechyd a Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol, ac mae'r cwestiwn cyntaf gan Helen Mary Jones.
The next questions are to the Minister for Health and Social Services, and the first question is from Helen Mary Jones.
1. Pa drafodaethau y mae'r Gweinidog wedi'u cael gyda theuluoedd cleifion ward Tawel Fan ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr? OAQ53343
1. What discussions has the Minister had with the families of patients at the Tawel Fan ward in Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board? OAQ53343
I have met twice with the Tawel Fan families' group in north Wales, once in my former role as deputy health Minister and more recently in October.
Rwyf wedi cyfarfod â grŵp teuluoedd Tawel Fan yng ngogledd Cymru ddwy waith, unwaith yn fy rôl flaenorol fel dirprwy Weinidog iechyd ac yn fwy diweddar ym mis Hydref.
I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer. The Minister will be aware that the management of Betsi Cadwaladr university health board has recently acknowledged to the families at Tawel Fan that the unit was, in fact, a dementia assessment unit, and, therefore, nobody should have been living there long term, though some patients were there for more than six months. Can the Minister explain: do we have an understanding as to why this was allowed to happen? And is he confident that no other patients in Betsi Cadwaladr in any other settings are being accommodated long term in units designed for short-term assessment stays?
Rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Gweinidog am ei ateb. Bydd y Gweinidog yn ymwybodol fod adran reoli bwrdd iechyd prifysgol Betsi Cadwaladr wedi cydnabod yn ddiweddar wrth deuluoedd Tawel Fan mai uned asesu dementia oedd yr uned mewn gwirionedd, ac felly, ni ddylai neb fod wedi bod yn byw yno ar sail hirdymor, er bod rhai cleifion wedi bod yno am fwy na chwe mis. A all y Gweinidog esbonio: a ydym yn deall pam y caniatawyd i hyn ddigwydd? Ac a yw'n hyderus nad oes unrhyw gleifion eraill yn Betsi Cadwaladr mewn unrhyw leoliad arall yn byw ar sail hirdymor mewn unedau a gynlluniwyd ar gyfer arosiadau asesu tymor byr?
Yes. This is a matter that was raised during the meeting with the families in October. There's been a range of correspondence around the purpose and point of the unit. I'm actually looking ahead now to what I'm expecting to be an outline case for revising the estate on that particular site, and it will involve changes to the current Tawel Fan site, as well, together with a strategy the health board have now got agreement on with stakeholders for both in-patient and community services across north Wales as well.
I'll happily take up the specific point that you ask and write to you—and copy in other Members—about the broader point about current units and short-stay patients and how they're currently being used.
Mae hwn yn fater a godwyd yn ystod y cyfarfod â'r teuluoedd ym mis Hydref. Cafwyd ystod o ohebiaeth mewn perthynas â diben a phwynt yr uned. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen yn awr at yr hyn y disgwyliaf y bydd yn achos amlinellol dros ddiwygio'r ystâd ar y safle penodol hwnnw, a bydd yn cynnwys newidiadau i safle presennol Tawel Fan hefyd, ynghyd â strategaeth y mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi cytuno arni bellach gyda rhanddeiliaid ar gyfer gwasanaethau cleifion mewnol a gwasanaethau cymunedol ar draws gogledd Cymru hefyd.
Rwy'n fwy na pharod i edrych ar y pwynt penodol yr holwch amdano ac ysgrifennu atoch—a chopïo Aelodau eraill i mewn—ynghylch y pwynt ehangach ynglŷn a'r unedau presennol a chleifion arhosiad byr a sut y cânt eu defnyddio ar hyn o bryd.
We were assured that there was going to be a significant pace of change and improvement in mental health services in north Wales as a result of the Tawel Fan scandal, but, of course, we're approaching the four-year mark in terms of the date when the health board was actually put into special measures. And it's certainly beyond the four-year mark in terms of the date by which the initial Ockenden report was received by the board. I'm very pleased that there is some progress that appears to be being made in terms of the strategy now, and also at some of the capital investment that is going in to try to resolve some of the problems at the board. But what does this say about the way in which Welsh Government special measures actually work?
If you recall, we were told that there was going to be a 100-day plan that was going to turn this situation around when Simon Dean was appointed as the interim chief executive of the board. So, the 100 days came and went without any progress. We know that Donna Ockenden, the initial author of the report that exposed the rot in mental health services in north Wales, expressed concerns as recently as last summer—and even earlier this year in the public domain about the lack of progress. And in fact, she was citing staff members who said that the situation had got even worse. When can we expect to see some tangible difference for patients on the ground? Because I'm afraid that the lack of progress has added insult to injury to those families to whom we've been referring today.
Cawsom sicrwydd y byddai gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl yn newid ac yn gwella yn gyflym iawn yng ngogledd Cymru o ganlyniad i sgandal Tawel Fan, ond wrth gwrs, rydym yn agosáu at bedair blynedd ers rhoi'r bwrdd iechyd mewn mesurau arbennig. Ac yn sicr, mae mwy na phedair blynedd wedi bod ers i'r bwrdd gael adroddiad cychwynnol Ockenden. Rwy'n falch iawn fod rhywfaint o gynnydd yn cael ei wneud, yn ôl pob golwg, o ran y strategaeth bellach, ac wrth weld peth o'r buddsoddiad cyfalaf a wneir i geisio datrys rhai o'r problemau yn y bwrdd. Ond beth y mae hyn yn ei ddweud am y ffordd y mae mesurau arbennig Llywodraeth Cymru yn gweithio mewn gwirionedd?
Os cofiwch, dywedwyd wrthym y byddai cynllun 100 diwrnod yn trawsnewid y sefyllfa hon pan benodwyd Simon Dean yn brif weithredwr dros dro y bwrdd. Felly, aeth y 100 diwrnod heibio heb unrhyw gynnydd. Gwyddom fod Donna Ockenden, awdur gwreiddiol yr adroddiad a dynnodd sylw at y pydredd mewn gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl yng ngogledd Cymru, wedi mynegi pryderon mor ddiweddar â'r haf diwethaf—a hyd yn oed yn gynharach eleni, yn gyhoeddus, ynghylch y diffyg cynnydd. Ac yn wir, cyfeiriodd at aelodau staff a ddywedodd fod y sefyllfa wedi gwaethygu hyd yn oed. Pryd y gallwn ddisgwyl gwahaniaeth go iawn i gleifion ar lawr gwlad? Oherwydd mae arnaf ofn fod y diffyg cynnydd wedi bod yn halen yn y briw i'r teuluoedd a grybwyllwyd gennym heddiw.
Well, that's a particular point of view that's taken, and I don't agree with every factual assertion that the Member has made. The 100-day plan of the start of special measures was actually to reset the course with the health board. There was no suggestion that within 100 days all issues would be resolved; that was never claimed by anybody within the health board or outside it. To suggest that now is simply not accurate.
More so, in terms of the reports that have been provided, we've actually gone through not just the initial report but, actually, a very long-running report provided by the Health and Social Care Advisory Service, and that's had a range of areas of action. And I'll remind the Member and everybody else here that that was not a clean bill of health for the health board—far from it. It recognised a range of challenges, historic and continuing, for the health board to resolve, and my focus is on ensuring that the health board meets those challenges. Actually, members of the Tawel Fan families are involved in the stakeholder group to provide assurance about the progress that is being made and still needs to be made, and I think all Members should take some comfort from the recent messaging back from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, our inspectorate. They say that there is real improvement within the quality; they don't have the same quality concerns that they did have two and three years ago. A large amount of the credit goes to the director of mental health and, indeed, the nurse director for the leadership that she has shown around this area as well, but actually, the staff who are properly re-engaging with people they care for and communities across north Wales.
I don't expect there to be any significant move forward in special measures unless and until the health board meets the milestones that I have set out in the special measures improvement framework. I will get advice from the Wales Audit Office and the inspectorate as to whether they have done so. No decision will be made that is convenient for any politician in this Chamber, unless it is a decision that is right for people in north Wales and backed up by evidence.
Wel, mae honno'n farn benodol, ac nid wyf yn cytuno â phob honiad ffeithiol a wnaeth yr Aelod. Bwriad y cynllun 100 diwrnod ar ddechrau'r mesurau arbennig oedd ailosod y llwybr gyda'r bwrdd iechyd. Nid oedd unrhyw awgrym y byddai'r holl faterion yn cael eu datrys o fewn 100 diwrnod; ni honnwyd hynny erioed gan unrhyw un o fewn y bwrdd iechyd neu'r tu allan iddo. Nid yw awgrymu hynny yn awr yn gywir o gwbl.
Yn fwy felly, o ran yr adroddiadau a ddarparwyd, rydym wedi mynd drwy nid yn unig yr adroddiad gwreiddiol, ond mewn gwirionedd, adroddiad dros amser maith iawn a ddarparwyd gan y Gwasanaeth Cynghori ar Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol, ac mae hwnnw wedi arwain at amrywiaeth o feysydd gweithredu. Ac atgoffaf yr Aelod a phawb arall yma nad oedd hynny'n golygu bod y bwrdd iechyd yn holliach—ddim o bell ffordd. Roedd yn nodi nifer o heriau, rhai hanesyddol a rhai sy'n dal i fodoli, i'r bwrdd iechyd eu datrys, ac rwy'n canolbwyntio ar sicrhau bod y bwrdd iechyd yn mynd i'r afael â'r heriau hynny. Mewn gwirionedd, mae aelodau o deuluoedd Tawel Fan yn rhan o'r grŵp rhanddeiliaid i ddarparu sicrwydd ynghylch y cynnydd a wneir a'r cynnydd y mae angen ei wneud o hyd, a chredaf y dylai'r holl Aelodau gael cysur o'r negeseuon diweddar gan Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru, ein harolygiaeth ni. Maent yn dweud bod gwelliannau gwirioneddol wedi bod o ran ansawdd; nid ydynt yn pryderu ynghylch ansawdd fel yr oeddent ddwy neu dair blynedd yn ôl. Mae llawer o'r diolch am hynny i'r cyfarwyddwr iechyd meddwl, ac yn wir, i'r cyfarwyddwr nyrsio am ei harweiniad mewn perthynas â hyn, ond hefyd i'r staff sy'n ailymgysylltu'n briodol â phobl y maent yn gofalu amdanynt a chymunedau ar draws gogledd Cymru.
Nid wyf yn disgwyl unrhyw gam sylweddol ymlaen mewn perthynas â'r mesurau arbennig oni bai a hyd nes y bydd y bwrdd iechyd yn cyflawni'r cerrig milltir a osodais yn fframwaith gwella'r mesurau arbennig. Byddaf yn cael cyngor gan Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru a'r arolygiaeth i weld a ydynt wedi gwneud hynny ai peidio. Ni wneir unrhyw benderfyniad sy'n gyfleus i unrhyw wleidydd yn y Siambr hon, oni bai ei fod yn benderfyniad sy'n iawn ar gyfer pobl yng ngogledd Cymru ac wedi'i gefnogi gan dystiolaeth.
2. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am barcio am ddim ar safleoedd ysbytai yng Nghymru? OAQ53366
2. Will the Minister provide an update on free car parking at hospital sites in Wales? OAQ53366
Car parking is free at all NHS hospitals in Wales. Health boards and NHS trusts are responsible for the local management operations and the arrangements for car parks on their sites.
Mae parcio yn rhad ac am ddim yn holl ysbytai'r GIG yng Nghymru. Byrddau iechyd ac ymddiriedolaethau'r GIG sy'n gyfrifol am weithrediadau rheoli lleol a'r trefniadau ar gyfer meysydd parcio ar eu safleoedd.
I recently had correspondence from a constituent who wrote to me about an experience that he had at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff. He parked in a zone that was clearly marked out on the Cardiff and Vale university health board website as being designated for patients and visitors. He was then surprised to receive a £40 fine from a parking enforcement firm called ParkingEye, which said that the zone was for parking for staff only. He paid the fine, because he was afraid of the potentially spiralling costs of legal action. There appears to be confusion between what the health board and ParkingEye see as particular parking zones and those designated for particular kinds of use.
In the meantime, the health board has said that they will not intervene in any appeals to enforce parking fines with parking enforcement firms. I think free hospital parking is one of the Welsh Government's key achievements, and the Minister said in his answer that it's something that is universal. Can he therefore give some reassurances that health boards are implementing this policy effectively, including Cardiff and Vale board, and that, where it is needed, there's clear dialogue between the health boards and private parking firms to do it properly?
Yn ddiweddar, cefais ohebiaeth gan etholwr a ysgrifennodd ataf mewn perthynas â phrofiad a gafodd yn Ysbyty Athrofaol Cymru, Caerdydd. Roedd wedi parcio mewn parth a nodwyd yn amlwg ar wefan bwrdd iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro fel un ar gyfer cleifion ac ymwelwyr. Roedd yn synnu, felly, pan gafodd ddirwy o £40 gan gwmni gorfodi parcio o'r enw ParkingEye, a ddywedai mai parth ar gyfer parcio staff yn unig oedd y parth hwnnw. Talodd y ddirwy am ei fod yn ofni'r costau cynyddol posibl yn sgil camau cyfreithiol. Ymddengys bod dryswch rhwng yr hyn y mae'r bwrdd iechyd a ParkingEye yn ei ystyried yn barthau parcio penodol a'r rhai a ddynodir ar gyfer mathau penodol o ddefnydd.
Yn y cyfamser, mae'r bwrdd iechyd wedi dweud na fyddant yn ymyrryd mewn unrhyw apeliadau i ddirwyon parcio a orfodwyd gan gwmnïau gorfodi parcio. Credaf fod parcio am ddim mewn ysbytai yn un o lwyddiannau allweddol Llywodraeth Cymru, ac yn ei ateb, dywedodd y Gweinidog ei fod yn rhywbeth sy'n digwydd ym mhob man. A all roi sicrwydd, felly, fod byrddau iechyd yn gweithredu'r polisi hwn yn effeithiol, gan gynnwys bwrdd Caerdydd a'r Fro, ac y ceir deialog clir, lle bo angen, rhwng y byrddau iechyd a chwmnïau parcio preifat i wneud hyn yn iawn?
That's exactly what we expect. There is, of course, the challenge of making sure that free parking on hospital sites does not turn into people parking for free on hospital sites, but not actually making use of the healthcare services in that hospital. So, the challenge is how we make sure that people who are there receive the free parking that they should expect.
I'm interested in what the Member has said about confusion between a zone that appears to be marked out as a patient parking zone and they've parked there and still received a fine. If the Member provides me with details, I'll happily take the matter up to make sure that the policy is being applied exactly as it is intended to. But I do think the honest truth is that, at the start of free parking across the estate within Cardiff and Vale—one of the last to move over because of long-term problems they'd previously had—there were some challenges, and Members from Cardiff and the vale will have seen those in their constituency postbags. Those were significantly reduced, but I'm interested in any further instances to make sure that the policy is got right. So, please do write to me and I'll have the matter investigated.
Dyna'n union rydym yn ei ddisgwyl. Wrth gwrs, mae her i'w chael o ran sicrhau nad yw parcio am ddim ar safleoedd ysbytai yn arwain at bobl yn parcio am ddim ar safleoedd ysbytai heb eu bod yn defnyddio gwasanaethau gofal iechyd yn yr ysbyty hwnnw. Felly, yr her yw sut y gallwn sicrhau bod y bobl sydd yno'n gallu parcio am ddim fel y dylent allu ei ddisgwyl.
Mae gennyf ddiddordeb yn yr hyn a ddywedodd yr Aelod ynglŷn â dryswch rhwng parth yr ymddengys ei fod wedi'i nodi fel parth parcio ar gyfer cleifion, a'u bod wedi parcio yno a chael dirwy. Os caf y manylion gan yr Aelod, rwy'n fwy na pharod i edrych ar y mater i sicrhau bod y polisi'n cael ei roi ar waith yn union fel y bwriadwyd. Ond credaf mai'r gwir amdani, pan gyflwynwyd parcio am ddim ar draws yr ystâd yng Nghaerdydd a'r Fro—un o'r olaf i newid oherwydd problemau hirdymor roeddent wedi'u cael o'r blaen—cafwyd rhai heriau, a bydd Aelodau o Gaerdydd a'r fro wedi gweld hynny yn eu bagiau post. Cawsant eu lleihau'n sylweddol, ond mae gennyf ddiddordeb mewn unrhyw achosion pellach er mwyn sicrhau y rhoddir y polisi ar waith yn gywir. Felly, os gwelwch yn dda, ysgrifennwch ataf, a byddaf yn sicrhau y caiff y mater ei archwilio.
Minister, I welcome the announcement that parking at all NHS hospitals in Wales has been free since the end of August last year. Since free hospital parking was first announced by the then health Minister, Edwina Hart, in March 2008, first of all, why did it take 10 years to implement this? The second thing is, it's a bit of a mess in certain areas, it needs proper management—the car parking—because it is used by staff, and for some of them, it's very important to come in at the right time and there's no space, they go around in circles, then patients in a certain urgency, and then visitors. In certain areas, it was also in negotiation with the board that ANPR technology would be used, which is automatic number plate recognition. So, are you in negotiation with such companies to make sure that parking in our hospitals is free and fair for patients, staff and visitors in Wales, please?
Weinidog, croesawaf y cyhoeddiad fod parcio ym mhob un o ysbytai'r GIG yng Nghymru wedi bod yn rhad ac am ddim ers diwedd mis Awst y llynedd. Ers i'r Gweinidog iechyd ar y pryd, Edwina Hart, gyhoeddi parcio am ddim mewn ysbytai am y tro cyntaf ym mis Mawrth 2008, yn gyntaf oll, pam ei bod wedi cymryd 10 mlynedd i roi hyn ar waith? Yr ail beth yw, mae'n dipyn o anhrefn mewn rhai ardaloedd, mae angen ei reoli'n briodol—y parcio—gan ei fod yn cael ei ddefnyddio gan staff, ac i rai ohonynt, mae'n bwysig iawn dod i mewn ar yr adeg iawn ac nid oes lle, maent yn mynd o gwmpas mewn cylchoedd, yna cleifion ar frys, ac yna ymwelwyr. Mewn rhai ardaloedd, trafodwyd defnyddio technoleg ANPR gyda'r bwrdd, sef systemau adnabod rhifau cerbydau yn awtomatig. Felly, a ydych yn trafod gyda chwmnïau o'r fath i sicrhau bod parcio yn ein hysbytai yn rhad ac am ddim ac yn deg i gleifion, staff ac ymwelwyr yng Nghymru, os gwelwch yn dda?
I'll deal with your first point about the time it's taken. I'm very proud that the Welsh Labour commitment has been delivered. We were not able to deliver it as quickly as we had wanted to because of the long-term contracts that existed—if you were listening to my first answer you would have heard me say that—and there was a practical point about the cost to the public purse in buying out those contracts. We now have a full estate of free parking for patients, and we look forward to England catching up with us. Despite long-held promises by the current Government, they do not have the same level of achievement that we can celebrate here in Wales, and I'm sure you'd join with me in recognising that.
On the broader point about traffic management, this is a real challenge, not just in making sure that patients can park, but actually staff parking as well. That's partly about the efficient use of our large and significant sites—there are a large number of traffic movements on and off during the day—but also about encouraging people to take alternative ways of getting on to hospital sites, whether that's in Cardiff, where there is a park and ride facility, or, indeed, on the one that I've used with the Deputy Presiding Officer around Glan Clwyd. So, it's about a range of measures to make sure that people who do need to get onto the site are able to do so and to make proper use of that. And that is what we expect health boards to deliver in managing properly each hospital estate.
Rwyf am ymateb i'ch pwynt cyntaf ynglŷn â'r amser y mae wedi'i gymryd. Rwy'n falch iawn fod ymrwymiad Llafur Cymru wedi'i gyflawni. Nid oedd modd inni ei gyflawni mor gyflym ag y gobeithiem oherwydd y contractau hirdymor a oedd ar waith—pe baech yn gwrando ar fy ateb cyntaf byddech wedi fy nghlywed yn dweud hynny—ac roedd pwynt ymarferol ynghylch cost prynu'r contractau hynny i bwrs y wlad. Bellach, mae gennym ystâd lawn ar gyfer parcio am ddim i gleifion, ac edrychwn ymlaen at weld Lloegr yn dal i fyny â ni. Er gwaethaf addewidion hirdymor gan y Llywodraeth bresennol, nid yw eu cyflawniad ar yr un lefel â'r hyn y gallwn ei ddathlu yma yng Nghymru, ac rwy'n siŵr y byddech yn ymuno â mi i gydnabod hynny.
O ran y pwynt mwy cyffredinol ynglŷn â rheoli traffig, mae hon yn her wirioneddol, nid yn unig o ran sicrhau y gall cleifion barcio, ond y gall staff barcio hefyd. Mae hynny'n ymwneud yn rhannol â defnydd effeithlon o'n safleoedd mawr a sylweddol—mae llawer o symudiadau traffig i mewn ac allan yn ystod y dydd—yn ogystal ag annog pobl i ddewis ffyrdd gwahanol o gyrraedd safleoedd ysbytai, boed hynny yng Nghaerdydd, lle y ceir cyfleuster parcio a theithio, neu yn wir, yr un a ddefnyddiais gyda'r Dirprwy Lywydd yng Nglan Clwyd. Felly, mae'n ymwneud ag amrywiaeth o fesurau i sicrhau bod y bobl sydd angen cyrraedd y safle yn gallu gwneud hynny a gwneud defnydd priodol o hynny. A dyna rydym yn disgwyl i fyrddau iechyd ei gyflawni wrth reoli ystâd pob ysbyty yn briodol.
Cwestiynau nawr gan lefarwyr y pleidiau. Llefarydd Plaid Cymru, Helen Mary Jones.
Questions now from party spokespeople. Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Helen Mary Jones.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I'd like to turn to the subject of the performance of our emergency care system, and it's been highlighted that the performance of two out of the three of the accident and emergency units in hospitals in the Betsi Cadwaladr region has been so bad that it's dragged the average Welsh figures substantially down. The First Minister acknowledged last week that this level of performance was unacceptable. Now, given that the Minister is, through special measures, directly responsible for this performance, can he account for the factors that have led to it?
Diolch, Lywydd. Hoffwn droi at berfformiad ein system gofal brys, a thynnwyd sylw at y ffaith bod perfformiad dwy o'r tair uned damweiniau ac achosion brys mewn ysbytai yn ardal Betsi Cadwaladr wedi bod mor wael fel eu bod wedi llusgo ffigurau cyfartalog Cymru i lawr yn sylweddol. Cydnabu'r Prif Weinidog yr wythnos diwethaf fod y lefel hon o berfformiad yn annerbyniol. Nawr, gan fod y Gweinidog, drwy'r mesurau arbennig, yn uniongyrchol gyfrifol am y perfformiad hwn, a all esbonio'r ffactorau sydd wedi arwain at hyn?
I won't rehearse the challenge about whether I'm directly running the health service in north Wales through special measures or not; we keep on coming back to this. But the reality is that the performance within emergency care in north Wales is not acceptable, and that is the direct message that the health board have had. In terms of the reasons for it, and factors within it, some of the factors are that, despite the fact that we've had better weather this winter than last winter, actually the flu season is slightly worse this winter, and, unusually, in January, there are more major incidents than minor incidents compared to last year. But, essentially, the challenge is actually about how the system in north Wales, in particular in two of our major sites, is not able to cope in the way that the rest of the country is able to, and that's complicated. It's about relationships between health and social care, it's about clinical leadership, and it's actually about leadership across the board. And there's a challenge about understanding that in other parts of Wales—there is significant pressure on our system at this time of year, which we understand—performance standards are better. So, it isn't just about saying, 'This is unacceptable, sort it out'; it is actually about working with our staff, because the worse thing I think I could do is to simply say, 'It's unacceptable and I want people to go down the road.' Actually, we need those staff within our system, their compassion and their commitment to deliver. We need to keep the staff with us whilst we understand, and they understand, together with their clinical colleagues and peers, how they can actually improve the service that they want to provide with their colleagues and for the people that they serve. It's also why the post of the unscheduled care lead, an emergency department consultant herself, is actually really important, to have that clinical credibility to deliver the improvement that all of us wish to see.
Nid wyf am ailadrodd yr her ynglŷn ag a wyf yn rhedeg y gwasanaeth iechyd yng ngogledd Cymru yn uniongyrchol drwy fesurau arbennig ai peidio; rydym yn parhau i ddychwelyd at hyn. Ond y gwir amdani yw nad yw'r perfformiad mewn gofal brys yng ngogledd Cymru yn dderbyniol, a dyna'r neges uniongyrchol a roddwyd i'r bwrdd iechyd. O ran y rhesymau am hynny, a'r ffactorau sydd ynghlwm wrth hynny, mae rhai o'r ffactorau'n ymwneud â'r ffaith, er ein bod wedi cael gwell tywydd y gaeaf hwn na'r gaeaf diwethaf, mewn gwirionedd, mae'r tymor ffliw ychydig yn waeth y gaeaf hwn, ac yn anarferol, ym mis Ionawr, cafwyd mwy o ddigwyddiadau mawr na mân ddigwyddiadau o gymharu â'r llynedd. Ond yn y bôn, mae'r her, mewn gwirionedd, yn ymwneud â sut nad yw'r system yng ngogledd Cymru, yn enwedig mewn dau o'n safleoedd mawr, yn gallu ymdopi yn yr un modd â gweddill y wlad, ac mae hynny'n gymhleth. Mae'n ymwneud â'r berthynas rhwng iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol, mae'n ymwneud ag arweinyddiaeth glinigol, ac mewn gwirionedd, mae'n ymwneud ag arweinyddiaeth yn gyffredinol. A cheir her o ran deall, mewn rhannau eraill o Gymru—mae pwysau sylweddol ar ein system yr adeg hon o'r flwyddyn, ac rydym yn deall hynny—fod safonau perfformiad yn well. Felly, mae'n ymwneud â mwy na dweud, 'Mae hyn yn annerbyniol, datryswch y broblem'; mae'n ymwneud â gweithio gyda'n staff, gan mai'r peth gwaethaf y credaf y gallwn ei wneud yw dweud, 'Mae'n annerbyniol ac rwyf am i bobl fynd.' Mewn gwirionedd, mae arnom angen y staff hynny yn ein system, eu tosturi a'u hymrwymiad i ddarparu. Mae angen inni gadw staff gyda ni wrth inni ddeall, ac wrth iddynt hwy ddeall, ynghyd â'u cydweithwyr a'u cymheiriaid clinigol, sut y gallant wella'r gwasanaeth y maent am ei ddarparu gyda'u cydweithwyr ac ar gyfer y bobl y maent yn eu gwasanaethu. Dyna pam hefyd fod rôl y swyddog arweiniol gofal heb ei drefnu, sy'n ymgynghorydd adran achosion brys ei hun, yn bwysig iawn mewn gwirionedd, er mwyn sicrhau'r hygrededd clinigol hwnnw i gyflawni'r gwelliannau y mae pob un ohonom am eu gweld.
Well, I'm grateful to the Minister for his answer, though slightly puzzled by it. I thought that the whole point of special measures was that the Government was taking some responsibility for what was going on. But putting that to one side, and be that as it may, I'm also slightly surprised to hear the Minister say that factors are complex and, by implication, they don't know exactly what's going on, because in response to my colleague Adam Price last week, the First Minister asserted that there was no need for an in-depth inquiry into the state of A&E in Wales. That is, of course, something that's being called for by your Labour colleagues in London, though, in fact, the English system, unfortunately, is outperforming the Welsh system on average. One of the reasons, of course, that the First Minister gave for not needing an inquiry was, he said:
'We know the things that need to be done.'
That's exactly what he said, and:
'The job is to get on and make sure that the general improvements are shared elsewhere and everywhere'.
Now, I'm sure I and everybody in this Chamber would want to associate ourselves with what the Minister has just said about the excellent work that front-line staff do, in sometimes very, very difficult circumstances. But either the First Minister is right and we know what needs to be done, in which case, I'd suggest that the Minister and his officials get on with it, or we don't know, in which case, we need to find out.
Wel, rwy'n ddiolchgar i'r Gweinidog am ei ateb, er fy mod yn dal i fod braidd yn ddryslyd yn ei gylch. Roeddwn yn credu mai holl bwynt y mesurau arbennig oedd sicrhau bod y Llywodraeth yn ysgwyddo rhywfaint o gyfrifoldeb am yr hyn sy'n digwydd. Ond ar wahân i hynny, a boed hynny fel y bo, rwyf hefyd yn synnu braidd wrth glywed y Gweinidog yn dweud bod y ffactorau'n gymhleth, ac yn sgil hynny, nad ydynt yn gwybod beth yn union sy'n digwydd, oherwydd mewn ymateb i fy nghyd-Aelod, Adam Price, yr wythnos diwethaf, honnodd y Prif Weinidog nad oedd angen ymchwiliad manwl i gyflwr unedau damweiniau ac achosion brys yng Nghymru. Mae hynny, wrth gwrs, yn rhywbeth y mae eich cymheiriaid Llafur yn Llundain yn galw amdano, er bod y system yn Lloegr, yn anffodus, yn perfformio'n well na system Cymru ar gyfartaledd. Un o'r rhesymau a roddodd y Prif Weinidog nad oedd angen ymchwiliad, wrth gwrs, oedd:
'Rydym ni'n ymwybodol o'r pethau y mae angen eu gwneud.'
Dyna'n union a ddywedodd, a:
'Y dasg yw bwrw ati a gwneud yn siŵr bod y gwelliannau cyffredinol yn cael eu rhannu mewn mannau eraill ac ym mhob man'.
Nawr, rwy'n siŵr y byddai pawb yn y Siambr hon a minnau yn awyddus i eilio'r hyn y mae'r Gweinidog newydd ei ddweud ynglŷn â'r gwaith rhagorol a wna'r staff rheng flaen, mewn amgylchiadau anodd iawn weithiau. Ond naill ai mae'r Prif Weinidog yn iawn a'n bod yn gwybod beth sydd angen ei wneud, ac os felly, buaswn yn awgrymu y dylai'r Gweinidog a'i swyddogion fwrw ati i'w wneud, neu nid ydym yn gwybod, ac os felly, mae angen inni ddod i wybod.
Well, that isn't quite an accurate reflection of what I said or what the First Minister said either. I certainly never said, 'We just don't know what's going on within the emergency care system.' We do know that there's a challenge about clinical leadership and engagement and buy-in. And, actually, if you look across north Wales you can't really distinguish the take that comes into Ysbyty Gwynedd compared to Glan Clwyd or Wrexham Maelor to explain the differentials in performance. So, there is a challenge about how we have a positive perspective with our staff that doesn't simply say, 'You are not doing your job properly'. That is the worst possible message. So, it is about the engagement we expect to have. That's why the clinical leadership, from a national lead, really does matter—somebody with credibility with that workforce, to understand the specifics about each site, but then the broader points about clinical leadership and behaviour within our system. And all the things that we are doing across this winter, about making sure we don't have people going in unnecessarily, having more ability within our primary care service, they matter in every part of our system. But we do recognise the specific challenges and problems within north Wales in particular, and that is a focus, of course, for our whole system.
Wel, nid yw hynny'n adlewyrchiad hollol gywir o'r hyn a ddywedais na'r hyn a ddywedodd y Prif Weinidog chwaith. Yn sicr, nid wyf erioed wedi dweud, 'Ni wyddom beth sy'n digwydd o fewn y system gofal brys.' Gwyddom fod her i'w chael ynghylch arweinyddiaeth glinigol ac ymgysylltiad ac ymrwymiad. Ac mewn gwirionedd, os edrychwch ar draws gogledd Cymru, ni allwch wahaniaethu rhwng y niferoedd sy'n mynd i Ysbyty Gwynedd o gymharu â Glan Clwyd neu Wrecsam Maelor er mwyn esbonio'r gwahaniaethau mewn perfformiad. Felly, mae her yn hyn o beth ynghylch sut y cawn bersbectif positif gyda'n staff nad yw'n dweud, 'Nid ydych yn gwneud eich swydd yn iawn'. Dyna'r neges waethaf bosibl. Felly, mae'n ymwneud â'r ymgysylltiad rydym yn ei ddisgwyl. Dyna pam fod yr arweinyddiaeth glinigol, gan swyddog arweiniol cenedlaethol, yn bwysig—rhywun â hygrededd gyda'r gweithlu hwnnw, i ddeall manylion pob safle, yn ogystal â'r pwyntiau ehangach ynglŷn ag arweinyddiaeth glinigol ac ymddygiad o fewn ein system. Ac mae'r holl bethau rydym yn eu gwneud dros y gaeaf hwn, o ran sicrhau nad oes gennym bobl yn mynd i ysbytai'n ddiangen, sicrhau mwy o allu o fewn ein gwasanaeth gofal sylfaenol, maent yn bwysig ym mhob rhan o'n system. Ond rydym yn cydnabod yr heriau a'r problemau penodol yng ngogledd Cymru yn arbennig, ac mae hynny'n ffocws, wrth gwrs, ar gyfer ein system gyfan.
You see, Llywydd, I am struggling a little bit with this, because, on the one hand, the Minister is telling us that there is no substantial difference between the effect of what's going on in Ysbyty Gwynedd and what's going on in the other two accident and emergency units, and, on the other hand, he's telling me that the factors are different, and we need to take them into account. Now, I am certainly not suggesting that anybody on the front line in those services is not doing their job properly. We might ask ourselves if there are persons in this Chamber who, in this regard, may or may not be doing their job properly, but I don't want to get to that level, necessarily. It is clear that, in relation to accident and emergency, and these two particular hospitals, whatever the Minister is doing under special measures, as it stands, is not working, because otherwise they would be learning from the good practice that he rightly highlights elsewhere in Wales. Does the Minister accept that it is now time, given the powers that he has under special measures, to do something more radical, that we need a root-and-branch look at the whole system around those two hospitals, looking at what's going on with admissions and unnecessary admissions, right through to what's going on to people unnecessarily being kept in hospital? It cannot be the case that Ysbyty Gwynedd can manage, and these two hospital cannot manage. It is time, I think, for the Minister to step in and look at this in a radical and consistent manner.
Welwch chi, Lywydd, rwy'n cael hyn braidd yn anodd, oherwydd, ar y naill law, dywed y Gweinidog wrthym nad oes unrhyw wahaniaeth sylweddol rhwng effaith yr hyn sy'n digwydd yn Ysbyty Gwynedd a'r hyn sy'n digwydd yn y ddwy uned damweiniau ac achosion brys arall, ac ar y llaw arall, mae'n dweud wrthyf fod y ffactorau'n wahanol, a bod angen inni eu hystyried. Nawr, yn sicr, nid wyf yn awgrymu bod unrhyw un ar reng flaen y gwasanaethau hynny'n methu gwneud eu gwaith yn iawn. Efallai y dylem ofyn i ni'n hunain a oes unigolion yn y Siambr hon sydd, yn hyn o beth, yn gwneud eu gwaith yn iawn neu fel arall, ond nid wyf o reidrwydd am fynd i'r lefel honno. Mewn perthynas â damweiniau ac achosion brys, a'r ddau ysbyty penodol hyn, mae'n amlwg nad yw beth bynnag y mae'r Gweinidog yn ei wneud o dan fesurau arbennig, fel y saif pethau, yn gweithio, oherwydd fel arall byddent yn dysgu o'r arferion da y mae'r Gweinidog yn iawn i dynnu sylw atynt mewn mannau eraill yng Nghymru. O ystyried y pwerau sydd ganddo o dan y mesurau arbennig, a yw'r Gweinidog yn derbyn ei bod bellach yn bryd gwneud rhywbeth mwy radical, fod angen inni edrych ar y system gyfan drwyddi draw mewn perthynas â'r ddau ysbyty, ac edrych ar bopeth sy'n digwydd gyda derbyniadau a derbyniadau diangen, hyd at yr hyn sy'n digwydd i bobl sy'n cael eu cadw yn yr ysbyty'n ddiangen? Ni all fod yn wir fod Ysbyty Gwynedd yn gallu ymdopi, ac na all y ddau ysbyty arall ymdopi. Credaf ei bod yn bryd i'r Gweinidog gamu i mewn ac edrych ar hyn mewn ffordd radical a chyson.
Again, I don't think that's a fair reflection on the fact of what I've set out. You need to understand what is specific to each particular site to address, but, actually, there is nothing that explains the significant difference in performance between the three sites within north Wales, and, actually, when you go beyond that, then, the differences in different parts of Wales too. That's why we do have a real focus on clinical leadership. For the third time I'm going to say: clinical leadership matters, and performance, and that can and will make a difference. Our job is to be able to encourage and support those people to be clear about the expectation for the board, and their point in accountability and achievement—and they will be held to account, and, actually, the chair has taken some personal ownership and responsibility for the mission of improvement within this area—to understand the 90-day turnaround and improvement plan, to let us see what has changed, and what needs to change further. Because simply saying, 'Do something radical and different, Minister'—well, that isn't an answer. That is the easiest thing to say, but it is not an answer to address performance and the sort of service that our staff want to deliver, and our public expect. I'm determined to do the right thing—that is about listening to our staff, looking at the evidence, and making sure the right thing is actually done. And I fully expect to be held to account, whether we do well or not.
Unwaith eto, ni chredaf fod hynny'n adlewyrchiad teg o'r ffeithiau rwyf wedi eu nodi. Mae angen i chi ddeall beth sy'n benodol i bob safle penodol fynd i'r afael ag ef, ond mewn gwirionedd, nid oes unrhyw beth sy'n esbonio'r gwahaniaeth sylweddol mewn perfformiad rhwng y tri safle yng ngogledd Cymru, a phan ewch y tu hwnt i hynny, y gwahaniaethau mewn gwahanol rannau o Gymru hefyd. Dyna pam fod gennym ffocws gwirioneddol ar arweinyddiaeth glinigol. Am y trydydd tro rwyf am ddweud hyn: mae arweinyddiaeth glinigol yn bwysig, a pherfformiad, a gall hynny, a bydd hynny, yn gwneud gwahaniaeth. Ein gwaith ni yw gallu annog a chefnogi'r bobl hynny i ddatgan eu disgwyliadau o ran y bwrdd yn glir, a'u sefyllfa hwy o ran atebolrwydd a chyflawniad—a byddant yn cael eu dwyn i gyfrif, ac mewn gwirionedd, mae'r cadeirydd wedi perchnogi ac ysgwyddo cyfrifoldeb personol dros y nod o sicrhau gwelliant yn y maes hwn—i ddeall y cynllun gwella a thrawsnewid 90 diwrnod, i adael inni weld beth sydd wedi newid, a beth sydd angen ei newid ymhellach. Oherwydd nid yw dweud, 'Gwnewch rywbeth radical a gwahanol, Weinidog'—wel, nid yw hwnnw'n ateb. Dyna'r peth hawsaf i'w ddweud, ond nid yw'n ateb i fynd i'r afael â pherfformiad a'r math o wasanaeth y mae ein staff yn awyddus i'w ddarparu, ac y mae ein cyhoedd yn ei ddisgwyl. Rwy'n benderfynol o wneud y peth iawn—mae hynny'n ymwneud â gwrando ar ein staff, edrych ar y dystiolaeth, a sicrhau y gwneir y peth iawn. Ac rwy'n llwyr ddisgwyl cael fy nwyn i gyfrif, pa un a ydym yn gwneud yn dda ai peidio.
Llefarydd y Ceidwadwyr, Janet Finch-Saunders.
The Conservative spokesperson, Janet Finch-Saunders.
Thank you. I think my questions are—thank you. Diolch, Llywydd. May I welcome you to your first questions, I believe, Minister? I look forward to working with you, as we go forward, in this portfolio. I know, from my time with you in committee, that you're very genuine in your working.
Right, there are at least 370,000 carers in Wales, which is more than the population of Cardiff. And around three in five of us will become a carer at some point in our lives. For many young people, however, this point comes far too early. Indeed, as you will be aware, we have a selfless army of carers aged under 18 years old across Wales. Now, last week saw Young Carers Awareness Day, and many of us as Welsh Conservatives strove to raise awareness of this, and the vital role that these young champions play in supporting their sick and disabled family members. One major point of concern is the fact that some young carers are unable to continue in education or apprenticeships, because of a fear of losing their carers' allowance. Will you therefore endorse, support and ensure that we bring about a policy that we want to introduce, and that is a £60 a week young adult carers futures grant?
Diolch. Credaf fod fy nghwestiynau—diolch. Diolch, Lywydd. A gaf fi eich croesawu i'ch sesiwn gwestiynau gyntaf, rwy'n credu, Weinidog? Edrychaf ymlaen at weithio gyda chi yn y dyfodol yn y portffolio hwn. O fy amser gyda chi ar bwyllgorau, gwn eich bod yn ddiffuant iawn yn eich gwaith.
Iawn, mae yna o leiaf 370,000 o ofalwyr yng Nghymru, sy'n fwy na phoblogaeth Caerdydd. A bydd oddeutu tri o bob pump ohonom yn dod yn ofalwr ar ryw adeg yn ein bywydau. I lawer o bobl ifanc, fodd bynnag, daw'r adeg hon yn rhy gynnar o lawer. Yn wir, fel y gwyddoch, mae gennym fyddin anhunanol o ofalwyr dan 18 mlwydd oed ledled Cymru. Nawr, yr wythnos diwethaf, cynhaliwyd Diwrnod Ymwybyddiaeth Gofalwyr Ifanc, a cheisiodd sawl un ohonom fel Ceidwadwyr Cymreig godi ymwybyddiaeth o hyn, a'r rôl hanfodol y mae'r sêr ifanc hyn yn ei chwarae wrth gefnogi aelodau o'u teuluoedd sy'n sâl ac yn anabl. Un pwynt pwysig sy'n peri pryder yw'r ffaith na all rhai gofalwyr ifanc barhau mewn addysg neu brentisiaethau, gan eu bod yn ofni colli eu lwfans gofalwr. A wnewch chi, felly, gymeradwyo, cefnogi a sicrhau ein bod yn rhoi polisi rydym yn awyddus i'w gyflwyno ar waith, sef grant o £60 yr wythnos i oedolion ifanc sy'n ofalwyr tuag at eu dyfodol?
I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for that welcome and very kind words. In response to her comments about young carers, we're absolutely committed to supporting carers of all ages, including young carers and young adult carers. We do think that education in the school setting is one of the key areas to identify and help young carers and I'm aware that the financial situation of young carers is often a matter for concern, and her proposal is something that we can look at.
Diolch i Janet Finch-Saunders am ei geiriau caredig a chalonogol iawn. Mewn ymateb i'w sylwadau am ofalwyr ifanc, rydym yn gwbl ymrwymedig i gefnogi gofalwyr o bob oedran, gan gynnwys gofalwyr ifanc ac oedolion ifanc sy'n ofalwyr. Credwn fod addysg yn yr ysgol yn un o'r meysydd allweddol er mwyn nodi a helpu gofalwyr ifanc ac rwy'n ymwybodol fod sefyllfa ariannol gofalwyr ifanc yn aml yn achos pryder, ac mae ei hargymhelliad yn rhywbeth y gallwn ei ystyried.
Thank you, that's very encouraging. Thank you, Deputy Minister. I believe that our grant would go a long way in helping to ensure that young carers can continue in education. This is key, but there is more still that we can do. Indeed, it is a frightening fact that YoungMinds suggest that 68 per cent of young carers have been bullied at some point because of tackling their home responsibilities. So, they've made clear signals that professionals, particularly in schools, are not yet able to spot and identify training needs, not just for the carers themselves, but for their peers. How can you be sure that the identity card will reach all carers and that adequate training is given to adults working with young people, so that we can identify our carers much sooner in the system and give them the support they need?
Diolch, mae hynny'n galonogol iawn. Diolch, Ddirprwy Weinidog. Credaf y byddai ein grant yn gwneud llawer i helpu i sicrhau y gall gofalwyr ifanc barhau mewn addysg. Mae hyn yn allweddol, ond mae mwy y gallwn ei wneud eto. Yn wir, mae'n ffaith frawychus fod YoungMinds yn awgrymu bod 68 y cant o ofalwyr ifanc wedi cael eu bwlio ar ryw adeg oherwydd eu cyfrifoldebau yn y cartref. Felly, maent wedi rhoi arwyddion clir nad yw gweithwyr proffesiynol, ar hyn o bryd, yn enwedig mewn ysgolion, yn gallu nodi a sylwi ar anghenion hyfforddi, nid yn unig ar gyfer y gofalwyr eu hunain, ond ar gyfer eu cyfoedion. Sut y gallwch fod yn sicr y bydd y cerdyn adnabod yn cyrraedd yr holl ofalwyr ac y rhoddir digon o hyfforddiant i oedolion sy'n gweithio gyda phobl ifanc, fel y gallwn nodi pwy yw ein gofalwyr yn llawer cynt yn y system a rhoi'r cymorth sydd ei angen?
I absolutely agree with the Member that there is a lack of awareness of the issues of young carers and it's really important, particularly in schools that there is a much wider awareness, and that is something that the Government certainly wants to work on.
The proposal for a young carers ID card is actually being worked on at the moment by officials here in the Government and they're working with Carers Trust Wales to consider the proposals for such a scheme and working also with the education department. There are already a number of carer identification schemes in place in local authorities in Wales, and I think what we've got to do is to investigate how they are working, but what we would want to do is to introduce a national ID card for young carers. But, obviously, you can introduce the card, but you've got to make sure that people understand what the card means. So, I'd like to reassure the Member that people in the Government are working at the moment on this issue, and I think this is something that young carers themselves would welcome.
Cytunaf yn llwyr gyda'r Aelod fod yna ddiffyg ymwybyddiaeth o faterion yn ymwneud â gofalwyr ifanc ac mae'n wirioneddol bwysig, yn enwedig mewn ysgolion, fod yna ymwybyddiaeth ehangach o lawer, ac mae hynny'n sicr yn rhywbeth y mae'r Llywodraeth yn awyddus i weithio arno.
Mewn gwirionedd, mae swyddogion yma yn y Llywodraeth wrthi'n gweithio ar y cynnig ar gyfer cerdyn adnabod i ofalwyr ifanc, ac maent yn gweithio gydag Ymddiriedolaeth Gofalwyr Cymru i ystyried y cynigion ar gyfer cynllun o'r fath ac yn gweithio hefyd gyda'r adran addysg. Mae nifer o gynlluniau adnabod gofalwyr eisoes ar waith mewn awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru, a chredaf mai'r hyn sydd angen inni ei wneud yw archwilio sut y maent yn gweithio, ond yr hyn yr hoffem ei wneud yw cyflwyno cerdyn adnabod cenedlaethol ar gyfer gofalwyr ifanc. Ond yn amlwg, gallwch gyflwyno'r cerdyn, ond mae'n rhaid ichi sicrhau bod pobl yn deall beth y mae'r cerdyn yn ei olygu. Felly, hoffwn roi sicrwydd i'r Aelod fod pobl yn y Llywodraeth yn gweithio ar y mater hwn ar hyn o bryd, a chredaf fod hyn yn rhywbeth y byddai'r gofalwyr ifanc eu hunain yn ei groesawu.
Thank you, again. One aim of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2016 is to improve the well-being of carers who need support. Following this, a carer of any age has the same rights to be assessed for support as the person they care for. These assessments are undertaken by social services. However, the total number of social service staff for children and young people has not really, in any real form, improved since 2014-15, especially when one takes into account the high levels of sickness and stress that actually exist within those very departments. Therefore, what measures are you taking to ensure that young carers are able to fully receive their needs assessment—and this is a genuine assessment—and then to receive the subsequent support that they need and that they receive it promptly?
Diolch, unwaith eto. Un o nodau Deddf Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol a Llesiant (Cymru) 2016 yw gwella lles gofalwyr sydd angen cymorth. Yn dilyn hyn, mae gan ofalwr o unrhyw oedran yr un hawliau i gael eu hasesu ar gyfer cymorth â'r unigolyn y maent yn gofalu amdanynt. Cynhelir yr asesiadau hyn gan y gwasanaethau cymdeithasol. Fodd bynnag, nid yw cyfanswm nifer y staff gwasanaethau cymdeithasol ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc wedi gwella mewn unrhyw ffordd ystyrlon ers 2014-15, yn enwedig o ystyried y lefelau uchel o salwch a straen sy'n bodoli yn yr adrannau hynny. Felly, pa gamau rydych yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod gofalwyr ifanc yn gallu cael eu hasesiad o anghenion yn llawn—a'i fod yn asesiad dilys—ac yna'n cael y cymorth dilynol sydd ei angen arnynt, a'u bod yn ei gael yn ddiymdroi?
It is absolutely vital, as the Member says, that correct assessments are made for young carers, and the social services and well-being Act does require that, but I am aware that many young carers have not had assessments and I know that there is variability of how the assessments actually apply. So, the Government is looking at this—looking at how to improve this and is looking at it through the ministerial advisory group for carers and in other ways. But I do think that it's absolutely crucial that young carers do get assessments, because one of the things that you have to look at in an assessment is how being a carer is affecting the ordinary, everyday life that a young person needs, and the assessments really need to take those into account when they're made. So, the assessments are crucial, but we do need to ensure they're more consistent and more widespread.
Mae'n hollol hanfodol, fel y dywed yr Aelod, fod asesiadau cywir yn cael eu cynnal ar gyfer gofalwyr ifanc, ac mae hynny'n ofynnol o dan y Ddeddf gwasanaethau cymdeithasol a llesiant, ond gwn nad yw llawer o ofalwyr ifanc wedi cael asesiadau a gwn fod y modd y caiff yr asesiadau eu rhoi ar waith yn amrywio. Felly, mae'r Llywodraeth yn edrych ar hyn—yn edrych ar sut i wella hyn ac yn edrych ar hyn drwy grŵp cynghori'r Gweinidog ar ofalwyr ac mewn ffyrdd eraill. Ond credaf ei bod yn gwbl hanfodol fod gofalwyr ifanc yn cael eu hasesu, oherwydd un o'r pethau sy'n rhaid ichi eu hystyried mewn asesiad yw sut y mae bod yn ofalwr yn effeithio ar fywyd arferol o ddydd i ddydd fel y bydd unigolyn ifanc ei angen, ac mae gwir angen i'r asesiadau ystyried hynny. Felly, mae'r asesiadau yn hollbwysig, ond mae angen inni sicrhau eu bod yn fwy cyson ac ar gael yn ehangach.
Llefarydd UKIP, Neil Hamilton.
The UKIP spokesperson, Neil Hamilton.
Diolch, Llywydd. The Minister will be aware, from the auditor general's report on NHS Wales's expenditure on agency staff that the amount of money that is being spent has gone up by 171 per cent over seven years, and amounted to £135 million in 2017-18. This is a very expensive way to recruit staff. In Betsi Cadwaladr in 2017, they were spending 7 per cent of their total staff budget on agency staff, and in Hywel Dda it was 10 per cent. The latest figures show that Betsi is spending £30 million on agency staff, and Hywel Dda £23 million. The response that I've seen so far from the Welsh Government is this: that this report will inform future activity in strengthening leadership to steer work to deliver future efficiencies and develop a single source of data collection. Will the Minister agree with me that, rather than just management speak, there should be some practical action to get these figures down so that the money could be spent in other ways that are more beneficial to patients in the health service in Wales?
Diolch, Lywydd. Bydd y Gweinidog yn ymwybodol, o adroddiad yr archwilydd cyffredinol ar wariant GIG Cymru ar staff asiantaeth, fod y swm o arian sy'n cael ei wario wedi cynyddu 171 y cant dros saith mlynedd, ac yn £135 miliwn yn 2017-18. Mae hon yn ffordd ddrud iawn o recriwtio staff. Yn Betsi Cadwaladr yn 2017, roeddent yn gwario 7 y cant o gyfanswm eu cyllideb staff ar staff asiantaeth, ac yn Hywel Dda roedd yn 10 y cant. Dengys y ffigurau diweddaraf fod Betsi Cadwaladr yn gwario £30 miliwn ar staff asiantaeth, a Hywel Dda yn gwario £23 miliwn. Yr ymateb a welais hyd yma gan Lywodraeth Cymru yw y bydd yr adroddiad hwn yn llywio gweithgarwch yn y dyfodol i gryfhau arweinyddiaeth er mwyn llywio'r gwaith o sicrhau arbedion effeithlonrwydd yn y dyfodol a datblygu un ffynhonnell ar gyfer casglu data. Yn hytrach na iaith rheoli, a fyddai'r Gweinidog yn cytuno y dylid rhoi camau gweithredu ymarferol ar waith i leihau'r ffigurau hyn fel y gellid gwario'r arian mewn ffyrdd eraill sy'n fwy buddiol i gleifion yn y gwasanaeth iechyd yng Nghymru?
Actually, if you look at what we've done over the last two years, we have made real inroads into agency and locum spend. I made a choice to introduce not just a cap on rates, but a range of other measures that the service had offered in terms of some policy choices. That's meant we've spent at least £30 million less on agency than in the last financial year, but we know that we need to do more. And actually, there's a challenge for all of us: if we really do want to see a reduction in agency and locum spend, then we need to change the way that we deliver care. That means the current way in which we deliver care will need to change to make it more attractive to recruit permanent staff within the service. And, of course, Members across this Chamber are regularly put under pressure to support keeping the way that services are delivered, even when those services rely on high degrees of agency and locum spend. So, actually, changing services isn't just about driving the financials down; it's actually about delivering better care, with permanent members of staff who are permanently on the care team.
Mewn gwirionedd, os edrychwch ar yr hyn rydym wedi'i wneud dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf, rydym wedi gwneud cynnydd gwirioneddol mewn perthynas â gwariant ar staff asiantaeth a staff locwm. Gwneuthum ddewis nid yn unig i gyflwyno cap ar gyfraddau, ond amrywiaeth o fesurau eraill a gynigiwyd gan y gwasanaeth o ran dewisiadau polisi. Golygodd hynny ein bod wedi gwario o leiaf £30 miliwn yn llai ar staff asiantaeth nag yn y flwyddyn ariannol ddiwethaf, ond gwyddom fod angen inni wneud mwy. Ac mewn gwirionedd, mae her i bob un ohonom yn hyn: os ydym am weld gostyngiad yn y gwariant ar staff asiantaeth a staff locwm, mae angen inni newid y ffordd rydym yn darparu gofal. Golyga hynny y bydd angen i'r ffordd rydym yn darparu gofal ar hyn o bryd newid i'w wneud yn fwy deniadol ar gyfer recriwtio staff parhaol i'r gwasanaeth. Ac wrth gwrs, mae Aelodau ar draws y Siambr o dan bwysau rheolaidd i gefnogi cadw'r ffordd y caiff gwasanaethau eu darparu, hyd yn oed pan fo'r gwasanaethau hynny'n dibynnu ar lefelau uchel o wariant ar staff asiantaeth a staff locwm. Felly, mewn gwirionedd, mae newid gwasanaethau yn ymwneud â mwy na lleihau gwariant; mae'n ymwneud â darparu gwell gofal, gydag aelodau staff parhaol sydd ar y tîm gofal ar sail barhaol.
Of course, some health boards in Wales are doing very much better than the boards that I've just quoted. In Cardiff and Vale, for example, only about 1.5 per cent of their staffing budget is spent on agency staff. So, if they can do it, why can't the other health boards? This is largely going on medical and dental staff, and nursing and midwifery. Again, in Betsi, 65 per cent of the money they've spent on agency staff has gone on medical and dental staff—that's £19 million. But Cardiff and Vale, by contrast, spent only £360,000 on this in the latest year. What accounts for these disparities? It clearly can't be pay as the cause, because pay rates are pretty much nationally set. Here is a case again where political leadership is absolutely necessary to solve what is a substantial problem that adds to all the other burdens on the health service.
Wrth gwrs, mae rhai byrddau iechyd yng Nghymru yn gwneud yn well o lawer na'r byrddau rwyf newydd eu crybwyll. Yng Nghaerdydd a'r Fro, er enghraifft, oddeutu 1.5 y cant yn unig o'u cyllideb staffio a werir ar staff asiantaeth. Felly, os gallant hwy wneud hynny, pam na all y byrddau iechyd eraill ei wneud? Mae'r arian yn cael ei wario i raddau helaeth ar staff meddygol a deintyddol, a nyrsio a bydwreigiaeth. Unwaith eto, yn Betsi Cadwaladr, mae 65 y cant o'r arian y maent wedi'i wario ar staff asiantaeth wedi mynd ar staff meddygol a deintyddol—dyna £19 miliwn. Ond nid yw Caerdydd a'r Fro, ar y llaw arall, ond wedi gwario £360,000 ar hyn dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf. Beth sy'n gyfrifol am y gwahaniaethau hyn? Mae'n amlwg nad cyflog yw'r achos, gan fod cyfraddau cyflog yn cael eu pennu ar sail genedlaethol i raddau helaeth. Dyma achos arall lle mae arweinyddiaeth wleidyddol yn gwbl angenrheidiol er mwyn datrys problem sylweddol sy'n ychwanegu at y beichiau eraill ar y gwasanaeth iechyd.
Actually, we know that for a significant part not just of Wales, but across the United Kingdom, some centres are more easy to attract and recruit to than others in different parts of the country. You don't need to take my word for it; go and talk to people who work in those other parts of the health service about the relative ease or difficulty of doing so. Cardiff and Vale, and other parts of the south-east corner, have had a more stable way of delivering and transforming their care. There is a different job of work to be done, for example, in west Wales and in north Wales in transforming the way that care is delivered. If we're unable to do so, then we'll continue to prop up parts of our service with agency and locum and higher spend. That's the unavoidable reality of where we are. So, if Members want to see genuinely a reduction in agency and locum spend, then we all need to have a grown-up conversation about where that care is delivered, to make it a more attractive place for staff to work. If we can't do that, we'll continue to either prop up parts of our service with agency and locum spend, or see those reform and change at a point of crisis, rather than deliberately planning to do so. That was one of the central messages of 'A Healthier Wales' and, indeed, the parliamentary review that every party in this Chamber signed up to.
Mewn rhan fawr o Gymru ac ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig mewn gwirionedd, gwyddom ei bod yn haws denu a recriwtio i rai canolfannau nag eraill mewn gwahanol rannau o'r wlad. Nid oes angen i chi fy nghredu i; siaradwch â phobl sy'n gweithio yn y rhannau eraill hynny o'r gwasanaeth iechyd ynglŷn â pha mor hawdd neu ba mor anodd yw gwneud hynny. Mae Caerdydd a'r Fro, a rhannau eraill o gornel y de-ddwyrain, wedi cael ffordd fwy sefydlog o ddarparu a thrawsnewid eu gofal. Mae gwaith gwahanol i'w wneud, er enghraifft, yng ngorllewin a gogledd Cymru o ran trawsnewid y ffordd y darperir gofal. Os na allwn wneud hynny, byddwn yn parhau i gynnal rhannau o'n gwasanaeth â staff asiantaeth a staff locwm a gwariant uwch. Dyna realiti anochel ein sefyllfa. Felly, os yw'r Aelodau yn dymuno gweld gostyngiad go iawn yn y gwariant ar staff asiantaeth a staff locwm, mae angen i bob un ohonom gael trafodaeth aeddfed ynglŷn â ble y darperir y gofal hwnnw, i'w wneud yn lle mwy deniadol i staff weithio. Os na allwn wneud hynny, byddwn yn parhau naill ai i gynnal rhannau o'n gwasanaeth â gwariant ar staff asiantaeth a staff locwm, neu eu gweld yn diwygio ac yn newid ar adeg o argyfwng, yn hytrach na chynllunio'n fwriadol i wneud hynny. Dyna oedd un o negeseuon canolog 'Cymru Iachach', ac yn wir, yr adolygiad seneddol yr ymrwymodd pob plaid yn y Siambr hon iddo.
Of course, the performance of some health boards in recent years perhaps makes it more difficult to recruit staff, in areas like north Wales in particular. Nevertheless, that can't be the whole answer to this difficulty, because the same problem is seen with locums for GPs as it is for NHS staff in other areas of professional activity. For example, in relation to Blaenau Ffestiniog, the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales 2017 report said that GP recruitment there still had significant issues because there was considerable reliance on locums and improvement was needed. Well, on the Primary Care Professionals website today, there is an advertisement for 32 GP jobs in Blaenau Ffestiniog, 22 of which are for locums. So, in 16 months since that healthcare inspectorate report of 2017 till today, there's been very, very little change. On page 39 of that report, it said that the assistant area director of primary care and primary care development manager, by 31 January 2018—that's a year ago—should increase the availability of salaried GPs through recruitment to reduce frequent change in staff and locums available to complete their own tasks. So, when are we actually going to see some significant progress not just in relation to agency staff in hospitals, but also in the recruitment of GPs to serve areas that have relied far too long upon locums chopping and changing? Most patients want to see their regular GP; they don't want to be in a situation where every time they go to the surgery they're seeing somebody new.
Wrth gwrs, mae perfformiad rhai byrddau iechyd dros y blynyddoedd diwethaf yn ei gwneud yn anos recriwtio staff o bosibl, yn enwedig mewn ardaloedd fel gogledd Cymru. Serch hynny, ni ellir dweud mai dyna'r unig reswm dros yr anhawster, gan fod yr un broblem i'w gweld gyda staff locwm meddygon teulu ag sydd i'w gweld ymhlith staff y GIG mewn meysydd eraill o weithgarwch proffesiynol. Er enghraifft, o ran Blaenau Ffestiniog, dywedodd adroddiad Arolygiaeth Gofal Iechyd Cymru 2017 eu bod yn dal i wynebu problemau sylweddol yno mewn perthynas â recriwtio meddygon teulu gan fod yno gryn ddibyniaeth ar feddygon locwm, ac roedd angen gwella. Wel, ar wefan Primary Care Professionals heddiw, ceir hysbyseb ar gyfer 32 o swyddi meddygon teulu ym Mlaenau Ffestiniog, gyda 22 ohonynt ar gyfer staff locwm. Felly, yn yr 16 mis rhwng adroddiad yr arolygiaeth gofal iechyd yn 2017 a heddiw, ychydig iawn o newid a fu. Ar dudalen 39 o'r adroddiad hwnnw, roedd yn dweud y dylai'r cyfarwyddwr ardal cynorthwyol ar gyfer gofal sylfaenol a'r rheolwr datblygu gofal sylfaenol, erbyn 31 Ionawr 2018—flwyddyn yn ôl—gynyddu argaeledd meddygon teulu cyflogedig drwy recriwtio er mwyn lleihau newidiadau mynych yn niferoedd y staff a'r staff locwm sydd ar gael i gwblhau eu tasgau eu hunain. Felly, pryd y byddwn yn gweld cynnydd sylweddol, nid yn unig o ran staff asiantaeth mewn ysbytai, ond hefyd o ran recriwtio meddygon teulu i wasanaethu ardaloedd sydd wedi dibynnu'n rhy hir o lawer ar staff locwm yn mynd a dod drwy'r amser? Mae'r rhan fwyaf o gleifion eisiau gweld eu meddyg teulu arferol; nid ydynt am fod mewn sefyllfa lle maent yn gweld rhywun newydd bob tro y maent yn mynd i'r feddygfa.
That's true for some patients, and others take a rather different view. If you look at what we're doing and, actually, if you look at the NHS England plan, for example, when they talk about the way that they want general practice to work together, it sounds and looks a lot like clusters here in Wales. They may not give us credit for it, but they're actually copying a number of the things that we're doing because the workforce of the future will be different, and, when I think about agency and locum, I absolutely think about primary care—the ability to recruit enough general practitioners, the training that we have, the achievement over the last two years and doing very well on filling our GP training places, but, more than that, about the environment they're going to work within with different forms of staff.
And there's a different number of GPs working in a different way with other healthcare professionals. That's why the record investment we're making in other healthcare professional training, the £114 million we're investing—. Even in a time of austerity, a £7 million increase in that form of training, for more staff, for the physios, the nurses, the paramedics. That's the challenge that we have to confront. And, actually, our GP workforce are broadly supportive of the direction that we are taking. The challenge, as ever, is: are we able to move fast enough to keep services open, up and running, and to persuade enough people to actually come on board to work in a different way? And, within that, I accept I'm not the most persuasive voice. A general practitioner is more likely to listen to a fellow GP about the way that they have changed their practice, working with different professionals, than to any politician within this place. And, actually, we do have a range of leaders within general practice who are making that bid and showing real leadership with their peers. So, actually, for all the challenge that we have, there is real room for optimism about the path we're on, and, indeed, the flattery of NHS England largely copying significant parts of what we're already doing in Wales.
Mae hynny'n wir i rai cleifion, ac mae gan eraill farn wahanol. Os edrychwch ar yr hyn rydym yn ei wneud, ac mewn gwirionedd, os edrychwch ar gynllun y GIG yn Lloegr, er enghraifft, pan fyddant yn sôn am y ffordd y maent yn awyddus i feddygon teulu weithio gyda'i gilydd, mae hynny'n swnio ac yn edrych yn debyg iawn i'r clystyrau sydd gennym yma yng Nghymru. Efallai nad ydynt yn rhoi clod inni am hynny, ond mewn gwirionedd, maent yn copïo nifer o'r pethau rydym yn eu gwneud gan y bydd gweithlu'r dyfodol yn wahanol, ac wrth feddwl am staff asiantaeth a staff locwm, rwy'n sicr yn meddwl am ofal sylfaenol—y gallu i recriwtio digon o feddygon teulu, yr hyfforddiant sydd gennym, cyflawniad dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf a gwneud yn dda iawn o ran llenwi ein lleoedd hyfforddi meddygon teulu, ond yn fwy na hynny, am yr amgylchedd y byddant yn gweithio ynddo gyda mathau gwahanol o staff.
Ac mae nifer gwahanol o feddygon teulu yn gweithio mewn ffordd wahanol gyda gweithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol eraill. Dyna pam fod y buddsoddiad mwyaf erioed a wnawn mewn hyfforddiant ar gyfer gweithwyr gofal iechyd proffesiynol eraill, y £114 miliwn rydym yn ei fuddsoddi—. Hyd yn oed mewn cyfnod o gyni, cynnydd o £7 miliwn yn y math hwnnw o hyfforddiant, ar gyfer mwy o staff, ar gyfer y ffisiotherapyddion, y nyrsys, y parafeddygon. Dyna'r her y mae'n rhaid inni ei hwynebu. Ac mewn gwirionedd, mae ein gweithlu meddygon teulu yn cefnogi'r cyfeiriad rydym yn mynd iddo at ei gilydd. Yr her, fel arfer, yw hon: a ydym yn gallu symud yn ddigon cyflym i gadw gwasanaethau ar agor ac yn weithredol, a darbwyllo digon o bobl i ddod i weithio mewn ffordd wahanol? Ac yn hynny o beth, rwy'n derbyn nad fy llais i yw'r mwyaf darbwyllol. Mae meddyg teulu yn fwy tebygol o wrando ar feddyg teulu arall ynglŷn â'r ffordd y maent wedi newid eu hymarfer, a gweithio gyda gweithwyr proffesiynol gwahanol, nag unrhyw wleidydd yn y lle hwn. Ac mae gennym amrywiaeth o arweinwyr ym maes ymarfer cyffredinol sy'n gwneud y gwaith hwnnw ac yn dangos gwir arweinyddiaeth ymhlith eu cymheiriaid. Felly, er yr heriau sy'n ein hwynebu, mae lle i fod yn optimistaidd ynglŷn â'r llwybr rydym arno, ac yn wir, ynglŷn â'r clod o weld GIG Lloegr yn efelychu rhannau sylweddol o'r hyn rydym eisoes yn ei wneud yng Nghymru.
3. A wnaiff y Gweinidog ddatganiad am ariannu gofal iechyd yng Ngogledd Cymru? OAQ53334
3. Will the Minister make a statement on the funding of healthcare in North Wales? OAQ53334
The Welsh Government continues to invest in the health service in north Wales, as demonstrated by the £1.4 billion allocation in 2018-19. We've provided specific additional support this year, totalling nearly £20 million to support performance, winter pressures, capacity and capability within the organisation.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn parhau i fuddsoddi yn y gwasanaeth iechyd yng ngogledd Cymru, fel y gwelwyd gyda'r dyraniad o £1.4 biliwn yn 2018-19. Rydym wedi darparu cymorth ychwanegol penodol eleni, i sicrhau cyfanswm o bron £20 miliwn i gefnogi perfformiad, pwysau'r gaeaf, capasiti a gallu o fewn y sefydliad.
Well, a fifth of the patients at the Countess of Chester Hospital come from Wales, and last week I questioned your colleague the finance Minister after the Countess of Chester Hospital reported in December that delayed transfers of care—better known to some people as bedblocking—for patients from Wales had gone up 26 per cent compared to the previous year, whilst falling 24 per cent for patients in west Wales. And their chief finance officer said there's extra capacity that the west Cheshire system is putting in and we've got to see some extra capacity being put in by Wales. The finance Minister said that she would refer that to you.
Only this morning, I and five other AMs received an e-mail from a whistleblower describing themselves as 'a concerned Betsi Cadwaladr NHS supporter', which said that the health board has unsurprisingly failed to break even in any of the years since being placed in special measures by you, and that management was wasting valuable resources and public money on IT systems such as the health roster clinical activity management IT system, which has cost over £200,000. No analysis was done on the initial trial, there was no proper business case carried out, the project failure has been hidden from the public, this had been trialled unsuccessfully in 2015 with negative feedback, and the consensus from medical experts was the system wasn't fit for purpose but it still went ahead. As I concluded last week when questioning the finance Minister, what is going on, Minister, because the buck really does stop with you?
Wel, mae un bob o bump o gleifion Ysbyty Iarlles Caer yn dod o Gymru, a'r wythnos diwethaf, holais eich cyd-Aelod, y Gweinidog cyllid, ar ôl i Ysbyty Iarlles Caer adrodd ym mis Rhagfyr fod oedi wrth drosglwyddo gofal—sy'n fwy cyfarwydd i rai fel blocio gwelyau—yn achos cleifion o Gymru wedi codi 26 y cant o gymharu â'r flwyddyn flaenorol, er ei fod wedi gostwng 24 y cant yn achos cleifion yng ngorllewin Cymru. A dywedodd eu prif swyddog cyllid fod system gorllewin swydd Gaer yn darparu capasiti ychwanegol a bod yn rhaid i Gymru ddarparu rhywfaint o gapasiti ychwanegol hefyd. Dywedodd y Gweinidog cyllid y byddai'n cyfeirio hynny atoch.
Y bore yma, cefais i a phump o ACau eraill e-bost gan chwythwr chwiban a oedd yn disgrifio eu hunain fel 'un o gefnogwyr pryderus y GIG yn Betsi Cadwaladr', a ddywedai nad yw'n syndod fod y bwrdd iechyd wedi methu adennill eu costau yn unrhyw un o'r blynyddoedd ers i chi eu rhoi mewn mesurau arbennig, a bod yr adran reoli'n gwastraffu adnoddau gwerthfawr ac arian cyhoeddus ar systemau TG, megis system TG HealthRoster ar gyfer rheoli gweithgarwch clinigol, sydd wedi costio dros £200,000. Ni wnaed unrhyw ddadansoddiad o'r treial cychwynnol, ni chyflawnwyd achos busnes priodol, mae methiant y prosiect wedi'i guddio rhag y cyhoedd, treialwyd hyn yn aflwyddiannus yn 2015 gydag adborth negyddol, a'r consensws ymysg arbenigwyr meddygol oedd nad yw'r system yn addas i'r diben, ond fe'i rhoddwyd ar waith serch hynny. Fel y dywedais yr wythnos diwethaf wrth holi'r Gweinidog cyllid, beth sy'n digwydd, Weinidog, gan mai chi sy'n gyfrifol am hyn yn y pen draw?
Well, obviously, I can't comment on an e-mail you've had today from a whistleblower about his perspective, but we want to take seriously any and everybody who provide concerns about the use of money. But, actually, the project you mentioned there does not go into the first part of your question and the disagreement between the Countess of Chester trust and the health and care system in north Wales. Actually, the facts are that we have seen a significant fall in the amount of delayed transfers of care within north Wales. That is because health and social care have worked together on achieving that. I had to have personal meetings with health and local government over the last few years, and I'm delighted to see real and sustained achievement. We should recognise that and not so easily fall for a line of argument from the Countess of Chester trust. If you look at their financial challenges themselves, it is precious little to do with the health and care system here in Wales. To give you an example, if the Countess of Chester trust's deficit was transferred into Betsi Cadwaladr, it would nearly double the deficit in Betsi Cadwaladr. Their financial challenges are not the problem of Wales. My patience with the way in which they seek to shift blame for their challenges to north Wales is wearing thin. I want to see a health and care system that works for the person—a genuinely collaborative partnership across the border, but that does require a different level of conduct and behaviour from colleagues in Chester.
Wel, yn amlwg, ni allaf wneud sylwadau ar e-bost a gawsoch heddiw gan chwythwr chwiban ynglŷn â'i safbwynt, ond rydym am roi ystyriaeth ddifrifol i unrhyw un a phawb sy'n mynegi pryderon ynglŷn â'r defnydd o arian. Ond mewn gwirionedd, nid yw'r prosiect a grybwylloch yn mynd i mewn i ran gyntaf eich cwestiwn a'r anghytuno rhwng ymddiriedolaeth Iarlles Caer a'r system iechyd a gofal yng ngogledd Cymru. Mewn gwirionedd, y gwir amdani yw ein bod wedi gweld gostyngiad sylweddol yn yr achosion o oedi wrth drosglwyddo gofal yng ngogledd Cymru. Y rheswm am hynny yw bod iechyd a gofal cymdeithasol wedi gweithio gyda'i gilydd i gyflawni hynny. Bu'n rhaid imi gael cyfarfodydd personol ag iechyd a llywodraeth leol dros yr ychydig flynyddoedd diwethaf, ac rwy'n falch iawn o weld cyflawniad gwirioneddol a pharhaus. Dylem gydnabod hynny, a pheidio â bod mor barod i lyncu dadl ymddiriedolaeth Iarlles Caer. Os edrychwch ar eu heriau ariannol hwy, ychydig iawn sydd a wnelo hynny â'r system iechyd a gofal yma yng Nghymru. Er enghraifft, pe bai diffyg ymddiriedolaeth Iarlles Caer yn cael ei drosglwyddo i fwrdd Betsi Cadwaladr, byddai'n dyblu'r diffyg, bron â bod, ym mwrdd Betsi Cadwaladr. Nid problem Cymru yw eu heriau ariannol hwy. Rwy'n dechrau colli amynedd gyda'r ffordd y maent yn ceisio beio gogledd Cymru am yr heriau y maent yn eu hwynebu. Rwyf am weld system iechyd a gofal sy'n gweithio i'r unigolyn—partneriaeth wirioneddol gydweithredol dros y ffin, ond mae hynny'n galw am lefel well o ymddygiad gan gymheiriaid yng Nghaer.
Llyr Gruffydd.
Llyr Gruffydd.
Disgraceful.
Gwarthus.
Diolch, Llywydd.
Diolch, Lywydd.
It is disgraceful, you're right.
Mae'n warthus, rydych yn llygad eich lle.
Wel, os ydyn nhw wedi gorffen toethan ar draws y Siambr, fe wnaf i ofyn fy nghwestiwn.
Mae myfyrwyr nyrsio ym Mangor yn pryderu ynglŷn â bygythiad posibl i'w cyrsiau nhw oherwydd toriadau yn y brifysgol. Ar adeg pan fo angen llawer mwy o nyrsys arnom ni yn y gogledd i lenwi cannoedd o swyddi gwag, mae yna gwestiynau yn codi ynglŷn ag a ydy adrannau o fewn y Llywodraeth fan hyn yn siarad â'i gilydd. Oherwydd heb arian digonol i brifysgolion ar gyfer darlithwyr, mi fydd yna lai o nyrsys yn cael eu cynhyrchu, ac yna mi fydd dibyniaeth y gwasanaeth iechyd yn y gogledd ar staff asiantaeth a locyms costus a drudfawr yn dwysáu. Felly, onid yw hyn yn enghraifft o ddiffyg cydweithio ar draws y Llywodraeth, sydd, o ganlyniad, yn gwneud sefyllfa anodd yn waeth?
Well, if they have finished barracking across the Chamber, I will ask my question.
Nursing students at Bangor are concerned about a possible threat to their courses because of cuts at the university. At a time when we need far more nurses in north Wales to fill hundreds of vacancies, there are questions arising as to whether departments within the Government here are speaking to each other, because, without sufficient funding for universities for lecturers, there will be fewer nurses, and the reliance of the health service in north Wales on agency staff and locums, which are expensive, will intensify. So, isn't this an example of a lack of collaboration across Government, which, as a result, is making a difficult situation worse?
We have nursing courses provided in Bangor that we pay for. They're part of the numbers and the training numbers that I've invested in, which I referred to in my answer to Neil Hamilton. I expect both the numbers to be delivered and the quality of training and care to be delivered. If there are real and serious concerns, as you've mentioned, I'd be very pleased to hear from you direct about the detail of that, because I want to make sure, as I say, the numbers and the quality are safeguarded. This is the workforce of the future that we're investing in after all.
Rydym yn talu am gyrsiau nyrsys a ddarperir ym Mangor. Maent yn rhan o'r niferoedd a'r niferoedd hyfforddi rwyf wedi buddsoddi ynddynt, a chyfeiriais atynt yn fy ateb i Neil Hamilton. Rwy'n disgwyl y cynhyrchir y niferoedd ac y sicrheir ansawdd yr hyfforddiant a'r gofal. Os oes pryderon difrifol a dilys, fel y dywedoch chi, buaswn yn falch iawn o glywed gennych yn uniongyrchol ynglŷn â manylion hynny, gan fy mod yn awyddus i sicrhau, fel y dywedaf, fod y niferoedd a'r ansawdd yn cael eu diogelu. Wedi'r cyfan, rydym yn buddsoddi yng ngweithlu'r dyfodol.
4. A wnaiff y Gweinidog roi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf am wasanaethau meddygon teulu yng Nghanol De Cymru? OAQ53339
4. Will the Minister provide an update on GP services in South Wales Central? OAQ53339
'A Healthier Wales' sets out our vision for healthcare services and the primary care model for Wales is instrumental to delivering our aims for general practice. We are working with NHS Wales and representative bodies to continue to improve the delivery of services to the people of South Wales Central.
Mae 'Cymru Iachach' yn nodi ein gweledigaeth ar gyfer gwasanaethau gofal iechyd ac mae'r model gofal sylfaenol ar gyfer Cymru yn allweddol i gyflawni ein nodau ar gyfer ymarfer cyffredinol. Rydym yn gweithio gyda GIG Cymru a chyrff cynrychiadol i barhau i wella'r ddarpariaeth o wasanaethau i bobl Canol De Cymru.
Thank you, Minister, for that answer. One of the biggest frustrations many patients have when trying to access GP services is actually making that first phone call to get an appointment with the GP. A constituent of mine—a Mr Owen Smith from Pontypridd, who I think you know—recently took to his Twitter account to highlight how he'd rung his GP surgery 300 times over the last five weeks. In his words, the appointments were sold out by 08:35 on each occasion. This isn't isolated to Owen Smith; this is across the South Wales Central area, where many patients struggle to get an appointment. What confidence can you give us that your department is putting energy into making more accessible the appointment system at GP surgeries so that patients who need those appointments can get them, and we don't get the rants that we saw off Owen Smith on Twitter, which highlights many of the frustrations that other constituents who don't have access to Twitter or social media feel on a day-to-day basis?
Diolch am eich ateb, Weinidog. Un o'r rhwystredigaethau mwyaf i lawer o gleifion wrth geisio cael mynediad at wasanaethau meddygon teulu yw gwneud yr alwad ffôn gyntaf honno i gael apwyntiad gyda'r meddyg teulu. Defnyddiodd un o fy etholwyr—Mr Owen Smith o Bontypridd, a chredaf eich bod yn ei adnabod—ei gyfrif Twitter yn ddiweddar i dynnu sylw at y ffaith ei fod wedi ffonio ei feddygfa 300 o weithiau dros y pum wythnos ddiwethaf. Yn ei eiriau ef, nid oedd unrhyw apwyntiadau ar ôl erbyn 08:35 ar bob achlysur. Nid Owen Smith yn unig sydd wedi wynebu hyn; mae'n digwydd ar draws ardal Canol De Cymru, lle mae llawer o gleifion yn ei chael yn anodd cael apwyntiad. Pa hyder y gallwch ei roi inni fod eich adran yn ymdrechu i wneud y system apwyntiadau mewn meddygfeydd yn fwy hygyrch fel y gall cleifion sydd angen yr apwyntiadau hynny eu cael, ac nad ydym yn gweld y math o refru a welsom gan Owen Smith ar Twitter, sy'n tynnu sylw at lawer o'r rhwystredigaethau y mae etholwyr eraill nad ydynt yn defnyddio Twitter neu'r cyfryngau cymdeithasol yn eu teimlo bob dydd?
Well, I'm not sure the person you refer to has given you permission to highlight his own personal experience in the way you do, but there is—[Interruption.]
Wel, nid wyf yn siŵr a yw'r unigolyn y cyfeiriwch ato wedi rhoi caniatâd i chi dynnu sylw at ei brofiad personol yn y ffordd y gwnewch, ond ceir—[Torri ar draws.]
It's public information. It's on Twitter.
Mae'n wybodaeth gyhoeddus. Mae i'w gweld ar Twitter.
The characterisation you provide I don't think is entirely fair, but I do recognise the variance in experience between practices, and it's something that comes up regularly in postbags. If you look at the national survey for Wales, it recognises a decline in satisfaction in having access to local healthcare. So, there is a real challenge. It's a challenge that was recognised both by the general practitioners committee of the BMA and the Government and the broader health service as well. It's part of the conversation. It's about contract reform. It's also part of what we're trying to get through in the new model for primary care. When we talk of the new model, it's a recognition that, actually, access is a really important part of that. And it doesn't come because I sat down in my office and decided I believe that 'telephone first' is the way to go; actually, that directly comes from a programme of activity run by GPs themselves and it's driven by those GPs that have resolved the challenges that a range of people complain about and the ability to have an appointment with the right healthcare professional. It is partly about people recognising where they can go if it isn't a general practitioner, but it is also then about being able to talk to someone about the challenge in a reasonable period of time. I recognise that this will continue to be a point of discussion with general practitioners—not just with the Government and the wider health service, but actually between general practitioners themselves, because some GPs are evangelists for a new system of 'telephone first' and others are deeply sceptical and dismissive of it. So, there's a real job of work to persuade GPs that, actually, it's about delivering a better job for them, but ultimately a better service for the public.
Ni chredaf fod y darlun a ddisgrifiwch yn gwbl deg, ond rwy'n cydnabod yr amrywiaeth profiadau rhwng practisau, ac mae'n rhywbeth sy'n codi'n rheolaidd mewn bagiau post. Os edrychwch ar yr arolwg cenedlaethol ar gyfer Cymru, mae'n nodi dirywiad mewn boddhad o ran cael mynediad at ofal iechyd lleol. Felly, ceir her wirioneddol yn hyn o beth. Mae'n her a gydnabuwyd gan bwyllgor ymarferwyr cyffredinol Cymdeithas Feddygol Prydain a'r Llywodraeth a'r gwasanaeth iechyd ehangach hefyd. Mae'n rhan o'r sgwrs. Mae'n ymwneud â diwygio contractau. Mae hefyd yn rhan o'r hyn rydym yn ceisio'i ddarparu yn y model gofal sylfaenol newydd. Pan soniwn am y model newydd, mae'n gydnabyddiaeth fod mynediad yn rhan bwysig iawn o hynny. Ac nid yw'n digwydd am fy mod i wedi eistedd yn fy swyddfa a phenderfynu fy mod yn credu mai dull 'ffôn yn gyntaf' sydd orau; mae'n ganlyniad uniongyrchol rhaglen o weithgareddau a gynhelir gan feddygon teulu eu hunain ac sy'n cael ei llywio gan y meddygon teulu hynny sydd wedi datrys yr heriau y mae amryw o bobl yn cwyno amdanynt a'r gallu i gael apwyntiad gyda'r gweithiwr gofal iechyd proffesiynol priodol. Mae'n ymwneud yn rhannol â phobl yn gwybod i ble y gallant fynd yn lle meddyg teulu, ond mae'n ymwneud hefyd â gallu siarad â rhywun ynglŷn â'r her o fewn amser rhesymol. Rwy'n cydnabod y bydd hyn yn parhau i fod yn destun trafod ymysg ymarferwyr cyffredinol—nid yn unig gyda'r Llywodraeth a'r gwasanaeth iechyd ehangach, ond ymhlith yr ymarferwyr cyffredinol eu hunain, gan fod rhai meddygon teulu yn gryf o blaid system newydd 'ffôn yn gyntaf' ac eraill yn amheus iawn ac yn diystyru hynny. Felly, mae gwaith mawr i'w wneud yma o ran darbwyllo meddygon teulu fod hyn yn ymwneud mewn gwirionedd â sicrhau bod eu swyddi'n well, ond yn y pen draw yn wasanaeth gwell i'r cyhoedd.
5. Pa gynnydd sy'n cael ei wneud i wella amseroedd ymateb ambiwlansys yng Ngorllewin De Cymru? OAQ53355
5. What progress is being made to improve ambulance response times in South Wales West? OAQ53355
There is considerable work under way to ensure patients who have a clinical need for an ambulance response in South Wales West do so as quickly as possible. I was encouraged to note that the latest figures show the area was again among the best performers in Wales for patients in the red category.
Mae cryn dipyn o waith ar y gweill i sicrhau bod cleifion sydd ag angen clinigol am ymateb ambiwlans yng Ngorllewin De Cymru yn gwneud hynny cyn gynted â phosibl. Roedd yn galonogol gallu nodi bod y ffigurau diweddaraf yn dangos bod yr ardal, unwaith eto, ymhlith yr ardaloedd sy'n perfformio orau yng Nghymru ar gyfer cleifion yn y categori coch.
Thank you for that response, Minister, and I appreciate the efforts being made to improve the response times. I want to raise an issue in relation to that and how we can perhaps help it, because in my personal circumstances, I had a need for a family member to phone an ambulance over the weekend, and the individual actually went into atrial fibrillation at home. We phoned up and we were told the ambulance was on its way. I asked for clarity—'Can you give me an idea of what time?'—because I could actually get to Morriston perhaps faster than half an hour. We were not given information. We waited 20 minutes and I took the decision to go to Morriston, and I got there before the ambulance would have arrived. I actually cancelled the ambulance on the way.
But I've also had constituents telling me how many times they have been waiting for ambulances. If ambulance staff and ambulance crews, or the people on the 999 service, can actually give us an indication—they refuse, because they said, 'We can't predict it'. But if we can have an indication where they're coming from, I can take action to get somebody to a hospital faster, and treatment faster. In the case of AF, you need to get there fast.
Now, I didn't know what category it was in. I wasn't told whether it was red or amber. I was simply told, 'We can't give you any information, but your call has been logged and it's been passed on'. That's not good enough. I need to know when it's going to be coming, and if it's going to be delayed, I'll take the action and get the patient there. Can you look into this to ensure that people have the best information to take the decisions that they need to take to get the patients to the best place?
Diolch i chi am yr ateb hwnnw, Weinidog, ac rwy'n gwerthfawrogi'r ymdrechion a wneir i wella amseroedd ymateb. Hoffwn godi mater mewn perthynas â hynny a sut y gallwn ei helpu efallai, oherwydd yn fy amgylchiadau personol, bu angen i aelod o'r teulu ffonio am ambiwlans dros y penwythnos, ac aeth yr unigolyn i mewn i ffibriliad atrïaidd gartref. Fe ffoniom am ambiwlans a dywedwyd wrthym fod yr ambiwlans ar ei ffordd. Er eglurder, gofynnais—'A allwch roi syniad i mi pryd?'—oherwydd gwyddwn y gallwn gyrraedd Treforys mewn llai na hanner awr o bosibl. Ni chawsom wybodaeth. Buom yn aros am 20 munud a phenderfynais yrru i Dreforys, a chyrhaeddais yno cyn y byddai'r ambiwlans wedi cyrraedd. Canslais yr ambiwlans ar y ffordd mewn gwirionedd.
Ond mae etholwyr hefyd wedi dweud wrthyf faint o weithiau y maent wedi bod yn aros am ambiwlans. Pe bai staff ambiwlans a chriwiau ambiwlans, neu'r bobl ar y gwasanaeth 999, yn gallu rhoi syniad i ni—maent yn gwrthod, oherwydd dywedasant, 'Ni allwn ragweld pryd y bydd yn cyrraedd'. Ond pe baem yn gallu cael syniad o ble maent yn dod, gallwn weithredu i fynd â rhywun i'r ysbyty yn gynt, a chael triniaeth yn gynt. Yn achos unigolyn â ffibriliad atrïaidd, mae angen i chi gyrraedd yno'n gyflym.
Nawr, nid oeddwn yn gwybod pa gategori roedd ynddo. Ni ddywedwyd wrthyf a oedd yn y categori coch neu oren. Yr unig beth a ddywedwyd wrthyf oedd, 'Ni allwn roi unrhyw wybodaeth i chi, ond mae eich galwad wedi'i chofnodi ac mae wedi'i phasio ymlaen'. Nid yw hynny'n ddigon da. Mae angen i mi wybod pryd y bydd yn dod, ac os bydd oedi, gallaf weithredu i gael y claf yno. A allwch chi edrych ar hyn er mwyn sicrhau bod gan bobl yr wybodaeth orau i wneud y penderfyniadau y maent angen eu gwneud i gael cleifion i'r lle gorau?
This was part of the amber review and the conversation about whether you should give an indication of whether an ambulance is due, and the advice in that was not to do so. There's work that the chief ambulance commissioner is doing to take forward the amber review to try and improve the experience for people whilst they are waiting as well.
I'd be happy, though, to talk to the Member directly about the experience he's had, to try and understand if there are more things that the ambulance service could do, even if it is that conversation about what the individual could do if they could safely transport someone to a centre they are likely to have to attend in any event if the ambulance arrives.
Roedd hyn yn rhan o'r adolygiad oren a'r sgwrs ynglŷn ag a ddylech roi syniad o pryd y bydd ambiwlans yn cyrraedd, a'r cyngor oedd na ddylid gwneud hynny. Mae prif gomisiynydd y gwasanaethau ambiwlans hefyd yn gweithio i ddatblygu'r adolygiad oren i geisio gwella profiad pobl tra bônt yn aros.
Er hynny, buaswn yn hapus i siarad â'r Aelod yn uniongyrchol am y profiad a gafodd, i geisio deall a oes mwy o bethau y gallai'r gwasanaeth ambiwlans ei wneud, hyd yn oed os yw'n sgwrs ynglŷn â'r hyn y gallai'r unigolyn ei wneud os ydynt yn gallu cludo rhywun yn ddiogel i ganolfan y maent yn debygol o orfod mynd iddi beth bynnag os yw'r ambiwlans yn cyrraedd.
Thank you for your question, David, because I'm thinking once again of the role of co-responders, which I've raised in the Chamber a number of times. They are obviously well equipped to deal with a quick response to precisely this sort of situation that David Rees has mentioned there. They have a huge role to play in the efficiency of emergency response, and the row about how that service is paid for, I think, is a complete distraction.
Bearing in mind the changes in the red and amber categorisations as well, I think I'd just like to raise the issue of first responders, which is obviously different. I'm sure you've been pleased that Bishopston and Pennard first responders group has recently attracted a huge host of new volunteers, but again—and it's not the first time it's happened to them—they are still waiting for the ambulance service to come and do the training. People are losing interest in that period of time. Can you tell us what Welsh Government can do to help the ambulance service take advantage of this social capital in helping them produce a better response rather than wasting it? Thank you.
Diolch am eich cwestiwn, David, oherwydd rwy'n meddwl unwaith eto am rôl cyd-ymatebwyr, mater rwyf wedi'i godi yn y Siambr sawl gwaith. Maent yn amlwg yn gymwys i ymateb yn gyflym i'r union fath o sefyllfa a grybwyllodd David Rees. Mae ganddynt rôl enfawr i'w chwarae o ran effeithlonrwydd ymateb brys, ac rwy'n credu bod y ddadl ynglŷn â sut y telir am y gwasanaeth hwnnw yn tynnu sylw oddi wrth hynny.
O ystyried y newidiadau i'r categorïau coch ac oren yn ogystal, hoffwn godi mater ymatebwyr cyntaf, sy'n amlwg yn wahanol. Rwy'n siŵr eich bod yn falch fod grŵp ymatebwyr cyntaf Llandeilo Ferwallt a Phennard wedi denu llu enfawr o wirfoddolwyr newydd yn ddiweddar, ond unwaith eto—ac nid dyma'r tro cyntaf i hyn ddigwydd iddynt—maent yn dal i aros am hyfforddiant gan y gwasanaeth ambiwlans. Mae pobl yn colli diddordeb yn yr amser hwnnw. A allwch chi ddweud wrthym beth y gall Llywodraeth Cymru ei wneud i helpu'r gwasanaeth ambiwlans i fanteisio ar y cyfalaf cymdeithasol hwn i'w helpu i lunio ymateb gwell yn hytrach na'i wastraffu? Diolch.
On the two points—. There are two separate points, and on co-responders it isn't just about money. It is actually about agreement on the role, for example, for firefighters as well, and agreement that is about terms and conditions and, actually, about how we deliver and make better use of trained personnel within our broader emergency services system.
The point about first responders is one that I've actually taken up previously with the ambulance service about their plan for first responders and making use of people who want to be first responders to maintain their skills and make sure that is actually plugged in and designed in as part of our system. I'll happily take that up and write to the Member about where the ambulance service are on that, because I don't want to lose sight of those people who want to contribute and could make a real difference in a range of communities across the country.FootnoteLink
Ar y ddau bwynt—. Mae yna ddau bwynt gwahanol, ac o ran cyd-ymatebwyr, nid yw'n ymwneud ag arian yn unig. Mae'n ymwneud â chytundeb ar rôl diffoddwyr tân hefyd, er enghraifft, a chytundeb sy'n ymwneud â thelerau ac amodau ac mewn gwirionedd, sut y darparwn ac y gwnawn well defnydd o bersonél hyfforddedig o fewn system ehangach ein gwasanaethau brys.
Mae'r pwynt am ymatebwyr cyntaf yn un rydym wedi'i godi gyda'r gwasanaeth ambiwlans yn y gorffennol mewn perthynas â'u cynllun ar gyfer ymatebwyr cyntaf a defnyddio pobl sydd eisiau bod yn ymatebwyr cyntaf i gynnal eu sgiliau a sicrhau bod hynny'n cael ei gynnwys a'i gynllunio'n rhan o'n system. Rwy'n hapus i ystyried hynny ac ysgrifennu at yr Aelod ynglŷn â ble mae'r gwasanaeth ambiwlans arni mewn perthynas â hynny, oherwydd nid wyf eisiau colli golwg ar y bobl sydd eisiau cyfrannu ac a fyddai'n gallu gwneud gwahaniaeth go iawn mewn amryw o gymunedau ledled y wlad.FootnoteLink
6. Pa ganllawiau a roddir gan Lywodraeth Cymru i’r byrddau iechyd o ran ymgysylltu a’r cyhoedd ynglyn â newidiadau i wasanaethau? OAQ53344
6. What guidance is provided by the Welsh Government to health boards regarding engaging with the public about changes to services? OAQ53344
The Welsh Government has issued national guidance to NHS Wales on engagement and consultation when they're considering making changes to health services. I expect them to take full account of the guidance and involve stakeholders—including, of course, the public—fully when proposing any changes.
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cyhoeddi canllawiau cenedlaethol i GIG Cymru ar ymgysylltu ac ymgynghori pan fyddant yn ystyried gwneud newidiadau i wasanaethau iechyd. Rwy'n disgwyl y byddant yn ystyried y canllawiau'n llawn ac yn cynnwys rhanddeiliaid—gan gynnwys y cyhoedd, wrth gwrs—yn llawn pan fyddant yn argymell unrhyw newidiadau.
Diolch yn fawr. Mae bwrdd iechyd Betsi Cadwaladr ar fin trafod newidiadau pellgyrhaeddol i'r ffordd mae rhai gwasanaethau'n cael eu darparu ar draws y gogledd. Mae'r newidiadau yn cynnwys darparu gwasanaethau wroleg ar ddau safle yn lle tri, symud gofal strôc o ddau safle a symud gwasanaethau orthopedig o ddau le. Dwi'n siŵr eich bod chi'n cytuno fod angen i'r bwrdd iechyd fod yn gwbl dryloyw efo'r cyhoedd pan mae newidiadau mawr fel hyn yn cael eu trafod. Yn anffodus, maen nhw'n ceisio cyflwyno'r newid drwy'r drws cefn. A wnewch chi sicrhau fod ymgynghori trwyadl yn digwydd ac asesiadau effaith manwl yn cael eu gwneud cyn i unrhyw benderfyniadau gael eu cymryd?
The Betsi Cadwaladr health board is about to discuss far-reaching changes to the way in which some services are provided across north Wales. The changes include the provision of urology services on two sites rather than three, and the movement of stroke services from two sites and orthopaedics from two sites. So, I’m sure you’d agree that the health board needs to be entirely transparent with the public when major changes such as these are being discussed. Unfortunately, they are trying to introduce the changes through the back door. Will you ensure that there is thorough consultation and that detailed impact assessments are carried out before any final decisions are taken?
I don't think I'd quite accept the characterisation that these are changes trying to be introduced through the back door. On the three areas that you've talked about—on neurology and orthopaedics, there's big pressure on the numbers going through our system and our ability to meet those. That is partly about the rise in demand—for example, in neurology, in having the right equipment and right people recruited into those services to make them robust, and in orthopaedics, where it isn't just about having a more efficient way of delivering more operations, it's actually about which centres should you have operations taking place in, what do you have done, and then, also, what do you need to do in terms of those people who may not need an operation in the first place. In all of those areas, there is a need to talk to staff and the public about what is potentially there. I know that the draft proposals that have gone to the board are exactly that: they're draft. No final decisions have been made and I do expect there to be full and proper consultation.
On stroke services, though, there's been a long-running conversation and the leading voice with and for patients, the Stroke Association, are very clear that they want the health service in Wales and across the rest of the country to make real progress on hyperacute units—a smaller number of admitting centres with better outcomes for staff. Actually, the clinical lead for stroke services in Wales, based in Bronglais, is really clear that the number of our services where actually people are admitted for stroke needs to change as well to deliver better care. Now, that's a conversation that clinicians need to have and agree, but it's also a conversation they need to have with the public about what they're proposing and why as part of that proper engagement with the public. That is my expectation, not just in north Wales but across the whole service.
Nid wyf yn credu fy mod yn derbyn y disgrifiad fod y rhain yn newidiadau y ceisir eu cyflwyno drwy'r drws cefn. Yn y tri maes rydych wedi siarad amdanynt—niwroleg ac orthopedeg, mae pwysau mawr ar y niferoedd sy'n mynd drwy ein system ac ar ein gallu i gyrraedd y rheini. Mae hynny'n ymwneud yn rhannol â'r cynnydd yn y galw—er enghraifft, ym maes niwroleg, o ran cael y cyfarpar cywir a'r bobl gywir wedi'u recriwtio i'r gwasanaethau hynny i'w gwneud yn gadarn, ac ym maes orthopedeg, lle nad yw'n ymwneud yn unig â chael ffordd fwy effeithlon o wneud rhagor o lawdriniaethau, ond hefyd â pha ganolfannau y dylech wneud llawdriniaethau ynddynt, pa rai sy'n cael eu gwneud, ac yna hefyd, beth sydd angen i chi ei wneud o ran y bobl nad ydynt angen llawdriniaeth yn y lle cyntaf. Ym mhob un o'r meysydd hynny, mae angen siarad â staff a'r cyhoedd ynglŷn â beth allai fod yno. Gwn mai cynigion drafft yn unig sydd wedi'u cyflwyno i'r bwrdd. Ni wnaethpwyd unrhyw benderfyniadau terfynol ac rwy'n disgwyl y ceir ymgynghoriad llawn a phriodol.
Ar wasanaethau strôc, er hynny, mae sgwrs hirfaith wedi bod ac mae'r Gymdeithas Strôc, y prif lais dros ac ar ran cleifion, yn glir iawn eu bod eisiau i'r gwasanaeth iechyd yng Nghymru ac ar draws gweddill y wlad, wneud cynnydd go iawn gydag unedau hyperacíwt—nifer llai o ganolfannau derbyn gyda gwell canlyniadau i staff. Mewn gwirionedd, mae arweinydd clinigol y gwasanaethau strôc yng Nghymru, ym Mronglais, yn glir iawn fod angen newid nifer ein gwasanaethau lle caiff pobl eu derbyn yn dilyn strôc hefyd er mwyn darparu gwell gofal. Nawr, mae honno'n sgwrs y mae angen i glinigwyr ei chael a chytuno arni, ond mae hefyd yn sgwrs y mae angen iddynt ei chael gyda'r cyhoedd ynglŷn â'r hyn y maent yn ei gynnig a pham fel rhan o'r ymgysylltiad priodol hwnnw gyda'r cyhoedd. Dyna rwy'n ei ddisgwyl, nid yn unig yng ngogledd Cymru ond drwy'r gwasanaeth cyfan.
Could I ask the Minister, in terms of guidance, are we in any way hamstrung by the constraints that are on health boards in terms of consultations? Before Christmas, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board went out to consultation on an issue around Maesteg hospital. It wasn't framed as 'the future of Maesteg hospital; how we can look at the long-term future of it, what we can do on reconfiguration of services'. It was big up on the overhead projector on Maesteg town hall with a couple of hundred people watching it: 'Closure of day hospital', which many people, by the way, conflated with the closure of the hospital itself rather than the day unit and the respite care provided. They've paused that because of the overwhelming objections to the proposals going forward and they're going to come back and reconsult. But one of the things they say to me is they're limited by how they frame that. They have to frame it in terms of closure of a unit as opposed to asking people, 'What would you like to see here to meet the modern needs of Maesteg and the upper Afan valley?' and so on. So, is there a problem with our guidance that is constricting the way in which health boards can go out and actually consult people on what they want to see as the future of their very important local facilities?
A gaf fi ofyn i'r Gweinidog, o ran canllawiau, a ydym yn cael ein rhwystro mewn unrhyw ffordd gan y cyfyngiadau sydd ar fyrddau iechyd o ran ymgynghoriadau? Cyn y Nadolig, ymgynghorodd Bwrdd Iechyd Lleol Prifysgol Abertawe Bro Morgannwg ar fater yn ymwneud ag ysbyty Maesteg. Ni chafodd ei fframio fel 'dyfodol ysbyty Maesteg; sut y gallwn edrych ar ei ddyfodol hirdymor, beth allwn ni ei wneud o ran ad-drefnu gwasanaethau'. Roedd yn fawr ar yr uwchdaflunydd ar neuadd y dref ym Maesteg gyda rhai cannoedd o bobl yn ei wylio: 'Cau ysbyty dydd', ac roedd llawer o bobl, gyda llaw, o dan yr argraff fod hynny'n golygu cau'r ysbyty ei hun yn hytrach na'r uned ddydd a'r gofal seibiant a ddarperir. Maent wedi oedi ar hynny oherwydd y gwrthwynebiad llethol i'r cynigion ar gyfer y dyfodol, ac maent yn bwriadu ail-ymgynghori. Ond un o'r pethau y maent yn ei ddweud wrthyf yw eu bod wedi'u cyfyngu o ran sut i fframio hynny. Mae'n rhaid iddynt ei fframio mewn ffordd sy'n dynodi cau uned yn hytrach na gofyn i bobl, 'Beth hoffech chi ei weld yma i ddiwallu anghenion modern Maesteg a chwm Afan uchaf?' ac ati. Felly, a oes problem gyda'n canllawiau sy'n cyfyngu ar y modd y gall byrddau iechyd ymgynghori â phobl ar yr hyn y maent eisiau ei weld yn y dyfodol mewn perthynas â'u cyfleusterau lleol hollbwysig?
I'm prepared to take on board and take seriously the point the Member is making and look again at the guidance to see if it does have an unintended consequence. But actually, the starting point is that it's important to have a full conversation with the public about what is being proposed: what is the proposal for the future, what does that mean about services now? And to make sure that we don't have an artificial conversation that either makes people more worried about the future of services that are going to be taken away, rather than the future mix of where people get the right care, in the right place, at the right time. So, I'll happily talk with him about the specific example he raised and look to see if there is a need to change the guidance or not, and the balance that health boards need to address to be able to move as quickly as possible, but actually to make sure that there's a speed and a pace that properly engages the public in having a real conversation about what matters to them.
Rwy'n barod i ystyried yn ddifrifol y pwynt y mae'r Aelod yn ei wneud ac edrych eto ar y canllawiau i weld a oes iddynt ganlyniad anfwriadol. Ond mewn gwirionedd, y man cychwyn yw ei bod yn bwysig cael trafodaeth lawn gyda'r cyhoedd am yr hyn sy'n cael ei gynnig: beth yw'r cynnig ar gyfer y dyfodol, beth y mae hynny'n ei olygu am wasanaethau yn awr? Ac i wneud yn siŵr nad ydym yn cael sgwrs artiffisial sy'n gwneud i bobl boeni mwy am ddyfodol gwasanaethau a fydd yn cael eu diddymu, yn hytrach na'r cymysgedd yn y dyfodol lle bydd pobl yn cael y gofal cywir, yn y lle cywir, ar yr adeg gywir. Felly, rwy'n fodlon siarad ag ef am yr enghraifft benodol a grybwyllwyd ganddo ac edrych i weld a oes angen newid y canllawiau neu beidio, a'r cydbwysedd sydd angen i fyrddau iechyd ei sicrhau er mwyn gallu symud mor gyflym â phosibl, ond sicrhau hefyd fod yna frys a chyflymder sy'n ymgysylltu'n briodol â'r cyhoedd drwy gael sgwrs go iawn ynglŷn â'r hyn sy'n bwysig iddynt.
7. Beth y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei wneud i fynd i'r afael ag apwyntiadau a gollwyd yn y GIG? OAQ53351
7. What is the Welsh Government doing to tackle missed appointments in the NHS? OAQ53351
Health boards use a variety of different tools to remind patients to attend appointments, including text messaging and phone reminders, one of which I had myself yesterday. Missed appointments cost the NHS and patients have a role to play in ensuring that arranged appointments are attended.
Mae byrddau iechyd yn defnyddio amrywiaeth o offer gwahanol i atgoffa cleifion i fynychu apwyntiadau, gan gynnwys negeseuon testun a negeseuon atgoffa dros y ffôn, a chefais un o'r rheini fy hun ddoe. Mae'n costio arian i'r GIG pan fo cleifion yn colli apwyntiadau, ac mae gan gleifion ran i'w chwarae i sicrhau eu bod yn mynychu apwyntiadau a drefnwyd.
Minister, I recently had a hospital appointment rearranged at short notice. Thankfully, I received the notification letter the evening before the appointment. However, I know others who weren't as lucky. Given that we're constantly reminded of the cost to the NHS of missed appointments, what is your Government doing to ensure that patients are informed of appointments or any changes, and will you look into the use of technology such as automated calling?
Weinidog, yn ddiweddar, cafodd fy apwyntiad ysbyty ei aildrefnu ar fyr rybudd. Yn ffodus, cefais y llythyr hysbysu y noson cyn yr apwyntiad. Fodd bynnag, gwn nad yw eraill wedi bod mor ffodus. O gofio ein bod yn cael ein hatgoffa'n gyson o'r gost i'r GIG pan fo apwyntiadau'n cael eu colli, beth mae eich Llywodraeth yn ei wneud i sicrhau bod cleifion yn cael eu hysbysu am unrhyw newidiadau i'w hapwyntiadau, ac a wnewch chi ystyried defnyddio technoleg fel galwadau awtomataidd?
This is part of standard business for the health service in making sure that people have the opportunity to attend, and, if there are changes, that people are told promptly, because something in the second class post is certainly not the most efficient way to get to most people within the country. So, it is a regular part of learning across the service about the different approaches being taken, but also to think about what the future means and a more efficient use of our resources. For me, that does involve significant reform of the outpatient system and what we're actually trying to achieve, and not just how we remind people to attend their appointments in the first place.
Mae hyn yn rhan o waith arferol y gwasanaeth iechyd i wneud yn siŵr fod pobl yn cael cyfle i fynychu, ac os oes newidiadau, fod pobl yn cael gwybod mewn da bryd, oherwydd nid llythyr post ail ddosbarth yw'r ffordd fwyaf effeithiol o gysylltu â'r rhan fwyaf o bobl o fewn y wlad. Felly, mae'n rhan reolaidd o ddysgu ar draws y gwasanaeth am y gwahanol ddulliau sy'n cael eu mabwysiadu, ond hefyd i feddwl am y dyfodol a sut y gallwn ddefnyddio ein hadnoddau mewn ffordd fwy effeithlon. I mi, mae hynny'n golygu diwygio'n sylfaenol y system cleifion allanol a'r hyn rydym yn ceisio ei gyflawni, nid yn unig sut yr atgoffwn bobl i fynychu eu hapwyntiadau yn y lle cyntaf.
Finally, David Melding.
Yn olaf, David Melding.
Thank you, Llywydd. Minister, in Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, for non-emergency outpatient appointments, the non-attendance rate is now over 10 per cent. I noticed in England one of the things they do with sending texts—and it may be what we do, but could you just inform me—is that they do provide a rough estimate of the cost of a missed appointment, and then do that on an individual and a collective basis. Because I think if people realise how much it does cost—the opportunity cost is very considerable—they would think again. But over 10 per cent of no-shows is not acceptable.
Diolch i chi, Lywydd. Weinidog, ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Caerdydd a'r Fro, ar gyfer apwyntiadau cleifion allanol nad ydynt yn achosion brys, mae'r gyfradd o bobl sy'n colli apwyntiadau dros 10 y cant bellach. Sylwais yn Lloegr mai un peth y maent yn ei wneud wrth anfon negeseuon testun—ac efallai ein bod ni yn ei wneud, ond os gallech fy ngoleuo—yw rhoi syniad bras o'r gost i'r GIG pan fo claf yn colli apwyntiad, a gwneud hynny wedyn ar sail unigol a chyfunol. Oherwydd pe bai pobl yn sylweddoli faint mae'n ei gostio—mae'r gost cyfle'n sylweddol iawn—rwy'n credu y byddent yn ailfeddwl. Ond nid yw'r ffaith bod dros 10 y cant o gleifion yn colli apwyntiad yn dderbyniol.
Yes, and that is a real challenge. It is partly about efficiency, but it's also, frankly, about making the best use in terms of people's time, and not just money. Some health boards do provide an estimation for the amount that an appointment costs, and most hospitals that I have been in—and I tend to go to a few during the time I spend in the job—do have regular signs showing the cost of missed appointments to the health service. There's plenty of information available for people who use the health service about the reality of the cost. I think the challenge is how we have a more consistent approach about use of things like text reminders, and the place of informing people about the cost of using the health service and, indeed, of not using it at any point in time as well.
Ie, ac mae honno'n her go iawn. Mae'n ymwneud yn rhannol ag effeithlonrwydd, ond mae hefyd, a dweud y gwir, yn ymwneud â gwneud y defnydd gorau o amser pobl, ac nid arian yn unig. Mae rhai byrddau iechyd yn darparu amcangyfrif o faint y mae apwyntiad yn ei gostio, ac mae gan y rhan fwyaf o'r ysbytai rwyf wedi bod ynddynt—ac rwy'n tueddu i fynychu tipyn ohonynt dros yr amser rwy'n ei dreulio yn y swydd—arwyddion rheolaidd sy'n dangos y gost i'r gwasanaeth iechyd pan fo claf yn colli apwyntiad. Mae digon o wybodaeth ar gael ar gyfer pobl sy'n defnyddio'r gwasanaeth iechyd am realiti'r gost. Credaf mai'r her yw sut y gallwn sicrhau dull mwy cyson o ddefnyddio pethau fel negeseuon testun i atgoffa pobl, a lle i hysbysu pobl am y gost o ddefnyddio'r gwasanaeth iechyd ac yn wir, o beidio â'i ddefnyddio ar unrhyw adeg yn ogystal.
Diolch i'r Gweinidog.
Thank you to the Minister.
Ni ddewiswyd unrhyw gwestiynau amserol.
No topical questions were selected.
Ni dderbyniwyd unrhyw geisiadau am ddatganiadau 90 eiliad.
No requests were received for 90-second statements.
Sy'n dod â ni at eitem 5, sef y ddadl ar adroddiad y Pwyllgor Deisebau ar fynediad at Iaith Arwyddion Prydain i bawb. Rwy'n galw ar Gadeirydd y pwyllgor i wneud y cynnig—David Rowlands.
This brings us on to item 5, which is the debate on the Petitions Committee report on access to British Sign Language. I call the Chair of the committee to move the motion—David Rowlands.
Cynnig NDM6952 David J. Rowlands
Cynnig bod Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru:
Yn nodi adroddiad y Pwyllgor Deisebau ar Ddeiseb P-04-628 Mynediad at Iaith Arwyddion Prydain i bawb, a osodwyd yn y Swyddfa Gyflwyno ar 5 Hydref 2018.
Motion NDM6952 David J. Rowlands
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
Notes the report of the Petitions Committee on Petition P-04-628 To improve access to education and services in British Sign Language, which was laid in the Table Office on 5 October 2018.
Cynigiwyd y cynnig.
Motion moved.
Diolch, Llywydd, for the opportunity to open this debate on behalf of the Petitions Committee. The petition we are discussing today relates to British Sign Language, and the ability of deaf children and their families to learn and use BSL in their everyday lives. As we all know, communication is a vital aspect of life. However, for some it can pose significant challenges on a daily basis.
This petition, which collected 1,162 signatures, was submitted by Deffo!, a forum for deaf young people based in Swansea. I welcome Deffo! and other observers to the public gallery, and I would also like to inform Members that an interpreter is signing proceedings in BSL in the gallery. A BSL version of the committee’s report is also available online, and a BSL video of this debate will also be made available later today on Senedd.tv.
I would also like to thank the petitioners on behalf of the committee—and, I am sure, all Members of this Assembly—for their tenacity and commitment to fighting for improvements to the education and support available to deaf and hard-of-hearing young people in Wales. In particular, the committee thanks Cathie and Helen Robins-Talbot from Deffo! for the information they have provided throughout the process, as well as to Luke and Zoe who gave deeply compelling oral evidence to the Petitions Committee during our consideration of the petition.
The petition calls on the Welsh Government to improve access to education and services in British Sign Language in order to improve the quality of life for deaf children and their families, and to deaf people of all ages. There are around 2,600 deaf children in Wales and over 3,000 pupils whose major special educational need is hearing impairment. BSL is a distinct language that is not dependent upon, or strongly related to, spoken English. The British Deaf Association state that there are approximately 7,200 BSL users in Wales, 4,000 of whom are deaf. The Welsh Government recognised BSL as a language in its own right in 2004.
Diolch, Lywydd, am y cyfle i agor y ddadl hon ar ran y Pwyllgor Deisebau. Mae'r ddeiseb rydym yn ei thrafod heddiw yn ymwneud â Iaith Arwyddion Prydain (BSL), a gallu plant byddar a'u teuluoedd i ddysgu a defnyddio BSL yn eu bywydau bob dydd. Fel y gŵyr pawb ohonom, mae cyfathrebu yn agwedd hanfodol ar fywyd. Fodd bynnag, gall achosi heriau sylweddol i rai yn ddyddiol.
Cyflwynwyd y ddeiseb hon, a gasglodd 1,162 o lofnodion, gan Deffo!, fforwm ar gyfer pobl ifanc fyddar yn Abertawe. Croeso i Deffo! a sylwedyddion eraill i'r oriel gyhoeddus, a hoffwn hefyd roi gwybod i'r Aelodau fod dehonglwr yn arwyddo'r trafodion drwy BSL yn yr oriel. Mae fersiwn BSL o adroddiad y pwyllgor ar gael ar-lein hefyd, a bydd fideo BSL o'r ddadl hon ar gael yn ddiweddarach heddiw ar Senedd.tv.
Hoffwn ddiolch hefyd i'r deisebwyr ar ran y pwyllgor—ac ar ran pob Aelod o'r Cynulliad hwn rwy'n siŵr—am eu dycnwch a'u hymrwymiad i frwydro dros welliannau i'r addysg a'r cymorth sydd ar gael ar gyfer pobl ifanc fyddar a thrwm eu clyw yng Nghymru. Yn fwyaf arbennig, mae'r pwyllgor yn diolch i Cathie a Helen Robins-Talbot o Deffo! am yr wybodaeth y maent wedi'i darparu drwy gydol y broses, yn ogystal ag i Luke a Zoe a roddodd dystiolaeth lafar rymus iawn i'r Pwyllgor Deisebau wrth i ni ystyried y ddeiseb.
Mae'r ddeiseb yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i wella mynediad at addysg a gwasanaethau Iaith Arwyddion Prydain er mwyn gwella ansawdd bywyd i blant byddar a'u teuluoedd, ac i bobl fyddar o bob oedran. Mae oddeutu 2,600 o blant byddar yng Nghymru a nam ar y clyw yw prif angen addysgol arbennig dros 3,000 o ddisgyblion. Mae BSL yn iaith ar wahân nad yw'n ddibynnol ar, nac yn perthyn yn agos iawn i Saesneg llafar. Mae Cymdeithas Pobl Fyddar Prydain yn datgan bod oddeutu 7,200 o ddefnyddwyr BSL yng Nghymru, a 4,000 ohonynt yn fyddar. Yn 2004, cafodd BSL ei chydnabod fel iaith yn ei hawl ei hun gan Llywodraeth Cymru.
Daeth y Dirprwy Lywydd (Ann Jones) i’r Gadair.
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Ann Jones) took the Chair.
The petition has a number of objectives: improved access for families to learn BSL, for BSL to be introduced to the national curriculum, better access to education through BSL, and making more services and resources accessible in BSL for deaf young people. I will focus for the rest of this contribution on each of the petition’s objectives in turn, in order to outline the evidence the committee received, the conclusions we reached, and the responses provided by the Welsh Government.
Firstly, the petition calls for improved access to families to learn BSL. Deffo! have stressed the vital importance of this so that parents and siblings can communicate with and support deaf children within their family. They told the committee that cost can be a significant problem, with basic BSL classes for adults costing £300 per person and advanced courses up to £1,600. There are also few opportunities for families to learn BSL together, as most classes available are provided through adult education centres. The Welsh Government has consistently told the committee that provision of these classes are the responsibility of local authorities. However, the result appears to be a lack of provision, because it becomes a choice within local adult education budgets. The evidence the committee received demonstrates that, in most cases, there are no free or low-cost sign language courses available to parents and children.
I note that the children’s commissioner has also recommended that BSL should be made accessible to all families with deaf children, and the committee has heard that the National Deaf Children’s Society is disappointed that this has not been taken forward.
The petitioners have argued that the current status of BSL and the fact that it is considered to be a choice rather than a medical need mean that this is the type of provision that tends to be squeezed out during times of financial pressure. They have proposed that the Welsh Government should recognise BSL as a minority language, and that local authorities should consider it to be the first language of many deaf and hard of hearing children and young people. They consider that this would serve to improve and protect provision for learning BSL. The Petitions Committee agree. We believe it is vital for families of deaf children to be offered an opportunity to learn how to communicate through BSL. As a result, we consider that the Welsh Government could do more by guiding local authorities to treat BSL as the first language of many deaf children and young people as a way to reframe the conversation about what constitutes adequate provision. Furthermore, we have recommended that the Welsh Government gives consideration to the development of a national charter for delivery of services and resources, including education, to deaf children and their families. We think this would help to improve the consistency of provision throughout Wales.
I welcome the fact that the Welsh Government has accepted both of our recommendations in this area, and that it has also acknowledged that members of the deaf community face a number of issues in relation to BSL, including a shortage of interpreters. In her response, the Minister commits to reviewing the provision of BSL in Wales and considering the development of a national charter of the type recommended by the committee. We would welcome an update on this work this afternoon, and urge her to ensure this work is progressed with pace in order to begin to improve the support available for deaf children and their families.
Moving on, the second call in the petition is for BSL to be included in the national curriculum. The petitioners have advised the committee that the majority of deaf children in mainstream schools do not have access to BSL in school, but are taught sign-supported English instead. This does not transfer outside of school, and therefore deaf children still have to learn BSL in order to communicate with other members of the deaf community. Deffo! argue that, if BSL were to be included within the national curriculum, it would help other learners to communicate with deaf or hard of hearing people in social and other contexts, as well as gradually improving communication in everyday life.
Throughout our consideration of the petition, Deffo! have expressed frustration with their experience of seeking to engage with the Government on this matter, and with what they consider to be a lack of engagement with processes such as the Donaldson review. That said, during this time, they did have the opportunity to meet the previous Minister and the committee has welcomed the fact that BSL is included within the languages and communication area of the new curriculum.
Mae gan y ddeiseb nifer o amcanion: sicrhau mwy o gyfleoedd i deuluoedd ddysgu BSL, cyflwyno BSL yn y cwricwlwm cenedlaethol, sicrhau gwell mynediad at addysg drwy gyfrwng BSL, a sicrhau bod mwy o wasanaethau ac adnoddau ar gael drwy gyfrwng BSL ar gyfer pobl ifanc fyddar. Bydd gweddill y cyfraniad hwn yn canolbwyntio ar bob un o amcanion y ddeiseb yn eu tro, er mwyn amlinellu'r dystiolaeth a gyflwynwyd i'r pwyllgor, y casgliadau y daethom iddynt a'r ymatebion a roddwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru.
Yn gyntaf, mae'r ddeiseb yn galw am fwy o gyfleoedd i deuluoedd ddysgu BSL. Mae Deffo! wedi pwysleisio pa mor hollbwysig yw hyn fel y gall rhieni a brodyr a chwiorydd gyfathrebu â phlant byddar a'u cefnogi o fewn eu teuluoedd. Dywedasant wrth y pwyllgor y gall cost fod yn broblem sylweddol, gyda dosbarthiadau BSL sylfaenol ar gyfer oedolion yn costio £300 y person a chyrsiau uwch yn costio hyd at £1,600. Ychydig iawn o gyfleoedd a geir hefyd i deuluoedd ddysgu BSL gyda'i gilydd, gan fod y rhan fwyaf o'r dosbarthiadau sydd ar gael yn cael eu darparu drwy ganolfannau addysg oedolion. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dweud wrth y pwyllgor sawl gwaith mai cyfrifoldeb awdurdodau lleol yw darparu'r dosbarthiadau hyn. Fodd bynnag, ymddengys mai diffyg darpariaeth yw canlyniad hyn, oherwydd ei fod yn dod yn ddewis o fewn cyllidebau addysg oedolion lleol. Mae'r dystiolaeth a gyflwynwyd i'r pwyllgor yn dangos, yn y rhan fwyaf o achosion, nad oes unrhyw gyrsiau iaith arwyddion ar gael i rieni a phlant am ddim neu am gost isel.
Nodaf fod y comisiynydd plant hefyd wedi argymell y dylai'r holl deuluoedd sydd â phlant byddar allu cael mynediad at BSL, ac mae'r pwyllgor wedi clywed bod y Gymdeithas Genedlaethol i Blant Byddar yn siomedig nad yw hyn wedi digwydd.
Mae'r deisebwyr wedi dadlau bod statws presennol BSL, a'r ffaith ei bod yn cael ei hystyried yn ddewis yn hytrach nag angen meddygol, yn golygu mai dyma'r math o ddarpariaeth sy'n tueddu i gael ei golli mewn cyfnodau o bwysau ariannol. Maent wedi argymell y dylai Llywodraeth Cymru gydnabod BSL fel iaith leiafrifol, ac y dylai awdurdodau lleol ei hystyried yn iaith gyntaf i lawer o blant a phobl ifanc byddar a thrwm eu clyw. Maent o'r farn y byddai hon yn ffordd o wella a diogelu'r ddarpariaeth ar gyfer dysgu BSL. Mae'r Pwyllgor Deisebau yn cytuno. Rydym yn credu ei bod yn hanfodol fod teuluoedd plant byddar yn cael cyfle i ddysgu sut i gyfathrebu drwy gyfrwng BSL. O ganlyniad, rydym o'r farn y gallai Llywodraeth Cymru wneud mwy drwy arwain awdurdodau lleol i drin BSL fel iaith gyntaf llawer o blant a phobl ifanc byddar, fel ffordd o ail-fframio'r sgwrs ar beth a olygir wrth ddarpariaeth ddigonol. At hynny, rydym wedi argymell bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystyried datblygu siarter genedlaethol ar gyfer darparu gwasanaethau ac adnoddau, gan gynnwys addysg, i blant byddar a'u teuluoedd. Credwn y byddai hyn yn helpu i wella cysondeb y ddarpariaeth ledled Cymru.
Rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi derbyn y ddau argymhelliad gennym yn hyn o beth, a''i bod hefyd wedi cydnabod bod aelodau o'r gymuned fyddar yn wynebu nifer o broblemau mewn perthynas â BSL, gan gynnwys prinder dehonglwyr. Yn ei hymateb, mae'r Gweinidog yn ymrwymo i adolygu'r ddarpariaeth BSL yng Nghymru ac ystyried datblygu siarter genedlaethol o'r math a argymhellir gan y pwyllgor. Byddem yn croesawu mwy o wybodaeth am y gwaith hwn y prynhawn yma, ac yn ei hannog i sicrhau bod y gwaith yn datblygu'n gyflym er mwyn dechrau gwella'r cymorth sydd ar gael ar gyfer plant byddar a'u teuluoedd.
Gan symud ymlaen, mae'r ail alwad yn y ddeiseb yn galw am gynnwys BSL yn y cwricwlwm cenedlaethol. Mae'r deisebwyr wedi rhoi gwybod i'r pwyllgor nad oes gan y rhan fwyaf o blant byddar mewn ysgolion prif ffrwd fynediad at BSL yn yr ysgol, ond eu bod yn dysgu Saesneg â chymorth arwyddion yn lle hynny. Nid yw hyn yn trosglwyddo y tu allan i'r ysgol, ac felly mae plant byddar yn dal i orfod dysgu BSL er mwyn cyfathrebu ag aelodau eraill o'r gymuned fyddar. Pe bai BSL yn cael ei chynnwys o fewn y cwricwlwm cenedlaethol, mae Deffo! yn dadlau y byddai'n helpu dysgwyr eraill i gyfathrebu â phobl fyddar neu drwm eu clyw mewn cyd-destun cymdeithasol a chyd-destunau eraill, yn ogystal â gwella eu cyfathrebu'n raddol mewn bywyd bob dydd.
Drwy gydol ein hystyriaeth o'r ddeiseb, mae Deffo! wedi mynegi rhwystredigaeth ynglŷn â'u profiad o geisio ymgysylltu â'r Llywodraeth ar y mater hwn, ac ynglŷn â'r hyn a ystyriant yn ddiffyg ymgysylltiad â phrosesau megis adolygiad Donaldson. Wedi dweud hynny, yn ystod yr amser hwn, cawsant gyfle i gyfarfod â'r Gweinidog blaenorol ac mae'r pwyllgor wedi croesawu'r ffaith bod BSL wedi'i chynnwys ym maes ieithoedd a chyfathrebu y cwricwlwm newydd.
However, we remain concerned about a lack of national direction in relation to ensuring that BSL provision is widely available in Welsh schools, and the Minister’s response to our report indicates that this will largely remain at the discretion of individual schools and local authorities. Speaking frankly, it is currently difficult to see this as promising any significant step forward in improving the ability for pupils to access BSL through the curriculum. I urge the Minister to consider further how schools can be specifically encouraged to pursue this option in light of the formal recognition of BSL as a language in its own right.
The committee has also called for the Welsh Government to explore the creation of a GCSE in BSL. After this was raised by Mike Hedges, the previous First Minister wrote to Qualifications Wales on this subject. The response indicated that Qualifications Wales does not consider it viable to develop such a GCSE solely for use in Wales. However, subsequently, the UK Government has indicated that it is giving consideration to the development of a BSL GCSE. We understand that Qualifications Wales is open to adopting any GCSE developed and we would urge them, and the Minister, to ensure that this happens quickly in order to avoid a situation where deaf pupils in Wales fall behind their counterparts in England.
Access to appropriately qualified staff was also of significant concern to Deffo! They highlighted a number of statistics, including that pupils have just three hours of contact with a teacher of the deaf per week on average, far less than the target of 270 hours per year, and that significant numbers of appropriately qualified teachers are due to retire in the next 15 years. Deffo! suggest that many are being replaced by teaching assistants. In response, Ministers have referred to duties on local authorities to identify, assess and make provision for children with special educational needs. Again, however, the committee were concerned by a sense that there is insufficient impetus coming from the Welsh Government to make this the case in reality. It is unclear how the Government ensures that these duties are implemented sufficiently in practice.
In our fourth recommendation, the committee urges the Government to engage with workforce planning issues and consider the long-term sustainability of support for deaf pupils. The Minister’s response refers to welcome additional funding being provided. However, the National Deaf Children’s Society has referred to this as a short-term solution to a growing problem, and we urge the Government to continue to focus on ensuring that Wales has an appropriately trained education workforce in relation to the needs of deaf pupils.
The final aspect of the petition is a call for more services and resources to be accessible through BSL. Deffo! told the committee that many deaf young people fail to access services with the reasonable adjustments they are entitled to under equalities legislation. For example, witnesses noted that there is only one deaf youth worker for the whole of Wales. Deffo! want BSL users to be able to access information about services such as education, healthcare, social services and public transport in their preferred language. They told the committee that they felt demoralised by their inability to access such services.
Ministers have noted that the Welsh Government does not have the power to legislate in relation to the provision of languages other than Welsh. However, the committee believes that our earlier recommendation in relation to the development of a national charter for the delivery of services and resources to deaf children and young people will help to address some of these issues if it is taken forward. Such a framework could help to improve consistency of service provision across public services and provide greater accountability where such provision does not meet suitable standards. Again, I urge the Minister to ensure that this is taken forward in a robust and meaningful way.
In conclusion, Dirprwy Lywydd, I want to thank Deffo! again for bringing the petition forward and everyone else who has provided evidence to the committee. The issues raised by this petition are many and varied, and they challenge all of us here to seek to ensure that deaf children and young people in Wales are able to access the education and other services that they should be entitled to. I welcome the positive response received to our recommendations from the Minister, and I hope that, if they are taken forward, these actions result in improvements for deaf children and their families. Diolch yn fawr.
Fodd bynnag, rydym yn dal i fod yn bryderus ynglŷn â diffyg cyfeiriad cenedlaethol mewn perthynas â sicrhau bod darpariaeth BSL ar gael yn eang mewn ysgolion yng Nghymru, ac mae ymateb y Gweinidog i'n hadroddiad yn awgrymu y bydd hyn yn parhau i fod yn ôl disgresiwn ysgolion unigol ac awdurdodau lleol i raddau helaeth. A siarad yn blwmp ac yn blaen, ar hyn o bryd mae'n anodd gweld bod hyn yn addo unrhyw gam sylweddol ymlaen o ran gwella gallu disgyblion i gael mynediad at BSL drwy'r cwricwlwm. Rwy'n annog y Gweinidog i roi ystyriaeth bellach i sut y gellir annog ysgolion yn benodol i fynd ar drywydd yr opsiwn hwn yng ngoleuni'r ffaith bod BSL wedi cael ei chydnabod yn ffurfiol fel iaith yn ei hawl ei hun.
Mae'r pwyllgor hefyd wedi galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ystyried creu TGAU mewn BSL. Ar ôl i Mike Hedges godi'r mater hwn, ysgrifennodd y Prif Weinidog blaenorol at Cymwysterau Cymru ynglŷn â'r mater hwn. Roedd yr ymateb yn awgrymu nad yw Cymwysterau Cymru yn ystyried ei bod hi'n bosibl datblygu TGAU o'r fath i'w ddefnyddio yng Nghymru yn unig. Fodd bynnag, ers hynny, mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi nodi ei bod yn ystyried datblygu TGAU mewn BSL. Rydym yn deall bod Cymwysterau Cymru yn agored i fabwysiadu unrhyw TGAU a ddatblygir a byddem yn eu hannog hwy a'r Gweinidog i sicrhau bod hyn yn digwydd yn gyflym er mwyn osgoi sefyllfa lle mae disgyblion byddar yng Nghymru ar ei hôl hi o'u cymharu â'u cymheiriaid yn Lloegr.
Roedd mynediad at staff â chymwysterau priodol hefyd yn peri pryder sylweddol i Deffo! Roeddent yn tynnu sylw at nifer o ystadegau, gan gynnwys y ffaith nad yw disgyblion ond yn cael tair awr o gyswllt gydag athro i rai byddar bob wythnos ar gyfartaledd, llai o lawer na'r targed o 270 awr y flwyddyn, a bod nifer sylweddol o athrawon sydd wedi cymhwyso'n briodol yn mynd i ymddeol yn ystod y 15 mlynedd nesaf. Mae Deffo! yn credu bod cynorthwywyr addysgu yn cael eu defnyddio yn lle llawer o'r rhain. Wrth ymateb, cyfeiriodd Gweinidogion at ddyletswyddau awdurdodau lleol i nodi, asesu a darparu ar gyfer plant ag anghenion addysgol arbennig. Unwaith eto, fodd bynnag, roedd y pwyllgor yn pryderu nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwneud digon i wireddu hyn mewn gwirionedd. Nid yw'n glir sut y mae'r Llywodraeth yn sicrhau bod y dyletswyddau hyn yn cael eu gweithredu'n ddigonol yn ymarferol.
Yn ein pedwerydd argymhelliad, mae'r pwyllgor yn annog y Llywodraeth i edrych ar broblemau cynllunio'r gweithlu ac ystyried cynaliadwyedd hirdymor y cymorth ar gyfer disgyblion byddar. Mae ymateb y Gweinidog yn cyfeirio at ddarparu arian ychwanegol ac mae hynny i'w groesawu. Fodd bynnag, mae'r Gymdeithas Genedlaethol i Blant Byddar wedi cyfeirio at hyn fel ateb tymor byr i broblem gynyddol, ac rydym yn annog y Llywodraeth i barhau i ganolbwyntio ar sicrhau bod gan Gymru weithlu addysg sydd wedi'i hyfforddi'n briodol mewn perthynas ag anghenion disgyblion byddar.
Elfen olaf y ddeiseb yw galwad am wneud mwy o wasanaethau ac adnoddau yn hygyrch drwy gyfrwng BSL. Dywedodd Deffo! wrth y pwyllgor fod llawer o bobl ifanc fyddar yn methu cael mynediad at wasanaethau sydd â'r addasiadau rhesymol y mae ganddynt hawl iddynt o dan y ddeddfwriaeth gydraddoldeb. Er enghraifft, nododd tystion mai un gweithiwr ieuenctid ar gyfer pobl fyddar a geir drwy Gymru gyfan. Mae Deffo! eisiau i ddefnyddwyr BSL allu cael gafael ar wybodaeth am wasanaethau fel addysg, gofal iechyd, gwasanaethau cymdeithasol a thrafnidiaeth gyhoeddus yn eu dewis iaith. Dywedasant wrth y pwyllgor fod methu cael mynediad at wasanaethau o'r fath yn eu digalonni.
Mae Gweinidogion wedi nodi nad oes gan Lywodraeth Cymru bŵer i ddeddfu mewn perthynas â darparu ieithoedd heblaw'r Gymraeg. Fodd bynnag, mae'r pwyllgor yn credu y bydd ein hargymhelliad blaenorol mewn perthynas â datblygu siarter genedlaethol ar gyfer darparu gwasanaethau ac adnoddau i blant a phobl ifanc fyddar yn helpu i fynd i'r afael â rhai o'r materion hyn os caiff ei datblygu. Gallai fframwaith o'r fath helpu i wella cysondeb y ddarpariaeth ar draws y gwasanaethau cyhoeddus a darparu mwy o atebolrwydd lle nad yw darpariaeth o'r fath yn bodloni safonau addas. Unwaith eto, rwy'n annog y Gweinidog i sicrhau bod hyn yn cael ei ddatblygu mewn ffordd gadarn ac ystyrlon.
I gloi, Ddirprwy Lywydd, hoffwn ddiolch i Deffo! unwaith eto am gyflwyno'r ddeiseb ac i bawb arall sydd wedi darparu tystiolaeth i'r pwyllgor. Mae'r materion a godwyd yn sgil y ddeiseb hon yn niferus ac yn amrywiol, ac maent yn herio pob un ohonom yma i geisio sicrhau bod plant a phobl ifanc byddar Cymru yn gallu cael mynediad at yr addysg a'r gwasanaethau eraill y dylai fod ganddynt hawl iddynt. Rwy'n croesawu ymateb cadarnhaol y Gweinidog i'n hargymhellion, ac rwy'n gobeithio, os cânt eu datblygu, y bydd y camau hyn yn arwain at welliannau ar gyfer plant byddar a'u teuluoedd. Diolch yn fawr.
Thank you. Janet Finch-Saunders.
Diolch. Janet Finch-Saunders.
Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I will sign. [Signs in BSL.] That's the trouble with having a long name. [Signs in BSL.] That said: I am Janet Finch-Saunders and I am a BSL student. Over the last year, my team and I have enjoyed the pleasure of learning BSL. We've already passed the first level and are now studying for the next. The reason for this is because I acknowledge the fact that many of the 7,200 BSL users in Wales rely on BSL as their first language and believe the support we offer should be more accessible to our deaf community. Through my role on the Petitions Committee, I have been delighted to support the cause made by Deffo! for improved access to information and services in BSL.
Following the Welsh Government's recognition of BSL as an official language in 2004, it is fair to say that progress has been poor. Whilst there are some pioneer schools, as part of the area of learning and experience for languages, literacy and communication, there's a lot of vagueness about where these schools are and how other children in schools can access this approach. Of course, it is reassuring to see that special educational needs schools are included in the trial group. However, it is deeply concerning that BSL is being classified as an international language, alongside other classic and modern languages. Not only is it incorrect in this instance to classify BSL as an international language, it simply undermines the necessity of this education for the 2,642 deaf children in Wales. As such, I would like to see an equivalence of BSL to English and Welsh used more widely in our schools. Qualifications Wales has dismissed the introduction of a GCSE in BSL at this stage, arguing that BSL will invite too few students. While they concede that this may be subject to reassessment following the conclusions of the Department for Education's collaboration with BSL partners, I consider that Wales should also undertake further preparations to pioneer the introduction of a GCSE in BSL.
GCSE aside, as for the Children's Commissioner for Wales's report, it is essential that sufficient funds are available to ensure that parents and close relatives of deaf individuals receive BSL training. And do you know what? How ironic that my colleague Suzy Davies AM told me of the news release:
'Parents of deaf children face funding "postcode lottery"
Parents of a deaf four-month-old have to pay £6,000 for sign language classes if they want to communicate with her.'
That is appalling in this day and age. Such inconsistencies are also creeping in to—. Oh, sorry. I've jumped ahead, sorry. Crucially, I believe that urgent action is needed to address the inconsistencies in the services currently being provided. I have seen first hand how there is a variation between different local authorities, and, for example, my colleague Mark Isherwood AM and I co-operated with the deaf community in Conwy County Borough Council following the withdrawal of financial support and the negative impacts on those merely wanting to communicate as regards council services in a way that they are only able to do.
Such inconsistencies are also creeping into education, as data released in July 2018 highlighted the fact that seven out of 18 respondents thought that SEN specialist services were not meeting the current demand for hearing impairment services. This is worrying, given that there are 3,116 pupils with this communication requirement in Wales. Whilst I welcome the fact that the Welsh Government has acknowledged there are problems and have allocated £289,000 to support professional training of a local sensory workforce, I am concerned that this is insufficient to ensure there is wide consistency across the service, especially when there is only one deaf youth worker for the whole of Wales. As such, I now implore you to listen to the recommendations of this report and to develop a national charter for the delivery of services and resources to deaf children, young people and their families, as a matter of urgency, so that there is a clear national benchmark and standard that all organisations and authorities can work towards. We are lucky. We can communicate here in the way that we are easiest able to do so. It is about time that the deaf people in our community are able to do the same. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
Diolch i chi, Ddirprwy Lywydd, ac rwyf am arwyddo. [Arwyddo mewn BSL.] Dyna'r drafferth â chael enw hir. [Arwyddo mewn BSL.] Roedd hynny'n dweud: Janet Finch-Saunders ydw i ac rwy'n dysgu BSL. Dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, mae fy nhîm a minnau wedi mwynhau'r pleser o ddysgu BSL. Rydym eisoes wedi pasio'r lefel gyntaf ac erbyn hyn rydym yn astudio ar gyfer y nesaf. Y rheswm am hyn yw oherwydd fy mod yn cydnabod y ffaith bod nifer o'r 7,200 o ddefnyddwyr BSL yng Nghymru yn dibynnu ar BSL fel iaith gyntaf ac rydym yn credu y dylai'r cymorth rydym yn ei gynnig fod yn fwy hygyrch i'r gymuned fyddar. Drwy fy rôl ar y Pwyllgor Deisebau, rwyf wedi bod yn hapus iawn i gefnogi'r achos a gyflwynwyd gan Deffo! i wella mynediad at wybodaeth a gwasanaethau mewn BSL.
Yn dilyn y ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cydnabod BSL fel iaith swyddogol yn 2004, mae'n deg dweud bod y cynnydd wedi bod yn wael. Er bod gennym rai ysgolion arloesi, fel rhan o faes dysgu a phrofiad ieithoedd, llythrennedd a chyfathrebu, mae cryn dipyn o amwysedd ynglŷn â lle mae'r ysgolion hyn a sut y gall plant eraill mewn ysgolion gael mynediad at hyn. Wrth gwrs, mae'n galonogol gweld bod ysgolion anghenion addysgol arbennig yn cael eu cynnwys yn y grŵp treialu. Fodd bynnag, mae'n peri pryder mawr fod BSL yn cael ei chategoreiddio fel iaith ryngwladol, gyda ieithoedd clasurol a modern eraill. Nid yn unig y mae'n anghywir i ni gategoreiddio BSL fel iaith ryngwladol yn yr achos hwn, mae'n tanseilio pa mor angenrheidiol yw'r addysg hon i'r 2,642 o blant byddar yng Nghymru. Fel y cyfryw, hoffwn weld ysgolion yn gwneud defnydd ehangach o BSL fel iaith sy'n gydradd â'r Gymraeg a'r Saesneg. Mae Cymwysterau Cymru wedi diystyru cyflwyno TGAU mewn BSL ar hyn o bryd, gan ddadlau na fydd BSL yn denu digon o ddisgyblion. Er eu bod yn cyfaddef y gallai'r mater fod yn destun ailasesiad yn dilyn casgliadau'r cydweithredu rhwng yr Adran Addysg a phartneriaid BSL, rwy'n credu y dylai Cymru hefyd wneud paratoadau pellach i arloesi'r gwaith o gyflwyno TGAU mewn BSL.
Gan roi TGAU i'r naill ochr, o ran adroddiad Comisiynydd Plant Cymru, mae'n hanfodol bod digon o arian ar gael i sicrhau bod rhieni a pherthnasau agos unigolion byddar yn cael hyfforddiant BSL. A wyddoch chi beth? Mae'n hynod eironig fod fy nghyd-Aelod Suzy Davies wedi dweud wrthyf am y datganiad newyddion a nodai fod
rhieni plant byddar yn wynebu 'loteri cod post',
a bod rhieni plentyn pedwar mis oed sy'n fyddar yn gorfod talu £6,000 am wersi iaith arwyddion os ydynt am gyfathrebu â hi.
Mae hynny'n warthus yn yr oes sydd ohoni. Mae anghysondebau o'r fath hefyd yn treiddio i—. O, mae'n ddrwg gennyf. Rwyf wedi neidio ymlaen, mae'n ddrwg gennyf. Yn allweddol, rwy'n credu bod angen gweithredu ar frys i fynd i'r afael â'r anghysondebau yn y gwasanaethau a ddarperir ar hyn o bryd. Rwyf wedi gweld yr amrywio rhwng gwahanol awdurdodau lleol â fy llygaid fy hun, ac er enghraifft, cydweithredodd fy nghyd-Aelod, Mark Isherwood, a minnau gyda'r gymuned fyddar yng Nghyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy yn dilyn diddymu cymorth ariannol a'r effeithiau negyddol ar y rheini sydd ond yn dymuno cyfathrebu, o ran gwasanaethau cyngor, yn yr unig ffordd y gallant ei wneud.
Mae anghysondebau o'r fath yn treiddio i mewn i addysg hefyd, gan fod data a ryddhawyd ym mis Gorffennaf 2018 yn dangos bod saith o bob 18 ymatebwr yn credu nad oedd gwasanaethau arbenigol anghenion addysgol arbennig yn diwallu'r galw presennol am wasanaethau i rai â nam ar y clyw. Mae hyn yn peri pryder, o ystyried bod gan 3,116 o ddisgyblion yr angen cyfathrebu hwn yng Nghymru. Er fy mod yn croesawu'r ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cydnabod bod yna broblemau ac wedi dyrannu £289,000 i gefnogi hyfforddiant proffesiynol i weithlu cymorth synhwyraidd lleol, rwy'n bryderus nad yw hyn yn ddigonol i sicrhau cysondeb eang ar draws y gwasanaeth, yn enwedig pan nad oes ond un gweithiwr ieuenctid ar gyfer pobl ifanc byddar drwy Gymru gyfan. Fel y cyfryw, rwy'n erfyn arnoch i wrando ar argymhellion yr adroddiad hwn ac i ddatblygu siarter genedlaethol ar gyfer darparu gwasanaethau ac adnoddau i blant a phobl ifanc byddar a'u teuluoedd, a hynny ar frys, fel bod gennym feincnod cenedlaethol clir a safon y gall pob sefydliad ac awdurdod weithio tuag ati. Rydym yn ffodus. Gallwn gyfathrebu yma yn y ffordd sydd hawsaf i ni ei wneud. Mae'n hen bryd i'r bobl fyddar yn ein cymuned allu gwneud yr un peth. Diolch yn fawr iawn.
